Tuesday, August 31, 2010
8/27-28
8/27/10
Today was my language exam and I passed! That means, I can go to site on schedule instead of spending another week in hell at Tubaniso! I am so happy, because two weeks ago, my language was floundering, but God! I totally said a mercy prayer before-hand, and my conversation wasn’t perfect, but my examiner could sell I knew a little something, something. I forgot, last night one of my older brothers got married and I found out that he is divorced, which is looked poorly upon in Mali. Anyway, the wedding wasn’t anywhere near the status of an American wedding, but I learned later that because of Ramadan, they could not really celebrate it. But, a goat was killed in my brother’s honor. The bride wasn’t even there until later and there were no fancy clothes or vow exchanges. It was like any other night, but more people were over and they watched a French movie. I was really disappointed, because I wanted a party, but I ate well yesterday. I had eggs and bread for breakfast, macaroni for lunch, moni for snack and cou and goat for dinner. And today there was more goat and I had it with the most delicious spaghetti I’ve ever had or maybe I’ve just been deprived of good food for so long. All three meals scored in the 7-8 range. Why couldn’t they have cooked this well before?
8/28/10
Today I left homestay and I was a little sad. My mom shook my hand with her left hand, which is usually a bad thing, but this time it meant I have to come back, so that she can correct her wrong Really, really sweet gesture. I might actually make the effort to visit them in the future.
Today was my language exam and I passed! That means, I can go to site on schedule instead of spending another week in hell at Tubaniso! I am so happy, because two weeks ago, my language was floundering, but God! I totally said a mercy prayer before-hand, and my conversation wasn’t perfect, but my examiner could sell I knew a little something, something. I forgot, last night one of my older brothers got married and I found out that he is divorced, which is looked poorly upon in Mali. Anyway, the wedding wasn’t anywhere near the status of an American wedding, but I learned later that because of Ramadan, they could not really celebrate it. But, a goat was killed in my brother’s honor. The bride wasn’t even there until later and there were no fancy clothes or vow exchanges. It was like any other night, but more people were over and they watched a French movie. I was really disappointed, because I wanted a party, but I ate well yesterday. I had eggs and bread for breakfast, macaroni for lunch, moni for snack and cou and goat for dinner. And today there was more goat and I had it with the most delicious spaghetti I’ve ever had or maybe I’ve just been deprived of good food for so long. All three meals scored in the 7-8 range. Why couldn’t they have cooked this well before?
8/28/10
Today I left homestay and I was a little sad. My mom shook my hand with her left hand, which is usually a bad thing, but this time it meant I have to come back, so that she can correct her wrong Really, really sweet gesture. I might actually make the effort to visit them in the future.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
8/24-25
Awww, so as time is winding down, me and my family are getting closer, which was pretty inevitable. I've come to really like (most) of my sisters. And now, they want to come over and chat with me, although I still can't understand half of what they're saying. It's still fun to listen to them and watch their expressions. They say most communication is nonverbal, but I still want to understand the details!
Today, I spoke a lot of Bambara, ate lots of moni (my new favorite snack! It taste like applesauce, but it's not made of apples, it's made of millet) and I got my first Malian outfit made! It's a shirt and a pagne. I'm gonna wear it for swear in.
Today, I spoke a lot of Bambara, ate lots of moni (my new favorite snack! It taste like applesauce, but it's not made of apples, it's made of millet) and I got my first Malian outfit made! It's a shirt and a pagne. I'm gonna wear it for swear in.
