Final words...

Now that I ave been back in Canada for a few weeks, I thought it would be interesting to reflect on my African Adventure.

First and foremost, this experience has been incredible, I am so thankful and fortunate and humbled by the past few months. From learning to appreciate consistently running water (remember - I had to bathe out of a saucepot on several occasions) to enjoying my friends and family and no longer taking them for granted, I have come back enlightened. Don't get me wrong - I am NOT granola - I am rather a more appreciative person of the luxuries we enjoy every day as Canadians. Like I said, running water for one, reliable electricity for two, and food, roads, transportation etc... Are things I become very excited about these days.

So - let's recap on the past few weeks. I would like to start with the plane ride home. Needless to say, it was long. I slept 5 hours in a total of 72 hours, and needed to down a can of red bull the minute I arrived in Montreal. In Ouagadougou (where we had to catch the plane to go to Paris from Burkina), the flight was delayed eight hours because of an air traffic control strike in Niger, where 50 of the passengers on our flight were coming from. In the end they decided to force 200 passengers to wait in Ouaga - from 9pm to 6am - so that 50 passengers could arrive by bus from Niamey, Niger. Interesting logic: deal with 200 people's connections in order to accomodate 50 more passengers... Don't ask - I've tried to analyse and deduce every possible reasoning to no avail. Bref!

Once we arrived in Paris, we had only missed our flight by one hour and there was another flight leaving in two - so we decided to grab some grub... Interesting observation: There are no bakeries or patisseries in the Paris airport! Silly! The flight to Montreal was very emotional for me... Especially when I landed, put the SIM card in my blackberry, sent my dad and Victoria text messages and got calls right back. First from Vicki, telling me she bought me mini-wheats with maple syrup and sangria, and then from my dad welcoming me home... What a great way to land on a plane... With two of your most favorite people in the world welcoming you! My wonderful aunty Kim and cousin JJ picked me up at the airport and brought me to my grand parent's house in Laval, where we enjoyed the famous Maisonneuve family spaghetti and meat sauce.... With garlic toast! Yummmmmmm!

After catching up with my family I drove my car (I left it to my grandparents while I was gone) to Victoria's house in the island of Montreal... How I missed driving! I was then welcomed with a big "WELCOME BACK AFTON!!!!" from Vicki's balcony - her and her room mates... How cool is that?! They then treated me to a fabulous Montrealais evening... Walking down Parc and St-laurent Ave. to a trendy little lounge with great music and an even better ambiance. I thoroughly enjoyed my first evening back in Canada! After the lounge Vicki treated me to good ol' Montreal thick crust pepperoni pizza and fairmont bagels with strawberry cream cheese... Talk about gourmandise! Everything tastes better after you've been in Burkina-Faso for three months I tell ya.

After driving home and arranging a few things (and baking cookies, obviously...)I drove back to Montreal for a mini-family reunion on Sunday the 3rd. What a wonderful day. My family and ice cream cake... Who could ask for more?! I was overwhelmed with emotion when I saw everyone... Waterworks! We then spent the rest of the day in the sun on the fleuve St-Laurent - football, lawn bowling and my dad's 12-song playlist on his i-pod... He still hasn't added any other songs although the capacity is close to 500 songs.... How I missed him and his querks.

That evening I plunked myself into my parent's guest bed and slept like a baby, after drinking a cup of hot water with lemon and catching up with my dad and step-mom... Life is good.

Since getting back to Ottawa and my appartment I have been running around, trying to secure myself employment and register for fall classes in university. I also cleaned my house upside down - I've been spending a vast amount of time with Fergie, my cat - she missed me.... and I missed her too. What a cutie. I've also been walking everyday in continuation of the habits I developped in Burkina. It's great for clearing the head. I've also been enjoying my wonderful friends.... Vicki - what would I do without you?! Adora - come back from LA! We've been without each other for too long!!! You all know who you are.... Thank you so much for making my return to Canada so great - You really know how to make someone feel welcome!

As far as future plans, I know I will be returning to Africa. I love it there and it is so different from Canada and the global North in general. Travelling has always been in my blood, but in that same respect it is always nice to have a home base as beautiful as Canada. I know I will sound like a broken record when I say this, but we are SO LUCKY! Canada is a wonderful rich (in several different ways) country full of opportunity and prosperity - our poor are considered rich in Burkina!

I would strongly suggest a trip alone to Africa to anyone who has either made a big decision, will be making one, or who has simply had a bunch of changes in their lives... You are forced to think and take care of yourself and realise that there are people in the world whose problems go right down to the basic necessities of life like eating and drinking... It kind of makes you think twice about getting mad at your brother or sister for ruining your favorite shoes, or crying over that guy or girl who broke your heart. Although these are problems, they are so insignificant in the larger scheme of things. This is what I've realised over the past few months. I just have to do my absolute best to remember these lessons as I carry on with my life in Canada.

In closing, this trip has ultimately changed my life. I can only hope I've become a better person as a result of this trip. Although it was extremely difficult to leave AVOH and Mme. Drabo and Nathalie and Assita and Herve and my room mates, Axelle and Yohan, it was so nice to put my two feet on Canadian soil once again. Burkina-Faso was my address for three months, but Canada is my home. I know I will absolutely go back to the continent - maybe not Burkina right away, as I would like to experience other parts of Africa, preferably on the coast, like Ivory coast or Ghana. This is the beginning of the rest of my life.

Some Random Pictures

These pictures were taken in Nasso, about 15km's outside of Bobo-Dioulasso, two weekends ago. Siriac, our good friend over here, invited us to have lunch with him on Sunday with a few of his good friends in the most beautiful setting... We enjoyed a communal platter of rice and braised chicken... Yummy! It was like a pic nic and I ate with my hands (like a real African), and as you'll see from these pictures, je m'ai debrouille!

Grocery stores... Make me happy.

Axelle and I were in Ouaga this weekend (we left on Saturday at 7am to come back on Sunday at 3pm), and we stayed at a hotel downtown that her friend manages... He is Burkinabe but went to school with Axelle in Quebec, where they became very good friends. He let us stay there for free (Thank you Omar!!), and insisted on us coming back to stay this week for my last week in Burkina. What a great guy. We will surely be taking him out to dinner this weekend to thank him.

About a block away from the Continental hotel (where we were staying), is the big Marina Market in Ouaga. A grocery store!! I was so excited that I insisted that Axelle and i go inside to take a peek. At this point, my willpower is fully charged and ready to fight the urge to spend.

This grocery store must be the largest I've ever seen in Burkina... it is two stories, with a third storey not in use... they're probably waiting to expand their product line. It took me a good 30 minutes of browsing (with a big huge smile on my face, might I add...) just to finish window shoppng the first floor, which is all food and drink.

The second floor is full of housewares, from pool tables to dishes to cooking toys (I call them "toys" because they are to me what Barbies are to a 10 year-old).

An hour later, we emerged from Marina Market in euphoria, with m&m peanuts and at-home waxing kits in tow. how I miss big box stores like Loblaws and Wal-Mart!

After returning to the hotel room, waxing like there's no tomorrow and eating m&m peanuts, Axelle went out for the night and i decided to stay in and rest. I'm glad I did, because I wouldn't have survived the next day... A 4-hour car ride which included me working on my final report the entire time... What a weekend! After finally getting home at 10:30pm, Axelle plopped into bed (she had slept an entire 5 hours in three days), and I kept working until about midnight...

This week is incredinly important:

Monday I have to finish the Marketing plan and perfect it with Mme. Drabo (no, she still hasn't been able to sit down with me and go through the entire final product. Very annoying - she's spread herself too thin). I will also be sending the final report to my organisation (which I finished Sunday evening).

Tuesday we prepare for the meeting on Wednesday all day. Documenting any and all the contributions I've made suring this internship, making sure all ends are tied tightly. This is when I will reinforce any suggestions I've already made regarding developing or improving the organisation... One of them being the fact that Mme. Drabo needs an assistant of some sort...

Wednesday morning at 9am (5am Ottawa time), I have my final internship meeting with the regional director for WUSC in Burkina, with Mme. Drabo, her advisor, the administration and other executives from AVOH. It will be good. I can't wait.

Wednesday night I will surely be preparing for my departure on Thursday... I've already sold my cell phone to Nathalie (with the two SIM cards) for 10,000 Fcfa's, and I've also given her a few pairs of shoes and pieces of clothing that I know i will never wear in Canada. She was very happy when I gave them to her and I know she will use them much more than I, or any of my friends in Canada would.

Thursday we leave Bobo for good. I have to admit i will really miss this place: it is like Ottawa... In comparison, Ouaga is like Toronto, and funny enough, the distance between Bobo and Ouaga is the same between Ottawa and Toronto - 375km's. Bobo is clean, quiet, and beautiful. Lots of green and gorgeous landscapes, as well as enough people and businesses to keep it interesting, entertainment-wise.

Anyways, I could write pages and pages on how wonderful Bobo is (perfect climate, great people, etc...) but I'll save that for when I see you all. Not even 10 days!

