The Hot Tamali

Letter to a French Class in the US

2011-07-06T18:19:00.004Z

The third goal of Peace Corps is to help Americans understand the people and cultures of other countries. Peace Corps encourages volunteers to correspond with a class in the US. Last year I sent a letter to a friend who teaches French in a middle school in New Jersey. Each of her students wrote me a letter and asked lots of questions! I thought you might enjoy reading the letter I sent back to them:

June 2011

Dear Ms. Abraham’s Class,

Thank you for all of your letters! I really enjoyed reading them. I’m sorry I don’t have time to respond to every single one, but I answered some of your questions in this letter.

Most of you asked about what the weather is like here. Mali is in a region called the Sahel, which is next to the Sahara Desert. The weather is hot here all year round. The seasons here are different than in the United States; there is a rainy season (June-September) and a dry season (October-May). I have adapted to the hot climate by drinking lots of water, staying in the shade and resting in the middle of the day. There is a “cold” season (December-February), but it only gets cold at night, kind of like a cool night in the summer.

Malians’ favorite sport is soccer. There are some organized soccer teams and tournaments, but mostly the kids kick the ball around the neighborhood. There are no grass fields in Kenieba, so they play on the street or on a dirt field. Malians also like to play basketball. They also like to play games such as marbles, a card game similar to crazy eights, and checkers. Some kids like to make toys out of old trash. For example, one of my neighbors used an old sardine can, four plastic bottle caps and a piece of string to make a little car! I have also seen kids use old plastic bags and sticks to make kites.

There is a lot of different music in Mali. I enjoy listening to the traditional music. There are different instruments like the kora, a big stringed instrument. There are some singers called griots (gri-oh) who tell stories through music weddings and other social events. Malians love to hear songs of the stories of their ancestors. They also like to listen to American pop music from artists like Akon, Jay-Z and Rihanna. I even heard a Justin Bieber song the other day!

I live in a concrete house that has electricity, but it’s only on part of the day. I have to fetch water from the faucet on the street, do my own laundry and wash the dishes by hand, and go outside to go to the bathroom. The houses are close together in my neighborhood. My host family lives right next door. The center of Kenieba, where the market and bus station and big stores are located, is a five-minute walk away. There are little shops in my neighborhood that sell bread, condiments, cold drinks like Coke, and cleaning supplies.

I eat lunch every day with my host family and dinner most nights of the week with my work counterpart and his family. When I cook dinner for myself, I usually make American food like spaghetti with tomato sauce, salad, and mac and cheese. Malians typically eat porridge for breakfast, rice and sauce for lunch, and a different grain (like fonio, millet, or cornmeal) and sauce for dinner. There are vegetables for sale in the market but they aren’t available all year round. So sometimes we will eat vegetables with the meal and sometimes there won’t be any. The families are poor and can only eat what they grow. It’s hard to feed a big family, and most families have four, six, eight or more kids! They also eat fruits that are in season, like bananas, mangoes, papaya, and watermelon. My favorite food is called djouka, which is a mixture of ground up peanuts and a grain called fonio. It kind of looks like cous cous, and it is really good.

The school system in Mali is similar to ours in the US. There is an elementary school, middle school, and high school. Students need the same kinds of materials for school as you do, like pens, notebooks, textbooks, and homework! The schools are very crowded in Mali though, with three students sharing a desk. There are normally 50 to 100 students in a classroom. The school day starts at 8 AM and breaks for lunch at 12 PM, and then there is an afternoon period from 3 to 5 PM. The school year starts in October and ends in June. During summer vacation, which is rainy season here, the kids help plant and harvest their family’s crops in the field.

I knew when I joined Peace Corps that I would have to get used to a different lifestyle. It was hard at first to get used to living here, but my host family has been really nice and helpful. The Malians in my neighborhood were shy at first, but now they’re really friendly. They love to call out my Malian name, Younoussa Samaké, and greet me when I’m walking down the street. It has been hard to be away from home for a long time, but I have kept in touch with my family and friends back home since I’ve been here. I have also become friends with many Malians and other Peace Corps volunteers.

My job here is to help the local business owners and women’s associations improve their businesses. When I first arrived in Kenieba, I spent the first three months meeting the business owners and getting to know the mayor and other important people in town, and talked about how we could work together. I have worked the most with a women’s association that makes shea butter. Shea butter comes from the shea nut, which grows all over Mali. Shea butter is used in a lot of cosmetic products and is really good for your skin. I organized a training event so that they could learn how to make high-quality shea butter that can be exported.

Here are some photos:
This is my house and one side of my yard. Every day after lunch, I spend time reading under the hangar on the left.

This is my favorite Malian food, djouka, made from fonio and ground up peanuts.

This is a photo of me with some of the members of the women’s association I work with. They’re holding buckets of shea butter that we sold last year. This year they’re planning to make more than 100 pounds of shea butter!

Well that’s it for now. I hope you’ve learned a lot about Mali. It is certainly different from life in the United States!

Have a great summer!

-Billy

Training the Newbies

2011-04-26T16:54:00.010Z

Sorry for the long gap between blog posts... I have actually been really busy the past few months! I was invited to be a technical trainer for the new batch of Peace Corps volunteers, who arrived at the beginning of February. After my parents left, I travelled to Bamako to prepare for the new volunteers' arrival and finish planning the training sessions. It was hard to be away from Kenieba for a long time, especially since I'm working on many different projects there now, but it was great to be a part of training the next group of volunteers. It really put my Peace Corps service into perspective, after working and living here for almost two years now. All of a sudden I became the expert on small business and commerce in Mali!

At the end of February I organized a project for the small enterprise development (SED) trainees for them to learn about income generating activities in Mali. They worked in small groups and partnered with Malian entrepreneurs. Each group learned about the entrepreneur's business and then actually made and sold a product themselves. One group learned how to make mango juice, another made purses with a tailor, and others made popcorn and bean cakes. It was a great learning experience for them, especially when it came time to sell their product in the market! It was a really busy time for me, a full week of going around and checking on each group, but it was cool to see the trainees learning firsthand about starting and operating a small business in Mali. Though not all of the groups made a profit, they had a lot of fun with the project and gained a lot of knowledge and experience from it.

This group sold popcorn to schoolkids during their mid-morning break. They sold 40 bags of popcorn in less than 10 minutes!

My Parent's Visit (2 of 2)

2011-02-03T20:43:00.001Z

In Mali, as in most sub-Saharan African countries, the human being is more important than anything. When people meet, hands are shaken and held while talking to the person in front of you. A long string of life-giving greetings, wishes, questions and answers follow. They ask about health—our own, our respective fathers', mothers', families', villages' and even questions about the health of the United States. Wishes for a long life and many children and that Allah might be with us and protect us, guide us and allow us to live another day are exchanged. Billy is an expert at these customary greetings.

The Malians have the marvelous tradition of giving the foreigners they host native names. In this way, it is easy to enter this rich society that asks nothing more than to be discovered. It is an honor for them for a foreigner to have a Malian name. Billy’s original host family during his training gave Billy his name; Younoussa Samake . Billy’s host father gave Bill his first name; Mamadou and he gave me the first name Fanta. Later in our trip a tailor in the market in Kenieba gave Bill the same last name as Billy and gave me the last name Sy, since women are still called by their maiden names even after they are married. Yes, that means my Malian name is Fanta Sy.

The soil in Africa is clay that has been enriched with Iron and aluminum that has been developed over long periods of time by the heavy rainfalls and the intense heat. Sometimes the material is rock hard but when scuffed by vehicle wheels it becomes a choking red dust. The iron is the origin of the red color. The red dust is everywhere in Kenieba. It is a never-ending battle trying to keep the dust out of your things. It covers your house and the contents of your house and covers your body daily. It reminded me of the character Pig Pen in the Peanuts cartoons. You feel like you have a dust cloud surrounding you most of the time. Pig Pen referred to the cloud that surrounds him with pride as the dust of ancient civilizations. That is exactly how I felt.

Growing up my mother used to tell me not to eat with my hands. In Mali they only eat with their hands. They have a communal bowl and everyone uses their hands to scoop the food into their mouth. You only use your right hand; the left one is used strictly for personal hygiene. The food is usually rice and sauce and some sort or meat, fish and/or vegetable in the center. A particular favorite of mine was Yassa Chicken. It is chicken with a lemon onion sauce. After a meal they enjoy a small cup of very strong sweet tea. You see them everywhere in Mali, groups of men and boys grouped around a tiny kettle over a small fire stove brewing ataaya, a bittersweet strong tea that has a lot of sugar in it. It is a social ritual and it takes hours to brew the tea. It is served in small glasses. There is a froth that forms on the top of the tea. I found it too sweet and potent for my taste.

As you travel through Mali you notice that children, garbage, cattle, sheep, goats, dogs, abandoned old cars and motorcycles are everywhere. Sadly, the garbage is thrown on the streets and in the streams. A very small percentage of rubbish in Africa (approximately 10 percent) makes it to dumps, with the rest left to rot in communities or burned in acrid bonfires. Plastic bags are truly the environmental scourge of the developing world. It is unbelievable how many landscapes have been trashed throughout Africa. Especially in nations that are more developed and thus can afford to throw out their plastic bags rather than re-use them. Along the garbage ridden streets there are often children playing, standing or walking. To my eye many of the children seem way too young to be out on the street unattended. Family sizes are very large, often there is extended family living in the same house. The young and old live together in the same household. One reason that women give birth to many offspring is because the infant mortality rate. More than one in ten babies will die. Many women understand the prevalence of infant mortality and give birth to many children, an average of 7 per Malian woman. It seems like most women had a baby on their back or a child at their side.

While we were in Africa Sargent Shriver died at the age of 95. Sargent Shriver, the first director of the Peace Corps, was an inspiring figure who had a unique perspective on the world, getting to travel to so many remote places and inspiring young Americans to give up two years of their lives to live in these corners of the world. Thanks to his great leadership the US Peace Corps is a viable and sustainable organization. Billy has had an excellent experience as a PCV in Mali. He is learning to live outside his comfort zone and appreciate the mundane and simple things in life. He is committed to the mission of the Peace Corps which is to promote world peace and friendship. Through his work with the Shea Butter Women’s cooperative, the Women’s Investment club, the school gardening project and his daily interactions with the many vendors and native people, he is providing opportunities to people to make the world a better place to live. He is realizing that it’s not what you get out of life that counts, it's what you give and what is given to you from the heart. It was great to have the opportunity to venture beyond the more typical African tourist routes. People know a lot about South Africa and the African safari. But Africa is a very diverse continent. Our journey to West Africa showed us a slice of the “real Africa”, Billy’s home away from home for two years. We miss him very much but we are extremely proud of him and his dedication to making the world a better place to live and promoting world peace and harmony.

My Parent's Visit (1 of 2)

2011-02-03T17:36:00.009Z

The following is the first of two posts about my parents' visit to Dakar and Kenieba, written by my mom. Enjoy!

Visit to West Africa, January 2011, to visit Billy, PCV in Kenieba, Mali

By Nancy Budd

Mali, the largest country in West Africa, is bordered by seven other states: Algeria lies to the north and northeast, Niger to the east, Burkina Faso to the southeast and the Ivory Coast, to the south. To the west are Senegal and Mauritania. We flew into Dakar, Senegal and spent a few days there. After exploring Dakar and visiting Gorée Island and the city markets we hired a driver to take us across Senegal. These photos are from our visit to Gorée Island.

It took a day and a half to make it to the border of Mali. We crossed the Falemé river from Senegal to Mali in a small dug out wooden boat.

Although Mali is today one of the poorest countries in the world it is known as a jewel in the crown of West Africa; it is culturally and historically rich, but economically poor. We were warmly welcomed, but I was surprised by the "Third World" infrastructure and conditions in the smaller towns.

Our introduction to the people of Kenieba started with Billy’s host family. They were amazing. Doh, Billy’s host father works at the gold mine and comes home every few weeks. We were able to visit him in the village at the mine.

Zakariyah, Billy host brother, is 12 and is very attached to Billy. He is a very smart young man who is curious and eager to learn. Billy is teaching him English and keyboarding. Zak loves to “hang out at Younoussa’s house”.

Tenin, Billy’s host sister, was very gracious and particularly enjoyed watching Bill try to eat with his hands. Mariam, best friends of Billy’s host family, is the mother figure who cooks and provides a stable home. Her son Levieux is a precocious and adorable four year old who loves to play the drum and smile. Here is a picture of Zak, Tenin and Levieux on the front porch of their house.

Unfortunately Billy’s host mom died in childbirth just weeks before we arrived. We were very sad that we did not get the chance to meet her; Billy could not say enough wonderful things about her. Billy’s PCV house is next door to his host family’s home. It is much larger than I thought it was going to be and he seems to have what he needs to live.

There are no toilets or running water. His African toilet (the photo above) is a hole in the ground with two cinderblocks and his “shower” is a bucket with water that he has heated on his gas burner and a cup to throw the water over his head. He does have a satellite dish that the Peace Corps installed a few weeks ago. I call it ET, so he can phone home.

To me, the best adjective that describes Kenieba is colorful. It was one of the most colorful places I have ever visited, full of wonderful people, great varieties of cultures and languages, and strong traditions of art and music. The streets are filled with people in shimmering embroidered colorful garments. The flowing robes or grand boubou of the men and the long wraparound skirt or boubou and matching headscarf of the women make quite an impression. Most women carry things on their head and a baby on their back. The babies are carried piggyback style then wrapped in a cloth that is pulled around their mother’s body and knotted around her front. It creates a snug sling like seat for the child. From the front you can only see the child’s feet sticking out from its mothers sides.

We found music everywhere we went in Mali. The Sikoloton Shea Butter cooperative that Billy is working with gave us a festival with hours of singing, dancing, and playing traditional instruments. The women and the school children danced to the drummer’s music in their beautiful colored outfits. It was a site to behold. As with most celebrations some animal must give if its life, it was a sheep in this case. The sheep was presented to us as a gift and then taken, slaughtered and cooked for our lunch.

A Whirlwind January

2011-01-30T17:12:00.001Z

Wow, it has been a busy month. I travelled twice to Bamako and twice to Dakar with a few days in Kenieba between each trip. That's more than 1600 miles on the road. All that travel was worth it though, because my parents came to visit!

I met my parents in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, which is located on a peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. They had just left a ton of snow behind in New York and I left the heat and dryness of Kenieba. I've decided that the best way to recover from jet and bus lag is spending lots of time on a lounge chair by the ocean. I didn't think I would miss the ocean as much as I have since I've been here. It's funny how you take something like that for granted, as I grew up and spent every summer on the shore. Just being back by the ocean, feeling the humid sea breeze, was really therapeutic.

