Hubby and I got back from a decadent weekend in Vegas celebrating my birthday. The vista of bright lights from the window of our beautiful suite at the Vdara Hotel got me thinking - all that electricity on the Strip. The immaculate pool - all that water. The giant breakfast buffets - with all that food (from crab to Chinese to standard breakfast fare and Mimosas, etc., etc.) - got me thinking.
Everything about the comfortable and even indulgent lifestyle in the US gets me thinking about Marlow. Actually, just not Marlow, but the Burkinabe. It's not a sad, pitiful, the-world-isn't-fair feeling at all. Just a new perspective. A very logical comparison about how the Burkinabe live and how we live.
What my husband dropped (ugh) in the Vegas casinos would likely feed a family of six in Burkina for a year. For us, it was still a fun trip. Would Marlow's neighbors even be able to comprehend that? Does it matter? Yet, does it nag at me somehow?
By some standards I am a relatively worldy person, purely by fate through the kindness of a cross-cultural life in Europe and in the States. When I talk with Marlow about her life in Burkina it reminds me about my integration into a new culture; tolerance even. But more so, to truly accept that "it is what it is" wherever you are.
Indeed, wherever I am, such as a breakfast buffet in Vegas I can not help but suddenly and consciously contrast and compare with life in Burkina through what Marlow has relayed. Sometimes it's a palpable dissection in my mind of "have and have-not" and sometimes it's capricious thoughts of a type of happiness in Burkina that we do not have here. I can't decipher where the "have and have-not" really exists. What I can do is support Marlow in her Peace Corps missions and resoundingly let her know that she is absolutely fulfilling the mission to translate the way of life in Burkina to me in a meaningful way.
There was no To at the Vegas breakfast buffet. Maybe one day.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
Thoughts on being with Marlow over Christmas
Terminal 4 at Heathrow. Hailey, Michael and myself waiting for Marlow to get through customs and passport control. We'd just done that ourselves the day before.
But then we saw her face which was what my heart was aching for. Nothing very dramatic (I wasn't fishing for drama) and a normal reunion, really. Just so special to have all of us together after 6 months. And in England too!
We had lots of great get-togethers over Christmas and New Years Eve with my mother, brothers, nieces, nephews, and Michael's relatives too. Fun times in London, Kent and Brighton. Too many memories to recount.
Then we said goodbye to Marlow at Terminal 4 with laden suitcases as she departed back to Burkina on New Year's Day. I know she was itching to get "back home." And now she is.
But then we saw her face which was what my heart was aching for. Nothing very dramatic (I wasn't fishing for drama) and a normal reunion, really. Just so special to have all of us together after 6 months. And in England too!
We had lots of great get-togethers over Christmas and New Years Eve with my mother, brothers, nieces, nephews, and Michael's relatives too. Fun times in London, Kent and Brighton. Too many memories to recount.
Then we said goodbye to Marlow at Terminal 4 with laden suitcases as she departed back to Burkina on New Year's Day. I know she was itching to get "back home." And now she is.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Christmas 2011 with Marlow
So the flights have been booked and we're all excited for the family reunion in England over Xmas. We're flying Marlow out of Burkina the day after we get in to London. Apart from the excitement of seeing Marlow for the first time in 7 months, the cool (cold!) weather and Xmas with hubby, my other daughter Hailey, mother, brothers and extended families is something I'm really looking forward to. Even though I've lived in the States for 25 years and get back to England quite regularly, I have not spend Xmas "back home" in all that time.
Anyone who knows me and Marlow will not be surprised that I had already planned this trip in my head before she left for Burkina in June and she prepared accordingly by pre-packing a suitcase with warm clothes that I will bring over. Now that's being organized!
It will be even more special for Marlow because the plan is to have her bf come over to England, too!
Really cool that Marlow will be flying through Casablanca on her way to Heathrow. How many people have been to Casablanca? Oh, never mind, how many people have been to Burkina Faso, right?
It will only be a one week England trip for Marlow and she flies back on January 1st, but there are only so many available flights in and out of that part of West Africa. And, I think it's important that she isn't out of Burkina for too long since she has only been at site for 3 months. There are stories of volunteers being wooed away from service after a vacation this early in, but no worries there for Marlow.
So, in almost exactly two months we'll all be together. Can't wait!
Anyone who knows me and Marlow will not be surprised that I had already planned this trip in my head before she left for Burkina in June and she prepared accordingly by pre-packing a suitcase with warm clothes that I will bring over. Now that's being organized!
It will be even more special for Marlow because the plan is to have her bf come over to England, too!
