Giving Thanks

HAPPY THANKSGIVING AMERICA!!!!!

For starters, I hope everyone is busy gorging themselves on good food with family and that no one reads this until next week. But since it's Thanksgiving today, and it's just another Thursday in Burkina, I figured I'd post today about things I'm thankful for!

That said, a small disclaimer: this is my blog, not my diary or a therapy session. So while I'm incredibly thankful for my family and friends (here and at home!) and the many blessings in my life, that's not what this post is going to be about. Focusing on the more light-hearted things - but they're no less honest! :)

Things I'm thankful for in Burkina:

My courtyard walls

Because a girl needs to be able to wear shorts every once in a while, okay??

Nestlé

Yes, the company. They make so many delicious things...my current favorite is "Le Chocolat," which gives me a shortcut to the village pudding described in my "Food I eat in village" post.

T9

i.e., the texting feature that (before coming here) I hadn't used since 2006. My first brick phone here didn't have it and every text message was surprisingly annoying. I may or may not have bought a second phone just for T9...

Pepto

Nuff said, I think.

Amusing Wildlife

Covered this in the "creatures" post but in light of the amusement I just felt watching one pigeon chasing another, I figured I'd include it here. "It's the little things," indeed.

Things I will be more grateful for in America thanks to the Peace Corps:

Refrigerators

More specifically, the ability to store food for later consumption. It's surprisingly difficult to prepare a single meal for a single person. And the dilemma of "make myself sick trying to eat it all vs having to throw the rest away" is no fun.

Also all the foods that are available when refrigeration is an option. Mostly cheese.

Sinks

Notice I did not say plumbing, indoor or otherwise. For me, the most frustrating thing about life with no plumbing is not peeing in a hole OR taking a bath with a bucket. Not even pumping my own water. It's trying to wash my hands or my dishes or brushing my teeth without getting water on my feet.

Admittedly, there are sinks in Burkina, but they're not a regular part of my life. One of my favorite parts of going to the nice hotels in Tenko to use the internet/eat a delicious and overpriced lunch is to wash my hands in a legit sink.

Waste Management Services

Oh, the ability to throw something away and never see it or worry about it again...the stuff of dreams. I have a trash pit area outside my courtyard (which I think is more than many volunteers have) but I usually only put compost type trash and cans out there. Why? Because not only do the village children like to come scavenge for toys, but anyone who walks by will inevitably examine the contents. More than once my neighbors have glanced in and gone, "oh you made spaghetti?" and "what's that?" ("That" was a tuna can). I know they don't have the same ideas about privacy as I do, but still.

The Produce Section

So. Many. Vegetables. All different kinds!! And fruit!! All in one place!!! And I can come back tomorrow? Be still my beating heart.

Washing Machines

I think this goes without saying. I thought I hated laundry before PC but boy was I wrong...

---

Both of those lists could be a lot longer, but I think y'all get the idea. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!! Eat a pumpkin pie for me!!

xo, chlo

My house!!!!

The day my furniture arrived (last Friday) marked exactly 13 weeks at site living on the floor. Maybe it was worth the wait, but I'm definitely glad it's over!

View of the right side of my house from my courtyard door

Highlights: the mat that I like to sit on; the shed where I keep my bidon (aka 25L plastic container used to transport water from pump to my house) and my bike.

View of the left side of my house

Highlights: outdoor shower (left door), latrine (right door); my bedroom window.

Pano of my main room, from the front of the house.

Highlights (L to R): my fluoro light duct-taped to the wall; the bucket that keeps all my cords safe from mouse intruders; the rolled up mat from pic 1; the bench that I take outside when people come visit me; the REI chair gifted to me by Dana and Louis that I take outside.

My desk, kindly borrowed (fo free!) from my school.

Highlights: the peek into my bedroom and the stack of 88 5eme tests to be graded.

My chairs. No further highlights but yes, they ARE as comfortable as they look.

Kitchen area

Highlights: yellow can of Nido (powdered milk) that makes up a large portion of my diet; glasses and bowls (also new additions, before I only had my mug); the "cantine" thing under my stove table which keeps intruders from my food; the battery by the door with cord leading to solar panel outside.

Close up of my cabinet thing with my spices that fit perfectly inside

Water filter corner

Highlights: solar panel and broom but mostly the fact that my water filter is no longer sitting on a cinderblock; the purple "goblets" used to give water to visitors (because mostly my visitors are small children not to be trusted with glasses); also the essentials on top of the filter (TP, pepto, mouse poison).

My room!

Highlights: bug hut with cot inside; dirty clothes bucket.

MY SHELVES!!!!

