Guest Post-Say it Ain't To(toe) *

 Mom covered the important stuff in the last blog post but here are few musings on my end… 

      For me, the image that will endure long after the events of the trip have blurred together, is arriving in Komtoega. Nat’s village sort of appears out of nowhere. After driving through a stretch of nothing but dust clouds, we began to see the outlines of buildings and animals. As we got closer and rolled our windows down, the children came running alongside our car, barefoot, grinning and chanting “Nat-a-lee,” “Nat-a-lee;” her dogs, Puppy and Milu at their heels. Before we had even gotten out of the vehicle they were bowing their heads with their arms crossed, a sign of respect. A group of the children went straight to the trunk and began placing our (relatively heavy) suitcases on their heads and carrying them inside. The rest of them stood with their hands out, waiting for us to shake and speaking to us in Bisa. Their enthusiasm never waned— even after they recognized that we could not speak their language. They followed us around all three days, every time we left Nat’s home, across the clinic grounds or through the market.

Dabre making to!

     The adults were no less enthused by our arrival. Natalie’s close friends Dabre and Mariatu  both prepared to (toe) for us to eat. To put it politely, I’m not really a fan. However, I recognized how extremely rude it is to deny food which takes such time and work to prepare. I did my best to eat when the chefs were watching. Apparently I wasn’t hiding it as well as I thought—Natalie thought it was hilarious to spoon out heaping bites and hand them to me to eat. Every time someone in Natalie’s village dropped by the house to offer us gifts, I silently pleaded that it wouldn’t be a communal bowl of to.

     Staying in village was harder than I expected and I think we all painfully realized how much we rely on the material comforts of air conditioning, a microwave, a toilet… I felt frustrated that I couldn’t charge my phone and then ashamed for not being able to last three days without it. In the end, leaving Komtoega was surprisingly bittersweet. Everyone had been so welcoming and gracious and they seemed genuinely upset to say goodbye. I have to be honest, visiting was unbelievably remarkable but I know I wouldn’t be able to do two years in the village. I remain truly in awe of Natalie’s gumption. She’s got tougher skin (and a tougher stomach) than I do. I remain unconvinced that the two of us are related...       

* Title Provided by John Moore

Guest Post - The Moores Go To Burkina

     Where to begin?  This was a trip unlike any past or probably future journey.  The many pictures Natalie sent didn't adequately prepare us for Burkina Faso.  Added to the landscapes of her photos were the sounds, smells, incredible heat and overwhelming enthusiasm of her villagers to meet and greet us.  Our arrival was a big event.
     We spent three chock-full days in Natalie's village, Komtoega.  We were welcomed by groups of  children and adults wanting to say hello and shake our hands.  It was evident that the arrival of Natalie's family was very exciting.  There was a steady stream of people coming to her small cinder-block home, many bearing gifts.  While there we received many home-cooked meals (including To with sauce and grilled goat meat), jewelry, two live chickens, pagne cloths for skirts and head wraps, baskets of onions, peanuts, a beautiful straw hat and more.  The mayor of the village took us to the local bar as did some of the other village officials. There we shared Burkina beer and platters of grilled meat.  Everywhere we went people were scurrying to get us chairs.  It was a bit overwhelming but we were humbled by the generosity of these people who are living under such extreme circumstances.

     First sight of the "marche" was unforgettable.  It is very large and busy and walking through it was amazing. Natalie seems well-liked in this village. It took us a very long time to get from one end of the market to the other.  Kids were following us and everyone was calling to Nat and wanted to be introduced.  Greetings were fairly formal and each one took several minutes. There was an amazing display of goods - tables full of produce, meat, cooked food, hardware supplies, cloth, etc.  We passed one table of goat heads!  It was evident that Natalie knew many people here and walked through the paths with confidence and enthusiasm talking with many people on a personal level.  (She learned that while she was away in Ouagoudougou picking us up, two babies were born and two people died - one the mother of the mayor and the other a teenage boy whose family couldn't afford the dialysis he needed.  When we visited the mayor's home the next day, his mother's body was there in the courtyard under a mound of stones.) We meandered through the village to the tailor's hut to pick up 3 dresses and a shirt that Nat had him make for us.  They're beautiful!
     The first night we spent in Nat's home I was wondering if we could really do this for 2 more nights.  It was very hot and we were so out of our comfort zone - no running water, no toilets, no showers, undrinkable water, etc.   We had to rely on Natalie to tell us everything and she had been translating for us all day long.  I told her that now she knew what it is like to have little kids around her all the time - exhausting.  Her home is fixed up with photos of family and friends and has a nice warm (literally and figuratively) feel to it.  It is also shared with many lizards who scurry around on the walls and a sweet, though neurotic, little dog she has adopted.  The evenings were spent in the dusty courtyard of Nat's friend, Dabre, along with many children.  They come to see Natalie and pass the time.
     Komtoega appears to be a peaceful village.  There are many Muslims, Catholics, Protestants, and animists who live and work together. Natalie has many acquaintances and knew the proper greetings and etiquette when introducing us.  We attended a Catholic mass where we were announced to the congregation - though I only realized it when everyone turned to smile at us and Natalie filled me in on what was going on.
     We  left her village on the third day to go to Dedougou where a mask festival was being held.  It was amazing and well worth the few hours it took to get there.

Many of the Peace Corps workers from around that city were there and we got to meet many of  Nat's coworkers - an amazing group of people who seem to be thriving in the incredibly challenging environment of Burkina Faso.  I have renewed respect for them and what they are accomplishing. We got to hear about their current and upcoming projects.  While in Nat's village we saw evidence of her Flags 4 Future endeavor and her Healthy Schools project. She took us to visit several schools and we were introduced to the teachers and classes.  I don't think I could have lasted as a teacher in BF.  The classrooms were kind of dark and hot and there were so many children in each room!  But, there was evidence of teaching and learning.  Natalie encouraged the kids to ask us questions and say a few words in English.  Our French to them was greeted with laughter.  We could not visit the high school because the students were on strike.  They were demanding cleaner pump water and working computers.
      Well, I could go on but I'm getting carried away.  It was an amazing and unforgettable trip.  It was perfect because Natalie planned for us, translated for us, communicated for us, watched over what we ate, etc.  THANKS, NAT!  You're amazing!  Love, Mom