We spent a couple of days in Dakar, recovering from our long trips and exploring the city. Our ultimate goal was to travel overland to Kenieba and spend a few days there, so we hired a 4x4 and driver to drive us across Senegal. It took a day and a half to get all the way to Kenieba. I have to say my parents were troopers, putting up with the long travel in such a foreign environment.

The three days we spent in Kenieba were action-packed and a lot of fun. The shea butter women's association put on a big show for us one morning, singing and dancing and acting out how they gather the shea nuts and turn them into butter. They gave a goat to my parents and cooked it up for lunch, which was a huge feast that we all enjoyed together. We walked around downtown Kenieba, greeting the mayor and visiting the postman and some of the business owners I've worked with and gotten to know over the 16 months I've lived in Kenieba. I invited my mom to add a post to the blog, so I'll post her recap of the trip sometime next week.

My trips to Bamako were to prepare for the next group of Peace Corps trainees who arrive this Wednesday, February 2. I was asked to be a technical trainer for the new batch of trainees, leading some of the sessions about the Malian economy and how businesses operate here. Though I was reluctant to accept since I am really busy with projects I'm working on in Kenieba, I thought it would be good to help train the new volunteers. I was in Bamako at the beginning of January for a training workshop, and now I'm back here doing prep work for PST, the same two month training I did in July and August 2009. I'm splitting the training duties with another volunteer, so I will be able to spend most of February in Kenieba and will lead the training sessions in March.

After that, I'll be heading home for a few weeks in April to attend my cousin's wedding. I can't wait to be home, though it will be pretty surreal to be back in the US after almost two years away. It's going to be a busy few months leading up to my trip home, but I'm glad to have some meaningful projects to work on as well as help out with training the next group of Peace Corps Mali volunteers.

Celebrating Christmas and Ringing In the New Year

2011-01-04T20:53:00.005Z

First, thanks to my friends and family for the kind messages you've sent me about my host mom's death. It was a difficult few weeks, but spending Christmas with PCV friends and New Year's with Malian friends made for a positive end to the year.

For Christmas, I travelled up to Manantali, a town on the Bafing river. A huge hydroelectric dam was built there in the 1990's which supplies power to Mali, Senegal and Mauritania. It is a quirky town because there is a typical Malian village on one end, with subsistence farmers living in mud huts, but then there are dam workers who live in a gated community on the other end of town. The gated community reminds me of what a circa 1980's run down Florida retirement community would look like, with tennis courts, a supermarket-type store, and bank and post office. Since the hydroelectric dam is right there, the entire town is supplied with cheap electricity, so even the smallest mud huts have power.

There is a Peace Corps house in Kenieba which is located between these opposite ends of Manantali. The house consists of two huge cement huts with straw roofs and is ideally located in a tranquil spot next to the river. Spending a few days in Manantali is a genuine escape from the heat and dryness found in the rest of Mali.

The Christmas party was nice and relaxing. It was great to catch up with fellow second-year volunteers and meet some of the volunteers who arrived last year. The volunteers who are based out of Manantali did a great job hosting us and organizing our meals. We roasted three pigs for Christmas dinner! Though it was tough to be away from home for now the third Christmas in a row, it was comforting to know I would be home next year. Also, I was not happy to miss the huge snowstorm that dumped two feet of snow in the northeast!

The river as seen from the Peace Corps house

Down at water level

Hippos! Luckily they like to stay on the other side of the river.
Did you know hippos are the deadliest animals in Africa?

The Peace Corps house in Manantali

The hydroelectric dam

The day after Christmas we hiked above the dam to check out the lake. It is a huge body of water, stretching across an area of 180 square miles (I did some research on Wikipedia... it's more than twice the size of Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire and about the same size as Lake Tahoe). When the river was dammed, the lake flooded more than 50 villages and displaced about 12,000 people.

Lake Manantali

These trees are bare except for these beautiful red flowers that bloom this time of the year

I traveled back to Kenieba after Christmas and celebrated New Year's with some of my friends there. New Year's is actually a pretty big holiday here, meaning another chance to eat good food. If they can afford it, Malians like to eat chicken for the New Year's feast. One of my neighbor's invited me to eat dinner with them, so I bought a chicken and we enjoyed it with french fries and fried plantains. I stayed up until midnight and got to see fireworks going off all over town.

Here's wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2011!

May She Rest in Peace

2010-12-31T10:20:00.001Z

The end of 2010 was marked by some very sad news. My host mom, Fanta, did not return with her kids in October for the beginning of school because she was pregnant. She delivered the baby in November, a healthy baby girl, but there were complications following the pregnancy and she passed away a few weeks later.

Death is a difficult subject in any culture. Sadly it is a more common occurrence in Mali than in most parts of the world. The chances for a baby to live past five are shockingly low, and adult life expectancy is only 52 years. But for a mother to pass away, no matter the circumstance, is such a sad event for any family.

My host dad was able to see his wife in Bamako before she died. He chose not to tell the kids before returning to Kenieba a week after Fanta died, so he could tell them in person. I found out the sad news from one of my neighbors, and struggled not to tell my host brother and sister, two of my closest friends here, about their mother’s death. I was basically in denial, only telling my friends and family over the phone. It was a really difficult week, so much so that when my host dad returned to Kenieba, it was practically a relief.

On the night my host father returned, I went over to greet him and meet Fanta’s mother and sister, who came to help console the kids. It was a normal conversation; though I could tell something was wrong, nobody brought up Fanta’s death. I didn’t want to be the one to bring it up; I wasn’t sure how to do so or whether it was the right thing to do. Later that night, people started coming over to give their condolences and blessings.

The next morning, after my host siblings left for school, I came over to the house and my host dad broke the news to me. I gave as many Bambara blessings as I could remember, like may God have pity on the deceased and may her resting place be peaceful. We talked about Fanta, how much I enjoyed her cooking. I left as more people came over to give their condolences. Occasionally I would hear people bawling and just felt helpless. It was a tough morning.

Fanta’s sister brought her two year old daughter, Hawa, with her as well. Having Hawa around certainly lightened the mood. It was an interesting parallel, as there were also infants around when my grandmother passed away a few years ago. It’s amazing how certain things like the circle of life transcend cultures, mourning a family member's death while recognizing that these infants have their whole lives ahead of them.

For two days, the family fasted during the day in honor of Fanta’s death and to affirm their Muslim faith. It was a somber week. My host family is really special; they have three smart and polite kids, which I can’t say about most Malian families. To have their mother taken from them so suddenly is heartbreaking.

I feel the most sad for Tenin and Zakariyah, my host siblings. Though they are 16 and 12, they are still just kids with promising futures ahead of them. The oldest daughter is in high school in Bamako, and presumably Tenin and Zakariyah will follow her path and gain a good education. My host brother didn't want to tell anyone, not even his teachers, that his mom died. He had school exams coming up that same week, and he was worried that if more people knew, they would continue to remind him of his mother’s death. Though I protested when I heard that, my host dad said that it’s a private matter and his personal decision. Also, my host dad told me that the newborn baby will be brought up by his brother and his brother's wife in Bamako.

Fanta’s mother and sister stayed for about ten days, and Tenin and Zakariyah left with them to spend the school vacation with family in Bamako. It was nice to get to know Fanta’s mother and sister towards the end of their time here. We got to travel on the same bus together, as I left for the Christmas holiday at the same time. Hawa was really afraid of me when she first arrived, but warmed up to me and would even come and sit on my lap by the end. It was an uplifting ending to a very difficult time.

Tenin, Fanta and Zakariyah
(taken November 2009)

Thanksgiving & Waterfalls

2010-12-02T22:30:00.002Z

For Thanksgiving this year, I travelled to the Sikasso region in southern Mali, where the Sikasso PCVs organized a big American thanksgiving feast and party. It was a big gathering as more than 60 volunteers came. It was great to catch up with friends, some of whom I hadn't seen in a year. We ate lots of good food for Thanksgiving dinner, including turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, and salad, and we enjoyed some pumpkin and apple pie for dessert.

We had a pool party and Mexican dinner on Friday, and then headed out to some waterfalls for a camping trip over the weekend. The waterfalls were really cool to see and we had a great time camping by them, eating tons of guacamole and hanging out around the campfire.

This is the transport we took out to the waterfalls, a beat-up Peugeot 504. It's called a sept-place in Senegal because seven people travel in it with a driver, but in Guinea and Mali they cram as many people into them as they can. I think we fit 12 people into the one I was in. It's definitely not a comfortable ride! This car has seen better days.

One of the many stops to fill up for gas or put some other unknown fluid into the makeshift engine.

The waterfalls.

Our campsite. Looks like an REI commercial!

Tabaski 2010

2010-12-02T22:00:00.002Z

On November 17th, Muslims around the world celebrated a holiday called Eid al-Adha, or Tabaski in West Africa. It’s also known as Seliba, which means big prayer in Bambara. Here’s a short summary from Wikipedia:

Eid al-Adha is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice his son Ishmael (Isma'il) as an act of obedience to God, before God intervened to provide him with a ram to sacrifice instead. The meat is divided into three parts to be distributed to others. The family retains one third of the share, another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbors, and the other third is given to the poor & needy.

This is the time when Muslims make the pilgrimage to Mecca, which they are supposed to do at least once in their lives if they can afford the trip. Here in Mali, Tabaski is the biggest holiday of the year. Families save up for the big feast and buy a sheep to sacrifice if they can afford it. About a week before the holiday, women started to braid each other’s hair, kids were fitted for nice new clothes, and animal herders came into town to sell their sheep. Families save up a lot of money for Tabaski to buy a sheep to sacrifice for the holiday feast.

This year my host family was fortunate enough to buy two sheep for the feast. Each day, my host brother would bring the sheep over and tie them up in my yard during the day. It was nice to have some sheep around for a week, since they ate all the overgrown grass and weeds that took over my yard during the rainy season. I didn’t get warmed up to the sheep since their days were numbered, but I did give them names: Taba and Ski. My host brother thought that was hilarious.

On the morning of Tabaski, all of the men in town went to a central location and all prayed together as the imam led the service. Once the imam had sacrificed his sheep, everyone could go home and do the same. Our sacrifice was especially graphic this year with two sheep to kill. As with tradition, my host dad delivered some of the sheep to an old woman in town, and also gave some to our neighbors.

The feast was plentiful; we ate two big courses during the day and another at night. As with every Malian meal, we all ate together, with our hands, in a shared bowl. We had salad, liver, fries, and bread for the first course, and Moroccan cous cous with onions for the second course. At night we had more meat and potatoes in an oily sauce. I haven’t been that stuffed in a long time!

Mali-Senegal Bike Ride

2010-11-07T18:46:00.005Z

For my latest trip out of site, I decided to bike to the Peace Corps house in Kedougou, Senegal. It's 135 kilometers (85 miles) from Kenieba to Kedougou. It's actually the closest Peace Corps house to Kenieba, as Kayes (the house I usually go to) is 250 km and Kita is 210 km on a road under construction. There is public transport on most of the route, but I decided to ride my bike on the 85 mile route from Mali to Senegal.

It is not as crazy as it sounds; Senegal PCVs have ridden the route and stayed with me in Kenieba, including my friend from high school last January. The road is in perfect condition, recently paved and little to no traffic on the whole route. I counted a total of 20 cars or trucks that passed me the entire day. I had plenty of fallbacks in case I ran into bike trouble or was too tired to keep going; there are Peace Corps volunteers working in Saraya, a town two-thirds of the way to Kedougou. I also brought a ton of Power Bars and granola bars that my parents and grandparents sent over in care packages, and I took two Nalgene bottles and a couple half liter bottles with me, and had Gatorade drink packets to mix in with the water. So I was well prepared for the ride!

I got up before sunrise, strapped my backpack on the back of my bike, locked up the house and and began my ride to the border at 6:45 AM. The road is not paved yet on the Mali side but it's graded and well-maintained, and easy to bike on. The toughest part was shielding my face from the dust cloud that would appear after pickup trucks carrying construction workers would pass. The bridge workers head out to the construction site each morning. The bridge is not finished and the water level is too high right now to wade across (since rainy season just ended), so I had pay $3 to cross the river in a dugout canoe. I held on tight to my bike to make sure it wouldn't fall into the river!

The road on the Mali side

The bridge under construction at the border

Once I reached Senegal, it was easy riding. The road is in perfect shape, a two lane road with packed gravel shoulders all the way from the border to Kedougou. There are milestones at every kilometer for the 112 km from the border to Kedougou, so I knew how much farther I had to go every kilometer of the trip.

It was fun to greet people in Malinké as I rode by. Some were harvesting their peanut crops, others were walking to or from school, and others just relaxing under a tree. There were a few Senegalese on their bikes who rode alongside me for a few minutes and we chatted a bit as we went along. I arrived at Saraya at 10:45 AM, way before I thought I would. I refilled my water bottles, had bananas and Biskrem cookies for brunch, and decided to continue riding while the air was still cool. Well, it was only like that for a little while longer, and it started to get really hot in the middle of the day. I took lots of breaks to escape the sun (and give my butt a break!) whenever I saw a big shady tree to stop under. I put 60+ sunscreen on before I left Kenieba and reapplied at my lunch stop, but I still got pretty burned under the African sun!

Crossing the Gambia river right before I arrived in Kedougou

After a few big hills right at the end, I arrived in Kedougou just before 3 PM. It has been fun to hang out with the Peace Corps volunteers here for the past few days and compare stories about life in Mali vs. Senegal. The house is not actually a house but a cluster of huts: two sleeping huts, a kitchen hut, library hut, and a big hangar to relax under. They also just got a really cute puppy who's been fun to play with.

The new house puppy in Kedougou

I'm headed back to Kenieba at sunrise tomorrow morning, and will be there for a few weeks. I'll be leaving next for the Peace Corps Thanksgiving party (including a full Thanksgiving dinner... turkey, pies and all) which should be a lot of fun!

October Musings

2010-11-07T17:54:00.002Z

Rainy season was still going strong through mid-October this year. It rained at least once a day in August and September and the rain continued to fall a few times a week in October. It’s nice because even though there are some hot days, a rain storm will come through and cool things off for a few hours, or overnight if it hits at the right time. Some of the rains are really intense monsoon-like storms that flood the roads and make it hard to get anywhere. And Malians traditionally don't do anything inside their houses other than to sleep and make babies, so they are anxious for the storm to pass so they can continue their daily activities.

School started back up the first week of October. I think both kids and parents were more than ready for school to begin. Especially by the end of summer vacation, the kids are just bored with nothing to do. There are few toys to play with, and like any group of kids, they find mischief really easily.

