Normally when one says “African cats” they are referring to large predator animals such as the lion, cheetah, or lynx.These animals do live in Burkina, though not as many as in the savanna of eastern or southern Africa.However, when I say “African cats” I am not referring to the lion, but to the house cat, which is much more common here.And I seem to have bad luck with these African cats.First off, Eloise (my cat) had kittens in September, one of which I gave to another volunteer, Kait, and the other I gave to a student here in Tougouri.However, this second kitten did not want to leave its home, my house.Even after giving it to the student, it kept returning to my house, somehowknowing where it came from, and would meow all night long, waking up the whole courtyard.During one of these times in the middle of the night, I spent 30 minutes chasing it around the courtyard by moonlight trying to catch it.Once I caught it, I put it inside my house thinking that it was hungry and would be quite once inside.But no, it just continued to meow and almost seemed to get louder if that was at all possible.So the next day I had a student bring it out in the bush far away so it wouldn’t come back and disrupt sleeping in the middle of the night.I might be uncaring to just have it sent away like that, but at least I didn’t give it to someone to eat.And it turns out that that student just brought it to his village 12km away.So one problem solved!
Now I’m having another problem with another cat.I think Eloise is in heat and her “boyfriend” knows it, because this strange other cat has been showing up at all hours this week, trying to approach Eloise.I woke up last night to a loud hissing near my head, which turned out to be this other cat hissing at Eloise.So I wake up and hiss back at this cat and it leaves me alone, at least for the time being.Then later this morning I got home from teaching and the strange cat is in my house! It had figured out how to use the window flaps Eloise uses to get in and out of the house.This will not do.As I come it, this other cat gets scared, as it should, and goes to leave my house by the flaps, in the process breaking a ceramic mug I had just bought.I’m just hoping this cat will not show up again tonight or more might get broken than justa mug!
My new "roads" in Tougouri looking towards school from my house
and towards center of "town"
Thursday October 29, 2009
I can’t say I’ve had many adverse side effects from taking mefloquine (preventative anti-malarial medicine) on a daily basis.However I become a slight insomniac the day and the day after I take Mefloquine and have had a few vivid dreams.My first Mefloquine dream worth noting is one I had at my host families’ house during stage about a month in.At this time, I was sleeping inside (because not allowed to sleep outside where it was cooler..long story), so sleeping inside I would wear as few of clothes as possible and sleep with the door shut.So this night I’m only wearing shorts and a sports bra (not culturally appropriate to be out of my room).I wake up in the middle of the night, scared for my life, thinking that there are tons of spiders coming out of my pillow.I jump out of bed and run outside, where my host mom finds me jumping around, almost hyperventilating.She calms me down, not before bringing me a pagne to wrap around myself, enough for me to tell her that there are spiders all over my room.She goes to my room, discovers no spiders whatsoever and comes back outside.By that time, I’m more calm and have realized that the spiders were probably a dream.So I try to explain this to her, while not knowing the word for « dream » at the time and end up telling her that malaria medicine did this to me.I’m sure my dream just made her think that Americans are just crazy.
I haven’t had any other really scary Mefloquine dreams, though a few others have involved spiders as well.In another dream I was headmaster of a private school where everyone wore these very elaborate green uniforms.Unfortunatly it wasn’t Hogwarts…
Last night I dreamed that I was back in the U.S. on vacation and forgot (don’t know how) to go to the grocery store.This was horrifying at the time so my family stopped at a store on the way to the airport to come back to Burkina.Rushing through the grocery store I couldn’t find the things I wanted and had to hurry to make the plane.I woke up crying.Even though I woke up crying, I’ll take grocery store mishaps over spiders erupting from my pillow any day (or night).I wonder what my next dream will be about…
Things that make me laugh :
Being told that by widening and flattening the paths into “roads,” Tougouri will be “a big town like Ouaga”
When sitting cross-legged, being asked if I’m doing “Tai Chi.” How people here know about Tai Chi, I don’t know.
Titling a section a section on a test “What Am I” followed by various descriptions of plant parts that students are supposed to identify by name and I get many responses of “I am a young boy/girl named…” before they read what comes next.
