The Unexpected on an Expected Trip

After spending close to three years in Burkina I finally made it to a few other countries in the area, but it wasn’t quite the trip I had planned on.

Starting in December, Didier and I started making plans to visit Togo and Benin. It would be Di’s first time to see the ocean and lazy days sitting on the beach, swimming, reading, lazily hanging out was what was on the docket. Other Americans had told me to stay at a small hotel called Coco Beach that sat right on the ocean outside of Lomé and featured little bungalows for as cheap as five mille ($10) a night.

We hopped on a bus out of Ouaga at 5am on Sunday morning ready for a 16 hour ride into Lomé. A lot of our daylight hours we would be winding through Togo and it would be a great way to see some of the country. We made it across the border around noon and were looking forward to the rest of the ride. Then things started to change. About 30 mins after the border our bus broke down and we ended up sitting on the side of the road for about 4 hours. We made it back on the road but our hopes seeing Togo in the daylight were fading fast as the sun set. After many more hours we made it to the outskirts of Lomé around 2am when our bus decided it didn’t want to go any further. Sitting in the mass humidity we waited for another 2 or so hours until a replacement bus picked us up and took us the rest of the way. We finally arrived 24 hours after having started.

Not quiet the way we wanted to start the trip but we had the beach to look forward to so things were still looking up. Our taxi drove us about 9 km outside of the city center to our hotel…which we quickly discovered had been torn down for reconstruction the week prior. I am not sure about Di, but after the bus ride, little sleep, and then finding out our hotel didn’t exist was not leaving me at my most emotional high. We drove around for a while a finally found a hotel that was ONLY 3 times what we were planning on paying.

Luckily after this point the trip fell a bit more into place. Due to spending more money then planned on hotels we ate cheaply and cut a few little trips here and there but overall had a nice time.

In Lomé, we visited the port (by my wonderful skills of talking out way past guards), visited the marché, and of course hit the beach.

After two days we grabbed a cab for the boarder into Benin and onto the town of Ouidah which is known for its Voodoo festival and also for being a major slave port back in the day. We played the tourists and hired a moto guide who took us to the Sacred Forest (filled with statues and a tree that used to be a man), the Python Temple (yes I held a python) and showed us the road that was used to transport the slaves that is now marked by statues along the way and ends on the beach at the Door of No Return. [We were also informed that they let the pythons out every night to feed around the village…comforting thought when we were out later]

After Ouidah we continued on to Cotonou to find transport back to Burkina. Our choices were to leave at 8pm the night we got in on a little bush taxi or wait until the following evening at 8pm for a real bus. The choice wasn’t that hard. We made the most of our time in Cotonou by visiting the marché (immense but otherwise not so nice), trying out new beers and watching the craziest traffic either of us had ever seen.

Friday night we boarded the bus for an uncomfortable ride back to Burkina but made it safe and sound back home.

Not quite the trip that I was dreaming of but interesting to say the least.

Fear

Years ago an anonymous person (anonymous to me) gave me a poem/prayer that really seemed to touch on just what I was feeling. I have saved the slip of paper on which it's written and every few years I come across it again and realize that it is still applicable in my life. I figured since it has affected me so much that I should share it with others.

I feel it coming again: fear, crawling under my skin.
That quite unspoken, never-admitted feeling...
That haunting, ever nagging, turn-your-back-and-run panic...
Fear: not of spiders or big dogs or the pull of the ocean,
But fear of my ability, people's reaction, the future, mistakes.
O Lord, help me to face my fears and turn them around.
By my anchor; stand by me until I-
Stop fearing I might lose in love...
But fear instead that I might never love at all.
Stop fearing there are others better than me...
But fear instead that I will never discover my true potential.
Stop fearing I might not meet others' expectations...
But fear instead that I might never know yours.
Stop fearing what lies ahead tomorrow, next week, next month, next year...
But fear instead that I might never experience life's drama today.
Stop fearing hurt and sorrow and tears...
But fear instead that I will never know the pains of growth.
Stop fearing I might fail...
But fear instead that I might never try.
Stop fearing others will laugh at me...
But fear instead that I might never learn to laugh at myself.
O Lord, help me to anchor my life on your hope
Instead of my fear.
O Lord, I know an adventurous life can never be fear-free..
But at least help my fears to be my soul's signal for rallying.
Instead of running.

