Yesterday was an interesting day here in Kayes. It was the closing ceremonies for the Bienniel Cultural Fair held for the first time ever in the city of Kayes. Seeing that it is the Bienniel one would think that this fair would be held every 2 years. The last one was in 2005 in Segou. We can't figure out the math either. But I digress.
We stayed in Kayes a few extra days to witness the closing ceremonies specifically to hear the Malian President, A.T.T., speak and hopefully get our picture taken with him. The first part worked out, the latter did not. While the President was speaking it was difficult to hear. I am not sure if it was due to all the people around us talking to each other while he spoke or if it was the poor AV system which did not pack the speaker punch needed for the crowd to hear. I mean it was all in French and what little we could hear we could understand. Since there have been problems recently in the regions of Kidal and Timbuktu he mentioned those regions and got loud cheers from the people representing those regions at the cultural fair. It was interesting. Very, very interesting. It's limited security was also shocking. We were about 15 rows away from the President and walked right into the stadium without being checked for weapons. This would never happen in America! At least security did not believe A.T.T. was Mark's father. That's the line he tried on the security officer to get us a photo. Negative!
We hope Santa was good to you all this year. I know he brought us bacon, which for a country with no pigs was an amazing feat! We have enjoyed that bacon twice already - in BLTs and in Mac n Cheese!
We are heading back to our village to ring in the new year without one alcoholic beverage and a good nights sleep! It has been a long time since we woke up on New Year's Day refreshed. Maybe we should set some tough resolutions this year!
Happy New Year to you all. May your night be more exciting than ours will be.
The Happy Couple
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Christmastime
So, we swear a delivery of charity goods made its way from Belfast, Maine to North Kayes region, Mali sometime in the last two years. The “Penobscot Bay YMCA” shirt in the little girl was shocking enough but now there has been a “Downeast Whitewater – Staff” polo shirt spotted on a woman there as well.
So, how’s this for an “only in Mali” experience? We had just finished our dinner. We could not move because Mark has just eaten his bodyweight in baashi and na, as he does every night, and had been rendered immobile. Normally we are in the middle of the concession but as it was we happened to be sitting in a different spot for a better angle on the Mexican soap opera dubbed in French to which Sam is addicted. It was a good thing, too, because as the ladies of the house sat down at their communal bowls there was a bit of a commotion down this tiny alley leading into the courtyard. We looked up to see what the commotion was just as two donkeys came crashing into the concession. It turned out that the loud braying was the lady of the couple trying mightily to spurn the amorous advances of the gentleman donkey, to a debatable degree of success. The end result was that these two fornicating donkeys proceeded to trash the concession completely. She ran amok right where we normally sat for dinner. He was undeterred in his pursuit. They flattened a poor little sheep tied to a post before barreling straight through where the women were eating. Peul women scattered in all directions! Baashi and sauce flew through the air! We sat frozen, watching in stunned amazement like Tom Hanks in the Money Pit when he placed a log in his fireplace only to watch the every brick of his chimney file past his face. We were probably nodding madly like him too. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of destruction although it was probably only an instant, the boys of the house found big enough sticks to begin driving out the interlopers. This sounds a hell of a lot easier in theory than it is in reality. Anyone with any experience with donkeys knows that they are rather stubborn animals. Sometimes you can’t move a donkey no matter how much of a beating is doled out, now picture it is getting lucky and see if you think it might move. Needless to say, our beau was not deterred by any amount of abuse. Alas, donkey love is mercifully brief and they managed to wrap it up and get out before any irreparable harm was done. Even the little sheep escaped serious injury. Well, if you ignore the fact that its throat was cut and it was eaten the next morning…
It is difficult to explain Mali especially when what we witness, we ourselves don’t understand. For example, one afternoon Sam spent the afternoon with the ladies, visiting a new bride in our concessions family. There were many hours of lounging, talking, eating, tea drinking and to top it off gum chewing. Side note – never just give American candy to the kids, the adults get offended as they want it as much as the kids do. In true Malian fashion, about an hour after the gum chewing commenced the gum was then found scattered all over the area we were sitting, on people’s shoes, on the mats on which we sat and even in the mouths of the children that had picked it up off the ground to see if there was any flavor left. The disposal of gum is treated like any other piece of trash here in Mali, when you are finished discard it wherever you are. I was amazed that none of the ladies were fazed or thought anything about the gum disposal methods as they watched the kids chew and cleaned it from their mats and shoes. The stuff that stuck to their hands they simply wiped on the same hanger post where someone had just wiped their kid’s snot from their hands.
