The Bride, Fazetti-19yrs old

This is my friend Fazetti. Her two little sisters, Debora (age 5) and Mari (age 10) are my two best friends in village, and my neighbors. It's normal for us Peace Corps Vols to befriend the little ones because 1-our language level is about the same and 2- they are so curious about us, and are the ones that ask us questions. I formed a bond with these two little sweethearts right away. As a result, I became a good friend of Fazetti. She is 19 and the oldest girl of the family. Fazetti never made it past 3rd grade.

In Malian culture, it's so important that a woman finds a man/husband (its the same word in Bambara). My village was so happy for me when I announced to them that I had 'found' a husband (again, literal translation is 'found'). So, when I heard that my friend Fazetti had found a husband, I was immediately excited for her. I was told a month in advance when the wedding would be, and that I better attend.

Now, I've been in Mali for almost 2 years and had yet attended a Malian wedding. My fellow PCV's laugh at me, because I've missed out on many Malian cultural things like muslim holidays (my host family is Christian), or wearing the traditional Malian cloths. However, I am really happy that the first time I attended the wedding it was for a good friend, and as a result it ment so much to me and will stay with me forever. When I arrived in Kamona, the festivities had already begun. The whole community gathered to support her and her family. Food was given, family from surrounding villages came to say goodbye, and to celebrate with the family. Fazetti stayed in a room with her friends, and little children of the families to sing and dance for her. But also, just to be with Fazetti, as this may have been the last time they were going to see her. You see, the man chosen for Fazetti is from a different village about 25miles away. Far enough away that it's possible she may only come back to our village 1 time in her lifetime.

It was a long and hot first day of the wedding. I had a Malian outfit made specifically for the big occasion. My first and prob. last Malian outfit, but all my friends and family in village were so excited to see me in their traditional cloths. Here in Mali, when a person gets married, it is the responsibility of the couple to transport all of the guests to the site. In our case, there was a 25person van that came to pick us up to make the 30mile journey to Diaramanna. Fazetti's new home.

Just before we were going to pile into the small bus, Fazetti came out of the house, covered from head to toe in an all -cotton blanket. She was wailing. I've never seen a Malian so upset like this, not even at a funeral. I felt her pain. She was sat in front of us (I always sit with the old men), and they waited for her to calm down a bit before they gave her parting words and prayers. This was the most touching moment for me. I didn't expect this. Fazetti was so devestated to be leaving her home, her family, her life. She was literally in mourning. I could relate her pain to mine when my grandma died. She just kept crying and crying and crying, covered up in her special wedding blanket. I couldn't hug her or hold her or hold her hand to tell her it's ok, because that's not culturally appropriate here. Also because the old men were about to do some serious stuff. So, as I sat next to her, starting with the oldest man of our compound gave her advise, gave her many blessings, and wished her much luck in her future marriage. The same thing went on for 2 more of the old men. Her parents did not say a word, nor were they in my sight. It was done, she knew she was on her way to never come back again.

We then piled into the car. It took us 2 hours to get there. It was nighttime and the dirt road was very muddy from a rainstorm 2 days before. Upon arrival,we were greeted with special drinks, and then a dance party. I went to sleep. It was 2am by then! It was a beautiful night though, the Milky Way is above us now, and there were so many stars in the sky! It was a night like that that I know I'm blessed to be living here in Africa, to be able to see such amazing gifts of nature we have been given, but most people don't see.

The Wedding Party

So, this picture is the wedding party at the mayors office the next day. In Mali, the mayor marries you, then you'll have your religious ceremony. There is 1groomsman and 1 maid of honor. Thats all. So, we took this picture after the legalization of the marriage. Fazetti only smiled a few times when prompted. She didn't cry though.

Random Cute Little Girl Riding Her Pretend Horse

I thought this little girl was just so cute, riding her pretend donkey or horse. There were 2 other little kids on the same stick, but once they saw me they ran away. My host brother and I had to make a pit stop between the mayors office and the house because a part on his bike broke. We ended up staying for about 45 min and chatting with the guys at the mechanic while the fix was done. I always get nervous when sitting with a new group of people, because I never know where the conversation will go- yes, in Mali if you are in a waiting area you actually talk to the people you are sitting around. This conversation ended up as the older man telling us (jokingly) why our last name and the people of my African ethnicity are so horrible. I made it back just in time to present Fazetti to the elders of her new village, and to exchange money. The family of Fazetti had to pay about $10 to the marriage broker, than offer money to the new village elders (about $20). Then, the women from my village presented Fazetti, she got the blessings from the elders of her new village and a promise to look out for her. We also asked for their forgiveness for anything Fazetti may do wrong, as she is still a child and learning things.

Fazetti and Siriba- Bride and Groom

We ate lunch, I took a small siesta then we headed to the church for the church ceremony. I was able to see Fazetti before it started. She had a wedding dress on that she rented that was about 4 sizes too big, but she still made me shed a tear because she was a sad bride. She didn't speak much throughout the day. I think it was all like a bad dream to her. At one point in the day, when I had a moment with her I asked "Fazetti, did your dad find this man for you and tell you you had to get married?" She looked down towards the floor, and nodded in agreement. It all became clear to me at that moment. Fazetti was the oldest girl, an extra mouth to feed, whenever I teased her about going to the new village with her future husband she would always deny the fact that she'd be getting married (I always thought it was modesty), also her age is about the time where many girls get married, if not younger.

So, back to the church, the ceremony was nice, it was really hot in the church and I had to leave when the preacher started yelling his sermon at the audiance. They did their vows, and then at the end the whole congregation went up to shake their hands and give them coins. My 19 year old friend was now married. We paraded to her future house, and that was that. The people from Kamona all piled back into the bus and off we went. Little Debora and Mari may never see their sister for years. And so it a wedding in Mali, and for many unwilling brides around the world. I am so lucky to be able to live in a society where we can actually choose who we marry (even though 50% of those marriages end up in divorce......)

*I've literally tried for 1 month to post this blog with pictures, but my pics just won't upload...sorry.

This is it. My final project of my Peace Corps service. Every year a regional shea butter training is held in a volunteers village. This was the first year it was held in Kamona. Peace Corps likes to hold these trainings to help the women of Mali produce higher quality shea butter that is then used for home use, but also to sell to exporters. The shea tree is found from Senegal all the way to the eastern Africa, below the Sahlian belt. Mali has the highest quality nuts, yet their production is the lowest quality compared to the other countries that export, like Ghana or Burkina Faso. Companies such as The Body Shop purchase the shea butter for their products that women love to use!

Anyway, for my training, we invited women from 9 other villages, 2 women per village. Total, there should have been about 100 participants. The purpose of this training is to show, first through pictures, then by actually producing the good butter/oil. Why pictures? Why show through example? Well, I'd say 95% of the women that attend these trainings are illiterate. Giving the women a hands on training really gets the idea through to them. Why train women who have been doing this process for generations? Because their methods include: not washing hands before handling the nuts; using germinated, spoiled or rotten nuts along with the unripe nuts and good nuts all in one. We teach them how important it is to wash your hands with soap before manually whipping the oil, we teach them to not smoke the nuts- (when the nuts are smoked, carcinogens are released). Overall, the women that I work with said they really enjoyed having the training in our village and they are already making improvement suggestions for next years formation! It's great to see people motivated from a training that I do.

The kids are responsible for fetching clean water

So, as many of you know last year I fixed the school pump thanks to donations sent in from my friends and family through African Sky (www.africansky.org). As a result of this project, I found out that the other Vergnet foot pump was broken in another section of my village. Come to find out it had been broken for 5 years! So, this time I thought that if the village wanted this pump fixed, they were going to have to work for it a little bit. I held a meeting with the Chief of the Village, and the rest of the water committee and presented them a plan. Per Peace Corps rules for projects, the community has to come of with 1/3 of the cost of the project. I like this idea and told them they needed to come up with 98,000cfa, approx $220USD. To my surprise they came out with that amount in 1 week! It was amazing. I just had to wait on funding from the US, and then the work started!Now, I have been in contact with a Malian that is in the US playing basketball. He had people that wanted to help out people in his region have access to clean water! PERFECT! So , thanks to Mohamed Tangara, and Ryan Hogue for their contribution to helping 600+ people have access to clean water. The pump is in the center of 6 different quartiers in Kamona.What's even more exciting about this is when I initially went to price the parts for the pump, and when we actually went to buy them, the prices went down! So, with the extra money we were able to build soak pits and 2 cloths washing areas! What are soak pits? It's basically a 2 meter hole in the ground that acts as a place for all the run off water go to. If there is not a soak pit, the dirty water collects, mosquitos and bees gather= chance for malaria and other diseases to be contracted. Not good.

The wash area is great because if not in a cemented area, the women are washing their cloths on the ground, in a muddy area. Not an ideal situation for cleaning cloths! So, thanks again for everyones support. My time here in Mali as a Peace Corps Volunteer is winding down! Thanks for everyones support while I've been here!

My friend Shelby (the one that headed the school world map mural in my village) told me many months ago that her artist friend was coming to Mali and they wanted to paint murals all around. I jumped on the opportunity to have a professional artist come to my village to paint an educative message to the masses. Mali is a country with 23% literacy rate. They need pictures to get a message across, as any type of written information is pretty useless. Since we had already done a mural at the school, I figured our village maternity was a good place to create an informative mural. So, the message that we all decided to convey was about the importance of a healthy diet for the mother when breast feeding. Malians diet is lacking in many vitamins, and it's so important for the baby to receive nutritious milk from it's mother.

Here is Amy starting the picture for the different foods that should be consumed by the mother.This is Shelby and I painting the beds. I knew I needed to keep myself busy while Amy was painting and I knew I didn't want to ruin the mural by attempting to do any sort of painting on it, so there was my busy work. The two mid-wives were so happy with the new paint job. I figured since we were in Africa, we could use nice, fun colors. Before, the beds were painted black. Here is Amy putting the finishing touches on the food picture. I was so impressed that she did all of this free hand! Here is a little bonus painting we did on the opposite wall. Malaria is one of the biggest killers of infants here in Mali. If the parents would only take some preventative measures, such as always putting their baby to bed under the mosquito net, their chances of not contracting malaria would be significantly lower.Here is our final product! The women were so happy with the change! The understood the mural and can now pass this info onto all the women that enter the maternity to have their babies. I actually have 1 bed and crib left to paint. We ran out, but I'll do it this week. They want to have a little party/grand opening when I return to my village. The two Malian women in the picture are the mid-wives.

Here is the before picture when we were cleaning. What a happy difference!

So, this is just a mini- project because I just paid for the cost of the paints. BUT I think we really improved the look of the maternity, which in turn changes the moral of the women. They give birth in a room that looks exactly like the one above pictured, minus all of the beds. Plus the picture concentrating on the mother, and its presented in a positive manner, that hopefully it will make the new mother think twice about eating a little healthier.

Jodie, Kenny and I atop the Falise in Dogon country (UNESCO WH site)Sorry it's been a while since I last updated. I was able to go to the US for one month for the Christmas/New Year holiday, then when I returned I had the wonderful honor of hosting my cousin Jodie and my best friend Kenny out here in Mali. We did the big tour of Mali, went to my village, and spent some nice poolside time in Segou- which was more rewarding than usual because it was so horribly cold in Philly that we ALL couldn't wait to just sit in the sun and soak up some good 'ole vitamin D! It's 2010 now, the last year of my Peace Corps service. I feel that I've accomplished a lot while here, but I still have a few projects to start and complete by June. I am hoping to at least flow $10,000 into projects here and right now I'm about up to $6,000. I have 2 more projects to do SO I can easily get reach my goal. Now, a goal of Peace Corps isn't to see how many projects you can accomplish while here, but my village is really motivated to work, and so am I so I'm taking advantage of my good situation!

