Hello everyone
I’ve had a great past week at site. The rains are only coming once or twice a week so I can start sleeping outside again thus I’m much better rested because I’m not drenched in sweat by the time I wake up in my hut. I didn’t realize it, but for much of the past year I’ve slept outside and it’s so nice to be back in the beautiful outdoors. Also, sleeping inside my hut comes with its own hazards. The intense rains we’ve had severely weaken the roofs of our mud huts (seeing as they’re made of mud) and many people are killed each year by collapsing roofs. And to think, I was just scared of the scorpions and creepy crawlies.
I also haven’t been able to get to my market town because the road was under water until this past
Thursday. The mosquitoes are still a menace but they’ll only be around for a few weeks which seem totally manageable after getting two rainy seasons under my belt.
I had a pretty entertaining conversation with my homologue the other day. There is a pretty common belief among Malians living on bruce that all white people know each other. I can honestly see how this misconception was created as the only white people many Malians on bruce know are Peace Corps volunteers who seem to all know each other. Thus, the other day I was asked about this white person who they couldn’t remember the name of. They described a tall guy who lived nearby. I guessed all the volunteers who just left and they finally remembered the name and said he was a volunteer who served in 1996-98…and they couldn’t understand how and why I did not know him.
If anyone would like an enjoyable read I’ll recommend a book I’ve just finished. It’s called Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux. It’s a man’s journey from Egypt to Cape Town, South Africa and all the countries in between down eastern Africa. He is a sarcastic and insightful writer who both answers questions, raises them, is painfully honest and at times just a stubborn old man. Through his travels he evaluates social, political and economic problems facing the continent while providing incredibly vivid written pictures. While Mali is on the other side of the continent, I laughed out loud at some of the descriptions that are spot on accurate of life here. The death trap of African transport, the stability on bruce vs the chaos of city, the bribes demanded by the police, endless corruption, lack of food security, misguided donor money, etc are all detailed in the book. The author was a Peace Corps volunteer long ago and it was interesting to see some of the similar views we shared with regard to development work among other things.
September 22 was the 50th anniversary of Malian Independence and we had a huge party in my commune capital, Bolokalasso. It was no comparison to Bamako where there were military and police and many others paraded through the streets of Bamako and there were parachutes and heads of state from all over Africa who were in attendance. I was more than happy to celebrate in my village with my village hunters dressing up in traditional dress and shooting off their guns after each speech by the local figureheads like the mayor and police and doctor. There was singing and dancing and a big feast of rice, but the highlight of the party was the kids potato sack races and their version of a piñata. A bunch of little cakes were tied to a tree and the kids were blindfolded and spun around and left to wonder aimlessly with their arms stretched out grabbing the air for the treats. It was hilarious!
I wasn’t planning on coming into San today, but I unexpectedly got to set up a meeting with a man to finish legalizing our paperwork for the animal raising cooperation I’m starting in my village. Things are standstill for weeks and then I have to drop everything and get to work but such is life in Mali and I’m grateful to continue the process. Once we get the actual papers I’m scheduling a small conference in my village led by a Peace Corps orator on proper management of the cooperation as well the potential for profit they now have being legally recognized by the government. Of course this means they need to start some sort of bookkeeping as currently my homologue is the only one with any sort of idea how much money he is putting into the sheep before he sells them to know his profit margin.
I’ll probably be at site for a while unless I have another unexpected meeting arise which is always a possibility, but in all likelihood, I’ll write again the next time I have internet which will probably be around October 15th when I head up to Sevare for two or three days.
All my love,
Cait
September 16, 2010
I’m in Bamako and am pleased to say it was the most pleasant experience on Malian transport I’ve had thus far. It only took 8 hours and while my friend Holly and I had to wake up at 4:30 to get to the gare in the pouring down rain, the actual bus ride was relatively delightful. No break downs, not unbearably hot while at the same time having most all the windows in tact so minimal leaks and water dripping onto us. Successful trip and made it to Bamako in under 9 hours. Afterward Holly and I ran some errands around town and met up with a former volunteer in San, Jen, who just moved to Bamako for a third year. She has her own apartment with a shower and toilet and fans…one lucky lady.
