Why it's been so long since I updated my blog

There are several reasons; mainly a combination of malaria & typhoid, plus technical problems (not the least of which was forgetting my password for the blog). Since early April I've had malaria 3 times, and 1 very stubborn bout of typhoid. That's meant many days in bed, getting up only as needed - which was often due to LOTS of diarrhoea & a little bit of vomiting. Then on the days I have been well enough to go around the corner to the cybercafe to benefit from the quicker internet speed the net was often down, either because of a power cut or simply because that's the way the net is here.
But not to worry, I haven't been TOTALLY inactive. Easter was great, and my friend Elizabeth came to help me cook a meal for the church's potluck - there are still heaps of leaves and veges that I don't know what to do with so her help was great. Before we got to eat the meal though we sang and danced for about an hour - I'm getting the hang of dancing Burkina style - very cool! And I love the music: drums, clapping, and maybe a couple of shakers but boy can they play and sing loud! They really know how to party.
I got my hair plaited for the Easter celebrations, which took 1 lady abut 4 hours. She insisted that I have hair extensions put in, hence the reddish-brown look. And the other photo is the frizz I was left with once I took the plaits out after a couple of weeks!
So for now that's really all my news. I'm still not quite over the typhoid but am resting up and being well looked after...

I'm now safe and sound in my new home in Banfora! Through the church I contacted a guy who rented me a truck for the move. Michel, the driver, came by the Sunday before to see how much stuff I had, and we agreed that he'd come back on Wednesday afternoon so that we could load the truck, and then be good to go on Thursday at 4am. So far so good.

Wednesday

1700: no sign of him. I try to ring him but his number is "temporarily unavailable". I try again several more times only to get the same message...

1900: he rings to say he's broken down & that he'll come on Thursday morning between 8 & 9.

Thursday

0920: I ring to see how far away he is, and he says he'll be there soon...

1030: He arrives with 6 keen young blokes, who proceed to cart my stuff outside and then onto the truck. (All of my furniture came from Eileen, who retired a couple of weeks ago.) The truck is really old and well used although not that well cared for. It's a flat-bed with sides but no roof. That's OK since rain's not expected for at least another month.

1130: We're good to go. Willie & Mark pray for me and we're away. Michel and 1 of the keen young blokes in the front with me, and the other 5 blokes in the back with all my stuff.

And just after 4.30 we arrive in Banfora. Caroline (one of my team mates) is there to let us all in. The apprentice welder (a teenager) and his helper (about 10 years old) are there putting a lock onto the gate. The 6 keen young blokes quickly but not very carefully unload everything. Then they get back in the truck to head straight back to Gaoua. Caroline is chatting to the welder, who by this time has turned up, about the state of the mosquito-netting door which the apprentice fitted – it doesn't stay shut. That kind of defeats the purpose! While she sorts him out I start the unpacking job. She has got clean (filtered) water there for me, as well as 20L of dirty (tap) water. At about 6pm the guy turns up to switch on the electricity – yay! Caroline's also got dinner there for me – bonus. The next afternoon the guy turned up to switch on my water so now all set.

On Saturday afternoon Caroline & I went to the Dioula literacy class. It was amazing to see how much they've progressed since my visit here in October! While I can read OK I don't understand much yet, they understand heaps but find reading difficult. It's good for my pronounciation and comprehension, as well as getting to know women from the church.

Exam time...

Having completed my first 3 months of studying Dioula, I needed to sit my first exams: written & oral. This meant that I had to go to Bobo-Dioulasso (AKA Bobo) where another missionary, Esther, could supervise my exams. I'd got a ticket for the 8am bus so I could have some time in the afternoon to do some last-minute study, before sitting the exam the next morning. Just a couple of doors from where I live there's a guy who owns a taxi, so the day before leaving I went to see him & asked if he could pick me up at 7.15 the next morning. (It's only 5 - 10 minutes drive to the bus station, but I wanted to allow plenty of time). "No problem," he said, "See you tomorrow." The next morning at 7.20 he still hadn't turned up, so I decided to walk to his place. No taxi.
No man.
Fortunately I had his cell phone number, which I rang. "Oh," he said, "I'm in Ouagadougou." (5 hours away). "But I can get my brother to pick you up, no problem." But yes there was a problem because the I couldn't make out if he'd already told his brother or if I needed to ring him. It was getting complicated! "Don't worry," I said, "I'll ring someone else." Sophie works for Eileen and lives just a couple of minutes away, & although she doesn't start til 8 it was only 7:35. Fortunately she answered her cell phone, so I asked her if she could come quickly because the taxi had let me down. I sat at the bottom of the drive and waited... until she arrived 15 mins later. The busses are known to leave early, so I asked her to go quickly. Her 80cc Yamaha struggled along with the 2 of us, plus my heavy bag. Well, we made with about 90 seconds to spare - whew!
Even better - I passed the exam :) One of the hardest parts was having to recite the names of the months - October is 'Saminyalabankalo'. They're all long names!
This past month I've also been house-hunting in Banfora, where I'll move in a few weeks. I had a look at about 5 houses, and found 1 I liked. It's got 3 bedrooms, a toilet and shower inside, cold running water (bonus!) and a kitchen... which is outside. Since most cooking here is done over wood or charcoal, kitchens are usually a small separate building. But I'll use one of the bedrooms as a kitchen, and keep the external kitchen to store my motorbike.
I've also been driving in the past week or 2, since my International Drivers' Permit FINALLY arrived. It sure is different here - you have to contend with goats, sheep, pigs & dogs wandering on the road, not to mention people who don't indicate much less look before they pull out. And so far I've only been on tar-sealed roads,
whereas most are dirt, with many pot holes. But so far, so good.


On to much more serious matters: the earthquake in Christchurch. Thankfully I was able to ring home and all my family is fine. I'm just waiting to hear from a few more friends. It's just a mess - 75 confirmed dead, and 300 missing.
Sobering stuff. Makes me grateful that I know where I'm spending eternity.

Christmas in Gaoua

It sure was Christmas with a difference! The party got underway at about 9pm on Christmas Eve, and we sang & danced til we could no more. Well, the locals danced and I watched, amazed at their rhythm and how bendy they are! Just as well there's a week between Christmas & New Year's Eve; you need a week to get over the first party and psyched up for the 2nd. After snatching a few hours sleep early Christmas morning, it was back to church at 8am (rise & shine eh). It was a shared lunch, and boy was it a feast: rice, yams (the huge potato things called yams; really they taste heaps better than yams), veges, beef, sauce, fish, drinks... Then back home for a siesta (I love this country), before another shared meal at another church: couscous, salad (at last, something that we'd have at home on Christmas day!), drinks, veges, & beef. Then it was decided that we should have at least a veneer of healthiness in the day so it was down the road for a stroll. Then back home for another Christmas mince pie and a cuppa tea. (The other kiwi here made the Christmas mince pies - what a good woman!) Check out the church material - every Christmas the women get some material made and you can not, under any circumstances, wear it before Christmas Day! This year there was a choice of yellow & orange (made me look sick) or green & brown (more like me).


Our team celebrated Christmas & New Year's Eve together in Banfora. The region is known for the waterfalls and rocks, which are similar to the Pancake rocks at Punakaiki. It was lovely to enjoy the scenery, the quiet, & the green trees. We had a relaxed time together and it was fun. And since I've decided to move to Banfora, I'll be able to go there often - sweet as! I'm planning to move in the middle of March, but before then I'll have my first Dioula exams (3rd Feb). So between now & then it'll be head down! In Dioula, everybody gives blessings & one of my favourites means "May God make the road better". If you could see some of the roads here, you'd understand why such a blessing is used!