I am continuing other projects that I've started and now I am working on repairing a second pump that will hopefully provide approx. 500 people with clean water. Another project is that the women of my village will be hosting a shea butter training. They've wanted to be the hostesses for a while, and this year we are finally able to hold it. There is a lot of prep work to go into this workshop, but it will be worth it. The women will learn how to properly extract the shea oil from the fruit/nut. As a result of this the women will have a healthier oil to cook with (as opposed to extracting the oil with dirt/dust and chickens around, unclean hands, and maybe dirty children all mixing in with their product which is typical here in Mali). With a cleaner oil they will also be able to sell their oil at a higher price, leading to many benefits for themselves, their children and the community as a whole. Some highlights of the past 3 months:*I ate American Fast Food and gained pounds while in the US*I saw my Dad*I saw almost my whole extended family and attended many wonderful parties which will leave me with many wonderful memories to reflect on when I get homesick*I attended the Segou Music Festival and saw 2 awesome groups, and made it on the jumbotron 2 nights in a row for being an awesome dancer!!!*Jodie and Kenny did awesome here in Mali- especially proud of Jodie for really never leaving the US before!*My birthday is in 2 weeks and I'm planning a really fun party! I can't wait!*I am really happy to be back in Mali. I missed my boyfriend and life in general here. *I have finished updating my resume and have already begun sending it out. I'm planning on staying here for a few more years. I like it here, I love my boyfriend and friends, and I like my work. So, I'll stay.I now promise to write regularly again!

Chrissy is handing out the t-shirts to the winners we picked, 18 in all. The rest of the 58 students received lollypops. 76- 4th graders. one classroom. one teacher.Her school wanted to donate their school t-shirts, and I didn't want to just give them away, so we decided to do a little creative exercise on how to keep yourself healthy. We had them all draw pictures of things they could do. Some of the winners drew a bicycle (exercise), some drew fruits (eat healthy), and some drew watering can's for gardening (gardening- exercise and healthy eating!) It was a learning experience, but overall the kids were so happy to get their shirts and to draw!I am helping Noeli with thoughts on what to draw here, drawing creativity is not developed here at all for the students, as they have no art classes, and no materials to do art with. Chrissy and I provided the paper and crayons for this exercise.Here I am with the village mid-wife. Chrissy's students in the US provided sheets for the beds and cribs. They were so happy to receive these gifts, in return Chrissy got a chicken and peanuts as gifts. Chrissy also brought about 20 receiving blankets and 20 newborns outfits as gifts for the new mothers. Brian, Chrissy, and I with a great view of a Dogon village. Dogon country is on the UNESCO world heritage site list. It was an amazing 3 day hike throughout some of the 146 villagesBrian, Chrissy, and I sitting in the Baobob tree. This tree is a respected tree here in Mali. It's beautiful!

It's been a busy busy month and it's really not going to slow down for me until March. Both my brother and my college friend Chrissy have left, but I'm happy knowing they had an amazing time.

Chrissy is a pre-k teacher and she asked her students to bring in cloths and sheets for our maternity that doesn't have any. She got an amazing response and we were able to provide sheets for all the adult beds (6 in all), and sheets for the baby beds to accompany the adult beds. Again, the debate of just giving things away comes up in my mind. However, the whole idea of donating the sheets to the maternity came to me when my host parents were buying new plastic covers for the maternity beds. I asked where the money came from for them, and they said that every time women have babies they have to give money to the maternity. I found out there is a 'maternity commitee' and they are pretty organized! So, because they never rely on outside sources for income or support...even their own government....it was my (and chrissy's) pleasure to be able to give this small donation!

So, now both my brother and my very good friend of 10 years has seen a bit of how my life out here is. They both assured me they had an amazing time, and that one can't really understand my life out here, until you live it! I'm so happy to have been able to share this experience with them, and now I have my cousin Jodie and my best guy friend Kenny's visit to look forward to in January!

17 Toubabo in Kamona for our 1st Annual Cotten Picken' Fete! The villagers LOVED it. It was like the circus was in town!Brian picking some cotton in my friends field. He and I both picked 2 kilos each! Not bad, but for 2 of us, 1 Malian picked the same amount! hahaTake Your FlipFlops Off! Sign for our newly fixed pump at the school.Our finished map of the world at the school. I make Brian do good deeds on his vacation! These girls have become my best friends out here, they are Awesome!Hannah is missing from the photo. Pictured: Terese, Jenn, Brian, Shelby, MeOur finished shea storage facility. The women of Kamona have wanted this for 3 years!

Brian finally made it out to Mali, and he's doing so well here! I put him through the toughest parts first, and now it's just vacation from now on...kind of. We spent 5 days in my village and during that time Brian was able to help us paint a world map at the school, and also pick cotton. Brian's trip coincided with my big Cotten Picken' party that I had scheduled for the volunteers. There were about 17 of us total in my village,and they couldn't have been more excited. I must say, I think Brian has been given the royal treatment since he arrived. The first night here in Segou, they had a lamb killed and we had a nice big family dinner, drinking homemade Lebanese Arak (it tastes like Sambuka). Then, once we arrived in Kamona, Brian was given 3 chickens as welcoming gifts. We also had a pig killed for the cotton party. The other volunteers were excited for this because pork is so rare to eat here, as Mali is a Muslim country. Now, with all of this going on, I have SOOOO much work to do! We just finished our storage building, but I still need to do the closing paperwork for that, there is another pump in the village that needs to be repaired and the villagers already raised 1/3 of the money so now it's up to me to get the 2/3rds. My women would like pumps for their garden work, and gardening season is starting soon so that needs to be done. I am taking on another project by a volunteer that got medical separated from Mali, but it's really important that this project get done as it involves cotton spinning work. The time crunch is because I will be going home early Dec. for 1 month vacation, and this is just the season for work. I'll get it done. Inshallah! Brian and I are off to Dogon Country this week (UNESCO World Heritage Site). I have my friend Chrissy thats on her way to meet up with us in Dogon, she will be spending Nov. here in Mali. So that adds to my already full schedule. It's ok, it's GREAT to have visitors. Time is flying by, and I know these next few months are going to FLY by! Today is river day, so Brian will get to experience A Day on the Niger. Sundays are nice days here in Segou. Off to the pool! It's in the 90's here. Temps have cooled off! hahah, Brian was telling me about the cold in the US, and I am scared to go home now. It's so great for me to have my brother here. My life here is so different from home, and as he said "there's no way you can explain this to people Mon, you're life out here without really getting the meaning across" and so now, Brian is here. Eating with his hands, squatting over a hole to poo, greeting people in Bambara, meeting my friends, and experiencing life in Africa! It's great.

This is the schools Vergnet Pump, you step down on it to push the water outThis is one classroom for the 3rd grade. Approx. 80 students.....This is grade 4-6 school rooms. This is the first day of school so they are lined up for role call.

Ok, so because all of you wonderful people that read my blog and care about the people of Mali, I was able to fix our village school pump. Last July I sent out an email asking people to donate to my women's cotton spinning project. I only needed $500, and I ended up raising around $800! With this extra money I knew I needed to spend it on a project but wasn't quite sure which project to use this money for. So, because of another project that I am working on I had to go look at all of our town's pumps. We have 4 in all. 2/4 were broken. They headmaster of the school said their pump broke the year before and the children have about a 1 mile walk to the nearest clean water pump. I felt bad and said that we needed to work together to fix this.

Well, as most things go on in Mali, it took until 2 weeks ago to get this project rolling, as I was re-motivated to get their pump fixed because classes began Oct 1. Myself and the village water pump repairman had to travel to the closest city with was 2 hrs away to go buy the parts. It was $226 total to fix the pump! Not too bad by our standards, but for them a lot of money. Pump fixed! Clean drinking water for 800+students!

Now, a big argument in development work is gifting things vs. making people work a little bit for what they are getting. I am a firm believer in making the people work a bit, as I see first hand the effects of free handouts by the West. It creates a very unhealthy dependance. However I feel the students should not be punished for the adults inaction.

When I went to the school to check out the newly working pump, the headmaster told me there was a meeting with the chief of village the following friday as he wanted to formally thank me for fixing the pump and go over some other important business with myself and the water committee of the village (we have a water committee? and my neighbor is the president???? I though to myself). Anyway, my main point to bring home was that Yes, it made me very happy to be able to fix the pump, but I'm leaving next year and what will you do then when the pumps break again. So, that got them to think about starting to have everyone pay monthly to use the pumps, they understand the concept of monthly upkeeping, but always with the excuse of "we have no money." Now, this meeting was 20 men or so, and another part of my presentation was to map out our plan for fixing their other pump. I am to contribute 66%, the village 34% of cost per USAID rules for allocating funds. I told them if my women could raise $200 dollars to contribute towards building their Shea storage/workspace, then the men sure can raise $150 to fix their pump. I believe I'm rambling now, but hope you get the point. I'm really proud and happy for this project and I couldn't have done it without the help of all my donors in the US! I hope to soon be able to fix their other pump. Clean drinking water is a major concern here, as well water is much more dirty, contains many diseases, and is a major cause for infant mortality here.

Painting with the kidsMy favorite Debora helping me bring snacks to the workersSorry it's been a while since I've last updated. I could give a various amount of excuses as to why I haven't written, but overall I think I've just been lazy and haven't had anything extraordinary to write about. In the last month and a half we've welcomed our new volunteers and said adios to the old ones. I had a little bout with malaria but on the bright side I lost some weight so I look pretty healthy now! Hey, I've always got to look on the bright side of things! All of my international friends have returned from their August vacations and now things are back to the way I like them! I got some nice gifts from Lebanon, France, and Cuba! Work wise things are going well. We are almost finished building our Shea storage facility, the cotton project is on a little pause right now. I am waiting for some machines to be built for us, and for my friend to get back to me about purchasing my womens string. Well, yesterday I bought my ticket to come home to the US for the Christmas season. I'm with mixed feelings, but overall can't wait to see everyone and enjoy some luxurious American livin'! I just am thinking of the fact that I'm going to have to deal with the fact that my grandma won't be there to welcome me home and have a nice meal of ravioli's and meatballs waiting for me. C'est la vie. Ok, so for now I will stop. I will have my friend Chrissy from ODU visiting me the end of the month and will hopefully end the trip in Ghana and the beach! Its weird for me to think Fall has started over in the US, and football season is so far away from my thoughts right now! Hope all are doing well!

entry orginally wrote on Aug 13th

Today was truly an “I live in Mali” day! I woke up thinking I was going to take a nice daylong bike ride to wherever the paths took me. It didn’t turn out that way. My host mother came to my house, as usual to say goodmorning to me and ask how everyone in my family is doing, and if I am ok. After the greetings were answered and asked in return she invited me to go out into the fields with her. They were going to the women’s field to plant sesame and some beans. Going to the fields is always an experience and I don’t always get specially invited so I decided to go….the bike ride could always wait. I got dressed and one hour later we were on our way. This time I said I was riding my bike, and not taking the donkey cart since last time I ended up walking the 5mile journey and couldn’t get back home because I would have gotten lost in the cornfields! So, off we went, I followed behind on my bike, myself and the baby donkey that didn’t want to leave his mother.

