and he's still alive (I know, right?)

Homestay is almost over, which is crazy. I originally thought that these 20 days would drag on, but it’s actually gone by rather quickly so far. Of course, we’ve had a couple of respites during this long stretch where we’ve had to come to Bamako for various training sessions (and one visit to a hotel last Sunday where the whole purpose was to use the pool and eat lunch). That’s also what’s kind of going on today. I’m working on some material at the bureau for training sessions this week (I have to "teach" a couple of classes).

I’ve also begun writing a novel. Currently, I’m somewhere around 23,000 words into it and writing at breakneck speed. My current goal is to be either done with it or at least 50,000 words by swear-in (September 12th). Currently, I’m on pace (writing roughly 2500 words/day). Unfortunately, this is also all hand-written. So eventually, I’ll have to type it all up. I think writing this is one reason the time has been passing by so quickly. Essentially, it’s a mystery/suspense story based here in Mali. Perhaps after I finish it, I’ll share a few more details. For now, I’ll say that it’s been rather entertaining to write.

News about my macbook. Apparently, the hard drive was indeed frakked. My dad told me that he’s now replaced the hard drive, and I should be able to get the macbook relatively soonish. Last I heard, he reinstalled some of my software (adobe cs3 and neooffice), and was planning to mail it this coming week. So, I’ve unfortunately lost some pictures and whatnot, but at least I’ll have a laptop again. Much, if not all of my fiction and poetry is on a backup external somewhere. I’m sure some things will have been lost, but that’s okay. I can always write more.

We’ve had a couple of cooler nights and mornings recently. I actually had to pull out a long sleeve shirt this morning, which has me a little concerned about the cold season. Granted, the “cold season” isn’t really all that cold, but it will get chilly. It’s still interesting to see my host family members wear giant, winter coats when it’s in the 80s. Probably not this cold season, but next will see me freezing in such temperatures as well.

Anyway, all is still quite well. I recently received a package from my dad and stepmom, which was wonderful. I also received a package from my former coworkers at IRI, which was absolutely amazing. Those food items completely helped to re-energize me.

To be fully candid, it’s difficult to live here. We’re constantly fighting one illness or another. Getting things like amoebas, giardia, or simply your general run-of-the-mill bacterial infections. So far, I’ve been blessedly lucky. I think I’ve probably had a bacterial infection or two. It’s possible that I had giardia once, but the test came back negative. Regardless, we decided to err on the side of caution and I took medicine for giardia. But like I said, I’ve been relatively lucky (though I’ve lost a lot of weight) compared to some people. There’s one person in my group who’s been sick more than healthy since we arrived. And so far, I believe there have been somewhere between 3-5 people who have ETed (ET = early termination). As we all know, however, I’m stubborn, and I’m still glad to be here. I can deal with the occasional stomach ailment. The heat’s not as bad as it could be (or will be once the hot season comes around in March). And once I’m living in Bamako, I’ll be able to cook for myself, which means I can be sure to eat healthier than I do now (and not eat rice and pasta that are filled with small pebbles).

I’ve learned a lot about the educational system since I last updated as well. To be frank, it’s a rough scene. College is essentially free, and it seems pretty easy for people to skate by. Their entire class grade is based on the final, which is just a one page exam (the sample exam I saw had 20 short answer, 20 true/false and then a “what was your favorite lesson this semester?” question). In my ideal world, I’d be able to revamp this system so that I could force the students to do homework and have quizzes during the term--thus maybe enabling them to learn more and get more out of the class. I’ll see what I’m allowed to do and not… hopefully, my hands won’t be completely tied.

My French is starting to really improve as well. Sadly, I don’t get a lot of practice with my host family (who mostly speak Bambara--but I do get the occasional exchange with my host dad or my host sister). But classes still last all day and the Brazilian soap operas that are dubbed into French are becoming ever easier for me to comprehend.

So that’s life here in Mali. Like I said, so far, things are still going well. It’s hard, but they wouldn’t need Peace Corps Volunteers if it were easy. I’m still glad I’m here, and I’m still doing okay. I trust that all is well in the US. My next update will likely be in a week or so.

Oh, I've also added a couple of pictures to flickr, feel free to check them out here.