I've been a little sick the past two days. Let's just say that yesterday I went to the restroom 12 times which averages out to once every two hours, and it wasn't cause I was drinking a lot of water. Andy said something similar happened to him in Ghana and after at time number 8 he could do nothing but laugh. Number 8 wasn't funny for me and neither were #'s 9 through 11, 12 was kind of funny. Any way just one more thing to love about being abroad. I'm not looking forward to getting home and having to let my stomach readjust once again.
I did get to do something fun however. Tuesday night the Peace Corps had their swearing in ceremony at the US ambassador's house (currently vacant). Our group was invited so two of us went as representatives. We've managed to make some friends with some of the volunteers who are entering their second year of service so it was fun to watch them interact with the new group. The cheese quesidillas were very good. We went out dancing afterwards, funny thing about going dancing on a Tuesday night, we were literally the only people in the club. The DJ perceiving that we were a large group of Americans treated us to a 5 or 6 song Michael Jackson tribute to start the night (exactly what we all wanted).
I will not be moving to the Niger boarder in Fada in October. The group wants to find another way to staff that position without splitting up the team we have here in Ouga. Hopefully the will be other opportunities to get around the country to see what my local friend Siddo calls "real Burkina". I could be down in Bobo next week with my friend from World Food Program.
Went to the big central market on Monday. While fun, next time I go I'd like to be able to walk around without attracting an 8 person entourage. Normally a following would be a good thing, but in this case it's just annoying. Seeing as how (mistakenly) white=money everyone wants you to come look at their shop and buy their crap (That one and my next few sentences may be considered insensitive, I don't care you try living here).
So the following crowds in on you starts grabbing you trying to pull you to their shop and apparently never hear the word no. Now I'm sorry but every day someone wants me to buy something from them 1. I don't have the money, 2. If I did have the money I still wouldn't buy it. 3. I'm wearing a pair of sandals why would I buy the one's your trying to sell me? 4. The Burkina soccer jersey I'm wearing only cost 3000cfa, why on earth would I pay 6000cfa for the one you're offering?
Best way to get the Burkiabe to leave you alone when they're trying to sell you something is to joke with them. Hard to do when 6 of them are literally pulling you in different directions and not gently I might add, the kind of tug that gets you hit or yelled at in the States. However the guy with the sandals made the mistake of following us to the taxi. So as he made a finial attempt to sell me the flip-flops he was holding I took mine off and tried to sell them to him. Aside from being far too over stimulating the market was fun.
Sad news about the international school that's located just around the corner from our house; the milkshakes are not as good as the ones from the embassy. I know what you're thinking that's awful news and I couldn't agree more. Good news the United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship is doing an event in September in the Ivory Coast, I'm going to try and make my way down if the money works out, yay! Those of you who are, good luck starting back with classes.
Peace,
Ben
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Hmmm -- protozoal, bacterial, or got-over-it-and-didn't-need-to-find-out?
ReplyDeleteHey Ben, this is Walt. Sounds like most of the time you are having a real interesting time. You are absolutely right about white skin means you have money and the only way to get around that is to go shopping a lot of times with someone you can trust to tell you the black man prices and not the white man prices. Get those prices in your head and then you can tell them what you are going to pay. It works Ben - that is what we had to do. It takes a few months but once people see you mean this, and you stick to it, things get easier and you can go through the market without being hasseled. You have to become one of them, they have to get used to seeing you there. It gets fun after that.
ReplyDeleteBen, there is one thing I wish I could do and that is to come onver and spend some time with you. We would have a ball. Pat and I love reading your blogs, warts and all.