Highlights: the nice rock I found in my courtyard to keep my door from falling shut; the fact that my clothes are no longer on the floor; the pics on the wall featuring some of you :)

Roommates, Creatures, and Vermin

Life with furniture is pretty incredible. I won't be in to Tenkodogo to use real internet to post pictures for a few more days, but for now I thought I'd tell y'all about the creatures in my life over here!

On the periphery, there are the chickens that sometimes wander into my courtyard, my neighbors' goats who graze in the fields around my house, and the cows that sometimes block the road.

HOWEVER! Here are the four that are really part of my life (in order from my feelings of amicable coexistence to utter loathing):

1. Lizards

(Status: Roommate)

One of the first things we noticed after we landed in Ouaga was that THERE ARE SO MANY LIZARDS EVERYWHERE. 

They come in a variety of sizes (I feel like I'm trying to sell lizards here, but it's true) but I'm not sure if they're different ages of the same type of lizard or different types altogether. 

The smallest ones are super cute, probably two inches long - and sometimes they're spotted!

Medium ones are most similar in size to geckos at home (or maybe just a touch bigger), although they're a bit wider and flatter (and brown), so not nearly as adorable.

The big guys are freaking huge - their bodies are usually a solid five inches long (and then plus tails) and about an inch wide. One volunteer has seen one of these eat a mouse!!!!

I generally feel very favorable towards the lizards because even though they hang out on the walls inside my house a lot, they pretty much stay out of my way. Also they eat bugs and have no interest in human food.

And they're just amusing!! They chase each other around my courtyard walls, and once, I opened my front door and the one on the screen door got so terrified that it kept falling off the wall in its attempt to run away. Maybe I should feel bad for finding that funny, but I really don't.

2. Ants

(Status: Roommate)

Several different types of ants, some bite and some don't, but ALL of them are super cool in that if I kill a cricket in my house, or drop a tiny speck of food, within minutes a little troop of ants will have arrived and removed it (and then disappeared again). It's really quite cool to see!

3. Bats

(Status: Creature)

There is a family of bats living in my latrine. Also the trees right outside my courtyard walls seem to be a popular neighborhood, because come dusk, there are tons swooping around.

They don't bother me much, but considering they could give me rabies if they ever chose to turn on me AND that they could fly out any time I'm doing my business in the latrine, I do regard them with a certain amount of wariness.

I have dubbed the latrine bats "the Addams Family" because they're a bit dark, but you know, not entirely unpleasant!

I like to think we've come to a bit of an understanding - I clack the latrine door shut a few times before going in, so they know I'm there and won't be tempted to fly out*. My initial thinking was that maybe the sound would hurt their delicate little ears, and then they would learn to associate the sound with a human presence. I'm not sure if it actually works, but there's been no wing-butt contact**, so it doesn't NOT work.

*I don't think Burkinabe bats know that they're supposed to be nocturnal.

**I have a volunteer friend who cannot say the same.

4. Mice

(Status: Vermin)

I despise mice. I had a constant visitor at my host families house, and it was awful. Needless to say, the first time I saw one at site I was not happy, but also not entirely surprised because there is a little hole in the corner of my extra room.

Silver lining: at least in my own house I can kill them.

So, yes, I've now killed two mice. Both were disgusting experiences. At first I couldn't find poison, so I had to use this weird sticky trap about the size of a piece of paper. It didn't even seem that sticky, so I was sure it would never work. 

Fortunately (or not, I still haven't really decided), it did work, and one morning I woke up and saw the mouse stuck to the cardboard. The image of a mouse trying to pull its skin from gluey cardboard will forever be burned in my memory.

A couple weeks later: another mouse. Found some poison this time, thank God. Not much better though - I was making my coffee and I hear a noise behind me. Mouse crawls slowly into my main room, pauses and stares at me, twitches a bit, and dies. YES, I LITERALLY WATCHED IT DIE OF POISON. 

Disturbing, but I really can't bring myself to feel bad because I HATE mice. Mostly I just want a cat to take care of any future intruders.

Note: As if mice eating your food and papers and just generally being disgusting wasn't enough, the mice here CLIMB WALLS. Literally climb up vertical walls. No, I don't know of any other type of walls, but seeing one in action (in my shed/storage building thing) was a truly terrifying sight. Nowhere is safe.

Notably absent:

1. Mosquitos:

Really don't notice them much. I pretty much stay inside once it starts getting dark, and the screen door/screens on windows make my house a safe haven. Sometimes one gets in but it never lasts long... :)

2. Flies:

Y'all know my opinions on the flies already (see my September post), and while those opinions have not changed, the flies have headed for greener pastures. No literally, I got some kids from my 5eme class to come dig up all the weedy grass that popped up in my courtyard at the end of rainy season and since then, the fly problem has been much better! 

