As I post this blog entry, I have successfully surpassed the first month mark at site. I am surviving. I must admit though that around the third day I was ready to pack it in. That evening, I was overcome with this intense wave of loneliness and homesickness. It was such a suffocating sensation that it took the greatest of effort for me not to have a physical reaction at that moment. All the familiar aspects of my life had just, a few days prior, been twisted and distorted to where everything became new, questionable and frightening. And these rush of thoughts and impressions bombarded me all at once. I had just spent the past two months with an amazing group of people and formed these wonderful relationships for it all to disappear (I currently have no cell service at my site, so I can't contact anyone!) After all of the trainings and formations during PST, the uncertainty about what to do and how to commence my task at hand as a volunteer was overwhelming.
I endured the night and woke up the next morning trying to wash away those dark doubtful thoughts. I now understand why this is the hardest parf of the 2 year service for many volunteers. Even now, after I have somewhat settled, I still experience these intense moments of doubt and frustration where all I can hope to do is try and swim through those perils of my day and simply exist. But then there are those days where you succeed and make simple achievements like understanding a conversation, having a baby sit on your lap without crying, or making a Malian laugh when you attempt to pound millet or work in the fields. Those are the days that become your life vest when you feel you are lost and drowning in the depths. Those are the moments that you will remember. Those are the moments that make the hardships worthwhile.
As I continue to form and develop relationships with those around me, everything becomes easier- the days flow. Having settled into a routine, I have already become quite comfortable in my village and have even formed an attachment. The people are truly wonderful and my site is beautiful. I spend the day walking in view of the rolling hills of KIta, and on a perfectly cloudless night, the sky is so completely blanketed with stars that I can only stare in awe at how amazing and pure the world really is. I am lucky.
But for now, my day to day life is pretty simple. A typical journee consists of me greeting and yala-yalaing in the morning, then accompaning the women out to the fields in afternoon (where I sit, read, and entertain the babies) and then sitting around and chatting at night. However, if it is a football night and Mali is playing, I can expect to see almost the entire male population crowded around a 15 inch television screen at my host family's home. And God forbid the battery goes out! Since there is no electricity in my village, all electronics run on car batteries. So, if the battery is abanta (finished), all hell breaks loose until someone fetches another. The days do become repetitive though, even right down to the conversations. Not a day goes by where someone doesn't ask me I can farm peanuts, take them to America with me (right now everyone and their donkeys think they are coming home with me, so get ready Mum and Dad!), or if I am married. I receive the most devestated looks when I reply "No" to the last one. My response is always the same: that I am here to work. Almost everyone then says that they will find me a Malian husband to which I reply that if he can cook, wash clothes and watch the kids, then I will consider it. That always ends the conversation in laughter, because no Malian man does that kind of work and the women know it! But however monotonous and repetitive the days are, they are crucial to my integration. As my language skills develop, these converstations are an excellent forum for cultural exchange and will allow me to pursue avenues to discussing why I am here and how I can help my village help themselves.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Say hello to "The Goodfellas"
So, I am finally a real Peace Corps volunteer!! This past Friday, me and my 21 other stage-mates swore under-oath to be the best volunteers that we could be (which was not really what we said- it was much more official than that, but you get the point). So now, we are officially volunteers in the Peace Corps. After we swore in at the U.S. Embassy, we spent the rest of the day at the pool at the American Club and then at night we went to our celebratory party which was coordinated by our PCV trainers. We spent the night dancing and meeting the other volunteers who came from all over the country to congratulate us. Also, it was here that our stage name was finally revealed to us. Every new group of volunteers who comes to Mali is given a stage name chosen by their fellow volunteer trainers. It is a name that should describe the character and personality of the group. For example, some previous names of stages have been: The Kennedy's, Team America, Risky Business. After 9 weeks of careful observation, our trainers explained that at first we were such a close-knit group that they considered calling us the Brady Bunch or the Partridge Family, but then again we are not afraid of taking jabs at eachother. During PST, we had taken to playing Mafia (a 23 player version of Mafia with that), a game where we ruthlessly and mercilously kill eachother off, thus the name "the Goodfellas" was born.
