Hard drive non-existent

The dreaded message : Invalid HDD. Insert system disk in drive. appeared yesterday morning.

My computer crashed, and PH (Swiss short-termer computer engineer) kindly came over the same afternoon for the diagnosis. He took out the drive, did other sorts of things, and found that it was the hard drive, not the computer itself (PTL for that at least). What was confusing is that the network computer at work also had the same message the day before and he was on the way to check that so we thought it may have been a virus.

So "all I have to do" is get a new hard drive. Luckily one of our missionaries is visiting Canada for a few weeks so I should be able to order something he can bring back; and I did back up 9 days ago; and I did keep this old laptop as a backup....

It's just a pain to recreate all those settings yet again.

Anyone want a 30 year old car?

Finally yesterday someone turned up with a car for me to look at - bigger than mine, only 20 years old (??!!) but claiming to be an import direct from Europe, which means better shape than cars that have spent years on the harsh roads and in the harsh climate here. I'm looking for solid cars with good road clearance (to go into all the holes that make up 60% of the roads here), factory aircon that could stand up to the heat without failing due to inappropriate installation, and diesel to cut down costs. He wanted 3.75 million CFA for it ($A10 000), about $700 more than I had said I could afford (would take all my inheritance, and for that price needs to be on the road, all customs and government papers paid, in good nick), didn't even seem a smooth ride and looked like its front end had been smashed in and redone. And then our business agent said it wasn't factory aircon, he doubted that it was a European import (4 tyres different brands, papers suspiciously absent, didn't 'smell' like a European car, dusty interior looked suspiciously like inground local dust) and it was too expensive. The seller was all "you can't get these anymore, better get it today, I have another buyer interested" which made me even less interested.

He brought another today, clearly from the port, and only in the country a few days, cleaner inside, theoretically with factory aircon (though lack of an Aircon button inside made our office doubtful), cleaner, much smoother ride. This time for 4 million ($1333 more than I have) "plus just a tiny profit" (probably another $666 so $2000 more than I have). Again 20 years old, but in better shape. He offered to sell my other car for me (at much less than what I hoped to get) so I could buy this one at the higher price 'which would give me another 10 years' - and when do the mechanical problems start??? Again, 'I need to grab it since it could be gone tomorrow' and 'you can't find cars like these nowadays'. I told him I never made snap decisions (especially where $10 000 is involved) and to feel completely free to sell it if someone else had the money.

While looking at it another local car agent was near the office, and asked again if I'd like the small car another expat is selling, after having used a few months. Later the expat rang me and said he'd reduced it (to my budgeted price) but they were getting rid of it since they needed something better for the roads - exactly my problem. I politely declined.

Unfortunately, the money I had budgeted (all that I received, i.e. this inheritance) doesn't seem to translate into much in the local car market. The secondhand small 4WDs like Rav4 are twice as much ($20 000), and 10 year old sedans seem to be about half as much again, unless for brands that are known to deteriorate quickly or be difficult to repair here.

Being called out to look at cars when I should be marking papers or preparing Bible studies is also getting to be stressful, since my schedule was already tight, as is the pressure starting to come from all these directions to buy their car (and quickly). The guy across the road from the mission, my mechanic's contact, even someone visiting SIM while the car was there, and my landlord. I'd rather just call a halt until I have time to think through everything without the urgencies of my other duties. But, as my mechanic said, I shouldn't really keep putting money into repairing my old one but replace it as soon as possible with something that won't need repairing for some time. Last week it was $150 for parts alone and it has been amounts around that each week now for a month ... Luckily the mechanic is working off a loan I'd already given him, or labour would increase the costs.

My mechanic should be getting rich, with all my trips to the garage

The car goes yet again today to the mechanic – after being with him yesterday, three days ago, 5 days ago, 8 days ago … I decided to sell it when I needed work on it once a month, but now it’s getting ridiculous!

I received a small inheritance which will enable me to buy a secondhand car hopefully no older than 10 years old, but hadn’t anticipated the amount of money disappearing into the old one which I need to keep running (and preferably sell) while waiting for the money to arrive (8 months after being notified of it). A major difficulty is finding a car that fits my budget, which also is sturdy, and capable of running in the bad roads I go on every day. I’ve been told many times I should get a 4WD (even a secondhand one is about 4 times the price I have) or a Rav4 (about twice the money I have) but what I received isn’t enough for such, and it’s down to 2 ordinary car models the mechanic thinks will stand up to the roads here. Since a lot of taxis obviously believe the same thing I’ve told them to look for them – with air-conditioning for the 35C+ heat we get for many months of the year here. A few months ago there seemed to be cars around for the price I can afford, but now they're saying it isn't enough, even if that budget doesn’t decrease with the repeated expensive repairs to the older car they just don’t seem to be around anymore and I haven’t been shown one car in the month or so I’ve had access to the funds.

