BF Journal: Sept. 14, 2018 - Oct. 1, 2018

Kissa took off to Ouaga for a few days in order to drop Sakina off at her dad's place. She has started her new school year, so I bought her a small tablet, specifically for educational games. Kissa has since returned and even though it was only a few days, it felt longer. Before, my time spent with her was either new and less serious (my first trip) or very short and always with a sense of urgency about maximizing our time together (the past two summers). This trip we have a whole year together and she comes to stay with me as often as she can. I am growing accustomed to having her around and I have started to wonder how it will affect me this time when I depart (if her visa application is still not accepted).

Bakary went to KV and returned. He went to do a bit of work in his cornfields and check on the militia situation. He reports that there is an agreement involving the governor of the province, and that this militia does not enter KV. In fact they have been forced to leave altogether. The news reports that the governor has prohibited the local militia (koglwéogo) in this specific area. This is a notable departure from the position of the government of Burkina Faso, which defended these groups in spite of the recommendation against them from the UN. I am a little unclear as to what the militia says it will do, but I was surprised that they were not in the east, given that that area is where they likely be the most useful.

Most of the past week has been getting supplies for my imminent move to KV and being sick (again). It seems that my body has decided to fight me this time in Burkina. I am not exactly winning yet, either.

I have confirmed Thursday as the move to KV day. I have been spending the past few days buying supplies and whatnot. I am very excited to be heading to KV. This excitement is both increased by the fact that I won't be on social media as much and will likely have less bad news intruding into my life. However, that is at odds with my need to stay informed. I also worry greatly about events unfolding right now which impact so many lives. At least I don't have to witness the utter callousness and demagoguery of the political right, for a while.

BF Journal: Aug. 29th, 2018 - Sept. 13, 2018

I am not sure I have much in the way of news, except at the end of this post. Jeff is back in Bobo as of last night and Vadim (another researcher who I have not met) will arrive later this month. Things are about to get pretty crowded around, which makes me even more motivated to get by butt to KV.

The past couple weeks have been challenging in terms of workflow. I have been at my computer every day, but feel like progress has been slow. This is partly because I got sick three times in the past couple weeks. The other part is that those setbacks precipitated more anxiety about finishing later than I wanted, which of coarse caused me to be less productive. Isn't Anxiety fun? I don't have many specific deadlines, but I still feel incompetent when I get derailed from my plans, even if I know I am not ultimately to blame.

Kissa, Sakina and I went out a couple nights ago to spend some quality time together before Sakina heads to Ouaga. Sakina needs to be with her father for the start of the school year. My plans to go to KV are obviously slightly delayed due to work taking a while, but I also need to wait for Kissa to return to Bobo before moving into the village (since she is coming with). Let's hope I can wrap some stuff up by the beginning of next week?

I have some potentially irritating news. There has been some activity involving a militia in a village near KV (approximately 15 km away). In the Eastern part of the country, they are a response to Boko Haram beginning to encroach on the area. There are no organizations like Boko Haram where I am at though, so the nature of what this militia does is unclear to me. Zaky says they sometimes randomly accuse people of robbing folks without evidence and capture them. My understanding is that local militia groups don't really have anything to do with foreigners. They don't have an antagonistic relation with the police and military, but the relationship is contentious. There is no oversight for these groups and I know that the folks in KV and in the village don't want them there. There was a small battle between the locals and this militia and three people were killed and a number were injured, including the districtchief. At the very least it is clear they are not there to protect the people of the village though it is unclear to me where exactly they are from.

I will be keeping track of that situation and will not go to KV if it seems like I could be a target (though accusing of me of stealing would be a difficult sell as I am more likely to be robbed).

BF Journal: Aug. 15th, 2018 - Aug. 28th, 2018

Over the past couple weeks, my days have been full, but to terribly taxing.

Bakary left for KV in order to check on his cornfields and help prepare for the Tabaski festival (Muslim sacrificial festival). He did some file relabeling for me before leaving, and so I have been measuring vowels and looking at spectrograms (among other things). Be jealous.

My work has been a bit slower than I would like over the past the couple weeks. Being without my anxiety and depression medication (which I could not buy in advance and cannot purchase here) has clearly had an effect on my productivity, though I do manage to write or read every day, thus far. Small victories. Going running frequently helps.

Kissa and I have gotten to spend some time together which has been very good for my mental health. Even though she doesn't experience these symptoms and hasn't any experience dealing with them (mental health services here are basically nonexistent), she is patient and understanding, which is crucial for supporting folks in my situation. As I say frequently, I am lucky to have her and the friends that I do (in the US). My advisors are also mostly understanding. While academia itself is undeniably terrible for mental health, I get more support than many grad students, so I try not to complain too often. The problem comes in when I haven't much access to any of them.

Kissa and I went to a nightclub with Anthony and one of Kissa's close friends (she was also at our marriage). Everyone seemed to have a good time.

