Funny things about my town: There are watermelons everywhere right now. Honestly they come in by the truckload. My town thinks I’m a weirdo whenever I go on runs…realized people don’t really need to exercise here because daily life is full of exercise anyway. Just started thinking how funny it is that we obsess so much about dieting in the US. Pretty sure if I told my host family or others in my town, they’d be completely confused about why people would try so hard not to eat. This is especially true here because a lot of times larger women are considered more beautiful than skinny women because they’re believed to be wealthier. People also wear skin lightening cream because they think it’s more beautiful. No need for fake tanner here!
In the last month I started going to sit in on some of the 7th, 8th and 9th form classes. They have four schools in my town and an English teacher I’ve gotten to know pretty well. Each student has one notebook and two pens, one red and one blue. Each grade has students of all ages, sometimes an age difference of 5 or more years. Guess this is because kids start school at different times and may have to drop out occasionally to work in the fields, or help out at home. There were close to 60 students in the younger classes and not a single student has a book. There is a book the teacher uses to teach and students must copy down all the lessons into their notebook. There are noticeably fewer people, and a lot fewer girls as the grades get higher. Had one disturbing day when this teenage boy came up to the front of the class near the teacher and I to say he was unable to do his homework. The teacher kind of mocked him and asked why not. The student’s excuse was that he had a problem at home. Still mocking, the teacher asked what was the family issue and they boy replied that his mother had died. The teacher looked to the class for confirmation before letting him return to his seat. What was especially difficult about this for me was that this didn’t seem like a big deal to them at all…when I asked the teacher after class if that was really what had happened he laughed at me when he saw how shocked I was.
Celebrated a major Muslim holiday this past month known as Seli Ba. It’s meant to commemorate Abraham’s faith for willing to sacrifice his son. In the end, God replaced his son with a goat. Every family, if they are able, purchase a goat to sacrifice. Festivities begin early in the morning, went to one of our town’s mosques with my host family. Then came back to their concession to take pictures with the goat before they performed the sacrifice (could NOT watch that one). Was a major point of pride for my family that they were able to purchase a pretty big goat. After the sacrifice, families go around offering different parts of the goat to other families while reciting a string of blessings. Everyone puts on their nicest outfits (most people get new, expensive outfits tailored). Children get dressed up as well and go house to house reciting the blessings and receiving small change or candies along with blessings in return. There was plenty of loud music and dancing, celebrating went on for three days. Felt nice to be included in such a special tradition.
Got to see Mali’s president! He paid a visit to a nearby village in order to draw attention to a new cow vaccination campaign.
Also I had a really wonderful Thanksgiving. All of the Peace Corps volunteers in the Koulikoro region were invited to dinner at the house of the US Ambassador in Bamako. She has a beautiful home and served us the most amazing, Thanksgiving meal with turkeys flown in from the US, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie…all the good stuff. Afterwards we went across the street to another expat’s home. He had a table full of delicious desserts and probably close to 100 expats just socializing, drinking, and eating. Peace Corps volunteers are really welcomed warmly here, the other expats (embassy employees, USAID workers, etc) seem to want to spoil us because they know how hard it can be for us. It’s a nice community to be a part of. As much as I enjoyed my holiday, was sad to be away from my family celebrating my grandma’s 90th birthday! You were all in my thoughts this past month especially you grandma! Also HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM and DAD!!! So wish I could be there to celebrate. Love you! I have the best family in the world no question.
So sorry it takes so long in between updates. Been especially frustrated with internet lately, it’s just constantly out. Only have access to internet about once a month, and even then it’s not always working. Now I’m in Bamako for two weeks of training with all 80 of the volunteers in my training class. Yesterday we had a woman come speak from Helen Keller International. She was a former Peace Corps volunteer in Guinea and now is heavily involved in HKI’s malnutrition program. Malnutrition is incredibly prevalent in my area, all over Mali really, so really appreciated hearing from her. Aside from that, just really excited for Christmas. Leaving in less than two weeks for Nigeria! Looking forward to a very sunny Christmas.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Ne? N bora Ameriki, n bena sans fila ke yan.
Month two in village DOWN. Feels really good to finally have some more time here under my belt. There are less surprises now and it’s so nice to settle into more of a routine. I have some friends in my town, know how to feed myself well, I’ve figured out how to do the dishes with no running water and get my laundry done without washing machines. Gave up quickly on trying to wash clothes by hand on my own. Lucky for me a teenage girl in town is eager to help if I pay her…I justify it to myself by thinking I’m putting money into the economy, right? It’s making my life a lot easier anyway.
These past three weeks have been filled with trips to the health center, still trying to get a better understanding of how things work, who comes to use their services, and what the major health issues are. They perform pre-natal consultations twice a week - once for the women in my town and once for people who come in from the “bush” (from one of the 40 surrounding villages that also use the CSCOM). They also give vaccinations to babies two days a week - again once for my town’s babies and once for babies from the bush. One thing I didn’t notice last month is that they’ve been conducting baby weighing sessions on Wednesday mornings.
SO just a little about baby weighings. Health centers conduct baby weighing sessions as a way to monitor childhood malnutrition in the area. They take the babies height, weight and the circumference of the arm. There are different charts we can use that tell us what combination of height/weight is healthy, moderately malnourished, or severely malnourished. My health center will usually decide the level of malnourishment using the arm band, how fat the baby’s arm is. You can also use the combination of height and age. Trying to use this combination has been most frustrating for me because so few people have any idea of their age here! Most mothers seem to completely guess the age of their babies and look at the health relais like they’re crazy for even asking. Most babies do have vaccination cards that mothers will bring with them but I know for a fact the date of birth written on these are not always accurate either. Twice I saw dates written that have not occurred yet, clearly an impossible birthday for a baby. Most baby weighing days will examine probably 30-40 babies and all but maybe five fall into the yellow, moderately malnourished category. Two-three are severely malnourished and maybe a couple are deemed “healthy” weights. Any moderately to severely malnourished babies will get Plumpy Nut, peanut butter packages, that will hopefully help them start to put on more weight. But I know there is a limit to how long the health center will continue to provide the Plumpy Nut. There are so many babies coming from so many different villages that I’ve been having trouble figuring out if the same babies are coming each week. Not sure if anything is actually being monitored or if we’re just kind of going through the motions. I’d like to know if the babies are actually consuming the Plumpy Nut they’re given and if it’s helping. Still pretty overwhelming! I see a lot of promise but also a lot of problems with the system and hope that this is an area I can focus on once my language comes along a little better…
I’ve been continuing on with my needs assessment. So far I’ve made it to 15 different households conducting my survey. I did have one pretty disturbing event towards the end of this month. I was sitting in a family’s concession with my health relais, the women who is helping me with language as I conduct the survey. I was interviewing one of the male heads of the household (most households have two to three men, maybe six women, and ten to fifteen kids). In the middle of the survey, a women carrying a three year old boy ran out of her hut hysterically crying. The other women in the compound immediately ran to her and within moments were all crying too. In all the commotion, all I could understand was my health relais telling me the child was not well. As far as I could tell, his eyes were closed and he was not moving. I suppose he must’ve been sick for awhile and took a turn for the worst. I just continued to sit, dumbfounded, not really sure what to do with myself. I know I did feel incredibly inappropriate being there and could not even remember the customary blessings we’re supposed to say in such an event… I’m still not sure if the child died or what was the end result but just to be that close to one family’s grief was really traumatic for me. A child died in my training village a few months ago, and the other trainees and I were relatively shielded from the whole event. No one ever cried in front of us and it was possible just to push the event out of our minds. But with this child, their grief was so intense, so real and since seeing that it’s been really difficult for me to come to terms with their suffering. It’s easy to forget the common nature of death here with all the laughing and joking that goes on. Guess these sorts of experiences are just going to be a reality of my life here, still need to figure out how I’m going to handle it.
Back in Bamako now and so happy to be with Americans again, eating good food and speaking English. Have eaten well and had a great time celebrating a friend’s birthday. Leaving Bamako in a few days for site until Thanksgiving.
These past three weeks have been filled with trips to the health center, still trying to get a better understanding of how things work, who comes to use their services, and what the major health issues are. They perform pre-natal consultations twice a week - once for the women in my town and once for people who come in from the “bush” (from one of the 40 surrounding villages that also use the CSCOM). They also give vaccinations to babies two days a week - again once for my town’s babies and once for babies from the bush. One thing I didn’t notice last month is that they’ve been conducting baby weighing sessions on Wednesday mornings.
