After I got back from South Africa I had my mid-service health exam. I was an easy exam since I had just had lots of tests done before I left/ the only interesting part was getting my blood taken in a Malian lab. They call you into the room to get your blood drawn an the chair is right next to the door and people are coming and going as I sat there getting my blood drawn. Mine was easy cause my veins are easy to get but many other people had a lot of trouble and had large bruises on their arms for days. When the doctor did the blood smear he put in on a slide that he cleaned with a cloth and then spread it with another slide that he only cleaned with a cloth. But my blood test still came back fine. Also when you did the urine test you had to walk through the waiting room to get to the bathroom and then return through the waiting room.

Before my Med evac I had planned to go to Ghana to support some volunteers that were running a marathon there. So when I returned to Mali I had to get my visa at the embassy. The day I went to pick it up was the day before Independence Day but we were told to come back that day. The receptionist told us that the guy was in the back but we couldn’t get our passports because it was a holiday. We couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t give us our passports if he was back there. This was the second day in a row that we had come for the passports and each time they said come back tomorrow. That was fine for me, but Jeremy was leaving early because he was running the marathon. We talked with the receptionist and she kept going in the back and talking with someone and then coming back saying he wont give us the passports cause it’s a holiday. She finally said that maybe if we wait we can talk to the man when he leaves. So we sat there for three hours, and the receptionist kept saying maybe he is coming. Three hours later she brings us our passports. The date on the visa was that so the day before when we came in it wasn’t done and that morning it wasn’t done either. Because we didn’t leave the guy in the back made them while we waited, but they wouldn’t say that. The flight down had stops in Niger, Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire, Togo and then finally Ghana. The last leg from Lome to Accra was only 45 K and was a 20 min flight.

The first three days we spent in Accra. The second morning was the race morning so we got up early and went to a spot on the beach that the runners were going to pass and cheered for people as they ran past us. After Accra a group of us headed to cape coast. It should have been a 2 hr drive but to start with there was terrible traffic leaving Accra. So that was a bad start but to add to it the driver burnt out the clutch so we had to stop in the middle of the road and have people come and fix the bus. It turned out to be a 6 hr ride, but this we are all used to taking transport in West Africa. We stayed in cape cost at a place right on the beach. One of the days we took a trip to KaaKum National Park. It is a rainforest with a tree walk. The bridges are suspended in the trees and you walk out and do a circle through the upper level of the trees. Also in Cape Coast there is a old slave museum that we went to. We saw the holding rooms that the slaves were kept in and the door that there were lead out of towards the boat.

After Cape Coast we went further west on the coast to a place called Green Turtle. It was very secluded and ran on solar power. There was a small town on the beach a 30 min walk away. One morning we walked down the beach to check out the town. While we were sitting on the beach Matt and I decided to venture into the town to look for food. We wandered into the town and asked people where we could find rice and sauce. They pointed us in the right direction and we continued to explore. We went through the whole village and came out on the other side where a river met the ocean, where all the villagers were working on their boats and bringing in fish. We found a lady selling rice with bean sauce and we ate till we were full and then got some to bring back. All together it cost less than one dollar. Also while we were in the village people came up to us and offered to sell us tuna that they caught that morning. We bargained with them and bought 4 tuna and 2 other fish for about ten dollars. We asked them if there was lobster and they brought back a bag of lobster. We bought 6 of them for $15. Then we talked to a woman that agreed to cook all of the stuff for us along with rice and sauce with the fish in it. We can back that night and had a sea food feast. After the meal we were so full we took naps on the beach, then walked home. The place was called green turtle because sea turtles nest on the beach there. We didn’t see any sea turtles but we saw the holes that they crawled out of.

After green turtle we went to another place on the coast, Butre. Here we took a canoe ride up the river. We saw King Fishers diving for fish and a giant lizard in a tree that they said was a crocodile. The best food I had in Ghana was Red Red. It is spicy beans with fried plantains. The beans are spicy and the plantains are sweet and it is great and it is a side for everything there. The flight back we only had three stops so it was a little better.

After all that time away from Konna I was ready to go back. My site mate left just before I went to SA. So one my return no one had seen either of us for a long time. They knew Emily left for good but didn’t know where I went. My first day back I answered the same questions a million times. I had to tell the same story of getting sick and leave to get an operation and how I can’t do any heavy lifting for awhile and I can’t play basketball yet. I missed the first few days of school but when I returned it was like I hadn’t missed a beat. The first day I just talked to the other teachers about what we did over the break. We also talked about the map that Ryne and I drew on the wall where all the teachers sit and drink tea when not in class. I am now in the process of writing a proposal form funding to draw more murals at the schools in Konna.

There is a new English teacher that got transferred to Konna this year. He is more my age and we have been teaching most of his classes together. One of the classes in an art class in the 9th grade. It is a great class to be in. I taught most of those kids last year in 8th grade so they know me. Also there are less kids in that grade so it is has a better feel to is. There are still about 45 kids in grade, but it is better that the 7th and 8th grades where there are 70 to 100 kids in one classroom. The art class is great because we tell this kids to go to the board and draw whatever they want so they get to show some creativity. A big theme in some of the drawings in the 50th anniversary logo that is everywhere.

One day I was walking down the street to go drink tea with some of my friends and a garibu came up to me and asked in English if I spoke English. I said yes and then we continued to talk in English. This boy is no older than 11 and he is in Mali from Nigeria, that is why he speaks English. He tells me that his father sent him here to study the Koran. So now he lives in Konna and studies the Koran. These children are garibus. Basically their parents gave them up to study the Koran and live on the street. Many Fulfulde speakers give their children to the maribus because they are so poor. This practice was just outlawed in Senegal but is a huge part of the culture in Mali especially in Fulfulde speaking northern Mali. This boy says that he wants to go to regular school but he only can if his father says its ok and his family is in Nigeria so I doubt that will ever happen. I see garibus everyday but to talk with one in English is crazy and to hear his whole story.

The rainy season came really late this year so before I left I didn’t get to see any good rain. The only rain that I saw was a few sprinkles here and there. And now the rainy season is pretty much over so I haven’t seen a good rain in about one year and it’s really weird to only have seen sun for the past year. The biggest change that I have seen is a cloudy day or the occasional wind storm. There was a freak rain storm the other night but I was sleeping. There is another teacher living in my concession. When we woke up after the rainstorm it was getting close to time to leave for school but she said we didn’t have to go in yet because it just rained so we could go in late. It reminded me of a two hour delay in the states for snow.

On Halloween I walked around Konna getting people to say Trick-or-Treat and after they said it I would give them a piece of gum. When I got to my friends shop I got them to do it too. As I sat there and kids walked by my friends would call them over and get them to say Trick-or-Treat and then laugh so hard at the kids trying to say it even though they couldn’t say it themselves.

For almost the whole time I have been in Konna there has been construction going on, on the shore of the river. I finally found out that it is a fish processing area. It is a huge project and one of the women in my concession is working on it. There are offices there as well as places for the fisherman to clean their fish and then sell them. Trucks come in every day from Bamako and take the catch back and sell it there. It is a giant area all walled in with a guard there. They are bringing in two generators from Senegal so there will be electricity and running water all the time. There are offices there that are air conditioned. This is such a big project that when it is done A.T.T the president of Mali will be coming to Konna for the grand opening.

One of the first people that I used to hang out with, Samba, is the guard at the new building. I am really glad to see that he got the job because for awhile he was down on his luck. He used to like near me and had a stand where he sold gas out of old liquor bottles and wash motorcycles. Then he could no longer afford the 5,000 FCFA a month rent which is 10 dollars. After he lost his house he was sleeping next to the road at his gas stand. He didn’t have a mosquito net or anything to sleep in so he would complain about getting bite all night. Then one morning he woke up and both of his hands were swollen so bad he couldn’t use them so he could no longer wash motos. The whole time I wanted to help him but there was really nothing I could do but give him money and that isn’t a good way to help so there was nothing I could do. But now he has a good job and is much happier. He still doesn’t have a net so he sleeps at the job site next to the river where there are tons of mosquitoes, but he now has a wife and a child so he is doing much better and it is so good to see.

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. I started having pain in my lower right side and it wasn’t going away. It went on for like three or four days and kept getting worse. Finally when I could no longer move without being in pain I called the doctor in Bamako. I explained my symptoms and she said that she wanted me on a bus the next day, this wasn’t possible because of my transportation issues. When I told her I couldn’t make it the next day she said that she didn’t want to call it a medical emergency but I needed to get down to Bamako as soon as possible. This isn’t exactly what you want to hear when you still have a day to wait and then a 12ish hour bus ride ahead of you. So the day of the bus trip I set out at 6:30 and arrive in BKO at about 5. I call Dr. Dawn and even though its Friday and after 5 she is waiting for me at the office. She checks me out and give me some pain killers to make it more bearable. She also schedules appointments for me the next day. Once again even though it is a Saturday she spends the whole day with me going from appointment to appointment. This is where I want to say that she is an amazing Doctor as well as a person to take her day off to cart me around from place to place and always thinking of what is best for me and doing anything she could to make it as comfortable for me as possible. The first place we went to get a ultrasound the doctor wasn’t in so we had to go to the backup place. Now I understand why this wasn’t her first choice of places to go. When we went in to the room there were mosquitoes everywhere and they had me lie on a dirty table with no sheet or paper on it and proceeded to administer the ultrasound. The Doctor was very capable but the facilities weren’t the best. This is were we found out that I had a hernia and that it didn’t need immediate surgery. We then went to another doctor to get another opinion and he agreed that I needed surgery but it wasn’t an emergency. So this is when I knew I was getting medically evacuated. I figured I would go to Washington because another volunteer who had a hernia went there to get her surgery. Also at this point the pain medication was working so I was in virtually no pain. Then it was a waiting game Dr. Dawn had to talk to the heads in Washington to see where I would be evacuated to and that couldn’t happen to Monday. She talked to them on Monday and then on Tuesday night I was on my way to South Africa.