 

My usual talent for looking awkward in pictures continues.

 

Also, what kind of smile is this exactly?

My Jula (Dioula) has improved slightly in addition to my French, which quickly improves every trip here, so that is nice as well. I am basically at the "try saying stuff and get made fun of" stage of learning Jula. Apparently I'm frequently hilarious.

In other news, readers of my previous versions of this blog will remember my constant battle with the local flies. They can be fairly intense here (both the flies and my personal vendetta). They are still awful and I am likely to buy a fly racket soon (a small plastic racket which can be charged so as to electrocute the flies). Hearing them zapped is rather satisfying.

Remember this weirdo from a few years ago?

Also Zaky has remember to say "fucking mouches (fly in French with English plural)" when talking about them, which always cheers me up.

BF Journal: Aug. 5th, 2018 - Aug. 15th, 2018

Aug. 5th, 2018 - Aug. 15th, 2018

I will start off this post by complaining about silly things I did which are absolutely in character for me.

I injured my shoulder while moving stuff into storage as I was also packing my bags. I have yet to fully recover, but I am on the mend. I also forgot basic things I need as a result of being very busy with all this. Apparently I didn't think to pack pens, for example. I also discovered some odd items missing from my suitcase (e.g. tweezers but not my four inch blade, allergy meds, and mouse pad), which I presume were taken in Istanbul since that is where my bag was delayed.

I have had to buy a lot of stuff to make up for what I didn't think to pack, as well as ensure that I can work somewhat comfortably. I bought furniture and supplies, and needed to get things repaired basically every day since arriving. Needless to say, I have spent more money than I anticipated.

On the day that was supposed to be my first visit to Karangasso-Vigue, I got sick. Accordingly Kissa and I did not get to go and therefore look at our new digs there. The cause is not certain, but I suspect it was my attempt to get rehabituated to the water here in Bobo Dioulasso. I likely did so too quickly and thus have decided to hold off. I also did this because I will have to drink bottled water in the village anyways. Drinking the local well water would be a real easy way for me to get seriously ill.

I did manage to visit KV two days later without Kissa, who had a prior engagement. Bakary's kids were so excited to see him that they met him as far away from their own home as they could. However, we left only a few hours later and it clearly hurt them. Nobody likes seeing kiddos cry. Thankfully next time I arrive, we will be staying there for a considerably longer duration.

On the night of the 12th (our first wedding anniversary), Kissa and I went out to the same restaurant we did last year on the same day. Myabe we will make this into a personal tradition. Our companions from last year were not present, but we had a nice night, just the two of us! We don't actually get a lot of alone time anyways.

Kissa's birthday is the 13th, and I bought her a good moto as both a birthday and anniversary present. She loved it very much but had to return home to help out with family stuff almost immediately after the purchase. At least she will be more able to swing by when she feels like it.

I just had a half drunk conversation with a guy who works as a driver for an Australian mining company. He is super excited to go to Ghana for a few weeks to learn English better. Also, after he asked my nationality, he said without hesitation "FUCK TRUMP," which made me like him.

My work has been slow to start due to all the trips I have needed to make for supplies and such. However, I have returned to writing a Phonetic Illustration of Viemo, and it feels good to be doing something actually involving my fieldwork recordings. I am learning not to let the feelings of academic guilt hold me back, but I don't think that was the relief I felt here. I just like working here because I can mostly make my own schedule without having to worry about bureaucracy and getting volunteered for things. I truly despise that about academia; the amount of uncompensated work that gets thrust onto us by those higher up the chain. I hated that about the military as well. It is more accurate to say that I hate hierarchy, which makes sense of you understand my political leanings.

I have arranged for a P.O. box which I should receive the key for this Friday. I am looking forward to the tweezers and pens that I will request from care packages.

Anyways, short post this time because most of it was fairly mundane.

Until next time.

Aug. 1st, 2018 - Aug. 5th, 2018

Hello readers!

I thought my current trip to Burkina Faso might be a good time to revive this journal.

Officially, this trip is for continuing my research on the Viemo language, but because my wife lives in Burkina, I also get to spend time with her! I expect this to be an exciting year for us and I will try to share it with you as I am able. I promise to be as sarcastic as always.

Let's start with the first few days.

I suspect that I might have new readers this time, so I will give quick introductions to names you will see in this and future posts. The order below reflects the order in which I met these folks.

Laura: Professor at Dartmouth who works on Seenku (among other interests) and the person who is responsible for bringing me into the project.

Jeff: Professor at U Michigan and prolific scholar (especially on Dogon languages). He financed my first trip to BF. He is the head of the conglomerated Dogon, Mande, Gur, etc. project.

Zaky: Chauffer and all around assistant. His wife's name is Mariam.

Oumar (retired, alumnus): Assistant to all project members.

Minkailou: Jeff's assistant.

Valentine: Cooking and cleaning.

Bakary: My Viemo consultant and sometimes assistant to other project members.