My mid service exam didn’t go quite as planned starting early on with my blood work. Peace Corps provided transport to the blood work facility in Bamako and while waiting for my turn I could feel myself getting nervous while evaluating the cleanliness of the building and staff. While all appeared to be in good condition (considering I live in one of the poorest countries in the world) I still couldn’t help getting in my mind and getting way too agitated. Thus before the nurse even got near enough to pick up the needle I knew I wouldn’t make it. After telling the staff in Bambara that I was falling down I came too in the arms of two doctors. They were both attractive so it wasn’t the worst way to come out of a fainting spell but still embarrassing because there is no privacy wall and the whole waiting room got to witness the fall. It wasn’t graceful either. I hit my head on the way down and then had to be helped to the bathroom where I promptly threw up…Mali won yet again. Passing out takes a lot out of you and much of the rest of the day was spent resting and finishing up the rest of my physical exam back at the Peace Corps bureau. I faced my fear by going to get my teeth cleaned at the scary dentist and while it was certainly not a pleasant trip at least it’s over now and when I COS in less than a year I get vouchers to go to my dentist back home. I’m happy to report that all the results thus far have come out and I’m in about as good of health as can be expected so hopefully can maintain my standard of health for another year.
I’m headed back to San tomorrow hopefully with Peace Corps transport. My boss is headed up to the region of Mopti for some site prospective and Holly, Justin and I are hopefully getting to ride along for free and AC!!!! God willing!
I’ve been so blessed and was able to talk with both of my sisters and meet my niece plus talk to friends and my parents over these past few days in Bamako via skype. Wireless is kind of an anomaly in this country and has been a delightful treat. I’ve even started researching grad schools and possible career prospects seeing as how I’ll be home in less than a year and I’d like to have some idea of where I want to live when I get there. Pretty crazy how quickly the time goes.
Anyways, not too much to report; I hope all is well back home and I miss you all very much.
All my love,
Cait
My mid service exam didn’t go quite as planned starting early on with my blood work. Peace Corps provided transport to the blood work facility in Bamako and while waiting for my turn I could feel myself getting nervous while evaluating the cleanliness of the building and staff. While all appeared to be in good condition (considering I live in one of the poorest countries in the world) I still couldn’t help getting in my mind and getting way too agitated. Thus before the nurse even got near enough to pick up the needle I knew I wouldn’t make it. After telling the staff in Bambara that I was falling down I came too in the arms of two doctors. They were both attractive so it wasn’t the worst way to come out of a fainting spell but still embarrassing because there is no privacy wall and the whole waiting room got to witness the fall. It wasn’t graceful either. I hit my head on the way down and then had to be helped to the bathroom where I promptly threw up…Mali won yet again. Passing out takes a lot out of you and much of the rest of the day was spent resting and finishing up the rest of my physical exam back at the Peace Corps bureau. I faced my fear by going to get my teeth cleaned at the scary dentist and while it was certainly not a pleasant trip at least it’s over now and when I COS in less than a year I get vouchers to go to my dentist back home. I’m happy to report that all the results thus far have come out and I’m in about as good of health as can be expected so hopefully can maintain my standard of health for another year.
I’m headed back to San tomorrow hopefully with Peace Corps transport. My boss is headed up to the region of Mopti for some site prospective and Holly, Justin and I are hopefully getting to ride along for free and AC!!!! God willing!
I’ve been so blessed and was able to talk with both of my sisters and meet my niece plus talk to friends and my parents over these past few days in Bamako via skype. Wireless is kind of an anomaly in this country and has been a delightful treat. I’ve even started researching grad schools and possible career prospects seeing as how I’ll be home in less than a year and I’d like to have some idea of where I want to live when I get there. Pretty crazy how quickly the time goes.
Anyways, not too much to report; I hope all is well back home and I miss you all very much.
All my love,
Cait
September 12, 2010
Again, my apologies for the delay in updates, the internet was out yet again last week when I was in San. I am leaving early tomorrow for a few days in Bamako for my mid-service exam…hard to believe it’s time for this check up and impossible to believe that I have less than a year to go! While in Bamako I should have access to more reliable wireless internet…God willing.
