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Hello everyone,

Happy New Year 2012! May it maintain our health and add to our vitality, may it install an air cushion under our soles and give us the impetus to live and love our lives and those close to us fully; may it convince us to say "I love you" each and every morning before it's too late, and may it soothe our hearts, nourish our souls, and it revive our taste of happiness.

I hope holiday season was enjoyable for all. On our end, it was our first Christmas holidays far from the Lavoie family based in the United States. Needless to say we all missed the gathering terribly. We became used to spend Christmas either at my parents in-law  in Reading, MA or at "Aunt Kathy" (Matthew's aunt) in Chesapeake Beach, MD. Every year, the children were drowned with gifts and cookies of all kinds, spent time with family, eating great non-ending meals, listened to their grandfather (Pipo) or their aunt read "The Night Before Christmas" with their cousins around.

This year we decided at the last minute to go to Paris. Tickets for Paris with the Moroccan airlines were the cheapest (compared to those for Rabat, Washington, Abidjan or Accra, which we were considering as a destination as well); and especially we were staying at some friends in very good conditions. A beautiful apartment in the "15th arrondissement" full of  children books, toys and games. Wasn't this paradise for Omar and Hakim, when we were not looking for a new street to discover? Yes, it was.

Night flights were not easy with the boys both ways, but it was worth it. The weather was perfect: cool to cold but very sunny. The metro in the city of lights is not equipped with elevators for families with strollers, elderly or disabled persons, so we mostly walk. Omar cushioned in a sling against me, Hakim in an umbrella stroller. Hakim enjoyed the subway, the Eiffel Tower, the Luxembourg and Montsouris gardens, the "Arc de Triomphe", the Champs Elysées avenue, the "Place de la Concorde" and its big illuminated wheel, as well as the "Paris by night" tour we had in a taxi, to show them all the Christmas lighting.

We ate lots of "croissants, pains au chocolat and croissants aux amends", "foie gras" on a daily base, cherries, very good bread, pastries and pies of all kinds ... things that we can't find easily in Ouagadougou open air market:)

Paris is a amazing city. A breathtaking beauty at every street corner, at any hour of the day and night. We spent memorable moments with the boys during that week, but we were also happy to be back in Ouagadougou. There is something very natural and resting in some degree of poverty, where the streets are an accumulation of buildings, land, and dust only. When the space is disorganized, and a little chaotic, it also looks more human. What we find relaxing is "not be tempted to buy stuff, all the time". I am talking about non-stop materialistic transactions that you become victims of in Paris, Washington DC… I remember very well when I first came to the US -and it's now the case in Europe too-, that I was shocked to see people eating and drinking all day long, and in every situation (walking, driving, talking on the phone!). 

People here eat maximum three times a day, when they are lucky to get some food. There's not much to buy here, there are a lot of people to meet; people don't have much, but they have a lot of time to chat and availability to help; people don't have much to talk about but they have their history and many stories to tell, their enriching experience to share.

As an example of "some level of simplicity" here: if you want to get a yoghourt in a neighborhood supermarket, you have the choice between two brands and two tastes (vanilla or strawberry). If you get one at Giant  you have to check a three level shelve, on two or three meters, right?

This lack of choice here not only saves you time but force you to eat fresh products and cook for yourself.

We buy clothes for the boys to make sure they are decent and comfortable, only. Except for some occasions when they can be a little dressed,  the weather, the dust, and the outdoor activities for children of their age are such that it makes no sense at all to buy expensive brands or items. 

In the United States, we had to have two changing tables, one at home and one to travel, a breastfeeding pillow, baby carriers of all kinds, and items supposed to stimulate better psychomotor development in your child. We have almost none of that here. Our house is less cluttered, there's a lot of room for the boys to run and play even indoor, and mostly we realize that all these development toys are far from essential. 

I think they are very lucky to have so many adults and kids around to play and talk with, and to go on "little new adventures" with.

