“What the What?!”

So I’ve decided to write down the things that I find most “noticeable” while it is still fresh in my mind.  It is quite amazing how quickly a new environment becomes normal and you no longer are aware of the things that made no sense at first or the cultural nuisances that you can easily adopt or let go of for the sake of integration and adapting to a new setting.  We all do it, and well I have gotten in trouble in the past for not sharing the shocking/noticeable things.  Yeah, so my sister came to visit and she ended up giving me the silent treatment for like 8 hours because I forgot to mention some things to her back in 2007 when she visited me in Burkina Faso.  Understandably, she was upset and flustered because I forgot to tell her that as our taxi comes into the bus station there will be many men who will swarm the taxi and begin to reach for our bags.  No they are not thieves (well most of them aren’t), they are just overzealous luggage loaders I guess you can call them.  They are trying to make sure that you ride with them instead of with another bus; they simply want your service.  The best way to handle them is with a firm, “no,” and then, simply moving along to the bus you want to ride.  So this list of “noticeable” things is especially for you, Sugar.  I do want to put a disclaimer though, that some things that may be shocking to another person travelling from the states if it is their first time outside of the comforts of America, may not be shocking to me.  Also, some of these things are probably documented in other places, by people who have traveled in the past.  I usually try not to read anything other than safety warnings because well, the “what the what’s” of life are often times quite comical in retrospect.  My list is candid and my honest thoughts as I experienced these things.  No disrespect to any person anywhere in the world, I doubt I will be offensive, but just in case, I am just telling it to you from the way I saw it at first…my perspective will likely change over time.  Nonetheless, here we go!

Dear India, 

Here is a list of things that I must say shocked me when I got here.  I am not sure how quickly I will get over them, some fast, some slow, and some never.  Some things I enjoy and quite frankly may adopt into my own life.  This is my list to you because I really just want to know, “what the what?!”

1.    -   The “bobble head” nod.  Americans, do this activity so you can understand.  Step 1: Shake your head yes.  Step 2: Shake your head no.  Step 3: Shake your head, “I don’t know”.  I am not sure how else to describe the head shake here for yes other than bobble head like, or like you cannot really decide if you want to say yes or no.  It is like you are shaking water out of each ear when you get out of the pool, but just faster.  Now imagine what it is like to get off of the airplane and you ask someone a question like, “am I going in the right direction to get to gate 17?” and they start sideways/bobble head shaking at you.  There is no expression on their face…not friendly, not foelike.  Just a shake.  WHAT THE WHAT?!  What does that even mean?  Yes is an up and down motion…this sideways thing just looks like you are not sure you know what you want to say, that or you are trying to get an attitude with me.  I may never get completely over this one…but I am getting used to it.

2.     -  “OK-OK-OK-OK-OK-OK-OK” Gesh! Give me a minute to talk!  So Americans, imagine you are talking to someone. (this is the part where you say “uh-huh/mm-hmm”) and they just keep saying, “ok, ok,ok” as you are speaking.  Wouldn’t you think that they are trying to get you to shut up?  Well actually they are not, its kind of like the Indian “uh-huh/mm-hmm”.  And to you my Indian friends, when I say “uh-huh” I am not asking you to repeat yourself, I am acknowledging that I am following the conversations.  It is to say I am with you.  So either you are going to have to stop repeating yourself or I am going to have to start saying ok a million times while you are talking so you know I am with you.  More than likely I will have to give in here, or I am just going to get tired of hearing you repeat your sentence because I said “uh-huh”…I assume I will adopt the ”ok,ok,ok,ok” method.  Sorry American friends if I start doing this unconsciously with you.  I do not want you to shut up.

3.      - Traffic.  In the city roads it’s like New York meets, LA, meets, organized chaos!  On top of that as an American, I must say that I always look the wrong way when crossing the street because you all drive on the opposite side of the street from us.  I’M CONFUSED!  And scared for my life at times because much like NY drivers, it seems like you all are intending to run over pedestrians to let them know you are the boss.  Last thing.  If everyone honks their horns at the same time no one gets the message.  I never know if you are honking at me, or the cars, or just honking for general purpose.  Maybe you are honking because someone thought it was a good idea to paint on the back of several different types of service vehicles for people to honk at them.  Why was that a good idea?  I have no idea.  I am learning to look the right way to cross the street, thank heavens, and sadly I have started toning the horns out, which may be a bad thing because one day you might actually be honking at me.  Pray for me in traffic my friends worldwide J.

