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.