We arrived at our destination to find that field hadn’t been plowed yet! All that way for nothing. So, we sat, the ladies ate their lunch and then we chatted for a bit. They said the field couldn’t be plowed until it rains again. This is rainy season, but it hasn’t been raining too much here. So, back to Kamona for me. I came back home, and sat on my hammock to read. As I was reading I heard the laughter of little kids coming….’ugh’ I thought. I just wanted to relax and finish my book I was almost done with. Then I see legs, and 2 little girls sitting in the wheelbarrow! I couldn’t help but start laughing. How much fun they were having! Pushing each other in the wheelbarrow! Then I stopped to think how lucky these kids are! They have a rough childhood, no doubt, but they also have a childhood that I never had, or that I know my kids probably wont have. They have the freedom to walk around in their village knowing that they are safe and people are always looking out for them. They have the blessing of being able to play with their cousins 24/7. Family. Something that is so important to me. I remember as a child growing up I would love the time I spent with my cousins, which I was lucky that we were all the same age and girls! Poor Brian stuck with 5 screaming young girls when we all got together! Hahaha!

Well, later that afternoon I decided I should entertain the kids and myself and I brought out bubbles left over from Janels visit. They absolutely LOVE the bubbles! Both the adults and the kids think they are just the coolest things! I remember also as a kid enjoying bubbles the same way. We just had to pop all of the bubbles that came floating our way! I think we did this for about one hour! What fun!

That was my day more or less, or what is worth writing about at least. As I’ve said before, everyday in Mali- but especially in Kamona is a surprise and I never know what will happen.

A break in the storm on the Niger, SegouKids playing in the puddles, stopping to look at the white girl taking pictures!Jenn, Hannah, and I before my 20mile bike ride back to my village.

Rainy season has finally come upon Mali. The extreme heat is supposed to be over, but it is now replaced with extreme humidity, to be then cooled off by the amazingly powerful rains. This is a welcomed season for Malians because the rain means planting, harvesting, and that there will be water in the wells. In my village they have started planting their corn, cotton, millet, peanuts, and beans. I myself have planted American Sweet Organic Corn, Organic Carrots (seeds kindly sent to me by my awesome Dad), celery, basil, and green beans. It took me 3 days to prepare my raised beds and to plant. I used my Malian style 'daba' to carve out my plot. The daba is an old school hand hoe. My body ached for about 4 days from my hard work!The rains are so important here in Mali, they are necessary for the crops to grow. No rain, no crops, no money, no food. Majority of farmers have no irrigation systems, no watering mechanisms. Just faith that it will rain and provide water for their crops. So far, the rains have been coming to Kamona dooney dooney (little by little). I am told August is when the rains come into full swing and it should rain everyday. Its difficult for me to explain the power of the rains here, but when it rains, it really storms! It's wonderful to experience.

Next story:A few weeks ago I told my friends Hannah and Jenn that I wanted to visit them in their villages. They are technically in a different region than me, but they aren't that far away, only 40k through the wilderness. What an experience! It took me 3 hours, 4 villages, and was truely one of the coolest things I've done in Mali! Since everyone is out in the fields, if I got lost I was easily able to ask for directions, and the people gave me blessings for a safe trip. And, as usual they got such a kick out of the white girl speaking their language! That always makes me happy, to see them so happy. I can only imagine what it must be like to see a while female, riding through their village on this nice American bike, saying hello to them in their language. I think it would be like if I was in Guilderland, and I saw a giraffe walking by that said hello to me in English and acted like he totally belonged there! Anyway, it was so nice to visit my friends in their villages, and to meet their work counterparts and families. In their villages, they spoke a different language, but fortunately I was still able to communicate with them. So, total I think I rode my bike over 40 miles (due to me getting a little lost at times!) Next time they come to Kamona!

Story #3:I'm in Bamako-the capital city. I came for two reasons: 1 being I wanted to spend the day with my boyfriend in the city before he took the plane to go to Lebanon for his month long vacation. We spent a wonderful day together, and had the most Amazing dinner at the best restaurant in the country. I felt like I was back in France! I had gaspacho, steak and steamed potatoes, and homemade ice cream. I really felt like a princess for a night! How wonderful! He's gone for the next month, and I'm left here...waiting for next year when I can hopefully visit Lebanon. Reason 2: Since I've been in Mali for over a year now it was time for my yearly physical. My health has been great here, so I'm not too worried about anything. It's so nice to have 100% free health care for once!

Story #4:The new volunteers are here. I am so excited for them to be here, to show them around and to let them know that it's not so bad here. In a few weeks I will be a 'buddy' for a new volunteer, acting as an interpreter and a guide for helping them when they go to their future home for their site visit. I am planing some activities for the new group that will be in Segou! Our welcoming last year wasn't so welcoming, so I'm happy to be able to give a good one to the new people.

Well, this was a long one. Sorry. I've always have so much to say! My Arabic lessons are coming along, my French lessons will officially start in September, and now I've got an Italian friend so I want to brush up my Italian again! I LOVE languages! I think August is going to be a fast month. I hope so, because Samer (the boyfriend) comes back at the end of it. Not only is Samer gone, but all my other friends have returned home for their vacations N.B. Europeans pretty much all take vacations in August, so it feels like the whole world is on vacation right now-except for me. Boohoo. I can't complain, I think the last 10 years have been one long vacation for me!

Just a quick note, I made the goal and we went over it!!! I can now use that money to do other small projects! Thank you all sooooo much for your support. It means so much to me but also so much to my Malian friends! You have helped out so much, and touched people that you will probably never meet. Thank you to those who donated. Your charity will not be forgotten! Once we buy the machines I will have more updates and pictures!

Well, it's almost officially been one year since I left for Mali. This time last year, I went out with my brother and his good friends (who are like brothers to me) and my best friend Shauna for a 4th of July celebration. The next day my wonderful family gave me a great going away party and thankfully the rain stayed away, even though the forcast was calling for it. As I think back at my decision to come here, and how everyone thought I was crazy, I know that I am so happy right now.

Many people are stuck in jobs that they hate, maybe in relationships that they are not happy in, or just in general not happy with their life. I am fortunate to have a great parents that even though I may not follow the normal path that most people do, they still support me. I'm doing work that really satisfies me. I may be living in the third poorest country in the world, but the people I've met here are truely amazing and wonderful. Within this last year I've picked up French, Bambara, and now starting tomorrow will have my Arabic lessons. I still get to keep up with the Spanish because of my Cuban friends. I've learned about grafting trees, and gardening. I've learned survival skills that may one day safe my little life! I'm learning about the importance of the life we are given, how fragile it is, to really make every day count, and how being kind to people is easy and it does come back to you.

So, in general thanks to everyone for sending me care packages, letters, and emails. Support from back home is just great. So, one year down and one more to go. Who knows where I will be heading to after Mali.

Janet spinning the cotton

My first official project for my Peace Corps service has finally fermented.   I am really excited about it because the women of my village initiated it on their own.  I am just aiding them to improve their product!  Last November my host mother and work counterpart attended a training on how to spin cotton into string.  From there, she has taught 20 other women how to spin the cotton and they are now using it as additional income for themselves and to feed their families.  Cotton is grown in my village and the surrounding towns (fun fact: Cotton is one of Mali's largest exports).  There is plenty of raw product, however the problem is the way they are spinning it...all by hand.  There is only one machine that the women have to make the process faster.  Now, when I say machine I mean a bicycle wheel frame that is operated by ones foot.  When I first saw it I immediately thought of our vacations to Colonial Williamsburg!  After the women spin the cotton into string, we then are able to sell the cotton for 4x's the price of what it is sold for when it is just the raw product.  In April, my women sold 32 kilos of strung cotton to an all women's bogolan co-op which makes artisan work with the natural products.  My need is this:  I am working with another NGO to get the wheels from, so this is a very straight forward project.  I just need to raise the $500 to pay for 6 machines and 6 paddles in which to brush the cotton so it is fine.  Now, I will be working with an American NGO-African Sky to get the money.  Here is their website: http://africansky.org/  This non-profit was started by a Peace Corps Volunteer here in Mali, and he just wanted to continue work here after his service.  

Please Please Please, I know the economy is horrible right now, but even if you can just send $10 it would be such a great help.  This is a project where 100% of your money will go directly to helping out these wonderful, self-motivated women.  I also need the money fairly quickly, so no haste!  As for getting me the money, his website is still being updated, so the most difficult part of this process is that the money has to be sent by CHECK!  Yikes, sorry but we all must make some sacrifices and anything that is easy isn't always so rewarding! 

Directions on how to donate: Make your 'RE':Monica Garcia Kamona Womens Cotton Projectthis is very important so African Sky knows where the money has to go to and not to just any project, but MY project!

Address: African Sky  PO Box 203  Munroe Falls, OH 44262

Thank you to all who will be donating!  This is such a good deed and really really a great project for these women.  

Sunset after the massive sand storm Janel and I got stuck in-Kamona

The 4 banditas in Timbuktu, about to ride off on our camel adventure!

Me on the roof of the manuscripts musuem, in front of the oldest mud mosque, or the biggest?

Trekking through the Sahara

Camel Riding!

Dogon houses- Day 1 of our 3 day hike

Alright, so now that I've got your attention, here is the explanation of why I haven't written in almost 1 whole month!  W'allahi! I've had my friend Janel visiting since late May.   It's great when having a visitor because I get to be a tourist in my current country of residence, and explore explore explore!  For attention span sake, I will be brief on what we did- as we really got to see and do many things here:In Segou, Janel got to meet all of my wonderful friends.  We went boating, made Bogolan (malian art, using mud and all natural dyes to decorate all natural cotton).  We also did a lot of shopping for gifts and hanging by the pool.  The calm before the craziness!From Segou, we bussed up to tour Dogon Country.  It's on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list (I always try to visit WHsites).  We met up with a fellow PCV-Hannah and her friend Kat that was visiting her.  It was a great 3 day hike through the villages.  Dogon villages are built in the cliffs and the people disappeared a long time ago, in short-due to deforestation and lack of food (they were hunters, not so much farmers). From Dogon, crazy Monica thought it was a good idea to go to Timbuktu.  My friend convinced us we should go up there to visit him.  Timbuktu.....why not!?  It took us 7hrs to get there in a 4x4 car-which that in itself was an experience.  It should have only taken 4hours.  Thats life here in Mali.  We got there, and I thought Mali was hot....but this place was SOO hot.  Like 120 degrees.  Thank God my friend has A/C in his house and we just got to relax on the 1st day there.  The second day we did some more shopping, and then started off on our camel ride.  The camel ride was fun, of course I got the 'special' camel.  First my saddle wasn't on correctly, then the camel kept tripping over it's feet (just like me!), then he just couldn't make it up the his and boom.  Down he went.  I'm alive and it's an entertaining story to tell.  No more camel rides for me though.  Overall, it's been an amazing 3 weeks.  I now need to get focused on my work and get some things accomplished.  I'm sure I'm forgetting tons of things that I need to add, but I'll have internet access for a few more days.  