Wish me luck for the meeting on Wednesday!!

July 17th - A Day in the Life of Afton in Africa...

I was talking to Jan on msn the other day, and he asked me an interesting question...
"What's a typical day for Afton in Africa like?"
So I figured I'd share my answer with all of you!

6:30am (or 7, depending on whether I hit snooze or not...) - Wake up, get ready for the day
7:20 - Drink fresh, 100 percent natural organic mango nectar, made at AVOH (my little association that could...)
7:30 - start walking to the main street (about 0.5km's away from the villa) so we can catch a collective taxi
8am - arrive at work
2pm - eat lunch
3pm - keep working, or if everything is done go to Escale - the pool I'm signed up at - they have wifi!!! OR go to the cyber, where the internet connection is amazing and I always get a bunch of work done.
5pm - run errands then take collective taxi home...
6pm - take a walk - buy a bunch of bananas .and hand them out to the kids on the side of the street - they love this...
7-8pm - make dinner, do some work on the computer (Internship report, e-mails, blog, etc...)8:30pm - prepare for bed (sit-ups, push ups, etc)
9:30 - bed time!!

So nothing especially interesting, just a regular day except that it's in Africa... Any deviations of my so-called "regular" day have already been documented via this blog... So you know the rest of the story!

July 15 - Afton’s 1 and only Scary Experience

When I get the chance to talk to my friends and family from home, they're always so sweet – asking me how I'm doing, how my work is going, letting me know they follow my blog and are proud of me, and they hope I stay safe. I also get the odd, "are u like, scared ever?" Today, I answered yes to the last question, and this is why:

 

It started raining while I was at work - it was 4pm... I waited until 6pm - the rain did not die down at all - and I figured I should probably plan on getting home in the rain, via taxi. I had never done this before, and the majority of people here just stay put during the rain, including taxis, which means getting one was a challenge. And this storm was bad. At 9pm my colleagues finally got a taxi to pick me up. The driver seemed pretty happy to see me, as we went through the usual salutations, "ani tele, somogo odo, nkakene, here, barika..."

 

On the way home we picked up two more passengers... as is the way of the collective taxi in Burkina-Faso... and half way home I realised I only had a large bill on me (2000cfa's, and the taxi ride is supposed to cost only 300cfa's)... In turn, I asked the taxi man if he had change, and he said, "how much", and I said, "well, seeing as this taxi ride should only cost me 300cfa's - I know this since I do this same commute in collective taxi every day - you should give me 1700cfa's in change", which he then brushed off and continued driving.

 

I finally got to the main street of my house and asked him to stop, thinking he definitely didn't have any change... Since he just wanted me to give him my big bill so he could "get me the change". I asked him to stop so I could get change from a corner store in my neighbourhood... I got out of the taxi and the taxi man got out as well... which was fine, until he followed me into the store, where he started yelling at the clerk in Dioula (the language here) after I asked if he had change for 2000cfa's.

 

This is when I reminded the store clerk that I AM HIS NEIGHBOUR and always buy stuff at his store and that I simply want change to pay the taxi man the proper fare....

 

At this point the taxi man was still yelling...

 

I finally said to the taxi man, "I am paying you 300 - which is 100 cfa's over the regular fare because it's raining and I live a little further than downtown.... that's all you're getting - I make this same trip twice a day and pay 300 - nothing more - so that's all you're getting"

 

To which he replied, "No I don't want 300cfa's! No! I picked you up from aaaaaaaall the way over there and brought you alllllll the way over here!! Blah No No No No blah blah blah"

 

So then I asked him how much he wanted me to pay, to reason with the mad man (which he was lucky I did – usually I don't even think about going up in price while negotiating here)... and he yelled, "600CFA'S!!!" In turn, I yelled, "va chier!"

 

Amongst obscenities, I said, "Tu penses que je suis conne?? Que j'avais ne hier? Je fais ce trajet chaque jour et je paye 300 aller, 300 retour! Incroyable! Je n'ai pas le temps ou la patience pour ca voici ton argent et je part!!" (Which means, "Do you think I'm stupid? That I was born yesterday? I make this commute every day and pay 300 there, 300 back. Incredible! I don't have the time or patience for this – here is your money I'm leaving!") And I placed the 300cfa's on the table (because he wouldn't take it when I handed it to him), and tried to walk out of the store, which is when he tried to stop me – physically – from leaving the store. This is when I started getting scared.

 

And I said, "ne touche moi pas!"("Don't touch me!")... And kept walking, trying to seem confident.

 

I then walked out of the corner store (he followed me), then picked up my pace as I got around the corner of my street. I didn't even look back at this point and BOLTED like a mad woman... two big bags in tow... I don't think I've ever run that fast in my life. And after ringing the doorbell eight million times, looking behind me etc... I got into the front gate and safe into my house.

 

I was so shook up I was as white as a ghost and couldn't stop shaking. All I could think about as I was running was the fact that I am in a place where no one really knows me – where I am a stranger. This taxi man could have done I don't know what to me, but someone up there loves me and is protecting me... Thanks auntie Lise and Sylvie.

 

Hence I am safe and sound.

 

Needless to say I was already precautious over here –this little experience has just made me one very paranoid Canadian. I now have mixed feelings about leaving next week... The beautiful greenery of Bobo alone makes it worth the 18-hour trip from Canada, but I'm glad I'm leaving next week... I don't feel completely safe anymore. After close consideration, the verdict remains the latter.

 

 

 

July 11th (technically 12th, it's 1:30am)

It is now Thursday and Mme. Drabo - the president - Just got back. And it is also 8:30pm at AVOH - I've been here since 7am - and we are still catching each other up on all the work we've been doing. Whils I was here getting printing suppliers, she was in Ghana getting packaging suppliers... C'est manifique!So everything is almost done... We have beautiful packaging, straight from Gahana (and MUCH cheaper and better than the stuff available in this country...) and new improved labels, logo and brochure, all ready for the printing press! What a great achievement. Talk about employment satisfaction. But it's not over 'till Afton gets on the plane - I have to hammer out more events - that AVOH can send representatives to - for the list in the Marketing Plan.

Also, Mme. Drabo had a bunch of work for me to do the minute she got back that couldn't wait - she managed to gain a few exporting partners while she was over there, and needed me to translate some contracts for her. I finished them (good thing I brought my lap top with the north american keyboard that I'm used to) a few hours ago and just took a break from going through the marketing plan with her. So far she loves it and is impressed with the amount of information and research I did... Afton=industrious!

Let's just hope my work.... works!I'm hoping to get a few things done before I leave... It's only two weeks away now! The first thing is, of course, to perfect the marketing plan... That is the crown jewel of this whole experience and I will undoubtedly keep it for future reference. As for the rest, well - I want to launch a website (very basic), get anti-virus for the computers, and refresh Mme. Drabo's IT knowlege... on Word, Exel and internet - before I leave.

Woops - I'll update more in a bit I have to get dropped off at home - they won't let me walk because it's after dark.

*** skip to one day later***

The same evening I wrote the last "mini-udate", I got dropped off at home around 9pm and literally got in, took a shower, changed, (ate leftovers), and went to bed. Systematic exhausted sleep mode. It felt good, to be honest. Today I sent off the contracts I translated as well as translated a few more documents - namely AVOH's list of production equipment needed (which they will send to various NGO's and organisations wanting to donate and help the association) and an e-mail Mme. Drabo wanted to send to an english exporter in Ghana.

We also bought the anti-virus today... We got a great deal considering Mme. Drabo knew the father of the owner of the IT boutique, and remembered him when he was a little "Bobolais" in the middle of our negotiations. On a non-work related note, my Canadian compatriots are in Bobo staying with Axelle and I for the weekend! Aski, Cat, Sarah, Joanie and Allassane are staying in the villa until Sunday, when they go back to Ouaga (and Sarah goes back to Yako)... it's definitely a packed house, but a fun one nonetheless! Tonight, on my walk, I decided to finally buy some food from the lady who sells it on the corner of our street (considering I walk by her every night and she asks me every night, "tu ne veut pas gouter mademoiselle?!", my pruchase was overdue...).

It turns out that for 200fcfa's (0.44$CAN), six people can eat incredibly well! She had made fried bananas (not plantains... so they were really sweet) and "beignets"... a doughnut-type thing. Tomorrow I will be tagging along with our guests to Banfora, an oasis outside of the oasis that is Bobo. a gorgeous clift, waterfall, beach, etc... (keeping in mind this is a land-locked country - thank you glaciers!). We leave at 6am (6 of us in the car, with Allassane, the chauffeur, driving - should be fun for 40 mins!!) and will be back in Bobo for 3pm, just in time for me to get to work for a few hours.

As I sit here at my desk at 1am in Bobo-Dioulasso, it is raining (armageddon) and somehow I find it so peaceful... Everyone in the house is asleep except for me, and Im having the greatest conversation with my sister in Bermuda via Facebook chat. "La vie est belle quand tu es en bonne sante", my taximan said to me today when I asked how he was. It means, "Life is good considering you are healthy"... Word.

