Night of terror

Last night there was a hail of gunshots roaming in the air. Some shots rang as a solo player while others where in groups of fifty or more. They echoed through the darkness and into my pulsing ear. The news has little to no re-assurance as to what is going on. The president, has already changed the organization of the government in order to try and bide his time as president. With a 24 year eign he isn’t hoping to let go anytime soon. The aunt who came to stay with Fatou last night, her husband is one of the main military men and depending on where he gets reshuffled could be very dangerous for their family. They await the news of where he will be and if it is safe to go home.

I had bjorn call the insurance agency to ask them about getting a flight out of here and only to discover today that they are absolutely no help, and I cant do anything with that insurance card in terms of evacuations unless the embassy declares it unsafe for Americans. Regardless if it comes down to life or death, $1000 USD is worth it.

I must have slept a total of 2 hours last night, tossing and turning. My whole body felt sick, I got a fever, diarrhea and vomiting just out of fear. I talked to Bjorn for a while and while he tried to calm me down, actually talking about it made it worse. At 3 am I talked to my parents for about an hour, which was only difficult because I finally needed to admit that I was actually afraid and there was nothing my parents could do for me. This is probably one of the worst feelings for a parent.

In order to block out the noise I put my headphones in and tried to listen to music. It is a fine balance between being soft enough to let you fall asleep and yet loud enough to cover up gunshots. Even the animals this morning were weeping. The dogs howled for hours, as if they were hearing something I could not.

We learned this morning that the office of the president has been burned down, along with a cosmetic shop his wife owned and a few of his other cabinet members homes. We have been told not to go outside yet, and all the shops are still closed so getting a container of milk is impossible.

Being in a foreign country, where the president is too afraid to publicly speak, and the government has fallen you come to realize how much one depends on the structure of functionality. Even the embassies seem to be fending for themselves. The US embassy has no news and had only told its own workers to stay inside. They were not driving anyone anywhere. Although the airports reminded open. We were told that if someone drives on the main road they were stopped and removed from their vehicle. Many cars had already been stolen.

Bjorn called my professor in Sweden this morning to ask him what kind of insurance I had. Sten then called Fatou who reassured him she was doing everything she could, Sten then proceeded to call Bjorn back and tell him I was going to be fine. Probably for two reasons, one Sten was the one I asked honestly if things were dangerous in Burkina, and second I’m sure Sten thought Bjorn was trying to convince me to come back. Bjorn was less than assumed by his efforts. Fatou, is not only a Burkina resident but also a French citizen, and VERY well connected in this city. As well as there is a night guard and a house girl here at all times.

I couldn’t have made it through the night without Bjorn and my parents. While talking to them made me feel worse, because I felt so guilty for putting them in such a helpless position. I felt better knowing that I had people who I could just cry to and since I had physically made myself sick with fear it was better than thinking about my stomach.

Things are starting to improve; a truck full of kids came over to play today, so people are out driving. I’m hoping it gets better enough to finish my work. Am I nuts to stay? Bt is it even crazier to go? I think I will have to take it day by day. Fatou has kept me very safe and protected me life a family would. I have never been directly in harms way, although I can hear it. And so far no one has been reported dead from these protests so lets hope it stays civil.

It’s an experience I wish upon no one, but it is now a part of me, and I will remember last night forever.