Tomorrow will mark three weeks since my departure from Detroit/Ann Arbor. Crazy to think that we're well past the half-way point and will leave for Senegal on Sunday. I must say, Burkina Faso has been enjoyable, but we've really exhausted our usefulness and are wondering what we'll be doing in Senegal for two weeks.
Since my last update, we've gone to the northern part of Burkina to watch focus groups being conducted. Quite an experience, including village visits (less than 12 km from the border with Mali) and driving through quite a sandstorm on the return trip. That last event was pretty incredible. All of a sudden, I looked out the far window of the truck to see a dark brownish grey wall, stretching from the ground to the sky, slowly moving toward us. Driving through that was amazing, and I wish I'd taken a picture of the sand enveloping the sunshine and sky behind us.
People's resilience continues to amaze me. The villagers we met with are living incredibly close to the poverty line...
As you may have guessed, we decided not to go to Niger. The recent political instability presented us with several less-than-desirable yet not unlikely scenarios. First of all, there were the obvious safety precautions. The last president was killed in a military coup, and protesters (last week? a week before that?) were met with repression that left several people injured. Additionally, there was a protest scheduled for the middle of our 10 day trip. Over 10,000 people showed up, which (if we'd ignored the state dept's advice to stay indoors) would have made travel more difficult. Lastly, we have been able to see the Burkina Faso team move from the project's initial phase of interviewer training to the data collection/recording phase...seeing this linear progression of our project is pretty invaluable and should allow us to provide insight and guidance to the other teams.
Lastly, we've had the most incredible storms here the past few nights! I have never seen anything remotely like this. At ~4:00 am, the sky opens into a downpour of rain and almost constant lightening. Needless to say, these storms add additional blackouts to the more typical daytime rolling blackouts. The lack of air conditioning is well worth the opportunity to see something that amazing...now if only our window didn't leak. :-P Also, who would've thought that 93 degrees could feel merely "comfortably warm?!" I feel like exhibit A for climate change adaptation. :-)
Hopefully you're enjoying the pictures and updates. I'll be able to load more photos when my internet connection is a bit faster and more stable. (if you'd like to look at the album, click on the slideshow to the right of my blog updates...it will take you to a Picasa album that you can look through!) Enjoy!

Hello from Camp Ouagadougou

Hello from Burkina Faso! We have been here for nearly five days and have been welcomed into the local team's office. One of our first project-related opportunities involved observing the 'training the interviewers' session, where a local professor explained the surveys to the group of interviewers and addressed any questions or concerns. It was quite reassuring to hear the conversations (rather, what I could understand of the conversations...they were conducted soley in French)! The group asked great questions and we found out that the interviewers will be conducting household surveys and focus group sessions in the local languages...whew!!! This was one of the biggest questions I hoped to address during this trip.

My classmate and I have been staying in a convent on Rue de la Cathedrale. Breakfast and dinner are available on-site, which has been convienient. Additionally, one of the local team members has been incredibly helpful and generous with his time, picking us up on his way to the office and offering to drive us to restaurants for lunch (the only options in walking distance are side-of-the-road type stands and the corner store that we buy water and juice from at least once a day!) We plan to spend tomorrow morning with this co-worker and his daughter, going around the Central Market in downtown Ouagadougou.

And then there is the heat factor. I did not know it was possible to sweat this much! Today is the coolest it has been so far, with a high of 95, humidity over 40%, and a UV rating of 9. The first couple days topped out over 104 degrees, with comparable humidity. Although our room at the convent has many wonderful features (meals, an incredible diversity of fellow travelers, mosquito nets, no rolling blackouts, a "shower" and sink in the room, etc.) it does not have the luxury of air conditioning. Needless to say, my classmate and I are looking forward to the third team member's arrival (Saturday!), which will allow us to afford a nicer hotel room (air conditioning included!). I've loved staying at the convent, but won't complain about a good night's sleep and a little less sweat.

Overall, things are going quite well. I'll post later about the Niger situation. Until then, enjoy the photos! The top one is a picture of the corner store that we walk to from the office (if you look carefully on the right side of the page, you can see the bike lane and road. Yes, you read correctly. Bike lane, complete with stop lights. They've had it figured out here for years! More to come on the incredible Burkina transportation systems.) The other picture is of the room at the convent. The white drapery over the bed is my mosquito net.

Random quote/information from trip:
My classmate and I now refer to our room at the convent as "Camp Ouagadougou," as the small beds, concrete floors, shared toilets, and excessive use of bug spray/sunscreen/Gatorade/water consumption reminds us of our summer camp experiences. When joking about our linguistic challenges, and the optimism that comes with enjoying the safety and amenities of our current location, we decided on the following motto:
"At Camp Ouagadougou, we always stay in the present!"

