The Things I'll Miss

 

After leaving Kossouka and Burkina Faso in December, the inevitable question "so...how was it??" gets pitched a lot. Usually I respond with some balance of hard but rewarding... I got what I had hoped for but also a lot more challenges from areas I wasn't expecting.. to difficult but no regrets and I recommend it. 

I rarely talk about the day to day moments that made my experience in Kossouka really so positive. Despite the challenges, frustrations, loneliness, which I know must be touched on in order to portray a realistic experience of my time in the Peace Corps, there were so many moments that sustained me and made me genuinely happy. I want to share the aspects of life that I'll miss to better depict what were my favorite parts of being a volunteer in Burkina Faso and to give insight to future PCVs about what to expect. 

The little moments like...

Finding O´s Magic around Kossouka






Feeling the rush and excitement as storm clouds roll in

When in rains in Burkina, everything shuts down. Waking up for a meeting and seeing storm clouds coming in from the east sent a surge of contentment through me, knowing I had hours ahead of me to read books and watch movies, that all work would be rescheduled for after the storm, and that I could (free from all guilt!) take it easy and hole up in my house for a couple hours. 

Getting clothing made! 

One of my favorite parts about life in Burkina was picking out pagne (fabric) and getting clothes custom made. 

Going to the market and picking out pagne from the fabric stalls

Rasmane and Madi are the pagne merchants at Kossouka´s market

Roger! My friend and neighbor who lived behind my house and made surprisingly great Western style women´s clothing. Printing out photos from online stores and showing it to tailors is how a lot of PCVs would get clothing made. 

Seeing the change in seasons 

My courtyard during hot season....

and what I came back to after a week away during rainy season. 

                                          

Watching the "trash garden" outside my house... 

be stunningly transformed after a few rain storms. 

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Fresh Baked Bread

It was my saving grace to have fresh baked bread made literally right behind my house but also so dangerous because I could smell it baking and Awa, my best friend and coffee stand neighbor who knew how much I loved it, would enable my carb overload by always giving me double what I ordered and often bringing it directly to my house, hot out of the oven, without me asking for it just because she knew how much I loved it. 

The dough is placed on corrugated metal
pieces to help keep shape

Then cooked in these dome stoves
 scattered all around Kossouka

Combating homesickness by bringing familiar holiday traditions to Kossouka 

Since I was the third volunteer in Kossouka, I inherited SO many things, including an Easter egg dying kit. It was really fun to do this activity with my friend's kids but was also another realization, like trying to explain Halloween, how strange our traditions are. 

 

Making my mom's Easter rabbit cake for my friend, Rosalie, and decorating my Christmas tree (another inherited item) with Risnata. 

My Job

Peace Corps' key term is "capacity building," and it was absolutely one of the most rewarding parts of the experience.  

Rasmane and Abdoulaye are two high school students that we trained to run the community's library, which had been closed for years since no adult was able to run it. After training them how to use a computer, they then wrote a manual for other high schools and communities about how to start a student run library. 

Risnata was one of my best friends and one of the most motivated, curious individuals I met in Kossouka. We attended a "Women as Leaders" conference together, and afterwards she helped me lead 12 education lessons about malaria prevention, malnutrition, and how to make tofu. 

Another highlight of my job was the freedom to think of fun activities, like creating these posters and diagrams with students that will be used by their teachers to improve their visual aids. 

 

Risnata and Awa 

Were my best friends in Kossouka. They showed empathy and initiative, and were there for me throughout my service, there to help me when I was bewildered, sick, or confused, and there to create my favorite memories and to make me feel like Kossouka was truly a home. Here are some of my favorite photos of the two women who helped me more than anyone else: Awa and Risnata. They were an essential part of my life while in Kossouka, right up to coming to the airport to send me off. I am forever so grateful for them. 

