worlds apart

the last few weeks have been something of another world. to start, any confidence i put together from standing in front of 100 students left when Kris stepped off the plane. suddenly, i was my students sitting at the front of the class and looking at my shoes. nervous.

our time went amazing. between a haircut and a missed bus, we took our time getting out of Ouaga. what a trooper, too! though there was the long ride out to my village, the heat, the sickness and any number of crawling things, she took it all in stride. and my villagers were impressed. i didn't realize there were so many girls in my compound. where were they hiding?

so she charmed my Rambo then watch me go into shock as we headed south. apparently, Burkina is divided much like the Christian afterlife. you have the Sahel (the north, just 'hel for short) and Paradise (the south). waterfalls, hippo lakes, picturesque sugar cane fields, huts with A/C... the list goes on and on. i had to check my pulse a few times to make sure that i really hadn't died and crossed over. Lord knows, if i did, it wouldn't be too far different. needless to say, future visitors (that group hopefully includes M&D) will definitely have a southern tour on the itinerary.

then, it was back to Ouaga to hangout with the collection of PCV's, ISO teachers and other acronymed types. any number of people were in town for Swear-in and general mayhem. we added to such.

the airport and saying goodbye was the difficult part. it is that reach of uncertainty. when you live worlds apart from those you love, it gets harder to remember why you are on the path you are on. fortunate for me, i have all the time in the world to mull over those thoughts. though honestly, it never hurts to have reminders of connections tempered with patience. this country has taught me how to wait for those things that are truly important. there's no need to rush the truly important parts of life. it is far better to do them right.

at the moment, i'm as homesick as i have ever been but i'm by no means unhappy. now, it's back to village and my rowdy courtyard of students. wish me luck.

my pulse reads: anticipation

i am at the middle. MSC (Mid-Service Conference). mostly these past few days have been taking stool samples, TB tests and physical exams. the results: i'm in waaaaay better health than i was before i left. my resting heart rate was 92 (really really horrible) just two years ago. now, it's 60. way to go biking! blood pressure 110/70. weight 155 (down from the 190 or so before i left). besides all the weird bacteria swimming in my stomach, all is on the up and up.

of course, none of that is really on my mind at the moment. in only a few hourse, i will have my first visitor from the good ol' USA! yep, my wonderful girl is coming on the red eye! i have been pushing it from my mind, trying to occupy myself with everything else. it's so close now that i can hardly ignore that pounding in my chest. to think, she's in Morocco at the moment, while i've been out buying fruit (everybody wants a nice snack straight off the plane). anticipation.

at this point, the itenerary is to spend a day of rest in Ouaga, then head out to my village. i'll show her around Rambo; showing here off to all my kids. actually, they are just as excited as me. they've heard about her nonstop since i arrived. plus, they are excited to use their english. all the great phrases i have taught them like "i kill you" and "you are very beautiful". all the important things.

after village, will be a bike ride to some other volunteer spots (BOB) on the way to Ouhigouya. there we can say hi to my host family from training. then, it is off to the south towards hippos, mountains and waterfalls. sounds like a horrible time, huh?

i must say, it is hard not to think of myself as extremely fortunate and it has little to do with money. by the American standard, i'm poor. broke. by African standards, i am not necessarily rich but i'm not starving (and that is important). thus, i have enough money to not have to worry about it and that makes a big difference. life is clear from monetary concerns for the moment. these next few days will be about sharing this experience with someone who has found a way to speak my language, all while seeing the best parts of the Faso.

a long time ago, i read a story where a man gave up a posh life to be poor and in love while living in a small apartment in Sofia, Bulgaria. it was my idea of happy. i'm hours away from that moment in my own life. happiness.

oh and here's a pic of the new little guy:

a long walk and a hog

if only it could have been a long walk off a short pier! it would have been nice and short with a wonderfully cool ending. unfortunately, my helmet lost itself on my ride into Ouaga and i had to walk across the capital city under the morning sun. all the way from the west end (road to Kongoussi) until our Transit House. Three hours, pulling my bike along.

now, you ask, why not ride the bike? without a helmet, it is both forbidden and completely dangerous to ride around Ouaga. so, not wanting to be killed nor kicked out, i took the step by step motion of my own pedals known as feet. of course with my two heavy packs, soon the leaning motion of the bike was drilling my knee. thus, i kept switching between sides and even did the straddle the middle, pushing with feet. none of it really helped so now i can complain about being an old man with a bum knee. though one day i'll use the "i use to have to walk across Ouaga, uphill both ways" bit.

on a more up note, Bruce got a new bud. he's tiny but already off mother's milk (i made sure he'd eat insects when the kids gave him to me). i'll put pics of my new hedgehog up. now, why do i want to? Bruce is an old grump but Campbell is already proving himself much more likable. meaning he doesn't mind being held (even fell asleep on my palm). oh and why Campbell? well, there is the ever great Bruce Campbell (that had a part in Bruce's name) plus the kids want to make soup out of hedgehogs (mmm... good). fun stuff.