My host family came back at the beginning of October in time for school. It was great to see them again and great to eat lunch with them every day! Though it was fun to cook lunches for myself during the summer, it was a lot of work. I definitely have more respect for Malian cooking now! My host mom didn’t come back with the kids though, and a friend’s wife is watching the kids cooking for us. I found out indirectly that my host mom is pregnant. Pregnancy is a hush-hush subject here. On November 3, the day before I left for my Senegal trip, my host dad announced that his wife had a baby; it’s a girl! I almost asked what her name was, but remembered that the baby isn’t named until the baptism, held about a week after birth. There’s a chance that mom and the new baby girl will be back in time for Tabaski, the big Muslim holiday that will take place the week before Thanksgiving.

Work is really picking up now, with projects starting up all over town. I’m going to be working on projects with the food security committee, artisans’ union and associations, high school, and one of the primary schools, as well as teaching some English vocabulary classes to interested Malians. I’ll write more about all of these topics in future blog posts.

Cinquantenaire

2010-11-07T17:22:00.004Z

Mali celebrated its 50th anniversary of independence, the “cinquantenaire”, on the 22nd of September. There was a big military parade (like the Bastille Day parade down the Champs Elysees in France) and huge choreographed show in Bamako which was broadcast on the national TV station. Out in Kenieba, there was also a celebration but it was poorly planned and not nearly as exciting. The women in the shea butter association invited me to walk with them in the Independence Day “parade”. They had been talking about the parade since July, and how we would give the mayor, prefet and other town leaders some of their shea butter as a gift.

Me with some of the shea butter association members

One of the members holding some of the shea butter they made

When I hear that there’s going to be a parade, especially one on Independence Day, I think of groups of people walking down the main road wearing the national colors and spectators watching and cheering. The parade in Kenieba was more like a rally, and could be best described as chaotic. It took place in the big square in the center of town, where I at least a thousand people were crowded around the perimeter to watch some dignitaries speak. You couldn’t hear them over all the noise of the crowd, and definitely not over the extremely loud rifle shots that would randomly go off every few minutes. When it came time to line up for the “parade”, we walked outside the square and crammed together like sardines even though there was nobody behind us. When it finally became our turn to walk in the square, we walked at a brisk pace to the VIPs and then walked right past them. We only realized after we passed the VIP tent that we didn’t give them their gift! So some of us walked against the parade to deliver the shea butter to the VIPs.

Independence Day ceremony in Kenieba

The VIP tent

After the parade I had a delicious feast with one of my neighbors (fried rice with meat, sweet potatoes and other vegetables, and fried plantains), and then went up to watch a soccer game that was apparently the championship game of a tournament that had been going on between different teams in Kenieba. It was surprisingly well organized with each team sporting matching uniforms, and there were referees and linesmen officiating. The field is another story it’s all dirt, with some dried up drainage streams that make it uneven on one entire side of the field. So the game was mostly played on one side of the field. After 90 minutes the game was 0-0, but there were some good shots and it was pretty entertaining. The game took place at the end of the day and the sun was going down so they couldn't play overtime. They finished the game two days later.

These photos of the soccer game were taken with my cell phone camera, so they're not the best quality:

In the end, it was nice to be a part of the 50^th anniversary celebration, which was certainly a moment of national pride. After all, celebrations like this only happen once every 50 years!

September Musings

2010-11-07T16:48:00.003Z

After the trainees officially became Peace Corps volunteers at the beginning of September, I helped the new Kayes region volunteers buy stuff for their houses. I helped them navigate the labyrinth of the Kayes market and bargained for mattresses, kitchen supplies and other big items. It really put things into perspective realizing that I was in the new volunteers’ shoes this time last year, with everything being so new and foreign. Now that I’m so used to bargaining for just about everything I buy, it’ll be hard to transition back to shopping in stores when I get back to the states!

The new Kenieba volunteer and I headed down with Peace Corps transport for installation. It was a relatively quick trip down the long dirt road in the Peace Corps car, but the road was basically all mud since it was the middle of rainy season. The new PCV has been off to a great start, bonding with her host family and meeting her neighbors and potential work partners. She’s also working really hard to learn the language spoken in Kenieba, a mix of Bambara and Malinké. Both she and I learned Bambara during pre-service training, but it’s hard to keep using Bambara since it’s not the language spoken here. The structure is the same as Malinké but most words are pronounced differently. People can understand us when we speak Bambara, but they will respond to us in Malinké or the hybrid Kenieba language. It’s definitely not the easiest way to learn a new language! I’ve picked up key phrases in the time I’ve lived in Kenieba and can have basic conversations, but usually I resort to communicating with the men and some literate women using French.

There have been some issues with the new volunteer’s house, mainly the bats who moved in and don’t want to leave. Nobody lived in the house since June, so the bats made themselves at home. And they really are a nuisance, flying around inside and making noise in the middle of the night. A carpenter spent all day on the roof, closing up all the holes and making lots of noise which we thought would get the bats out. After the carpenter’s attempts were unsuccessful, a boy came in and killed some of the remaining bats. But there were still a few stubborn bats that just wouldn’t leave. Though it’s taken a while to persuade him, the landlord agreed to install wooden paneling to create a lowered ceiling. Right now, there is no ceiling, just the metal roof. Once the paneling is installed the bats may still get in, but they won’t be nearly as annoying if there’s a wooden barrier between them and the PCV!

The end of Ramadan was in the middle of September, and there was a big feast and sense of relief after having fasted during every day for 28 days in a row. I noticed this year that people who had fasted, the healthy adults, were noticeably thinner and weaker by the end of Ramadan. I can’t imagine that it can be healthy to fast every day for a month, but it is an important part of the Muslim religion.

Not much happened workwise in September outside of the usual chatting with artisans and other entrepreneurs in town. When I was in Bamako I bought plastic containers for the women to sell their shea butter in. We worked together on pricing and selling strategies for the 45 containers of butter. We decided that I had been keeping track of how much the women were spending each time they made shea butter, things like soap to wash the basins, the fee to use the grinder that turns the nuts into a paste, and firewood to heat the shea butter. We came to a consensus on how much to charge, which gave them a good profit on each container sold. It is more than traditional shea butter is sold for in Kenieba, but we all agreed that since this butter is high-quality, the higher price would be justified.

I Wish I Had a Duck Boat...

2010-11-06T10:30:00.001Z

At the beginning of October I traveled down to Bamako to meet with staff at the Peace Corps office and do my mid-service medical exam. I travelled from Kenieba to Kayes on public transport, which wasn't too bad; it took all day but that’s par for the course. A few days later I traveled with Vieux in the Peace Corps car from Kayes to Bamako on the “southern route”. It was a long but uneventful trip, parts on paths that I never would have guessed a car could drive through. Vieux has been working for Peace Corps for many years and drives this route every month, so I had no worries on the trip down to Bamako. And having air conditioning and room to stretch my legs was so much nicer than taking public transport. The trip back on the same “southern route” from Bamako to Kayes is where the adventure really begins.

On the second day of the three day trip back to Kenieba, we arrived at a big swamp. The water level was pretty high the week before, but we crossed it then without a problem. Since the village is on the other side of the swamp, we couldn't ask anyone about the crossing, and we figured it would be as easy to cross as it was the week before. Well, Vieux drove into the swamp, but this time the water level kept getting higher and higher, above the wheels, above the engine vents, up the sides of the car! Now this is no average car; it’s a year-old Toyota Land Cruiser with a high clearance, made to get through the toughest of roads. But I can tell you that four feet of water will stop a Land Cruiser in its tracks. Vieux was smart enough to turn the engine off to keep it from flooding! So we were stuck, in the middle of the swamp, and we weren't going anywhere anytime soon.

Not long after Vieux turned the engine off, water began to seep through the floor of the car and a few minutes later, the inside of the car was flooded. We saved as much as we could including Vieux’s cassette tapes that were in the door pockets (yep, they still have tape players in these cars). I quickly remembered that my backpack was sitting on the seat behind me, which contained my laptop and iPod! Luckily I saved it before the water reached the seats, so the electronics were spared. My big backpack wasn’t as fortunate, and I ended up with a lot of wet clothes. Vieux left to get help from the village nearby, and I stayed in the car and rescued as much as I could from the incoming water.

After negotiating a fair price to help us get the car out of the swamp, (they wanted to charge $100 because they saw a white person in the car, but Vieux talked them down to $60), about 12-15 men came to help us get the car out. I got to steer while the men slowly pushed the car to the edge of the swamp. They couldn’t get it up the bank and completely out of the water. There was nothing close by for the winch to attach to either, so the car stayed in place until the mechanic arrived from the town a few miles away. Since the car was at the edge of the pond the water level was only a few inches high, so the water could slowly drain out of both the seats and the engine.

I got out of the car and waited in a family’s concession. By this point it was lunch time and they invited me to eat with them. It was not one of my favorite Malian meals: they call it nyé nyé kini, cornmeal with a gelatin-like consistency, and okra sauce with a snot-like consistency. Not particularly appetizing, but since we were going to be there for a while and didn’t want to offend the people who had just helped us save the car, I ate some of their lunch. I found out that only 200 people from 10 families live here, and the kids have to walk more than three miles and take a ferry across the Senegal River to go to school.

While we were waiting for the mechanic to come, we found out that the villagers had dammed the river! Since rainy season is coming to an end, they put up a dam to raise the water level in the swamp and create a pond. You can’t blame the villagers for doing this, as they can use the water for months to come. It only rains from June to October, so water becomes a scarce resource towards the end of dry season. It would have been nice to know this before entering the swamp!

All in all, we were in that village for about four hours before the mechanic showed up. He replaced the oil and did his magic, and soon after we were on our way. Obviously the car wasn't in perfect condition, and we even got a Little Miss Sunshine random beep going every once in a while. But miraculously we drove the car without any major problems the remaining six hours to Kayes, and continued the next day on the seven hour trip down to Kenieba.

After a nightmarish 24 hour bus ride from Kayes to Kenieba last October (the bus broke down and got stuck in the mud at least 5 times), and the deep swamp crossing this year, I've come to the conclusion that October is a tough month for travel in western Mali!

Catching up...

2010-11-05T17:49:00.003Z

To all my loyal followers out there- I'm sorry for taking so long to update the blog! It's been a two months since my last post, and I have written bits and pieces of posts, but haven't put them all together yet. And the last time I was away from Kenieba and had Internet access, I wasn't feeling great. Luckily it was nothing serious but I got checked out just to be sure. There have been tons of cases of malaria here, like there are during every rainy season, and when I started to get fevers I wanted to make sure I didn't have malaria either! It turned out to be a viral infection and eventually went away.

Anyway, I have LOTS to write about and will hopefully be posting a lot in the next few days!

Tut tut, looks like rain

2010-09-06T23:00:00.000Z

Rainy season is in full swing here in Mali. August is the wettest month of the year, and that was definitely the case in Kenieba this year. There’s a heavy downpour just about every day, and the road outside my house becomes a fast-flowing stream, at least until the sun comes out again. It’s been a challenge to keep my yard cleared of weeds and other fast-growing plants. I joked with my neighbors that I live in a forest, because I couldn't keep up with pulling out all the weeds! A bunch of kids helped me finally clear all of it out, but I still find myself weeding a few times a week. Another not-so-fun part of rainy season is the mosquitoes, which are a nuisance even in the middle of the day. Most of the year there are no mosquitoes in Kenieba, but they are out with a vengeance during rainy season.

The little footpaths around town are all grown in now… any open space has become a field of peanuts, corn or millet stalks. The cliffs around Kenieba are lush with vegetation, and there are even little waterfalls popping out from the cliff's edge. The weather is nice and comfortable most days, and I’ve even felt cold after a big monsoon comes through! I’ve gotten back in the habit of brewing tea in the morning, and even heat up some water for a nice warm bucket bath at the end of the day.

Eighty new Peace Corps Mali volunteers finished their training last week. There are a bunch of new volunteers in my region, including one who will be working in Kenieba. She had a great site visit in August, and I enjoyed showing her around, introducing her to my friends and work partners. Being her guide around Kenieba really put things into perspective for me, in terms of how well integrated I have become in the community, not only with the women's association and artisans I've done some work with, but my neighbors and other people I've gotten to know over the last year.

During the past few weeks most Malians have been celebrating the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. I'm sharing a link to The Big Picture blog again this year since it does a great job of illustrating how Ramadan is celebrated in different cultures all over the world. According to the Big Picture:

Muslim men and women across the world are currently observing Ramadan, a month long celebration of self-purification and restraint. During Ramadan, the Muslim community fast, abstaining from food, drink, smoking and sex between sunrise and sunset. Muslims break their fast after sunset with an evening meal called Iftar, where a date is the first thing eaten followed by a traditional meal. During this time, Muslims are also encouraged to read the entire Quran, to give freely to those in need, and strengthen their ties to God through prayer. The goal of the fast is to teach humility, patience and sacrifice, and to ask forgiveness, practice self-restraint, and pray for guidance in the future. This year, Ramadan will continue until Thursday, September 9th.

In Mali, people are awake before dawn to eat a big meal and drink enough water to last them through the day. Though they say they are used to fasting during the month of Ramadan every year, it’s still a struggle for some people to make it through the day. They become agitated and anxious in the late afternoon, when they begin the countdown to sunset, when the imam signals over the loudspeaker that they can break the fast. Typically their evening break-fast is a sweet porridge called ceri. Then they head to the mosque for a special Ramadan prayer, and eat a larger meal at around 11 PM. Since they’re up again at 5 AM, they’re not getting much sleep during Ramadan, which must add to the agitation and anxiety! But it is a yearly ritual that affirms their Muslim faith. It is humbling to observe the Malians who continue to work and go about their daily business during Ramadan, because I don’t think I could possibly keep working without food and water all day! I should also mention that kids, the elderly, and adults who are pregnant or sick do not fast during Ramadan. People are not forced to fast; it is a personal choice, a decision between you and Allah, so some adults will still sneak a snack or at least drink some water during the day.

I am headed back to Kenieba tomorrow, in time for the fête on Thursday. I’ll be celebrating the end of Ramadan by eating a big feast with my homologue’s family. My host family is still in Bamako as school doesn't start here until October. So, one more month of cooking lunches for myself as well!

I uploaded some new photos of Kenieba in the rainy season; you can view them by clicking the photo:

Shea Butter Formation Photos

2010-08-27T23:47:00.002Z

I wrote about the training in a blog post back in May, but realized I hadn't posted photos yet. Click on the photo to view the album:

Tilefana tobi don o don

2010-08-07T11:23:00.020Z

English translation: Cooking lunch every day

Since I moved to Kenieba last September, I have been eating lunch with my host family every day, enjoying some of the great food my host mom prepares. By Malian standards, she's a really good cook... most of the time we have white rice with a sauce (peanut sauce, leafy sauce, onion sauce) and cooked vegetables. At the beginning of July, my host mom, brother and sister left Kenieba to spend summer vacation in Bamako with relatives. They will be back in time for school at the end of September. So until then, I am cooking lunch for myself each day.