SO just a little about baby weighings. Health centers conduct baby weighing sessions as a way to monitor childhood malnutrition in the area. They take the babies height, weight and the circumference of the arm. There are different charts we can use that tell us what combination of height/weight is healthy, moderately malnourished, or severely malnourished. My health center will usually decide the level of malnourishment using the arm band, how fat the baby’s arm is. You can also use the combination of height and age. Trying to use this combination has been most frustrating for me because so few people have any idea of their age here! Most mothers seem to completely guess the age of their babies and look at the health relais like they’re crazy for even asking. Most babies do have vaccination cards that mothers will bring with them but I know for a fact the date of birth written on these are not always accurate either. Twice I saw dates written that have not occurred yet, clearly an impossible birthday for a baby. Most baby weighing days will examine probably 30-40 babies and all but maybe five fall into the yellow, moderately malnourished category. Two-three are severely malnourished and maybe a couple are deemed “healthy” weights. Any moderately to severely malnourished babies will get Plumpy Nut, peanut butter packages, that will hopefully help them start to put on more weight. But I know there is a limit to how long the health center will continue to provide the Plumpy Nut. There are so many babies coming from so many different villages that I’ve been having trouble figuring out if the same babies are coming each week. Not sure if anything is actually being monitored or if we’re just kind of going through the motions. I’d like to know if the babies are actually consuming the Plumpy Nut they’re given and if it’s helping. Still pretty overwhelming! I see a lot of promise but also a lot of problems with the system and hope that this is an area I can focus on once my language comes along a little better…
I’ve been continuing on with my needs assessment. So far I’ve made it to 15 different households conducting my survey. I did have one pretty disturbing event towards the end of this month. I was sitting in a family’s concession with my health relais, the women who is helping me with language as I conduct the survey. I was interviewing one of the male heads of the household (most households have two to three men, maybe six women, and ten to fifteen kids). In the middle of the survey, a women carrying a three year old boy ran out of her hut hysterically crying. The other women in the compound immediately ran to her and within moments were all crying too. In all the commotion, all I could understand was my health relais telling me the child was not well. As far as I could tell, his eyes were closed and he was not moving. I suppose he must’ve been sick for awhile and took a turn for the worst. I just continued to sit, dumbfounded, not really sure what to do with myself. I know I did feel incredibly inappropriate being there and could not even remember the customary blessings we’re supposed to say in such an event… I’m still not sure if the child died or what was the end result but just to be that close to one family’s grief was really traumatic for me. A child died in my training village a few months ago, and the other trainees and I were relatively shielded from the whole event. No one ever cried in front of us and it was possible just to push the event out of our minds. But with this child, their grief was so intense, so real and since seeing that it’s been really difficult for me to come to terms with their suffering. It’s easy to forget the common nature of death here with all the laughing and joking that goes on. Guess these sorts of experiences are just going to be a reality of my life here, still need to figure out how I’m going to handle it.
Back in Bamako now and so happy to be with Americans again, eating good food and speaking English. Have eaten well and had a great time celebrating a friend’s birthday. Leaving Bamako in a few days for site until Thanksgiving.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Aminata! Aminata! When you go to America, we go together?
Think I'm overdue for a long update, internet has once again been hard to come by but lots to catch up on! My stage of 80 other Americans officially became Peace Corps volunteers on September 3 when we recited an oath at the American Embassy. The Ambassador was incredibly encouraging - saying she would never have the courage to do what we do and that she thinks we're the best diplomats the United States has to offer. So maybe this is a little over the top but I really appreciated the sentiment. I'll take all the encouragement I can get at this point! Peace Corps has been one challenge after another and this past month has been no different. Following our swear-in ceremoney, we enjoyed a day by the pool at the American Club and then a night of dancing out in Bamako. We had one more day to regroup before a morning of pretty intense goodbyes and departure for site. After spending almost every day with the 7 volunteers in my host village for training, I wouldn't have the chance to see some of them for three months.
So for the past months, I've been living in my permanent site alone. Didn't see another American once. Again it's total language and cultural immersion. Had to speak bambara all the time. There is close to zero structure to my day. I have mornings where I wake up and literally have no idea what to do with myself. The minute I leave my 'apartment'/hut, I am completely on display. I can't walk down the street without having to greet every person I walk by. Probably every other person demands that I "na yan" or come here and chat. I sit and chat in a language I can still barely speak. Usually our conversations end fairly abruptly when I say I don't understand and they laugh at the silly American as I walk away. And then there are the longer chatting sessions that involve tea. They drink tea out of these shot glasses. It's incredibly strong and they use maybe a quarter cup of sugar to sweeten it. THere are three rounds of three and it's polite to stick through them all. I've had so many hours in silence with no idea what's going on. Other conversations are more predictable and I understand only because I literally have the exact same conversation ten times a day. It goes something like this:
Me: good morning! how is your family? how are your children? you are healthy?
Random guy/group of guys: We are fine. All are healthy. What is your name?
Me: My name is Aminata.
Guy: What is your last name?
Me: Traore
Guy: Eh, Traore is bad. You should be Jarra (another last name). You must like beans.
Me: No I don't like beans. Traore is good.
Guy: Are you married?
Me: I have a fiance (NOT true but this lie is essential here)
Guy: In America? That is no good. You must marry someone here.
Me:No I like my fiancee. See you later!
Guy: Ok, But Aminata, when you go to America, we go together.
Me: Yeah sure. After two years we'll go together.
Most days I go to the CSCOM (local health cente). I had the chance to look through some of their records and it's amazing to see in print how many children here women actually have. I don't mean to be cultually insensitive but I swear a lot of women at least in my town and surrounding villages are baby making machines! Many start around 18 (all are married first) and have a child every year or two well into their thirthies. I'd say most women in their records had 7 or 8 kids. And this is only taking into account the women who actually visit the CSCOM. My guess is many that don't have even more kids than those that do. Another thing that surprised me is there is just one doctor at the CSCOM, a couple of matrones, and maybe 6 others with some level of education (not more than 9 years). And this CSCOM not only serves people in my town but also the FORTY surronding villages. Two days a week, pregnant women from "the bush" (surrounding villages) come in for pre-natal consulatations. Also twice a week, mothers bring in their babies for vaccinations. I actually really like having so many babies around, holding them can really help on a bad day.
Also wanted to talk about what I've observed with the birthing process here. First, my matrone spent three days in a row this past month without going home because so many women were going into labor. Secndly, there doesn't seem to be any sense of urgency when women give birth. One day, my homologue and I were eating lunch at the CSCOM(rice with sauce - still eating with our hands in a communal bowl) when this woman walks in and stares at Djegue. She's obviously uncomfortable but to me it just looked like she had a headache or something. She said nothing to Djegue (my homologue) and we just kept on eating. Finally, Djegue got up and motioned for the woman to walk with her to the back room. I didn't watch the birth but I swear fifteen minutes later there was a baby. Through the whole process, it was silent until the newborn cried. It was so bizarre. And then after giving birth, many women stay for just a couple of hours and then walk right out with their babies. After one woman gave birth in the morning, in the afternoon, I watched her climb in the back of a donkey cart with her mother and newborn and ride right on back to her village.Sometimes I see the husband come by to visit. And that's about it.
On September 22, Mali celebrated 50 years of independence. I was in a nearby town the night before and they celebrated with music, dancing and rice. Most all the women including myself had special outfits made with 50th anniversary fabric.
So to sum up, all I really did for the month was walk around town greeting people, chatting and drinking tea, observing work at the CSCOM and trying to learn as much Bambara as I can. I did have a productive meeting with my homologue and the general secretary of my town where I was able to discuss with them some ideas. I also had a chance to look over their PDSec, or my town's plan for development. Even though it was in French, it had some good info on the history of the town, the geography, the ethnic groups and health statistics. I also began the baseline survey. Every health volunteer is supposed to survey as many families as possible in the first three months. The survey includes all sorts of questions about their level of education, disease prevention practices, and knowledge of AIDS and family planning. Luckily I had one of my town's health relais help with the translation (she spoke some French so could help me with the Bambara when I was trying to speak with families. Health relais are basically just community health workers. They are volunteers who come to the CSCOM for training on different pertinent health issues and then go out to the surrounding villages and my town and try and share these messages with their neighbors.
Honestly, motivation has been a bit of an issue here. Volunteers are lonely, hot, usually hungry (mostly missing American food) and a lot of times sick. Think I'm just still in survival mode. But it's hard to face all these challenges when you're not feeling productive. Still one day at a time.
Just had a week of language training back in Bamako, which meant time with Americans, more familiar food, electricity, and at least some sporadic internet. It was a much needed break. Volunteers are so supportive of each other, just wish I had the opportunity to see them more (the closest volunteer is three hours away from me). Anyways back to my town on Monday until Halloween! Hope to continue on with the survey and keep working on the language.
