e-mail dated January 11, 2003 Return to List
Well Ouaga was a lot of fun, though now IÕm really looking forward
to getting home to village. City life is exhausting. There is always something
going on, or the thought that something is going on, that keeps me up late.
Then the village alarm clock wakes me at the crack of dawn. So these last two
weeks have left me slightly sleep deprived. But all is well as I have six or
seven weeks in village before the next big event, FESPACO [Pan African Festival
of the Cinema & Television of Ougadougou].
This could be my last big chunk of time in village, at least this
long. After FESPACO I have my mid-service training in March. Then it looks like
a bunch of us are going to head down to Ghana to spend the Education folks
spring break on the Beach. Somewhere in there will also be a VSN (Volunteer
Support Network) training. ThereÕs a VSN rep for each region and since IÕm the
only first year volunteer in Banfora, IÕm it by Default.
April, May, and June there will be Worm weeks. One of which I
might help plan, the second is far
north and I will just participate. Then June 13 or so is when the new
Volunteers come in and Stage starts. I plan to pop up to Bobo and work Stage
every so often.
Now it looks like IÕm going to be heading back to the states the
last week of July through the third or so week of August for Josh ScottÕs
wedding and my brotherÕs birthday. I wasnÕt sure if I wanted to make a trip back
home, but the wedding falls at about the half-way point of my service which
settles it. The end of August is
when the new Volunteers are sworn in and the old ones leave. After that I might
get some good quality time in village. There isnÕt a SIAO or FESPACO to go to
which will help. I do want to take trips to Mali and Benin though before IÕm
finished here. So thatÕs about it.
IÕm off to Banfora in about an hour, so it will probably be a
month and half before you hear from me again. Talk to you all later,
Shaffer
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