Adventures in Africa

I hate goodbyes!

2008-07-16T15:18:00.006Z

I'm back in Bamako, after waking up at 3 a.m. to catch the 4:30 bus (which didn't leave until 5:30...grrrr!). I left Segou this morning after spending all day yesterday traveling around town saying goodbye to everyone I've known for the past two years. It's been an emotional rollercoaster this past week.

After Patty and Maria left last Saturday morning, I stayed in Bamako one more day to meet up with Steffen. He was on his way to Germany then Florida to visit his fiance Danielle. Since he won't be returning to Mali until mid-August, we had one last dinner in Bamako and said our goodbyes. That was the first time I cried. The next day (Sunday), I spent eight hours trying to bus back to Segou. Once I finally got back into town, I met up with all my Peace Corps friends in my region for a goodbye party. It was really fun to see them all again -- especially since it was the last time all of us would be together in Mali. On Monday, I began packing and sifting through two years of paperwork and what not. I also gave away Jaba and Gus....Jaba went to my friend Tamara (who's extending for a third year in the city of San), and Gus went to Kyle (who's extending for a third year in Bamako...although I think my friend Kate's eventually going to take him when she can meet up with Kyle). It broke my heart to give them away -- that was by far the most I've cried since being here. It's too bad that my new apartment in Ann Arbor doesn't take pets...I would have loved to take them back to the US. I also said goodbye to Emily, Kyle and Casey that day (as well as the employees at CARE, where I taught English), so I was pretty much an emotional wreck for the whole day. Tuesday, I woke up early to begin saying goodbye to everyone. I started at the CRPA, where I met with all my coworkers and Mme. Koumare. We all said a few words, exchanged some gifts and said our goodbyes.

(Amadou, Kalifa, Mme. Koumare, me, Mariam and Keita...all the CRPA employees)

Afterwards, Mme. Koumare and I went out to Masseye's house (the president of Yiriwaso, the women's tailoring school where I did that accounting project). Masseye was just recently married, and by custom she was staying at home for 15 days after the wedding. She gave me a necklace and a pagne, and we exchanged our blessings. I barely made it out of there without crying (Malians don't cry in public, so I was trying not to make them feel awkward).

(Mme. Koumare, Masseye's grandmother, Masseye and me at her home)

After Masseye's house, Mme. Koumare and I stopped at a "rotisserie" restaurant and shared a giant plate of liver (I think!) and onions. It was our last meal together, so I enjoyed it (despite not really liking liver). We then moved onto Nieleni, a women's cooperative that produces bogolan, fruit syrups, and wool rugs. They presented me with even more gifts -- I was shocked but touched at how generous everyone was as I was saying goodbye potentially for good. It's amazing how I didn't realize what close friendships and bonds I'd made with people until it was time to leave them. Finally, I went home to finish packing. I walked around my neighborhood and said goodbye to all my neighbors. I also took a break around lunch time to visit Club des Meres (where I did the boutique renovation). Again, I was presented with a cute purse and more gifts. I also gave them the pens, crayons, watercolor paints, and rulers that Maria and Patty brought over, since they also run an elementary school next to their boutique. They were so happy to receive the gifts. They wanted me to thank Maria and Patty...so thanks guys!

(Djelica, the woman near my house who sells onions, peppers, dried fish, peanut butter, etc.)

I was planning to leave Segou last night, and my friend Karim came over to see me off. But my guard, Issa, was nowhere to be found. I couldn't leave forever without saying goodbye (we've been living next to each other since December), so I waited and missed the last bus. But it worked out, because I got to go out to a nice last dinner with Yuri in town, and I ended up saying goodbye to about 10 other people that I wouldn't have had the opportunity to do otherwise. A lot of Malians exchanged email addresses with me (times are a-changin'), and some even asked for my phone number in the US. So, Mom and Dad, if you get any random phone calls from Bambara-speaking West Africans asking for Djeneba, you'll know they're for me! :-) I already can think of dozens of people that I didn't say a final goodbye to, but I guess that's what happens when you live in a city of more than 100,000 people. It's been pretty emotional, and I haven't even left the country yet! Now I'm in Bamako trying to do all my final paperwork, medical check ups and everything else (not to mention hanging out with my friends who've come into Bamako to see me off). I know these next two days are going to fly by, and I'll be back in Seattle sipping a Starbucks by Saturday!

The Dasovich Invasion

2008-07-11T18:32:00.007Z

I cannot believe I only have one week left in Mali. It seems so surreal right now. Actually, a lot of things seem surreal. Maria and Patty (#1 and #5 out of the Dasovich daughters) have been here for the past 9 days. We've been having a blast; although Maria got sick on day 3 and we had to completely replan our trip. It all worked out in the end. I got to show them a lot more of Segou than I'd originally planned, which was really fun. Now they have a great idea of what my day-to-day life has been like in my city.

They flew in at 3 am on the 3rd, and we stayed in a really nice hotel (it was the first elevator I've ridden in since leaving America!). We missed the bus the following day, so we stayed an extra day in Bamako, which we filled with eating at nice restaurants and hanging out with the numerous other volunteers who'd come in town to celebrate the Fourth.

On the Fourth of July, we hitched a ride with a Peace Corps SUV that was traveling up country through Segou. In Segou, we immediately went to my office and ate lunch with Mme. Koumare, which was really fun. Mme. Koumare named Maria "Maimouna Samake" (after herself) and Patty "Aoua Samake" (after her mother). She even made a special "tiga dige na" (peanut-butter sauce) that was vegetarian for Maria. Patty and Maria had a blast meeting her and seeing where I worked. And Maria and Patty got to try out eating with their hands.

(lunch time with Mme. Koumare and Keita)

(Me and Mme. Koumare showin' them how it's done!)

That evening we had a small party at my house to celebrate Independence Day. We bbq-ed burgers with Steffen's grill and ate pasta salad. Maria and Patty got to meet basically all my Peace Corps friends. They also got to see some pretty cool large bugs that decided to join the party.

(the unwanted visitor...after Gus had played with it for a few hours)

The next morning, Maria woke up with a fever, so instead of taking the six-hour bus ride to Sevare, we stayed in Segou and relaxed. We actually stayed in Segou for a few more days until she had recovered...but in that time I took them out to meet basically all the people I've been working with. The women at Sininyesigi even gave Patty and Maria indigo-dyed scarves as presents. All the Malians were super happy to meet my "koromussow" (older sisters).

(Korotimi with Maria and Patty and their new scarves)

Our final morning in Segou, we went out for a pirogue boat ride with Karim right at sunrise. It was beautiful.

(Patty and Maria on the pirogue)

We saw tons of cool birds and got to chill out on the Niger for a couple hours.

(my house from the Niger)

After the boat ride, we hopped on a four-hour bus to Bamako, then got transport to Siby (one hour south of Bamako). I think this was unquestionably their most favorite part of the trip.

(the arch near Siby)

(on the hike up the cliff)

We hiked up to the arch, which only took about 1 1/2 hours. Then we explored all over the cliffs, and even hiked up to the top of the arch. We ate lunch up there and goofed around all day.

(a closer view of the arch)

(on top of the arch)

(Patty goofing off in a cave)

It was great to show them a side of Mali away from the main cities -- especially since they missed out on Dogon country. We stayed two nights in Siby, eating not much more than beans, pasta, mangoes and zabans (a Malian fruit...it's pretty sour, like a SweetTart). It was really fun.

(can you spot Patty??)

Today we woke up and left Siby for Bamako. We spent the day wandering around the huge artisan market, buying necklaces and other things. I got to show off my sharp (or not-so-sharp...you'll have to ask Patty and Maria!) barganing skills a lot during the whole trip. It was so great to share everything with them, and I'm sad that they're flying back tonight. But I'll be home (back in Seattle) on the 19th, so I'll soon be following them!

23 down, one month to go!

2008-06-18T09:23:00.006Z

Hi all! So I'm down to my final month in Mali, and I've been scrambling to finish all the work I wanted to do and enjoy my life over here as much as possible before it's gone. After returning from Croatia, I've felt like I was back in track, running a long-distance race. I started to see the finish line, and I began sprinting hoping that my burst of energy wouldn't die out before I crossed it.

(a couple recent sunsets from my balcony -- I'm trying to soak up as many as I can!)

I have been working near-full days (which is pretty unheard of over here -- even for Malians who have office jobs). I've been working with Mme. Koumare to create a Web site for the CRPA (my counterpart organization). It's been fun, but I'm quickly realizing that I took on too much and won't finish it before I leave. Hopefully whoever replaces me will be able to finish it up -- it actually will make a great first project for them. Mme. Koumare and I have been traveling all over the city to various artisan associations -- jewelers, fabric dyers, bogolan makers, etc. -- and taking pictures and getting information for the site. It's been a fun way to wind up my service.

(women dying "bazin" fabric in the Niger)

(Mme. Koumare posing with some silver jewelry -- she's been modeling for lots of the Web site pics. I think she enjoys it!)

Sadly, I did run out of steam...or at least I ran into a hurdle. Last week I got sick (again...grrr!), and was out for two days with a fever. But it didn't slow me down too much, and now I'm back at work. I've also been spending some quality time with all my favorite Malians, drinking tea and having great conversations. My friend Mariam (she's the secretary at the CRPA) and I had a long talk about the differences in Malian and American culture in regard to family. I explained that, because we value being independent and self-reliant, parents don't typically let their children (or any other relative) live off them once they've reached a certain age. If a relative moves in and doesn't show any motivation to find work or earn money, but expects you to feed them and let them stay as long as they like, we'll eventually turn them out (or at least talk to them).

(Mariam)

Over here, families take in any and all relatives for as long as they want to stay. Even suggesting to the relative that they're a burden on you, or that they should get a job and provide for themselves rather than taking advantage of you makes everyone view you as a horrible, selfish person. It's such an interesting difference... Another fun conversation happened just yesterday during my English lesson at CARE. Rokia, the secretary there, was telling me about this crazy American girl who used to live here who had a cat. She couldn't believe how this girl treated her cat (keep in mind I have two cats that I adore over here!). The girl bought her cat MILK (even though she herself didn't drink it), and fed it better food than most kids over here get to eat. She let the cat sleep in her bed and treated it like it was her child. Both the Malian women I was talking to thought this was such strange behavior -- that the American woman would baby a cat but not have any actual children. They said that 1) women who like cats that much are usually viewed as witches/sorceresses; and 2) cats are for catching mice and such and should be able to find food on their own (or at least don't deserve better food than people eat).

(Jaba panting because of the heat...you know it's hot when your cats pant like dogs!)

I couldn't really argue with their logic. I also told them about the microchips that people now put in their pets to ID them in case they get lost. Justine, the admin assistant at CARE, said in reply, "I think that Europeans and Americans have so much money, they don't know what to do with it all. So they find strange ways to spend it." Again, I couldn't argue with the logic! Well, that's about it. I'm slowly but surely getting prepared for the next chapter in my life -- grad school. This week I've registered for classes, bought season football tickets (woohoo!), and potentially found an apartment. It's all making me excited to come home...but I'm also starting to get sad thinking about leaving my life over here! I'll finish this entry with a lightning picture taken a couple nights ago from the balcony of my house. I love thunderstorms over here!

(pretty cool, huh?!)

More Croatia/Italy Pictures

2008-05-18T11:49:00.007Z

I'm finally back in Bamako, about to take the four-hour bus ride to Segou, but I thought I'd post a few more pictures from my trip. Emily and I had the craziest fun time traveling through Italy to Croatia and back to Italy. I have so many fun stories to share, but I know I won't be able to fit them all in. So I'll just share a few and include some pictures. I'll have to save the rest for when I come home (in two months!! can you believe it?!).

Well, first of all, our trip started four days early. Aparently, Royal Air Maroc cancelled all their flights from Bamako to Casablanca from May 2-9 (we were supposed to fly out May 2nd). So our travel agent informed us that he moved our trip to May 9th. We were really disappointed, as it is extremely hot here in Mali right now and thinking about this trip was just about the only thing getting us through the hot days. So I asked if we could leave before May 2nd. They said yes -- we could leave that night (April 29th). Emily was still in her village, and I was in Segou, but we packed all our stuff in about 10 minutes, hopped on a minibus and rode to Bamako. We arrived in Bamako around 11pm, and went to the airport at midnight. It was a crazy way to start our trip, but we are so glad we didn't wait until May 9th!

We stayed a couple nights in an artsy hostel in Milan, where all the people working there were perpetually drunk or hungover (as they put it in English "I am still a little drunk about last night." But it was cheap and they were nice, and we could walk all around the city. Milan was really fun -- we got to go shopping and buy some warmer clothes for our trip (it was freezing up there).

(the Duomo in Milan)

We then took a train to Venice and walked around for the day. Venice was beautiful, but really touristy and expensive. We were excited to get over to Croatia.

(Venice)

We took a night train to Zagreb, where we met Marin (the documentary filmmaker whom we "couch surfed" with). Marin was awesome -- he gave us advice on what sites to see in Croatia, and even took us over to Slovonsky Brod (on the Bosnia border) and we ate Sarma at his mother's home. He's the one who suggested we see Plitvice National Park, which was the highlight of the trip.

(More Plitvice photos)

After five days in Zagreb and the surrounding areas, we took a night bus down the Croatian coast to Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik was beautiful! The mountains were very dramatic, and the sea was crystal clear. We hiked all over the old part of town and up a little into the cliffs to get a better view of the city. Then we bussed back north to Makarska.

(looking over Dubrovnik)

(inside one of the Cathedrals in Dubrovnik...a tribute to Lourdes)

Makarska is a smaller town between Dubrovnik and Split. Marin's friend hooked us up with a sweet apartment, where we had a computer w/internet and a kitchen (we saved a lot of money by cooking a few nights).

(a waterslide in Makarska...but we didn't go down it -- the water was a bit cold)

We walked all over the town and hiked up the cliffs. We also got to play tennis on the most beautiful clay court I've ever seen -- with views of the sea and the mountains. It was the most exercise I've gotten since moving to Africa! We were a little sore the following few days.

(Makarska)

We met a lot of fun people who were extremely generous. We were treated to dinner several times -- the best was a seafood restaurant in Makarska, where we ate fresh fish (I don't even know what kinds) and shrimp.

After a few nights in Makarska, we took a bus to Split and then ferried back to Italy (which took 10 hours! we slept on the ferry floor). We sadly didn't have enough time to see Rome or anywhere in southern Italy, but instead we took a train up to Treviso (a really rich town 20 minutes from Venice). Emily's childhood friend lives there and teaches English, so we spent a couple nights there. We got to go to her English classes (middle school) and talk to them about our experiences in Mali. That was a fun cultural exchange, although the children were quite different from Malian kids (and even American kids).

Emily's friend Ginny also treated us to one night at a Bed and Breakfast, which was such a nice surprise! We ate just about everything that next morning for breakfast. I can't even begin to describe all the good food we ate! We definitely spent more money on gelatto than on anything else! And the espressos were amazing.

(the first of many gelattos...this was our first day in Milan)

We finally came back to Milan and left for the airport....but our shuttle broke down on the freeway, and we missed our flight! We had left three and a half hours before our flight, but the Italians were all so relaxed about getting to the airport that we didn't make it in time for check in. Luckily our travel agent in Bamako got us on another flight leaving a day later, so we trekked back to that same strange artsy hostel and stayed one more night (I can think of worse places to be stuck in than Milan!).

It worked out in the end, though, because in Casablanca we met Habib Koite and his band and flew back with them to Bamako. Habib Koite is one of the most famous Malian musicians (the Malian equivalent of a rock star). He was super nice, and we ended up sitting right beside him on the plane! So Emily chatted a bunch with him the whole flight. It was the perfect ending to the perfect vacation!

