Winging It

Me, Ali and the notorious chicken.

Adama after capturing the chicken.

Yesterday, my roommates and I were given a chicken. I find that normalizing to a new culture is quite the experience. I must admit it's not always easy, but moments like this make it worth the adventure.

Let me explain the chicken. At work, Eric, Liz and Marie are involved in doing an impact assessment of a project that finished in December. Thus, this week we visited four villages to see if the project was in fact successful and to gather feedback. I tagged along as an observer. The village we visited yesterday presented us with this chicken in appreciation and so that we may have the vitamins and energy to help them. And if you were wondering: yes, it was still alive.



It seems like its been more than 16 days. I am starting to get used to life in Yako. I have adapted to the weather; it now feels chilly when the temperature hits 20°C (sorry to all those in the midst of winter elsewhere). I have adapted to the food. In fact, I am slightly addicted to the restaurant beside our work that serves an excellent and filling plate of rice and tomato sauce ($400 fCFA or $0.80 CAD). Finally, being watched by people, mainly children, is not as uncomfortable. I am an outsider, there is no use in trying to hide that, but the longer I stay, the less detached I think I will feel. 



One of mothers with her children.

Making the sauce. Adama was the
photographer for the evening.

I spent yesterday evening with the women and child from the compound. As you can see, we had a photo shoot for about an hour. I then asked the women if we could prepare the chicken together. Step 1: An entertaining run around our compound with the kids ended with the picture above of Adama who caught the chicken. I was told it is the man’s job to catch the animal and finish the next step. Step 2: My vegetarian friends would not approve of what happened next, thus a description will not be provided. Step 3: The ladies prepared a sauce with the chicken in it to accompany the Tô (a staple diet for the locals made of corn flour and water). It was an excellent meal in taste and sentiment. The chicken was a generous gift from the Zougoungou village and these women not only prepare the meal, but also kindly explained each step to me along the way. An insightful evening. 

Group Shot. Still not everyone in
the compound though.

Work is advancing along as well. I will be attending a training session all next week for the project that I will be working on. I am quite excited about it. It’s a type of micro-finance with adaptations for rural villages and is made up of women’s groups. I look forward to seeing how it works in the real world, because on paper it sounds fantastic. I also visited the local orphanage earlier this week. The lovely woman that runs the place said that they could use some help with study sessions on weeknights. I will try to make it there a few times a week. I miss working with kids; they truly have a contagious and uplifting spirit. 




Life will continue to be eventful, I’m sure, and I will let you know what happens next. For now, I will direct you to a blog post that I revisit from time to time. It talks of the importance of encouraging others, and I think it’s a lesson we all need to be reminded of from time to time: http://zenhabits.net/why-you-should-think-about-encouraging-others-to-be-brilliant/



Until next time. Stay kind. Stay sharp. Stay classy.