Back in Bamako and Off to Dogon

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!

Training and Homestay Preview

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Arrival and First Day of Training

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

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

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

Some other things to mention:

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

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

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

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