I was never much of a cook back in the states… I was a big fan of Trader Joe’s heat up and eat meals on the few occasions that I cooked for myself. Unfortunately there are no Trader Joe’s on the African continent, so I've been forced to teach myself how to cook. Cooking lunch every day for the past month or so has been an adventure. It has been fun to go down to the market and pick up some vegetables and other ingredients, then figure out what I can make with them. Unfortunately, since dry season just ended and the rains are starting up, it’s not the best time of the year to buy vegetables. Since Kenieba is so hard to get to, the only produce available is what is grown in the surrounding area. Some food products come from Bamako, but not easily perishable goods. For example, you can buy South African apples and Cote d’Ivoirian pineapples. We also get eggs, onions, garlic and potatoes from Bamako.

The vegetable that has been available in Kenieba recently is eggplant, so I use that with onions, garlic, various spices and tomato paste to make a decent vegetable marinara sauce. Combined with spaghetti that I get at the store next to my house, it makes for a good Italian meal. Thanks to sauce packets, I've also made some pesto with fresh basil. Basil is wild here and seems to sprout up everywhere, especially during rainy season. On some days you can buy lettuce and cucumbers, so I've made a decent salad with a balsamic vinaigrette (thanks to the balsamic vinegar sent over in a care package... thanks mom!) I've also bought green peppers in the market, and used onions and eggs to make a decent omelete.

When I tell people that I cook my own lunches, most everyone (especially men) can't believe that I cook for myself. Gender roles are very strict here. I have never seen a Malian man cooking meals, cleaning up a house, or doing other household chores. His role is to work in the fields, raising crops and bring in income for the family, essentially putting food on the table. It's great to tell them about how men and women share these duties in the US, how men sometimes cook and clean, and some women have important jobs and bring in money for their families.

Gold Mining in Mali

2010-08-01T13:45:00.005Z

I came across an article today from Reuters, "Randgold's Loulo mine in Mali to miss 2010 target", about one of the gold mines close to Kenieba, the one that my host dad and some of my friends actually work at. Though the headline is discouraging, the last paragraph was eye-opening:

"Seeking to take advantage of high metals prices by developing mining, which recently overtook cotton as the country's biggest export earner, Mali is looking to introduce a new mining code later this year."

Gold mining is the dominant economic activity in the region of Mali where I live and work. Many people who live there go out to distant, uninhabited areas and mine for gold using traditional methods with rudimentary tools. Some people strike it rich, but most are lucky to make even a little money after a week's work. I haven't had the opportunity to visit one of these traditional mines, but my friend Dan wrote a great post about his visit to a mine near his site.

Large scale mining companies from South Africa and Canada operate gold mines in western Mali and have bought the mining rights to large swaths of land with plans to expand their operations there. The cheapest way to mine the gold is open pit mining... basically digging up the earth to mechanically and chemically extract the gold. All of this digging creates a pit hundreds of feet deep and easily half a mile across (google open pit gold mining for an idea of what it looks like). Typically only 1 to 2 grams of gold comes out of each ton (1,000,000 grams) of earth extracted.

One would hope that all of this gold mining would bring about positive change to Kenieba and the villages near where all of this land is being dug up and processed. In reality, this is not entirely the case. Prices for goods are inflated in Kenieba, because sellers know that people have money here and can afford to pay the higher prices. The large scale mines employ hundreds of people, many of whom are Malians (like my host dad). The problem is, they are not always employing the local population... many people come from other parts of Mali and other African countries to work at the mine, and people from the villages and towns near the mines are left unemployed. A lot of this has to do with cronyism, but in many cases the local population lacks the skills needed to work at the mines.

So when I read that paragraph about gold becoming Mali's largest export, and that Mali is looking to introduce a new mining code, I hope that the right decisions are made about the code so that the local population benefits from all this gold mining taking place near where they live. I have been told that the Malian government takes about a 15% cut of all the gold mining revenue at these big mines. This has got to be a huge sum, considering Mali is Africa's third largest exporter of gold, and gold still trades close to record highs. But I'm sure that the way it works right now, Kenieba and other towns in the region don't see much of that money, if any. Who knows where the 15% ends up.

The large scale gold mines are here to stay, for at least the next 10-20 years. They are all expanding their operations, and will need more workers. If anything, the money that the Malian government gains from the contracts should be disclosed, and it should be declared where the money ends up. The Malian government should encourage more local employment. People in developing countries like Mali should be directly benefiting from the valuable resources being taken from the land around them.

Tout Seul

2010-07-31T22:23:00.005Z

There has been a big change since my last blog post. The two other Peace Corps volunteers in Kenieba both decided to end their service early and return to the US. One of them had already left by the time I got back at the end of June, and the other came down on Fourth of July weekend to pack up his stuff and leave. I became the only American in Kenieba, which is already in an isolated area of Mali (the closest American to me went from being a 10 minute walk to a full day trip away). On top of that, my host family left to spend their summer vacation with relatives in Bamako. For the next few months, I am the only person living in the compound. I used to eat lunch with my host family every day; now I am cooking lunches for myself.

Obviously, I’m not tout seul (all alone), but it felt like that at first. I had to reevaluate my situation… am I crazy to stay here for another year? If it didn’t work out for the other guys, maybe this isn't for me either? Could I keep living here, being the only white person in a town of 12,000 people? Life is certainly hard… after three months of oppressive heat, it is rainy season now and the mosquitoes, crickets and other creepy crawlers have come back to life. As I've mentioned on here many times, public transportation to and from Kenieba is an ordeal.

I had some tough days, but I worked through it, forcing myself to reconnect with friends and work partners. What’s keeping me going is the friendships I’ve developed with Malians. I enjoy hearing their stories and sharing stories of life in the US with them over countless rounds of tea. It's humbling to witness everyday life here, especially the women who work seemingly nonstop to cook meals, do household chores, and earn money for their family during their precious free time.

The work I am involved in will hopefully bring a new source of income to some of the women and give new skills to some of the businesspeople in Kenieba. I feel I am becoming a stronger person, overcoming these challenges and accomplishing the work I came here to do.

Back from my Eurotrip

2010-06-24T12:45:00.002Z

I’m back in Mali after a fantastic vacation in Europe, visiting Paris and Grenoble, France with by brother and spending 10 days in Switzerland with the rest of my family. It was the perfect mental medicine after 11 months in Mali… it was so nice to be in the developed world again, enjoying amenities I’ve grudgingly lived without (machine washer and dryer, dishwasher, refrigerator, no daily power outages, cell phone calls without a noticeable delay, a toilet!). Although it’s really hard to compare Europe and Mali, I found some of the differences to be really interesting:

I couldn’t believe the cats and dogs I saw on the streets of Paris, not only how well trained and well treated they were, but how big and healthy they looked. Malians themselves aren’t getting a nutritious diet, so their animals certainly aren’t getting enough to eat. The cows in Switzerland are huge! No cows look like that here in Mali, literally skin and bones.
After living through three straight months of 110°+ weather in Mali, I forgot what comfortable weather felt like. It was so nice to put on a light fleece when it was cool, and actually enjoy a nice day outside under the sun. Some people asked me why I wasn’t more tan… I definitely avoid the sun in Mali when it’s so hot outside!
I had forgotten how long the days are this time of year in Europe. Since Mali isn’t far from the equator, the length of the day only varies by about an hour all year long. You get used to the sun setting by 7:30 every night. The first night I was in Paris, I went to the Louvre in the evening, figuring I would leave once it was dark outside… the sun didn’t set until 10:30 PM!
Whenever I would greet someone like a cashier or shopkeeper in Paris, I would say “Bonjour!” and get a “Bonjour!” reply, like you would in any French-speaking country. But when I would ask “ça va?” I would get some funny looks. Some people didn’t know what to say, like they were actually shocked to hear that I wanted to know how they are! You can’t just say hello to someone in Mali, you ask how they are, how their family is, did they sleep well or how was their day, etc.
I didn't notice this one until I got back to Mali... Africa Time. It took me a little while to get used to all the downtime again... in Mali, things run on West Africa International Time, aka WAIT.

It was a strange feeling getting off the plane in Bamako, returning to what most people would say is an exotic place, but a place that has become my home. I didn't hesitate to greet people in Bambara, search for a decent taxi from the chaotic arrivals area of the Bamako airport, and crack some superficial jokes with the taxi driver about eating beans that make you fart. Though it’s still really hot here, it’s good to be back. It was good to see my friends again and share some good Swiss chocolate with everyone.

Two days after I arrived back in Mali, I attended an engagement party in Bamako for a friend of mine, Laura (her blog is Oulesse-what?). I was honored to be a witness at the engagement ceremony. It was fun to attend a Malian party and know the people who were being celebrated, which is not usually the case for me. There was a great feast of lamb, fried rice, sweet potato and eggplant, and delicious marinated lamb kebabs. We also had chicken and fries for dinner. It was a delicious Malian meal and a great party that I won’t soon forget!

It is hard for me to realize that two weeks from now, I will have been in Mali for a full year. I’ve certainly had my share of highs and lows, achievements and frustrations. I was hoping the rains would be in full force when I returned, but it seems to be about the same as when I left… rain every few days to cool things off, but hot and humid on the days it doesn’t rain. The monsoon-like rains should be here in full force soon, which will be great to cool things off, but make it very difficult for me to leave Kenieba! I can’t wait for the landscape to become green again… it’s a spectacular sight that I definitely took for granted last year.

The new Peace Corps Trainees will arrive next week to begin their intensive cultural and language training, the same training I received last year. Some of the trainees may end up working in the Kayes region, maybe even down near Kenieba, so I am looking forward to meeting them when they come out for site visit in August. It’s also an exciting time for the second year volunteers as they are finishing their two year service and will be leaving, a few each week, over the next few months. As for me, it’s one year down, one to go!

Shea Butter Formation

2010-05-21T17:05:00.003Z

I was very busy during the last few weeks in Kenieba, preparing for, organizing and running a shea butter formation for thirty-six women that took place on May 12, 13 and 14. (Quick French lesson… training = formation, female trainer = formatrice). My funding proposal was approved in mid-April and the money arrived in my account soon after. When I returned to Kenieba at the beginning of May, I met with the women’s association who worked with me to host the formation. There was still a lot of work to do, from buying the materials that were needed at the training, to planning food and drink needs, and making sure the women would contribute some of the necessary supplies. When I mentioned to my friends around town that I was holding this formation, they suggested that I invite women from rural villages to come. That was logical because the shea trees (where shea nuts come from to turn into shea butter) are all out in rural areas, and women in Kenieba will not be as interested in making shea butter because they have other things to do in a big town. So I handwrote four invitations that were delivered to four villages around Kenieba.

All of the preparations seemed to be going smoothly, as the funds had arrived in my account 10 days before the formation was scheduled to begin and the women who were helping me prepare completed the things I had asked them to do. I should have been more suspicious when everything was going so well, because two days before the trainer was scheduled to leave Bamako to come here, I received a call that the formatrice would not be coming out to Kenieba for the formation. She needed to fill in for another trainer at a shea butter formation near Bamako. I was shocked to hear that only four days before the training was to begin, I wouldn’t have a trainer to run the training! A miscommunication resulted in the formatrice thinking that the dates of my training had not been set, so she thought she could hold the training a few weeks later. I had already bought most of the supplies and sent out invitations to four villages, and booked a flight to Europe the last week in May, so postponing the formation by a few weeks was out of the question.

After a stressful 24 hours of trying to decide if I should cancel the training, hold a “conference” where the women could at least come together and discuss their experiences with shea butter, or maybe try to run a basic training myself, I received a call that someone could still come out to Kenieba to hold the training, but the formation had to be pushed back by a few days to accommodate her. Though I was relieved that the training was going to happen, I frantically tried to get the message about the changed dates out to the women in the rural villages, hoping they wouldn’t have to sit around doing nothing for two days! In the end, four of the women did come early, but they didn't mind sitting around. I'm sure it was a nice break from their usual hard work at home.

Anyway, the formation went really well, much better than I expected. All of the sixteen women that I invited from rural villages made it. Unlike practically every meeting in Mali, the shea butter training started on time every day. Even on the first day, the mayor showed up at 8 AM, and gave some opening remarks. The women dressed up in their nicest clothes, and I was happy to see that they took this training seriously. I also donned some nice Malian shirts that a tailor friend made for me.

Some of the women were literate and could speak some French, but most of the women could only speak Bambara, and most couldn’t read or write. Each day, the trainer had all of the women sign in using their fingerprint. The training was held in Bambara, so I couldn’t understand everything that the trainer was explaining, but I could catch some words here or there. Sometimes I would ask the formatrice what she had gone over. But it was obviously more important that the women could understand the formatrice and learn from her.

The women respected the formatrice and listened intently to what she had to say. She split them up into two groups and had them write down the ways that they traditionally make shea butter. After comparing the groups’ steps, the formatrice explained that to make high quality shea butter that can be sold to bigger markets (and sold for more money), they need to make shea butter a different way. She wrote down the steps, explained them numerous times, and even had the women repeat the steps to make sure they remembered and understood them. She would call on someone and ask her to recite the whole process of making shea butter. I could tell some of the women were nervous about doing that. It was like being called out in class and the teacher asking you to recite something you just learned… not easy! Also, if she caught any of the women falling asleep, she would call on them and ask what she had just said, basically embarrassing them! There were men who came to observe the formation, and when some of them were falling asleep, she even asked them to leave! That’s not typical here either, a woman telling a man to do something. But the formatrice had some status as she was a professional trainer who came all the way from Bamako.

As the formation continued into the second and third day, I noticed that the women from both Kenieba and from the rural villages were really interested in this new process for making shea butter, and seemed motivated to actually use it in the next cultivating season. It inspired me to help them during the rest of my time here. If they become well organized and take the proper steps to form a cooperative, they could sell large quantities of pure shea butter to buyers in big markets, and generate income for themselves. Although there is a long way to go between the end of this training and the first sale of shea butter to an exporter, I think the women have the potential to make a lot of money doing this, if they are really motivated and interested in doing it. I’d like to help them form a cooperative, get each women’s association the supplies they need to make good shea butter, and help them find initial buyers.

It was great to see these women so interested in a new way to bring in money for their families. I plan to gather all of the women’s association presidents together when I am back in June so we can discuss the next steps. If they are still motivated, and want to put the hard work in to creating this high quality shea butter, I want to work to help these women improve their lives and find a new source of income, other than subsistence farming and dangerous gold mining. Forming and developing this women’s shea butter cooperative will likely become my primary project for the rest of my time here, and I’m excited to help them get started.

