dust on my feet

There's this old saying: 'you can't wipe the dust of africa off your feet' and there are two things I know to be true about it. The first is that if you can take the saying to be literal (which I'm not suggesting is the intended meaning). I've been in Burkina all of two hours and my feet are filthy. However, the second is more along the lines of the intended meaning: once you have Africa in you it's a part of you, and you can't get it out. I know this to be true. Africa is a piece of me. Burkina, is in fact, one of my two homes.

When I felt the wheels of our plane touch down on Burkina soil this afternoon my heart burst open in my chest. A part of me came home this afternoon. And in the seconds following I recognized I was surrounded by a small gathering of people that were experiencing the same pulsing emotions I was, because, as we all looked out the window at the beautiful burnt-red soil someone up front began to clap. And then, we were all clapping, grinning like fools and whispering quielty that we couldn't believe we were in Burkina.

And so here I am! From the moment my first plane took off in Calgary to the moment the last plane touched down in Burkina it took me 27 hours to get here. It was long and exhausting, but the fatigue I feel is a small price to pay for getting to be here.

I'm spending tonight and tomorrow in Ouagadougou before leaving Thursday morning for Yako. I had to take my sweater off and change into flipflops before leaving the plane this afternoon. It was almost 17h00 here and pushing 40C. We spent a long while in the airport searching for our bags in the baggage room, but finally everything came out of the other end! Every piece of luggage has arrived just as we packed them- a huge blessing. Thank you all for your prayers so a safe flight!

Dirty feet, high temperatures and hearing the word 'nasara' shouted as I walk by are just a few indications that I am back in my other home.