Danika- Nov. 14

We had lasagna for lunch. In the afternoon, we went to the pool across the road and met our friends Jiska and Phebe there. After swimming a little bit, we went to their house for supper. It was lasagna. We played hide-and-seek in the dark and then had cake that their big sister Lydia had made. We played for fifteen more minutes and then their dad took us home in his ambulance. I was really sweaty because the hide-and seek game was so much fun! See you, Danika

Tany - Nov 13

I think that I tired the kids out today!  This morning we went for a walk to find the ingredients for breakfast.  We were all looking forward to some freshly-baked french bread, dipped in tea (a typical Burkina breakfast) with fried eggs on the side.  So after walking down several blocks and visiting a half a dozen boutiques that were out of eggs, we found a little boutique that had eggs and all of the other things that we were wanting, including laundry detergent and mayonnaise.  The boutique was run by a young boy, probably not older than 12-years-old.  What struck me about the boy was that although he had probably never been to school, he was able to calculate the total of 8 eggs (100 francs each), 3 little bags of laundry detergent (75 francs each) and 1 small jar of mayonnaise (750 francs) in his head.  So anyways, we know where to go next time we're wanting eggs and bread for breakfast.
After being here 2 full days with our apartment windows left open to keep air circulating, our floor was covered with a thin layer of dust!  It's dry season so it's there's quite a bit of dust in the air, as you may well guess in looking at the dirt ground in our pictures.  So we swept and mopped all of the floors, chairs and tables along with the help of Joel and Andi's (my brother and sister-in-laws') babysitter who happened to arrive for a visit just at that time. 
Then we visited the Mennonite mission workers who just arrived in Ouaga, to fill much the same role that we had when we lived in Ouaga.  It was interesting to hear from them how the dynamics of the church/University Student Residence are changing as the numbers of students attending the church/residence grows. 
We got home in time for the kids to spend a couple hours playing with our Australian friends (the Watts family), which I later heard was a very loud, active and giggly time of playing hide and seek.  During this time, Moussa, who was the night-guard at our old house, dropped by for a visit. 

For lunch, we went to Joel and Andi's house for their "Burkina Surprise" meal, of Riz Gras with Aloco (deep-fried plaintain bananas -  yum!).  Then we went to the market that is right beside where we used to live, looking for cloth for a skirt for Danika and a hammer for Joel.  I knew approximately where to go for the hammer, but it took asking in five different hardware booths, which each one directing us to a different booth down the road, until we found a hammer.  So for $7, we'll see how many whacks that hammer can take.  The lesson learned:  Perseverance and patience will get you pretty much anything that you're looking for in Burkina, and you'll always meet a lot of friendly people along the way. 
On our way back home we stopped in at Briggitte's courtyard.  Briggitte used to help us with cooking and cleaning a couple mornings a week, and she always took special interest in playing with Kenai.  So she was delighted to see us (and especially Kenai!) and Kenai was delighted to see Ebenezer, her 6-year-old son for whom Kenai had brought a soccer ball.   Oh, and of course, Kenai was also delighted to chase and trap the little chicks that were running free in her courtyard, in a little cage!  Chasing and catching little chicks (or chickens and roosters if chicks were sparse) was always Danika and Asher's favorite past-time too, when we visited others' courtyards.
Then for supper, we went to the house of the Mennonite mission workers from France and had a wonderful evening laughing, preparing supper together and eating.  I think that there was more laughing just because Asher and Kenai were so tired and giddy, as we had only started making supper around 7:00pm.  But the family did have a great sense of humor, too. 
I think that tomorrow will be less full, but who ever can tell who'll drop by...?

Danika- Nov. 13

This morning went to our friends' house, Bruce and Nancy. Their kids were at school but they brought some stuffed animals and stuff to play with. They gave us homemade Kool-aid, homemade granola bars and seedy watermelon. Later in the afternoon, we went to the market to get a few panyas. Panyas are African cloth that you bring to the tailor to sew into an outfit. There are all sorts of colours and designs on that cloth! We will probably go to the tailors later in the week. On the way home we bought some cooked bean stuff called beigner, like you see in the picture. You dip them in a tomato sauce. See you! Danika

Asher - Monday, Nov 12

I went to the meat market and bought a slingshot and some parts to buld and fix a slingshot. we also bought some fruit. for a long time I tride to shoot Doves and really big lizards because they taste really good.The mangoes were exalent. I can't wait till tomorrow.

