Man, I could really use one day off. Just one day to not read, to enjoy the autumn weather and let my eyes rest.

What a great weekend! It started off with the Carolina Chocolate Drops concert at The Ark. African American string bands have never sounded so amazing...that was probably the most fun concert I've ever been to. No songs that you just sit through, no wondering if they'll stop for a bit so you can get some water...every time the audience thought it knew what would come next, the Carolina Chocolate Drops changed it up and surprised all of us! Best part...the artists seemed like they were having a blast.

Yesterday was all about the Saturday Farmer's Market and getting some work taken care of. And fighting off this head cold that has been making things uncomfortable for a couple days. Although the cold was a bit better today, it still made the Big House Big Heart 5k pretty tough, nor did the asthma. Still...had a great time (hope Ed did to0!) and signed up for the Holiday Hustle in December.

On top of coursework and the 5k, Ed and I also went to the Michigan hockey game. Had a great time watching the Wolverines handily beat the University of Windsor team. Now, to spend the rest of the night getting back to work. :-)

Maryland and West Virginia

Takin' off for West Virginia tomorrow! It'll be exciting to meet the other Doris Duke Conservation types (and Wyss fellows) and talk about environmental issues (and generally get to know one another). I am not generally a fan of networking functions, but this one sounds pretty unique and exciting. Adventures include lectures on Wildlife Conservation and Global Climate Change, leadership seminar, a trip to Antietam, hiking, and somehow fitting schoolwork into this picture. I've certainly enjoyed my time with the UM people who are going on this trip...since we were selected using the same criteria, I can only imagine that this weekend will be more of the fun-filled conservation-y same!

GO DAWGS! Especially proud to wear the purple and gold today. :-D

What a great day to be a Huskerine!!! It doesn't get much better than two victories after long (and often painful) droughts (not counting last week's Western Michigan game)...and Michigan...talk about huge!!! Freshman quarterback rises to the challenge. Ok, so defense (esp. pass protection) could use some work...but Notre Dame?! HA! :-) Still a bit happy about this, 'case you couldn't tell. :-)

In other news, I don't think Le Mieux is the brightest crayon in the box. Pinta is less than thrilled with her new circumstances.

Quick update...got a new kitten! le Mieux - also known as Little Cat Big Stink - is doing well and has quickly adjusted to her new situation. Pinta is another story. Ms. Pint seems to prefer being the only cat in the household and spends her time either ignoring le Mieux's presence or parking herself in front of the bathroom door and hissing/growling/snarling between bites of food (I put her food dish there to force her to willingly approach the kitten's room).

I'm giving the adjustment process a week. I really hope this works, since Pinta needs a playmate (she's a bit overweight) and le Mieux is a well behaved, adorable and sweet lil' kitten!

Nothing terribly exciting to report today. Have spent the morning chilling out with Pinta, catching up on laundry, registering for classes at the YMCA...you get the idea. Need to fill out some forms and put captions on a few photos that I'm entering in a competition (who knows...maybe one of these days I'll figure out how to attach a different slideshow to my blog!). I'm posting a couple of the candidate photos, taken during my last trip to West Africa. Enjoy!

And we're back!

Sorry for the delay in posting! I admit, I often forget to blog for months at a time.

The past few months have been crazy and exciting. I won't go into too much detail...just a quick paragraph on some of the more major happenings.

Paris and Germany: After the Burkina Faso/Senegal trip (email me if you want any additional details on this trip!), I flew back to Paris and met up with Ed. Our time in France was a five day adventure, packed with sites and food. I'm afraid that the number of sites meant that we sacrificed a bit of the knowledge/appreciation factor. Another trip to Paris might be necessary to solve this problem. :-) This was Ed's first trip to Europe, despite the fact that he speaks Parisian French remarkably well (read: he'd speak in French, and if his French was better than the Parisian's English, they wouldn't try to switch languages). I relished the fact that, if Ed did the talking, I could avoid making Francophones' ears bleed with my horrible butchering of their language (something I'd done, purely out of necessity, for the past month). Everyone involved appreciated this arrangement, I'm sure! (I also have a tremendous love for Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris) It really was a wonderful trip that could have easily lasted a few weeks without any hint of boredom. Paris' low city skyline and general ambiance was not something I anticipated and it quickly grew on me. :-) Living there must be a bit of a(n expensive) dream!

