Hey, I might fit right in, because my French is totally conversational. Well, I can read it, but I’ve never been able to write well in French. Oh, who am I trying to kid? I can barely spell basic words. However, in a country where a large part of the adult population may be illiterate, I should fit in nicely . . . just under the literacy radar. Remember, French is a second or third language for many Burkinabe. And illiteracy in no way equates to uneducated. So we won’t expect each other to write; perhaps we can agree on that. Should be simple, non?

I called Air France. They know how to pronounce the name of the capital of Burkina Faso. Ouagadougou. WahGaDoGoo. And now I can spell it without even thinking. Of course! The beginning “O” is pronounced like any O that begins a word in French – like a W. So, technically there’s probably a hint of an O-sound as one’s mouth begins to form the W, as in Oui.

So I hit the ground in Ouagadougou on 23 June 2010, and am quite anxious to meet my host family. Will I be old enough to be the grandmother of my host mother? How many hand gestures will I develop to begin communicating? Will their French be as rudimentary as mine, and will we enjoy many hours of laughing at my language skills. In sincerely hope so, but we can only speculate.