4.      - Scents and smells.  Well India, I must say, I love the smells of the food you cook.  Some Americans are not fans of curries and various other spices, but I am.  It is quite interesting while walking around town to smell food cooking and then get smacked by some odd smelling burning thing.  I guess it smells like rubber burning, but then the pleasant smell of Jasmine encircles you.  It is quite interesting, dynamic and unforgettable.  The jasmine thing is perfect!  Women and girls in the south regularly wear fresh jasmine flowers in their hair.  So you find people all over street corners tying the jasmine garlands.  Its calming, its sweet, it’s a lovely smell.  Whoever came up with it was a genius and indeed, soon you will see me with it in my hair too J.

5.    -   Colors.  Much like your dynamic, interesting layers of smells, your colors do the same things.  Buildings in the cities are multicolored, the streets are brown, the saris and clothes are colorful, and the fruits, flowers, and other things sold on corners lay on yet another layer.  It feels alive.  It’s eye popping.  It’s India’s cities.  I love it!

6.      - Word choice.  Ok, so I know we are all speaking English and things vary depending on where you are in the world.  Heck it varies even from state to state in the USA.  So why would I assume that things would be any different here in India.  But my Indian friends, I must say that you may be overusing the word “only” pronounced “wonly” here.  You say things like, “you are “wonly” coming back?”  HUH?  (I am really asking you to repeat yourself this time).  Do you mean am I just coming back, or am I coming back alone?  Am I only going to come back to this specific place place?  Which one is it?  I must ask because all three might be a possibility…this same sentence goes for all three…I have heard it mean each.  Confusing!  I am certain that in 5 minute conversation with someone they will likely use “wonly” at least twice every min…so that is 10 only’s that I have no idea why they are using it.  Most of the time I look at you guys for a little longer and you rephrase your question.  You still use “wonly” in the sentence, but when you rephrase it the place you put the only gives me more clear indicators of what you are talking about.  Funny thing is, all people I have met that are English majors and Indian do not overuse the word only.  So I think I am correct in thinking that it probably does not fit in the sentence where you are putting it.  I am sure you would be just as confused by the American “like” as I am with the Indian “wonly”.  Example: "I like saw my friend at the mall and I was like so excited to see her.  She was like, 'I really like your jeans.' And I was like, 'Do you really like, like them?'"  To my Indian friends, I am sure I lost you like 4 likes ago :-).  Heck, the overuse of like confuses Americans sometimes!  So I feel the same way when you say "only" a bunch of times in "like one sentence". :-)

So this was meant to be funny and informative.  These are some of the things western foreigners may be thinking as they interact with your culture.  There are more that are equally as confusing, but I must say I have enjoyed every minute of the discoveries.  While our differences are clear, it is refreshing to know that at the heart of human beings, we are all the same.  We all love; we all laugh; we all get sad, and at some point may cry.  I appreciate your hospitality and the sense of humor you all have as I make mistakes navigating your culture.  At some point or another, I won’t be shocked anymore, I promise.  And you will probably stop wondering what’s up with me.  (I see you all staring at me on the train and when I walk around campus…I know I look and act weird to you too).  The most important thing is that we continue to build friendships worldwide, recognize our differences and be gracious enough to accept that there are many ways to the same end. 