We had a Merry Christmas with a day at a pool, great food and friends (our friends made homemade mozzarella cheese), wine and beer and calls from our families. We hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Santa was good to you. Happy New Year!
So, how’s this for an “only in Mali” experience? We had just finished our dinner. We could not move because Mark has just eaten his bodyweight in baashi and na, as he does every night, and had been rendered immobile. Normally we are in the middle of the concession but as it was we happened to be sitting in a different spot for a better angle on the Mexican soap opera dubbed in French to which Sam is addicted. It was a good thing, too, because as the ladies of the house sat down at their communal bowls there was a bit of a commotion down this tiny alley leading into the courtyard. We looked up to see what the commotion was just as two donkeys came crashing into the concession. It turned out that the loud braying was the lady of the couple trying mightily to spurn the amorous advances of the gentleman donkey, to a debatable degree of success. The end result was that these two fornicating donkeys proceeded to trash the concession completely. She ran amok right where we normally sat for dinner. He was undeterred in his pursuit. They flattened a poor little sheep tied to a post before barreling straight through where the women were eating. Peul women scattered in all directions! Baashi and sauce flew through the air! We sat frozen, watching in stunned amazement like Tom Hanks in the Money Pit when he placed a log in his fireplace only to watch the every brick of his chimney file past his face. We were probably nodding madly like him too. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of destruction although it was probably only an instant, the boys of the house found big enough sticks to begin driving out the interlopers. This sounds a hell of a lot easier in theory than it is in reality. Anyone with any experience with donkeys knows that they are rather stubborn animals. Sometimes you can’t move a donkey no matter how much of a beating is doled out, now picture it is getting lucky and see if you think it might move. Needless to say, our beau was not deterred by any amount of abuse. Alas, donkey love is mercifully brief and they managed to wrap it up and get out before any irreparable harm was done. Even the little sheep escaped serious injury. Well, if you ignore the fact that its throat was cut and it was eaten the next morning…
It is difficult to explain Mali especially when what we witness, we ourselves don’t understand. For example, one afternoon Sam spent the afternoon with the ladies, visiting a new bride in our concessions family. There were many hours of lounging, talking, eating, tea drinking and to top it off gum chewing. Side note – never just give American candy to the kids, the adults get offended as they want it as much as the kids do. In true Malian fashion, about an hour after the gum chewing commenced the gum was then found scattered all over the area we were sitting, on people’s shoes, on the mats on which we sat and even in the mouths of the children that had picked it up off the ground to see if there was any flavor left. The disposal of gum is treated like any other piece of trash here in Mali, when you are finished discard it wherever you are. I was amazed that none of the ladies were fazed or thought anything about the gum disposal methods as they watched the kids chew and cleaned it from their mats and shoes. The stuff that stuck to their hands they simply wiped on the same hanger post where someone had just wiped their kid’s snot from their hands.
We had a Merry Christmas with a day at a pool, great food and friends (our friends made homemade mozzarella cheese), wine and beer and calls from our families. We hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Santa was good to you. Happy New Year!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thanksgiving
Well, we’ve hit a milestone of sorts, our first major holiday in
Things continue to be interesting in our village. The amazing number of languages spoken by the inhabitants continues to hinder our ability to pick up anything but we try to keep our patience. When we return we should be able to speak a rather odd mishmash of Bambara, Sonnike, Peul, French, Moorish, Arabic and other languages that will only be decipherable by us. A secret language indeed.
We try to take up our time with many small tasks. One of those is list building. Sam’s lists often have a similar theme. They may be something like, “Reasons why Disney World is the greatest place on earth,” or “Rides at Disney I’d like to be on right now.” Sometimes she’ll allow us to branch out and fantasize with a list like “Places to see before death but after Disney.” One can actually pass the time quite effectively debating what might be a good country addition to
The lists go on and on. “Why you should always wash your hands with soap.” “Things that can puncture your bike tire.” “Why sit down toilets are good.” “Why sit down toilets are bad.” “Less effective colonial powers than
One of the favorite lists is the “Best t-shirts seen in
Reading “dead toubab” t-shirts here is a great way to spend time. The people wearing the shirts seem to have never considered that the writing might carry some message, which makes it even funnier. Seeing a colossal guy carrying a fifty pound sack of rice on each shoulder down the road while sporting a pink tee shirt with the word “SLUT” spelled out in glittery sequins will put a smile on your face any day of the week. The toothless lady who looks so old that she was here to greet the first European explorers wearing the “I’m too sexy for this shirt” is good for another chuckle. I particularly enjoyed the cryptic shirt that said “
It’s getting to be cool season here. In our village that means it still hits 100 degrees. During the evenings, however, it can get down to an almost comfortable sleeping level…almost. At least it doesn’t rain anymore. We are expecting a front to blow through around May. Picture, if you will, Sam standing with a hand shading her squinting eyes. She sighs as she takes in the imposing visage of an approaching sandstorm. It’s a wall of sand that gobbles up the landscape as it approaches. Almost to herself she says quietly, “ski season starts next week.”
