Bullets Over Bubbly.

Season's Greetings from beautiful Ouagadougou, Hub of the Universe! My most sincere apologies, Dear Readers, for having neglected my Diary for so long. Let me see if I can mollify you a bit by detailing the extent to which Ouaga has gone to celebrate the holidays. The residents of this town certainly know how to throw a New Year's Eve celebration, shooting off firecrackers and zooming around on their backfiring motos. Unfortunately, these sounds are almost identical to that of the firing of an AK-47 assault rifle, which appears to be yet another popular way to ring in the New Year... particularly among the Ouaga police and the military, who happen to be feuding at the moment. Shortly before Christmas, the 2 groups clashed, apparently over the charge of a concert entrance fee, ending with one soldier killed and several more injured. The military, taking this encounter somewhat personally, retaliated by releasing several hundred convicts out of the city's main prison, over 600 of which are still unaccounted for. Since then, on an almost nightly basis, there has been sporadic gunfights throughout the city, and the main routes leading from the city have been subject to a higher-than-usual number of bandit strikes on cars and buses. 'Tis the Season, no? The Peace Corps volunteers who came into town to fete together have, in general, been left unmolested by either faction... with the notable exception of one who had one of the aforementioned AK-47s poked in his face when his bush taxi arrived within city limits, and a couple others who were compelled to abandon their beers when the bar at which they were drinking was forcibly closed by another gunman. In light of the situation, Peace Corps has become (understandably) concerned, and requested all volunteers to keep staff posted on their whereabouts, and our Country Director has prohibited us from leaving the volunteer transit house after night has fallen. I will give our Country Director this, that she has remained admirably calm throughout the last week, and kept us as informed on developments as possible. This is not to say that we are living under siege... we just are exercising a little more caution than usual, and avoiding parts of the city that could be considered "hot" (police/military stations, government districts, etc.). Flinch though I may at the pop of each and every firecracker set off by kids, I am determined to see the New Year in with a glass of sparkling wine held firmly in hand.

On another note, it is difficult to wrap my mind around the fact that it has been nearly 7 months now I have been living in this country. No idea if it has started "changing" me yet, as Peace Corps likes to claim. Hell, I'm having a difficult time starting any projects, and I have serious doubts about my usefulness in the Girls' Education and Empowerment program. Still, I am glad that I came to Africa, and most of the time I don't mind being here (even now). Upon my return to village, I hope to get a little back to my roots by organizing a theater club for village girls, in order to encourage them to address issues that are usually taboo for discussion. Also got an English club for adults in the works, and maybe some math tutoring to help the local kids in school.

Hope the holidays are treating you all well! As for me, looks like I'm getting quite a Ouaga New Year.