So that's about it for this evening. I will surely update some more as this weekend progresses (I WILL be dancing tomorrow evening...) and as next week (my last full week in Bobo!) begins.

Until next time be good, be safe, and take care.

Gremlins and more Galore!

The first picture explains itself - Afton = gremlins magnet. The second I just found funny, considering the fact that this truck - parked about 50 m from my house - hasn't budget since I got here... "The legend continues" is what the sentence painted on the front says.
The third picture is of Youssef, Axelle and I riding home - yes - all three of us - on my p50 motorbike. Hilarious. Axelle and I ended up asking Youssef to let us down early so we could walk (arm in arm - like a couple of little kids) home and look at the magnificent stars.
Funny but true!

This week has also been fantastic.

On Tuesday (July 1st - Canada Day!) I took the bus with Sebastien to Ouaga at 7:30AM. We arrived in Ouaga at noon, then dropped our bags off at his house, ran some errands, then met with a gentleman from the Caisse Populaire about Seb being able to include some micro-creditors in his documentary.

We only got to eat (for the first time of the day) at around 1500H, and I tell ya, it was well worth the wait! We went to a small restaurant called the "bourgainvillier" (which is a beautiful vine-like plant that blooms the most gorgeous flowers...I hope I spelt it right). I ate a vegetarian pizza, Seb had an awesome seafood calzone, and we shared a 1/4 pitcher of red wine and ate a "crepe royale" (extra chocolate sauce n all...) for desert. We were stuffed but it was good. I don't think either of us have eaten like that in a long time.

After our late lunch, the craziness never ended. Iin between running around trying to find someone who sold a simple hand-sewing needle (after 4 tries we finally found one) so I could sew a patch on my dress (which turned out quite well considering I took the material off of my free Air France sleeping mask and only had 10 minutes to finish) and having to jump start Seb's car every time we needed to turn it on (which reminded me of Kirby last summer - thanks for fixing it for me Adam!), we managed to be ready for the Canada Day party at the embassador's house for 1800H. Impressive, no?

The party was fantastic. The house was beautiful. The food was amazing - they served it appetiser-style, with waiters bringing around serving platers. Grilled filet, meatballs, sausage and egg/spring rolls were the stars that night. Then for dessert, they brought out none other than my favorite girl-guise maple cookies. And sucre a la creme (or maple fudge, as good anglophones say). I definitely ate 5 cookies and 3 sucre cubes. Team fat-ass here we come. But it was worth it.

After the party, and after our French comrade Antoine decided to jump into the pool in his orange skeevies, I apologised to the embassador and said that he's French, not Canadian - and therefore can't help it - the embassador laughed... Good sense of humour! We then jump started Sebastien's car (keep in mind I was still in my full-length dress) and played monopoly for two hours at his house before surrendering to bed. I won :)

I then took the bus at 10AM... To arrive in Bobo at 1400H. I then dropped my stuff off at home and packed up to go to work. What a crazy two days!

On Thursday and friday we managed to almost completely catch up on the lost day. We went to several printing stores (and wasted maaaany hours with one in particular - the owner kept telling us the samples would be ready and we would come back and he hadn't ever started on them.. finally I told him I would come back at such and such time and if they weren't ready we were dropping him as a possible supplier - we then showed up at the scheduled time and it wasn't ready - so I said "buh-bye!")

Today I finished a cople errands - picking up samples and visiting another printing store and now I'm at the cyber cafe... again... waiting for them to finish their samples and pricing list. So far I have three different propositions for the President (she says she will be back Monday - but last week she said she would be back last Monday - so we'll see!) - I really need her in order to finish the work I'm doing...

This reminds me of a funny story: When Seb and I were at the restaurant in Ouaga, his boss called him from Canada (a man who has done a wide range of work in this continent, which will be obvious in a moment) and the first thing he said to Seb over the phone was, "So how many days have you lost so far?!"... SOOO TRUE!

That is the beauty of this place, however. You learn to become very patient. My patience has been tested numerous times and has actually been fully depleted at others - as in I've lost it once or twice. But I'm doing better than I thought I would. I literally left my "honk first, drive slow later" attitude in Canada. We'll see what happens after two months in Canada again.

That's it for now - I will update very soon... IT'S SATURDAY! Let's hope I don't fall asleep at 2000H again like I did yesterday. I guess you'll find out soon enough!

Update on the Last Week

This past week has been fantastic for several reasons.

First of all, Sebastien, a Canadian journalist on contract with CIDA, has been staying with us at the villa (and is sadly leaving us tomorrow morning). Not only did he visit AVOH last week to take some footage but he also went to FDHO with Axelle to give them some exposure... He then visited several other associations/organisations throughout the week. He is very cool – he's creating a documentary on Canadian and local development initiatives in Burkina-Faso and I'm very excited to see how it turns out in a few months on Rogers (and we'll see if my interview with him tomorrow morning at 7:15am will make it on the final product...). We basically carted him around with us wherever we went, and he proved to be quite the tag-along! He's certainly someone I'll keep in touch with. But the kicker is the fact that he lives about two seconds away from my brother Sean in Hull, and he just graduated from Ottawa U! Funny how two people can live so close to each other and only meet when they're 8,970,972 km's from home... Small world!

Things are similarly fantastic on the work front. Unfortunately I wasn't able to go to Ghana last week because of lack of resources on AVOH and WUSC's side. And I was certainly not prepared to pay for the trip out of my own pocket, so it had to be rationalised (as my father so eloquently puts it when you pooh-pooh something...). As they say here in Burkina, "la vie est cher!". It ended up being a blessing in disguise, however, as we finished several important tasks this week including the final logo, brochure and label (which I sent to Mme. Drabo when she was in Ghana to discuss printing options with packaging suppliers). On Friday we had my mid-mandate meeting with Mme. Lakaonde, and it was as efficient as it was useful. She certainly has some great ideas and I was able to reinforce my plan of action for the next three weeks, seeing as that's all the time I have left to bring my work to fruition.

My next tasks include finalising the marketing plan (which will be very cool because they will be able to cater it to whatever campaign they want... seeing as my focus is their two primary products – dried mangoes and nectar – but since they produce several other things including dried vegetables and soap they can change it accordingly after I'm gone). I'm also going to have several meetings with Mme. Drabo throughout the next three weeks to document AVOH's priorities (which I will incorporate into my very important list of recommendations for WUSC). Speaking of the list of recommendations, I am discovering more and more that a marketing volunteer is the last thing AVOH needs right now. First they need an HR specialist to formalise the workplace and make sure people come to work on time and do they jobs they are being paid for (which means they have to know what their job is in order to do is properly...). Then they could surely use a production specialist to render the line more efficient... Tweak it and maybe come up with a list of production machines or tools that AVOH can ask various aid organisations for. Then an accounting specialist would be useful, seeing as the master plan is for AVOH to grow as an enterprise (and I know I always say this, but their potential is amazing... they can do so much if they are given the right tools!)... And every good enterprise needs a seasoned accountant/financial controller. THEN they would surely benefit from another marketing intern to do everything I was hoping to do when I was here but couldn't since there were so many things that needed to be done before even thinking about starting... (Run-on sentence... I know...) Going and generating demand! Getting new customers, spreading the word, selling – That is what I'm really good at but was not able to do because they needed to learn how to turn on a computer (and other basic administrative tasks) first.

It frustrates me because I wish I could stay here for another few months. In fact, I could see myself really effecting long-term change if I was here for a year... That way I could generate long-term demand for AVOH – and work on a couple other things for them, including asking for aid and donations to expand their factory (and really push for the profession-specific volunteers I mentioned in the last paragraph)... I know I could really help this micro-enterprise turn into a market force to be reckoned with... This means that it could help many more AIDS victims emerge from poverty. This is what truly breaks my heart, and this is what makes me want to come back. I know that when it is time for me to go home, I will feel like my job isn't done (although according to my original mandate I will have finished over and above what I was supposed to do).

So for the next three weeks it's all about following the detailed agenda I've drafted so I stay on track. From when I meet with various local businesses ("Fasoplast" for nectar bottles and a couple printing stores) to what time of the day I devote to writing my internship report to what tasks I need to do to prepare for the next day, I need to be organised if I want to finish everything. Ambitious, yes... impossible, no.

For now, I'm off to bed. Its midnight and I have an interview to give tomorrow morning. Pray for me –it's in French.

A

June 23 - Off to Ghana!

So I've managed to get my organization to pay for part of the trip to Ghana... which means I can go now! I was really discouraged because what the president is doing in Ghana - negotiating with a packaging supplier - is what i'm here for and I didn't think I was going to be able to go.

So we leave tomorrow morning for Ouaga - which is where I'll get my visas, then wednesday we go to Ghana via bus... it will be a good 12 hour ride so I have to prepare myself. When we get there we won't stop - we'll be going directly to the supplier. Then we visit a customer that we're relying on to order from us for the next few months (as the sole supplier of income for the orphans and widows)... so this trip is so important, and I can only hope I will increase the chances of its success. I do speak english better than the president, so that gives us an edge to start with.