Making tofu together. I love this photo because Burkinabe tend to be really serious in photos, getting even a smile can be challenging, but here it is so easy to see their personalities 

My last night in Kossouka. We watched Elf and did face masks :D 

When I would crave American food, Risnata was always down to try and recreate it with me. From making tortillas and tacos, french toast, peanut butter cookies, to village style pizza, she went through my cookbook with me. Awa was my constant, consistently present, kind and fun. Sharing a courtyard wall, she would come running when I couldn't stop over reacting (screaming) about mice in my house and filled so much of my free time talking at her cooking stand and playing pick up sticks. 

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Before I left, we made a friendship uniform together as a thank you gift for helping me so much. 

And so many others that were there for me during my service in Burkina 

My friends, host family and community partners

I left the Sunday after Thanksgiving, so I invited all the people who helped during my two years to a Kossouka style Thanksgiving/going away party. 

To the other volunteers, especially G27ers. Before joining, I had repeatedly heard one of the best perks of being a PCV was the friendships made with other volunteers. And, despite hearing it multiple times, the friends I made in Burkina far exceeded anything I was anticipating. 

How to Survive Village with a Sweet Tooth

My love for sugar has apparently been with me from the beginning- my mom always says my first word was "cookie". Having such a strong sweet tooth in Burkina isn't ideal, you're left with unsatisfied cravings when the only possible fixes are mangoes for two months out of the year and super mediocre cookies. 

When I first arrived in Burkina, an older PCV was listing the things he does in his free time and I was shocked to hear him casually mention he's gotten into making pies. Pies?! In village?! How??? But also intrigued to know he made it sound so feasible, it gave me hope... maybe I could figure it out too? 

And I did- and it is so simple. What we use is a dutch oven, a medium size marmite (is marmite an English word? there are some words I forget if I knew before... well marmite is like a cauldron). You put the marmite on top of the stove- our stoves are like a larger camping stove hooked up to a propane tank. 

                                       

Then you place a small pile of sand inside with three small tomato paste cans on top. Before it is used the first time, the sand has to be cooked/burned, otherwise the food made will have an earthy/dirt flavor. 

                             

This is one of my main stores in Kossouka and Rasmane who owns it. Its set up like a general store where I tell him what I want and he stands behind the counter and gets it for me. 

One thing that I hadn't wondered whether/how it would be different is purchasing certain foods. Flour is kept in rice sacks and is paid by kilo. 

Sugar is bought in these clear bags with varying sizes. Vanilla extract was a hard thing to find at first; to get vanilla flavor we actually use little sugar packets that have vanilla flavor infused, instead of a heavily flavored liquid. 

All PCVs in Burkina receive this cookbook. It is basic how tos (like how to make a dutch oven or dry fruit) and recipes contributed by other volunteers over the years. I used to read it during stage/training when living with my host family, just imagining and craving all the food I was going to make for myself once I got the freedom to cook my own food again. 

Since the flour is stored in rice sacks, it has to be sifted before being used to make sure no bugs are in it. For awhile I would do it but never found anything, so I started skipping this step thinking it was a waste of time... which I kept thinking until my birthday this year. I made a chocolate cake at night with little lighting and didn't think anything of skipping the sifting step. My friends and I ate the whole cake for dessert and breakfast the next day. It wasn't till a couple days later when a friend and I were making pancakes, and I opened the tin can I keep the flour in and saw it FILLED with these tiny bugs and eggs and what not. I was embarrassed I had used that flour to make a cake for my friends but no one noticed, so couldn't have been too bad. My friend though was disgusted I was still willing to use the flour for pancakes. And its moments like that that make me realize how low our standards get: getting to eat pancakes with funky flour was so worth not eating any pancakes at all (which we ended up making and were delicious with peanut butter being the substitute for syrup). 

The cookbook's vegan chocolate cake recipe is SO good, instead of eggs we use vinegar. It's so good that during hot season I often just quarter the recipe and eat the batter like its pudding.

And then after about 20 minutes in the dutch oven, voila! A super moist, delicious, bug optional chocolate cake! 

                           

Sometimes just making the batter alone will satisfy my craving and I really shouldn't eat a whole cake by myself, so I like to bake when I have reason. 