My flight left BKO at 11:30 PM for Dakar. Security is pretty much a joke at the airport. I not sure if it is because I am a Peace Corps volunteer and have a government passport but at all of the airports I was able to fly through security especially in Dakar. I arrived in Dakar at about 1 AM and was told that I couldn’t check in till 430 because my flight didn’t leave till 630, but when I talked with them a little more and showed them my passport then checked me in at 2 and I didn’t have to go through the security screening. So I was at the terminal and slept on the benches for a few hours the whole time being bitten by mosquitoes. The Flight to SA was great. It was not nearly full so I had a few seats to myself so I could lie down and sleep most of the time. Also I was served two meals and they were better then any I have had in Mali. I arrived in SA around 430 PM and breezed through customs and there was a driver there waiting to take me from the airport on Johannesburg to Pretoria where the PC puts up the med evac people at a guesthouse. The guesthouse its really nice and everything is taken care of for us. Every morning we get picked up at the house and taken to the PC office to take care of business or see the doctor if we have to. There are two malls within walking distance of the guesthouse as well as a park/bird sanctuary. The food is amazing. You can get anything here that you could possible want and everyone speaks English. It is weird that there are so many white people that aren’t tourists.

Also while I have been down here I have learned much more about apartheid. There is a very weird dynamic between racial groups here. It seems that people stick with their own races. They live in separate neighborhoods and hang out in separate places. Even when leaving the mall it seems that they don’t leave in the same manor. All the white people have money and have cars while the black people all walk and take public transport. I am used to this from living in Mali but here there is an equal split in the numbers and there still seems to be a great separation. Talking with the other PC people that are here they feel the same way and are almost more comfortable living the life of the black people. Taking the public transportation and walking places. Even the interactions on the street are different. The white people here all speak and Afrikaner language and try to talk to me in that language. Then they speak English when they realize I don’t speak it that or they speak Dutch. All of the white people in the hospital would start talking to me in another language, but the black people would just speak to me in English and were overall nicer. Talking to PC people from SA that have been here a long time they still don’t understand the whole dynamic. It is just a weird situation. It seems that all the black people are working in the service industries and will have a young white manager.

At all times there were at least 7 people in the guest house from the Peace Corps, form all different parts of Africa with all different kinds of injuries or sicknesses. One person came to get her teeth fixed and was only there one week while others will be there for up to 45 days. It was interesting to hear how different things are outside of West Africa. There are places in Africa that get snow and ice at the higher elevations. Now I am on my way back home after a quick two weeks.

OFF STRIKE!! Now it is review time for the end of year tests. Next week the 9th graders will take their tests. Many of them are worried about the tests and others couldn’t care at all. They are just glad that school is over. There is one student in particular that is very good at English. I can use almost my all of my everyday vocab and he is able to understand and even if he doesn’t understand I usually know how to say it in Fulfulde so he learns. The people here are very good at learning languages. The people I sit with will ask me what things are in English and after I tell them once they will remember it.

Also the people that I sit with want to know so much about America and the world. They are smart inquisitive people but they don’t get the proper schooling. Today they were trying to go through the months of the year and none of them could do it. The age range was from a 15 year old seventh grader up to an old man of about 60. Only one of the people that I sit with went passed 9th grade, but he didn’t graduate. He is the one who says the least but when it is just me and him there we have good conversations and you can tell that he is very smart. When I write numbers in my phone to show them how much things cost in America he is the only one who knows how to read them.

The end of the school year means that high school students are returning to Konna from Sevare and Mopti. This means that there are people here that I haven’t met yet. A few of them really like to play basketball. They are far better than the other people that I have played with. There is one person who was on a basketball team in Gao. He is a really good ball handler but none of them can shoot very well. It also doesn’t help that the hoop is only about 8 feet high and that the court is full of holes. I think that I am going to try to write a proposal so that I can improve the court and get them a second hoop. Also they complain about the bats that live in the roof of their school. Every night when I play basketball around sunset the bats fly out of the vents in the roof by the hundreds. I think there is a simple solution to this, wait until all the bats leave at night and then put up simple pieces of screen over the vents so the bats can’t return in the morning. I think I saw it once on Dirty Jobs and I think it will work here. Once school lets out for the summer I am going to try to do improvements to the school. Also they picked a space for me to paint a few murals. I am going to do the world map, solar system as well as the evaporation cycle. At the local doctors office I am going to paint a food groups mural. Here there are only three food groups.

I went to Ryne’s site for a couple of days to take pictures of her project. They are rebuilding one of the dykes that helps them control the flood plan so they can control how much water there is on their rice fields. It was a big undertaking. There were one hundred people a day working on the project and they worked every other day. It was a lot of hard labor and they worked all day long in the hot sun. When I came to take pictures they got very excited and everyone wanted to take pictures.

Last night we had the first real rain. I was sleeping on the roof and all of a sudden the wind started blowing extra hard.

Lightning in the distance always a tease

Tonight is different it’s a stronger breeze

The dust is here but where is the rain

The air gets cold am I insane

I feel a drop and then some more

I think it time to go indoors

House is too hot to sleep

I go outside to take a peak

Rain has come not a moment too soon

Wind and rain is it a monsoon

Morning after cool and easy

Another great trip to Manatali. This time I saw a family of hippos. They were there everyday. They would be standing in the middle of the river about 100 yards where we would go in on the rocks. Sometimes when we floated down the river they would get a little disturbed and grunt. But most of the time they paid no attention to us. We also went to the top of the dam and swam in the lake. Jon the volunteer there bought a boat. It is a wooden canoe that the locals made. It holds three people two rowing and one in the middle bailing water constantly. They also have inner tubes. So the three people in the boat started to head to an island and they were towing three of us on tubes. It was too hard for them to paddle with us in tow so we let go and had to swim. The island was easily reachable with the boat but only two of us on tubes made it. It took about 1 and a half hours to swim there. When we got there they had already scoped out the island and found a good cliff to jump off of. It was about 15 feet up and the water was really deep. On the way back the two of us who swam took the boat and the rowers swam. The middle man who was bailing kept his job because he doesn’t know how to swim.

UNICEF came to Konna one day and dropped off a lot of school supplies. They gave the children bright blue backpacks that you can see all over Mali. They also brought rulers and other teaching supplies. I understand that this is a good thing so the school has supplies but once again it plants the idea in their heads that white people will give them things. Later that day kids were asking me to give them things and when I said no they said UNICEF gave them things and so should I. Also the teachers at the school started asking me for things. I know I am here to help them but the best way isn’t to just give them things. So I ordered books on how to teach English as a second language. I will give these to the English teachers so they can improve their methodology. So even though I am giving them things they still have to do some work on their own to reap the benefits. Along the same lines there is a literacy center in Konna now. They also received books that will help them learn to read and write Fulfulde.

Today there was a wedding in Konna. I was sitting at my friends store and we hear horns and the sounds of cars and motos coming. Soon they are upon us and about 50 motos with at least two people on them show up with their horns blaring. Following them is a convoy of cars with the groom and bride. After the cars 4 public transport vans show up with 20 people on top of each and 20 more people inside. They stop by the mayors office and then they depart, but that isn’t the last I would see of them. For the next 2 hours every 30 mins or so the convoy of motos and cars would come by. Everyone was trying to show off on their motos and driving as fast as they could and doing wheelies. One of my friends is in a Malian wheel chair, which is a three wheeled chair with two large wheels in the back and a smaller one in the front connected to a hand crank with a chain. He was in the entourage and had his chair up on one of the back wheels. The whole this was loud and dusty but very entertaining. The commotion was done on the street so I went to lunch. After lunch I was at my dads house drinking tea and the wedding party came to his house to take pictures. His concession is extremely nice with trees and nicely plastered. Before the wedding party left them asked if I would take a picture with the bride. My family got a huge kick out of this. I agreed and we took a couple pictures. My family was laughing the whole time.

The teachers are on strike again. They strike because their latest paychecks haven’t arrived. Once the checks arrive they will get back to teaching. This is about a month before the end of the year tests for the 9th graders. This test will determine if they will be allowed to continue onto high school. If they don’t pass they can retake the 9th grade again but if they don’t pass on their second try then they are done with school.

I was on my way to Sevare when I noticed it was really dark up ahead. Then it started to get really windy and I could see lightning in the distance. A few mins later the car was completely engulfed in a dust storm. We couldn't see more than 20 feet out the windows the dust was so think. The dust was also blowing into the windows of the car which are stuck in the open position. All I could do was close my eyes and keep my bandanna over my nose and mouth, I don't know how the driver was able to continue driving in those conditions. We finally arrived in Sevare and I got out of the car. The dust had died down a little but the wind was still gusting. Then it started to rain, light at first, but then it started to pour. I took cover in a " tubab supermarket" and rode out the storm. It was still sprinkling on the walk. The Malian children were loving the rain, playing in the puddles and having a blast. I forgot how muddy the streets get after a rain. the walk was spent dodging puddles and trying to maintain my balance when I inevitably slip. Also after the rain it gets really humid. The temperature did drop but it was really sticky. In the south they had been getting the mango rains, but they usually don't make it this far north so the rain was a very welcome surprise.

