Culture Shock 04: Getting to Know Americans, You and Me... All Over Again

Note: This is a mostly ridiculous appreciation of American fashion and facial expression. The summary of this entry is to implore you for your phone number.

For the first time in a decade, I will be spending more than a month at my family home. This is wonderful and terrible all at once. I have ever so slowly been rediscovering who I used to be (through my ridiculously huge wardrobe, piles of books and papers dating back to the 80s). I know that most of it has to go, but the terribleness lies in the choice of what stays and what goes. In the process, I have to figure out who I am all over again. BurkinAK can't completely exist in America, but not all of her will disappear either.

Americans have been confusing for BurkinAK. Life is definitely more fast paced in America, and as a result, few people smile. Furthermore, due to the chilly temperatures, everyone is dressed in dark, somber sad colors. I understand that practical clothes are often in practical colors, but an outfit can easily be livened up with a bright scarf, hat or gloves. Of course, I should really be the last person to criticize. As I sorted through my wardrobe, I was very depressed by the overwhelming amount of practicality in my wardrobe. Too much black. Not enough color! I'm afraid of AmericAK v3.0 eventually being assimilated back into a dreary wardrobe by the time she evolves into AmericAK v3.9.

Luckily, my taste in shoes has not changed since AmericAK v2.9. I am delighted in my ridiculously too tall heels, fun colors and other assorted wonderfulness. Though, I am missing a pair of every day heeled sandals and a comfortable pair of running shoes. Despite the higher rate of American frowning, I find it odd that they are all wearing comfortable shoes. I find that the amount of frowning should be much less since the majority of people are wearing practical shoes. Perhaps, practical and comfortable don't actually make people happy. I traipsed around NYC in 3" purple booties this weekend and was happy!

However, despite the overwhelming amount of frowning and serious faces, I find that people can still be considerate. A wonderful couple stopped me to give me back a dropped glove (even though they were clearly in a hurry). A passerby told a couple of girls that it looked like their train tickets had fallen on the ground (I didn't notice because I was sitting next to them). Even though a lot of people will look at you blankly as you walk by, I am glad that decent people are still out there in the city.

However, the hardest things about coming back to Americaland is getting out of the house and actually interacting with people one-on-one! I do really want to catch up with the lives of my friends and family, but its hard when they have whole and busy American lives that have moved in a different direction from my own Burkina lifestyle. The worst part is... I don't have a lot of people's phone numbers, and even worse I don't know where they are in the world.

Dear friends and people who unfortunately may consider me only an acquaintance now,

I would really like to get back in touch with you! Please send me your phone number and a good time to call. If we are in the same area and you want to take a break and catch up on life, let me know that, too.

Sincerely,

AK

Retrospective 03: Language

This is a fun (primarily for (R)PCVs) video that encompasses the two extremes of Peace Corps Training and Service. Each Volunteer's experience is different because of many factors; however, the most important of which are the PCV's coping mechanisms and open-mindness as well as the preparation of the community by Peace Corps Staff and Volunteers prior to the new PCV's arrival. The first step into integrating of course is being able to speak (a little bit of) the language.

*Just a warning that this particular blog entry will be boring for most people and is really intended for future PCVs so they know what they are getting themselves into.*

I've already stated in my blog previously that it takes about 18 months to begin to understand in your community. Stage is a 8-12 week experience that only touches upon the surface of life in Burkina Faso. Each community is unique and while Stage tries to cover the basics, it takes a full 18 months to begin to understand your community (hence, my argument that everyone should commit themselves to a minimum of 3 years of service). The core component of Stage is language training. There is no avoiding language training. Upon arrival stagiaires are evaluated for their oral expression (and incidentally, comprehension) in French. Throughout training, they are evaluated several more times until they pass the minimum language level in order to "Swear-In" as a full-fledged Volunteer. Those who have the minimum French level begin local language training earlier. The majority of non-Secondary Education (SE) Volunteers use more local language than French.