Also I'm really glad I didn't try to do it all myself (as I had planned to do) because it took five kids almost an hour. More on children as minions in another post, because it really is amusing.

The end :)

xo, chlo

My Life on the Floor

Tried to post this last week, but it didn't go through. I think it was fate, because my furniture is ready and coming home with me TODAY!!! In honor of that wonderful news, here are pictures of my life on the floor, as promised (to my parents, at least):

Two views of my big main room. And no, you're not crazy, I took one picture during the day and the other at night. :)

Peace Corps Burkina Faso Packing List

Apologies to friends and family: this post is mostly for future PCBF volunteers...

A packing list is kind of a requirement for peace corps blogs, so here's mine! I hope someone finds it useful.

CLOTHING

Shirts - I brought about 5-7 t-shirts, and then I got here and found out they wanted our shoulders completely covered for training sessions (i.e., not even sleeveless), so I had my sister send me a few more. There will be some weekends where you can't do laundry, so I'd suggest enough t shirts for 2 weeks of training days (12 days).

Then again, that's mostly because I'm both lazy and a creature of habit, and had no desire to wash clothes on a weeknight after getting home at 5. Some people did that when necessary, but I preferred to wait until the weekend to do it in the morning.

Not sure why, but I didn't rewear shirts all that often during stage. At site, I find myself wearing the same couple shirts over and over again.

Tank Tops - I brought 3 tank tops (with straps that cover bra straps) and 3 nicer sleeveless shirts. Good move/amount for me. I mostly wear tank tops at site.

Pants - I like pants. I also figured (correctly) that it's easier to get skirts made here than pants. I brought 2 long pants and 3 that roll to just below my knees. This was a lot, but they were all linen-y and after two years, only two pairs remain un-ripped.

Jeans

Leggings - you'll want leggings to wear under shorts if you want to run, and (my favorite) you can also get longer tunics made here to wear with leggings

Skirts - I only brought 1 jersey maxi skirt and at first I thought I should have brought more (and fewer pants), but I've since changed my mind. I rarely wear it now (it's not the easiest to bike in) but it was nice to have at first.

Shorts - 2 nike shorts, 2 Patagonia. During stage, I would wear shorts under my pagne skirts and then take off the pagne skirt during the 1.5hr lunch breaks just to remember what air felt like on my legs. It was awesome.

Now I can also do that in my own courtyard! :)

Socks - I brought 3 pairs thinking I might go for runs or something. I don't, really, but it's still nice to have socks. I keep a pair in my bed in case it gets cold at night (yes, it DOES get cold sometimes!!)

Underwear - If you're into underwear, bring enough for 2 weeks. If you're not, 5ish is probably good. I would recommend bringing some just in case.

Bras - I brought 2 sports bras and 3 regular. Works for me.

MISC CLOTHING

Belt - haven't needed it, but hey why not? Some people (especially guys) lose a lot of weight.

Swim suit - I brought both a 1 piece and a 2. Oddly enough, Burkinabe modesty does not extend to the swimming pool, so besides the first time we went swimming, I always wore my normal go-to bikini.

Rain Jacket

Scarf/shawl thing - I mostly just use a pagne, but that's just me.

Sweatshirt - As I said, it DOES get cold here! Only wore it one morning during stage, but I'm pretty sure I'd freeze at night during cold season if I didn't have it.

Hat - I never wear hats in the states so I'm not really sure why I thought I'd wear one here.

Sunglasses

Chacos - only bring if you wear chacos at home!! I wore them all the time at home but don't really wear them here

Birkenstocks - My go-to shoes. At the beginning of stage, they said they wanted us to wear shoes with straps at the back and to look professional, etc., but I figured my Birks looked a whole lot more professional than my chacos, so I wore them. No one seemed to mind.

Tennis Shoes - Again, thought I might run sometimes. Nice to have just in case, and hey, not ruling out the possibility of "faire du sport."

Havaianas or other shower shoes - you can easily get these here. I didn't bring any, and within a week my host dad insisted on buying me some.

TOILETRIES

They say to bring a three month supply of toiletries. For me, the only things for which that meant "bring 2," was deodorant and body wash. Although you can easily get soap here, too.

Med unit supplies everything you need, including:

Sunscreen, bug spray, floss, diva cup, basic OTC meds

**if you have any weird prescriptions, definitely bring enough to get you through stage. The med unit will provide it, but if it's not something they normally keep in stock, they'll have to order it, which obviously takes time.

Face Wash

Moisturizer

Make up - bringing/wearing make up when you want to does not make you a diva. you're not camping for two years.