Kate: U Michigan graduate student who works on the Bobo language.

Anthony: Nearly matriculated student at U Michigan.

Ouaga pressé!

First up, I couldn't help but notice that every flight to Ouaga (usually from a European airport) is significantly late. I asked a Burkinabé next to me if this always happens. He said that he didn't want to say anything but this is his experience as well. I vaguely recall Laura mentioning something similar a while ago. Additionally the boarding seems to always take place in some seemingly understaffed/slightly disused wing of the airport. On past trips, I saw many flights going to or coming from places such Johannesburg, Casablanca, Bamako, Nairobi, Abidjan, and Niamey in the same suspicious section of the airport. I'm sure that's all just a gigantic coincidence (sarcasm intended).

As per usual my baggage did not seem to arrive with me. This is my fourth time traveling here and this is the third trip where my baggage has been delayed. For a silver lining, I got to spend a couple days with my wife (just the two of us), which has been great for us. Last summer when we got married, we had 10 days to see everyone and it was exhausting. We did not get a single day alone. Perhaps the baggage delay was more of a blessing this time. This gave us time to discuss a potential honeymoon for our one year anniversary (the 12th of this month), but we haven't settled on a plan yet.

In true Nate form I apparently forgot my sunglasses in Istanbul. Good thing I brought two more pairs (in my suitcase) anticipating my breaking or losing sunglasses. However, I needed a pair and a hat with a brim immediately (the sun and dusty wind is a bit much without eye/face/neck protection), so I went to the market the morning after my arrival. I dropped (and cracked) them about 4 hours later. Apparently my daily quota for tripping and breaking stuff had yet to be met and the universe wouldn't let me get away with that.

Speaking of the market, going to the market in Burkina as a white person is a bit of an experience. The number of people who attempt get your attention you to buy their stuff borders on harassment. To be fair, were I in their shoes, I think I might be tempted to get the attention of people I think might be (comparatively) wealthy. This day, I ended up with a shirt and a necklace for me and some cloth for Kissa, none of which we intended to buy at the outset. If I may make an admittedly rough comparison, it feels a bit like going to Target on a Saturday afternoon, if it were even more crowded with people asking you to buy stuff every few meters. The next day when Kissa needed something for at the market, she asked me if I would be okay with staying at the hotel because she doesn't always have the energy to deal with it (I don't speak Mòòré, so it often falls on her to deflect for me). It was not hard to empathize.

It's not all bad though, sometimes interactions are more like one I had that day (the morning after my arrival). The person from whom I bought the hat also tried to get my to buy a pair of print fabric pants, despite my saying that I never wear pants in Burkina (I wear shorts, but pants are terrible anyways).

Him:    "Mon ami, ce pantalon est joli, hein?"

            "My friend, these pants are nice/pretty, eh?"

Me:     "Ouais, très joli même!"

            "Yeah, very nice even (meaning: intensification)!"

Him:    "Vous ne voulez pas portez un pantalon burkinabé? Vous ne pouvez pas trouver

            ça chez vous. Il est climatisé!"

            "You don't want (to wear) burkinabe pants? You can't find those where you are

            from." (he's not wrong) "They're air-conditioned."   

Me:     "Climatisé hein? Où est le moteur?"

            "Air-conditioned, huh? Where is the motor?"

Him:    "C'est automatique!"

            "It's automatic!"

Me:     ...

Me:     <<laughs>>

Him:    "D'accord, en partant vous allez acheter des pantalons. Il fait plus frais chez          vous."

            "Okay, (upon/when) leaving, you (will) buy some pants. It is cooler where you     are from." (correct again)

I guess the air-conditioning won't be a problem in the cooler air.

Bobo pressé!

My baggage did arrive on the next flight a couple days later and the next we took the most efficient bus route we could find for the bus ride to Bobo Dioulasso. We found one from a newish provider which goes to a new station practically next door linguist houses (we have two now) in Bobo Dioulasso, which is considerably easier than previous arrangements.

Upon arrival in Bobo yesterday, Zaky, Bakary, and Anthony (who I just met) greeted Kissa and me at the bus station. Shortly thereafter, I got to see Valentine again. The reunions were nice but short as Kissa had to head home quickly to help out with family matters and I needed to start making lodging arrangement and purchases for the house in Bobo Dioulasso as well as in Karangasso-Vigue (the village where the language with which I work is spoken). Bakary loved his new computer I bought him. Zaky appreciated the Jack Daniels I got him and Valenine of coarse love her new Pagne (printed fabric). I also got to hang with Cecilia (Zaky's daughter) again who has gotten just so big (she's almost 5)! She is still as cute and even more energetic than ever! Zaky and Mariam have a new son who was born shortly after I left last summer. He is a bit shy around me but I plan to win him over the same way I did his older sister: candy. They might call me "uncle" but I behave like a stereotypical grandmother.

Until next time.