Okay I've been without internet for awhile because I've been at homestay, but I've been blogging all along. The blogsare postedbelow. I miss everyone!
I'm at the peace corps training center again, and this is the only place i have internet for the next two months. I come here sporadically but I'll keep blogging toeven when i don't have internet.
Happy birthday Thomas, I love you babe.
Gypsy on.
July 16
Bonjour, comment allez-vous? J m'appelle Aminatou Traore
I'm finally experiencing Mali. I moved in with my host family yesterday in Sanakoroba, just south of Bamako. I am joined in my town of less than 8000 by 6 other PCT (Peace Corps Trainees, the government loves acronyms). Each of us is living by ourselves in the home of Malians.
I was met at the bus by my host sister Aminatou, who I was later named after, and her brother Sedou. They asked me something in Bamabara or French, I have no idea which though, and when I looked confused, picked up my bag and gave me the signal to follow. I followed them through the mud (it had stormed the night before) and between houses, soccer fields, and ditches until we came to a walled enclosure that held a 4-5 buildings. I was home.
My family is baffling. My Bua (father) is a mason I have gathered and has more than one wife. I can't tell exactly how many, but it is either 2 or 3. Muslims can have up to 4 wives if they have the money to take care of each on equally. The reason I can't tell who is who is because I don't know if some are neighbors who visit often, daughters who are older, or some other relation. It is all very confusing. In addtion, there are about 10-15 children that are always in our concession (the name for the walled in area…it's like a courtyard). Children range in age from barely walking to at least 22. Don't even ask me which child belongs to which wife….i have no idea.
My first day consisted of a lot of staring at each other. I know enough Bambara to be polite and almost no French. The kids were mildly amazed but too afraid to come near me and the women were too busy cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the men to have time for much else.
The food that comes out of the kitchen in the courtyard is as of yet tolerable. Even the To isn't so bad that I can't get it down. To is what has been referred to as playdoh with snot sauce by other Tubobs (the word for foreigner and any other white person who happens to wander into a group of children "Tubob! Tubob! Hello Tubob!" ) Mostly I eat something like rice, to, or millet with some sort of sauce made out of meat, or plants. I'm learning what it's like to eat for sustenance, not because you actually like eating.
Toward the evening, a television emerged from the main building and people came out of the woodwork to gather around to watch some god awful brasilian soap opera. The men were so into it that they started arguing at each other, either that or arguing with the TV….it's hard to tell. I finally said good night and returned to my own room where I fell asleep immediately.
Today, I ate breakfast with my Bua, Bamako bread (like a hard stale subway roll) with Malian peanut butter, which is good but definitely not as good as American peanut butter. After that, we shared some porridge like goop out of a common bowl (in Mali you always eat out of a common bowl). It is interesting that my Bua eats with me because normally men only share their bowl with men and women with women; however I am told that being American makes me half man to Malians, and I am allowed privileges Malian women are not
After lunch, I went to class and spent the day learning basic French greetings. This has helped immensely already! I feel like I'm doing WAY better today than even yesterday with understanding French. At lunch I went back to my house to eat some non-descript food. After eating, I went over to where the kids were standing in the yard, and I was met only by stares. I bent down, picked up a stick and began drawing a hop-scotch. Soon I had about 20 kids swarming me trying to hold my hand and climb my body. Apparently, I had broken the ice and hop-scotch was a new found hit for Malian kids. I had to leave for class again much to the chagrin of my new pack.
After class, however, I was greeted at the beginning of my road by 5 youngsters who grabbed my hand, my water bottles, and my books and led me the rest of the way home. Once there, they took me to the middle of the yard and started to try and teach me Malian games. I even showed them how to build a sand castle with a pile of sand like dirt that just happened to be lying around. The kids kept repeating castle and then started bringing me objects to name in English…rock, chair, string, wire, etc. Next thing you know, 20 kids are yelling "AMINATOU AMINATOU" and then they do a cartwheel or a sommersault or a karate kick and ask me how to say it in English. It was a great game, and by the end of it I had a devoted fan club.
The rest of the evening passed similar to the first with a brasilian soap opera, eating with my bua and his oldest son, etc.
Life is good. (oh and I'm not sick yet……knock on wood ;))
Gypsy on.
July 20, 2008
The good news, my French is much better than it was even 4 days ago. I can almost communicate basic needs! The bad news, I got sick. Oh well it's bound to happen to us all. I started feeling very tired and nauseas yesterday, and by this morning I had some full-blown digestive problems. Honestly, though, it isn't so bad. Mostly I've just lost my appetite….but maybe that's just because the food is so….interesting (Peace Corps suggests we not say anything negative about our host country because you never know if they may find your blog….lol). Actually, one of my host moms, I have two (polygamy is so much fun!) made some roasted peanuts today and they were DELICIOUS. Then again perhaps my reference point of delicious has changed dramatically in the last week.
Family life is good. I really enjoy my evenings here watching Brasilian soap operas and playing with the kiddos. The stars are so bright at night, especially tonight. I think it must be a new moon or something because I'm seeing stars that I've never seen before in my life. Even the stars on the horizon are clear. Somebody send me an astronomy book ASAP, I need to relearn my constellations.
In other news one of my young brothers, Fatabe, has a crush on me. He's probably 9. My older host brother teases me about it and tells me I should take him back to Los Angeles with me. J Mali is full of jokes. People here are laughing all the time. My host dad has a smile that lights up the concession (can't say room…cause well we don't really go inside).
All in all, I'm really loving Mali so far. The food is….interesting, the digestive problems bothersome; but the people are wonderful and life in a 3rd world country has a certain charm that developed nations just can't capture.
I know there was more I wanted to write about, but I'm exhausted. Me and my 60 crickets I share my room with are going to bed. (ya I'm serious, I have A LOT of crickets in my room. Thank God for mosquito nets). Until next time,
Gypsy on.
July 23, 2008
Life in Mali has become almost routine. I've eaten To five times, and this last time I found it inoffensive. I guess I'm getting used to things. I'm also learning to chew carefully since the rice holds unexpected goods like rocks, dirt, and animal bones????
Classes are progressing per usual, and other than visiting a bar after class things are pretty much the same. The bar doubles as a brothel…which is awkward to say the least. But they have cold drinks and a nice courtyard to sit in…..
I've been indulging in Mangoes a lot lately as the season is coming to a close. The mangoes here are divine and are certainly the highlight of the cuisine. That was until I was eating a mango yesterday and came to some grubs in the middle of it….i don't' think I ate any….but you never know. At least I've seen enough Man vs. Wild to know that the grubs aren't going to hurt me…otherwise I think I would have thrown up on spot ;) lo
Surviving Mali so far….
Gypsy on
July 24, 2008
URGENT: Running out of graham crackers and peanut butter. Send snacks soon.
Tiffany Bailey PCT
Corps De La Paix
BP 85
Bamako, Mali WEST AFRICA
Be sure to put the west Africa…apparently the world isn't aware of where Mali actually is and it may end up in Bali or Malawi….
Thanks
End message.
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