K'an b'en kofe! (see you later)
So for the past months, I've been living in my permanent site alone. Didn't see another American once. Again it's total language and cultural immersion. Had to speak bambara all the time. There is close to zero structure to my day. I have mornings where I wake up and literally have no idea what to do with myself. The minute I leave my 'apartment'/hut, I am completely on display. I can't walk down the street without having to greet every person I walk by. Probably every other person demands that I "na yan" or come here and chat. I sit and chat in a language I can still barely speak. Usually our conversations end fairly abruptly when I say I don't understand and they laugh at the silly American as I walk away. And then there are the longer chatting sessions that involve tea. They drink tea out of these shot glasses. It's incredibly strong and they use maybe a quarter cup of sugar to sweeten it. THere are three rounds of three and it's polite to stick through them all. I've had so many hours in silence with no idea what's going on. Other conversations are more predictable and I understand only because I literally have the exact same conversation ten times a day. It goes something like this:
Me: good morning! how is your family? how are your children? you are healthy?
Random guy/group of guys: We are fine. All are healthy. What is your name?
Me: My name is Aminata.
Guy: What is your last name?
Me: Traore
Guy: Eh, Traore is bad. You should be Jarra (another last name). You must like beans.
Me: No I don't like beans. Traore is good.
Guy: Are you married?
Me: I have a fiance (NOT true but this lie is essential here)
Guy: In America? That is no good. You must marry someone here.
Me:No I like my fiancee. See you later!
Guy: Ok, But Aminata, when you go to America, we go together.
Me: Yeah sure. After two years we'll go together.
Most days I go to the CSCOM (local health cente). I had the chance to look through some of their records and it's amazing to see in print how many children here women actually have. I don't mean to be cultually insensitive but I swear a lot of women at least in my town and surrounding villages are baby making machines! Many start around 18 (all are married first) and have a child every year or two well into their thirthies. I'd say most women in their records had 7 or 8 kids. And this is only taking into account the women who actually visit the CSCOM. My guess is many that don't have even more kids than those that do. Another thing that surprised me is there is just one doctor at the CSCOM, a couple of matrones, and maybe 6 others with some level of education (not more than 9 years). And this CSCOM not only serves people in my town but also the FORTY surronding villages. Two days a week, pregnant women from "the bush" (surrounding villages) come in for pre-natal consulatations. Also twice a week, mothers bring in their babies for vaccinations. I actually really like having so many babies around, holding them can really help on a bad day.
Also wanted to talk about what I've observed with the birthing process here. First, my matrone spent three days in a row this past month without going home because so many women were going into labor. Secndly, there doesn't seem to be any sense of urgency when women give birth. One day, my homologue and I were eating lunch at the CSCOM(rice with sauce - still eating with our hands in a communal bowl) when this woman walks in and stares at Djegue. She's obviously uncomfortable but to me it just looked like she had a headache or something. She said nothing to Djegue (my homologue) and we just kept on eating. Finally, Djegue got up and motioned for the woman to walk with her to the back room. I didn't watch the birth but I swear fifteen minutes later there was a baby. Through the whole process, it was silent until the newborn cried. It was so bizarre. And then after giving birth, many women stay for just a couple of hours and then walk right out with their babies. After one woman gave birth in the morning, in the afternoon, I watched her climb in the back of a donkey cart with her mother and newborn and ride right on back to her village.Sometimes I see the husband come by to visit. And that's about it.
On September 22, Mali celebrated 50 years of independence. I was in a nearby town the night before and they celebrated with music, dancing and rice. Most all the women including myself had special outfits made with 50th anniversary fabric.
So to sum up, all I really did for the month was walk around town greeting people, chatting and drinking tea, observing work at the CSCOM and trying to learn as much Bambara as I can. I did have a productive meeting with my homologue and the general secretary of my town where I was able to discuss with them some ideas. I also had a chance to look over their PDSec, or my town's plan for development. Even though it was in French, it had some good info on the history of the town, the geography, the ethnic groups and health statistics. I also began the baseline survey. Every health volunteer is supposed to survey as many families as possible in the first three months. The survey includes all sorts of questions about their level of education, disease prevention practices, and knowledge of AIDS and family planning. Luckily I had one of my town's health relais help with the translation (she spoke some French so could help me with the Bambara when I was trying to speak with families. Health relais are basically just community health workers. They are volunteers who come to the CSCOM for training on different pertinent health issues and then go out to the surrounding villages and my town and try and share these messages with their neighbors.
Honestly, motivation has been a bit of an issue here. Volunteers are lonely, hot, usually hungry (mostly missing American food) and a lot of times sick. Think I'm just still in survival mode. But it's hard to face all these challenges when you're not feeling productive. Still one day at a time.
Just had a week of language training back in Bamako, which meant time with Americans, more familiar food, electricity, and at least some sporadic internet. It was a much needed break. Volunteers are so supportive of each other, just wish I had the opportunity to see them more (the closest volunteer is three hours away from me). Anyways back to my town on Monday until Halloween! Hope to continue on with the survey and keep working on the language.
K'an b'en kofe! (see you later)
Monday, August 30, 2010
Counting down the days to Swear-In!
And I'm back to civilization for another few days. We had a really great, meaningful last 10 days in our homestay village. The emphasis switched from language acquisition to health technical training and the other trainees and I did lots more hands-on activities. One day we conducted a baby weighing session. One way we are encouraged to monitor malnutrition in our villages is by asking mothers to bring their babies to the health center once a week so we can monitor their growth. Based off of their age and weight, we're given charts to determine whether or not the baby is green (healthy), yellow (moderately malnourished), or red (severely malnourished). After the baby is weighed, based on the child's color, we give the mother advice. Usually we just say the baby should exclusively breast feed until 6 months. After 6 months, the mom can start weaning the child slowly by introducing soft foods. There are cultural beliefs/practices that keep women from continuing to breast feed for six months. For example, many women will stop breast feeding if they become pregnant again because they believe it is harmful for their unborn baby. This is especially common in Mali because not many people practice birth spacing. Anyways, out of the 40 or so babies we weighed, over half were moderately malnourished and three were severely malnourished. We did our best to advise the mothers (in Bambara) - I think mostly they were just amused by our discomfort trying to hold the babies and put them onto our makeshift scale.
Another day we did a demonstration of how to make ameliorated porridge. Most families have porridge for breakfast but it's not very nutrient rich. If they add peanut powder, or corn powder, or a number of other ingredients they could greatly increase their children's vitamin intake. I loved this activity because my host mom showed up with all of my little host siblings and was really active helping with the demonstration - made me feel proud. And so happy they were there supporting me.
We also did what Peace Corps calls an "animation," which is basically just an informal chat about some health topic. We gathered six women together and had an interactive presentation about exclusive breast-feeding, proper weaning methods, and Mali's three food groups.
As for other stories from the week... A chicken got locked in my room. There are tons of animals that hang in my compound and somehow a chicken wandered into my room. The door shut behind it and all of a sudden I heard this loud commotion as the bird freaked out trying to leave. We also had our final language test. Each trainee has to score at 'intermediate-mid' in their language (mine is Bambara) to be sworn in as a volunteer. Funny story, after 6 years of french, I only scored intermediate mid when I had my french test early on in training. So apparently now my french is as good as my Bambara. Don't think that speaks very well of my french...just so happy to have the language test out of the way. Language is going to be a struggle for the next two years but at least now I've got some basics.
Leaving the village/saying goodye to our host families was kind of sad but also really satisfying. We all bought gifts to give to our families. I gave my host moms each fabric, soap and sugar, gave my host grandmother kola nuts (old people love them here - lots of caffeine), and then a bunch of cookies, American candy, and stickers for all my host siblings. Oh and I gave my host brother a deck of cards. Anyways, so when I presented my family with their gifts, they started dancing and singing in our compound. They were in a circle and pulled me into the center. Made me feel special. And then I was blessed about a thousand times. Was a great end to these two months with them. Hopefully I'll be able to come back and visit.
So now we're back at the training center until our swear-in ceremony on September 3. We'll be dressing up in Malian clothes and going to the American Embassy in Bamako to read an oath and become official volunteers. The ceremony is followed by dinner and a night out in Bamako and I am so excited!! Think I'll get to feel like a real person again. That's pretty much it for now except thank you to the Middletons and the Newlons for your fantastic package!!! Really made my day. I'll be putting your card up on my wall in my new apartment :)
And thanks to everyone for your continued support!! Just about done with training, a big milestone in my book!
Another day we did a demonstration of how to make ameliorated porridge. Most families have porridge for breakfast but it's not very nutrient rich. If they add peanut powder, or corn powder, or a number of other ingredients they could greatly increase their children's vitamin intake. I loved this activity because my host mom showed up with all of my little host siblings and was really active helping with the demonstration - made me feel proud. And so happy they were there supporting me.