This One's For Future Mali PCVs

2010-04-28T23:30:00.000Z

It’s hard to believe that this time last year, I had just arrived back east from an awesome ski season in Park City, Utah, and received my invitation to join the Peace Corps in Mali that summer. One of the first things I did after receiving my invitation was discover the Peace Corps Journals web site. It is a cool insight into the lives of Peace Corps Volunteers already serving in Mali. I really enjoyed reading those blogs, realizing that I would be going through some of the same experiences. When I arrived at training in Mali in July, getting to meet those PCVs was like meeting celebrities! One of the reasons why I decided to start this blog and make it publicly accessible was to pay it forward: give Peace Corps Mali invitees the insight into my Peace Corps experience so far.

One of my biggest concerns in preparing to leave for Mali was how to stuff the next two years of my life into 80 pounds of luggage. Believe me, it isn’t easy, but an important thing to understand is that you can get pretty much everything you need here (some toiletries and electronics are the big exception), and you will adapt to a simpler lifestyle and get used to not having all the luxuries of home. Here is a list of things I brought that I couldn’t live without. It’s definitely not a complete list, and it’s in no particular order, but I hope it can help you decide what to bring:

Deodorant – you can only get spray deodorant here, not sticks, so bring a few and plan to have some sent over in the future
Exofficio underwear – Their slogan “17 countries. 6 weeks. And 1 pair of underwear” is completely true. Though I didn’t bring one pair of underwear, the few pairs I brought have been so nice to wear and really easy to clean. They are still in great shape 10 months in, and they are really comfortable. The best part is that Peace Corps invitees and volunteers get a big discount on Exofficio clothing directly from the company. Check out the Volunteer Discounts page on the Peace Corps Wiki for more information.
Power adapters, but not Power converters. Adapters are the little things that change the shape of a plug from American to European. Converters are big boxes that convert electricity from 220 to 120 volts. One person’s converter caught on fire in the Paris airport before we even got to Mali. Be sure to check the electric things you are bringing though to make sure they work with 220 volt power (one notable exception is hair clippers, bring a converter if you're bringing those), but any digital camera, laptop, and iPod charger will work here with just an adapter and without a power converter.
REI Bug Hut… I didn’t use it at first since it was rainy season when we arrived, but now that it’s hot and dry season I have been sleeping in mine each night for the past two months. It’s nice to have an easy to set up, durable, and portable mosquito net tent. They are kind of expensive though… some will be available here from PCVs that have finished their service and are looking to get rid of their stuff.
Pillow from home – This was one of the best things I brought with me, a nice down pillow. Get one of those Eagle Creek vacuum pack bags that sucks all the air out, and it will be easy to pack the pillow. Eagle Creek sells vacuum pack bags and other packing supplies, and you can get a discount from them too (see Peace Corps Wiki).
Hostel sheet – this is basically a regular bedsheet stitched together to make a lightweight sleeping bag. I’ve used this so many times, especially during the first two months when you’re travelling all the time between homestay and the training center.
A roll of duct tape – always comes in handy
Carabineer – cheap and you'll find a use for one here, I use mine to carry my Nalgene on my backpack
Headlamp, with extra batteries for it (especially if they’re AAA)
Nalgene bottle – don’t leave home without at least one of these
Fly swatter – people gave me a hard time about bringing one but personally, I like having something at quick reach to kill annoying insects. And it doesn’t take up any room in your bag.
Decent towel – I brought a big quick-drying travel towel that works great. It’s also hard to find a good towel here.
A good knife – not necessarily a leatherman, but a basic pocket knife would be helpful. In terms of kitchen supplies, bring a good kitchen knife too. You can get everything else here, and once you’re installed at your site, you either get to inherit the previous PCV’s kitchen tools (which I was fortunate enough to do), or buy what you can in the Malian market and have other little stuff sent over
Keen or Chaco open toe sandals –you will wear them all the time here. See Peace Corps Wiki for discount.
iPod, with some basic speakers – If you have an iPod, you would be crazy not to bring it with you to Mali. Mine has held up against all the elements (dust, dirt, heat, curious Malians) pretty well so far, and it is invaluable for all those long trips to and from my site. I was so happy I brought my iPod Touch with me, not only for the music but also for a quick way to check my e-mail when there is Wifi (like at the Peace Corps training center and regional houses), and also for all the cool games and other apps. It’s pretty cool that I can download the entire day’s issue of the New York Times and read it on my way back to site.
Laptop – this is a tough one, because you can definitely do without one here. I was really happy I brought mine. I am fortunate to be in a site with 12 hours of electricity each day, so I can use my laptop at site. But even if you end up in a site that doesn’t have electricity, you can leave your laptop locked up in your closest Peace Corps regional house, and use it for accessing the Internet, syncing your iPod, and getting work done. Most of the Peace Corps houses in Mali have wireless Internet access. And having your own laptop makes getting your activity reports and project proposals done here a ton easier. I wouldn’t go out and buy a new expensive laptop, because it will be ruined in the dust and the heat, but if you already have one, I’d recommend bringing it. Definitely bring some sort of a case or bag that will protect your laptop from the dust when you’re not using it.

I would be happy to answer any questions you have about getting ready to leave, life in Mali, etc. My e-mail address is wbudd3@gmail.com. Unfortunately I only have access to the Internet once a month, but I will respond when I’m back online. Good luck packing, enjoy the rest of your time in the US, and eat lots of cheese, ice cream, and other favorite foods!

Surviving the Hot Season, One Mango at a Time

2010-04-18T12:50:00.009Z

The hot season is in full force here in Mali, meaning the temperature reaches at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit every day. A friend of mine explained the weather here perfectly: it literally feels like you’re in a blow dryer. It's really hot, dry air. It is still cooling off at night, at least, so I am able to sleep comfortably in my bug hut (mosquito net tent) on the patio outside my house. Since the days are getting longer, I have been waking up earlier. It's nice to be up early though, so I can take advantage of the cooler weather in the morning before it gets uncomfortably hot!

I changed my daily routine a bit to avoid being out in the heat of the day. After breakfast, I ride my bike to the center of town, chat with various artisans, shop for produce in the market and run any other errands I might have to do. Then I head home in the late morning, take a bucket bath to cool off, and wait for my host family to call me over for lunch. After lunch, we all sit under their big tree and socialize while we make some tea. They showed me how to brew tea so I've been the tea maker recently. It is a long process of steeping the leaves, adding the right amount of sugar (though everyone has a different opinion on how much to add), and serving in little tea glasses. There are three rounds of tea, and each successive round is sweeter and not as strong. It is a pastime for Malians to brew and drink tea, often a few times a day. After lunch and tea, I spend the rest of the afternoon in my hammock, reading and taking a nap, and waiting for the sun to start setting. Then I'll take another bucket bath, and enjoy the breeze from my floor fan when the electricity kicks on at around 5 PM. The hot season has been difficult, but not unbearable. I have found ways to stay cool and keep myself distracted from thinking about the heat too much.

One positive thing about hot season is that it is also mango season. Literally millions of mangoes are ripening all over Mali, and everyone is enjoying the mango harvest. I have been invited to pick mangoes with my friends in Kenieba. It is a fun time, picking the low hanging fruits and trying to pick the mangoes high up in the trees. Each time I've come home with a ton of mangoes that I share with my host family. They are so sweet and juicy... I'm eating 2 or 3 mangoes a day. I'm a happy PCV :)

I have been planning a big project the past few weeks, a shea butter and soap training for 30 women in Kenieba the second week in May. My sitemate Jim and I submitted a proposal to Peace Corps, to pay for a trainer to come from Bamako and teach the women how to produce high quality shea butter, and also teach them how to make soap using shea butter and other locally available ingredients. Mali is one of the only countries in the world where shea trees grow, and shea butter is in high demand in cosmetic products all over the world. Unfortunately Mali has a reputation for making bad quality shea butter in the past, but one of the Peace Corps' big initiatives in Mali is to change that reputation and empower women with income generating activities, or IGAs. Once the international road is finished next year, the women in Kenieba will have the opportunity to sell their good quality shea butter to buyers in Bamako and Dakar. I have been planning this training for a while now, meeting with the women, searching for prices for the various supplies and materials and organizing the logistics for the trainer's trip out to Kenieba. There is still a lot of work to do, but hopefully the funding will come in time and it will all go well.

After the training, I am headed to France to visit friends, and then meeting my family in Switzerland. I am looking forward to a few weeks in the developed world, out of the extreme heat, and can’t wait for the adventures to come! The rainy season normally starts at the end of May, cooling things off and making the countryside green again. So by the time I am back from Europe in June, it should be more comfortable again in Mali!

Senegal Trip

2010-03-20T10:19:00.013Z

Sorry for the long gap between blog posts... I have actually been busy, meeting with artisans, attending a regional training in Kayes, and working on a funding proposal, amongst other things. More on that later, but first, my awesome trip to Senegal in February:

Last month, a big group of Peace Corps Volunteers from Mali took a 24 hour bus trip to Dakar, Senegal, to participate in the West African Invitational Softball Tournament, or WAIST. There were a lot of teams participating, including US Embassy workers, missionaries, high school students, and even a Senegalese team. They were in the "competitive" league; the Peace Corps teams from Senegal, The Gambia and Mali participated in the "social" league. We had a really fun time playing our games. I actually played pretty well, got a hit each time I was up, but my fielding was sub-par. It was fun to play softball with other Americans and feel "at home" again, if only for a weekend!

Dakar is a beautiful city, set on a peninsula right on the Atlantic coast. After being in Mali for 7 months, I felt like I was in a European city. Dakar is so much different from Bamako, the capital of Mali. It is much more developed and there is a lot more investment going into the infrastructure. In Bamako you're often walking down a road with open sewers, domesticated animals (like goats and sheep) roaming the streets, and no sidewalks! The neighborhood where we stayed in Dakar was the exact opposite, and it was right on the ocean, a nice bonus!

We also ate really well in Dakar. Not only were the concessions during the games good (hot dogs and pulled pork sandwiches!), but the dinners were out of this world (at least my world in Mali): steak with Roquefort sauce, thai food and tapas. It was so much better than rice and sauce! Not to mention the ice cream from N'Ice Cream in downtown Dakar, some of the best I've ever had. The three scoops of Strawberry Tiramisu, Ferrerro Rocher, and Passion Fruit ice cream were AMAZING. I happily took on the challenge of eating all of this ice cream in one sitting!

After the weekend of softball and fine dining in Dakar, some of us headed down the coast to a little beach town called Toubab Dialaw. We stayed at a cool hotel right on a cliff overlooking the ocean. I was lucky enough to be in the first cab to arrive at the hotel, and got to stay in a fun little house that opened up right on to the ocean. Check out the photos:

It was so nice to spend a few days here, relaxing on the beach, reading some books, hanging out with friends and enjoying the great weather. One morning we walked up the beach to a fishing community and helped the men pull in their catch. They dropped a huge net about 1000 feet into the ocean. They were happy to get our help pulling it in; it was a lot of work! It was fun to see what we caught... lots of sea snakes, an octopus, and a bunch of little fish and jellyfish were in the net. We also ate well in Toubab Dialaw; there was a great little creperie down the beach, and we got some delicious snacks at a little grocery store, like gruyere cheese with sausage and bread, green olives, and BBQ Pringles.

After our stint on the beach, I split off from my friends who headed back to Mali, and continued to the Kedougou region of Senegal to visit a friend of mine from high school who is a Peace Corps Volunteer there. He's the same friend who came to visit me in Kenieba in January. It was a great visit; we spent a night in his thatched hut and hiked out to a 300 foot tall waterfall. He has a huge host family of 20 people, most of whom are little kids. There's rarely a dull moment around his house! It was neat to visit a Peace Corps Volunteer working in a rural village, too. It is such a different environment than the one I am working in, a town of 15,000 people with cell phone service, electricity, and running water. I'm living in a six room concrete house with a tin roof and wooden ceilings. My friend's house is literally a one room hut, about 8 feet in diameter. He has to fetch his water from a well a few minutes away from his house. There's no electricity at night, just solar panels to charge his cell phone battery, and lanterns and head lamps to use at night. He does have cell phone service, but there are not many places left in the world that are out of range!

I also got to spend a couple days at the Peace Corps house in Kedougou, the regional capital, before going back to Kenieba. I got to meet the volunteers there and check out some of their projects. My friend has a radio show on the community radio station once a week, so I got to sit in on the show and introduce myself on the air. They played some American music and a recording they had made of the Princess Bride in Pulaar, the local language there. They even invited the community to call in and talk to them on the air! It was pretty impressive, and well received by the community. I also got to talk to a volunteer about a shea nut and peanut sheller machine that he helped build. It is pretty inexpensive and very efficient, so I think I might try it out with some associations I am working with in Mali.

The trip back to Kenieba was pretty easy, since Kedougou is only 150 kilometers away, and most of the trip is on a brand new paved road! The trip that I usually take to get back to Kenieba, from Kayes, the regional capital, is 250 kilometers away on a dirt road. So this made for a much better and more relaxing trip back. All in all, it was a great vacation, a real escape from work and life here in Mali. I have a good feeling I will be back to Senegal again in the future!

January Recap

2010-02-09T23:25:00.008Z

Another month has gone by, and with each progressive month, I am becoming more productive and more integrated in my community. I have been making it a habit to visit different artisans during the week, drinking tea with them and socializing. Sometimes the conversation turns to work, but most of the time we talk about lighter topics, typically cultural differences between Mali and the US. It has been great to build these relationships with the various artisans in town. This is definitely a good first step towards doing some beneficial projects together in the future.

The transport out of my site is difficult any time of the year. It took us 12 hours this time to travel 150 miles. Yep, an average of 12 miles an hour, crawling up a rough dirt road in an old rickety coach bus, stopping occasionally to repair flat tires and other mechanical issues. It's an exhausting trip. I got in on Monday and have been recovering, getting some work done and getting ready for a fun weekend in Dakar, Senegal. The West African Invitational Softball Tournament is held every President's Day weekend in Dakar, and Peace Corps Mali will be fielding three teams this year. I had an old baseball glove sent over, so hopefully I will get to play! There are fun events planned each night as well. Afterwards, I'm looking forward to some time on the beach and hanging out with friends before heading back to Kenieba. I'm also looking forward to escaping the heat that's creeping into Mali. It has been over 100 degrees here every day, and it's only getting warmer.

The Africa Cup ended a couple weeks ago, and unfortunately Mali had a pretty poor showing, despite that surprise comeback in the opening match against Angola. When Mali was still in the tournament, Kenieba was fired up on game days. I came across a little parade through the market one morning, with guys dressed up in funny big hats and flag capes, playing their drums and getting the crowd fired up for the game. There were little Mali flags hanging like banners across the main street, like we have at home on Fourth of July. It seems as if there is more national pride when the Mali national team is playing a big game than on their Independence Day! Unfortunately Mali did not play well in its other two games and was out of the tournament after the first round. But we continued to watch the Africa Cup until the final match at the end of January. The electricity in town would turn on an hour early, at 4 PM, so that people could watch the games. They definitely love soccer here!