Sincerely Your Learning Visitor,

Aisha         

“…It followed her to school one day…”

Yes, I am sure you all are thinking of Mary and her little lamb.  How cute was that?  A little girl whose pet lamb loved her so much that it went with her everywhere, including school!  No, I do not have a cute lamb following me to class, but Madras Christian College is a beautiful campus that is indeed a forest.  See the pictures below of my walk to class.  There are lots of beautiful trees and paths that lead to the Social Work Department.  Oh no, if you look too fast you might miss that right beside my dorm there was a picture of a deer.  YES, A DEER!  He is just chilling in the shade by the dorm in the middle of the day.  According to students the deer are very friendly and you can even walk up and you can feed them bananas out of your hand.   I will take all of their words for it, but I am not at all trying it out!  No thanks!  If anyone knows me, then they know my great love for animals, God’s precious creatures…This might be an exaggeration of the truth…I don’t like any of them.  I know we must coexist.  As long as they stay out of my way, I will stay out of theirs, but there is no friendly buddy time going on hahaha…I might be scared J.  As odd as it may sound, I absolutely love the outdoors and forests because the color green is everywhere.  It’s my favorite color and I am convinced it is one of God’s too J.  So it is a nice walk to class each day, with or without the chipmunks, and squirrels, deer, and random dogs roaming campus.  The sounds of nature are calming, and the shade the trees bring is refreshing considering southern Indian heat.  I love the campus and I have by no means seen half of it.  From what I understand, the campus is 365 acres.  I usually only walk about a mile to class and then a mile back, so I know I have not seen it all.  But I have time.  I will likely take a partner just in case I run into some not so friendly deer…

Happy Independence Day India!

India’s Independence came in 1947 on August 15^th.  This year’s celebrations were indeed celebrations to remember, cherish, and also support.  My activities began on the eve of Independence helping the students of the social work department pick weeds, and clean up the yard of a community project that has been serving the community for many years.  Family Life Institute is an NGO that was started by Madras Christian College students many years ago.  The organization began as a small hospital, and now serves as a primary school, women’s self-help group training center, and a clinic.  The Master’s of Social Work (MSW) students were preparing for their independence day celebration with the community in which the FLI center serves.  It was quite interesting learning of the history of the center and how it has been indeed making a difference in the community.  At one point, the first generation of people who came to the center for services also worked on the MCC campus as grounds keepers, cooks, etc.  The following generation did the same, but it was in the third generation that a shift came about.  Nearly 80% of the third generation of persons served by this community center is now college graduates and many of them from MCC.  Many of them give back to the community center and return to FLI where their mothers gave birth to them, they attended primary school, and now they serve as teachers.  It is quite a cycle of growth and empowerment.   I was unable to attend the next day’s events because I had prior engagement with the Rotary Club of Madras, but I was pleased to be able to contribute in a small way.  I did see the dance that some of the MSW students who live in my dorm prepared for the celebration.  They practiced diligently each night…see photo.

Still on the eve of Independence, a few MSW students and I were invited to attend a panel discussion on an issue that is quite interesting considering India’s Independence and great development.  The panel discussion was on Bounded Labor hosted by International Justice Mission- to discuss what the next steps are to put into action the legislation that was created to counter it.  As a student in the social work department, I am being exposed to concerns and issues in Indian society that I would have never thought of existed.  While I steer clear of any political protests or stances, this experience was indeed education and it was indeed quite interesting and heart pricking to learn about many people who on Independence Day will not feel the same freedoms as many other Indians.  Many of the persons who are victims in bounded labor do not live in chains, but are bound through fear and intimidation to pay off an advance from an employer.  The human rights organization who hosted the discussion has a website http://www.facebook.com/FightBondedLabourCrime where you can read more about the things they are doing, and the issues that surround this topic.  The discussion was eye opening and quite informative. 

On the actual Independence Day, I had the pleasure of riding to the Rotary Club of Madras’ Create Campus and share the day with the boys of Boy’s Town.  There is an urban boys town in the city, near Madras Christian College and so I road there with them.  I am blessed to be affiliated with not only a great International service organization, Rotary, but also to be studying in a social work program.  It is refreshing to see and learn of the great things that Indians are doing to continue the development of this great nation.  The Boy’s Town project provides housing and education for many orphaned and economically distressed young boys in the Chennai area.  They are learning trades varying from auto mechanics to electricians.  See the picture of some of the young boys from the Boy’s Town near MCC.  It’s a town that they created and wired electrically using the lessons they learned in class.  It was indeed a great experience!

