My last post was a long time ago, so I will give everyone a quick update. I've survived the Holiday season here in Mali and away from home without a scratch. Although I did acquire a rather large bruise from falling off a bridge, and my back is still hurting when I move it certain ways. I was in Bamako (Mali's capitol city) for a two week training session in early December. I was walking to a fine establishment (actually a bar we nicknamed the "Trash Pile") with fellow volunteers one dark night. I hadn't started drinking yet. We were walking up to a single lane bridge and cars were coming from both directions. We all moved to get off to the side of the road since there are no sidewalks. I was temporarily blinded by the headlights and ended up walking straight off the bridge falling 20 feet onto dirt, rocks, and cement. I got the wind knocked out of me and hurt my back pretty badly. X-rays came back negative. I've been nicknamed "bridge kid" and have an awesome story to tell when I get older and complain about back pain!
Some future plans include going to the Segou music festival in the beginning of Feb and then off to Senegal and Gambia each for a few days. There is a multi-country softball tournament going on in Senegal. Since we will be out that way we plan on visiting Gambia as well. When I'm not traveling I will be back at site near Sikasso. I want to begin working very soon. My language is coming along well and I am starting to feel at home in my village. Right now my counterpart, as well as many other people in the village, are out working in the fields maintaining their potato crops. I think work will be easier to get done once the potato harvest is over in March. Then the hot/dry season starts. I'm not looking forward to it. I will be looking forward to the rains coming back in late May or June, and for my mango tree to bloom!
I just wanted to share two quick stories about village life. The first is about my typical mornings at site. I have found a way to get a supply of eggs. So I eat an egg sandwich every morning. I saute garlic before I fry the eggs on top, then slide the eggs onto a fresh loaf of bread. It's really good. Then I sit on my front porch and eat. Lately there have been this momma chicken and her six little chicks that sneak into my concession via the drain hole in one of the walls. They come in to eats seeds or whatever else happens to be edible on my front yard. I like to look at the chicks and think about chicken nuggets or how delicious my egg sandwich is. Sometimes I will open up the gate and goats and sheep will come in and eat the weeds or whatever that grow in my yard. It is a great way to keep that stuff trimmed without doing any work. I also thinking about closing the door behind them and making lamb chops or a goat sandwich, but they are not my animals and someone is bound to get pissed off.
The second story has to do with a time I felt I was in bizzaro America. I went to the doctor's concession to have tea. (A concession is a family's walled in property. They usually have a few mud or concrete buildings in the concession. A kitchen house, sleeping quarters, and granary huts.) His family and a few friends were there. The kids were doing homework and watching t.v. while the wife and daughters were preparing the next day's meals. The doctor and his friends were drinking tea. It seemed like a typical thing that American families might do (just replace the tea with an alcoholic beverage). The difference was that we were sitting on benches and lawn chairs outside watching a black and white TV powered by a car battery and solar panel. The women were sitting on tiny stools washing food in tubs. The boy doing his homework was using a little chalkboard and a flashlight. Finally, the doctor and and his friends were brewing tea over hot coals. Not to mention the random goat or chicken walking by.
That's all for now. Peace.
