from Tofu with love

Although I’m having a rough time at site, there are moments that are pretty magical. The sense of community here is outstanding. A lot of the people don’t have much but they still find ways to share with their friends and family. While I was sick these past few weeks the CSPS staff (whether I wanted them to or not) visited me throughout the day. The whole village knows that I’m sick too. I’ll walk up to someone that I barely know and they will say, “ Hey Jalysa, how is the diarrhea going?”, embarrassing yes, but definitely thoughtful. I said before that my site is mostly Muslim but I actually found some Catholics the other day while taking Neuf for a walk!! I say that with exclamation points because that means DOLO!!!! Dolo is a drink made of fermented millet. It’s a very social alcoholic beverage; less alcohol content than beer. People usually sit down in circles and pass a calabash (bowl) filled with dolo around. It looks like one of those bowls Rafeki from the lion king mix...

I have heard many horror stories about people falling ill when they visit foreign parts of the world, but for some reason it never occurred to me that one of those stories could become my reality. Maybe because of my youth or my hard head, I convinced myself that I would finish my two year sentence (I mean service) without getting sick. Mother nature had other plans for me. About two weeks ago I noticed that I started getting the bubble guts (commonly known as diarrhea). I barely had an appetite and I always felt nauseous. This lasted for about a week or so then the symptoms went away. The next week I took a trip to Ouaga, the capital, and hung out with some friends. We stayed at the transit house and went to this really fancy restaurant (American fancy not Burkinabe fancy). Me being the vegan that I am ordered the veggie platter. Most of the veggies were cooked except the tomatoes. Towards the end of the evening my stomach started to feel a little upset but I figured it was t...

. ..or should I say Americain noir So far that has been the hardest part of my service. I feel that my skin color is a constant source of disappointment or confusion. A lot of Burkinabe think that all Americans are rich and white. When I arrived in village I think that they were expecting a white American to give their community some meaning. I say that so bitterly because I was expecting to be welcomed with open arms, because I am a foreigner, a visitor to this country. Instead when they see that I am just another black person they seem to be somewhat disappointed. It makes me feel bad..sheesh am I not good enough? The confusion comes in when someone tries to speak to me in French or in Moore (the local lang). When I am slow to respond or do not understand, they ask “why don’t you know the language?” I tell them that I am American and English is my first language. They either look at me like I’m lying or they are totally surprised. I’m happy for the cultural exchange and ...

You should know that I have officially signed the next two years of my life over to the US Peace Corps. My swear in was on the 15 th of December and I left for my site on the 16 th . Marina me and Hilary  the health (Sante) sector group 25  So far its been very difficult. I have some problems with some of the people in my village. Also I did not get the warmest welcome. I have to admit that I cried for the first time since I’ve been in country on my second day at site. Although the tears have stopped, I find myself thinking about when I told my Uncle Greg about my intentions to join the Peace Corps. He just looks at me and says “Why?”. Well Uncle Greg I question those reasons that I gave you everyday lol. But other that the initial shock, things are getting better now. It’s happening very slowly though. Right now, and for the next 3-6 months, I’ll be getting to know my community, and learning how to live alone in Burkina. Visiting people, the schools, ...