 Things I noticed on Independence Day here: 

-they put flower petals in the flag so when you raise it and open it, it bursts with flowers.

-just like at home, everyone proudly wears their countries flag

-just like at home there’s lots of food everywhere J

Happy Independence Day to India!

First 24 Hours and I am already meeting celebs: Wilfrid Wilkinson and Kalya Banerjee

To the Rotarians worldwide, I am sure that the name rings bells.   Can you imagine that I was only in the country for under 24 hours and not only did I get to attend a district-wide meeting, I was honored to hear speeches from both  Wilfrid Wilkinson, current Rotary Foundation Chair, and also  Kalya Banerjee, past Rotary International President.  To those who do not know, it is through the generous contributions and dedication of my sponsoring District 7600 to the Rotary Foundation that I am blessed to have this Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship to study abroad.  So being able to attend a meeting with the Foundation Chair and also the past Rotary International President it was indeed quite a treat.  It is Rotary International and the Foundation that connects Rotarians worldwide.  It was quite encouraging hearing from the District Governor, Raja Seenivasan of 3230 and all of the wonderful initiatives they are working on here in Chennai and for their contributions to the Rotary Foundation.  The level of commitment, and dedication to the Happy Villages project, their district giving, and also membership increases is reassuring that I was assigned to this great district as my host.  I look forward to the time I will spend getting to share in projects, activities, and meetings.  Thank you for your hospitality to the Rotary Foundation and Rotarians worldwide.  I extend a special thanks to District 7600 and the Bonair Club that is sponsoring me without your contributions this opprotunity would not be possible, and a warm welcome and thank you to District 3230 that is hosting me.  It has indeed been a delight in such a short time J.

Yes, that is me, stealing my way into the picture…hahaha…at first I didn’t know who he was…keep in mind it took me 4 days to get here with lots of plane cancelations…and jetlag.  And once I did realize who I was looking at, I definitely wouldn’t miss my photo op J, even if he was posing for another camera J.  

How I met Mrs. Stella Brown in the Restroom…

First, I must say that from now on, I think I will refer to such moments in my life as “stella” moments—no not stellar, though that is what I feel the moment is; I always want to give tribute to what I think of as the time where I felt I learned to hear God/ understand that God was communicating with me in my everyday life.  I believe we all have “stella moments,” but it is not certain that we will take away from the situation the revelation, the truth, the urge, or the lesson that is put before us.  This is my story.

On July 31, 2012, I was to travel from my hometown in Virginia to arrive in India on August 1, 2012 for a year of study abroad in the field of social work.  An exciting time for me as this is my first time travelling to a place where the people are not considered historically African.  I have travelled to several countries in West Africa, I have also been to Haiti following the earthquake of 2010, and have been to many places on the east coast of the United States where I see and interact with black Americans.  Thus all of my travels and much of my rearing has been within the African Diaspora.  I began to step outside of my comfort zone, which is necessary if I plan to call myself a citizen of the planet who is from the African Diaspora.  Well a thunderstorm, bathroom visit, and 4 flight schedule changes after, I finally arrived on August 4^th.  My stella moment happened on August 1^st.

After the thunderstorm delayed my flight on the 31^st, I decided to take the same flight schedule for the 1^st of August.  I assumed that I missed my flight because God was protecting me from some unseen danger.  While that may still be true because I thankfully did not see it, I think something more significant was at play.  On the 1^st I arrived at the airport to find that my flight was delayed yet again, but this time it was due to a computer glitch.  Thankfully, the delay would not affect my connection to get to Qatar and then finally to India.  I sat in the airport and began to write a prayer to God, something I have been doing since I was about 12 years old.  The prayer was mainly thanking Him for the blessing from the Rotary Club for the opportunity and asking personal preparation as well as for those I would encounter.  I asked for protection for my resources, and my family.  But what might be most significant comes after the third line of my prayer, which says,

“Lord, thank you for your blessing.  Continue to bless me so that I may be a blessing.  This is a new exciting experience with awesome adventures and blessings ahead.”

