By Richard Zowie
Leader Staff Writer

Someone forgot to tell a snake in Burkina Faso that Erica Baker is serving in the Peace Corps.
The 28 year-old Oxford native and Michigan State University graduate, who’s been working in the west African nation for nearly two years, was walking with friends from a restaurant in the Burkina city of Bobo-Dioulasso in late July when she felt a sharp pain.
‘Honestly, I thought I had just stepped on a piece of metal or wire that kicked back and pierced my left ankle,? recalled Baker.
While she was hopping around on one foot, she was told that it was a snake.
Baker was still able to walk even after being bitten, but a few hours later her left leg became ‘sort of paralyzed.? Even limping on it became extremely painful and her throat swelled.
Baker went to see a doctor and spent a couple of days receiving medical treatment. According to Baker, the day following the snake ‘attack?, her white blood cell count was very high (usually a sign that a person’s body is fighting a serious infection).
Things improved quickly for Baker. The next morning, her throat was no longer swollen and it was easier to walk, although her leg still hurt to the touch. Later in the day, the pain was only around her ankle near the wound. She felt ‘completely fine? the next day and was released in the afternoon. As a precaution, though, Baker’s doctor had her stay in Bobo for a week instead of heading back to the village of Solenzo, where she’s been staying. She also had a follow-up blood test to make sure everything was OK.
‘Since we’re always walking around, I try to remember to bring my flashlight out at night,? Baker said of her once-bitten, twice-shy approach of avoiding another snake bite.
Her encounter with the snake aside, Baker resumed her duties in the Peace Corps. In Burkina her host organization is a cotton union. Among her many tasks, she has been educating villagers about the health benefits of foods like bouille (pronounced ‘bwee? and made from millet, black-eyed peas, peanuts and sugar) and the byproducts of the Moringa tree. The tree contains lots of Vitamin A, C, calcium, potassium and protein; its leaves, stems, flowers, seeds, seed pods, roots and stalk are all edible.
Teaching the Burkina villagers about the nutritional benefits can be a challenge, Baker said. First, the primary language in Burkina is French, which Baker has been learning but isn’t fluent in. She usually needs a translator. Second, villagers have to be taught what nutrition is.
‘Words like protein and carbs are useless in smaller villages,? Baker wrote in her blog www.ericainafrica.blogspot.com. ‘Oftentimes we need to speak using words action words like energy, strength and sickness prevention to help people understand the importance of the various food groups.?
Baker has also been involved in teaching farmers about composting techniques to improve fertilizing methods, providing AIDS education, serving as president of a Volunteer Advisory Committee and working with a women’s association to teach Burkinabe women how to process shea nuts into high-quality shea butter that can be sold to vendors for export. Besides communicating in French, one of Baker’s biggest challenges has been trying to be confident enough to approach the heads of governmental organizations.
‘The thing I like the most about my job is when I have been able to inspire the Burkinabe to help themselves,? Baker said.
Soon, Baker will be finishing up her two years of living in the village she’s assigned to and will be moving to the Burkinabe capital of Ouagadougou. There, she will use her MSU marketing degree working for a developmental agency.
It’s been a world of difference for the Oxford native, who was working in a Los Angeles ad agency when she came across a spoof article about the Peace Corps in the satirical website www.theonion.com.
Founded in 1961, the Peace Corps (www.peacecorps.gov) strives to promote world peace and friendship.
Despite the underlying humor of the article, Baker realized that this was something she wished to pursue.
‘Everything I read about it was in line with personal life goals: live in another country, learn another language, build my career, and so on,? she said.
Not only has Baker been able to serve the Burkinabe, but she also has been able to communicate with people back home and in other places with her blog. Furthermore, she has corresponded with two classrooms in Michigan during her Burkina service’her sister Sarah’s fourth-grade class at Clear Lake Elementary School and the Fenton middle school geography class of Baker’s best friend’s sister.
‘The most rewarding part about being in the Peace Corps has been what I’ve been able to give, but the truth is that it’s more about what I’ve received,? Baker said. ‘As a result of this experience I’ve had the chance to learn another language, live another way of life and discover who I really am and what’s important to me.?