Oh yeah, my mom will be happy to know that the famous chanteuse Quebecoise, Celine Dion, has quite a following in French West Africa. Other famous, well-loved western singers: Michael Jackson and Tracy Chapman. One can never hear Thriller too many times.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Kita-ween 2008
Our first Malian trip was a success! During our first 3 months at site we are allowed only to travel within our region, so we decided to take a trip to Kita, together with six other friends. The easiest, most direct route would be by train. We constantly heard all the stories of theft and derailment but we decided it was a must do one time while in Mali. Why not cross it off the list early? How bad could it really be? We've traveled pleanty in the 3rd world. So we bought tickets and made our way to the train station where we found our seats, or better yet remnants of our seats. They were literally the coil springs. Yes, we sat on coil springs for about 10 hours. It was a bonus that the cushion and leather was still there for us to recline against.
At 10 hours the train stopped for a longer period of time than normal. We thought the employees were just eating and praying so we were worry free. And then we departed and got about 200 ft where we stopped, the tracks were moved and we pulled back into the station on a different set of tracks. It was about then that we prepared ourselves to sleep on the train for a night. We were in a small train town with no roads and no motos.
But 2 hours later a sotorama - a hollowed out van with benches, the main mode of transport for short distances in Mali - arrived out of nowhere. We ran over and demanded to know where they were going. Kita rang from the man's lips so we jumped in expecting his 1 hour quote to take 3 hours on a horribly bumpy dirt road. But after 1 hour and 15 minutes on the smoothest dirt road we've ever been on we arrived safely in Kita.
Kita was fun and low key. We did a lot of sitting around, talking and catching up. We did climb a hill outside on the edge of town one day, which was fun too. And we dressed up - see previous posting. The day before we were to return home we went to the rail station to buy our tickets. We were informed that the train was still not running as the track that was broken, having prevented us from getting all the way to Kita, still had not been fixed - Dooni, Dooni - Slow, Slow.
So the only way home was a by bus - and what a journey that was. 25 hours door to door to go 550 miles. Our bus was quite scary and our seats were worse than the train. While all the cusions were in tact, they were not properly bolted to the floor and they were reclining on the seat behind them. That is until they sold that seat to a Malian and then our seats were reclined onto a Malian's lap. He would just lift us off him, change positions as needed and gently lay us back upon his lap. He spent 9 hours like that! Thank goodness he only had to go half way to our location.
At about 11pm the bus hit some potholes going really fast. We lost street cred when one of our friends said to the bus driver Dooni, Dooni - slow, slow. It took us until 6am to get our credibility back, but we mananged. Maybe it was that us tubobs stopped the bus after more potholes at high speeds and it sounded and smelled like the bus broke in 2. Needless to say we spent a little time on the side of the road while the bus was getting fixed that night. After it was "fixed" we started out again - but never got over about 15 miles per an hour. At 6am we coasted into town going about 5 miles per an hour. Just another 3rd world travel story to add to the books!
We are off to site!
At 10 hours the train stopped for a longer period of time than normal. We thought the employees were just eating and praying so we were worry free. And then we departed and got about 200 ft where we stopped, the tracks were moved and we pulled back into the station on a different set of tracks. It was about then that we prepared ourselves to sleep on the train for a night. We were in a small train town with no roads and no motos.
But 2 hours later a sotorama - a hollowed out van with benches, the main mode of transport for short distances in Mali - arrived out of nowhere. We ran over and demanded to know where they were going. Kita rang from the man's lips so we jumped in expecting his 1 hour quote to take 3 hours on a horribly bumpy dirt road. But after 1 hour and 15 minutes on the smoothest dirt road we've ever been on we arrived safely in Kita.
Kita was fun and low key. We did a lot of sitting around, talking and catching up. We did climb a hill outside on the edge of town one day, which was fun too. And we dressed up - see previous posting. The day before we were to return home we went to the rail station to buy our tickets. We were informed that the train was still not running as the track that was broken, having prevented us from getting all the way to Kita, still had not been fixed - Dooni, Dooni - Slow, Slow.