I'll be bringing my computer, and if i dont get an internet connection there, I'll save my blog posts and publish them when I get back. Until then, pray for AVOH and I - we have no choice but to be successful on this trip or else.

Take care and be safe!
A

June 22 - Mosquitoes

This is what I found on my foot this morning. Apparently, this is what happens when you wear open shoes at night... Thank goodness for anti-malaria pills.

I'm just going to put this out there: Why is it that even when you try to cover up as much as possible, mosquitoes always seem to find your vulnerable spot? They're like ninjas!

Needless to say I will be wearing nothing but repellent from now on - even on my feet – covered or not. And Barb, thank you for the Cortaid you gave me a few months ago – it's really helping with the itching.

On a more serious note, Nathalie – the secretary at AVOH - has malaria, thus the reason why she has been out of commission for the last few days. This worries me because she is pregnant. According to the WHO malaria presents risks to both the parent and the unborn child. I found this online:

"Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to malaria as pregnancy reduces a woman's immunity to malaria, making her more susceptible to malaria infection and increasing the risk of illness, severe anaemia and death. For the unborn child, maternal malaria increases the risk of spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, premature delivery and low birth weight - a leading cause of child mortality." ("Lives at risk: malaria in pregnancy" April 25, 2003, Available at: http://www.who.int/features/2003/04b/en/ (Retrieved June 22^nd, 2008)

She has been going to the antenatal clinic to receive care, but the problem is that she is the only administrator at AVOH. All we can do now is pray that her baby is born healthy and full of life. Friday she came to work (despite my telling her to stay home and get better) and since she wouldn't go home I asked her to teach Ismail what to do to catch up for her. He is going to be picking up the slack when she's having the baby, after all – why not start now? She then went home early but I'm pretty sure she went back that evening, after I left, to finish catching up. She is so persistent it amazes me.

On top of that, Axelle got malaria as well. So now I am officially surrounded by it. Thankfully this is not her first encounter with the sickness (it is not Nathalie's, either...) so she was able to catch it before it got serious – we went out last night to buy her some medicine and this morning she feels much better... Thank goodness – we (as in interns) cannot afford to get sick because we only have a short period (3 months) to fulfill our demanding mandates.

This is why I took a picture of my foot – so I (and all of you) never forget to wear repellent... Because as far as you think you may be from catching something, it still manages to hit dangerously close to home... Your colleagues, your room mates, your family. And don't forget to take your anti-malaria pills for goodness sakes!

On a funnier note, we have officially named the "gremlins" (the neighbour's kids... see Picture with kids next to motor bike in previous month's blog) our "best worst memory" of Bobo... I will never forget them, no matter how much I may try to!! I think seeing them is just God telling me I really don't want kids any time soon – reinforcing my view!

On the food side (I AM a foodie after all), I am still a happy camper, but am beginning to really miss Canadian luxuries like Salmon, shrimp and good ol' AAA Alberta beef. Yet more things to add to my list of things to do when I get back. I ate a cheeseburger yesterday and it felt good – my first (and most likely last) "fast food" experience over here. It was a small restaurant/bar and the burger was decent considering there was no meat and fake cheese in it. Reminded me of McDonald's, actually! Now I can officially say that I am no longer fantasizing about Big Macs... What was I thinking, anyway?!

As for new words: "Bicyclette" can now be used as an adjective for anything that is sub-par or below usual standards... thus "poulet bicyclette" means chicken with absolutely no meat on it, and "cuisinier bicyclette" means a cook who doesn't do his job – i.e. doesn't cook and clean much -but when he does he ruins everything from dishes to clothes. I ate "Carpe bicyclette" on Friday for dinner – nothing more to say about it except that I can still feel bone remnants stuck in my molars. Hopefully you catch my drift.

On the work front, I have two different versions of the brochure and am finishing the third today – I also have the mission statement finished and will translate it into English, which I'm doing for all of AVOH's marketing material. I'll try to publish a copy of the final brochure later on this week for you all to see it. On the school front, I'm almost finished my internship report now. I really like the idea of finishing everything a few weeks ahead of time – which is what I did for all of my exams this semester because of the internship... No stress this way!

A few weeks ago I got an e-mail from the WUSC coordinator in Burkina – Angele Touchette – letting us all know there is a Canadian journalism student (Sebastien) who will be coming to BF to create a documentary to educate Canadians on the development initiatives in BF. I obviously jumped all over it and I am happy to say that Sebastien will be staying with us for the next week, and will be visiting not only my association but Axelle's as well – talk about connections! This means that Monday and Tuesday (hopefully) he will be coming to work with me at AVOH and Wednesday he'll go to FDHO with Axelle – he has a third association he will visit just outside of Bobo on Thursday and Friday, most likely. Then he goes to Banfora, about 100km's from here to continue collecting data for the documentary. Gosh I hope AVOH makes the cut - this would give them so much great exposure, especially considering they've only just become partners with WUSC – CECI – UNITERRA. With that said, Sebastien will be staying with us at the villa until Friday... What a great way to spend a week in Burkina!

 

June 20th – Thank You’s

I would like to take the time to thank a couple people who have really influenced or helped me with this internship (and in life in general...). First of all, thank you Dad and Barb for being my number one fans and always supporting me no matter what... A girl couldn't ask for better parents. Even when I hit rock bottom (or close to it) you're still there every step of the way to bring me back up to where I should be. Thank you Sean, Rob, and Yohan (my 2^nd roommate over here) for helping me with logos (Sean and Rob = Graphic designers) and the mission statement (Yohan = business major and future Mr. Trump). You are my creative gurus and I (and AVOH) really appreciate your help! On a similar note, thank you Sean for souping my computer up before I left... One more reason why I've been able to get my job done over here! Thank you Ryan for all the CD's you made me two years ago for Christmas... You have no idea how much I've been listening to them over here... I have a new appreciation for French rap/hip hop/pop because of you. And thank you for the blow-up mattress you lent me... it really does regulate body temperature... a must-have over here.

Thank you Adora (fire panda!) for writing me awesome updates every few weeks... They never cease to put a smile on my face. Thank you Vicki for drunk-dialling me last weekend... and all the stories you have about life in MTL - I am living vicariously through you girl. Thank you Erica for offering to sacrifice your own personal well-being and waiting 'till I get back to watch Sex and the City with me... I'm sooo excited! And thank you Axelle and Yohan for making my stay here that much better... sharing it with awesome roommates like you! And I promise this is the last sappy note you'll get from me... I just hope you realise how much I cherish you all and I thank my lucky stars to consider you all my friends and family.

Lovin' it over here!

A

What an Evolution!

New to Afton's Adventures!!
-The ability to make comments on this blog without having to sign your life away!! Yipeee... Family I'm counting on you to make this interesting.

Happy Commenting!

A

June 19th, 2008 – Challenges!

Challenges, challenges, challenges... This place is full of them. I am a marketing intern... I'm supposed to be coming up with ideas on how to generate demand for AVOH's products, but they don't even have a functioning production department. How do I go and sell their product to big hotels and chains knowing they will never satisfy that demand in their current state? In that regard, I find myself continuously taking on the role of management/HR advisor. After the executive meeting on Thursday, we decided that there is an immediate need for a clear hierarchy and chain of command at AVOH... So I proposed that they create a diagram (for starters) and finish it for Friday... Which didn't happen. It took one weekend and two days for Herve (production intern) and Mme. Drabo (president) to figure out a production hierarchy and who is where on it. Then I asked them to put down the specific tasks required of every position on the hierarchy and that took another hour, with me there beside them giving pointers. Although I would say Herve is the most progressive of the bunch, he seemed quite resistant to the thought of putting down specific tasks beside the positions. I literally had to explain to him four times that roles must be clear within any organisation right down to the last minute detail – so if any problems arise they know exactly where they started and can take corrective action immediately. Finally, Herve plunked a torn off piece of paper complete with scribbling, scratches and arrows on it (and what I later made out to be people's names) on my desk... It reminded me of my days working at Mercedes-Benz. (hee hee... learning experiences, n'est-ce pas?)

This week I finally got started on the logo and brochure and product labels. Between me, my brother, his business partner (thanks, Rob!!) and other connections, I have a good five logos for Mme. Drabo to choose from come Monday next week. Since she's out of the office this week on seminars, it gave me the chance to really plug in and go nuts on the marketing side. I had Ismail search the internet for different packaging suppliers in and around Burkina-Faso and put the data into an excel worksheet... I have to make him practice his new skills, after all. I then touched up the brochure some more with him, created a few different versions, and translated it into English so we could communicate to a wider demographic. After that I started on my mid-internship report, since Mme. Lakaonde (WUSC representative for the HIV/AIDS sector) will be coming next week to conduct the mid-internship meeting. Which reminds me. I got my hopes up earlier this week because Mme. Drabo asked me to go to Ghana with her next week to meet with a customer and packaging manufacturer for dried mangoes... I was so excited to finally be going on the field that I immediately wrote to Angele Touchette, the WUSC coordinator here in Burkina, asking what I need to go. I quickly found out that I need to get two different visas: one multiple-entry for BF and one single entry for Ghana, which would cost me close to $30, or 15000fcfa's... And both of which I need to send to Ouaga, 350km's away, to receive the visas. It's unfortunate, but AVOH cannot afford to pay for it and neither can I, so Mme. Drabo will be going to Ghana alone next week.

