The picture on the left is me with one of our toddlers Tebnoma. I tied a bear on her back in the same fashion women would tie a baby on their back. She seemed thrilled, and posed for a cute picture too.


A cute story...One day last week when it was still cold they were all wearing shirts with long sleeves. I noticed Estelle’s sleeves were too long, so I rolled them up for her. When I turned around the other four toddlers were pulling their sleeves down over their hands, and holding them out to me. I smiled, rolled up four sets of sleeves and patted the toddlers on the heads. Next thing I knew they all had their sleeves rolled down again and were holding their hands out waiting for me to roll their sleeves up again.
Fun things..Saturday morning Liz and I baked bread. You can buy delicious bread here in Yako, and everywhere I’m sure. But everything is made with white flour, it’s impossible to find anything whole wheat or anywhere close. So we baked our own bread using wheat flour, which makes a nice change from the baguettes we usually buy. (Saturday afternoon we were invited to a fete at the local sewing school. Three of our girls go to the school, and four of the other students are sponsored in some way by Sheltering Wings. We had no idea what kind of fete it would be so we didn’t know at all what to expect, but it ended up being a really fun time! First they gave a lesson on making a men’s pants pattern, and then they had a fashion show. It was so fun to watch all the different outfits come down the runway, and the different models too. I know a little about Burkina Fashion now, and more specifically Yako fashion. So I could pick out the more traditional outfits and those that were more fashion forward. I certainly took a mental tally of some of the pieces I liked for next time I visit our tailor. We were seated next to two local chefs. One of the chefs was obviously enjoying the fashion show immensely. When I could I would sneak a peek at his face, simply because his expression was so priceless! He had this huge grin, and was leaning forward in his chair watching with wide eyes. I’ve never seen a chef be so attentive at any type of ceremony!
The list
Since I have just finished my first month in Burkina I thought I’d share with you some of the things from my list. I’ve been keeping a list of things that are different here from back home, and I have a different one for each month. Here are a few of the things I have written down... You buy everything in a bag.: Yogurt, peanut butter, water, tomato paste, even oil. All of these items and more can be purchased in small clear plastic bags. When you buy vegetables you buy them by the stack. Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers it doesn’t matter. They’ll be stacked in little pyramids and you ask how much for the pyramid. Usually they’ll be two different price points, one for small pyramids and one for the larger ones. You decide on how many stacks at what price you want and the vendor will select veggies for you. I did this by myself for the first time yesterday! I usually go to the same couple of vendors so I’m starting to get to know them a little, which I enjoy. And we always go to the same boutique, which I enjoy for the same reason. Everything you buy will be put into black ’sachets’ grocery bags. These are then disposed anywhere which usually means the road. The women can carry anything on their heads. You all know I’m sure they can carry water on their heads. How about stacks of logs and sticks? or trays piled high with strawberries to sell at the side of the road... And they do it while carrying a baby on their back. Okay, you’ve all heard it but I did note it on my list. Time is not counted the way it is back home. Time has a rather fluid quality here. Time is something you always have more of, not something we’re always losing. It still happens, but rarely now, that I think ‘but aren’t we going to be late?’. The answer is no. Here in Yako at least, the time an event is supposed to start is probably a good time to leave the house.Along similar lines perhaps? Business hours are guidelines. They’re your best shot at finding the business open, but never a guarantee. Sometimes this is more frustrating than others. I try to recognize that it’s just a difference from how things are done where I’m from, and how things are done where I am now; there isn’t a right or wrong. And so I think of it as an exercise in patience. Animals run around everywhere. Apparently all the sheep, goats, pigs and chickens have owners. And apparently everyone can tell which of them belong to who! To me they all just look like sheep (who by the way look nothing like our sheep. They’re not furry or fuzzy. I had to have lessons on how to tell sheep and goats apart because at first they all looked the same.) The sheep aren’t too intelligent, they always seem to find themselves in the path of your vehicle. The pigs seem to fare better, although I witnessed one eating a sachet the other day so maybe it’s 6 of one and ½ dozen of the other?There is a greeting here that reminds me of la bise (that’s the French greeting right?) except not at all. Confused yet? It usually takes place between two men. They either touch cheeks 4 times, (twice per cheek), or temples 4 times. I haven’t figured out when this is applicable, but it appears to be a greeting between close friends. Hmmm those are just a few from January’s list..