Ouhigouya Call 8-2-09

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Stephanie said her job so far with the Peace Corps is fine. She has been teaching practice classes since Monday. She said the last class she taught went better. Her previous classes found her with her face buried in the paper she used to prepare for the class. Her uncertainty with the French language caused her to be tentative and disconnected from the kids in the class. After consulting with her Peace Corps trainers, she adjusted and started writing the lessons on the board to interact with the class. She said the kids like that more too. That way she was able to focus on getting the kids to understand and stopped worrying about her grasp of the language. She consulted with another Peace Corps Trainee who is fluent in French and realized it is no big deal to flub the words.

She said she had a creepy prophetic dream about her dad but convinced herself that her dreams do not usually predict what is going to happen so she calmed herself down and realized it was only a dream.  

There is still no answer about getting reimbursed for the extra charge she had to pay the airline for the weight of her suitcase but she is optimistic now that she found someone with the Peace Corps who is working to resolve the issue in her favor.

Some of the members of her host family are away on a trip and it made her sad to think that when she gets to site she will be living in a house alone for two years. We told her she will make new friends and when she was living at home she spent a lot of time alone in her room. She will make friends in her village and will be able to spend time with them during the day.  

Stephanie told a story that happened while her host mom was braiding her hair while they were sitting under the hangar. A man walked thru the gate and started talking to them. Stephanie said she was a bit uncomfortable thru the exchange especially because he was touching her arm in a manner that was way too familiar and inappropriate. She said he had the smell of alcohol on his breath and afterward her host mom said he was not well and to be careful. It taught her a lesson about being certain to keep her guard up and to not feel obligated to be overly nice. She said there have been Peace Corps training classes that stressed that and pointed out that any serious crime, though rare, usually occurs within the first 6 months in country when volunteers are perhaps too trusting when they try not to appear cold and may go overboard with friendliness.

Once at site, she has concluded, that there is no reason to ever invite any men into her house. That way she will not have to deal with the “it is getting dark, what to do” issue.  

She said she went to the tailor to get some fabric to have more clothing made. She is looking forward to wearing the clothing.

There is a book she is reading that is making her miss the people back home a bit.  

She is adapting to the climate. She said when the temperature drops to around 80 degrees, it feels cool to her now.  Sleeping is ok. The room where she sleeps has a window on one wall and a door on the opposite wall so the air flows thru to keep the temperature bearable. The rainy season is upon them so the temperatures are much cooler than when she first arrived in Burkina Faso. When it is too warm, she has slept out doors with her mosquito netting. She said it seems weird to get into bed at night and find the sheets warm to the touch compared to the cool feel of the sheets back home in the states.

She also feels she is adjusting more to the culture and feels more “African” every day.