Sorry it's been a while since my last post! Things have been (surprisingly!) busy, what with the new group of volunteers coming in and the old group leaving. So what have I been up to?
Well, we had a huge party to officially open the women's garden at the end of July. The real reason for the party was that the French woman who funds some of Planete Verte, the NGO I work with sometimes, was coming to visit. However, we just so happened to decide to have the party in the garden, then drive together to another village for lunch and a region-wide soccer match. The fete was quite the big deal! I invited Ali, Sam, and Emily (other Peace Corps volunteers and close friends) to come to the fete with me - and they were not disappointed! When we got there, the DJ was already playing the best Malian music interspersed with live Peuhl music. Peuhl music is not the most pleasant to listen to - it consists of a man playing 5 or 6 extremely high-pitched notes over and over again on a wooden flute - but it was fun to see everyone get excited about it and the dancing. Then the women and men performed a traditional dance.
After, there was a presentation of all the officials present, then they talked about the garden and my current neem cream project. Neem cream is a mosquito repellent made from the leaves of the neem tree. It's really easy to make and the women love it. This was the best part for me though - they introduced me to the crowd, so I stood up and waved....and got a standing ovation from my village and shouts of 'Thank you, thank you, thank you!' I was overcome with emotion because of the gratitude of these people, my friends, who had worked just as hard as I did on the project and were so happy that it was finally finished.
Then we planted some trees - 500 total! We planted jatropha trees, which produce oil that can be refined and used as fuel for cars, motos, etc. Five years down the road, maybe Sassolo will start exporting biofuel! Then it was off to the other village for a delicious lunch of zame (fried rice with cabbage, beef, potatoes, and whatever other vegetables are around). It was a great fete with great friends - both Malian and American.
Since the fete, the women have been very busy cultivating the soil and planting their plots in the garden! Most women have planted okra, millet, peanuts, beans, and onions, though soon they will have a wide array of vegetables to choose from. I've been out with them almost everyday helping and planting my own plot of peanuts and beans! Beans are my favorite...I can't wait until they are ready to harvest so I can share them with my host family for dinner! Growing things is fun. :) Right now we are trying to get the vegetable papiniere (nursery) up and running.
The last major thing that has been happening is that it is now Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting. In Fulfulde, Ramadan is called Korka. Every adult who is not sick fasts every day from sunrise to sunset. This means they cannot drink anything (even water!) or eat any food. Some do not even swallow their spit! Nearly every adult in my village fasts except for me, and I don't simply because I am not Muslim, so the fast would lose its religious meaning and significance. Every night I do break the fast with my host mom though - which is quite the experience! Everyone has their radios turned on so that they can hear when they are allowed to start drinking and eating again. And the second the call begins on the radio, my host mom guzzles down a huge cup of water, then says a prayer of thanks and praise to Allah. After we drink a porridge made of sour milk, millet balls, sugar, hot pepper, and water. Which does not taste good at all, but the tradition is nice. Then we snack on peanuts or fried dough balls until dinner, which is usually something nice like rice and sauce. Those who fast then eat another meal around 11pm, and then wake up at 4am to eat a large meal to get them through the day. Not a lot of sleep this time of year!
I'm trying to get pictures up but the internet is super slow, so maybe in 2 1/2 weeks when I'm in AMERICA I can upload! See most of you soon! Yay!
