Back to Burkina – 10 days in

Coming back to Burkina Faso for the second time

Ok all, so it is most definitely time for an update following my last outpouring of worry and confusion about being in Burkina Faso for 3 months.

For those of you who haven’t had the delight of reading that post, here’s a quick summary.  As part of our year off we decided to spend 3 months in Burkina Faso to investigate the craft and traditions that are still very much part of everyday life.  In my last post I shared how I was finding it tougher to hack than I thought I would, and how I felt like a loser because of it.  But rather than continuing to dwell on it I had decided to have a conversation with Niek (the husband) about it and sort my head out!

Now we are 10 days into being in Ouagadougou and there are two big developments.  The first is that Niek and I did spend some time chatting about it and have come to a conclusion (for now).  Which is…..drum roll please………… that I am just not very good at keeping myself occupied.  I blame living in Shanghai for the last 4 years for this.  There were always SO MANY options of what to do, I never had to entertain myself.

Missing cocktails and toilet themed restaurants

Trust me it wasn’t all rosy in Shanghai.  I had a love/hate relationship with the city.  I struggled with how rude and cold people could be, and my commute was awful awful, awful; whether I did it by bus, bike or scooter.  I would often arrive home with so much stress that my shoulders would be up by my ears.  It is also BIG, and noisy all the time!  If you live there you can say goodbye to lie-ins, construction noise becomes part of your everyday soundtrack.

But along with all of that came so many good things; Chinese food, thousands upon thousands of restaurants and bars to choose from, amazing cocktails and always a new shop/café/gimmick opening.

Who doesn’t want to drink a latte from a toilet shaped mug whilst sitting on a toilet, in a toilet themed coffee shop?  Oh I forgot to mention the squishy poo shaped cushion you get to lean on.

I became used to a city of 24 million people and 20,000 restaurants.  But Ouagadougou is so much smaller, with far less options, and I, horror of horrors, have to entertain myself.

Before continuing I have to say I am not chastising Ouagadougou for being smaller, rather myself for thinking I would continue with the lifestyle I had in Shanghai once I left.

Settling into Ouagadougou

After this realisation I have to do something about it, I don’t want to continue wishing my time away.  So I have come up with two solutions.  Solution one – To do some of the things I always went on about doing, but  never had the time.  Like printmaking, working more on small watercolour cards I want to develop and sell to the masses, and reading.  I brought all the materials with me from home and have started printmaking.  So I just need to continue and get in the creative zone!

Solution 2 – To make my transition from Shanghai to Ouaga life a bit smoother, through the inclusion of cocktails!! They really are delicious (obviously not all of them, mostly gin, prosecco and rum based ones), so I am going in search of some.  On a serious note, I know this sounds like a cop out and some people will judge me heavily for it. However, I think I should give it a try.  Not because I’m an alcoholic, but because it is a fun activity that I used to do with girlfriends in Shanghai, and I miss it.  If it means I feel more settled and ready to get stuck in with what we’re here for, then I reckon it’s worth it.

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that there were 2 big developments.  The other one is that we do have a little home in Ouaga now, and that helps so much!  I have unpacked and settled in.  My printing inks and watercolour paints are easy to grab and start using, and my mum’s spices have found a home in the kitchen.  We have been cooking dinner and eating on our balcony, and always have somewhere relaxed to come back to after a hot day.

It has made a huge difference and I think worrying about finding somewhere to live was playing on my mind a lot more than I thought!  So all in all there have been some very good changes and I am super happy to have found a base.  I’m not totally at home yet, but I’m feeling a lot more at ease.

These are some of the fun things to do in Ouagadougou that have helped me settle in.