Pictures - some b/c I'm impatient

1 month into site

Ok, so a longer post, as promised!! I’ve been at my site for a month now! The time has gone both slow and fast, if you know what I mean. I just got a bunch of letters from everyone at Karate Camp!!!! THANK YOU SO SO MUCH!!! I loved reading them, I read them and re-read them! They are adorable. I told my host family that I do karate and that my parents are karate teachers and showed them a picture of danny and travis sparring and they LOVED IT. Malians are obsessed with karate, they watch kung fu movies constantly and are always doing mock karate moves. My host brother made me promise that I would show him some moves. And tanna, thank you for the birthday card!! (travis and danny where are my emails??? Huh?) It was perfect, and yes, I do need some pink in my hut, it is seriously lacking in that department. (Its also lacking in electricity, internet, plumbing, cell phone service, and air conditioning, but one step at a time).
I’ve been making some friends, well, sitting around drinking overly sweetened tea speaking in partial bambara partial French and sitting in silence a lot. But still, it’s a start. Haha. I’ve read a bunch of books, oh including the Red Tent, which my mom has been wanting me to read FOREVER. And now I understand why. It was a great book.
It was just Selitini – the Fete of Ramadan. After Ramadan is over there is a big party, its not as big as Tabaski (seliba) which is in December, but it was still pretty fun. Its like thanksgiving mixed with Halloween. The children all go around door to door and ask for change and money, and everyone else eats a ton and walks around to greet each other and bless each other. Kia (my pseudo host mom, I don’t remember if I explained this, but I eat lunch at the previous volunteer’s host family, and hang out there a lot too) so anyway, she dressed me up in one of her outfits (which she then gave to me!!!) And we walked around, and my host sisters painted henna on my hands and feet. Everyone was more than excited to see me in Malian garb. Hahaha. They all loved it, and made me promise I would do it again for Tabaski.
Sometimes I feel like I am in some random town in the States, and sometimes I look around and I’m like, oh man, I’m in Africa. I think the oh my god I’m in Africa moments come at weird times, like the other day, I was sitting in the refugee camp in my town, sipping on hot whole milk (if you drink milk here you have to boil it then drink it immediately so it doesn’t grow bacteria, and its fresh so its completely whole), munching on raw peanuts straight out of the ground, and listening to Celine Dion blast in the background, and the family I was chatting with asked me if I wanted to borrow the Celine Dion cassette tape because I was singing along. And it hit me that I wasn’t in America anymore (although I bet you could find a similar scene to this somewhere in the south). Another time it hit me was when my host brother asked me if I knew what “I ni gwa” meant, and I said thanks for the food, and he said, no, thank you for preparing the food. So I replied with “c’est la meme chose, Hitler”, which made me laugh for a while. It’s the little things, I guess. I do have to say, there are some things that I love about Mali that cant be found in the states. My favorite thing is the smell of tea when it hits the hot coals its heated on. It smells like burnt marshmallows, but better. And right before the rain storms roll in, it gets really windy and black. Annnnd, there is a fruit for basically every season. Right now its guava and banana season, and the guavas are absolutely amazing. Soon its watermelons, then the famed mango season. For which I cannot wait. And the rainy season is wrapping up now, which means mini hot season, but soon it will be cold season, which will be really nice. Because hot season is supposed to be brutal!!!
This morning was probably about 75 degrees, I, of course, wore a tank top and a wrap skirt, and I was sitting for a bus and everyone was bundled up. I mean bundled. Like winter coats, like legit parkas, pants, sneakers socks, hats, long sleeves. And everyone was like aren’t you cold? And I said that this weather felt amaaaaazing. They thought I was crazy. Although, I think they already think I’m crazy most of the time, so its nothing really new. Hahaha.
Oh, and there are times when I forget I’m in Mali, which I know may be hard to believe. But its things like how all children, everywhere in the world, spin around in circles and then try to run in a straight line only to fall down, get up, and do it again. Or watching a basketball game and everyone is cheering on the sidelines, the women dressed to impress the athletes and chatting not even watching the game. Or someone coming up behind you and tapping you on the opposite shoulder and pretending that they didn’t do it. And, on the fete of Ramadan, they had potato sack races and the race where you put an egg on a spoon and put the spoon in your mouth and do a relay race. And of course, watching soccer matches is exciting no matter where you are, and the kids here are genuinely really good. They play every Thursday in my town against another town, and the games are really fun to watch!
Alright, that’s all for now. Miss everyone!! I want to hear gossip from the states!!!