(me and Habib)

Quarter of a Century

2008-05-08T21:21:00.006Z

Well, I'm just over halfway through my final vacation of Peace Corps. I have had a crazy fun time traveling through Italy and Croatia with my friend Emily. I will share more stories in a later blog (I'm tired and have a big day of hiking tomorrow), but I thought I'd post a few pictures from my birthday. We took a bus from Zagreb to Plitvice National Park that day, where I was startled by literally dozens of waterfalls. It was just about the most beautiful place I've ever been to.

(some of the waterfalls at Plitvice)

(Emily and me on top of a mountain)

(After this photo, I promptly dipped my shoe in the lake climbing off that tree!)

I took a zillion photos of different lakes and waterfalls on my hike, and I will definitely post more later. We hiked around the lakes for about five hours before heading back to Zagreb, where we were "couch surfing" with a documentary filmmaker (and unofficial Croatia guide) named Marin. Marin took us out for drinks that evening -- we had red wine mixed with Coca Cola, which tasted surprisingly good. Then we met up with his friend Dragan and hung out at his high-rise apartment overlooking Zagreb.

Dragan, Marin, me and Emily

Zagreb is a beautiful city, by the way. It still has a small-town feel in the center district, complete with a towering cathedral from the middle ages. Emily and I spent a few days just walking around the city and eating gelatto.

(Emily and me in downtown Zagreb)

(the Zagreb cathedral)

It was an amazing birthday -- definitely going down in my book as one of my best and most memorable ones ever. I'm still in Croatia, but now I'm in the southern region (Makarska). It is very different, but equally as stunning -- There are villages squished in between giant rocky mountains and the blue-green sea. Like I said, I will definitely write more later (we've also traveled to Milan, Venice, Dubrovnik and Slovonsky Brod -- right on the border of Bosnia). But for now I hope that these pictures and short descriptions will do!

Go Blue!

2008-04-17T13:35:00.002Z

Are you ready for some life updates?? Here goes... I have finally made my choice for where to go to grad school. For those of you who didn't know, I was as indecisive as ever this past month trying to choose between Duke and Michigan (for a dual MBA/Master of Public Policy degree). After going back and forth many times (thanks to everyone for listening to me weigh my options over and over and over..), I finally buckled down and accepted my offer at Michigan! I am really excited now that I know where I'll be this fall (although I'm NOT looking forward to moving somewhere where is snows a lot! Especially since I'm in the middle of hot season here in Mali). I'll start my three-year program at the Ford School of Public Policy, then move on next year to the Ross School of Business (the third year will be mixed). I'm super busy here in Segou trying to squeeze in the last few projects of my Peace Corps service. I am hosting a three-day leadership training next week for all tourism and artisan PCVs and their Malian counterparts, and I just found out yesterday that I won't have the project funding for another four weeks! So now Mme. Koumare and I are going to have to convince everyone (e.g. hotels and caterers) to let us go through with the training without being paid right away. This should be fun... After that I'm flying to Milan! I'll be spending my 25th birthday eating gelatto in Italy en route to Croatia with my friend Emily. I can't wait! And as if that's not enough to look forward to....I just found out that my sisters Patty and Maria are visiting me this July! I just told Mme. Koumare this, and she is almost as excited as I am. I had already named Maria "Maimouna" when she was in Ghana, which is Mme. Koumare's first name. So she's excited to meet her. Patty will have to wait to see what Malian name she'll get... :-) If anyone wants to vote, let me know (some options: Fatimata, Rokia, Adiaratu, Mariam, Tata, Tene, Salimata, Korotimi, Aisha, Aissata, Aminata, Aoua, Oumou, Sira, Kadiatu, Koumba). Well, that about does it. I'll be back in Seattle in three months, and then I'll be driving cross-country with my sister Cindy in August. Hopefully I'll get to see everyone in between!

Djenne and Girls Education

2008-03-28T10:50:00.006Z

Happy belated Easter to everyone!

I've had a crazy week...I spent Easter Sunday at church in the morning, then I hopped on a bus and went up to San. I met up with Yuri and Mary Virginia and caught transport to Djenne early Monday morning. Djenne is an old city here in Mali (dating back to the times of the original Bambara kingdom), and is home to the largest mud structure in the world -- the Grande Mosquee (big mosque).

(the mosque)

(me, Yuri and Mary Virg)

It's also a cool city -- very different from other cities here in Mali. Djenne has narrow streets that curve and wind around the city, and the buildings are taller than most (it actually reminds me more of urban America than Segou or Bamako, because it seems like apartment buildings with roofs that people hang clothes on and such).

(the roofs of Djenne -- notice the satellite)

We only spent a few hours there, because it's a big tourist town and we weren't in the mood to be followed and hasselled all day long. It also was market day there, so it was extra crowded and busy. But I'm glad I finally ventured out there and saw the famous city (probably the second most famous city here, next to Timbuktu).

(a loaded bachee at market)

(the market next to the mosque)

After Djenne, Mary Virginia and I hopped on a bachee and went to Christy's village, Kamona (where I spent Christmas this past year). Christy was putting on a day retreat for girls in her village. They did presentations on condoms, birth control and women's education, and had the girls make soap.

(during the training)

The guest speaker was my homologue, Madame Koumare. She was a rock star! I had no idea she was so passionate about girls education, but she basically took the wheel throughout the day and inspired all the girls. And the girls listened to her much more intently than to us. It was great to see them so interested in these topics.

(Mme. Koumare talking about the importance of girls education)

We also painted maps of Africa on the walls of two classrooms in their schools (they have a primary school and secondary school). It was tedious, but fun. It was a great experience to help Christy make her project a reality, and Mme. Koumare had a blast in her village.

(Louie and Christy painting the first map)

(Christy, Mary Virg, me, Mme. Koumare and Madiaratu Koumare (another guest speaker) in front of the banner. The banner says: Women in school: education opens the mind)

I just got back from that yesterday, and now I'm back in chaosland trying to figure out which grad school to go to, whether I should go visit them before I decide, and how I'm going to finish all my own projects in the next four months!

"Kathy in Mali" Quiz Answers...

2008-03-19T11:51:00.003Z

My original Malian name was: Kadijatu Traoré. It was the name of the grandma in my first host family. I was originally sent to a small village, Tamala, to learn Bambara during training. But in the middle of the second day, Peace Corps showed up to tell me that they'd mistakenly placed me there and I'd have to move villages to Banankoro. That was probably my worst day in Peace Corps (I cried...I'd only been in Mali for a week and was pondering going home. Glad I didn't! Thanks to Mom and Dad for talking some courage into me over the phone!). So I moved to Banankoro and joined the Samaké family, and got the name Djeneba after my kid sister.
My favorite fruit here in Mali is: Guavas. I love guavas! They are only here for a month or so in the rainy season, but they're so good. Mangos are good, too (mango season's just beginning here -- it coincides with hot season).
I've eaten all the following in Mali EXCEPT: dog. There are some communities that eat dogs and cats, but fortunately I don't live in one of those! Although I might now choose dog over sheep brains (did I mention it was cold sheep brains?? Yuck).
Malians have shouted out the following names at me EXCEPT: "Red Chinese!" That actually was a name that my friend Louie was called by his villagers last hot season. Apparently there were a lot of Chinese workers building a road or something near his village, so all foreigners became "Chinese!" (despite the fact that Louie is a blue-eyed farm boy from South Dakota). I think the "Red" part was added because he either was sunburned or had heat rash (or both). My favorite name so far has definitely been "Bicycle Chief" (or "Négaso Tigi" as they yell it in Bambara). I get it quite a bit, and it always makes me laugh.
I was once stopped by the police while biking because of: going the wrong way down a one-way street. Of course, I was the only one stopped (there were guys on motos doing the same...road rules aren't exactly followed over here). So I guess I was also stopped in part because of my skin color. Luckily, I talked my way out of a bribe.
When a baby peed on me, the women told me it was a sign that: I would get married soon. But they also bring up marriage as often as they can, so I'm not sure if that's a common belief. I also had one friend who was told, after a lizard fell out of a tree and landed on her head, it was a sign she was pregnant!

That's all for now! Take care! :-)

Take the "Kathy in Mali" Quiz!

2008-03-12T10:58:00.002Z

So I got this idea from another PCV's blog, and I thought it looked fun. Let's see how well you do.... (I'll post my answers up in a week, so check back)

My original Malian name was:

Djeneba Samaké
Fatumata Dembelé
Aissata Coulibaly
Kadijatu Traoré
Maïmouna Koumaré

My favorite fruit here in Mali is:

bananas
mangos
guavas
papayas
pomengranates

I have eaten all the following in Mali EXCEPT:

intestines
fish eyes
sheep brains
pigeons
dogs

Malians have shouted out the following names at me EXCEPT:

"The White!"
"Black Girl!"
"Red Chinese!"
"Bicycle Chief!"
"Peace Corps!"

I was once stopped by the police while biking because of:

being a foreigner
biking in a skirt
wearing a helmet
not wearing a helmet
going the wrong way down a one-way street

When a baby peed on me, the women told me it was a sign that:

I would get married soon
I would adopt the baby
I needed a bath
It would rain the next day
I had to stay in Mali forever

Good luck and enjoy!

The new man in my life (or woman...it's too early to tell)

2008-02-26T16:19:00.005Z

By the way, my newest kitten is getting bigger and cuter every day! I've named him Gus, and he is the cuddliest kitten ever. He and Jaba are getting along great now...he actually follows her everywhere and mimics her (he'll sit or lay in the same position as her, right behind or beside her). She doesn't seem to mind the extra attention. :-) Here are a couple photos, although they are a bit blurry...

WAIST encore

2008-02-26T14:43:00.006Z

Hello! I just got back a few days ago from my second trip to Dakar and WAIST (West African Invitational Softball Tournament). You might remember my horror of a bus story going to Dakar last year. Well, this year's bus ride over was actually FUN! More than 40 of us volunteers rented out our own bus, and rode it the two full days from Bamako to Dakar. It was a blast.

(the party bus)

The tournament was even more fun than last year. We had run into a bunch of planning problems this year (we didn't register for the tournament by the deadline, so we were only allowed one team), but somehow everything worked out. Although only 10 of us really got to play, 55 Mali volunteers came to the tournament. So we had a giant crowd cheering us on, all dressed in our traditional Malian-inspired uniforms (Dogon hats and Bobo shirts).

(the team)

(Sean, Josh, Emily, me and Jamie)

We were undefeated up until the quarter finals, when we had to play a group of high schoolers. Sadly, the high schoolers beat us 12-9 (they got a grand slam AND a home run...hard to compete with that). But it still was a really fun game. Although I was the last out of the game (I hit a ground ball to first). It was okay, though, because I'd gotten on base almost every single at bat in every game.

(me in action during the first game. I think I got a single off that hit.)

(Steve (an expat and former PCV) pitching. He was a fantastic pitcher.)

The finals were single-elimination, so we were out with our first loss. But that was a blessing in disguise, because it meant that we didn't have to play in the semifinals the next morning at 9 am. Instead, we went out dancing at a Peace Corps-sponsored party until the wee hours of the morning (or late hours in some people's cases). Throughout the tournament, I took full advantage of Dakar's food. I stayed with my friend Emily in her mom's friend's condo (she teaches at the international school). We were two blocks away from a grocery store, and we went there several times a day. We bought Gouda cheese, pears, plums, tangerines, apples, yogurt, pudding, and three boxes of Golden Grahams (all things we can't get in Mali). It was amazing. And then we found a Cape Verdian restaurant that served up the best seafood I've ever had. We ordered a seafood platter, and they brought out a giant goblet filled with crab, oysters, clams, calamari, octopus, shrimp, prawns, and mussels (all still in their shells, all fresh). It was incredible. I went back the next day for lunch.

(dinner at the Cape Verdian restaurant, Chez Lucias)

I tried to get on a bus back to Mali the day after the tournament ended, but there were no buses leaving. So my friends Lindsay, Holly and I decided to stay one more day and take the bus the next day. We crashed at Lindsay's homestay house (where she'd stayed for the tournament). It was a condo being rented out by an American named Dave who was a contractor over in Senegal for a few months. His condo was literally on the ocean (you had to walk through sand to get to his front door).

(Holly, me and Lindsay on Dave's balcony)

Dave took us out to a Vietnamese restaurant for dinner, then took us to a fruit stand and grocery store to buy fruit, yogurt and pastries for breakfast the next day. Then we went back to his condo, made red popcorn (I think he thought I was a bit strange because I got super excited when he brought out the Orville packet), and watched a movie.

(Dave, me, Lindsay and Dave's roommate just after my red popcorn discovery. Notice how big my smile is)

The next day, we spent the morning on the beach eating our fruit salad and tossing a Frisbee. Then we went to the bus station and waited five hours until we finally left Dakar for the Mali border. Overall, it was a great trip!!

(a horse cart passing by the beach outside of Dave's condo)

On the home stretch

2008-02-06T16:53:00.000Z

Hello! Wow have I been busy lately! This is just a quick update on my life...nothing too exciting, and unfortunatly no pictures to accompany it. Well, IST (in-service training) finally ended a couple weeks ago, and I went back to Segou. I spent two days working hard with Ndomo, a men's bogolan association, trying to create a buyer's kit for the Torono/Montreal trade shows they're participating in. Then, all the new SEDdies (business development volunteers) came to Segou for a "technical exchange." Yuri and I took them around to all our associations and tourism sites, and they all crashed at my house (I think there were 15 of them). I spent about a week trying to get resettled and back into a routine before 30+ people showed up to stay at my house this past weekend. It was the fourth annual Festival sur le Niger -- Segou's music festival. I didn't buy a ticket this year, but I did go around during the daytime and see the festivities. Overall, I think it was much better organized than last year's (especially the artisans' fair). And I was happy to host everyone -- it was nice to actually have the space to hold all those people. Last year it was a tight squeeze in my small house (I had two other girls sleeping in my bed alone last year). Everyone finally left Monday, and then yesterday I came down with ANOTHER fever! Grrrrr... It's my second fever in a month, and I think my 20th I've had since moving over here. Not fun. But, luckily it only lasted one day, so I was able to bike to work today (oh, and it's been over 105 degrees here the past few days -- cold season is officially over). Between all this, I've been working to submit a proposal for a leadership training my director wants to have this April (between us business volunteers and our counterpart agencies), and I've been doing other project stuff. I've also been co-organizing this year's WAIST trip (the softball tournament in Dakar, Senegal). That's been stressful...it's hard to organize transport and lodging for 50+ people in West Africa! And we leave in ONE WEEK! Crazy. Well, that's about it. Oh, and I just found out that our Close of Service conference is in June...which means I'm most likely out of here in July. I know I always say this, but time sure does fly. I can't believe I'm 3/4 done with my service! ooh, one more quick story: So I've been sick the past couple days, but I finally felt good enough to eat lunch today (about the first thing I've eaten since Monday evening). I still was feeling weak, and my friend Mary was in town, so she offered to pick me up a Greek sandwich at a restaurant and bring it over. I gobbled it up -- steak, lettuce, tomatoes, onions on French bread. It gave me enough strength to bike to work. So I get to work, get online, and find out that today is Ash Wednesday! D'oh!!

Back in Tubaniso

2008-01-15T19:56:00.000Z

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a great New Years. Mine was filled with fun -- I stayed in Segou and had a few friends come into town.

Well, I'm back in Tubaniso (Peace Corp's training camp) until this weekend. I've been helping out with the newest group of PCVs' in-service training (IST). It's so strange that it has been a year since my IST. Now I'm one of the "experienced" volunteers who's helping lead sessions on technical skills. So far, I've talked to other SED volunteers about things like exporting products, product differentiation, cost-plus pricing, illiterate accounting, financial management, etc. Fun huh??

