Greetings!

Bonjour ! Ne y yibeoogo ! Hello !
Salut ! Ça va? Y yibeoog yaa laafi ? Hi! How are you?
Ça va bien. Laafi bala. I’m fine.
Et la famille ? Y zak ramba ? And the family ?
Ça va. Laafi. Fine.
Et le travail ? Y tuuma kibare ? And work ?
Ça va. Laafi. Fine.
C’est bien. Yaa soma. That’s great.

That sums up about 85% of the conversations I had on site visit. (Side note: Much more sympathy to parents of sullen teenagers!) I had some interesting exchanges with my future co-workers, but on this whirlwind découverte, I didn’t get beyond salutations with most people. One complicating factor is French proficiency. The first elementary school in my village wasn’t built until the 1970s and the collège (middle school) where I’ll be teaching is less than 10 years old. Fundamental cultural differences also play a role. In host country culture, greetings are presque mandatory and form a much greater part of relationships. Still, I’m starting to understand just how isolating the Peace Corps experience can be. Il faut (It is necessary) to always remember that integration is a process, not an event. Going through stage has made me realize how much I’ve grown since last year. As my previous blog details, I had many wonderful experiences in France, but I spent more than a few nights in front of my computer with a glass (or two) of wine, waiting for something to happen. My language proficiency and ease of cultural adjustment were things that I took for granted when I returned to the US, but are helping me to deal with the stresses of life in a very different culture.