The bus for the PCVs leaving for Sikasso Region, both City of Sikasso and Bouguni/Bougoula, was leaving promptly at 6:45am from Tubaniso. So at 7:15 when we finally left, the anxiety levels of everyone on the bus was high. Nervous, anxious, scared and plain just ready to move onto the next phase of this adventure.
Our bus was supposed to leave at 8am. Whaala, when we finally left at 8:45...what the hell...in California we would call this Mexican time. No one is ever on time, nothing ever leaves or starts on time. I guess I better get used to it. When you say our meeting starts at 9am some will come at 9:30 some 10 some even later...and they’ll be expecting said meeting.
The ride wasn’t too bad. Besides the fact that the bus driver beeps the horn of the bus constantly. It’s worse than the taxis in NY. Mostly here though they are letting those in front of them know to get out of the way or that they are planning on passing. The main “highway” is one lane in each direction. There is no shoulder and the bush taxis and motor scooters are pretty slow. So the bus without looking or slowing down just beeps and passes. We made several stops along the way. I’m not sure if they are pre-determined stops or when someone yells they just pull over. When you get to the big stops (Bougouni, my banking town) as soon as the bus pulls up street vendors bombard the bus trying to sell soda, water (both of which I can never buy...they reuse bottles and put god knows what in it, well water, homemade juice, etc), food (which the fried fish is FABULOUS), odds and ends, fans...and chicklits. Maybe I AM in Mexico. The whole ride from Bamako to Bougoula (thankfully the bus stops right in my town...I thought I’d have to get a bush taxi for the last 32K) took about 2 ½ hours. Not too bad...I can make Bamako a day trip anytime without hassle.
I was the first stop for the PCVs going to site along the way. There are 6 other PCVs on the bus...Not sure what happened to the other 6...they left before us. I’m assuming they took the same route and maybe actually made the 8am bus. When my homologue yelled to the bus driver to stop at Bougoula the other PCVs started saying their goodbyes, looked at me like I was going to the electric chair and wished me luck before the bus even stopped. As we pulled up one of the girls yelled, “OMG they have a whole group outside and they are playing drums”. With that the bus stopped, someone from outside the bus grabbed my hand and I was swept out of the bus without any of my belongings that I knew of before the wheels even stopped. I turned around and caught a glimpse of my homologue with my backpack and the underneath of the bus opening up for him to grab the rest of my stuff. Good thing he’s with me.
I was rushed over to a spot underneath a tree where there was about 30 women and a boatload of kids. Each of which wanted to shake my hand and greet me. They were playing little drums and gourds with the nets and beads around the outside. Some of the women were singing and everyone was clapping. They smiled and stared. The kids were in awe. Some of these people I’m sure have never seen a white person up close before. For a minute my heart was full. It wasn’t quite like anything I’ve ever experienced before. After about 15 minutes they announced they were taking me to meet the dugutigi (village chief). So we walked and walked a little more. I’m sure it wasn’t that far but when there are 30 people walked in front of, behind and to each side of you it felt like a long time. We reached his house and everyone squeezed under his gua (hanger). The old man that was swinging in the hammock I’m assuming is the man of the hour. He shook my hand greeted, talked about me with the other folks and then sent us on our way. We went out the “back” way. And just out the back caddicorner to him and far enough away for some privacy is my house. I little rectangular brick structure with a tin roof, door and couple of windows. The first room is about 12 X 10. Let’s call it the living room/kitchen. There is a wall in between and my bedroom on the other side of the opening. That room is about 12 X 14. Square, cement...what else could a girl ask for. Of course the main things I notice is there is a 1 ½ inch gap under the screen door. Lizards and/or small frogs could certainly get in through there...not to mention the huge spiders. Also, there is light coming through where the middle pitch of the roof is. Does this mean that lizards and or frogs, rats or bats could get in through there. Unacceptable. I can’t have things living with me. On Tuesday someone from PC will be making a home visit to make sure I have everything I need. I will ask them about these things then. They won’t be able to do anything about the gap in the door. I think what I’ll do is use material or a towel, roll it up and lay it in front of the opening on the inside when I’m inside and lay it along the outside between the screen door and the outside metal door when I leave. That should take care of that. As far as the gap in the room. I don’t think lizards can get up on this room. It is metal, it has a decent pitch and there is an overhand over the edge of the house. I’m pretty sure lizards won’t be able to climb on the metal to get around that overhand. But I’ll be certain to find out for sure on Tuesday. In the meantime, I’m just praying nothing finds its way in.
