Aribinda

Hey hey again from the Dark Continent! I got my site placement today. Arbinda, in the north Sahelian section of Burkina. It is fairly close to the Mali frontier, in Fulani country. I will be teaching at a lycée (high school) that goes up to premier, maybe even términale. The major local language is Fulfuldé, but of course, I will be teaching in French.

I got food poisoning the other day, so no more eating at La Famille! I have been well otherwise though. The Secondary Ed group is leaving for Ouaga on Sunday for Counterpart Workshop, then site visit! I am excited to see where I am going to be ending up. I guess it is a sandbox up north, with some cool hills and good rock formations. I am gonna make my area green by planting mango, papaya, and banana trees, amongst other flora. I will also start composting, thinking about my secondary project, etc. My housing will be functionnaire housing, which means it will be better than most volunteers places. The volunteer who left that post, Malcolm, I guess left furnishings there, so I am gonna get the hook-up.

Well hey, it's all good. To my brother Jake, I was stoked to hear that the Blazers made the right move and took Oden. When I get back and the Blazers are better, you gotta take me to a game. I am already excited for Rip City to be back! I miss you brah, you take care and I will have many stories to tell you about my students. Then, we can compare notes!

Kaisho