After writing my prayer, I began writing a letter to myself, also pretty customary before a long trip so that I can write down my expectations, anxieties, hopes, and questions before the journey and when I am on the plane home, I usually read the letter and laugh at my insane insecurities, and reflect on my foresight and discoveries.  But if you know me at all, I got a little distracted.  An airport restaurant worker walked by pushing a huge bin full of French fries soaking in what I assume was probably salt water.  It was after 8:30pm and I had not eaten dinner.  So I decided to walk in the direction she was coming from to order some food, come back to the gate and continue writing while eating.  My flight was not due to leave until 9:20pm so I had about 25 minutes to kill without feeling flustered.  My letter to myself only got this far:

Dear Me,

As I wait for the plane to head to DC and begin this new chapter I hope for great revelations while I am away.  I am trying to keep my mind open and free of too many expectations of the people of India as I want to remain a clean and open/blank slate and absorb once I arrive.”

On my way to the restaurant, I went to the restroom.  While I was using it, I kept hearing someone say in a belabored tone, “Oh God, oh God.”  Once I finished in my stall, I noticed the door to the handicapped accessible stall was open and I called to the voice and asked if everything was ok.  An older woman replied and said that she couldn’t get onto the toilet and needed to go so bad.  I walked closer and found a honey brown colored woman with the most beautifully smooth skin and cotton looking grey hair sitting in a wheel chair facing the toilet trying to use the bars on the walls to pull herself up.  After getting her permission to help, I tried to get her to her feet.  She was a large woman, probably around 300lbs or more, and even with the “one-two-three-up” rock and stand technique that people use to get up, our effort was futile.  I found out she was travelling with her daughter who was about 10 gates away sitting with their dog.  Mrs. Stella was an enticing woman and I found out that I was not the only person who felt drawn to her.  Somehow she recruited a middle-aged white man to push her wheelchair to the restroom.  She told me he was outside waiting for her.   On my way out I let him know that she was having some difficulty and that I was going to get her daughter.  I found her daughter and she seemed to act as if her mother was a bit of a bother.  “I told her she wasn’t going to be able to go to the bathroom when she left, but she knows so much.”  Apparently, the daughter had checked the board she usually uses to slide from the wheelchair to the toilet.  But it is beyond my belief or understanding why she would do this, or assume that her mother should turn off nature simply because it was “work” for her.  

Anyhow, I walked quickly ahead of her daughter who was answering a telephone call.  I caught up with the guy waiting outside of the bathroom for Mrs. Stella and told him that her daughter was on the way.  I heard one of his friends say that they were about to start a game and was he in.  He got confirmation from me that her daughter was on the way and made sure we could take it from here.  Her daughter arrived in the bathroom and with some fussing, convinced her mother that it was a good idea to turn the wheelchair around and replace it beside the toilet so all she would have to do is stand, “two-step” over, and sit.  It worked…mostly except she ended up getting some pee on the floor, but I thought it was an overall success.  Her and her daughter decided to leave her on the toilet for a while because her nephew was there to pick up the dog that turned out to be too large to travel with as a carry-on.  I told her I would give her privacy and go check on my flight.  There was a small shop right beside the bathroom and I could see the gate from the shop.  The attendant was still standing there and so I stopped in the shop and picked up a bottle of water, apple chips and a book that screamed at me when I walked in Becoming a Woman Who Listens to God, by Sharon Jaynes.  That stop probably took about 2-3 minutes and then I walked just a few paces to my gate and saw the monitor flashing departed.  It was now 9:28pm.  And so even if I had not stopped in the shop, I still would have missed it because the attendant told me they left earlier than 9:20pm because the flight time was delayed so they try to get out faster.

