Back in Burkina

Last weekend was my grand return to Balla, my old village where I taught last year at the CEG. My Co-workers and friends from village had been anticipating my return for a long time. I told them when I was leaving that I was coming back, but none actually believed me. But I proved them all wrong after 8 and a half months... to say the least they were surprised. Smiles on their faces were easy indications of who were my real friends. I first arrived at dark and met the old teachers that I worked with and we sat late into the night discussing everything from American politics to the latest village drama. It was great to be back on the same terrace that I had spent some much time just relaxing with my friends and grading mounds of papers. The next morning as I made my return to the center of the village during our market day it was so fun to be back. The surprised smiles were worth more than enough for enduring the lengthy bureaucratic reinstatement process of the Peace Corps.

My students were so excited to receive their Pen Pal letters from America... they wrote back in a few hours and asked so many great questions about the US. They each wanted a photo of themselves with their new "Pen Pals" photo so that I could send it back to the states in proof that they got their letters. After they wrote their letters, I told them that I had a surprise for them in the office. It was then that I showed the few students what I had brought them from the US. I had all the supplies out on out office table and it was there that I taught the few students there how to use a real Microscope. It was their first experience seeing and using technology they had only read about. Those couple of hours were probably the most rewarding of my entire Peace Corps service. Some of the students were so amazed to see and use slides they had only read about and maybe seen drawings of in their textbooks... it made me feel maybe one of these students someday would become a doctor, being motivated from these small science supplies I had brought. Which is a story in itself... teaching never allows you to see your rewards and the changes you make in the students you teach until years later. That being said I have met a couple of current teachers that had Peace Corps Volunteers as teachers years ago that motivated them to help the country develop and go in to teaching.

This was short, but I will have much more in the week to come. I have been all over the country and really busy getting adjusted to my new village and the new health sector. I think the change in work will be a great new eye-opening experience for me. I think that I have learned more in the past month than I have learned in my entire first year here. Big statement but true.

La Deuxieme Fois

Most of you will probably think I am crazy but, after being home for 8 months, and enjoying all the comforts of the good old American way of life (aka my share of hot wings) I have decided to return to Burkina Faso and finish my Peace Corps service. I was discharged from the Peace Corps for shoulder problems on May 15th 2007. Since then I have been occupied with MRI’s, EMG nerve studies, 3 months of pre-operative rehab, surgery, and then 4 months of post-operative rehab. Many thanks here to Dr. Brian Wolf, and Paul Pursley PT, who got me back up to speed quickly.

The reverse culture shock was tough at times, but after a while it was scary to see how easily it is to slip back into our old comfortable western lives. I still have trouble with how much we waste here, but accept it to a certain degree as American. Even this acceptance is troubling to me. Well enough about cultural differences and American problems. My second stint in the Peace Corps is going to be a change of direction and will focus more clearly on my long term goals.

As the school year started in Burkina Faso, and I was still not able to return to Balla my old job teaching had to be replaced. The government replaced me with a new local teacher. I was disappointed to find this out, but started negotiating my return nevertheless. I was able to work out a sector change and return as a health volunteer. I worked this out for many reasons; to stay near my old school, to stay in the same cultural region with the same local language. The sector change is exciting and will be a great opportunity. I will be returning to Burkina shortly and will work in a small village clinic CSPS (Centre de Santé et de Promotion Sociale) or (Center of Health and Social Betterment). Also am going to be assisting the Baylor International Pediatrics AIDS Initiative (BIPAI, see "Cool Links" to the left) in Bobo-Dioulasso with their new Pediatric AIDS clinic. Working in this rural clinic and with these American doctors will be a new experience, and should give firsthand insight on health care development, and how the aid process form western countries can improve health care in developing nations. I will be assisting with HIV/AIDS outreach and education, along with patient follow up. Also, I am going to continue working with my old school in Balla to finish a school garden project I started before I left. I am hoping to finish building a permanent fence to allow for a yearlong garden on the school grounds near our water pump. The fence is to keep out free range animals and proximity to the pump should allow for yearlong produce cultivation to increase the nutritional value of the school lunches. I should be returning to Burkina in the next week and will start posting updates with this blog again. Cheers to all.

America the Beautiful

Surprise, for those of you who don’t know, I am back home. The Peace Corps has “medically separated” me from my service due to the recurrent problems with my shoulder. After my dislocation and a couple months of rehab, and no real results, I was sent home to figure out what happened. I most likely have suffered nerve and cartilage damage. I am getting an MRI next week and from that will know if I need surgery. If I have surgery I will be home for a few months doing rehab. Then if all goes well and recovery is complete, I can be medically cleared by my doctor and be reinstated back in my little village teaching again. I hope to make it back before the start of the school year in September. The timing works out well with school year and a summer back home will be nice, but all my secondary projects are on hold.

