Here today, gone to Mali!!

I finally slept. After we passed the snowcapped mountains between France and Spain. I finally fell asleep. I woke up about 30 minutes before we landed. It was dark so unfortunately I couldn’t see anything but I just knew I was over Africa. I don’t think I’ve had a prouder, more exciting, heart encompassing moment as I did when the wheels of the plane touched down at Bamako airport. I cried a little…like a girl. Although the airport is an international airport it is very small. No walkways that come out to meet the airplane. We had to climb down the stairs and get in a shuttle that literally drove us 100 yards or so where we got off and entered into customs. We were laughing at the short ride it was. We certainly could have walked it just as fast. It is 86 degrees. While we were waiting to get onto the bus I was so happy to hear that I wasn’t the only person crying when we touched down.
The wait through customs was nothing. We filled out the customs paperwork and got through within a half an hour for all 64 of us. There were PC volunteers that were already in the airport collecting our bags. Between all of us, the other folks that flew in with us and all the people trying to grab your bags and put them on carts so they could charge you to walk them outside it was a huge cluster!! But oddly enough we were out of there and piling onto buses within an hour. We then had a 45 minute ride to Tubaniso. A village set up for training that will house us for the next 6 days. Driving down the streets was interesting. A lot of people that don’t look where they are going nor do they care. Little scooters pulling out from lord knows where and almost getting killed. Didn’t seem to bother them. Everyone just kept on moving. Finally we pull into the training center. It was like something out of a movie. Round mud huts with thatched roofs. Little square mud buildings I would later learn are the nygenes (nyee-gin…bathrooms). Thatched buildings without walls called hangers. And a couple of other buildings here and there throughout in what was a huge compound.

We were given a tour of the repertoire/dining room, the main hanger were we would have our training in the morning, the sleeping huts all lettered and numbered, the nygenes and a quick lesson on how to use them. It’s a little building that when you walk up to the door you are supposed to clap. If someone is in there they will make some kind of noise…shuffle their feet or clear their throat. Then you will know you need to wait your turn. Once inside there’s a little turn that brings you into a little area about 5 feet by 5 feet with a hole right in the middle. There is what looks like a pot cover over the top but you remove and the hole is the size of a dinner plate. Pretty small really. I’m thinking I’m going to wind up peeing all over the place including my feet...and lord knows what’s going to happen when I have to reeeeaaaallllyyyyy go to the bathroom. No one could possibly make it in that little hole. It might be time to whip out my camping toilet seat. I don’t think I can do it squatting over a hole. Now before you go in, right by the water spigot there is what looks like a teapot. Salidaga in bambara. You are supposed to fill it with water and bring it into the bathroom with you…like my ass bottle…a portable bidet. After you finish your business you are supposed to take the pot around your back and pour the water down the crack of your butt…always holding the pot in your right hand. Then as the water is pouring down your butt crack you are supposed to take you left hand and wipe yourself…with your hand…wipe yourself. I don’t like that idea very much. Then when you are done you go over to the spigot to return the pot for the next person and wash your hands. Hmmmm…when in Rome, right?

Next door are the showers. A decent size room with a water spigot towards the bottom and a knob that has a pipe that leads up to a shower head. Apparently the shower head is a tease as when you turn it on the water only trickles out. I’m not taking a shower tonight because it’s already midnight and dark and I have to learn the new bucket bath style. I would rather do that in the light of morning. I will go to bed after traveling for 20 hours without a shower. I’m sure it won’t be the worst thing I do while I’m here.

After we find our huts and our roommates we put our luggage in and then head to the repertoire for something to eat. I hear they eat a lot of carbs. They don’t have a lot of access to vegetables, fruit and meats. Carbs are cheap and filling. For our snack we are served boiled potatoes with sauce and what could possibly be little pieces of meat. The next bowl is filled with spaghetti with sauce (all the sauces are really undistinguishable) and then there’s the bread. Of course there’s bread. Then they have soda. Coke, apple soda, pineapple soda and orange. No diet?

I’m so tired. But we have electricity and wifi. I have to take advantage of it while I can. By next Tuesday I don’t know where I’ll be and when I’ll be back to contact everyone. Of course with the time difference it’s only 4pm Cali time. The boys will be at school, my brother will be at work…I want to let someone know I’m here but no one will be around. That’s crappy. They should be home…waiting for me to call. WTH?!! By the time I went to bed it was 2am. I set my alarm to wake me at 6am. I wanted plenty of time to check out the shower situation, take a bath, get dressed and be at breakfast by 8am. I fell right to sleep. I was sooooo tired. Apparently not tired enough. I woke up and thought is it 6am already and how come my alarm didn’t go off. It’s 4am. I’ve only been sleeping for 2 hours. WHY…I was so tired. I laid there and laid there and tried to fall back asleep.

When I finally got up I got my body wash together my shampoo, my little towel and headed for the showers. I put some soap in the bucket and filled it about half way with water. It actually wasn’t as bad as you might think. The water wasn’t warm but the air already was. I smelled so bad it could have been ice water and I would have been happy. They have a cauldron with water on a fire all the time so you can have warm bucket water but everything from the night before is such a blur. I’m sure I would never find the cauldron. So this is fine. I turned on the drippy shower head and got my hair and body a little wet. I shampooed and rinsed my hair first. Then I squatted down by my little bucket and washed myself all up. It actually felt good. I think it will feel better when I get to my site in 10 weeks and get to set up my 5 gallon camping solar shower bag. I might still use the bucket with soapy water but at least I can rinse under running water. After I soaped all up I dumped the bucket and filled it with clean water and rinsed. The whole process took about 10 minutes. I kind of liked it.

Training was good today. We got to meet all the local volunteers, local big wigs and of course the ever famous ice breakers. We got a lot of information of what will happen over the next couple of days from shots we will get tomorrow, malaria pills we will start today and the 90,000 cfa’s (Mali currency) we would receive for walking around money. Sounds like a lot, right? I have 90,000 of something in my pocket. Woohoo. Then we all received appointments to get tested on our French skills, when we will meet with our sector (mine being health) coordinators so they can get an idea of where we want to be. North Mali, the desert, the jungle down south, a small village or a larger town and our medical interview appointments to talk about our medical files in general. In between all of that we are in training everyday from 8am to 6pm until Tuesday when we will be moved to our homestay sites. The sites we will be at for the next 9 weeks during training. We will get one on one instruction in language and culture while living with a Malian family.

Breakfast started out with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on big fat rolls. Mali is famous for their peanuts and they make fresh peanut butter. It was so good. Then there was rice and saucey stuff for lunch and spaghetti and bread for dinner. I’ve been taking one little spoon at each meal as I came here to lose weight not gain it. I don’t want anyone to roll me out of here. I’m a little hungry but I’m sure it will pass.

It’s now 9pm. I got to use my Magic Jack and talk to my sister Gail today. I tried earlier with my brother but we were having bad connections so I will try again tomorrow. I will get up at 6am so I can call him at 10pm Cali time. Maybe we’ll have better luck. I’m good though. I don’t feel lonely. I know it’s only been a couple of days since I even left, but it feels like much longer. So much has happened.