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!