arrival in burkina

Il fait chaud aujourd'hui, et il faut chaud tousjours.
For those non frenchies out there, It is hot today, and it is hot everyday. And it's not even the hot season. None of us have stopped sweating for more than 5 minutes since arriving in Burkina, with the exception of a little rain dance.

But I am so happy to be here. The journey here was a little longer than expected in different ways. Firstly, being my postponement of service. But most recently, the actual trip here. We left for the airport in Philidalphea on a Wednesday around 1:00 and arrived in Burkina Friday night. Our plane from Paris to Burkina had a stop in Niamey, Niger, a country on the northeast border of Burkina, to drop off a few passengers. We didn't leave for over 24 hours. It was actually a fun adventure and bonding time for our group of 32 Americans who have become my partners in this huge adventure for the next 2+ years. The engine broke down and AirFrance took us to a hotel where we were essentially in lock down (though there was some fun things happening at that hotel).

But once I stepped off that plan and saw some of the people in the streets, felt the African heat from the red sun, and smelled the African air, my nerves that had been building up the past month seemed to dissipate and excitement took over.

I don't know how much I can go into detail now, but this past week has been a whirlwind. So much of my experience thus far is wrapped up in the other volunteers who will be posted in Burkina with me. We are all in the education sector, half teaching secondary math and science (SE) and the other half doing Girls Education and Empowerment (GEE). So far, everyone seems really great. It's a little overwhelming as a whole group, but exciting to interact and meet so many fantastic people who have similar passions. Even after just one week, we had some crazy occurrences that have brought us together, and I'm sure it will continue as we train together in the next couple of months.

We spent one night in Ouaga, the capital, getting some shots, trying on bikes, and filling out some paperwork. Then we drove up to Ouahigouya and were welcomed with music, food and dancing. We will spend the next couple of days with more orientation then be placed with host families with whom we will stay with until August 25, our swear-in date. The GEE people will be placed in surrounding villages of the town and the SE volunteers will stay in town. So, I will come into town a couple times a week (by biking) and the other days of training will be in village with the rest of the GEE volunteers. It is going to be a challenge these next few months, and all current volunteers say it is actually the hardest part of service, but right now I am excited to get started.

I'm not sure how often I will be able to do these as the time is crunched with training and the availability it not great. I'm just starting to get an idea of how undeveloped Burkina is. It's very different in that sense from Namibia and South Africa. Yes, both those countries have more than their share of extreme poverty and difficult realities, but in terms of actual development, Nam and SA are many many years ahead of Burkina. For example, there is no trash collection system even in place. Literally people throw their trash in the streets because there is no where else to put it. There will be so much to learn about the country and its people, the “honorable/upright people” (translation of Burkina Faso) and I think I am ready to begin.

much love and peace,
Kim

Going to Burkina!

Hey friends,

So, big news, as most of you already know. I'm heading over to Burkina Faso on June 9th with the Peace Corps.

I'm going to be working on the Girls Education and Empowerment Project which I'm pretty excited and nervous about. More details are in the previous post or will come later, but I thought I would get this new blog started and spread the news.

A map of Burkina is below incase you're wondering where it is (west africa).

Thanks everybody for all your support!

back to africa

Hello my friends,

I haven't written in here for a VERY long time, but I'm trying to bring it back as I am about to start a new adventure in Burkina Faso.  For now, I'm just posting the recent e-mail I sent to some friends with my news.  

So here it is:

It's about that time for an update, and some pretty big news as well.  I’ve been living in Chicago for the past several months, but not for much longer.  June 8th, I’m heading out and joining the Peace Corps to go to Burkina Faso (West Africa).  Pretty crazy!

It all happened very quickly.  I was still deciding about the Peace Corps and regardless I wanted to wait until last summer/early fall, however a week ago I got a call from my placement officer and she had this unique opening with the Girls Education and Empowerment program in a French-speaking country.  It seemed like there wasn’t going to be anything like it again, and it might have been a while for any French-speaking placement, so I had to go for it even with the inconvenient timing. It really felt like the right decision and is close to what I wanted to do all along.
  
So, I’ll be in Chicago until mid-May and then will go back to Kansas for a couple weeks then head out.  I’m definitely terrified and nervous and anxious, but also really excited about it all.  I’ve been reading a little about the country (though there isn’t a whole lot out there on it) and I recently got a packet about my specific placement which is helping me get acquainted and excited.  It’s crazy because I actually know 2 people who are already in Burkina Faso with the Peace Corps.  As I said, I’m going to be working with the Girls Education and Empowerment program as a community outreach/developer doing various activities, programs and general support for education in the community in which I will live, focusing specifically on girls when possible.  It’s going to be a big challenge, especially as the education level is quite low in the country, having the lowest literacy rate in the world.  However, I've been hearing wonderful things about the people and culture; and the program has had some significant success in the past few years.  

