So what has been going on in my life recently? A lot I must say. Let me start back in the middle of July…
I left on the 18th of July with Marita, Julie, and Rachel (fellow PCVs who has just become RPCV- returned Peace Corps Volunteers- aka they had just finished their service) for Tanzania. We arrived without much hassle in the middle of the night and promptly slept the next day away in our hotel rooms. Rachel and I were in the honeymoon suite, and it sure was sweet. The following day we left on a three-day safari to see animals in the wild, like I’d never seen before. The half of the safari was at Tarangire National Park where five minutes in we saw a herd of wildebeest and started to franticly take pictures. Little did we know that wildebeests are like goats in Burkina, you see them all the time. Some of the animals we saw, but were not limited to: Impala, Plain Zebra, Masai Ostrich, Masai Lion, African Elephant, Secretary bird, Masai giraffe, Savanna Baboon, Cape Buffalo, Fischer’s lovebird (made me think of you Mom), Vervet monkey, and warthog (which the guide kept calling Pumba). We really couldn’t believe how many animals we saw in such a short amount of time.
The next day we left for Ngorongoro Park, the home of a huge crater or caldera, at least a mile down and 16 miles across. There, we stayed on the edge of the caldera for the night before venturing down the next day. After taking the steep route into the mouth of the caldera, it felt like we were in a different world. The cloud cover was even below the rim of the caldera. In Ngorongoro we saw many of the same animals as in Tarangire, but we also saw hippos, jackals, gazelles, the sacred ibis, hyenas, and even a cheetah! Before going on the safari, I had a ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ attitude, but after being on one, it was completely worth it. When again am I going to be able to see animals like that in their natural state?
After finishing the safari, and arriving back in Arusha, Tanzania, we rested up that night before beginning the climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro. Kilimanjaro….I can’t really seem to explain in words what a good time I had. Yes, it was cold (really really cold after being in Burkina) and I got altitude sickness, but I was with wonderful people, which made the whole trip worth it. We did the Lemosho route and finished in eight days. People generally finish in six to eight days, but we choose to do a longer ascent for better acclimatization after being at basically sea level in Burkina for two years. And the food was amazing! I don’t know if I thought that because I had come from Burkina as not from America, but boy, did it rock. I would do Kili again just for the food…just kidding. But it was good! (Can you tell that I’m still a PCV because of how much I talk about food?)
I really could go on and on about Kilimanjaro, but I won’t take your time up with that, because I still have so much to share! So after descending the biggest mountain on the continent of Africa, I flew back to Burkina while Marita, Julie, and Rachel continued onto America and home sweet home. And fortunately, we all got our bags (eventually) in their respective locations!
Once I arrived in Burkina (without my bag, which got delayed and Ghana and would find me later), I went straight to the PC bureau to work on Camp Glow stuff. I stayed in Ouaga a few days to get everything figured out, and then it was back to Kaya to get things finalized before the camp. So I arrived back August 4th in Burkina and the training of trainers for Camp Glow started August 11th. Not much time. And guess what happened in between: the mayor decided to change the location on us, so we had to find a new place, inform the officials and inform all the schools. Additionally, PLAN Burkina, an NGO we were working with, said that we didn’t submit the proper paperwork to get their help. Thanks for telling us at the last minute. All the last minute stuff also had to be taken care of as well, such as bringing supplies to the new location, setting up mosquito nets, printing a ton of materials, etc, etc, etc. Needless to say, it was a process, one I do not want to do again alone. One of the lessons learned.
Then came the beginning of Camp Glow. We had a three-day training of trainers, getting the facilitators ready to facilitate. Then the boys arrived! And then the girls came! Throughout the two week-long camp, there were activities to encourage self-esteem, goal-setting, and leadership, as well as create awareness for personal health, HIV/AIDS prevention, and the importance of education. We, as facilitators, ran into problems, but that’s the case with any new thing that takes place. And of course there were many lessons learned and we’re already thinking about next year’s camp (AHHHH!!!!). The important thing is that the students had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed themselves, while also gaining important information and knowledge that they will hopefully guard for the rest of their lives. I have faith in them.
Towards the end of Camp Glow I started getting sick and by the end of the second week I was down for the count. The PC country director took me to Ouaga, where I stayed in the med unit for almost two weeks. It was a good, air-conditioned, recovery period. I came back to Kaya last week, still a little rundown and tired, but was very glad to be back. I spent a few days’ just relaxing, beginning to think about all the paperwork that comes after the camp, and decorating my house. I started work again yesterday at Save the Children, and it feels really good to be back. And I am back.
Ok, well that’s about all for today, if you have any comments or questions, please feel free to post comments or email me at emma.prasher@gmail.com. Now some housekeeping stuff:
1. I don’t know if I wrote about my change of address already, but here it is again:
Emma Prasher, PCV
s/c Corps de la Paix
B.P. 157
Kaya, Burkina Faso
West Africa
2. PC Burkina has a website! It is www.pcburkina.org. Please feel free to browse to your heart’s content.
3. Burkina’s Camp Glow has a page on the website. At the moment it’s a little hard to find. Two ways to find it are:
a. Click on the “Youth Development” tab on the website. It is under that.
b. Google search “Burkina Camp Glow.” It should be the first or second link that pops up.
4. As usual, it’s taking wayyyy to long to load pictures on my blog, so check out facebook for picture updates!
5. I just got a blackberry (I know, giving into the smartphone trend) so I now have internet all the time, or at least when the connection is good. So I will be more available to chat whenever! Also, if you also have a blackberry, let me know and we can become blackberry messenger friends and text for free!
6. I will be taking my month long home leave from the end of November to the end of December. I am planning to spend the majority in it in Alabama with my family, but will be up in the DC/St. Mary’s area for a few days. So hopefully I can see everyone!
I hope this finds you all well and surviving the crazy weather. It’s currently the beginning of mini-hot season here (90F at 9pm), so I’ll send some warm breezes your way!!! Take care!
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