My friend from Philthadelphia, Mississippi Richard has been staying with us this past week. He joined us from Istanbul to help lead our youth camp. Today was Richard's last day, so we had a final "to do" list. When people come to visit, they often begin a list of things to buy. I can guarantee that list will double by their last day. Since we were all exhausted from youth camp, we slept in and had pancakes this morning.
First stop, we went to the Village Artisanal to do some shopping for Richard's souvenirs. I love having visitors. Naturally, everyone wants something from Africa. Arts and crafts is a huge industry here. Seth and I denied the space left in our suitcases and bought a few things as well. It was a relaxing time walking around and browsing.
After some shopping, we went to have lunch (because we hadn't eaten in 3 hours). The area nearby the Village Artisanal is known as Ouaga 2000. It doesn't have too much to offer and is considered "up and coming" as far as cool places in Ouaga. We wanted to drive Richard by the US Embassy to see the green grass and the beautiful American flag. We went to make the block and were cut off by the police. Never in my African life (so 2 years) have I been so freaked out by the Burkinabe cops. Yes, one made me cry once. But this guy walked into the middle of road and made confusing motions. Seth stopped the car and the guy repositioned his gun. It sent me into overdrive. I started panicking and told Seth to turn around. Then he had a change of heart and waved us on. It was the weirdest thing. Talk about elevated blood pressure. We pointed out the president's palace (which sits vacant) and took Richard to the Turkish restaurant. Richard was so excited! He even spoke Turkish to the Burkinabe waiters. He greeted some foreigners when we walked in and began a conversation in Turkish with one of the men. Turns out, the man is the Turkish consular for Burkina. He had eaten at the table behind us the night before for dinner. I told Richard that his new friend was possibly the most important person I've met during my time in Burkina. Except the American ambassador. Sometimes I sit by him in church. We are friends.
We went by the Baptist Mission to say goodbye to the Bobo girls. Richard is old friends with them, and I met them when they moved to Burkina. It is funny how worlds collide. In a rush to finish Richard's shopping list, we went ANOTHER artisanal village to get a few last things. I made a beeline for the one man I know who works there and we got all our things in one spot. That never happens!
As an afternoon treat, we picked up our student leaders (Llama leaders) for ice cream. It was sweet getting to hang out for a while and talk about their activities. They are a special group, and I am going to miss them greatly. I, of course, had the Obama flavor, which is chocolate with cookie bits. Yum! It may top cookie dough ice cream. MAYBE. I'll let you know in 2 days.
After ice cream, we came back to the Collins' home where we have been staying the past few days. We took some time to relax a little, blog, talk, and pack. I heated up some dinner, and we had a quick meal before taking Richard to the airport. Flights in and out of Burkina typically leave late at night (Richard's left at midnight), so the evening is spent waiting to leave for the airport. One thing I like about Ouaga is that the airport is in the middle of town so there aren't far drives like some airports in the States. As we waited to leave, a dust storm rolled in. My teeth were gritty and you can't see 5 feet in front of you. It is eery but a neat sight. One of the fun things about life in the desert.
Just another normal day in my life in Burkina!
No comments:
Post a Comment