Sadly, Ed's stay in Paris was cut short by his need to return to work. He flew out of Paris on Monday, at which point I caught a train to Wuppertal, Germany, where I was able to stay with a good friend from high school and her family. Their hospitality and generosity was amazing, and I appreciated the opportunity to catch up (and, of course, the opportunity to meet their beautiful newborn daughter!). Genuine friends like them are so hard to come by. :-) Although we see each other every few years (at best), it hardly seems like we miss a beat!

Work: My return to Ann Arbor was highlighted by my return to work at the Multicultural Environmental Leadership Development Initiative (MELDI) lab. The ladies that I worked with were full of life and character and brightened each day in the (somewhat) windowless office! (there are windows, but they look into the tech office, not outdoors...a little creepy!) Friday was my last day at the lab, which leaves me one week to relax, read, and prepare for classes!

Guests: Within a week of my return to Ann Arbor, Ed's folks arrived! It was great to see them and catch up on Thunder Bay happenings and upcoming plans. If only that darn lake weren't in the way, we could visit more often! Although their trip was short, it was full of great conversation and exploration of Ann Arbor's Art Fair and farmer's market.
Shortly after their departure, my parents flew in for their first visit since driving me here. I really loved being able to show them around a little, and their visit was a happy and relaxing break from my day-to-day work schedule. We seemed to balance the adventures (canoeing on the Huron, Mom teaching me how to make jam) with mellow evenings filled with BBQs, chatting, and playing with the cat (of course!). I really do miss seeing them. Which brings me to...

Pacific Northwest Adventures!: What would a summer be without a trip home?! Much to Ed's dismay, I left Ann Arbor without him (again), this time destined for Portland. There is nothing like home...it doesn't matter how many places I travel to and who I meet, they only make me appreciate home that much more! I can't help but think that even a neutral observer would find the Pacific Northwest remarkably beautiful and rugged. I felt increasingly spoiled to see my folks for almost three weeks (including their trip to Ann Arbor). Once again, they mastered the art of balancing adventures (sailing, hiking on Timberline, the fair) with spending time at home and chatting. I'm so glad to have met the new kittens at such a fun age...they are full of spunk, cuteness and lots of rodent-hunting potential (if their ability to hunt down toys is any indication!)
My trip home happily coincided with Andrew's trip home from Oxford. We took a traditional trip to Powell's and Burgerville, and I got to spend a rare bit of time with Aunt Mary and Steve. There were certainly sad circumstances surrounding this portion of my visit, but given events, the timing couldn't have been better.
The event that determined this trip's timing, however, was Brandon and Rachel's wedding!!! That's right! After five years together and a life spent between the two coasts, they are finally Mr. and Mrs. Arteaga! (congratulations, you two!) Their beautiful ceremony took place in front of the pillars on UW's campus. Dozens of close friends and family were there to help celebrate both the wedding and the reception at Golden Gardens. Andrea and Amy, I think you said it best..."Beautiful wedding, beautiful people, knock your socks off sunset..." and "Good times never seemed so good." The whole event reflected this couple's love and excitement as they enter this new phase of their lives, and the mood was contagious. *I have pictures...maybe I'll get around to posting them?!*
Happily, Ed flew out to Seattle for the wedding. The bride and groom were my housemates and are mutual friends of ours and we share a number of additional friends, so the entire weekend was packed with catching up and enjoying the company of people that we love.

I might be forgetting something in here...if so, I'll post an update. Otherwise, enjoy the quick glimpse of my summer, and check back for more frequent updates!

P.S. Congratulations, Lynnette and George, on your new addition! She is precious... I cannot wait to hear more about how everyone is doing. :-) hugs and love!

