A Christmas to Remember...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I probably had the most unique Christmas of my life. I'll start from the beginning...

My friend Christy had invited all us volunteers to her village, Kamona, for Christmas. Kamona is primarily a Christian village -- rare in Mali, since only 1 percent of the population is Christian. So 9 of us decided to meet up with Christy in the town of Bla and bike the 8 kilometers to her village. Although most people put their bikes on a bus and rode up to Bla from their various sites, Emily, Yuri and I thought it would be a great opportunity to go on a bike trip. So we decided to bike from Segou to Kamona via Emily's village, Samane.

We began the trip at 7 am on December 23rd. Our backpacks secured tightly to the backs of our bikes, we traveled across Segou and turned off the paved road. I was excited to finally get away from the city and spend some quality time "en brousse." The sun was rising fast, but it was cloudy, so the heat wasn't too bad (I actually began the trip wearing a long-sleeved shirt layered over my tshirt). Unfortunately, though, the Harmattan wind was blowing really strong, and directly into us. Mix this with biking through sand, and you feel like you're on a stationary bike! It was taking twice as long to get to Emily's site as it should have.

We had expected to bike the 45 kilometers to Emily's village in three hours. Instead, it took us five. We finally rolled into Emily's village around noon. We were covered in red dirt/sand and completely exhausted. After taking bucket baths, we all crashed on the floor for a much-needed nap. After we re-energized, Emily took us around her village to greet her friends. I LOVED her village. It was beautiful (surrounded by big trees), and everyone was super friendly. We ate dinner with her host family, and got her host dad laughing up a storm when we told him that Americans wish on shooting stars (Malians don't look at them...they are kinda afraid of them. He told us that a "shooting star" was a star breaking up and moving around, but later they find each other and go back into form).

We woke up around 7 am on day two, planning to meet up with everyone else (i.e., those who decided to take public transport) by noon for lunch. We biked about 7k to the Bani river (luckily, the road was rock, not sand), and then found a villager to take us accross it. It was a beautiful, peaceful way to start out the second day. I remember thinking, "I could do this all day, as long as the trails stay like this."

(before crossing the Bani river)

(in the boat)

Unfortunately, the trail didn't stay that nice. It quickly turned into a sandy road with gravel and deep sand patches. There was one big hill (probably the only hill in the Segou region -- otherwise, this area's completely flat), and there was absolutely no shade on the road as we made our way toward Bla. We passed only a couple villages. We realized that, although we were biking as fast as possible and using all our strength to keep going, we were only averaging about 12k per hour. We stopped to rest at a village around 10 am, and found out from the villagers that Bla was still about 35k away. Sadly, we decided to give up and jump on public transport to take us the rest of the way, because we knew we'd never make it there by noon to meet up with our friends.

When we asked the villagers about transport coming through, they told us that nothing would pass by until that evening! So we were stuck biking the rest of the way. We replenished our water supply and headed out of that village, hoping by some miracle we'd get to Bla by noon.

(The long road ahead)

After that village, the road got sandier and the sun got hotter (no clouds this time). I was mentally thanking the inventers of the CamelBak as I sipped on water to wash down the sand being blown in my mouth. Pretty soon, we began talking about the town of Bla like it was the Promise Land: "In Bla, we can get cold Fantas!" "In Bla, we can sit in a chair in the shade!" "In Bla, there are even a couple of paved roads!"

(Taking a break in the shade of a tree)

We pushed onward, and eventually we ran into a main gravel road! We could hardly contain our excitement. From there on, we almost doubled our speed and cruised our way into Bla. We showed up around 1:30 pm. We missed out on meeting everyone, but we had made it! We had a big lunch of rice and peanut sauce, cold water and cold Fantas. And we sat in chairs in the shade!

We finally biked the remaining eight sandy kilometers to Kamona, Christy's village. We met up with the rest of the group, and spent the night singing Christmas carols around a lantern and eating pork (her village killed a pig for us). It was wonderful! Christy's church also asked us to sing a few American Christmas songs in church the next morning, so we chose songs and practiced the night before.

Christmas morning, we woke up, cooked french toast, and then got dressed in our Malian finest and went to church. There was a lot of singing and a very enthusiastic minister preaching in French. A few different groups performed (some women, a group of kids, and a West African evangelical group visiting Kamona) before they asked us to come up and sing. All the African groups got up and clapped and danced around while singing. Then we got up, organized ourselves into two choir-like rows, and sang "O Come All Ye Faithful," "The First Noel," and "Joy to the World." The Malians just stared. It was definitely different than what they consider to be normal! But they applauded after Joy to the World, and I think they got a kick out of our performance.