Danika- Nov 12

I am already seeing a big difference in my french. This morning we went to see the house that we used to live in. Apparently an Italian family is living in it now. Our old neighbours had moved away, too, but we saw most of them on our way out. Then we went to the market. What a busy place!! And, boy, something smelled like rotting fish! Anyway, we bought a few fruits and we each got a slingshot. Those slingshots are not good quality at all. I put a stone in, pulled it back and the elastic came shooting right out of its homemade, couchouc (cowshoo) socket. I really don't think I'm that strong! On our way back from the market we passed a mosque. It is quite noisy during the Muslims prayer time, especially at night. Here is a picture of it.    Au revoir! Danika

Tany - arrived in Burkina

In thinking ahead to this trip, I did not anticipate how royally spoiled we would be by all of our friends here in Burkina!  Here are some examples: Upon arriving at the airport, Agathe and her dad were there to see Danika, plus the Watts family (who Asher mentioned) but in addition were another 11 people that we weren't expecting, including another missionary family and a group of Burkinabé friends from our church!  Then today, we went to church this morning and were overwhelmed by the welcome, which included a special "welcome back" program in the afternoon followed by a meal that they had prepared.  Many of them will be dropping by our guesthouse in the days to come to visit individually. 
We had a great afternoon together with my brother and sister-in-law's family.  Danika's last comment before going to sleep tonight was that 3 weeks sounds really short now that she's having so much fun playing with her cousins and friends.
Otherwise, I have two good quotes for the day:  "When I flushed the toilet, it was really freaky!" - Asher's remark on the toilet's excellent water pressure, which almost splashed him.  "I want to sit on your lap, Mom, but don't touch me because you're getting me all sweaty!" - Kenai adjusting to the heat during church today. 

And here's a shot of our guesthouse room.  These two beds are beside kitchen/dining room area (behind me), and there are two more beds in a small bedroom off to the side, with an attached bathroom.  Very cozy!  Good night.

Kenai

When asked how the airplane trip went, Kenai says "Last time Air France had the 'Little Bear" movie.  I wish that they still had "Little Bear". "
When asked how he likes Burkina, Kenai says "I saw five lizards today!"

Asher - Nov 9 and 10

We woke up at 5:30am. We wached two movies before every one else woke up. Then went and got in the car. We got to the airport in toronto and met Oma and Opa.

On the first air france flight, we woke up at mid night our time. On the second airfrance flight, the movies I wached were The Lorax, The incredibles and ice-age 4. The most interesting part was playing with the Watts', our friends. We are living right next to them!

Danika Nov.10 and 11

Yesterday (Nov. 10) we waited in the airport for 5 hours in Paris. I was really tired because we had got there at 12:00 am (Alberta time). The plane ride was long enough to watch 3 movies on the airplane screen.(The Lorax, The Incredibles 1 and Ice Age 4) I actually learned something on the flight: I don`t like airplane food!! This morning I woke up to the scent of nutella and cream-cheese.  We had riz gras for supper. Riz gras is rice with a fish and cabbage sauce. Wish  me luck!  Danika

Flying out tomorrow

We're off to Calgary in a couple hours and will then fly out tomorrow morning, stopping to see the kids' grandparents and Aunt Sandy in Toronto for a 3-hour visit.  The full flight will take us 24 hours. 
Danika's best friend, Agathe (from France) is meeting Danika at the airport in Ouagadougou and is VERY excited to see her again. 
Once we get to the guesthouse where we'll stay in Ouagadougou, Asher is planning to make a mini mud hut (a crèche) in the front yard, like he used to make with his friends in the month before Christmas.  These huts are the Burkina version of the Christmas Nativity scene.  To make this, the kids use an empty sardine can to form the mud bricks and then let the bricks bake in the sun before using them to build the walls.  So we'll be eating lots of sardines in the first couple days there (well, Asher will be...! I'm going to be eating the Burkina corn-mush, called "toe", eaten dipped in a sauce.) 
And Kenai has already started reverting to the games that he used to play in Burkina - like pretending to be a meat cutter at the meat market.  He uses a knife (although he'd be much happier if we had a real machete) to hack off chunks of play-doh "meat" for me to buy from him. 
The meat market in Ouagadougou is one destination on our "to-do" list.  It's a bustling market of swinging meat cutters, loud and cheerful women selling fruits and vegetables, jostling buyers, hungry vultures waiting on the side for scraps of meat and HOPEFULLY some nice mangoes just waiting for us to pass by!  It's not mango season right now but we're planning to scour the markets to see whether we can't find some mangoes that are imported from a neighboring country.  Oh, and about those vultures - one of the first things that we need to do when we get to Burkina is buy Asher a slingshot so that he can practice his target shooting as we pass the vultures.  The plentiful little lizards that sun themselves on the brick walls of houses also make great targets.
So I think that we're ready, with many plans as to what we'd like to do in Burkina and who we'd like to see.  Enjoy your snow! ;)
Tany