Tomorrow will mark three weeks since my departure from Detroit/Ann Arbor. Crazy to think that we're well past the half-way point and will leave for Senegal on Sunday. I must say, Burkina Faso has been enjoyable, but we've really exhausted our usefulness and are wondering what we'll be doing in Senegal for two weeks.
Since my last update, we've gone to the northern part of Burkina to watch focus groups being conducted. Quite an experience, including village visits (less than 12 km from the border with Mali) and driving through quite a sandstorm on the return trip. That last event was pretty incredible. All of a sudden, I looked out the far window of the truck to see a dark brownish grey wall, stretching from the ground to the sky, slowly moving toward us. Driving through that was amazing, and I wish I'd taken a picture of the sand enveloping the sunshine and sky behind us.
People's resilience continues to amaze me. The villagers we met with are living incredibly close to the poverty line...
As you may have guessed, we decided not to go to Niger. The recent political instability presented us with several less-than-desirable yet not unlikely scenarios. First of all, there were the obvious safety precautions. The last president was killed in a military coup, and protesters (last week? a week before that?) were met with repression that left several people injured. Additionally, there was a protest scheduled for the middle of our 10 day trip. Over 10,000 people showed up, which (if we'd ignored the state dept's advice to stay indoors) would have made travel more difficult. Lastly, we have been able to see the Burkina Faso team move from the project's initial phase of interviewer training to the data collection/recording phase...seeing this linear progression of our project is pretty invaluable and should allow us to provide insight and guidance to the other teams.
Lastly, we've had the most incredible storms here the past few nights! I have never seen anything remotely like this. At ~4:00 am, the sky opens into a downpour of rain and almost constant lightening. Needless to say, these storms add additional blackouts to the more typical daytime rolling blackouts. The lack of air conditioning is well worth the opportunity to see something that amazing...now if only our window didn't leak. :-P Also, who would've thought that 93 degrees could feel merely "comfortably warm?!" I feel like exhibit A for climate change adaptation. :-)
Hopefully you're enjoying the pictures and updates. I'll be able to load more photos when my internet connection is a bit faster and more stable. (if you'd like to look at the album, click on the slideshow to the right of my blog updates...it will take you to a Picasa album that you can look through!) Enjoy!

Hello from Camp Ouagadougou

Hello from Burkina Faso! We have been here for nearly five days and have been welcomed into the local team's office. One of our first project-related opportunities involved observing the 'training the interviewers' session, where a local professor explained the surveys to the group of interviewers and addressed any questions or concerns. It was quite reassuring to hear the conversations (rather, what I could understand of the conversations...they were conducted soley in French)! The group asked great questions and we found out that the interviewers will be conducting household surveys and focus group sessions in the local languages...whew!!! This was one of the biggest questions I hoped to address during this trip.

My classmate and I have been staying in a convent on Rue de la Cathedrale. Breakfast and dinner are available on-site, which has been convienient. Additionally, one of the local team members has been incredibly helpful and generous with his time, picking us up on his way to the office and offering to drive us to restaurants for lunch (the only options in walking distance are side-of-the-road type stands and the corner store that we buy water and juice from at least once a day!) We plan to spend tomorrow morning with this co-worker and his daughter, going around the Central Market in downtown Ouagadougou.

And then there is the heat factor. I did not know it was possible to sweat this much! Today is the coolest it has been so far, with a high of 95, humidity over 40%, and a UV rating of 9. The first couple days topped out over 104 degrees, with comparable humidity. Although our room at the convent has many wonderful features (meals, an incredible diversity of fellow travelers, mosquito nets, no rolling blackouts, a "shower" and sink in the room, etc.) it does not have the luxury of air conditioning. Needless to say, my classmate and I are looking forward to the third team member's arrival (Saturday!), which will allow us to afford a nicer hotel room (air conditioning included!). I've loved staying at the convent, but won't complain about a good night's sleep and a little less sweat.

Overall, things are going quite well. I'll post later about the Niger situation. Until then, enjoy the photos! The top one is a picture of the corner store that we walk to from the office (if you look carefully on the right side of the page, you can see the bike lane and road. Yes, you read correctly. Bike lane, complete with stop lights. They've had it figured out here for years! More to come on the incredible Burkina transportation systems.) The other picture is of the room at the convent. The white drapery over the bed is my mosquito net.