What about the family? Omar loves playing drums (djembe) and xylophone (balafon), singing, shouting with an open mouth smile. He bounces on his knees and raised his arms in the air when he gets very excited. He finally stopped waking up 3-4 times a night to breastfeed:) He climbs on a small stool, or on hakim's big bed and says long monologues punctuated by laughter. He rolls over and wrestles with his brother on thick mattress, he climbs over him and pulls his hair:( At one year old, he weights 23 pounds and defends himself pretty well. He started saying "no" because his brother says so:)

Hakim is in a state of continuous experimentation: hands in a glass of water, fingers in his brother's eyes, nose and mouth, teeth on his father's bold head. He also lies with all his weight on a 5 months baby to say "hello", he hits the rabbit with a carrot to "encourage him to eat", and he soaks his hands to the elbows in the mop's water …He also pushes on our nerves quite often, as you might have guessed it:)

But Hakim is also very social. He speaks without restraint to any individual on the street, starting by saying a loud "Hello! "He loves to talk, even with his brother, who does not speak yet; he notices things, people, situations that I can not see myself; and he is very sensitive to changes in Omar. When he has a secret to tell someone, he comes to your ear and says: "I Love You So Much!

He wants us to read to him at nap time, bedtime, and at any time of day. Hakim is friend with books.

He loves to do puzzles, to play lego, and Mobile play. He enjoys eating Moroccan tanginess, couscous, or rice with sauce. He loves the "Ceb u jen", Senegalese rice dish with fish and vegetables. 

Matthew and I try to keep calm when the Lavoie brothers run our energy and patience down. Some days are easier than others. And even if overall we love being around them, some days we could "bring them back to the hospital":)

Matthew is working more than ever, but the project is progressing pretty well, and the Burkina Faso team is competent, dynamic and motivated throughout. And as a country director, he doesn't get to forget his day of work, once he leaves the office anymore.

He was saddened by a terrible news recently. A former colleague of him at the VOA in Washington, Samuel Kiendrebeogo, died during a visit to his family and friends here in Ouagadougou, during the holidays. He had a heart attack at home watching the evening news January 4th. Matthew had visited him the night before, and Samuel -who's from BF- had told him his plan to settle in Ouaga when he retires, and to be a candidate to become a Senator, representing the Burkinabe Diaspora. It was a blow to Matthew, as well as for the French division at the VOA - who had just lost one of its members from lung cancer in early December 2011. But specially for his wife Cecile ... who had to fly that same evening from Washington DC to Ouaga.

Our sincere condolences to his wife Cecile, his family, colleagues and friends. May his soul rest in peace.

Last but not least, we have considered moving, and visited a few houses in different areas of Ouagadougou to realize that our house is worth staying in. Its colonial style, with large rooms and a very simple layout is very well thought and great for the boys. So I worked on reviving the garden back, planting trees, flowers and grass; I had a mosquito screen installed all over the veranda to enjoy the outdoor areas better. 

On the massage therapy side, word of mouth has been running way faster than I planned. So I quickly made business cards, but mainly I have to have a space built in the garden that I will dedicate for that use. I am thinking of building a nubian hut that has the huge advantage of been naturally very cool inside when it's 104 degrees outside. The few massage services are offered locally in hair salons or beauty shops, along with hail, nails and face services. And most women practicing massage here have little or no training. In my communication plan, I offer therapeutic massage which main goal is health and balance, wellbeing and relaxation, muscle recovery, immune system boosting… 

And I let people know that I don't know how to get them more beautiful, younger or skinnier with my massages:)

I also started a volunteer work three mornings a week, with an association that promotes early childhood education, youth counseling and guidance, women's alphabetization and knowledge of their rights, in a poor neighborhood of Ouagadougou. "L'Initiative Communautaire Changer la Vie" (association) was created in 2002 to support widows and orphans to start; they than created a pre-school daycare, a library, a counseling center for youth and women, and a traveling medical center to help the community. Their major funder and partner is French association ASMAE, of Soeur Emmanuelle. I'll tell you about my experience in the next posting.

Voila! and when I'm home or out with the boys, I realize how lucky I am to be able to devote so much time to them. Time that also grows my white hair much faster:)

In Ouaga the options for kids outdoor activities are quite limited; therefore children get into a lot of organized playmates and get the parents to meet. We get to know people here a lot  more easily and faster than in Washington DC for instance; people with all kinds of backgrounds and nationalities, with very unique life and travel experiences. Which is nice.

Here are the news on our end. And how are you all doing?

With all our love,

Hakim, Omar, Matthew and mameena