Things Falling Apart

COS conference was last week. It was my last chance to see everyone from my group (the HBOs/the 2008-2010 Peace Corps Mali volunteers, your pick). It was a great time where we were all able to enjoy air conditioning, a fancy swimming pool, lots of food, and long conferences. In all, I'd say that the conference went quite well. Some of my fellow volunteers have already left, which seems somewhat strange. One left on the last day of the conference. Two left that Saturday. One is leaving tonight. Two more are leaving tomorrow night.

As for me, I'll depart Mali on July 10th and make my way to the UK to vacation with my brother before starting law school. July 10, it still hasn't quite sunk in. But it's getting there. At this point, I have less than a month before I leave. It doesn't quite seem real.

For hashes, we recently had a going away hash for a whole lot of expatriots. Many of them, I consider good friends. It was a great run with a lot of people and some amazing food (lasagna!!!). I, myself, have one more hash to run (assuming I'm able to run. See below). Hopefully, it'll be a good one.

Hash 1: Overlooking the river

Hash 2: During the "down downs" at the end

The world cup has also begun (as I'm assuming most of you who read my blog are aware). I've been traveling between bars/restaurants and friends houses in order to watch the game. The most important of the games that I've seen so far was obviously the England vs. USA game. For the game, I found myself in a former (as of last year) Peace Corps volunteer's house watching the game on his TV with a bunch of friends. The game was pretty epic. But just after the US scored a tying goal in the 40th minute, the power on our floor went out. We fixed it. It went out again. This time, I found myself standing on a vertical cinder block in order to reach the fuse box and flip the power back on. Just as I was pushing the button, the cinder block completely crumbled underneath me causing me to crash painfully on the ground below. This crash and onset of pain brought about some foot and leg injuries. Overall, I'll be okay (and I was, in fact, able to get the power restored). But I think the lesson learned here is don't trust cinder blocks here in Mali. Especially if they're vertical and you have to stand on them.

Soccer: Watching the games

Another bit of tragedy ocurred this weekend a well. I was working on my laptop the other morning, and as I worked, our cleaning guy came in to get copies of some photos from me. As he handed the flash drive to me, my cup of juice (which was sitting directly next to my laptop) completely spilt over my laptop! I tried to react quickly, but it was sadly not fast enough. My laptop shut down and now refuses to turn on. I'm assuming something short-circuited, which is disheartening, but I also believe that the hard drive is likely fine, which is less disheartening. I'm just glad that this happened now, at the end and not midway through my service (plus, I had always assumed that the laptop would not be sufficient for use after finishing my service). The next question on that front will be what should I get next? I really want a macbook pro, but I don't know if I can justify the cost just yet (but maybe). Regardless, I'll at least need a computer that can run windows for law school (also possible on a mac--using programs like bootcamp).

So, this week, I was originally going to travel a little; but as I'm somewhat sequestered, I've decided to get a jump on all my COS paperwork--by taking care of my medical work this week (hopefully, I'll finish that up on Wednesday). I've also begun to return all the things that I need to return. There's a huge checklist of things.

Run for Water

In April, there was an international event that was coordinated by Live Earth called: Run for Water. I volunteered to organize the run here in Bamako.

The purpose? To raise awareness of water crises and shortages throughout the developing world. Specifically, potable water issues.

In developing countries, the average distance that a woman has to walk in order to get water is 6k per day. That's 6k--carrying enough water for their whole family. Some of the projects that my fellow Peace Corps volunteers work on include building/repairing wells, pumps and soak pits. Unfortunately, these are the types of projects that require a lot of money. The parts and the cement are definitely not cheap (One of my friends' pump repair projects has an estimated cost of 500,000 just to fix two pumps in the village). Because most of this water isn't potable (it's just coming from wells that are full of bacteria and other problems), it also means that people are often sick (and it can also lead to death). This is particularly true of children, who haven't built up resistances to the many bacteria. In Mali, 113 out of every 1000 infants die before their first birthday (because of diarrhea and diseases like cholera--all due to water).¹

There are, of course, ways to get the funding. One of them, is getting people and businesses from back home to donate money. Peace Corps actually has a page specifically for this. You can look up projects and donate money (which is 100% tax deductible). It's on the peacecorps.gov website.

