Sunday, February 20, 2011

Different, Sometimes Difficult, Never Insurmountable

I've completed 13 days of my homestay so far. Tonight, I'm back at the training center for a few days to do some technical training and to mentally recharge. It's good to be back! A lot has happened in the last 13 days, too much to explain here, so I'll do my best. Here's a rundown of a typical day.

I wake up around 6, sometimes earlier. My host mom and aunts are busy preparing breakfast, fetching water, tending to babies, starting fires. The donkeys' brays or the roosters' calls usually rouse me fisrt, though. At around 6:30 one of my host aunts/my mom knocks on my door. I give her a bottle of my filtered water so she can make my tea. I avert my eyes because it's impolite to greet someone before washing your face in the morning. I take my bath behind a mud wall with a  cup and a bucket. It's refreshing and it makes me feel clean. Once I'm dressed, I sweep my room and study while I wait for breakfast. I usually have a sweetened rice porridge with a partial loaf of french bread with either french fries, mayonaise, or fried plantains. I walk to class with another PCT, Matt, to the rear of the village where we have class in the shade of a mango grove. There are three students in my class: Matt, Rebecca and myself. Sometimes we do cultural or technical training, as the six of us in the village are all in the environment sector. So far we've planted tree seedlings and started a few test plots in a garden.

During lunch I eat, rest, play with my host siblings, or study. In the evenings I go to the pump to get my bathing and drinking water. They laugh at me when I don't carry it on my head and they laugh when I do and it inevitably spills all over me- I must look ridiculous, I can't blame them for laughing. I'm usually laughing harder than all of them. Yep, I'm the toubab (white person) with the bucket on her head and a gaggle of children behind her. I go home, take another bucket bath, journal, and hang out and practice Bambara with my host aunts, uncles, siblings and parents.

My family, by the way, is awesome. My concession (the area in which we live) consists of four brothers (my dad is the eldest) and their four wives (in my situation it's one per brother, but Islamic law allows up to four, FYI). There are roughly twenty kids between them, though it's hard to be sure. They move around a lot. I consider them all to be my host brothers and sisters and all the adults to be my parents. Everyone is really great about being patient, repeating themselves, and giving me space. They are funny and very caring. I was pretty sick this week with both gastrointestinal-related illness and strep throat (of all the things to get in Africa...seriously) but they took great care of me. My mom even made me special tea for my throat. I think that between adjusting to the liberal use of pure MSG, lots of palm oil and moving to a desert climate really did a number on me. No worries, I'm fine now (thank you, Peace Corps MedKit for having strong antibiotics!).

The title of this post, "Different, Sometimes Difficult, Never Insurmountable" has been a mantra for me these past few weeks. Malian culture and living amongst very poor people has its challenges, both logistically/physically and psychologically, but I am doing well. I am doing my best to keep a positive attitude. I can be overwhelming if I think about all 27 months of service at once, but I'm taking baby steps. It's working so far. Very slowly I am speaking and comprehending more Bambara. I'm sure I will face rougher illnesses and more intense homesickness and/or culture shock, but overall, I'm proud of myself for the shape I'm in. Life is good.

Sorry for the length, but like I said, a lot has happened. I'll be around the internet for a few more days so I'll do my best to stay on top of communication!

2 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for the details of your life there. What can we send? Much love and admiration, Niki

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  2. from school on an island back to tennessee and now landlocked in mali, education can't be more well-rounded than that.hopefully my small mailings have arrived.little concrete reminders that we're thinking of you.living on the ground in viet nam helped me become more aware of nature and evolution than anything ever could. take care. uncle mike

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