Last February I attended a futbol match (soccer game) that was headed up by my village secondary school English teacher.  One Friday the girls play, the next Friday is the boys turn and they switch throughout the school year.  I thought it was great that they got to do this organized sport, but when saw them playing in bare feet, no nets, no cones or chalk to mark the boundaries, and no uniforms or markers for designating teams I felt bad.  I had an idea.  I wrote to my wonderful family members that are either teachers or have children in grade school and quickly (for Malian time) got a response from my great cousin Steve.  Well, he ended up sending 24 pinnes (above and beyond my request) for the students to use for the phys-ed class.  Last Friday I was finally able to give them their gift.  The kids couldn’t be more excited!  It was great to see, and really I thought it was no big deal at all.  When I was growing up and going through the school system- both public and catholic schools-I took for granted having all the sports equipment available to me.  We even did rock climbing as an activity one time!  So, here are the pictures of the kids with their new pinnes on.  It’s great to be able to give and to directly see the results of your work.  Thanks so much to the Westfall family for getting these jerseys out.  This small gesture made a town of 3000 people know you and send you many blessings for your generosity!    On another note, I am told that I got over the worst, most difficult 110+ degrees of hot season. Now it will just be in the low 105’s.  My mom’s almost done with the chemo and hopefully Brian will be coming out here.  It's been 6 months since the passing of my grandma-I think I'm still in a bit of denial about it.  My friend from Phoenix will be coming out in 2 weeks for my first visitor!  I’m super excited and have a really fun time planned.  My languages of Bambara, French, and Arabic are coming along.  It’s great to be able to communicate and feel comfortable communicating in different languages.  You really get so much more out of relationships when you expand your horizons.    One more short story.  Here in Mali, just chatting and spending time with people is super important.  I like doing this, but as an American it’s still a bit of a task to just show up at peoples houses to just ‘shoot the *ship’ with them.  Well, yaala yaala (bambara for taking a stroll) is great and it really makes me say to myself “wow, I’m really living in AFRICA!”  Some of my conversations included questions like: How many cows will your dad get for you when you will get married? Barack Obama only has 1 wife???? I’m going to go to America and farm and make a lot of money.  Today you are a women! (N.B. This was the day I actually wore the traditional Malian long skirt-as opposed to the Capri pants I always wear) *There are so many more instances of great cultural exchanges, I will write out a more detailed story some other time.  Ciao!

My first Malian vacation!  Myself, Megan, and Dies (a Dutch friend) went to the Mopti region of Mali.  It's towards the East.  We went to visit a fellow PCV-Dan Dayton.  It was a 2 day journey to get there, but we finally made it.  Dans village is absolutely beautiful; set between 2 huge rocks.  His village is a Fulani village, so communicating was a bit difficult for me because I do not speak their local language.  Luckily many people did speak Bambara so I was ok.  As soon as we arrived, we were whisked off in this pictured automobile for our elephant safari.  June is the migratory season for them, but Dan's counterpart said that they saw a pack yesterday.  After 5hrs of searching we didn't find any.  It's ok though, bc I saw some camels and just had a nice Malian time looking for elephants.  The next day we just chilled a bit, I got to talk to the locals and meet Dan's host family.  The next day we had the adventure of getting out of his village, the locals trying to charge us WAYYY to much for a ride to where we needed to go-reason being "you are white, you make money"  That reason didn't fly with us, so instead of working and making money, the bus drivers preferred to sit and drink tea. Nice.  Mali.  So, we finally made it to our destination-5hours later.  The Hand of Fatima!  Oh it's a beautiful rock formation.  This place was so peaceful and majestic.  The rocks were a bright orangy/red, and gigantic.  I felt so small.  We did some fun things and camped out.  Met up with some Quebequois and had a great time with them.  Overall, my first Malian vacation was great!  It's good to explore ones country!  My next planned vacation is Senegal and The Gambia.  I want beaches and nice restaurants.  I don't want the typical African vacation because I'm living it!  June.  I can't wait!  It's so hot here, but I'm surviving.  

So, in a country that is 90% Muslim, I just happen to live in a little village that contains some of the 5% Christian population.  Last Sunday was Easter, here they actually celebrate Easter on Sunday and Monday.  What a great time.  The kids had 2 weeks off vacation from school, so we got a lot of coloring in-which if anyone wants to send crayons, I'd be more than happy to use them.  Anyway, Megan, my best pal in Segou came out to my village.  We had a great time.  She hard boiled eggs and we colored them with the kids.  They then ate them afterwords and got some protein.  Tomorrow I am off to visit a fellow Peace Corps Vol up north.  His site has elephants there! I am so excited but it's a 11hr. drive to get there.  It's also super hot here right now-Sunday will be 108 degrees.  It's hot.  Really, uncomfortably hot.  Yuck

This is how I got my birthday boxes back to my site. After a 6 mile bike ride in mid-afternoon, I made it back home. I got birthday boxes from my mom, dad, and Beckners! It was killing me to not open them up as soon as I got them at the post office, but I practiced the virture of patience and waited until I could relax on my hammock and bask in my joyfulness of opening packages and seeing American things!

I just looked up the weather for Bamako for the next 10 days. I stopped reading after the first 5 days said temps in the 100’s. Brian said NYC has a high of 49 degrees today. What a difference! I always say I would rather take the heat over the cold weather anytime. Now, more than ever am I being tested in my sentiments. It’s hot. I am living without air conditioning. There is little breeze, and when the wind does decide to pick up a bit it blows nothing but dust, getting one all dirty and muddy (sand mixed with your sweat).

How do I fight this heat? Well, one way is to not move too much. I can do things very early in the morning or around dusk. That leaves the whole day to sit under someone’s gwa (hanger made from old corn/millet canes). The next move is a hard one for me; to sleep outside in my REI bug hut tent! Here’s the big story. Its normal for both Malians and the American PCV’s to sleep outside during hot season. The roof on my house is tin so during the day it literally feels like an oven inside. It doesn’t cool off at night. Well a few nights ago I finally got enough courage to sleep outside on my porch. P.S. I don’t even like sleeping in a house by myself in the US, so it’s a fear without prejudices! Anyway. I was so excited to sleep outside under the beautiful, starry sky. As I was almost ready to sleep I heard a noise. I looked up to see something the size of a chicken but with a tail that was about 12inches long. It was the biggest rat I’ve EVER seen in my entire life. A Malian Rat! Ugh. I made a little noise (as I was protected in my tent-yeah right) and he scuttled away. About 2 minutes after I saw the huge rat, the lightening started. I decided it was time to move indoors.

As soon as I started to open the door to my house, the downpour came! Rains here in Mali are amazing. They come out of nowhere and it’s like they have something to prove! It’s the hardest rains I have ever seen. It’s amazing. I ran inside, and did quick rescue missions to save my stuff that I had left outside. I was drenched! As I hid in my house, these strong winds came and started lifting my roof! I thought ‘great, if I don’t get eaten by that rat, I will be killed by a piece of my roof!’ Ah, Malian living. I survived both. The rain and winds finally stopped around 1am and it really cooled down the air.

The next morning, it looked like a mini hurricane had gone through my village. As I greeted my old man neighbor, making note of the horrible rains last night, all he could say was ‘yes, it rained a little’ HA! ‘A little’ I think to myself…I’m scared for when it rains A LOT here! I then went to my host family to say good morning and to tell them about my night. As I was explaining about the rat, they 1st: laughed. It wasn’t a laugh to mock me, but in disbelief that I had never seen such a creature that big. 2nd: “Oh, you mean ‘toto,’ yes your neighbor said that they saw it in your compound before, we will kill it while you are gone.” Bada bing. Problem solved. People will eat that thing too! Funny thing is that it’s called toto in Bambara, because I think that he was really about the size of Dorothy’s Toto dog from the Wizard of Oz.

Ok, so other than this I am doing well. Works kicking off with a Malian bang (meaning it’s going slowly), and it’s really hot! Still doing well, still happy. I’m biking a lot, staying in really good shape for my 28years I must say!

Sorry this was a long one! Oh, and my donkey cart hours have increased…check out the tally!

I had a wonderful day yesterday! Both my mom and dad called me, I got to eat ice cream, sit by the pool, and catch up on emails. My great friend treated me to lunch, then we had le grande fete at night. We had lamb and couscous! It was delicious. A whole lamb was bought and sacrificed for myself and Nicole (my French friend that shares a birthday with me). Megan made brownies, and my friend Mario provided the birthday cake. Happy Birthday Monika, and Joyeux Anniversaire Nicole! I finished the night dancing salsa. I also got a crazy amount of 'happy birthdays' on Facebook. It was truely a great day, and hopefully a sign of a wonderful year to come! Thanks for all the well-wishes! I'm off to Kamona, and maybe to Timbuktu!

Today is my birthday!  28 years of life.  I was told by a friend that it is said in some cultures that I have just completed 1 cycle of my life; my learning cycle.  Now, for the next 28 years I am supposed to live out my mission in life.  I think it’s sort of fitting that I am here in Mali, doing the work that I am doing.  We shall see!  A nice big ‘mega fête’ has been planned for myself and a fellow friend whom has the same birthday as me!  It’s my version of a UN birthday as we will have people from many nations (Europe, Americas, and Africa) represented.  My kind of party! It’s been an extremely eventful time since I last wrote.  As I thought about which story was the most exciting to write about, I really couldn’t decide.  So, I wrote down a list of key things that has happened to me: -I helped vaccinate around 250 Malian children against Polio!  I think that is my favorite highlight.  Now, when I say ‘helped’ I mean that I colored their pinky finger with a permanent black marker so we knew he was vaccinated.  The gov’t has a national program of going door-to-door vaccinating all children under the age of 5.  It was a great way for me to meet everyone in the community as well!  As you can tell, no records are kept of vaccinations-the system is just too basic for that. -I visited a 2nd year volunteer in her village.  She’s totally inspiring, and such a great role model and source of information for myself in helping me be successful in my job here.  They are planting 600+ trees.  This is a project I plan on working on next season. -One afternoon I was just laying in my hammock, reading and my little friend Mari came by to greet me on her way to school.  School is about a 1.5 mile walk from where we live.  I decided to give her a lift (she rode on the back of my bicycle-a very common thing here).  As we rode through town, we picked up more kids that were on their way to school.  They ran side by side with the bike.  Then, a girl tripped and fell.  She cut her toe.  Mari said I should give her the ride instead (again, lessons learned by a child).  By the time we made it to the school I think I had about 20kids that had run with us to school.  I also realized there would be no school nurse to take care of this poor girls cut toe, and I did not have my medical supplies on me that I usually carry on me to clean this girls wound. -Work has really begun for me.  I am now teaching English to a Malian.  He happens to speak Spanish, so that is our median language for communication.  Soon I will be giving lessons on how to use a computer to some of the teachers at our school.  I am also starting to help construct a building for the women of my village for their work with shea nuts.  This will be a big project, but I know the women have wanted this for at least the last 3 years.  I also have little projects going on, it really makes the time fly when you have something to do! -I finally started wearing sun block daily on my face!  This is Africa after all! -I may speak up to 4 languages in 1 day to communicate!  Bambara, English, Spanish, and French!  I’m starting to really pick up on the French now as many of my friends here speak it.  I hope to be fluent by the time my service is up.   *N.B.  Mali has 25 recognized languages! -Another afternoon when I was reading in my hammock, the girls stopped by to greet me on their way to school.  Mari had her school books and pencil box with her.  I asked to see them.  The children here still write with chalk/slate boards.  Mari had a tiny tiny piece of chalk; I don’t know how she even wrote with it.  Well, I went inside the house and brought out 8 pieces of chalk- 2 for each girl.  They were so excited.  It was great to see their smiles!  Such small gifts are so appreciated here, it’s great. -Every Thursday is market day in Bla.  That means that people from the surrounding villages go there to get their produce, or whatever else one needs.  Bla is around 6 miles from Kamona.  On a normal day it will take me 40mins to bike to Bla.  Market day it can take up to 1hour because I have to greet so many people on the way to Bla!  Women and men in their donkey carts heading to the weekly market!  It’s a real experience! Strangers get a real kick out of the white girl that can speak their language! I really feel like I’ve stepped back into the Middle Ages on Market Day.  Here, we can’t just go to the supermarket to get whatever we need.  I can only by things when they are in season. -My wonderful father sent me The Economist for my birthday.  One night I brought the magazine to my host families so they could look at the pictures; see the world.  It’s really amazing to see their reactions to our Western way of living.  My family has a radio, so they are actually really in up to date on current events, but they never get visuals.  I showed them a picture of Sarkozy, Obama, Merkel (a woman head of state!), and Castro to name a few.  They also love looking at the adverts; there was an ad for steak.  I was told ‘American are rich, you eat meat every day’ -something I took for granted, but here, meat is a luxury usually reserved for special occasions.   -Guinea-Bissau’s president was just murdered.  Since arriving in Mali, there has been: A coup d’etat in Mauritania, Guinea 'president' died, Ghana had elections go wrong, and this is just in the countries surrounding Mali.  This continent is very alive.  I really do feel safe here in Mali though.    Well this really is just a blurb of some of the great things that have been going on here.  Yesterday I went on a boat ride on the Niger River with my friends.  It was great to be on the water.  I have many other stories to tell, but will sign off for now.  Of course not everything is perfect here, I think of my grandmother daily.  I miss her immensely.  Will my mourning ever end? She was my best friend and I really miss just sharing our days with each other like we used to.  My mom will be getting chemo, and I won’t be there for that.  One has to make such hard choices in life.  I have made mine to stay here and do my work in Mali.  Sacrifices.   