Life en Brousse

So I have completed my first full week at site! It went by both fast and slow, if that makes sense. I can’t believe its been 2 weeks since swear in, but every day seems like a challenge to get through. The people are amazingly nice and patient, and they always put me in a better mood, but its still hard trying to adjust to a new culture and language and such. Getting up and knowing that I’m going to have to struggle to understand what’s going on makes the mornings tough, but usually I go to bed thinking that I can totally do this for 2 years. As my host family and I are getting used to each other, I like them more and more. At first I felt like they didn’t really know what to do with me, but now they talk slower for me, and get really excited to have post-dinner chat time. They joke around with me and like it when I come to sit outside with them even if I’m not really talking. And my host brother speaks French, as do his friends (he’s probably about 30), so that’s always a relief to talk to them. The other day, we had a conversation about how men and women can’t do the same things. I, of course, was trying to say that men and women can do the same work, which Amadou (my brother) and all of his friends vehemently denied. Mali is a VERY patriarchal society, so I’ve made it my personal mission to make Amadou believe women can do everything men can. Hahaha. I managed to get him to admit that men and women can be as smart as one another. So that was a step.

Im already restarting the project that began with the last volunteer so that keeps me busy. I am on a french keyboard now so this isnt going to be too long, usually i can type my posts on my comp first but i was too lazy yesterday after writing some emails so the next one will be longer. I promise. Miss everybody so much. AND EMILY I LOVED LOVED LOVED THE MAGAZINES

Bye Bye Homestay, Hello Site.

So the last 20 days have absolutely flown by!!! Homestay is over and on friday we officially become volunteers!!! We have our swear in at the embassy, which is on Malian national television, and then a party at the ambassador's house, then off to the American club, thennnnn partying it up in Bamako. haha. SO it should be a really fun night!! And I got a brand new outfit for it, very malian. A complet - matching top and bottom. It is a skirt with a cute top. Eventually I will get pictures up, I promise.

Leaving homestay was actually really sad. My dad killed 2 chickens for me for a big dinner the night before we left. And they made my favorite dinner with it, rice with peanut sauce and african eggplants. oooohhh man. I gave them a 25 kilo bag of rice and 10 kilos of sugar too as a thank you, and they were sooooo surprised and so excited. I was glad that I could give them something because they have really been amazing. Annnnd, tomorrow night they invited one person from every host family to come for dinner so my dad is coming. And my friend beatrice's dad is coming too, which is going to be soooooo much fun b/c we all just sit around and make fun of each other. So I'm really really excited for tomorrow night. So anyway, leaving was hard, malians don't like crying, they never ever cry and always stop children from crying, so my host dad said bye and then disappeared into his house, and my sisters had to leave before I actually left. It was cute, and I will definately be visiting them in the future since they are on my way back to Bamako. And, I promised that if my parents came to visit I would take them there to meet my host family. They had a big party for us too, and the town came out and thanked us (we did some health talks, painted a mural, and taught them how to make more nutritious food for their children). They said some really amazing things about how they had never met white people like us who treated them equally and such. It was very heartfelt. And we thanked them so so much for everything they have done for us. I literally would not have survived without them.

