People frequently ask me what daily life is like here, and I keep trying to pin-point my typical day... Life here is pretty nice, all things considered:
I wake up at six and do yoga. Staying in shape is a bit more challenging here. The heat makes it difficult to get motivated, but yoga has been a great option for me. After yoga, I get a bucket of water from a nearby well and water my moringa pepiniere.
Moringa ("paradise tree") is a species of tree that grows easily under difficult conditions. Its leaves are also loaded with vitamins and nutrients. The idea behind a moringa project is to combat deforestation and simultaneously fight malnutrition. You can dry the leaves and make a powder to add to different foods, or you can just add fresh leaves to sauces or salads.
My counterpart was very interested in planting moringa in Karfiguela. So we decided to start a pepiniere. We collected old water sachets from the cascades area (Drinking water is sold here in little plastic bags "water sachets", which also make perfect containers for plant pepinieres at no cost and collecting them helps clean up the environment.) We filled the sachets with the compost that I started in January and then planted moringa seeds that I received from the Peace Corps. They are growing strong. We have about 100 trees. After another month or two, we are going to go courtyard to courtyard and give each family a tree to plant and explain the benefits of moringa. This project will also serve as an outreach to help me get to know more of the community.
After I water the trees, I make oatmeal and tea with powdered milk and sugar. I have not yet mastered the art of the Burkinabè tea ritual, which is more of an afternoon tradition anyway. The men sit under mango trees for hours boiling little teapots full of inexpensive tealeaves over tin cans full of charcoal. They boil it three times. Then they mix in tons of sugar by pouring it back and forth from another little pot to a glass, which also cools it off and makes "mousse". The whole process takes about forty five minutes. The end result is a shot glass of strong, sugary, tea with a delightful foam -- a drink somewhat reminiscent of espresso -- and a reminder that life in Africa takes a lot of patience. Its a great way to visit and share ideas, but three or four shots is all I can handle.
Its the rainy season now. In Karfiguela, the people are out harvesting the first rice crop of the year in the late morning. Karfiguela is blessed by Burkina standards; there is no shortage of water to irrigate the rice fields because of the nearby cascades. Some days I go out to the rice fields with my friend, Assiata. Some days, I use the late morning to do my laundry, clean the house, work on presentations, read, play music, study french, or get drinking water from the pump.
For lunch I usually eat pasta, cous cous, or rice. The staple of the Burkinabè diet is tô. It is a thick paste that has the consistency of jell-o and the density of fudge. The taste is nondescript at best, although it is typically served with a sauce. Tô is a starch that I have not been able to grow fond of, but I'll certainly eat it if its put in front of me.
After lunch everyone is napping, so I usually indulge in a nap too. I take a bucket bath and then get ready to go out and talk with people about community projects. My counterpart and I regularly visit the two presidents of the women's groups, the chef de village, and the president of the rice co-op. I also have plans to work with the head of the local clinic, and the captains of the soccer team. The early evening is the best time to find people at home so that's when most of my "work" takes place.
The other night I visited Nantogoma, the president of Sabar Kayn, to see how things were going after the Savings and Credit Club training. She informed me that the group had chosen a president, secretary, treasurer and key holder and that all of the women are going to contribute a little bit of rice from the harvest to sell in the marchè. They are going to save the money in an emergency fund in case someone gets sick or hurt. She also held a meeting the next morning in which she explained the ideas that she had learned about money management at the training in Ouagadougou.
After our visits I go home, make dinner, write a little and then go to bed (much earlier than I would if I had electricity).
No comments:
Post a Comment