Time Zones and sleep...

Although only here a few days, I fear I have become addicted to the Burkinabe naps taken right after lunch. It's kind of great. They get up early, start work around 6am, go home for lunch around 12 or 1 and then return to work for two more hours from 3 to 5. WhileI know I am probably just still recovering from my long trip here, sleep has been very hard for me. Now while I'm sure the rooster (which in fact I found out is just a chick-a-dee who has not yet reached his full potential of cock-a-doodling) does not help my sleeping problem, he is also not someting I can fully blame. I think my adjustment to time zones is the biggest factor in my restless sleep. On Monday I woke at midnight and couldn't fall back asleep until two. Since I am eight hours ahead of pacific standard time, that would be between five and seven there, peak hours to be awake. Tuesday, was just as hopeless, as I woke at two and was up til four, and hungry, usually when I eat dinner back in California, between seven and nine. But last night was the worst, where I tried putting myself to sleep at ten, and couldn't fall asleep until two. I don't know if time zones are really to blame or not but I need to tell myself something to cope. I would really like to get on a Burkinabe schedule where I can get up early with the rising sun and take a nap in the afternoon because I want to, not because I have to. Anyhow, I'm sure I'll acclimate. At least the heat isn't too bad yet.

So now that you've heard more than enough about my sleeping problems, let me run you through the last couple of days. I forgot to mention that on Monday I also went to the U.S. Embassy to register and it was closed......for Martin Luther King Day! Now maybe I should have known that all U.S. Embassies are closed on all celebrated U.S. holidays, but I didn't. So another thing learned and nothing lost. Yesterday (Tuesday 22nd) I finally got to take care of business at the U.S. Embassy. They seemed pleased that I would be working in a rural village library and for three months at that! So for, even before I've begun my work, I've found encouragement from the locals.

After the embassy, Viviane took me to the fabric store to purchase material to have clothes made. For about 9,800 CFA ($22) I was able to buy enough material to make three pairs of pants and three shirts or tank tops. The shop was completly on the other side of town, but it was so intersting to be in such a different district. The vibe was much more lively, with crazy sellers and loud local music coming from every corner. Viviane also took me to get money out of the atm, and one thing I have had to learn so far is that all the atm's don't always work. We had to go to about five different places before I was able to pull out money. And when I finally was able to, it would only let me take out a hundred dollars or so at a time which sucks because Wells Fargo charges me $5 each time I withdrawel from a foreign atm! Oh well, I'll survive.

When I returened to the house, Salimata, the housekeeper here, cooked couscous and fish with a really good red sauce. I ate and went straight to bed to take my two hour nap. I spent the the rest of the night trying to read a local newpaper here, called L'Independente, underlining any words I didn't know, writing them down and then looking them up. I did pretty good. I only had to look up about four words per paragraph. The night ended with a short unusual power outage and volià, here I am today. Viviane took me to the tailor this morning where all my measurements were taken and I decided to only get a few things made to make sure I like them. It looks like it will all cost me about $50 in the end. For three shirts and three pairs of pants tailored to my fitting, I think is not bad.

So here it is one o'clock and I need to go eat lunch... and probably take a nap.