I have internet!

Yay! after weeks of trying and the support of both my dad and a few Burkinabe have internet on my phone! I could not have done it with out the help of a few dfferent people, but in the end it was me who put it all together and made it happen, a perfect parible for community based development, combining existing skill and knowledge, to create new resources and pools of information!

Yay! what can I say about my village? it is hot, and everyone is praying for the rain. no rain, no food. that's how is.

I can hear the sound of the wind in the trees, motos and children, occasionally interrupted by the intermittent screams of a donkey, they sound like dinosaurs...it's kind of cool, but also kind of upsetting.

Tomorrow, I have the day off, promised the kids that I would play soccar with them! night!

You're Never Fully Prepared

You're never fully prepared to ever make a life change that takes you away from your family and friends, half way across the world. You're never fully prepared for the moment of realization that you are not the strong, independent person you thought you were. You're never fully prepared to take a jump, off a rock, high above a mountain creek into, what looks like a maybe deep-enough pool below. You're never fully prepared but you go anyway, you get on that plane, you stand in those lines and you tell yourself that everything is fine. everything that you forgot, you don't need, all the things left undone can wait and all the things left unsaid can still be said you jump off that rock, even if it takes you 45 minutes to work up the nerve, and even if 10 minutes before you were mocking the person who went before you for having like 6 vaginas for not jumping immediately damn I'm poetic when I'm scared out of my natural self! I apologize to all the people who read this, I really am insufferable. Enjoy

Other resources

Hey all, so as not to bore you with only one perspective of this amazing adventure, I am posting a link to my bestie peace corps, co-adventurer Nata, enjoy! http://burkinata.wordpress.com/ she's hilarious and a much better writer than I.

first night in Africa

This is my first night in Africa! Oh my god that was such a long journey! I have never had my feet swell this much ever, in. my life, I think I'm qualified to have cankles at this point! Totally gross. After arriving at the airport, and like a champion, not having my yellow card with me, we were taken through Ouagadougou to our hotel. This city is so exciting! Everywhere there are people on the street, vendors, beautiful ladies riding motos in a dress and heels, no helmet, it made me think of Eddie Izard, "Italians aren't fascists! they are happy and love life and ride scooters with no helmets.....Ciao!" At the hotel were were introduced to our medical team, current volunteers and Jeff, the money man. Shannon, the lady that met us at the gate is absolutely a character. she's definitely a lady in charge! Dnner was awesome, a rice dish, with, what looked like goat meat, carrots, peppers and cabbage, all served with this proper spicy sauce on the. side that was delicious! A lemon/lime sorbet finished us off and it was off to bed. I took my first anti-malarial pill tonight, methyl quinine, It's a once a week dealy, thank god I didn't get the one to take daily. It's supposed to maybe give me weird dreams, I'll write about them in the morning if I have any? Anyway, as I was falling asleep in 90 degree weather, with what must have been at least 70% humidity, I was thinking to myself, yes, I am committing to 27 months of this weather, yeas, I am committing myself to being sticky and sweaty and less than optimally comfortable with really no way to make it nicer for myself for 27 months....ok, bring it on! Anyway I'm proper fucked out, traveling for 24 hours will do that to you! Oh and for future reference, Air Brussels has amazing food! delicious curry! So tasty! All right, good night, until next time.

Staging

Well, here it is, I've completed the second leg of this journey, just getting to Philly was hard enough with luggage that roughly equaled my weight, lugging it the 446 feet from the train station to the hotel left me wondering what the feazy did I pack that weighted so goddamned much? Anyhow after the luggage it was time to find some food. Natalya, Ashley and I all went on a mission to find some food. Malaysian sounded like something that would be a good thing, Natalya was really just looking for a glass of sweetened condensed milk to drink! Anyway had my first stress response to eating food, and cuddled into bed to try and fall asleep after all the excitement! Off to NYC tomorrow! Sooooo excited!