At the end of January, a friend from high school came to visit. He is a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal and his site is not far from mine. It’s a funny coincidence to grow up in the same town in the states, and end up so close to each other in remote West Africa! It was fun to show him around Kenieba and learn about how his Peace Corps experience has been. It was also interesting to compare daily life in Mali and Senegal. For example, there are lots of warthogs and bushbuck (african deer) roaming around the Senegalese plains, but there are none in Mali as far as I've seen. It seems like most wild animals have been hunted out in Mali (including lions that used to roam through Kenieba years ago!). They are protected in national parks in Senegal, so they thrive there. Senegal also benefits from the tourism; since the animals are there, foreigners pay big money to go on a safari and see these animals in the wild. I am planning to visit my friend on my way back from Dakar, so I will get to see his site before he finishes his Peace Corps service this spring.

I’m off to pack and get ready for this big weekend in Dakar. Though I’m longing for winter and the snow at home, I’m looking forward to a fun weekend and relaxing on the beach for a few days.

Bonus Post!

2010-01-11T11:00:00.006Z

I'm still in Kayes... been here for almost a week now! My friend Jeremy and I waited 7 hours at the bus station last Thursday for a bus back to Kenieba, and never left. Jeremy wrote about the not-fun experience on his blog.

We made the best of our extra days in Kayes. We went to a reggae concert on Saturday night and watched Mali play Angola in the opening match of the Africa Cup soccer tournament last night. Mali staged an incredible comeback, down 4-0 with less than 15 minutes left, to tie Angola 4-4 by the end of the game. When Mali scored the fourth goal in the last minute of the game, all of Kayes (and I'm sure all of Mali!) erupted in loud cheers. Everyone was shocked by the huge comeback, and Malians were celebrating in the streets for hours after the game ended. One guy was doing cartwheels and flips! There's a good article from BBC News about the atmosphere in Angola on the night of the opening match.

Hopefully you won't be hearing from me again for a while, and I actually get back to Kenieba tonight!

Christmas Recap

2010-01-05T22:19:00.007Z

Happy New Year everyone! 2009 has been an incredible year, from skiing in Utah to moving to Mali and completing six months of Peace Corps service here. Although it has been a challenging year moving to one of the poorest countries in the world, I am fortunate to be working here with the support of my friends and family back home. 2010 is shaping up to be another exciting year; I am looking forward to starting some good projects and continuing to do good work here.

December has been a whirlwind month, and I am very ready to get back home to Kenieba. I've been away for 38 days, most of it for Peace Corps training but also enjoying the holidays with friends. I am anxious to get back and see my host family and other Malian friends, and stop living out of a backpack again!

Unfortunately I have some sad news to share... I checked in with the guy who has been watching my house, and he told me that my cat died, apparently of natural causes. Though I was not a cat person before coming to Mali, I enjoyed having Kalo as a pet. I'm definitely considering getting another cat, if the opportunity arises. I'm sure my house will feel different without Kalo around.

On a more positive note, I really fun time celebrating Christmas with a bunch of friends up in Dogon Country. We stayed with a Peace Corps volunteer, and both she and her work counterpart did an awesome job hosting us. We had a great time exploring her village, enjoyed an awesome Christmas feast, and completed an incredible three day hike.

The terrain there is actually pretty similar to Kenieba, a long chain of cliffs that dominate the landscape. The Dogons live on top of these huge cliffs, literally on top of the rock. There is not much dirt or arable land, so their houses are made out of the rocks. They are really impressive; the photos explain it much better. It is definitely not as green as Kenieba, as you are not far from the Sahara desert up there!

One drawback was that the region is a big tourist attraction and we were there in the height of the tourist season. The kids were pretty obnoxious, asking for a gift, candy, a pen, or our empty water bottles all the time! I must have heard "Monsieur, bouteille" at least a few hundred times, to the point where I thought my name was Mr. Bottle! The average tourist loves to give gifts to the kids, so they expect some from any white person who is walking through their town. That is something I am glad to not have to deal with in Kenieba. We are way off the tourist track down there!

Luckily we saw Dogon Country beyond the average tourist's perspective. The first few nights we stayed on the roof of the Peace Corps volunteer's house. It was an incredible experience to sleep under a blanket of stars and wake up to a beautiful sunrise each morning. The three day hike was probably the best hike I have ever done. We descended the cliffs and traversed across the plain through various villages, and worked our way back up the cliffs on the last day. The pictures explain it best. Here's the picture link: http://picasaweb.google.com/wbudd3/Christmas2009#

Back in Bamako and Off to Dogon

2009-12-18T11:43:00.000Z

So I have been back at Tubaniso the past two weeks for in-service training. It was hard at first to get used to full days of technical training sessions, especially after having so much free time at site. Overall though, the sessions have been interesting and I hope to try out some of the things I learned here during my service.

It has been neat to hear about my friends' experiences at site and their living situations. Some volunteers are working in rural villages that don't have electricity or a water pump, or even cell phone coverage (imagine that!). Once the sun goes down, you just have a lantern to cook your dinner or do anything else. On the other hand, most volunteers have much easier access to their regional capitals and can meet up with other PCVs. I've mentioned here before how Kenieba is so isolated... it's tough to leave more than once a month because the trip is so long. But I think that's a good thing, as I will be more integrated and hopefully more productive since I'll be at site more often.

We had a big Christmas party last night, and it was great to celebrate with everyone and get in the holiday spirit. Most of the Malian work counterparts are here for training too, so they got to witness an American Christmas celebration. We made some great decorations... paper snowflakes, candy canes, Santa and a Christmas tree. The kitchen staff made a great meal for us. We had popcorn and hot chocolate afterwards, thanks to a generous PCV who got a ginormous can of Swiss Miss in a care package. After a huge Secret Santa gift exchange (I got a Snickers bar!), we watched Home Alone on the projector screen. Some of the Malian counterparts stuck around for the movie, and it was interesting to see how they reacted. They got a kick out of how slippery ice is, and how you can see your footprints in the snow!

In general, Malians learn a lot about other cultures from the TV shows and movies that end up on TV here. Some people, especially those who didn't finish school, think that everything they see on TV is reality. I've watched episodes of 24, CSI, even Knight Rider (that 80's show with David Hasselhof and the talking car). Unfortunately, pro wrestling even made it across the ocean. It's interesting to see how glued they are to the TV. I speak up when there's something that obviously isn't real.

I will be celebrating Christmas with a bunch of friends in Dogon country, a region in central Mali that is home to the Dogon people. After Christmas, we are going on a three day hike on the cliffs to tour some of the villages. Should be a great trip!

I hope everybody has a safe and merry Christmas! Miss you!

Day Trip en Brousse

2009-12-05T11:34:00.002Z

Matt and I were invited to visit a village near Kenieba for the day. We toured a fruit farm and got to see the rice harvest in action. It was a fun day! I uploaded an album to Picasa and put captions on all the photos. The link is: http://picasaweb.google.com/wbudd3/DayTripEnBrousse

Money Issues

2009-12-04T15:30:00.001Z

First, a primer on the currency used in Mali: the CFA Franc. The exchange rate is about 450 CFA to the US dollar. It comes in denominations of 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200, 250, 500 CFA coins, and 1000, 2000, 5000 and 10000 CFA bills.

I have been able to live comfortably here on a Peace Corps salary, which isn't much compared to home. The cost of living is much cheaper, especially for food. For example, the baguette I buy in the morning for breakfast costs 100 CFA, or about 20 US cents. Sometimes I will buy a brochette, which is a meat sandwich with tomatoes, onions and a delicious sauce, as a mid-morning snack. It costs 250 CFA, or 50 cents. There are street food vendors at dinnertime, selling things like beans, macaroni, salad and meat. You say how much you want of each item, like 200 CFA of macaroni, 200 CFA of meat and 100 CFA of salad (or, in Bambara, "macaroni bi naani, ni sogo bi naani, ni salati mugan"... more on this later). This is plenty of food for me for dinner, and it adds up to a little more than 1 US dollar.

Before I have money to spend, I have to get it out of the bank. Some Peace Corps Volunteers in small villages have to travel to their banking town to get money. But there is conveniently a bank branch in Kenieba, about half a mile from my house. Though the bank is so close to my house, withdrawing money is a chore. First I have to see the bank manager in his office and show him my bank card (a piece of paper with my name and account number) and Peace Corps ID. He then tells me my account balance and asks how much I would like to take out. Then he writes out a check which I have to sign in three places, and hands it to the cashier. After a few minutes, the cashier calls my name and I go to retrieve my money. This is where the fun begins.

I have learned to withdraw an amount like 84,000 CFA. The cashier hands me five 10000 CFA and six 5000 CFA bills, and two 2000 CFA bills. It is impossible to pay for things with these huge bills, so I ask for more smaller bills. He says he can’t give me any more. I get into a little argument, explaining that it is impossible to use 10000 and 5000 bills in the market, nobody has change for them! Sometimes he will reluctantly give me more 2000 CFA bills, but more often than not, I am stuck with a bunch of 10000 CFA and 5000 CFA bills.

When it comes to buying food in the market, from the street food vendors, and other small items at the little butiki shops, there is no way they will take those big bills! There are few shops in town that can make change for a 5000 CFA bill, but you have to buy at least 1000 CFA worth of stuff. The market sellers rarely have change, even if you want something that costs 100 CFA and you have a 500 CFA coin. So you have to come armed with small coins or buy 500 CFA worth of goods.

Even a modern supermarket (just like a supermarket in France or the US) in Bamako doesn’t always have change… one time the cashier wanted to give me some little candies instead of the 50 CFA I was owed in change!

I have some big expenses each month (like paying rent) and can use some of the big bills, but sometimes I end up buying things I don’t really need just to get change that I can use. Oddly enough, it turns out that a reliable place to get change for big bills is at the bars in town. A bottle of beer costs a whopping 500 CFA (yep, one dollar), so they usually have change for the big bills. Go figure!

So it’s a big adventure trying to get small denominations of CFA. It is almost like the smaller denomination coins are worth more than the big bills, just because you can buy so much more with them!

Also, forget about using a credit card outside of the big hotels and tourist traps in the big cities like Kayes and Bamako. All transactions are cash only. When Matt tried to pay for our USB modems at the Orange store in Kayes with a credit card, they couldn't accept it. Orange is one of the major cell phone companies here in Mali, and we bought them in a western-style office, complete with computers at every desk. But nope, we had to pay in cash. Imagine paying for a big expense, like a motorcycle, with a huge wad of cash! But that’s the norm here.

Beyond this whole change issue, they use a weird number system when naming the price of a product. For example, when I ask how much a kilogram of potatoes costs, the seller will say “kemé”. Kemé means 100 in Bambara. The actual price is 500 CFA. So you have to multiply the number they tell you by 5 to get the price of the product. But that’s an easy one… I bought some Obama fabric the other day for 1350 CFA, or “kemé fila ni bi wolonfila”, which translated literally means 270. This makes for some very confusing market shopping. It is hard enough trying to figure out how much something costs, then trying to bargain for a better price! At this point, I’ve started to call the different denominations by their Malian names instead of how much they are actually worth. For example, a 1000 CFA bill is a kemé fila. Kemé fila literally means, (doing the math?), 200. So it’s getting easier to skip all the conversions and translations in my head when I'm buying things.

As much as I have complained about the money, it is nice to use a currency that is fixed to the euro and guaranteed by the French treasury (according to the Rough Guide). So it is not subject to high inflation like other African currencies, namely Zimbabwe’s two hundred million percent inflation. And at the current exchange rate, more than $1.50 for 1 euro the last time I checked, it is nice getting paid in CFA! Another good thing about this currency is that it is used in most francophone West African countries, including neighboring Senegal and Burkina Faso, two countries that I would like to visit on vacation someday. It’s like using the euro around Europe!

Kalo

2009-12-02T14:02:00.003Z

I inherited a cat when I moved into my house. His name is Kalo, which means moon in Bambara. The PCV who used to live in my house originally had two cats, Kalo and Tile (moon and sun). Tile never came back one night (before I moved here), so now it’s just Kalo. She got them only about a year ago when they were kittens, so Kalo is a young cat. I hope that explains some of his antics…

I have never had a cat as a pet before so I didn’t know what to expect. As far as I could tell, at first this cat was a royal pain in the ass. He used to meow incessantly to get what he wanted (and still does from time to time). He was not happy when I fixed the screen on the door so he couldn’t go outside and come back inside whenever he wanted. So the first few nights, in the middle of the night, he would meow and meow and meow until I got out of bed and let him out or in. Sometimes it would happen multiple times in one night! I got pretty fed up with this, to say the least, and gave Kalo some “Malian feedback”, essentially a good whack, so he would learn. He’s much better now, and won't bother me until I get up in the morning.

The old PCV used to give Kalo real cat food to eat, but you can only get this in Bamako. I haven't been to Bamako since pre-service training and didn’t bring cat food with me before moving out here. So he has been eating what I eat every day for lunch, usually white rice and sauce. Sometimes he likes it, but sometimes he doesn’t, and just won’t eat. If he is still hungry, he lets me know! Cue the incessant meowing.

But things are better now; he understands that rice and sauce is what he’s going to get, more often than not. It has taken a while, but we have warmed up to each other. He comes and cuddles on me if I’m lying in bed. If anything, it is great to have a cat around to keep the (other) pests out!

Tabaski

2009-12-01T21:07:00.003Z

Made it to Kayes today after a long, uncomfortable bus ride from Kenieba. It's hard to put into words how unpleasant the trip was, but basically we were crammed in there. There were 7 people to a row, (6 small seats and someone standing or sitting on a water jug in the aisle) all bouncing around as the bus crawled down the dirt road. Needless to say, I'm relieved to be here and enjoying all the room to stretch out!

Anyway, here's the first entry, about the big holiday last weekend.

Tabaski is one of the biggest holidays in Mali. The tradition is for each family to sacrifice a goat and enjoy a big feast. There was a lot of preparation leading up to the big fête… the elementary schools had Thursday and Friday off. Women were getting their hair done a few days before. Friday, the day before Tabaski, was like a huge shopping spree. Matt and Jim had to take out money at the bank, and they said the scene reminded them of a commodities trading floor in the US, people pushing into the office to take out money for the holiday. The market was packed… hundreds of people buying their supplies for the big feast. I bought 2 kilograms of potatoes for my host family as a gift for the fête.

I woke up on Saturday morning, the day of the big feast, to the sound of roosters, motos speeding down my road, and sheep baa-ing. When I was leaving my concession to buy some bread for breakfast, I told my host dad that I was surprised to see the sheep had not been sacrificed yet. He explained that they first go to a big prayer session (I found out later that over 2,000 people were there), and when they get back, it's time to sacrifice the sheep.

