Burkina on the brain

Less than one month left in the States and only a week and a half more in DC. This past month has gone by so quickly between work and the visits from high school friends and my parents - I must say I've become quite skilled in the role of tour guide. This will be my last full weekend in DC, complete with a visit from some of my NYC/Chicago Colgate girls! I wrap up work at the lobby firm next Wednesday, leaving a few days to soak up DC in all of its springtime glory. I will certainly miss this city and the both the new and old friends that I've had the pleasure of sharing this past year with. It's been wonderful to have the opportunity to see so many people who mean so much to me in the last few weeks and the next week or so will definitely provide a nice sense of closure on an altogether excellent post-college year...thanks to all who were a part of it!

On the Burkina front...

I received my staging materials this past weekend. I leave home on June 4th, flying down to DC for our staging event. We fly to Paris on June 6th and then Ouagadougou on June 7th!

I had the opportunity to meet with Burkina's cultural attache in the Embassy this week - what a great experience. Mrs. Ziduoemba is the first Burkinabe native that I've met and our encounter only increased my excitement and optimism. We discussed some general aspects of Burkinabe culture but the most meaningful portion of our interview was our discussion of issues of gender equity and female education - the heart of my Peace Corps assignment. She was so enthusiastic and interested, sharing her insights as a Burkinabe woman and quelling some of my fear that, culturally, my undertakings might prove to be an uphill battle. The overall sense I got from our conversation was that Burkinabe culture is much different from that of other West African countries in that inter-tribal conflict is less of an issue and people tend to exist more harmoniously, despite differences in ethnicity and religious belief, than in other West African nations. She gave me the closest thing to a guidebook on Burkina Faso that I've come across to date (there's little published literature on the country, with the first independent published guidebook coming out in August 2006 - a little late, thank you!). It's a beautifully done guide that contains a broad range of substantive information on the country and has definitely given me a better understanding of Burkina's regional variation and its cultural complexity. At the end of our interview, Mrs. Ziduoemba assured me that, her bias aside, I was going to love her country...I think she might be right.