8/23/10
Today, I made American style corn and my family loved it! I didn't even have butter, but it's way better thant coal-burnt Malian corn. I forgot that yesterdayy, some of my family came back from out of town and the baby of the group, Awa, was so happy to see me! She kept saying "Djeneba, Djeneba, Djeneba!" So, I said "Awa, Awa, Awa!" and she loved it. Another thing that happened yesterday is a cockroach got inside my room, which isn't terribly hard to do given I have a pretty sizeable gap between my door and the wall. I completely freaked out! Maybe it was beacuse of the mefloquin, but I tripped, completely. I couldn't even get ready for bed, I was so scared, I just jumped in my bed and tucked in my mosquito net and prayed that I woulnd't I have to get up and pee until the sun came up. This morning, I got up, still a little freaked but I went to take my shower and got ready. When I got back, I looked up and saw a cockroach on my wall! I was so disgusted that I vowed to kill it later today, because I was going to buy some bug spray. I got the spray, but I couldn't do it! I had to ask my sisters to help me fumugate. Everyone got a kick out of the silly American who hates cockroaches.
8/19-22
Tonight, I was invited to a dance party by my new sister. They got a big laugh!
The animals/livestock seem to know where they live and who their humans are. They literally walk themselves home. Today I saw a goat walk into our compound, grunted and walked back out! It was pretty funny, annnnd my family does not have any goats, so it was definitely in the wrong house.
So, I'm actually starting to like my family. So, much infact, that I said that I would make them American corn on the cob. I've started buying my parting gifts for them as well. Tea and sugar for the dugutigi, lollipops for the kids.
The animals/livestock seem to know where they live and who their humans are. They literally walk themselves home. Today I saw a goat walk into our compound, grunted and walked back out! It was pretty funny, annnnd my family does not have any goats, so it was definitely in the wrong house.
So, I'm actually starting to like my family. So, much infact, that I said that I would make them American corn on the cob. I've started buying my parting gifts for them as well. Tea and sugar for the dugutigi, lollipops for the kids.
8/17/10
Today is Jasmine's birthday! She's 22 and I wish I was there to celebrate with her! However, I've been up since 6:30 am and I've been in session all day. I was not having a good day and I was not looking forward to going back to homestay, and from talkign with other volunteers, I'm not the only one. The past couple of days have been exhausting back at Tubaniso. Everyone is high off of the excitement of being at site and now we're dreading going back to homestay. There's no point in going back!
I'm back in homestay, and now that I'm back, I feel a little better. It's nice to see their faces again. I gave them cookies and they helped me with my bags and we chatted a bit. I took a shower and now it's raining. I'm so glad it's raining because it's been so hot.
I'm back in homestay, and now that I'm back, I feel a little better. It's nice to see their faces again. I gave them cookies and they helped me with my bags and we chatted a bit. I took a shower and now it's raining. I'm so glad it's raining because it's been so hot.
8/13/10
Today was a very rainy day, so nothing was going on. I woke up, took my bath, ate a breakfast of bread and some type of eggs that wasn't chicken eggs. It was better than chicken eggs, muuuch better. Then, I went to my room, read and took a nap. Then, I went to eat lunch and I played UNO with my little brothers. Then, I retired to my room again and I played guitar and read some more. As the rain stopped, I went to talk with my sisters and study Bambara. My sister asked me why I don't want to be called a Tubab and I told her it's because I did not colonize her country. I think now she understands. My other sister/host mom proceeded to ask me if I'm married. Here we go again! I said no, and Adama proceeded to tell me that her brother is a doctor and he's not married. Soooo, now I'm engaged to her brother and my new nickname is doktoromuso. Ha!
8/12/10
It's been a few days since I last wrote, but it's only because I've been so busy! My mind is on 24/7, switching back between English, French and Bambara. Actually, most of the time, my brain is in French mode. It's really tiring and can be frustrating, but everyone is having a lot of patience with me and they all cheer when I speak Bambara or understand what they're saying. I even get an occasional high-five, handshake thingy. This family treats me really well. I actually enjoy being in their company and they enjoy mine. I have the cutest little sibblings and handsome young brothers who draw my water for me every morning and evening. I also have a sister who should be on Mali's Next Top Model, if they had that. The people, in general, are very beautiful and their skin is flawless. Speaking of beautiful people, I have an uncle who is a pharmacist and we have really interesting conversations about the state of health care in Mali. I've picked his brain on why people don't wash their hands with soap, why people don't use tissue and why people eat with their hands. I've been having a great time. I've even made friends with a girl who sells woso (sweet potato fries) and pate (fried bread) and I get free snacks sometimes, but I pay her anyway and share with the little kids. Yesterday, I came to sit with my sister and she was holding her baby and as I walked up she started shouting "Tubabo." I was somewhat surprised to hear her call me that and I said "no, I'm not a Tubab. I'm an American." But she said "No, your skin is light," which is only partially true, b/c my skin is three-toned right now, haha! I began to explain to her that I'm African-American and many African-Americans have mixed heritage blah blah blah and I'm not French. And she accepted that explanation.