(The group before going to church...clockwise from top: Emily, Louie, Meg, Kyle, Christy, Greg, Mary Virginia, Christy's host dad, Michelle, me, Yuri)

After church (which lasted three hours), we opened gifts. We did a "white elephant" exchange. It was really fun. I ended up with a Mali soccer jersey and matching sweatband/wristbands. That evening, we made a fire and roasted marshmallows (courtesy of Christy's care package from her parents). Some Malians joined us (as well as the evangelist group) and we sat around and drank tea and talked. I stayed up till 11 pm, and then was able to call my family back home to wish them all Merry Christmas.

(hanging out around the fire)

I'm glad I got to spend Christmas in a village, and now that it's over, I'm glad I biked from Segou to Kamona. Although we did take public transport on the way home!!

Life Updates

Wow! What a crazy couple months it's been. I'm sorry that I haven't updated my blog recently...I've been incredibly busy. Never thought I'd say that during Peace Corps, but it's true. In the past month, I've celebrated Thanksgiving and Tabaski, I've moved houses (across town...my new house is on the banks of the Niger river -- pretty sweet! I'll post pics once I can transfer my photos off my camera and make room for more), and I've FINISHED -- that's right, finished -- my applications for grad school!

It's quite a relief to be done with the process. Between traveling to Ghana to take the GMAT and calling my parents in Seattle to help me with getting transcripts, It's been a long and tedious process. But it went much smoother than I expected, so I'm grateful that it all came together with plenty of time left before the deadlines. And now I can relax for Christmas and New Years! Well, here's a photo recap of my past month:

(Thanksgiving at Steffen's house. It was pretty small this year, because it was right before Danielle was leaving to go back to Florida -- just Dana, Arnim, Steffen, Yuri, Danielle and me)

(Yuri, Danielle and Steffen on Danielle's last night in Segou. We went out to the Segou Night Club. I miss her already! I won't see her until her and Steffen's wedding next December.) (Steffen's dad came to visit from Germany, so we all went to Kalabougou, the potter village down river from Segou. As we were coming there, we passed some of the villagers taking their finished pots to Segou to sell at market.)

(The kids in Kalabougou LOVED Steffen. He's probably the strongest Toubab they've ever seen. After he lifted up every kid, he lifted ME off the ground in the same way. The kids were astounded!)

(Yesterday was the Feast of Tabaski -- the holiday where everyone sacrifices and then eats tons of sheep. Mme. Koumare and I were eating at her house...we'd just finished our second round of lamb and were washing all the meat down with some watermelon. Somehow, we both managed to coordinate our outfits without knowing beforehand. I think we're spending too much time together!)

Well, that's about it for now. I want to wish everyone a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a Happy New Year. I can't believe I'll be celebrating Christmas next year back in Seattle. How exciting!

Random Mali Pics

Hello! I'm in Bamako for the next couple days, planning the upcoming in-service training and trying to finalize my grad school essays and such. I'm getting ready for the big move across town into a HUGE house. Once I settle in, I'll post some pictures (my new house is on the banks of the Niger, so I'll have a pretty awesome view).

I thought I'd post a few recent pics....they don't really go together, but I hope you enjoy them anyway!

(This is my butcher where I get beef....when I feel like affording it. Something tells me it wouldn't pass American health standards.)

(Mmmmmm....flies....)

(A bug that Danielle and Steffen found dead in their house. I've never seen a live one, but I'm praying that I'll never wake up next to one crawling on my face or something!)

(A group of girls (plus one little boy) that swarmed me as I was watching the sunset down by the river. They really wanted to braid my hair, but speaking from prior experience, I do not look too good in corn rows!)

Halloween already??

Wow! Can you believe it's already Halloween?!! Well, I guess in the States the stores are probably covered in Christmas decorations by now...I'm behind the times! But I thought I'd share some fun pics from our 2nd Annual San Halloween Party. If you remember from last year, people got pretty creative with their costumes, so we had a lot to live up to this year. And, once again, the costumes were awesome!

We began the day by carving watermelons. I think I actually prefer them to pumpkins, because you can eat the insides as you work. They turned out pretty well, too.

(Kali and me with our watermelon-jacko'lanterns)

The theme was "Superheros and Supervillians," although that was very loosely interpreted. I'll give a little background into the idea of my costume....