Now, the real adventure begins. After an early morning solemn goodbye to the rest of my stage mates, me and my three fellow Kita-Kaw traveled together to our regional capital and are hanging out for a few days to go over protocol and buy some necessities for our installation to site. We will all part ways on Tuesday and attempt to move to site (by local transportation) with all of our bags and furniture. Some really lucky volunteers are being taken to their site by Peace Corps transportation, but not us! We get to navigate the wonderful world of bush taxis and in my case, donkey carts! As my site is brand new, I have to buy necessities such as a mattress, a stove and propane tank, cooking supplies, and other general living amenities. At this point, I can't even imagine how I am going to pull this off. First, I have to get all of this stuff on top of a Sotrama (bush taxi) along with my two bags of luggage. Then, my homologue is going to meet me at the side of the road with a donkey cart so that I can haul all of this 7 km through the brousse to my site. This is going to be an adventure to say the least.
So, what am I going to be doing for the next three months? My main task will be to integrate into my community, continue to improve my language skills, and assess the community needs through observation and other assessment tools. Basically, from what I have been told by other volunteers, my days will consist of greeting my entire community; sitting, chatting, and drinking tea; and reading, reading, reading. I will have a lot of free time on my hands. However, these next three months of integration are going to be crucial to my success in the next two years. It is so imporant to build a strong rapport with the community and to establish your credability as a volunteer. Our jobs as Peace Corps volunteers is to facilitate the development and improvements within your respective community. We do not provide money or materials; we are there to guide them and teach them how to sustainably make positive change. But, that work won't start till December, so until then its all integration.
Peace and Love
Now, the real adventure begins. After an early morning solemn goodbye to the rest of my stage mates, me and my three fellow Kita-Kaw traveled together to our regional capital and are hanging out for a few days to go over protocol and buy some necessities for our installation to site. We will all part ways on Tuesday and attempt to move to site (by local transportation) with all of our bags and furniture. Some really lucky volunteers are being taken to their site by Peace Corps transportation, but not us! We get to navigate the wonderful world of bush taxis and in my case, donkey carts! As my site is brand new, I have to buy necessities such as a mattress, a stove and propane tank, cooking supplies, and other general living amenities. At this point, I can't even imagine how I am going to pull this off. First, I have to get all of this stuff on top of a Sotrama (bush taxi) along with my two bags of luggage. Then, my homologue is going to meet me at the side of the road with a donkey cart so that I can haul all of this 7 km through the brousse to my site. This is going to be an adventure to say the least.
So, what am I going to be doing for the next three months? My main task will be to integrate into my community, continue to improve my language skills, and assess the community needs through observation and other assessment tools. Basically, from what I have been told by other volunteers, my days will consist of greeting my entire community; sitting, chatting, and drinking tea; and reading, reading, reading. I will have a lot of free time on my hands. However, these next three months of integration are going to be crucial to my success in the next two years. It is so imporant to build a strong rapport with the community and to establish your credability as a volunteer. Our jobs as Peace Corps volunteers is to facilitate the development and improvements within your respective community. We do not provide money or materials; we are there to guide them and teach them how to sustainably make positive change. But, that work won't start till December, so until then its all integration.
Peace and Love
Sunday, July 31, 2011
A Tearful Goodbye but a Happy Hello to the End of PST
As Pre-Service Training is coming to a close, the first milestone that we have successfully reached and completed today was leaving our homestay sites. I wrote previously about how amazing it is that we can make such strong emotional connections with people so foreign to us, and this notion was reaffirmed these past few days as I was preparing to leave B-Camp.
It is customary to give a gift to your host family upon your departure, so we decided collectively to each give 10 kilos of sugar and a package of tea to our respective families. When I brought out my gift after dinner, I gave a small speech thanking my family for everything they had done for me. They were so overwhelmed and grateful thanking me in turn for being an easy guest and for being a postiive rolemodel for the younger children. The next morning, after taking some pictures with my family, I finished packing and then waited for the bus to arrive. I knew that my departure was going to be emotional for me, as I am going to miss the young kids terribly, but I was not prepared for such a strong reaction from my two host mothers. As the bus pulled up, I grabbed my bags and gave the keys to my room to my first mother. As Malians don't hug, we shook hands and then she proceeded to cry while giving me blessings. I was so moved by her emotions that I couldn't help but begin tearing up myself. Then, as my second mother began crying as well, it became quite a scene of tears, blessings and 'Amens.' I was greeted in the street by a whole crowd of Malian friends and my fellow B-Camp trainees who, it was apparent, had had the same emotional separation from their own families.