Deodorant

Toothbrush

Toothpaste (Colgate is easily found here)

Floss

Mirror

Shampoo/Conditioner - I have always believed that 2 in 1 is where it's at, and bucket baths convinced me further of this fact

Soap holder/container

Loofa

Razor

Razor blades

Fingernail clippers

Tweezers

Contacts (yeah, yeah, not supposed to wear them...I wore them all through stage and switched to glasses for site)

Contact solution

Glasses (2 pair but one is an old prescription, so if my first pair breaks, I think I'm going to let PC buy me new ones...)

Rubber bands

Bobby pins

Hair clips

Nail polish - my host sisters (and mom!) loved painting our toe nails, and so do my neighbors! :)

Q-tips - you can buy more here

Towel - I didn't bring one and I don't miss it. Got a cheap pagne the first day in Ouaga to use as a towel

GENERAL

Cards, phase 10

Water bottle - I brought a Tulane nalgene, hoping it might foster a bit of heretofore absent school spirit. I think it's worked!

Flashlight - I had a mini mag light (the one that's like 6 inches long), and I used it around village all the time but when the batteries died and I found that the battery compartment was stuck shut w battery acid, I wasn't too concerned. The cheap phones you use here all have flash lights on them.

Black Diamond Apollo Lantern

Headlamp - I have the Petzl Tikka something and it's pretty awesome

Leatherman Wave - I don't use it that often but when I do, I'm very glad that I have it

Leatherman field knife - highly recommend. Makes things like avocado sandwiches and mangoes on the go a reality.

Thermarest - I used mine during site visit (when I was sleeping on the ground in an empty house), but I did appreciate it then. Now I roll it out when I have more than one guest. A lot of people bring them whenever they visit other volunteers, but by now I don't really mind just sleeping on a concrete floor.

Bug hut - I sleep in mine every night. Recommend, although you can easily buy one when you get here from someone who's COSing.

Duct tape

Watch

Pillow - It's true, the pillows here are awful. I brought a little travel pillow but some people brought their normal pillows from home. I'm happy with my choice but that may be because I'm not really a pillow person. Completely up to you.

REI Flex Lite Chair - I didn't think to bring this, but my sister and brother-in-law gave it to me as a going-away gift and IT IS AWESOME. I think it might be my most highly prized possession in this country. I sit in it for hours every day. (I'm sitting in it right now!)

Is it required? Of course not.

Do most volunteers have one? Not sure but I don't think so.

I didn't use it during stage, but I have a new site (i.e., I'm not replacing a volunteer) and moved into an empty house. When I had no furniture, it was literally my only chair. Even though I have furniture now, I still use this chair during the day, because it's so light and easy to move around to follow the shade in my courtyard.

Hammock - I brought one but have no posts in my courtyard yet to put it up. I've tried other people's though, and it's awesome. Nice to have but certainly not strictly necessary

Scissors

Pens, pencils, highlighters

Spiral notebooks - Most notepads here are graph paper, so these aren't really necessary unless you despise graph paper. I love graph paper, but I also do like having separate, sturdy notebooks for lesson plans.

KITCHEN/FOOD

Ziplocs - I brought one box each of quart and gallon size, and I don't think I'll ever need more, but I appreciate having them

Tupperware - Highly recommend. I brought one pack each of a small/medium and a bit bigger. Definitely recommend, might even recommend one more pack. Maybe that's just because so I use the smaller size as bowls...

Spatula

Can opener - heard you can't find them here but to be honest, I didn't even look bc I brought this one

Veg Peeler - same as can opener

Good non-stick pan - I'm almost positive that I could have gotten a comparable one in Ouaga, so probably not really necessary

Kitchen knives - knives here, not so good. I brought two Kuhn Rikon knives (one serrated) that I already had, and I'm glad I did. I appreciated the little covers that come with KR's. Also they're so pretty! :)

Knife sharpener - I didn't bring one and I've never felt like I needed one. Both of my knives are still doing just fine.

Spices - Tony Chachere's, Taco Seasoning (old El Paso makes a shaker container!), and Zoe's Kitchen "Spice of Life" << a very much appreciated gift :)

You can get most spices in Ouaga, but mixes certainly make things easier

Barbecue sauce - holy moly do I love having BBQ sauce or WHAT. It's also really fun to make the Burkinabe try it. At first they're very suspicious but then they taste it and they're like OMG THATS SO GOOD hahahah

If you're picky about food, go ahead and bring a box or two of granola/power bars.

Tô is not great, but your host family will make it for you. If you're the kind of person who will only be able to eat a bit to be polite, bring some bars to supplement dinner on tô nights.

