Ne yibeoogo!

Hello! I am in Africa finally, which is pretty crazy. I just started living with my host family: Father, mother, aunt, and two kids (Brice who is 8 and Melodie who is 4). I have electricity in their house and my own room, but still go to the bathroom in a hole in the ground. I am pretty much okay with it now lol. Even though I am living like this now it is just for training...come Jan electricity will likely be no more!
Training is kind of like school...a bunch of different lessons all day long ranging in topic from language (on a related note, I was humbled in my French abilities when I arrived at my host house and NO ONE speaks English plus they go from French to various native languages plus it is SUCH a different culture I feel stupid when they try to tell me how to do things) and health (i drew my own blood today to create a sample slide in case I need to later if it is suspected that I have malaria) and sessions on health topics here and the healthcare system, etc. I haven`t eaten anything too crazy yet...rice couscous sauces etc.
Anyways I have too much to say to even write it all, plus I am using this stupid french keyboard so...Peace out!

Staging

Having said my goodbyes, my first official day as a Peace Corps Trainee started today (before I was an invitee) and it is amazing. Not so much the sitting in the room learning things that I will forget by tomorrow...the meeting new people. I have talked to most of the people in our group of 31 and everyone is so cool. The actual official sitting in a room listening part reminds me a lot of Team Leader training. We listened, did a few reflection activities, drew a few group posters that we later taped to a wall and presented, did skits based on the appropriate ways to behave...seriously the similarities are crazy.
But I have to be in the lobby fed, ready and raring to go get my Yellow Fever shot by 6:20 AM so...that is all. Plus nothing hugely noteworthy has happened besides meeting people.

Peace out from the Peace Corps...

You've got questions, I've got answers.

I have just been visiting a lot of family before I leave the country for over two years and have come to realize that just because I know a bit about what I will be doing in Burkina Faso, most people don't. So I'll answer some of the more common questions I have received in case anyone missed or forgot the answers :)

What will you do over there?
I will be serving as a Community Health Development Volunteer. This means I will work with local health officials to educate and promote practical health habits amoung the community, especially concerning AIDS, malaria, nutrition, and sanitation which are very common problems there. That is my official job description, but what exactly that will entail is uknown right now (to me, at least!)

Where will you live/with who?
During training, which occurs during my first two months, I will live in the capital city Ouagadougou with a host family. Once training is over, I will move to a village that will be determined during training. I will live in accomodations similar to those the locals live in (huts and compounds are most common in what I have researched) and I will live by myself.

How many other Peace Corps Volunteers will be with you?
During training, quite a few. Last (unofficial) number I heard was 33 of us going over together and training. There will also be other volunteers already over there training.
After training ends, I will most likely be by myself in a village. Yes, I am serious, I will probably be the only American for miles.

What will you eat?
While I am not exactly sure, I know that starches (rice, corn, yams) are popular as well as beans and vegatables. Near the river I read that people also eat fish.

Where will you go to the bathroom? Will you have running water? Electricity?
While I am not certain, I will probably be living in a rather rural area (health volunteers are usually placed in rural areas) where I will probably NOT have electricity or running water and go to the bathroom in a hole outside. But I won't know for sure until I am there.

Are you scared or nervous?
Not yet...knowing me I probably won't get nervous until I am on the plane! But even then, I know I will still be overwhelmingly excited.
C'mon, it's only two years, right? ;)

Let the fun begin! (and the paperwork!)

I feel like since I received my invitation pack, all I have done is read about Burkina and read blogs and look at pictures and make lists and Google things and fill out paperwork! The good news is, I think I got the most difficult paperwork out of the way and sent in. In addition to filling out and sending visa info and new passport info (I get an official RED passport!) I sent in an updated resume and an aspiration statement. These two documents are sent to Burkina and they will be the first and only thing anyone (Burkinabè [pronounced: bur-KEE-na-bay and is an inhabitant of Burkina Faso, the equivalent of "American"] country directors) know about me until/unless they meet me. So I put a lot of time into those and once I wrote everything out I must say, I am a little bit impressive. Not outrageously so, just a little more than I previously thought.
Now, in addition to visiting friends and family and waiting for my detailed departure itinerary, all I have to do is...PACK. Which also involve buying some adventure toys. :)

It's official!

I am OFFICIALLY headed to Burkina Faso, with Orientation on October 12th :)  Now I have to read and fill out all sorts of paperwork!  I am too excited to actually read...

(Almost) No More Waiting!

After what felt like a million years of waiting, my medical papers were cleared and now I have been placed in a mysterious sub-Saharan Francophone African country (Burkina Faso?  probably) and will leave for staging (A.K.A. orientation) on October 12th.  And my official invitation is in the mail so when I officially know my official location and all of the official details I will be sure to post.  :)