Assignment

I began my application for the Peace Corps last fall. After anxiously waiting for my assignment, I received and accepted an invitation to do volunteer service in Burkina Faso, Africa. Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) is located in West Africa, north of Ghana. The country's official language is French, and several other local languages, which I'm excited to learn, are spoken there. There are two seasons in Burkina Faso: the wet season and the dry season. The temperatures range from 50 degrees F during cooler nights to over 104 degrees F during the hotter days. The country is about the size of Colorado and has a population of 13.7 million people.

My position will be Small Business Advisor in a Small Enterprise Development program. My work will include riding a mountain bike to different work activities within a six mile radius and completing tasks such as organizing and assisting local management teams, organizing savings and credit clubs, analyzing resource/training needs, designing bookkeeping, marketing and accounting workshops, conducting market surveys, and assisting entrepreneurs in developing business plans. I'll be putting my Accounting degree to good use! The work will be challenging. I will be performing these tasks within the constraints of a weaker economy. Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking 176 out of 177 on the 2008 United Nations Human Development Index. Its culture is rich in arts and crafts, and I am excited to bring entrepreneurial skills to the people who have requested that advice!

My living conditions will be interesting. I will likely have a mud-brick home with a thatched roof, no electricity and no running water. You might wonder why (mom), but I am excited to live this way! Its making life now seem so vivid. Last night, as I thought of my future unvarying diet of millet paste, my Filet Mignon tasted more succulent, the contrasting textures of my sauteed mushrooms and the little crispy tips of my grilled asparagus seemed more interesting, and the nose of my California Cabernet seemed to have more chocolate, more violet and more than just a hint of oak. It helped me remember why I applied to the Peace Corps in the first place. I feel very fortunate. I want to give back what I can for the greater good of humanity, and I'll probably learn more than I teach at the end of it all!