I haven’t written anything in awhile and I think it is because nothing here really surprises me any more and all of the things that were so crazy and new before are now just a part of every day life. Now that it is spring time in Mali the weather is getting really hot, even at night it is still hot. There hasn’t been rain in months so there really aren’t any spring flowers except for this one kind of tree that has great yellow flowers now. And since there hasn’t been any rain the river that used to border Konna is now a 45 min. donkey cart ride away. I went there the other day with a Malian friend to wash my clothes. When we first tried to get a donkey cart the guy told us 2,000 CFA because I am white and have money, but my friend knew it was only supposed to be 50 CFA, so we went to another driver and he agreed for the correct price, we also shared the cart with two other ladies. The river bed is now a very fine dust that is a few inches deep. Trucks would drive past us and it would get so dusty you couldn’t see. When we got to the river she started doing my laundry and a few kids came over and I recognized them so we played soccer for awhile. I got really thirsty and had forgotten to bring water, I asked if there was a good well around to get water from and they said everyone just drinks the river water and that this time of year it was clean. I explained to them that the water wasn’t clean and that they shouldn’t drink it. So then we walked to a little village that was a few K away. When I entered the village all the kids yelled Tubab, but once I was spoke to them and asked for water they called me by my name. We were by the river for most of the day and when it was time to leave we had to wait about 30 mins for another donkey cart to come and get us. On the ride home we picked up few kids and one of them had a bunch of fish that he had caught. After talking with him for awhile on the ride he gave me all his fish as a gift, it was really nice cause he was only about 10 years old. That afternoon I rode to Diambacouru. This was my first trip there since the road work was complete so it was hard to find the right trail off the main road. There are so many trails that look the same, they are just donkey cart trails that lead off into the bush and at one point I was kind of lost because the trail forked and I didn’t remember which way to go. I went left and soon realized I should have gone right. But it was getting dark and I didn’t want to back track so I just headed in the direction that I knew I had to go, most of the time just riding through fields that had been harvested. I eventually found the right road and confirmed it by asking some Puelos ( Fulfulde speakin herders) if this was the right road. They were taking their heard of goats south to sell them. I got to Ryne’s village just before sun set. There is an older white lady that lives in her village. That night she made us steak and fries and it was really good. I rode my bike home the next morning. The next day was the first day of school after the 2nd trimester break.

Before the end of the trimester there were test in all subjects. The tests were two hours long and were pretty simple. The teacher would write a some questions on the board and then the kids would answer the questions on a piece of paper. During the test the teachers would get tea delivered to them along with peanuts. Also some of the teachers smoke in the class room while administering the tests. It is just completely normal to them. On the Wednesday of the first week back from break I have class in the afternoon at 3 right after the lunch break. When I showed up the kids were there but there was only one teacher. The director didn’t come until about 330 and asked us if we were the only ones there. Then he said that that was very bad that no one else showed up, but no punishment was going to be given. This made me very mad because the kids were there ready to learn but they just played games in the school yard instead cause there was no one there to teach them. School ends in June.

For the month of March, there were 25 French and 3 German College students living in Konna and building a new Community Center. It was interesting to hang out with them and hear what they had to say about their experience. Also the French people didn’t speak German and the Germans didn’t speak French so the only way that they could talk to each other was in English. They lived in a giant house on the other side of the main road where no one else lives and they drank bottled water the whole time. This type of Development work I feel is what sets my type of work back. These white people just came in and built a center that is way outside of town and will probably never be used, but it give people the impression that if they wait white people will come and give them things. While the work that I am trying to do is give people the skills and info they need to do the projects them selves so it will be sustainable.

Getting back to Konna was hard as always after a long time away. I took my cat home and she is getting used to it. All my neighbors keep asking me if I got him to fatten him up and eat him. At first they thought it was really weird but now they ask me about her and make sure that I give her food. I met a man from a neighboring village who used to be a host dad for a PCV. I had kind of met him before but we never really talked, and when ever he drives by me on his moto he yells Peace Corps. But yesterday I went with him to his village and saw his house and the house of the old PCV. We talked for a long time and the difference that the volunteer had on him was so amazing that it really showed me what a difference we can make in peoples live even it is only one person. He told me stories about going to Tubaniso, the training center, and all the good people he met there. He also showed me the certificate that he received at the training. He explained to me how the volunteer showed him how to better grow the herbal medicine and how back then he was poor and didn’t have any cows, but now he has many big strong cows. Many times during his stories he would say I like Peace Corps very much. He speaks Bambara and a little Fulfulde so it is good for me to learn new Bambara words and his vocab in Fulfulde isn’t that great so I understand everything that he says to me. I am going to back there and we are going to go to his garden and he is going to show me the good farming practices that she taught him. He was so excited to talk to me and tell me all the help that Peace Corps has provided him. He said that I can go there every afternoon and chat and then eat dinner with him. He is such a nice person and so happy to have been helped that it really motivated me even more to try to make a difference.

I have been teaching English now and it is not hard but challenging to figure out what exact phrases their teachers have taught them for certain things. The students are taught to memorize certain phrases and then respond with other memorized responses. So there is a very specific way that you have to ask questions. Another challenge is that I have to follow the book that they have been using and use the teacher book to give exercises. But the teacher’s book isn’t accounting for a class of 57 kids. The give examples on how to do games and other things that wouldn’t work for this large of a class. I came up with a few things that we can do but it is very hard to have every child involved with that many kids. Also it is normal for the kids when asked a question to stand up snap their fingers and yell to get the teachers attention. I have told them that to get called on in my class they have to be quiet and raise their hand, but they are so used to being loud that it is hard to break. Also there are a handful of kids in the class that really understand English well and can answer all of the questions I ask. But then there are the few students who don’t seem to understand anything. This is hard to over come because there are so many kids in the class that you can’t have one on one time with all of them. I have tried to be more interactive that the other teachers and it seems to be keeping more kids involved.

Now when I go play basketball at least 50 kids show up ranging from age 5 to 25. I say this but it is really hard to tell peoples ages here, but they are really young to my age. Sometimes it turns into pandemonium with all those people on the court with one ball and one hoop. Also next to the court they are putting in new bathrooms so there is a lot of sand and cinderblock bits on the court to present another challenge. Usually I can keep it under control and every one has fun. But accidents do happen and someone will slip and fall and blame it on someone else and they will start pushing each other. When this happens the older kids will talk to them and try to resolve the problem, but it is usually the bigger kids who gets his way. They really don’t like it if you cry. Yesterday a small child got hit in the head with a ball and started to cry, the other kids yelled at him and told him to get off the court. He did but kept crying so his older brother threw a rock at him and hit him in the head. This actually worked and the kid stopped crying. It isn’t only the kids who act like this to crying children. Crying is not accepted and when kids cry they get yelled at or hit. This clearly isn’t the best way to stop them from crying especially when they are babies and don’t understand why they are getting hit.

I brewed some of the American tea that I had for some of my friends and they were very excited to drink tea from America. They really like the lemon tea that I made, but only one of them like the chamomile tea that I made. They said that it was too weak and compared to the tea that they drink this is true. They love to ask me about things in America and if they exist there and how much things cost there. Also they like to listen to rap music especially Akon and have me translate it into Fulfulde. I can do pretty well with most of the stuff but there are definitely some things that I can’t say but I try to explain it in a round about way.

When I arrived in Bamako to try to watch the Super Bowl we ran into a problem. The Am club wasn’t playing it this year. So we had to find somewhere else to watch it. Luckily we found an Ex-pat pilot who was willing to have us over to his house to watch the game. His house was very nice, we watched the game on a projection screen that took up the whole wall and he also made chips and three different kinds of dips with local ingredients. It wasn’t the normal game channel on TV so we didn’t get to see all of the commercials but it was still nice to be able to watch the game. After that I had hung around Bamako for a couple of days taking care of business. I had to get a H1N1 shot because there are now cases in Mali. Also I talked with my Supervisor about future plans for setting up literacy centers in Konna.

Then it was time to go to WAIST. The bus was going to leave Bamako at 4 in the morning so a bunch of us decided to stay up the night before and catch the bus. We did it but it was really hard to find a cab at that time in the morning and we were late for the loading process. This meant that we all had to jam into the back seat of the bus. Six of us were jammed into the back row. Now this would have been fine if it wasn’t a 30 hr ride to Dakar. The ride started well people in high spirits and having fun. Since the sun wasn’t up yet we weren’t hot. They the sun came up and it started to get hot, but luckily I was so tired I was able to sort of sleep/ zone out. The whole bus was PC Mali so we had a lot of fun. Then when we arrived in Senegal we made a stop shortly after the border to get food at about 3 in the morning. While everyone was off the bus getting food and going to the bathroom a guy went onto our bus and stole a bag. It was the girl’s who was sitting next to and that time I took my bag with me even though every other time I left it on the bus. She got her passport and all her money stolen. But luckily we were already through all of the customs so she could still stay but would have to get things figured out before she came back. After about 28 hrs on the bus we finally arrived in Dakar.