I also brought peanut m&ms, goldfish, and a box of Oreos, and I very much enjoyed the taste of American junk food every once in a while. :)

ELECTRONIC

Kindle

Computer - I have not met someone who brought a computer who regrets it. I have met people who didn't, who regret THAT. Be aware that PC will give you a flash drive with lots of valuable documents on it. Also, the cell phone companies make these cool things called internet keys, which plug into a USB port and give you phone-ternet on your computer. Do with that information what you will.

Smartphone - I brought my iPhone 5c, and I'm very glad that I did. Even before I got phone-ternet, I liked being able to check my email at wifi spots without carrying my computer around all day.

Flash drives - I brought an 8 gb and a 16 gb, and haven't really needed them, but I like knowing I have them in case I do need them. There are computers in Ouaga that we can use, so I leave my computer at site and bring work back and forth via flash drive.

External Hard Drive - I brought a 1TB, loaded with a bunch of movies and shows and music that I had. Between that, media trades with other volunteers, and more downloads, it was full after a year. I'm a media hoarder, so instead of deleting anything, I bought a 2TB and sold the 1TB to another volunteer. At 5 months left, my 2TB is about 2/3 - 3/4 full.

Anker battery - this thing is the only way I survived 5 weeks at site with no solar panel.

Rechargeable batteries (eneloop) - I have never once used these but I hear they're the only rechargeables that hold their charge.

Converter/adapter (FR)

Shortwave radio - not necessary

Camera

Memory cards

Speakers - not strictly necessary, but I like being able to play music when I'm cooking or doing laundry. I splurged on a small Braven speaker. It's a bit water resistant, feels really sturdy, and can be really loud if I want. They're Bluetooth but also come with a cord, and you can get them half off through the pro deals website.

BAGS

I like being able to manage my bags by myself. If you do too, here's what I would recommend:

1 rolling duffel

1 big backpack

1 small/medium duffel (used as my carry on)

1 small day-to-day bag/backpack (used as my "personal item")

-- I didn't bring any kind of purse, but got a little bag made here out of pagne. Didn't miss having a purse in the meantime.

Eagle Creek offers a 50% discount for peace corps volunteers, so I took the opportunity to stock up on good luggage. I was a walking eagle creek advertisement in the airport, and that was just fine by me. Here were my choices, in case they help you at all:

- Gear Warrior Wheeled Duffel 32

- Rincon Vita 75L

- Medium classic duffel (I think I should have gotten the small)

If I were doing it again, I would choose a different big backpack. The one I got was great, but even empty, it feels big. I think the padded waist straps contribute a lot to that impression. A couple people in my stage had Ospreys, and they seemed lighter. 

Note: I did appreciate the waist straps while waiting in line at the airport for an hour to check bags with it on my back.

My big eagle creek backpack came with a small backpack, but I got a Timbuk2 bag (Medium, Classic Messenger, in case you were wondering) my first Christmas here and I love it.

Looking back, I would have preferred the lighter big backpack + Timbuk2 bag combination from the start.

OTHER

Gifts for host family: 

If possible, I would recommend waiting until you actually know them (also knowing how many host siblings you have and how old they are), and then having your kind family include a few things for them in a package before you finish stage.

Phone: 

As I said, I'm glad I brought my smartphone, but it's completely optional. For calls/texts in country, I use a little brick phone that I got the first day here.

If you do bring a smartphone, make sure it's unlocked and can take a SIM card!

Money:

PC will give you some money at stage for dinner that night before you leave, and airport snacks and such. I also brought a couple hundred USD, which I was glad to have for the following things:

- the symbolic last Bud Light in America ($10 at JFK. Insane, but it was fun.)

- pagne and tailoring - could have saved up for this, but it was nice not to have to

- general extra cushion for food/swimming during stage

- extra money for affectation (i.e., moving to site). PC does give you a "settling-in allowance," but big purchases (like solar panels and furniture) add up quickly, so I was glad to have a bit extra

The first day in Ouaga, PC will have a guy there to exchange money, and you can put credit/debit cards into the PC safe. Once you remove your items though (say, before you travel internationally), you can't put them back.

Packing:

We had about 5 days in Ouaga before going to our host families in Leo. Luggage was stored in a separate (locked) room, so make things easier on yourself and make your toiletries and clothes easily accessible in your bags.

Keep in mind that you won't need cooking things until site, so if you're running out of room in your bags, you can get that stuff sent to you.

And on that note - don't freak out! Anything you forget that you NEED, you can get here.

Anything you forget that you WANT, you can ask friends/family at home and if they like you enough, they'll send it. :)