Oh and my mom sent me this singing card that when you open it up it plays music. And it was the most fantastic thing that my host village had ever seen. hahaha. They would all open it, and then look at me like I was the devil, then start to smile, and then just start laughing hysterically. They really loved it. And then they would make me put it back in my house and wouldnt let the little kids touch it because they were afraid it would get broken or something. Oh and with that, I cant put my address on my blog for safety reasons, but I can email it out (emily I will email it to you!!!) if you feel the need to send some mail my way. hahaha.

And on to more important things, I SAW BATMAN LAST NIGHT. oh my god. that is all I can say. It was a spanish bootleg version, and I still loved it. It was everything I had wanted and more, which was hard because I built up that movie so so much. Oh man. i cant even talk about it. What a great great job.

Humm. So it is ramadan now, and since Mali is predominately muslim, everyone has to fast during the day. They dont eat or drink from sun up to sun down, which is crazzzzy, since they are still farming and working. But Mali, as a whole, is definately not as conservative as it first seems. So a lot of people don't fast, if they are sick, or pregnant, or older. Or people will do one day on one day off. But, for me, its great, b/c I still get to eat, and when they break the fast they have really good hibiscus juice and this sweet porridge stuff that is amazing. And then they have a huge dinner. Works for me. hahaha. Except when people are crabby and annoyed because they are starving, that's not so fun. But still. And Tabaski comes a month or so after ramadan ends, and there is a big feast for that. So that is exciting. Kinda makes up for the lack of christmas. hahaha.

I am sure that there are other things I am forgetting. But mostly we're just waiting for swear in and site installation. Sooooo that's all for now!!

Random Details

So 1) emily, I love the questions and comments. They make me happy. hahaha. And congrats on the CNN job!! (I want everyone to know about your amazingness). Kristine - I forgot to tell you that your crossword puzzle book has been like a saving grace in times of boredom and fatigue from speaking bambara!!!! Also, I will try to tell more stories because I feel like I havent really been able to do this place justice. Its hard to give an overview and get details, but I shall strike a balance. So I never mentioned the stars. I thought that we could see the stars really well back at home, but I have never ever seen a sky like the ones here. The constellations are the same b/c I'm still in the Northern hemisphere, but lower down, like the big dipper is close to the horizon. And the stars are just amazing, there are so so many. And the rain storms are my favorite, they are CRAZY, the lightening and the sheets of rain are just unbelievable. And the storms roll in pretty fast so there is literally a line in the sky of black and blue. I have some pics so when I go to my site permanently I can finally upload them. Ok, that is all for now. I probably won't be posting for a while b/c we are in homestay for 20 days, but then we have swear in on september 12th, which is supposed to be sooooo fun, its at the embassy and ambassador's house. So I am looking forward to that! Miss everyone!!

Site Visit!!

So I just got back from my site visit! I spent a week there. It was really awesome, I was nervous at first because its kinda scary to see where I'm going to be for the next two years!! So i dont even really know where to start. So I'm replacing a previous volunteer, so he was there throughout my site visit, which was amazing. He put up pictures around my hut and left me a ton of stuff, which was awesome b/c as far as my decorating skills go, I would be living in an empty box for the next two years without him. I dont know how I would have survived without him! hahaha. He showed me around, introduced me to people, and all that stuff. The week went really fast. We went into the regional capital to check that out. And just kinda hung out for the week. I really like the site...its going to be tough in the beginning since I cant really communicate, but after the first three months it'll get a lot easier. And a bunch of people speak french, which is AMAZINGLY helpful. My host brother makes me sit and talk with him every night in bambara, which is exhausting after a full day, but one day I will love him for it. My house is pretty nice, its two rooms with my outdoor bathroom. My bedroom and then my kitchen/living area. I live within my host family concession, which is nice to have people around, although sometimes I'm sure I'm going to have to have me time and lock myself in my hut. hahaha. Just kiddddding. The town is a decent size, like just under 3000. There is a danish NGO there too, Borne Foundation, which does awesome work in the schools and with healthcare. There are a bunch of boutiki's (like general stores) and bread place, a gendarme station, the CSCOM which is like a doctor's office, a school, a refugee camp, and some other stuff. Its on a main road, which makes transportation pretty easy, as far as Malian transportation goes.

