Hey everyone,
It’s been a while but all is well here in Mali. After taking the GRE (and losing simultaneously any intelligence ego I might have once had) I headed back home to Sebanso for a few weeks. I did manage to see a few friends during my brief stay in Bamako which was nice as those visits never come often enough.
My three weeks at site have been great and relatively productive too! I have an ever present knowledge that my days are limited at site and I’ve become emotional more than once knowing that I’ll have to leave my family here in just a few months. I still can’t get over that I am truly part of the family. I feel so lucky because many other volunteers never feel that in their villages. I feel at home and am truly happy there.
My homologue is starting to raise chickens so we’re building a chicken coop which got under way this past week. It was fun to watch but very dirty work, I helped make a brick or two and ended up filthy and exhausted, it is really tough. The Cooperative also asked for help in having a training done in village on animal fattening practices. So, after several weeks, we finally got in contact with the veterinarian in San who will be coming out to Sebanso at the end of the month to give a three day formation. A day focused on cows, a day on sheep and a day for pigs and chickens and any other livestock.
The last weekend in February I went to my friend Lindsey’s village, Seriabougu, and we painted a world map at her school. It turned out really well and was a great time to get some girl time. I forget when I’m at site alone and not speaking English how good it feels to just hang out with Americans. Also, it’s awesome to be able to see my friends in their villages interacting with their villagers. We all have such different experiences; it was cool to be a part of hers even if just for the weekend.
Gardening season is well under way and I love so much walking past gardens and just admiring the beautiful green in an ocean of brown. The village as a whole works a great deal in onions and I think that will be a potential area of work for the volunteer to replace me in organizing the village in their selling/distribution of the onions. I’ve been busy watering my papaya trees but they should be ready quite soon! I’m looking forward to tasting the final product.
There is a wedding at the end of the month that I’m looking forward to. All my friends who have been away studying in Bamako or Segou are coming back for the festivities. I love weddings because it means rice instead of toh and usually they kill a least a goat or two! And of course, lots of tea. Unfortunately, hot season came with vengeance this past week. I’ve had to sleep outside for a few weeks now, but it was with a sheet or blanket and all of a sudden, I go to sleep drenched in sweat and wake up the same way…
It’s already March and it’s quite likely one of my best girlfriends here will be ending her service in June which is unbelievably soon, especially when most all of May will be spent travelling. Early May is my birthday and all the volunteers in San are going to Teriyabougu to enjoy the pool for a couple of days. Then in mid May I’m going to Ghana with some friends for about two weeks to travel and lay by the beach. May is the zenith of hot season so it will be a huge relief to be able to go swimming in open bodies of water without fear of getting water born diseases.
I just got back from a trip up to Dogon country for a break from site and to visit a friend. Nothing big was planned for the trip which was actually kind of a relief as my past several trips out of site have been busy with trips to Bamako, GRE exams, festivals, etc. Now, with it being gardening season, I’m enjoying the fine dining of Mali with veggies that available for a limited time only (carrots, lettuce, eggplant, etc), and lucky for me, Justin loves to cook and is good at it. Hungry season will be here before I know it, so these past few days of gluttony were delightful!
Much love,
Cait