 Nonetheless, I could not believe that my flight had left and I immediately began laughing because this would be the second time I would have to ask my family to take me from the airport.  I didn’t want to keep going through the emotional turmoil, if I am supposed to be gone for the next 10 months, then I needed to get the show on the road and wanted to get out of town.  I told the attendant what happened and she was understanding and also told me that I was definitely going in the book she was writing about the things she has heard while working at the airport.  We laughed quite a bit and she kept telling me how much of a good sport about this I was.  I assured her that while it was a change in plans, I would not have done anything different.   What I didn’t understand is why I didn’t hear them page for me.  Apparently there are no speakers in the bathrooms.  She got me on the next flight out to Cleveland put me up in a hotel and gave me food vouchers for breakfast and lunch.  I thanked her, introduced myself to Mrs. Stella who had since been helped out of the restroom by her daughter and the other airport attendant while I was re-booking.  I flew to Cleveland, checked into my hotel, called my sister and finally slept.

I called home the next day after breakfast and charging my cell phone to tell my dad what had happened.  I explained to him that at first I thought that God was protecting me from an unseen danger, which may still be true, but what I learned is that, I believe that God was letting me know that He listens.  I asked him specifically to continue to bless me so that I may be a blessing.  I am blessed to be able to get up and use the bathroom as I please and so why wouldn’t I help this woman.  She could have been my mother, aunt, grandma…anyone, even me!  I also wrote in the letter to me that I await great revelations.  More than anything, this was confirmation that He listens and that each step of this journey is but a faith walk.  It began as a faith walk as nothing seemed to fall into place in what I thought was a timely manner: my admissions letter came only 10 days before my initial flight after finding out that one of the schools I applied to had never received the paper portion of my application that I had sent months prior, my scholarship funds were released the day before I boarded the plane, but God opened up financial resources through a bank loan just days before to cover my ticket and initial costs while I awaited my scholar funds and to think I began preparation for this study abroad about a year ago.  Not to mention, once I was rebooked, I got rebooked again 3 more times in Cleveland, New Jersey, Frankfurt Germany, and Paris; and even though I do not know where my luggage is, I still feel certain that it will arrive and that more importantly I would not have changed my decision to help Mrs. Stella.  This journey is about faith and trusting God and knowing that He is with me. 

I began reading the book that I picked up and in the first few pages, I received clear understanding of my “stella moment”.  What I had not gotten the chance to write in my letter to myself was that this trip was also intended for me to get away and seek God for myself in what I thought to be a place filled with spiritual understanding and respect.  I had planned to take a retreat during the time I was away in India and possibly go to an ashram to meditate and be quiet so that I could hear God’s message and mission for my life.  But this “stella moment” showed me that God listens, that I can put full faith in Him as He has the situation worked out even when it seems odd, and that I can hear Him even in the midst of my daily life.  In the first chapter of the book, “God Still Speaks Today,” these things were reaffirmed when the author says:

“I’ve often thought, if I could just get away from the clamor and calamity of everyday life, perhaps I could hear that still, small voice.  But when I pored over scripture, I discovered that some of God’s most memorable messages were not delivered while men and women were away at a spiritual retreat, but right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of everyday life.  He spoke to Moses while he was tending to sheep, to Gideon while he was threshing wheat, to Zechariah while he was performing his duties in the temple, to the shepards while they were watching their flocks by night, to Peter and Andrew while they were fishing on the sea, to the woman at the well while she was drawing water for her household chores…I don’t believe it is a question of whether or not He will speak, but whether or not we will listen.  Henry Blackaby in his book, Experiencing God, said, ‘Right now God is working all around you and in your life.  One of the greatest tragedies among God’s people is that, while they have a deep longing to experience God, they are experiencing God day after day, but do not know how to recognize Him.’”

People refer to what Moses experienced as the “Burning Bush” experience or moment.  And well, I call mine the “stella moment” when God reaffirmed that He listens, I can trust Him, and that I do indeed have the capacity to hear Him and I do not need to go all the way to India to do so because He can speak to me anywhere.   I did not hear a voice as Moses did, but I feel like I “heard” Him because I began to understand the message that was being sent to me.  And well, maybe one day I will indeed have a new kind of moment when I actually hear a voice, who knows.  I will possibly call it some other kind of “moment,” but for now, I am thankful for this stella moment and I also know that there are many more to come.  Who would have thought that meeting Mrs. Stella Brown in the restroom would change my life in such a stellar way?

