My Spot

I finally found a place where I can get away and read a book, listen to music or just sit in blessed solitude. It's right behind a school, it has mango trees, yellow butterflies no snakes, overlooks a tiny canyon which has a tinyer waterfall and I'm claiming it as my sanctuary. I wish that it was on my biking path, a little further from town, but, I'm just happy that I found it!

In America, I grew up having "my own." My own room, my own toys, my own books, my own clothes, my own food, Americans love ownership. However, in Mali, everything is shared. There's no private space and the only time people stay inside is when they're sleeping, but even then, people prefer to sleep outside because it's so hot. The fact that I like and need to be alone sometimes is way over their heads.

On that note, today I walked home from school with one of my sisters and she asked me about what I do alone in my room. From an earlier conversation with my site buddy, she told me that Malians have a great fear of being alone. One day, she asked some of her students to write down some of their greatest fears, and all of them had written, solitude! What kind of place am I in?! I looooooove my alone time. I spend most of my alone time reading books or playing guitar. I've been reading a lot of Vince Flynn lately, but soon I'll be starting "The Alchemist" and "The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Night-Time." I asked her if she reads any books. She said that she reads her math and science books. I then specified and asked if she reads any books for fun and I totally lost her. She had no idea what I was talking about.

Later, I asked my 15 year old brother, Jakari, who's in the 10th grade, if he likes to read. He said yes and I asked if he had any books that he reads for fun. He said that he does and I asked him how many and he said, one. I asked him if I could see it and he went to his room to get it. What he came back with was a something like a mix between a comic book and Time Magazine for Kids. It had a story about caving, some information about caves, a game section and a comic strip. He handed it to me and I almost felt like crying. It's terribly saddening to not see any books around. There are no books to help expand these minds. By the time I was in 10th grade, I had read hundreds of books! And I think about all the reading programs I had back in grade school, where I would read as many books as I could and then I was tested on the books by my teachers and I'd get a prize. Reading was rewarding! Apparently, my town has a literacy center, but I think it needs to be revamped, so we can get these kids (and adults) reading!

Announcement: If anyone has any children's and/or adult books in French or know of anyone who might have some, please contact me by phone: (223)70007675 or email: jway1986@gmail.com or just send them to: Jade Way PCV, Peace Corps Mali, B.P. 85 Bamako, Mali, West Africa.