How did I pack for the Peace Corps

This week was not as eventful as some of the previous weeks here at stage. We have marked the one month mark till we swear in which is kinda crazy, December 19^th. This week I thought I would dispel some myths about my accommodations and answer some common questions people have had over the last month. Please keep the questions coming though via email, blog comments and facebook!!!

As I write I am sitting on my bed while my host sister studies at my desk. I am not a big Sean Paul fan but Adissa loves him. I am so glad that I got all that hip-hop music from Chris and Brandy before I left the States, thanks.

What is the temperature there and has it been really hot?

I am going to answer this question by citing from my Bradt Burkina Faso guidebook, and interject my observations here and there. West Africa does not really have weather, in the sense of the daily changes experienced in temperature regions. It has climate instead, created by enormous air masses shifted by global forces across the region as a whole. Burkina sits across three climatic zones, which experience a decline in rainfall and shorter wet season as one moves from south to north. For next 2 years I will be living in the Sudano-Guinean zone, which covers the southwestern bulge of the country that extends towards Ivory Coast. This is the wettest part of the country, where the rainy season runs for a full six months from May to October, with maximum rainfall of up to 1,300mm a year.

The Sudano-Sahelian zone is the largest climatic region, covering half of Burkina’s surface area, and generally receives between 600 and 1,000 mm of rain each year. Here the rains tend to finish slightly earlier, in September.

The Sahelian-zone, situated in the northernmost quarter of the country, is the driest region of all, seeing as little as 150mm of rain each year. I am presently living in this area of the country and it is very dry and dusty. Although the arid semi-desert of the Sahel currently covers 25% of the country, it is reckoned to be encroaching each year, as over-exploitation of the land and the destruction of plant cover, coupled with trends in overall global warming, hasten the onset of desertification.

It is presently mid dry season here in northern Burkina Faso. It is very hot during the day and at night a cool dry air blankets the Sahel. Coming from the northeast (the Harmattan) the cool nights and mornings are what Burkinabe call winter. It last from December to February. It is quite hilarious watching my host family put on bulky puffy overcoats and ski caps as they go about their daily activities around the courtyard. For a northeastern girl like myself, the weather is perfect, much like autumn (70s-80s) in the morning and at night. It still gets up to the 90s during the heat of the day, but I have found that it is easier to sleep at night with just my pashmina for a cover. I tried to explain to my host dad that where I come from in Pennsylvania right now it could get to 0 degrees Celsius. You should have seen how big his eyes got as he grasps his arms and says, “Wowda” which means cold in Moore.

As this “dry winter” season continues, I hear the Harmattan brings dust from the Sahara. It has already begun in OHG as squalls of wind whip us dirt and dust and it just blows in your face as you walk/bike. It is insane, I think of all those Mummy movies and the walls of CGD sand and that is pretty much what it is like. You arrive back at your house and you and your cloths are a different colour. If you are wearing sunglasses, you take those sunglasses off and it still looks like you are wearing those same sunglasses. Needless to say I have begun wearing a facemask (bandana) over my face when I ride my bike.

The hardest part of the year is the late dry season from March to May. It is the hottest and toughest period of the year, when temperatures regularly top over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The Harmattan reaches its zenith in March, before retreating to the Sahara, leaving a stillness that is oppressive and debilitating. Occasional fronts of humid air, harkens the approaching monsoon, and bring sweet but temporary relief with what is known as the mango rains, in the southwest of Burkina. These mango rains alert the mango farmers that it is time to pick the mangoes. As May approaches water reservoirs normally reach rock bottom; frequent power cuts and water rationing is common.

June to September is the wet season in Burkina Faso as the monsoon front arrives slowly from the southwest, bringing much needed rain. During the rainy season here in Burkina winds can reach up to 120km/h at the start and end of the wet season as the monsoon front advances and recedes. Some villages can remain untouched by rain, however, while others a few kilometres away will be well watered. Frequent rain often occurs in the later afternoon. The change in the landscape is dramatic, as scratchy-looking land explodes in a profusion of colour and life. Insect populations, particularly mosquitoes, take advantage of large pools of standing water to breed profusely. Local incidence of cholera and diarrhoea also increases. This is the most important and intensive agricultural period. ENTIRE VILLAGES can seem deserted (ghost towns) as all but the most elderly and infirm are out in the fields planting.

Examples of some men bundling up for the “winter” here in Burkina

LCF Herrman right before a 10 km bike ride, insane

Another example of how Burkinabe dress during winter which is only 70-80°

From an economic standpoint, are the business owners of Burkina feeling any effects from the ailing credit markets around the world?