It's been great to meet all the new volunteers (well, they're not really new anymore...they swore in last September) from all over the country. All the volunteers who came before me have finished their 2 years and gone back home, so me and my group are now at the top of the totem pole.

Other than being busy with training the past week and a half, I've been staying busy working on projects and saving the life of another kitten. I found this kitten (literally only a couple days old -- it was still blind and couldn't walk yet) almost two weeks ago on the street outside my office in Segou. It was crying so loud, and it had definitely been abandoned. I had to do something. So I brought it home, cleaned the dirt off its face, and started feeding it milk through a syringe. I couldn't find anyone to take care of him while I came to Tubaniso, so I took the little guy with me. All the volunteers here have been sharing the burden of feeding him and cuddling with him, and he's growing really fast. He's moved from looking like a rat to acting and looking like a playful kitten. I still haven't named him, but I think I might have found Jaba a friend (although Jaba did nothing but hiss at him when I first brought him home).

(the new kitten -- the day after I found him. he looks much cuter now)

Well, that's about it. I'm done with my grad school applications, so now I'm trying to stay busy and not think too much about them until I hear back. And I'm coming home THIS YEAR!

A Christmas to Remember...

2007-12-27T13:02:00.000Z

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I probably had the most unique Christmas of my life. I'll start from the beginning...

My friend Christy had invited all us volunteers to her village, Kamona, for Christmas. Kamona is primarily a Christian village -- rare in Mali, since only 1 percent of the population is Christian. So 9 of us decided to meet up with Christy in the town of Bla and bike the 8 kilometers to her village. Although most people put their bikes on a bus and rode up to Bla from their various sites, Emily, Yuri and I thought it would be a great opportunity to go on a bike trip. So we decided to bike from Segou to Kamona via Emily's village, Samane.

We began the trip at 7 am on December 23rd. Our backpacks secured tightly to the backs of our bikes, we traveled across Segou and turned off the paved road. I was excited to finally get away from the city and spend some quality time "en brousse." The sun was rising fast, but it was cloudy, so the heat wasn't too bad (I actually began the trip wearing a long-sleeved shirt layered over my tshirt). Unfortunately, though, the Harmattan wind was blowing really strong, and directly into us. Mix this with biking through sand, and you feel like you're on a stationary bike! It was taking twice as long to get to Emily's site as it should have.

We had expected to bike the 45 kilometers to Emily's village in three hours. Instead, it took us five. We finally rolled into Emily's village around noon. We were covered in red dirt/sand and completely exhausted. After taking bucket baths, we all crashed on the floor for a much-needed nap. After we re-energized, Emily took us around her village to greet her friends. I LOVED her village. It was beautiful (surrounded by big trees), and everyone was super friendly. We ate dinner with her host family, and got her host dad laughing up a storm when we told him that Americans wish on shooting stars (Malians don't look at them...they are kinda afraid of them. He told us that a "shooting star" was a star breaking up and moving around, but later they find each other and go back into form).

We woke up around 7 am on day two, planning to meet up with everyone else (i.e., those who decided to take public transport) by noon for lunch. We biked about 7k to the Bani river (luckily, the road was rock, not sand), and then found a villager to take us accross it. It was a beautiful, peaceful way to start out the second day. I remember thinking, "I could do this all day, as long as the trails stay like this."

(before crossing the Bani river)

(in the boat)

Unfortunately, the trail didn't stay that nice. It quickly turned into a sandy road with gravel and deep sand patches. There was one big hill (probably the only hill in the Segou region -- otherwise, this area's completely flat), and there was absolutely no shade on the road as we made our way toward Bla. We passed only a couple villages. We realized that, although we were biking as fast as possible and using all our strength to keep going, we were only averaging about 12k per hour. We stopped to rest at a village around 10 am, and found out from the villagers that Bla was still about 35k away. Sadly, we decided to give up and jump on public transport to take us the rest of the way, because we knew we'd never make it there by noon to meet up with our friends.

When we asked the villagers about transport coming through, they told us that nothing would pass by until that evening! So we were stuck biking the rest of the way. We replenished our water supply and headed out of that village, hoping by some miracle we'd get to Bla by noon.

(The long road ahead)

After that village, the road got sandier and the sun got hotter (no clouds this time). I was mentally thanking the inventers of the CamelBak as I sipped on water to wash down the sand being blown in my mouth. Pretty soon, we began talking about the town of Bla like it was the Promise Land: "In Bla, we can get cold Fantas!" "In Bla, we can sit in a chair in the shade!" "In Bla, there are even a couple of paved roads!"

(Taking a break in the shade of a tree)

We pushed onward, and eventually we ran into a main gravel road! We could hardly contain our excitement. From there on, we almost doubled our speed and cruised our way into Bla. We showed up around 1:30 pm. We missed out on meeting everyone, but we had made it! We had a big lunch of rice and peanut sauce, cold water and cold Fantas. And we sat in chairs in the shade!

We finally biked the remaining eight sandy kilometers to Kamona, Christy's village. We met up with the rest of the group, and spent the night singing Christmas carols around a lantern and eating pork (her village killed a pig for us). It was wonderful! Christy's church also asked us to sing a few American Christmas songs in church the next morning, so we chose songs and practiced the night before.

Christmas morning, we woke up, cooked french toast, and then got dressed in our Malian finest and went to church. There was a lot of singing and a very enthusiastic minister preaching in French. A few different groups performed (some women, a group of kids, and a West African evangelical group visiting Kamona) before they asked us to come up and sing. All the African groups got up and clapped and danced around while singing. Then we got up, organized ourselves into two choir-like rows, and sang "O Come All Ye Faithful," "The First Noel," and "Joy to the World." The Malians just stared. It was definitely different than what they consider to be normal! But they applauded after Joy to the World, and I think they got a kick out of our performance.

(The group before going to church...clockwise from top: Emily, Louie, Meg, Kyle, Christy, Greg, Mary Virginia, Christy's host dad, Michelle, me, Yuri)

After church (which lasted three hours), we opened gifts. We did a "white elephant" exchange. It was really fun. I ended up with a Mali soccer jersey and matching sweatband/wristbands. That evening, we made a fire and roasted marshmallows (courtesy of Christy's care package from her parents). Some Malians joined us (as well as the evangelist group) and we sat around and drank tea and talked. I stayed up till 11 pm, and then was able to call my family back home to wish them all Merry Christmas.

(hanging out around the fire)

I'm glad I got to spend Christmas in a village, and now that it's over, I'm glad I biked from Segou to Kamona. Although we did take public transport on the way home!!

Life Updates

2007-12-21T13:11:00.000Z

Wow! What a crazy couple months it's been. I'm sorry that I haven't updated my blog recently...I've been incredibly busy. Never thought I'd say that during Peace Corps, but it's true. In the past month, I've celebrated Thanksgiving and Tabaski, I've moved houses (across town...my new house is on the banks of the Niger river -- pretty sweet! I'll post pics once I can transfer my photos off my camera and make room for more), and I've FINISHED -- that's right, finished -- my applications for grad school!

It's quite a relief to be done with the process. Between traveling to Ghana to take the GMAT and calling my parents in Seattle to help me with getting transcripts, It's been a long and tedious process. But it went much smoother than I expected, so I'm grateful that it all came together with plenty of time left before the deadlines. And now I can relax for Christmas and New Years! Well, here's a photo recap of my past month:

(Thanksgiving at Steffen's house. It was pretty small this year, because it was right before Danielle was leaving to go back to Florida -- just Dana, Arnim, Steffen, Yuri, Danielle and me)

(Yuri, Danielle and Steffen on Danielle's last night in Segou. We went out to the Segou Night Club. I miss her already! I won't see her until her and Steffen's wedding next December.) (Steffen's dad came to visit from Germany, so we all went to Kalabougou, the potter village down river from Segou. As we were coming there, we passed some of the villagers taking their finished pots to Segou to sell at market.)

(The kids in Kalabougou LOVED Steffen. He's probably the strongest Toubab they've ever seen. After he lifted up every kid, he lifted ME off the ground in the same way. The kids were astounded!)

(Yesterday was the Feast of Tabaski -- the holiday where everyone sacrifices and then eats tons of sheep. Mme. Koumare and I were eating at her house...we'd just finished our second round of lamb and were washing all the meat down with some watermelon. Somehow, we both managed to coordinate our outfits without knowing beforehand. I think we're spending too much time together!)

Well, that's about it for now. I want to wish everyone a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a Happy New Year. I can't believe I'll be celebrating Christmas next year back in Seattle. How exciting!

Random Mali Pics

2007-11-18T20:58:00.000Z

Hello! I'm in Bamako for the next couple days, planning the upcoming in-service training and trying to finalize my grad school essays and such. I'm getting ready for the big move across town into a HUGE house. Once I settle in, I'll post some pictures (my new house is on the banks of the Niger, so I'll have a pretty awesome view).

I thought I'd post a few recent pics....they don't really go together, but I hope you enjoy them anyway!

(This is my butcher where I get beef....when I feel like affording it. Something tells me it wouldn't pass American health standards.)

(Mmmmmm....flies....)

(A bug that Danielle and Steffen found dead in their house. I've never seen a live one, but I'm praying that I'll never wake up next to one crawling on my face or something!)

(A group of girls (plus one little boy) that swarmed me as I was watching the sunset down by the river. They really wanted to braid my hair, but speaking from prior experience, I do not look too good in corn rows!)

Halloween already??

2007-11-05T10:15:00.000Z

Wow! Can you believe it's already Halloween?!! Well, I guess in the States the stores are probably covered in Christmas decorations by now...I'm behind the times! But I thought I'd share some fun pics from our 2nd Annual San Halloween Party. If you remember from last year, people got pretty creative with their costumes, so we had a lot to live up to this year. And, once again, the costumes were awesome!

We began the day by carving watermelons. I think I actually prefer them to pumpkins, because you can eat the insides as you work. They turned out pretty well, too.

(Kali and me with our watermelon-jacko'lanterns)

The theme was "Superheros and Supervillians," although that was very loosely interpreted. I'll give a little background into the idea of my costume....

One sunny day in Segou, Mali, I was sitting around with Louie and Yuri. We were bored. So we decided to entertain ourselves by making Louie try on my Halloween costume from last year (I was Princess Peach from Super Mario Bros.).

He looked surprisingly good. He also reminded us of the scene in Spaceballs when the bad guys capture the stunt doubles rather than the real characters.

(the inspiration)

Thus, the idea was born to go to Halloween as the Spaceballs stunt doubles (or as best as we could go with the materials we could find in Mali). We got Emily on board as Dot, I went as Barf, Yuri was Lonestar, and Louie kept the dress on and went as Princess Vespa. I think it turned out pretty good...

(Yuri, Emily, Louie and me)

There were some other great costumes. Three of the San girls (Kali, Jamie and Nicole) went as The Incredibles.

(the Incredibles)

And then there was Kirsten (one of the new Segou volunteers) who went as Carmen Sandiego. Her costume was very impressive. And now we know where in the world she was! ;-)

(Casey, Kirstin and Rob as a mango tree, Carmen Sandiego and a DARE officer, respectively)

The night was a blast...but I had to get up at 6:30 the next morning to bus back to Segou and meet an American rep who is planning a summer study abroad program throughout Mali. I'm helping them plan the Segou leg of the trip, so I took her around to various bogolan and artisan associations that could be possible places the students go to. I was tired, but it was fun nonetheless!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Malian Bogolan Bags at Hallmark!

2007-10-22T11:49:00.001Z

I have exciting news for everyone...As part of (Product) Red, Hallmark is now selling cute bogolan bags, hand-painted and hand-sewn by Malian artisans. Representatives from Hallmark visited Mali three separate times (I met with them once in Segou, but unfortunately my artisans could not get their products and pricing in order in time for this Christmas season). They placed several orders with a group of tailors and bogolan (mud-dyed cloth) artisans in Sevare, and my friend Sara Rosen(the business volunteer in Sevare) has spent the last few months working nonstop with these artisans to get the orders filled.

(the bags)

These Malians worked 12-hour shifts, seven days a week for months and months to produce 120,000 handbags. This has truly been an amazing opportunity for Malian artisans, as this is the largest order I have ever heard of from an American buyer. I am impressed that this group was able to coordinate and meet all the deadlines for this order. And I am happy that Hallmark considered Malian products for their stores -- Mali's not exactly a big player in the global market (yet!).

Seeing all this from the third-world side of the deal, I honestly believe that this has been an incredible opportunity for the communities involved over here. And hopefully, the bags will be a hit (right now they are in 3,500 stores nationwide) and more orders will flow in.

Check out http://www.hallmark.com/red to get more info and to see the bags. I actually helped get the symbolic meanings of the different patterns and translate them. And go to a Hallmark and see the bags in person (maybe even buy one if you like 'em)! A lot of hard work and collaboration between Peace Corps, West Africa Trade Hub (WATH), Hallmark and Malian tailors and artisans was put into getting these bags on the store shelves in America. We hope you enjoy them!

I'll sign off with a couple photos of my kitten, Jaba. She's fiesty and eats a lot. We get along perfectly!

Ghana Part Deux

2007-10-15T11:49:00.000Z

I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update my blog...I have been lost in a sea of grad school applications and 500-word essays. But I'm finally putting up some pictures from the awesome trip I had with Maria and Allison.

(Maria and Allison at the Osu food court)

Maria and Allison met me in Accra the evening after I took the GMAT (which went better than I'd hoped...I couldn't have asked for more!). I met them at the airport and took them to Accra's finest hostel (it was the only cheap place walking distance to all the restaurants in the Osu district). It took all I had not to burst into tears when I saw them for the first time -- it's been much too long since I've seen any friends or family. It was crazy to see both my best friend and my big sister in Africa with me.

(on the steps at Elmina Castle)

We spent a day in Accra before heading on a bus to Cape Coast. I took them to the Cape Coast "Nut Rehab Center," where I'd stayed the last time I was here. We didn't stay there, but Allison was observant enough to see a different sign that said "Nutritional Rehabilitaion Center." That solved that mystery!

(In front of the Nut Rehab Center)

It was such a different experience travelling with two other girls around the country. We got harassed so much more than when I was with Yuri. But it was still harmless -- mostly, it was annoying. But Allison and Maria seemed to make the most of it and enjoy their experiences anyway. And I really enjoyed having them as my travel buddies -- I've been in West Africa for so long now that I've forgotten what it's like to see it for the first time. It was great to share their introduction to Ghana with them.

(Maria getting fitted for an African dress)

After touring around Cape Coast and Elmina, we left the chaos of the city life and headed west to the beach. I think for all three of us this was our favorite part. We ended up staying the rest of our trip at the Green Turtle lodge. It was relaxing and beautiful, despite the mouse that came into our hut every night to nibble on our power bars!

(Maria and me on the beach at the Green Turtle lodge)

The trip altogether was super fun and much too short. But I cherished the chance to get to talk (in person!) to Maria and Allison and share with them a part of my life here. It was one of my favorite memories I've had here so far, and it made me eager to come home and see the rest of you. If anyone is interested in heading east for a vacation, let me know! And Allison and Maria -- it's now your job to convince others to come visit!

GMAT here I come!

2007-09-14T18:07:00.003Z

Hi all! It's been a while since I last wrote, so I thought I'd give a quick update. What a week it's been! I've been in Bamako/Tubaniso this past week. I came down to Tubaniso for another Junior Achievement training, and then went up to Bamako to do my mid-service health exam, work on grad school applications, make all final preparations for going to Ghana (I fly out tomorrow afternoon), and study for the GMAT (which I take on Monday in Accra...wish me luck!).

