Some Q & A

I haven't written a substantial blog entry recently, partly because of lack of will, and partly because of lack of internet access. I have been at my site for almost all of January, after being gone for all of December. It's a hard transition to make after being gone for so long – in some ways it's as if I am starting from scratch all over again. And, here I am, about to leave for two weeks! (More details to come post-trip)

I have received several questions from friends and family in letters and emails, so I thought this would be the best place to answer them all. Here goes.

How are you?

• I'm okay.

How many people are in your village?

• I've heard anywhere from 3,000-5,000. It certainly doesn't seem like that many! I think the population estimates include smaller neighboring villages, not just my village proper.

How tall are the people in your village?

• As with anywhere, there is a huge range in the height of people in my village. Some are really short, some are really tall. I'm one of the taller women at the moment, though there are some other tall women around. Men are usually the same height as me or a little shorter, and there are a few who are taller than me. (I'm 6'0'' if that helps).

How many Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) are in your village?

• Just me. As a general rule in the Peace Corps, there is only one volunteer per village. This is a way to help/force a volunteer to integrate. If there was an English speaker here who's culture I understood, I would be likely to spend more time with them than out and about in my village. This also forces you to practice your Bambara. The closest volunteer to me is 18 km away. In larger cities, like Bamako, there is often more than one PCV.

Are there any hills close by?

• There is a large “mountain” in Kita, which I think is more like a large hill. There are also several small hills and rock formations on the bike ride out to my site, which I love because they are beautiful and their presence reminds me a little bit of home.

Tell me about the landscape.

• In addition to the rock formations, my village is surrounded by a lot of large, old trees. I wouldn't necessarily call it a forest, but it is nice to see so many trees – certainly more than in many other areas of Mali that I have visited. Aside from that, the land is mostly flat agricultural land, and anywhere not used for agriculture is filled with brush. If you were to walk with a Malian through the brush, they could tell you a use for almost every type of plant. I don't think it's possible to learn them all in just 2 years!

Is there any water nearby?

• There is a river that runs through town during the wet season. This is a good year for water, and the river didn't dry up until December. There are still a couple of large ponds and puddles of water. I think some of the puddles might last the whole year. Every day I see a man placing his fishing net in the largest of our ponds; I've been told he's able to catch a lot of fish. My homologue told me she doesn't think the wells will run dry before the next rainy season, which is a very good thing.

How's the weather?

• People keep telling me how cold it is as they walk around in their winter parkas, and kids can be found in one-piece ski suits. Here I am, still struggling to say cool during the day (it still reaches the 90s every day!). At night, we're in the mid to high 60s. It has certainly gotten colder since my arrival in July – I now sleep with a sheet and blanket (as opposed to nothing). The rain ended in October and won't come again until June. Ever. It's a strange concept to me that the rain just doesn't come during the dry season. Some days it will cloud up like Seattle, and I'll think, “It's definitely going to rain today.” Nope. This cold season will only last another month before it turns into the hot season, a time that I fear a little bit. I'm sure I'll get somewhat used to it, but I've never been one for super-hot weather. Following the heat will come the rain, and the beginning of another planting season.

Are you sick of beans/more explanations of food?

• I could and probably will do whole blog entries on food options. So, I won't go into detail here. I'm not sick of beans. In fact, I crave beans. I had big intentions of cooking beans multiple times per week, but they are a pain in the butt to cook here, and will eat up my gas tank quickly. So, I save the beans for special occasions. Luckily, there is a woman in my village that sells delicious beans every night, so I buy them every once in a while. I cook my own breakfast and dinner, but eat lunch with my host family. I am a little sick of leaf sauce and millet “rice” which I eat for lunch every day. I have to say, it's not the best stuff. I have tasted some very good food in Mali, but this isn't a dish I prefer. Since I am living in the peanut-producing region of Mali, we eat peanuts and/or peanut butter with everything. If you're allergic to peanuts, you probably don't want to come here!

Are there domestic cats/dogs/other pets?

• There are cats and dogs here, but they aren't like your normal idea of a pet. Generally they must scavenge for their own food, and are pretty mangy. A lot of the time, dogs and cats seem like the beating posts for children. I thought of getting a cat or dog in my village, but decided against it since I don't know how often I'll be gone. So far, a good decision. Of the 5 pets bought by my PCV friends in Kita, 3 have either died or run away. Not the best success rate. Aside from cats and dogs, there are loads of other animals. These are somewhere between pets, property, signs of wealth and food. There are ducks, guinea fowl, chicken, pigeons, rabbits, goats, sheep, donkeys, cows and horses.

• Here is a picture of my good kitty friend, who belongs to my homologue. He knows I am a sucker, and he comes out for a good ear scratch every time I come into their compound. I get a lot of puzzled looks when I pet cats or dogs...that's just not normal.

Do you wear sunscreen every day?

• Yes.

How do you bathe?

• Every morning and night I get a bucket of water from the pump and carry it back to my house on my head. Then, I take a bucket bath. It can be a little chilly at this time of year. When I had a cold a of couple weeks ago, people in my village told me it was because I didn't heat my water before bathing. Hm.

How did you haul poop and were your hands bare?

• I have gotten cow manure for my garden on multiple occasions, collecting from where the cows sleep every night. I ride my bike out to the place and load up an old rice sack with poop (yes, using my bare hands and a daba/hoe). Then I load up my bike with the poop and head to my garden, which is a 5 minute bike ride away. I water the manure for a couple of days before adding it to my garden, because there is so much nitrogen in it that it might burn my plants if I were to add it directly. Watering the poop allows some of the nitrogen to escape.

Alright, that's all for now. Keep the questions and comments coming, I love it. Thank you to everyone who has sent a letter or email, they increase happiness levels 10-fold! Until next time, have a good month and take it easy.