The learning process during PST is experiential, including language. This can be frustrating for those who have never experienced full-immersion language learning. Now, PCTs (except for SE where the focus is on French first) begin learning the local language of their community from the start with a smattering of survival Moore (the language of the dominant Mossi ethnicity in the PST area). Since there are over 65 local ethnicities, there are an equal number of local languages. The PCTs who will eventually in serve in the same ethnic regions oftentimes find themselves spending almost all of their time together. Even within local languages, different regions may have different vocabulary (e.g. English in Texas vs. English in England, different pronunciation and expressions/idioms, but overall the same language). Since I was an SE PCV, I primarily learned French, but was also exposed to Moore, Dioula (Bambara), and Southern San (the language of the primary ethnicity in my village) during and after my training.

One of my regrets from service is not learning a local language well. I can fumble my way through greetings, buy things, tell children to go put on their shoes and even understand the gist of most gossip. However, I can't have conversations. The trade off, though, is that my French oral expression improved greatly. Part of the reason it is harder for some Volunteers than others to learn a local language is too many local languages at once. My village bordered villages of different ethnicities. As a result, many people in the village may not be multilingual, but they can understand the basics in another language. A typical conversation in the morning may involve four people speaking entirely different languages (French, San, Moore, Dioula) to each other, but they still understand what is going on. Each group of people I socialized with had their own language and during each day I was exposed to at least four languages: French with my students/teachers, San with my neighbors, Moore with my colleagues/other civil servants after school, Dioula with the wives and children of civil servants. So, at the end of my service, I could follow a conversation and understand the main ideas in a couple of local languages, but I couldn't contribute much to the conversation in local language.

No matter what your local language level, locals are often surprised and delighted that you can speak a little bit of the local language. If you are a replacement PCV, you will often be compared to previous PCVs. In comparison, even native French speakers in West Africa are criticized for their French because their accent is different from the more guttural Burkinabe French. Many rural Burkinabe who are not exposed to a French accent (via radio, or otherwise) have a difficult time understanding a French accent.

What's fun about the video is it presents the two extremes of how some people become practically fluent in their local language, and others never go beyond expressing themselves as young children do. What it doesn't mention is sometimes these young children (2 or 3 year olds) become some of your best friends and can actually teach you the local language. Two of the kids I played with who were born right around when I arrived in Burkina Faso, helped me to learn some fun vocabulary and they understood I was learning their language along with them. Yes, a lot of the small children will stare and/or run away from "white people" (more about being a minority later) in total fear, but if you make the effort, the kids (and adults) become used to you and try to help you out (some for personal gain, others just because you are kind of a celebrity for being different in your village and they want to spend time with you to learn more about you).

Now that I have been back for just over three weeks, I find myself thinking (and accidentally) speaking less in French, but I don't think my Frenchisms will be disappearing completely from my English/Mandarin anytime soon.

Some of the phrases that I have picked up (and you may hear when conversing with me) and still run through my head; local languages are transliterated so an English speaker pronounces it correctly (in theory):

• Ou bien? - French, origin Switzerland (so I've been told), equivalent to N'est-ce pas?
• French conjuctions - mais, et, si, ou, etc.
• Yaa bwen? - Moore, literally - "There is what?"; figuratively - "What is it?/What's going on?"
• Bee bwen? - Moore equivalent to Ou bien?
• Mana wana? - Moore equivalent of "What's up?"
• Yeel ki bay - Moore equivalent of "Nothing much." (literally: there is nothing)
• Kweg ki bay - Moore equivalent of "Not much to say."
• Yaa seed ah - Moore equivalent of "It's true"
• Tah nay - San equivalent of "It's true"
• ... Tah - San equivalent of "There is ..."
• Ko fo Ko fo! - San for "Hey everyone listen up!"
• Bwenay - San for "See you soon"
• Keh/deh/ooo - Syllables added to the end of sentences to emphasize the importance of it to you.

I will try for a more fun post later.

Retrospective 02: Whether or not to Weather the Weather

When you fly to Burkina Faso for the very first time from Europe, America, Asia, and some parts of Africa, the first thing you will notice as you step out of the plane and walk down the stair cart (there are no jet bridges or airstairs) is the wave of heat that welcomes you regardless of the time of year. Burkina Faso is a landlocked tropical country, while technically classified as savanna, the northern part of the country is suffering from desertification. The temperatures range from 5 to 45+ Celsius (about 40 to 110+ Fahrenheit) in the Sahel (northern desert region), with a milder temperature range in the tropical south.

