lists

So, I've been here since last June, which adds up to... what, a year and a half? That means I have nine months left of my original 27 months in the Peace Corps. That's... weird. I don't know if I like that.

Anyways, I've noticed a couple of things lately in village that make me recognize how some of my perceptions have changed since coming here. I'm far from being fully integrated- I still use toilet paper, I can't bike in pagnes, I buy fancy canned foods and lentils when I go to the city- but my outlook on life has definitely changed, and I thought I'd list a few ways in which it has.

Things I no longer notice (Yes, antithetical premise. But I'll try.)

French

Okay, a little. Mainly when people have weirdo accents and talk super fast. But most of the time, I forget if I'm speaking french or english.

Bucket baths

Refreshing, very eco-friendly, does the job.

Latrines

Whatever. Just bring a plastic bag if you need to puke- that hole's a pretty small target.

Biking to school

Hey, maybe I'll pop over to school to talk to the secretary. And maybe again this afternoon, then I can swing by the marche. That adds up to 28km? Well, sure.

Call to prayer

I no longer wake up at 4am to the sound of the scratchy mosque loudspeakers and the early morning animal noises- although I definitely notice if I've been up all night and hear it and realize how little time I have left to try to sleep.

Fetching water

I actually think this is really easy now, because of the faucet they put in near my house. Compared to biking a kilometer to pump one bidon (jug) of water and attaching it to my bike and trying not to fall over on the way home, this is a breeze. It takes me twenty minutes start to finish to get three bidons of water, which lasts me at least 3-4 days (unless I do laundry, which takes a whole jug by itself.)

Garish pagnes

What do you expect? It's a pagne.

Awkwardness

Part of every single interaction of every single day. Embrace it. (Although I'm slightly concerned about remembering how to interact with people when I go back to America. Friends and family, be forewarned.)

Concrete floors

What else would there be?

Requests by strangers to take them to America/trade bikes/marry me/take my clothes or jewelry/teach them english.

I'm a pro. I know now to just say “Sure, no problem” or “Next time” and laugh, and never ever follow through.

Not having internet

I don't even remember what to do on the internet. Is there anything besides email and facebook? Oh right, this blog. Maybe, what, twitter? That's a thing, right?

The heat

Yeah, I notice it, but it's no longer a Thing. It's obviously going to be hot out, but there's nothing to do about it. And I'm much more used to it than I was before. (Hey, right now it's 97 in my house and I'm not even sweating- whoo!)

Seasons

I forgot halloween. And I keep wondering when I'm supposed to start listening to Christmas music. After Thanksgiving, right? Which is... this week?

Things I do notice:

Exciting foods at the market

Lettuce! Bananas! Hey, it's watermelon season again! Wait, is that a sweet potato?? Yes, I'll take twenty.

Airplanes

A small biplane flew over my village the other day, and it took me a full fifteen seconds of wondering where that noise was coming from to consider looking up. There aren't even any jet trails in the sky- my sky is en route to nowhere.

Baby animals

I can't help it- I think it's getting worse. My chicks are so fluffy and cute, my neighbor's puppies play with the baby goats, and baby donkeys are even more adorable than grown up ones. They look like grey, fuzzy My Little Ponies with awkward skinny legs.

Stairs

The Peace Corps office in Ouaga has four floors. And the resource center that the volunteers use is on the top floor. As there are NO other stairs in my life, this now presents a physical challenge of olympic proportions.

(By the way, I also forgot that elevators exist. Can you imagine? You get in a box that takes you up at the push of a button. But that can't really count as something I notice, because I honestly believe that there may be literally no elevators in Burkina Faso. I have never seen one here.)

Short skirts

SO shocking!! Inappropriate! Cover your knees, girl!!! Where are your parents?!

Pagnes I want to buy

That rare subtle or cool print that makes me think, “I could wear that in the states, right?” (The answer should always be: “No, Carolyn, you cannot.” But I still dream....)

Extremely garish pagnes (that I want to buy)

Cell phone pagnes! Roller skates! Chickens! Awesome.

Being called Nasara (whitey/foreigner)

I pretend not to notice to discourage the practice, but it's like if someone calls my name- I always notice. And I never like it.

Caffeine

Tea's okay, fancy the de chine's okay, coke's okay. Coffee will give me a massive migraine and keep me up the entire night.

Laundry

I still hate it.

Dirt on chairs, bush taxi benches, etc.

Because I know I'll have to wash my clothes later if I sit on dirty seats. And I still hate laundry. So I get out my rag and wipe down the seat, like a true Burkinabe.

Sexism

I think I'll always be hyper-sensitive to sexism from now on. It's so terrible here and I get so mad about it that anytime the smallest incident occurs or someone makes an offhand comment, I'm ready for a fight.