So the only way home was a by bus - and what a journey that was. 25 hours door to door to go 550 miles. Our bus was quite scary and our seats were worse than the train. While all the cusions were in tact, they were not properly bolted to the floor and they were reclining on the seat behind them. That is until they sold that seat to a Malian and then our seats were reclined onto a Malian's lap. He would just lift us off him, change positions as needed and gently lay us back upon his lap. He spent 9 hours like that! Thank goodness he only had to go half way to our location.
At about 11pm the bus hit some potholes going really fast. We lost street cred when one of our friends said to the bus driver Dooni, Dooni - slow, slow. It took us until 6am to get our credibility back, but we mananged. Maybe it was that us tubobs stopped the bus after more potholes at high speeds and it sounded and smelled like the bus broke in 2. Needless to say we spent a little time on the side of the road while the bus was getting fixed that night. After it was "fixed" we started out again - but never got over about 15 miles per an hour. At 6am we coasted into town going about 5 miles per an hour. Just another 3rd world travel story to add to the books!
We are off to site!
We've joined the Malian National Soccer Team!
Wish us luck in our upcoming campaign to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Back to "civilization"
We were out in our village for an entire month. We are happy to get some news. We had prepared a long message for you all but that seems to have disappeared from our drive so a quick note for now.
The airconditioned cybercafe is a strange change from sitting out in the open as a sandstorm bears down heavily on us with no where to hide. Sitting and around with our host families while we all get covered in sand and try unsucessfully to keep it out of our eyes is even less pleasant than it sounds. Very surreal. Wishing we could say it is a rare event.
We are settling into our new home. Our days tend to be the same. Wake at dawn, exercise, go to market for fresh bread right out of the oven, eat it, study a bit, go for lunch, rest, go greet people in town, dinner, tea, go home to bed. Repeat thirty more times. That sums it up.
We have had some very funny moments, though. Sam found out Mark cannot jump rope, which she laughed about until she literally cried. Mark found out Sam, who is fine onroad, can barely ride a bike offroad. They both progress slowly at these trials and are pleased that they continue to learn new things about each other even after ten years!
Language is coming along slowly. Smiles are easy to come by in our town, which gives us one even when we do not feel like smiling. Hope all is well in USA.
The airconditioned cybercafe is a strange change from sitting out in the open as a sandstorm bears down heavily on us with no where to hide. Sitting and around with our host families while we all get covered in sand and try unsucessfully to keep it out of our eyes is even less pleasant than it sounds. Very surreal. Wishing we could say it is a rare event.
We are settling into our new home. Our days tend to be the same. Wake at dawn, exercise, go to market for fresh bread right out of the oven, eat it, study a bit, go for lunch, rest, go greet people in town, dinner, tea, go home to bed. Repeat thirty more times. That sums it up.
We have had some very funny moments, though. Sam found out Mark cannot jump rope, which she laughed about until she literally cried. Mark found out Sam, who is fine onroad, can barely ride a bike offroad. They both progress slowly at these trials and are pleased that they continue to learn new things about each other even after ten years!
Language is coming along slowly. Smiles are easy to come by in our town, which gives us one even when we do not feel like smiling. Hope all is well in USA.
Monday, September 29, 2008
End of Ramadan
Just a quick note to say we are doing well. We were in the city to see Jay and Jenni's and Mary and Jamie's weddings. We got to watch Jay and Jenni's on yahoo messenger. Thanks so much to Rebecca Ingalls for the commentary. It was fun for us. It is Ramadan and they wanted to close early but when the situation was explained the guy at the internet cafe helped us out. Looked pretty good (the bride at least)! We tried not to think of all the tasty, sanitary food at the reception.
Mary and Jamie's, well we're excited to see the pictures when you all post them. Let us know when that happens.
Now it is back to village for the end of Ramadan fete. There will be plenty of eating and cheer after a month of fasting. Might have to bust out the Malian clothes. Neither of us will be particuarly sad that this month is finished, since people are quite ornery when they haven't eaten.
We travel to village in packed minivans on a road few in the states would believe. Few would even call it a road, for that matter. Picture a Land Rover television ad but instead of Land Rovers the trail is run by run down, third hand buses and big trucks. Shocks do not exisit in west africa.
Now we have to run. Don't want to miss our chance to get back to the party. Can't spoil ourselves in the airconditioned internet cafe anyway. Until next month.
Mary and Jamie's, well we're excited to see the pictures when you all post them. Let us know when that happens.
Now it is back to village for the end of Ramadan fete. There will be plenty of eating and cheer after a month of fasting. Might have to bust out the Malian clothes. Neither of us will be particuarly sad that this month is finished, since people are quite ornery when they haven't eaten.