Technically, Burkina is considered to have two seasons: rainy and dry. However, the dry season is often divided into two or three sub-seasons. The south of Burkina receives more rain than the north, with light rains starting as early as February and running through December. However, the majority of the heavy rains fall between May and September. In comparison, the north typically has a shorter season from June through August (with a few light rains in April or May). The rain is essential for the subsistence farmers of Burkina Faso. However, like all things, one wants neither too much or too little. No rain = No grains = No food. Excess rain = Drowned-dead plants = No food. With the advent of global warming, the rainy season has gradually been shortening and shifting and the rains have changed from almost daily light rainfall during the rainy season (l'hivernage ou la saison pluvieuse) to extended rain-free periods broken up by torrential downpours.

At the beginning of l'hivernage, the temperatures are still high since it's the tail-end of the dry season. Even without a meteorologist though, the arrival of rain can be anticipated. The humidity combined with the heat makes the temperatures nearly unbearable (especially for a first timer living without air conditioning). It appears to settle down upon you oppressively and gives you wonderful things like prickly heat (heat rash) and leaves you changing your clothes, especially underwear for women, a few times a day. Then from a distance, you can feel a cool breeze and see the forming of dark, ominous clouds (the best kind). In a country with few modern buildings (mostly one-story houses made of mud bricks), these clouds are actually very far away. Anywhere between one to six hours later, the winds pick up, bring dust and rattling your tin roof (if you're lucky; if you're not, thatched and/or mud depending upon the ethnicity in your region), and the smell of rain is in the air. Finally, the much anticipated rain arrives. The next day, greenery may carpet the countryside, and you think to yourself Burkina is like a Chia pet! This rain can be or it can last for over 24 hours! Though, as I said, neither too little nor too much is appreciated. In addition to drowning plants and flooding fields, heavy winds and rains can tear off roofs and collapse buildings. As the season progresses, the overall heat diminishes and the temperatures are milder, with the rains happening frequently (daily in some areas). If you are a Trainee, you begin to think to yourself it only rains on Sundays (your only full day off from formal sessions during Training).

Before you know it, the season tapers off in about September or October. This is the beginning of the dry season, and what I find to be one of its three sub-seasons: the mini-hot season. The first dry winds start circulating, and within a few weeks, what you thought were ponds or lakes in your village disappear completely, leaving behind dried out shallow depressions covered in hoofprints. The air is hot once more, but no longer humid. The plants begin to ripen and the HCNs prepare to harvest (recolte) from October to as late as December. Quickly, the greenery of Burkina disappears, and if it is your first time in a desert, it can appear barren, dusty and dreary. Though the savanna vistas become lovely and quite fantastic in retrospect and as your service progresses. One can almost imagine and wish that Dr. Seuss had been inspired by the West African scenery.

The temperatures start to drop in November, and by December at the latest, the Harmattan winds are in full effect, bring on the cold season. Carrying dust throughout the area. The dust storms can be fantastic and arrive quickly, or they can creep in slowly and diminish visibility to less than 20 meters. The air cools off and at night, the wind can bring temperatures into single digit Celsius (40-50 Farenheit). In your first year as a Volunteer, you might find this as a wonderful relief. If you are not a member of Posh Corps, then during your second (and third) years, this becomes a terrible time of coldness and dust, where you find yourself dressed like the host country nationals in your site, wearing a sweater, sweatshirt and/or winter coat. The cold typically leaves in February, though this year, it started to heat up in late January. This usually results in a light drizzle in February or March somewhere in the country (no guarantee it will be where you live) and signifies the end of the cold season.

The hot season is quite frankly unbearable at times. The nighttime temperatures outdoors can be over 40 Celsius (110+ Fahrenheit)! Very few people sleep indoors during this time of year. Nighttime becomes a time of activity since it's actually cool enough (yes, 100+ weather is cool... cooler than 120+ weather) to move around. People often stay up until the wee hours of the morning chatting and hanging out, before catching a few hours of sleep. During the day, the noon to three pm siesta is a mandatory part of survival, and also, the pre and post siesta bucket baths. The average person rinses themselves off at least four times a day to keep themselves relatively cool and clean. Once you think you can't survive this heat anymore (luckily its dry), the humidity settles in and you know that the rains are about to start. Bringing us back to the rainy season!