So I’m waiting, and continuing paying for repairs on my 30 year old Peugeot. It’s getting to be a bit of a stress, especially as mini-hot season continues to bake the car while waiting for me outside work (and getting sat on or drawn on with scratchy chalk or twigs by local kids who have no idea I’m trying to keep paintwork nice for a sale) or with me in it while making trips to IMS or on errands.

I’d appreciate your prayers.

Harmattan in Sydney and Ouaga?

From photos I've seen of the recent dust storm in Sydney it looks very much like the Harmattan storms which we have several times a year here (usually November). If you're lucky enough to be inside you rush around battening down the hatches (too bad about the metal louvres in the kitchen and bathroom which don't exactly meet each other to close) and try to breathe through the dust that still makes it through. If you're on the road it's like pea soup fog you drive gingerly through to avoid crashing into something or someone, but scratches paintwork, fills your car fan, and overwhelms the motorbike riders (most common form of transport here) with dust in their hair, mouth, nose.... who, often as not, stop in the middle of the road without lights on to cope with that while you're following behind, which brings me back to not crashing, an occupation which takes a lot of my concentration every day here. When it's not storming during the season dust just hangs in the air, which at twilight and sunset also looks like a brown fog. If you take photos with a flash at night it bounces off the dust particles, with little blossoms of light covering what you wanted to capture behind them.

It's been hot and dry the last few days and we may be getting Harmattan early which means an extremely short (though wet) rainy season since it started late too, a potential disaster for local crops. I was lucky to miss a very long hot season by being in Australia earlier in the year, but it has heated up enough already for the 'mini-hot season' and leaves are already falling off my vines and trees with the dryness and heat - just weeks after the Ouaga flood!! I close up the whole house when I go out just in case: rather a hot house to come back to than one covered in dust and objects blown all over the place. Some of the plants are loving the sun, however, and thriving as long as we keep feeding them water. I'll have my first papayas, we have another bumper crop of cinnamon apples (similar to custard apples), but the passionfruit is specializing in luxurious leaves and extremely little fruit. No show on the guavas, too. I've branched out into flowering plants, too, with my friend Janet donating some cuttings of things which worked well in her garden, a stately "Rose de Sahel" from Jane that hasn't stopped flowering since she left, and some cheap purchases to make up the change where I bought cement pots. I'm waiting on seeds from home to try some more herbs and small veg.

Marathon continues

Well, the first of my marathon weeks is over:

Monday morning I taught 1.5 hrs World Awareness/Geography with a section on internet research on countries and people groups, which the students will need for some of their assignments in other subjects.

Monday evening was the first 2.5 hrs session for IBEO, the evening Bible School. I began the series on Strategic Thinking. First things first, though, the distribution of traditional “been on voyage, bring back presents”. I had photos printed for them of times IBEO students had spent together, and MP3 players I’d picked up on sale at home that were a big hit.

Tuesday afternoon we had our IMS committee meeting – again with some knotty issues like how many hours or days students could miss class and still get their diploma which weren’t resolved in the limited time we had available.

Wednesday morning I led chapel

Wednesday evening was the usual weekly SIM prayer meeting

Thursday evening was the second 2.5hrs session of IBEO, with homework already to hand in so I let them off lightly with reading for next Monday.

Friday morning I taught Anthropology for 4hrs, letting them off early at 12.40 since they were looking so tired, and for those interested (nearly everyone) offered videos of China which they were reluctant then to turn off at 1.15, already 15 minutes late for lunch. I may reschedule my class so that we finish with videos like that when they’re tired instead of putting them just after morning break time.

Friday evening I went back to IMS to help transport students for a meal at Grays house, brought them back there once finished, and returned home.

Recovering from, and preparing for all these sessions in between time has been quite draining. Rains are easing up now so it’s getting hot again, which isn’t making for easy sleep at night. I have one more week like that to go, when I’ll be able to cut out the Wed morning chapel but replace it with the monthly full-morning SIM prayer meeting … Appreciate your prayers for energy and quick preparation.