Lessons in Waiting

I have never been a patient person. Not that I hate waiting, I just hate waiting for things that seem unnecessary. It may be due to the fact that I was raised in a family where you don't arrive on time, you arrive at least five minutes before that. Church starts at 9:30, we were there at 9, school starts at 7:45 we arrive every morning at 7:30. It was a good lesson overall. I was never late for a class, always showed up for an interview early, and unless it was out of my control always made it to work on time. The only problem with this is that I have become intolerant of other peoples' lateness. Occasionally, there is an exception or excuse that I find makes sense, there was a 10 car pile up (not just normal traffic) or the person slipped and fell in the mud and needed to change their clothes really quick before coming but other than those I don't really understand. My general thought has always been that if I have made it on time why can't you.

Burkina, as I have learned, loves testing my limits, and timeliness or lack there of is no exception. Burkina verses the fast-paced US is a slow country culturally, but it's not the cultural slows that get under my skin. I can't sit for hours waiting for a shot of tea with friends. But then there are those times...

-A bush taxi is scheduled to leave at 9:30 in the morning, and has been sitting in waiting since 7am. At 9:25 they decide that they need to work on the car a bit. At 10am they realize that it might be a good idea to start loading the baggage. On a good day they start loading people around 10:30, everyone piles in, but then the driver decides that he wants to go home and eat first.

-You are told that it is important to be ready early and are asked if 5:30am is okay, since obviously the early morning time will be harder on you than everyone else. You say sure you can make it work. You get up early, are dressed and packed by 5:25, and then 5:30 rolls around, and then 5:45 and then 6:00. The others show up without even trying to offer an excuse as to why you had to wake up so early.

-You get to a restaurant and search out the chef and place your order. You then sit down and wait for the drink server to come by, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes... Finally after a lot of searching and asking a girl walks up. When you mention that you have been waiting for 30 minutes you are told that she went inside to take a shower. Another 30 minutes later your food shows up. And no, your spaghetti is meatless, so even the excuse of needing to go kill a cow first is out.

From the title of this blog you probably thought on how I was going to write on how Burkina has made me a more patient person, but that's not the lessons I've learned. These are the real lessons:

1.Just because you have something to do today does not mean that anyone else does.

2.Bring 2 books, an iPod and a pad of sudoku games everywhere you go. One book isn't always going to cut it.

3.Not everyone was raised by parents who value timeliness and the need to not have others wait for you. :o)

Journal Disclaimer

I wrote the following today in my journal that I am finally starting to write. Although this applies to my journal and NOT this blog I thought I'd share it with you anyway.

Disclaimer:
I have an issue with writing a journal. In general, I feel more like writing when something bad is happening, when I am in an emotional state or in a dilemma of some sort, but it is also at these times that I feel the need to be more private. The thoughts go through my head: "What if someone reads my journal? Today? Next Year? In 10 years? After I am dead?" So do I tell the truth, pour out my heart without thought, or do I censor my thoughts and emotions before putting them down, and if I do that is there any real use or any real cathartic release in keeping a journal. I guess the truth is best, whatever the outcome?

I, therefore, do NOT pledge to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth in the pages to follow, but I will try to be self-censored free or at least minimize it as much as I can.

In all fairness, if you are not me and are reading this, please make sure you my permission or that I am dead. (Even if I am dead think twice about if you really want to read this or not, I may not be the person you hoped or thought I was)

If you are still reading without permission and I am still living, I hope many unfortunate and unspeakable things befall you. (See, I am not really all that nice)

**Remember this applies to my journal NOT my blog so please feel free to keep checking back on the blog.**

Moto Lessons

This sojourn in Burkina is a bit different from my last. I am living in a city, Fada N'Gourma, not a village. My house this time is equipped with electricity and running water (sure beats pumping and carrying water and using a latrine). And this time around I have said good-bye to the bike and hello to a moto.


Along with the moto has come many lessons...luckily I have learned most of these the easy way.

1. Even though a moto looks pretty it does not mean it's a good moto.
2. Front is to shift up, back is to down-shift. It is not a good idea to mix these up.
3. Whatever is smaller than you SHOULD move out of the way.
4. Even on your moto a cow is still bigger than you.
5. Toads who don't obey lesson 3 make a gratifyingly squishy sound when you run over them.
6. Rocks don't obey lesson 3 and they don't make a squishy sound when you run over them.
7. Mud and motos don't mix well together
8. Sand and motos don't like to be in the same place at the same time.
9. When riding remember that unlike a car your face is the windsheild and that is where bugs will hit.
10. Wearing a helmet helps protect against those bugs and a few other things.
11. Just because every other moto in the country has a reserve gas tank does not mean that yours does.
12. Some places mix petrol (lamp gas) with their car/moto gas. This will kill your moto.
13. When smoke starts coming from your moto you should go see a mechanic.
14. When smoke starts coming from your moto the next day you should change your mechanic.
15. Motos make life a lot nicer than bikes do in 100 degree weather.