8/10/10
8/10/10
Whoa, I can’t even write all that happened today, but to sum things up, I have the best homologue, the best host family, the best site buddy and the best village in all of Mali! The people at home must really be praying for me because I think I’m in Malian heaven! This morning started off with Bakary stopping by and leading me and my new PCV friend to my first community meeting. I was so glad that my friend was there because she translated for me. After the meeting, we met the Mayor, the PC people stopped by to check out my housing and I was able to get the wrongs corrected. Then, my friend and I ate lunch and we had the most stimulating conversation I’ve had in weeks, she’s from Texas, she likes me, annnd she loves Corrine Bailey-Rae. We’re friends. Done. After lunch, we went on a walk to the awesome school and orphanage in my village and we get there and a teacher was there and he offered to give us a tour! It was amazing. The school was nicer than some schools I’ve seen in the US. It was a school for grades 1-9 and they had a cafeteria, kitchen, library, a technical training department specializing in making mud cloth, carpentry and sewing. They also had basketball courts, soccer field and volleyball nets. And a big thumbs up is that there were separate boys and girls bathrooms with sinks! This separation is a big deal because many girls don’t go to school when they are on their period because there is usually only one nyegen/hole and it’s for everyone’s use. Located right behind the school was an orphanage and the tour continued with the teacher! He was awesome! The orphanage is one of the nicest, cleanest facilities I’ve seen in Mali and they have a fruit and veggie garden. We were given samples from the garden and it tasted so good! I can’t wait to live here for two years!
Whoa, I can’t even write all that happened today, but to sum things up, I have the best homologue, the best host family, the best site buddy and the best village in all of Mali! The people at home must really be praying for me because I think I’m in Malian heaven! This morning started off with Bakary stopping by and leading me and my new PCV friend to my first community meeting. I was so glad that my friend was there because she translated for me. After the meeting, we met the Mayor, the PC people stopped by to check out my housing and I was able to get the wrongs corrected. Then, my friend and I ate lunch and we had the most stimulating conversation I’ve had in weeks, she’s from Texas, she likes me, annnd she loves Corrine Bailey-Rae. We’re friends. Done. After lunch, we went on a walk to the awesome school and orphanage in my village and we get there and a teacher was there and he offered to give us a tour! It was amazing. The school was nicer than some schools I’ve seen in the US. It was a school for grades 1-9 and they had a cafeteria, kitchen, library, a technical training department specializing in making mud cloth, carpentry and sewing. They also had basketball courts, soccer field and volleyball nets. And a big thumbs up is that there were separate boys and girls bathrooms with sinks! This separation is a big deal because many girls don’t go to school when they are on their period because there is usually only one nyegen/hole and it’s for everyone’s use. Located right behind the school was an orphanage and the tour continued with the teacher! He was awesome! The orphanage is one of the nicest, cleanest facilities I’ve seen in Mali and they have a fruit and veggie garden. We were given samples from the garden and it tasted so good! I can’t wait to live here for two years!