Random quote/information from trip:
My classmate and I now refer to our room at the convent as "Camp Ouagadougou," as the small beds, concrete floors, shared toilets, and excessive use of bug spray/sunscreen/Gatorade/water consumption reminds us of our summer camp experiences. When joking about our linguistic challenges, and the optimism that comes with enjoying the safety and amenities of our current location, we decided on the following motto:
"At Camp Ouagadougou, we always stay in the present!"

Last day in Dakar (for now!)

After a failed attempt leaving for Ouagadougou (Ouaga for short), Burkina Faso, Clair and I enjoyed catching up on some reading, getting acclimated to the region, and remembering how to a.) speak French, b.) convert currency quickly, and c.) haggle. We are near Dakar but technically in Yoff, about a mile from the airport. This hotel is a nice, moderate version of Dakar, with poverty mixed in with wealth, a few people begging (but not the overwhelming talibe of Dakar...children who are begging in the streets and will surround you and follow you for a block or two), and occasional kids shouting 'toubab!' ('white man!').

We'll be staying here at Cap Ouest Hotel until this afternoon, when we ~hopefully!~ catch our Air Burkina flight to Ouaga. We have reservations at a convent in Ouaga...if there is internet there, then I'll try to post a few pictures!

Whew!

After an afternoon of eating my way through Paris (and lounging in the perfect weather) and another six hour flight, I have arrived in Dakar, Senegal! My classmate and I are staying at a pretty nice hotel, close to the [chaotic!] airport and right on the beach. Nothing like an oceanfront view for less than $70/night. We're working on a couple logistical issues right now. Our original reservation to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso is for tomorrow, but we're trying to bump that out to Monday. This will ensure a ride from the airport, arranged through the World Bank people on the ground, and increases our odds of getting reservations at a convent. Yes, you read correctly...one of the best (and cheapest) places in the city is a convent. Better yet, Lonely Planet and Rough Rider Guide both say that the convent serves eatable/recognizable breakfasts and dinners. This is not to be overrated, as stewed rodent is a popular dish over there.

Anyway...time to unpack and get some sleep. Bonsoir!

"The City"

The West Africa trip officially began this morning! That's right...my alarm went off at 3:45, I jumped on a 6:00 am flight, and Clair and I both have our Burkina Faso visas taken care of (3 hour turnaround time...not too shabby!)

As for the packing situation...let's just say I'm ready for just about any weather condition imaginable! Typically, I'm a light packer, but this time I'm erring on the side of caution. We don't know exactly where we're going, or what we'll (specifically) be doing in-country. Moreover, we could potentially clip the edge of the Sahel rainy season. So...I'm ready to stay warm in a downpour (for a couple days, at least!), the 60 degree evenings of coastal Senegal and overcast New York, and the scorching 110+ degree highs of Niger and Burkina Faso. How I avoided going over the 50 lb. domestic checked baggage limit is beyond me. Best guess: the backpack might have been resting ever-so-slightly on the rim of the scale. :-) At least international flights allow 75 lbs., so I don't have to worry!

Anyway...Siobhan (friend who is graciously hosting me in New York) has just walked into the cafe...time for me to run!

You know you're going to a remote country when...

...luxury hotels advertise 24 hour electricity and hot water.

Update!