Business owners of Burkina are not feeling the effects of the ailing credit markets around the world because the majority of Burkina’s population is not in the « formal » sector of the economy. 90-90% of Burkina’s population are farmers or livestock herders and live from hand (cultivating the land) to mouth (eating). Credit is also very hard to come by in Burkina Faso. There is no stock market or federal reserve bank here in Burkina. Many Burkinabe have income generating ideas but have now way to get the start up collatoral to invest in these ventures. Since the majority of Burkina’s population is in agriculture, Burkinabe find that their wealth is seasonal and many times it is hard for them to save money from the « harvest » season for the « dry season ». The only business owners, I think, that would feel the effects of the downturn in the credit market are the « big » agricultural businesses, and they are nornally nationally/regionally owned by governments.

Burkinabe have been effected more my the rise in commodity prices than the downturn of the credit markets. Most developing countries do not have the proper financial infrastructure, i.e. banks, a financial regulatory system, savings accounts, ATMs, bond market, import and export markets etc…, to support a business wanting to get credit « internationally ». Business owners in Burkina Faso normally have no way of getting credit, and that is why microcredit is such an important aspect of Peace Corps in Burkina Faso. Therefore, the everyday Burkinabe does not feel the effect of the ailing credit market as much as they feel the effect of the rising prices of commodities. Commodities like cotton, corn, and mangoes that they produce here in Burkina ; and commodities that they import from surround countries to feed their families. This past year in Bobo, Burkinabe actually rioted against food prices, and food security has become a hot topic amoung Peace Corps volunteers serving in Burkina. I will definitely devote a lot of time to the discussion of microcredit and the financial sector of Burkina in future blog enteries.

This answer was not as in depth as it could be and it is a very rudimentary answer. There are a lot more articles and books out there that explain this topic a lot better than I can from my room in Burkina.

How do I wash/bath myself while in Burkina ?

Here is the room I take my shower in. I share it with 20+ other people living in my courtyard. It is actually not that bad because it has a roof (kinda) and there is a light outside so I can see at night. My only problem is that is it right next door to the toilet.

Here is the door to the shower room. You have to put your towel or panya over the door to signify that you are in taking a shower.

This is what I take with me to the shower room. A bucket filled with water, shampoo, soap (container for the soap is KEY), my 2 amplemann hand cloths, and a cup pour the water onto my body.

The dreaded toilet. . . Yes those are flies all around the hole. I try my hardest not to use the toilette during the day because of the amount of flies in this room. There are normally not as many flies at night. Burkinabe do not use toilet paper when using the toilette, they use plastic tea kettles filled with water to clean up after using the toilette. All I will say is that it is an art/sport to go to the restroom here in Burkina.

What kind of food does my host family make me/What do Burkinabe eat?

Burkinabe eat carbs, carbs, and more carbs. I have been so luckily with my home stay because my host sisters Mariam and Adissa are such amazing cooks but I get about 5 staple meals. Here are some food photos from my dinners with my host family:

Macaroni noodles with tomato sauce and fish

Benga (beans) with crudités (veggies) in a vinigar sauce (One of my favourites!!)

Spaghetti with tomato sauce

At restaurants normal menus include: Couscous and sauce, Rice and Sauce, Spaghetti and Sauce, Benga and Sauce, Potatoes and Sauce, and finally Macaroni and Sauce. There is no diary products and most Africans are lactose intolerant. Since I live in a city with a market I am one of the lucky ones that get fruit everyday. Some of the health kids might get fruit once a week when they come into town. And all fruit and vegetables are seasonal.

Traditionally large groups of Burkinabe eat with their hands off the same platter of food. This photo was taken in our first week here in OHG where they served us African style and we all act with spoons off this big dish. This is rice with peanut sauce (you can see the layer of oil).

This Week in Training:

Nov. 19, 2008 : We have a survival first aid session at my house with our PCMO. She tought us basic first aid skills for some common injuries that might befall us while we are out in the middle of nowwhere at our site. Our sceniero : There was a bush taxi accident and who should we tend to first ? My leg is broken hence the « pained » face, Nikki’s arm is bleeding profusly and there is not much skin left.

Nov. 19, 2008 : Addie was also in our accident and had a dislocated shoulder. Aaron is fastening a triangle sling to her body.

Nutrition Lesson

Besides learning survival first aid this week we also learned basic nutrition and a lesson on how to stay healthy here in Burkina Faso. There are very few grocery stores and “bigger” grocery stores can only be found in the larger cities of Burkina. After our nutrition session we pigged out on all the great food our PCMO brought.

Nov. 20, 2008 The food pyramid with food that can be found here in Burkina Faso. Since there are three climatic regions, each reason has different foods available and it most cases food is available only seasonally.

Nov. 20, 2008: Brekk, Matthew, and Colin devour seasonal watermelon and some beesap (sweetened hibiscus juice, think Starbucks Tazo Passion Tea).

