Amoebas

The Internet connection is not working too well today, so I'm going to make this a quick post.

My big story from homestay was that I came down with amoebas! Amoebic dysentery, to be specific. I had a bad case of diarrhea and nausea on Wednesday morning, and it got much worse on Wednesday afternoon, to the point where I couldn't sit in a chair without feeling like I was going to pass out. We called the Peace Corps medical officer, who sent a car to take me to the medical office in Bamako. I started taking Cipro and felt much better the next morning. When the test results came back positive for amoebas, I started taking Fasigyn. It is a powerful drug that kills the amoebas, but it also set me back a few days. My last dose was on Saturday night, and I am happy to say that I feel much better!

Amoebas caused me to miss two days of language classes, so I have been working on catching back up. In the long run, it'll be fine. As an optimist, I figure it's better I get amoebas early so hopefully it's out of my system for good! A lot of trainees have felt sick this week, so I hope I just got it and it's done.

We are headed back to our homestay villages tomorrow morning and will be there until August 10th. I find out my site assignment, the village where I will be working for the next two years, that night!

Younoussa Samaké

That's my Malian name, Younoussa Samaké! It took a little getting used to, but I'm warming up to it. My clue to help me remember it was to say UNICEF, without the F.

I figured I would approach this blog post with some sort of structure... a day in the life.

I wake up at 6:15 AM, usually to the sound of pigeons landing walking on my metal roof. If not, there's a rooster or loud donkey not soon after. I usually set my alarm clock anyway, just in case. At around 6:30, my host sister will knock on my door to get my bucket so she can fill it up with water and bring it to the nyegen. She comes back a few minutes later and says "ji sigi na", the water is ready. Then I head to the nyeggin with my towel, soap and shampoo and take a nice warm bucket bath. It's not a bath in a bucket, by the way... more like pouring water over my head with a cup. It's more comfortable and relaxing than it sounds. Then I head back to my room to get dressed.

At around 7 AM, I have breakfast with my host brother, Baba. I leave a teabag out for him to make the tea, and buys some bread to eat in the morning. I usually eat 3/4 of a baguette with butter, tea, and some ceri, which is kind of like oatmeal. Both the tea and oatmeal have a ton of sugar in them... Malians love their sugar!

At 7:40 I get ready for class, and leave at around 7:50. It takes about 5 minutes to get to class, but I leave early because I need to greet practically everyone I encounter on the way there. A Malian greeting is not a simple Good morning! either... more like Good morning! How was your night? How is your family? your father? your mother? How were their nights?. Malians can go through the entire greeting in 10 seconds or so, but I'm still hesitating with each question/response, so it takes a bit longer.

At 8 AM we all assemble in the LCF's (language and culture facilitator) commission, say our morning greetings and socialize. By the way, a commission is like the footprint of a family's house... the rooms are all around it and pretty much all social activity takes place there. It's basically the equivalent of a family room/dining room/living room/playroom. There are photos of my commission on Picasa. We then have language class until around 10, a half-hour break, then language class until 12:30.

We have a two hour break for lunch. By this time it's usually pretty hot outside, and if I'm not breaking a sweat already, I definitely am now. Lunch is typically fish with a vegetable called goyo in an oily sauce of some sort, eaten with my hands, of course. Usually my host brother is not home for lunch, so lately I have been bringing out my radio and listening to Radio France International on FM to try to figure out what's going on in the world. I haven't had any luck picking up the BBC on shortwave and I found Voice of America once, but it was just a country music show and the broadcast was cut at the end of the show!

Language class continues at 2:30 until around 4, when we either have a break or move to one of the trainee's commissions, where we have a cross cultural session. We have covered topics like respect for elders (there is a lot of respect for elders, not only your relatives but strangers too. In queues at a bank, government office, etc. they get to go right up to the front of the line), social ceremonies, and ethnic groups. The time that the afternoon class varies, but we usually have an hour or two to just relax. I might walk around town with some of the other trainees, hang out at a friend's house, or just head home and get started on homework.

Dinnertime varies, but it's normally sometime between 7 and 8:30. I take another bucket bath before dinner, as the sun is going down, which feels great. Some dinner meals have been couscous, rice, beans, and spaghetti, sometimes with fatty meat or fish. For the most part, I've enjoyed eating the food, though I don't love eating with my hands.

After dinner, I may join my host siblings in a game of cards. They love to play a variation of Crazy Eights... my family plays with just a 32-card deck, which makes for some quick rounds. I brought Uno with me, which was easy to teach them since it's so much like their game. They liked it! Thanks for the idea Daina!

I usually get ready for bed around 10, and I am trying to fall asleep by 11. Unless it has rained during the day, which luckily this time of the year is more likely than not, it is hard to fall asleep. The window that's literally 1x1.5 feet, and the metal door that's closed at night for safety and security reasons, makes for a hot room. Most of the time though, I can fall asleep after fanning myself for a while.