Well, when I finally left the JA training and got back into Bamako, I wanted to go pay my airline ticket at the travel agency. I opened my bag to get my cash (I'd had to withdraw my money in Segou), and it was GONE! I didn't panic. I looked through all of my bags...twice. Then I sat and calmly tried to remember where I packed my 350,000 CFA (about $700) that I'd reserved for purchasing my ticket. Everywhere I looked, it wasn't there.

Then I panicked...

After calling many people, having all the Peace Corps drivers search their cars (in case it had fallen out of my bag during the ride out to Tubaniso), and crying in public (a big faux-pas here in Mali), I decided to weigh my options. Either I could bus back to Segou, go to the bank, take out ANOTHER 350,000 CFA and bus back in time to catch my flight, or I could call my parents and ask them to wire me money (the travel agency doesn't take credit cards).

But, just as I was trying to figure out my next move, I realized that my GMAT prep book was also missing. I then remembered that I'd last had it in the hut I slept in at Tubaniso. I called Macki (the SED program assistant for Peace Corps), who was still at Tubaniso, and asked him to check the hut. Sure enough, he found my book with the money in an envelope inside of it! He drove the money up to me and I paid for my ticket. (Mom, you are right, everything does have a way of working out for me!)

The next day, I finally got to focus on studying for the GMAT for several hours. Then I decided to treat myself to a nice dinner w/some friends out in Bamako. We went to my favorite restaurant, and I got a cheeseburger and two scoops of ice cream. It was DELICIOUS! I went back to the medical office (I've been sleeping there because I'm doing my check-up) and went to sleep full and happy.

Well, almost went to sleep. Instead, I woke up from my half-asleep state extremely nauseous. I scrambled out of my mosquito net, out the door of the room, and down the long corridor to the bathroom. I didn't make it. Instead I fell to my knees and threw up. Three times. Then I finally made it to the bathroom, and after getting sick several more times, I tried to go back to the hall to clean up the mess I'd made. But I couldn't bear to be farther than arm's reach from the toilet. So instead, I laid down on the tile floor and tried to fall asleep, periodically lifting myself up to the toilet seat so I could unload my stomach even more. So much for the cheeseburger!

I don't know how many hours that lasted. I was still getting sick when I heard the first prayer call from the mosques (around 4:30 am). But before I knew it, it was light out, and my friend Emily had walked into the bathroom to find me curled up on the floor, sleeping and using an old towel as a pillow.

Luckily, the food poisoning lasted only that one night. But the whole next day I was weak and dehydrated. So I spent most of the day resting and not studying like I'd planned. That was yesterday. Today I've had a little more luck, but I've realized that it's hard to get things done efficiently here! I knew this fact already, but for some reason I didn't think it would apply to just me...I thought if I had complete control over the situation, things would go as planned. But I guess you never know what obstacle is lurking around the corner!

On a brighter note, I am extremely excited to see Maria and Allison! I'm taking the GMAT on Monday morning, and they fly into Accra Monday night to meet me! I'm sure that there will be plenty of pictures of our adventure. Hopefully that will make up for the lack of pictures on this entry!

A Hike Through Dogon Country

2007-08-17T11:39:00.000Z

Hi all! I just got back from a three-day hike through Dogon Country. The Dogon people are an ethnic group here in Mali. They are the ones who are still primarily animist (although some are Muslim or Christian). They live in the Mopti region (the region between Segou and Timbuktu). If I have my story right, the Dogon people fled from the Muslims into this area about 1000 years ago, and built mud houses high up in the rocky cliffs. People to this day still don't know how they got up to their homes (legend says that they flew, and some hypothesize that there used to be vines running down the cliffs that they could've climbed, but no one knows for sure).

(Some of the old cliff houses -- you can see the entrances on the different levels, although they blend into the cliff really well.)

(Some of the lower cliff dwellings off in the distance.)

After spending a night in Sevare, Yuri, Dom (Yuri's friend visiting from the US) and I met up with Hassimi, a national guide here in Mali. We decided to hike the "Three Yougas" (Youga is the name of three villages in the same area). Hassimi is the unofficial Peace Corps guide -- pretty much every volunteer uses him when they need a guide. And hiking through Dogon without a guide is not recommended (you would miss out on a lot of sacred places and objects -- or you'd trample right through them without knowing and offend/anger the people).

(Yuri, me, Hassimi and some guy Hassimi paid to carry his stuff.)

Hassimi is awesome. He's fluent in French, English, Bambara, and many dialects of Dogon. He drives you in his own car (which he's named "Grandma"), and he loves telling riddles. He's really funny and he made our trip completely awesome. It's no wonder he's got such a good rappor with Peace Corps.

We drove from Sevare to the Dogon village Sanga, where we began our hike. I already couldn't believe the change in scenery. There were rocks EVERYWHERE! In Segou, there is only dirt and sand. To build soak pits in his village (in the Segou region), my friend Kyle had to buy and import rocks from the city. But in Dogon, there were entire buildings made of rocks. It was really beautiful.

(Building and stone wall in Sanga.)

(A Dogon village.)

We began our hike from Sanga down to the valley. I hadn't realized that we were on top of a cliff until we began hiking down it! The view was amazing. There was a tall waterfall way off in the distance, and huge plateaus everywhere.

(View on the way down the first cliff.)

We hiked down the cliff and walked a few kilometers down a sandy road to a village, where we stayed the night. The second day, we got up early and began the long trek. We walked for a long time down that same sandy road, until we reached a village on the base of another cliff.

(A Dogon meeting room -- it's constructed that low so men can't get angry and stand up, and also so they always stay in the shade.) (The beginning of the climb.)

Then we began climbing. It was really steep -- many times I was using my hands just as much as my feet to climb. It also was getting to be midday, so the sun was really strong. We ate lunch next to some old mud cliff dwellings.

(The view of the mud cliff dwellings from where we ate lunch.)

(A village up in the cliff.)

(This is rainwater collected on the cliffs. The women collect this water and carry it down to the village to use for drinking, cleaning, etc. Otherwise they have to hike all the way to the bottom of the cliffs to get water from the lakes that are created during rainy season.)

The children in the villages would come running barefoot down the rocks to hold our hands while we walked. They would ask over and over again, "ca va?" But then they'd always follow up with, "ca va, un bonbon?" or ca va, un cadeau?" (meaning: give me candy or a present). Despite that, they were really friendly -- moreso than the kids I usually run into in Segou.

(Dom surrounded by kids while resting)

(A boy with his brother on his back...they followed us for a bit.)

We had to climb up steep steps and crazy wooden ladders. Getting up the cliff was half the fun...

(Steep stone steps.)

(Yuri climbing up a rock ladder.)

When we finally reached the top of the cliff, the view was breathtaking. Hassimi estimated that you could see about 20k out. It was one of the best views I've ever seen.

(The top of the cliff.)

(Yuri, me and Dom)

(The view again.)

We hiked back down the other side, walking over stick-and-rock bridges and scrambling down boulders.

(A bridge made of tree limbs and rocks -- the cliffs below

(Self portrait.)

We had almost reached the village we were to sleep at when we saw dark clouds off in the distance. We quickened our pace, but we weren't quick enough. Within five minutes of spotting the clouds, the rain had reached us. We suddenly were in the middle of a downpour. I had to take off my sandals and climb down the rocks barefoot just to get some traction. The rain didn't last long, though, and twenty minutes later we reached our destination.

(The storm approaching -- the last picture I got to take before getting drenched.)

The final day, we hiked across the cliff toward Sanga.

(On the way back.)

Before reaching Sanga, we came up on a reservoir. The water flowed off the cliff we were on. We realized we had reached that same waterfall that we'd seen the first day -- the one that had been so far away. It was then that I realized just how far of a loop we'd made.

(View from the top of the waterfall down to a village below.)

I was pretty sore by the end of the trip, but it felt so good to do something active outside again. And the scenery was the best I've seen out of anywhere I've been in Africa!

YIRIWASO Accounting Training

2007-08-09T12:56:00.000Z

Thanks to all of your help, we were able to fully fund a three-day accounting training for the women at YIRIWASO (a tailoring school here in Segou). I worked with Mama Traoré, a trainer with the Peace Corps, to conduct this training. We bussed him up from Bamako to spend four days with the association.

( Outside of YIRIWASO)

Mama actually should take most of the credit for the training. He conducted the three-day training in Bambara, leaving me to observe and try to help whenever there were questions. It was really great to see a Malian training other Malians. I really think there is a bigger impact on a group when they meet and are trained by a successful person of their own culture rather than being trained by an outsider who doesn't speak the local language. It provides an attainable role model -- the girls can relate to and aspire to be like Mama. As much as I want to directly help them, I will always be different because of where I'm from and what I was born with. But it was perfect to have Mama come in and inspire the girls about what they can become.

(Taking notes)

(Filling out an expense sheet.)

The training was held at YIRIWASO in a small straw hut they had built. Unfortunately, we got off to a rocky start...the first morning, it POURED. It rained straight from 4 a.m. to about 10 a.m. Streets were flooded (I had to bike through knee-deep water -- well, to be honest, it was kinda sewer-water...yuck), and the training got postponed. We were paying Mama by the day, so we prayed for the rain to stop. It finally did, and we began the training four hours late and several people short (many Malians don't travel in the rain at all).

(The girls during the training.)

Mama began the training by asking the girls what an entreprenuer was. They all answered that an entreprenuer is a man that constructs houses. He then went on to explain and convince them that THEY are entreprenuers. Before even getting into bookkeeping methods, he worked with them to change their opinion on what a "businessman" is. They never before had considered themselves entreprenuers -- they were just uneducated teenage girls who were learning how to make and dye clothes. This came as an exciting surprise to many of them.

(We had to move to this undercovered area when it started raining again.)

The training was supposed to be for 15 girls. By the second day, there were 21 attendees! And they were all very enthusiastic to learn. The girls were doing group activities and calculating expenses and revenues. They also had recently finished a three-month literacy course with an NGO, so they got to put their newly aquired reading and writing skills to use.

(Group activities)

By the end of the training, I could visibly see a change in the girls. They were filled with new knowledge about how to manage finances. More importantly, however, they were filled with new confidence in their abilities and their importance in the community. Mama told me that most of these girls never had the chance to go to school (at least to several years of school), and they didn't think that they could learn this type of thing. But now they have made that leap from being artisans to being entreprenuers, and I think they are excited to continue down this new road.

(The group)

Again, this would've never happened without your help. Thanks again to all for your contributions and prayers! It took a lot of work for Massey, Mama and myself to organize and implement this training, but I think it definitely paid off!

(The "official" shot: me, Mama, Mme. Koumare and Adama outside of the CRPA)

(Me, Mama and Mme. Koumare at the CRPA)

THANK YOU!

2007-08-01T16:34:00.000Z

My Peace Corps Partnership Project has been fully funded! Wooooohooooo! Thanks to all who contributed, all who tried to contribute, and all who thought of and prayed for me and the project. I know the women are all super excited to learn accounting/business skills, and they are all appreciative of "mes amis et ma famille aux Etats Unis" for paying for this. Most of these girls weren't able to go to school, so this is a big deal for them.

I know there was a lot of you who wanted to donate but didn't get to because the project amount was small (a lot of people commented on how my project is $250 when most others on the site are in the thousands...I guess it just depends on the type of project) and it quickly got paid for. Never fear: I'm sure I'll be hitting you all up for another project in the future!! ;-)

I'm at Tubaniso right now. We just finished a two-day training about (what else?) financial management. It's a bit different than the accounting training for my tailoring association, but a lot of the material was very similar. There were only three of us volunteers that could make it, but there were around 10 Malians who came as well. It was put on by a woman named Betty. Betty was actually a RPCV (returned volunteer) who served in Segou ten years ago as an artisan volunteer. It was great to meet her and talk about what has changed (for better or for worse) in our site. Mali was her THIRD country she served in! She also was in Cameroon and Barundi. She now lives in Kentucky but travels around Africa doing these financial mngmt trainings -- mostly in Zambia and southern Africa. She is an amazing woman (she's elderly, but extremely vivacious) and was very inspiring.

(The group who attended/led the training. Betty is standing above me and her daughter Cathy is standing on the left)

Other than that, I've been keeping busy planning my Ghana trip and studying for the GMAT. I should actually get back to that, so I'll leave you with a random photo I took while driving down w/Peace Corps from Segou to Bamako the other day:

(Typical way to travel in Mali...those are all goats and what not on that roof. I wish you could've seen (and heard) it in real life -- it was quite something)

My Project is on the Web!

2007-07-27T09:49:00.000Z

I've been checking Peace Corps' Web site every day, and I FINALLY saw my accounting project on it! I'm trying to raise $258 to hold a three-day accounting training for Association YIRIWASO, a women's tailoring school here in Segou.

YIRIWASO was founded in 1998 by Massey Cissoko, a woman tailor. Massey is an inspiration: she is a middle-aged single mother who is handicapped from polio. She can barely walk, but she has gone to school and trained herself in business and fashion, and now she runs this tailoring association. She is very smart, very dynamic, and very motivated. YIRIWASO takes in teenage girls and provides them with three years of "schooling." They learn how to dye fabric, make clothes, crochet, and embroider. She also works with local NGOs to give them three months of literacy training (most of the girls in this association didn't have much schooling, and therefore can't read or speak French).

I'm hoping to help Massey take her association to the next step, and provide these girls with the financial knowledge needed to become businesswomen (rather than just tailors). I've been working with Massey and Mama Traore (a trainer with Peace Corps) to plan this training. As Mama told me yesterday, these women are all entrepreneurs, but they do not yet think of themselves as such. He will try to convince them in three days that they are business entrepreneurs -- not just tailors -- and that learning and practicing good business/financial management is key to being successful. We hope to fill these girls with confidence that will help them become self-sufficient in the future.

(Mama meeting with Massey to discuss the training)

If you are interested in contributing to this project, please click on this link: https://www.peacecorps.gov/resources/donors/contribute/projdetail.cfm?projdesc=688-208& After the training, I plan to visit YIRIWASO weekly to help them practice accounting and make sure they fully understand it. I feel that this will help the project become more sustainable. We want to do this training ASAP, so I can maximise my follow-up time with the association. My goal is to work with the women every week for the next year, so that by the time I leave, Massey will be able to teach the new students accounting herself, as well as practice bookkeeping and savings for her association.

How Africa's Changed Me

2007-07-20T15:29:00.000Z

Hi all! Well, I'm still working away over here. Thanks to all who replied to my e-mail about the women's tailoring school project -- I got the proposal completed and submitted it to our headquarters. I'll let you all know as soon as the project is up on the Peace Corps' Web site.

Well, I don't have much to write, but I thought I'd give you a glimpse of how being in Africa has changed me. And I'm not talking about epiphanies or revelations, but more unexpected changes and experiences that have occurred.

1) I now eat potatoes. LOTS and LOTS of 'em. I never thought I'd see the day that I'd wake up and say, "man, I could really go for some potatoes." (Although I still can't do mashed potatoes...I tried at Thanksgiving and it wasn't happening.)

2) Continuing with the food category, I also eat alfredo sauce. I admit I've tried fish heads, tongue and intestines, but I have not enjoyed those experiences!

3) Being proposed to by Malians is a daily occurence over here. However, the other day I received a marriage proposal.....from the wife! She asked me to become her husband's second wife. (She's one of the women I teach English to twice per week -- I've never even met her husband.)

4) I now consider plastic flip flops the perfect athletic shoe. I wear them hiking, biking...everywhere. I haven't worn close-toed shoes in over a year (save WAIST).

5) I am embarrassed to admit that I have become addicted to Desperate Housewives. I never even had the desire to watch five minutes of that show back in the States, but now I've seen every episode of the first two seasons. We're so addicted to it that my friend Danielle is getting Season 3 mailed over.