So I got ready for the big day, and walked next door to get a front row seat for the butchering of the sheep. I can’t say I have witnessed something like this before, but it was less gruesome than I thought it would be (I conveniently missed the actual slaying). My host dad did a good job taking the insides out and cutting out the good stuff for us to cook and eat. At around noon we ate an awesome meal of tender meat, fried potatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, onions, and a delicious mustard/vinegar/oil sauce to top it all off. It was really good.

I figured that this meal was our lunch for the day, so I asked if I could bring some of the leftover food back for Kalo, since that’s what I usually do after lunch every day. My host mom, Fanta, gave me a strange look and reluctantly put some in a bowl for the cat. Little did I know, “lunch” would be coming at 3 PM! Go figure. It was another delicious meal of meat and bashi, a couscous like food made from corn.

Like at the end of Ramadan, kids from the neighborhood came around to wish my host family and me a happy Tabaski and that I will have as prosperous a celebration next year. Lots of family friends came by as well to say hello and say the various benedictions.

Late in the day, as the sun was setting, I went around the neighborhood and took photos of my host family and my neighbors. They were all really excited about it, as they had their best clothes on for the big fête. All in all, a fun day!

I put up a photo album from the holiday... be warned though, the first few pictures are of the sheep getting cut up, so if you want to skip that, click the first link:
Tabaski 2009 Photo Album (without butchering)
Tabaski 2009 Photo Album (with butchering)

I also put up more photos from a big hike that Matt and I went on in November.

Picture Post - Halloween Hike

2009-11-21T18:38:00.003Z

I uploaded some photos from a hike that Matt and I took on Halloween. We visited a village on top of the cliffs. Here is the link: http://picasaweb.google.com/wbudd3/HalloweenHikeEtc#

More photos and blog posts to come, in a couple weeks!

The Seasons are Changing

2009-11-21T17:52:00.004Z

It has been a busy month in Kenieba. My landlord hired a painter to come and paint all of the walls in my house, inside and out. He finished a few days ago. The house looks really good, and since I had to move all the furniture around, it feels kind of like I moved into a new house! I have also been meeting with more artisans and other Malians who have ideas for community projects.

The rainy season ended in October (we haven’t had any significant rain in a few weeks), and the “cold season” has begun. It is still hot in the middle of the day, but at night the temperature drops into the 60s. Most Malians don their heaviest clothes when the sun sets… big winter jackets, wool sweaters and big hats. I thought about taking out the one sweatshirt I brought from home, but it has been so nice to bask in the cool weather! Admittedly, even I have felt chilly when I am outside at night, but the inside of my house stays warm after baking in the sun all day. It has been great sleeping weather!

This time of the year is also "burn your trash" season. Every family has been burning their trash. I have been reluctant to ignite my trash pile, but someone comes and takes my trash every once in a while so it is probably just burned with someone else’s trash. There have also been brush fires on the outskirts of town. I'm not sure if the brush fires were set on purpose or if a trash fire spread to the brush, but all of this burning has caused a big haze to set in over Kenieba. Also, since all the roads are dirt, the dust has really picked up. My host mom told me to close all the windows because otherwise everything will be covered in dust. So, the smoke and dust has been something to deal with as the dry season sets in.

Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Mali, but an important Muslim holiday, Tabaski, happens to fall on the Saturday after Thanksgiving this year. Since the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, Islamic holidays fall on a different day every year. The tradition here in Mali is to sacrifice a sheep and prepare a big feast for the holiday. It should be a fun day!

Matt, Jim and I are at one of the big gold mines this evening, getting our Internet fix and hanging out with some of the workers. It's a nice facility up here... I'm freezing right now in the air conditioning! Fortunately, since the mine isn't too far from Kenieba, I will be able to update this blog more often than I have been the past few months.

We are heading up to Kayes the first week in December and then on to Bamako for a Peace Corps training session. So I will be in Kenieba for Thanksgiving. Happy Turkey Day to everyone back home!

Back to Site

2009-10-22T09:30:00.001Z

I uploaded the second batch of photos to Picasa, from my classroom visit on the first day of school and my second hike on top of the cliffs. This time, instead of writing the stories behind the photos in a blog post, I typed them into the captions under the photos. Here's the link.

Also, I added a new box to the right side of the blog called Twitter Updates. I found out from another PCV that you can "tweet" from your cell phone here... meaning I can send short text messages and they will be posted to my Twitter account. Since I don't have Internet access in Kenieba, I thought that sending an occasional Twitter update would be a fun and easy way to update the blog. I am not yet sure if it will work, or if I will have anything interesting to tweet about, but I figured it would be a good experiment.

It has been a good week in Kayes, but I am looking forward to getting back to Kenieba. The next time I plan to be back here will be the week of Thanksgiving... I can't believe it's only a month away!

Picture Post – First Hike, End of Ramadan Fête, Dance Party

2009-10-14T11:15:00.002Z

I just uploaded the first batch of photos. Before I share the link, here are the stories behind the photos:

The First Hike: I talked about it in yesterday’s post… before she left, a former PCV who served in Kenieba guided us on a hike up the escarpment to the top of the ridge. It was a beautiful hike; enjoy the photos!

End of Ramadan Fête: The end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, is a big holiday in Mali. Families gather together to celebrate with a big feast, kind of like our Thanksgiving. People were preparing for “fête day” at least a few days ahead of time, getting their hair done, having nice clothes made, and slaughtering goats and preparing other food for the big day. Since there was so much preparation for this big day, I had pretty high expectations for the big feast.

Hakim invited me to spend the afternoon with his family, so one of his sons picked me up and we walked to his house. It was a subdued atmosphere when I arrived, just lots of people around the concession still preparing for the fête. So much for a day-long party! The women were still doing each other’s hair, and most of the family members were not dressed up yet. I came over in my Malian complet, a collared shirt and matching pants, and ironically I felt pretty out of place! Hakim and I ate lunch, nothing extraordinary, and then we just lounged around as the women prepared for the feast. The food they were making looked really good, so I thought maybe it would be served for dinner. Since Hakim wasn't doing much of anything and I was getting pretty bored, I asked if I could take photos of the kids. They were really excited to see their photos on my camera. As you’ll see, some of the kids were in nice outfits!

Once the kids were dressed, they went out to greet other families in the neighborhood. Hakim explained to me that they give blessings for a good fête and that they will have as plentiful of a fête again next year. It was fun to see the kids come by all dressed up and recite their blessings. The other “event” of the afternoon was the griots. Griots are essentially Malian storytellers who walk from house to house, giving lots of blessings and telling stories about how great your ancestors were. Each last name has a different family tradition and story, for example the Samakés were traditionally hunters so the stories are about the great hunts. Then they expect to be paid at the end. We were told during our cross-cultural training that in general, Malians love the griots and are happy to pay the griots a considerable amount. Then the griots leave and do the same thing at the next family. I had seen griots before at the weddings I went to in Baguineda, but I didn’t know they also come around during holidays. Quite a way to make a living!

I spent about 3 hours at Hakim’s house, and the party never really started, as far as I could tell. There were no signs that it would start anytime soon, so I headed home and told them I would come by for dinner at the usual time, 7 PM. Since the women were cooking a lot of food in the afternoon, I was ready to eat a big dinner. Well, I arrived back at Hakim’s house, and everyone is huddled around the TV watching a Malian soccer team play a Nigerian team. At halftime, we sat around the bowl and get ready to eat what I figured would be some amazing food… and it turns out to be spaghetti and pieces of meat. Though it was better than the average Malian dinner, this was the only course we ate. So much for all that food the women were making all day! I’m not sure if I had missed something, but something must have been lost in translation. Oh well, at least it was the end of Ramadan; everyone would be in happier spirits from then on, since they were not fasting all day anymore! The Malians lost the soccer game, by the way.

Dance Party: Jim and I were sitting in my house one afternoon, and all of a sudden we hear a really loud siren, and all these sounds that in the US you would associate with an emergency, an air raid, like the world is coming to an end. Well here, apparently those noises mean that the DJ has just set up his system right outside your house and is preparing for a huge dance party. Literally, he had set up the speakers and dance venue at the intersection right outside my house. Jim and I peeked our heads out the window, and there was not much of anything happening, except for really loud Malian dance music and some energetic kids dancing in the street. A few hours later, at least 100 people were crowded around the dance venue, having a good time. You could imagine that it was pretty loud in my house… there’s nothing I could do about it, so we played some games with the kids and kept ourselves busy. When I went out to take pictures of the party, someone grabbed my hand and tried to pull me out onto the dance floor. I said “kofé!”, later! With the hopes that she might just forget… well she definitely did not.

After dinner, we were in the playing cards with some of the kids in the neighborhood. The same girl came up to my door and pretty much forced me to come out and dance. So I went… I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous… I said in the best Bambara and French I knew that there better be a lot of people dancing out there with me! Well there were 8 other women and me dancing in a sort of line dance, kind of like how it looks in the photos. As soon as I got out there, of course people were laughing at the white person trying to dance… but I just went with it, and by the end of the song was having a good time. But I can’t say I would volunteer to do that again! Surprisingly, the party ended around midnight (I had heard these dance parties can go until 2 in the morning), so I could still get a decent night’s sleep. I asked my host family the next day how often these parties happen, and they said twice a year… this one was to celebrate the end of “summer vacation” as school was starting up the next week. The next one is in November or December. As long as they are only twice a year, I can put up with a really loud dance party and maybe even join in the fun right outside my door!

Photos are up at: http://picasaweb.google.com/wbudd3/FirstMonthAtSite#

First Month at Site

2009-10-13T12:00:00.001Z

Overall, it was a good first month at site. I am happy to finally be settled in, and have all of my things unpacked for the first time since I arrived in Mali. It has been fun to explore my new home and start to have a daily routine.

Some highlights from the past month:

A PCV who worked in Kenieba for two years finished her service and moved back to the US at the end of September. We overlapped in Kenieba for about a week, and she was really helpful in getting us oriented. We met with two community groups that she had been working with, a women’s gardening association and chicken raising group. It’s great to have the opportunity to continue working with these groups, as both projects will hopefully become income generating activities.

I arranged a “meal plan” to eat lunch every day with my host family next door. For dinner, I eat four nights a week with my counterpart’s family. My counterpart, Hakim, is a metalworker and a member of the artisans union I will eventually be working with. It has been fun getting to know both families and comparing family life in Kenieba to my first Malian host family in Baguineda. One big difference is having electricity at night; Hakim has a TV and satellite dish, so we watch European football matches and news from the French stations TV5 and France 24. Like my first host family, Hakim has a complex family structure. Some of his brothers have died, and their widows and kids live with Hakim’s family. He and his older brother, whose family also lives in the concession, support the entire family. It makes for a lot going on around the house!

I had another case of dysentery (aka bad diarrhea) in September… bacterial this time, so it was less severe but lasted longer than the amoebas that were wreaking havoc in my intestines in July. I also had a fever for two nights from the dysentery, which was not fun. Since then, things have checked out all right in the health department! I’m hoping it will stay that way for a while…

Some of the best days were spent exploring the area around Kenieba. It is a beautiful region of Mali, very lush and green (especially now, at the end of the rainy season) with a chain of cliffs (escarpments) to the south and east of town. We were guided on a path up one of the escarpments to a village on the top of the ridge, with a beautiful view of the valley. Matt and I have done some more exploring since, and found more great walking paths and small villages “en brousse” (in the bush). We also did a good amount of biking, and made it to the Faleme River which separates Mali and Senegal.

We are in Kayes for about a week to regroup and reconnect. I plan to post a few blog entries while we’re here, so stay tuned for more. Photos are coming soon too!

All Sworn In, and Off to Site!

2009-09-13T22:16:00.009Z

The past week has certainly been a whirlwind... from taking the final language test on Monday to leaving for site this morning. I am very happy to say that I am officially a Peace Corps Volunteer! There was a really nice swearing-in ceremony on Thursday morning at the US Embassy in Bamako. The Peace Corps Mali Country Director, US Ambassador to Mali, and Malian government representative all had nice things to say about what we have accomplished thus far and gave us their best wishes for our Peace Corps service.

After the ceremony, we had our pictures taken at the Embassy and then headed to the American Club for an awesome lunch buffet. We stayed in Bamako for the evening, had a great dinner at the hotel we stayed at, and celebrated through the night. We certainly had reason to celebrate; after nine hard weeks of training to get to this point, we could finally could call ourselves Peace Corps Volunteers! It felt a lot like college graduation, the end of something great but the start of something even greater.

Essentially, our mission as Peace Corps Volunteers is to fulfill three goals, as outlined by Congress in the Peace Corps Act of 1961. The three goals are:

Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans. (http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=Learn.whatispc.mission)

As much as we want to do things the "American way", giving our Malian counterparts as much training and opportunities for development as we can, we have to work slowly. Although we will encourage positive change, it must come from within so that the projects we work on are sustainable even after we leave Mali. At the very least, we will be engaged in small diplomacy, constantly learning about the Malian way of life and sharing a little piece of America with our new communities. And partly through this blog, I hope to accomplish the third goal.

Right now I am in Kayes at the Peace Corps stage house, getting ready to move out to Kenieba. The first three months at site will be focused on integrating in my community, continuing to study Bambara and Malinke (the Bambara dialect that is spoken in Kenieba) and asking lots of questions to learn about what resources they have and what they need.

Unfortunately Internet access is limited in Kenieba so it will be difficult to update this blog from there, but I hope to add an entry at least once a month. Inch'Allah (God willing), I will have some sort of Internet access in Kenieba. So please continue to comment on the blog and send me e-mail updates from home, I love to read them!

End of Homestay & Ramadan

2009-09-06T14:51:00.006Z

My pre-service training is quickly coming to an end. In four days, I will be sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer! We packed up our things and said goodbye to our host families this morning. It was an emotional goodbye... they really enjoyed hosting me and I felt like I was a member of their family. I hope to visit them again during my service. We are back at Tubaniso for the week and have a packed schedule... we head out to our sites to begin our service next weekend!

There was a farewell ceremony with the community yesterday morning. Because it is Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, there was no music and entertainment like we had for the welcoming ceremony. Different representatives of the village gave speeches, and they were very poignant. They said things like: don't forget us... remember your time here... now that you have lived here, keep us in mind for future development projects... we would love to host Peace Corps volunteers again... we were worried that you wouldn't like eating our food or living like us, but we were really happy that you became members of our families... you are welcome back in our community anytime.