The guy I'm replacing also had started a project that hasn't been completed yet, so I'm going to attempt to finish them. its a little daunting, but It'll keep me busy for the first few months which are supposed to be the hardest and it'll get me into the community faster than if I didn't have anything to do. And it's a really great project that I think the town will really appreciate. Plus if all else fails, I told him that I would frantically call him up and he would have to fix whatever I mess up. hahaha. Ok my computer is running out of battery and I need to find a plug, but I will report more soon!!

Site Visit Here I Come

So!! We found out our sites, I'm in the Sikasso region which is south eastern mali. It is supposed to have the best food in Mali (its all relative, hahaha). Speaking of food, i guess that one came up a lot, what I eat. Well, its a LOT of starches, potatoes, rice, millet, bread, macaroni. hahaha, its always exciting to get beans, meat, or veggies. Vegetables have to be bleached or totally cooked so they dont really give us many in homestay. Once I get to site I can cook for myself (well, eat things raw) and Sikasso has a lot of fruits and vegetables. My family gives me a lot of fish, which is awesome and sometimes chicken or mystery meat which I choose not to ask what it is. hahaha. My daily routine now is I wake up at around 6:30, take my bucket bath (which I actually love, its in an inclosed area with no roof and the walls are low enough so I look out over the sun rise or the sunset), greet everyone in my compound (greeting people in mali is realllllly important), my mom brings me bread with peanut butter and tea. Then I get an oatmeal like food. Then I go to class until 12, come back for lunch, sit around with my family, sometimes make tea (its this whole long amazing process that involves cool pouring techniques, which I have yet to master), then I go back to class until like 5, then come back, hang out, take another bucket bath, eat dinner around 8, then chat with the fam or make tea until I got to sleep. The latest I can stay up is like 9 o'clock. hahaha. We've actually had some good conversations too. I told them about how there are african americans, which they were really surprised about. The other night I told them how long it takes to get to mali from america and how you cant get directly there. They always think its funny when things are the same in america as they are here, like the fact that we can see the moon and have corn and goats, they think is hilarious. These conversations take place all in bambara, although sometimes if I'm lucky there is some french thrown in if someone is visiting. And the other night I walked past the boys who were watching TV (they don't really have electricity in my village but they have literally a car engine hooked up to a black and white television, and everyone in mali watches this brazilian soap opera that is dubbed in french) anyway, so it was in french, and I was like do you guys understand this? and they were all like yeah of course. And I was like WHY HAVENT YOU BEEN SPEAKING FRENCH TO ME THEN?!?! hahaha, they thought it was great, especially when I said that they know i cant speak bambara but they speak french but refused to speak french with me. haha. Ok, i'm trying to upload pictures but the internet here really sucks, so I will try again but no promises!!! And i will report back more after the next two weeks b/c we are going on our site visits so I will see where I am going to spend the next 2 years!!!

N Togo Sanaba Sacko

So!! I finally got back to some internet!! I will try to make this post in some sort of order but I feel like I have so much to say! Homestay has been amazing, we're in a really small village of about 400 people which has actually turned out to be the best thing that could have happened because everyone in the town knows us (there are 3 of us there) and they all want us to learn bambara so they make us stop and talk with them. And people don't point and shout tubabu (white person/foreigner) at us, which they definately do in the bigger cities. The people are fantastic, they are so funny, so so patient with us, and protect me like i'm their daughter. The other night one of the other girls got sick and we were waiting for the peace corps to come pick her up to bring her to the med unit in Bamako and the boys wouldnt go to bed until they came so that they could walk us back to our homes since it was after dark. And I could literally see my house from where we were sitting. But the boys all make sure that we have escorts everywhere. And they make sure I am eating enough and showering. I was playing soccer with the boys (they were a little too cool for school until I started to play with them and now they accept me, haha). After a little while, one of the boys who is like 10 made all the boys stop and take me home because it was time for me to shower. hahaha. My host family is so so enthusiastic. They absolutely love it when I can form sentences. They are so encouraging, and after dinner my host dad makes me come over to chat with him in bambara. Oh, which brings me to my bambara name!! I'm Sanaba Sacko, which everyone in the town knew even before I did. And whenever I talk in bambara my host dad is like AH SANABA! You can speak bambara (all in bambara of course, he speaks some random phrases in french but mostly only bambara.)