Having to explain multiple times that I am not cooking with dirt when I was seen putting dirt into a pot to make a dutch oven
Hearing “bye-bye” from little kids all the time, even when I’m just arriving some place, because that’s what you say to the white person
There is a custom here of when eating and someone walks by, you say “Vous-etes invitee” (You are invited), basically inviting them to share with you.The polite response is to decline by saying “Merci, Bon Appetit” and I have never seen anyone actually take someone up on the offer.However, the other day I saw someone in my courtyard actually take someone else up on the offer and come back a few minutes later with a bowl and serve themselves.Now I’m a little nervous to say “Vous-etes invitee” because I don’t want them to actually take my food, but I also don’t want to be rude by not saying it.What to do, what to do…
So I share a courtyard with 6 other houses, 5 of which are currently inhabited.In the one closest to me (they are all actually very close) lives Mr. Sodre (goes by Sodre) who teaches English at the lycee.Sodre shares a latrine and shower area with me, which I am still a little skeptical about, but seeing how it goes for awhile before trying to get that changed.Sodre lives in the house Becca, the volunteer before me lived I for a year, before my current house was built.I am very glad I have this newer house, because the old one is made of mud with low ceilings and a crazy mural on the wall-not sure who put it there…In the mud house directly across from me lives Valerie.She just arrived this week and I think she’s another teacher at the school but I’ve only ever seen her sitting outside the Surveillant’s office, so I’m not exactly sure what she does.Then comes Madame Diallo’s house.Madame Diallo teaches French and is a very nice woman who I already like a lot.Her son, Sied (I’m spelling that wrong) was born last December and is really wonderful, despite having peed on me twice already.He already smiles when he sees me (ok and maybe everyone else too), so how can I not like him?And he hardly ever cries, which I see as another definite plus.
Then comes Mariame.Mariame is the school secretary and is very African in that everyone is part of grande famille and therefore your stuff is her stuff.One day I told her she could use some of my vinegar because she was saying that she was out.So later that night, I’m in bed on my porch asleep, Mariame comes up and wakes me up to ask me if she can use my vinegar, I sleepily respond and then she just walks right in my house and starts looking for it.Granted, I should have locked my door, but someone would have to wake me up and literally step on my mattress to get inside, so the door was unlocked.But still, you don’t just walk into someone’s house, even here you don’t do that.Mariame is very nice, but doesn’t seem to understand that I’m different and gets a little frustrated when I don’t understand what she is trying to say.She has a son Salmad, who is 2 or 3 I think and is a crier (not that much fun).Needless to say, even if I wanted to sleep in late, my courtyward would wake me up.
Last is David’s house, which shares a common wall with mine.So I guess you could say that I live in a duplex.David is the Censeur at the lycee and seems nice, but I don’t know him all that well yet.He has been in Tougouri for at least 4 years already (that’s a long time when teachers get affectated generally every 2 years) and is very hard working.Although I don’t know him that well, I think I could go to him with any questions.
So that’s my courtyard and the people I will be surrounded with for the next two years (unless they get affectated).I hardly have any privacy, but can escape into my hot house if I really need to.And I think living with people will be good for my French because I will be forced to talk to people outside of school on a daily basis.
School has officially started!The first day for the administration (Proviseur=Principal, Censeur= Vice Principal, Intendant=School bursar, and Surveillant General (goes by ‘le general’=discipline) was September 15th.The Provisuer showed up in Tougouri on the 14th and I was basically sitting on his doorstep waiting for him, as I was desperate to get my teaching schedule to begin lesson planning.So I met Mr. Proviseur September 14th and we had an initial meeting about classes- I requesting 20 hours of less/week and Fridays off so I can travel easily/save students from my end of the week wrath.He didn’t sound all that happy about my requests, but said he would let me know.I then asked about the rentree d’administration (initial school meeting) and Mr. Provi said it was following day at 8am, which I took to mean that I should come.So, still being used to American timing, I was at the school before 8am and nobody was there.The Provi strolls in at almost 10 (although he lives on the premises) and tells me that I don’t need to be there and can go home.Ok…at least I got some sitting done.But I did find out that the conseil d’rentree (school staff meeting) was the 28th, at which I would get my teaching schedule.So much for lesson planning during September!
So I basically killed time until September 28th, went to Ouaga, visited people, read A LOT.My homologue arrived the week of the 28th so I had someone else to talk to!The 28th rolled around and I was at school again before 8am, only to find that the meeting had been moved to the next day to give teachers more time to arrive in Tougouri.Thanks for letting me know…not that I really had anywhere to be/anything to do, but still it would have been nice, especially because I live right next door to the Censeur and he could have said a quick word to me.However, this is Burkina and I have to get used to this sort of thing.
