Mad Hatters

Happy New Year everyone!

New Year’s Eve was celebrated by our stage at the “Trash Pile,” followed by a dance party in the Environment Hangar. In Mali, usually the younger crowd will go into Bamako to go out to the clubs. However most spend it with their families and have chicken for dinner (an expensive meat here). Several kids in my homestay village lit off fireworks. They turned it into a game, running up to the lit firecracker, and then waiting as long as possible before running away at the last minute. Yikes!

Training is done and I am now an official Peace Corps Volunteer! We had our swear-ceremony January 6th at the US Ambassador’s house. Speeches were given by four people in our stage in French, Malinke (Kenieba), Malinke(Kita), and Bambara. They all sounded wonderful, especially since we have only been learning the language for 2 months now (except for French). We did the whole raise-your-right-hand-I-state-your-name thing as we said the Peace Corps oath. I felt pretty patriotic and proud of the relationship between Mali and the US Peace Corps that has endured 40 years.

It is almost 3 in the morning here so I hope this all makes sense because my thoughts are all over the place right now. I’ll try to keep this short.

After the ceremony we all went to lunch at the American Club and hung out around the pool. To celebrate we all got to stay the night at a hotel in Bamako and go out to a couple clubs. It was at the last club that we learned our stage name. Each training class that comes into Mali is given a name by the PCVTs (Peace Corps Volunteer Trainers). Right now there are people from five different stages serving and are as follows: Risky Business, Team America, The Kennedys, Goodfellas and now Mad Hatters. We were given this name because we were all on Mali time for the most part (a tad late to meetings) and I guess they think we are all a bit crazy. Sounds about right. Overall it was a fun and relaxing weekend before we all head off to our respective sites (the village/city where we will be living and working for the next two years. PC has too much lingo!)

I’m writing you all from our stage house here in Segou ville, as I get attacked by mosquitoes about 5 hours before I will be leaving to move into my new home. Yesterday the other new volunteers in the Segou region and I went shopping to furnish our houses. I’m starting to get better at bargaining in Bambara. Dooni, dooni! There money system is weird and requires more math than normal. Example: 3,000 CFA is said in Bambara “Keme wooro” or “500 and 6.” And 100 CFA would actually be said as “20.”  Everything is multiplied by fives. It gets confusing r doing math in a foreign language!

I’ve never had to do buy everything on my own for because I’ve always had at least one other person living with me. First time living on my own and in a new culture! Ahhh! I hope I got everything. I’m excited to start cooking for myself and just got a cookbook put together by past volunteers to help get started. I am going to try to eat with my host family for at least one meal though to continue the whole integration process. Plus, who likes to eat alone?

I’ve been trying to post pictures on facebook, but it is going extremely slow. The plan is to stay at my site until the music festival, which starts February 16th. This would mean no internet for a month. We will see if I make it that long. In the mean time, keep me in your prayers as I go through another adjustment phase. I am excited to get started, but I know it is going to be a bit nerve racking having to speak Bambara 24/7 and getting to know everyone in my community. For our first three months at site we are not supposed to start any projects because we need to focus on developing language and through many conversations, discover what the community needs and wants. I will most likely be drinking A LOT of tea and having some awkward conversations. However, Malians are extremely inviting and I know it will only be a matter of time before I feel at home.

K’an ben kofe! (Talk to you later!) Ala ka su here caya! (Have a good night!)

Our first mural! Painted on the wall of the women's association in Mountougoula. It reads: Wash your hands with soap! Before cooking, before eating, after leaving the negen.

 

 

 

 

 

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