...then it all starts again! We have language class six days a week, with Sunday off. Last Sunday there was a wedding in my village which was fun to observe. I added a bunch of photos from the wedding to Picasa.

I added a box on the right side of the page called Friends' Blogs. I figured you might want a different perspective on life as a PCT in Mali, so for those of you who are interested, check it out. I added Daina and Sarah's blogs there too. Daina is currently a PCT in Nicaragua, and Sarah is an entrepreneurship fellow in India. They are good friends of mine from Babson.

I have an interesting story or two to share, so I will try to post them before I head back to my homestay village on Wednesday. I hope everyone is doing well back home, or wherever you may be reading this blog from! Thanks for leaving comments; it is great to hear that you enjoy reading my posts.

First 12 Days at Homestay

Well, the last twelve days have been quite an experience. If you'd like to see the photos first, the link is at the bottom of the post.

My host family is really nice, and my host brother has been taking care of me. He speaks French pretty well, so I have been able to speak with him and a little bit with some of my other siblings. My mom is also really nice but only speaks Bambara... I can say things like "Good morning", "I'm full, thank you for the meal", and "Have a good day/night". My Bambara is improving every day... we have covered how to greet people, ask What is this?, numbers, days of the week, describing family, and how to bargain in the market. It is a really fast learning pace, but I am doing my best to keep up and keep speaking Bambara whenever possible.

I took a ton of photos of the village, including the welcoming ceremony, my house and family, and at a wedding that took place in my village. The kids are really cute (some are pretty annoying though, saying "Toubabou", or white person, nonstop!) and it's fun to practice our Bambara with them. The link to the album is: http://picasaweb.google.com/wbudd3/Homestay1.

I plan to post again in a day or two with more detail about what I have been up to.

Training and Homestay Preview

It has been a busy few days here at Tubani So, the Peace Corps training center. We have been busy learning about Malian culture and customs, and how to keep ourselves healthy and safe. We move out to our homestay villages tomorrow morning! I just found out my homestay assignment, in a pretty big town of about 30,000 people. There are 11 of us in the village, all with different host families. My host father's name is Yaya! I will be learning Bambara, the lingua franca in Mali; the majority of the population speaks Bambara, so it will be easy for me to travel around Mali when the time comes.

The Peace Corps has a unique approach to language training, and based on the past experiences of volunteers here, it works. I will be taking language classes six days a week in the village with a Language and Culture Facilitator (LCF) and only a few other trainees. We will not be taking written notes at all during the lesson; it will strictly be learning by sight, context, and lots of conversation. Then we will return to our homestays at night, where we will practice interacting with our host familys in Bambara and completing small assignments by asking them questions. It will be a complete immersion, from the time we wake up, to walking around our village, to attending class, to eating meals with our family. This community-based training will be a great way to learn a new language, in my opinion. If all goes well, I will be a Bambara speaker in just a few weeks!

During one of our cross-cultural sessions late this morning, some big intimidating clouds appeared above the trees. The class continued as usual for a few minutes, but when it was apparent that it was going to pour, some of the trainees ran back to their huts to grab their laundry off the clothesline. I stayed in the hangar (a thatched hut with screens as walls, about 30 x 30 feet) and watched the storm blow through. It was a huge rain storm with some big winds... we got pretty wet, but it cooled everything off and the rest of the day was very comfortable. It was interesting to see how the weather dictates life here in Mali; a passing rain storm can change the course of a day.

Malian families eat their meals around a large metal bowl with the meal inside, scoop up a bite in their right hands, and with fingers out, bring it up to their mouths, and slide it into their mouths. To prepare for our homestays, we practiced eating with our hands at lunch yesterday and today. It is forbidden to use your left hand when eating, or doing just about anything. This is because Malians use their left hand to wipe themselves after using the "nyeggi", or pit latrine. So it makes sense not to put their left hands in the food bowl!! As many of you know, I am left handed, and was worried when I first arrived that it would be difficult for me to eat. But it worked out fine... I used my right hand to pick up the food without thinking about it. So I should eat well at my homestay! The food has been great at Tubani So: lots of potatoes, vegetables, meat and yummy sauces. It will be interesting to see what I will eat at the homestay... probably less meat and more grains.

The blog will be dormant for the next two weeks while I am at the homestay village. I can't wait to be immersed in Bambara and Malian culture! Thanks for all the comments by the way, it is great to know that you are reading my blog and enjoying it.

PS A new Peace Corps director was just nominated by Obama today, Aaron Williams, a RPCV from the Dominican Republic. He seems like a great choice to lead the Peace Corps. It will be interesting to see the direction he takes this great organization. More information about him: http://tiny.cc/n2lv0

PPS Unfortunately no photos with this blog post... I brought my camera to take photos of eating with our hands, but left the film in my computer! I will definitely have some from my homestay village to share.