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| My living room. I don't know if you can see how it slopes down to the door. I'm assuming this is for, just in case, rain drainage. |
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| The view from the living room towards the bedroom. |
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| And the bedroom. Sleeping in my bug tent until I get my bed and a mosquito net set up when I return. |
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| My house from the outside. The tree stumps sticking up will later be my overhang for sun protection. |
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| Nice new nyegen. |
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| Nice and clean. The little stump the old man put in there so I have somewhere to sit when I bucket bathe. The small luxuries. |
After checking out my house I went with the Matrone over to her home. She has a sweet little set up right next to the CSCOM. They call it Maternity but they see sick people there, give vaccines, etc. So I’m calling it CSCOM. They have electricity. And running water...INSIDE. Hallelujah. I should check to see if they have a shower. I won’t have internet but at least I have a way to keep everything charged in between visits to my banking town. They do have broadband available here that I’m sure since I’m in between two big cities would work just fine. But on a volunteers salary can I really afford the luxury of $60-70 per month? I couldn’t afford that in the states. There is several rooms in the CSCOM...one building. The first room looks like a room where they just visit/have consultations. Then there is a room for sick people. Across the hall is the maternity ward. Three beds and three “cribs” ish. Then there is the delivery room. One gurney style bed, An actual sink with running water and a table of sorts. Much bigger than the “delivery room” at the CSCOM in my homestay site but with no more equipment...but the running water!! That was it. They deliver babies, give vaccinations, do family planning and take care of the sick and hurt.
The Matrone is very nice and I think we will be friends. That would be easier to determine if I could communicate better. In time, my friends, in time. At first I thought she was single with one daughter about 7...the most beautiful little girl...but later I will find out that she is muso fila (wife number 2), she is 47 and she had 5 children but 2 died. Her 2 other daughters are back and forth to Bamako for school and the youngest one is the only one still with her all the time. Her husband stays mostly in Bamako and comes “home” to her on Sundays. I like her a lot and will look forward to meeting her husband.
After having something to eat my homologue came back to get me and take me home. He came out of the Matrone’s house with a mattress (queen size if I’m not mistaken) to take to my house for me. I hope it’s not hers and she is sleeping on the floor for the week while I’m here. Maybe they bought it for me. I don’t have the language skills to ask. But I’ll figure it out by the time I leave. So my homologue, the matrone and myself walked back to my house. I live real close, which means I also live real close to the CSCOM...and the main road. You can see cars go by from her house, but from mine I don’t think you can hear or see anything. But when it’s time to travel...the road is right here and the bus stops right here. I’m glad for these 2 little things.
After getting the mattress in the house we talked about my mosquito net. I was trying to explain that I have a mosquito tent that can sit right on top of the mattress. U ma famu (they don’t understand). So I take it out and show them. Now they stay to help set it up...along with 4 other guests that just help themselves to come in and sit. After I set it up I tried to ask if they sleep outside when it is really hot. They thought I wanted them to leave so I can sleep. I finally convinced them that is not what I wanted but I don’t know how to say what I want so forget it. Nothing like insulting your hosts on the first day.
My house doesn’t have the gua (hanger, shade overhang) set up yet. In the pictures you’ll see what looks like tree stumps sticking out of the ground. They are tree stumps sticking up out of the ground. They are the foundation for and will hold up my gua. The material to make the thatched roof part is outside but the work has not been done yet. If it’s not done by Tuesday I will have the PC staff that comes on Tuesday figure that out for me. Also, from what I understood, each PCVs home should have a fence around the compound. I do not have a fence. And although I don’t want to be unsociable people (older folks and kids alike) will be coming up to and hanging out in front of my door and walking by and looking in. It would be nice to have some kind of separation from that. Not to mention I want to start a garden and plant a couple of moringa trees. If I don’t have a fence the animals will come and eat up all my stuff. One more thing to talk to the PC staff about on Tuesday. I better make a list.
I am hot. Even though it is not far from where I’ve been living and camp, the humidity does run a little higher here. The sweat doesn’t stop. It’s 94 in my house. I wonder if I can get a couple of z’s. I hear something on the roof. Maybe it’s just the creaking noise the tin makes in the heat. I hope.
