Proliferation of my Mind (Kyle in Burkina Faso)

Wednesday, December 23, 2009 –

I had a special treat today. The director of Peace Corps Burkina, Doug, and his two sons came down to my region to visit the Loripeni Ruins (which I have already had the pleasure of seeing, so I played guide for their trip). They came to Gaoua yesterday, so they actually took me out to dinner (and not having to pay was nice, especially at one of the most expensive and nice restaurants in the region). Having good beef and French fries, it was almost like being in the capital city, Ouaga. It was also very nice to spend time with American guys my own age. Speaking English and talking about American culture. (by the way it doesn’t sound like I’m missing much when it comes to the movie scene).
It was nice to be able to be in a vehicle that didn’t stop every two minutes. We made it there and back, to Loripeni, in no time flat. With the public transportation system here, it would seem as though the country is much larger than it really is, when in fact if you had your own vehicle making only the stops you actually want. Then really you can go anywhere and do anything in any given day.
My chameleon named “Chamillionaire”, was one of the coolest pets I’ve ever had the experience of having for a 48 hour time (seems as though catching bugs and feeding him would have been easy, yeah not during the dry season here in Africa) so now Chamillionaire is off on his own. Catching bugs for himself. But I found him on the road coming back from Loripeni. He was just trying to cross the road. So I asked Doug to stop of the vehicle. None of us had ever seen a live chameleon in the wild before. So this was a new experience for all parties involved. Anyone knowing me would know that I just walked right up to it and picked it up with no hesitation. Doug was very surprised by this. Everyone then got to pet him. I then also just brought him with me. Just holding him on my hand, well actually he was holding me. And what a grip he had. So cool. So I guess
I’m the new Steve Irwin here in Burkina. Doug was able to also grab a picture for the Monthly Newsletter called the “Zakramba” (which is Moore for family). Doug takes pictures of everyone he visits and puts them into the newsletter. Though this picture was much better than any of the others he had taken because the first one he grabbed was me in my house; and a little background to go along here. My house is nice, but not only that, its almost luxurious compared to others. I now have this unusual reputation for a Peace Corps volunteer that I am a little spoiled, and well now all of Peace Corps Burkina is totally aware. I guess my house and set up is a topic of discussion in some circles. Though my house is not big, I have gone to some lengths to make the things in my house look nice.