8/9/10
8/9/10
Today was my first full day at site! The day started off with a bucket bath and a breakfast of tea, bread and ceri. Then I met with Bakary, my homologue and he took me yalayalaing around the town to meet some very active people in the village. There are so many businesswomen here, I can’t get over how progressive they are in comparison to my homestay village. They are the same distance away from Bamako, in opposite directions, but they are so different. I like it here at lot. I can see the people being very receptive to whatever it is I’ll be doing. I have had one idea about what I’d like to do, and that is to encourage the youth to read and write in Bambara. I’ve had a few conversations with some of the youth about what language they prefer, and all of them have said French. It’s sad because, Bambara is their native tongue, they should take pride in knowing it and the fact that I have to learn this language, it just isn’t fair that they don’t know it. More deep thoughts on this topice will come later, but to continue on with my day, I have a visitor! She is an education volunteer, 30 km away from me, I just met her and she told me that she’s spending the night. Well, I guess PCV’s are family. So we spent the whole day with my homologue as he showed both of us around my site. He is so nice and attentive, something that I haven’t seen a lot in Malian men. I’m very lucky to have him as my “key to the city.” I met women who are presidents of their shea butter making company, women who have started their own day care businesses, women who work in offices. This place is pretty cool!
Today was my first full day at site! The day started off with a bucket bath and a breakfast of tea, bread and ceri. Then I met with Bakary, my homologue and he took me yalayalaing around the town to meet some very active people in the village. There are so many businesswomen here, I can’t get over how progressive they are in comparison to my homestay village. They are the same distance away from Bamako, in opposite directions, but they are so different. I like it here at lot. I can see the people being very receptive to whatever it is I’ll be doing. I have had one idea about what I’d like to do, and that is to encourage the youth to read and write in Bambara. I’ve had a few conversations with some of the youth about what language they prefer, and all of them have said French. It’s sad because, Bambara is their native tongue, they should take pride in knowing it and the fact that I have to learn this language, it just isn’t fair that they don’t know it. More deep thoughts on this topice will come later, but to continue on with my day, I have a visitor! She is an education volunteer, 30 km away from me, I just met her and she told me that she’s spending the night. Well, I guess PCV’s are family. So we spent the whole day with my homologue as he showed both of us around my site. He is so nice and attentive, something that I haven’t seen a lot in Malian men. I’m very lucky to have him as my “key to the city.” I met women who are presidents of their shea butter making company, women who have started their own day care businesses, women who work in offices. This place is pretty cool!
8/8/10
8/8/10
So, today I met my family for the next years. Initially, I was disappointed that I wasn’t staying with my homologue, who is AWESOME! He is so forward thinking, he actually said the words “men and women are equal.” I was upset, because my progam director had told me that I would have two rooms, a hangar and my own nyegen. I get to site and I only have one room, I don’t have a hangar and people were using my nyegen! I accidently went to my family’s nyegen and at the moment, I understood why they were using it: it was filled to the brim with worms!!!!!! I was really in a bad mood, so I decided I should take a nap before I talk to anyone.
After my nap, I did feel a lot better, because I was literally running off of no sleep from the night before and all of my transportation ran late all day. So, when I walked out of my room, some kids were playing cards, so I sat down and joined in. Then, I took a yalayala (walk) around the village and introduced myself to people sitting outside. I immediately noticed a lot of differences between my homestay and site. My site is more urban. A lot of the women speak French, meaning they are more educated. My host mom and dad work together at the Mayor’s office, and my host uncle is a pharmacist. Not everyone is a farmer! So, this is really good because I can actually have more in-depth, more interesting and diverse conversation. I’m so impressed already!
So, today I met my family for the next years. Initially, I was disappointed that I wasn’t staying with my homologue, who is AWESOME! He is so forward thinking, he actually said the words “men and women are equal.” I was upset, because my progam director had told me that I would have two rooms, a hangar and my own nyegen. I get to site and I only have one room, I don’t have a hangar and people were using my nyegen! I accidently went to my family’s nyegen and at the moment, I understood why they were using it: it was filled to the brim with worms!!!!!! I was really in a bad mood, so I decided I should take a nap before I talk to anyone.