I am so thankful to my family for everything they have done for me. They were so welcoming and helpful that they made what could have been a very difficult first few months a pleasure and a breeze. Malian hospitality is truly amazing. I am going to miss my new family a lot, and I am already excited to return for a visit in a few months time. By then, my language abilities will have significantly improved- Inch Allah (God Willing)- so it will be an even more enjoyable trip.
While leaving homestay was difficult, it is has only brought me closer to swearing in and becoming a real volunteer. As the training comes to a close, I am becoming more and more excited (but also nervous) about moving to site and fulfilling my purpose as a Peace Corps Volunteer! Yay!
It is customary to give a gift to your host family upon your departure, so we decided collectively to each give 10 kilos of sugar and a package of tea to our respective families. When I brought out my gift after dinner, I gave a small speech thanking my family for everything they had done for me. They were so overwhelmed and grateful thanking me in turn for being an easy guest and for being a postiive rolemodel for the younger children. The next morning, after taking some pictures with my family, I finished packing and then waited for the bus to arrive. I knew that my departure was going to be emotional for me, as I am going to miss the young kids terribly, but I was not prepared for such a strong reaction from my two host mothers. As the bus pulled up, I grabbed my bags and gave the keys to my room to my first mother. As Malians don't hug, we shook hands and then she proceeded to cry while giving me blessings. I was so moved by her emotions that I couldn't help but begin tearing up myself. Then, as my second mother began crying as well, it became quite a scene of tears, blessings and 'Amens.' I was greeted in the street by a whole crowd of Malian friends and my fellow B-Camp trainees who, it was apparent, had had the same emotional separation from their own families.
I am so thankful to my family for everything they have done for me. They were so welcoming and helpful that they made what could have been a very difficult first few months a pleasure and a breeze. Malian hospitality is truly amazing. I am going to miss my new family a lot, and I am already excited to return for a visit in a few months time. By then, my language abilities will have significantly improved- Inch Allah (God Willing)- so it will be an even more enjoyable trip.
While leaving homestay was difficult, it is has only brought me closer to swearing in and becoming a real volunteer. As the training comes to a close, I am becoming more and more excited (but also nervous) about moving to site and fulfilling my purpose as a Peace Corps Volunteer! Yay!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Site Visit
Site Visit
I arrived at my site after a long day of travel. The first leg of the trip was a 3 hour bus ride from Bamako to Kita. We took a decrepit looking coach bus that was so packed that the only seat left for me was the death seat next to the bus driver. I was glad that there was a seat belt that could buckle, but it was rendered completely ineffective after I realized that I could not tighten it. Also, since there was no A/C on the bus they kept the door right next to me wide open the entire time. Luckily, there was a bus attendant (in the form of a teenage boy) standing in the door way, so if I were to fall, I might have had the possibility to be saved. The ride into Kita was picturesque-very green and lush with mountain ranges lining the road. After arriving in Kita around 11am, my homologue and I went to his wife's mothers house to rest and eat lunch until our Sotrama (van/taxi) left at 2pm. After piling into another overcrowded taxi where I sat on rice bags for my seat, I arrived in my homologues town from where I biked 7 km to my site!
My site is absolutely gorgeous! The village is something right out of a storybook. There are round thatched huts interspersed between amazing trees and gardens-again, absolutely gorgeous. I have my own two huts with a thatched awning in between for some shade. I have my own nyegen/shower area and the whole compound is enclosed with bamboo fencing. I also have the perfect little patch of land for a garden! Since my site is new, it wasn't fully complete, and I didn't have any furniture, so I stayed with a host family.
I had my first mini freakout (a "wow, what am I doing here all the way in Africa" moment) my first night at site. I was with a new family who I didn't know, and I was out in the boonies with no cell phone reception. All I could think was, if I am ever sick again (or I should say, when I get sick again) like I just was, or if I ever need to contact anyone for security reasons etc, what am I going to do??!! So, after a worrisome and restless night, because I broke out in blisters all over my leg (most likely from a bite from a blister beetle), I tried to greet the next day with some optimism and a better attitude. Thankfully, my mind was put to rest when the Peace Corps Regional Coordinator from Kita came to visit me that day to go over protocol (meeting the village chief and mayor etc.) He told me that my village is going to be getting cell service within the next two months (but on Malian time, who knows how long that will really take...) Also, in the mean time I can use a phone cabine in the village if needed.
