You give the child a sad shrug and tell him that you have no chalk by showing him your empty pockets. He kicks the ground then smiles before running off to hit a nearby boy. They both run down the path towards the primary school, giggling.
You slump back inside with a thought towards breakfast. You know it's only oatmeal on the shelf so you prepare it. It's warm and satisfying. You feel rotten about disappointing the kid so you skip your bath and sulk for a moment. Then you head back outside to watch the morning parade of small children walking themselves to school.
The boys hold each other's hands as they stare blankly at you. The girls avert their eyes directly from you but continue to look from the corner of them. They swing their clasped hands.
Stretching as he smiles, your neighbor appears from behind his small muddy wall and extends his hands with a "good morning". You exchange the salutations and ask each other about your sleep, health, family, school and life. All the replies are "good" and you notice that he didn't laugh at your use of the local language. It's a small victory worth savoring.
He then asks if you are going to school today as if it were perfectly natural for you to decide not to teach on any given day. You say that you'll be leaving shortly and you just wanted to say good morning.
Soon you're head to school with your rice sack full of teaching material and an awkward helmet flopping on your head. As you bike the kilometer to school, the students try to race you on their bikes. This morning, you go for it and laugh when you realize that you have the simple advantage of changing gears. They pedal and pedal as you casually glide. As you reach school, you're a bit worked up and they are exhausted. You laugh and say "to class, quickly" with a smile.
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Kong Comp Lab
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a little about burkina faso
Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) achieved independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Current President Blaise COMPAORE came to power in a 1987 military coup and has won every election since then.
Burkina Faso's high population density and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens. Recent unrest in Cote d'Ivoire and northern Ghana has hindered the ability of several hundred thousand seasonal Burkinabe farm workers to find employment in neighboring countries.
Location:
Western Africa, north of Ghana
Geographic coordinates:
13 00 N, 2 00 W
Area:
total: 274,200 sq km land: 273,800 sq km water: 400 sq km
Burkina Faso's high population density and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens. Recent unrest in Cote d'Ivoire and northern Ghana has hindered the ability of several hundred thousand seasonal Burkinabe farm workers to find employment in neighboring countries.
Location:
Western Africa, north of Ghana
Geographic coordinates:
13 00 N, 2 00 W
Area:
total: 274,200 sq km land: 273,800 sq km water: 400 sq km
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