Nothing lasts forever

Ouahigouya, March 10 2008

When the rainy season is exceptionally wet in Burkina Faso, you can be sure that it will be very cold in December - January and extremely hot in March - April. Last year, more then 1,000 millimetres of water fell out of the overcast skies in quite a short period. Our dry Sahel country Burkina Faso even had to cope with floods. And indeed, last 'winter' was freezing cold. Wim had to buy a cotton patchwork quilt on the market and Heleen put her silver foil isolation blanket into her eiderdown cover. At night, temperatures fell to a mere 10 degrees and at day, the wintry sun was not able to heat the cold dry air.

Unfortunately, we didn't get much time to enjoy the coolness. The tear-off calendar didn't loose all of its February days, when the sun already blistered through the sky and started beating down. The early month of March is bringing scorching temperatures that exceed 40 degrees Celsius. Reluctantly we stow away blankets, pyjamas and pullovers. Panting and in sweat, we're pedalling throughout the sweltering town of Ouahigouya: we do have a hard time. The Burkinese remain positive: when the heat comes this early, the first rains won't be long in coming…

We are less patient. Things are getting too hot for us, while we're longing for itching springtime. At about two years in the North of the land of sound people, we had to cut the Gordian nut: are we staying? Do we take the plunge? And if we go, whereto?

After pondering and turning it over and over in our minds, with regret in our hearts and lumps in our throats, we told Bibir and Ocades that we've done our stint. Our decision to go elsewhere is neither whim nor crack. It is the fate of every development worker: once the train is going, you better jump off. Leaving is never easy, but we're filling our suitcases to the brim with memories of dusty villages, big baobab trees, fresh and cool yoghurt, green vegetable gardens and friction movies. Bibir, Ocades and Broederlijk Delen will stay and continue without us.

We are exchanging the dry Burkinese pancake for another country with a revolutionary past. One with two long ocean coasts and mountainous inlands. The Sandinista president Daniel Ortega hasn't been killed Sankara-wise, but has be re-elected and again in power.

From April on Heleen will work for UNAG, the national union of peasants and cattle breeders in the Central American republic of Nicaragua. What it is all about, you will have to read in a coming mail. That way, things remain suspenseful for all. Since March 9, Heleen is in Belgium for some weeks, and she's reachable on her mobile phone (+ 32 486 78 59 25)

With his heart in his boots, Wim is biding his time for some more months in the hot Burkina Faso, to verify whether rains will truly be early this year. By mid-May his contract is finishing and he will be off home to Belgium. In June he will travel after Heleen to work as freelance journalist in Nicaragua.

The website www.burkinabe.be/en still exists and will soon get a small Nicaraguan brother or sister.

Hoping to hear from you soon,

heleen and wim