my parents always said...

if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

That is my excuse for not writing for so long.  Although i am generally happy (as that is my disposition), it seems like there is one challenge after another.

The main one being my car.  are you sick of hearing about my car yet? well it gets interesting (in a very depressing way) from here. My car was shipped to Abidjan (in Ivory Coast...quite unstable at the moment and has been since BEFORE my car was shipped). it was shipped in the same container as some government supplies. well the whole container was confiscated by the local government (who was voted out of power but is still claiming to be the legitimate government, hence the instability in Ivory Coast). i was told a couple of weeks ago that i would lose my car (and what do you know, insurance doesnt cover loss of a car because of civil strife). then a few days later i was told my car was cleared. and now the news is no better. my car sits in customs in Abidjan.  bottom line, i have no car, no way to get around, and at the very best it will still be 2 months before i get my car (if i ever get it).

i am still going stir crazy. i have resorted to writing my regional MED people and my boss in Washington for suggestions on how to navigate this system so i can get access to some transportation.  i cannot even go to school functions because i have no way to get there and they are across town. We resort to very dangerous activities to socialize (walking home at 11:30 at night from a house 20 minutes away, riding in the very back of a vehicle unseatbelted). 

This is all hitting a critical mass though because there are a number of us without vehicles and the same complaints, so i can only hope things will change. otherwise this is going to be a very long assignment and it will really color my view of this whole 'adventure'.  which is unfortunately not turning out to be the adventure i had hoped for...more like home detention for a crime i am not aware that i committed.

on the bright side...we got our house hold shipment. it is lovely to be sleeping on my mattress and my sheets. eating off real china - not plastic. we even got some food. i gave Otto a can of chicken soup the first night after we got our stuff and he exclaimed, "Mom, this is so good!!" chicken noodle soup from a can, who would have guessed. and what do you think was missing...my bottle of expensive scotch. guess the 3 young packers gave themselves a good tip.  drag.

this also means we have our bikes, so we at least have a little more freedom and it has been great to bike around a bit.

More good news. Otto is going so well. he really likes his school (but even he agrees with me that it is too easy). he has some good friends and they live in our neighborhood which is great. We are both plugging along with our French.

Otto and his buddies (Nasser, Joe and Matthew) doing what 10 years olds do...

last bad news for this entry. we are going to have to get rid of the dog. he is just too aggressive. he really went after Otto tonight. i just cannot risk it. we have been working hard to train him (we even have a local dog trainer working with us). he is just too unpredictable and has snapped at visitors and has bitten me as well.  i feel bad, but it just isnt worth it.

there was a softball tournament here a couple of weekends ago. it is a really big deal. there are social and competitive teams from Burkina Faso and neighboring Niger. it was good fun and our Embassy competetive team took first place. Even the Ambassador showed up to cheer our team on. I had been going to the practices, but only went to about 5, so didnt feel good enough to play, but i will be ready for the next tournament in October.  I even bought gloves for Otto and I.

here are some pictures...for fun.

Otto on Safari, he always falls asleep - and he gets really mad when we take his photo

 Spectators at the softball tournament. Thank goodness for the shade.

 Above, the winning softball team. and the resident turtle.  the deal is the turtle can wander anywhere on the field during play and you just have to watch out for him. it is hilarious to see him ambling along during a serious game.

I am making my own bread (thanks to Dad for the easy recipe). this is my best loaf to date.

cheers to all.

Safari #2 - Pama

We took our second safari last weekend to SE Burkina Faso - near the border with Benin. once again, it was great to get out of the city, view the landscape, breathe clean air. we unfortunately didn't see many animals, but that is part of the game when you go to an open reserve like this. we went with our neighbors who have adopted us as their long lost orphans (or maybe they are just tired of hearing me complain about not having a car).

The accommodations were very nice (but very expensive - $110/night for Otto and I, compared to $40/night for 3 of us when his dad was here). Photos are below. the bummer is that Otto took all of the animal photos - he has a camera with a telephoto, i have my iPhone. but for some reason, we cannot download the photos off his camera. so here are some pictures that give you the feel for our little adventure - minus animals.

First Responder Training

Busy at work this past week. we had trainers come from DC to train a group at the Embassy (US and local staff) on managing an emergency. it was great to work closely with some of our local staff and fun/funny to see everyone dressed up for the event.

Ready for action.  the one draw back for being on the First Responder team here in Ouagadougou is that it is already hot, even on a winter day, and wearing these suits can be nearly dangerous.

I am not allowed to be a first responder, and for good reason, i am needed to provide medical care. but i was able to tag along and participate in the training (minus the suit) because i will be an integral part of managing any emergency. and i think they wanted me around this day in case anyone collapsed from the heat.  everything went smoothly, and my services were not needed.

stay tuned, Otto and I went on safari again this past weekend - to a different park - Pama. so posting and pictures to follow.

sucker for an orphan...

We now have a dog.  how could i say no. lame story actually. some of our US colleagues come and go in this country every 3 months. a gal with this group thought it was a good idea to get a puppy. 6 months later and many, many random people later, some of them down right abusive - very unhappy (aggressive) dog. on a whim i agreed to take him on (if i knew what i know now, i would have said no, but i am glad i just jumped at the chance). Well, the dog is just great (after a day of serious mean, aggressive, dangerous dog energy). he is happy, playful, loving, very smart - still not sure what to make of the leash; not a common practice here in Burkina. But, he is a beauty.  I also think it will be good for Otto (because really it is his dog - that is the deal). He will help relieve the boredom, we have time to train him, responsibility of loving/taking care of another being can only be a good thing, man's best friend and all.

Meet Tusker...

Have i gone completely mad?!?!?

as for the rest of my life. work is busy. i have a regional medical doctor visiting next week. i always appreciate the help and guidance, because so often i feel like i am floating...making shit up. our patient stats for Jan are about 3 times more visits than any previous months in the past year. that is a nice feeling.  i feel like i am getting things organized enough within the clinic to extend myself a bit on broader health projects. we are starting to focus on classes for the local staff - which is highly valued.

We are heading out on Safari again this coming weekend. to a different park - Pama, near the border with Benin. our fantastic neighbors who have done so much for us, offered to let us tag along with them. i am so happy to have the chance to get out of town. hope to see more elephants. the accommodations are supposed to be more swanky. it will be a quick trip, but now that we have a dog, we need to be hanging at home, being good 'parents'.

my car is supposedly in Ivory Coast - not such great news with all the political instability there (so close yet so far). i try not to think about it because it is depressing to think that it may still be months before i get it.