Since it is farming season right now, the village was empty all day as everyone was in the fields, so my days at site were spent reading, studying, writing letters, and entertaining the younger kids. There was one young girl who would cry, scream, and run away whenever she would see me! Many times, parents use 'white people' as threats telling their children that if they do not behave, the Toubab will come and eat them.
After 2 nights at site, I went back to Kita to stay at the regional house and meet all of the other volunteers in the area. We had a wonderful meal (taco's!) and then hung out in the A/C watched some movies and played some trivia. After spending the night there, me and the 3 other male trainees traveled back to Bamako together (on another hot and sweaty coach bus, but this time I was luckily not in the death seat).
Right now I am about 2 weeks from swearing in and becoming a real volunteer! We had our mid-training language exam last week, and I scored high enough already that I don't have to take the final exam! So, for now all I am going to do is enjoy my time with the other volunteers before we are split up and sent to site!
Much Love and Peace!
I arrived at my site after a long day of travel. The first leg of the trip was a 3 hour bus ride from Bamako to Kita. We took a decrepit looking coach bus that was so packed that the only seat left for me was the death seat next to the bus driver. I was glad that there was a seat belt that could buckle, but it was rendered completely ineffective after I realized that I could not tighten it. Also, since there was no A/C on the bus they kept the door right next to me wide open the entire time. Luckily, there was a bus attendant (in the form of a teenage boy) standing in the door way, so if I were to fall, I might have had the possibility to be saved. The ride into Kita was picturesque-very green and lush with mountain ranges lining the road. After arriving in Kita around 11am, my homologue and I went to his wife's mothers house to rest and eat lunch until our Sotrama (van/taxi) left at 2pm. After piling into another overcrowded taxi where I sat on rice bags for my seat, I arrived in my homologues town from where I biked 7 km to my site!
My site is absolutely gorgeous! The village is something right out of a storybook. There are round thatched huts interspersed between amazing trees and gardens-again, absolutely gorgeous. I have my own two huts with a thatched awning in between for some shade. I have my own nyegen/shower area and the whole compound is enclosed with bamboo fencing. I also have the perfect little patch of land for a garden! Since my site is new, it wasn't fully complete, and I didn't have any furniture, so I stayed with a host family.
I had my first mini freakout (a "wow, what am I doing here all the way in Africa" moment) my first night at site. I was with a new family who I didn't know, and I was out in the boonies with no cell phone reception. All I could think was, if I am ever sick again (or I should say, when I get sick again) like I just was, or if I ever need to contact anyone for security reasons etc, what am I going to do??!! So, after a worrisome and restless night, because I broke out in blisters all over my leg (most likely from a bite from a blister beetle), I tried to greet the next day with some optimism and a better attitude. Thankfully, my mind was put to rest when the Peace Corps Regional Coordinator from Kita came to visit me that day to go over protocol (meeting the village chief and mayor etc.) He told me that my village is going to be getting cell service within the next two months (but on Malian time, who knows how long that will really take...) Also, in the mean time I can use a phone cabine in the village if needed.
Since it is farming season right now, the village was empty all day as everyone was in the fields, so my days at site were spent reading, studying, writing letters, and entertaining the younger kids. There was one young girl who would cry, scream, and run away whenever she would see me! Many times, parents use 'white people' as threats telling their children that if they do not behave, the Toubab will come and eat them.
After 2 nights at site, I went back to Kita to stay at the regional house and meet all of the other volunteers in the area. We had a wonderful meal (taco's!) and then hung out in the A/C watched some movies and played some trivia. After spending the night there, me and the 3 other male trainees traveled back to Bamako together (on another hot and sweaty coach bus, but this time I was luckily not in the death seat).
Right now I am about 2 weeks from swearing in and becoming a real volunteer! We had our mid-training language exam last week, and I scored high enough already that I don't have to take the final exam! So, for now all I am going to do is enjoy my time with the other volunteers before we are split up and sent to site!
