I hate goodbyes!

I'm back in Bamako, after waking up at 3 a.m. to catch the 4:30 bus (which didn't leave until 5:30...grrrr!). I left Segou this morning after spending all day yesterday traveling around town saying goodbye to everyone I've known for the past two years. It's been an emotional rollercoaster this past week.

After Patty and Maria left last Saturday morning, I stayed in Bamako one more day to meet up with Steffen. He was on his way to Germany then Florida to visit his fiance Danielle. Since he won't be returning to Mali until mid-August, we had one last dinner in Bamako and said our goodbyes. That was the first time I cried. The next day (Sunday), I spent eight hours trying to bus back to Segou. Once I finally got back into town, I met up with all my Peace Corps friends in my region for a goodbye party. It was really fun to see them all again -- especially since it was the last time all of us would be together in Mali. On Monday, I began packing and sifting through two years of paperwork and what not. I also gave away Jaba and Gus....Jaba went to my friend Tamara (who's extending for a third year in the city of San), and Gus went to Kyle (who's extending for a third year in Bamako...although I think my friend Kate's eventually going to take him when she can meet up with Kyle). It broke my heart to give them away -- that was by far the most I've cried since being here. It's too bad that my new apartment in Ann Arbor doesn't take pets...I would have loved to take them back to the US. I also said goodbye to Emily, Kyle and Casey that day (as well as the employees at CARE, where I taught English), so I was pretty much an emotional wreck for the whole day. Tuesday, I woke up early to begin saying goodbye to everyone. I started at the CRPA, where I met with all my coworkers and Mme. Koumare. We all said a few words, exchanged some gifts and said our goodbyes.

(Amadou, Kalifa, Mme. Koumare, me, Mariam and Keita...all the CRPA employees)

Afterwards, Mme. Koumare and I went out to Masseye's house (the president of Yiriwaso, the women's tailoring school where I did that accounting project). Masseye was just recently married, and by custom she was staying at home for 15 days after the wedding. She gave me a necklace and a pagne, and we exchanged our blessings. I barely made it out of there without crying (Malians don't cry in public, so I was trying not to make them feel awkward).

(Mme. Koumare, Masseye's grandmother, Masseye and me at her home)

After Masseye's house, Mme. Koumare and I stopped at a "rotisserie" restaurant and shared a giant plate of liver (I think!) and onions. It was our last meal together, so I enjoyed it (despite not really liking liver). We then moved onto Nieleni, a women's cooperative that produces bogolan, fruit syrups, and wool rugs. They presented me with even more gifts -- I was shocked but touched at how generous everyone was as I was saying goodbye potentially for good. It's amazing how I didn't realize what close friendships and bonds I'd made with people until it was time to leave them. Finally, I went home to finish packing. I walked around my neighborhood and said goodbye to all my neighbors. I also took a break around lunch time to visit Club des Meres (where I did the boutique renovation). Again, I was presented with a cute purse and more gifts. I also gave them the pens, crayons, watercolor paints, and rulers that Maria and Patty brought over, since they also run an elementary school next to their boutique. They were so happy to receive the gifts. They wanted me to thank Maria and Patty...so thanks guys!

(Djelica, the woman near my house who sells onions, peppers, dried fish, peanut butter, etc.)

I was planning to leave Segou last night, and my friend Karim came over to see me off. But my guard, Issa, was nowhere to be found. I couldn't leave forever without saying goodbye (we've been living next to each other since December), so I waited and missed the last bus. But it worked out, because I got to go out to a nice last dinner with Yuri in town, and I ended up saying goodbye to about 10 other people that I wouldn't have had the opportunity to do otherwise. A lot of Malians exchanged email addresses with me (times are a-changin'), and some even asked for my phone number in the US. So, Mom and Dad, if you get any random phone calls from Bambara-speaking West Africans asking for Djeneba, you'll know they're for me! :-) I already can think of dozens of people that I didn't say a final goodbye to, but I guess that's what happens when you live in a city of more than 100,000 people. It's been pretty emotional, and I haven't even left the country yet! Now I'm in Bamako trying to do all my final paperwork, medical check ups and everything else (not to mention hanging out with my friends who've come into Bamako to see me off). I know these next two days are going to fly by, and I'll be back in Seattle sipping a Starbucks by Saturday!