So, I survived this for four years, and you can too! That is living without modern conveniences like plumbing and air-conditioning. The key to the hot season is to remember that evaporation is a cooling process, and even wet laundry air drying around you will cool off your surroundings a little bit. So now, I hope you understand why I find it ridiculously cold in all of America and will be wearing long-sleeved shirts and sweaters if it's under 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

The downside to all this extreme weather, is of course the different illnesses. The rainy season promotes malaria and schistosomiasis. The dry season promotes meningitis and tuberculosis. More in-depth information about health issues in Burkina Faso later...

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In other news... I thought I was done with preparing stool samples. Darn you, schistosomiasis!

There are two parts of the Peace Corps experience spectrum:

Posh Corps = Peace Corps experience of Peace Corps Volunteers who have access to electricity and/or running water. Some people also install DSL lines or even have air-conditioning!
Hard Corps = Peace Corps experience of Peace Corps Volunteers with neither electricity nor running running water, and/or have to travel (long) distances by bicycle to catch transport or find (cold, if they're lucky) water.

Peace Corps/Burkina Faso is moving away from Hard Corps and towards Posh Corps (though it's not as posh as some other countries) because of security issues. More information about Burkina travel warnings and restrictions can be found at the Ouagadougou US Embassy website. While fewer Volunteers are being placed in sites without electricity/cell phone coverage/running water, the majority of Volunteers are found somewhere in the middle of this spectrum, with one of the three modern conveniences. I find this unfortunate because these convenience-lacking locations are often those suffering from the most need. The communities don't have the political sway to get these conveniences installed. This keeps governmental and non-governmental organizations from trying to stay in the areas as well. Either way, if you are an incoming Trainee, be mentally prepared to have nothing: no running water, no electricity, no cell phone coverage. These modern conveniences actually take you away from the majority of Burkina Faso's population living conditions and set you even further apart from them, making integration and exchange more difficult. While I struggled my first year, having to bike about ten miles to make a phone call, and standing in certain spots of my village on top of a chair just to send a text message, it gave me a chance to bond more closely with people in my village and learn more about the surrounding area as well. I missed out on having some great memories with my stagemates, but made some fantastic ones with people in my area. I know it helped with the success of many of my projects, as well as helped people better understand the United States (goal two).

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Amazing in Americaland: beverages (except those with (high-fructose) corn syrup or added sugars), bacon, meat
Undesirable in USA: customer service, preservatives, healthcare system
Still Missing Faso: friends, warmth, sunrises, sunsets, stars, tailors

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This is one of my favorite songs from Burkina. It basically is saying that Burkina is a great place and that their proud of their country and love it! It's one of the few songs that uses traditional rhythms in the music. Long before I understood this song, I loved it!

Culture Shock 03: Consumerism in America Continued

Dear America,

I know that sooner rather than later I will regain all of the weight I lost and turn into a size 10/12 again, but can you please let me enjoy being a size 6 for a little while longer?

Today I went shopping... granted with gift cards and at Marshall's, but still... it was shopping. I found some shoes for fifteen dollars. They're fun I think, but I don't really know what fashion is in America anymore. A couple of seemingly trendy tops and a pair of jeans. I also ended up with a swim dress that I think is fabulous especially during the winter time over a white shirt, but then again, I am most definitely fashion-challenged by America's standards. What I'm missing now is a comfortable sweater that's a little over-sized and comfortable. Something simple like this which I could wear with just about anything and warmify (I know it's not a word) myself when wearing a cute top. Quite frankly, winter can't be over soon enough!

The nicest thing about shopping was being able to buy white clothing without a second thought.
The worst thing about shopping was it has now re-opened the door to my horrible addiction of clothing, shoes and handbags.

For almost two decades I have been roughly the same height. I have accumulated twenty years of t-shirts and clothing that I have been reluctant to part with because it fits and it's not torn! Alas, no more! I'm going through my piles and piles of clothing right now and sending off the ones I don't want to people who could really use them... in Africa. In Burkina, they call second-hand clothing "fripperie" and they love it! Especially since some of the "new" stuff is low-quality stuff imported from China (the kind of quality that doesn't even make it to the USA). Our "Made in China" is better than theirs.

In other news, I find American food disappointing. It might be the terrible chain restaurants I've been to so far. I hope that tomorrow this disappointment will be corrected.

Still miss Burkina on so many levels, but I'm glad I can wear white now!