A bunny birthday cake for my best friend's son's 2nd birthday! 

My neighbor came over for Valentines Day, she brought the nicest Burkina box wine and I experimented with powder sugar writing 

The chocolate cake recipe is by far my favorite thing to make in Kossouka. Though the cookie recipes and apple crumb cakes are delicious too. 

Apples are sold at my bus station when returning to site. I buy them thinking they'll be a refreshing, healthy snack, yet I'm pretty sure every time I end up turning them into this apple crumb cake.

Christmas cookies! Oatmeal peanut butter cookies and sugar cookies with chocolate cookies given to friends in Kossouka

So for any future PCVs with a sweet tooth, it'll be fine! Set up a dutch oven, use 1 tbs of vinegar per egg if you don't have eggs easily accessible, and baking sweets will make rainy days even more cozy, be a delicious way to meet Goal 2 (sharing American culture with our host countries), and, when projects go wrong, baking will be something you can control that comforts you and makes a frustrating day easier to accept. 

Flamms in Burkina!

Hello - This is Kaye and Kevin, Elizabeth's parents.  In early September we visited Elizabeth in Burkina Faso along with Alex, Elizabeth's brother, and Helen Cavanagh, Alex's fiancée.

Flamms in Burkina with Oumarou, our driver.

It was amazing to experience what it is like in Burkina, where Elizabeth has been a Peace Corps volunteer for almost two years.  We were impressed with the friendliness of everyone we met and with how well Elizabeth has integrated herself into Burkina life.


Awa, one of Elizabeth's best friends

The chief and elders at the elementary school in Sassaka

The young people in the village with glow stick bracelets from Alex and Helen

Elizabeth's young friends visit every afternoon to color in her courtyard

Elizabeth is assigned to Koussaka, a village of about 10,000 people.  The people of Koussaka provided Elizabeth's house.  While it much different from what we have in the United States, it is quite comfortable and one of the nicest compounds in the village with two rooms and an enclosed courtyard.



Elizabeth's house

The view from the courtyard

Entrance to the bathroom area



Her friends in village were very excited that we made the journey to Africa and provided gifts of chickens, eggs, and cloth to make us feel welcome.


Pagne for a skirt from Awa

A tasty chicken from Awa's husband, Sighedo

Since we visited during rainy season, the country side was quite green and the crops were almost ready for harvest.  These pictures were taken in the Sassaka elementary school garden that Elizabeth sponsored.


Yilar, the teacher who manages the garden



Red corn

Peanuts


One of our favorite spots in Koussaka was the bar where people gather to watch soccer and have a cold beverage. 

Satellite TV at the bar

Chairs for guests

Brakina the local beer!

We made a trip to the western part of Burkina to visit Banfora and the nearby national parks. Traveling approximately 250 miles took over 7 hours and was a great introduction to the pace of travel within Burkina.  Major highways are only partially paved and there is a lot of activity as people travel by car, moto, bus and bicycle among the villages and markets.

Burkinabe traffic

Our chariot while in Burkina

We spent about 4 hours hiking with a guide on very rainy day but it was worth it as the sights were quite spectacular.


Cascades de Karfiguela

Wet hike with tour guide

Domes of Fabedougou

Ougadougou, the capital of Burkina, was our base for travel between the airport, Banfora and Koussaka.  We very much enjoyed our stay at Le Karite' Bleu, a small boutique hotel with nice artwork and an interesting black crown crane that would always join us for breakfast.



Black crown crane, our "breakfast buddy"

Kevin relaxing

Crane?

Just outside of Ougadougou, we visted the Loango Sculpture Garden where artists from all over the world have created sculptures from local granite.  The results were quite interesting and provided another glimpse of the history and culture of Burkina.

African with migraine

Woman

People aren't always what they seem

Thank you Elizabeth for hosting a great visit!  We are sure it was challenging to coordinate, translate and watch out for four unindoctrinated family members as we traversed around a country that offered many challenges.  We admire and respect what you have accomplished and we can't wait for you to return in December!!!  Love, Mom and Dad