IMS 2009-10 year opens officially

After a week of orientation and computer courses, followed by an introductory week-long missions course, last Monday IMS had it's first week of 'normal' classes, started by an opening chapel service. A guest speaker (a Fulani missionary) gave the address, SIM Burkina director welcomed the students from 6 countries to Burkina, students got their 'missions library', we chatted and had a Coke and took photos, ... then they started classes.

I teach Geography/World intercession and Anthopology this term, as well as one evening Bible college class and the usual regular admin crises with electricity blackouts and computer problems being key distractions taking up hours per day at the moment.

One week later...

The same street as in the photo below, one week on: in the top left side you'll see several houses missing, furniture and other goods scattered around, and people searching in the wreckage for their belongings. Thankfully, we have had almost no rain since that day so there has been time for people to work on replacing some walls, repairing cracks in houses and shoring up places that almost fell. The government started repairs on the dam nearby that had overflowed that same night, workers there 24 hours a day.

News tonight showed that the main electrical station that was flooded is also back in business, with workers also working constantly since the flood taking apart and cleaning out muck from all the parts that were under water. Some work still to be done there, as reflected by the occasional power cuts, but a good start.

SIM Director Alan Dixon and church leaders visited people who lost their homes staying in temporary shelters like schools and were able to help some who had nothing to sleep with by donating mats, blankets and other necessities. They will be examining other cases as they are found. The government has called on all those who wish to help to meet tomorrow (Monday) to give donations and co-ordinate efforts.

For those interested in helping, gifts can be directed to any SIM office and designated to the new project Ouagadougou Flood Relief BF 93918.

Video - my street in the big rain

Flood details

From SIM Burkina Director...

It seems that the city of Ouagadougou just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. On September 1, a strong tropical storm system stalled over Ouagadougou. It started to rain about 4:30 in the morning, a nice gentle rain for over an hour. About 6:00, the time we usually get out of bed, the downpour started and continued off and on till about 4:00 in the afternoon. The metrological service registered 97 mm (about 4 inches) of rain between 7:00 and 8:00 AM, an incredible downpour. The rainfall recorded by 4:00 PM was 263 mm (over 10 inches) for the day. This is the highest one day rainfall in recorded history in Burkina Faso. On August 31,1914, 246 mm were recorded in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso’s second largest city. The previous highest one-day recorded rainfall for Ouagadougou was 120 mm in 1953. There was likely some variation throughout the city which may account for varied reports. Ouaga has several low areas and water courses with damage particularly significant in those areas.

Just after noon Alison and I went to Paspanga, an area of town about 4 km from our house, to help out the family of a church member there, carrying two of his children and some of their personal effects back to the SIM compound. Water was rising in his yard but had not yet entered his house. Water had backed up about 6 city blocks at that point. We were able to wade through water to a nearby office building under construction where we went up to the fifth floor to survey the damage. A widespread area was flooded and the EE-SIM church, several blocks away, was under about 8 feet of water. It is located just one block from the floodway, downstream from one of Ouagadougou’s dams, which itself was under two feet of water. This is one of the areas where many houses fell. We heard one fall quite close by while we were loading up the car for this family. This is one of the rare times that we have seen hundreds of people in the streets in the pouring rain.

Electricity was cut by mid-morning as the main diesel generating station located in Paspanga flooded. Our power came back on at 8 PM, for many it was the next day, but some are still without power. The water treatment plant at Paspanga was also flooded and shut down. This has resulted in no water in some areas of the city and very low pressure in others. The official word from ONEA (the government water service) is that they are having difficulties but do have adequate reserves.

The main hospital, Yalgado, is not far from the same dam. Its back wall came down and several of the buildings of the hospital compound were flooded. Many patients were evacuated to other hospitals in town. Clean-up is underway but damage, particularly to equipment, is extensive. One of the local newspapers was flooded and only produced a limited edition yesterday with mostly photos of destruction throughout the city.

The city is much calmer this morning and the flood waters have mostly receded. The government estimates that there are about 150,000 people whose homes are no longer habitable- either completely or partially destroyed. About 110,000 of these people have taken shelter in schools and are receiving some emergency aid through government channels. They report only five deaths but many still unaccounted for. If this flood had happened during nighttime hours it would certainly have resulted in a much greater catastrophe in terms of loss of life.

The SIM Ouaga team has set up a fund to begin helping people in need. For now it is initial emergency aid but within a few days I expect we will be looking at helping with housing and other needs, particularly for those in SIM-related churches and their neighbors. Any help that can be directed our way will be appreciated. Gifts can be made through any SIM office to project BF General 81250, designated for Ouagadougou Flood Relief. It's going to take a long time for this to go away.

