Where in the world is Ouagadougou? That or "huh?" are usually the responses I get when I tell people I will be spending the next three months in Burkina Faso, whose capital is Ouagadougou. Even the travel clinic I went to didn't know what I was talking about and asked me to spell it out (Alarming, yes, but fear not! They got all of the necessary vaccinations correct). Burkina Faso is a country about the size of Oregon in west Africa. It is a land-locked country bordered by Mali, Ivory Coast, Niger, Togo, Benin, and Ghana. We will be spending our first two weeks in Ouagadougou, the capital city, and the following two and a half months immersed in a petite village called Dimikuy in the southwest of the country. And (my favorite part) they speak FRENCH in Burkina Faso! Among many other local dialects, of course.
This is my junior year at Santa Clara University, and this program is specifically through SCU and will fulfill a full university quarter. I'm majoring in Political Science (International Relations) and Sociology and minoring in French, so this program is the missing puzzle piece. I came across this program as I was exploring the SCU website my senior year in high school- wondering whether or not I should choose this college to go to (SO glad I did!), and decided right then that if I went to SCU I would definitely do this Burkina Faso study abroad program. So, you can imagine my excitement that the time is actually here after talking about it and imagining it for over 2 years now. Somehow, though, it still seems unreal!
I'm extremely grateful for the amazing and balanced summer I have had spending time in Washington and California with family and friends:) I've been able to catch up after an incredible sophomore year that left me with no energy left in the tank, I've been able to relax, I've been able to spend quality time at home, and I've had months to prepare for this upcoming adventure. I depart from SeaTac Airport at the end of this week, and as I'm the last of my friends to leave for abroad, I will be twiddling my thumbs in Tacoma in anticipation of the experiences to be had.
Above, you'll notice the photo with this post is an itty bitty collage of the program: SCU Burkina Faso- Reading West Africa. 5 other students, 3 SCU professors, and myself will be experiencing this program side by side. It's actually pretty unique (and funny, really) that given the tiny group size, we're basically being home-schooled for 3 months rather than enrolling in another country's university. Well, there's a first- homeschooling, BRING IT ON!
I'll be taking Economic Development, French classes (literature and grammar/vocab), Photography, and Community Based Learning. Rather than a traditional class, we earn credit for CBL by interning in village libraries to improve literacy in French. The literacy rate in Burkina Faso is less than 25%. The libraries have been built in villages and stocked by donation around Burkina and surrounding countries by the organization "Friends of African Village Libraries", which was founded by the SCU Econ professor who will be coming with us and who started this study abroad program. The photography class will also be taught by an SCU prof. We each bring a real camera (you know, the big kind with the huge lens- so fun and fancy!) and we not only wear them around our necks like dorky tourists everywhere we go, but we capture life in the villages and around Burkina. We then use these photos to create children's books in French! The idea here is that the kids in the village will be eager to read if there are fun, colorful books available in French in the village libraries in which the heroes and main faces are themselves, their friends, their families, and community. How refreshing when a lot of the literature available is still quite Eurocentric even though the country became independent from France 52 years ago.
Burkina Faso's high population density and limited natural resources are responsible for poor economic prospects for the most of its citizens. The country is pretty undeveloped, so while here we will be taking bucket showers in a stall outdoors and wearing headlamps to read at night! No running water or electricity. This will be both a challenge and a gift, and certainly a growing experience. In fact, I have no doubt this Burkina Faso program in its entirety will be a growing experience.
Wow. This post got very long very quickly. Only because it's the first post, so I had to explain err'thang! Thanks for reading, and I look forward to updating you again later this week before I head out. Can't thank all of you enough, my friends and family, for the support and good wishes you have been sending my way:)
Au revoir mes amis!
Je t'aime!
