Mini-Hot Season

Note: The following are excerpts from a letter from Joel written October 4, 2006.

I can’t believe its already October! I’ve all but forgotten what the weather must be like there right now. Here in Burkina, the Rainy Season is almost completely finished. We got a good rain last night, but unlike past rains, the earth sucked up the moisture instantaneously. October-November is known as the “Mini-Hot Season” as the decreasing rains means more chance for the sun to heat things up. December-End of Feb. is the Cool Season, where everybody wears coats and beanies (seriously). I am shocked at how sensitive my body has become to the changes in temperature. I can generally indicate a change up to ½ degree. But enough talk of the weather.

School has begun her. Yesterday I went and met the Director of the Primary School. He’s new, as all teachers and directors come from different places teach in villages. It called Affectsion. Since there is not enough (or sometimes any) qualified teachers to occupy a school, the government assigns all the teachers in the country to villages and towns. Generally, the newer the teacher, the smaller/more isolated the village. So teachers “Pay their dues” by teaching for 3 years in a particular place before they can be assigned to a more desirable location (which for most is the Bobo region in the South…least desirable is the North…go figure). Given the circumstances, I think that it is the best possible method, at this time. It gives newer teachers in small villages incentive to up their work performance, thus helping students and giving them an opportunity to “move up”.

At this point my plan of action is to be a familiar face around the school both with the teachers and the students. That nobody knows what I am doing is both intimidating and promising. People know I am to do work here, but what? Nobody knows.

My french is really coming along. I still have difficulty listening to people, especially if they are not as educated (equiv. of someone in America who speaks a lot of slang and has a general poor speaking quality). But among the teachers, they speak clearly, so I feel more confident when I speak to them. Today I was doing laundry. I caught myself thinking in French. You know how people say once you start dreaming in another language your relatively fluent? I wonder if this is the same thing? My level of vocab is not very high, but I find that I learn new expressions as necessary.

I have been reading a lot of books, which is good. I guess they are my new TV. The art of book trading among PCVs is very unique. Before leaving to your site for the first time most will grab a handful (or 4) of books from the PC hostel library. Each time you travel to a place where other PCVs may be, you bring a few or all finished books and exchange with the others. I brought with me George Orwell’s 1984. Since my reading of the book, it has passed through 4 other volunteer’s hands. So far I have read approximately 9 books, which is monumental for me. Currently reading “the curious incident of the dog in the nite-time” by Mark Haddon. I highly recommend it! It’s the story through the eyes of a 15 year-old autistic teen, of the murder of a neighborhood dog. He investigates the murder. Its all from his perspective, so it is very brain-teasing.