We also did what Peace Corps calls an "animation," which is basically just an informal chat about some health topic. We gathered six women together and had an interactive presentation about exclusive breast-feeding, proper weaning methods, and Mali's three food groups.
As for other stories from the week... A chicken got locked in my room. There are tons of animals that hang in my compound and somehow a chicken wandered into my room. The door shut behind it and all of a sudden I heard this loud commotion as the bird freaked out trying to leave. We also had our final language test. Each trainee has to score at 'intermediate-mid' in their language (mine is Bambara) to be sworn in as a volunteer. Funny story, after 6 years of french, I only scored intermediate mid when I had my french test early on in training. So apparently now my french is as good as my Bambara. Don't think that speaks very well of my french...just so happy to have the language test out of the way. Language is going to be a struggle for the next two years but at least now I've got some basics.
Leaving the village/saying goodye to our host families was kind of sad but also really satisfying. We all bought gifts to give to our families. I gave my host moms each fabric, soap and sugar, gave my host grandmother kola nuts (old people love them here - lots of caffeine), and then a bunch of cookies, American candy, and stickers for all my host siblings. Oh and I gave my host brother a deck of cards. Anyways, so when I presented my family with their gifts, they started dancing and singing in our compound. They were in a circle and pulled me into the center. Made me feel special. And then I was blessed about a thousand times. Was a great end to these two months with them. Hopefully I'll be able to come back and visit.
So now we're back at the training center until our swear-in ceremony on September 3. We'll be dressing up in Malian clothes and going to the American Embassy in Bamako to read an oath and become official volunteers. The ceremony is followed by dinner and a night out in Bamako and I am so excited!! Think I'll get to feel like a real person again. That's pretty much it for now except thank you to the Middletons and the Newlons for your fantastic package!!! Really made my day. I'll be putting your card up on my wall in my new apartment :)
And thanks to everyone for your continued support!! Just about done with training, a big milestone in my book!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
New Site!
I have a permanent site and it is amazing. I am so relieved! It’s
been another long week but it’s so nice to finally have some idea of
where I’ll be spending the next two years. Think it might be easiest
if I explain a few Peace Corps terms/its structure before I get more
into things… So every Mali volunteer is assigned a homologue. Your
homologue is a local Malian who lives in your village or town and
hopefully has some connection to the type of work you’ve been
assigned. For example, I’m a health volunteer and my homologue is a
matrone. She delivers babies and spends a lot of time with pregnant
women giving prenatal consultations, iron supplements and shots to
help fight malaria. This is probably a really basic description but
I’m sure I’ll come to understand more as time goes on.
So basically, the health care system in Mali is divided into four
levels. There’s the national level (hospital in Bamako), regional
level (hospitals in one of Mali’s 8 regions), circle level (clinics in
larger towns/cities) and the CSCOM (community health center in
towns/villages). Most Mali health volunteers do at least some work
with the CSCOM. Luckily for me, my CSCOM is located in my town,
serving both people in my town and a bunch of the surrounding smaller
villages. There is something different going on in the CSCOM each day.
Some days are vaccination days, others are prenatal consultations,
etc. Honestly can’t get too much more detailed than that yet about
what exactly goes on there but it is really comforting to know I have
the CSCOM there. It gives some structure to a job that otherwise
really has no structure at all. The CSCOM is a place where I can go
each day, even if just to observe while I still work on learning the
language. Peace Corps doesn’t allow volunteers to pursue projects in
their first three months at site anyways so I have some time to get
settled and speak with people in the town to assess the community’s
major needs. Maybe more selfishly, it’s going to take me at least
three months to learn how to live well in such a new and crazy
environment. The emotional roller coaster has continued…not to mention
feeling sick all the time. Think I’ve turned a corner actually but
pretty much every day I feel there’s at least some nausea or some
other stomach issue. Still learning what foods are safe/my stomach
will accept.
Pretty sure one of my highlights in the last week was when I
discovered yogurt in my town. There are also fruits and vegetables -
something that can’t be found anywhere in my homestay village. And
also cold drinks. A cold drink really means the world when there’s no
electricity combined with Mali’s heat. Ok on to more important things…
So my town is about 6-7000 people in Mali’s Koulikoro region (not
supposed to write the name of the town for security reasons…) It’s
along a major road so there are tons of trucks. There are a couple of
bars I’ve been warned prostitutes frequent. It’s ethnically diverse
with both Peulh (Fulani) and Bambara peoples. They’re separated into
different quartiers. I’m replacing a current volunteer who’s getting
ready to COS (close of service) and she was so well-received as we
were walking around. She would greet EVERYONE (pretty much a
requirement in Mali) and most everyone knew her name. Think I really
lucked out because she’s done a lot of the dirty work of explaining
the purpose of a peace corps volunteer to her community (a challenge
most new volunteers face throughout their service) and finding
different people and groups in the community who are eager to begin
work. I have a pretty good idea of what the community might be looking
for but also had the harsh shock that I really can’t do much of
anything until I learn the language. Think it’s going to be a long
process but I’m definitely motivated so we’ll see!
I’m living in a sort-of apartment on the second floor of this
building the mayor owns and uses to house different NGO visitors.
There’s also a smaller family living below. But mostly, it’s private
which really means a lot. The minute you walk out the door in Mali,
you are a spectacle. People are watching your every move and calling
your name and greeting you in Bambara and it can just be so
exhausting. Having a quieter place to come home to will be amazing. I
plan to make it my little two-roomed American oasis. This might be
difficult considering I have zero decorating skills but I guess I’ve
got the time to figure it out! There’s no bathroom, still have to get
used to the hole in the ground nyegen outside but at least it’s my own
nyegen! Peace Corps requires all villages to provide us with our own
nyegens thank freakin goodness. There’s also no running water or
electricity, but there is a communal faucet that runs outside my
building that I can use to fill up my bucket to shower (forget about
hot water….) Also kind of exciting is that electricity is apparently
coming to my town. It was chosen by some NGO or something in Bamako as
a project to bring the town electricity. The poles are up and people
are excited. They say it should be going by the end of the month so we
will see! Guess it’ll be interesting to see how electricity will
change life for people. Even without electricity, I can charge my
phone off of car batteries so that’s exciting. And I have full cell
reception. I know this sounds small but some volunteers have to bike
outside of their villages to find one spot that they can maybe get
reception. So yeah, basically my apartment is two small-ish empty
rooms. There are windows! And no donkey right outside my door (like in
my homestay). Major plus.
So most of the week I just went around trying to meet as many people
as possible. After the first couple of days, I had the girl I’m
replacing there with me (who has been AMAZING by the way I’m so lucky)
to introduce me around and help me with the language. I spent one
night with my homologue and her family. Her family is so sweet. Think
I’ll be eating most of my meals with them. I’d like to cook sometimes
but it’s good to eat with a family to make some stronger connections
right from the beginning. I visited the CSCOM twice, observed some
prenatal consultations. Met the mayor and general secretary, and had a
“protocol” meeting where a representative from Peace Corps came to
more formally introduce me and explain my purpose in being there. I
met the president of my CSCOMS ASACO (ASACO is basically a committee
of people who fund the CSCOM). I greeted the dugutiki (village chief)
and offered him kola nuts. It’s interesting how there’s both the
traditional and more modern governing structure in place. I went to
visit World Vision, one of a couple NGOs present in my town. I also
met a bunch of the girl friends the PCV I’m replacing had made, she’s
really created a social life for herself there which is cool. All in
all, it was just a really fantastic week. It’s the first freedom I’ve
had in a month and a half (training is just so structured…) and having
more control over what I eat is also really huge. I’ve realized just
how weak and nauseous I’ve been feeling (most likely from the meals I
have to eat at homestay). PCVs talk about being sick so casually. They
start sentences like “yeah that second time I had giardia….” or “last
time I had malaria…” I know it’s a part of life here as a PCV but it’s
still pretty scary to me.
Anyways, we ended the week by cooking American spaghetti for my
homologues family. The next day, made our way back into Bamako where a
bunch of current PCVs made us a taco dinner/party to welcome all the
newbees to the region. Now I’m back at the Peace Corps training center
for two days before another 10 day run in my homestay village! So
ready for training to be over but it gets closer each day… Just over
two more weeks! Oh also I have a new address for packages/letters. The
one listed on the blog still works, just will take a bit longer to get
me. Just send me an email or comment if you’d like the new address! Oh
also side note, I have a new name. My homologue decided Aminata Traore
is a much more fitting name than Fatumata Coulibaly (most people in my
town is Traore). Actually pretty happy not to be a Coulibaly anymore.