Once in Dakar we went straight to the American Club in Dakar. We were all really dirty and tired so the American club was perfect with showers and a pool to sit by. They at around seven that night we all went to our home stay houses. Since Mali had by far the most volunteers they gave us two giant houses with a bunch of mattresses. That night all of the PCV’s from all West African countries went to a bar and then a club in downtown Dakar. Then the next morning we started our softball games at 9. We lost the first game by a lot but it was the first time in a very long time that any of us had played. After the games a few of us went to a local beach and spent the afternoon there. The beach was nice but the water was very rocky and there were a lot of the black sea urchins and lots of people got them stuck in their feet from stepping on them. I got some stuck in my hand from slipping on the rocks and falling onto one. It didn’t hurt too badly but two weeks later I still have a few black quills in my pinkie finger. That night there was a party at some marines house. Once again all of the PCV’s attended. The next day was more softball and sitting by the pool. That night a bunch of us went out to eat at this Chinese restaurant that not many people know about but one of the home stay parents took us there. The food was the best Chinese I have every had and it was really cheap too. After dinner there was a party at a cool club on the beach this party went till early in the morning then we got up a few hours later and played softball. On the last day there was more of the same softball, sun and pool/ ocean. Dakar is an amazing city and there is so much to do. You can get pretty much anything there that you want. There is an ice cream store there called Nice Cream. They had so many unique flavors to choose from that were all delicious. The next day we went to Goree island. It is a small island off the coast of Dakar and there is a slave museum there and lots of local art work. After the island we walked around Dakar just to explore. There are so many street venders there selling random stuff. One guy came up to us and tried to sell us birds and he was also selling irons and coffee makers. Also they have great street food. Also they had lots of fresh fruit and it was not expensive at all. They use the CFA so we didn’t have to enchange money for Senegal. After the softball tourney a bunch of us headed to the Gambia. It was tough getting there. When we showed up at the gare to find a ride so many people rush over to you and try to make you get in their car. This is very stressful. Because they speak English but not very well. Also they speak a variation of Fulfulde that I speak so I could talk to them but there were a few words that I didn’t know. It took a full day to make it to the Gambia. For the first two days in Gambia we stayed at the Peace Corps house there. It is an huge house and that was a lot of fun. It is a ten min walk to the beach and there is a golf course there also.

The next day eight of us made our way out to an island off the coast of Gambia. We had to take a old land rover down a one lane sandy road for about 10 k then we loaded all of our stuff into three hollowed out tree canoes and they took us out to the island. The island doesn’t have running water or electricity. We stayed at a “hotel” right on the water. The beach that we found on the island was completely secluded. There was not another single person as far as you could see. There were more cows wondering on the beach then there were people. We stayed on the island for two days then we had to tear ourselves away. Then we had to go through the whole ordeal of getting a car to take us where we wanted to go for a fair price. There is one point on the border of Gambia and Senegal where you have to take transport for only 1 k so we decided to hire a horse cart to take us the short trip. This was fun eight people and luggage packed onto the horse cart. We then made it to a city in Senegal where we got on the 10 PM bus to Bamako. This bus was not full and was really nice. We got to the border of Mali around 4:30 and had to wait till 8 for the customs to open. Then they just looked at two or three bags on the bus and let us through. Since I have been back in Mali the temperature has been really hot, on the us it was 104 in the shady part and hotter in the sun. We got into to Bamako around 9:30 and the great adventure was over. It was a lot of fun and I took some good pictures. I will definitely be going back to Dakar at some point it was so much fun and I didn’t have enough time to explore everything that I would have liked to. the day after I arrived in BKO I got back on transport for the 12 hr ride up to Mopti. But we didn’t make it all the way. We had to stop in San which is about three hours south of Mopti. I stayed the night at the Peace Corps house there and slept outside under a mango tree because the weather is too hot now to sleep inside. Now I am in Sevare getting things done before going back to Konna tomorrow.

Everyday the school breaks from 12 to 3. This is when to my host families and eat lunch. After lunch today I went to my friends house, he is from Ghana. We were sitting around drinking tea and all of his kids crowded around and took out their school books and showed me what they were doing in school. Even the girl who didn’t go to school that day cause she was sick was excited to look at stuff. Then tonight at 8 I did a radio show with Emily. We read instructions for how to make a cream with local ingredients that repels mosquitoes. We also played American music. While the music was playing a bunch of kids came to the station and we were dancing with them.

Now I am in getting ready to go to Bamako tomorrow. I am leaving Sevare around 7 tomorrow morning and hope to get to Bamako before the Super Bowl starts at like midnight. The game is on at a place called the American Club where you have to be a member and the ambassador goes there to hang out and get White people food not available anywhere else. Also they have a pool and a big plasma TV so it should be a good late night. On the 10th I leave for Senegal. There are about 85 PCVs from Mali going and lots from all of the other West African nations. We have two buses rented out and it will be about a day and a half ride. Once we get there we have families that have volunteered to let us stay with them while we are there. After the tournament I am going to the Gambia, where they speak English.

Lately I have been at the school a lot. I sit in on classes and try to come up with ideas on how to make them run more efficiently and so the students can get more info out of the lessons. The main problem that I have seen is the classroom management. There are between 30 and 60 kids in each class and it is really hard to get them all focused at once. Also when the teacher asks a question the kids don’t sit quietly and raise their hands they yell the teachers name and snap as loud as they can to get the teachers attention. This is common all over Mali and will be one of the hardest things to change. The teachers asks the kids not to do it but they do it anyway and the kids that are to shy to be loud don’t get as much attention. There are 111 7th graders in one of the schools and then 8th and 9th only have 57 and 53. This is troubling. When I walk into class in all the students stand and greet me then I tell greet them back and tell them to sit and the lesson begins. It is amazing how quickly thes kids can pick up new languages. They start English in 7th and the whole class is taught in English. When I was introduced to the 9th phase class the teacher asked who knew me. A girl that lives next to me answered and the teacher asked if I was Malian of American and she answered Malian. This type of thing has been happening a lot lately. People are tell me that I am now a Malian and not American. This feels really good that I am being accepted. The other day I rode my bike by the river and was sitting in a field reading and there was this lady who was kind of yelling at me and wouldn’t come talk to me. A few mins later acouple guys came over to me and said she thought I was a Malian and was being weird sitting in her field reading. After they told her I was a white person she came over to talk to me and gave me some guava that she was gathering.

The English books that they are using are from the 80’s and there are about 10 books for the whole class. But yesterday a new shipment of books came in from France. These books are also older but they are at least from the 90’s. Also the Biology book that they were using was from the 60’s and was all black and white. But with the new books I think the kids will get a lot more info and be more interested. Also when the books got dropped off the head director came to Konna from Sevare. He didn’t know I was working there and when he asked me what I was going to be doing I told him teaching and literacy centers. He wasn’t happy about the teaching part. I was scheduled to teach a class that afternoon but he said that I couldn’t because the director in Konna didn’t ask him first. So now we have to wait a little while and ask his permission and then I will be able to start.

Today I got my softball glove in the mail and im getting really excited to go to Senegal. I am going to Bamako to meet some of my friends from other regions to try to find somewhere to watch the super bowl. We think it will be on at the American Club. It wont start till like 1 in the morning but it will be the first game all year.

There was one thing that I forgot to mention in my last post. While I was in Bamako I went to a Sean Paul concert. The most expensive tickets were 20 US dollars. It was held at the soccer stadium and the tickets that I got were in the second section on the soccer field. The concert was a fun experience but wasn’t really a good Sean Paul concert. It started at 6 with a bunch of opening acts and the crowd was getting rowdy waiting for Sean Paul. The people in my section were trying to force their way into the best seats and the police would just push everyone back. Sean Paul finally came on at about 1030 and the crowd went crazy. People started pushing towards the stage harder and the police pushed back harder. People were throwing chairs and anything they could get their hands on. After three songs from Sean Paul we decided to leave cause it was getting to rough. The next day we heard that the next song things got to violent and Sean Paul left the stage and the concert was shut down, we left just in time.

When it was time to go back to Konna after a month away with other white people it was daunting and I was excited and nervous at the same time. When I got back here and I saw all the familiar faces and how happy everyone was to see me return it felt like I was returning home. I feel like a celebrity living here, I can’t go anywhere without someone wanting to talk to me or at least calling my name. This is nice but sometimes it can get old and I just want to be able to go to the boutique without having to greet five people and deal with all the kids yelling my name. I know all they want is for me to wave to them but some days it’s a lot.

Yesterday was market day and I finally bought a cannery. It is a clay pot with a stand a cover that you put water in and it actually cools the water. The outside is painted in cool patterns and itt actually works. It takes about 12 hours to cool the water but the water is noticeable cooler than water not in it. This will be very nice in hot season to have cold water without a fridge. Also I now have tons of drink mixes from all the packages I got and its great drinking cold drinks.

Chris sent me a basketball and the day that I returned me and my friends went to the school to play with it. First we went to my house to get the ball after that we went to his house and he showed his mom that we were playing with a ball straight from Ameriki. After that everyone that we passed on the walk to the school he told that the ball was sent straight from Ameriki to Mali and we were going to play with it. He would say its not from Mali of France but Ameriki. It really is a big improvement over the ball we were playing with that didn’t hold air and had nails in it. Last night we went to play again and we had enough people to play a four v four game. Most of them aren’t very good at dribbling or passing, but there is one kid who can really play. He can dribble and had the best skills ive seen since ive been here. We are going to play more.

Ive been talking to people about the literacy center that I want to set up and people think it is a good idea. I have found a potential spot to hold the classes. It is the kindergarten. They only go to school for the first part of the day so it is available the second half of the day. Also they have chalkboards and chairs so its pretty much set up. Tomorrow I am doing a formation with my homologue. Im not exactly sure what it is about but yesterday he told me that we are meeting with a bunch of people on Saturday morning. This is an exciting time because I am actually gonna start doing projects. Also the Cowboys are in the playoffs. I haven’t watched a game all year but sometimes if im in Sevarae on Sundays I will watch the game cast online. Also I finished 4th in the Mali fantasy football league.

