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.