There was no serious damage for SIMBF missionaries, although one had a couple of inches of water throughout his house- water running in from the street. A wall fell down at another's house, resulting in minor damage to two vehicles. Several of our Burkinabe staff had some damage to their homes and one’s car was engulfed in water after getting caught in the flood-waters while attempting to get to work. We are thankful for God’s protection and pray that those much less fortunate will get the help they need.

Update on flooding

Details are finally coming out about the amazingly few people missing and harmed in yesterday's flooding: the major problem seems to be 150 000 people whose homes were knocked down or melted by the floods (lots of newly-settled areas with just mudbrick), and many small businesses lost stock destroyed by metres of water. Many are sheltered in schools which will be needed soon when the academic year restarts. I've linked a few photos to my Facebook profile.

Philippe's new mudbrick shelter on the unsurveyed land he's been buying withstood a wall of water (he found out he's located in a major drainage path from the hill behind) and only leaked inside at foundation level since his typhoid last week prevented him doing a planned layer of protective cement. Leah's place was OK, but she said her neighbour (with whom they share a garden wall) was waist-deep inside and the water started coming their way so she dammed up the hole to keep the water the neighbour's side! Our cook at IMS, Esther, had water to knee level, lost family documents, a bedroom and outside kitchen.

Paspanga EE/SIM church was inundated up to roof level. Only one person was living in the pastor's house and he was able to save a few church items.

We the SIM Ouaga missionaries discussed our response tonight at prayer meeting : it's the time of year all our acquaintances are asking for loans for school fees, now there will be rebuilding/restocking needs as well so we are going to pool our response to local contacts to be distributed in consulation with church people to avoid over-duplication of some and missing out others.

I feel blessed that I was just moving furniture and wringing out floor cloths for the leaks down nearly every wall in contact with the outside and was encouraged to stay home from work and avoid the roads. Our ditches dug in the past for rainfall runoff worked well and hours after the rain stopped the earth was visible again.(that sounded a bit Noah-like!).

For more info:

BBC's coverage - identical to many websites http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8235040.stm

Olivia, a short-termer has photos on her blog http://oliviainafrica.wordpress.com/ and Christine, a short-term teacher here gives a good description on http://web.me.com/baeders/The_Baeders/Blog/Entries/2009/9/2_Effects_of_the_Flood.html.

Flooding in Ouaga

The electricity has just come back on at 8pm after more than 12hours off, in time for the news, and it’s full of scenes of floods: today more than 264mm rain in Ouaga in the last 24h (highest since 1922), and scenes of people crossing roads up to their necks in water dragging suitcases, knee-deep pushing motorbikes in the center of town on the way to work, people sitting in puddles with piles of furniture outside of mudbrick houses now just scattered mud bricks, 4WDs thrown on top of a sedan’s roof barely visible through the water …

I waited the heavy steady rain out until 8am and tried to leave for IMS when it was still raining … but didn’t even complete the turn out of the street when I saw the car in the ‘river’ at the crossroads bogged up to the top of its tyres. I rang work, heard the roads there were still running, reminded them to put the electricity wiring up off the floor and then thought to look at mine … and found every room of the house except the kitchen with puddles of water that I spent clearing up for the next few hours as they kept being fed by the leaks. Some came down the walls, including in the wardrobe so all my shoes and some dresses were wet.

Within a half hour Joel had rung and said that with his 4WD he had passed many cars trapped by water on the main roads, no staff had made it through and said he’d cancelled classes for the day. Later in the morning two calls came from SIM asking how I was – my leaks were minor stuff compared to what was happening in town. When the rain wasn’t as strong I put on a raincoat, went across the road and they were pushing out water of the little shop, which had come up about 1ft into the shop and drowned the freezer motor (lucky the electricity was out). The guys gathered there said the radio had called for volunteers to come to the hospital to help the army evacuate patients to the other local hospitals since it was flooded too.

I rang Leah and told her not to bother coming in. Philippe my night guard had also not dared to leave with the roads flooded, especially since he’s recovering from typhoid fever and spent the day in the storeroom with my folded bed, stove and camping cooking stuff. I appreciated the work we’d been doing in the garden to clear dead wood and ensure a clear passage of water out of the compound which meant not too much stuff thrown down by the wind (passionfruit vines at the back were falling down but Philippe managed them soon) and as the rain started to slow in the afternoon the earth and grass was soon visible again.