That's what I have learned so far, but I am sure there is more to come.

The first month

Dear Friends and Family,

I apologize that I have been here almost a month and a half and haven't updated my blog.

Coming back to Burkina and Fada has been a good experience so far. I spent my first few days in Ouaga and then moved to Fada in order to dive into work. Found a house my first day in Fada and was really happy that I was going to have electricity this time around. Due to a few different things (mostly sharing a latrine with lots of little kids) I found a new house a few weeks later where I now not only have electricity but running water with a toilet and a shower. The move has made adjusting and feeling at home a lot easier.

Work is going really well and the harvest is well underway. We'll probably start buying within the next and then my job will be non-stop. In the meantime I have been doing a lot of asking questions, organizing, meeting contacts and find more sesame producers. It's taking being more social than I normally am but it is probably a good thing.

(For those of you who don't know what I am doing in Burkina here is a quick explanation: I am the Regional Coordinator of the Eastern Region of Burkina Faso for a company called Expandia International Traders that was started by some of my ex-Peace Corps friends. Currently the company is solely exporting sesame but will be branching out into cashews and dried mangoes in the near future. My job is to cover the whole eastern quarter of the country, working with associations and groups of farmers that are growing sesame. This varies from working along side well organized associations to program how and when we are buying, to working with smaller groups who are asking for advice on how to better grow their sesame.)

I am finding the job frustrating at times but also very interesting and educational. Instead of just showing up at the end of the harvest Expandia has decided to be with the farmers from the start and gave out seed on credit and has been working hand in hand with groups to see how things can be done better. Although I am working for a commercial business and not an NGO/save Africa program I believe we can actual make a difference in the lives of a lot of people on the very simple level of giving them a market to sell what they have produced.

Outside of work I have been adjusting fairly well. I did get pretty sick for a week or two but am doing fine now. I have been reconnecting with a lot of old friends and making a lot of new ones. I also just went and visited my old village and it was really great to see everyone and slip back into their lives a little. On a side note for those of you who helped out with donations for the library at the school in Bilamperga, I am very pleased to say that the library is still in use and that a few books have been added since my departure. If any of you still are interested in the library please let me know.

One more project that I am starting to get involved in and am very excited is a home for 10 jr. high and high school girls that will allow them to continue with their education. This project was started by former PC volunteer Tracey and our mutual friend Hassan. Once I got here both Tracey and Hassan asked if I would be willing to be involved in the project and also be an additional go between for Tracey and Hassan. The project started out well and the house is mostly complete but due to lack of funding for the moment the project was not able to start housing girls this year. It is our hope that we'll be able to raise enough money to get this up and running soon. Once the house is complete the 10 girls selected will be able to come live there along with a few women to run the house and be guardians for the girls, and at that point we will also be able to get some government and NGO funding to keep everything running. So far I have mostly been an observer with the project but hope to be more involved as time permits. (Sorry this is getting long, if you are interested in this and want to know more just let me know)

So, that has been most of my life for the past few weeks. Oh wait am I missing something, ah the boyfriend update. Yes, I am still dating Tankoano Soantieba Didier (Di) and things are going well. We have both decided to take everything very slow upon my return (no rings or wedding bells for those of you who thought that was why I was coming back). Whenever we get to see each we hang out and talk about life and all that good stuff and are enjoying each others company. Due to our jobs we only get to see each other for a day or two every month, which seems like a long time but after a year apart it's not that bad.

Okay, time to wrap this up. Thank you to all of you for your well wishes and I will try to remember to keep you all updated on life here.

Krista

(Sorry no pictures due to camera issues. :o( )

My address:
Krista Kay
s/c Expandia International Traders
09 BP 1415 Ouagadougou 09
Burkina Faso, West Africa

Most of the way there

The last week has been pretty crazy. I finished up my job at Equity, moved out of my apartment and to my parents for the weekend, and then on Monday night hopped on a plane to NYC that would be the first leg of my long trip back to Burkina. I made it to NYC without any problems...just with out much sleep. Was very happy to discover that JFK does have luggage storage and grabbed the A-train into the city. Spent a great day with Oreila and a bit of time with Brooks too. Made it back to the airport and onto my flight to Casablanca, which is where I am currently sitting while waiting another 8 or so hours until my flight to Burkina.

Sorry to any of you who I was not able to talk to before I left. I will hopefully be updating this blog on a regular basis once I get settled.