The Dasovich Invasion

I cannot believe I only have one week left in Mali. It seems so surreal right now. Actually, a lot of things seem surreal. Maria and Patty (#1 and #5 out of the Dasovich daughters) have been here for the past 9 days. We've been having a blast; although Maria got sick on day 3 and we had to completely replan our trip. It all worked out in the end. I got to show them a lot more of Segou than I'd originally planned, which was really fun. Now they have a great idea of what my day-to-day life has been like in my city.

They flew in at 3 am on the 3rd, and we stayed in a really nice hotel (it was the first elevator I've ridden in since leaving America!). We missed the bus the following day, so we stayed an extra day in Bamako, which we filled with eating at nice restaurants and hanging out with the numerous other volunteers who'd come in town to celebrate the Fourth.

On the Fourth of July, we hitched a ride with a Peace Corps SUV that was traveling up country through Segou. In Segou, we immediately went to my office and ate lunch with Mme. Koumare, which was really fun. Mme. Koumare named Maria "Maimouna Samake" (after herself) and Patty "Aoua Samake" (after her mother). She even made a special "tiga dige na" (peanut-butter sauce) that was vegetarian for Maria. Patty and Maria had a blast meeting her and seeing where I worked. And Maria and Patty got to try out eating with their hands.

(lunch time with Mme. Koumare and Keita)

(Me and Mme. Koumare showin' them how it's done!)

That evening we had a small party at my house to celebrate Independence Day. We bbq-ed burgers with Steffen's grill and ate pasta salad. Maria and Patty got to meet basically all my Peace Corps friends. They also got to see some pretty cool large bugs that decided to join the party.

(the unwanted visitor...after Gus had played with it for a few hours)

The next morning, Maria woke up with a fever, so instead of taking the six-hour bus ride to Sevare, we stayed in Segou and relaxed. We actually stayed in Segou for a few more days until she had recovered...but in that time I took them out to meet basically all the people I've been working with. The women at Sininyesigi even gave Patty and Maria indigo-dyed scarves as presents. All the Malians were super happy to meet my "koromussow" (older sisters).

(Korotimi with Maria and Patty and their new scarves)

Our final morning in Segou, we went out for a pirogue boat ride with Karim right at sunrise. It was beautiful.

(Patty and Maria on the pirogue)

We saw tons of cool birds and got to chill out on the Niger for a couple hours.

(my house from the Niger)

After the boat ride, we hopped on a four-hour bus to Bamako, then got transport to Siby (one hour south of Bamako). I think this was unquestionably their most favorite part of the trip.

(the arch near Siby)

(on the hike up the cliff)

We hiked up to the arch, which only took about 1 1/2 hours. Then we explored all over the cliffs, and even hiked up to the top of the arch. We ate lunch up there and goofed around all day.

(a closer view of the arch)

(on top of the arch)

(Patty goofing off in a cave)

It was great to show them a side of Mali away from the main cities -- especially since they missed out on Dogon country. We stayed two nights in Siby, eating not much more than beans, pasta, mangoes and zabans (a Malian fruit...it's pretty sour, like a SweetTart). It was really fun.

(can you spot Patty??)

Today we woke up and left Siby for Bamako. We spent the day wandering around the huge artisan market, buying necklaces and other things. I got to show off my sharp (or not-so-sharp...you'll have to ask Patty and Maria!) barganing skills a lot during the whole trip. It was so great to share everything with them, and I'm sad that they're flying back tonight. But I'll be home (back in Seattle) on the 19th, so I'll soon be following them!

23 down, one month to go!

Hi all! So I'm down to my final month in Mali, and I've been scrambling to finish all the work I wanted to do and enjoy my life over here as much as possible before it's gone. After returning from Croatia, I've felt like I was back in track, running a long-distance race. I started to see the finish line, and I began sprinting hoping that my burst of energy wouldn't die out before I crossed it.

(a couple recent sunsets from my balcony -- I'm trying to soak up as many as I can!)

I have been working near-full days (which is pretty unheard of over here -- even for Malians who have office jobs). I've been working with Mme. Koumare to create a Web site for the CRPA (my counterpart organization). It's been fun, but I'm quickly realizing that I took on too much and won't finish it before I leave. Hopefully whoever replaces me will be able to finish it up -- it actually will make a great first project for them. Mme. Koumare and I have been traveling all over the city to various artisan associations -- jewelers, fabric dyers, bogolan makers, etc. -- and taking pictures and getting information for the site. It's been a fun way to wind up my service.

