The Artisan and the Coiffeureuse…

I slept well but went to bed far later than I wanted.  Typing up blogs and responding to emails, Skype, etc.
Bev and I connected through Skype but the connection was not strong enough, so we just used the chat/txt message.  That was good to do.  I also connected with the Boy and Becky too.  At one point I had all three going in separate conversations.  I’m not sure they knew that.

Yesterday, during the siesta, outside the hotel, I spoke with a Toureg artisan from Niger.  These are the people we see with scarves wrapped round their heads riding camels through the desert.  There’s far more to the Toureg culture; I’m just trying to draw a picture. Note: he did not have camel in Ouagadougou.  We spoke of Islam, as he had just finished a prayer session.  He wanted to sell me the Jewelry he makes.

Upon returning to the office, I learned that here we begin to say “Bon Soir” right after lunch…it’s like good afternoon.   Finished up with Clementine and then back to the hotel.  There was a fair bit of traffic and it was challenging to breath in the heat and exhaust.   Challenging like any big city.
There’s a conflict underway in Mali; a northern border country to Burkina Faso.  Simon listens intently when the news comes on the radio and there is usually a crowd watching the TV in the hotel lobby. The Mali conflict is big news on the French news as the French army is now involved.  I wonder if it is getting any air play back home.

Back at the hotel, I spent a fair bit of time blogging, email,chatting and finally broke away to grab a salad in the hotel lobby.  Returning to my room, there was a girl sitting near the pool. As I walked by, she said something about “Bon soir, comment ca va? assiez vous… on vas cozé”.  Still having a bit of anxiety about how much my french will impede my work in Yako, I’m grabbing every opportunity to practice and evaluate how well I will understand them and them me.  So I say ”je ne parle pas beaucoup de Francais.  Ça va dire quoi “cozé?”.  She responded “Assiez vous.”  At this point I’m thinking there’s a chance that she’s a server at the hotel and wants to practice english, maybe hear about life in another country.  I’m not entirely naive, but I’m always hoping to be proven wrong.
I asked “Travaille tu a la hotel?” She says “non”.
Starting to feel a little weird. “Qu’est-ce-que tu faites ici?”  She says “la coiffure et…..les massage”…and her eyes open wide.
Bon soir   Everybody’s got a motive; the 2 porters at the airport, the Artisan and the Coiffeureuse.  I just want to practice my french.  Again that kind a thing is more of a big city thing than an African thing.

Ouaga has been a whirl wind.  No time to settle down.  I guess I have to realize I have only been in Burkina Faso for a day.  That might give you more perspective than anything on my travels so far.
Tomorrow I am off to Yako.  My home in the north for the next little while.