March 10, 2011

The internet has been down for a day and a half.  I know I shouldn't get upset but I do.  When I come into Tubaniso it is the only time I can email, talk or skype with my family, update on Facebook and be in touch with all of you.  So when I get here and it goes down and I don't get to do these things I get very cranky.  So while I was waiting I wrote this e-mail to my family.  But it is a good summary of my new site announcement and what I'll be doing the next couple of days.  Instead of rewriting I figure I'll just post it to everyone.

Sikasso and my homologue:
So I’m back at camp. I’m writing this email in a word document because the internet has been a real pain in the ass which is why no one has heard from me. It’s been totally down since yesterday morning. I figure I’ll write you all at one time and as soon as it comes back up again I’ll send this email ASAP before anything happens and I can’t contact you.

I’ve been surviving the past 2 weeks knowing that when I get to camp I will have electricity, running water (kind of) and internet so I can call and skype…especially the boys. I’m so sorry I haven’t really gotten to talk to you and have a decent conversation yet. Please all know how much I love you and miss you all.

So I found out Wednesday that I will be moving the 2nd week of April to Sikasso Region of Mali. The exact village is called Bougoula. It is very small…1,000 people. No electricty. No running water and although I should be able to find people in town that sell some vegetables and fruits here and there during the week my actual market town (Zantiebougou) is 7k away and is only open on Thursdays. I’m sure the town has a butigi (little store) for essentials (rice, beans, millet…phone cards…a luke cook soda every once in a while, cookies, soap) but nothing fresh. The biggest town (Bougouni), the closest other white american english speaking person, the big market, my banking town and the closest internet connection and electricity is 32K from me. Which is about 25 miles or so. Taking a bush taxi or hitchhiking it should take about an hour. Not too bad. I just found out that they will be building a new Peace Corps transit house there too. So that will make it easy for me to keep in contact…for free. I will be able to go and spend the day and/or night with all the luxuries of life. Which I’ve dwindled down to electricity, water and internet.

Sikasso is the wetest part of Mali. Which has it’s good points and bad. It is lush and green and has access to lots of fruits and vegetables (when you can get to market). Mangos the size of your head and papayas the size of your leg. I will easily be able to grow a garden and I will get to my site before the rainy season starts so I will have plenty of time to prep. Although I will have to do some research about how to keep the garden from flooding. The rain will keep the dust down and the air clean. The bad points…FROGS…and you all know how much I hate frogs. One was chasing me back to my room after my shower the other day. Little bastard.

RAIN…so I just found out it rains approximately 60 inches per year in Sikasso…and that’s during rainy season which is May through October. I can’t even imagine.

The village I’m going to has never had a PC Volunteer before. My house is newly built just for me. It is two rooms. I don’t know if that means it is 2 separate huts or one square building split into two rooms. I will also have my own NEW nyegen (bathroom). Outside, but mine alone. I will have a host family that will just be there for me if needed over the next two years. The host dad is the village dugutigi (chief). I’m assuming that means that if there is ever anything I need he will make sure I’m taken care of. I’m hoping this relationship doesn’t mean that marriage could be involved. I don’t know how many wives he has at this time but I don’t want to be number 2 or 5….or 1 for that matter.

I will also have a homologue for the next two years. This person is my counterpart, sidekick, new BFF for the next two years. This person will help me communicate, help me with my Bambara, befriend me to himself and his family. He will take me to weddings, baptisms, funerals/burials. He will be a liason for me with the local clinic (CSCOM) and the village matrone (midwife). I have been anxious about meeting this person. How you get along with him could really make or break how your time will be spent in Mali. What if he’s an asshole like my host brother. PC could just send me home now. But what if this person turns out to be wonderful and awesome and my new BFF that when the time comes for me to come home I will not want to leave them. I can only hope. My experience hasn’t been that great so far. Something good has to happen….right?

So I met my homologue last night. The homologues are coming from as close as 2 hours away to as far as 15 hours away to spend the next 3 days at camp with us. Getting to know us and learning about the Peace Corps and what their role is in our life for the next two years. I finally found my homologue last night. A lot of the homologues were going out to find their PCV person but I didn’t come across mine. I was hooking other people up with theirs but mine was nowhere to be found. I finally decided to go out and try to find him. All they know is the name of their village and that is all I know as well. So I went outside and just said, “Bougoula…anyone…Bougoula.” And this man jumped up and say AWO, AWO (yes, yes). I asked him if his name was Ousmane Kane and he said AWO and then he hugged me. I was so excited. He held my hand and we went through 5 minutes of Malian greetings and we were friends. We walked away from the group and went to the hangar area where everyone was sitting around making and drinking tea. It was wonderful. All the anxiety I’ve had was finally over. I can’t figure out how old he is. I think he looks older than he is. He is married (only one wife) and has 4 children between 3 and 13. He speaks Bambara and French. So we’ll be able to communicate…a little. For the first time since I’ve been here I’m excited.



Me and my homologue, Souleymane Kone'.



I will be at camp until Sunday. Sunday morning at 6am Peace Corps will drop me and Ousmane off at the bus station in Bamako and we will make our way back to his (my) village on public transportation. Ousmane said that the bus trip from Bamako to our home is only 2 hours. This makes me happy. Bamako is the center of Mali. It is where the tubob (white people) stores are, the airport…the center of the world. So 2 hours is not that bad. Except you are on a bus (a big charter bus mind you) without air conditioning, chickens, goats, etc and the roads aren’t that great…but it’s only 2 hours. Some of the other volunteers have a 12 hour bus ride “home”. I just spoke to a PCV who has a 12 hour train ride to her site. Bummer. Anyway, I will stay in my new village from Sunday until Friday. Friday we are supposed to leave PC transit house in our region where the current volunteers are supposed to be having a dinner party for the new volunteers. I don’t think I’m going to go. The current transit house is 3 hours in the opposite direction…further from Bamako. Which means I would have a 5 hour bus ride to get back. Me and another of the volunteers that is somewhat close to me are thinking we’ll just come back here and forego the party. I would be nice to meet the other volunteers in Sikasso but I’m not into the whole bus thing. We’ll see how it goes.

So, I know I’ve been a pain in the ass and complaining a lot since I’ve been here. But I want you all to know I am doing much better. I don’t miss you all (and my boys of course) any less than the day I left and that is not getting any easier, but helps that I am finally having the time I was hoping to have while I was here. Sorry this email is so long. It could have just been a blog entry but I wanted to send it to all of you separate and more intimate than a blog entry. I love you all so much and miss you all so much you have no idea…even though we didn’t see each other that frequently anyway just knowing the physical distance between us has made this the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But then again, the Peace Corps mottos is “The hardest job you’ll ever love”.

Love, hugs and kisses,