We travel to village in packed minivans on a road few in the states would believe. Few would even call it a road, for that matter. Picture a Land Rover television ad but instead of Land Rovers the trail is run by run down, third hand buses and big trucks. Shocks do not exisit in west africa.
Now we have to run. Don't want to miss our chance to get back to the party. Can't spoil ourselves in the airconditioned internet cafe anyway. Until next month.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Weather
I have changed the daily weather to Kayes in western Mali, a city close to that in which Sam and I will serve. It has a reputation as one of the hottest places on the planet. We are a bit outside Kayesville, where it is (believe it or not) a bit hotter. Right now it is the rainy season and the unbearable heat is not common although the humidity is sometimes oppressive. Next is a mini-hot season that will last for a few weeks. After that it will be the cold season. For us, on the edge of the Sahara, it will get quite cold during the nights. Unfortunately, that relief in the cold season is the opposite in the longer hot season to follow. It will be very hot. Fortunately, during the hot season the humidity is rumored to be less. That is fine for others in jungle areas of the country but for us, in more Sahelian locations, it means vicious sandstorms and sun. Curious to see how we will react when it gets to 130F...probably not going to be out running any marathons.
All is well now. We swear in officially on friday and move out to our site afterward.
All is well now. We swear in officially on friday and move out to our site afterward.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Back at PC Training Camp
We did it! We have officially completed our homestay training! No more sleeping in seperate beds! Hooray!
This morning we left our homestay site for the last time. We are back at PC Training Camp, where the 72 of us left here in Mali will have one more week of training before we become true volunteers. In one week we will set out to the site where we will live for 2 years. We are both sad, as we loved the people we were with at homestay and we loved our families. At site, it will only be the two of us. We will be 4 hours from the closest volunteer. I think the two of us will be playing a lot of Rummy 500 in the next two years. The score so far: Sam = 3, Mark = 2.
We wish there was a way to capture Mali, the people of Mali and the other trainees on a blog. Mali is beautiful this time of year as it is very green and lush. It feels really hot most days, but I think the humidity is at 99.9% and it's not really the temperature. Every 2 -3 days there is a crazy rain storm which brings cooler, bareable temperatures for a day before the humidity sets in again. The people of Mali are great. Very friendly, very warm people. They won't however do or help you with anything before a greeting. We got a great cross cultural lesson on that in the market the other day. My friend Susan politely asked for directions and the woman blatantly ignored her. So Susan greeted her, and then asked for the directions. The woman gave us the directions with a smile on her face!
The anatomy of a greeting: Part one - You and the day! (Hello) Part 2 - You are healthy? (How are you?) Part 3 - Your family members are healthy? (How is your family?). Most people end here, but if you are Mark you then inquire after the children, the mother, the father, the grandparents, etc. Most of the time you and the other person are inquiring after the other at the same moment and the questions are never really answered. It's just a polite formality, but now that we can do it, a fun one.
As for the other volunteers, most people are fun. I do have to say I was thought I was a realist my whole life, but I think even to apply to the Peace Corps you have to be an idealist of some sort! So imagine a room full of fun loving, idealists. Seriously, it is fun.
Tomorrow we have a language test and we have to score Intermediate-mid to officially become a volunteer. No worries, we will both score at least that high. We like to laugh over the fact that Bambarankan is going to be our secret language upon returning to the states!
One of these days we will post pictures. Everywhere we have been the internet has been too slow. Stay tuned, we really will post them, one of these days...
This morning we left our homestay site for the last time. We are back at PC Training Camp, where the 72 of us left here in Mali will have one more week of training before we become true volunteers. In one week we will set out to the site where we will live for 2 years. We are both sad, as we loved the people we were with at homestay and we loved our families. At site, it will only be the two of us. We will be 4 hours from the closest volunteer. I think the two of us will be playing a lot of Rummy 500 in the next two years. The score so far: Sam = 3, Mark = 2.
We wish there was a way to capture Mali, the people of Mali and the other trainees on a blog. Mali is beautiful this time of year as it is very green and lush. It feels really hot most days, but I think the humidity is at 99.9% and it's not really the temperature. Every 2 -3 days there is a crazy rain storm which brings cooler, bareable temperatures for a day before the humidity sets in again. The people of Mali are great. Very friendly, very warm people. They won't however do or help you with anything before a greeting. We got a great cross cultural lesson on that in the market the other day. My friend Susan politely asked for directions and the woman blatantly ignored her. So Susan greeted her, and then asked for the directions. The woman gave us the directions with a smile on her face!
