interview

I had my first interview yesterday with the director of the NGO where I will meet women to interview with. It went well, except for my recorder broke and the electricity went out, other than that it was good! When we got there it was so hot, the director had taken off her shirt and sat in her bra trying to cool down, so you can image how it was for me. I doubt many people get their informants to take of their shirts! But in an all women’s clinic it didn’t really seem like anyone cared.

The electricity was out all night so I had to write up my field notes by using my ipod as a flashlight…then showered and made dinner in the dark. It would have really freaked me out but the neighbor kids were singing some French song the whole time so it was hard to have a creepy feeling while kids are playing. I learned yesterday that April is the hottest month in Burkina and that it is the time where most people use their electricity, which makes it go out because the city cannot handle everyone using it. I’m getting more used to it, but it is still difficult with the heat. My neighbor has a mat she pulls outside to stay cool with her daughter. It is literally an old mattress that she lets sit on the floor. She lies out in the night waiting for the lights. I don’t know how late she was last night because the power didn’t come on until maybe 1 am or something. Which is terrifying since all the fans shoot off at once and the light flickers so even if you’ve managed to go to sleep by then you’re awake now. Also the mosquitoes are coming out, and I don’t know if anyone else notices but in different countries the mosquitoes act differently. For instance in the US you can hear them, and stay up all night as one flies by your ear. In Burkina I’ve never seen nor heard one, but I know there out there. Which might be good because there are so many here it would be too noisy if they made a sound.

Going to do an observation today, it’s a little bit cooler until Friday. I’m also having my birds repaired, sad little broken birdy.

I also got an invite to my 5^th reunion, can you have a 5^th reunion? Well doesn’t matter I’m travelling home form Burkina on that day so have an excuse not to be in Seattle. But Bjorn and I bought the tickets and we will be in Seattle on Aug 16-sept 1st! So I can have a reunion with my family and friends not my high school!