I suppose everyone who actually reads this is a friend or family member so you know what's been going on, but I'm feeling guilty that my last post was nearly 2 months ago. Thus here is the shortest condensing of 2 months that I can manage. I haven't been journaling for the last month, so it might never appear on here, but April and early May still have a chance at some point.
Since April 12th, when I last was in Ouaga at the VAC meeting: I left Ouaga to visit Koudougou, and as I was going to return to Kossouka I was consolidated to the large village of Sabou with 10 other volunteers from the region. We stayed in Sabou for a week, where we played cards and Bananagrams, cooked large delicious meals, and celebrated Easter with dyed pintard eggs and mimosas.
Upon returning to Ouaga on my way home, I was detoured to the med unit for 5 days and after I was on the mend I went back to my lovely village. I did my laundry and kind of tried to lay low, because 4 days later I had to leave again for IST - In Service Training, our chance to get our questions answered and begin learning ways to start the work we came to do.
The first few days of IST were lovely, getting to see all my stage friends that had been scattered around the country! The kitties came along, of course, so they got to meet all kinds of new people. :) I was sadly only there for a few days when I received a call that my dad was in the hospital, in the ICU.
I drove back to Ouaga and flew out the next evening, and I've been in the US since. I've gotten to see a good number of family members from my dad and step-dad's families, as well as a lot of friends at MHC graduation (congratulations 2011!). There have been emotional ups and downs, and I'm absolutely still in the raw stages of processing everything. I've been lucky enough to see just how many people around the world I have in my life who love and support me. I've gotten a bit of a chance to continue to reflect on my time thus far in Burkina and many opportunities to practice determining what I truly want. I've had hugs and tears, good days and bad, support and stress. It's been worth it, and now I'm getting ready to return to Burkina tomorrow (well, today I guess, it's past midnight), to begin rebuilding my life and my life there. I'm excited to sit in my courtyard at night and watch the shooting stars.