Really cool that Marlow will be flying through Casablanca on her way to Heathrow. How many people have been to Casablanca? Oh, never mind, how many people have been to Burkina Faso, right?
It will only be a one week England trip for Marlow and she flies back on January 1st, but there are only so many available flights in and out of that part of West Africa. And, I think it's important that she isn't out of Burkina for too long since she has only been at site for 3 months. There are stories of volunteers being wooed away from service after a vacation this early in, but no worries there for Marlow.
So, in almost exactly two months we'll all be together. Can't wait!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Two months! Say what?
So Marlow has now been in Burkina for a full two months and she says the time has flown by for her. Personally, I don't know if it feels much longer or much shorter than two months, especially when I consider that she has another 25 months to go. Very confusing. But I shall not argue with the Gregorian calendar - two months is two months.
She's been getting my packages like clockwork. It's only taking 2-3 weeks for them to get to her, and that includes a bit of a delay from the time they get to the Peace Corps. in Ouaga to the time they drop the packages of in her town. That's pretty impressive service, I think. Of course, when you're in subSaharan Africa and you've just used the last of your barbecue sauce, 3 weeks can be a very long time to wait for its replacement. But luckily I happened to include a bottle of ketchup in a package which she got last week so she is not without an American condiment.
A couple of weekends ago I, her dad and sis got to do a video Skype with Marlow. Fantastic to see her face! She was at a training session in Banfora and got to spend a day relaxing at a hotel with a pool and wi-fi. Marlow's lost about 20 lbs but she looked great, other than the giant insect bites (I'm assuming mosquitoes) on her ankles, ugh. She showed us the landscape and we could just make out very large hills in the background and some beautiful, lush scenery. Banfora is close to where her full-time site will be come September and the area looks radically more inviting than her current host site.
Thank you Skype and the US Postal Service. Keep up the good work. We've got another 25 months to go!
She's been getting my packages like clockwork. It's only taking 2-3 weeks for them to get to her, and that includes a bit of a delay from the time they get to the Peace Corps. in Ouaga to the time they drop the packages of in her town. That's pretty impressive service, I think. Of course, when you're in subSaharan Africa and you've just used the last of your barbecue sauce, 3 weeks can be a very long time to wait for its replacement. But luckily I happened to include a bottle of ketchup in a package which she got last week so she is not without an American condiment.
A couple of weekends ago I, her dad and sis got to do a video Skype with Marlow. Fantastic to see her face! She was at a training session in Banfora and got to spend a day relaxing at a hotel with a pool and wi-fi. Marlow's lost about 20 lbs but she looked great, other than the giant insect bites (I'm assuming mosquitoes) on her ankles, ugh. She showed us the landscape and we could just make out very large hills in the background and some beautiful, lush scenery. Banfora is close to where her full-time site will be come September and the area looks radically more inviting than her current host site.
Thank you Skype and the US Postal Service. Keep up the good work. We've got another 25 months to go!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Biara Ba Koko - Marlow's new home away from home
Yesterday I got to hear Marlow's excited voice as she told me that she will be placed as a volunteer in Biara Ba Koko (it's not on any map and I wouldn't be surprised if I may have spelled it wrong). It's a small village in the South West of Burkina, not far from the border with Cote D'Ivoire, and not that far from Mali. The closest town is Banfora, about a 12 mile bike ride for her. Of course, the first thing I did after our Skype call was Google the area. Seriously, Biara Ba Koko apparently doesn't exist unless you live there. But Banfora looks like it has a few creature comforts. Marlow will be relinquishing electricity when she leaves her host family in Sapone but the trade-up is what looks to be a much greener, lusher landscape than she has seen so far. I'm very excited for her since it looks like a plum site allocation. She will get to visit the area for the first time next week.
And Marlow got the first package I sent her! Filled with all kinds of goodies that she was very grateful for. "Mom, the other volunteers are jealous" is a comment that pretty much guarantees I will keep those packages coming. Hearing that she is over her tummy troubles (the Peace Corps. took great care of her) and that she is revved up for her visit to her full-time volunteer site next week is the welcomed package she sent me in return.
So, it's only one month plus a few days since Marlow left for Burkina Faso. It seems like sooo much longer. We missed not having her around on July 4th. I've been trying not to think about future holidays that we will not spend with her. Yes, I continue to think about Marlow a trillion times a day but Peace Corps. mums and dads should know that it really does get easier with a little time, a little knowledge and a little Skype.
