Since I got back to Ottawa on Aug. 23rd, I've had to write a short essay on my experience in order to claim my final credit for my degree. I've also been relaxing a bit, thinking a bit, and trying to fit my experience into the rest of my life. It often now seems surreal, like a world apart, and in many ways it's not a world I want to keep in touch with. I didn't make a whole lot of friends or ever really feel at home in Ouaga, so I'm not in a hurry to go back to that specific place, or to maintain intensive personal correspondence or phone contact with anyone I met there.
That's not to say, though, that I want to forget about my placement experience. While I was in Burkina, I saw enough of the depressing and distressing impact of things like government corruption, drought, and a lack of public health and education that I'm motivated to keep working in organizations (governmental or not) that focus on those fields. Since I've finished my degree and am not returning to school this fall, I'll be spending the next few weeks researching what's available in those areas, and hopefully stumbling upon some opportunities.
I'm also motivated to keep travelling and working abroad, to gain a perspective on as many of the world's individual places as possible. After all, I can't make any kind of generalization about Africa, the "developing world" or the world in general from a 14-week trip... there's much more to learn. Who knows? With what I've learned from this summer, maybe I'll be better equipped to truly appreciate and feel at home in other places I travel. It can't be a bad thing to be able to form a more honest opinion--not coloured by shock or homesickness--of places I visit in the future.
That having been said, there's plenty about Ouaga I'm looking forward to sharing, both in one-on-one conversations and in presentations or writing for a wider audience. So far, I'm headed to Kingston on Sept. 20 for my team's presentation to the QPID general meeting (anyone in town who wants to come is welcome... 5:30 in Stirling C). I will also be making a presentation to the St. Thomas BAC/ACW on a date TBD. I'm thinking of pitching a story to some local magazines, too, once I've finished all my project reports for QPID. We'll see what comes of all this. Hopefully sharing some of my photos and stories will give interested readers and audience members a better idea of what I saw, and will give me a better idea of where my summer placement will lead me next.
To wrap up the "blog phase" of the experience, I just want to extend a quick thank you to all the people who provided me with financial or moral support, who wrote me letters and emails, who read the blog, and who listened politely as I rambled and ranted about my summer once I got home. (Beyond the presentations, I promise to try to keep instances of "this one time, in Burkina" to a minimum over the weeks to come. :) ) There's no way I could have learned as much as I did this summer if you hadn't been there to help me out. Barka wusgo... merci beaucoup... thanks so much!
posted by Emily @ 7:06 p.m.
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