The authorities are urging people not to go to work if it means crossing watery areas that are unknown underneath, and are opening schools and admin buildings for those flooded out. I’ll be ringing IMS before going tomorrow!

The weather man said it could happen again …

Things that seem a little wonky, back in Ouaga (not this rose de Sahel):

• a 3 year old nephew who finds the only thing strange about a Skype video call to Africa is that he can’t see the other person (my internet is only strong enough to support one video stream and that jerkily)… When I was 3 video calls were only in science fiction.

• birds that like eating the newly-ripened chilis off the bush my guard has been growing behind my house… They’re tiny but extremely powerful and disappeared immediately they became red - until I gave him some of my mosquito-net material to drape it with. Now there’s about 20 to harvest from the last 3 days with many more small green shoots to ripen later. I didn’t think birds liked hot spicy food!

• having to cut out remains of plastic dividers in the backpack I use for carrying teaching materials to IMS … they cracked and fell away after becoming brittle from the heat while stored and I had to pick out all the little black bits when they sort of shattered.
  

• having too much stuff for my small fridge even without shopping one day after I got back… Those living in my house left many of the sauces and condiments I had left them (home-made pickles, beetroot, jam) and some they had bought (ketchup, mustard), then my friend Jane left and I had hers too. I consolidated one or two, gave some away, threw out some really old ones, and layered things on shelves. I’ve had people over already 4 times so leftovers of food and desserts are also taking up space though some have gone to the guard. I’ve had past experience of wastage: with the heat here sauces, jams etc that might not be refrigerated at home are here if you want them to last more than a few days so shelves get cluttered. I’ve had a dream for a while for a freezer: could store rice and flour until needed, those leftovers, whole-wheat flour so it wouldn’t go off in the heat of an ordinary shelf, freeze vegetables in season (currently carrots are 250% the price when I left, and broccoli and strawberries are only available Jan-Feb of each year), and finally be able to buy a whole chicken or leg of lamb.

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Country driving

I've decided that country driving is too difficult for me: hours of staring at stripey roads where shadow trees cross brilliant asphalt tires my eyes; negotiating bends with a huge semitrailer practically pushing me from behind, later P-platers in utes also pushing to pass since I was going too slow for them when doing the speed limit (above their limit); and calculating whether I could weave around branches or road kill and not risk a head-on coming from the blind curve.

I saw quite a few crows - mostly as they were slowly leaving dead animals in the road in front of me. My drive to Singleton last weekend and back I saw:

- a marmalade and white cat (Fri night)
- a fox (5 times as I went back and forth to my sister's farm)
- another fox on the way home Monday, as well as ..
- a small wallaby
- a big gray kangaroo (or at least the tail that took up most of the lane)
- 2 unidentified piles of flesh
- a grey cat
- a big furry wombat

My newly-licensed niece spoke of slowing down in the night for the 'roos on these roads - I think this weekend a few were on the move across roads and didn't quite make it.

I had to stop a few times to rest the eyes and take in some caffeine (rare time I actually drink Coca Cola), so also enjoyed the views of the bush I'd had to ignore while concentrating on the road. I think the best country driving is when someone else is doing it - and you get to appreciate the trees alongside and their silhouettes against the sunset.

Autumn in the mountains

I've been home for a while as weather has been turning cooler and marvel each time I drive home - trees at different stages from green to yellow to red to brown to missing... It reminds me time is going quickly, and there are so many things still to do before I move back to Burkina.


Occasional walking in the morning down the firetrack not far from my parents' place also highlight beautiful Australian gums and bush, as did a recent drive to scenic local sites. I've been enjoying catching up with so many things though still feeling only home temporarily.

I've caught up with most of the appointments with doctors etc though still a few tests to go. Still would like to catch up with quite a few people, though, so if you'd like to see what I've been up to please give me a ring and we can get together.

Flight home to Oz

Well, I made it ... our plane landed only 20 minutes before curfew at Sydney airport Sunday night, following mechanical delays.

I did enjoy flying the new doubledecker (A380) with more leg room, a really quiet and smooth ride, and the umpteen movies and TV shows on quite a big screen at each seat, but there is obviously still a few teething problems: we were delayed 3.5hrs from London with an engine part problem (we could see the engine open from the boarding lounge); and little things like some seats' TV didn't work and toilets rarely shut properly - had to make a real effort to ensure it was done and you didn't get barged in on!

And as always it's just a long flight - this time with airport stays 28 hours, plus the drive etc each side making a total of 31hours 40 min.

