Oh Ouagadougou, my home town, where I was born and raised. 2014 was the last time I was there; it took me 4 long years to go back. I am now wondering why! I've missed so many things: the people, the warmth , the food, the busy streets,  even the dust; and most of all: FAMILY. To be honest, the few days spent in Ouagadougou were definitely not how I envisioned my time there for reasons I'll keep to  myself for now. But no matter what, it always feels good to be home.  Burkina Faso is a landlocked nation of 19 million inhabitants. The name Burkina Faso means the " land of the upright men " and that is exactly the character of the people there. For the past two years, the political state and security have been impacted by recurring terrorist attacks. Burkina Faso has long been a stable and secure country. I assume that nowadays, nobody and no place is entirely safe; whether in Paris or Ouagadougou, you have to be careful. Today, instead of writing about what's not going well in my country, I'd rather tell you what makes my country special: its people, their joie de vivre ( despite the hardships, poverty, etc. ), their hard work, its wealth. I'm very excited to share a few photos we captured while we were there. To be more specific, the photos were taken in Ouagadougou ( the capital ) , Bobo-Dioulasso ( the second largest city in Burkina Faso ) and Kotoura ( my village, my father's village, our roots ). I hope you'll enjoy.  I also came up with a checklist to help you get ready before your travel to Burkina Faso or Senegal. 

CHECKLIST BEFORE YOUR TRAVEL

Before your trip to Ouagadougou and Senegal ( and pretty much any country in the world ), make sure you prepare well in advance. I'm talking here about all administrative procedures, a lot less fun I know, but trust me, peace of mind is better when travelling. 

• Is your passport up to date? Does it have enough pages for extra stamps? 
• Do you need immunizations? You probably will. Simply book an appointment with a travel clinic. 
• Do you need a visa? Do your homework to find out about visa processing times. Some countries (or rather their embassies and consulates) require a few days / weeks to issue a visa. Others will provide a visa upon arrival at customs. Also, some embassies may require an airline ticket reservation. 
• Do you have travel insurance? If not, definitely consider getting it. You never know.
• Call your cellphone provider to unlock your phone. Trust me, you're going to save lot of money by opting to buy a local sim card.  
• If you're travelling alone or with friends and you have no contact, I'd suggest you search for and join travel communities/ groups ( on Facebook for example ). It' always a good idea to meet locals and / or like-minded people before you even get there.  It can help you navigate through the cities easier and enjoy your experiences .
• Come up with a list of places you want to visit. This means you need to do some research ahead of time: Instagram, blogs, Facebook...

Now, one last thing. Wherever you travel, the best way to explore is to do what the locals do. Eat where they eat, try out their public transportation, visit local markets. BE A CHAMELEON. Be respectful of people's traditions and always ask before taking pictures / filming videos especially when their faces will be recognizable. It's the right thing to do. You can take the time to explain the purpose of what you're documenting and where you are planning to share it. Also, be mindful when taking pictures of kids, make sure you have the permission of an adult or avoid it altogether.

All Photography by yours truly and my husband Jacques Dieye. 

RessourcesBurkina Faso's Embassy: http://ambabf-ca.org/visas/Senegal's Embassy : http://www.ambsencanada.org/visa.phpTravel and Tourism Canada: https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/documents/visas