Overall, it was only a moderately successful event. I had hoped to raise money for one of the pump repair projects, but sadly, that didn't happen (we only managed to raise approximately $40USD, which is still better than nothing at all). As a positive, however, we had about 45 people show up to the event, where we could talk about water issues that were relevant to Mali.

Run for Water 1: People getting in
a circle for warm-ups before the run.

Run for Water 2: Post run--with one of the
runners wearing the shirt I designed for the event.

1. http://www.usaid.gov/stories/mali/ss_mali_waterpump.html

On Turning 32

So, I turned 32 while in Mali. Which is just a little over the average age of a Peace Corps volunteer. Without looking up the information, I feel as if I remember hearing the average age for a PCV was 24/25. I can say, however, that I've really learned that the difference between 32 and 24 is pretty much non-existent. Had someone told me that a few years ago, I probably wouldn't have believed it...

The fact that this birthday was in Africa didn't really negatively impact my birthday celebrations. In fact, I somewhat wonder if it enhanced the birthday. First of all, I have a St. Patrick's Day birthday, which means I'm used to actually going out and celebrating my birthday. Second, because I'm in Mali, I absolutely knew that I wouldn't have access to simple US customs like green beer.

What I could do, however, is what I'm quite good at. Entertain (then dance. because, let's be honest, I'm a huge fan of dancing).

I had a few friends over at my house to start the birthday festivities with an Irish lunch prepared by me.

B-Day Lunch 1: My Sous-Chefs

B-Day Lunch 2: My Sous-Chefs, part 2

The Lunch Menu:

Vegetarian Shepherds Pie
--A classic Irish dish topped with mashed potatoes. Like regular shepherds pie, except using beans and additional veggies to substitute for meat (it was vegetarian because I had been stupid and given up meat for Lent).

B-Day Lunch 3: The Shepherds Pie

Champ
--It's a classic Irish recipe: green onion mash potatoes

Boxty
--Again, super Irish. Grate raw potatoes, mix with mashed potatoes (not the same ones I used for champ) and other ingredients, turn into a dough and cook.

B-Day Lunch 4: Boxty and champ on the stove

After we were all completely stuffed, it was time to go for drinks!

The Party 1: At the 1st bar before going to the Marine House

The original plan was to do a pub crawl through Bamako. And honestly, we would have done exactly that, except that we learned there was a St. Patrick's Day party at the Marine House, so we altered our plans and made our way to the Marine House!

The Party 2: Marine House, with my friend,
Shelby and the ever important mosquito repellent!

The Party 3: Marine House, several of my PCV friends just outside

All things considered, the Marine House was a lot of fun. There was a lot of food I really wanted to eat, but couldn't (they had buffalo wings!!!!!!! which is the main reason I say I was stupid to give up meat for Lent), there was Guinness. And, of course, there were a lot of people!

After the Marine House, we made our way to Appaloosa, a karaoke bar in Bamako, where we were able to belt out our worst renditions of several songs.

The Party 4: Appaloosa, where the magical karaoke happened

Overall, it was a great birthday. I was surrounded by a lot of really good friends. I ate some amazing food. And I quite honestly had a whole lot of fun.

So, WAIST (finally)

WAIST (West African Invitational Softball Tournament) was a smashing good time. We travelled by bus for the 30+ hour drive there, which was definitely taxing. Luckily, I was surrounded by friends, and we were able to keep ourselves amused (when we weren’t sleeping).

Bus: Ready to Go

After the long, long bus ride, we found ourselves transported into a magical land of beaches, sidewalks, and cooler temperatures (also known as Dakar, Senegal). Destination #1: The American Club of Dakar, where there was a swimming pool, cold beer and….. HOT DOGS.

American Club

Maybe it was partly due to my own experiences here in Mali, but my first impression of Dakar was that it was, well, developed. I didn’t feel like I was in a developing country while there. The streets were well maintained, the food was great, and the sewers were actually covered (go figure). If anything, I’d say that Dakar felt like an internationally integrated big city. Granted, my experience was most certainly colored by the fact that I was surrounded by Peace Corps and expats the whole time I was in Dakar.