It’s February!  I’ve been back in Mali for about a month and a half.  I was so excited to go back to my village, unpack all of the fun American things I brought back with me to make my living a bit more comfortable, and to hand out my gifts that I had brought back.  This baggage weighed about 50lbs.  Not bad when one has a car and can easily transport it from airport to home.  Not I.  My transportation from the city to my village is myself, and my bike.  6 miles on an uneven dirt road, under the strong African midday sun that I had not seen in 2 months.  My story I will try to keep short, but I feel the need to tell it… On my 1st bike ride back to village after being away for nearly 3 months, I had a rough time.  It was hot, I had very little water, and I was carrying a very heavy load on the back of my bike.  Stupidity.  My bag kept falling off the back of my bike because I was trying to balance my big travel bag!  5 min. into my ride I started praying to please please get me to Kamona safely.  Rode again to my midpoint, sat under the Baobab for about a 20min. break so I could recover from the sun.  I was running out of water, and only half way.  Again, started pleading to get me to Kamona safely.  Around the 5th break I took, a nice young girl- Cita biked up to me.  She was also going to Kamona.  Well, she was my little angel!  She stayed with me for the whole ride.  Stopping with me when I told her I needed to stop because I was tired, stopping with me when my seat kept falling down, and stopping with me when I needed to fix my bag because it was falling off!  Her mere prescience helped me to get back to the village.  I had run out of water 3/4ths of the way there.  The ride that normally takes me 40min. took me 1.5hrs.  Double the time.  I felt like I could have passed out at any moment during the whole bike ride due to the heat and lack of water.  Cita saved me. 

This story is not only about my own little survival, but also of Malian culture.  You see, here, when they see someone in trouble, they don’t think twice about stopping to help.  Cita could see that I was really having a hard time with my bags and the heat.  She accompanied me until she knew I was safely in the village.  A Malian, someone that I had never met before cared for me.  I wish it were more like that in the US.  Life would be a whole lot more enjoyable if we did.  Also, ask and ye shall receive.  Here is a first hand example of my prayers being answered.     I am heading back to my site tomorrow.  I have a lot of ideas of what I can be doing to help my village.  Unfortunately with me being in the states for 2 months my Bambara has taken a bit of a step back.  I have so many stories to tell of my adventures here, but this one I really wanted to pass on.  I truly believe that Cita was sent to me…without her coming I think I really would have passed-out in that heat, and who knows what could have happened after that. The hospital systems here aren’t very modern.   There is no 911 service.     

I need to apologize for my last blog.  It was very poorly executed.  I wanted to get a blog posted before I left for my site.  That is my result.  I will leave it up, but I’m not happy with it. Another note of business:  My 28th anniversary of life is coming up March 10th!  In order for birthday cards to get to me on time, they must be sent by Feb. 20th or so.  It’s 90cents to send a cardJ   Not much at all, right?  My address: Monica Garcia PCV Corps de la Paix Bla, Mali West Africa

Since I came back to Mali in January I have been at the Peace Corps training center in Bamako.  I am surrounded by other PCVol's.  Monday we went on a field trip!  I have always loved field trips!  We went to a village about 40k from our training site.  In the US frame of mind, one would think 40k is not very far- that it should only be about a 20min. car ride.  Well, I'm in Mali.  That 20minutes turned into 1 whole hour of sand hills, bouncing, cramped conditions, and sun.  The road was not paved.  It was sand.  It reminded me of the roads in Philly after a “snow storm”...horrible.  I could say at points the sand was about 4inches deep.  Enough complaining.  I basically got to go 4x4ing!  My stomach is paying the price right now.

On to my main event.  There were about 20 white people in my party, accompanied by 1 person each from our respective villages that are here for 1 week of training.  Upon our 2 hour late arrival there were drummers, dancing, and singing.  It was a grande celebration!  We went this village observe a shea nut formation.  Mali is the 2nd largest grower of shea nuts. The shea nut can be used for many different things.  To get back to my African moment;  after our festive greeting, we had to walk to the village chief’s house.  We gave our thanks and respect for letting us come to his village, and from there we paraded through the town.   We proceeded to the shaded mango grove to where the formation was to be held.  It was quite the experience, and sometime in the future I will write about Malian gatherings.  Goodnight for now.This picture posted is how the Malian woman carries her baby.  They can do everything with the baby on their backs.  I admire Malian women for their strength.

We have a new president!! I have a new boss!  I couldn't be more happy about it!  65 excited PCV's went to the American club in Bamako to watch the swearing in ceremony.  I was really excited about the whole process, wondering where our international camera crew was.  Instead they just kept showing shots of cute little kids in Jakarta watching the event.  Come on, 100+ Americans in Mali (3rd poorest country in the world) piled into one small room to watch this event on the AFN?  I think we deserved one.  

Anyway, the event was going very nicely until the one full minute of Arlington Cemetery was showcased.  14 days after we buried my grandma, I just was not ready to see the graveyard.  I started crying on the spot.  I held myself together long enough to see Obama sworn in, but that was it.  I had to leave.  I called my best cousin, Mary and just lost it.  It felt good, and it helped.  I was depressed for the rest of what should have been such a fun night.  

Overall, things here have been good.  I've been practicing my Bambara for 1-2hours everyday and hopefully this coming week I will start on my French lessons.  I'm learning more about shea butter productions, how to graft trees so we can start planting more (and bare fruit faster), I've learned about better and more efficient farming techniques, how to make mud stoves en brousse,  as well as the importance of sustainability in our work.  We also went to a local school and taught them about irrigation systems.  They were freezing, it's in the 70's during the day. 

I am back in the habit of taking bucket baths, wiping dirt off my feet before I get into bed, having oatmeal for breakfast every morning, squatting over a hole in the ground to go to the bathroom, waiting to hear back from people at home, sleeping with a mosquito net around me, and always caring toilet paper with me wherever I go because there is 99% chance of there not being TP where I happen to squat.  I have 1 more week here in Bamako, my homolouge (person in  my village that looks after me) will be coming tomorrow to get side by side training with me.  I am really anxious to get back 'home.'  It will be about 3 months since I've been there.  I miss my hammock, my 20k bike rides, my morning tea, and the slowness of life.  I also miss sitting under the stars and dreaming.  

Our highlight of the day today was the Snake Guy!  Look for yourself, as I really don't want to know specifics, but Mali has a lot of different types of snakes.  Some even may be poisonous and deadly.... Today he showed them to us, caged up.  He had his little boys with him that were not afraid at all of them.  I was.  I hate snakes.  In Mali, we have vipers, cobras, and various others.  If I happen to see a snake this is what I do:  don't move.  If I get bit by one I am to not panic, don't try to suck the venom out, and don't drink coffee or alcohol.  I'm ready!  I must say Phoenix has their share of snakes.   Unfortunately Mali does not have the 911 service or ambulances, so getting bit is not a good option.  On the bright side we were told only 20 people a year die of snake bites, Africa wide! I think I'll be ok!

I've rambled enough.  If you get anything from this blog, know that:  I miss my grandma terribly, it's warmer here than where you are, I get to wear flip flops to work, the president of Mali is Amadou Toumani Troure (ATT)- hey, Malians all over were watching the inaug. of our Pres, I feel it's my duty to inform the masses.

Just a few pictures I thought I would post.  

Visiting a fellow PCV in her village, we came across a wedding! This little boy kept making faces at the camera!  Kids are kids everywhere in the world!

Shea nuts and Moringa leaves, two resources I will be working with here in Mali

Dnumba with the world in her hands, sweetest little girl ever

Limes and peppers in the market

My host lil'bro-cutest little Malian

So, today in training I heard a great speaker today.  He was a vol. here in Mali back in the 90's.  He started his own NGO- African Skies-check the site out!  I was reminded of 2 things today.  1-this is a job.  I am here to work.  I went through almost a 1yr app. process to come here, it is not a 2yr (semi-paid) vacation.  2- I was reminded today why i joined PCorps: because I wanted to do something here in Africa.  It is encouraging to see my fellow vols. getting equally excited by this one mans enthusiasm.  One person really can make a difference.  I will be posting links to projects that anyone can donate to.  Even if it's $10 it can really make a difference out here.  Wells need to be built, workshops to be held, sanitation and nutrition advances to make!  Even though the economy in the US is going pretty bad, just remember how good we still have it.  Each and every one of us has electricity, running water, heat/cooling in our houses, food, and education for males and females.  These basic rights that we Americans feel we deserve are not needs that are met all around the world.   Instead of spending $40 on a new purse, think of what $40 could do here in Mali:-)  Thanks-Monica 

I finally have slowed down.  The past few weeks have been unimaginable.  The day after we buried my grandma I began my journey back to Mali.  A red-eye flight to Paris and an extended layover in the freezing terminal, I made it to Mali in the middle of the night (the following night).  Now, after 5 days of traveling by car, airplane, bus, 10+miles of bicycling, and more buses I am back in Bamako for 3 weeks of training.  I had about 20 minutes to run to my village to tell them that I am back in the country, but I will be gone for another month or so.  I was asked how my family back home was and got some blessing for the soul of my grandma, and the healing of my mom.  Very nice.  Overall, I am happy to be back here in Mali.  I really like my life out here and what I am doing.  I’ve met some really interesting people here, and I was happy to see that people were glad I came back.  So, now that I’m living in Africa I have to get used to my realities here: checking my cloths/shoes for bugs before I put them on, using the hole in the ground to do my bathroom businesses, having little control of what I eat for my 3 squares, bargining for everything I buy, and washing my underwear by hand.  On the brighter side, the sun is shining here.  I’m guessing it’s been in the 70’s, maybe low 80’s.  It’s my perfect weather:  not hot, and not cold.  Just perfect, almost like Albany in early September.  Not too much else to report.  My Bambara got tested and I was pleastantly surprised that after 2 months of not speaking a language, I tested into the intermediate level  I have a lot of extra language studying to do in the next 2 weeks, but it’s needed.  I now have 1.5years left here….how the time really does fly.   Thanks to everyone for your support during this really difficult time.  It really helps that I have friends and family that really care.   

