Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

I'm in Fada for the weekend to do some work - writing an article on an HIV/AIDS sensitization I did with primary schools kids in my village and working on a funding proposal for a new building for my village's high school. The funding is through the Peace Corps Partnership Program which is basically a conduit for private groups and individuals to donate money to specific development projects initiated by PCVs. I will include relevant information once (and if) my funding request is approved.

I'd only been back in village for five days before leaving again, but lots has gone on. First, we celebrated Le Jour Internationale des Femmes (International Women's Day - March 8th). The events included a theater production by high school students, an essay and design competition that I organized amongst the high school students , and a soccer match between male and female fonctionaires (I played with the chicks, we killed, won by a goal). The 8th March is a big deal here, each year they come out with a special pagne (fabric) and everyone who can afford to buys it and has shirts or complets (female skirt/top outfits) tailored. I was a little late getting on the bandwagon and bought my pagne on the 9th March, but I've got a whole year to wear it, so there you go. It was a fun day and included festivities oddly reminsicent of a barbeque (with drumming and dancing).

Aside from the 8 Mars festivities, I've got big news. I've made a significant decision regarding ma vie au village. I've decided, based on recent events and a general feeling of discontent with my living situation, to move. I'll be moving to a house much like my current house but right in the center of village instead of on the outskirts, where I am now. The notion hadn't really crossed my mind, even after Ismael stole from me. It was Nancy, my nearest PCV neighbor, who brought up the idea. We were in Ouaga for FESPACO, sitting outside one evening, catching up and she told me that my friend Sali had stopped by her village before she'd left for Ouaga and that they had talked at length about my situation in village. Sali voiced the opinion that she thinks I could be a lot happier than I am and told Nancy that she had an unoccupied house in mind if I expressed interest. The idea hit me like a ton of bricks and made me realize that my current situation is pretty lame and has resulted in an experience that isn't exactly what I had imagined Peace Corps would be like.

I live in a courtyard with two other fonctionaire houses and my neighbors are, in effect, strangers to the village, just like me. Despite the fact that they're nice (sans Ismael the thief), I didn't come to Africa to make friends with civil servants who are assigned to the village and move every few years, I came here to live in a village and to get to know villagers. Though I am well-integrated into my village and have lots of friends amongst the villagers, I've missed on on a lot of the quotidien experiences of other volunteers by not living directly amongst villagers. This has hindered the development of my local language skills and has, I realize, caused me to be needlessly bored at times.

So, upon returning to village, I dropped by the market to catch up with Sali before heading to the high school to do some work. I mentioned that Nancy had filled me in on their conversation and expressed interest in seeing the house. Sali replied that she would take me to see it whenever I wanted and it turned out that the proprietor is actually a good friend of mine. The house is newly constructed and belongs to his older brother who lives and works in Cote d'Ivoire. Since I had time to kill before meeting with a teacher, we went right away. I was a little skeptical as Sali led me down the paths through a maze of courtyards - mud hut upon mud hut - and was shocked when we turned a corner to find a really nice house in a small courtyard. It's the same two room setup as my house now with the added benefit of an indoor shower (a small room with a drain in which to take your bucket bath, really nice during the windy harmattan season when you freeze your butt off showering outside in the morning). It has a concrete terrace and an overhang with a metal roof and the courtyard is private with a solid metal door that locks. The house is totally screened too, which is rare for a villageois house and is a requirement for PCV lodging. Overall, it's nicer than my current house and its situation is much better. It sits on the edge of a huge, populous quartier, so there are tons of neighbors and lots of little kids running around, but the courtyard is still unique, so I can close my door and have privacy. The courtyard also looks out onto a barrage (big man- made pond which provides the water for gardening and is home to some crocs) and jardin (massive, fenced-in garden that many of the villagers share) . Beyond the barrage is a beautiful vista of the bush/savanah and an expanse of sky so massive that on a clear day you feel like it might swallow you up.

That afternoon, I went to talk to the director of my primary school, since it's the school's PTA that is in charge of my lodging. He was skeptical at first, understanding my current situation but wary of my desire to move right into the middle of the action in village, so to speak. However, after we went to see the house, he was impressed with it and recognized how moving there would positively impact my situation in village. So it's pretty much settled, it looks like I'll move in the next few days, which will be a pain, since it involves hauling all of my furniture and stuff 1.5 k by donkey cart, but I think the effort will be well worth it. I find that the moments I'm happiest in village are when I'm in the marché or the quartiers by the mosque, playing with the kids or talking with my female friends or the elders. I'm excited at the prospect of becoming that much more inculcated in village life and getting to know people better, instead of living in my fonctionaire fortress that is intimidating to most villagers.

So that's the news. I'm thrilled at the prospect of being able to step out of my courtyard into the heart of the village. The director termed my move as a "rebirth" which seems pretty accurate, as my experience is about to change radically. I imagine I'll have lots to report on the move and the changes it brings the next time I write.

'Til then,

Chrissy