Even the garibous now know my name and will greet meet as I pass them. Also when I bought my cannery they are pretty heavy and the market is kinda far from my house so a garibou carried it for me on his head all the way to my door. I gave him two jolly ranchers and he was very excited. Also today one asked me for money like they do every day, but today when I said I didn’t have any he gave me 25 CFA. I gave it back to him but it was really nice that he gave me the little money he had.

A couple of the ladies in my concession have started to learn a few Fulfulde words and the greetings even though they speak Bambara. I have been greeting them in Bambara and trying to learn other words and have picked up a bit. But its really nice that they are learning the greetings that I know.

Today I went to a meeting at the mayor’s office. The meeting was about a five year plan that Konna and the surrounding villages are making. Today was about the financing and where it would come from. Most of the funding comes from NGO’s. There is still a large amount of the money that the community will have to provide. One of the main points of debate was how to get information to the surrounding villages. The original plan was to rent motos and send people to share the info. Another idea was to use the radio, but in what language would they use. There is a radio station in Konna that I am going to do a show on. This afternoon I went for a bike ride where the river used to be. All of the water is gone except for a few puddles. There are actually roads where the river used to be. I followed the roads and found another small village. There are also islands in the river that now you can walk to and there are trails to all of them.

I have been talking with a lot girls in Konna that are interested in starting a girls soccer team. They don’t usually have the opportunity to play because there is no one to organize the team and get all the girls together to play. Also in the afternoons a few days a week I go to the basketball court and play. Usually o ton of kids will show up and play with me. I will be walking down the street during the day and kids will ask me if I am going to the court today to play. The other day even older girls can to play and they were so excited to be able to do some physical activity that wasn’t house work. Emily and I are going to hold an interest meeting this week and see actually how many girls can come on a set schedule. If there is enough interest then we will make at least one team. Also the meetings at the mayors office have been going well. They have a budget that looks like it will address most of the problems in the commune. There is a lot of road work going on right now in Konna. They are redoing the main road that goes through town. The road workers here are like the construction workers in the US. There are one or two people that are actually doing work while a bunch of others watch and chat.

here are a few links about the Dam in Manantali. The info is really interesting plus there are some pics and environmental issues related

http://www.internationalrivers.org/en/africa/case-study-manantali-dam-project-mali-mauritania-senegal

http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/Sciences/lac-manantali-mali-1977-1999.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Manantali

January 2010

Thank you to everyone who sent me birthday packages and wishes its great to hear from everyone. After my b day I went down to Bamako for in service training. It was great to be able to see everyone again. For the first few months I saw these people at least 8 hours a day and then we are at least a 24 hr bus ride apart. During IST we received different technical training than we did during PST. One of the most useful things that I was trained in was how to set up a literacy center as well as how to teach in a manner in which Malians are used to and will be able to understand. This training really opened my eyes to the fact that there are so many Malians who cant read or write. The training showed us how to explain how to write letters and numbers with things that they are already familiar with. For example if you want to write and eight you explain to draw two gourds piled up. Or a seven in a cattle stick standing up with one laying on the top to the left. Setting up this literacy center in Konna is going to be a great challenge, but luckily my homologue is very into it. He also came to IST for the second week and received similar training to me. At the end we got together and thought of ideas on what we could implement in Konna and his one main idea was a literacy center. Actually he wanted 5 to 10 but we came to the conclusion that if we are able to set up on that works it will be a success. I don’t think that finding a place to hold classes will be too hard because there is a new school being built in Konna, but getting teachers trained and willing to teach without pay will be interesting. Another idea that I have been talking about other people with is painting world maps as well as solar system in schools around Mali. We have tentative plans to travel to each others sites and paint in the respective schools. Right now there is four of us in Mopti region who are in and people in other regions also want me to come and help them get that started in their schools. Its just so hard being in Mopti and at least ten hours from Bamako and then other people almost equally as far as I am. I’m not sure if I will be doing the teaching in the school the same as I though I would be. During training we were told that our goal is not to teach but to help others to teach better so it is a more sustainable future. This is really tough because most people in Konna think I am just there to teach English for two years and then leave while in reality I am there to facilitate others in good teaching practices. IST ended on the 20th for everyone except the Ed volunteers, the last few days we worked with Right to Play. This is an organization that works in Mali to promote Aids awareness through games. We learned many games to play with kids that are fun as well as teaching them lessons on Aids and prevention. This was fun because we were able to have fun while learning and this will be good to run theses kinds of formations in the local schools.

IST ended on the 23rd and a few of us went down to Manantali. This is one of my friends regional area like Sevarae is to me, except they are very different topographically. Manantali is so beautiful. The house there is set right on the river. Not only is it on the river but it is set in a valley and is very beautiful. The area is big because in the 80’s I think a dam was built there and it provides power to Senegal. The dam is enormous and there is a lake that it created. There is a boat there to go out on and many islands to explore. I didn’t make it to the islands this time but am planning on painting a map in the school there so I will visit there again. It was such a relaxing x mas there. There is no internet of TV or anything so we just would sit outside and enjoy. For x mas we decided that we would cook a whole pig. We were going to try to roast it on a spit but we couldn’t find a long enough metal pole to use so we has to improvise. The pig we got was about 35 pounds and whole when we got it. Once we decided that we were going to have to grill it we had to use a saw to cut it into 6 large chunks of meat and then the rib sections. I made a marinade out of vinegar garlic maggi and other random spices, also I made a ranch marinade with stuff sent from the US. We started a fire at around 11 to try to make coals to cook it in. We had lots of coals but is still wasn’t enough to cook it. We hade to make a game time decision and we put the whole “grill”, a old oil barrel, into the fire. It worked to perfection. A few hours late it was done and it was amazing. Also for x mas dinner we had mashed potatoes and a salad type dish. We even had cookies with frosting. When we woke up x mas morning there were socks hung on the wall with all of our names on them. We got beads and other gifts that are available in Mali, it was as good a x mas as could be had in Mali I think. The next morning when I woke up I was sitting outside drinking tea and there was rustling in the trees. And before you know it there are about 20 monkeys making their way down the river bank not more that 15 yards from where I was sitting. They weren’t at all afraid of people and we just sat there and watched as they played in the trees and cleaned each other. It was a great experience. Also on Christmas eve we made a huge fire. There was a fallen tree in the area and the people that live there had been trying to cut a piece off for a long time. There were three of us taking turns with a home made ax chopping at the tree. It took forever but we finally made it through one piece. It was a huge chunk of wood and took all three of us to move it over to the fire pit. It was about three feet tall and very dense. It had three legs so we were able to stand it in the middle of the fire pit. We then took lots of bamboo and made a teepee around it. When we lit it and it was fully burning the flames were at least 30 feet high and we all had to back up cause it was so hot. Jarod left his water bottle too close and it got warped from the heat. Also in Manantali one of the people who came brought two kittens and they were lots of fun to play with since they are so small still.

We left Manantali on the 28th and headed back to Bamako. We left there at 8 in the morning and began the excursion back. The road is awful, it isn’t paved and has tons of divots and other obstacles to traverse. We got into Kita at about noon and waited there until the bank reopened at 2. then at about 4 we caught a bashe to Bamako. This was a long leg of the trip. The beginning started well but about 30 mins in we stopped to pick up more people and all their cargo. This took about an hour and the bashe was completely full. Luckily me and John got to sit in the front seat because we were too big in the back and taking up to much space, but the other two that were with us had to sit in the back. The bashe was so full that the shocks were bottomed out and we had to drive so slow. Not only that but the steering was awful. Sitting in the front we could see that it took the driver almost a full turn of the too get us to drift slightly in the right direction. This was scary at points when a big trucks was coming the other way and we are in his lane and the driver is struggling with the wheel with no power steering to get into the right lane. When we went over speed bumps the shocks did nothing and we could feel the whole frame of the bashe flexing trying to compensate for the lack of shocks. We finally made it to Bamako at around 11 and checked into a hotel. For New Years eve we went to a Lebanese friends house. His house was really nice for Mali and he had lots of fire works and other New Years festivities. The best part was no one knew what the actually time was because we were all going by cell phones and here you set the time on the phone so everyone had different times, so there was at least three different countdowns to the new year but in the end it all worked out. On the second Ryne and I decided to head back up to Mopti. For the past month we had been hanging around Bambara speakers so they could talk to everyone around, but she and I speak Fulfulde. Luckily she also speaks some French so we were able to get our tickets. We were scheduled to leave at four, but when four rolls around they are still working on the bus. One tire is off and they are trying to get it back on. Finally around 530 we actually hit the road. It gets dark shortly after and we try to sleep on the bus, but we are in the back section and it is filled with diesel fumes and hot because we are right over the engine. Not only that but my seat was broken so anytime we hit a bump it would jerk around. I was able to get some sleep though, good thing too because it was a long ride, we didn’t get into Sevare untill about 5 in the morning. We got off the bus and it was cold and dark we caught a cab to the bureau and then took a nap .

That’s where I am right now waking up from that nap and getting ready to go back to site. I have lots of packages to pick up and can’t wait to get them all. Thank you in advance for everything that everyone has sent. I am going to be a site for probably a month and then I am going to Senegal for the West African International Softball Tournament. It is a tourney where there a Peace Corps teams from all of the West African Countries as well as Ex Pat teams. We have rented a bus and it will be about a 30 hr bus ride there with all PC people, everyone is really looking foreword to it. Once there we get homes to stay in and there are many different events set up for PC people.