I finally have slowed down.  The past few weeks have been unimaginable.  The day after we buried my grandma I began my journey back to Mali.  A red-eye flight to Paris and an extended layover in the freezing terminal, I made it to Mali in the middle of the night (the following night).  Now, after 5 days of traveling by car, airplane, bus, 10+miles of bicycling, and more buses I am back in Bamako for 3 weeks of training.  I had about 20 minutes to run to my village to tell them that I am back in the country, but I will be gone for another month or so.  I was asked how my family back home was and got some blessing for the soul of my grandma, and the healing of my mom.  Very nice.  Overall, I am happy to be back here in Mali.  I really like my life out here and what I am doing.  I’ve met some really interesting people here, and I was happy to see that people were glad I came back.  So, now that I’m living in Africa I have to get used to my realities here: checking my cloths/shoes for bugs before I put them on, using the hole in the ground to do my bathroom businesses, having little control of what I eat for my 3 squares, bargining for everything I buy, and washing my underwear by hand.  On the brighter side, the sun is shining here.  I’m guessing it’s been in the 70’s, maybe low 80’s.  It’s my perfect weather:  not hot, and not cold.  Just perfect, almost like Albany in early September.  Not too much else to report.  My Bambara got tested and I was pleastantly surprised that after 2 months of not speaking a language, I tested into the intermediate level  I have a lot of extra language studying to do in the next 2 weeks, but it’s needed.  I now have 1.5years left here….how the time really does fly.   Thanks to everyone for your support during this really difficult time.  It really helps that I have friends and family that really care.   

Text originally written on Oct.10 Yesterday, as I was about to leave my counterparts home after picking cotton, it was brought to my attention my rear bike tire needed air.  Possibly there was a hole it in, I didn’t know.  I pumped it up and off I went.  Maybe it was just a slow leak? This morning I had plans to pick beans- I went to pull my bike out of the house and noticed the tire was completely flat!  No bid deal I thought, this will be as good a time as ever to learn how to change a bike tire- a rear bike tire no less!  I took out my PC bike manual, got the replacement tube and the special bike tools we were given.  I then flipped the bike upside down and started: Step 1-release the brake.  How do I do this I thought to myself….after some tinkering and picture diagrams, I managed to release it.  So far so good. Step 2-Lift the tire quick release.  This is the step that I’ve seen done before, didn’t look too hard, and thought I could do it without too much trouble.  Well, it wouldn’t be so difficult if I had a bike that had been maintained. I am currently using a loaner bike, a recently departed old vols bike, until our new bikes come in from Cote d’Ivorie.  The tire release handle didn’t want to move, so I had to hammer it loose.  This noise caught the attention of a young boy (there is ALWAYS someone passing by that wants to know what is going on).  He tried to put his two cents in but at this point I started getting annoyed and didn’t want to hear it.  He left.  I got my Gerber knife out- tried to unscrew the bolt.  Nada.  Then took the bike oil out to try to loosen the screw.  The young kid came back with two wrenches.  I appeased him, tired using the wrenches but still couldn’t loosen the bolt. I am now at the height of my frustration because if only this bike was taken care of this small task of changing a bike tire wouldn’t have been so difficult.  My little friend then tried himself to unscrew it.  It worked!  I was so excited and felt like a real jerk for not wanting to accept help.  I asked the boy how old he was, he didn’t know.  I played the guessing game…10yrs old I asked? ‘Yes’ he answered.  He didn’t look 10.  14? Yes, again.  I thought then that maybe he really didn’t know his age.  I took another stab in the dark. 100years old?  ‘Yes’ he replied. We finally agreed that he was 1000years old, with a big smile on both of our faces.  So myself and my 1000year old friend proceeded to take the wheel off the frame and from there he took over.  I stepped back and let the pro handle it.  At his point my homologue dad-Etienne stopped by with his little radio playing. He also wanted to know what the commotion was about going on in my front porch.  I told him I had a flat tire.  He then grabbed the old tube, sat on the ground with us and started looking for the hole to repair.  Within a minute, he found the hole, I gave him the repair sticker and he did the Malian “ehh?!”  It’s a great noise people make here when we see/hear something we don’t’ believe or think is crazy!  It’s great.  So, I explained to him that’s what we use to cover up tire holes.  He thought it was great, with a smile on his face he adapted to my western concoction and successfully patched the tube.  At this point person #3 stops by.  He wants to see what is going on.  This is the young man that runs the grain-grinding machine about 50meters from my house, and the apparent owner of the borrowed wrenches.  Well, now my rear bike tire is repaired!  Together Mr. 1000 yr old and I put the tire back on frame, placed the chain back into position, tightened the cleaned screws, and I let my new friend test it out.  Now, to put things into a little perspective, I haven’t owned a bike since my pink, banana seat Huffy.  I stopped riding because the helmet law came into effect in New York.  Kids under the age of 13 had to wear them.  I thought they were ugly and swore off riding until I was old enough to not wear one.  Dumb right?  You all know me though, and know I am telling the sad truth!  I have been on a bike since then- my proudest bike moment was riding over the Golden Gate, into Sausalito, and all over San Fran. Moral of story: I am proud to now be able to change a bike tire, but more importantly, what I learned from a 1000-year-old kid (he was most likely 12).  It is ok to ask for help, you can find it in least expected people or places.  Don’t expect to rely solely on yourself all of the time.  The sense of community here is amazing.  If anyone seess you working on something, they want to help.  I am sure glad they did help because I was ready to kick the bike over and wait for my new bike to come.  Instead, I fixed it, rode into Bla, bought some eggs and produce.  I had a nice eggs sandwich for lunch…which brings me to lesson #3, learn that day:  don’t buy eggs and transport them on Malian dirt rode 10k- they will break.  I managed to salvage 3 out of 4, but one of them being cracked.  Finally, lesson #4 learned today- I can mess up even Easy Mac!  I left too much water in it when adding the instant cheese mix.  I successfully made it a few days ago though and it was just right!  Overall, it was a great day!  Many things learned.    Update, Oct. 18.  My new bike arrived the following Sunday.  It’s a pretty bike; it’s a brand new, dirt free bike!

I will be heading back to Kamona today.  My wonderful friend Megan lets me stay at her palace here in Segou whenever I want.  I say palace because it has the following:  running water, a toilet, a shower, ceiling fans, electricity, a place to sleep, tile floors, and of course-my good friend Megan.  I am so grateful to her hospitality.  Megan is a fellow PCV serving here in Mali. Her job is to work with the artisans here.  So, if you want any Malian hand crafts, she's your woman.I am going to attempt to spend the next 11 days in my village.  It won't be bad at all.  It makes coming into Segou even more rewarding.  This week I plan on working in the fields more, getting to know more of the locals, and exploring my environment on the bike.  I don't think there are any special events going on in town.  School started yesterday for the kids, so it should be a bit calmer now.  I start my Bambara lessons this Saturday.  In a few months I will start French lessons.  My goal is to be quadralingual: English, Spanish, French, and Bambara.  I love languages!   Until then....

I am having a really difficult time getting pictures up on this blog, so here is a link for you to use to look at my pictures.  Hope it works!http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2126438&l=aceae&id=10508052http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2125314&l=37e5a&id=10508052 http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2125314&l=37e5a&id=10508052  

For those of you who forgot: a Toubab is to Mali what a Gringo is to Mexico/Latin America=white person.

 It’s October!  ‘Octuburu’ in Bambara.  If I were in the NEast fall would be starting; apple season coming into full swing, the leaves turning, and cold nights. Instead I am in Mali.  Mini hot season is starting as rainy season is ending.  Its hot/humid!  School is starting for the kids here and the crops are beginning to be harvested.  Ramadan is over.  The parties lasted about 3 days.  I didn’t attend any of them, sad to say.  I sure did hear the music blaring though!  I did decide to ride my bike into ‘dugu kono’ (inside of town), and saw a bunch of kids in a big crowd dancing to music….as soon as they saw me they yelled ‘Toubabu’ I very quickly rode away from the mob! A BIKE!I finally got my temp. .bike from PC.  All vols get a bike loaned to them for their 2yrs. of service.   It’s great bc now I can bike to Bla, which I am working on my time, but so far is taking me about 40min. to bike the 10k.  I am laughed at by the Malians, saying that it only takes them 20min, but I don’t know how that is possible when it takes a motorbike that much time.  The concept of time is pretty relative here-you say something will start at 830am and maybe if you are lucky things will be rolling by 1030am.  I digress.  Anyway, the 10k is all dirt, little hills, and always the occasional heard of cows that I get deathly afraid of when passing.  I also have to always greet people when I pass them, tell them where I am going, and that I will greet everyone at my destination for them…so that always takes some minutes away from my time.  My goal is to ride at least 3-4times a week into Bla.  Round trip is about 14miles.  Good exercise.    This leads into my next small topic: my fear of cows!  This is a fear that I forgot I had, but it’s alive and well here in Mali.  I used to think cows were nice, docile animals that gave us all milk.  I’m totally wrong.  The cows here all have big horns that are just staring at you, ready to take the plunge into your body.  An acquaintance here actually got mauled by one.  Blood, stitches, surgery, fear.  Those thoughts are always in my head when I see some cows coming my way.  The herders always see that I’m afraid, get a big kick out of it, then clear a path for me.  I am convinced it is something with my white skin that draws the cows to come near me….maybe it’s just my paranoia.  Either way, I don’t like them…especially bc they don’t even provide milk for me here!  Last week I got stuck behind a heard on my bike ride back from Bla.  It slowed me down about 10min. bc I couldn’t pass them!  They are huge animals!  Come out here and you would be afraid too.  I just know it.  I’m a cotton picker!  I have now done it twice- it was pretty cool!  My neighbors have a cotton field and as I was passing by one day, they yelled for me to come over and work!  I laughed and said I would watch them bc they were doing such a good job all on their own.  Well, they finally convinced me to come over and that Awa would teach me.  This is how it works: you pull.  Haha, pretty easy.  Not so easy when your allergies start bothering you and your nose is running endlessly.  I forgot to bring toilet paper with me, and wanted to blow on a freshly picked ball of cotton but KNEW I would totally offend/surprise/shock my fellow pickers.  Tissues for blowing your nose or wiping your butt are not used by the locals here.  That can be another story for another day.  So, the allergies persisted.  Cotton picking isn’t as difficult as I thought it was.  Maybe I’ve been lucky so far bc I have seen other friends hands cut up, but my delicate soft hands are still just that way!  I was told the cotton would be sold and shipped off to the US, so next time you go to bed in your nice cotton sheets, or put on a soft cotton shirt think of where that cotton may have come from and who picked it!  After the cotton is all pulled, the millet will need to be harvested!  I will need to buy a machete for that one.  Just kidding.   I think they chop it down with some knife though.  No tractors or heavy machinery here in my village! On a last note.  I am pretty happy here. I am meeting some really cool people from all over the world: Malians, Spaniards, South Africans, Lebonese, Swedish, Germans-all here doing development work.  It’s a great community of people that are all so friendly.  I’ve been able to use my Spanish, but unfortunately I throw Bambara words in by accident.  This is it for now.  I really do have a ton more things I could write about, as everyday something crazy/cool/akward/funny happens.  I am going to try and stay in village for the next few weeks, until Halloween is my goal.  I feel bad for leaving Kamona, but then again I am a traveler and get really restless being in the same place for an extended period of time (6days is the norm).  Also, the temptation of running water showers and toilets, ice cream, pizza, internet, ceiling fans, and English speaking friends is always in the back of my mind.  We shall see how long I last en bruce . Ps-I just remembered to write this.  My friend in village is a French teacher, I am always interested in education abroad, so had a ton of questions for her.  Well, she is a 2nd grade French teacher.  Last year she had 61students in her class.  They have a little paper book that is about 4pages long, that has some French grammar in it.  I am awed that you can have 61 little ones in a classroom.  They write on little individual chalk boards. At least chalk is provided to the teachers.  I am sad she will be leaving Kamona to go teach in another city.  She was a good friend in village.    

