Ok so you guys almost got a sweet update post around the beginning of September, but as is the norm in my life these days things did not go smoothly. It seems only fair due to the fact that the circumstances that brought me within reach of internet where also a series of unsmooth Burkina-esque events. My site, which I believe I have explained in previous bloggery is highly remote and visiting a bank is a two day venture. I go through the necessary protocol to gain clearance to be away from my site overnight and am all ready to visit one of the big bad Burkina banks which are run remarkably like a DMV. (That means exactly like a DMV). I wake up early Monday morning to meet my community homologue so that we can set out on bike for the neighboring town where I will be able to catch a bus to a bigger town. An hour later I arrive in a considerably muddier state than I would have desired due to the large pond-ish things I had to ride through and I am able to buy passage on a large bus to my regional capital. A few hours later I pull up, get off, and happily bike over to the bank filled with the prospect of withdrawing my monthly salary and buying all sorts of wonderful necessities that they don't have in my village such as vegetables and boxed wine. I get to the bank, but the doors are locked. A little worried I turn and see a gaurd, surely they wouldn't have a gaurd if the bank was closed right? Well I cruise on over to him and ask if the bank is open, to which he nonchalantly replies, "oh its not done yet". Sweet. Well I had brought my American debit card for just such an emergency and then asked him, "well how about that ATM?" To which he casually responds "oh that's out of money". Yes. Awesome. Instead of asking the obvious question of why the hell he was guarding a bank with no money in it I regrouped and asked where the next nearest bank was and it was not near at all. At this point I am in a bit of a pickle because the reason I am visiting the bank is because I have next to no money and visiting one more town will deplete what little I have so instead of following the direction of my friend the gaurd I call my higher ups and request clearance to go to the capital, this is granted and I flag down a bush taxi (more on these later) and make my way to Ouaga with my final vestiges of cash and am able to withdraw my handsome peace corps salary and buy all of my happy necessities whilst also binging on a windfall of internet. I was unable to post your fun update because apparently internet in the bureau shuts off at midnight which lost my progress and though I love you all dearly there was just no way I was relaying that on my phone back at the transit house (hotel thingy for peace corps volunteers). Overall it was a happy occasion but the amount of traveling that I had to do in a 48 hour period to make it possible was exhausting even to a seasoned commuter such as myself (ferry reference, go O'Dea) and I'm not sure how frequently I shall be making the trip. In the meantime I thank you all for your continued patience with my absence from the airwaves and shall inundate you all with gifts of milk and honey upon my return to interwebs. (Milk and honey=pictures, no honey to be had here because apparently that attracts genies). Well to you all, stay curious and enjoy America.
Go Hawks.
This post was written 9/10/2014
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