The anatomy of a greeting: Part one - You and the day! (Hello) Part 2 - You are healthy? (How are you?) Part 3 - Your family members are healthy? (How is your family?). Most people end here, but if you are Mark you then inquire after the children, the mother, the father, the grandparents, etc. Most of the time you and the other person are inquiring after the other at the same moment and the questions are never really answered. It's just a polite formality, but now that we can do it, a fun one.
As for the other volunteers, most people are fun. I do have to say I was thought I was a realist my whole life, but I think even to apply to the Peace Corps you have to be an idealist of some sort! So imagine a room full of fun loving, idealists. Seriously, it is fun.
Tomorrow we have a language test and we have to score Intermediate-mid to officially become a volunteer. No worries, we will both score at least that high. We like to laugh over the fact that Bambarankan is going to be our secret language upon returning to the states!
One of these days we will post pictures. Everywhere we have been the internet has been too slow. Stay tuned, we really will post them, one of these days...
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Got Rice?
What is there to say? We are still here in Mali. Still eating more rice than we would like - at least twice a day every day. It is always covered in Na (sauce). Sometimes the na is delicious and sometimes it is gooey and horrible tasting, but always it is on top of your world wide, standard issue white rice.
Other commonly eaten items include bashi, which they compare to couscous but is nothing like the couscous we know in the states, cucumbers, corn, sweet potatos, eggs, and bread. Bread is to brekfast what rice is to lunch and dinner, standard issue, everyday. Sometimes we spice it up with eggs from our local McDonald's vendor, peanut butter or cheese. While the cheese sounds delicious the only stuff we can buy here is Laughing Cow. We love it, but recognize that it might not be classified as cheese in most countries.
We have been at our host families for 2 weeks now. We are both lucky and have very nice, accomodating families. On the two Sundays we have been at home stay we have gotten to go to Bamako. The first week we visited the National Museum - very much like other 3rd world countries we have been to. The second week we went to a pool. The pool was a top 5 day in Mali, for sure. The other 6 days a week we attend class for 8 hours a day. Sometimes it is technical training, but mostly it is language. One would think we'd be fluent by now, but as the saying goes, doni doni.
On Sunday we head back to the PC training facility for a week. If all goes according to plan our status of PCT (trainee) will be upgraded to PCV (volunteer). It's all very official!
One of these days we'll get some pictures uploaded. Maybe even of the Malian dance we held in our site!
Other commonly eaten items include bashi, which they compare to couscous but is nothing like the couscous we know in the states, cucumbers, corn, sweet potatos, eggs, and bread. Bread is to brekfast what rice is to lunch and dinner, standard issue, everyday. Sometimes we spice it up with eggs from our local McDonald's vendor, peanut butter or cheese. While the cheese sounds delicious the only stuff we can buy here is Laughing Cow. We love it, but recognize that it might not be classified as cheese in most countries.
We have been at our host families for 2 weeks now. We are both lucky and have very nice, accomodating families. On the two Sundays we have been at home stay we have gotten to go to Bamako. The first week we visited the National Museum - very much like other 3rd world countries we have been to. The second week we went to a pool. The pool was a top 5 day in Mali, for sure. The other 6 days a week we attend class for 8 hours a day. Sometimes it is technical training, but mostly it is language. One would think we'd be fluent by now, but as the saying goes, doni doni.
On Sunday we head back to the PC training facility for a week. If all goes according to plan our status of PCT (trainee) will be upgraded to PCV (volunteer). It's all very official!
One of these days we'll get some pictures uploaded. Maybe even of the Malian dance we held in our site!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
More training.
Hey everyone. We are back in our homestay village. This is our final three week stint in our intensive language classes. You should see us in our dirt floor classroom and our little wooden desks made for ten year olds (and look like they are made by ten year olds)! We go back to the training center on Sept. 7th and then (finally) swear in as Peace Corps Volunteers at the embassy in Bamako on the 12th. After that we'll be real Volunteers and the real immersion into language begins. We move to our permanent village for two years.
Things are going quite well. Everyday is an adjustment, though. Not a day goes by where you don’t look around and think, “Wow! I live in west Africa!” Not sure that will ever go away.
We got to see a bit more of the country last week. Went up to the Kayes region. Saw a nice Baobab forest. Got to hang out with some of the other trainees in a more adult setting, which was good. A small taste of public transport as well. What would take a few hours back home is an all day event here, but you knew that…
We went on a field trip yesterday to a great waterfall. It was an excellent break from our studies. Just to get out and do some hiking and hang out was great. We went to a cave and one of the biggest natural arches I've ever seen too. The rest of it is really hard to put into words so just suffice it to say that we are doing well and enjoying ourselves.