I will say that there were definite signs that Dakar is still a developing nation. The street vendors, the open air markets, the constant having to haggle on every single price of every single thing you need to buy... They all served to remind me of where I was.

The softball games were fun. Mali had a total of 3 softball teams: Team A (The Cowboys), Team B (The Wranglers), and Team C (The Buckaroos). The A Team was the most competitive, and they showed it (they only lost 1 game). B Team (my team), was the intermediate team. We put on a good show, but that turned out to not be quite enough. C Team, on the other hand, well, let’s just say that they showed up for things other than softball, but still enjoyed their time on the field.

Softball 1: Tinti proving some of us know how to play the game

Softball 2: Group Pic

Of the other teams, There were several PC Senegal teams, a couple of PC Gambia teams, one mixed PC group called The Refugees (made up of Peace Corps volunteers who’d been evacuated from their respective countries), and several non PC expat teams (including some missionary teams, and even a couple of high school teams).

I met a lot of amazing people while I was in Senegal. The time went by way too fast (and, unfortunately, so did the money).

After my time in Dakar, it became absolutely necessary for me to take a vacation from my, well vacation (Dakar was great, but we were constantly on the move and involved in one thing or another), so several of us made the trek to Toubab Dialaw, which is something of a beach resort town about three hours south of Dakar. There, we simply rested and relaxed on the beach while eating amazingly delicious and freshly caught shrimp (it was also there that we decided it was perfectly okay to eat the entire shrimp—head, tail, legs and all).

Toubab Dialaw: At our favorite restaurant

Segou Music Festival

Time is passing much too quickly for me these days. For one, I'm staying pretty busy. We're teaching, which always makes time go by faster, but more than that, I've actually managed to travel a little bit, too. It's certainly re-energized me.

Since my last post, I've traveled to Segou for the Segou Music Festival (also known as Festival Sur le Niger), and then to Senegal for WAIST (West African Invitational Softball Tournament). I'm going to save WAIST for another update. This update is going to focus on the Festival Sur le Niger. It's a multi-day music festival held on the river in, well.. Segou. While there, I was able to see many of my fellow PCVs that I hadn't seen in some time, which was pretty awesome. Plus, the music was great, and we managed to work our way to the front of the stage. It wasn't just music though. During the days, there were plenty of additional activities and events to see. Like pirogue races. The race that I watched resulted in all but 1 pirogue capsizing. One pirogue actually capsized just shy of winning (they had a long lead, too), which had to be crushing--though you'd never know it, because everyone remained happy and festive.

Music Festival 1: Pirogue Race If you look closely in this picture, you can see the heads of several malians bobbing in the water after their boat capsized (you can also see the empty boat resurfaced and floating behind the others). After each pirogue capsized, they'd send a retrieval boat out for the Malians.

Music Festival 2: Getting ready for a night of music!

I'm posing for a picture with some of my favorite Mali volunteers (all from my stage). Some of these people I hadn't seen in a VERY long time, so it was great to catch up!

Music Festival 3: Standing in the water and enjoying a great show!

After we managed to work our way to the front of the crowd (the crowds were huge, btw!).

Music Festival 4: Dancing in the Niger

We all danced in the water while enjoying the music (how could you not, especially when you're already in the water!!!). In all, the music was great (This year is celebrating Mali's 50th year of independence, so some of Mali's top bands performed at the festival), and I got to spend the days there with great company!

Happy 2010!

Wow! I really can’t believe that we’re already into 2010. It's getting cold now. Especially at night--I sleep wearing long sleeves and under a blanket (for perspective, the nighttime temperature is supposed to be 63 tonight). I’ll have my COS (Close of Service) conference in a mere four months, which is completely crazy. I won’t be home at that point, that’s just the conference where we’ll go over what all needs to be done and how to deal with readjusting once we’re back, etc. We’ll also each learn our official COS dates at the conference.