I again show up at 8am on the 29th for the conseil, as I was told it starts at 8, however not everyone shows up until 10 and even then many teachers are not there, despite the conseil de rentree being a compulsory meeting for all teachers.The teachers here take their vacations to the very last second.However, I was very very fortunate because my conseil only lasted about an hour, while other volunteers’ conseils spanned 2-6.5 hours!During the meeting, the head teachers, or Professor Principals, who are responsible for a given class, calculates ranks and averages, and supervises students’ progess, were chosen.I am not one of them, which I am glad of, because it is a lot of work and I frankly do not know enough yet to be one.Also, we were given out schedules and I was only given 9hours/week!I was a little shocked and worried about it being so few- I didn’t want to spend a whole year in boredom!At the meeting, everyone also discussed school rules, of which 20 minutes was spent talking about students having cell phones are a problem, but never really coming to a decision about disciplinary action to be taken if a cell phone goes off.So I guess it’s to my discretion…
So I was finally able to begin lesson planning, but was then told that there was already a change in the schedule and to come by the school the following Saturday for my new schedule.Saturday comes and I show up at 8:30, but the Censeur is in a meeting.Two other teachers show up and I asked why they were there too, and it turns out that there is a meeting for us.Good thing I came/waited around!This meeting was the conseil d’enseignment (teacher meeting, organized by subject) where we went over by class books teachers are using.I also find out that I’m still only teaching 9 hours (with Fridays off-yay!), but I’m teaching 3 levels of SVT: 6eme (flowering plants and vertebrates), 5eme (non-flowering plants and invertebrates), and 4eme (geology-rocks and formations).So that means that although I only have three classes, I still have to lesson plan for three different classes.It really wouldn’t be much more work to take on a few more classes of the same levels, or even less work to teach only two levels, but have more classes of each level.However I guess the schedule did not work out that way.I also learned at this meeting that since I have only one of several of the classes for each level, I have to do the same progression (program) and give the same tests as the other teachers.This is good and bad at the same time, good because I get to collaborate with other teachers and get help writing tests, but bad because I feel as if my classes are not mine anymore because I have to stick to someone else’s plan.I’m sure it will turn out fine though.
The first official day of school was Thursday October 1st.I arrive early for my one class that day, introduce myself and give rules, taking all of 20 minutes as I was told to not begin teaching yet and not even all the teachers were even in Tougouri yet.Not teaching worked out well though, because due to a schedule change, I am not even teaching that class anymore.That weekend Kait, David, Mike, and Evan, my closest volunteer neighbors visited me and we went to the marche and ate really good chicken and beer for dinner.Who knew Tougouri could make such good chicken- nothing like in the U.S.-too gamey to even be sold there, but really good for here).After my visitors left I almost felt lonelier than before they came, but now I have school the next week to look forward to/plan for!
School schedules are very interesting here, as students have each class for different numbers of hours per week.For example, 6eme and 5eme students have 3hrs SVT, 5hrs math, 3hrs English, 2hrs EPS (PE- Tougouri is fortunate to have an actual gym teacher, although no gymnasium or other resources so students go running in the dirt around the soccer field), 5hrs French, and 3hrs hist/geography.In 4eme, students have an additional 4hrs of physics/chemistry.Since these hours are so odd and teachers are teaching multiple levels and subjects, scheduling is a nightmare!However, since it’s not my job, I’m not worried and just refer to my own schedule.So I have 2hour and 1hour blocks of teaching at different times on different days.I wonder if they could set up a system of rotating days (A,B,C,etc) similar to what I had in middle school, but maybe that’s just as difficult to set up.I don’t know.
