I was flattered this December when my village told me they wanted to throw a party to celebrate the completion of my first year of service in the community. They had traditional balaphone players (balaphones are like xylophones made with dried gourds) and the women danced. 
They also took turns presenting what we have accomplished and anecdotes about my first year in Karfiguela (A lot of the stories were about my infamous bat problem. When I first moved to site my house was a bat cave -- literally) to a representative of the mayor of Banfora, traditional village leaders and the village members.
I was very touched when they presented me with a wrapped gift.
It was a traditionally woven blanket. The design signifies the settling of the Karaboro ethnic group in Karfiguela. The red signifies the two hunters that first settled in the village, the blue represents the water from the cascades, and the white represents the clarity and freshness of the water.
I took my turn at the microphone to thank the village for their hard work, hospitality, and support.
We spent the rest of the day singing, dancing and eating rice. We took a dinner break and then met back up and danced until morning. It was a great party!
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