Last day in Dakar (for now!)

After a failed attempt leaving for Ouagadougou (Ouaga for short), Burkina Faso, Clair and I enjoyed catching up on some reading, getting acclimated to the region, and remembering how to a.) speak French, b.) convert currency quickly, and c.) haggle. We are near Dakar but technically in Yoff, about a mile from the airport. This hotel is a nice, moderate version of Dakar, with poverty mixed in with wealth, a few people begging (but not the overwhelming talibe of Dakar...children who are begging in the streets and will surround you and follow you for a block or two), and occasional kids shouting 'toubab!' ('white man!').

We'll be staying here at Cap Ouest Hotel until this afternoon, when we ~hopefully!~ catch our Air Burkina flight to Ouaga. We have reservations at a convent in Ouaga...if there is internet there, then I'll try to post a few pictures!

Whew!

After an afternoon of eating my way through Paris (and lounging in the perfect weather) and another six hour flight, I have arrived in Dakar, Senegal! My classmate and I are staying at a pretty nice hotel, close to the [chaotic!] airport and right on the beach. Nothing like an oceanfront view for less than $70/night. We're working on a couple logistical issues right now. Our original reservation to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso is for tomorrow, but we're trying to bump that out to Monday. This will ensure a ride from the airport, arranged through the World Bank people on the ground, and increases our odds of getting reservations at a convent. Yes, you read correctly...one of the best (and cheapest) places in the city is a convent. Better yet, Lonely Planet and Rough Rider Guide both say that the convent serves eatable/recognizable breakfasts and dinners. This is not to be overrated, as stewed rodent is a popular dish over there.

Anyway...time to unpack and get some sleep. Bonsoir!

"The City"

The West Africa trip officially began this morning! That's right...my alarm went off at 3:45, I jumped on a 6:00 am flight, and Clair and I both have our Burkina Faso visas taken care of (3 hour turnaround time...not too shabby!)

As for the packing situation...let's just say I'm ready for just about any weather condition imaginable! Typically, I'm a light packer, but this time I'm erring on the side of caution. We don't know exactly where we're going, or what we'll (specifically) be doing in-country. Moreover, we could potentially clip the edge of the Sahel rainy season. So...I'm ready to stay warm in a downpour (for a couple days, at least!), the 60 degree evenings of coastal Senegal and overcast New York, and the scorching 110+ degree highs of Niger and Burkina Faso. How I avoided going over the 50 lb. domestic checked baggage limit is beyond me. Best guess: the backpack might have been resting ever-so-slightly on the rim of the scale. :-) At least international flights allow 75 lbs., so I don't have to worry!

Anyway...Siobhan (friend who is graciously hosting me in New York) has just walked into the cafe...time for me to run!

You know you're going to a remote country when...

...luxury hotels advertise 24 hour electricity and hot water.

Update!

What a gorgeous weekend here in Ann Arbor! Sunny, 70s, a light breeze...life is good. :-) Ed and I were hoping to camp this weekend (South Manitou Island was the front-runner), but most campsites in the state are booked up, and we ended up settling with a relaxing Ann Arbor based weekend. There's a ton to do around here, anyway, and I'm semi-secretly happy that we're not driving around all weekend.
Otherwise, things are going well. My travel plans are solidifying around a Wednesday flight to New York, Friday-Saturday flight to Paris (for a 12 hour layover and quick trip into the city) before landing in Dakar on Saturday evening. Sunday morning, Clair and I will get on a plane to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. This last point still feels optimistic. I reserved (not booked...reserved) our tickets on Air Burkina (the only airline flying within West Africa) but am not convinced these reservations are meaningful. The fine print had some interesting points. For instance, you are free to use your cell phone throughout the flight. Also, fare changes happen and reservations may or may not fix your price. Based on my sole previous experience in Senegal, I half expect to haggle for the airfare when we arrive at the airport.
The rest of my preparations are going smoothly. Clair (my classmate and friend) and I went shopping for some of the basics (sunscreen, aloe, Pepto, unscented and mosquito-repellent scented soap and lotion, etc.) and I managed to get a solid base sunburn. This sunburn is an annual event and doesn't concern me, except it was the product of 1 hour in 80 degree weather. The low in Niamey, Niger that day was 83 and the high was 111. This pasty gal will be wearing sunscreen 24-7 for the next month!
Anyway...as mentioned earlier, I'll try to update this blog somewhat regularly, especially with pictures. However, I'm trying to supplement it with occassional emails but I can only email you if I have your email addy. So...if you'd like more personalized updates, or would just like to write to me in general, use wildflower023@gmail.com