I’ve been back at site for awhile and things are going really well. I’ve been sitting with a guy who is my age and we can actually talk in Fulfulde in things that I am interested in. He owns a shop where he has two foosball tables and two playstations that he charges kids to play. It is right on the main road in town so everyone comes by there and I can greet so many people. He like rap music so we sit there together and listen to my I pod. He also speaks some English so its good and I don’t understand in Fulfulde he can try to explain in English. Also people who speak alittle English can understand me better because they understand the sentence structure that I still use which is different from Fulfulde. This market day was a good day. The market was full and I meet a guy who lives in a village near Ryne’s village. So when I go to visit her I can go see him too. While we were sitting and talking he made a great dish for us to eat. It was fru fru, which is fried millet balls with sugar and honey. The honey was still on the comb and it was so good. After we ate he took a picture of me with his phone and made it his background. He told me that next time I’m near his village I need to visit and he will give me some fish because he is a fisherman. Today I talked to one of my best friends and he is going back to America. He wasn’t happy with his situation in village and wasn’t happy. He lives in Dogon and that is probably the hardest place in Mali to leave. When I visited his village it was great for a few days but not to live there, especially since he didn’t learn the language. It kinda stinks cause I probably won’t be able to see him again before he leaves because he is in Bamako and that is at least a 10 hour bus ride. I helped him move his stuff out of his village and that was really hard. His village was so happy to see us when we pulled up and we went through the greetings and they said they were so glad I came back. Then he told them he had to leave and it was really sad. They weren’t mad at all they were just sad to see him leave, and it was hard to see them like that because he brought them so much joy just being there and being a friend to them.

Yesterday I went to visit a guy that I met on market day. It was a long ride but it was really nice. I stopped in a village on the way and got my picture taken in front of a big mosque that was made out of mud and the top part was painted blue and white. When I got to his village it was great. I saw him on the ride in and he went ahead and must have told other people that I was coming, because when I got there they was a group of people waiting. They greeted me in Bozo but, but after the greeting we changed into Fulfulde. We went to his house and I meet his family. He had three wives and a bunch of kids. I also meet his mother who didn’t like my last name, Diallo, because almost all the people in that village have the same name. So she gave me a new last name for when I visit them, the one of the village. We sat for awhile and drank and ate peanuts. Then he gave me at least 10 pounds of fish and 4 dried cooked fish. On the way back I stopped in Ryne’s village and have her host family half, then gave the other half to my friend in Konna. I have been talking with my main contact at the school, an English teacher, and after my In Service Training I will start to teach there. For the training everyone goes back to Tubaniso and gets more training in their fields. The nights here have actually been getting cold. I have worn my sweatshirt a few times. It’s very nice to be cold here. Still in the middle of the day it’s hot. A few days after thanksgiving is Tabaski. It is one week after the new moon. This time of year the landscape has changed. As I ride my bike it looks very different because all of the millet has been harvested. All the fields that used to be tall millet plants are just sandy ground. Also there is no rain and all the biking trails which are actually harvesting trails are dry and sandy.

Today in Thanksgiving day some of us are going to a local hotel that does a dinner. He said he was going to try to get a turkey, but he will have a pig anyway which I haven’t had since ive been here.

So it has been awhile since I have written, and a lot has happened. I have been going to the school in the mornings and talking with the other teachers. I asked them what they would like me to do and they told me they want me to teach and English class and also a Physical education class. I am excited to start. On December 6th I am going down to Bamako for two weeks of training. It will be nice to see everyone again and after the training we are allowed to travel outside of our assigned region so I will be able to visit more or Mali. And I also expect more people will visit me since I am in the tourist area of the country.

I made a trip to Dogon country to visit my friend Chris. He lives in a village called Kanikombola and it is right at the base of the cliff. His site is beautiful. From his house you can see two waterfalls and the original cliff dwellings. I also learned how to greet people in his language. So I can greet people in a language spoken by only 4 villages in the world. Now I can greet people in four different Malian languages( Fulfulde, Bambara, Bozo and Donoso). We hiked around Dogon country and saw all of the cliff dwellings and tourist areas without having to pay a guide. It was really amazing to see these houses built into the sides of the cliffs. We hiked from his village to Telly and then onto Ende. The next day we went to Bankass an that was really cool and different. We went on market day with the Dugutigi ( Chief of the village) son. We hung out there in an stone open air market for the day eating and drinking good food.

After Dogon I went back to site and did the everyday routine of walking around town and greeting people. I made a good friend who owns two fosse balls tables. The tables are coin operated and the kids and young adults come and play the games and that’s how he makes his money. I sit with him almost everyday and chat and drink tea and eat peanuts. He invited me to his house for an upcoming holiday here. Everyone buys a sheep and on the holiday they slaughter it and eat it. I’m very excited because the only meat I get to eat is goat. And when I say meat it means that you pay 500 CFA and the butcher gives you a pile of animal parts and that’s what I cook and eat. The liver is the best part and the small intestines are the worst. Its not that they taste too bad but they are very very chewy. After five min of chewing nothing has broken down so you just have to swallow it. Also the other day when I was in Sevarae doing my banking I went to a “restaurant” and had pigeon. I was some of the best meat I have had here. It was small but it tasted awesome. I had one and a half it was so good. That meal cost me about 2 US dollars of 1,000 CFA.

For Halloween this year we had a party in Duenza. They party is usually in Gao but PCV are no longer allowed there for safety reasons so we picked another northern city. It was a lot of fun everyone there speaks Fulfulde so it was great to talk to everyone. There are a lot of sellers here who have old donated white people clothes. This is where I picked up my Halloween costume. I found at one boutiki a turquoise 80’s style wind pants with a flower print, they at another one I found a turquoise and hot pink jacket. I toped it off with a tank top from Australia and my outfit was complete. It was a great find and everyone said I had the best costume.

After Halloween I came back to Konna and did the usual. In the afternoons around 4 I usually go for a bike ride in the bush. Each day I try to explore in a different direction. I found a road leading away from Konna and took it the other day. I cam to a few villages about 10 K outside Konna and the reaction to a white person was great. Kids up to about age 10 would run and hide, while the women who were pounding millet would be so happy to see me they would cheer Toubabo as I rode past. But when I started to talk to them in Fulfulde they were amazed and thrilled that we could talk. I got the same questions from everyone, where are you coming from, where are you going and whats your name. I tell them that I am just wandering and sxploring and they laugh cause they don’t do extra work if they don’t have to.

On Saturday one of my friends rode her bike to Konna and we hung out Saturday and Sunday. Then on Sunday we rode back to her site. Her sit ( Diambacourou) is only 17K away and is a great bike ride if you leave when its still cool. We left here at about 630 and it was actually chilly out since it is the cold season here. By chilly I mean probably 65. Her village is great. The people there speak so many different languages you don’t know how you will have to respond to eat person untill they start the greeting they you can go from there. Its mostly Bozo because she is right on the river and they are the fishing people. We saw a great sunset over the river and the stars were amazing there because she has no electrity in the whole village. Some people have car batteries but they use them for TV to get the one Malian channel ORTM. It plays Spanish soap operas and everyone here loves them, they are dubbed in French. I came back to Konna this morning, I got in at about 8 and have been working on a community assessment report. This report will help me to find other secondary projects that the community needs.

October 1st 2009. The past few days were a lot of fun. One of my friends from a village in Dogon came to visit me. We had a great time in Konna. While his site is one of the if not the prettiest sites in Mali it is a hard on to survive in because it is so poor and there is nothing but the cliffs around him. He does get tourists coming on tours through his village everyday but the villagers don’t really like the tourists. But I am excited to go visit him a lot and hike/bike around Dogon country. After his stay here we sent to Sevarae for a few days. That is the town I do my banking in and it is about an hour and a half “ taxi” ride. The taxi was a tiny pick up truck with about 15 people in the bed and all of their goods that they bough on the top. I couldn’t move the whole trip and when we stood up to get off my whole leg was asleep. But it was a fun experience and I look forward to it every two weeks or so. Today was the first day of school in Konna. I arrived there at 8 when school starts and there were a lot of excited kids there. For the first few hours they cleaned the school yard and the classroom. After that they were assigned classes. The school in very nice and has a lot of resources for Mali. There was a good library and it even had many murals painted on the walls demonstrating different things. It had a tree garden in the back and was labeled. There are three English teachers in the school. I talked to them and they are going to help me learn Fulfulde and French. If the children pass the test in sixth grade all of the classes after that are taught in French, before that they are taught in Fulfulde. I met a 12th grader who speaks good English, but he didn’t pass the 12th grade test last year so we are going to help each other out and he even lives two doors down from mine.

Yesterday I had a meeting with the woman’s association and we decided that they are going to plant gardens and sell their goods. They also said that I could have a piece of the garden to grow whatever I wanted to grow and eat or sell. For dinner tonight Emily and I made mantioc root in to mashed potatoes like meal. It was really good and was like eating weird mashed potatoes. But as soon as we finished eating the wind starting picking up and I knew rain was coming. I hopped on my bike and started to ride home. The first part of the ride was fine because it’s back streets, but once I got to the open area and the wind was blowing a full sandstorm. I couldn’t see ten feet in front of me and the wind stopped my bike in its tracks. I had to close my eyes and walk the rest of the way home. I got home and all my neighbors were scurrying around moving everything inside because the rain was only a few mins away. But I made it home and am glad it is raining cause it hasn’t in weeks and Konna need the rain and also it dropped at lest 15 degrees so I will sleep well tonight.

