Mali, why?

There are a couple of questions that I have about Mali, but I will give you a quick update about life in the Sikasso region. I was able to begin a well treatment schedule. My counterpart and I treat the wells twice a month and we've done it twice thus far. Right now I am paying for the bleach, but we are beginning to collect a small amount of money from each family in the village in order to cover the cost. Other than that life in village has been good. I have just spent the last 6 nights in a hotel room in the city with running water, Internet, AC, and electricity. It has been a fun time hanging out with all the other volunteers of the "Team America" stage in the Sikasso region. We have spent the last week having language classes, but there has also been plenty of time to enjoy each other's company. There are about 12 of us Americans here. I go back to village tomorrow. Now I want to comment on three things I find "different" in this country.

1. WHY DO MALIAN'S WEAR WINTER COATS AND HATS? IS IT 96* WHERE YOU'RE STANDING, BECAUSE IT IS WHERE I AM.
It is not uncommon to see many a Malian in a sweatshirt, down winter jacket, ear-muffs, sweater, winter hat, or slightly used sport jacket. It would be fine if they were cold, but most of them are sweating just as much as I do in shorts and a t-shirt, which by the way I never wear shorts outside of my fenced-in property (concession). It is normal for me to wear long pants and a short-sleeved collared shirt. Anyways, people of all ages and gender are wearing these typically winter garments in Africa of all places.

2. WHY DO SO MANY MALIAN GUYS WALK AROUND HOLDING HANDS?
There is no word in Bambara for gay or lesbian, because they reportedly don't exist in Mali. That being said, there is a copious amount of male hand holding going on in this country. Interlaced fingers, arms around the waist, or hooked arms are all the commonly used techniques. That's all I have to say about that.

3. WHY IS MY GARBAGE EVERYWHERE?
There is no proper waste removal system set up in Mali, so that creates a problem. Some Malians solve that problem by burning or burying their garbage. All the others just throw it on the ground or into the various designated garbage piles. I have a little garbage can in my house that I use for paper or plastic waste and I compost the food scraps by throwing them over the wall. I needed to figure out what to do with the full garbage bags, so I just placed them on the other side of my wall outside the house. During the next day I found that my garbage was torn apart and spread across a large area of land. My home stay experience taught me that it was not an animal that got into the garbage, rather it was many small children. I won't speak to what I saw being done with my garbage, but needless to say I haven't put any more garbage over the wall. I don't want to burn it and I don't feel like burying it, so I am just going to stack it in a pile behind the house. It will be interesting to see how much garbage I accumulate in two years.

ABANA~FIN

I am now an official PCV! I was sworn in on September 3rd @ the U.S. embassy in Bamako. It was one of the rainiest days I've seen. Everyone was dressed in their new Malian outfits, and when some people got wet the dye on their clothes began to run, so their skin turned all different colors. After the ceremony we were taken to the American Club where we had drinks, awesome food, and a few hours to lounge around in the pool. In the evening we got tranported to a hotel in Bamako. I went out with a few other volunteers to get some Asian food and it was really good. Then just about all 80 of us went to the club near the hotel for dancing and drinks, which was followed by a second club and more drinks. The night ended around 3:30.

Two days after swear in was installment day. I was lucky enough to get Peace Corps transport for me and all my stuff all the way to post. I spent a night in Sikasso and then the next morning I picked up the furniture I ordered and I was taken to my new home. I've gotten all my stuff moved in and I'm getting settled in nicely. It helped that when I got to Sikasso there was a package waiting for me at the post office sent by my parents. I waited to get to my house to open it and was delighted to find a couple boxes of Velveta Shells and Cheese, a bag of sourdough pretzel nuggets, four bags of gummy lifesavers and beef jerkey, and 5 bags of m&m's (3 peanut and 2 pretzel)! There was also a couple of magazines. Just a little taste of back home, and I really appreciate my parents for sending it. My neighbor Sharon also deserves a shout-out for the package she sent. She sent packages of spam, fish, trail mix, and peanut butter crackers!!

My job for the first three months is to integrate and further my language skills. I've been doing a good job on the first task, while my language skills seem to be at a standstill. A normal day basically goes like this: Wake up, eat bread, walk around and great my host dad, the chief of the village (dugu tiki), and some other folks. I go back to my house at about 10 a.m. and sit on the porch and read until it is time to make lunch (which is usually more bread with fish or spam until it runs out) then it is back to sitting/nappin on the porch until dinner (pasta and more bread). Then its bucket bath time, tea time, then bedtime. I did take a tour of all the wells in my village (26). I plan on starting a well-treating regiment on a monthly basis starting very soon.

In December I will be traveling back to Bamako for two weeks for In Service Training. After I return to post/site I plan to set up a WatSan committee staffed with people from the village. It will be their job to prioritize what the want to accomplish. My role is that of a project manager. I have to focus on sustainability. Ensuring that when I leave in two years there will still be people carrying on the task of water sanitation practices and improvements.

