Saturday, July 31, 2010

Burkina Bike Tour

There is a Burkina Bike tour that is traveling through the country and you should probably read about it all my blog followers.

www.burkinabiketour.blogspot.com

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Trent makes an ameoba friend!!!

so I have been sick the past two weeks. With taking tylenol and some antispasmadics; I was good to go. If I did not, fever,headache, pain in my side. I thought I had like appendencitis or tuberculosis. Turns out it was Entameoba coli (e-coli). I took some pills and am actually feeling like a functioning human being. However; my food choices are still small and my stomach is a little weak. I could not hold down white rice for lunch. So I,m still on a bananas and bread diet. But Should be 100 percent soon.


Teaching has been going pretty well. I teach a lab session 3 times this week and a lecture 2 times. the class is about 13-24 and probably a few older. This is not a problem the class is nice. Next week we are splitting sessions and I am teaching 2hours 3 days a week. Sounds easy but I have to translate every lesson in French and Informatique doesn`t have requirements. We make everything from scratch really. Both good and bad.

Thats all for now, you people need to ask me some questions. LOL

Thanks for reading my rambles!!
Trent

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Its sunday. and I teach tomorrow.

I am at a Cyber and I should be writing my lesson however my phone is dead and i am assuming our meeting today was canacelled. I showed up though. lol.

Tomorrow I have to teach my first lesson in French. There are two sessions; one where the kids have computers and one where the kids do not. I am teaching the technical; aka with comuters and am teaching the desktop. The next day I am teaching lecture about opening and closing windows.

It has been raining here like crazy. Today is a heated day; with no rain. It makes me happy. When it rains; everything in the city shuts down. People don`t come to class, it is just generally annoying.

I am looking to buying a usb key soon because I need one. I can open theseblogs much better and write them on an american keyboard. They can be a little more thought out than the sporadic ones I have been writing.

French still sucks; I have a one on one class with one of the main language directors and it is intimidating and intense. I am still novice low and I have 4 weeks to get to inter high on their arbitrary scale.

***THE SCALE***
novice low** this is me
novice mid
novice high
inter low
inter mid
inter high**** this is where I need to be
advanced low
advanced mid
advanced high
superior

ok off to other things; apparently I am going to a marriage tonight maybe?

oh yeah and I am living in a new host family. I defintely like my family in ouhigouya better. butmy new muslim momma is nice.
I will get into religions here and how little it matters over here next blog. They don`t care what religion youare as long as you are something. But you get catholics and muslims over here. They get along with no problem.

au revoir!!!!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Posting from a Cyber in a mystery location:

So here I sit at a cyber post and I have alot to write about and won`t get to it all sorry.

First Off, I recieved a package from my aunt Cindy, and Tony and the kids. Thank you!! It was full of candy and cheese packages from shells and cheese. I was like a kid at christmas. It was a ,uch needed boost. Thank you so much!!!

I went on site visit and my site has 30 computers in one room and 14 in the other room. I am so excited. The 14 have internet and thus I will probably update more about your questions and stuff when I arrie there and have time. and boy should I have time.

my site visit was like 3 days of pure boredom. I am still getting adjusted to
West. African. International. Time::: or WAIT for short.

I am wathching some teachers teach this week and then starting Monday I start teaching in French. Which is not coming along so hot; but I will get better now that I am moving into a host family. My second host family.I will be so glad not to move anymore for a while; however I have" a roommate and that should make things interesting.

I am also going to post my last two blog posts now that we have moved for those of you who did not get to read them. I am safe now. LOL

Thursday, July 15, 2010

At my site!

so I am at my site and using a french keyboard again sobear with me.

My site is very nice; the school is huge. My classroom is about the size of an american classroom. 30 computers. more to come later. directer is here.

Friday, July 9, 2010

My site location is.... KAYA!!!!!

I found out today that I am going to be living in Kaya when training is over.

This is north of Ougadougou and about 2 hours away. I am so excited. I am going to be working at a school with over 2000 students and I will be working in a lab with 30 computers and the internet on some. This is a very sweet set up here. Not much more info than that.. here is a wiki page, but it doesn't say much. Feel free to do research.

kaya

Oh yeah they way they told us was they blindfolded us and put us on a basketball court with the country drawn on it. There are pictures and I will try to find them..

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Evacuation. What happened.

Ok everyone seems to want to know what happened at evacuation. Here is what happened. I was nominated as a community leader here and thus I was running the community meeting we were having where we talk about what is going on around us and what people are doing. I am also in charge of the July fourth party.

I am running the meeting with Roxanne and Emma and then we have Congo (our safety and security person) come in and talk to us and say "Ok, so we are going into stand fast mode." I am like crap my perfect meeting is ruined.

From this point we were all moved into a hotel in Ouahigouya and actually all night the hotel was surrounded by Burkinabe soldiers with what I believe was AK-47's. Needless to say, I felt perfectly safe. They then went to all of our host families and they got our stuff in the morning and they packed it all up. We got in a bus and came to Ougadougou. We have just received our stuff yesterday. I have received 99 percent of my stuff. I am still missing my I-pod. I have the up most faith that this will get returned to me.

I will reiterate this... I am fine. I am safe. I have nothing wrong with me and am now going to a fourth of july party to swim and have fun. BYE

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Posting from Ougadougou

Ok so there has been a small change of plans in my adventure. Here is what I know...

"The U.S. Embassy in Ouagadougou is issuing this Warden Message to update U.S. citizens on security concerns in the vicinity of Ouahigouya, Burkina Faso.

The U.S. Embassy has information that a group associated with Al Qa’ida in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) plans to kidnap an unidentified U.S. citizen in the vicinity of Ouahigouya, Burkina Faso. If the group is unable to locate a suitable U.S. citizen in the area, it intends to find another westerner to kidnap. The U.S. Embassy has declared the city of Ouahigouya and surroundings off limits to official U.S. government travelers unless prior authorization for such travel is expressly given. U.S. citizens are strongly urged to exercise caution and avoid unnecessary travel to this region.

This information is distinct from and in addition to the Warden Messages issued on June 5 and June 7, 2010, regarding the northern border regions of Burkina Faso."

SOooo... We got evacuated out of Ouahigouya and are now living in Ougadougou (The capital).

To make this clear... I am safe. I am in no danger. I just thought this is something that needs to be stated.

I am no longer living with my host family, I am living in a hotel and am training here for at least the next two weeks.

I will post more probably because well, I have internet access in the hotel. So Yay. I don't have to pay for it. So that is all for right now. But there you are!

Also.. to comment on my blog you need either a google account or a live journal. I just wanted to share that. You must log in to make a comment on my blog. My grandma figured it out very easily. I have confidence the rest of you can. If you cannot feel free to email me your question. (trentonmtaylor@gmail.com)

Thanks and
Au revior