A New Chapter Begins- Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to India

Thank you to the Rotarians who made this opportunity possible to explore, share, and learn with and from the people and culture of India.  I will be studying for 2 semesters in the field of Social Work in southern India.  As I continue to learn about myself and the many people of God’s creation, I will continue to share my experiences and stories through this medium.  It is my prayer that this experience can be enriching and fulfilling for both the people of India as well as people at home in the USA, and any of my friends worldwide.

As part of my responsibility to the scholarship I am required to share my experience with people both at home and in India.  I hope that this blog will begin to give some background as I experience things and will help to structure the conversations I have once I am home.  Please feel free to ask hard questions, as I will be thinking critically about my place in this world and how we are connected and disconnected as human beings.  I look forward to sharing with each of you as I continue to become a great citizen of this planet Earth.   

Thank you again to Rotary District 7600 and the Bon Air Club for sponsoring as well as District 3220 in India for hosting me.  

  

A Chapter Ends- Saying Goodbye

My experience living and working in Burkina Faso yet again was indeed a rewarding one.   It was interesting this time (2011-2012) working in a larger town as before (2006-2008) I lived and worked in a small village.  I felt like I got to see two sides of the coin.  My first experience, most of my close friends did not have higher than a middle school education, while this time I had several friends with masters degrees.  While it was the same culture, the socio-educational and economic difference made it yet another culture within the culture.  Some of my friends teased me and said I acted like a villager, which I proudly agreed with having lived in village the longest.  I loved both experiences for different reasons and am thankful for all of the relationships that were created and especially those that will continue.

It was especially hard saying goodbye to special friends, the girls at the community house, the mother’s association, and the catholic sister I worked with the most.  The girls wrote a song in English and sang it to me at the closing dinner they had for me.  I hid midway through the dinner because I could feel myself getting emotional.   I feel as if Burkina Faso is and will always be a second home for me.  It’s the first foreign country I ever experienced firsthand and will never be forgotten.  So I cannot imagine saying a real goodbye, but instead see you later as I am sure I will be back in the near future.  Though my project ended in May, the relationship lasts forever.  Special thank you to the girls and the staff at the community house for girls, to the mother’s association, to the DEPBA& DREBA, to RAJS, and my English club at the correction office who all shared gifts and love at my departure.  To each of my very dear friends, thank you for your kindness, openness, and love.  Thank you once again to my Burkina.

Indeed I cannot close this without mentioning the United States Peace Corps who provided me the opportunity to learn about another culture, to share my own, and to work alongside the people of Burkina Faso to realize their development goals.  My foundation in international development work and exploration is attributed to you and the wonderful staff that is trained to support Peace Corps Volunteers like me.  While I will no longer be a volunteer with your prestigious organization, the lessons I have learned about cultural appreciation, development, and building relationships worldwide are invaluable features of who I am now as a person.  For that, I say thank you. 

www.peacecorps.org 

Make up Blog- Soap Making

One of the things that the women of the mother’s association wanted to accomplish was to help make available the essential needs of the girls right in the community house.  Soap being so important for personal hygiene, laundry, etc was the task they wanted to take on.  The soap making effort could also be a source of income generating for future projects and activities within the community house, and could also be the spring board for examining other income generating activities.   This was indeed a blast!

The women were willing to put up for the soap making training, but to be able to support them in obtaining supplies, I also applied for a grant through Peace Corps Partnership  Funds.  With the supplies the grant and the women provided the training went well.  The training was a total of 2 and a half days where they learned to make liquid soap and hard shea butter soap.  The liquid soap came out awesome, with no glitches.   When they plan to make it again they said they would likely dilute it more because even though we made high quality soap, others who make the same soap dilute it more and get more profit.  The only way they would keep it as thick as we made it is if they were able to get clients to buy the soap in bulk, like possibly selling to government offices.