Things are going quite well. Everyday is an adjustment, though. Not a day goes by where you don’t look around and think, “Wow! I live in west Africa!” Not sure that will ever go away.
We got to see a bit more of the country last week. Went up to the Kayes region. Saw a nice Baobab forest. Got to hang out with some of the other trainees in a more adult setting, which was good. A small taste of public transport as well. What would take a few hours back home is an all day event here, but you knew that…
We went on a field trip yesterday to a great waterfall. It was an excellent break from our studies. Just to get out and do some hiking and hang out was great. We went to a cave and one of the biggest natural arches I've ever seen too. The rest of it is really hard to put into words so just suffice it to say that we are doing well and enjoying ourselves.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Off to our site.
We are going to visit our site tomorrow. Might be out of range for a bit. Say goodbye to the tropics and trees, apparently, as we are pretty much in the desert. We are looking forward to seeing where we will end up for the next two years. Things are going well here. Hope all is well in the states and beyond.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Still Studying
I ni ce!!! It always drove me crazy when PC Mali stuff would show up at our house and the material would would start off like that. Now that I understand it, I like to use it myself!
We are back in village studying hard to learn bambarankan. It's going pretty well, but they use 1 word for multiple English words. It's really difficult as context defines certain words. The tenses are pretty funky too.
After a few days at the PC training center we are back in our training village. We both had a warm welcome from our families, which made being back less stressful. Mark has since fallen ill, but he's recovering nicely. Dooni, Donni as they say here (slowly, slowly). It actually describes the way of life here.
In a few days we head off to the training center and then to our permanant site for 1 week! We are excited and apprehensive about living in Malitainia (n. 1. lands in Mali that are practically situated in Mauritania 2. The parts of Mali and Mauritania where borders are undefined) More to come on Malitania once we've been there!
I understand that people can't post to the blog. I believe I have fixed this. I think I set it to have your comments emailed before being posted, just in case you can't see them.
We are back in village studying hard to learn bambarankan. It's going pretty well, but they use 1 word for multiple English words. It's really difficult as context defines certain words. The tenses are pretty funky too.
After a few days at the PC training center we are back in our training village. We both had a warm welcome from our families, which made being back less stressful. Mark has since fallen ill, but he's recovering nicely. Dooni, Donni as they say here (slowly, slowly). It actually describes the way of life here.
In a few days we head off to the training center and then to our permanant site for 1 week! We are excited and apprehensive about living in Malitainia (n. 1. lands in Mali that are practically situated in Mauritania 2. The parts of Mali and Mauritania where borders are undefined) More to come on Malitania once we've been there!
I understand that people can't post to the blog. I believe I have fixed this. I think I set it to have your comments emailed before being posted, just in case you can't see them.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Our hut!
The Hannons in front of their new home! This is our pad during training, although our permenent placement is up in the arid northwest (pretty much Mauritania), so not sure what our new place there will look like...
Haven't left yet
Yep, we are still here in Mali! Yeah. We have officially made it through 2 1/2 weeks. Let us recap some highlights for you...
Let us first start by what we talk about missing all the time. Cheeseburgers with bacon and blue cheese tops the list. Flushing toilets and showers where you can control the temperature are not too far behind. Whatelse??? I would say all of you!
We have been lucky here in Mali as not only did we import our own best friend (each other) but we have another Jackson Hole friend here as well. Kelly is funny. Hilarious actually. Her abdomen hurts. One would think it was from laughing too much, but it only seems to hurt when she hasn't been laughing. We are very lucky.
We want to describe Mali, but it is nearly impossible. We have been trying to upload a picuture with each blog written and it just doesn't work. Is it because we are in Mali? Think so.
So far we have had 3 days at the PC Training Facility (aka summer camp) followed by 12 days at home stay and then 3 more days here at PC Training Facility. The days at PC are packed with lectures and training and learning about weird health issues we may get (yes, you really can poop out a 10 inch worm). We are also working hard at making NBFF (new best friends forever).
While we are at home stay we are living with seperate families but we see each other daily for 6 hours of language class followed by 1 hour of cultural class. We usually yaalayaala after class (walk around). We are lucky as our group of 8 in our village are all very nice, fun people. We can't lie, the homestay part of Peace Corps is TOUGH. It is quite an emotional rollercoaster but worth every moment. Not speaking the language is difficult not to mention eating with your hands, pooping in a hole and taking bucket baths instead of showering can be mentally draining.