Much Love and Peace!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Meeting my homologue
I must admit that I was quite nervous about meeting my homologue from my site. I was told that when he arrived yesterday evening, he was immediately asking to meet me. The anticipation of our meeting was so stressful! All of my doubts, fears, and nerves were on overdrive untils after dinner, when we were all informally introduced to our homologues. My homologue's name is Bourama Diakite, but he told me that everyone in the village calls him "vieux" which means old in French. He is however by no means old as he is only 42. I thought that our meeting would be very awkward, but I was pleasantly suprised that it was exactly the opposite. I left our conversation extremely excited and totally at ease!!
After our initial greetings in Malinke, our conversation switched into French which made communicating a breeze. My homologue told me that my village has been trying to get a volunteer since 2008, and that they are so excited and anxious for me to arrive! He was so kind as well, assuring me that if I ever have any problems or worries that he will help me in any way possible. Hearing all of this banished all of my anxities and made me really excited to meet my village and begin working. Plus, today, the homologues were in session all day learning about the Needs Assessment Tools that I will be using to evaluate my community as tomorrow we are going on a field trip to practice these tools. We had a small meeting to establish which homologues were going to facilitate these activities, and my homologue wanted to lead all of them!! Hopefully, he is a good indication of the motivation and work ethic of my village. Since my village really wants a volunteer that means they want to make improvements and implement change and are willing to collaborate with me to do so!! Exciting!
Anyways, Bourama, who happens to be about a foot taller than me, is a teacher of the first grade. The premiere cycle, which is the 1st-6th grade, is located in my village. The seconde cycle, 7th-9th grade, is 7km away, and the Lycee (high school), 10th-12th grade, is located in Kita. My village has requested a volunteer to help facilitate the improvement and promotion of girls education and youth development, so I will most likely be working with the premiere and seconde cycle. However, Bourama also told me that there is a CSSCOM (a maternity clinic) in the village, so hopefully I can start some secondary projects there.
I leave for site on Tuesday, so I will find out more when I get there. But for now, I am super motivated and inspired. I can't wait for the next phase of this journey!
After our initial greetings in Malinke, our conversation switched into French which made communicating a breeze. My homologue told me that my village has been trying to get a volunteer since 2008, and that they are so excited and anxious for me to arrive! He was so kind as well, assuring me that if I ever have any problems or worries that he will help me in any way possible. Hearing all of this banished all of my anxities and made me really excited to meet my village and begin working. Plus, today, the homologues were in session all day learning about the Needs Assessment Tools that I will be using to evaluate my community as tomorrow we are going on a field trip to practice these tools. We had a small meeting to establish which homologues were going to facilitate these activities, and my homologue wanted to lead all of them!! Hopefully, he is a good indication of the motivation and work ethic of my village. Since my village really wants a volunteer that means they want to make improvements and implement change and are willing to collaborate with me to do so!! Exciting!
Anyways, Bourama, who happens to be about a foot taller than me, is a teacher of the first grade. The premiere cycle, which is the 1st-6th grade, is located in my village. The seconde cycle, 7th-9th grade, is 7km away, and the Lycee (high school), 10th-12th grade, is located in Kita. My village has requested a volunteer to help facilitate the improvement and promotion of girls education and youth development, so I will most likely be working with the premiere and seconde cycle. However, Bourama also told me that there is a CSSCOM (a maternity clinic) in the village, so hopefully I can start some secondary projects there.
I leave for site on Tuesday, so I will find out more when I get there. But for now, I am super motivated and inspired. I can't wait for the next phase of this journey!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Being sick and finding out my site!
So, I finally got sick...and bad too. I woke up last night to a wonderful case of Mr. D and a 103.6 fever! Most of my night and the rest of the day was spent running back and forth to the negen. I had no idea that my body could expectorate that much! This may be a little T.M.I but these are the realities of being sick in Africa. I called the doctor in the morning, and she said that it sounded like I have a intestinal bacterial infection. I most likely got the infection from something I ate. If I had to guess, it was from some cucumbers I ate 5 days ago. My family served me a huge bowl for dinner- and only that for dinner- so, I had no choice but to eat it and took the gamble because I had not seen or eaten fresh veggies since I have been here. If they are not treated properly, you can get a bacterial infection or even ameobas. I started the medication immediately after speaking with the doctor, so hopefully, I will feel better soon. The day was so miserable, that I have most definitely learned my lesson and will not be taking that gamble again anytime soon.