One sunny day in Segou, Mali, I was sitting around with Louie and Yuri. We were bored. So we decided to entertain ourselves by making Louie try on my Halloween costume from last year (I was Princess Peach from Super Mario Bros.).

He looked surprisingly good. He also reminded us of the scene in Spaceballs when the bad guys capture the stunt doubles rather than the real characters.

(the inspiration)

Thus, the idea was born to go to Halloween as the Spaceballs stunt doubles (or as best as we could go with the materials we could find in Mali). We got Emily on board as Dot, I went as Barf, Yuri was Lonestar, and Louie kept the dress on and went as Princess Vespa. I think it turned out pretty good...

(Yuri, Emily, Louie and me)

There were some other great costumes. Three of the San girls (Kali, Jamie and Nicole) went as The Incredibles.

(the Incredibles)

And then there was Kirsten (one of the new Segou volunteers) who went as Carmen Sandiego. Her costume was very impressive. And now we know where in the world she was! ;-)

(Casey, Kirstin and Rob as a mango tree, Carmen Sandiego and a DARE officer, respectively)

The night was a blast...but I had to get up at 6:30 the next morning to bus back to Segou and meet an American rep who is planning a summer study abroad program throughout Mali. I'm helping them plan the Segou leg of the trip, so I took her around to various bogolan and artisan associations that could be possible places the students go to. I was tired, but it was fun nonetheless!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Malian Bogolan Bags at Hallmark!

I have exciting news for everyone...As part of (Product) Red, Hallmark is now selling cute bogolan bags, hand-painted and hand-sewn by Malian artisans. Representatives from Hallmark visited Mali three separate times (I met with them once in Segou, but unfortunately my artisans could not get their products and pricing in order in time for this Christmas season). They placed several orders with a group of tailors and bogolan (mud-dyed cloth) artisans in Sevare, and my friend Sara Rosen(the business volunteer in Sevare) has spent the last few months working nonstop with these artisans to get the orders filled.

(the bags)

These Malians worked 12-hour shifts, seven days a week for months and months to produce 120,000 handbags. This has truly been an amazing opportunity for Malian artisans, as this is the largest order I have ever heard of from an American buyer. I am impressed that this group was able to coordinate and meet all the deadlines for this order. And I am happy that Hallmark considered Malian products for their stores -- Mali's not exactly a big player in the global market (yet!).

Seeing all this from the third-world side of the deal, I honestly believe that this has been an incredible opportunity for the communities involved over here. And hopefully, the bags will be a hit (right now they are in 3,500 stores nationwide) and more orders will flow in.

Check out http://www.hallmark.com/red to get more info and to see the bags. I actually helped get the symbolic meanings of the different patterns and translate them. And go to a Hallmark and see the bags in person (maybe even buy one if you like 'em)! A lot of hard work and collaboration between Peace Corps, West Africa Trade Hub (WATH), Hallmark and Malian tailors and artisans was put into getting these bags on the store shelves in America. We hope you enjoy them!

I'll sign off with a couple photos of my kitten, Jaba. She's fiesty and eats a lot. We get along perfectly!

Ghana Part Deux

I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update my blog...I have been lost in a sea of grad school applications and 500-word essays. But I'm finally putting up some pictures from the awesome trip I had with Maria and Allison.

(Maria and Allison at the Osu food court)

Maria and Allison met me in Accra the evening after I took the GMAT (which went better than I'd hoped...I couldn't have asked for more!). I met them at the airport and took them to Accra's finest hostel (it was the only cheap place walking distance to all the restaurants in the Osu district). It took all I had not to burst into tears when I saw them for the first time -- it's been much too long since I've seen any friends or family. It was crazy to see both my best friend and my big sister in Africa with me.

(on the steps at Elmina Castle)

We spent a day in Accra before heading on a bus to Cape Coast. I took them to the Cape Coast "Nut Rehab Center," where I'd stayed the last time I was here. We didn't stay there, but Allison was observant enough to see a different sign that said "Nutritional Rehabilitaion Center." That solved that mystery!

(In front of the Nut Rehab Center)

It was such a different experience travelling with two other girls around the country. We got harassed so much more than when I was with Yuri. But it was still harmless -- mostly, it was annoying. But Allison and Maria seemed to make the most of it and enjoy their experiences anyway. And I really enjoyed having them as my travel buddies -- I've been in West Africa for so long now that I've forgotten what it's like to see it for the first time. It was great to share their introduction to Ghana with them.