Nov. 20, 2008: I drink my citron (Lemonade) out of a Calabash. I LOVE CALABASH, and I cannot wait to have a million

Nov. 20, 2008: Aaron scarves down some salted popcorn while Erik pours some citron into his cup. This is after I bumped into him and spilled Citron all over the floor, opps.

Nov. 20, 2008: During training volunteers are in charge of getting lunch. I am making a myself a sandwich. I went out and got “Laughing Cow” which is the only kind of cheese you can get here in Burkina, and the reason for this, it does not have to be refrigerated. For crudités, I have onions, cucumbers, and tomatoes. I am still in love with Calabashes!!!

Nov. 20, 2008: Chantel and Annette had the same idea I had!! You can see their vegetables soaking in bleach water to kill all germs.

The Rest of the Week:

Nov. 21, 2008 Amanda, the head of our Thanksgiving committee and everyone else super excited to hear that the Ambassdor will be donating a real Turkey to our Thanksgiving feast. Love Abbys face in the background!!! So we will be eating real Turkey and Turkey the goat!! If we wanted to buy one Turkey here in Burkina is would have been around 40,000 CFA i.e. 80 US dollars, ouch!! Stay tuned in next weeks blog for a read out from Thanksgiving in Burkina.

Nov. 21, 2008: This is what the cyberpost looks like where I do all of the amazing blogging. This is right around the corner from my host family at the Lycee. (L to R: Amanda, Colin, and Karla.

Nov. 21, 2008: Colin went out and bought some giant glasses for his commute out to village. HARD CORE

Nov. 21, 2008: Christy sporting the corn rows. Yes it is cooler wearing your hair that way, she says.

OUR DRESSES ARE HERE!!

Yeah our dresses from our demystification trip have been delivered to training. And we were so excited that we tried on the dresses right over the clothes we were wearing that day. Here are the models:

Nov. 21, 2008: Addy feeling pure joy trying on her wrap dress, watch out Diana Furstenberg.

Nov. 21, 2008: This is my favourite of the two dresses because of the pockets

Nov. 21, 2008: My second dress with a belt.

Nov. 21, 2008 Abby loving her pockets

Nov. 20, 2008: Safia (I think she could be a model) and Dodo outside on the patio. Dodo just wore that suit for no reason (He is the man).

Nov. 20, 2008: Dodo is a pimp in his suit with Brittany and Colin chilling in my room.

Nov. 20, 2008 Kat and Aaron model some traditional Burkinabe pieces that they have picked up here. Tres chic!!
Nov. 20, 2008 Infections are very serious here in Burkina! A minor cut could blow up and get infected. Look at a fellow stagiares ankle, a mear mosquito bite got infected. Compare the left ankle to the right. This is half the size it was 2 days before, she has been on antibotics for a couple days. CRAZINESS!!!

Nov. 16, 2008 : Dodo loves trying on my glasses and he looks super cute with them on.

Nov. 16, 2008 : Kontza, Adissa, and Fati. It took me a while to take this photo because Fati would not smile and Kontza kept dancing. Love these Girls!!

Nov. 16, 2008 : I truly LOVE DODO !! He is eating a traditional Burkina meal of Rice with sauce. He is also eating with his hands which is also traditional.

Nov. 16, 2008 : This is some of my family that live in my courtyard. L to R: Mariam (she is my »sister » that cooks all of my meals and she is an amazing Burkinabe chief !!), Kontzatou (standing holding her baby sister or brother), Sec (sitting), Dodo (Mariam’s son), and Kontzatou’s sister (I do not know her name).

How much did I pack to come over to Burkina Faso for 2 years?

Well I could only check 2 bags with me and then I carried on 2 backpacks. So what did I pack, well I packed and re-packed 5 times before I left and I had to leave many things behind in the hopes that they could be sent over via care packages. My family likes to refer to it as hurricane Gwen that hit the house and my poor sister Jen had to clean it up. I am going to put this list on my blog just in case any future Peace Corps volunteers want some ideas before they serve:

Pants (9), Tops (10), Sport bras (13), Undies (30), Socks (7, 1 smart wool), PJ Bottoms, Long sleeve top, Hoodie, Sandals (4), Terrain shoes (2 Water proof for rainy season)

Toothbrush (3), Toothpaste (4), Floss (8)

Soap (8) – I should have brought more I go through this like crazy

Camp Towel – great purchase

Washcloths (ampelman from Berlin)

Eye glasses (4) – Not a good idea to wear contacts here due to bad water and dust

Eyeglass repair kit

Deodorant (10)

Perfume – To make me feel pretty, haha

Lotion – I am surprised by how much I need; the sun is brutal to the skin

Sun block – Peace Corps actually gives us sun block, but you will use it daily

Nail file, nail clipper, nail polish, nail bed cleaner – Wish I would have brought over more foot care supplies

Face wash and acne remover – With biking and sweating all the time it is crazy how the face reacts even if you do not normally get acne

2 n 1 Shampoo (2), Leave in conditioner, Tons of hair ties, bobby pins, gel, aloe vera

Razors – Although, I am having a hard time using them here because of all the dirt and then you have to worry about how to dispose of the razors because kids go through all of the trash so most of the time you have to put razors and batteries down the latrine so kids do not put them in their mouths later.