Since I have been in village there have been two major celebrations. One was the end of Ramadan blast that lasted for three days. There was tons of music and dancing, as well as tea drinking and animal slaughtering. I was gifted several animal products during this time. I reaceived huge chunks of beef, mystery sheep organ, and sheep intestine. They all came in black plastic bags with blood dripping out of the bottom of the bag. They also were drying cow hide in the sun which my house happened to be downwind from. Let me just say the smell was not as pleasant as one might imagine.

The other celebration was on the 22nd of Sept. Mali was celebrating its 50th year of independence from France. There was more crazy dancing and live music all night. I took some video and I need to post it sometime. The internet connection is so bad here that things that normally take ten minutes end up taking several hours. I have no patience for such things.

Until next time...PEACE

Being Left handed in a right handed country is hard

So I made it through the 16 day stint in Sinsina. We did have small reprieve with a visit to the museum and the American Club halfway through. When we got back to Tubaniso we found out where our sites will be for the next two years. We also were introduced to our Malian counterpart. Our counterparts live in the community we will be living in, and will be our closest ally in completing projects. So I will be living in a small village just outside of the city of Sikasso. Sikasso is a beautiful place with a lush and fertile landscape. My village rests along the side of a gently sloping hill. The new house I will be staying in is almost 3 times the size of the one I stay in at homestay. It has two large rooms, with ten foot ceilings. It is a cement house (which is much cooler than a mud house) with tin roofing, I also have a sweet covered cement porch that is very large. There is a mango tree out front too! My house also has a newly painted wall around it with a gate the provides for both privacy and security. My counterpart is really cool as well. He is 32 with a wife and 4 kids. He seems very motivated and I am looking forward to getting some things done...hopefully. I also met with the dugu tiki (chief), the mayor, the doctor, and some other local officials who made me feel very welcome. I also have a new host dad named Zanga. He has 5 wives and some 15 kids at least. He is a total ball buster, and is always giving me shit about not being able to speak fluent Bambara. The volunteer that was there before me did no wrong and she ate copious amounts of toh. Toh is the pounded millet mixed with boiled water, it has the consistency of jell-o but that is where the comparison ends. It is really gross in my opinion. But, I ate it 2-3 times a day while I was at site visit. The trick is to get it hot, drown it in the nasty sauce, and swallow it whole. I will be getting a Coleman stove in order to cook for myself once I move in. I will be able to ride my bike to the city of Sikasso a couple times a month. This means I will have access to Internet, electricity, and running water. I feel that my village is eager and willing to get some WatSan work done, so I am looking forward to getting started. There is a lot to be done, and a lot of potential as well. I can't wait to get some pictures up of my new house, my new village, and the surrounding area of Sikasso! It is an amazing place. Right now I am back at Tubaniso. We leave on Friday to go back to homestay for 7 days. Then we spend a few more days at Tubaniso and get sworn in as official Peace Corps Volunteers on September 3rd! I am looking forward to that, and for Pre-service training to come to an end. I just want to get settled in my house/village and not have to live out of a suitcase like I have been doing since I got here. I almost forgot to mention the bus ride from Bamako to Sikasso. It was my first experience taking public transportation in Mali, and it was a trip! The bus stopped every 35 minutes or so, either to pick people up or drop them off. But as soon as the bus stopped we would get swarmed with people selling all kinds of stuff. They sell cold water, soda, bread, eggs, meat, peanuts, millet (corn on the cob style), and all kinds of street food. They stick their products into the windows and climb onto the bus, all the while shouting what goods they have for sale. Then some snake oil salesman got on the bus and talked for a good hour about this medicine he had that cured everything from typhoid fever to menstrual cramps, and people were actually buying it! That's all I got for now. I will try to post again in a few weeks.

First Homestay Experience

Wow! That's all I can say after that 10 day stint in Sinsina. This is more difficult than I ever imagined. Adjusting to this new lifestyle seems impossible at times. We turned off the paved road and headed down a gravel road with massive puddles (small lakes). All our luggage was tied to the roof and we were all praying it would stay there. After waiting for the herd of cows to cross the road we pulled up to a small town made of mud. The car got swarmed with hundred of children, and we came to a stop. I was sitting next to the door in the back seat and I was a little frightened to open it. Once I stepped out the children moved in closer and held there hands out to touch my hand. Then the eight of us volunteers were directed into this small house with goat skins on the floor. We removed our shoes before entering and sat down on one side of the room. Then the elders entered the room and sat down facing us. They began speaking in Bambara, one by one. Our LCF's translated for us and we offered them a bag of kolo nuts, which are like currency in Mali. After that they directed us outside, where the whole village was gathered for the welcoming party. We sat under a tent in folding chairs, and the hundreds of children stood in front of us and stared. To say it was a bit awkward is an understatement. The band began playing (xylophone, drums, and some guy screaming inaudible words into a microphone) and they asked us to get up and dance. So we got up and stood in front of the band. The villagers began to gather around. None of us knew what kind of dance this music required so we just stood there. Then these really old women came out from the crowd and showed us some moves. We struggled through a couple of songs before it was over (or so I thought). The other seven volunteers returned to their seats, and as I attempted to do the same I was stopped by an old man in a funny hat with a horsetail in his hand. He was the Donsoke, or hunter of the village. He is quite the character. The band fired up again and the hunter removed his hat and placed it on my head. The hat looked very old and had some funky stains on the inside. It was a tight fit on my big old noggin, but the hunter made sure to get it on there the whole way. He then handed me the horsetail and we proceeded to dance. Then some old lady's came out of the crowd and draped some fabric over my shoulders and tied a piece around my waste. I wish I had some pictures or brought my flip video, but I will never forget it. (I am a little distracted while typing this blog because we are watching the Big Lebowski on a projector screen)