I meant to share this link before I left for homestay but didn't get a chance. The Big Picture is a fascinating blog from the Boston Globe, a photo essay on different news-related subjects. There was one about Ramadan around the world: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/08/ramadan_2009.html. It starts with a great description of Ramadan:

In Muslim nations and regions around the globe, this is the first week of the holy month of Ramadan, a time for followers to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual activity during the day, breaking their fast each sunset, with traditional meals and sweets. During this time, Muslims are also encouraged to read the entire Quran, to give freely to those in need, and strengthen their ties to God through prayer. The goal of the fast is to teach humility, patience and sacrifice, and to ask forgiveness, practice self-restraint, and pray for guidance in the future. This year, Ramadan will continue until Saturday, September 19th.

We returned to homestay during the first week of Ramadan. My host family is participating, but they understood that I would not be fasting and my host mom had lunch ready for me every day. I felt guilty having her cook food for me when she couldn't eat all day! People who are sick, the elderly, kids and pregnant women do not fast either, so it wasn't so bad. My host family asked me if I wanted to fast. I told them that if I didn't have any food or water all day long, I would pass out! I also figured that if I fasted, all I would think about is how hungry and thirsty I was, and wouldn't be able to study any Bambara!

As soon as the sun set, my host family would eat some sweetened porridge to break their fast. Then my host brother went to the mosque to pray, except when it rained really hard and the ground was uneven. Since there are many more people praying during the holy month, they have to pray outside the mosque.

Ramadan ends during our first weekend at site. Families get together and put on a big feast to celebrate the end of the month of fasting. Definitely something to look forward to!

Photos are up from the last couple of weeks: http://picasaweb.google.com/wbudd3/Homestay3#

Shea Butter Field Trip

2009-08-26T21:32:00.004Z

We went on a field trip today to a women's cooperative that makes shea butter. I uploaded some photos to Picasa, the link is: http://picasaweb.google.com/wbudd3/SheaButterFieldTrip#

There is a big effort in Peace Corps Mali to help women improve the quality of the shea butter they produce so that they can earn more money from their labor, and so that more Malian shea butter can be exported.

If you're interested, here are two more links about shea butter in Mali.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7ktkxQuCjI - a Peace Corps Volunteer produced this video
http://www.maisondukarite.org/eindex.html - the web site of the women's association we visited. The English translation is pretty bad, but you can get the gist of what they're saying.

Our last stint at homestay starts tomorrow. It is hard to believe that pre-service training is almost over... only three weeks left until swear-in!

Site Visit Photos

2009-08-24T19:33:00.005Z

I was pretty tired all day today, still recovering from the long trip to and from Kenieba. I tallied up all the travel... the round trip took more than 32 hours. Too much travel in one week! Tonight's dinner made up for a tiring day... the kitchen staff at Tubaniso cooked up some tacos with cheese, guacamole, beans, ground beef, lettuce and tomatoes. It was awesome.

Photos are up from site visit...
picasaweb.google.com/wbudd3/SiteVisit and picasaweb.google.com/wbudd3/Kayes

My new address in Kenieba is listed in the right column. Any mail that is sent from now on should be sent to Kenieba. I will still get mail at Bamako, but not for a few months.

Thanks for all your comments and e-mails, it's great to hear that you enjoy reading the blog and hearing news from home.

Women's Rights in the Developing World

2009-08-23T10:19:00.005Z

I haven't thrown many opinions into the blog yet, but I think this issue needs a lot more attention. It is incredible to think that millions of women are still treated so poorly in the developing world. On the bus ride to Bamako yesterday, I read a fascinating article by Nick Kristof called The Women's Crusade. It's a lengthy article, but I encourage you to read it.

The Women's Crusade - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/magazine/23Women-t.html?pagewanted=all

In Mali, women are second-class citizens, working hard to support their families with little to no recognition for their work. I found out from a BBC article today that the Malian government recently passed a law that gives women equal rights in marriage. Unfortunately though, the BBC reported that tens of thousands of Malians are protesting the new law in Bamako. Considering that the majority of Malian women are illiterate, most will never know about their new rights.

Mali protest against women's law - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8216568.stm

That is one advantage of the Peace Corps' development approach; since we are speaking the local language and working in the same village for two years, we become respected members of the community. We can cross the social divide and talk directly with women to understand their concerns. I'm not sure what my role will be here yet, but I would like to help wherever possible in community development, and the key to success lies in helping women.

Site Visit, Part 2 - Kenieba

2009-08-22T20:30:00.003Z

Kenieba is a town of about 20,000 people in far western Mali, close to the borders of Senegal and Guinea. It is difficult to travel there overland, as the main road from Kayes is all dirt. The trip from Kayes to Kenieba, about 250 km/150 miles, took us almost 7 hours in a Land Cruiser. The road is even worse in rainy season; we had to drive through huge puddles and cross some streams. The drive down is really pretty though... rolling hills, lush vegetation, and escarpments that rise hundreds of feet up and continue all the way to Kenieba. I'm excited to explore the surrounding area on my mountain bike and hike to the top of the escarpments.

The major commercial activity in Kenieba is gold mining, and the biggest mine is owned by a South African company. A large part of the labor force in Kenieba is employed by the gold mine. There is also traditional mining done on the hillsides, and there is a gold rush mentality in town. People are less focused on the subsistence agriculture that dominates the economy in other parts of Mali, because they can earn a lot of money from the gold they find.

So this presents a unique situation for development work in Kenieba, as people can earn money and support their families just from the income from gold. But there is always room for community development, especially in capacity building. A Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) who has been working in Kenieba for two years, Vanessa, hosted us for the few days we were there. She has worked on many projects in Kenieba, including HIV/AIDS education, a tree nursery, chicken raising, and a community garden. I will be moving into her house in September.

Because it takes two full days to travel to Kenieba, we only had a few days at site before we had to turn around and head back to Bamako. I did not have time to meet with the artisans, but I did meet my Malian counterpart and had dinner with his family. He works with metal to make things like tin roofs and doors. We didn't have much time to talk business, but I told him I want to meet with each of the artisan associations in Kenieba when I return in September.

Even though Kenieba is so difficult to get to, there are lots of amenities here. There are 15 hours of electricity each day, strong cell phone service, a big market, a post office, a bank, and lots of shops and street food. There are no Internet cafes in town, but you can get a USB key that gives basic Internet access through the cell phone system here.

Overall, I really like Kenieba and see myself working on many different projects. It is a beautiful region of Mali, and it will be fun to explore the surrounding area. The bad condition of the road and distance from Bamako worries me, but having these amenities and three PCVs close by will make it a lot easier.

Site Visit, Part 1 - Kayes

2009-08-21T13:11:00.004Z

I'm blogging from the Peace Corps house in Kayes, the regional capital in western Mali. Kayes was the French colonial capital in the late 19th Century, and it remains an important commercial center. It is on the main route from Bamako to Dakar, the capitals of Mali and Senegal. The bridge is out across the Senegal River, so there are trucks on both sides of the main road for miles waiting for a ferry to cross the river. Kayes is also the halfway point from Bamako to Kenieba, as it takes a full day to travel from Bamako to Kayes and from Kayes to Kenieba. So Kayes will be my closest major city, and the Peace Corps house will be a place to come to meet other volunteers from the region and take a break from work.

The road from Bamako to Kayes is in great shape, paved and pothole-free almost the entire way. Eight of us made the trip here in a Peace Corps car last Sunday... it was a little cramped but the smooth road made for a comfortable trip. After driving ten hours to get to Kayes, we had to wait another two hours for a ferry to take us across the river. A Peace Corps volunteer, Andrew, welcomed us to the Peace Corps house. He cooked up a great Mexican meal, complete with steak, veggies, rice, beans, and soft tacos. The perfect ending to a long travel day!

The Peace Corps house in Kayes is really nice... it has a full kitchen, a few bedrooms, a TV and DVD player with a ton of movies, a library, and a computer with high-speed internet. The bathrooms have flush toilets and showers! It will be nice to come up here every few months for a mini-vacation.

We are back in Kayes now after four days in Kenieba. We will be venturing out soon to explore the city and get our bus tickets for the trip back to Bamako tomorrow morning. More on Kenieba in the next blog post!

Site Assignment!

2009-08-14T20:45:00.005Z

It has been a very busy week here at Tubaniso, as we have been preparing for our site visit next week. The site announcements were really fun. They called out our assignments by region and put a post-it note with our name on the big map of Mali. It was cool to see where we will all be, spread out across Mali from Kayes to Mopti!

I will be working in Kenieba (pronounced kenya-bah), a circle capital (the equivalent of the biggest town in a county in the US) in the Kayes region of Mali (Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kéniéba). It is one of the furthest Peace Corps sites from Bamako, the capital. It will take us two days to get there! We will have to stay overnight at the Peace Corps transit house in Kayes. I was worried at first about how remote Kenieba is, but two trainees in the environment and education sectors are moving up there with me, and an environment volunteer has lived there for two years and will be there for a third year. I'm looking forward to working with them on secondary projects.

My primary project will be to work with an artisan's union to build their business capacities. The union is composed of different trade associations, including tailors, carpenters, auto and bike mechanics, radio technicians, welders, and blacksmiths. The union requested a SED Peace Corps volunteer to work with them for the past three years, but it has been difficult to get to Kenieba until recently. Apparently the road has been reconstructed and the road is now passable in the rainy season.

My job description is pretty vague, and it sounds like I will have a lot of work ahead of me to figure out what skills they currently have, what they want to learn, and what I can offer them. During the first three months, I will be conducting a need assessment and developing strategies to help the artisans build their business capacities. The ideas they came up with for me to work with them include: identifying the right training to improve their managerial and operational capacities; introduce illiterate accounting; conduct adult literacy and numeracy training; teach literate artisans how to use the computer and Word/Excel; train them in product development and differentiation. It will be interesting to see how motivated they are to learn all of these new skills. Also, it will be a long time before we get any formal training done; the first three months at site are focused on building relationships with community members and conducting the need assessment. But overall, it sounds like a good assignment for me and something I can certainly keep working on for 24 months.

Our homologues (Malian counterparts who we will be working with, especially in the first few months at site) arrived at Tubaniso a few days ago. My homologue is a woodworker and seems very nice. I have not been able to understand his French very well so conversations have been difficult thus far, but I hope that this improves as I learn more Bambara.

We leave for Kenieba on Sunday morning and will hopefully arrive sometime on Monday. We will be back in Tubaniso at the end of next week, so I will post my first impressions (and some photos!) of Kenieba then.

PS I added a little box on the right side of the blog that lists things I would love to receive in a care package. You don't have to send a package, letters/postcards are great too! Hopefully I will get a PO box in Kenieba since they have a post office there, but for now use the Bamako address. I can still get mail there even after I move out to Kenieba.

My address is:
William Budd, PCT

Corps de la Paix

BP 85

Bamako, Mali

If you're just sending little things, write zero value on the customs form (you can still put a description). It helps avoid hassle on this end when receiving the package. Thanks!

Second Stint at Homestay

2009-08-10T22:00:00.000Z

It has been a good two weeks at my homestay site, especially since I am amoeba-free! I am making pretty good progress at learning Bambara... I have the greetings down, and can have a basic conversation with someone. The language class continues to be taught at a really fast pace, and it has been a lot of work to keep up. But with more practice and forcing myself to use Bambara (and not French) whenever possible, I think that I will have a good knowledge of the language by the end of training.

There was a wedding in my family last weekend, which made for an eventful week. My host sister came from Bamako to stay with us and brought her little kids, who were a lot of fun to have around. They were really entertaining and a good distraction for everyone (away from staring at me all the time!).

My cousin married a woman in the same village, and each family had a big ceremony, so it was a big day in my village. A Malian wedding is a lengthy occasion, with multiple ceremonies and celebrations. The ceremony that I attended started at 9 AM, when the bride and groom left for the mayor's office to sign the legal papers and officially become married. I stayed under the tent and waited with Baba and others for them to come back. The kids were really entertaining and I took a ton of photos of them while we waited for the bride and groom to return. They got back at around 10, with a huge parade of motorcycles and cars escorting them. Then the couple went to greet the elders and get their picture taken, which was a chaotic scene. Not long after that, the couple went into the house and then left. My host brother told me they went to the bride's family's ceremony. It's interesting how impersonal the ceremony was, with the couple nowhere in sight, but it was a fun time. The music was great and fun to listen to. We ate some delicious fried rice, meat and goyo (a bitter vegetable) for lunch. After some more dancing and great music, I went back to my house at around 2 PM. The ceremony continued through the evening and into the early morning. My host brother told me that the women have their celebration during the day, and the men celebrate at night. Overall it was really fun to attend the ceremony, and I'm glad I could be a part of the family's big day!

My host family had a shirt made for me to wear, which fit pretty well considering they didn't take any measurements! I really like it and have worn it numerous times since. I haven't had time to have clothes made, but look forward to doing that when I get settled in at site. On the clothing note... at the wedding, I noticed that the women kept changing their outfits. I found out later that they wear a lot of outfits to show that they are wealthy and can afford all these clothes.

In other news... I taught Go Fish (Taa Jégéminé) to my host siblings and their friends, and they loved it! They would ask to play after dinner almost every night. It was also great practice for me to ask questions in Bambara, as well as listen to their conversations and pick up on the numbers.

I can't believe we are halfway through Pre-Service Training already! It's incredible to think that I have only been in Mali for a month. The training has certainly been hectic and stressing at times, but I know that this pace will really slow down when training ends in September.

That's it for now... all the trainees are back at Tubaniso for the week as we prepare for our site visits. I will post in a few days about my site assignment, where I will be working for the next two years.

Photos are up at http://picasaweb.google.com/wbudd3/Homestay2

Amoebas

2009-07-28T13:15:00.000Z

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

2009-07-27T17:30:00.003Z

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

2009-07-27T01:45:00.000Z

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

2009-07-15T03:49:00.000Z

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

2009-07-11T19:13:00.000Z

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

2009-07-07T02:02:00.000Z

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!

After the Party

2009-06-28T22:42:00.000Z

T minus 10 days to my departure for Philadelphia, then for Mali. My family hosted a big going away party for me last night, which was a ton of fun. We had around 70 people at the beach house, a huge pig roast, and some front yard gaming before the night was over. Thanks to everyone to could come, it was great to see you all. It was an emotional night, saying goodbye to so many family members and good friends, but I'm really happy I got to see so many of you before I left.

I'm headed home tomorrow to pack up all my stuff, then back to the beach for one last week. I'm worried that I'm way over the 80 pound weight limit, so this will be an interesting packing job. My mom is an expert packer, so I'm not too worried and gracious to have her help.

This blog is a work in progress. I'm sure there will be another rainy day before I leave to work on making it look a little better. I look forward to updating the blog as often as I can while I'm abroad.

Again, thanks to everyone who could come to the party. I will miss you all!

New Blog

2009-05-12T22:54:00.000Z

Welcome to my blog! I accepted an invitation to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali, West Africa, starting this July. I will not be updating this blog very often before I leave.