What a gorgeous weekend here in Ann Arbor! Sunny, 70s, a light breeze...life is good. :-) Ed and I were hoping to camp this weekend (South Manitou Island was the front-runner), but most campsites in the state are booked up, and we ended up settling with a relaxing Ann Arbor based weekend. There's a ton to do around here, anyway, and I'm semi-secretly happy that we're not driving around all weekend.
Otherwise, things are going well. My travel plans are solidifying around a Wednesday flight to New York, Friday-Saturday flight to Paris (for a 12 hour layover and quick trip into the city) before landing in Dakar on Saturday evening. Sunday morning, Clair and I will get on a plane to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. This last point still feels optimistic. I reserved (not booked...reserved) our tickets on Air Burkina (the only airline flying within West Africa) but am not convinced these reservations are meaningful. The fine print had some interesting points. For instance, you are free to use your cell phone throughout the flight. Also, fare changes happen and reservations may or may not fix your price. Based on my sole previous experience in Senegal, I half expect to haggle for the airfare when we arrive at the airport.
The rest of my preparations are going smoothly. Clair (my classmate and friend) and I went shopping for some of the basics (sunscreen, aloe, Pepto, unscented and mosquito-repellent scented soap and lotion, etc.) and I managed to get a solid base sunburn. This sunburn is an annual event and doesn't concern me, except it was the product of 1 hour in 80 degree weather. The low in Niamey, Niger that day was 83 and the high was 111. This pasty gal will be wearing sunscreen 24-7 for the next month!
Anyway...as mentioned earlier, I'll try to update this blog somewhat regularly, especially with pictures. However, I'm trying to supplement it with occassional emails but I can only email you if I have your email addy. So...if you'd like more personalized updates, or would just like to write to me in general, use wildflower023@gmail.com

Upcoming travel plans

The travel bug has bitten again, and I am preparing for another adventure! The details have yet to be smoothed out, but here's the basic framework:
May 27 (early morning): Fly Detroit to New York City, spend the day at the UN campus, trying to get a visa to Burkina Faso...and, importantly, hang out with Ms. Amy Rehwaldt!
May 28: Extra day in NYC (just in case previous attempt to get a visa for Burkina fails)
May 29: Meet up with Clair and fly NYC to Paris, Paris to Dakar, Senegal! We will most likely spend the night in Dakar before getting on another flight to either Burkina Faso or Niger (yet to be determined) (I'll talk about what we're doing over there in future blogs...stay posted!)
June 10ish: Return to Senegal (Dakar) from Burkina/Niger...spend ~2 weeks in Senegal (Thies area and villages)
~June 25?: Leave Dakar for whichever country (Burkina or Niger) we haven't been to...spend ~10 days there
July 2: ..and we go back to Dakar, Senegal for a night!
July 3: The group breaks up, with Nemanja continuing onto Kilamanjaro, Clair heading back to the states, and I will take off for ~drum roll......~ PARIS!
July 4 (early morning): Land in Paris! I'm doing this on the cheap, so technically this is a stopover. Camping would be awesome, but hosteling is more likely. At this point, drinking tap water and eating veggies will be AMAZING!
?July 7: This is still very tentative, but I might throw another adventure between the morning of July 7 and my departure on July 10?
July 10: Back to the states

I'll try to post as frequently as possible, but internet access may be sparse.

One degree down!!!

Although I'm not graduating this term (holding out for that MS), I'm technically DONE with my policy degree!!! Freedom hasn't totally sunk in, as I'm flying outta here at 6 am tomorrow...lots to do! So happy not to write anything today...at all...AHHHHH!!! :-) Her Highness isn't coming with me...sad, I know, but she's going to be well cared for and spoiled absolutely rotten by one of my friends. He's pretty happy about the situation, too.

Anywho...lots to do and not a ton of time...

Had a bit of a tense moment this morning. Spent eight solid hours editing a final paper with a couple classmates yesterday, so put off doing my last literature review. Went to work on my partially completed lit review this morning and my laptop froze. No big deal, right? These things happen. Shut it off, let it sit for a second, hit the power button, heard the faint "whirrr" of it starting up, and.......nothing. Nada. Forced shut-off again, hit the power button, familiar "whirrrrrrr" and the light on the open/shut button blinked. Never seen that before, but whatever...as long as it's doing something! Right?! Wrong. Nothing. Mind you, I've emailed the 60 page paper to my classmates and myself, so that isn't a big deal. The lit review, however, had not been backed up (nor had the bibliography or supporting documents). Ack! In a moment of wisdom (and possibly resignation), I left the room, sat down, had a cup of coffee, and - out of desperation - took the battery out of the computer for a few minutes before replacing it and hitting the power button one last time. Same old "whirrrr," but a steady, normal light on the open/shut button, and the sweet sound of the computer kicking into gear. Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!! Why/How that worked is beyond me...but I'm beyond caring. :-) First thing I did was email myself that dang literature review, which I am now putting off (again) to write this blog.