Comparing my expectations before getting here and the reality of my being here is interesting. In my letter of motivation (the letter I had to submit to qualify for this internship), I specifically asked for a field job with little to no French writing at all, seeing as my written French skills are at the grade nine level (which is when I stopped taking French in high school)... Since my spoken French is decent (and the plan was to perfect it here, which is thankfully happening!), I thought I was going to be interacting with people and going out to villages and spreading awareness about AVOH's cause. But here I am, stuck behind a desk typing the association's hierarchical structure – in French – on a Word spreadsheet... Thank goodness I have friends here who write French beautifully to check over my work. On the positive side, however, I get to practice my written French - which I will eventually have to do if I plan on truly being able to work in both languages.

Another expectation I had before coming here was that I would have more tools available to me – say... Internet and a working office... and a coherent operation that was ready to be marketed before I got here. But once again expectations did not meet reality, which is actually okay for me – I am always up for a challenge and this one, I think, is really going to pay off. And tomorrow, after finishing at AVOH, I've been asked by Axelle, my roommate, to go to her placement (FDHO – Femmes et Developement du Houet) and teach the secretary how to use Excel. I can't wait – I never realised how much I enjoy teaching... I now understand why my high school teachers – after all the abuse they got from us kids (you know who you are...) – enjoyed their jobs so much.

Now that I'm almost half way through this experience, I'm beginning to really feel the pressure of my mandate. I have to finish drafting a concrete list of confirmed packaging suppliers (which I started from scratch) and I also have to draft their marketing plan, based on local and national events they will be attending for publicity. I'm also getting a mission statement ready with the help of one of my friends over here, and before all of that I have to finish and confirm the new logo and brochure for AVOH... They're going to be using it on all of their official documents and labels for a long time, after all. I then have to write a final report for WUSC quantifying my work over the last few months... After all of this is finished, I still have to write a 25 page (minimum) report on this internship for school (thank goodness I've already started writing it) and then go through three weeks of intensive courses after I get back to Canada. Should be fun! I have to say that I am SO ready and I can't wait to ace this thing...

So I guess what I'm really saying is that throughout all the challenges, I will emerge with AVOH victorious... By the time I'm gone they will be armed with a comprehensive marketing plan and will also be fully competent running an office (computers, filing systems, organisational charts, accounting, chain of command, etc...). I'm also writing a list of recommendations for the next time they ask for an intern... They would really benefit from two different interns: Accounting and production. Although I was able to help them with basic accounting sheets on Excel, they were just that... basic. If AVOH grows like I think it can, they will eventually need a certified accountant to go in and teach Ismail and Nathalie everything about the profession. With that said, they could also benefit from a production volunteer who can go in and tweak their factory so it runs more efficiently... and to reinforce the chain of command we just created.

Here's to the next five weeks of gruelling, fun, hard work!

A

June 16th, 2008

It has been three weeks since I started working at AVOH and I am proud to say that my students (... those that are left of the original 5) are fully competent using computers and programs like Microsoft Word, Excel and the Internet. With that said, the last few weeks have definitely had their share of challenges. For starters, when I first began giving lessons on the computer, I had five students... Four women (Florence, Safora and Nathalie) and one man (Ismail). They were all present for the first week, although two kept falling asleep in class because they didn't eat anything before coming.

The second week I lost two – the first one because she kept calling in sick and not producing doctor's notes... But then the truth came out and we found out she was pregnant, which means she will stop all of her schooling until after she has the child – which means she will be 21 and probably have a hard time finding an association or agency willing to pay for her schooling because they try to help younger students. And apparently, as Mme. Drabo later explained to me, the baby's father is known for having unprotected sex with many women – which means there's a higher chance of him, and in turn the girl, of having AIDS. The girl has yet to get tested, and Mme. Drabo told her to get everything taken care of before she comes back to work and school... Her health is the number one concern at this point. This is when I realised that Mme. Drabo is more than a boss to these women... She is a mother as well. Thus the name "Tanti", which they all call her – this is what you call a woman who is older than you that you respect...

The second girl I lost apparently doesn't want to continue learning how to use the computer because she is afraid of it... And this is the one I spent extra time with because she was having a harder time learning... I felt like she was making good progress... But one lesson I've learnt here is that you can't help someone who isn't willing to help themselves. The third week – this week – I lost the third girl because she continued to fall asleep in class even after my forcing her to eat something... And after several hours teaching her how to use Word and Excel (and many more hours practicing), she still took three hours to type up a simple one-page graph, in between leaving to go talk to whoever and falling asleep. I still had hope so I continued on – because she was the girl who was going to take over the administration of the association when the current secretary goes on maternity leave. Tuesday I got back to work and I only had two students left – the current secretary and Ismail, the last student. I found out right away that the third girl was no longer going to be responsible for administration because she repeatedly gave away the association's money to friends and family... And this Association cannot afford that. Even after the hundreds of thousands of francs Mme. Drabo spent on sending her to accounting and management seminars she still ended up where she is now... And I find myself with only two students left.

This might sound like a failure of sorts, but I have a much better view of my situation: Quality reigns over quantity. Although there are only two students (one of which is pregnant and will be going on maternity leave in a few months), they are the best students a teacher could ask for. Ismail is really motivated and willing to learn new things, and by Wednesday he was already surfing the internet and researching packaging suppliers for the lists we have to make this week. Nathalie was also up there with Ismail, and by Friday they both set up their own Yahoo e-mail accounts and sent me several test-e-mails afterwards. Ismail was so excited about the abundance of information available on the net he immediately checked out the latest Euro cup football score. Don't ask me who won – I still don't know.

So my new plan is to teach these two everything I know about marketing and management and IT, and they will in turn teach whoever they choose (based on competency and initiative) to carry on once Nathalie goes on maternity leave. This means that it is only the three of us with Mme. Drabo who will be working on marketing. Which is similarly a positive thing because smaller groups tend to be more efficient (than larger ones) when trying to bang out five-week marketing plans. So for this week, the first task is to come up with a logo – I already have a few ideas drafted, so I need the group's input and consensus and will then go on save in several different formats on the computer for printing. I'm going to make sure both Ismail and Nathalie do all of the computer stuff, which means creating and modifying the logo and saving it in different formats etc... So they master their IT skills. After the logo we're going to finish the brochure – which we will in turn save in different formats and then send to whatever international agencies we want for donation and project requests... Say... Asking for donations to fund a project to expand the factory? It's all in the master plan folks...

And after the brochure it's on to developing a list of all the events that AVOH will start sending representatives to with samples... After all, marketing is all about making contacts and getting a name out in the open. This list will also be a part of their year-long marketing plan, which they will (hopefully) carry on the next year and after that... The plan is for them to fine tune after each campaign to make it more and more efficient... And this also makes any new volunteers' job easier, seeing an established and comprehensive marketing plan that encompasses all the Association's future plans. I sure wish I had that before I got here.

Another challenge I have is determining the best plan for packaging. Either we do like Coca Cola and ship our product (dried mangos, nectar and jam) in large containers and leave the packaging up to the retailer, or we secure packaging with a local supplier – who is expensive for the quality of packaging – and ship out to the foreign retailer. I'm pretty sure plan A is the winner but I have to see with the group – they know the transportation and other costs involved with doing business here so they have the upper hand in information. So that's our packaging dilemma. On top of that, I continue to receive more responsibilities and am doing my best to manage them along with the ones I already have. This Friday, I held an executive meeting (with the heads of departments). I was surprised, because as everyone else was getting ready to take notes with their pads and pens, the head of production (and chief of the most important department of the association) was sitting there arms crossed. I found myself interrupting the meeting halfway through and asking her why she wasn't writing notes – in front of everyone – seeing as her department was the most important one and she should be the first one looking to learn new ways to improve efficiency in her department. She then left the room and came back – 15 minutes later – with a piece of paper and pen and started taking notes immediately. What an evolution.