8pm – I probably dozed off for a minute earlier. But the matrone and my homologue came back to get me for a meeting at the dugutigi’s house. There were 7 men (including the dugutigi), my homologue, the matrone and myself. My homologue started the discussion going over some of the things he learned at Corps de la Paix while he was there. Then they went around the room. It’s interesting because it appears that the youngest man would go first speaking pretty much directly to the next oldest. Then that person goes next speaking to the next oldest and so on...until it’s time for the dugutigi to speak. After each person is done speaking they go through about 5 blessings. One think I’ve learned to hear is A La. Whenever you hear mention of A La you just answer with “amiina”. You’re golden. Bambara is a very interesting language. It’s very simple, they use a lot of the same words over and over. They don’t really have much to talk about. Or maybe it’s that they can’t. There vocabulary is so limited it limits their conversation. They do mix a lot of french in though...because their vocabulary is so limited. When there isn’t a word for something they just throw french in. I find myself doing the same thing. The language I am learning is a mix of two languages. Bambara and French. I’m sure it will be a very useful skill by the time I am done. They also make a lot of noise when someone is talking to them. In our culture we would consider this rude. Here it is rude not to recognize that someone is speaking to you and confirm that you hear them by saying “awo” (yes) or “Nse” (if you’re a woman and has no real meaning) or Nba (if you’re a man and again has no real meaning)...or they make this clicking noise in the back of their throat. I thought their throats had a tickle from the dust and the wind but it is just an acknowledgement noise that they are listening and hearing you. I actually caught myself doing it once when someone was talking to me. That’ll be a nice thing to bring home with me. People will be talking to me and I’ll be walking around clicking my throat. Like the Bambara/French language...very useful in my future I’m sure.
I just peed and bathed in my new nyegen. How exciting. It was just getting dark, I was hot, the water was cool. It was pretty nice. Now I’m sitting in my room in my bug tent on top of the mattress. There’s not much else I can do. You can’t really stay outside. There is no light and if I use my book light the bugs come. So I am in my tent...hoping beyond hope that it cools off a little tonight.
Earlier the matrone asked me what I was doing for food. I told her I don’t know. I’m curious what makes her think I would have a way to eat. I’ve never been here before. I didn’t come with food. The market is only available on Thursday so I have no way to get food. And I have no cooking utensils, ie, stove, pots, plates, etc. Just when I was set on the fact that I would not be eating tonight, my homologue just came by with a light for me and to tell me the matrone would be here later with food for me. I’m pretty sure just rice, but I’m a little hungry. Rice is better than nothin.
The noise on the roof was birds. Big fat pigeons. Apparently some are more graceful than others. There was one that hit the roof like a ton of bricks. Scared the crap out of me. If the birds make that much noise imagine what the rain will sound like.
When I came inside from sitting out in front there was some kind of ugly bug I’ve never seen before sitting by the front door. Thankfully when I shooed it with my fan it went peacefully. One more thing to have to worry about. I really need to get something to put in front of that gap in the door...and always use it. I was only out there for a few minutes.
I actually had potatoes and some kind of meat. Definitely not cow. My guess is goat. I couldn’t finish it so with no real good alternative I went to throw the leftovers down the nyegen. On my way over there I ran into a frog and almost had a heart attack when I saw some kind of small animal in the nyegen. Until I realized it was a tiny baby goat my initial reaction was to ditch and run. I don’t know how I’m going to survive. If I don’t last the 2 years it will be because of frogs and bugs and lizards. I was reading my home site information packet before and it was check YES for problems with bats, rats and snakes. I’m hoping that was an error. One more question to ask on Tuesday.
Although I had some trouble with my homestay family at least they were in the same compound as me. Now, although the dugutigi and his huge family aren’t too far I’m really a bit alone out here. This is the first time I’ve felt so alone and a bit scared if I must admit since I’ve come to Africa. It’s only 9pm. It’s dark, I’m alone and have nothing to do and no one to talk to. I’m going to watch an episode of Big Bang Theory someone downloaded onto my external hard drive and hope at some point I can fall asleep.
*I’ve notice a lot of women and young girls (as young as 5, 6, 7ish) with two slashes on each side of their face just about an inch off the outside corner of their eyes. I’m assuming it’s some type of scarification. I’m assuming having them there in that particular spot is relevant to something since every girl/woman I’ve seen with them so far has them in the same place. The matrone (my newest friend) in my village doesn’t have them but her 6 year old daughter does. I believe it’s an ethnic thing. There are some of the other (other than Bambara) ethnicities that use such scarring. I’ve seen the two lines on each side of the eyes and I’ve also seen two cuts in the middle of the forehead.
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