The beginning of this entry was meant to be my first Burkina post so some of it might be a repeat of the last post.
What can I even say about today? It was amazing! We had the usual classes then we drove to Sapone, a city outside of Ouaga. When we got there we had a small celebration, then our host families adopted us. After the ceremony, while everyone else was struggling to put their luggage on top of their bikes my host mom takes me to a van where some other trainees (Gerard and Kelsey) are standing. I thought she was one of three wives but she is not. Gerard, Kelsey, and I get to ride in style to our separate homes. I only met my host dad once and it was for a short time. They told us to expect really modest conditions but I think that my host family is pretty well off. We actually have a tv and a refrigerator. This is VERY rare. (tv and fridge but no running water—how interesting)
Sidenote: I didn’t realize how bad my French was until I tried to communicate with my host family. They probably think that I am special ed or something. The neighbors that live in the courtyard are very nice. They laugh at me because I don’t understand what anyone is saying. They speak French, Moore, and a little bit of English so does my homestay mom.
I took my first bucket bath today and had my first latrine/squat toilet experience. It wasn’t bad at all. It’s a lot simpler than American showers and bathrooms. I def. do not live in a traditional Burkinabe household. I ate dinner (bread and beans) by myself! I was expecting to sit down with the whole family over a long awkward dinner. My host family is actually following my vegan diet. They probably think that I’m crazy.
I’m not really sure how many people live here. I don’t know if the little girl doing all of the work is my sister or a servant (she’s the servant/house girl). I can’t wait to get a better understanding of who is who because that would make this a lot easier. My room is pretty modest; I have a bed, chair, desk, and table.
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