During this meeting I noticed several challenges facing the development of this organisation: namely the fact that Mme. Drabo, the president, is responsible for everything. There is no clear hierarchy except for her. She doesn't delegate tasks (even to her head of production... which I don't blame her but things still need to change)... She even went as far as speaking for people when I specifically asked them questions... Not on purpose but because she simply does everything for them anyway... I've never seen a seventy-something year old work so hard in my life. This woman is so determined she is an inspiration – but what I'm afraid of is that no one will be able to carry on the operations after she retires for good. So one of the meeting's objectives was to put down on paper (and in turn the computer) a clear hierarchy – chain of command – with specific people's names and their specific CLEAR tasks... For example: Ismail is now the head of accounting – which includes him keeping all accounts up to date on excel, and organising all of the weekly and monthly reports for the president... Which means he collects all the quantities and costs from the different production heads... who report solely to him and then he reports to the president... no if's, and's or but's. Nathalie is now the head of administration... she deals with all documents – right down to typing up the minutes of our executive meeting. She reports directly to the president and prepares any packages (project proposals, official letters, Human Resources, etc...). Now it's just a matter of following through with this chain of command... and having meetings every Friday with the department heads to reinforce the objectives of the association. All I can hope is that they continue after I'm gone – if they don't, they'll drop back into the same cycle they were in before I got there.

These are the things we will work on for the next five weeks... My goodness time goes fast. It feels like it was just yesterday when I got off the plane from Canada. I'm really excited and scared at the same time because I feel like I have a lot riding on these next few weeks. I have to work efficiently and tirelessly so that I attain my mandate's objectives. I will update you on the progress of my work... The logo, brochure, and marketing plan should (hopefully) be on their way to fruition this and next week. But I guess we'll find out in my next blog post!

Until next time, be well, be safe, and don't miss me too much!

A

 

June 11 - Motorcycle Madness

So my motorbike broke down last Thursday... On my way back home. Let me explain the distance between my house and my place of employment: It's the equivalent of the distance between the market and Kanata in Ottawa.

SO! I was about 2km's away from work on my way home when the bike started jumping and eventually broke down. At this point I thought there was still hope, so I went into my bag to grab my cell phone... Which had no battery left. Great. So there was no longer any hope left until I reached a telecenter, where I could call Axelle (roomate) and get her to send reinforcements. You know the 417 hwy between Kanate and Bayshore? Well that's the type of road I was on... So no telecenters for at least another few kilometres. So I walked. With the bike. Talk about turning heads... It's bad enough when you see a "Tubabu" over here let alone a destitute-looking one with a broken down motorbike.

Needless to say after that I started wearing my running shoes more often... Thankfully... Because this Monday (keep in mind the bike has yet to be repaired at this point) I had to walk the entire way - from work to my house - because apparently, no taxis like to stop for "Tubabu"!! I waved, I "pssst!", I did everything under the sun to grab every taxi's attention but no one stopped. I now have massive blisters at the bottom of my feet.

But that isn't the end of it. Yesterday a taxi finally stopped for me but did not want to bring me all the way to my house. Which was fine - I was just happy to not have to walk 20Km's. So halfway to my house it started raining... Remember in my previous notes when I explained the rain here? ARMAGEDDON. Which was also fine. What was not fine, however, was the fact that I was wearing white...

On the positive side, I won't need to work out at all this week... Yay.

A few side notes...

For future reference to anyone planning on travelling to Africa:

Bring the same clothes you'd wear on a hot summer day to work wherever you come from... Because that's what they wear here. If you're white, you already stick out enough... don't make yourself look like a wannabe humanitarian with cargo pants and work boots/sandals. Nice trousers with leather shoes will do!
I find myself wearing my cutest stuff actually... The women here are very stylish!

I made the mistake of bringing only one pair of heels - not even real ones.. kitten heels - and I wish I would have brought at least one fun pair with matching clutch. ALDO anyone?! Speaking of my kitten heels, I figured out I needed a new pair of lifts when I got here, so I sent them to the "cordonnier"... bad idea. Instead of a new pair of plastic lifts, I got two pieces of old tire rubber stuck on the heels. Sick. So I can't wear them anymore.

With that said, next time I go to Africa, I plan on bringing:

- wifi modem... trust me I'll need it –
- dvd's - LOTS
- unlocked blackberry... great for texting and I would have been able to use a phone chip from here - much cheaper.
- one nice pair of stilettos and matching clutch... Just because.
- 3-4 bathing suits
- 3 pairs of flip flops.. because surprisingly, I only brought one pair.

Things I plan on doing right after I get back to Ottawa (this list will be updated as time goes on... You can count on it)

- take a HOT shower... the cold showers here don't bother me but it's a "because I can" thing in Canada.
- mani/pedi combo among other things (hello waxing!)... and maybe a hot stone massage.
- Eat a rare delmonico cut steak... with Montreal steak spices and roasted garlic mashed potatoes... and asparagus. and paparadella alfredo with chicken and procuito... and Proseco to drink... and Lava cake/cheesecake/gelato for desert. Yes These are my favorite things and I can't have ANY of them here because they're just not available. I will eat a Big Mac as well.
- Watch Sex and the City movie
- smother on satsuma body butter... because I forgot to bring some and I'm going through withdrawal.

Speaking of food, I ate my first meat sandwich yesterday... it reminded me of a Lebanese meat pie... except not. It cost me $0.44 Canadian. That's all I have to say.

As for the more serious part of my internship, I have now developed a comprehensive plan of action with timelines.

Although my original mandate was as marketing consultant (which includes commercialisation – logo, brochure, etc...), I'm taking on a second role as Information Technology (IT) Specialist. My skills as the sister of an IT specialist (thanks, Sean!) would get me nowhere in Canada, but at AVOH they are undeniable, seeing as only one employee knew how to turn on a computer when I got here. I have given several "formations" on the basics of using a computer to five students (my secondary homologues, if you will). We've managed to move on to Microsoft Word, Excel, and finally the internet and this week we will go through all their computer's files (it is an old Pentium II computer with back-dated files from 2005) and organise them in folders and sub-folders. The secretary, Nathalie Sawadogo (she was the only one who could turn a computer on and off) was ecstatic at the fact that she will only have to spend one minute to find whatever document she wants. And when she goes on maternity leave (she's pregnant) the other kids will be able run the ship.

I keep reminding them to create the habit of turning the computer on every morning and starting to use it for their everyday tasks, namely accounting (I taught them how to draft excel worksheets for accounting – formulas and all) and documenting all meetings with the computer, etc...

After the IT pseudo-mandate is completed (this Friday), we will move on to the marketing side. Because I've been working with the five young workers in IT, I've decided to include them in all marketing aspects as well, seeing as they are the future of the association, thus responsible for carrying on after I am gone. We will have marketing meetings with "the team" almost every day, and I will have each person take their turn for typing the minutes of each meeting into the computer, to better develop their typing and text treatment skills. Hopefully it will stick after I'm gone.

So that's when the fun stuff will happen – we will be designing a new logo – a standard one that will show up on all official documents and packaging alike – and will also develop an information brochure that we can send to aid organisations and clients alike... Anyone interested in investing in this fantastic Association. We will also draft a list of all important events in the country – anything we can send one or two representatives to with samples and brochures – to spread the word. I plan on attending a few while I'm here and then letting them take the reins soon after... Word of mouth seems to be the most efficient marketing technique here.

So that's about it – I'm hoping you are all doing well and enjoying your summer... I sure am.

Until next time, be safe and take care!

Afton

Blog posts

So apparently my friends and family can't comment on this blog, so I've decided to include all blog posts on my facebook page, under "notes". This way you can comment easily without having the hassle of signing your life away...

Lots of love and Happy reading!

Afton

Getting into the groove... Slowly but surely?

So it's been a few weeks now and I'm finally getting into the groove. It has taken me a good two weeks to get the internet at my house (which includes all four visits we made to the government owned store named "ONATEL"... where it took not one but THREE workers to finally figure out what we needed to get connected. So I'm home now and trying to connect, and SURPRISE! It doesn't work! At this point Rogers cable looks like paradise. Lol. I never thought I'd say that. Ever.

So that's the internet... And no, I'm still not connected. Even after paying close to $70 Canadian, which is the equivalent of two pre-paid months of internet and the hardware needed to get connected. Good stuff.

So the taxis here are crazy. I know everyone is going to think, "But Afton, you can't be so prejudiced about the taxis there... I'm sure they're not ALL bad..." Hear me now... THEY ARE ALL BAD! Empirical evidence: Today I almost got run over by one... When it was MY right of way!! So thank goodness I braked fast enough to avoid hitting him or falling with the bike... All I have to show for this close call is a bruise on my left calf. I promise I will take a picture when I get a better internet connection and post it. If any of you have ever seen my rugby bruises... and those are bad enough... This is worse. But I'll gladly take it over actually getting into an accident.

So the food here (in Bobo) is waaay better than Ouaga. There was this restaurant in Ouaga that I mentioned in an earlier blog post – Paradisio... I would call it "le meilleur place dans le monde"... until I ate at Sidwaya in Bobo. Their petit poids are insanely good – and they don't even cost $2! They braise all kinds of things too – fish, chicken, filet, etc... I stick with the fish, though, since their "poulet byciclette" resembles %$#@ on a stick... hee hee...

So my neighbours' kids now have a new nickname... Gremlins (see picture). No really, I'm not kidding. You know how the gremlins would just botch whatever they could? Just to be annoying? That's what these kids do... And I took a picture of them when they all tried to mount my motorcycle at the same time a few weeks ago... Hilarious!