(women dying "bazin" fabric in the Niger)

(Mme. Koumare posing with some silver jewelry -- she's been modeling for lots of the Web site pics. I think she enjoys it!)

Sadly, I did run out of steam...or at least I ran into a hurdle. Last week I got sick (again...grrr!), and was out for two days with a fever. But it didn't slow me down too much, and now I'm back at work. I've also been spending some quality time with all my favorite Malians, drinking tea and having great conversations. My friend Mariam (she's the secretary at the CRPA) and I had a long talk about the differences in Malian and American culture in regard to family. I explained that, because we value being independent and self-reliant, parents don't typically let their children (or any other relative) live off them once they've reached a certain age. If a relative moves in and doesn't show any motivation to find work or earn money, but expects you to feed them and let them stay as long as they like, we'll eventually turn them out (or at least talk to them).

(Mariam)

Over here, families take in any and all relatives for as long as they want to stay. Even suggesting to the relative that they're a burden on you, or that they should get a job and provide for themselves rather than taking advantage of you makes everyone view you as a horrible, selfish person. It's such an interesting difference... Another fun conversation happened just yesterday during my English lesson at CARE. Rokia, the secretary there, was telling me about this crazy American girl who used to live here who had a cat. She couldn't believe how this girl treated her cat (keep in mind I have two cats that I adore over here!). The girl bought her cat MILK (even though she herself didn't drink it), and fed it better food than most kids over here get to eat. She let the cat sleep in her bed and treated it like it was her child. Both the Malian women I was talking to thought this was such strange behavior -- that the American woman would baby a cat but not have any actual children. They said that 1) women who like cats that much are usually viewed as witches/sorceresses; and 2) cats are for catching mice and such and should be able to find food on their own (or at least don't deserve better food than people eat).

(Jaba panting because of the heat...you know it's hot when your cats pant like dogs!)

I couldn't really argue with their logic. I also told them about the microchips that people now put in their pets to ID them in case they get lost. Justine, the admin assistant at CARE, said in reply, "I think that Europeans and Americans have so much money, they don't know what to do with it all. So they find strange ways to spend it." Again, I couldn't argue with the logic! Well, that's about it. I'm slowly but surely getting prepared for the next chapter in my life -- grad school. This week I've registered for classes, bought season football tickets (woohoo!), and potentially found an apartment. It's all making me excited to come home...but I'm also starting to get sad thinking about leaving my life over here! I'll finish this entry with a lightning picture taken a couple nights ago from the balcony of my house. I love thunderstorms over here!

(pretty cool, huh?!)

More Croatia/Italy Pictures

I'm finally back in Bamako, about to take the four-hour bus ride to Segou, but I thought I'd post a few more pictures from my trip. Emily and I had the craziest fun time traveling through Italy to Croatia and back to Italy. I have so many fun stories to share, but I know I won't be able to fit them all in. So I'll just share a few and include some pictures. I'll have to save the rest for when I come home (in two months!! can you believe it?!).

Well, first of all, our trip started four days early. Aparently, Royal Air Maroc cancelled all their flights from Bamako to Casablanca from May 2-9 (we were supposed to fly out May 2nd). So our travel agent informed us that he moved our trip to May 9th. We were really disappointed, as it is extremely hot here in Mali right now and thinking about this trip was just about the only thing getting us through the hot days. So I asked if we could leave before May 2nd. They said yes -- we could leave that night (April 29th). Emily was still in her village, and I was in Segou, but we packed all our stuff in about 10 minutes, hopped on a minibus and rode to Bamako. We arrived in Bamako around 11pm, and went to the airport at midnight. It was a crazy way to start our trip, but we are so glad we didn't wait until May 9th!

We stayed a couple nights in an artsy hostel in Milan, where all the people working there were perpetually drunk or hungover (as they put it in English "I am still a little drunk about last night." But it was cheap and they were nice, and we could walk all around the city. Milan was really fun -- we got to go shopping and buy some warmer clothes for our trip (it was freezing up there).

(the Duomo in Milan)

We then took a train to Venice and walked around for the day. Venice was beautiful, but really touristy and expensive. We were excited to get over to Croatia.

(Venice)

We took a night train to Zagreb, where we met Marin (the documentary filmmaker whom we "couch surfed" with). Marin was awesome -- he gave us advice on what sites to see in Croatia, and even took us over to Slovonsky Brod (on the Bosnia border) and we ate Sarma at his mother's home. He's the one who suggested we see Plitvice National Park, which was the highlight of the trip.