So, Christmas was nice. Earlier in December, we had a small Christmas party at Tubani-So that included all of the newest stage of volunteers, which was good to have. On Christmas Eve, a bunch of the volunteers that were in Bamako went over to an expat’s house for food and hot, mulled wine. Then, Christmas day, I made biscuits and gravy (from scratch, of course), eggs and heated up some bacon that was sent to me (thanks mom!) for everyone who was staying at my house (there were a lot of people). For dinner, we made mashed potatoes and gravy, cooked some green beans and carrots, and bought rotisserie chicken. Desert was my new specialty: peanut butter fudge (which is something that I’ve really enjoyed making recently) and a key lime pie that another houseguest made.

Tubani-So Christmas Party - with hot chocolate!

New Year’s Eve was very relaxed, which was good for me—I’d just graded nearly 700 exams the day before (I was only given one day to grade them all) and was ready to simply relax. There were a few parties that I knew of, but I opted to stay home instead. At midnight, I toasted the new year with some champagne while watching the fireworks from my roof

1 day to grade all of these!

New Year’s Day was the “Hangover Hash.” I was a little concerned at first. Apparently, last year’s was a 10k run. But it turned out okay, they kept it to a 5k with a lot of ups and downs. The dinner after the run was lasagna—which was absolutely amazing!!!

Hangover Hash

In law school news, I’ve received a few acceptances and denials. On the acceptance side, we can add Northeastern—which is in Boston (with a $8,500/year scholarship and a $3,000 nonprofit coop stipend), American University—in DC, and University of Iowa (with a full ride scholarship—totaling $117,906 for all three years). Obviously, the full ride at Iowa makes them my top choice at the moment (they’re also ranked 26th in the country), but I’m still waiting to hear from a few more top schools—some, I don’t expect to hear back from for another couple of months.

In all, life is good over here in Mali, and 2010 is already shaping up to be an excellent year (busy and with lots of work to do, but excellent all the same). I still really enjoy my time in Mali, and I’ve made a lot of great friends—Malians, expats and volunteers.

Thanksgiving isn't the only big feast/holiday this week

Wow, it's hard to believe that it's already time for Thanksgiving. Like last year, I'll be going to the Ambassador's for the big fest. Lots of amazing food. Definitely looking forward to that! Then, on Saturday, there's Seliba/Tabaski (AKA the sheep festival, or the Festival of Sacrifice), which is a really big Muslim holiday. It celebrates Ibrahim's (Abraham) willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismael, to God (which God rewards his devotion by making a sheep appear at the last moment so Ibrahim can sacrifice that instead).

Lately, things have been going quite well for me. As you may remember from my last post (which was a few months ago...), I went back to the US in order to take the LSAT and have a nice little vacation.

The results of that trip worked out favorably for me. I scored a 163 on the LSAT (88^th percentile), and managed to stack on 15 lbs (which, I've already lost, btw). I didn't get to see everyone I wanted to see, but I did see a lot of people--which was nice. I did most certainly get to go to a Columbus Crew soccer game and an Ohio State football game while I was back.

With my brother at the OSU game

So far, I've applied to 14 different law schools around the US, and today, I received my first acceptance! Catholic with an offer of 14,000/year in scholarships. It's good to know so early that I'll at least be going somewhere!

Since returning to Mali, I've managed to do at least a little travel/climbing. I went to Hombori with an expat friend, where we spent full week camping, hiking and climbing. It was absolutely beautiful up there.

On the way to Hombori, just beyond Douentza

We saw a considerable amount of camels on the trip. Actually, we had to stop the car and wait at one point while camels crossed the road. We had really hoped to see some elephants while on the trip, but it didn't work out. Maybe next time!

Millet - the primary grain/food eaten in Mali

Millet is the grain that's used to make tö, which is the staple of most Malian meals.

Hiking at The Hand of Fatima

Standing on a rock. Obviously. We're pretty far up at this point, but there was a lot more up to go.

A little bit of easy climbing at The Hand of Fatima

This last picture was taken while we were still hiking around The Hand of Fatima. We didn't take our gear on the hike, because we didn't think we'd need it. Turns out, we had to do a fair amount of climbing during the hike after all! This particular climb wasn't hard, but it was pretty far up, too.

Bamako, itself, has remained pretty much the same. There are several more Bamako volunteers than there used to be, but that's kinda nice. It gives us all more chances to unwind a little--which can be important. It also allows us to collaborate on ideas and projects a little better.