Thursday, February 9, 2012

Do you wonder what I do here? And what it's like?

Hey all. I didn't get online in January, as I was trying to spend a lot of time in my village. Bit I have much to tell! In this entry I want to: describe what my village looks like; describe an average day; and detail some tidbits of life here.

What My Village Looks Like

So, my village is a collection of mud huts, with a few large cement houses (which are often financed by family members who have found work abroad, perhaps in France or Spain). The mud huts have thatched hut roofs (which do not always keep the rain out so well...). There are a series of fences made of tree branches lining certain village streets and most family's households, though not every concession is so ensconced. And it seems that many of the fences have been burned for firewood (an endless need!) or been knocked down by wandering animals. Oh, as to these roaming animals they consist of goats, sheep, donkeys, and they roam endlessly looking for food. And sometimes they run, like the donkeys, who sometime get it into their heads to chase other donkeys and in so doing create a great ruckus. Charging donkeys are surprisingly alarming. Oh yeah, the streets are all dirt, which means that now in the dry season an ungodly amount of dirt gets blown around everywhere, including my face. Boo.

What My Day is Like

6:30 AM- Wake up. Lie in Bed.

6:45-8:00 AM- Exit my hut, wash my face, feed my dog, boil water for coffee on my gas stove, sit and wonder what the day will bring, listen to classical music on my Ipod.

8:00 AM- Eat the corn or millet porridge that one of my host siblings has brought me, give a little to my dog, get presentable clothes on (important here in Mali as a sign of respect), get my bag ready, put my solar panel on my roof, and go to school.

8:15 AM - 12:oo PM. Go to the one primary school and try to do something productive. Sometimes I may sub for a class; other times observe other teachers; and sometimes just study language or other work-related manuals.

12:oo PM - 3:00 PM. Walk home from school with host family siblings. Eat lunch, usually clumpy rice porridge with either green leaf or peanut butter sauce, with the male members of my host family, out of one big bowl with our right hands. After, I don't really do a whole lot, this being the hottest time of day and all. Lately I've been sitting under my hanger in front of my hut, in the shade, reading (current book: The Poisonwood Bible) while my dog sits near me. This is a lazy time due to the HEAT.

3:oo PM - 5:oo PM. Return to school to try and be productive, and help out where I can.

5:oo PM- 7:00 PM. Return home, heat water for bucket bath. Take bucket bath (pour water on myself). Feel clean. Cook a light dinner for myself, which does wonders for my mood. Malian food in the bush is the same thing day after day, so this variety is needed. Tidy up my huts, of which I have two.

7:00-7:30 PM- Go next door to my host family's house to have dinner. Sit and chat with my host family.

7:30 - 10:30 PM. Social time! The day's work being done, and dinner eaten, and the unbearable heat having become dissipated, it is time to wander around my village, sitting and chatting and drinking tea with my villagers. I find that I am most talkative in Bambara in the nighttime. I've pondered why this is so, and have come up with a few reasons: it's dark so I stand out less; it's dark so I am not intimidated by people's stares; and I feel relaxed at night, work being done and all. As my language skills increase so do my conversations, and comfort.

10:30 PM- break the news to whomever I'm sitting with that I must unfortunately go back to my hut to sleep. Floss, brush, PJs, read a little, then BED.

That's an average day. Of course, this routine is often interrupted, especially by social events, such as baptisms (Muslim), marriages, funerals, village meetings, meetings with the Woman's Microfinance Group, and so on.

Tidbits:

-Among the little boys (and some teenagers) the newest craze here is...MARBLES. Yes, the kids in my village love playing marbles day in and day out, as opposed to studying, chores etc. Everywhere that I go see boys standing or sitting in the sand (where else would they play?) playing or spectating to this sport. This just strikes me as both funny and quaint.The kids really get into it too!

-One day, sitting with some of my friends under a tree doing nothing but watching people walk by I saw an amusing sight. One of my host brothers, Sada (aged 12), had just come into view. But not walking, oh no: he was riding a dirty old donkey. So, this bareback barefoot African kid is riding a bareback donkey, ambling ever so slowly on the dusty dirty villages streets and get this: he had the biggest GRIN on his face, like he had just won the lottery. But no, he was just riding a donkey through a village. I saw this and I just wanted to laugh so hard. But it also filled me with joy. I ask you, how much do we really need to be happy? Sada seems to know.

-Humor. I've lately realized that most of my villagers are joking with each other in most of what they say. It has taken a while for my language skills to get good enough to understand this, as it can be subtle. Funny or goofy things are often said with a straight face in a normal tone. And sometimes the jokes can even be quite raunchy! It seems that humor is very necessary for survival here.

Okay, I've emptied out my thoughts. Perhaps they will interest you. Let me know!