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.Wednesday, August 18, 2010
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.