Tissues, Eye Masque, ear plugs (Key items especially to muffle the noise of morning prayer from all the mosques near my house)

Passport holder for under the clothes, lock, Duck tape, Rope (for laundry lines/ makeshift belt)

Water bottle (2), Hot liquid travel mug, coin purse, scissors, sewing kit, 3-in-1 set of knife, fork, and spoon.

Crank Light (great because it never need batteries, and greatly needed if you have no electricity)

Tent (for sleeping outdoors), sleeping mat, pillow (something I forgot to pack, blast!)

Umbrella, Poncho (These will be really important for rainy season, the poncho has been a great mat to lay out all of my things)

Utility knife, blue tac n stick (to hang things on the wall), thumb tacs, 3M removable wall hooks

Journals, playing cards, address book, prescription sunglasses

Spices, spices, and more spices, pepper grinder, nutella, this hickory sauce from my favourite Mexican restaurant in the states, Worchester sauce, Rooster sauce

Swiss army knife, pens, highlighters, pencils

DVDs (I am really trying not to watch any DVDs, I am saving them until I get to site, and I am soooo happy I brought a small collection with me!)

Computer, iPod, Watt converter (so important, a guy ruined his razor because he did not convert the wattage)

2 Pashmina scarves that have been AMAZING (used for sheets, pillows, towels, makeshift bags, sun protectors, the list goes on and on).

Cameras, memory discs, junk drives, books

Photo album, photo collages for wall decorations (this incredibly helps the home sickness)

Protein bars, Drink mixes, Tea bags (I did not pack enough of these but luckily they make great care packages!!!)

Book bag, messenger bag

WET TOWELS i.e. DIAPER WIPES (The best suggestion in the world, thanks SK!!!)

Stationary, Incense with burner, carabineers, insect repellent, lighter

U.S. forever stamps (to send letters with people flying back to the United States)

Tea Pot

Personal memorabilia of my own

Things I wished I had packed or thought about packing:

Small pillow (no worries though because my site has pillows), Foot care products (foot scrub, pumice, etc.), Sweat Rags (necessary), More food products like tuna packets, things I would have only had to add water to, Gifts for my host family (opps), Dried Fruit, can opener, good spiral notebooks, highlighters, more stationary and a water-spritzer fan.

It is a very personalized list and a lot of space was taken up by French books and I had to remove a lot of weight to make sure it would not exceed the limit of 100 lbs. Some of my other stagiares brought soccer balls, rechargeable batteries, 5 lbs. of hot tamales, cooking pans, spatulas, speakers to blast music, headlights, and a ton of other fun and crazy things to occupy themselves for 2 years.

If you are wondering what you can send me in those care packages you are all “in the works on” here are some ideas (ha-ha):

Tuna/Salmon Packets

Add Water Products: Mac n’Cheese (THERE IS NO CHEESE IN BURKINA), Pad Thai, Crystal Light/Gatorade drink mixes, Brownie/cookie mixes, cake mixes, corn bread mixes, etc.

Fig Newtons, Candy (manly to give to kids), anything with preservatives or located on the inner isles of a grocery store.

Magazines (Fashion, JCREW, Economists)

Parmesan Cheese

Sauce Packets from McDonalds or Burger King (Ketchup, BBQ, Honey Mustard, Sweet and Sour) – They have mustard and mayo here in Burkina.

Dried Fruit

Italian Breading (4C)

Burned Cds mixes

Letters, Letters, and some more Letters.

It takes about 4-6 weeks for me to get packages, about 2 weeks for letters; and I am amazed by how much they help with homesickness and sadness!!!

Oct. 14, 2008 : This is what I looked liked in Philly before I checked onto the plane to go to France. As you can see I have my two checked red bags right next to me on the ground (a small and large duffel, thanks Dad), a day backpack in front, and a weekend backpack that I have on my back.

Nov. 20, 2008: Amanda receiving her second care package filled with some many goodies from the States. HINT HINT HINT

Nov. 20, 2008: Amanda reading a letter from a friend in the States. And I am so not sending hints to everyone that I want people to send me letters, haha!!!

Gwendolyn Armstrong, PCT

Corps de la Paix Americain

01 BP 6031

Ouagadougou 01

Burkina Faso

Afrique de l'Ouest