Update!

     Where to start??? I’ve done and seen plenty of new things this week. Met dozens of people (of whose names I remember very few, and made a fool of myself a few times. I’ll try to expand on some of the things I touch on later this year, but for now here is an overview of what I have been doing this past week.

      I suppose the adventure started at Pearson International although that seems like a really long time ago. Mom and Dad came to see me off. Taya and David had also come to the airport along with Kevin’s family. Jeannette had already flown to Toronto from Winnipeg on Sunday morning. Our first flight took about 6.5 hours to get from Toronto to Paris. We had about two hours in Paris to make it to our second plane and made it there in about half that time so we were able to relax for a while. According to our itinerary our second plane was going to be flying directly to Ouagadougou, but in Paris we found out that we were first making a stop in Niamey, Niger. In Niger we dropped off about half the passengers, did multiple “person counts” (apparently one person didn’t get off as they were supposed to), and waited for about a half hour before we were up in the air for another hour to Burkina Faso. It seemed like we had just made it to our flying altitude when the captain announced that we were starting our descent.

      Jeannette, Kevin, and I landed at around 16:30 local time in Ouagadougou. Anyone who has been to the airport in Ouaga will know that it is nothing big or fancy. There is only one runway and planes have to enter in the middle, taxi to the end, and turn around to take off. Security was pretty quick as well and in no time we were in the arrival areas waiting for our ride. We were just starting to talk about what we would do if Simon (the person who was to pick us up) didn’t come when he walked through the door. Just a short car ride later we were at the centre where we were staying for the next few days before going to Yako on Friday. We were living in a catholic missionary centre while in the capital with seven other students from Quebec who are also volunteering in the country over the next few months. Six of them will be in a small town just south of Yako called Tindila where they will be helping to build an irrigation system for the women in the area.

     After a long day of travelling- there was technically a night in there, but for us it lasted about four hours, we landed around 16:30 Burkina time (which is 4 hours ahead of Ontario) while other students were not here until after midnight. The three of us spent the evening looking for a restaurant that was still open by 18:30 and finally came across one that opened again as soon as we asked if they were closed J. The next morning we walked around again to find a place for breakfast and ended up on one of the major streets through the city. This is where you find almost all the major banks, a couple of embassies, some European style coffee shops, and plenty of people (in cars, motos, bikes, or walking). Later we came back and brought the Quebec students out for lunch and visited le Grand Marche. By the time we had walked from the front door through to the back door, each of us was talking with a partner vendor who was trying to sell us something.

     Our orientation in Ouaga was quite interesting and helpful. The WUSC drivers brought us around the city to help us find cell phones, take out money, buy mosquito nets, get essentials that can only be found in Ouaga, and helped us find places to eat. Friday we made some final purchases then drove on to Yako. The roads here are actually very good. In Ouaga the major streets are all paved and side streets are packed down hard enough that they are also quite smooth. The road to Yako is also paved and except for a few potholes is also very smooth. The road to Tindila is another story though.

Tindila is about 20km away from Yako and the road leading there is full of holes, bumps, grooves, and plenty of other obstacles. Friday night we brought the Quebecois students to Tindila to their residence for the next 4 months and had the chance to watch the reception they were given. Village life is definitely very different from life in Yako, but would also be a really neat experience.

     The past couple of days we have been touring around Yako and learning more about SEMUS and the work that they do. I’ve been introduced to plenty of people, but remember very few of the names. I’m sure that will come with a bit more time. Yesterday Jeannette and I visited a few potential houses, decided on where we will be living, and today we were able to move in! Kevin is staying with us for the next three days and is then moving to his own “bachelor apartment”. Today we also visited Tindila again for a meeting with the chief of the town and various representatives from the community. We also got to visit the site where the students from Quebec will be building an irrigation system. Back in Yako, we visited le Grand Marché, moved into our new house, and met some of Kevin’s friends from the four months he was here at the beginning of the year.

     Tomorrow there are no official plans as it is Sunday. We are planning to meet a couple more of Kevin’s friends, go to another market, and find some gas so we can start using our stove. We’ve been eating out for almost every meal so far. Admittedly it is very cheap to do that here in Yako- only 400 CFAs for a plate of spaghetti, rice, or potatoes with sauce, or an omelette if it’s breakfast time which is the equivalent of about 80 cents Canadian. Nevertheless, it will be nice to do a bit of our own cooking and start making our own drinking water rather than relying on sachets or Lafi (a trusted type of bottled water).

I’ll send more updates soon…

A tout!