When i was back in America i wanted to look for a hammock. I spend a lot of time reading and a nice hammock under a shaddy tree would be nice i thought. Well i just simply ran out of time to look in America, but i knew Mark had one that was made in Guinea. I thought maybe i could find someone who could use his as a model and make me one here.
Mark and I drag his hammock down to the people who weave thick plastic rope to medal frames to make chairs. I thought its the same idea and they should be able to make it. Well they loved the hammock but said there is no way they can make it. BOO, i really wanted my hammock!
After the disapointing meeting with the chair weavers we had to go to the market and get some stuff. Mark was talking to some Malien guy and ended up asking about hammock. And the guy knew where they sold them in the market. The nice man, i think his name was Coulibally, went and got two differnt types of hammocks to show us while we sat under his hanger filled with childrens clothing. I ended up getting a hammock from him for about 4,000 CFA or $8.oo, found some nice thick rope and took it home to hang.
On my balcony, the hammock is entirly shaded from the sun by two large mango trees creating a nice, relaxing area. Since i have recently decided that I will be taking the GRE soon i have designated this hammock as my study hammock. I hope using the hammock as motivation to study will increase my GRE score so i can get into a good school, find a good job and retire by 40. I have high hopes for this hammock i think!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Plumbing problems
When i got back from my month long America vacation i came back to a house where my toilette wasn't working. Great, i thought. So i had to talk to my host dad and tell him it wasn't working so he could call someone to come out and have it fixed. He knew someone who could fix it, so he called and said he would be there the next day.
So, the next day Mark and I wait all day for the plumber to come and fix the problem. Well like a Malien he comes at 4:30 in the afternoon. I had spent HOURS waiting but finally he was there. It took him about 3 minutes to fix the lever thing that tells the water when to stop running. He told me "Pull it like a baby". My toilette is the pull kind where there is a pull thing on top of it that you lift to flush (different that American toilettes). So he made me practice a few times in front of him to make sure i wouldn't brake it again.
The toilette is all fixed and working like a charm now. BUT, two days after this, Mark and I are coming back from pizza night at one of the hotels. Our feet are muddy from the walk back, so we get back to my apartment at about 11pm and go to wash our feet when the faucet breaks. It is gushing water everywhere. I grab buckets and those start overflowing. Mark is trying to fix the faucet with no luck. After about 5 minutes of failed fixing we run outside to find someone to turn off the water to my house. By this time its past 11:30 and there is noone up in my compound. But there were voices outside so Mark runs over and says something along the lines of "The water is running and wont stop" in Bambara to the men. Thank god, one of the men there was from my compound and knew what to do. He also knew where the water line was for my house. BUT, there was a lock on the box to turn off the water. So he had to go and wake my host dad, find the keys and start looking for the key. No luck finding the key, of course. So we had to smash the lock and turn off the water. Host pappa said that he would call the plumber again in the morning.
The next day i had to wait, again, for the plumber to come. But i thought since he came late afternoon the last time, he could come about the same time again. Well at 5:30 pm still no word from the plumber so i went to ask host dad what the deal was. He said that the guy would be here by 4. I told him that it was an hour and a half past 4. So we tried to call the plumber but his phone was off. Mind you, i haven't had water in my apartment for over 17 hours. I wanted to take a shower and was getting nervous that the plumber wasn't comeing. At 6:15 i got a "conk conk" on my door and it was the plumber. This time it only took him about 30 seconds to fix the problem and then procceded to ask me for the baseball hat sitting on my coffee table. I gave him the hat and he went on his merry way.
So, the next day Mark and I wait all day for the plumber to come and fix the problem. Well like a Malien he comes at 4:30 in the afternoon. I had spent HOURS waiting but finally he was there. It took him about 3 minutes to fix the lever thing that tells the water when to stop running. He told me "Pull it like a baby". My toilette is the pull kind where there is a pull thing on top of it that you lift to flush (different that American toilettes). So he made me practice a few times in front of him to make sure i wouldn't brake it again.
The toilette is all fixed and working like a charm now. BUT, two days after this, Mark and I are coming back from pizza night at one of the hotels. Our feet are muddy from the walk back, so we get back to my apartment at about 11pm and go to wash our feet when the faucet breaks. It is gushing water everywhere. I grab buckets and those start overflowing. Mark is trying to fix the faucet with no luck. After about 5 minutes of failed fixing we run outside to find someone to turn off the water to my house. By this time its past 11:30 and there is noone up in my compound. But there were voices outside so Mark runs over and says something along the lines of "The water is running and wont stop" in Bambara to the men. Thank god, one of the men there was from my compound and knew what to do. He also knew where the water line was for my house. BUT, there was a lock on the box to turn off the water. So he had to go and wake my host dad, find the keys and start looking for the key. No luck finding the key, of course. So we had to smash the lock and turn off the water. Host pappa said that he would call the plumber again in the morning.
