2 months and counting

Well, I've been at my site for almost 2 months now, and the integration is coming slowly but surely. Its been a huge improvement having my own house and complete control over the food I eat and my daily schedule. Living with a host family during training meant that I gave a lot of those freedoms up, and that was very draining for me. I didn't realize how much I appreciate those personal freedoms until I was put into a situation where I had to eat food I didn't want to eat, wake up when I didnt want to be awake, and speak French when I didn't feel like it. The French is still an everyday struggle, but I love most other things about living at my site. My house is big and comfortable, and now includes my new puppy, named simba, as well. The people of my town are very welcoming and kind- constantly inviting me over for meals or just to watch tv at their house (this is a very kind offer where television access is very limited!). I'm slowly getting to know my community and evaluating their needs, which is my jo for the first 3 months here. I'm missing everyone back home a lot, and some days are harder than others, but overall things are going well. I'm hoping with this new iPhone I just received in a care package (thanks mom!) I can stay more connected to people back home, since I'll have consistent access to the Internet! I hope all is well with everyone in the states, and I always appreciate any updates I receive!

updates from training

wow, after 3 weeks in this country, I'm finally getting internet. Its been a crazy few weeks, and we've been kept almost constantly occupied with Peace Corps training. I start training at 7:30 each the morning with french tutoring, go to technical and language classes until 5:15pm, then go home to a host family that only speaks french. Its been so exhausting, and in case this wasn't already known about West Africa, its been HOT. so hot, that I am now a morning person because early morning is the only time I can stand to be inside long enough to get ready for the day. In general though, the people of this country are incredibly hospitable and my host family thinks everything I do is great/ hilarious. So that's been a nice adjustment, though there are so many unpleasant adjustments that its not worth getting into. They can really be summed up with one image: pooping in a hole. Its a part of my life now. I'm just taking things one day at a time, including the before-mentioned, but by the looks of how slow my internet is and how hectic training is, I probably won't be posting another update on here until I get to my permanent site in December. It will be SO nice to have my own place and not have to walk past 5 family members every morning to shower. Until then, if anyone is in the mood to donate to a hungry Peace Corps volunteer, I have started having strangely realistic dreams about candy and chips, so I would greatly appreciate any edible care packages sent this way!

Burkina Faso

That is the name of the country I will be living in for the next 2 years. Burkina Faso. 
I'm guessing you've never heard of it.
That's ok- I had never heard of the country either, until the day I received my invitation to join the Peace Corps and ran to the world map hanging on my wall to find the country I would be serving in. You may not want to do all of the research I've done on the country since then, so here are some quick facts: It is a land-locked, French-speaking, West African country located just above Ghana. According to the U.S. State Department, "Burkina Faso remains one of the world’s poorest countries, ranking 161 out of 169 countries in the 2010 UNDP Human Development Index, with a per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of $580." (http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2834.htm). Peace Corps volunteers in Burkina Faso focus on sustainable agriculture, health development, education, and girls' and women's empowerment. I will be leaving for my service on October 9th and spending two months near the capital, Ouagadougou (pronounced Wa-gah-doo-goo!) for my language/job training, and then I will be assigned a city/town/village to spend my next two years! As soon as I figure out my location and specific duties, I will make sure to update everyone on here so you can keep track of me/mail me goodies. 


For now, here is a youtube video that one of my fellow volunteers in Burkina made about his everyday life in the Peace Corps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSu0_bMiRWY&feature=relmfu