The past few weeks have passed quickly with the goodbyes and welcomes officially over and am adjusting to a very full house in San, now 13 of us. Holly and I have been run ragged taking the new volunteers around San and buying what they need to furnish their houses and basically get a feel for the city so we won’t have to be at the house the next time they’re in town. I now remember just how many questions we had last year and there were only 3 of us asking 7 older volunteers. Now the roles are reversed and 10 new volunteers are relying on Holly and me for guidance.
Site has been pretty quite these past few weeks. The month of fasting just came to an end and while my village is Christian, we still celebrate with a feast called Seli. As you can imagine, people can get pretty crabby when they don’t get to eat or drink anything from dawn to dusk, so I’m totally content to have this month of fasting over. The rains are great this year, coming almost every day but as with everything in life, the downside is that bruce roads are completely impassible thus I can no longer get to Djeli market. It’s not a problem seeing as how my friends in Sebanso are exceedingly generous and give me garden produce regularly. That said, hungry season is coming to a close and I can see a dramatic difference in the quality and quantity of food I am given over these past few days. Still a few weeks to go before harvest, but the end is in sight. Many of my friends have clearly lost a significant amount of weight and with malaria running rampant, I’m anxious for some relief of the rains. Just like home, each season brings with it some ups and downs; I just didn’t realize how extreme these ups and downs would be in Mali.
It’s hard to know exactly what people are sick with during rainy season because any sickness is diagnosed as Malaria. That said, at least 2 people in each family seem to be diagnosed with Malaria each rainy season and this is often when the most deaths in village occur. The elderly and children are most susceptible and while the death of elderly adults is celebrated, the death of a child is rarely mentioned. My homologue, Bah, has lost 3 children and from what I gather this is quite typical. Kardi, Bah’s best friend, just lost his youngest son a few days ago. This was the first child I knew and played with regularly so it was pretty tough to have no ceremony or any real recognition of his death…the mourning process is significantly different here and has been quite an adjustment.
Well, I should be going. Hopefully I’ll have lots of internet access over the next week and I can send out some more updates.
Much love,
Cait
The past few weeks have passed quickly with the goodbyes and welcomes officially over and am adjusting to a very full house in San, now 13 of us. Holly and I have been run ragged taking the new volunteers around San and buying what they need to furnish their houses and basically get a feel for the city so we won’t have to be at the house the next time they’re in town. I now remember just how many questions we had last year and there were only 3 of us asking 7 older volunteers. Now the roles are reversed and 10 new volunteers are relying on Holly and me for guidance.
Site has been pretty quite these past few weeks. The month of fasting just came to an end and while my village is Christian, we still celebrate with a feast called Seli. As you can imagine, people can get pretty crabby when they don’t get to eat or drink anything from dawn to dusk, so I’m totally content to have this month of fasting over. The rains are great this year, coming almost every day but as with everything in life, the downside is that bruce roads are completely impassible thus I can no longer get to Djeli market. It’s not a problem seeing as how my friends in Sebanso are exceedingly generous and give me garden produce regularly. That said, hungry season is coming to a close and I can see a dramatic difference in the quality and quantity of food I am given over these past few days. Still a few weeks to go before harvest, but the end is in sight. Many of my friends have clearly lost a significant amount of weight and with malaria running rampant, I’m anxious for some relief of the rains. Just like home, each season brings with it some ups and downs; I just didn’t realize how extreme these ups and downs would be in Mali.
It’s hard to know exactly what people are sick with during rainy season because any sickness is diagnosed as Malaria. That said, at least 2 people in each family seem to be diagnosed with Malaria each rainy season and this is often when the most deaths in village occur. The elderly and children are most susceptible and while the death of elderly adults is celebrated, the death of a child is rarely mentioned. My homologue, Bah, has lost 3 children and from what I gather this is quite typical. Kardi, Bah’s best friend, just lost his youngest son a few days ago. This was the first child I knew and played with regularly so it was pretty tough to have no ceremony or any real recognition of his death…the mourning process is significantly different here and has been quite an adjustment.
Well, I should be going. Hopefully I’ll have lots of internet access over the next week and I can send out some more updates.
Much love,
Cait
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