So today at ONATEL we spent a good 3 hours waiting for the entire store to get us internet... Let me tell you what customer service is like in Bobo-Dioulasso: You walk into the empty store and NO ONE comes to greet you/make you feel welcome/acknowledge you at all. Everyone in this country has at least two cell phones, so if the workers are not flapping their gums on those, they are "too busy" rifling through useless paperwork. So when we finally got someone to help us (who just happened to be a larger than life African woman wearing a Bright Royal blue mumu and matching headdress... I swear this blog writes itself), she insisted on interrupting us by answering her obnoxious cell phone in the middle of our explanation. At that point I was already thinking about how I would write this particular situation on my blog, when she asked me to take a photocopy of my id... Because every other store in the country has a photocopier and it is completely normal if not expected that the employees take the id and photocopy it themselves, I asked if she could make the photocopy. She then replied, "Well... that would mean I would have to get up and go do it...", so then I said smugly in English, "Oh, so you would have to MOVE to do it... NOW I understand why you can't make the photocopy!! It's all very clear now!!"... She was looking at me like I had two heads... And she still didn't budge. Very funny. So then my saint of a roommate went all the way down the street and took a photocopy of my id just so this woman could remain immobile. Unbelievable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 18-20th - First few days... Still no work!

This was taken just outside of my house when I was trying to leave with the motorbike... All five of these kids (neighbours) were on the bike at once... I couldn't get them off!

So it's Wednesday and I find myself at home with nothing to do...still. I went to visit the President of the Association I'm going to be working for on Monday and she seems very organized. Mme Drabo is an older lady who has decided to take it upon herself to run the entire organisation... She is brilliant. She single-handedly took a compassionate idea and turned it into a full-fledged working operation. The grounds of AVOH (Association des Veuves et Orphelins du Houet) have grown from one small stone house to two fully operational preserve and drying factories, sterile and all. And the products they pump out are amazing... I never realized how good dried Mangos are until yesterday. And they make several different kinds of juices (mango, orange, etc...) and soaps (with Shea butter and other natural extracts). My job, or what I know of my job so far, is to find a way to market their products... So far they still have no packaging or exclusive customers/contracts. They already have several clients but they are all international... The local market has yet to be tapped.

C'est Mercredi et je me retrouve à la maison avec rien à faire... encore. J'ai visité l'association ou je vais travailler durant mon stage et la Présidente a l'air très organisée. Mme Drabo est incroyable… Elle a entièrement créée l'organisation. L'AVOH (Association des Veuves et Orphelins du Houet) a commencé comme simple œuvre caritative et est devenue une vraie structure. Leur spécialisation est le séchage des mangues et le jus de quelques fruits (oranges, mangues, etc.…). Ils fabriquent aussi le savon et tous leurs produits sont 100%naturel… Mon mandat durant ce stage est de développer une mise en marché assez simple pour que je puisse l'opérationnaliser avant que mon stage soit fini. Ils n'ont pas encore d'emballage approprié pour leurs produits (volume, qualité, prix) et leurs produits ne sont pas encore sur le marché local.

Initial ideas:

• I went to the Marina Market (which is the only grocery store in the city – owned by an Arabic family) yesterday and they carry the same products that AVOH produce except the price points are higher and the portions smaller. AVOH's products are cheaper right from the get go and the quality is exceptional... I've been inside the factory and have already tried the products. I'm thinking they have competitive advantage in the local market without even knowing it.
  
• Marketing platform for any and all customers: YOU ARE SUPPORTING AIDS ORPHANS AND WIDOWS BY BUYING THIS PRRODUCT
  
• Axelle's (my roommate) mom is from Guadeloupe and she has soaps from a local company there... The packaging is very nice but also very cheap. Since I don't have the internet and the cyber cafes here aren't reliable for research, I'm waiting till I get a decent connection to research some packaging options... The problem is that it needs to be cheap enough for them to afford but it also has to do the job in terms of staying intact while shipping and handling.
  
• There is quite a bit of waste in the process – particularly of mango peels. I'm wondering if I can suggest anything for them to do with that... Maybe develop another product, maybe they can seep the essential oils out and make – anything really... even just sell it to foreign companies who will use it for their shampoos or lotions.
  

Idées initials:

• Je suis allé au marché Marina (c'est la seule marché style épicerie dans la ville) hier et j'ai découvert qu'ils vendent des produits proche de ce que l'AVOH produit. Ceux de l'AVOH sont moins cher et ils sont aussi de meilleure qualité (d'après mes testes). Ca serait un bon commencement pour la commercialisation dans le marché local.
  
• Plateforme pour les produits de l'AVOH : En achetant ce produit naturel, vous supportez les veuves et Orphelins du SIDA à la région de l'Houet – MANIFIQUE!
  
• Mon coloc (Axelle) m'a montré des savons qui viennent de Guadeloupe (c'est où sa mère est d'origine) qui sont très similaires de se que l'AVOH produit et l'emballage est très bien et ca a l'ait très peu cher. C'est une idée pour l'emballage de l'AVOH mais j'ai besoin d'internet pour faire un peu plus de recherche sur le sujet.
  
• Une produit secondaire dont ils pourraient profiter serait la pelure de mangues (car ils les mettent dans les déchets). Mon idée serait de préserver l'huile essentielle et fabriquer quelque chose avec… ou simplement le vendre aux grosses entreprises qui font les produits hygiéniques.
  

So these are just initial ideas... I'm going to have to take a few days and really soak in their process... put simple, how they work. I don't want to seem like a mad woman going in there and trying to change things. I want to know as much as humanly possible before I take any steps. It's incredibly important that I make sure the changes are with them and not against them... They are the ones who will have to carry on after I'm gone. As ideas go, I'm ready and welcoming any that you have to share with me... This is after all my first experience in this type of environment.

Alors voila mes idées initiales. S'il vous plait n'hésitez pas de m'envoyer aucune de vos idées. C'est tres bienvenu.

As far as living arrangements go, I am living large, baby. The villa that Axelle and I are renting is a four bedroom two story on top of a hill that overlooks the entire city of Bobo-Dioulasso (along with all its greenery... which is beautiful – a real Oasis). It is beige stucco exterior with a red ceramic roof... You can see it (and it is in fact the way we tell taxis to find our house... "The one with the red roof at the top of the hill") from the end of the street. I am planning on getting the internet very soon, but I'm not sure if our land lady will follow through... She seems to avoid doing any work herself. The water cuts off pretty often... Let me just say that Monday night I bathed out of a small pot of rain water. The electricity seems to only cut off during rain storms. The rain here is completely different from the rain in Canada. When it rains here it feels and looks like the world has reached Armageddon. You feel the earth shake with the thunder and the lightning rattles your bones. Needless to say I was very scared. So this morning it rained again and apparently no one goes to work when it rains here. In fact, people strongly recommend you stay inside wherever you are during a storm. Pretty intense right? So that meant yet another day of twiddling my thumbs... I also managed to secure myself a motorbike to ride around with... For two months, I'm paying the equivalent of $222 Canadian to have my own means of transportation. AND I LOVE IT!! I practiced quite a bit yesterday and I did a full tour of my work commute, including where I will be dropping Axelle off for work every morning... Oh what we do when there is nothing to do – prepare for when we have to do something, of course!

Maintenant au sujet de mon logement. Je l'adore. Ma villa a quatre chambres, deux étages avec les murs beiges et un toit céramique en rouge… Et c'est tous pour Axelle et moi – vous êtes bienvenu pour nous rendre visite! J'espère avoir internet bientôt car les cybers cafés ne sont pas très fiables… mais on va voir ce que notre loueur nos dit… elle est aussi fiable que les cybers cafés. L'eau coupe souvent (Lundi j'ai pris un bain dans un petit pot de cuisine) mais l'électricité se coupe seulement durant la pluie (normalement… On ne sait jamais). La pluie ici est très différent que la pluie au Canada – ici ca a l'air de la fin du monde le monde – On peut vraiment sentir les orages. Aujourd'hui il a plu encore et je me trouve encore sans travail…. De quoi a faire? Se promener avec ma nouvelle moto, bien sur! Je la loue pour les prochains deux mois pour un gros $222 Canadien… J'adore le Burkina-Faso. Alors aujourd'hui on a fait le tour complet de notre petite ville, incluant ou je vais déposer Axelle a son travail et me rendre a mon travail. C'est ce qu'on fait quand il y a rien de faire… On se prépare pour quand on va être occupés!

So that's it for now... I'm still in the honeymoon stage in terms of sociological/culture shock theory... I hope I never come out of it – in fact, I don't think I can come out of it unless a natural disaster happens (knock on wood). But we'll see... Maybe I'm a perfect specimen for denial of culture shock? J

Until next time, be well, be safe, and take care.

C'est tout pour ce soir… Je vous aime tous, prenez soins de vous et bisou!

 

Xoxoxo

A

will update soon... no reliable connection to the internet... yet.