(More Plitvice photos)

After five days in Zagreb and the surrounding areas, we took a night bus down the Croatian coast to Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik was beautiful! The mountains were very dramatic, and the sea was crystal clear. We hiked all over the old part of town and up a little into the cliffs to get a better view of the city. Then we bussed back north to Makarska.

(looking over Dubrovnik)

(inside one of the Cathedrals in Dubrovnik...a tribute to Lourdes)

Makarska is a smaller town between Dubrovnik and Split. Marin's friend hooked us up with a sweet apartment, where we had a computer w/internet and a kitchen (we saved a lot of money by cooking a few nights).

(a waterslide in Makarska...but we didn't go down it -- the water was a bit cold)

We walked all over the town and hiked up the cliffs. We also got to play tennis on the most beautiful clay court I've ever seen -- with views of the sea and the mountains. It was the most exercise I've gotten since moving to Africa! We were a little sore the following few days.

(Makarska)

We met a lot of fun people who were extremely generous. We were treated to dinner several times -- the best was a seafood restaurant in Makarska, where we ate fresh fish (I don't even know what kinds) and shrimp.

After a few nights in Makarska, we took a bus to Split and then ferried back to Italy (which took 10 hours! we slept on the ferry floor). We sadly didn't have enough time to see Rome or anywhere in southern Italy, but instead we took a train up to Treviso (a really rich town 20 minutes from Venice). Emily's childhood friend lives there and teaches English, so we spent a couple nights there. We got to go to her English classes (middle school) and talk to them about our experiences in Mali. That was a fun cultural exchange, although the children were quite different from Malian kids (and even American kids).

Emily's friend Ginny also treated us to one night at a Bed and Breakfast, which was such a nice surprise! We ate just about everything that next morning for breakfast. I can't even begin to describe all the good food we ate! We definitely spent more money on gelatto than on anything else! And the espressos were amazing.

(the first of many gelattos...this was our first day in Milan)

We finally came back to Milan and left for the airport....but our shuttle broke down on the freeway, and we missed our flight! We had left three and a half hours before our flight, but the Italians were all so relaxed about getting to the airport that we didn't make it in time for check in. Luckily our travel agent in Bamako got us on another flight leaving a day later, so we trekked back to that same strange artsy hostel and stayed one more night (I can think of worse places to be stuck in than Milan!).

It worked out in the end, though, because in Casablanca we met Habib Koite and his band and flew back with them to Bamako. Habib Koite is one of the most famous Malian musicians (the Malian equivalent of a rock star). He was super nice, and we ended up sitting right beside him on the plane! So Emily chatted a bunch with him the whole flight. It was the perfect ending to the perfect vacation!

(me and Habib)

Quarter of a Century

Well, I'm just over halfway through my final vacation of Peace Corps. I have had a crazy fun time traveling through Italy and Croatia with my friend Emily. I will share more stories in a later blog (I'm tired and have a big day of hiking tomorrow), but I thought I'd post a few pictures from my birthday. We took a bus from Zagreb to Plitvice National Park that day, where I was startled by literally dozens of waterfalls. It was just about the most beautiful place I've ever been to.

(some of the waterfalls at Plitvice)

(Emily and me on top of a mountain)

(After this photo, I promptly dipped my shoe in the lake climbing off that tree!)

I took a zillion photos of different lakes and waterfalls on my hike, and I will definitely post more later. We hiked around the lakes for about five hours before heading back to Zagreb, where we were "couch surfing" with a documentary filmmaker (and unofficial Croatia guide) named Marin. Marin took us out for drinks that evening -- we had red wine mixed with Coca Cola, which tasted surprisingly good. Then we met up with his friend Dragan and hung out at his high-rise apartment overlooking Zagreb.

Dragan, Marin, me and Emily

Zagreb is a beautiful city, by the way. It still has a small-town feel in the center district, complete with a towering cathedral from the middle ages. Emily and I spent a few days just walking around the city and eating gelatto.

(Emily and me in downtown Zagreb)

(the Zagreb cathedral)

It was an amazing birthday -- definitely going down in my book as one of my best and most memorable ones ever. I'm still in Croatia, but now I'm in the southern region (Makarska). It is very different, but equally as stunning -- There are villages squished in between giant rocky mountains and the blue-green sea. Like I said, I will definitely write more later (we've also traveled to Milan, Venice, Dubrovnik and Slovonsky Brod -- right on the border of Bosnia). But for now I hope that these pictures and short descriptions will do!