I have a house!  Technically I am now moved into my first house.  I am still arranging things, but I have a gas stove, a full sized bed, my wonderful Nicaraguan hammock, and food!  I lasted 10 days in my new community and am happy to announce that I LOVE where I will be living.  The community seems fairly active and there are a lot of projects I can possibly work on.  I have already started thinking of what I want to plant in my garden plot (the women here have a huge fenced in garden space...I get prime location next to the well).  This next week I will try and yaala yaala around the community more, to chat with people and let them get to know me a little.  There is also work in the fields to do.  Corn is just coming out, and soon the cotton fields will be needing tended to.  Pretty fun.  Last sunday I went to my first Malian Christian church service.  It was great!  I didn't understand a word anyone was saying, but somehow I managed to figure out that the new people in attendance had to stand up and say there names-of course everyone stared at the Toubab (me).  The coolest part of that experience was the music.  They played the drums and were singing, clapping, and swaying so happily!  Like, the real african drums that you would think would be here in Africa!  My church has them!  To stay on the topic of religion, Ramadan is over this tuesday.  There will be a big party tues. night.  I am all over it!  Not a typical party I am used to.  I am sure there will be dancing, def. no alcohol involved though.  Men and women kept separate...but I usually am the exception.  More cultural experiences!  Pretty cool.Lastly, these past few weeks have been really up and down.  Things back in the US are fine now, grandma is out of the hospital and happily walking again.  On my bus ride into the city yesterday I had my realization that yes, I am living in Africa.  I am living in AFRICA!!!!  I can do this!  It's pretty intense.  I have an amazing opportunity, great people to work with, and some real potential to positively help some people and their families.  Oh, one side note- for those of you who know me well....I am eating EGGS!  I decided it's time that I just like them.  There are many benefits to eating them.  So, I've been making scrambled eggs with fresh onions, peppers, and tomatoes!  So good!  I think the fresh veggies makes them though! Pictures that are posted, you'll have to guess which is which because it is a miracle I can even post them: A big, beautiful Baobob tree.  We have many of them throughout the Segou region.  There is also a picture of me on my hammock at my new pad.  There is also a picture of me in front of our broken down Bashee.  I was on my way to my friends village and the 'mobili' broke down.  After about 10 min, and a push start we were on our way again.  Oh yeah, and about 20 people were crammed into that thing!  There is also a picture of me with Shea nuts.  They were some beautiful nuts!

This picture is of the Niger River, taken here in Segou.  Sunsets are the most beautiful here. 

This morning I am finally leaving to settle into my new home.  I am nervous, excited, anxious, and don't want to leave all at the same time.  My new house is cute- 2 rooms, I have my own nygene attached to the back, and I have a nice gwa (hangar) in front of my house that I will hang up my hammock and read endlessly there!  Over the next 10 days or so I will be doing a lot of cleaning, organizing and making my new house a home.  I will also get to walk around my new community meeting new people, and attempting to not have little kids scared to death of me....it happens.  I have literally scared kids so much because I am white that they peed of fright on the spot-no diapers on.  Nice.  So, wish me luck!  I am still waiting on hospital news from back home, so day by day I am taking things here.  I'll be back in 10 days-more or less, not quite sure.    

I have a new name.  It is Khadijah (or Kaja for short) Malle.  No more BaUmu Kante.  I decided to change it because I just didn’t feel like the BaUmu fit me.  I really liked Kante as my last name, but my entire village that I will be living in is pretty much Malle’s.  As a side note…last names are super important here in Mali.  There is this whole thing called ‘joking cousins’.  I think it’s a really cool concept here.  This joking cousinship goes back centuries.  The whole idea is that certain ethnic groups can joke with each other- ex: the Coulibaly’s joke with the Kante’s.  I can say “Coulibaly be sho dun” "Coulibaly eats beans" (meaning they fart).  It’s really funny because it is a way to get people to laugh at the white person making jokes…in Bambara.  Coulibaly can say “I be n ka jon” “you are my slave.”  I am told the Coulibalys at one time were big landowners and the Kante’s were blacksmiths…so the Kante’s worked for them.  This was also told to me by my teacher who happened to be a Coulibaly! In my language village, everyone was a Coulibaly- even the 4 vols I was with.  I was the lone Kante.  I got made fun of all the time, people telling me that I was a bean eater, and that Kante is ‘a mein’ (sp).  Meaning Kante “is bad”.  These jokes are always said with a smile.   Now, those guys get made fun of all the time by people because Coulibaly just gets ragged on by everyone!  Payback guys! Your last name can be very useful here.  When bargaining at market, if you are getting a really high price for something, you can mention your last name and you may get a big discount.  If someone has the unfortunate luck of getting into a fight, I am told they may break out the last names and if they are joking cousins, they will stop the argument.  Really.  This is one that I will have to see to believe.  However, I do believe in the strength of the joking cousin philosophy.  Now that I am a Malle, I have to learn who my joking cousins are.  I can no longer tell a Coulibaly that they eat beans because we are not joking cousins, and rule is you have to stay within your joking family.  Malle is a Malinke name-I think.  That is another ethnic group of Mali.  Coulibaly and Kante are Bambara. Another interesting fact about my name is that it is Muslim.  Khadijah was Muhammads (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) first wife.  She was also the first person to convert to Islam.  Anyway, my village has a good number of Christians.  They asked me what religion am I?  I told them Christian.  I don’t know if anyone will mention the fact that my name is not Christian, and I am not a Muslim.  We shall see.  It will be a great conversation topic.  Also, I figure may help in the future when working with the community. I chose my name.  I really like it...I'm stuck with it for the next 2 years, so I better.  Posted is a picture from our swear in ceremony.  It is myself and the bean eaters (Coulibaly's) of Tamala.   So there you have some Malian culture.  Hope you liked it!  Feel free to leave comments on my blogs.  That way I know people are actually reading this thingJ

As of yesterday morning, at the US Embassy here in Mali, it was made official that I am a United Stated Peace Corps Volunteer.  I will join the 3000 people that have served here in Mali since the 1970's.  It is actually a good feeling to be official.  We had a really nice ceremony at the embassy, then we went on to the pool at the American club.  Highlights of this event were: eating hot dogs and hamburgers,  hanging in the pool, just having the feeling that I was in the US.  Reflecting back on the last 2 months, I realize I'm really lucky.  I have met some incredibly cool, genuine people.  I have an amazing opportunity, and although it is not always easy, comfortable, or fun, I know that I will be making a difference.  Even if it is just in my small village.  Tomorrow I am off to Segou for the next few days.  There I will be able to meet some local officials, upload some pictures, and buy some things for my house.  I need a washboard for doing laundry, and big bucket/trash can to store clean water in, and some other odds and ends.  Today I did a little grocery shopping in Bamako.  I was able to buy 2 ceramic mugs and bowls, 4 forks, and 4 spoons.  So, when you come visit me you won't have to eat with your hands-as the locals do (you are more than welcome to try though!).  Soon I will be in my new house.  I will have painting and cleaning to do.  I think I'm going to paint the inside a nice bright color.  Any suggestions?  Adventures ahead!  

My last week of training.  It’s been a real up and down week so far.  I am done with home stay.  I passed my language test!  Went on a fun field trip into Bamako and learned about Shea nut buyers, and how I can help women of my village make some money. I also got some bad news from home, grandma isn’t doing so well.  I am told it is nothing too serious, and she’ll be home soon, but please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.   I was debating on whether or not to post that, however all of you know me, and know how important my grandma is to me.  It is really hard to be here, knowing that grandma is in the hospital.  I guess there is never a good time for bad things to happen; people getting sick or injured.  Right now just really sucks though.  I am about to swear in as a PCV.  I have been through 2 months of language and culture training, as well as a total change in lifestyle.  C’est la vie. Other than that depressing news, things are going well.  A lot of the people are getting things sent from back home, and it’s nice that everyone is good about sharing.  I managed to get 2 Cliff Bars and an Easy Mac from my friend Jen.  Speaking of friends, I’ve met some really cool people here.  Jen is actually a fellow Upstater!  Oddly enough we didn’t realize we were both from Albany until about 1 month into training.  I’m a little frazzled right now, so I’ll stop this torture of a blog.  The next few days may be busy, with finishing up training and all. I also have a ton of laundry to do.  Since it will all be done by (my) hand, it will take a good 2hrs.    Ps- Sorry about the ‘family picture’ missing.  I thought I uploaded it properly, but it was brought to my attn. that it is not up.  I will try again, but I seem to not have any luck getting pics up on blogspot here at the training center.  Again, if you are a member of Facebook, I have a ton of pictures up there.

This is the picture of my homestay family.  They were great.  Not all the kids were there for the picture.  Chiaka is the tallest-he's the dad.  The two older women are Kaja and Umu, wife #1 and #2.  The rest are the kids.  I will really miss them! 

On another note, I got a nice package of Whole Foods Oatmeal from my dad last week!  It was great.  I shared one of them with my friend, Syndey.  She was equally greatful!  Keep the packages coming!  It's great for moral here!  

I have been meaning to write this since I found out I was coming here.  I am just now getting the opportunity to do so.  Since I will be spending the next 2 years in Mali, I feel it is my duty to educate my readers a little bit about this wonderful country.  So, in a few short paragraphs I will tell you about my new country of residence.  The following information was found from a trusted source.

Mali is a landlocked country in West Africa.  To the north of us is Algeria, to the east of us is Niger.  Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire, and Guinea are all south of Mali.  Senegal and Mauritania border the west.  Mali is twice the size of Texas (fun fact!), however 65% of this land is Sahara Desert.  The majority of the population lives below the Sahara in the southern part of the country-mostly below the Niger River.  There are basically 3 seasons here: rainy, cool, and dry/hot.  Right now we are in the rainy season (June-Oct).  It’s great because it’s not super hot, although the humidity can be brutal sometimes.  Soon it will be ending and a brief cool season (Nov-Feb) comes right before we are hit hard with the heat.  That season lasts from March to May…don’t plan on visiting during these months!   They say it can get up to 115degrees, no A/C of course.  Facts: Mali’s pop. is approx. 12 million people, with around 1 million people living in the capital, Bamako.  Life expectancy is 49years old.  Mali is a Muslim country; Sunni being the dominate sect.  Mali was a French colony until 1960, when it won its independence. They have presidential elections every 5 years with a 2 term limit.  Right now the President is Amadou Toumani Toure or ‘ATT’.  Mali is currently ranked the 3rd poorest country in the WORLD, according to the 2006 Human Dev. Report (Sierra Leon and Niger are ranked 1st and 2nd respectively).   So, there you have it.  You all know a little bit about Mali.  On a personal note, I really like it here.  Of course everyday isn’t great, but is it anywhere?  It’s a different world out here, but what I find really important is that the people I am surrounded by are really great.   

I am at a different location in BKO and I am finally able to upload pictures.  The one posted below is of my host family little sister.  She is the sweetest little girl! Her name is Dunumba. I will post some more random pictures of Mali.  