Well, I'm sure there are many more things I could add to the list, but as of now I'm out of ideas and time. I'll add to the list another time.

Club des Meres Makeover

2007-06-30T12:21:00.000Z

As a lot of you know, I've been pretty busy over here since I've returned from my trip to Ghana/Benin. I've been working on creating a presentation for other PCVs based on what I learned at the WATH exporting training in Accra. I've also been working on a three-day accounting training for a women's tailoring association, YIRIWASO (thanks to all who replied to my e-mail asking about potential donors -- I got quite a response! It's great that you all are so interested in helping Mali!). I've been teaching English twice a week to the Malian employees at CARE/Mali (an NGO). I've been giving computer lessons (mostly Word, Excel, Publisher and Internet) to both my coworkers and to a different women's association, Nieleni. I've also been helping a different women's bogolan (bogolan = traditional mud-dyed cloth) association, Sininyesigi, develop new products to potentially export to the US. (I'll be sure to let you know if they do end up exporting in the near future -- and I'll let you know where you can buy them if interested!)

On top of all this, I was approached by yet another women's association -- Club des Meres ("club of mothers"). They asked me to come visit them and help them improve their business any way I could. This association produces bogolan products, food drying (mostly onions), clothes, and much more. They also have a grade school (where I'm hoping to introduce Junior Achievement once that gets up and running in Mali).

(a bogolan tapestry created by Club des Meres)

After spending a day with them, we decided that they needed to clean up their boutique and improve their visibility. They are located waaay off the paved road, and they have no signs directing people to their store. The one sign they have above their door is painted directly onto their mud wall, and the paint is quickly fading.

Then there was the inside of the store...

It was really dirty, and all the products were balled up and tossed about randomly. They also had three tables in the center that were full of garbage. We found three shoes under there -- none of them went together.

We got rid of all the excess stuff that was in that room (the things they weren't trying to sell), and then we got to cleaning. We chased the lizards out of the store that had been sitting under the piles of garbage, and then we started working on the merchandise.

We organized all the clothes into "men's," "women's," and "children's" piles, and then selected certain clothes to be hung up on the walls. Going through all the piles of clothes, we discovered many tapestries, hats, scarves, and bedding that had been lost in the mess.

Overall, I think the women were pretty happy about the transformation. The store is well organized now and more visually appealing/shopper friendly. Hopefully they will be able to keep it clean and tidy. Now all they need are customers (which will be our next project).

Ghana and Togo and Benin (oh my!)

2007-06-04T10:17:00.000Z

What a crazy few weeks it's been! The day after Sadio's wedding, I hopped on a bus with Yuri from Bamako to Accra, Ghana. We picked up Mme. Koumare in Segou en route to Ouagadougou (the capital of Burkina Faso -- pronounced "oo-wah-gah-doo-goo"). After three straight days on the bus we found ourselves in Accra. We attended a handicrafts and home decor exporting workshop put on by the West Africa Trade Hub (WATH).

They actually had simultaneous interpreters there (like they have at UN meetings), since there were both French and English speaking artisans. The workshop was very interesting, and we learned a lot of good things to bring back to the artisans in Mali.

(some of the products of the artisans who were at the training)

There aren't too many artisans in Segou whose products are up to exporting quality standards, but some of the skills taught can be transferred to them (such as the concept of fixed pricing based on cost -- right now most artisans price things arbitrarily and expect to negotiate).

(Mme. Koumare and me in the ocean in Accra. She freaked out when the waves soaked her clothes.)

After the two-day training ended, Mme. Koumare headed back up to Mali, and Yuri and I went exploring. Ghana is amazing. It was strange to be in an English-speaking country again. We met tons of fun Ghanaians, ex-pats and tourists. We spent a few days at the beach at an eco-tourism hotel.

(Me, Amy (here doing MBAs Without Borders), Nick (from Peace Corps Senegal) and Andrew (an electrical engineer living in Accra) on our way to Bojo beach)

You see some pretty strange things over here. Here are a couple of the highlights:

(Ghanaians transporting a whole house on that little cart)

(They carry everything on their heads. I saw these people in the Grand Marché in Lomé, Togo. I think those bags are all empty, but that still takes talent!)

We also traveled to Elmina and Cape Coast. There we visited two castles. The Elmina castle was first built by the Portugese in the 15th century.

(Elmina Castle)

Both castles were used for holding slaves that were going to be shipped to other parts of the world (including America). We took the tours of both castles, and it was pretty powerful.

(Outside of Elmina Castle)

After Ghana, we took minibuses through Togo and into Benin. We stayed a few nights in Grand Popo, where we ran into a bunch of Beninese Peace Corps volunteers. They were really fun to hang out with, and they helped us figure out where to go on our way back to Burnkina. We also met some West Africans who happened to be either on or coaching their respective national volleyball club teams. They invited us to play some beach volleyball with them. It was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip! I got a full day of vball in (needless to say I was pretty sore the next day!).

(Volleyball on the beach. These guys were super good, but they were also really friendly -- not overly competitive)

We went northward and stayed a couple nights with a volunteer who lives in northern Benin. There we went to a waterfall and hiked up a cliff (I couldn't believe they actually had cliffs! It was gorgeous). It was soooo green down south, as well as much cooler.

(at the waterfall in northern Benin)

We finally began the long trek home. With the exception of staying one night in Ouagadougou, we traveled non-stop on uncomfortable transport from Benin to Segou (it took three days). It was great to see a more tropical side of West Africa.

I got home and spent two hours sweeping off the thick layer of dust in my house. Then I cooked dinner for the first time in three weeks and crashed. It was a fun but exhausting trip. And now it's time to get back to work!!

It's Wedding Season...

2007-05-13T16:39:00.000Z

On May 13th I took a bachée down to Banankoro, my old homestay village (bachée = another fun form of Malian public transportation -- picture a big, green van with wooden benches lining the back instead of normal seats...now picture cramming 24 people onto those benches. Literally, 24 -- I counted. Well, there actually were 25 of us if you include the chicken sitting on one of the guy's laps. I would've taken a picture if I could have moved my arms enough to get my camera out). My oldest brother, Sadio Samaké, was getting married. He called me a few weeks ago to tell me the good news, and I promised him I'd be there for the wedding.

(Me with the bride and groom)

I got to Banankoro around 10 am, and after greeting my old family, they led me to the school where Sadio and his bride-to-be, Wulematu, were signing the official papers. I couldn't see anything, and there were griots (Malians who sing and dance and tell stories of family histories) singing the whole time in Bambara.

(Sadio and Wulematu driving away from the school)

After the official stuff, we all headed back to our house for the party. There was a DJ and music blasting out of giant speakers. The younger people were dancing, and the older people were sitting around talking or preparing lunch. I have never seen so much rice at one time! They fed about 200 people lunch, and they were cooking out of GIANT pots, stirring the rice with two-foot ladels! Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture.

(Wulematu -- my host mom -- and Suri, her grandson)

It was really fun. I love my homestay family, so it was awesome to see them all again. I couldn't believe how much they've all grown! Aminata (my 13-year-old sister) is practically a woman now. Salimata (my 3-year-old sis) is now old enough to help out the family and carry babies on her back -- although I still carried her almost everywhere and she sat on my lap the whole time.

(Salimata with a baby half her size on her back)

And Suri (the baby who always was terrified of me) is a toddler now! It made me realize just how long I've been in country. Time has been moving so fast; I can't believe I've been out of America for almost a year!

(Suri)

Mali's in The Economist!

2007-05-12T13:03:00.000Z

Hey everyone! As you may or may not know, Mali just re-elected their president, Amadou Toumani Toure (or as everyone calls him, ATT) for another five years. Presidents hold five-year terms here, and can only serve twice. Being in Peace Corps, I was not allowed to discuss politics with Malians, but it was interesting to observe the campaign and election process (campaigning didn't even begin until 1-2 months before the election).

ATT won with a 70-percent vote, although only about a third of registered voters actually cast their ballots. Some opponents' supporters cried foul at the elections and protested the results; however, they were determined to be "free, fair and just," so ATT is officially the winner.

Anyway, if you're interested in reading a decent article on Mali's politics/economic status, read on... :-)

And here's an unrelated photo -- I spent the last couple days at a Junior Achievement training. Peace Corp's pairing up w/Junior Achievement International to launch a program here in Mali (JA a non-profit organization where professionals volunteer to teach basic economics in grade school classes. I actually volunteered for JA in Bothell before coming here). Unfortunately, the woman who was supposed to lead the training cancelled last minute (she was supposed to fly in from Egypt), so Peace Corps asked me and Yuri to help lead the training! (We both did JA in the States.) We found out the night before, and we basically had no materials. The training went alright, but it wasn't as good as it could have been -- we really needed the JA woman there. But it worked out. Here's the photo of the first Junior Achievement volunteers ever in Mali:

And now, the Economist article...

Mali and Mauritania: Swathes of desert but oases of progress

May 3rd 2007 BAMAKO AND NOUAKCHOTT

Two dirt-poor Saharan states are doing better

WHILE its richer and grander neighbours quarrel and cheat, modest Mali looks askance at Côte d'Ivoire (struggling to reunite a divided country) and Nigeria (making a hash of democracy again), as it makes quiet progress. As a result, on April 29th its people re-elected their president, Amadou Toumani Touré, for a second five-year stint in office. Meanwhile, Mali's almost equally poor and sandy neighbour to the west, Mauritania, has had a similar success, with its first free election since independence in 1960.

Political progress apart, their economies both have a very long way to go. Ranked third from the bottom in the UN's world human-development index, Mali is a tough place to live. Infant mortality is among the world's highest, adult literacy among the lowest. Some 12m-strong, Malians on average earn less than $400 a year. Although most farm, only a quarter of the land is productive—and is being eaten away by the Sahara desert as it creeps south. To make matters worse, Mali has been hit by drought and a plague of locusts. Its cotton industry is fading. Civil strife in Côte d'Ivoire has disrupted its main outlet to the sea.

Still, other things have been improving. Mali's election was the fourth in a row after decades of dictatorship. Mr Touré, who seized power in a coup in 1991 before handing power back to civilians a year later, avoided politics for a decade before returning to power in 2002.

Since then, known simply as ATT or more grandly as “the soldier of democracy”, Mr Touré has fostered a system of government by consensus. He belongs to no party but is supported by a coalition of 44 of them. His seven challengers all have representatives in government. “We think that when all the players are brought together we can avoid useless politicking,” he declared before the election. “Western confrontational democracy would not be a good thing in our country because it risks degenerating into regionalism, factionalism and ethnicity.”

Not everyone in Mali agrees—and the notion that adversarial politics means chaos has often been cited as justification for dictators elsewhere on the continent. Mr Touré's opponents have cried foul, complaining that soldiers were told who to vote for, ballot papers were floating around before election day and voter lists were inaccurate, with many dead still on the register. But most foreign and local observers said the poll was fair enough.

With its cotton industry withering, Mali is now Africa's third-biggest producer of gold. It also hopes, in the next five years or so, to produce oil. Mr Touré, a champion of mechanisation, wants to increase Mali's output of cereals from 3m tonnes today to 10m by 2012. Donors are rewarding Mali's quiet progress with hundreds of millions of dollars of aid. In the forefront is the United States, which sees Mali as a key ally in its war on terror in the region.

Has Mauritania set a Saharan trend?

Coups d'état are frowned on these days in Africa. But the one in Mauritania seems so far to have turned out nicely, even for those who were rudest about it at the time. Nineteen months after he ousted President Maaouya Taya, who had clung on to power for over two decades, Colonel Ely Vall graciously left office a month ago.

Most of sand-blasted Mauritania's 3m inhabitants are also dirt-poor, despite their country's abundance of iron ore, fish and, more recently, oil, though their GDP per head, at $530, is higher than Mali's. They are now looking to their new ruler, Sidi Ould Sheikh Abdellahi, to improve their lot. The election he won in March was Mauritania's first free one since independence 47 years ago. Hope has risen in a Saharan country that, like Mali, straddles Arab and black Africa. Governments in Africa, Europe and America voiced their disapproval when Colonel Vall took power in a bloodless coup in August 2005. But he kept his promise to hold an election in which no coup leader would compete. The transition has been smooth, authoritarian rule has been softened and the polls—free and fair—took place earlier than originally planned.

The United States lambasted the military takeover. But John Negroponte, its deputy secretary of state, was on hand last month to praise both the colonel and the new president, promising to renew aid and to bump up military co-operation, not least because Mauritania—like Mali—is an ally in America's war on terror in Africa.

Mauritania's new president promises to tackle poverty and injustice. Under a calm surface, social tensions are strong. Mauritania's conservative ruling class has a poor record. Vast villas behind high walls in the capital, Nouakchott, testify to the wealth of the country's Moorish elite. Bubbling frustration in the slums, particularly among black Africans, may boil over if things do not improve. Mr Abdellahi, who hails from the long-dominant white Moorish establishment, may struggle to convince people he will break with the past.

“It was good the soldiers came and went,” says Amadou, a taxi driver sipping sweet mint tea.

“They say they will change things—but we will see.” Mauritania's full diplomatic relations with Israel are popular in Washington but less so back home. Clashes between African and Arab Mauritanians in 1989 and 1990 led to tens of thousands of blacks fleeing or being deported. It is unclear whether Mr Abdellahi will let them back.

His trickiest task will be to tackle slavery, which has resisted three attempts at abolition. The last law, in 1981, banned it but failed to criminalise it. However much it is denied, an ancient system of bondage, with black slaves passed on from generation to generation, still plainly exists. Copyright © 2007 The Economist Newspaper and The Economist Group. All rights reserved.

My Birthday and Cinqo de Mayo

2007-05-07T10:07:00.000Z

I am officially in my mid-twenties (Insert comment from all my older sisters and friends about how young I am). My birthday was great -- about 10 volunteers came in and celebrated with me. My friend Beth took me out for ice cream (I got a mango scoop and a pistachio scoop -- oh, how I miss ice cream). Yuri gave me a giant packet of Oreos and is planning to take me out to dinner in Bamako. Kyle took me out to lunch and gave me a mini-packet of Oreos (did I mention I constantly crave Oreos??). We all went to Steffen and Danielle's house for a spaghetti dinner. And Miguel baked a cake (courtesy of Cindy's care package). They even bought candles!

(Julia and Kyle preparing salad for Cinqo de Mayo dinner)

(Miguel, Yuri, Beth and Christy making enchilladas. I like the laser-beam-thing coming out of Miguel's eye)

On Saturday, Steffen and Danielle had the "big party." It was mostly for Cinqo de Mayo -- we made enchilladas from scratch (including the tortillas), which turned out amazing. Even more volunteers showed up for this party, plus a few German ex-pats came out. In the middle of it, they blindfolded me and led me to the backyard area. Then they let me open my eyes and I was standing in the center of four sparkler-type candles with everyone singing happy birthday. (The giant sparklers were courtesy of Tony -- the Lebanese guy who owns the Toubab "supermarket" in Segou.) It was pretty funny. I'll put up a few pictures once I get my camera and a computer in the same room with each other.

(Some of us posing on the couch)

(Louie, Christy, Mary Virginia and Tamara rocking out to early '90's jams)

Other than that, I've been preparing to go to Ghana with Mme. Koumare and Adama (he works at the CRAS, the artisan union). We are going to attend a two-day "handicrafts exporting training" that is being held in Accra by the West African Trade Hub (WATH). I'm excited for it, although I'm not too excited about the 2-3 day bus trip down there -- especially since we're still in hot season! I'm sure I'll have some more bus stories to share once that's over!