We are doing great and have to run. In 1 hour we will know where we will be permanently placed for our two years. That info will not be posted, however!
Let us first start by what we talk about missing all the time. Cheeseburgers with bacon and blue cheese tops the list. Flushing toilets and showers where you can control the temperature are not too far behind. Whatelse??? I would say all of you!
We have been lucky here in Mali as not only did we import our own best friend (each other) but we have another Jackson Hole friend here as well. Kelly is funny. Hilarious actually. Her abdomen hurts. One would think it was from laughing too much, but it only seems to hurt when she hasn't been laughing. We are very lucky.
We want to describe Mali, but it is nearly impossible. We have been trying to upload a picuture with each blog written and it just doesn't work. Is it because we are in Mali? Think so.
So far we have had 3 days at the PC Training Facility (aka summer camp) followed by 12 days at home stay and then 3 more days here at PC Training Facility. The days at PC are packed with lectures and training and learning about weird health issues we may get (yes, you really can poop out a 10 inch worm). We are also working hard at making NBFF (new best friends forever).
While we are at home stay we are living with seperate families but we see each other daily for 6 hours of language class followed by 1 hour of cultural class. We usually yaalayaala after class (walk around). We are lucky as our group of 8 in our village are all very nice, fun people. We can't lie, the homestay part of Peace Corps is TOUGH. It is quite an emotional rollercoaster but worth every moment. Not speaking the language is difficult not to mention eating with your hands, pooping in a hole and taking bucket baths instead of showering can be mentally draining.
We are doing great and have to run. In 1 hour we will know where we will be permanently placed for our two years. That info will not be posted, however!
Friday, July 25, 2008
First Days in homestay:
O.K. We are in a village near Bamako. We are taking Bambara classes all day. It is quite difficult here, leave it at that. We are certainly out of our element. Things are going well, though. We are not living in the same family but we see each other everyday. Doni, doni. Slow, slow.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Arrival:
I ni ce! Greetings from Mali! We had a very long journey here (27 hours from Philly to Bamako) but we made it! It’s not too hot and right now we are in the Peace Corps training compound. So while it’s officially Africa, we have certainly been sheltered for the past few days. It almost feels like everyone in Africa is American and speaks English.
Power and Internet have been intermittent, the food has been great and there have been limited mosquitoes. On the other hand flies are in abundance. Our squat pot (bathroom) is under the stars and, while there are showers (no heated water) there is not always water. When that happens, a bucket and a scoop are our showers for a bucket bath.
Tomorrow we are off to our home stay villages. We will be living with families where we will learn Bambara, the local language. While we will be in the same village, we will be eating and sleeping with different host families. And it’s at this point we enter the unknown…
We are certainly having a blast and it’s been great to meet everyone here. It’s amazing how you can meet 77 new people and like them all.
N bE taa kalanso la. (I am leaving to the classroom).
Power and Internet have been intermittent, the food has been great and there have been limited mosquitoes. On the other hand flies are in abundance. Our squat pot (bathroom) is under the stars and, while there are showers (no heated water) there is not always water. When that happens, a bucket and a scoop are our showers for a bucket bath.
Tomorrow we are off to our home stay villages. We will be living with families where we will learn Bambara, the local language. While we will be in the same village, we will be eating and sleeping with different host families. And it’s at this point we enter the unknown…
We are certainly having a blast and it’s been great to meet everyone here. It’s amazing how you can meet 77 new people and like them all.
N bE taa kalanso la. (I am leaving to the classroom).
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Welcome everyone!
Hello everyone! Thanks for tuning in.
This is going to be our lame attempt to keep you updated on what we are doing. For those of you who do not know, we are heading to the Peace Corps in Mali. Our tour will be 27 months. We go to Philadelphia on the 7th of July and off to Mali on the 9th. We will be in training for nine weeks before we start our placement, which will last for two years. We are scheduled to return on the 12th of September, 2010. Good times.
Sam is supposed to be working in the small business enterprise field and Mark will be on Water and Sanitation projects. You now have pretty much the same information as we do on that front.
We are quite excited about this adventure, although it can be hard to get too excited with all the pre-trip preparations. We are both ready to stop packing and start training.
Please, if you would like, periodically check in at this website to see if we have it updated. How often that will happen is any one's guess at this point. We are thinking somewhere between everyday and twice a year.
Please leave messages for us along the way too. We know that life will not stand still awaiting our return so we'd love to hear how everyone is doing. Good luck to all in the next few years. May they be happy and healthy!
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