May 15 - 18, 2008

So on Thursday we talked about security in Burkina-Faso. Which was fine. Until people started asking questions like, "What should I do if people start rioting around me?", or "How should I act towards the police". First of all, what would you do in Canada (or wherever you're from) if a riot broke out where you are?? Get out! (As a side note, this also makes me think of the "victims" in horror movies who "investigate" weird noises instead of run away, which would be the smart thing to do...). Secondly, how do you normally treat the Police wherever you're from?? Politely! "Yes sir/maam, no sir/maam, thank you for the ticket sir/maam".

But that isn't even the good part. You know when you're in a meeting that's taking much longer than needed, and just as the meeting is about to be adjourned, the same person who was frustrating you with the silly questions before REPEATS a question that was already answered during the meeting... At the time I was trying to hold back my death stare and be polite but now that I think of it I shouldn't have...?

Thursday night we went to the Centre Culturel Francais (CCF) in Ouaga and watched a jazz band play... They rocked. They also made me miss playing the sax ALOT. I couldn't help smiling the whole time we were there... It was a jazz combo: Drums, Bass, Electric and piano, with a guest drummer and sax player every few songs. I have a video of the drummer playing for four minutes, no break, as a solo... It was insane how talented these Burkinabes were!! Another little note: The MC said a very cool quote before introducing the band, "Quand la tete est la, le genou ne porte pas le chapeau"... The band was indeed fantastic.

Friday we talked about "working in Burkina-Faso"... Finally, the last drawn-out meeting I have to endure for the rest of my internship. Basically, we learnt to follow suit: if the Burkinabes get up and wait at the door if the boss is coming, do it as well... if they walk – walk. And if they run... run! On another note we went for dinner at Angele's (our coordinator) on Friday night and enjoyed some yummy Tabouleh, Filet skewers and Avocado salad... It felt really good to have home-cooked food. I also picked up my new shoes!!!!! (See picture) They are so cool and well made and the little Burkinabe (remember... scared of my feet...) who made them is definitely a master craftsman. All jokes aside, I know they will last me forever and I've already sent several envious colleagues to see him.

Saturday is a wonderful day. You can wake up whenever you want and do as much or as little as you want. That is what I enjoyed this Saturday. The ultimate "laissez-faire" of the week; I took full advantage of it...I slept until 12pm. I also happened to have gone out the night before until really late (to the tune of 5am bedtime) with my fellow interns... Why go to Burkina-Faso if you can't take advantage of the African music and nightlife? I was especially happy when "Like a Virgin – House remix" started playing at the "boite de nuit"(club)... We eventually found ourselves alone on the dance floor after about 2 minutes... But it didn't matter – You can take the girl out of the house but you can't take the house out of the girl...

Cab Drivers. They are supposed to be the ultimate know-it-alls when it comes to directions, but in Ouaga, some can't tell the difference between right and left! On Saturday night we decided to go out for dinner in the city... Which is unnerving itself, since we don't know the city at all. Add a cab driver who has no idea where he is, and you get a wonderful cocktail of nerves, frustration and paranoia. I must say, however, that his antique 1986 Toyota Tercel sure did hold its own on the long (at least it seemed long) trip home. As a side note, this section is not a generalisation – I have empirical evidence proving that every cab driver we stopped in Ouaga had no idea how to get to the main road in the city... Thus two conclusions are possible: 1)The majority of cab drivers in Ouaga don't know where they are or 2) We are indeed the unluckiest group of cab patrons in the world.

So Sunday was "Le grand voyage" from Ouaga to Bobo via Leo, a small town in which we dropped off one of the interns at. There, we got a special treat: the people at the NGO organised a little show for us that included not only singing and dancing but theatre as well... And it was fabulous. I love how art penetrates all cultural barriers and conveys any message. I felt so special to have been able to watch it. After lunch (which was really nice – we went to another "cooperative's" house and ate spaghetti a la tomato sauce with grated cheese... ) we were off to Bobo. Apparently the highway on the way had to be re-done twice in the last 4 years, as our coordinator says, because they keep cutting corners to pocket construction grant money... The road was therefore brand new but still very uneven... It will probably have to be re-done in a few years... again.

We killed two goats today. With a Toyota Land Cruiser. Thank God we were in that truck, which surely saved our lives, but I still felt really bad for the goats... Which is a view I can say our coordinator did not share. As I was still covering my eyes and squealing like a baby after each time, she would say enthusiastically, "at least the kids will get to eat now!" I couldn't help but laugh... Poor goats. I also saw my first monkey... It was amazing – it ran across the highway and was beige and really fast... So fast I couldn't get a picture in time. What I do have pictures of, however, are the transport trucks. I guess that the companies try to maximise their transporting potential every trip the trucks make, to they decide to pile them so high that they look like they are about to topple over. Add a highway speed of 120km/hr and you get a pretty good show. Did I forget to mention that they put PEOPLE on top of the goods as well?

So tonight I am dead tired from the last week and am trying to stay awake to finish this blog post... I'm really excited to settle into my new digs, which we will figure out where tomorrow. For now I'm in a hotel – again. House hunting in Bobo – how exciting. I also get to finally meet the president of the association I'm going to be working for... Voeuves et Orphelins du Houet... equally exciting.

 

 

March 13th - 14th

Red Soil. When it hasn't rained in a while (which is usual during the hot season - March July 40 degree average), you see clouds of red dust all over the place... especially when you're on a busy, unpaved road.

I wore white all day on the 13th and so far, surprisingly, I've managed to keep it clean. Except for the massive red mark on my right pant leg... where did than come from??

The women in BF are absolutely beautiful. the women who works at the hotel has the nicest feet I've ever seen - prefectly painted toe nails and never dry... like she gets a pedicure every morning. African dresses are equally impressive... The most beautiful materials (most of them I couldn't wear - too many different colours, but they are still absolutely gorgeous) and they're all tailor made... two pieces seem to be the trend here.

The food. It is great. It's super cheap too. I bought izza - REAL ITALIAN PIZZA - for $1.70. and I had a half litre of french wine for $6. I love this place. I've budgeted myself $10,000cfa ($20 dollars) per day, since that's what WUSC gave me to spend... This is going to be easy!!

Tiolets. They don't have bowl covers. I don't mind. Makes things easier. The tile work is always really beautiful in the washrooms here too... small squares, lots of mosaics... Flushing the tiolet is impressive... Like a mini-waterfall... very efficient.

We also went to the Canadian embassy... it smells like Canada. Makes me miss it already... until I see the "wine for $6" sign... Then I'm happy again. Just kidding?

My first culture shock: When we were in the waiting room of the embassy, a Burkinabe came to the front counter and said hello to each and every one of us and shook all of our hands... I was waiting for him to say something like "follow me!"... but nothing. He really just wanted to say "bonjour!" to everyone... I find not enough of us do that in Canada... we're so cold if you think about it... So I'm going to do try to do it when I get back - probably won't work.

Jet lag is really getting to me.. although I tried to take precautions to avoid it, like making sure I slept and stayed awake on the right flights on the way here. I almost fell asleep while in a meeting with the "chef d'aide" of the Canadian Embassy... or maybe I was falling asleep because of his monotone-low-talker 4 hour speech about.... I forget. I miss Red Bull.

Today (the 14th), I went to get my feet measured to get some custom shoes made for a whopping $6... When the little Burkinabe shoe maker measured my foot on a piece of cardboard with a crayola, I almost had to pick his jaw up off the ground afterwards. I don't think he's ever seen a foot that big... especially on a girl. It made me feel really great. About my feet. They're cute though - I got them in beige leather... kind of like comfy gladiator sandals, and they'll last me forever... Hand made and all.

I'm still trying to figure out my cell phone. I'm keeping my Rogers SIM card out since I know they'll try to weasel out some "roaming charges" if I leave it in. I bought a chip here at "Telmob" but it won't work since my Blackberry needs to be unlocked. I'm working on getting a cell phone from my colleague's friend. He's got a few phones handy and is willing to give/sell them for cheap.. just something I can text with, since that's what everyone does here. It costs a whole 75 cfa ($0.15CAN)/text to Canada, and anytihng incoming is frreeeeeeeeee!!! I already bought a 5000cfa phone card so I'm not stuck when I get to Bobo-Dioulasso.

I went to a realy African restaurant today... So far we've had French, Italian, Chinese and Lebanese (if you call fries, chicken and gralic tomatoes wrapped up a "Chawarma"... yes - they spell it "Chawarma"...) so we decided to actually eat African... Burkinabe. So we went to "Gracias" and I had "Sauce au feuilles" with "To"(Pictures above)... Interesting. It tasted like plain Grits with spinach, except more tastless. It really is designed for hard-working Burkinabes who are looking for good cheap eats.

I would say, though, that everyone needs to try it. It really is a different kind of food - high in Iron and Fibre and calorie-dense corn. I still prefer my pizza:)

So that's all for now... Tomorrow the plan is to go to the pool at the American Club in the afternoon and soak in the sun since we have it off. Till then be safe and take care!