(Maria getting fitted for an African dress)

After touring around Cape Coast and Elmina, we left the chaos of the city life and headed west to the beach. I think for all three of us this was our favorite part. We ended up staying the rest of our trip at the Green Turtle lodge. It was relaxing and beautiful, despite the mouse that came into our hut every night to nibble on our power bars!

(Maria and me on the beach at the Green Turtle lodge)

The trip altogether was super fun and much too short. But I cherished the chance to get to talk (in person!) to Maria and Allison and share with them a part of my life here. It was one of my favorite memories I've had here so far, and it made me eager to come home and see the rest of you. If anyone is interested in heading east for a vacation, let me know! And Allison and Maria -- it's now your job to convince others to come visit!

GMAT here I come!

Hi all! It's been a while since I last wrote, so I thought I'd give a quick update. What a week it's been! I've been in Bamako/Tubaniso this past week. I came down to Tubaniso for another Junior Achievement training, and then went up to Bamako to do my mid-service health exam, work on grad school applications, make all final preparations for going to Ghana (I fly out tomorrow afternoon), and study for the GMAT (which I take on Monday in Accra...wish me luck!).

Well, when I finally left the JA training and got back into Bamako, I wanted to go pay my airline ticket at the travel agency. I opened my bag to get my cash (I'd had to withdraw my money in Segou), and it was GONE! I didn't panic. I looked through all of my bags...twice. Then I sat and calmly tried to remember where I packed my 350,000 CFA (about $700) that I'd reserved for purchasing my ticket. Everywhere I looked, it wasn't there.

Then I panicked...

After calling many people, having all the Peace Corps drivers search their cars (in case it had fallen out of my bag during the ride out to Tubaniso), and crying in public (a big faux-pas here in Mali), I decided to weigh my options. Either I could bus back to Segou, go to the bank, take out ANOTHER 350,000 CFA and bus back in time to catch my flight, or I could call my parents and ask them to wire me money (the travel agency doesn't take credit cards).

But, just as I was trying to figure out my next move, I realized that my GMAT prep book was also missing. I then remembered that I'd last had it in the hut I slept in at Tubaniso. I called Macki (the SED program assistant for Peace Corps), who was still at Tubaniso, and asked him to check the hut. Sure enough, he found my book with the money in an envelope inside of it! He drove the money up to me and I paid for my ticket. (Mom, you are right, everything does have a way of working out for me!)

The next day, I finally got to focus on studying for the GMAT for several hours. Then I decided to treat myself to a nice dinner w/some friends out in Bamako. We went to my favorite restaurant, and I got a cheeseburger and two scoops of ice cream. It was DELICIOUS! I went back to the medical office (I've been sleeping there because I'm doing my check-up) and went to sleep full and happy.

Well, almost went to sleep. Instead, I woke up from my half-asleep state extremely nauseous. I scrambled out of my mosquito net, out the door of the room, and down the long corridor to the bathroom. I didn't make it. Instead I fell to my knees and threw up. Three times. Then I finally made it to the bathroom, and after getting sick several more times, I tried to go back to the hall to clean up the mess I'd made. But I couldn't bear to be farther than arm's reach from the toilet. So instead, I laid down on the tile floor and tried to fall asleep, periodically lifting myself up to the toilet seat so I could unload my stomach even more. So much for the cheeseburger!

I don't know how many hours that lasted. I was still getting sick when I heard the first prayer call from the mosques (around 4:30 am). But before I knew it, it was light out, and my friend Emily had walked into the bathroom to find me curled up on the floor, sleeping and using an old towel as a pillow.

Luckily, the food poisoning lasted only that one night. But the whole next day I was weak and dehydrated. So I spent most of the day resting and not studying like I'd planned. That was yesterday. Today I've had a little more luck, but I've realized that it's hard to get things done efficiently here! I knew this fact already, but for some reason I didn't think it would apply to just me...I thought if I had complete control over the situation, things would go as planned. But I guess you never know what obstacle is lurking around the corner!

On a brighter note, I am extremely excited to see Maria and Allison! I'm taking the GMAT on Monday morning, and they fly into Accra Monday night to meet me! I'm sure that there will be plenty of pictures of our adventure. Hopefully that will make up for the lack of pictures on this entry!

A Hike Through Dogon Country

Hi all! I just got back from a three-day hike through Dogon Country. The Dogon people are an ethnic group here in Mali. They are the ones who are still primarily animist (although some are Muslim or Christian). They live in the Mopti region (the region between Segou and Timbuktu). If I have my story right, the Dogon people fled from the Muslims into this area about 1000 years ago, and built mud houses high up in the rocky cliffs. People to this day still don't know how they got up to their homes (legend says that they flew, and some hypothesize that there used to be vines running down the cliffs that they could've climbed, but no one knows for sure).

