Hey all!!
I am here and well, writing from our training site and 3 months into my 2 year service. Let me tell you that these 3 months have flown by soo fast and since the last entry, my integration and language have improved by leaps and bounds. My level of confortability has leveled out in recent weeks to the point where i feel like a part of the village and not the American running around doing Malian work. Now i am a worker in village, helping my friends and host family with whatever they need. Soon i will start actual developement projects that i hope will carry on past my service and place the people i work with in a situation where they will be self sustaining to the point where they will not need a volunteer in the future. So many projects in mind, but as we say here in Bambara, doni doni (slow, slow).
About a month ago, Nov. 17th, we celebrated Tabaski which is a Muslim holiday where they pray to Ala and have a grand feast for 3 days. This was my first Tabaski and was eager to see what the big feast was all about. The first day, i went to my friends house where i payed respects to the elders of the family. Then, we ate.....ALOT!!! For Tabaski, each head of the household is presented with an animal, goat or sheep, which is then sacrificed for the celebration. At my friends place, they killed 3 sheep and 2 goats for the festivities a very expensive purchase for one day. I was not there when they killed the animals, but did see the end result, dead goats and sheep and a lot of meat. But enough with the details. We ate a lot, rice, sauce, and meat then headed to meet and chat with some of the elders of the village. Malian tradition states that old men (chekorobas) are regarded as wise men and are treated with respect. Every neighborhood has a chekoroba that overseas the neighborhood while above him is the dugutigi (village cheif) who overseas the entire village. I met with most fo the chekorobas from the neighborhood i was in. We exchanged words, lots of jokes and laughs, food (meat, rice, and sauce) and many rounds of tea. For the rest of the day, a friend and I walked around and greeted everyone. People were dancing, singing, and being happy which is a wonderful site to see because the Malian people are so nice and genuine. At night time there was a dance party which was equipped with zylophones, drums, and a singer. This band was the purist jam band i have ever seen because their songs could run for 5 to 25 minutes, pounding away at the zylophone with a furious tempo, non-stop, not even for a cigarette, and played to the dancers that filled the dancing area. These dancers, both men and women, exhibited a shuffle dance but with crypt walking and the jig mixed into one. It was captivating to look at and i wish i had video of it which i am kicking myself right now. All in all, Tabaski was a great experience aside from the next day where I am pretty sure i got food sickness. But when in Mali................do as the Malians do.
Since Tabaski, i have been in the fields working away and making my garden. At 8:30 or so, i head to the garden to water and weed. Right now i have tomatoes, eggplant, lettuce, carrots, onions, beets, and arugula in my garden beds. The last one, arugula, is foreign to them and they always ask me what it is. When i say that it is arugula, they just laugh at me. I think because it is a funny sounding word that they cant pronounce because of the hard "R" or that they think its funny i am planting what looks like a weak crop. Either way i joke with them by calling them a bean eater and all is squared away. After garden work, i head to the field to dig for woso (sweet potato). It is hard work to dig and i get quite a work out doing so though i love the physical work that requires me to use my hands. On one day i was able to drive a donkey cart, a lot of fun to ride. I did go easy on the donkey with the switch because Malians at times can really lay into the donkey to make it giddy up. But i wanted to be light with it while saying positive affirmations to Frank, the donkey. Had to name it to keep it loose and fun. While digging for woso, you dig around the woso so as to not slice it which is very easy to do. I in the start was too conservative with it, which is why they would finish 2 rows to my 1 row. No matter, i dug up woso and ate some raw while taking 5. Interesting thing though while digging for woso. My younger brother was digging and unearthed a green snake, coiled up in the woso bed. With little hesitation, he killed it with his daba. Malians dont mess with snakes as they say, "u be mogo faga" meaning "they kill people". Its a shame because i am pretty sure it was harmless. When working in the field, food is always made because its tough to dig for hours strait without subsistance. Usually its a pourage but this time we had woso that was mashed. Delicious!!! After i was ready to tackle more beds though my host mother and brother easily outpaced me. Some day though, some day, i will out woso-dig them.
Training has been so so. Highlights were i learned how to graft trees, bee keeping, and saw a 10ft python on the road. The tree grafting was really interesting and a usefull tool now and later when i return. You basically graft a branch from a tree which produces healthy fruit to a seedling of the same type of tree. Example would be a mango tree. Its a way to pass along the good genes without starting a tree from seed. Bee keeping is fasinating and how bees operate is just as interesting. We learned the basics and how we can apply them to our village in order to generate income and food. And lets not forget the 10ft python. It was at night and someone happened to come across it on the road. We all jumped out of our seats once we heard and saw it with our own eyes. It was pretty impressive, 10ft and 6-8inches in diameter at the thickest section. We all were amazed by it and the guards were terrified of it. There are pics on facebook if you would like to see it.
Well i am off to site to spend Christmas with the host Fam. We are roasting a whole pig and giving gifts to eachother. I will let you all know how it goes. Take care, and always be in peace.
Kan ben (see you),
Geoff
