Rockin the Mali Life

Sorry that I haven't updated in a while, it takes a lot of time to write a blog entry, and though the one thing that I have in large quantities here is free time, that free time never seems to be around an internet connection.

So what is new in my life? I spent a couple days up at my friend Eliza's site - I needed a breather from mine. It was a great time, I hung out with her host family and saw not one but TWO camels! Wildlife in Mali is pretty much nonexistent, especially up in the Mopti region. There are lizards out the wazoo, but other than that most animals are domesticated. The Fulbe people are cow-herders, so I see/live in the same concession as a herd of cows, as well as sheep, goats, and chickens. Then I was off to the Halloween party in Douentza, where I was a member of The Black Eyed Peas (the band)....as in me and 3 friends blacked out our eyes with eyeliner and ducktaped the letter "P" on our shirts. Clever, n'est pas?

I've been at site for the past 10 days, working on my community needs assessment that is due at training in December. It's actually pretty hard to do, considering the language barrier that still exists. I can ask the questions, but understanding the answer is a whole other issue. I'm going to get a plot of my own in the community garden, which is very exciting. I will have fresh tomatoes soon! I have a new homologue now, her name is Adama. She is absolutely fantastic, very motivated. I think we will work well together. I spoke with Moussa, who is my contact at the NGO I'm working with, and the main project he wants me to work on is building a website for our ecotourism project...eeeks! I can do it, but there are so many questions involved, especially about the sustainability of it. And my role here is to aid Malians in developing their own skills, so I would really prefer to train a Malian in basic computer/Internet skills, and then have him/her build the website.

I just finished reading The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs, which is a phenomenal book, aside from the fact that his solution is to throw money at the problem. I know that aid is necessary, but the more time I spend in Mali, the more I feel that money isn't going to solve the problems here. Malians have come to expect NGO/aid workers such as myself to come into their villages, give them something like a money, a school building, or a water pump, and then leave. This creates a huge problem. For example, in my village we have a water pump, but it's broken. An NGO came in to install it, but never taught anyone in the village how to maintain it, or created a plan to ensure that it would be funded in a sustainable manner when it needed repairs. As a result, we get our water from a well that isn't even cemented...the water is brown when it comes out of the well. This largely contributes to diseases like diarrhea, which can be fatal here. (I have a water filter, so I have a clean water supply, but I'm the only person out of 400 in my village that does.) What Malians need are dedicated and educated teachers that can transfer skills in public health, agriculture, environmental sustainability, and business development. But that takes money, so it's just a huge cycle. Sachs had an excellent point that those in extreme poverty do need the help to take that first step in development, especially in places faced with HIV/AIDS. (Side note: AIDS is present in Mali, but the percentage of people who reportedly have it is less than in the US, so it is not a major part of life here yet, as it is in countries such as Malawi.) I highly recommend the book to all those interested in development, just remember that money is not the only thing necessary to solve the problems facing the people of Africa.

The other big piece of news in my life is that I recently adopted a kitten!! His name is Winston, and he is absolutely adorable. He was Ali's (my friend 1k from me), but her allergies got to be too bad, so I recently acquired him. I will get pictures up as soon as I can...as in don't expect any for at least a couple months, things move slowly here. :)

I want to thank you all for being so generous in packages and letters! I feel very loved :)

And so sorry to respond to emails via blog, but my internet time is limited and this is the fastest and easiest way:

Katie C: Thanks so much for you email! People who have never spent a long time away from home don't really understand how much it means to hear everyday news that they consider to be boring. But to me, I'm missing out on the everyday stuff and it's incredibly exciting! So thank you, I will try to respond asap. I loved the picture of you and the kiddies. What a great aunt you are! Good luck with the college kids.

Sam: LOVE the bridesmaid dresses. Yes, I looked at every option. And I just got the pic of your wedding dress...GORGEOUS!!!! I can't wait to see pics of the actually wedding.

E: Glad we got to talk last night, remember that you are an amazing person! Miss you so much! Hugs!!

Love to you all! Have a happy Thanksgiving, and enjoy the time with family and friends!