Because of the joking cousins thing, EVERYONE gives Coulibalys a hard
time. Tired of being called a bean eater.
been another long week but it’s so nice to finally have some idea of
where I’ll be spending the next two years. Think it might be easiest
if I explain a few Peace Corps terms/its structure before I get more
into things… So every Mali volunteer is assigned a homologue. Your
homologue is a local Malian who lives in your village or town and
hopefully has some connection to the type of work you’ve been
assigned. For example, I’m a health volunteer and my homologue is a
matrone. She delivers babies and spends a lot of time with pregnant
women giving prenatal consultations, iron supplements and shots to
help fight malaria. This is probably a really basic description but
I’m sure I’ll come to understand more as time goes on.
So basically, the health care system in Mali is divided into four
levels. There’s the national level (hospital in Bamako), regional
level (hospitals in one of Mali’s 8 regions), circle level (clinics in
larger towns/cities) and the CSCOM (community health center in
towns/villages). Most Mali health volunteers do at least some work
with the CSCOM. Luckily for me, my CSCOM is located in my town,
serving both people in my town and a bunch of the surrounding smaller
villages. There is something different going on in the CSCOM each day.
Some days are vaccination days, others are prenatal consultations,
etc. Honestly can’t get too much more detailed than that yet about
what exactly goes on there but it is really comforting to know I have
the CSCOM there. It gives some structure to a job that otherwise
really has no structure at all. The CSCOM is a place where I can go
each day, even if just to observe while I still work on learning the
language. Peace Corps doesn’t allow volunteers to pursue projects in
their first three months at site anyways so I have some time to get
settled and speak with people in the town to assess the community’s
major needs. Maybe more selfishly, it’s going to take me at least
three months to learn how to live well in such a new and crazy
environment. The emotional roller coaster has continued…not to mention
feeling sick all the time. Think I’ve turned a corner actually but
pretty much every day I feel there’s at least some nausea or some
other stomach issue. Still learning what foods are safe/my stomach
will accept.
Pretty sure one of my highlights in the last week was when I
discovered yogurt in my town. There are also fruits and vegetables -
something that can’t be found anywhere in my homestay village. And
also cold drinks. A cold drink really means the world when there’s no
electricity combined with Mali’s heat. Ok on to more important things…
So my town is about 6-7000 people in Mali’s Koulikoro region (not
supposed to write the name of the town for security reasons…) It’s
along a major road so there are tons of trucks. There are a couple of
bars I’ve been warned prostitutes frequent. It’s ethnically diverse
with both Peulh (Fulani) and Bambara peoples. They’re separated into
different quartiers. I’m replacing a current volunteer who’s getting
ready to COS (close of service) and she was so well-received as we
were walking around. She would greet EVERYONE (pretty much a
requirement in Mali) and most everyone knew her name. Think I really
lucked out because she’s done a lot of the dirty work of explaining
the purpose of a peace corps volunteer to her community (a challenge
most new volunteers face throughout their service) and finding
different people and groups in the community who are eager to begin
work. I have a pretty good idea of what the community might be looking
for but also had the harsh shock that I really can’t do much of
anything until I learn the language. Think it’s going to be a long
process but I’m definitely motivated so we’ll see!
I’m living in a sort-of apartment on the second floor of this
building the mayor owns and uses to house different NGO visitors.
There’s also a smaller family living below. But mostly, it’s private
which really means a lot. The minute you walk out the door in Mali,
you are a spectacle. People are watching your every move and calling
your name and greeting you in Bambara and it can just be so
exhausting. Having a quieter place to come home to will be amazing. I
plan to make it my little two-roomed American oasis. This might be
difficult considering I have zero decorating skills but I guess I’ve
got the time to figure it out! There’s no bathroom, still have to get
used to the hole in the ground nyegen outside but at least it’s my own
nyegen! Peace Corps requires all villages to provide us with our own
nyegens thank freakin goodness. There’s also no running water or
electricity, but there is a communal faucet that runs outside my
building that I can use to fill up my bucket to shower (forget about
hot water….) Also kind of exciting is that electricity is apparently
coming to my town. It was chosen by some NGO or something in Bamako as
a project to bring the town electricity. The poles are up and people
are excited. They say it should be going by the end of the month so we
will see! Guess it’ll be interesting to see how electricity will
change life for people. Even without electricity, I can charge my
phone off of car batteries so that’s exciting. And I have full cell
reception. I know this sounds small but some volunteers have to bike
outside of their villages to find one spot that they can maybe get
reception. So yeah, basically my apartment is two small-ish empty
rooms. There are windows! And no donkey right outside my door (like in
my homestay). Major plus.
So most of the week I just went around trying to meet as many people
as possible. After the first couple of days, I had the girl I’m
replacing there with me (who has been AMAZING by the way I’m so lucky)
to introduce me around and help me with the language. I spent one
night with my homologue and her family. Her family is so sweet. Think
I’ll be eating most of my meals with them. I’d like to cook sometimes
but it’s good to eat with a family to make some stronger connections
right from the beginning. I visited the CSCOM twice, observed some
prenatal consultations. Met the mayor and general secretary, and had a
“protocol” meeting where a representative from Peace Corps came to
more formally introduce me and explain my purpose in being there. I
met the president of my CSCOMS ASACO (ASACO is basically a committee
of people who fund the CSCOM). I greeted the dugutiki (village chief)
and offered him kola nuts. It’s interesting how there’s both the
traditional and more modern governing structure in place. I went to
visit World Vision, one of a couple NGOs present in my town. I also
met a bunch of the girl friends the PCV I’m replacing had made, she’s
really created a social life for herself there which is cool. All in
all, it was just a really fantastic week. It’s the first freedom I’ve
had in a month and a half (training is just so structured…) and having
more control over what I eat is also really huge. I’ve realized just
how weak and nauseous I’ve been feeling (most likely from the meals I
have to eat at homestay). PCVs talk about being sick so casually. They
start sentences like “yeah that second time I had giardia….” or “last
time I had malaria…” I know it’s a part of life here as a PCV but it’s
still pretty scary to me.
Anyways, we ended the week by cooking American spaghetti for my
homologues family. The next day, made our way back into Bamako where a
bunch of current PCVs made us a taco dinner/party to welcome all the
newbees to the region. Now I’m back at the Peace Corps training center
for two days before another 10 day run in my homestay village! So
ready for training to be over but it gets closer each day… Just over
two more weeks! Oh also I have a new address for packages/letters. The
one listed on the blog still works, just will take a bit longer to get
me. Just send me an email or comment if you’d like the new address! Oh
also side note, I have a new name. My homologue decided Aminata Traore
is a much more fitting name than Fatumata Coulibaly (most people in my
town is Traore). Actually pretty happy not to be a Coulibaly anymore.
Because of the joking cousins thing, EVERYONE gives Coulibalys a hard
time. Tired of being called a bean eater.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Halfway through training!
Just survived a long stretch in village! Back at the Peace Corps
training center for two more nights before heading off for a week long
visit at my permanent site… Just had our site announcements yesterday!
Feel like I won the lottery but more on that later. So where to begin.
Just overall I can say this second time in village was infinitely
easier than the first. Still a challenge no doubt but getting easier.
I’ve been opening up more with my host family. Helps that I’m getting
a little better with the language. The trainees and I still spend most
days in language class. Had a few field trips to break things up. One
was to a malnutrition center in Bamako. Saw some seriously
malnourished children. Felt a little strange walking around the center
just looking at people. There were probably eight beds, each occupied
by a young malnourished child/mostly babies and a mom, with the
exception of one child who was being cared for by the center because
his mother passed away. There were a couple of other rooms as well,
where more patients are diagnosed and treated. Depending on the
severity of their condition, some children are given these little
packs of what I think is just concentrated peanut butter. Saw both
types of malnutrition - one is protein deficiency that leads to the
distended belly and swollen hands/feet. The child has enough to eat in
this case, but the diet isn’t well balanced. I can understand this
completely based off of what I eat in our village! Then there were
children with the other type of malnutrition, which is just basically
hunger. They’re not getting enough protein or energy foods and this
makes them look like skin and bones. It was a difficult field trip to
say the least…. But on a better note, over 90% of cases the hospital
treats the child survives.
