Lists

Hello.

Not surprisingly I am in Bobo yet again. I was supposed to be up in a city called Koudougou, meeting up with some of my fellow volunteers from training, but when I got to Bobo they called me to tell me that they were all here in Bobo!! So lucky me, I didn't have to go far to see 5 of my buddies. We are going swimming today (yes, there is a pool in Bobo!!), and tomorrow we decided to take a trip down south a couple of hours where there are waterfalls, and I think a big party amongst other volunteers. Should be a fun week!

I really don't have anything interesting to write about. Life is still pretty boring waiting for school/work to begin. I do go out at night occasionally to have a beer at the local 'bar' - um, here that means a crooked table with broken chairs placed outside where I sit and drink a beer. But I am always in good company, even though I have come to the realization that 80% of the time I have no idea what people are saying. Since everyone speaks at least 2 or 3 languages, they usually mix them all together when telling a story. So for instance, a guy will begin a story in French, and with French I am usually OK following, so at first I'm all excited that I'm getting the gist of the story... but all of a sudden he will switch to Moore, then Julah, and end in French. While everyone is laughing, I am now off in my own world thinking about America, or what I will cook the next day, how much water I need to well, the bug on my foot,... whatever... until they all look at me and go 'Did ya get it??'... crap... so of course I give a polite laugh and say no, not really. So while the person explains the entire story to me again, all in French, everyone waits for me to understand and react, and when the end comes, I realize that it wasn't really funny in the first place anyway... or I still don't get it. But again, polite laughter.

So while I was sitting around with nothing to do, I thought of a bunch of lists that I would like to sum up as: WHY I MISS AMERICA

Things I have not seen/done since March:
1. worn makeup
2. drank a good coffee
3. seen a microwave
4. eaten fast food.. or any food that takes less than an hour to prepare, for that matter
5. seen a washing machine or dryer
6. worn heels

Things that are part of every day life:
1. Heat water on gas stove in the morning to mix with bucket water for a warm 'shower'
2. Go to the well to get water. The water that I draw from the well has become sort of murky because of all the rains, and I usually have to sift out the bugs before adding it to the big water bin I keep in my house for water storage - all the water I use for cooking, drinking, bathing, etc...
3. Sweep my house to try and deter cockroaches, spiders, scorpions, etc from coming to hang out with me... this is actually a good thing because I clean more now than I ever did in my apartment in Harrison.. i know my roommates can verify!
4. Slather on sunscreen during the day and bug spray at night. I haven't smelled like a nice perfume in some time, now.
5. Learn to know when it will rain and gauge what outdoor activities I can get done before it begins i.e. wash clothes, bike ride, etc..
6. Use lantern at night if I want to do anything. I dread nighttime. Everything by lantern light is annoying, especially when there are insect sightings.

Things I have learned to do:
1. Make my own peanut butter - but seriously please don't let this deter anyone from sending me some Skippy's or Jif in their next package.
2. Use a mortar and pestle to grind some ingredients bought in market for authentic African meals.
3. Not take pictures when there is more than one child present.
4. Not eat caterpillars.
5. Pass hours of time without intentionally harming myself in order to score a trip to the infirmary in Ouaga.
6. Be patient.

Things that might have bothered me 6 months ago:
1. Watching the killing, skinning, gutting and preparation of any meaty meals... and then chowing down.
2. Eating (well, trying to digest) an insect.
3. Going to the bathroom behind the nearest tree, over a dingy roach-infested hole, in the middle of the night outside in the pouring rain, ..in effect, practically anywhere.
4. Seeing a woman breast feeding in public at every turn of my head.
5. Being referred to as 'the white stranger lady' in every conversation.
6. Being sicker than I've ever felt in America and self-diagnosing or waiting it out because to get to a Dr. is so much harder.
7. Riding in a crowded car on pot-hole covered mud roads for 2 hours to a big city, followed by a 5 hour bus ride, just to see some friends.
8. Thinking in km and kilos.
9. The smells... that is a list of its own.

My new rules of common sense:
1. Wear flip flops when I bathe.. anywhere.
2. I need to well at least 3 buckets of water to do laundry, 1 for cooking, and 1 for a bath.
3. Burn my garbage or dump it in the latrine hole so kids don't pick through it.
4. Market-bought rice or beans must be sifted through and washed out to drown the bugs and eliminate dirt and rocks.
5. A sturdy rock makes a decent hammer.
6. Keep toilet paper in a visible, easily accessible place near the door.

Things that are better now than when I was in America (positive thinking):
1. I'm lighter - down 8 kilos, if you know what that means.
2. The stars are seriously amazing here.
3. Not worrying if my clothes match, fit, are in style, are torn, or are faded.
4. I wear flip flops every day.
5. You always feel like a rock star because everyone knows your name and wants to be your friend (also a negative sometimes).
6. My dreams - thank you, malaria meds!

OK, they are not limericks, but they are something. I realized that I am a total hippy-yuppy, and it just depends on the day to see which one is stronger. Cause I really like that I don't wear makeup or care about my clothes or that I'm here to help.. blah blah blah.... but sometimes I totally just want to drink a mocha latte, or have a salad with goat cheese.

For those asking, here is my address again:
Stephanie Servetz, PCV
Corps de la Paix
BP 1065
Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
West Africa

And here are some new ideas for care pkgs:
peanut butter
powdered donuts or choc frosted or ring dings or twinkies (I'm down 8 kilos, ya know...)
granola bars
oatmeal
extra ketchup, mustard or sauce packets from restaurants
Pop Tarts
Mac n Cheese (can't have enough)

I have TONS of shampoo and drink mixes, so thank you for those who sent and X it from your next pkg. Also, smaller packages are totally great and just as much appreciated and much cheaper, so no need to send really big pkgs. I feel bad that they are so costly, they don't always make the trip to Africa very well, and they are also a little tough to transport with me. But honestly thank you to everyone who writes to me that I am in their thoughts and prayers. Believe me when I say that I think of coming home and seeing everyone more than I care to admit. I am aiming for a trip home in March, so we'll see if that pans out.

I'll be back in touch soon..
Enjoy the rest of summertime! I hear it's brutal this year in NJ, and believe me, my sweaty heart is really crying out for you... ;)