Bonsoir!

It is 2:00 pm in Burkina and people are already saying bonsoir. Although this literally translates to good evening, people start replacing bonjour (good day) around the end of lunch. Despite the sun, by 3:00 pm, it is definitively le soir.

And now some news...

I am STILL a TRAINEE and NOT a volunteer. Ug. Swear-in is set for the 24th and at this point we are counting down the days. On the one hand we have been really lucky to have had a great group of trainers and lots of really useful/ interesting theoretical and practical sessions. On the other hand, sometimes I feel like I am in junior high since our schedule is packed and we are constantly told what to do.

On a positive note about training though, we had a great practical exercise this past Thursday. All GEE* trainees facilitated one half- hour session each at "Model School". C'est à dire: two trainees were assigned to each class and while one taught, the other observed. I was the one trainee who got paired with a current volunteer and we did not prepare our sessions collaboratively before hand. I had no clue what type of Life Skill** she would discuss.

Naturally, I prepared an un-hot topic. This would be my first class - I certainly wasn't going to talk about AIDS! I prepared a simple metaphor and a dicussion about decision-making. Well, when we got to Model School the classroom was packed and the students were huge. As it turned out, we had a class of 100 16-20 year olds and current volunteer Sara was scheduled to go first.

I sat down in the back of the room to observe the session and wouldn't you guess, Sara led an 35- minute brainstorming session on how to turn down sex. What should you say if your boyfriend/ girlfriend says, 'If you love me you'll have sex with me'? Now break up into groups and come up with responses. So, much to my dismay this first session was anwhere from rowdy to border-line hysterical, controversial, and clearly hot. I sat tapping my nervous foot and gearing up from the corner of the room - it would be hard to imagine a more intimidating start.

But the sesssion went great. I introduced myself and took a moment to let the kids notice that I was coming at this from a different direction. I explained that we would move on from the discussion about relationships to one on decision-making and why we behave the way that we do. I told them to imagine this sitution: it is hot. (Not hard for Burkinabé students to imagine.) It is really hot and you are in front of a pool -- or better yet a lake. There is no shade and this lake is the only way for you to cool off so you decide to go in. Then I had the students choose one corner of the room (and had them all move). One corner was for the jumpers - those who decide to jump right in the lake, one for waders - those who get in the water petit à petit, one for the testers - those who dip a toe or finger in before deciding, and the last corner for the delayers - those who would wait on the side and observe first what all the others would do.

After everyone settled in the discussion went great. At first I had one student from each group explain her/his choice. Then I asked if they would always be in the same group no matter what the decision. Do you always make choices the same way? They seemed to think that they would stay in their groups. Then I gave this example to the jumpers: if your father introduced you to someone, would you right away become their friend? The jumpers decided that they would not jump into this situtation -- that they couldn't fully trust this instant friend. Then I gave this example to the delayers: if your teacher asked the question, 'what color is this ruler'? (I held up a yellow ruler.) Would you wait to see what your classmates would do or would you go ahead and answer the easy question?

So in the end we had a great (albeit brief) discussion about the way we make the choices that we do. The students made the connection that we make simple choices easily and difficult choices with much more thought. They decided that a decision merits time when it could affect one's future. So I brought the discussion back to sex and we came full circle after my not-hot examples. Consequences of teenage sex include: unwanted pregnancy and dropping out of school, getting STDs, and especially getting AIDS - basically jumping into lake water that might destroy the future for you. Whew. It is hot in here?


*Girls' Education and Empowerment
**Life Skills is the broad category in which all our topics fit. We have a manuel (actual two) on how to facilitate Life Skills sessions where you discuss communication skills, peer pressure, health, self-esteem, etc.