Go Blue!

Are you ready for some life updates?? Here goes... I have finally made my choice for where to go to grad school. For those of you who didn't know, I was as indecisive as ever this past month trying to choose between Duke and Michigan (for a dual MBA/Master of Public Policy degree). After going back and forth many times (thanks to everyone for listening to me weigh my options over and over and over..), I finally buckled down and accepted my offer at Michigan! I am really excited now that I know where I'll be this fall (although I'm NOT looking forward to moving somewhere where is snows a lot! Especially since I'm in the middle of hot season here in Mali). I'll start my three-year program at the Ford School of Public Policy, then move on next year to the Ross School of Business (the third year will be mixed). I'm super busy here in Segou trying to squeeze in the last few projects of my Peace Corps service. I am hosting a three-day leadership training next week for all tourism and artisan PCVs and their Malian counterparts, and I just found out yesterday that I won't have the project funding for another four weeks! So now Mme. Koumare and I are going to have to convince everyone (e.g. hotels and caterers) to let us go through with the training without being paid right away. This should be fun... After that I'm flying to Milan! I'll be spending my 25th birthday eating gelatto in Italy en route to Croatia with my friend Emily. I can't wait! And as if that's not enough to look forward to....I just found out that my sisters Patty and Maria are visiting me this July! I just told Mme. Koumare this, and she is almost as excited as I am. I had already named Maria "Maimouna" when she was in Ghana, which is Mme. Koumare's first name. So she's excited to meet her. Patty will have to wait to see what Malian name she'll get... :-) If anyone wants to vote, let me know (some options: Fatimata, Rokia, Adiaratu, Mariam, Tata, Tene, Salimata, Korotimi, Aisha, Aissata, Aminata, Aoua, Oumou, Sira, Kadiatu, Koumba). Well, that about does it. I'll be back in Seattle in three months, and then I'll be driving cross-country with my sister Cindy in August. Hopefully I'll get to see everyone in between!

Djenne and Girls Education

Happy belated Easter to everyone!

I've had a crazy week...I spent Easter Sunday at church in the morning, then I hopped on a bus and went up to San. I met up with Yuri and Mary Virginia and caught transport to Djenne early Monday morning. Djenne is an old city here in Mali (dating back to the times of the original Bambara kingdom), and is home to the largest mud structure in the world -- the Grande Mosquee (big mosque).

(the mosque)

(me, Yuri and Mary Virg)

It's also a cool city -- very different from other cities here in Mali. Djenne has narrow streets that curve and wind around the city, and the buildings are taller than most (it actually reminds me more of urban America than Segou or Bamako, because it seems like apartment buildings with roofs that people hang clothes on and such).

(the roofs of Djenne -- notice the satellite)

We only spent a few hours there, because it's a big tourist town and we weren't in the mood to be followed and hasselled all day long. It also was market day there, so it was extra crowded and busy. But I'm glad I finally ventured out there and saw the famous city (probably the second most famous city here, next to Timbuktu).

(a loaded bachee at market)

(the market next to the mosque)

After Djenne, Mary Virginia and I hopped on a bachee and went to Christy's village, Kamona (where I spent Christmas this past year). Christy was putting on a day retreat for girls in her village. They did presentations on condoms, birth control and women's education, and had the girls make soap.

(during the training)

The guest speaker was my homologue, Madame Koumare. She was a rock star! I had no idea she was so passionate about girls education, but she basically took the wheel throughout the day and inspired all the girls. And the girls listened to her much more intently than to us. It was great to see them so interested in these topics.

(Mme. Koumare talking about the importance of girls education)

We also painted maps of Africa on the walls of two classrooms in their schools (they have a primary school and secondary school). It was tedious, but fun. It was a great experience to help Christy make her project a reality, and Mme. Koumare had a blast in her village.

(Louie and Christy painting the first map)

(Christy, Mary Virg, me, Mme. Koumare and Madiaratu Koumare (another guest speaker) in front of the banner. The banner says: Women in school: education opens the mind)

I just got back from that yesterday, and now I'm back in chaosland trying to figure out which grad school to go to, whether I should go visit them before I decide, and how I'm going to finish all my own projects in the next four months!