Mali and humor

i ni sogoma!

I feel like I have so much to write, but I'll try to get to the main points. Sunday was great because we began Bambara lessons. Today we find out what host village we'll be in, so I'll know whether I'll continue on with Bambara or move to another language, depending upon where my site will ultimately be. Yesterday morning we had a session on stereotypes with some of the Malian teachers, and the trainees made a list of common stereotypes that the US has of Mali or Africa, while the Malians made a list of stereotypes toward the US. It was really interesting to see that no matter what was put on the list of African stereotypes, such as that they were dirty or even primitive, the Malians just laughed about it and explained how it wasn't true. In fact, many Africans take 3 showers a day! Some of their US stereotypes included that we were greedy, rich and individualistic, which unfortunately characterizes many Americans. I feel like the statement that Peace Corps volunteers come back from Africa and laugh is true because so far all of the Malians I have met just love to talk and laugh and joke about everything. I love it! It will be interesting to see if Malians who are not as educated or well-off as the ones I have seen are the same, although I imagine they will still have a great sense of humor. Anyway, yesterday was also awesome because we had a cultural festival and got to experience many different aspects of Malian culture. We ate a lunch of jamba rice, sweet potatoes, and salad all out of one communal bowl, shared between 5 or 6 people. We sat on the ground and used our right hands to eat, which I can tell you, is incredibly difficult. I ended up with more food on my pants than in my mouth. Oh well - I have two more years to learn! We also learned a bit of Malian dance, which was awesome, along with the music. Very fast with a lot of butt-shaking! Finally I bought a beautiful pink pagne with a brownish/gold top with pink symbols on it. It is so gorgeous, I can't wait to wear it. It's pretty fancy, so I'll only wear it on special occassions. Oh, also got three more vaccinations yesterday - the count is up to 8, woohoo! Okay, I hope everyone is very well - miss you all!

K'a tile here caya (may the peace of your day be multiplied),

Anna

Snakes, scorpions and mosquitos, oh my!

I'M IN AFRICA!!! I had written several journal entries that I thought I would transfer to the blog, but I don't really have time to write them all out now. I'll just try to sum up any big points. The staging in Philadelphia went well and I met 81 other Mali trainees from all over the US. I'm the only North Carolinian! After a 13-hour plane ride, stopping through Paris, we arrived in Mali on Friday night. We got off the plane to a rush of hot air and many Malians and a few Peace Corps Volunteers waiting to greet us. As I was brushing my teeth on Friday night, I looked up into the sky and the stars were simply gorgeous - I was like, "I'm actually in Africa!". It was an amazing feeling. Right now, all us trainees are at Tubaniso, the Peace Corps training site about 40 minutes outside of Bamako. We'll be here until Wednesday, which is when we'll move into host villages for the 9 weeks of intensive language training. There will be about 5-7 trainees per village and we'll each live with a separate host family. I can't wait to be completely immersed in the language - I don't know at this point whether I'll be learning Bambara or another language, but I'll know by Tuesday. There are about 35 Malians who work with the Peace Corps. One of them was amazed that I went to the same college as Michael Jordan! One of the head honchos, Mamadou or "Sam" always wears these beautiful flowing robes or boubous - actually all of the clothes here are amazing. The women all wear long skirts with nice tops made of different kinds of fabric, but the fabric is beautiful. The men wear things ranging from khakis and polos to boubous. So far I've just been wearing long skirts from home, but tomorrow we'll be able to start buying Malian clothes!!! I can't wait! Yesterday we had about 9 hours of orientation, and we will every day until Wednesday. I also got two more vaccinations yesterday, bringing the total to 5 and counting - luckily I don't mind needles! So far the food has been quite good - we had mangoes for dessert last night! All of the other trainees seem really nice - we've had tons of bonding time so far. I went running yesterday with another girl for about two miles, and the heat wasn't too bad, although it is very hot, probably in the 90's so far. Last night, a couple taught some of us basic swing dance steps, which was fun although I'm ready to learn Malian dance! The time difference is four hours ahead, by the way, from EST. The toilets or nyegens have been the biggest adjustment - basically a tiny hole in the ground which is extremely difficult to aim at. Luckily, they have plenty of toilet paper here! In a month or so though, I figure I'll be a pro. Anyway, in regards to the title, on the ride to Tubaniso we were warned that it is scorpion season, so watch out. Apparently there are also lots of snakes around as well; luckily I haven't seen either so far. And we've been sleeping with mosquito nets over our beds, which is kind've fun. Okie-dokie, hope you all enjoy reading my post and I'll post again soon! A bientot!