I am back home in sunny Manhattan Beach, California as I write my
final blog post. February 12th I
left the small village of Ramsa, Burkina Faso for the last time on my 7:30AM
bush taxi. February 18th I
crossed over the border late at night into Ivory Coast on our snail-paced
train, leaving Burkina Faso and a major period of my life in the past. Finally,
after weaving around the continents of Africa and Europe, I disembarked off my
plane at LAX on April 4th and
was finally home with my family.
Boy does it feel good…and weird…and normal…gut-wrenching at
times…basically, all the feelings one could feel returning from their Peace
Corps Service. I’m still trying to process it all and evaluate my reactions to
the previous 27 months of my life. This past week at home has felt surreal to
me. It will probably continue to feel so until I start a new job and can
officially say that I am finished with Peace Corps.
Backtracking to the beginning of this 2017 when I had 2 months
left in Ramsa…I remember that it was a slow day-by-day countdown until I left
village. I made sure that everyone knew of my departure so as not to be
surprised when we parted ways. Daily, my villagers would plead for me to stay
an extra year or to marry a local woman and raise a family there. Daily, I
would politely tell them that however much I wanted to continue my adventure in
Ramsa, that I had to return home. This two-month goodbye process made the final
days and weeks less emotional than anticipated. I made sure to spend ample time
with my closest village friends – each time reassuring them that I would never
forget about this place (how could I?) and that I would always stay in contact.
My best neighbor friends: The Ouedraogos.
Noelie (front/center) has helped me the most over the two years and was
instrumental in teaching me Moore. Roger (back/left) was the local bar owner
and he was super motivated to learn new agricultural and business
techniques with me.
My counterpart Hermane and his new chicken
coop (still under construction). The money will come streaming in after he
debuts his new enterprise!
My final day in village was filled with festivities. Local beer
drinking starting in the early AM, as well as handing-out small gifts and
photos to most of my dear friends. And finally, my village threw me a
going-away ceremony in classic Ramsa fashion (started 2 hours late). In
attendance: my work counterpart Hermane, my work organization members, my
former colleagues at the middle school, all my neighbors and hundreds more.
Each cohort sent up a representative to talk about our collaboration over the two
years and to wish me a safe return to the US. At the end of the ceremony, I took the mic and did
my best to summarize my Peace Corps experience in the local language. I said
everything that needed to be said and I hope they understood how grateful I was
for them accepting me into their community.
The middle school director
about to present me with a certificate at my going-away ceremony.
In my brand-new outfit with Hermane, Paul
and Rabatou.
My former middle school colleagues: The
two Adamas
Members of my work organization stopped by to give me massive gift of peanuts, which made for great snacks during our post-PC travels.
The final morning, I walked to the road at 7am with my closest
friends. We were all fatigued from the previous week’s festivities and not many
words were said. Mood was somewhat somber. When the car arrived, I loaded up my
bags and said my goodbyes. I imagined that saying goodbye to Hermane would be
difficult, but we looked at each other and simply stated, “I think we’ve said all that’s
needed to be said. I’ll see you next time and talk to you soon.” It was an appropriate goodbye and
then I was off.
The next 7 weeks were incredible. My friends and I had been
planning this voyage for the previous six months and it was an especially sweet
treat following our Peace Corps Service. All of us were easily pleased with the
newfound comforts of European transport and lodging. I think this unique
perspective made the trip exponentially more enjoyable. We were essentially
“slumming” our way through Europe and we still felt like kings. Luckily, we had
a few friends and family scattered about who could host us and show us all the
local spots. Our trip's itinerary: Ivory Coast, Morocco, Spain, Germany, Hungary, France and the UK.
Fresh oysters smoked over palm leaves in
The Ivory Coast.
Enjoying a canoe ride.
Three constants during our trip: beach, drinks and friends!
Traversing the Moroccan dunes on
camel-back. Turns out, riding camels start to hurt after 20 minutes.
Second time for me, first time for them: The alluring Alhambra in Granada, Spain.
One of the most magnificent sights I've ever
seen: La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
Henry joins the trip in Berlin. Although
rainy and cold, we benefited from the lenient public drinking laws.
Our favorite activity while visiting
Budapest: walking. Found a great park and had to continue the tradition of
taking family bench photos.
Great times with great people. Paris,
c'est incroyable!
Another shameless photo at the Luxembourg Gardens. Previous to photo, 4 hours spent gorging on wine, cheese and summer sausage.
Ended the trip on a high note (literally...on the largest sand dune in France)
MB