I’ve been teaching for 2 full weeks and am already ahead of the program I set up with other teachers.Maybe I am just going way too fast, but students have been able to correctly answer my revision questions and if I go any slower, I would just be stalling and killing time.I’m going to observe a Burkinabe teacher tomorrow, so hopefully I will gain some insight.Despite only teaching 9hrs/week, I have been very busy with lesson planning- it takes A LOT of time!It gets frustrating translating to English, then not being happy with the translation, so changing what I actually give to students, and then translating back to French.Also, since I know students don’t always understand my accent, I have to plan out what exactly I am going to write on the blackboard-sometimes I feel as if I am writing a textbook-which I kind of am as students do not have them (or at least don’t have them yet).I was under the impression that students do get books, so I’m guessing that they have not been distributed yet.However, the students’ textbooks are not good; they are very wordy and almost 20 years old, and are even worse than the documents I use to teach out of.I do have a copy of the textbook, which I have brought to class to show pictures.The document that I teach out of (having never studied the material I’m teaching in depth) is satisfactory for the most part, but sometimes baffling in its explanations (eg. “the nucleus of a cell is a brightly colored sphere swimming in the cytoplasm”- no mention whatsoever of the nucleus being the control center for the cell).So, needless to say, I often supplement with my own examples and definitions if I can think of something.Also, the textbook and my teaching document were written in Burkina by Burkinabe teachers for Burkinabe students yet they both contain many examples and demonstrations that would never be feasible in a classroom with 100+ students and definitely no laboratory.Yet these demonstrations and experiments are part of the ‘official program’!I just don’t understand why they were ever included if they would very very rarely (except in private schools in Ouaga) be performed. It doesn’t make any sense to me and almost makes me a little angry because they are good ideas, but cannot be done here.Are the writers and publishers of these books so clueless to the conditions in the majority of Burkina schools that they didn’t think not to include these things?Burkina just makes me wonder sometimes…
I’ve also been having problems, or I wouldn’t even say problems, maybe difficulties, with being a ‘mean’ teacher.Ok, ‘mean’ is not quite the right word to use, maybe I should say ‘strict.’Anyway, classroom management here is very different than in the U.S (then again hardly any middle school classroom in the U.S. has over 100 students crammed in a tiny room).There is absolutely no talking while the teacher is tealking and teachers mainly lecture while students take notes.I try to engage my students in class by asking questions and generally have to prod them to get a response.Also, students are not taught to think critically, so it’s a struggle to get students to think ‘outside the box’ or even in the box really.When I ask “what do you think” questions, I am met with blank stares.It’s definitely something to work on.Also, I am comfortable with more chatter than the Burkinabe teachers and I caught one teacher starring at my class through a window when the students were talking and he did not look happy, but I heard nothing about it, so I’m not worried!
I have not really been doing all that much, other than relaxing, reading, napping, and getting to know people and Tougouri.Although there are no English speakers here, I believe that my French has deteriorated a little bit in the past few weeks.Because almost none of the functionaries are here yet and most of the village people only speak local languages, I have not been able to use my French all that much.However, my Moore has definitely improved!So, I have begun doing exercises out of a French workbook to continue learning French.Also, JZ, the Burkina PC language coordinator visited me yesterday and he said I was on the right track with French, I just have to go out and talk to people.
September 15th was the first school administrative meeting of the year.So my Proviseur (principal), Censeur (Vice Principal), Interdit (Bursar), and Surveillant (in charge of discipline) all arrived in Tougouri on the 14th.Not quite understanding that the meeting was only for the administration and not the teachers, I showed up at 8am on the 15th ready for a meeting, only to find out more than an hour later (after waiting for the Proviseur to arrive) that I could go home.However, I did talk to the Proviseur about my teaching schedule and it sounds like I will be teaching SVT (biology/geology) and possibly mathematics.However, nothing can be finalized until the other teachers arrive, which may not be until very close to October 1st, which is the first day of school.So I cannot lesson plan yet, which I had planned on doing during September, but I guess I should be valuing my time off.Because I know that once school starts, I will be very busy lesson planning and working on my French.However, I am ready for school to start, or at least have a planned schedule.I am glad that I am an education volunteer with a regular schedule, because it would be very hard for me to construct my own schedule, such as volunteers in other sectors in Burkina do.I say this now, before school actually starts though, I might have a change of heart…But at the moment, I am ready for a schedule again, perhaps not the grueling schedule of stage, but something more moderate to fill my days.
Thanks to my parents, I recently received a shortwave radio in the mail for my birthday.So now I am no longer disconnected from the rest of the world.Being in village feels a little bit like my short stint at sea, when I sailed from Massachusetts to Trinidad in 6 weeks, with no form of direct communication to the outside world.(We still did hear that the Red Sox won the world series).Many things could happen and I would not know about it.Of course now that everyone has cell phones, word does spread a lot faster than it did only 5 years ago, and the Peace Corps does keep its volunteers well informed of any sort of security issue (such as flooding a few weeks ago).So I am not completely cut off.But sometimes it does feel like it.And that is when I text a friend.Oh the joys of cell phones…Now all I need is electricity and running water and I could be in America!
And now a few pictures
My "toilet"
Bedroom, with newly painted yellow walls. What you cannot see is that only 2 of the walls got painted, because I ran out of paint. Also there is a nice white strip at the top of the walls because I could not reach the top.
Because I have been getting questions about my mailing address here in Burkina and whether it is going to change now that I am a volunteer, I wanted to let you know that it is the same, but with "PCV" after my name instead of "PCT."
So it is: Emma Prasher, PCV s/c Corps de la Paix 01 B.P. 6031 Ouagadougou 01, Burkina Faso West Africa
So I will be looking forward to a bunch of letters at my new/old address! hahaha.
