Pain is just weakness leaving the body.

The saying in this blog title was given to us by some volunteers the first week we were here in Burkina. Not so inspirational at the moment, but makes you feel brave when it means something. On that note, I have had my first bout with sickness.. a little thing called giardia. I will spare you details about how I knew I had it and what is involved, but know that I now weigh 15 lbs less than I did upon my arrival in Burkina, and just today (Monday), I finally ate my first full meal since last Tuesday. I am in Ouaga right now because of it. Medicine was sent to me Saturday, but I think it made me tons worse for 2 days before finally making me better today. But being in Ouaga is like being in America for a day... there's AC, TV, good food, expensive prices, no screaming animals where I sleep... it's pure heaven. So the moral of the story is that next time I am feeling tubby and need a little vacation, I'll try and get my hands on some giardia...

Yesterday went something like this...keep in mind there was painful nausea throughout the day... woke up to the usual tune of animal sounds and clanking pans around 5:00.... fell back asleep in my hot room for another hour or so... found my teacher/facilitator to call medical office which involved walking around in brutal heat in order to find a weak cell signal that cut the conversation on me 3 times...took a Benadryl to fall asleep... woke up in the early afternoon and looked up to see 5 bats sleeping just above me in my room...(so that's what the squeaking sound was - good thing I have my rabies shots).... went outside to rest on a mat in the "shade" and read for a while... had every single person in the court come over at least once to ask me about my puga (stomach) and why I wasn't eating (all in Moore)... got visits from other volunteers...planned lessons for practice school.... ate a mango and 2 bites of rice...visited the roach infested latrine out of pure necessity...took another Benadryl and fell asleep at 9. Good day.

In general, I have been out of touch because since my last blog I have travelled a lot between Gourcy and Bassi because we have started observing classes and practice teaching, and my group of 5 is teaching in schools in both villages. So I have taught 2 math classes so far to 2 different groups of students. Both classes were 85-95 students, aged 13-16. This whole week I will be teaching in Bassi and then next week I continue in Gourcy.. then Bassi for the last week of training!! I can't believe training is almost over!! When we all talk about being here, it feels like it's been many, many months.... it's just been an intense and busy time!

As far as teaching goes, I think this is definitely helping me conquer the mini-fear of public speaking. I did OK with the French in front of everyone, but I need to plan out how to do things to keep 90 kids interested. It's tough. The classrooms are about the same size as an American classroom, but they hold 3 times as many kids. Students sit at long table-benches that seat 3 per unit, and there are 3 rows of these across and maybe 20 back... we're talking sardines in a can here, people. They are literally shoulder to shoulder, and there is no AC. Imagine....

Students stand when you enter the room and do not sit til you tell them to. If you want something erased from the board you simply state it and someone will come up and erase it for you. No student leaves until the teacher does, and it doesn't matter if the bell sounds first. By 'bell' I am talking about a metal hubcap that hangs from a tree outside, that a kid clanks with a stick to signal the beginning and end of class.

As far as life in Bassi goes, it's still not ideal because I don't have a lot of privacy and since I have not had any formal lessons in Moore, I can only speak to my family in the few words I have picked up.. here are a few phrases for you to try out:

Ney windiga - Good day
Ney zaabre - Good evening
Yaa waana? - what's up?
yaa soma - it's all good
Nassara modgame - Whitie's trying!!
Wend na loke - G-d will provide (say this to beggars)
Mam wumda Moore bilfu - I understand a little Moore
Mam yaa karemsamba - I am a teacher
M puga zabde - my stomach is sick

I would say my family is getting better, but I think it's my attitude about it that is just getting better because they are very nice - it's just that there are a lot of awkward moments and a major lack of communication. When I am there and uncomfortable, I try to get out and talk to more and different people (who may understand some French) instead of sitting in my room and sulking about it. I do really love my little brothers and sisters, though. One in particular, his name is Baaba.... absolutely LOVE this kid. He's about 7 yrs old, and he's the sweetest thing. When I return home from being away in Gourcy or Ouaga or something, he finds me immediately and proudly takes my bike from me to walk it into the court where we live. He sits and watches me all the time, and when I ask him in Moore if he likes his big sister, he flashes me a big smile and nods his head up and down emphatically. 2 nights ago, I heard him singing, so I brought out my MP3 recorder and taped his little voice singing an African song, and all the while he was holding my hand and playing with my fingers or touching his head to my head. And yesterday when I was sick all day, he had found a little gear lying around from some mechanical piece and brought it to me as a gift. When I went inside and left it there, some other kid picked it up. Baaba slapped it out of his hand and ran it over to me because it was MY gift. I just love that kid.

Now I am also learning a little Julah in formal classes.. this is the language I will need to know more for my permanent site I will move to in June. By the way, it's nothing like Moore. Excellent.

Last quick funny or scary/sad side notes..
While in Gourcy, we found out about a new species of bug we didn't know about before. This would be the acid-spitting beetle. While sleeping outside, one of my fellow female volunteers apparently had been "stung" by the beetle... this left a blistered, watery mark on her leg, surrounded by swollen red skin. Let's add that to the list of creepy, weird things, shall we??

Adam, the other Jew in my group, accidentally got converted to Islam this week. This is actually hilarious, when you hear it from him... he had asked his Muslim father general questions about the Islam faith, and the father offered to take him to a ceremony at the mosque. Good idea.... except he also offered to have Adam converted and Adam didn't realize until he was repeating some Arabic prayers the Imam (priest) was saying to him. The next morning, his father woke him at 5 a.m. for the morning prayer and had bought him a Muslim hat.

Kids eat dirt here. Literally. I was sitting out on the mat all sick and nauseous yesterday, and for a good 15 min or so, one little girl plopped herself next to me and proceeded to wipe her hand through the dirt and lick it off....repeatedly. Then an annoying sheep.... mind you, sheep are generally afraid of humans... decided he also wanted to hang out by me because I was reading a book, and when I rolled over, I had a sheep hovering over me, watching me, and just chewing his cud in my face. Friggin animals.... when did I ever say I wanted to be a vet? I only have murderous feelings towards the animals here.... I don't know how that happened, but ask me again when it is 5 a.m. and roosters cock-a-doodle 20 feet from me for a continual hour, donkeys intermittently scream their high-pitched screams, and sheep cry to each other across the courtyard because they can't find one other (the courtyard is a small rectangle).

OK that is all...I'll try to write again soon.

Happy Belated Mother's Day to my Mom and Nana and everyone else reading this who is a Mom!!

Love you bunches.... keep the emails coming!!