(Some of the old cliff houses -- you can see the entrances on the different levels, although they blend into the cliff really well.)

(Some of the lower cliff dwellings off in the distance.)

After spending a night in Sevare, Yuri, Dom (Yuri's friend visiting from the US) and I met up with Hassimi, a national guide here in Mali. We decided to hike the "Three Yougas" (Youga is the name of three villages in the same area). Hassimi is the unofficial Peace Corps guide -- pretty much every volunteer uses him when they need a guide. And hiking through Dogon without a guide is not recommended (you would miss out on a lot of sacred places and objects -- or you'd trample right through them without knowing and offend/anger the people).

(Yuri, me, Hassimi and some guy Hassimi paid to carry his stuff.)

Hassimi is awesome. He's fluent in French, English, Bambara, and many dialects of Dogon. He drives you in his own car (which he's named "Grandma"), and he loves telling riddles. He's really funny and he made our trip completely awesome. It's no wonder he's got such a good rappor with Peace Corps.

We drove from Sevare to the Dogon village Sanga, where we began our hike. I already couldn't believe the change in scenery. There were rocks EVERYWHERE! In Segou, there is only dirt and sand. To build soak pits in his village (in the Segou region), my friend Kyle had to buy and import rocks from the city. But in Dogon, there were entire buildings made of rocks. It was really beautiful.

(Building and stone wall in Sanga.)

(A Dogon village.)

We began our hike from Sanga down to the valley. I hadn't realized that we were on top of a cliff until we began hiking down it! The view was amazing. There was a tall waterfall way off in the distance, and huge plateaus everywhere.

(View on the way down the first cliff.)

We hiked down the cliff and walked a few kilometers down a sandy road to a village, where we stayed the night. The second day, we got up early and began the long trek. We walked for a long time down that same sandy road, until we reached a village on the base of another cliff.

(A Dogon meeting room -- it's constructed that low so men can't get angry and stand up, and also so they always stay in the shade.) (The beginning of the climb.)

Then we began climbing. It was really steep -- many times I was using my hands just as much as my feet to climb. It also was getting to be midday, so the sun was really strong. We ate lunch next to some old mud cliff dwellings.

(The view of the mud cliff dwellings from where we ate lunch.)

(A village up in the cliff.)

(This is rainwater collected on the cliffs. The women collect this water and carry it down to the village to use for drinking, cleaning, etc. Otherwise they have to hike all the way to the bottom of the cliffs to get water from the lakes that are created during rainy season.)

The children in the villages would come running barefoot down the rocks to hold our hands while we walked. They would ask over and over again, "ca va?" But then they'd always follow up with, "ca va, un bonbon?" or ca va, un cadeau?" (meaning: give me candy or a present). Despite that, they were really friendly -- moreso than the kids I usually run into in Segou.

(Dom surrounded by kids while resting)

(A boy with his brother on his back...they followed us for a bit.)

We had to climb up steep steps and crazy wooden ladders. Getting up the cliff was half the fun...

(Steep stone steps.)

(Yuri climbing up a rock ladder.)

When we finally reached the top of the cliff, the view was breathtaking. Hassimi estimated that you could see about 20k out. It was one of the best views I've ever seen.

(The top of the cliff.)

(Yuri, me and Dom)

(The view again.)

We hiked back down the other side, walking over stick-and-rock bridges and scrambling down boulders.

(A bridge made of tree limbs and rocks -- the cliffs below

(Self portrait.)

We had almost reached the village we were to sleep at when we saw dark clouds off in the distance. We quickened our pace, but we weren't quick enough. Within five minutes of spotting the clouds, the rain had reached us. We suddenly were in the middle of a downpour. I had to take off my sandals and climb down the rocks barefoot just to get some traction. The rain didn't last long, though, and twenty minutes later we reached our destination.

(The storm approaching -- the last picture I got to take before getting drenched.)

The final day, we hiked across the cliff toward Sanga.

(On the way back.)

Before reaching Sanga, we came up on a reservoir. The water flowed off the cliff we were on. We realized we had reached that same waterfall that we'd seen the first day -- the one that had been so far away. It was then that I realized just how far of a loop we'd made.

(View from the top of the waterfall down to a village below.)

I was pretty sore by the end of the trip, but it felt so good to do something active outside again. And the scenery was the best I've seen out of anywhere I've been in Africa!