After the training, I will be traveling around Ghana, Togo and Benin to soak up as much ocean as possible. It should be a nice vacation. I'm excited to see a more "tropical" part of Africa, especially since Mali has dried out and turned into a gian dust bowl. :-)

CRAS's 12th Anniversary Extraordinaire!

2007-04-16T11:58:00.000Z

Greetings everyone! Sorry it's been awhile since my last entry -- I've actually been busy over here with work...woohoo! I'm starting a few projects after months of "observing and integrating." I'm not going to go into those right now, though, since there's not much to say as of now. But I wanted to give you a description of CRAS's (coordination regional des Artisans a Segou -- the regional coordination of the artisan unions) 12th anniversary celebration. The day of celebration was April 7, which was the last day of my in-service training at Tubaniso. I hitched a ride with my friend Steffen, who was (luckily) coming from Bamako to Segou that same day. I got to Segou around 8:30 pm, and booked it to the "movie theater" (I don't think they actually show movies very often, but it's a big conference hall -- the same place that the Women's day celebration was held). CRAS had planned a fashion show/concert for the evening to celebrate it's 12th anniversary. I'd "helped" in the planning (meaning I went to every meeting and listened to them talk in Bambara for hours on end, and I designed the poster advertising the fashion show). It was actually good that I didn't do too much -- it meant that they could do it on their own, which is much more important than me doing it for them. The show was supposed to start at 9, and I got there just in time. However, the show didn't ACTUALLY start until 11 pm.

It was worth the wait. They had the Segou griot (singer who sings about the history of Mali, family names, etc.) there singing up a storm. In between songs, they'd bring out the models to parade around the stage in outfits designed by tailors in the Segou region. It wasn't quite Paris-level couture, but I was impressed with their creativity. And the Malians loved it.

(Traditional Bobo shirts and Dogon hats -- much like our softball uniforms at WAIST)

(Those are peanuts hanging off that model's top!)

I was most surprised at how much skin the models were showing. The girls were coming out in short skirts and skimpy dresses -- which is very taboo in every day Mali.

I guess it paralleled true fashion shows -- most things you see on a runway are never worn in every day lives. One outfit in particular was very entertaining. It started with a simple long skirt and shirt, with a matching bag and purse. Suddenly, the model ripped off the lower half of her skirt (which was detachable) and pulled off the strap of her purse to tie around her head.

Then she unfolded the purse to reveal that it was actually a long overcoat...

Then, she pulled a coordinating umbrella out of the other bag...

It was like a living transformer. And the Malians went crazy. They thought it was the coolest thing ever.

The concert was great, too. It was traditional Malian griot music. Malians would run up to the stage and throw money at the griot (griots sing about Malian's histories and traditionally get paid for it).

The whole thing lasted until after 2 am. Needless to say, it was a bit challenging to stay awake during the three-hour, 110-degree Easter Mass the next morning!

Another In-Service Training (IST)

2007-04-03T21:47:00.000Z

Hi everyone! Nothing too new to report over here...I'm back at Tubaniso for the next week for more "In-Service Training." It's more for our homologues than for us volunteers, so it's been a bit slow here. I'm finally starting to get some project ideas in motion, which I'm really excited about. I've been touring around Segou and meeting with various artisan associations (everything from construction metal workers to women fabric dyers). I've been getting ideas of what their current needs are, and how I could help them out. One of the biggest challenges I've found here is to try to help without taking over. Ideally, the best projects are ones where the Malians express their needs, organize the project needed, and then implement it and follow up with it themselves. The best role I can play is to serve as a resource for them and help connect them to other resources that would be beneficial (e.g. funding sources). This is a huge challenge, though. It's really hard not to just create a project plan, find the funding myself and lead the way toward implementation. In the end, I believe it's so much more valuable for Malians to do all this, so when I leave, they will be able to continue doing it. Anyway, that's what's new over here. Hopefully sometime soon I'll be writing about an actual project taking place with the artisans! So far I've been busy helping CRAS (Coordination Regional des Artisans a Segou) plan their 12th anniversary celebration, which will take place this Saturday (complete with a concert, soccer game and fashion show). I'll make sure to take some pictures and put some up. Right now my memory card is full...but I'll take care of that this week. Take care!!

2007-03-10T14:31:00.000Z

Hello everyone! I don't have much time to write, but just wanted to say that everything's good over here!

The other day I met a Canadian woman (originally from Vancouver) who was traveling around to different African countries and filming artisans for a Canadian group that helps artisans get their products up to a "world-market" quality level. One of her stops was the bogolan (mud-dying) place in Ségou. Very exciting! So I went over there with her while she interviewed the organizers of the place.

(the bogolan buildings)

The place is one of the biggest tourist draws in Ségou. It would be neat to see them progress to where they could export thier goods someday.

(some of the men doing the bogolan)

Then, Thursday the 8th was international women's day, which Malians take extremely seriously. Everyone bought special pagnes (aka cloth) for the day and got outfits made.

(me and Madame Koumaré amongst the others)

We had a big convention in Ségou with the Mayor and Governor and such. They had dancers and singers, all to honor women.

(the guests of honor)

(the convention)

Well, that's all I got for now. I'm out of time at the cyber café. Check back soon!

WAIST in Dakar

2007-03-02T14:26:00.000Z

My vacation to Senegal was perfect – fun, relaxing and rejuvinating. The first three days I participated in WAIST (the West African International Softball Tournament). Peace Corps Mali brought over about 30 people and divided up into two teams – POP and Ikatigi – to play in the recreational side of the tournament. I was on team POP.

We did fairly well considering how exhausted we were from several days of harsh travel (see my blog about the bus). We ended up losing in the quarter finals to the Mauritania Pirates (Mauritania brought over ALL of their volunteers, and divided them into three teams and one group of spectators. The Pirates, their most competitive team, has taken the tournament 4 times out of the past 5 years. They actually practice beforehand!). The Pirates beat us 7-5 in a really fun and exciting game. They ended up winning the whole tournament again, beating the Senegal Bashers (a team full of US Marines) 17-2 in the championship game. I think we might have a chance to compete with them next year! Our uniforms received TONS of praise. We had traditional Bobo shirts and Dogon hets made. I had countless people asking if I would give them or trade them my hat. Everyone agreed that we had the most creative and best uniforms out of all the teams. Another team came close by wearing togas made out of either bedsheets or mosquito nets. The rest of the teams mostly made and wore t-shirts. I stayed in downtown Dakar at a woman named Vickie’s condo along with three other volunteers. Vickie works for the US Embassy in Senegal, and was kind enough to host us during the tournament. Her place was amazing! I got to wash my clothes in a real washing machine, and then dry them in a dryer! And I got to take hot showers! Such things aren’t readily found in Mali. And the city of Dakar is so modern! Almost all the roads are paved, and there are actually hired workers sweeping up trash on the main roads. There are countless tall buildings (compared to only a few in Bamako), and there are real restaurants and stores. I saw sporting goods stores, grocery stores, beauty shops, fast food places (although no McDonald’s or Starbucks), etc. Bamako only has a couple "Toubab stores," which are pretty much strictly for Toubabs (aka foreigners). And the real sit-down restaurants are hard to find. Mostly you get street food (i.e. women cooking food outside on a table, like rice, beans, chicken, noodles). In Dakar, Senegalese and Westerners alike were shopping and eating in restaurants. There were ice cream and pizza parlors (I got to eat a calzone!). And the FRUIT!! Pears, plums, mandarins, orange oranges (Mali’s oranges are yellowish-green), and big, yellow bananas (Mali’s are bite-sized and greenish). I couldn’t believe it. There was such better selection and quality. It’s amazing the difference in quality between a coastal city and an inland city in a landlocked country. Fruit like that never makes it to Bamako. After the tournament ended, 13 of us headed a couple hours south to a small village on the coast.

We rented a house for 5,000 cfa (about 10 dollars) per night. The house was GORGEOUS. Two bedrooms, a deck, patio and porch overlooking a white-sand beach and the Atlantic. And the beach was practically ours – there weren’t any other tourists around. It was incredible.

We ate Yassa (chicken and rice in an onion-lemon sauce...very tasty Senegalese dish) our first night for dinner and played cards. All but three of us left the second day, but Yuri, Jackie and me stayed for two more nights.

We hiked up the

cliffs overlooking the beaches and found old French forts or something up there.

The views were incredible. I was so happy to see the ocean again! Finally, we began our long journey inland to Mali. And after a relaxing vacation and an exhausting return, I can honestly say I’m happy to be back home. :-)

THE BUS (dun dun dunnnnn...)

2007-02-23T16:56:00.000Z

What a crazy couple of weeks it's been! I just got back to Ségou after traveling to Dakar, Senegal for the West African International Sorftball Tournament (WAIST). I'll write up a separate blog for my vacation and the tournament (I have TONS of pictures to post, too), but I must dedicate a separate entry strictly to Malian transport.

I had a few options to get to Dakar. Plane, train (I wish automobile, but sadly that one wasn't an option) or bus. Planes are too expensive, and I've heard too many horror stories about the train, so I opted to take the bus along with about 20 other PCVs. The longest bus ride I'd ever endured was a six-hour ride from Sikasso to Ségou -- which was uncomfortable, but tolerable. I thought I could handle the long ride to Dakar just fine.

Let me first describe the typical Malian bus. Picture a Greyhound (or a city bus in some cases) built in the 1970s that is so ghetto people refuse to ride in it. Tack on 30 years of hard use, and that's the kind of bus that serves as a classy form Malian transport. Air conditioning is non-existent -- you're lucky if the windows open. Traveling with livestock? No problem! They'll hog-tie your sheep and goats and throw them under the bus along with the luggage. Or they'll strap your baggage to the roof of the bus. They overfill the busses, so the last people to buy tickets have to sit on stools which are placed in the aisle (luckily this hasn't been me!). They usually ride with the door open to get some air flow. Otherwise, you sit on a stinky, spongy seat marveling at just how much sweat you can produce while sitting and doing nothing. The downside to having good air flow, however, is the dust. Bring your turbans and hankerchiefs, or else suffer the consequences of bloody noses and soar throats. But I digress...

We left Bamako for Kayes (in western Mali) on Tuesday, Feb.13. We showed up at the bus station at 9am to catch our 10:30 bus. To our surprise, our bus had already left without us (it WAS a surprise, too, since busses usually run a couple hours late). Luckily, an extremely nice and helpful employee reimbursed our tickets and found us another bus across the city that was leaving at 10:30. The bus was small (see pic), but we had faith it would get us to Kayes, where we were scheduled to meet the rest of our group and continue to Dakar.

I first got the hunch that something wasn't normal when we pulled off the road -- after driving 4 blocks -- and the driver jumped out to look under the hood. After 45 minutes, we continued driving. We also continued stopping about every 20-30 minutes for the driver to hop out and open the hood. At one point we stopped, and the driver ran out to a puddle in a field to fill up a jug of water. It was then that we realized our frequent stops were for the driver to pour water into the radiator. During one stop, Yuri got out to observe. He came back to report that, after filling the radiator with water, he then poured water all over the engine to cool it down, and then he crumpled up a whole pack of cigarettes and added that to the radiator fluid -- I mean water. Kids, don't try this at home -- these are professionals!!

Nighttime slowly came as we crawled toward the Kayes boundary. When we did finally reach the gendarms stop (around midnight); we waited on the bus for over 30 minutes. Finally, we were told that we couldn't continue until daylight, due to bandits lurking in the shadows beyond. So we climbed off the bus, set up mosquito tents (thank goodness we had those!), and slept on the road -- literally. Well, I actually didn't sleep -- I shivered my way through the night, because my fleece was packed on top of the bus. The desert gets cold at night!

(where we slept next to the bus)

We finally got moving again at about 6am, and made it to Kayes city by 11. I am told that, normally, a bus ride from Bamako to Kayes takes 9-12 hours. It took us over 24!

I won't go into detail about the rest of the voyage -- it would rival The Odyssey! But I'll just say that it took another 24 hours to get from Kayes to Dakar (it should've only taken 12 as well). And the trip back home was just as unenjoyable -- complete with a bus that served as a breeding ground for mosquitos (I killed over 30 before giving up the battle), drivers demanding we pay them money to bribe the police and gendarms, spending another night trapped at the Kayes border, etc.

Maybe next time I'll take my chances with the train...

the Festival on the Niger

2007-02-08T14:09:00.000Z

Hi everyone! I'm finally settled back in Ségou -- just in time to leave in a few days to bus to Dakar for the WAIST softball tournament! Things have been crazy busy over here since I came back from Tubaniso/Bamako. Last week (Feb 1-4) was Ségou's third annual Festival sur le Niger. It's a music festival that was started my Mr. Daffé, a prominent Malian who owns the Motel Savane here in Ségou. Each year the festival has gotten bigger and bigger, gaining more of a reputation. Unfortunately, I didn't get to work on this year's festival as much as I would have liked, but I did get to go into the festival, watch the concerts, make observations and talk to tourists and artisans.

(some Malians at the festival)

(parade of Malians playing traditional music)

Overall, the festival was very impressive. I wasn't expecting too much from the third edition of a third-worl festival, and I was shocked to see how advanced the festival really is. The stage for the main concerts was literally ON the Niger River, and there were parades, dancers, puppets, restaurants and bars that all came out for it.

(giant puppets -- these kinda freaked me out)

(this guy was all over -- he was sort of like a clown)

Sadly, there were a lot of problems with the arts fair. It wasn't advertised well, and the actual fair was located several blocks away from the river and the festival. As a result, few tourists knew about it and didn't know how to get to it, so many artisans lost money at the festival. I helped the CRPA pass out and collect evaluations, so I got to hear all the complaints. But during the two previous years, the fair was in the festival itself, and I've been told that next year they will move it back to the river, so hopefully next year all the problems will be remedied.

(parade of Malians from the Dogon Country)

Although the artisans got the short end of the stick, every tourist I spoke with was extremely happy and enjoyed the festival. Ségou really did a marvelous job putting this whole thing together. There were many internationally known artists who came to play (mostly Malians and Côte D'Ivoirians), all of whom are very popular with Malians and Europeans (as well as the Americans who were there).

(the big stage on the river during the opening ceremony)

I had a blast at the festival, and I'm looking forward to helping out more for next year's (especially with the art fair). If anyone is interested in making the trip out to Mali next February, you'd have a free place to stay while going to the festival!! (hint hint)

Rock Climbing and Mud Wrestling

2007-01-27T16:01:00.000Z

What a month it's been! I left Ségou shortly after New Years to go to Tubaniso for our in-service training. On the way, I got to swing by a town called Siby, which is about an hour-long bumpy ride south of Bamako. It was worth the trip, because we got to go hiking and rock climbing. It was awesome.

(Yuri, Kyle (in the background), Britta and Katie hiking in Siby)

(Yuri, Kyle, Katie and Britta)

I was with several other volunteers, and we had a blast. It cost us each about six dollars to rent all the gear and have two guides set up courses for us for four hours of climbing. Not a bad deal! We did four different courses and had a blast.

(Britta playing around on the rocks)

(All of us after climbing)

Tubaniso was fun as well. It was like a camp reunion -- all of us got back together after being in our various sites for three months. We had tons of stories to swap. We had loooooong days at Tubaniso (training lasted from 8 am to 5 pm and sometimes even went into the night). But somedays, if we got out of training before the sunset, we got to play sports. We played tons of beach volleyball (there's a sand court), football, etc. The highlight of the two-plus weeks there, though, was the MUD WRESTLING TOURNAMENT. It was glorious!

(The "before" shot)

I don't know where the idea originated, but it didn't take long for everyone to jump on board. We got the Agriculture, Natural Resource Management and Water Sanitation volunteers to create a beautiful mud pit in the fields, and then the tournament began. There were some great match ups.

