What's going on this week

Hello campers, welcome back to another installment of Burkina Vice. Just like the TV show,Miami Vice, except no water. Yep, just like it........Anyhoo, just dropping another line to let you guys in on another exciting week in BFA. I in town again for a meeting for the Volunteer Advisory Committee, of which I'm a member. I was voted by my peers to represent our class in issues dealing with our administration in hopes of improving relations and/or general morale. "Why?" do you ask, that we have this committee? Well, During my short tenure, the working relationship between the general volunteer and the bureau has been tenuous. At times sparking intense debate, feelings of distrust, and overall poor morale, thus high rate of ET's(early terminations). The committee was formed a viable avenue of communication between the offices and the volunteer population in the hopes of preventing the above in the future. The meetings that just occured seemed productive and attitudes seemed to be improving. Hopefully, this will continue in following meetings that occur every quarter. Things that have improved lately have mostly dealt with our transit house/hostel that volunteers stay at when they are in Ouaga for whatever reason and time. Thankfully, there's a new batch of motivated volunteers that are in charge of orginization of the different common areas, such as the kitchen, library, and storage. The bureau also just installed, at our request, cieling fans and screens to keep out bugs from the house. It doesn't have AC, but the additional fans have made staying there extremely more comfortable. We're also trying to get a TV in the house, cause to help pass our time we love movies so why not a tv? Currently the trend has been to use whoever's laptop happened to be at the disposal or just listen to music. Quite a few volunteers have a somewhat recent movies in thier collections. Little things like that help make our world go around a little better. Anyhoo pretty exciting, I know. Just like Miami Vice. :-)

For Dave, I JUST got you package today and the "Listerine" bottle of "Mouth Wash" is incredible and hilarious. I've shown it to some other volunteers who have laughed out loud at it's impressive labeling and packaging. It is much appreciated along with all the other little goodies you packed so generously also. The Fudge Chocolate Pop Tarts are quite tasty as I'm in the midst of eating one as i type. Yum Yum. Thank you very much Dave and Elena, not just for the items but the real thought you put into it. Mercy Buckets

Okay, what else is going on, ummm, I'm still up in the air about my house and if my heatlh committee balks at fixing or finding my a new house then they'll lose me as a volunteer. I'll have to move to an adjacent village and finish my tenure out in a village about 25 K away. I don't think that will happen, but it may. Whether it does or not, I'll let you guys know too.

My counterpart, the women in the photo with me from the bike-a-thon story, who is awesome, my be getting transfered to a new village. Which would make my life in my current village a little less pleasant. I will be bummed if she leaves, she has offered some really sound advice since I've been here and I know I can count here as a real friend and not one to see what money or present she can get out of our relationship. Unfortunately, she's the only one in village I can say that for sure.
So that issue isn't so good right now.

Good things that ARE going on have been doing with sensibilizations. I've been pretty buzy these last two weeks setting up and doing sensisiblizations with my village on my Moringa trees, Malaria, Vaccinations, and Pre-natal Consultations. I've got some more to do for this week and then next week I have to come back to ouaga and get our annual medical check ups. So the September has passed by eventfully enough where as October should be interesting to.

We have been toasting each other this last week quite a lot because our class now has less than a year left in country. Sounds terrible to keep track of the days like this but, knowing we have less than a year left is like a big hill we just climbed and now we're looking down the other side. Time to take a big breath and make the most out of this ride down.

I have plans already in motion for more stuff onAIDS and hopefully I get some practice micro-credit groups set up with some of the students in the high school here. I’d also like to start something like that with some of the surrounding villages, but it depends if I’ll actually be here to do it.

For Thanksgiving this year, I probably head to another volunteers village and celebrate turkey there. For Xmas there’s a contingent that’s planning a trip to Ghana of which I hope to go along. Should be fun.

Well, that's it for now, I'll be in town next week to write more on Aminata's forced marriage that I wrote about a month ago. Hope you all are doing well and are safe. Take care and miss you a bunch.
L