Another day we visited a clinic that serves people living with
HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). There are over 700 people that have utilized their
services but the clinic has only two doctors: one doctor and one
pharmacist. They have some connection with the Global Fund I think so
that all the medicines that are disbursed are free. The problem is
encouraging people to continue to come to the center and take the
medications on a regular basis. It’s not always easy for people to
leave their villages and travel, especially during the rainy season
where most people spend all day in the fields. There’s also a pretty
intense stigma attached to those living with HIV/AIDS, which will keep
people from coming to the clinic out of fear of having their positive
status revealed. Just like I learned in Ghana, women in Mali are
especially vulnerable to HIV/AIDS because of their sometimes
precarious economic situation (dependence) and the high rate of
polygamy. This same day we also went to another town to meet the
members of an association of PLWHA. They were an incredibly upbeat,
funny bunch. They have some income generating activities they pursue
and also go to the market together and sometimes cook so that they’ll
have more nutritious meals. I would LOVE to do more work with
HIV/AIDS. Really there are a lot more pressing health concerns here in
Mali though. The HIV/AIDS prevalence is fairly low (though this may
just mean people aren’t getting tested). Basic sanitation (washing
hands with soap), malnutrition, malaria, and maternal health seem to
be a much larger focus of health volunteers here.
We went to a local radio station where a couple trainees went on air
to broadcast in Bambara about both diarrhea and the importance of
pre-natal consultations. Radio might be a good resource for us at out
site because we can reach a lot of people. It could be especially nice
in these first months when we’re still learning the language because
we can write out exactly what we want to say.
For another field trip, we went to the Community Health Center
(CSCOM) near our village to paint a mural. The topic was the
importance of washing your hands. We did three scenes. One was the
importance of washing hands before cooking, the second was before
eating, and the third was after using the negen (the hole in the
ground bathroom we use). Not a lot of words so hopefully the message
will make sense to those who are illiterate.
We also went to visit another village that’s currently hosting
environment Peace Corps trainees. We were doing a “tech-exchange”
where they taught us gardening techniques and we health trainees were
giving them information about the status nutrition in Mali.
Outside of the field trips, life in village is pretty monotonous with
language all day everyday. Still only get one free day a week, every
Sunday. One Sunday, some other trainees and I did out best to escape
the hoards of children that follow our every move to lay out on our
woven mats under a tree. It’s so nice and necessary to get away from
Bambara even for a bit. Every Monday we go to a nearby village to
their market (it’s market day once a week). It’s a short half hour
bike ride and our only exposure to fruits and vegetables. The 7 other
trainees in my training village and I cook an American style meal with
our language tutors every Monday night. This past Monday we managed to
make couscous with vegetables, cucumber salad, and plantains. Not easy
to cook without electricity. We use these propane tanks that have a
little flame on top where we can rest a pan.
We also got to go to a wedding! A wedding in our village consists of
a bunch of people (probably 50) gathered together in their nicest
clothes in the bride’s compound. The women dance, often in a circle to
the sound of two drums. The bride is hidden in one of the huts, her
hands and feet decorated from henna (or jabi in Bambara) from the
night before. The men, burst into the compound on motos and come to
negotiate the bride price. And yes, they even bargain though there is
a fairly traditional price based off of whether or not the bride has
been married before. This particular couple was a girl about 20 and
this guy in his 40s. She had already had his baby, pretty sure she
isn’t the first wife. After the bride price has been agreed upon, the
men go into the house where the bride waits and carries her out. She
was driven to the husband’s compound (on the other side of the
village) where she’ll need to fetch water for her husband and his
friends for the next week. Not really so sure what’s so special about
this week because it’s a woman’s job to fetch water for her husband
anyways. Then, at night, there’s a huge dance party. The village
breaks out a generator so that there can be a light. And then lots of
dancing and xylophone music.
Think I’ve figured out my host family’s daily routine. Still think
women work so hard here. They are always the first up in the morning
(at least by 6) and the last to go to bed. They fetch water from the
pump (a 5-10 min walk from my compound). They sweep. They cook all
three meals and still spend most of the day in the fields harvesting
shea nuts, peanuts, millet or rice mostly. They are always pounding
rice or millet. Sometimes my host mom will go into the village’s
community garden. Gardening is strictly women’s work. She took me with
her once and it felt like this beautiful oasis with all the green and
growth. They grown cucumbers, hot peppers, pumpkin, and maybe
tomatoes. Some other things I’m sure, hard to tell with the language
barrier. Never seen any of my family members eating vegetables with
their meals, but apparently they will crush up different leaves or
onions or other vegetables in the sauce they pour over rice or some
other heavy carb. Women also bathe and do all other activities related
to caring for the children. And this work starts young. I watch my
little host sisters, ten and younger, walking around with babies on
their backs, going out to the fields, and helping out with chores.
Pretty sure my little host sisters are WAY more mature than I am. My
16 yr. old host sister with the child acts like she’s at least 30.
They still ask why I’m not married. I think my language is good enough
that I was able to say that I can’t have a child because I am a child.
They just laugh, they are ALWAYS laughing at me.
Still not so sure what the men do. Granted my perspective is a little
skewed because I have no host father. Seems like the men spend a lot
of time sitting around the boutigis and chatting (boutigis are little
shops in village that sell little crackers, oil, sugar, matches, and a
few other things). Only men sell things in the boutigis. I know men
are also responsible for slaughtering the animals. See them on the
back of donkey carts a lot. They go to the fields as well but tend to
harvest different things. I was told harvesting millet was a man’s
job, but I know my host moms come back from the fields with millet.
Maybe women who lose their husbands take on some of the male’s
responsibilities as well? Really need to learn more about the men in
our village.
Alright, think that’s all for tonight. Still need to write about my
site placement! Leaving on Wednesday for a week at my new site. Then
back to the training center for a few days before another ten days in
our training village. Made it halfway through training! Oh and I
absolutely have to thank everyone for the packages and letters! Really
feeling loved. Molly you were my first letter, you have no idea how
much that meant. I miss my Ghana girls like crazy! Thinking of you all
often. And to my amazing family THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! Grandpa, the
hot sticks are SO appreciated. Mom, Larry and dad - my stomach thanks
you too!!! Been sick a few times actually so the American food really
helps. And last but not least, I have the best boyfriend in the world.
No question. Thank you for the most meaningful, thoughtful birthday
present I have ever received. I love you all!!!!! Will write soon all
about my permanent site.
training center for two more nights before heading off for a week long
visit at my permanent site… Just had our site announcements yesterday!
Feel like I won the lottery but more on that later. So where to begin.
Just overall I can say this second time in village was infinitely
easier than the first. Still a challenge no doubt but getting easier.
I’ve been opening up more with my host family. Helps that I’m getting
a little better with the language. The trainees and I still spend most
days in language class. Had a few field trips to break things up. One
was to a malnutrition center in Bamako. Saw some seriously
malnourished children. Felt a little strange walking around the center
just looking at people. There were probably eight beds, each occupied
by a young malnourished child/mostly babies and a mom, with the
exception of one child who was being cared for by the center because
his mother passed away. There were a couple of other rooms as well,
where more patients are diagnosed and treated. Depending on the
severity of their condition, some children are given these little
packs of what I think is just concentrated peanut butter. Saw both
types of malnutrition - one is protein deficiency that leads to the
distended belly and swollen hands/feet. The child has enough to eat in
this case, but the diet isn’t well balanced. I can understand this
completely based off of what I eat in our village! Then there were
children with the other type of malnutrition, which is just basically
hunger. They’re not getting enough protein or energy foods and this
makes them look like skin and bones. It was a difficult field trip to
say the least…. But on a better note, over 90% of cases the hospital
treats the child survives.
Another day we visited a clinic that serves people living with
HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). There are over 700 people that have utilized their
services but the clinic has only two doctors: one doctor and one
pharmacist. They have some connection with the Global Fund I think so
that all the medicines that are disbursed are free. The problem is
encouraging people to continue to come to the center and take the
medications on a regular basis. It’s not always easy for people to
leave their villages and travel, especially during the rainy season
where most people spend all day in the fields. There’s also a pretty
intense stigma attached to those living with HIV/AIDS, which will keep
people from coming to the clinic out of fear of having their positive
status revealed. Just like I learned in Ghana, women in Mali are
especially vulnerable to HIV/AIDS because of their sometimes
precarious economic situation (dependence) and the high rate of
polygamy. This same day we also went to another town to meet the
members of an association of PLWHA. They were an incredibly upbeat,
funny bunch. They have some income generating activities they pursue
and also go to the market together and sometimes cook so that they’ll
have more nutritious meals. I would LOVE to do more work with
HIV/AIDS. Really there are a lot more pressing health concerns here in
Mali though. The HIV/AIDS prevalence is fairly low (though this may
just mean people aren’t getting tested). Basic sanitation (washing
hands with soap), malnutrition, malaria, and maternal health seem to
be a much larger focus of health volunteers here.
We went to a local radio station where a couple trainees went on air
to broadcast in Bambara about both diarrhea and the importance of
pre-natal consultations. Radio might be a good resource for us at out
site because we can reach a lot of people. It could be especially nice
in these first months when we’re still learning the language because
we can write out exactly what we want to say.
