So when I recieved a message on my cell phone that we were going on the first level of alert (standfast), you could imagine that my beautiful day was all but finished. What followed was 8 hours of phone calls, well into the night, trying to grasp exactly what had happened in this country. My initial reaction was, 'No, not again' for those who remember my time spent in limbo from a prior evacuation, but being a warden I kept as cool as possible attempting to contact 8 other Volunteers and Peace Corps about the situation at hand. Turns out that we are having a situation here. It's nothing new here to have a problem, except this particular time it affected a town close to home. To not go into too many details (sorry for being vague), but all of us are safe here. That includes me by the way, as my town is far away from those affected by these problems
Peace Corps Volunteer "My Life in Guinea / Burkina Faso" writes: When I recieved a message on my cell phone that we were going on the first level of alert (standfast), you could imagine that my beautiful day was all but finished
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Sometimes You Just Got to Role With the Punches
There is nothing like a beautiful day. Sun is up, birds are chirping, and here in Burkina chickens, goats, and pigs are running around hunting for food. Children chase you on your bicycle and the rest of the world just smiles and asks "Ca va?"
So when I recieved a message on my cell phone that we were going on the first level of alert (standfast), you could imagine that my beautiful day was all but finished. What followed was 8 hours of phone calls, well into the night, trying to grasp exactly what had happened in this country. My initial reaction was, 'No, not again' for those who remember my time spent in limbo from a prior evacuation, but being a warden I kept as cool as possible attempting to contact 8 other Volunteers and Peace Corps about the situation at hand.
Turns out that we are having a situation here. It's nothing new here to have a problem, except this particular time it affected a town close to home. To not go into too many details (sorry for being vague), but all of us are safe here. That includes me by the way, as my town is far away from those affected by these problems
Remember that cool picture of Dogon Country from my last post? Well unfortunately, we have to cancel. No way am I going up there, nor sending my parents and Chris up there right now. Unfortunate for vacation plans, yes, worst thing to ever happen to me personally, no. I feel much worse for all those people affected by these current events, I am very far from the situation. I know what they are going through with having your life in limbo, and it is no fun at all.
What this means for me? Well we are not exactly sure. Chris, my parents (who arrive the 11th), and I are discussing an alternative back up plan to the now cancelled Dogon trip. Sorry dad, that $120 visa to Mali I told you not to get may end up going void. Options on the table: Ruins of Lorepini in Gaoua and Nazinga Elephant Park in Pô, Bamako in Mali (you may have a shot yet dad), Giraffes in Niger, or an extremely fast trip through Ghana. I am trying the best I can to work within this new situation, but it sucks having to cancel a trip to a place some Volunteers have said as the only must-see attraction in this part of Africa (Even Ghana has not earned that title).
Well we will see, and I am confident that no matter what we do we will have fun. Chris and I, along with 3 other PCV friends potentially, are heading to Bobo in the Southwest next week to hike the domes, play in water falls, and see the Sindou Peaks hopefully for the first time. Of course this is assuming that the standfast order is lifted by weekend's end...