As for my life in the past several months, I’ve been enjoying Chicago overall.  It was really difficult to find work but I’ve been doing some substitute teaching, including a long-term assignment as a special ed teacher at a high school fairly close to where I’ve been living.  It has definitely been a good learning experience and different then anything I’ve done before.  As some of you know, I was supposed to start a new job working with CPS but the start date got pushed back around the time when I heard from the Peace Corps, so I just decided to not do it, as I wouldn’t have been able to complete the project since I’m leaving Chicago so soon.  I’ve really enjoyed being close to some friends and seeing so many of you!  While definitely hard and challenging at times, overall I’ve really enjoyed my time in Chicago and have found some fantastic ways to get involved, learned a lot and met some really amazing people. 

Well, that’s all for now.  I’ll probably write you all again in a month letting you know what is going on.  If anyone is going to be in Chicago before May 20th, let me know, or around Kansas City before June 8th. I also want to thank you all for all the support you have offered me this past year.  Life takes us down unusual paths sometimes and many of you have provided a lot of guidance, strength and inspiration to me, so thank you for everything! 
I hope you are well and take care.

peace,
Kim 

home?

well I made it back safe and sound.

thought I would let you all know.

not sure what I think of all this being home business. I feel strange to say the least. I am enjoying reconnecting with people who I've been missing in ways the past 7 months but I fear losing my connections with those I grew close to in the past 7 months. The two worlds are tearing me in different directions and that is painful. And I'm still in a process of reflecting and absorbing my past experiences while constantly being faced with the future and that's overwhelming. It's going to be a hard process but I also look forward to growing in and continuing to learn from it. And I'm thankful that I'm forced to endure this process because of what it means I've come from.

go back to school in a week, not sure if I'll keep this up or not, we'll see if anything moves me.

thanks for all of you who went on this journey on me and take care.

saying goodbye again

I’m tired of saying goodbye. I have said goodbye to people more in the past year than ever in my life; friends and family at home, friends who graduated, Namibia and now Cape Town. How do you properly say goodbye to people who have impacted your life more than you can ever explain and to places that warms your heart and fills you up when ever you look around you? So much more I wanted to share in my posts about my experience in Cape Town, for instance, I never explained what I really do at SHADE and what they do as an organization which I should try to explain again some time because it really is incredible, so many people are reached, thousands, incredible. I would really love to work for an organization like SHADE someday; I’ve never experienced working for something that I believe in as much as I believe in what SHADE does. This organization made up of 5 permanent staff (plus a couple volunteers) is impacting people all over the continent in enormous, life changing ways, and it truly is all done out of love.

I went back to Namibia to visit for a week. I don’t know what it is about that country but my heart just feels happier there. It was so nice to be back, strange for sure, but so nice. My visit was far too short but I think it was good it didn’t last longer because who knows if I would have left this time if I stayed longer! It was wonderful but painful to leave again, God willing, I’ll be back someday.

Yesterday was my birthday and it was definitely one of the best birthdays I’ve ever had. The night before I had dinner at my fellow interns’ house and then we celebrated some. Next morning, pancakes then to work for a couple hours which were filled with music, dancing, mardi gras beads and toilet paper streamers. Then a visit to Robben Island, the island off the cape that hosted the political prisoners like Nelson Mandela. The island was interesting but a little disappointing because half of it was closed for maintenance. The boat ride however was spectacular. Get picked up just to be brought to my place for a surprise party for me. I had absolutely no clue and it was so nice and so fun, made me feel extremely special and Branca sure can cook J Then a few of my closest friends and myself went out and got our groove on, African style, so much fun.

Today I spent a couple hours on the back of a motorbike driving through the mountains and along the coast, breathtaking views, really refreshing, definitely a highlight.

So now I’m trying to say goodbye and prepare for my trip home, which quite frankly I’m absolutely terrified of. My loved ones at home: don’t take offense if I don’t seem like I don’t want to be there, it doesn’t mean I don’t love you, it just means I miss this place like crazy and not sure what I think about living in the states.

What I will miss about living in Woodstock, Cape Town:

• Hearing the daily Muslim calls to worship
• walking by my friend Nicolas who is painting the house near me who continuously greets me and tries to teach me a little Xhosa
• walking by my friend Babishe the security guard who continuously tells me I’m crazy for various things and trying to communicate to him through his broken English and my broken French
• hugging Tembo’s (my boss) children
• hearing david (tembo’s husband) laugh and tell me naughty boy every time he needs me to move so he can get in the safe
• Philomene’s laughter and asking me to make crazy phone calls and then trying to understand what the heck she’s talking about
• Everything about philomene
• Laughing with Branca (my housemate) about men and Americans and everything crazy in life
• Pap and spinach
• The wonderful music that makes my soul sing
• Milos and Don Pedros
• the ocean
• The mountains, the incredible mountains that seem to stretch forever and especially into my heart
• Hiking table mountain and looking upon the city
• Conversations and gaining words of wisdom from Retha and Greg and how they seem to care
  
• Freddy’s dancing
• Walking by the video guy on my way to Shoprite who just laughs at me
• Taxi drivers yelling “Cape Town, Wyneberg” and chasing after you when you certainly don’t want a ride
• living in a constant state of awe and fear
  