12 hours from now and I'll be done with two years of graduate school (and technically, I'll have completed a Master's in Public Policy...sweet!!!!!!) Better yet...two days from now, I'll enroute to the beautiful PNW. See y'all then!

Music: Use Somebody ~Kings of Leon, Open Your Eyes ~Snow Patrol
Quote: "Obladi, oblada, life goes on, brah/Lala, how the life goes on..." ~The Beatles

Ah, spring!!!

"I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright." ~Henry David Thoreau

"Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life." ~Rachel Carson

"We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect." ~Aldo Leopold

"Is education possibly a process of trading awareness for things of lesser worth? The goose who trades his is soon a pile of feathers." ~Aldo Leopold

The beautiful weather and prospect of freedom have put me in a reflective mood. These reflections make me so grateful to be in the interdisciplinary field in which I find myself. Frustrating as this middle ground can be, it really brings harmony to my life and allows me to pursue something that I'm passionate about while still (hopefully!) making relevant contributions to the communities I interact with.

The Aldo Leopold quote about education is something that seems to resonate with how I've felt lately. Half the time, I feel like my education is more about communication than anything else. One thing I've learned through graduate school is that the good professors have tremendous amounts of intelligence and insight, but the great ones can communicate this intelligence to anyone on the street. These thoughts make me want to re-read A Sand County Almanac. Many thanks to Carl for introducing me to Leopold!

Sing to me, oh muses...

...or at least give me a sharp kick in the butt to get me going!

Finals week has arrived yet again, and I am happily exam free...which means I'm writing more papers than I ever wanted to. :-) Ah well...c'est la vie! I'm actually a bit ahead of the game and get to look forward to Val coming to town tomorrow...hooray for friends that put things (like literature reviews) in perspective!

In post-finals news, I'll be coming home from April 29-May 3 and would love to see PNWers. :-) My schedule currently includes a lot of hiking, wandering through Portland and enjoying the Japanese gardens, Powell's, waterfront, etc. and lots of time with the family and friends! Oh, to see mountains again! (sorry east coast, those are hills)

Also, I'll be going back to West Africa for a bit this summer. Send me your address and I'll get a postcard your way! (getting postcards is actually a process, so when it arrives in your mailbox it comes complete with a good laugh...you can imagine my attempts at first, finding postcards in a rural area of a developing country, followed by my attempts at haggling in French before finally settling on a price that is probably twice what I really should be paying but I'm doing my part to support the informal economy, then there is finding a postoffice which is an adventure unto itself!) Ah...good times!

Song recommendation of the week: Heartbeats by Jose Gonzales (acoustic guitar...pretty chill...if you like Ben Harper and Zero 7, you'll probably enjoy this song)

A picture from my recent trip to Chicago, one from the recent charity auction at my policy program (with friends Siobhan, Milena, and Elaine), and another Senegal picture...(not terribly difficult to tell which is which) :-)

Any ideas where I can find a blog background that doesn't scream "16 year old girl?!"  Suggestions would be much appreciated!  :-)

It's almost eight o'clock and the sky is far from pitch black...I love this time of year. Also, gotta love being so far east in the time zone! It can be a bit funny when people try to convince you that Michigan is not - in fact - in the Eastern Time Zone. :-) Not quite as interesting as the Newfoundland Time Zone in Canada. It is 1/2 hour ahead of Eastern Time...crazy Newfies!

In other news, this week is so far beyond busy that I don't know what I have to do. It's probably better that way...I can't get overwhelmed if I just focus on the present and near future. Much more manageable!

Also, more pictures will be posted as soon as I have them on my computer. Stay tuned!

Ok...so it's been a while since I've written. Quite a bit has happened in the meantime. Most recently, I spent last week in Dakar, Senegal as part of a class. I don't have time to write much about it now, but wanted to post a couple pictures. Enjoy!