The hardest parts so far have been the frustrations with communication. It is so so tiring to always be on. I have to always be thinking about communicating and trying to communicate. I never thought it would be such a relief when I hear french. Its like I can finally speak in full sentences. My bambara is actually getting pretty good though, I told my host family all about my US family and what everyone does (minus the karate part because they didn't really get that but I got teacher across about my mom and dad, and they think that's great). They thought that the fact that tanna, danny, and I aren't married was like the funniest thing in the entire world. Women here get married around 16 and men get married around 20. But anyway, so that's difficult/tiring not being able to speak english. And it has been really tiring getting used to the diet, I was really low energy for a while because the lack of protein and stuff, but I my body is starting to get used to it now. And a bunch of people met up at a bar last week, so that was definitely a relief to see other americans.

So now I am back at the training site after 2 weeks at homestay. We find out our sites tomorrow, so everyone is nervous/anxious to find out. I am trying to put up pictures too but we'll see if that happens. I know I am missing things that I want to say, so I will probably post again tomorrow!!!

Camp Mali

So, camp Mali has been going excellently so far. I guess I should start from the beginning of getting off the plane on the runway, and finally stepping foot in Africa. The airport was craaaazy. But they had people to come help us and we got on the buses to go to our training site. (We fondly refer to it as Camp Mali because they totally take care of us completely. The food they have been cooking has been excellent, lots of sauces and they have these thin sugar cookies as snacks, which are excellent. Lucky for me I have been sweating out like 20 pounds a day. Hahaha. We had a cultural festival here, and they had traditional dancers and drummers, who were awesome!! And we got up there and danced with them. It was amazing, they were so encouraging and loved when we would break it down and dance with them. The Malian women are gorgeous. Like some of the most beautiful people I have ever seen. And they wear these elaborately tailored outfits made from all different colors that always match (along with matching their headscarf). So of course, I sit and stare at them all and gape. I bought some fabric so I am going to go to a tailor and have them make me some fun stuff. Malian people are hilarious. They have the BEST sense of humor and they all joke around with each other. They have this relationship called joking cousins where you are supposed to joke around with someone you meet who is from a different ethnic group, like playful making fun of each other, and that is what has kept the peace between ethnic groups for a long time. It is seriously the best system I have ever seen. It is so culturally ingrained that there are very few conflicts and if there are, the conflict must be resolved by a third party ethnic group. Anyyyway, back to first impressions. I feel like I have known everybody here for EVER. There are 77 of us but I guess being here we’ve all become fast friends. And we have been doing some intense training, which is funny because most of the training thus far is basically how to survive here. Treating water, food, how to stay clean, traveling methods, basic bambara (the largest native language), etc. And there is so much more to come. Tomorrow we go to our home stays (there are a few of us in local villages around our training site and we are there with two language/cultural trainers and that is where we do most of our learning). It is actually a great system to slowly integrate us into Malian life. It is weird being an extreme minority. I talked to some children, and greeted them in Bambara and their eyes popped out of their heads!! And then they responded in french, because apparently they assume all white people are French, which was good for me b/c I got to practice my French. Ok, this has been a long post, I will post again in a couple of weeks b/c I won’t have internet until then, and I will have pictures too.