After my nap, I did feel a lot better, because I was literally running off of no sleep from the night before and all of my transportation ran late all day. So, when I walked out of my room, some kids were playing cards, so I sat down and joined in. Then, I took a yalayala (walk) around the village and introduced myself to people sitting outside. I immediately noticed a lot of differences between my homestay and site. My site is more urban. A lot of the women speak French, meaning they are more educated. My host mom and dad work together at the Mayor’s office, and my host uncle is a pharmacist. Not everyone is a farmer! So, this is really good because I can actually have more in-depth, more interesting and diverse conversation. I’m so impressed already!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Back at Tubaniso!
So, today we returned to Tubaniso to find out our placement for the next two years! I can't tell you the exact village that I'm in, but I can say that I am very close to the city!!!!!!! I'll be working with the mayor's office and working with formal and nonformal schools. Haha, still pretty general information.
8/3/10
In Bamako, AGAIN! Agh! I shouldn't be complaining, but everytime we go to Bamako, we miss laguage learning time and I feel like my language is deteriorating. Today's session was at the CNR ENF, Center for Informal Learning, where we llearned about the different institutions where people can learn how to read and write in their local language and learn a skillset. Afterward, we went out for another tubab lunch. It was AMAZING! I ordered a salad with chicken, ham, corn, tomatoes and lettuce it was so good to my body. I then ordered a chocolate crepe, which was beneficial to my mental and spiritual health. There was also a big tubab store next door that I spent lots of money at and I bought my family a cake, because the last time I went to Bamako, one of my sisters asked me where their cookies were. I pretended that I didn't understand and when I went to Bamako on Sunday, I didn't bring back anything, but this time I did. I bought them a cake and I wondered how they were going to eat it, given that they eat everything with their hands. I watched the dugutigi's face as he was thinking the same thing. I suggested they cut slices and each person could proceed to eat it with their hands. Problem solved and they loved it and me. And tonight was women's night after class, and I asked my mom if she at the cake, b/c she was in the field when I returned. She loved it! So, at women's night, I joined the dancing circle without my mom asking me to join and she was so pleased that she soon joined the circle and took my hand to dance! It was a beautiful mother/daughter moment!
In other news, it hasn't rained in more than a week and I'm pisssssed. Where's my sanji? Funteni be n na! (I'm hot!)
In other news, it hasn't rained in more than a week and I'm pisssssed. Where's my sanji? Funteni be n na! (I'm hot!)
08/02/10
For lunch today, I had rice with fish sauce. Ugh. I saw the stupid chickens running around the concession. So, I told my dad that in America, people eat a lot of chicken. They laughed, as they always do whenever I say anything, but I was determined to get some chicken! The dugutigi (dad) then proceeded to point at a chicken and motioned that he was going to kill it for me tommorrow! Mission accomplished.
Tonight, I watched the planes go by and I wondered where they were going and if they knew that they were flying over Mali? Over this past month, I have seen a lot, but not everything and somethings I hope I never see, like snakes! As we make our trips to Bamako, I look at the world outside my window and I see so much lacking in infrastructure, in efficiency and tonight I felt hopelessness for Mali's economical state. I've learned that so much is imported in and geographically, Mali is landlocked and this makes it difficult and expensive to transport things in and out of country. And I see the abundance of donkey carts and lack of semitrucks and wonder, if things will ever change, especially in a nation with the highest illiteracy rate. Everything moves so slowly here, food production, the most popularly held occupation in Mali, is so inefficient. I think part of it is that the people don't know any other way to do things (back to the lack of literate people). I never realized how many things we do by machine. Machines are awesome! But I appreciate the way Malians do things and if they want to continue to remain the same, then I am most definitely willing to help them in whatever capacity I can, once I learn more Bambara.
