June has proven to be exceptionally busy! I started the month going to what I like to refer to as an oasis in the desert aka a little village on the Bani River that served as a going away party of sorts for the 6 volunteers in the STAGE before mine. The village, Teriabougu (house of friends), was about 30 kilometers off the main road between San and Bla (a most unfortunate city name). It was more a little resort than a village as it was gated off and the hotel was the primary location of guests. There was a pool that was legitimately clean and lounge chairs that we took full advantage of. As a reward to surviving hot season we spent a great deal of time just sitting in the pool, getting out and jumping right back in. The village in and of itself is pretty fascinating. There is a tree nursery with thousands of trees being grown as well as an established beekeeping practice and they have a Jatropha seed press to make bio-diesel fuel. We splurged on the last night and all ate at the restaurant the hotel that was perhaps one of the best meals I’ve had in country (not saying too much when my diet is toh or on good days, rice and sauce).
I returned to sight for just a few days before heading north to Bandiagara for the start of the 2010 World Cup! It’s such an experience living in Africa for the first World Cup ever to be held in Africa. There is such pride through this continent as the African teams are being cheered on. While realistic expectations are not high for any of the African teams to make it to the second round, you wouldn’t know that based on the enthusiasm of the fans. I met up with Justin in Sevare and then went up farther north to Bandiagara. Bandiagara is a frequent starting point for the tours of Dogon country so there is a lot of western influenced food there and nice hotels for us to watch the games in. To celebrate my year in country coming up on July 10, 2010 I ordered a Dogon Bracelet to be made. They are region specific and the designer melts down coins then hammers them into shape. I’m getting my Malian name, Aramata, carved into the bracelet and so excited to see how it turns out. I’m getting to go back to Bandiagara briefly for my actual 1 year anniversary so I’ll get my bracelet then.
I again returned briefly to site for a busy two days. I met my newest host sister who is just 3 weeks old, she is yet to be named as Malian tradition goes there is a naming ceremony a week after the birth where the name is announced but being in a Christian village we do things a bit differently and they wait until the Dad decides on the appropriate name. I was taken to the fields and helped plant millet…kind of. Mostly I just watched as the fields were plowed then planted not even a full row of millet because the Malians were laughing hysterically at my pathetic attempt to be agile in my planting. I failed. It was a great experience none the less and really helped me experience a huge part of their lives that until know I’d just heard rumors of.
Currently I am back at Tubaniso, the training area where I was brought when I first arrived for PST and again in December for IST. Two members from my village are here, Tabita Demebly and Dabassy Coulibaly, for a food security conference. I technically do not need to be here but I think it meant a lot to my villagers that I came even though just a few other volunteers are here. Its working out well though as this morning I was able to meet with my boss, Macki Cisso, and discuss some project plans and generally just catch up. It can be really hard being so far from Bamako and easy to feel like you’re slipping between the cracks so it was nice to be greeted and asked about specific people in my village he had met months earlier. I suspect the rest of the week will pass quickly and I’m looking forward to Peace Corps transport back to San. I have to admit though; I have reached a whole new level of confidence when I managed to get from San to the Bamako bureau by myself. Never before had I had to negotiate with taxi drivers and navigate the insanity of Bamako traffic so I was really proud of myself when I actually reached my destination with minimal trouble.
Hopefully, I’ll be back to site on Sunday and spend at least a week there before heading up to Bandiagara. My friend Holly is flying home to Washington for a month and leaves on the 7th and there is a possibility that I could join her on her trip to Bamako for a day then head north with some friends who are coming from the other side of the country (Kayes) where they will be celebrating the 4th of July…but I detest transport and don’t know if I want to spend 9 hours on a hot bus just to turn around for 13 hours more the next day.
In papa’s words, “That’s all I’ve got to say”
Love,
Cait