The hard soap turned out to be a crazy story.  So if you know anything about soap, it is all chemical reactions between fats and chemicals like lye.  When the two react, they form suds.  Some soaps have better lather depending on the type of fats you use.  We used a mix of coconut oil and Shea butter as our fats.  All was going well until we did not add the right amount of the substance that is like lye.  The recipie called for 2 kilograms.  I assumed that when I went to the store and order 2 kg that they put it all in the same bag.  Nope they didn’t it was in 2 separate bags and the soap ended up being too oily, but it still had a great lather.  We later found the extra kg of soude caustique (that is the lye) and the women did not give up on their soap and massaged the extra kg into the mix.  It was indeed a challenge, but they were good sports about it.  Thankfully, they were not loosing profit as we used the grant money to get a bunch of the supplies and they would be able to make things up based on the liquid soap sales, but it was indeed a learning lesson.  Nonetheless, they were great sports about it and we had a blast.  These women love to laugh and make jokes and we did just that.

~Special thank you to Peace Corps Partnership Funds!

Make up blog-Peer Educators

In December, around the time I was discussing with RAJS about their Aids Awareness Day,  I met with some people to talk about working outside of the community house so that I could offer the most support to the community.  Realistically, I can talk to a group of girls all day and everyday on how to make better decisions, avoid pregnancy, and to assert themselves, but the reality is, the coin is two sided.  I have never met a girl who got pregnant on her own, unless using some sort of donated male specimen.  So, all of the great conversations that the catholic sister and I were having with the girls would be even better if I could interact with a co-ed group.  

I ended up working with a group of 10 youth at a nearby high school.  It was refreshing to find such a dynamic and motivated group of young people!  We talked about the things they felt were pertinent to their peers and then in groups of 2-3 they planned and implemented talks to have with groups of youth.  We met as a group once per month from February to April and ended up accomplishing 2 talks.  One was on preventing unwanted pregnancy, and the other on supporting persons living with HIV/Aids.  We planned an activity on tobacco and alcoholism, but the group rescheduled a few times and in the end it did not work out.  It was indeed a great pleasure to work with those young people.    The conversations that they started with their peers will hopefully continue on.  

Thank you to the Peer Educators of Lycee Municipal de Manga.  Your efforts and work were done with love and appreciation for your peers and your country.  It was an inspiration to work with you J.

Make up Blog- February HIV/Aids Wall

My town was having a large HIV/Aids Day through an organization call RAJS.  The acryonm stands for something, but I mess it up.  Something like Reseau African Jeunesse et Sante.  Basically, it means a network of youth for health issues, I guess when translated loosely.  Incidentally, the Peace Corps in Burkina was doing a Aids Day wall project all over the country during the month of December.  I signed up for it, but as many things go in the field of development, things do not always happen on time.  It was perfect because I was able to partner with such an influential organization for a common cause.  The idea was to do HIV/Aids awareness building activities, have people pledge to live a safe life, and to also be supportive of those living with HIV/Aids.  After the pledge people put their hand prints on the wall as their mark of solidarity for the cause.  RAJS liked the idea and was excited to be able to include this in their already dynamic schedule of events for the day.

RAJS began the day with a march on the main road of the town with many youth.  The girls from the community house were there.  It was such a pleasant surprise seeing them walk from the community house two by two to the site where the march began.  I happened to leave my pledge paper at home and was riding my bicycle franticly home to get it and saw them.  It made my heart overflow with love when they all began waving and yelling “Tanti!” (which means Auntie—the name they call me as a sign of respect).  It was a good way to cool down my nerves because I was definitely excited about the wall I had been painting the last 2 days and also because the first lady of Burkina Faso, Madame Chantel Compoare had agreed to jumpstart the pledges by being the first to put her painted hand on the wall.  Preparation for the event had been slightly overwhelming as the wall was only built 4 days before and it was not dry.  I couldn’t paint a wet wall, but somehow it came together.  It was pretty funny because people who were helping to prepare the event insisted that we needed to put latex gloves on the first lady’s hand because she would not dare put the paint on her hands, but to their surprise she was a trooper and went for the paint uncovered.  Since she set the tone everyone else obviously had to put their bare hand in the paint, it was awesome!  After the march, speeches by important personalities, and the wall pledge there was musical performances, and a dance party for the youth.   It was indeed a momentous and enjoyable event that I will never forget.