(Kyle posing with Michelle, Cody and Kara surrounding him)

(Me getting pronounced the winner after pinning Kara in my first match)

I am proud to say that I never lost a match. I think I might have scared a few poepole who weren't aware of my extensive tackle mud football background! But it was all fun, and now we have some awesome memories (as well as some sweet pics).

(The "after" shot)

(Me, Kyle, Yuri and Eric..."Ségou kaw" -- meaning we all live in Sgou region) The last thing I'll say about it is -- it is TOUGH to wash out muddy clothes by hand in a bucket! I think I had to handwash my clothes four times before the water stayed clear!

Feast of Tabaski

2007-01-01T15:28:00.000Z

December 30, 2006 was the Muslim feast of Tabaski. My homologue, Mme. Koumaré, explained to me that the feast is based on the Genesis story of God commanding Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Just as Abraham was about to kill Isaac, an angel came down and told him not to, because he proved that he would honor and obey God, no matter what He asked. So instead of sacrificing his son, Abraham sacrificed a ram that he found stuck in some brush. So for Tabaski, all the families slaughter sheep (or goats if they can't afford sheep), and they eat and eat and eat until there is no meat left. The feast lasts for days (I think by day two they cook and eat the heads). It was very intense. I celebrated the feast with Mme. Koumaré's family. They had already slaughtered their two sheep by the time I arrived (around noon), and had already begun eating some of the meat they cooked. It was the best meat I've had in Mali. My first plate was cut meat chunks cooked over a fire, with onions, tomatos, cucumbers and french fries all mixed together.

(Women preparing the meat)

They never stopped cooking! We literally ate meat until it was too dark to see anything. Then we had dinner! Which, by the way, was brochettes (shish kabobs) of meat, followed by a giant bowl of shredded meat. I was so meated out by the end, I had to stop eating. So they sent me home with a bowl full of meat to eat for breakfast!

(Some of the boys eating -- they're really nice, they just look angry in photos. For some reason most Malians don't smile when they pose for photos.)

It was a great experience to celebrate a feast with a Malian family. Other neighbors and friends kept stopping by to greet the family. They'd stay, eat a bit, chat and then go on their way. And they'd bring meat for my family, and my family would in turn give them some of their meat to take home. As poor as everyone is here, they are extremely generous with their food (as well as everything else). And whenever Garabous came by (the street children who are sent to beg for religious reasons that I don't quite understand), we always gave them a hunk of raw meat. I guess they have somewhere to go cook it...

(Mme Koumaré and me. Her son chopped the tops of our heads off when he took the pic)

(Mme Koumaré and a baby (mabye her niece?) Sorry the photo's sideways...)

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T14:40:00.000Z

Merry Christmas to everyone!! I got to spend Christmas with a few friends who came into Ségou. We planned to start the celebration with midnight mass (I conveniently live across the street from the Catholic mission district). My language tutor had told me that midnight mass was where it’s at as far as Christmas in Mali, so we were all excited to have the experience. Since most of us volunteers go to sleep by 9, we kept each other awake by playing charades and drinking Cokes. We got dressed up in our finest Malian clothes (or whatever we had) and walked over to the church at 11:30. We weren’t sure just how crowded it would be, so we made sure to get there early.

(From left to right: Emily, Louie, Gretchen, Yuri, Steffen, Mario (Steffen's uncle visiting from Germany), Steffen's sister also visiting (I forgot her name...something German), Danielle)

As we approached the church, we saw CROWDS of people outside the church. There literally were huge trucks packed full of Malians, and kids running around lighting off fireworks in the middle of everyone. We couldn’t believe it was already so packed that this many people were stuck outside! We made our way through the crowd and got our first glimpse inside the church – it was completely EMPTY. After talking with the priest (who was also outside), we discovered that midnight mass had started at 10:30! D’oh! We sulked back to my house and decided to try again in the morning. My mood cheered up considerably though when I got to talk to all my sisters and my parents at midnight. Then I crashed and prepared to wake up for Round 2 of church. We all woke up early and made it to church before they’d even opened the doors (we were determined). Mass lasted from 9-11, and the choir was rockin’! They had pink and white scarves that they’d wave in the air during the choruses of the songs, and at one point a bunch of kids got up and danced in a circle as everyone clapped and sang faster and faster.

(Christmas morning...Emily is opening a HUGE care package from her whole family)

After church we made pancakes at my house. We splurges and bought powdered sugar, and Yuri opened up the maple syrup that his aunt had sent him from Canada. It was a treat! I took my traditional post-holiday-feast nap after breakfast (I couldn’t help it), and everyone else went to the grand market to buy ingredients for dinner.

(Gretchen, Emily and Louie bleaching and peeling veggies for the salad)

We spent the majority of the day preparing food to bring over to Steffen’s Christmas potluck. The potluck was great – we had five chickens, spaghetti, rice, mashed potatoes and gravy, salad and veggies. There was a mix of Americans, Germans and Malians who all came and ate.

(Dinner time)

I even got to bake the cookies from the mix that Cindy had sent over (thanks again Cindy!!). We also had no-bake cheesecake and pumpkin pie (made from a mix) from other volunteer’s care packages. It was a long but very fun day!

La Poterie de Kalabougou

2006-12-23T14:24:00.000Z

Today I finally made it out of Ségou and onto the Niger River. I took a pirogue (those long boats you see in all my sunset pics) 17k up river to the village of Kalaobougou. I have been trying to do this for over a month, but some obstacle has always gotten in my way until now. This is very common in Mali – EVERYTHING (from laundry to projects) takes about 12 times longer to accomplish over here. The women of Kalabougou have created an artisan association that specializes in pottery. They use a traditional method of firing the pots by piling tons and tons of sticks and brush onto the pots and lighting it all on fire. This huge bonfire heats up the pots enough to solidify them. This method is much less environmentally friendly and produces lower-quality products than using a kiln, but it also is a fairly big tourist attraction. The women actually want to build a kiln and learn how to use it – a project that my predecessor started working on. But, once again, many obstacles have blocked that project from becoming complete. I hope that during my two years I’ll be able to complete the project that they started.

(A woman sculpting the clay -- she was very friendly)

Anyway, I went to Kalabougou with some friends and a guide. The guide took us through the whole village. We met the village chief, as well as all the women working on the various stages of pottery creation. Everyone in the village is very used to tourists, which can be a downside when the children follow you everywhere demanding things (“give me money/a present/your water bottle, etc.). But I’m used to this, since Ségou is also very touristy and all the kids are like that here as well.

(Some pots I saw in a family's concession)

(Women creating the piles of brush for the fire. The pots are underneath the piles)

The flames from the fire were the larges I’ve ever stood next to. The smoke darkened the sky. Despite the heat radiating from the three giant bonfires (as well as the midday sun), the women would run right up to the flames and throw more grass on the piles.

(The fire)

After the fires died down a bit, we decided to head back. The kids followed us all the way to the pirogue. When we got on the pirogue, they ran in the river and followed next to the boat until it was too deep for them to continue. We crossed the river just as the sun was setting – the perfect way to end a great adventure!

(The pirogue ride back to Ségou)

Time is Flying!

2006-12-16T15:50:00.000Z

Well, I am almost done with my first three months of service! I can hardly believe it -- time is flying by. Before I know it, I'll be back in the States wondering if this was all a dream! I have gotten into a routine of working from 9 to 1, and either eating lunch with Mme. Coumaré at the CRPA or with Yuri at a rice and sauce joint. (The "tigadigena" is delicious -- it's a peanut sauce that they put on white rice. A ka di, kosobé kosobé!). The rest of the day is spent cleaning, cooking, washing laundry by hand, or drinking tea and hanging out with Malians and other volunteers in the area.

(my service, the CRPA -- le centre régional de la promotion de l'artisanat)

(my desk -- I actually share it with everyone else, so it's not really MY desk)

(the son of Amadou -- the man who lives where the CRPA office is. The office is located in his family's concession.)

I have rapidly been improving my French skills. My French lessons with my tutor have transformed from real lessons in verb tenses and what not to 1-hour conversations about various subjects. He corrects me when I mess up and helps me figure out how to say what I want to say, but at least I'm having semi-intellectual conversations! We're learning about each other's cultures quite a bit this way, which is an added benefit.

Well, I only have three minutes left before I get kicked off the internet, but I'll definitely put up another blog soon -- probably about Christmas. My language tutor actually just gave me a French Bible. Très gentil!!! J'étais très contente. (I was very happy).

I'll leave with a couple more random pics:

(women outside of Yuri's house selling fried plantains and hanging out)

(Praying mantis that keeps sneaking into my house and chilling on my couch)

I can't get enough of the sunsets!!

2006-12-03T11:09:00.000Z

So here's more sunset pics that I took last week. The sunsets have been absolutely incredible lately. Enjoy!!

An American Thanksgiving in Segou

2006-11-26T13:56:00.000Z

Happy belated Thanksgiving to all! Our Thanksgiving was a complete success. My friend Steffen (a soldier in the German Army who's living in Segou for the next few years training soldiers) offered up his super sweet house for us Americans to take over for the holiday. He has an oven, a microwave, a fridge, a flatscreen tv, dvd player -- his house is hooked up. His girlfriend Danielle is American, so we decided to have a German and American Thanksgiving bash. Yuri, Steffen, Danielle and I were the main cooks. We begun at noon on Wednesday buying food at the market and then we were off to Steffen's house to begin cooking. We were preparing a surprisingly authentic Thanksgiving feast, given the limited resources we had in Mali. It also was the most raw Thanksgiving meal I've ever been a part of -- EVERYTHING was cooked from scratch. We bought two live turkeys (I stood by while Steffen's housekeeper sawed their heads off -- very bloody). We bought fresh ingredients for Green Bean Casserole (we had to create the french fried onions and cream of mushroom from scratch too). We bought a giant JE (the closest thing to a pumpkin you'll find in Mali) and made pumpkin bread and two pumpkin pies. We made a sweet potato dish and a squash casserole. We dried out loafs of bread and created stuffing from scratch. We made spaghetti, meat sauce and garlic bread. We made a banana cream pie, which was AMAZING. We made gravy from the turkey juice. And I even tried the mashed potatoes (which I still don't like!).

(Yuri and Emily cooking on our tiny stove)

(The feast)

(My pies)

The whole dinner was fantastic. Yuri, Danielle and I cooked from Wednesday afternoon until 2 AM, then woke up early and cooked until 7 pm on Thanksgiving. Steffen lives by two other German volunteers -- Arnim and Mamadou. They also let us use their kitchens and ovens for cooking. So we were running from house to house with the turkeys and casseroles and such in the African sun. Other Malians must've thought we were crazy. We were going nonstop for a day and a half. Then we feasted. About 20 peace corps volunteers and German volunteers showed up, and we had blast. We all ate until we couldn't stand up straight, then we watched Spaceballs. We had so much food left over that 10 of us came back Friday afternoon for turkey sandwiches and leftovers! My biggest claims to fame were the two pumpkin pies, the banana cream pie, the green bean casserole and the two turkeys (Yuri and I mostly did the turkeys). We all helped each other out, but we also had our own dishes that we took charge with. I'd never made a pie before (or a pie crust, for that matter), and I didn't even have recipe for the merangue that went on top of the banana pie, but they all turned out delicious. I can't wait to go over to Steffen's and bake some more!

(Dinner time)

(Kyle finishing his first round of food)

So although we were halfway around the world, America was representing in Mali! We had a great time. And I'll be thinking about that dinner for the next year!

Random Things about Mali

2006-11-18T14:50:00.000Z

I haven't written in a while, so I thought I'd write some random things about my life here in Mali that have been collecting in my memory bank for the past four months. Hope this paints an even better picture of Mali for all of you! I'll write more next week about Thanksgiving (yes, us Americans are celebrating it over here -- we're even getting a Turkey!! Yahoo!). And to all of you -- HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Eat extra pumpkin pie for me! * Outstide of my friend Yuri's apartment, there are about 10 albino rabbits. Yes, rabbits -- the big kind (like Easter bunnies, except they have glowing red eyes...kinda creepy!). I didn't know rabbits lived in W. Africa, but I guess they do. When I asked a neighbor girl about them, all I could get out of her was that I could buy one if I wanted. * I found out that my homologue (Madame Coumare) and the family that lives below me have been wanting me to impose more. In Mali, it's considered rude if you don't go into people's houses uninvited (especially coworkers' houses) and demand to be fed and what not. They love showing their hospitality here. And the American definition of imposing and wearing out your welcome is their definition of showing that you like them. So now I've been going over to Madame Coumare's house for lunch and to just hang out, watch tv (cheesy Spanish soap operas dubbed in French), etc. * In Segou, you can buy a treat called "nonos." It's a little plastic baggie full of frozen yogurty-type substance. It's delicious. And since one scoop of ice cream at the Djoliba hotel costs 750cfa (approx. $1.50) and one baggie of nonos costs 100cfa (approx. $.20), the nonos is about the best treat I can afford. You bite off a corner of the baggie and eat it straight. Sometimes I bike home and, before it melts too much in the Africa sun, I put it in a bowl and cut up bananas or guavas onto it. A KA DI, kosobe kosobe!!! (Bambara for "it's delicious!") * Everyone you meet in Mali asks your name, and then your last name. If you're last name is one of their "joking cousins," then you have to get into it with them for at least five minutes. I can't really explain the joking cousins concept -- just that there are certain families who joke with eachother. It's kind of a cross between sports team rivalries and "yo mama" jokes in the U.S. It's all in good fun, though, but people get pretty into it. For example, my name is Djeneba Samake. If I meet anyone with the last name Coulibaly -- regardless if it's a 90-year-old woman or a 12-year-old boy, I have to say that Coulibalys are horrible, no good, etc. And they say the same about Samakes. They often will say that Samakes are their slaves, or that they eat beans (implying that they fart a lot -- very taboo over here!), or that they're donkeys. It gets very tiring when EVERY single person goes through this with you on a daily basis. But they never get tired of the same jokes. And after we rag on eachother for a while, we shake hands and laugh about it. Well, that's about it on the random things. Oh, last night I was watching the sunset over the Niger from my friend's roof, and a bird pooed on my head. Fun stuff. That's Africa -- you never know what'll happen next!! Haha!

HALLOWEEN

2006-11-03T11:41:00.000Z

This past week I left my site for the first time since I was installed at the beginning of October. I haven't really had cabin fever, though, since my site is the second largest city in the country! But it was nice to have a change of scenery. Some of the other volunteers came into Segou last weekend, and on Monday we piled into a HOT, un-airconditioned, stuffy (did I mention hot??) bus and rode for four hours up to San, a different city in the region of Segou. Peace Corps has a "stage house" in San (only one of the two left in the country) where volunteers can stay while passing through. But they also sometimes go there to meet up with each other for a mini-vacation. They have a small tv and a dvd player there, so I got to watch some MOVIES!! Awwwshjyeah! I'd been going through withdrawls. Ooh -- and the day I left I went to the post office to see if I had any mail...and I got Maria's package! THANKS MARIA! So I got to take the dvds she sent me up to San -- I watched the Best of Will Ferrell (1 AND 2) and Old School. It was GLORIOUS! Ok, back to the reason for our trip up there -- Halloween. We had a get together at the stage house for Halloween. The theme for our costumes was "movie characters," but that kinda turned into "entertainment characters." I collaborated with Yuri and Miguel (who live closest to me) for our costumes. Yuri was Mario, Miguel was Luigi and I was Princess Peach from Super Mario Bros., and I must say they turned out pretty sweet. Actually, I was extremely impressed with everyone's costumes. Peace Corps has some pretty creative and resourceful people in it! For the materials available, people really went all out and produced some of the best costumes I've ever seen.

Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach

I bought the material for my costume and took it to a tailor (along with a fuzzy picture of the princess that I'd printed at the internet cafe). Within two days, he'd created my dress. It was awesome. I made my crown by cutting up a bucket and taping a yellow plastic bag to it, and I wore a candy necklace that was also in the care package I'd just recieved (thanks again, Maria!). Miguel and Yuri had their overalls made by a different tailor, along with our gloves. Malian tailors apparently do not know how to make gloves -- they were a disaster! I couldn't fit my fingers into half of mine, and the thumbs were literally only an inch long! Yuri's gloves only had four fingers! Oh well -- we tried...

As I said, a lot of people sported great costumes. We had a Marge Simpson and Lisa Simpson, along with a Troy McClure (you might remember him from such self-help videos as "Get Confident, Stupid!"). We also had almost the whole family from The Royal Tannembaums. I could go on...

Marge, Troy McClure and Lisa

The Royal Tannembaums

Michael Jackson and David Bowie

Halloween was a blast -- I got to be American (well, as American as possible in a sub-Saharan, third-world francophone country) for a few days. We even made ice cream and pizza pockets and watched Dumb and Dumber. It doesn't get more American than that!

Africa Landscape

2006-10-26T12:53:00.000Z

You might be wondering what Mali actually looks like. Before coming here, I imagined Mali to be straight up desert. I think it's just that up north (in Timbuktu and Gao, for example), but here are some pics around where I've lived and where I'm currently living...

Banankoro (my homestay village) -- looking out from my language professers' house

Banankoro again

I took this pic while biking from Banankoro to Seynou (a town about 10k north of Banankoro). This is what a lot of Mali looks like...very pretty!

Sunset over the Niger River in Segou

Another couche de soleil sur le Niger...I get to witness this every day for the next two years!!!

PICTURES! Finally some pictures!!!

2006-10-14T11:32:00.000Z

This is my giant bathroom (well, at least the sink part of it...the shower and toilet are off to the right.)

This was the first dinner that Yuri (another PC Volunteer living in Segou) and I "cooked" in my apartment. I didn't have a stove yet, so all we could make was a cucumber and tomato salad with bread and Kool-Aid. Yummy!

My bedroom, before I rearranged it. The ceiling fan is key!

This is the view from my front door out onto my balcony and across the street to the soccer field. There's a Catholic church on the opposite side of the field and I can hear the church bells from my house.

First Day on the Job

2006-10-11T15:20:00.001Z

Yesterday was my first official day at work. I woke up excited to make a great first impression – well, not quite a FIRST impression, since I’d met my homologue, Madame Koumaré, and my other coworker, Keita (a recent college grad who is interning at the CRPA), several times already. But nonetheless, I left early and biked across town to my office, allowing myself enough time to change into a red-and-gold Malian outfit that I’d just picked up from the tailor’s a couple days ago. I sat down at my desk at 8 am and helped Keita install a printer to the computer that we share. I felt pretty good about being able to assist him with that (he’s only been learning how to use computers for the past year). At 8:30, my homologue came out of her office and told me that we were going to go visit the Chambre, which is another artisan organization that I’ll be closely working with while I’m here. She hopped on her moto and told me to follow on my bike. If I had known how far across the city the Chambre bureau is from my service I would have definitely changed back into my pants. But, unfortunately, I found myself biking full-speed (her moto can really fly) in my new skirt, trying my best not to rip it in half or flash anyone as I zoomed by (I had it hiked up past my knees – pretty scandalous). At one point I lost one of my flip flops and had to stop and run down the street after it. Luckily, a Malian who was biking a ways behind me saw it and grabbed it for me, so I didn’t have to run too far in my constricting skirt while wearing one shoe. After the 20-minute bike ride, we arrived at the Chambre – sweaty, dehydrated and dirty. I met countless presidents, representatives and members of various artisan associations. I stumbled over my French and Bambara words and tried to stop sweating so much. An hour later, I found myself in a conference room with the same group of people, and they began to hold a meeting. I still don’t know what that meeting was really about – all I know is that I was stuck in a stale room with broken ceiling fans (the electricity wasn’t working for whatever reason) for hours, straining to understand any of the French they were spouting off. And, despite my best efforts, I hadn’t stopped sweating and was still dehydrated. After two hours of baking in this room, my body and mind began to shut down. I tried my hardest to stay awake, but the room was too hot and my brain was getting tired from trying to interpret the meeting. The meeting was running about an hour and a half behind schedule, so we had our first break at 11:30 rather than at 10. My homologue asked me if I was too tired to continue – what a great first impression! I tried to explain that I was too hot; she seemed sympathetic. I felt so stupid giving excuses, though, because I know that she’s fasting right now (we’re in the middle of Ramadan) and was probably feeling much weaker and thirstier than me. The agenda stated that the meeting was supposed to end at 3 (no break for lunch – Ramadan again), but my homologue let me leave at 1 so I could go home for lunch and call it a day. (I’m only supposed to be at my service for a few hours a day – I’m not required to put in eight hours or anything.) I found out today that the meeting actually went until after 5 pm. But, thankfully, I did bike home a little after 1 (by this time I didn’t care that I was still wearing my nice new Malian outfit) and ate some of the best watermelon I’ve ever tasted. What a day! And that was only Day 1 of the next two years...oh well, as we like to say over here, “That’s Africa!”

Discours de fin de stage/End of Stage Speech

2006-10-08T16:46:00.000Z

Friday, September 29th was our official swearing in ceremony. It was held at the US Ambassador's house and was televised in Mali. One person from each language class was asked by our professors to deliver a brief speech in our language of study. I was lucky enough to get to deliver the French speech. So here it is, in all it's glory (in English -- it's not letting me post it in French for some reason...) When we arrived in Mali, we were greeted with the Malian saying: You left your home, you arrived at home. Each person whome we have met -- our host families, our professers, Malian officials, the Peqce Corps employees -- all have proved the veracity of this saying. You have not welcomed us as guests; you have welcomed us as family. We have not only learned the many languages of Mali, but we have also learned much about Malian culture. It is a great honor for us to call Mali our home, and we will invest 100 percent of ourselves to satisfying the needs of our home. You have already given us so much, and we are eager to return the favor. A saying from our country says: There are two types of people in the world: those who blow out everyone else's candles so theirs alone shines bright, and those who light each other's candles so together the world can shine it's brightest. As Peace Corps Volunteers, we promise to light all the candles around us, so after two years, we will leave Mali shining brighter than ever. I've now been in Segou for one week, and I'm loving it. I spent this past week getting settled in and cleaning up my apartment. I've had people stop me and tell me that they saw me give my speech on TV. Pretty crazy. I'm starting work on Tuesday (tomorrow is market day), so wish me luck!

(I love this pic...this is Naba, the daughter of one of my language profs...just thought I'd throw it in here)

Who's Lookin' at Me....

2006-09-25T00:23:00.000Z

My Malian Family

2006-09-24T11:26:00.000Z

I'm back in Tubaniso now...today was my last day in Banankoro. I actually cried as we drove away and I watched my family standing behind the car waving at me. Over the past two months, I've developed a strong connection to my family. My older mom, Wulematu, gave me about five pounds of peanuts and two cucumbers before I left. She was a bit nutty -- she laughed often and danced and sang constantly. She was fluent in French and Bambara, although I struggled to understand her French. But she was always very patient with me, and would just laugh when I didn't understand her.

(Wulematu pounding millet to create toh (a greenish-pasty food that they eat every day...tastes pretty much like dirt) ) My closest sisters, Fatumata and Aminata, stayed with me until I drove away. Aminata is the sister whom I grew closest to -- although she's only 13! I never before would've guessed that I'd have so much in common with a 13-year-old. But she is extremely mature beyond her years, and is one of the hardest workers that I've ever known. Fatumata is 17, although for the first month I was convinced she was older than me. She has a 5-month-old baby named Suri, who is adorable (and thankfully healthy).

(A family friend, Aminata and me)

(Djeneba #2 -- whom I was named after)

(Suri and me...my family loved that fact that he was so afraid of my white skin. They thought it was hilarious for me to hold him and made me do it often...)

My father, Abdulai Samake, was pensive but always happy. He didn't speak French, so I didn't get to talk to him too much. He and my other mom, Nyenemba, would shower me with benedictions every morning, afternoon and evening. He would light up anytime I came home from the market with apples for the family. My youngest sister, Salimata, was an absolute doll. Whenever she'd see me, she'd repeatedly say "Djeneba! Djeneba!"and tilt her head to one side and smile up at me. She would climb onto my lap and shrug her shoulders, looking as cute as possible. I took quite a few photos of her (it helped that she LOVED the camera -- she'd always say "Djeneba, photo!" and I could never resist). I'll hopefully post them soon! (Salimata)

I never thought I'd meet a group of siblings who looked more alike than my family -- but I've met them! I still couldn't tell some of my sisters apart -- even after two months! All my brothers and sisters are absolutely gorgeous, and they all are completely selfless and kind. They all have a wonderful glow about them, which hopefully has rubbed off on me some! Since I'm not living with a family in Segou (my landlords live in my concession, but I'm not a part of their family), I will be taking my Banankoro family name with me. So for the next two years I will be Djeneba Samake. And I am proud to say so!

Storm

2006-09-11T12:48:00.000Z

I woke up to the sound of my tin door creaking open, then slapping itself against my mud hut. The trees shivered in the wind, and for the first time since I came here, I shivered too. It was still dark, but I heard my mother and sisters outside preparing for the coming storm. Using my recently acquired wisdom about Africa, I deduced that it must be about 5 a.m. I checked my watch to verify -- it was only midnight. My room lit up with the approaching lightning. The wind picked up again, and my door continued to slap my small hut awake. I resolved to wake up completely, undo my mosquito net, tiptoe around my lantern, suitcases and other items spread across my floor to my door. I wedged my metal door shut and reclosed the screen door. The only sound left was the wind through the trees (my family had finally gone to bed). The wind was rather peaceful, and I prayed that it would soothe me to sleep before the rains began. Lightning. Then thunder. Then lightning. Then thunder -- this time louder. I got up once more, undid my mosquito net, and draped a pagne over my net to prepare for the rain (somehow the rain always finds a route through my roof and onto my face). I tried to quickly fall asleep before the rain began, but the harder I tried, the more awake I became. Then the rain began to gently tap on my tin roof. I closed my eyes -- it was loud, but not unbearable. The tapping became a steady drumroll; the drumroll quickly became pounding. The storm, in an angry rage, had stumbled into my concession and began thrashing about -- waking us up by pounding on our roofs, killing the night with its lightning, shouting at us with its thunder. It tried with all its strength to break into our modest tin-roofed huts where we unsuccessfully tried to sleep. My leaky roof, mosquito net and pagne did surprisingly well. They held their own against the giant bully of a storm. This, however, did nothing to help me fall asleep. The storm's tantrum lasted three hours before it sauntered toward another village. For three hours, I listened to its tantrum. Finally, I slept.

Homologue Day

2006-09-06T17:59:00.000Z

Tonight is the last night I'll be at Tubaniso before I go back to my homestay village for the next few weeks. Today was "Homologue Day," where each of our respective homologues (i.e. our counterpart organization) came to do technical training with us. My homologue is Madame Coumare, who heads up the Segou region of the CRPA (Centre Regionale de la Promotion de l'Artisanat). She is an incredible woman, and I am very excited to work with her and the CRPA. She spent two years in Russia and is a former Russian high school teacher. She is very involved in women's associations and in her community. I cannot wait until I master French so I can actually communicate freely with her, because she is very motivated to get to work. I bought fabric for my "swearing in" outfit on Monday in Bamako. We went into town, and I ate french fries, chocolate cake, and ice cream. Such a treat! Then we went to the artisan sector of town, where I negotiated with a vendor (in French...booya!) for the fabric. Once I get back to my homestay village I'll have a tailor make my outfit. I'm not sure what I'm going to make it look like yet, but I'll be sure to take pictures. I won't have Internet access for the next 18 days, so until then take care!

My "third-world" experience

2006-09-04T13:07:00.000Z

Well, I just finished my one-week site visit, where I travelled to the city of Segou. Segou is a city of about 200,000 people, and it is where I'll be working/living for the next two years. Although I'd prepared myself for spending two years without running water, electricity, toilets, showers, etc., I've realized that my experience will be quite different. I'll be living in an apartment which is above my landlord's concession (where his family lives). I have running water (that's drinkable), electricity, ceiling fans in every room, a shower and a toilet. I will be working with an artisan association that heads up all the artisan activity in the whole Segou region. I have a desk w/a computer at my office (but no internet...yet). I spent the past week eating steak and pizza at hotel restaurants, taking cabs around Segou, watching the sunset over the Niger, and meeting many interesting people from all over the world who are volunteering or working in Segou. It's a big tourist town, so there are many "Tubabs" (aka foreigners) in the city. It definitely doesn't have the same small-village feel that my homestay village had. In the city, you don't greet everyone you see (unless you know them), and many people try to sell you things thinking you're a tourist. I feel lucky to get this perspective, however. It's completely different from anything I imagined. It's eerily similar to home, but at the same time it's completely different. Again, hopefully someday I'll figure out how to upload photos so you all can see what I struggle to describe! A bientot!

First Impressions

2006-08-15T22:03:00.000Z

(My hut at Tubaniso)

(Some trainees watching a Malian v. American football game -- and by football, I actually mean soccer...)

Well, I've been in Mali for about three weeks now. It's a really beautiful country. My homestay village is Banankoro (in the southern part of the country near the capital, Bamako). I'm one of 73 trainees -- the largest group to come into Mali at once. In Banankoro, though, there are 12 other trainees. The weather is pretty nice -- it gets hot (about 95 I'm guessing), but we're in the rainy season, so it's humid and it rains almost daily for at least a half hour. There are a lot of farms (cucumbers, corn, peanuts, yams, etc.) around and lots of trees. The roads are primarily made of red clay, and I live in a mud-brick hut with a tin roof. I'm living with a large family -- one father, two mothers, and about 15 children. They are all really nice, and they are helping me learn French as quickly as possible. I've been eating a ton! I eat breakfast alone (usually a baguette and some tea), then I eat lunch and dinner w/my sister Aminata. We eat from the same communal bowl and eat with our right hands (no utensils or napkins -- takes some getting use to!). Usually we eat rice, noodles or potatoes with some type of peanut-meat sauce. It's really tasty. I've tried toh a couple times (ground millet cooked into a green paste). I'm not a fan -- it's definitely an acquired taste! Everyone here is really friendly and eager to have us here. I've been studying French every day (we have classes from 8am - 5pm w/a break for lunch), but I still have a long ways to go. I've picked up how to say the greetings in Bambara, which is key. Everyone greets eachother and gives LONG greetings -- how are you? how is your family? how was your day/night? how is your mother? your father? etc... Needless to say, it takes a long time to walk anywhere when you have to greet everyone you see. I wake up every morning to roosters and donkeys. And there are sheep everywhere. And FLIES! I'm still not completely used to the flies. But I have gotten a lot better at using the nyegan (the toilet). It's a small hole in the ground that you squat over. And that's where you bathe as well (with a bucket of water and a cup). It's definitely different than the US! I can't wait to take some pictures and post them. Hopefully I'll be doing that soon. I went into Bamako for the first time yesterday and got some gelato and chocolate -- that definitely made me very happy!! I miss ice cream soooo much! And for those of you who want to write -- PLEASE DO! It takes about 2 weeks for the mail to come, and I love getting letters! I will also be getting a cell phone (hopefully soon, but maybe not until I go to my permanent site, which will be in a couple months). When I do, you'll be able to buy international calling cards and call me whenever! I think the time difference from the West Coast is 7 hours.