I am in Bamako for the day.  We are almost done with training.  One more week left in our language villages.  I'm excited to start my service here in Mali.  I have been looking forward to today for the past week.  I ate pizza and am now about to feast on home-made chocolate ice cream.  Ice cream is such a treat here because: it's hot, and ice cream is great in hot weather.  Also, because it is just soooo good and it's a treat!I am doing well out here.  No more sicknesses, and I'm starting to feel fairly comfortable with the language.  I got my first package!  Shauna, you are awesome.  I got Fritos and some trashy US/People magazines!  I am now caught up on the latest gossip-at least from Aug. 11 and before.  Hey, I need some way to keep up with American culture!  More fun stories to come!Short funny story:  Yesterday I was asked how much my dad would ask for me.  Meaning, how many goats/cows/$CFA for someone to marry me in America.  I laughed and said he couldn't afford me! More stories later!

I had a really fun/interesting/adventurous week.  Sunday morning we headed out to the city of Segou.  It’s a really cute little city that every January holds a music festival: Festival on the Niger.  I checked into the nice little hotel that PC puts us up in.  It has nice rooms with air conditioning and flush toilets; I didn’t get one of those rooms.  They put us up on the top floor dormitory.  It is actually pretty cool (minus the bed bugs), the room was big with about 10 beds lined up, and my favorite part was that we get a shower and toilets.  It takes very little to make me happy here.  So, after checking in the PCT and myself with me grabbed a bite to eat, then met up with other volunteers at the pool.  Yes.  The pool!  It was like a mini vacation for me!  I thought I wasn’t going to see a pool for a very long time, but now I know that I have one available to me 2hrs away from where I will be living.  At the pool we got some amazing homemade ice cream-mango for me! 

Monday morning came and we left for my village.  I opened a bank account in Bla (my banking/market town).  This is the first time that I’ve opened a bank account and am already in debt to the bank.  Here, you are charged to open an account- even if you have money to put into the account.  No ATM card though, just a big card about the size of 2drivers licenses put together with my picture on it and my account number, laminated.  That whole ordeal took about 2 hours and I was told that that was pretty fast! I met the girl that I am replacing and she took us into the village.  By car my future village is reachable in 15minutes.  By donkey cart it is a 2hr. ride (I have now logged in 6hrs of donkey cartage, but will get to that later). The road: it is a dirt road, but it is in fairly good condition.  There is no public transportation that goes in/out of Kamona so my transportation means are either: car, donkey cart, or bicycle.  It’s about 8k into town.  I had a really good experience overall at my future ‘So’ (Bambara for house).  It has 2 rooms- a kitchen area and my bedroom.  I have my very own, high-walled nyegene attached to the back of my house.  This is a great luxury now: to have your very own nyegene.  The house is pretty much furnished because of the previous vol. that I am replacing.  The village is very lush with many crops right now.  We have corn, cotton, watermelon, peanuts, millet, beans, and sweet potatoes fields all over!  It’s great to see crops thriving.  AH! Almost forgot- most importantly my village has palm trees!  They make me so happy, even though I’m pretty far from the coast- I have my palm trees.  Great.   I am off to my home stay site one more time.  I will be there for 3 weeks of language training.  Not looking too forward to it, but it’s not going to be that bad.  Hopefully when I get back I will have letters and/or packages waiting for me!  Overall I am still doing well, nothing drastic is happening.  Will write when I get back!   When I get back, it will be almost time for ‘swearing in.’  This is when it will be official that I will be a Peace Corps Vol. (PCV)!  Can’t wait. Training is almost over.

I've been asked before, so here is a list of things that would be great for anyone to send me:1-Cambells Extra Noodle soup-the powder mix, not canned2-Cliff Bars- I particularly like Peanut butter crunch3-Any kind of drink flavoring: Gatorade, Crystal Lite, Kool Aid, those Vitamin C drink mixes(Strawberry, Cherry are my favorites)4-I really like the 365 Cinnamon/Apple Oatmeal pouches sold by Whole Foods.  Most any type of flavored oatmeal would be great though.5-Cheerios!  I can eat it dried at least, good source of fiber for me.  Go ahead, send a bag (take it out of the box)6-Fritos/Cheetos/Nacho Chips from AZ or CA (east coast just cant get them right)/Doritos (Ranch or Nacho Chz).  I would absolutely love seeing any of these unhealthy products.7-Easy Mac!!! Please!  All i need to do is add warm water-I think?  I will not have access to milk or butter all the time, so Easy Mac is my best hope.  The cheesy goodness is already mixed.8-Blowpops/Jollyranchers/ any kind of candy that will not melt en route.9-Pancake mix!  Unfortunately just the kind where you add water.  No more bisquick pancakes...Aunt Jamima or a healthier alternative is fine.10-ANYTHING that isn't Perishable.  Please.  There are very few comfort foods here, so anything that you may want to through in their go for it...no beef jerky though:-)

Here's my cooking set up: I will have 2 gas burners.  This means I can fry stuff, and boil things.  I can store things also, so canned goods would be ok, but you don't have to send that stuff.  

I would also love to be sent books, DVD's (new, used, burned), Magazines-The Economist, Time, Cosmo, Self-I'll take it!

Here is my new address:Monica Garcia PCVCorps de la PaixBla, MaliWest Africa

*I am pretty much the only white person in the city of Bla, so my mail will get to me.  Shauna said there is a flat rate box you can send, it's $40 but you can fill it to whatever poundage you want.  It's a lot, but come on- I am out here in Africa saving the world one person at a time:-)**Mail takes anywhere from 1-3 weeks to get to me.  Average seems to be about 3 weeks, so think ahead.  

Today I was one of the few lucky ones to get a free day.  I was able to sleep in (until 830am), then I sat outside and did my bucket of laundry on the washboard with 3 other girls.  I then hung out in my little hut, cleaned out my suitcases, and then took a nice long shower.  I even did my hair-well wore it curly.  Since it's just so hot here in Mali, the typical hairdo is pulled back.  I do get creative: braids, pigtail braids, ponytails, or bobbypinned, but today was special.   The big event of the day was to go into town and eat at the Toubob restaurant, and shop at the grocery store.  I used a flush toilet for the first time in 1 month!!!!!  That was highlight #1.  The toilet was in the nice restaurant that we ate in.  I started out with an appetizer of fries, then followed that with a main course of cheese pizza.  It was a glorious event.  I washed down these food items with a cold Castle Grosse.  Bliss.  Oh yes, and cake for dessert.  After the restaurant we walked over to the grocery store.  I really had to stop for a moment to see if i was really dreaming this up!  It was a nice little European grocery store that had cold items in it, Corn Flakes, and to top it off....Nutella!  I opted to just buy some Lays, bleach, and a Popsicle,  but the fact that there is a little bit of heaven right here in Bamako makes me so happy.  Bamako.  I finally went into the city.  It was not really what I expected, but then again I really didn't know what to expect.  Most of the buildings I saw were 2 floors or lower, there were a lot of cars/motobikes, and a lot of people.  I am looking forward to exploring the city more... right now it's jut a big disorganized mess to me.  I'm sure it's not though.

So, I finally had a recharging day!  I feel great!  I am ready to go out into the Mali real world and see where I will be living for the next 2 years.  ShoutOut....Aunt Kath-you win the person of the month for me!  When I was cleaning out my bags this morning I remembered that I did have battery solar charges, but was mad that I didn't go buy rechargeables before I left HOWEVER, I opened the solar charge and voila! There they were.  4AA's and 4AAA's.  I shouted a 'Thank God/Tia Kath!!'  So, that just added on to my great day.  I'll be back next week.  Enjoy the nice amenities of the U.S. I hand washed cloths for 1.5hrs this morning, and now I have sun-dried hard jeans.

2 Christmas' ago my cousin Mary Beth bought me some really nice mango lotion.  I could never bring it back to PHX with me bc I always carried my luggage on and it was over the 3.4oz rule for liquids.  It was left in Philly until I decided to take this lotion with me to Mali.  Mary, can I tell you how nice it is to actually smell like a girl!???  It is so relaxing and calming for me.  Oh the mango lotion.  Thank you Mary, thank you.

It is August.  1 month down, 26 more to go!  Time really feels like it is flying by, but then again I feel that my life has flown by-especially the last 3 years.  I went from living in Nicaragua, back to Philly, then to Brussels, back to Philly, next came Arizona.  Now Mali, West Africa.  I am still not even settled here yet!  Right now I am in just in the training process of Peace Corps. I am not officially a volunteer yet; that will come on September 12th.  During this training process I am staying in my small village for language and cultural training.  This week we are taking a little break and I will be going to my actual site (another village about 6hrs. from the Bamako) where I will be working and living.  The name of the closest city is called Bla.  Yep, I wrote ‘Bla.’  Mali is a country that has really cool names for places: i.e. Tombouktou (Timbuktu)!  I am nervous, anxious, but also kind of just going with the flow.  For the last 4 weeks, everyday has been scheduled for me-this is just another thing on my schedule of things to do.   Now, don’t get me wrong-this isn’t really ‘just another thing to do,’ it’s actually really important.  I will be doing site assessment, meeting the townspeople and starting a rapport with them.  It is really important that I make a good first impression (which I’m not worried about), and that I use my time there wisely.  Now, what will I be doing here in PC Mali?  The big questions many of you may have.  Well, here we go:  I will be taking over for a current volunteer that has finished her 2 years of service.  In my sector NRM (there are 5 here in Mali: Natural Resource Management-NRM, Health, Water Sanitation, Education, and Small Enterprise Development) it will be my job to work with natural resources!  Specifically I will be doing things like environment education, planting gardens, making compost piles, and will be able to work with other sectors to maybe market our Shea butter that is so widely produced here….maybe even ORGANIC certification (that’s for you dad!).   It seems like a lot that I will be doing, and I am really happy that I have the flexibility to do different projects.  I also couldn’t be happier that for the next 2 years I don’t have a 9-5desk job!  I get to work outdoors and with people.  This is really the type of work environment that I love.    My last week in a few sentences: No funerals, but I did have the baby naming ceremony and a wedding-I got gypped on both through my own fault!  Since I am living in a Muslim community their process is a bit different than the baptizing I’m used to.  Now, I would love to tell you all the details of this ceremony, however I didn’t wake up early enough to attend…I was there just in time to see the mother, take a picture, give a little Muslim blessing, ask it’s name, and give them the $200CFA that my host dad gave me to give them.    Bada boom.  Done. The wedding was nice…we got to see the bride leaving the village to attend her wedding in another village.  Miscommunication.  Damn.  I’m sure I will have more weddings to attend in my 2 years here. 

Amoebas.  I had uninvited visitors in my stomach for a little while.   It was uncomfortable, I’ll spare the details but after 3 heavy dosages of meds I am now better!  Apparently it’s pretty normal for every PCV (Peace Corps Vol.) to get them.  There are various ways that I could have gotten them- I have been drinking filtered water, but really I have no idea where/when they invaded.  At least I’ve been christened!  I have now had amoebas, and parasites as visitors to my intestinal system….I’m an experienced woman!   This should be all for now.  I am really trying hard to get pictures posted, I even tried to email them to Brian so he could put them on, but it just wasn’t working.  I would love for you all to see my environment…it is pretty cool!  I’ll be back in about 8 days.     

I got mail today!  Thanks Aunt Kath!  I can't describe the instant happiness I felt when my friend Dan handed me the letter.  Yesterday, packages and mail were handed. I wasn't expecting anything, and didn't get anything.  Today, mail came again and there she was....a nice envelope with a letter from my Aunt Kath.  So- please write to me, send me any dryed-goods to eat(oatmeal, crystal-light drink powders,noodle soup packets).  Pictures- I've been trying to post pictures but again, the connection isn't that great.  I have 1 pic up on myspace.  Check it out if you can.Another post coming very soon.....