Chuck Norris in Ouagadougou….

I’m sitting on the bus travelling out of Yako and back into Ouagadougou.  Last night at the “chicken ceremony” (of course it wasn’t a ceremony; it was a good old fashioned pioneer living experience).  We found a friend of Kevin’s at the market who was willing to properly end Henrietta’s life and a lady in Kevin’s court yard showed us how to prepare the bird for soup.   It’s amazing how quickly this bird began to look just like a bird back home.  But as we began to remove all the parts you don’t eat, or at least the parts Burkinabé people don’t eat, it became obvious that the meat available on this bird was much less than we are accustom to.  We ended up making a soup out of “Henrietta” the chicken.  With the soup simmering, I had a chance to mash dried fish parts with a large wooden post in a bowl….real pioneer like.  Kevin had heard that this was a good compliment to the millet that usually makes up the remaining chickens diet.  Millet also makes up a large part of the Burkinabé diet as well.  With respect to the remaining chickens still pacing in the coop, it was curious to see how quiet the others got as Henrietta went through her transformation from fowl to feast.  I imagined that the others were quietly cooing to each other…”ok, does anyone remember what Henrietta said just before the Nasarah grabbed her?….Because I’m not going to get caught saying that.”  While we were eating dinner the town was consumed with the second qualifying match of the African Nations cup.  Burkina Faso was playing Ethiopia and we heard the town erupt 4 times in celebration as Burkina Faso defeated their opponent 4-0. After dinner, I learned that Kevin and Jeanette were heading into Ouaga tomorrow for supplies and a refreshing seat at a cafe called “Cappuccino” with a solid internet connection.

Back on the bus, we have been stopped by the military.  Both Kevin and Jeanette suggest that the ride will be much longer now, if there are many check points like this.  The military checkpoints are presumed to be related to the Malian crisis just to the north.  An officer has entered the bus and is checking passports and papers.  By the time he gets to us he isn’t much interested in what he is doing anymore or “Les blanc” are pretty far down there on the suspect list.  We are soon on our way again.  As we pull away, I can hear the dudes in the back mention “Al-Qaeda”. In this environment it has a different impression on me.  Kevin also mentioned at this point that “Monsieur le President” (leader of SEMUS) had asked for a list of expats currently assigned to SEMUS. I told him that I also was asked to write my name and phone number on that list.  Kevin explained that this was in case an evacuation was required.  We laughed when I told him …”Oh I thought I was being invited to the “President’s son’s wedding next week”.  I really did think that.  That shows you how fragile my comprehension of french and Mooré is at times.

As we made our way back into Ouagadougou, I remarked how much greener things seemed to me compared to my original trip in to Yako two weeks ago.  Everything is relative to what you become accustom to. 

We quickly grabbed a taxi from the bus station and proceeded into the heart of the city.  Our first stop was Cappuccinos.  Indeed stepping into this place was like stepping through a time gate.  There were displays of pastries, everyone clean and several Plasma TV’s hanging on all the walls.  The Malian crisis was playing on the news reports and I reflected on just how similar the images appeared to look like Yako; the same road signs, decaying courtyard walls and the color of the sand and stone.  After Cappuccinos, we went to a few grocery stores where Kevin, Jeanette and now Katelyn began to stock up on supplies.  We ended our outing to Ouagadougou by visiting the “Grande Marché”. 

This is a large and very busy Bazar where you can buy just about anything.  Kevin explained that if you showed any interest in anything, and acknowledged one of the vendors you would have a friend for your entire market experience.   I was prepared, as this seemed quite similar to our family experience in the Chinese markets of Shanghai and Beijing.  I had not stepped 3 feet into the market when all of a sudden I saw this young guy come pushing through the crowd pointing a finger at me shouting, “Hey Chuck Norris!!…Hey Chuck Norris Ca va?”.  This was too funny.  Not only was it the first thing I could actually understand but it was also a confirmation of sorts.  In 2005, on trip to San Diego, I had a Egyptian classmate suggest that I looked like Chuck Norris.  At that time I thought “Ok… I guess so”.  Fast forward to 2011, while grabbing some beers and chicken wings at the Clock Tower in Ottawa, I had some colleagues from work remark the exact same thing.  Again I thought “Ok…I guess”.  When I shared this with Bev and the kids, Becky reaffirmed that a few of her friends at university also concurred.  Again not a bad thing when you have a daughter attending 1st year university (tends to keep the boys in line).  But now, in the “Grande Marché” of Ouagadougou, a million miles away from home, I’ve got this guy coming at me calling out “Chuck Norris…Oui?”.  He is standing in front of me, blocking my path, holding a classic Kung Fu pose and a wonderfully huge grin on his face.  Well I thought, that was pretty cool because, as everyone knows…if you Google “Chuck Norris” you’ll find…”No one messes with Chuck Norris”.