So as well as catching up with family I've been catching up with sleep lately!!

50 minutes of sunset from balcony

 

360 of picnic at Lac Leman

 

Calendar of meetings/commitments

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

For almost the same price I chose to route my flight home through Geneva instead of Paris and catch up with close friends Myriam and Stéphane Gigandet who returned home to Switzerland last August after 2 years in Ouagadougou. Myriam’s mum kitted me out with warm clothes from the second-hand shop she works at, including boots that could handle all but the deepest snow (for that I borrowed gumboot-style knee-high boots from Stéphane while he was at work).

In addition to their warm welcome in their apartment on the mountainside above Lake Leman and a guest bedroom with a balcony view of the Alps opposite (and wireless internet) they’ve taken me around the area:

De 7Mars09

after wandering around the market and a flat walk along the lake below their place it was an up and down hike through snow on the mountaintop behind;

De Switz09

a thick cream and ‘chestnut vermicelli’ regional dessert in a mountainside café another day followed by a hike through fallen leaves and over small streams around a frozen lake;

De Switz09

watching dogsleds racing against the clock in a high valley surrounded by pristine white mountains and ski-fields;

De 7Mars09

ploughing knee-deep through the ‘layer of marzipan icing’ in the local ‘open sports field’ to get that perfect picture of snow clumps on trees or the outline of the chateau against the sky, ...

De Switz09

As well, there have been visits to SIM for a prayer meeting, participation in a mission’s day at a church in a different region, emails about upcoming meetings in Australia and about ongoing work for committees in Burkina, ... just to keep my feet in the 'real world'!

From dusty heat to cool snow

Greetings from Blonay in Switzerland!

I was packing until after Danny turned up to take me to the airport at 1am yesterday, and although checked in in plenty of time the plane was late leaving Ouaga. For some that meant panic with connections once we got to Casablanca (2 flights were 5 mins from actually leaving) but I had LOTS of time: in fact I was there until 3.30pm when our flight started boarding without any announcement that I had heard. During the time in Casablanca I tried to catch up on sleep a little but when that didn't work for long so took strolls down the long modern hall and looked in the little shops. We should have boarded at 2.30, so were again one hour late, which turned into only half an hour late at Geneva.

My luggage arrived safely, except the zipper tabs broken on one where they had cut off padlocks, and one zipper tab completely missing on the one which is normally my carryon. Nothing inside seemed to have been disturbed so far although I haven't checked every tiny corner, and I should have been able to tell since it was all packed so tightly.

My first trip with Air Maroc (Moroccan) seemed fine for the reduced price (except for the affair of the padlocks), and certainly much more like the major airlines in professional and security/safety conduct compared with the even cheaper Libyan Afriqayah which had me scared at points last year and was VERY uncomfortable in the one small room they enclosed all transit passengers, full of smoke and loud music and a dirty nonfunctioning toilet.

By the time I got out of the quick looksee at my passport at Geneva immigration my bags were on the conveyor belt and was in the car with Stéphane and Myriam and on the way to Blonay. We chatted quite a while before going to bed, where it was nice sleeping under a quilt in the cool again.

We're having a relaxing day with our trip to SIM in Bienne put off to next week, and while Stéphane is at work Myriam and I did a quick walk around the village/small town to the outskirts of the chateau (the Blonays still live there so it isn't open to the public: it's in the right hand corner of the photo), the shops, and a park with a view of the lake and mountains.

Meetings 1 & 2 down, more keep adding…

SIM Burkina’s annual conference in Fada is now history, with good memories including watching “Prince Caspian” on the big screen (projector and modified CD player), a large Aussie contingent singing “Home among the gum trees” on the 'cultural evening' with full orchestra of lagerphone, gum leaves, perspex wobble board, and high-volume spoons, a genuine Swiss mountain yodeler, and all those yummy morning teas.

Jumped back into work and led part of the Fulani Bible School board inaugural meeting as we talked about curriculum then visited the site (above) gradually being developed as a conference centre. I have another Curriculum committee meeting as soon as I get back from Abidjan.

Have electronic tickets and visas in hand for my next meetings - SIM regional theological education consultation in Accra, then seminary wives’ programme planning retreat in Abidjan and a few meetings organised by Marie, 2008 IMS graduate. Apparently it’s still warm down there, but here it’s dry and dusty, getting down to 18C sometimes (will get colder) and everyone is wearing jackets. I settle with a few light cardigans but the windows and door stay shut most of the days against the cold as much as the dusty winds.