For another field trip, we went to the Community Health Center
(CSCOM) near our village to paint a mural. The topic was the
importance of washing your hands. We did three scenes. One was the
importance of washing hands before cooking, the second was before
eating, and the third was after using the negen (the hole in the
ground bathroom we use). Not a lot of words so hopefully the message
will make sense to those who are illiterate.
We also went to visit another village that’s currently hosting
environment Peace Corps trainees. We were doing a “tech-exchange”
where they taught us gardening techniques and we health trainees were
giving them information about the status nutrition in Mali.
Outside of the field trips, life in village is pretty monotonous with
language all day everyday. Still only get one free day a week, every
Sunday. One Sunday, some other trainees and I did out best to escape
the hoards of children that follow our every move to lay out on our
woven mats under a tree. It’s so nice and necessary to get away from
Bambara even for a bit. Every Monday we go to a nearby village to
their market (it’s market day once a week). It’s a short half hour
bike ride and our only exposure to fruits and vegetables. The 7 other
trainees in my training village and I cook an American style meal with
our language tutors every Monday night. This past Monday we managed to
make couscous with vegetables, cucumber salad, and plantains. Not easy
to cook without electricity. We use these propane tanks that have a
little flame on top where we can rest a pan.
We also got to go to a wedding! A wedding in our village consists of
a bunch of people (probably 50) gathered together in their nicest
clothes in the bride’s compound. The women dance, often in a circle to
the sound of two drums. The bride is hidden in one of the huts, her
hands and feet decorated from henna (or jabi in Bambara) from the
night before. The men, burst into the compound on motos and come to
negotiate the bride price. And yes, they even bargain though there is
a fairly traditional price based off of whether or not the bride has
been married before. This particular couple was a girl about 20 and
this guy in his 40s. She had already had his baby, pretty sure she
isn’t the first wife. After the bride price has been agreed upon, the
men go into the house where the bride waits and carries her out. She
was driven to the husband’s compound (on the other side of the
village) where she’ll need to fetch water for her husband and his
friends for the next week. Not really so sure what’s so special about
this week because it’s a woman’s job to fetch water for her husband
anyways. Then, at night, there’s a huge dance party. The village
breaks out a generator so that there can be a light. And then lots of
dancing and xylophone music.
Think I’ve figured out my host family’s daily routine. Still think
women work so hard here. They are always the first up in the morning
(at least by 6) and the last to go to bed. They fetch water from the
pump (a 5-10 min walk from my compound). They sweep. They cook all
three meals and still spend most of the day in the fields harvesting
shea nuts, peanuts, millet or rice mostly. They are always pounding
rice or millet. Sometimes my host mom will go into the village’s
community garden. Gardening is strictly women’s work. She took me with
her once and it felt like this beautiful oasis with all the green and
growth. They grown cucumbers, hot peppers, pumpkin, and maybe
tomatoes. Some other things I’m sure, hard to tell with the language
barrier. Never seen any of my family members eating vegetables with
their meals, but apparently they will crush up different leaves or
onions or other vegetables in the sauce they pour over rice or some
other heavy carb. Women also bathe and do all other activities related
to caring for the children. And this work starts young. I watch my
little host sisters, ten and younger, walking around with babies on
their backs, going out to the fields, and helping out with chores.
Pretty sure my little host sisters are WAY more mature than I am. My
16 yr. old host sister with the child acts like she’s at least 30.
They still ask why I’m not married. I think my language is good enough
that I was able to say that I can’t have a child because I am a child.
They just laugh, they are ALWAYS laughing at me.
Still not so sure what the men do. Granted my perspective is a little
skewed because I have no host father. Seems like the men spend a lot
of time sitting around the boutigis and chatting (boutigis are little
shops in village that sell little crackers, oil, sugar, matches, and a
few other things). Only men sell things in the boutigis. I know men
are also responsible for slaughtering the animals. See them on the
back of donkey carts a lot. They go to the fields as well but tend to
harvest different things. I was told harvesting millet was a man’s
job, but I know my host moms come back from the fields with millet.
Maybe women who lose their husbands take on some of the male’s
responsibilities as well? Really need to learn more about the men in
our village.
Alright, think that’s all for tonight. Still need to write about my
site placement! Leaving on Wednesday for a week at my new site. Then
back to the training center for a few days before another ten days in
our training village. Made it halfway through training! Oh and I
absolutely have to thank everyone for the packages and letters! Really
feeling loved. Molly you were my first letter, you have no idea how
much that meant. I miss my Ghana girls like crazy! Thinking of you all
often. And to my amazing family THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! Grandpa, the
hot sticks are SO appreciated. Mom, Larry and dad - my stomach thanks
you too!!! Been sick a few times actually so the American food really
helps. And last but not least, I have the best boyfriend in the world.
No question. Thank you for the most meaningful, thoughtful birthday
present I have ever received. I love you all!!!!! Will write soon all
about my permanent site.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Fatumata
Thank you all so much for your comments! It means so much to have any connection to home right now... Keep the updates coming and no Lauren definitely not engaged! Silly Bainbridge. Finally back at Tubaniso (the Peace Corps training center) after ten days of training in village. Just to clarify, I'll still be in training until early September, where hopefully I'll be installed as a volunteer at a more permanent site. I say hopefully because we all have to pass language/other technical tests first before we officially become volunteers.
So a week ago last Thursday, seven other health volunteer trainees and I made our way in a Peace Corps vehicle to a small Malian village about a half hour outside of Bamako. This village of 500 has been my home for what has been some intense language and cultural immersion. Probably 20 or more kids chased our car waving and yelling "Toubabu!" (french/white person) once we arrived. Our host families gathered to welcome us along with all the kids. We greeted the chief and presented him with kola nuts (a prized possession in Mali, especially for the older men). We were then each pulled into the center of a large circle to dance with some of the village women. After this sort of ceremony, each of the trainees left for our respective compounds. I say compound because each home in the village is made up of several square mud houses organized around a courtyard. More than 90% of Mali's population is Muslim, and most men take more than one wife. As far as I can tell, I believe my host family includes two moms, one older brother (chief of the family), a couple teenage girls (at least one of which is a mom) and about a million and one kids. Anyways, so I arrived in my compound knowing maybe 10 words of Bambara. Made for some interesting conversation. One of my host moms pulled out a chair for me to sit in while the rest of the family gathered on mats all around me. So many awkward silences!! Lots of me saying "Mun don." One of the few phrases I knew in Bambara, meaning "what's this."
My family gave me a new name. From here on out, I am "Fatumata Coulibaly." Pretty sure it's the equivalent of like Emily Smith in the US. There are two other Fatumata Coulibalys just in my family. I was named after my host grandmother who I have to individually greet every morning. She blesses me about 10 times, and after each one I'm expected to say "Amiinnaa!!" Most of the time I have no idea when the blessings end and just say Amiinaa until she stops talking. But doni doni (little by little) the language is coming. Also think it's funny my name is Coulibaly, pretty sure that was the last name of that ref who made the bad call in the US World Cup game.
We have language classes all the time!! It's exhausting. There really is no mental break. We leave class to go home and practice speaking with our families. It feels like I still don't know anything but I do think we've all made so much progress considering we've only been speaking Bambara for a week!
Aside from language classes, we've had a few short field trips. We made it to a nearby town to practice our bargaining at a market. Side note. As if remembering how to count in Bambara is difficult enough, they divide every number by 5 when they tell you the price of things in the market/at a store. For example, if garlic costs 250 CFA in the market, they will tell you 50 CFA, which still means you must give them 250. Ahhh!! Math and vocab. We also had a short visit to a community health center, similar to the ones each of us will be working at once we get to our actual site. They do a lot of pre-natal consulations, baby weighing, and general consultations. Sure I'll be able to elaborate more on that later... We did get to see a newborn baby! Definitely a highlight.
Just as some background on the health stuff, Peace Corps has outlined three major objectives for health volunteers in Mali. The first is maternal health and child survival. The second is disease prevention and lastly community development. Excited to learn more about what that means in practice!
Eating meals is definitely one of the most difficult parts of homestay. I never feel clean (with bucket baths - no running water) and in Malian culture you have to eat with your hands. The food bowl is also set on the ground in the middle of the courtyard so I have to fight away chickens, the dog, the cat, and tons of flies with my left hand while I eat with my right. I always eat with the same girl, my 16 year old host sister who has a 9 month old son. Apparently I'm really old to not be married or have children. Most meals are either potato or sweet potato covered in some sort of sauce. I'll get random fish every once and awhile (the head is considered the best part, I do my best to eat around the eyeball) or beef bits. Get pasta sometimes too. It's difficult not to have any control over what I eat and there are no fruit and vegetables! Starting to make sense of why malnutrition is so prevalent.