Culture Shock 02: Reintroduction into Consumer America

Dear America,

I officially (and quite literally) took my first steps outside into the cold hard world of consumerism. I tried very hard to buy things at Costco and also on the internet, but largely failed.

My biggest purchases at Costco may have been contact solution and brie. Aside from my delicious cheese (you can never go wrong with cheese that comes in a wheel), I found that Costco was too full of preservatives, sugars and engineered food oils. Once upon a time all of these things seemed so delicious, and of course candy still is. However, the baked goods were lackluster. So I bought the ingredients instead to make my own. I felt like I walked through the entire warehouse at least three times, but still gained weight from all the free samples (most of which I avoided). However, I will save ranting about food for a later post, but here is a preview:

America you have grown too fat and lazy!

The reason why Americans are overweight and malnourished (not undernourished) is a combination of food engineering and heating/air conditioning...

My other two forays involve the internet. I, having spent the last three or so years in Africa, seldom access the majority of my accounts for this or that site on the internet. Now upon my return, I lock myself out of one of said accounts out of incompetency (typing on the US keyboard is hard!) and too many passwords in my head. Two hours of head banging later in an attempt to reach a human being on the automated customer service phone lines, I was finally able to reset the password to my account. The issue was not the confusing menus, but the fact that each time I was "being transferred" to a customer service representative after pressing the correct buttons the call dropped! I tried multiple customer service lines available for the company and same result. After much frustration and resorting to button mashing, I was finally transfered to a representative when the call dropped. So, after a final round of frustration and button mashing, I finally communicated with a human being and got my account issues resolved.

I don't understand why it is so difficult to communicate with an actual human being in this country! We expect excellent customer service from others, but don't provide it ourselves (actually, it seemed like the machines were programmed to frustrate clients, but this is true on a broader level). In addition, I remember now how much I disliked being an "overrepresented" minority in this great country. It seems as if no matter where I end up in the world, I will have to deal with being different from the rest of the majority. Even in Asia, I physically stand out. Ack, more on being a minority in America and in Peace Corps in a later retrospective post. But a small excerpt of my thoughts:

When will the world become color blind and finally see people for their actual intentions, skills, and character?

Anyway, my final foray into consumerism was eBay. I attempted to buy things. I realize that purchasing Sims 3 may will ruin my productivity and impede my job hunt. Luckily, outbid. I realize that I don't need another pair of beautiful cute shoes... but I do really want them. Luckily, also outbid. What I don't understand is why there are no flat ankle boots with a pointed-toe out on the market. I had a pair in high school that I thought was fabulous. (More on high school later) Unfortunately, they disappeared sometime between high school and now. Heeled ankle boots are aesthetically pleasing for so many reasons, but oh so impractical, especially right now with ice and snow everywhere.

So, in conclusion. I am too overwhelmed to buy anything because the majority of products are full of fillers I don't need, or particularly want. The products I do want are extremely difficult to find (and not in fashion, which means they will be in next year, everyone be forewarned). So instead of exhausting myself by trying to be a consumer and interview for various opportunities (I've hardly slept these past few days, though it may be partially because of an extremely rich diet providing me with oodles of energy), I believe I will, focus myself on my future and not my present. (This goes back to my argument of Now vs. kNow).

Hmm... maybe I'll actually sleep tonight.

Busua Beach, Ghana, August 2010. They have trash cans there!
This may have been the first time I ever took a vacation just to relax and sit on the beach for multiple days where all I did was eat, drink and love...everything!

Culture Shock 01: Waste

I have wasted so much water and electricity upon my return. However, nothing disgusts me more than the waste found here!

I love fashion and art. I understand how the pursuit of either of these can be wasteful more often than not. However, I have never found any art so offensive as this. Especially, in light of the millions of people all over the world who didn't have anything to eat today. I hope these artists are donating something significant to the World Food Programme or something equivalent. While there are definitely pieces of art I have disliked for aesthetic reasons, I have never been disgusted by art.

Today, I was disgusted by art. Tasteful fashion is disrespectful when the raw materials go to waste. Clothes made of food are art when they don't rot and become wasteful, but even with GMO food products, the best outfits won't last for very long.

Candied jewelery that we ate as kids is one thing (not to be confused with that worn by Kandi Kids); meat dresses are another, especially when they are left to rot!