October 3rd 2009. This morning I went out to the fields where I will plant my garden. It was about an hour ride on a donkey cart. When we got there I helped pick beans and something that looked like small round watermelons but they are white inside. While in the fields these guys we were with would pick up these cool looking beetles and play with them for awhile, and when they were done they would toss them in the air and they would just fly away. I got a good tan while riding an hour each way on a cart that was going slower than I normally walk. Tonight is almost a full moon so it is very bright out. I don’t even need to use a flashlight when I ride my bike at night. Tonight when I was sitting on the roof of Emily’s house I was looking at the river. The Bozo’s are the people who live in grass huts by the river and usually fish the river. But they also go to the bathroom in the river. I watched as a man went behind his house and went to the bathroom in the river and no more than 100 yards down stream there were other people bathing in the river. We were taught in training that this is why you don’t swim in the river but now I have seen it myself.

Today I am in Sevarae. It is a stop for the night then tommorow I am heading to Kani-Kombole a village in Dogon. It is a huge tourist town but my friend Chris lives there so I will have a place to stay and the villagers will be friendly to me unlike they are to the tourists. School has started and i go there in the morning and check things out. the school in Konna is really good, they even have a Library and three english teachers. the english teachers are really nice and we are going to meet with them to learn FullFulde. Right now I am trying to upload pics but it is going really slow and they are all from my home stay pretty much.

September 16th 2009, today I was finally installed into my sit, Konna, for the nest two years. I wasn’t expecting to get installed until tomorrow but, I got a call this morning telling me to pack up my stuff and be ready to install in 30 mins. I packed up and was ready to go and that is when the nerves started. It set in that I would be in this place for the next two years. It didn’t start to well, while we were packing our stuff in the car I realized that my mat was missing. It was there two days ago but I figure someone took it by mistake no big deal. After that we went to pick up our bamboo like beds and they said that they already gave them away to other volunteers and they were only making one more, again no big deal. After all of this we were ready to go. The ride in Peace Corps SUV took about 45 mins. Then we were there. We went and met the new mayor and explained to him what we are going to be doing in Konna. After the person that installed us took care of other business with the land lords and host families, then he left with the driver. After that it was real and we are here for the long haul. Emily and I went to the market to buy a few things that we needed, I bought a new mat to sit on, cause everywhere the ground is dirty. We also bought food to make for dinner. That was the easy part, after it got dark and the electricity came back on. The electricity works only certain times of the day like 1900 to 0400 and 1300 to 1600. So once it came on at night we had to set up the stove which took longer than expected, and we had to use duct tape to make it work. But it was work it because the potatoes were really good. After dinner we just hung out till I went home. I slept on my roof in the bug hut because it is too hot inside the house, especially since I haven’t bought a fan yet. September 17th 2009, Today was my first full day at site. It started at about 0600 when I was awoken by the sound of my neighbor pounding millet. I ate the bread I bought the day before for breakfast with nutella, but that is running low so it won’t last. Then I cleaned my house a bit and set up my closet. And by closet I mean I hammered nails into my wall with a piece pf metal. It’s starting to feel like a home cause me bedroom is mostly set up except the bed frame and I want to get a nightstand and a shelf made. Thursday is market day in Konna and it is a great market. It have everything someone living in Mali could want and more. From fake gold jewelry and addidas shoes to sheep and cows. People come from all the remote villages on Thursday to shop and buy there supplies for the week. After the market I went to my host dads house for lunch, which I will do everyday. Even though he and most of the people in his family are fasting for Ramadan, they make me a great lunch of rice and sauce with a few pieces of meat. After that I meet some people on the street who were sitting in a shady spot and they asked me to sit with them and drink tea. I sat and chatted with them in Fulfulde as best I could for a few hours until the rain came and we all had to run to our houses. They were from Ghana and super nice they would point to something and ask me the name in Fulfulde and if I didn’t know it they would laugh and tell me, by they would laugh even harder if I did know what it was called. September 18th 2009, Today I was awoken by the sound of pounding outside my door. When I went out to see what it was, there was my homologue, Hamadoun Cisse, and his best friend starting construction on my hanger. In my concession there is only one big tree and it is across the way and there is another family that is set up under it. This means that in the midday sun I would have no shade to sit in, until today. It was a slow process of them going back and forth on what would be the best way to construct it and me trying to figure out what they were saying by the hand motions. And every so often the construction would stop and we would all look through my Fulfulde to English dictionary. Not only did they help to pronounce the words but they would act out all of the actions. My favorite one was the verb to look at out of the corner of your eye. They both sat there and shifted their eyes back and forth, it was a great day. Now that my hanger is done my house really feels like a good home. Also today I planted some aloe plants in front of my house. They might die cause they were in a bag for a few days from the transplant from Severae to Konna. I’ve made a few friends that I see and drink tea with. Also today I tried to buy a fan, but they wanted ten mill for it I thought that was a lot so I asked my tea drinking friends and they said that was the Tubaku, white person in Fulfulde, price. So tomorrow they are going to the market with me and I should get it for about half the price. I have found a few boutiquies that I am friendly with so they give me the real price, but the rest will take time for them to see me around town everyday and realize that I am not a tourist. The Mopti region is the tourist are of Mali so every Tubako they see they think is a tourist and has lots of money to spend, actually at least five times a day I have people say to me give me money in Fulfulde, but I say back to them in Fulfulde give me your pants or shoes and they usually laugh and leave me alone from then on out. September 20th 2009, Today was the end of Ramadan and it was a big event in Konna. Everyone was wearing their best clothes as was I. During Ramadan the Malians didn’t eat or drink anything from sun up to sun down, needless to so it wasn’t the most happening time. But today it was over and there was a feast. Today by far I had the best food I have had the whole time I have been in Mali. My host dad and I feasted for lunch with so much good food including a ton of watermelon, which was great. After that we drank tea for the first time in awhile. Also today Emily and I took a bike ride to the outskirts of Konna and it is beautiful. Once we got outside of the city and all the buildings it was green fields of millet and trees along the Niger. We actually rode and found another town a few Kilometers into the bush. We met a lady on the road and she asked where we came from and where we were going we said we were just wondering and she invited us to drink milk with her in her house, we declined. This town just appeared out of nowhere as we were riding. All of a sudden we came over a hill and there was a town. Also today while I was exploring earlier in the day I found the school. It looks like a nice school with fairly nice resources. I plan on talking to my homologue about the school and the activities soon. Also the 49th anniversary of Mali’s independence is on the 22nd. I received an invitation from the mayor inviting me to a formal gathering to celebrate the anniversary. I also bought some fabric that is designed for the event and am having a matching shirt and pant suit made. September 22nd 2009, Today was the 49th anniversary of Malian independence. The day started at 9 with speeches from the mayor and other important people in Konna. We had reserved seats under a hanger with about 50 other people. It was a huge event and there were at least two or three thousand people gathered on the main street to take in all of the festivities. I had an outfit made with fabric that says the date and the occasion on it. After the speeches there were other events. The events were very wide in ranges. It started with egg on spoon races and rice sack races and ended with donkey races. There was also bike races and plain running races. There was also a sort of piñata event where there were clay pots filled with candy that kids knocked down. Also there was live music and dancing. After that we and about 20 other people were invited to the mayor’s office for some more anniversary events. After the morning events everyone went and did their own things for the afternoon, mostly eating and napping. Then at 4 there was a big soccer game. Again there were about 1 thousand people there and everyone was really into it. I felt like royalty because when I showed up with my homologue we walked to the front row and people got up and gave us their seats. And by the front row I mean the only row of chairs that was set up and everyone else was standing behind us. The game was a great game. Most of the players had cleats and shin guards, but a few of them were just wearing what I would call in America jelly shoes. Tons of the guys where them and I am getting a pair cause they are the best thing to wear in the rain cause they just rinse clean from the mud and dry quickly. For Americans they look weird on guys but only the guys where them here. After the soccer game we rushed the field after our team won and they whole town was crazy the whole night. September 23rd 2009. I thought all of the festivities were over for the time, but I was wrong. This morning when I went and greeted Emily’s homologue she said her daughter and I were going to the river. I had no idea why, but when we got there the tent was set up and we had to push through the crowd to get to our reserved seats. We were seated right on the bank of the Niger. Then a boat with a bunch of boys and ducks came into view. First the ducks were released and then a few seconds later all of the boys jumped into the river and swam to catch the ducks. The ones who caught the ducks got to keep them. After that there were other swimming races and the ending of the events was a boat race. There were about 30 guys on each boat all paddling in unison. After the winning boat came to shore everyone rushed into the water and carried them out on their shoulders. It took about 30 min for the place to calm down and we could find our way out. I have been trying to buy a fan for a few days and I couldn’t get a good price from one store and the other store has been closed. Today the store I wanted to go to was open in the afternoon. I knew I would get a good price there because I have talked with the owner many times and he yells my name every time he sees me even if I am speeding by on my bike past his store I hear Balla and it’s him. Also one of my friends that I drink tea with every day came with me and he even carried the fan back to my house cause it’s a 10 min walk and it was a hot day, and they joke the sun it to hot for tubaku. Tonight Emily and I were invited to eat dinner with the woman’s association, that was a lot of fun and the food was really good.

So its been awhile since my last post but its been pretty busy. After my visit to site I went back to Sanankoroba far about 11 days of mostly learning more language. Also while we were there the education sector painted a mural on the wall of the school we were taking classes at. There are a few pics on facebook, im still workin on getting my pictures up there but hopefully soon. After that homestay time everyone went back to Tubaniso for about a week to take all the sector tests and the final language test. After we passed all the tests we were ready to swear in. We were sworn in on the 10th at the US embasy. That was pretty cool. after the swearing in ceremony we all went to the American club and got to swim in the pool and watch movies and basically just chill for awhile. Also they cook us hamburgers and fries which was a nice change from the rice and sauce and toh, that I ate every day at homestay.

