See the land for yourself

The most serious contenders for land for IMS' new campus are a block of 4890m2 with a line of gumtrees and about 2 other nice large ones, access to running water but not currently electricity (may be a year), 1 km down an un-great dirt road from the main eastern highway.

... and one about half the size (2000m2) with no trees one block from the same highway already surrounded by elec poles and houses with water. Both blocks are a fair hike from where we are at present, but as they will soon finish the interchange for this side they will then start on widening the road to 4 lanes (at least 2 years of more detours then hopefully will be a pleasant drive).

Both currently about the same price - they’ve gone down, we’ve gone up - but still bargaining with nonexistent funds as all this is on faith that funds will be found (currently needing about $Aus70 000 for the land, and another $230 000 for building).

To see what we’re talking about, go to www.maps.google.com or open your Google Earth and type or paste in “12.414429, -1.437525” (without the quotes) for the larger plot and “12.405982, -1.432603” for the smaller and compare the two for yourself.

6 tôles and a Rav4: A better look at a plot of land for sale.

The video's actually the right way up this time... Half an hour after rain, about 15 minutes out of Ouagadougou dodging potholes on the main eastbound highway since it's not being repaired until redone with the new fancy overpass/interchange with Ouaga's circular bypass road. So the theory is that getting to this plot in a year or two should be a breeze, and the construction all around shows how quickly the town is moving outward even though there's not many facilities here at present. Anyway, the high clearance of the Rav has been invaluable in the bush-bashing or puddle-surfing to some of these spots.

Once you get to the plots other questions then arise: do you want room for a volleyball court or a footy field to provide oxygen to students' brains getting fatigued after hours of homework? Or is there one nearby? What about families with kids and their schools? This one has a private school just behind, another (Assembly of God-run) on the main road about 300m away and a public primary school 400m away.

Translation of 'franglais' terms used in the video:
poteaux pronounced "pot-toe" - phone or in this case electric poles;
2000 metres carrés - square metres; 1/5 of a hectare, roughly 7 local house plots;
six tôles "see tolles" - minimum size house to claim a plot of land: one room, usually mudbrick, with 6 sheets of corrugated iron roofing (tôles), as seen on the left in the photo above next to my transport cum moving van (the back seats haven't been down this past week of treks to and from IMS transporting goods to new office or storage).

Buying land in Ouaga

Checking out survey markers for plots of land and seeing photocopies of documents are some of the steps in looking for a property to build for IMS. Does it have access to running water? Electricity? Roads passable in rainy season? Floods after heavy rains (especially after 1 Sept last year)? How close to public transport for students? How far from town/photocopiers/hospitals/schools for children/teachers' houses? What size buildings and how many could fit? Is there any features like already-built walls, small buildings etc that add to the value? Have SIM people recently looking for land seen this plot in the past and what happened then?

After that comes negotiation of price, once it gets serious there will be lawyers checking that there’s no pitfalls like co-owners refusing to sell, forged documents, government requirements that need to be met since was given/sold to the owners for a specific purpose, land’s already been sold, etc.

Joel, our Director, has been through this so many times in the last few months … and we need to get moving if we want to have a place for students arriving next August. Even if it’s by faith: so far we have a project approved and about to open, but no funds. We need to raise about $A 80,000 for land, and at least another $220,000 for building costs, so appreciate your prayers. As it is, I’m having fun looking at options for designing climate-adapted buildings using as much local materials as possible, and look forward to the help of an Irish architectural team.

The room's not spinning, it's swinging...

Saw a higher-level specialist last week who assured me 'everything will come good' after another night of ringing in the ears, the right side of head feeling stuffed with cotton wool, and the room swinging around me like one of those pirate ship rides bringing nausea. Apparently my hearing is OK, and he doesn't see anything, so I'm back on medication 'for the dizziness', one of which is a gingko bilboa extract.

After a few days the wild dizziness was reduced to my now-normal-for-2-months totteriness, the other symptoms stayed (as they have for 2 months of being treated by 2 GPs and now 2 local specialists), and we went overseas for an email consultation.

Many emails and involving people later we are ready to talk to the medical insurance people because the advice is to have an immediate MRI, which isn't available in Burkina. When we get their response I'll get back to you.

Back at work

First day back at work after a week of illness - still got the balance problems and ringing in the ears I started having 3 weeks ago, but the stomach and eye thing seem to have almost cleared up.

Weda

Weda

No idea what the English name for the fruit is, nor the French ... no-one can tell me ... but it's a hot item here in the sidestreets of Ouagadougou.