• Buying lots of grocers for very little money
• Sunrises and sunsets
• Feeling like I can contribute
• Walking to work and taking public transport to most places
• Learning to communicate with people whose first language is not English
• Being part of something important
• Late night chats with Kelly
• The girls from Sivewe and watching them run around half naked on the beach
• SMSing
• Sunny days in cape town
• many peoples' laughter
  
• Attending Woodstock Methodist church
• Mama Charlotte
• The colorful houses and streets
• Talking to random people in the streets
• Not continuously having guilt
• Hearing stories of refugees and stories from those under apartheid
• Feeling free and inspired on a daily basis
• Everyone I’ve met and grown to love

I will surely miss everyone and everything (well not quite everything) here and in southern Africa. I have now spent a little over 6 months in southern Africa and it has been incredible. I wish I could somehow express how I’ve changed and what I’ve learned but that you’ll just have to see for yourself. I’m so glad I had this experience and will never be the same because of it, and generally in a good way. For all of you out there who wonder about Africa, all you really need to know is that the people are incredible; I have never met a collective group of people who are so friendly, so hospitable, so loving and so joyful than those I’ve met in the past 6 months. That is what I want to take back with me the most: to love people like I’ve seen love here.

youth tujenge 2007!

So part of my internship responsiblities is to work with the youth. Last week was a camp that is designed to provide a fun place for kids and a place where they can grow to be strong leaders and responsible people. They play lots of games but also many talks and lessons are given - good mixture of both. I was one of the main leaders helping organize the camp and responsible for a few of the talks. There were around 55 kids ranging from age 5 to age 18 and then around 13 adult leaders. It was crazy and hectic and exhausting to say the least. But it goes without saying there was a lot of beautiful moments and incredible joy and fun. I learned a lot about the youth that week but also about myself and my limits. It was an incredible growing experience and it was an incredible chance to experience love and inspiration from Africa's youth.

we had the camp in a place called Franshhoek, absolutly beautiful, surrounded my mountains and wonderful weather.
here are some of the girls from the camp
Moussa led a lot of the talks with the older youth, this is one of the times, and it was quite amazing how much they understood and shared and frustrated and inspired me.
my name is Kapale and I love baboons!!! - craziest and funniest kid
Here is me with Judith, one of Tembo's (my boss at SHADE) daughters whom I love. she is one of those people will love you first and get to know you second. (and check out my hair!)

here is the hair party - the 4 US girls got their hair plated (braided)
ok, don't laugh too much, but I was a African model for the talent show (so were the other US girls). The last night all the kids put on acts, danced, sang, modeled, acted, for a talent show. It was absolutly incredible! All the kids were incredibly supportive of eachother, screaming and cheering each other on. There was tension sometimes at the camp between the younger youth and the older youth but the older kids really supported the younger kids, it was really great.
I have never seen so many icnredible dancers than in the past 5 1/2 months. I'm just in awe and how these kids can move. Here is Rocher and Benny do their dance which was great.
Chad with the little boys from the camp who were frustrating when they didn't listen but they also were very inviting towards me and really enjoyed spending time with us and eachother.
here is the whole crew.

It was a challening but amazing week and I will miss some of the kids and the moments.

more next time...

the most beautiful places

So long time since my last post. I'm going to do 3 posts fairly soon. This one, the first, will be about some fun times hiking and bumming around the Western Cape, which truly is one of the most beautiful places, like they say it is. I've been up table mountain a couple more times since my last post. The 2nd time was on a way called ledges, which is exactly how it sounds, I had to climb up rock wall and shimmy across ledges, exhilirating and amazing, great time, great day.
There's a group of women who are somewhat involved with the 3 churches that make up inner city mission which SHADE is somewhat connected to, who have a group called JAWs and one weekend we took a trip to Betty's Bay. Betty's Bay is about an hour away and the drive there and the place is probably the most beuatiful scenery of my life. It was a fun week-end full of laughter, food, chatter, and amazing views.

Here are some of the ladies. Kelly is on the left who is the other intern here for the summer. Branca is on the right, she is my house mate.
we took a walk through some gardens/park which was beautiful, here is a waterfall that we saw.
This is where the penguins are, and well, just look at the pic, it's spectacular.
penguins! there were lots and lots of penguins all over the place - such funny creatures.
here is a view from Lion's head - another mountain near table mountain that one day we went up. those are the 12 apostles - though I'm told don't bother counting, it doesn't add up to 12
here's another view of cape town from lion's head - the mountain in the pic is called devil's peak
here is chris and greg and his daughter katie who rides on his back when he runs up mountains
me and kelly on top of lion's head - robben island in the background which I'm finally going to this weekend!

pictures will come of me petting a wild zebra hopefully soon, along with my next post on the camp I just help run, then a post on SHADE and their work and their wonderful people.

ps - I'm really happy here and can't believe my time is almost up - in a week I go to namibia for a week then come back and have a week left, then home, crazy.