The transition back to America was brusque. I was only given a few days notice that I was leaving Burkina and going home to Iowa. I finished my students’ grades and packed up in a rush, giving away what I didn't need to my neighbors. I said my goodbyes not knowing if I would return. It was a day of mixed emotions, not sure if I could or would even want to come back after being home for a few months. I knew I wanted to come back, but knowing that all could change after being surrounded by the luxuries of America for the summer. It was even harder to say goodbye to the other volunteers who had become my closest friends over the past year. Flying to Paris was an eye opening experience, seeing a developed country after a year in the bush was amazing. I remember walking through the Paris terminal eyes wide in awe at the Gucci and Prada stores. Everything was so shiny and spotless, and most of all really, really expensive. I was constantly comparing prices of western luxuries to how many meals it would buy in my village or how many years of tuition at our school. Example; 1 bottle of cologne = 3 students yearly tuition. It was tough to see the extreme difference so fast. Also while in Paris, I realized the French I had learned was very much an “African French” and was difficult for “Real French” speakers to understand. They could tell instantly that I was not French from my accent and asked "Where did you learn French?" I proudly said "Burkina Faso, where else?"

While en route home, I missed my connecting flight from Chicago to Cedar Rapids. I was given a free nights stay at the Westin Hotel in Chicago. Walking into this 4 or 5 star hotel was another drastic change I wasn’t quite ready to experience. The huge lobby was furnished in marble and gold, and was easily one of the nicest hotels in which I have ever stayed, or so it felt. I remember staring at the leather couches and waterfall as the concierge asked if he could take my dusty guitar, which I refused. I carried it this far, what was riding up an elevator? As I slid my key card into my door on the 7th floor, I thought of how no one in my village would even believe their eyes at what I was experiencing, seventh floor. As I walked in my room the icy blast from the AC reminded me how energy here is expendable. I looked at the digital thermostat, 69F. I laughed, not being used to the cold I raised it to 80F, closer to my normal sleeping temp. The 4 poster bed was amazing in itself; pillow top, down comforter and a plethora of pillows. The bath in the Jacuzzi tub was pretty nice and was my first bath in a year. I slept great.

Being back home is good, but thoughts of my uncertain future constantly bog me down. I hope to get medically cleared and return to my village and teach next year. I'll keep this blog updated on my progress and the reinstatement process.

A Birthday Only Burkina Faso Could Give

So for those of you who have dislocated your shoulder, this you will be able to relate to, but for those of you who haven’t, imagine breaking a bone that cuts off feeling and blood flow to the distal appendage. Either way, it sucks really bad.

Everyone loves the high dive right, until you dislocate your shoulder doing a swan dive stone sober and can’t get your shoulder back in place, even after all your friends at the pool who are Pre-Med give it the good old college try. Everyone there, including me wanted to get it back into the socket in fear of me actually having to go to a Burkinabe hospital! After many painful and unsuccessful attempts, I decided to give up and call the Peace Corps medical staff and see what 3rd world medicine is all about. I thought it can’t be all that bad. We found the “good” expatriate private hospital only after getting lost on unpaved, pothole ridden back streets of Ouagadougou. Every bump made me appreciate our perfectly smooth streets back home. When we got there the clinic was actually nicer than I expected and almost empty. The Peace Corps nurse with me had limited French, so it was up to me to do most of the translating and explaining. This was probably the most frustrating thing I have ever experienced due to the excruciating pain. They didn’t believe me that it was dislocated and wanted to check my range of motion. After about a second of the nurse moving my arm around I about passed out. They then missed my vein 3 times and proceeded to fill my surrounding tissue with IV solution. After a few curses in French they finally got the IV started and gave me a generic form of a drug that neither I, nor my PC nurse had heard of, but I was in such pain anything would have helped. I made it in to a wheelchair and took me to the x-ray room, where they had the same machine my mom probably learned on back in the 70's. The x-rays only stated the obvious; that it was out of its’ socket, but more importantly that nothing was broken or chipped. Before the doctor arrived all I could think about was not being able to get it done here in Burkina and having to fly to a more developed country that could pop my shoulder back in place. I cringed at the thought of the possible turbulence on the flight and the idea of my shoulder still being out of its socket for days. I then waited to about 3 hours till a doctor could be woken, and convinced to come to the hospital. A lot of Valium later, and a few big Burkinabe pulling on my arm they got my shoulder back in place. Getting it back in place was a great relief and a birthday present only Burkina Faso could give. They put me in an almost full upper body hard cast which almost degraded into paste from sweating in the 115 F heat. Finally that’s off now and I have a much cooler (temp) sling to wear and I have started doing physical therapy. I only hope that I can write on the blackboard next week for school, or teaching might become a little more interesting.