In June, I left BF for the first time since arriving last October and met up with my mom and dad in the UK. I had an amazing 18 days out of country and was surprised to find that I was excited to get back to Burkina. It has become home to me. After a month of travel I was ready for some peace and quite in July.
Going to the UK was not the jolt I thought it would be to my senses. I found that it was rather easy to just transition back to the developed world and all the amenities that England had to offer. While I was there, Burkina and my life here in Africa felt like a dream, another life, another Gwen. The hardest part was actually trying to explain the difference between Burkina and Britain to my relatives. I found that I could not verbally explain my experience here. It is hard for people to grasp the realities of life in a developing country. Having people imagine what life would be like with no running water or a toilet to sit on is a tall order to grasp and comprehend. My time here has made me appreciate everything we have in a developing country. Things as simple as a sidewalk or warm water while you take a shower, (or even a shower) are things that you take for granted if you never lived without.
Thinking about it, it is as hard as describing the United States to a Burkinabe.
My vacation was all about food and multimedia. I practically jumped up and down when I went to the movie theatre with my father. My days were programmed around food and drinking lattes. Some days I would have four desserts in a single day. Needless to say I know I gained almost 10 pounds while I was there. Seeing my parents was amazing and it was astonishing how we got back into our normal routine. Besides eating I spent a lot of time downloading TV shows and music from iTunes to entertain me when I got back to Burkina. Shopping consisted of books, magazines, and food I could bring back to Burkina. I also snatched up as many condiment packets as I could get, yeah HP brown sauce.
Coming back to Burkina was not hard because I had so much to entertain me once I came back. TV shows and books to read in the sactuary that is my house, made me actually look forward to my return to Diebougou. When I was back in Diebougou it felt weird and it took me two weeks to adjust back into my former life. I was happy to be back but it took me 2 weeks to get back into my former routine and actually want to talk to Burkinabe again. I wanted to be by myself and reaclimate on my own, therefore I spent most of my days in July at my house. Most of my friends had left Diebougou and I could not get much work done because my Burkinabe counterparts were either in the fields or on vacation. I think I spent maybe $30 in all of July and enjoyed my life as a hermit in my hut.
When I was in Hay-on-Wye, Wales I bought this amazing book on the body’s energy and the different studies around the world; Tai chi, Yoga, etc. It has changed my outlook on life and fitness. I now have included over an hour of Yoga/Tai chi to my daily routine.
I have not been in Diebougou at all, all of August. I had a girls’ camp the first week of August in a village 25 km from my site in Tiankoura. I partnered with Jen H. a girls empowerment volunteer; we facilitated a girls camp for 12 girls in her village for a week. View some photos below.
I then went up to cook with the volunteers in OHG and see my host family for the first time since I left them last December. I then celebrated my birthday in Ouaga with some funfetti cupcakes that had been sent to me, they were YUMMY and with some real icing (also sent over).
The days after my birthday I went southeast of Ouaga to my friend Brittany’s village in Beka and spent 4 nights there en brousse. It was my second week without electricity which made me very thankful that I do not have to cook in the dark at my house in DBG. Beka was gorgeous and really reminded me of Hershey because of all the farming and it was a lot flatter than my area of Burkina. It was so lovely and she lives 5 min walk to a lake. The only problem with her site is transport there, bush taxi. Imagine my family’s old Ford Aerostar with 35-40 people crammed in from wall to wall. 5 people across one seat with a huge hiker’s backpack on your lap for 4 hours (a seat spring sticking into your butt), the last 2 hours on dirt potholed roads. It was horrible and I am so thankful I have a proper bus to my site. I would never want to leave my site if that was my only transport option. Beka was beautiful though and I was able to do some baby weighing and watch vaccinations while there. Brittany is a health volunteer.
My last week in August I found myself in Ouaga for the week working (new volunteer swearing in and committee work), therefore I am really excited to be going back to site and being ALONE.
My facebook presently has up-to-date photos to last night so check them out. I also have AMAZING news my aunt Non bought me a plane flight home to the United States for Christmas and I will be home for about 3 weeks. 5 days will be spent down in Florida visiting her that first week. Make sure you put it in your calendars. Gwen in USA from December 15th to January 4th 2010. Send me an email and I can make plans to see you!!! I am super excited to be back with family and friends. I cannot believe it has been a year.
All of the girls that participated in the Girls Camp
Two artists finish up their sign to hang up for the Girls Camp ceremony
The girls practicing the theatre skit they had come up with and planned to perform in front of the village.
Girls having fun playing capture the flag
Jen plays capture the flag with the girls on the football pitch.
Girls love drawing something they never get to do.
Girls write up positive things about each other
Girls finishing up writing positive things about each other on their drawings
Izzy my lizard (in my house) meets Bart the bat in my spare bedroom. Bart is on the right of the cement cutout.
Lagou my counterpart sooooo HAPPY to get his Manchester United jersey from my trip to England. He kicks an imaginary football in my courtyard. 
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