Hello lovely people,
So over the holiday season I got lucky enough to have 3 wonderful people visit me in my current home country!! And while writing blogs is one of my favorite things to do.. I decided instead to feature a guest blog from my younger sister so you all could get her 'outside' perspective of Burkina Faso. Ladies and gentlemen, words from Paige.
"Hello!
Abby's sister, Paige here! As some of you know, my parents and I had the chance to visit Abby over Christmas, and despite the intense heat, abnormally large insects, and long dusty bus rides, had an AMAZING time!! We arrived the night of the 19th and after a solid hour of trying to find a legit taxi to bring us to a hotel, finally settled in for our first night in Africa!
The whole trip went fairly smoothly thanks to our awesome tour guide and translator :) We spent the first day in the capital Ouagadougou, then, along with another PCV and her family, we headed down to Po for a night to the Nazinga Wildlife Ranch where we were able to see nearly 30 elephants, warthogs, crocodiles, baboons, and several kinds of antelope! It was an awesome experience, and good to get out of the city and see the countryside. When we got back to Ouaga, we caught a 5-hour long bus ride (which turned out to be closer to 7 hours, since we spent the last several kilometers moving as fast as a tractor, as one burkinabe said) to Bobo, the second largest city in Burkina Faso, and spent the night there. The next day we took a 3-hour bus ride to Abby's site/village, Solenzo. During the three days we spent there we became well-acquainted with the sights of her village and were able to meet many of her good friends and people she works with. Everyone was so welcoming and hospitable! I also was able to play with the soccer team Abby helps coach, experience the Solenzo night life, eat To and other african food, and am also proud to say I have one dead giant cockroach under my belt!
For the final adventure we headed back to Bobo, and then caught a 1 1/2 hour bus ride to Banfora, aka the "pretty part" of Burkina Faso. The parents stayed at an encampment, while Abby and I stayed two nights with a fellow PCV Kat, who's village was throwing her a party for being there for 1 year. Kat's village was beautiful, and much more like the traditional African village you see pictures of; with the mud huts, traditional African dress, kids, goats, sheep, and donkeys running around, as well as a crazy cool dialect. And once again, everyone was very friendly and happy to have us. The party was scheduled for 8a.m to 6a.m. and included traditional African drums and balifones, as well as traditional African dancing which included shuffling around in a circle for hours on end. Very cool to be a part of! The four of us took a break from the partying to bike to the cascades and domes, the number one tourist destination in Burkina! The domes were massive (similar to the pinnacles in Australia) and great for a little rock climbing :)
The next day it was back to Bobo, and then back to Ouaga for our last couple days in Burkina Faso. In Ouaga we went to the Village Artisinal which had a ton of African arts and crafts, and also went to the Marche, where a herd of Burkinabe constantly followed us around, trying to speak english and direct us to their shops. Abby was able to show off her bargaining skills at both places, and again, we would have been completely helpless the whole trip with out her!
We flew out on the 31st, and got back to the U.S. on the 1st. Quite a temperature change to say the least! Flipping through my 500 some photos while passing time at the airport, it was hard to believe that I had just experienced all I had. It was awesome being able to become completely immersed in another language (my french vocabulary now consists of a solid 10 words) and culture. It's amazing how warm and friendly the Burkinabe are, and Abby's definitely has some solid friendships with many people in her village... along with a few marriage proposals to consider ;).
So for all of you out there considering a visit to Burkina Faso, do it!!!"
Once again I need to say how lucky I was to have my family visit - now when I go home and talk about about my life here it wont just be me that has the images of babies strapped on the backs of their mothers, has seen how the moon and stars can make the night seem like day or has experienced the kindness and generosity of the people living here. It was definitely an adventure!!
I hope all of you back home had a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Years!!
Much Love
So over the holiday season I got lucky enough to have 3 wonderful people visit me in my current home country!! And while writing blogs is one of my favorite things to do.. I decided instead to feature a guest blog from my younger sister so you all could get her 'outside' perspective of Burkina Faso. Ladies and gentlemen, words from Paige.
"Hello!
Abby's sister, Paige here! As some of you know, my parents and I had the chance to visit Abby over Christmas, and despite the intense heat, abnormally large insects, and long dusty bus rides, had an AMAZING time!! We arrived the night of the 19th and after a solid hour of trying to find a legit taxi to bring us to a hotel, finally settled in for our first night in Africa!
The whole trip went fairly smoothly thanks to our awesome tour guide and translator :) We spent the first day in the capital Ouagadougou, then, along with another PCV and her family, we headed down to Po for a night to the Nazinga Wildlife Ranch where we were able to see nearly 30 elephants, warthogs, crocodiles, baboons, and several kinds of antelope! It was an awesome experience, and good to get out of the city and see the countryside. When we got back to Ouaga, we caught a 5-hour long bus ride (which turned out to be closer to 7 hours, since we spent the last several kilometers moving as fast as a tractor, as one burkinabe said) to Bobo, the second largest city in Burkina Faso, and spent the night there. The next day we took a 3-hour bus ride to Abby's site/village, Solenzo. During the three days we spent there we became well-acquainted with the sights of her village and were able to meet many of her good friends and people she works with. Everyone was so welcoming and hospitable! I also was able to play with the soccer team Abby helps coach, experience the Solenzo night life, eat To and other african food, and am also proud to say I have one dead giant cockroach under my belt!
For the final adventure we headed back to Bobo, and then caught a 1 1/2 hour bus ride to Banfora, aka the "pretty part" of Burkina Faso. The parents stayed at an encampment, while Abby and I stayed two nights with a fellow PCV Kat, who's village was throwing her a party for being there for 1 year. Kat's village was beautiful, and much more like the traditional African village you see pictures of; with the mud huts, traditional African dress, kids, goats, sheep, and donkeys running around, as well as a crazy cool dialect. And once again, everyone was very friendly and happy to have us. The party was scheduled for 8a.m to 6a.m. and included traditional African drums and balifones, as well as traditional African dancing which included shuffling around in a circle for hours on end. Very cool to be a part of! The four of us took a break from the partying to bike to the cascades and domes, the number one tourist destination in Burkina! The domes were massive (similar to the pinnacles in Australia) and great for a little rock climbing :)
The next day it was back to Bobo, and then back to Ouaga for our last couple days in Burkina Faso. In Ouaga we went to the Village Artisinal which had a ton of African arts and crafts, and also went to the Marche, where a herd of Burkinabe constantly followed us around, trying to speak english and direct us to their shops. Abby was able to show off her bargaining skills at both places, and again, we would have been completely helpless the whole trip with out her!
We flew out on the 31st, and got back to the U.S. on the 1st. Quite a temperature change to say the least! Flipping through my 500 some photos while passing time at the airport, it was hard to believe that I had just experienced all I had. It was awesome being able to become completely immersed in another language (my french vocabulary now consists of a solid 10 words) and culture. It's amazing how warm and friendly the Burkinabe are, and Abby's definitely has some solid friendships with many people in her village... along with a few marriage proposals to consider ;).
So for all of you out there considering a visit to Burkina Faso, do it!!!"
Once again I need to say how lucky I was to have my family visit - now when I go home and talk about about my life here it wont just be me that has the images of babies strapped on the backs of their mothers, has seen how the moon and stars can make the night seem like day or has experienced the kindness and generosity of the people living here. It was definitely an adventure!!
I hope all of you back home had a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Years!!
Much Love
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