However, for some better news, we found out our sites today! I will be in the small village which has a population of only 600 people. While it is one of the smaller sites, I am only 25km to the west of Kita, the regional capital. Its about a 3 hour journey from Bamako by local transportation. This village has requested an education volunteer to improve community participation in their local education system, to improve young girls and youth development, and to improve the literacy of men and women in the community. (Exactly what I was hoping to do!) My homologue/Malian counterpart from the village arrives tomorrow, so after we have a day of meet and greet, we will depart and travel together to site. I will be there for approximately 5 days to get a feel of the community and local area after which I will return to Bamako alone on local transportation! These local mini-buses are crammed with people and goats/chickens with luggage/animals piled high on the top. And, there is no A.C. This should be interesting...
Love to All
However, for some better news, we found out our sites today! I will be in the small village which has a population of only 600 people. While it is one of the smaller sites, I am only 25km to the west of Kita, the regional capital. Its about a 3 hour journey from Bamako by local transportation. This village has requested an education volunteer to improve community participation in their local education system, to improve young girls and youth development, and to improve the literacy of men and women in the community. (Exactly what I was hoping to do!) My homologue/Malian counterpart from the village arrives tomorrow, so after we have a day of meet and greet, we will depart and travel together to site. I will be there for approximately 5 days to get a feel of the community and local area after which I will return to Bamako alone on local transportation! These local mini-buses are crammed with people and goats/chickens with luggage/animals piled high on the top. And, there is no A.C. This should be interesting...
Love to All
Monday, July 4, 2011
Connections
While the human race is a complex and diverse species, our ability to reason, make connections and feel emotions is a special trait that we share and that is often taken for granted. After being thrust into a new country, culture, and way of living without the ability to converse or communicate I was afforded the opportunity to contemplate our inate ability to make these emotional connections. And, as a result, my appreciation for these person to person connections has vastly increased.
Being here, without the ability to communicate reverts one back to being and feeling like a toddler. You can't speak, you don't understand the cultural practices, and you are so unaccustomed to the new way of living that you can't even fend for yourself. However, the kind gestures of your host parents and the smiles of your host siblings reassure you that in time, all will be fine. Actions really do speak louder than words.
After returning from training at Tubaniso, I realized how much of a connection has already been established between me and my family. We fell back into our routine so quickly and easily, that it affirmed that my relationship with my family has been solidified. I was told that when I was gone the first night, my little sister Nantane, who I have a special bond with, cried because she thought that I had left and gone back to America. At that time, I had only been at homestay for approximately 2 and a half weeks, and to see how much of an impact I have already made is truly awe-inspiring. And, as my ability to communicate with my family improves, so does our bond, and this makes me dread my impending departure in about a month.
Peace Corps says that if you survive homestay, you will have a successful service. I have no worries about surviving at this moment, I only dread leaving. I am going to miss my homestay family, and I can only hope that my short presence has been and will have a positive impact in their lives.
Being here, without the ability to communicate reverts one back to being and feeling like a toddler. You can't speak, you don't understand the cultural practices, and you are so unaccustomed to the new way of living that you can't even fend for yourself. However, the kind gestures of your host parents and the smiles of your host siblings reassure you that in time, all will be fine. Actions really do speak louder than words.
After returning from training at Tubaniso, I realized how much of a connection has already been established between me and my family. We fell back into our routine so quickly and easily, that it affirmed that my relationship with my family has been solidified. I was told that when I was gone the first night, my little sister Nantane, who I have a special bond with, cried because she thought that I had left and gone back to America. At that time, I had only been at homestay for approximately 2 and a half weeks, and to see how much of an impact I have already made is truly awe-inspiring. And, as my ability to communicate with my family improves, so does our bond, and this makes me dread my impending departure in about a month.
Peace Corps says that if you survive homestay, you will have a successful service. I have no worries about surviving at this moment, I only dread leaving. I am going to miss my homestay family, and I can only hope that my short presence has been and will have a positive impact in their lives.
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