After the american club we went to a nice hotel in Bamako where we had pizza, or the Malian exuivilant of pizza, but it was still good. that night we went out to a few clubs in Bamako. They were alot of fun and we were out till about 4 just spending time with these friends that we wont be seeing for along time.

Yesterday I traveled back up to Severae. Peace Corps rented a whole bus for the people heading in northern direction so that was really nice to not be on a hot crowded bus, especially since it took about 14 hrs. it was alot of fun thought cause we were all playing games and just hangin out. the worst part of the ride was when it started raining and none of the windows on the bus are really sealed so everyone and their stuff got we. one of the other volunteers was given a sheep as a going away present from her famliy and it was the bus in the lower chamber for the whole ride.

Now I am at the stage house in our region, where is the only place that i can get internet. Today we went into moptiville and did alot of shopping for all of the stuff we needed to move into our new house. Since I have another volunteer at my site we were able to split the cost of alot of the more expensive stuff. Tommorow all of us in the Severae area are going to meet all the important people in the area to let them know we are here for two years and some of the ideas that we are going to try to implement.

I have about three months in site untill I return to Bamako for in service training. for these three months all i am expected to do is pick up more language and meet people in the area. It sounds really easy but everyone says its reallyboring, but i have someone to talk to. there are other people waiting for this computer so im done for now.

So yesterday we all came back to Tubaniso from home stay and this home stay was great. I really got to know my family alot more and since my language is getting better I can talk with them and even make a few jokes. The standard joke is to tell someone that they eat beans or call them a donkey. It doesn't matter how many time that you say it they laugh evrytime.

another cool thing that happened was, that I usually jusy eat with my tokara( the person Im named after), but one afternoon the grandmother, who is the most respected person in the family, came over and ate with us. as we were eating they were talking in Bambara which im not learning, and i dont really understand much except for the standard greetings and buying stuff, then my tokara said that she came to eat with us because she likes to be with me and talk and teach me FulFulde. It was really nice.

Another day at home stay it was raining in the morning so i couldn't make it to school and i was just hanging out in my room, all of the kids in the family which is at least 10 came into my house and just hung out. I broke out my camera and they couldn't get enough of it. I even took some video of my younger brothers dancing. now everyday when i come home from school for lunch they ask me to take pictures of them. its mostly the kids under 13 becasue the other kids are in the field working all day.

So now when it rains some of my family memers come in my house and make tea and listen to music. my two brothers that are 18 love Akon. I took out my Ipod and played it for them and now it is a nightly ritual to listen to music that they don't understand by love. they also love bob marley. while sitting outside one night listening to music my my brother started rapping in Bambara, it was really cool. then I started rapping in english. we had a good old fasion rap battle in two languages not understanding what the other was saying but having a great time. I think I won the battle becasue they were all suprised that the Tubobu could actually rap and they all cheared when i was done.

Yesterday we went to the national museum and it was pretty cool. we saw all of the native artwork which is mostly statues and masks. every part of the art has meaning. Today we found out where we are going. Im located in Konna, which is 55 Km north of Savare, which is the capital city of the Mopti region. I knew i was going to that region cause only ten people are learing the same language as me and that is the only region where it is spoken. I have another volunteer in my town and there are people located all around the area. It is the tourist area of Mali so its pretty scenic with cliffs and the Dogon's who are the people who live in the cliffs. I have friends located all over the country so i will be able to travel to every region and visit. Except Timbucto and Goa which are closed for security reasons, but may open again for the summer desert music festival, which my LCF( language culture facilitator) says is great.

Also today I took my first language test and did really well. I only have one more level to advance and I will be able pass the final which is still aways away. I got the highest score for my language, which is only 10 people and the second smallest language group. The smallest has only one person. On Monday i got to Konna and meet a new family that I will be living with for the next two years. I will also be working to set up a literacy center for adults and workiing with a womans group to promote womens education. Im really pysched for my site and the area looks really cool, eventhough it is about a 10 hour bus ride, if all goes well, from Tubaniso.

Tom. morning I am heading back to my village. I'm pretty excited to go back and be with the family again. It has been nice to speak English all day but the classes that we have here are long and not that interesting. The education group leaves tommorow morning at 6 so we can travel to one of the few schools that is year round in Mali. This is going to be our first view of a school in action. we visited one the other day but the school wasn't in session. it seems that the resources are very limited and the motivation for the students is low. the students don't get support from there parents because they are more useful in the fields to produce food for the family. this is going to be the biggest challenge, convinceing the parents that the education is important so in the future the kids will be able to do other things besides just farming to live. tommorow should be a good day also becasue one of the girls in the next village over it's her birthday and we are going to have a party once we get back to village. Also tommorow we get to go to a tubabu(white person) store. It will be nice to buy food that isn't rice with myster sauce or toh. It's pretty funny everywhere you go little kids yell Tubabu at you and want to give you a high five. And I was talking with my host dad about it and he said if he were in Ameriki that every one would yell black at him, I told him that wouldn't happen. I've been able to play b-ball everyday at Tubaniso and its good to exercise, but within five min of playing you are completly drenched in sweat, and today after the game there was no water comming out if the shower so i showered with a watering can. I;m used to bucket baths now and actually look foreward to them three times, which is two less than the Malians do, so they think im dirty. the family that i stay with is pretty smart and everyone speaks at least two languages. it's 8 30 now and i am going to pack my stuff back up soon and go to bed to get ready for tommorow.

I have returned to Tubaniso, from Sanakoroba. This was the first time that I was put into a situation where I didn't speak the language at all. My family has a dad and his brother living in the same area. Along with the brothers there is a grandma and about ten kids. there are three wives. A few of my brothers speak some english but mostly Bambara and french. My grandma and dads speak fulfulda, which I am learning so that is good. For the first few days I had a 30 min walk to school, and that wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to do it four times a day back and forth. I just got a bike so that cuts the time down alot. and it is much more fun. every where I go people want to say hi and talk to you, but its hard cause my language is so limited at this point. I am picking up some language and I can now communicate with the family more and i understand what they are saying but i can't really respond.

I introduced my family to frisbee and the first time they just asked me why, but every night since then my brother asks me to play and he is good for never playing before. Its also good becasue we keep score by who drops it and we count in fulfulde.

It is very hot and it is the cool season. I get the song when they say bless the rains down in africa, becasue when it rains it cools off so much. The storms are pretty intense. playing frisbee at night its pitch black with the light up frisbee and they lighting will happen and for a fraction of a second it is light like day. the stars are intense also, i have seen so many shooting stars at night its awesome.

My first day with my family the were trying to teach me words. I couldn't get what they were trying to tell me then my grandmother took out her breast and shook it around, I then realized that they were trying to tell me woman. that was my first culture shock. I think that is all for now but I may think of other things.

So tomorrow the real adventure begins. I am moving out of the Peace Corps Compound and into a host families house. I can only say a few words in the language that they speak and will be staying with them for 11 days trying to acquire the language and learn more of the customs and how to live on my own after that. I will be taking language classes for about six hours a day with other PCV and after that I will try to use my skills to communicate in the village. I will not have access to electricity for this period so this will be my last post for awhile. I am getting a cell phone how ever so when I get that I will probably post the number so people can call me. Today was the first real storm that we had during the rainy season. It can very quickly and was pretty intense for about an hour. The wind was blowing sand everywhere and water was running everwhere. Only alittle got in my hut and it will dry quickly. So tommorow I will be wearing my new Malian outfit and meeting the family I will be living with for the next few months, I can't wait.

So its just about the end of day two and so far so good. There has been so much info to take in and try to absorb. I have begun to lean a Bambara and it's very cool. I will be moving in with a host family on Wednesday, I can't wait for that. I will not be able to communicate with them except for the basic greetings, but I will be trying to pick up the language from them so I can use it when I am placed in my final destination. For now I am living in Tubaniso which is about 45 mins outside of Bamako the capital of Mali and where the capital is. I'm living in a mud hut with a grass roof and it is great. It does get hot at night eventhough this is the cool time if year since it is the rainy season. The area I am living in now is pretty green and there are lots of cool and crazy bugs and animals all over the place. The showers are cold water but it feels really good after a long hot day. So far the most useful thing that I brought was my nalgene. It would be nice to have some cold water to drink and some that didn't taste like bleach, but I guess bleach is better that getting sick. So far I feel good no health problems but all of the trainers say it is only matter of time before it happens.

We all began today at six am on Thursday and it is now two pm on Friday in Paris where we are. we arrived in Paris at eight this morning and are waiting for our flight to Bamako which leaves at 16:40. We have slept where we can on the plane, which wasn't much and for the past few hours on the airport floor. We still have a five hour flight ahead of us to Bamako. We should arrive there around 9 local time. It has been a long couple of days and there is still traveling to do. Once we arrive in Bamako and pass through customs we have a 45 min drive to the Peace Corps training area. Then hopefully some sleep.

So I'm sitting in the Manch airport waiting for my flight to Philly where I will meet with all the other Peace Corps Volunteers. I'm excited for the future, but also nervous. I am going to try to meet other people in Philly when I get off the plane, but without a cell phone it will be tough. I will just have to look for other people that look like they are going to a third world country for the next two years, that should be easy enough. That

Thank you to everyone who showed me support.

I am going to try to use this place to keep updated info about what I'm doing and pics and all that good stuff