Tonight, I watched the planes go by and I wondered where they were going and if they knew that they were flying over Mali? Over this past month, I have seen a lot, but not everything and somethings I hope I never see, like snakes! As we make our trips to Bamako, I look at the world outside my window and I see so much lacking in infrastructure, in efficiency and tonight I felt hopelessness for Mali's economical state. I've learned that so much is imported in and geographically, Mali is landlocked and this makes it difficult and expensive to transport things in and out of country. And I see the abundance of donkey carts and lack of semitrucks and wonder, if things will ever change, especially in a nation with the highest illiteracy rate. Everything moves so slowly here, food production, the most popularly held occupation in Mali, is so inefficient. I think part of it is that the people don't know any other way to do things (back to the lack of literate people). I never realized how many things we do by machine. Machines are awesome! But I appreciate the way Malians do things and if they want to continue to remain the same, then I am most definitely willing to help them in whatever capacity I can, once I learn more Bambara.
08/1/10
Today marks month 1 of being in the PC and the longest I've been away from home! To celebrate, coincidently, all 80 volunteers went to Bamako for a day at the museum and the American club for lunch and fun. Today I felt pretty nostalgic, not homesick, but I was missing familiar faces.
07/30/10
I spent this evening talking with my brother and sister to find out why they are not married. Most young people in Mali are married, so I was curious to know their reasons. I found out that my sister, who is 23, is engaged and is waiting until she is done with university. My brother is 17, and he said that he wants to go to university, so he doesn't want to marry until he's done with school as well. I then proceeded to ask them how many children they want. My sister said, four (go 'head girl!) the average here is like 9, I believe. My brother said he wanted nine! Oh boys, they just don't understand what women go through. Heck, I don't even know yet. I wanted to keep questioning my sister on why she only wanted four, but I don't have the language yet, darn it. I'm sure she would've said something like, "I only want four because that's probably all I could handle with my JOB."
07/29/10
This afternoon was very interesting. First, a begger boy came by the concession today. He was singing songs for money. I saw one of my host mom’s grab some money from her pocket and started fixing the boy a bowl to eat. It was awesome to see this act of kindness and warm-heartedness, because from what I’ve seen, Malian’s are not very heartwarming. Basically, it seems like once you learn to walk, you are on your own! There have been many times where I have seen children crying at my concession and not once have I seen an adult come to their rescue, unless they are a baby. A lot of the parenting is done by the older kids, which is also evident in America. However, I have seen some affection, it’s just different. For example, friends hold hands while walking down the street, even the young men. I’m still quite surprised when I see this. Another interesting occurrence today was that an ice cream man came through the village on a moto. He even had music! Instantly, I had my little sisters at my side asking me to buy them an ice cream. I suddenly felt like I was at home, buying something for my little sister or cousins. I asked them how much it costs, and they told me “mugan.” I am still adjusting to the monetary system, so I was a little slow and thought it was 100CFA for each. I ran to my room to get some money and we walked to the vendor. I asked for three and he said “mugan.” Holy crap, that’s only like 20 cents American for three ice creams! Oh Africa.
This afternoon was very interesting. First, a begger boy came by the concession today. He was singing songs for money. I saw one of my host mom’s grab some money from her pocket and started fixing the boy a bowl to eat. It was awesome to see this act of kindness and warm-heartedness, because from what I’ve seen, Malian’s are not very heartwarming. Basically, it seems like once you learn to walk, you are on your own! There have been many times where I have seen children crying at my concession and not once have I seen an adult come to their rescue, unless they are a baby. A lot of the parenting is done by the older kids, which is also evident in America. However, I have seen some affection, it’s just different. For example, friends hold hands while walking down the street, even the young men. I’m still quite surprised when I see this. Another interesting occurrence today was that an ice cream man came through the village on a moto. He even had music! Instantly, I had my little sisters at my side asking me to buy them an ice cream. I suddenly felt like I was at home, buying something for my little sister or cousins. I asked them how much it costs, and they told me “mugan.” I am still adjusting to the monetary system, so I was a little slow and thought it was 100CFA for each. I ran to my room to get some money and we walked to the vendor. I asked for three and he said “mugan.” Holy crap, that’s only like 20 cents American for three ice creams! Oh Africa.