For a month or so now, since the first weda started turning yellow then orange, I've had schoolkids in the street going by throwing rocks (sometimes those placed to border my flowers) into my trees and consequently into my yard trying to knock them down, total strangers banging on the gate asking for them, neighbours proposing to send local unemployed youth scrambling into my tree to collect them, neighbours' kids balancing precariously on the high separating wall trying with a long pole to knock some down, many convinced I don't know or care anything about them being a 'nasaara' (white person) ... sometimes I feel beseiged. Recent gifts of harvested weda to several in the street here will hopefully calm them down, but the school kids will only stop when the last one is harvested or eaten by birds, even those at 3-4 storey's height unobtainable by my climbing Sunday guard with a 6m long stick.

Weda is actually a 'wild' fruit, off a vine found in the forest and not normally in the city, so there may be an element of nostalgia for the 'home village' involved in its popularity. Some of the fruit appeared 9 months ago, some 3 months ago on the vine that gives me shade on one side of the yard and grows up the huge tree on the other side, but they are all ripening within a few weeks and I have purchased a special implement for harvesting them and the mangos - 2 lengths of 3metre 2x4 which we screw together when in use, and attach a cutting hook made locally. The mangos are for others, not me since I'm allergic, so I'm all the more enthusiastic about keeping track of other fruit in the garden.

I personally don't like the work involved eating them, but the juice is like Tang, and that's what I gain, apart from having a unique gift to give to students, Leah, Philippe, Yentema, Esther, Levi, Roland, neighbours, guard opposite, shop opposite, ....

No more leaks

My house has had old 'holey' iron on the verandah since I moved in, causing discomfort for poor Philippe trying to shelter during rainy season, and for laundry trying to do the same thing.

After unsuccessful negotiations with my landlord to fix the problem, I've decided to 'kill 2 birds' and use the beat-up iron from the front verandah to create a shallow shelter along the back wall. The existing cane mats and passionfruit vines provide shade but are looking worn, and mold patches have appeared where, according to him, water running down the side of the house 'can't dry' because of my jury-rigged shade.

Since I know that the shade cools the house down about 10C, I want something out back, and this way I can stop water coming down the walls too.

So today is cool (down to about 29C, with 40C predicted before the end of the day) and they're working on stage 1: new iron on the front (and some new support wood to replace warped beams), with old iron stocked for later use in back. It was that or a freezer, so the freezer will have to wait.

Dinner no. 3

After 15 from IMS Monday night, 10 from an visiting English team came for dinner Tuesday night. Friday is a farewell potluck dinner for PH and Stephanie, as they go back to Switzerland Sunday.

The English team was in the dark most of the time - well, not completely. Daily electricity blackouts have fallen into a pattern so I knew the only time they could come would be dark, so bought 2 extra battery lamps, used Philippe's garden one, and my normal one. The bathroom had to make do with candles.

Back in the swing of things - Term 2 at IMS and committees breed like rabbits

This term at IMS I teach 4 hours of Contextualisation Mondays, an occasional hour of Strategic Thinking (planning) Thursdays, and 45 min. geography Fridays. In between the preparation and marking there is computer and admin stuff for the staff and students there.

This week I had students, their children, and 3 staff for dinner (16 in all), followed by pictionary, a first for most but widely enjoyed by all. The menu was spaghetti bolognese, garlic and herb bread (national theme Italian this time), and a fruit salad/yoghurt/strawberry coulis parfait dessert with popcorn as starter. It's getting near the end of the best time of year for fruit and veg and we're profiting.

Add to my IMS schedule 2 committees for IBEO (evening Bible school): the IBEO committee planning a new intake with new members, and the Graduation committee for the ceremony 17 April....

And 2 Fulani Bible School committes (FBS and Curriculum)...

and now the SIM Burkina Area Council where I'm now a "Member-at-large", voted in by other missionaries.

Heat without light

Somewhere in mid-February it abruptly decided to stop being Harmattan (cooler, dusty) and start being Hot season, after a mild wind storm that apparently even saw a few drops of rain on the outskirts of Ouaga.

As is usual here with hot season, electricity blackouts started happening (too many people using airconditioners overloading the system) - average of 4 hours a day. IMS students trying to get homework done are getting very frustrated.

One benefit of the heat is the effect on the flowers (those that receive good watering). I've had several new flowers come out, and my bok choy, celery, and local spinach have been doing so well I've cooked with them nearly every day. My seedling butternut pumpkin, sunflowers, cherry tomato and rocket are looking promising.

The spirit is willing but the capacities are weak

Rereading the last blog I was in computer intensive care.

You may be relieved to know the patient has moved to the recovery ward, but not yet out of danger. Reason? Lack of time and lack of knowledge about how to put the new hard drive back together again.

It's a big job, and will necessitate a trip waiting in line at the Post Office to get back on to internet. In the mean time I'm using the old computer, the one that freezes when it gets hot and takes forever to boot up, but at least I'm working!