It's really sad actually, a child died in our village this past week. People say it was probably malaria mixed with malnutrition. The child was laying on a mat just beside us during one of our first days in village! I'm really hoping a child's death is a rare occurence in my village but unfortunately I'm starting to worry it won't be...
Other random things about the village: There are donkeys, lambs, chickens and flies EVERYWHERE!! The donkeys are super noisy. Was outside brushing my teeth the other night, not paying attention, and looked to my right only to see a donkey like 4 feet away. There's no electricity or running water. Makes it a lot easier to go to bed at 9 PM! Think I'll be reading a lot. You have to greet everyone you see! It's usually, "How are you" response "no problems." "How is your family" response "no problems." "How is your teacher" response "no problems" and on and on until they decide to stop (all this in Bambara of course). I'm lucky if I can find someone that speaks French.
Alright, think I need to cut it off for now. Should post more sometime in the next couple of days before it's back to village for another two weeks! Missing you all and thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes!!!
So a week ago last Thursday, seven other health volunteer trainees and I made our way in a Peace Corps vehicle to a small Malian village about a half hour outside of Bamako. This village of 500 has been my home for what has been some intense language and cultural immersion. Probably 20 or more kids chased our car waving and yelling "Toubabu!" (french/white person) once we arrived. Our host families gathered to welcome us along with all the kids. We greeted the chief and presented him with kola nuts (a prized possession in Mali, especially for the older men). We were then each pulled into the center of a large circle to dance with some of the village women. After this sort of ceremony, each of the trainees left for our respective compounds. I say compound because each home in the village is made up of several square mud houses organized around a courtyard. More than 90% of Mali's population is Muslim, and most men take more than one wife. As far as I can tell, I believe my host family includes two moms, one older brother (chief of the family), a couple teenage girls (at least one of which is a mom) and about a million and one kids. Anyways, so I arrived in my compound knowing maybe 10 words of Bambara. Made for some interesting conversation. One of my host moms pulled out a chair for me to sit in while the rest of the family gathered on mats all around me. So many awkward silences!! Lots of me saying "Mun don." One of the few phrases I knew in Bambara, meaning "what's this."
My family gave me a new name. From here on out, I am "Fatumata Coulibaly." Pretty sure it's the equivalent of like Emily Smith in the US. There are two other Fatumata Coulibalys just in my family. I was named after my host grandmother who I have to individually greet every morning. She blesses me about 10 times, and after each one I'm expected to say "Amiinnaa!!" Most of the time I have no idea when the blessings end and just say Amiinaa until she stops talking. But doni doni (little by little) the language is coming. Also think it's funny my name is Coulibaly, pretty sure that was the last name of that ref who made the bad call in the US World Cup game.
We have language classes all the time!! It's exhausting. There really is no mental break. We leave class to go home and practice speaking with our families. It feels like I still don't know anything but I do think we've all made so much progress considering we've only been speaking Bambara for a week!
Aside from language classes, we've had a few short field trips. We made it to a nearby town to practice our bargaining at a market. Side note. As if remembering how to count in Bambara is difficult enough, they divide every number by 5 when they tell you the price of things in the market/at a store. For example, if garlic costs 250 CFA in the market, they will tell you 50 CFA, which still means you must give them 250. Ahhh!! Math and vocab. We also had a short visit to a community health center, similar to the ones each of us will be working at once we get to our actual site. They do a lot of pre-natal consulations, baby weighing, and general consultations. Sure I'll be able to elaborate more on that later... We did get to see a newborn baby! Definitely a highlight.
Just as some background on the health stuff, Peace Corps has outlined three major objectives for health volunteers in Mali. The first is maternal health and child survival. The second is disease prevention and lastly community development. Excited to learn more about what that means in practice!
Eating meals is definitely one of the most difficult parts of homestay. I never feel clean (with bucket baths - no running water) and in Malian culture you have to eat with your hands. The food bowl is also set on the ground in the middle of the courtyard so I have to fight away chickens, the dog, the cat, and tons of flies with my left hand while I eat with my right. I always eat with the same girl, my 16 year old host sister who has a 9 month old son. Apparently I'm really old to not be married or have children. Most meals are either potato or sweet potato covered in some sort of sauce. I'll get random fish every once and awhile (the head is considered the best part, I do my best to eat around the eyeball) or beef bits. Get pasta sometimes too. It's difficult not to have any control over what I eat and there are no fruit and vegetables! Starting to make sense of why malnutrition is so prevalent.
It's really sad actually, a child died in our village this past week. People say it was probably malaria mixed with malnutrition. The child was laying on a mat just beside us during one of our first days in village! I'm really hoping a child's death is a rare occurence in my village but unfortunately I'm starting to worry it won't be...
Other random things about the village: There are donkeys, lambs, chickens and flies EVERYWHERE!! The donkeys are super noisy. Was outside brushing my teeth the other night, not paying attention, and looked to my right only to see a donkey like 4 feet away. There's no electricity or running water. Makes it a lot easier to go to bed at 9 PM! Think I'll be reading a lot. You have to greet everyone you see! It's usually, "How are you" response "no problems." "How is your family" response "no problems." "How is your teacher" response "no problems" and on and on until they decide to stop (all this in Bambara of course). I'm lucky if I can find someone that speaks French.
Alright, think I need to cut it off for now. Should post more sometime in the next couple of days before it's back to village for another two weeks! Missing you all and thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes!!!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
I'm living in a mud hut! Not even joking. This past week is a blur, still an emotional roller coaster. Our first lesson when we arrived was how to go to the bathroom in a hole... This will definitely be roughing it! But in a good way, at least that's what I'm hoping. There are 80 people in my "stage," meaning all the Americans in my training class. We first met in Philadelphia for orientation before making the long trip from JFK to Paris, and Paris to Bamako. We've been pretty sheltered so far at our training center. We all leave our mud huts around 7 am for days full of sessions on how to live and succeed in Mali. Literally spent 2 hours talking about diarrhea, or "Mr. D." Learned how to change a flat tire of a bike. Talked a lot about stereotypes and how we'll be perceived in Malian culture. We've had a few meals together in the traditional Malian way, meaning 5-6 people sitting in a circle on floor mats with a bowl of rice and sauce in the middle. Everyone digs in with their right hand. Laughed at some current volunteers who put on an awesome skit about "malaria" to the tune of Rhianna's song "Disturbia."
We celebrated July 4th together at the American Club in Bamako, a hang out spot for ex-pats. Had a visit from the American Ambassador of Mali today, talking to us about the current state of affairs in Mali and our role in promoting development. Only learned a little about my sector so far (health education) but really looking forward to learning more!! Apparently there's a major focus on child and maternal health in Mali now. Had our first language lesson the other day, I can greet in Bambara! We'll be studying 6 hours a day, 6 days a week....yikes.
Just taking everything one day at a time. Leaving tomorrow for our homestays to continue the language and cultural training. I'll be off the internet for at least two weeks so I wanted to check-in! So there's a snapshot, sorry this is so short but I promise there will be more details coming!
Keep the emails coming, any distractions are definitely appreciated :) Should be able to check-in again in the next two weeks!
We celebrated July 4th together at the American Club in Bamako, a hang out spot for ex-pats. Had a visit from the American Ambassador of Mali today, talking to us about the current state of affairs in Mali and our role in promoting development. Only learned a little about my sector so far (health education) but really looking forward to learning more!! Apparently there's a major focus on child and maternal health in Mali now. Had our first language lesson the other day, I can greet in Bambara! We'll be studying 6 hours a day, 6 days a week....yikes.
Just taking everything one day at a time. Leaving tomorrow for our homestays to continue the language and cultural training. I'll be off the internet for at least two weeks so I wanted to check-in! So there's a snapshot, sorry this is so short but I promise there will be more details coming!
Keep the emails coming, any distractions are definitely appreciated :) Should be able to check-in again in the next two weeks!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Welcome to my blog!
Hello everyone!
This will hopefully be the first of many blogs documenting my time with the Peace Corps in Mali. I'll be leaving July 2nd along with a training class of about 80 other people for Bamako. Together we'll spend two months in training where we'll be learning a local language, health and safety techniques and and other skills needed for daily living. I plan to spend my last few days stateside with friends and family at home in beautiful Seattle. I'm excited but also so anxious and ready for the adventure to begin!
This will hopefully be the first of many blogs documenting my time with the Peace Corps in Mali. I'll be leaving July 2nd along with a training class of about 80 other people for Bamako. Together we'll spend two months in training where we'll be learning a local language, health and safety techniques and and other skills needed for daily living. I plan to spend my last few days stateside with friends and family at home in beautiful Seattle. I'm excited but also so anxious and ready for the adventure to begin!
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