07/28/10
07/28/10
Today was another field trip day to Bamako! We went to the US Embassy to learn about the work that USAID does in education in Mali. It was almost like being back in America! The embassy has grass and palm trees, air conditioning, cold water, brownies, coffee, marble walls and carpet! Omg, carpet! I don’t remember the last time I stepped on soft ground, haha! It was great! I’m not even going to try to remember what we learned, because I was enjoying my brownie too much to even pay attention. Then, we visited PRADDE-PC, another organization that is working towards training more teachers with effective tools to teach grades 1-6. After that session, we headed to lunch of tubab food! I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich and a salad. It was soooo good. Then, I made room for dessert and ordered a scoop of strawberry ice cream, ahhhhhh. It was the most I’ve eaten in weeks! After lunch, we made another visit to PHARE, the national office of education. They gave the most interesting presentation I’ve heard so far and I’d really like to work with them, because they not only look at the logistics of education, but they venture into the social issues as well, and that is me! I want to analyze the issues behind Mali’s education system and help implement strategies to improve the system. Unfortunately, we don’t specifically get to choose who we’d like to work with. Only once we get placed, will we have any say in that regard. Anyway, after that session, we headed home. Dinner was promptly at 8:00. I still haven’t figured out how they tell time here when no one wears a watch. I suspect they count the number of times they hear the call to pray from the mosque and looks at the sun. At dinner, I noticed that my sister, Ma, was wearing a shirt that said “Every Day is Hell.” I chuckled to myself because of the irony of this sour-faced girl wearing this shirt! She can’t even read English, let alone Bamabara. Sadly, this shirt speaks some truth to her life. I mean, it’s written all over her face although. I don’t know if she thinks of another life, where she’s not 17 years old, married with kids, cooks, cleans, works in the fields and does laundry all day. I doubt she ever goes to the city. That life would be hell to me too.
Today was another field trip day to Bamako! We went to the US Embassy to learn about the work that USAID does in education in Mali. It was almost like being back in America! The embassy has grass and palm trees, air conditioning, cold water, brownies, coffee, marble walls and carpet! Omg, carpet! I don’t remember the last time I stepped on soft ground, haha! It was great! I’m not even going to try to remember what we learned, because I was enjoying my brownie too much to even pay attention. Then, we visited PRADDE-PC, another organization that is working towards training more teachers with effective tools to teach grades 1-6. After that session, we headed to lunch of tubab food! I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich and a salad. It was soooo good. Then, I made room for dessert and ordered a scoop of strawberry ice cream, ahhhhhh. It was the most I’ve eaten in weeks! After lunch, we made another visit to PHARE, the national office of education. They gave the most interesting presentation I’ve heard so far and I’d really like to work with them, because they not only look at the logistics of education, but they venture into the social issues as well, and that is me! I want to analyze the issues behind Mali’s education system and help implement strategies to improve the system. Unfortunately, we don’t specifically get to choose who we’d like to work with. Only once we get placed, will we have any say in that regard. Anyway, after that session, we headed home. Dinner was promptly at 8:00. I still haven’t figured out how they tell time here when no one wears a watch. I suspect they count the number of times they hear the call to pray from the mosque and looks at the sun. At dinner, I noticed that my sister, Ma, was wearing a shirt that said “Every Day is Hell.” I chuckled to myself because of the irony of this sour-faced girl wearing this shirt! She can’t even read English, let alone Bamabara. Sadly, this shirt speaks some truth to her life. I mean, it’s written all over her face although. I don’t know if she thinks of another life, where she’s not 17 years old, married with kids, cooks, cleans, works in the fields and does laundry all day. I doubt she ever goes to the city. That life would be hell to me too.