Arrival and First Day of Training

After a looong trip overseas, 65 brand new trainees and I arrived in Mali last night. It was a hectic scene in the arrivals hall, with a few hundred impatient passengers prying their bags off the tiny conveyer belt and pushing their ways through the crowd. The Peace Corps gave us pieces of yellow yarn to put on our bags before we left (a PC tradition since the 60's), and it was a huge help when only a few of us could get bags off of the belt. It took us a good hour to squeeze our way through the X-ray baggage screener (very strange), get out of the building and dodge the taxi hecklers to get to the Peace Corps SUVs.

We drove about 45 minutes on some nicely paved roads (aka no potholes) through Bamako to our training center, Tubani So. One of the current volunteers showed two trainees and me to our hut to drop our bags and give us a quick orientation on the basics, like using the latrines and washing our hands, which water has been treated, etc.. After a quick snack/meet and greet in the dining hall, we were all exhausted and went to bed. It was hot falling asleep, but there's a nice ceiling fan in the hut and I think the jet lag helped me fall asleep quickly. Tonight might be a different story. We took our first malaria pill this morning, Mefloquine, and its main side effect is some vivid dreams, so that's something to look forward to tonight!

The first day of training was today, and it was packed with events and training sessions. It's all relative though, because there was still a good amount of downtime throughout the day. One of the key takeaways from the morning session was to slow down. Even at the training center, with a full schedule, I can tell that the pace of life is much slower here, and will be a welcome change from the states. We also had a medical orientation (don't brush your teeth with dirty water, only eat fruits/vegetables that have not been peeled, etc.), and started our cross-cultural training.

Some other things to mention:

- It is definitely a warm climate here, with temps in the 80's, bright sunshine, and very humid air. I don't think I've stopped sweating, and have had a ton of treated water to make up for it. I'm hoping that in a few days my body will adjust to the new climate. There was a nice breeze that really helped cool things down a bit, so I'm hoping that's a daily thing.

- There is electricity and wireless internet at Tubani So (the Peace Corps training center), so it will be easy for me to post to the blog when we are here. We leave for our homestays on Wednesday and will come back to Tubani So periodically during the 9 weeks of training. I will be able to post to the blog from Tubani So, at least a few times a month until September!

PS I uploaded some photos to my Picasa Web Albums account... this seems to be the method that works, so I'll add more there with each blog post. The link is: http://tiny.cc/nnKhg

PPS Bono wrote a great column on Obama's trip to Africa, it's a good read: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/10/opinion/10bono.html

Some Background Information

Sometimes I still can't believe that I will be on a plane to Mali in three days. Sure, I've been to Africa before, but to serve in the Peace Corps and help make a positive difference in the lives of Malians for two years is like a dream come true.

Here is some background info on Mali (from a fellow trainee, Matt):

Mali is a landlocked country in West Africa. It’s about twice the size of Texas and is home to Timbuktu, a major center of civilization during the 15th and 16th centuries. It was colonized by the French in the late 1800’s, but became independent in 1960. However, because of colonial influence, the official language is still French, even though many native languages are still prevalent throughout most of the country.

Mali is home to roughly 12 million people and is considered to be one of the poorest countries in the world. About half the population is under the age of fifteen. Just over half the population has access to safe drinking water and less than half have adequate sanitation. AIDS is a concern, but not to the extent as in neighboring countries. The big health problems are respiratory infections, diarrhea, and malaria.

Geographically, Mali is spread across several climate regions. The northern part is in the Sahara Desert. The middle is in the Sahel, a semi-arid region. The southern part is a sub-tropical savanna, where most of the population lives. Temperatures in the capital, Bamako, average about 86º F, but can be as high as 110º F or as low as 65ºF. There are three main seasons: rainy (June-September), cool (October-February), and very hot (March-June).

...and what I'll be doing there:

I will be training near Bamako, the capital, for the first nine weeks. It is an intensive training session; I will be learning a new language and culture, living with a homestay family, and training to become a Peace Corps volunteer. At the end of training (September 10th), pending the results of a language exam, I will be sworn in as a Peace Corps volunteer and move to the village where I will be working for the next two years. I will be settling in to my new community during the first few weeks, meeting the people, and determining how to best serve this community.

Right now my job description is vague. I will most likely be living in a city, small town, or large village of at least 3,000 people. I will be assigned to work with a municipality, non-governmental organization (NGO), microfinance institution, or a village association in the community. The ultimate goal of a business volunteer in Mali is to reinforce the capacities of individuals and organizations to that they can better contribute to the economic needs of the community. I don't know much more than this right now; I will find out what my job will be and which counterpart agency I will be working with in August. Until then, I will be focused on learning a new language and adapting to Malian culture.

That's it for now; I'm looking forward to enjoying my last day at GLP tomorrow and boarding a plane to Philly on Wednesday morning. After a quick Peace Corps registration, orientation, vaccinations, and a cheesesteak for good measure, I will depart for Mali with 75 other Americans on Thursday night!