And Marlow got the first package I sent her! Filled with all kinds of goodies that she was very grateful for. "Mom, the other volunteers are jealous" is a comment that pretty much guarantees I will keep those packages coming. Hearing that she is over her tummy troubles (the Peace Corps. took great care of her) and that she is revved up for her visit to her full-time volunteer site next week is the welcomed package she sent me in return.
So, it's only one month plus a few days since Marlow left for Burkina Faso. It seems like sooo much longer. We missed not having her around on July 4th. I've been trying not to think about future holidays that we will not spend with her. Yes, I continue to think about Marlow a trillion times a day but Peace Corps. mums and dads should know that it really does get easier with a little time, a little knowledge and a little Skype.
Friday, July 1, 2011
News of a little tummy trouble...bound to happen
Couldn't wait for Sunday for our weekly planned call. So I Skyped Marlow yesterday for a full hour chat. So much to absorb about what she is doing and feeling after her two full weeks in Burkina. Mixed bag from a mother's perspective because I know that there are a lot of challenges. Short summary: 1) Peace Corps are keeping her VERY busy in training 2) She's adjusting to the elements 3) She's doing just fine but clearly misses a few things about home (duh!) and had a few additional requests for her next package
Oh, yeah, the stomach troubles - to be expected. Dubious water mixed with doxycillin for malaria prevention and a whole new diet. Peace Corps Mum doesn't like to think of her child being sick so this was something I approached with concern but also dignity for not soliciting details.
On a different note, there was an article in the St. Petersburg Times today about a local woman, Ali Halverson (21), who did volunteer work teaching kids in Tanzania for 5 weeks this past spring. Her story is so reminiscent of Marlow's volunteer work in Ghana when she was 18 (also a St.Pete Times story). What struck me most about the article was a quote from Ali about engaging her kids in a science experiment. "The kids are never asked what they think," she said. "That was the most rewarding part, seeing them actually think and process for themselves rather than repeat what they're told." Uncannily, that's exactly the sentiment that Marlow related to me just yesterday afternoon about her impressions of teaching practices in Burkina.
Fingers crossed that Marlow is over the worst of any tummy troubles for the next 27 months!
Oh, yeah, the stomach troubles - to be expected. Dubious water mixed with doxycillin for malaria prevention and a whole new diet. Peace Corps Mum doesn't like to think of her child being sick so this was something I approached with concern but also dignity for not soliciting details.
On a different note, there was an article in the St. Petersburg Times today about a local woman, Ali Halverson (21), who did volunteer work teaching kids in Tanzania for 5 weeks this past spring. Her story is so reminiscent of Marlow's volunteer work in Ghana when she was 18 (also a St.Pete Times story). What struck me most about the article was a quote from Ali about engaging her kids in a science experiment. "The kids are never asked what they think," she said. "That was the most rewarding part, seeing them actually think and process for themselves rather than repeat what they're told." Uncannily, that's exactly the sentiment that Marlow related to me just yesterday afternoon about her impressions of teaching practices in Burkina.
Fingers crossed that Marlow is over the worst of any tummy troubles for the next 27 months!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Thoughts about what to send next
Yes, it's quite expensive to send packages to Burkina. Worse is not knowing if the package will be received (it's apparently not that bad for package interception, but you never know). Package #1 (duly noted on the box) was sent two weeks ago and may not arrive for a while. Still, I'm working on Package #2. Today I got all the "produits necessaire" that Marlow asked for in our last Skype call on Sunday. Nothing much outside of shampoo/conditioner and something to wash her clothes with (a better alternative to the local bar soap).
Of course, I am sending a whole lot more for her as well as for her Burkinabe host family (the kids). I won't spoil the surprise for Marlow here.
Actually, I know that Marlow doesn't really need anything much from me right now, other than the standard love and support that she knows she gets from her family, ZXJ, and her friends here in the US. But, hey, doesn't hurt to send some extra reminders of home, right? Just trying to make sure it's not stuff she doesn't have to needlessly carry.
Anyway, wandering up the store aisles, thinking about what Marlow might want makes me feel a little closer to her.
Of course, I am sending a whole lot more for her as well as for her Burkinabe host family (the kids). I won't spoil the surprise for Marlow here.
Actually, I know that Marlow doesn't really need anything much from me right now, other than the standard love and support that she knows she gets from her family, ZXJ, and her friends here in the US. But, hey, doesn't hurt to send some extra reminders of home, right? Just trying to make sure it's not stuff she doesn't have to needlessly carry.
Anyway, wandering up the store aisles, thinking about what Marlow might want makes me feel a little closer to her.
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