07/26/10
7/26/10
Today is Sunday, free day and my first full day back in village. I was so tired this morning that I slept in until 7:30am haha! Even the donkeys must’ve got the message that “Jade is tired” because I didn’t hear a single bray. Once I got showered and dressed, I got breakfast of bread and eggs. Gosh, I hope this continues! I need my protein amongst all this starch. After breakfast, I met up with my group and we headed to the market. It was great to see so many people hustling and bustling and of course there were many greetings to make to alllll the strangers that I know. I couldn’t let this slow me down too much because I was on a mission to bargain using my new language skills. I also had to be street smart and keep my eye out for pick-pocketers in the crowded market. I quickly resolved to disperse my money on my body and I kept it moving. I came across my first vendor selling material for clothing; I approached her and asked how much. She replied “keme segi” 4,000CFA, that’s outrageous! I tried walking away to see if she would lower her price. She didn’t budge, so I said “keme naani” 2,000 CFA. This wasn’t working out for me, so I walked to the next vendor selling material. I asked her how much for one meter of cloth, she replied “keme bi duru” 750CFA. That’s what’s up! In American dollars, that’s only like $2, so I proceeded to buy 3 meters. I was very happy with my purchase and I blessed her. Other things that I saw at the market were pieces of jewelry, purses, t-shirts, shoes, dried fish, fruits, veggies, meat, brains, spices all that good stuff. After seeing that meat at the market, I decided that now would be a good time to stay away from meat prepared in village.
Today is Sunday, free day and my first full day back in village. I was so tired this morning that I slept in until 7:30am haha! Even the donkeys must’ve got the message that “Jade is tired” because I didn’t hear a single bray. Once I got showered and dressed, I got breakfast of bread and eggs. Gosh, I hope this continues! I need my protein amongst all this starch. After breakfast, I met up with my group and we headed to the market. It was great to see so many people hustling and bustling and of course there were many greetings to make to alllll the strangers that I know. I couldn’t let this slow me down too much because I was on a mission to bargain using my new language skills. I also had to be street smart and keep my eye out for pick-pocketers in the crowded market. I quickly resolved to disperse my money on my body and I kept it moving. I came across my first vendor selling material for clothing; I approached her and asked how much. She replied “keme segi” 4,000CFA, that’s outrageous! I tried walking away to see if she would lower her price. She didn’t budge, so I said “keme naani” 2,000 CFA. This wasn’t working out for me, so I walked to the next vendor selling material. I asked her how much for one meter of cloth, she replied “keme bi duru” 750CFA. That’s what’s up! In American dollars, that’s only like $2, so I proceeded to buy 3 meters. I was very happy with my purchase and I blessed her. Other things that I saw at the market were pieces of jewelry, purses, t-shirts, shoes, dried fish, fruits, veggies, meat, brains, spices all that good stuff. After seeing that meat at the market, I decided that now would be a good time to stay away from meat prepared in village.
7/25/10
7/25/10
Today marks the beginning of the second phase of homestay. I had been regretting coming back ever since I left! But, now that I’m back, I’m feeling a lot better. I know people a little better, I’m even happy to be back in my small, hot room. I could go without the negen, animals and lack of sanitation though. Overall, it’s good to be back in the village. Despite everything that I can complain about, the village itself is quite beautiful. I can see hills and sky for miles and I don’t think I’ll ever tire of seeing the richness of this land. In two weeks, I will know where I’ll be living for the next two years! I hope I end up in a village like Sunduguba. The people are nice and it’s relatively clean and about 20 km outside of Bamako. This seems ideal for me: living in a village, but not too far from the city. Let’s hope I get what I want!
Today marks the beginning of the second phase of homestay. I had been regretting coming back ever since I left! But, now that I’m back, I’m feeling a lot better. I know people a little better, I’m even happy to be back in my small, hot room. I could go without the negen, animals and lack of sanitation though. Overall, it’s good to be back in the village. Despite everything that I can complain about, the village itself is quite beautiful. I can see hills and sky for miles and I don’t think I’ll ever tire of seeing the richness of this land. In two weeks, I will know where I’ll be living for the next two years! I hope I end up in a village like Sunduguba. The people are nice and it’s relatively clean and about 20 km outside of Bamako. This seems ideal for me: living in a village, but not too far from the city. Let’s hope I get what I want!
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