After the dance, we got our bags off the roof of the vehicle. This was the first time I met my homestay brother Bakari. He helped with my bags and I was led to my home. I opened the door and entered the room. Its 10x10 and as hot as a pizza oven, unfortunately there was no pizza inside. The door and the tiny window are on the same wall so there is no breeze whatsoever. There is a metal roof also that just radiates heat all night (the rain sounds cool on it though). It was awkward meeting my family because of the language barrier. I was able to get their names and get my mosquito net up and my water filter together. Then I met back up with the other volunteers and we toured the village. There are donkeys, chickens, goats, and roosters everywhere. The roosters start crowing at 5 a.m. and don't stop all day the donkeys are the same. It's very loud and very annoying, not to mention the shit everywhere (including human). My homestay dad only has one wife and four kids. He sells sandals for a living. The whole village farms on Sundays. They have rice fields, mango, and banana groves.

We have language class six days a week for seven hours a day. My brain is mush by the end of the day. My mom does all the cooking and takes care of the kids and a million other things. When it is time to eat, me and dad eat first. We wash our hands and sit the bowl of food on the ground between us. He digs in first and then I follow. We mainly eat macaroni, rice with peanut sauce, and nasty river fish. It is a very difficult life and I would be lying if I said I didn't think about quitting several times a day. There are some good things though. My homestay family is very kind and cares about me. It is also a very beautiful place outside of town. We got our bikes delivered on the third day of home stay and it was a lifesaver, Our ticket out of town. Every morning at 6:30 me and my buddy Grahm go for a bike ride and watch the sunrise. After class a lot of us ride our bikes 20 minutes to Seninkoroba. There is a restaurant/bar there that serves cold pop and beer! We can also eat fries there, at a table and with a fork. It's all about the simple things in life now. Also at night the stars are very beautiful, and there is often massive thunderstorms that roll in and the lightning is amazing. I have to take bucket baths in the open nyagen. Its awesome at night being able to bath under the stars or watching the sun set. I also have to fetch my water from the pump and filter it and then add bleach.

I'm toughing it out. I will be going back on Weds for another 18 days in Sinsina. I will bring my camera and take photos. I don't have electricity or Internet access so I will post photos when I get back. I am still having trouble uploading photos to my blog, so check them out on facebook.

First days in Mali

Today is the end of day 3 here in Mali and things are going great so far! I think that as long as I can keep myself healthy I can keep myself happy. Sound mind=sound body. I leave the compound here in Tubaniso for homestay tomorrow, and I am really looking forward to it. Me and the other 80 volunteers from the U.S. have been staying on our training ground and have been somewhat isolated from the rest of Mali. I will be leaving to stay with a host family for the next two weeks. There the only language spoken is Bambara. The only Bambara I have learned is Hello, I'm fine, How are you, whats your name, my name is..., I'm from..., and Goodbye. While in my village I will be spending 8 hours a day in language training, the rest of the time I will be making a fool of myself trying to communicate with the other villagers!

We were able to celebrate the 4th of July in American fashion, minus the fireworks. We were invited to the American Club which is the recreation portion of the American Embassy here in Bamako, Mali. There was a swimming pool, we got to eat hamburgers, play frisbee, and drink cold beer!

I have been learning a lot about Malian culture and I have been meeting a bunch of really cool people. I sleep in a hut with two other volunteers, and it is very hot at night. There are pit toilets here that you squat over to use. The funny thing is that the shower is in the same 3 by 3 foot room! If you drop anything in the hole accidentally, say bye-bye! It takes 30 years to fill up the pit with human waste and I don't want to know how long the pit has been collecting up to this point! There is toilet paper for us Americans, but today is the first day I tried the Salidaga. It is a little tea pot you fill with water and pour down the small of your back, using your left hand to wipe. After saying that, it is necessary to say that the left hand is not used for much else in Malian culture. It is surprisingly a cleaner feeling than toilet paper! We also learned to eat on the floor out of a common bowl. We eat with our hands (NEVER THE LEFT ONE). Everyone licks their hands and the hands go right back into the bowl. I am really happy to be learning another culture, but it does take some getting used to. The food so far has been really enjoyable!

That is all for now. I will try to post when I get back from homestay July 18th.