The next day i had to wait, again, for the plumber to come. But i thought since he came late afternoon the last time, he could come about the same time again. Well at 5:30 pm still no word from the plumber so i went to ask host dad what the deal was. He said that the guy would be here by 4. I told him that it was an hour and a half past 4. So we tried to call the plumber but his phone was off. Mind you, i haven't had water in my apartment for over 17 hours. I wanted to take a shower and was getting nervous that the plumber wasn't comeing. At 6:15 i got a "conk conk" on my door and it was the plumber. This time it only took him about 30 seconds to fix the problem and then procceded to ask me for the baseball hat sitting on my coffee table. I gave him the hat and he went on his merry way.
America
When i was back home in America there were several things that i noticed that had changed. Now, given that i had been out of "civilization" for so long part of it might have been just me changing as well.
The first thing i noticed when i got off the plane, green. In the dessert in hot season, there is no color other than sand. Seeing all of the trees and grass was mind blowing. Another thing i noticed, the beds are so comfy. I stayed in plenty of differnt beds in many cities while home and each and every one was delightful! In Guinea i slept on a straw mattress and in Mali i have a cotton mattress, so a real boxspring and mattress american style was like sleeping on a cloud!
This may seem weird but the toilette paper is so much softer in America. Also, the food portions are HUGE! I went to the cheesecake factory with some friends in Dayton and my salad could have fed a family of 5 in Mali easily!
The next big thing i noticed, everyone is ALWAYS on their cell phones. It seemed like every ten minutes peoples phones were buzzing. And also, people just text like crazy. Do people even talk on the phone anymore?
The last thing that i noticed was Americans are more hospitable than i remember. I was welcomed with open arms all around the country. People asked questions about my life and were generally interested in things i had to say. They let me sleep in their house and eat their food without asking for a thing.
The first thing i noticed when i got off the plane, green. In the dessert in hot season, there is no color other than sand. Seeing all of the trees and grass was mind blowing. Another thing i noticed, the beds are so comfy. I stayed in plenty of differnt beds in many cities while home and each and every one was delightful! In Guinea i slept on a straw mattress and in Mali i have a cotton mattress, so a real boxspring and mattress american style was like sleeping on a cloud!
This may seem weird but the toilette paper is so much softer in America. Also, the food portions are HUGE! I went to the cheesecake factory with some friends in Dayton and my salad could have fed a family of 5 in Mali easily!
The next big thing i noticed, everyone is ALWAYS on their cell phones. It seemed like every ten minutes peoples phones were buzzing. And also, people just text like crazy. Do people even talk on the phone anymore?
The last thing that i noticed was Americans are more hospitable than i remember. I was welcomed with open arms all around the country. People asked questions about my life and were generally interested in things i had to say. They let me sleep in their house and eat their food without asking for a thing.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
America part 1
As you all know, for the month of June and into July I was able to go home for a little well deserved R&R. I was lucky enough to get around and be able to visit a lot of people however not everyone. I thought i would share some of the reoccurring questions.
1. What is the weather like in Mali?
Easy, hot. I know i complain a lot about the heat but really, its at least 120 everyday during the hot season. However there is the rainy season which is a big sigh of relief when the temp drops to about 95-100. The third and final season is cold season, which entails temperature in the low low 80's.
2. What do you eat?
A lot of fruits and veggies. In my daily market i can get lettuce, cucumbers, onions, potatoes, carrots, green peppers, coconuts, bananas, oranges, mangoes, guavas, pineapple, apples, and grapefruits all depending on the season. Also since i'm in a city i have restaurant choices. There is a (real) Italian restaurant, a togolease restaurant that has amazing rice and sauce, and "the shack". Which is literally a grass shack that has amazing food at good prices. And last but certainly not least, American food when people are so generous to send some.
3. What do you do all day?
I wake up and bike to work. I usually stay at work from 8-12 and then pass by the daily market for lunch/dinner. Bike back home and put all the veggies in bleach water to kill all the gross germs and then make whatever lunch is going to be. Sit in my new hammock and read/nap for a bit and then go out and say hello to a lot of my malien friends. Usually drink some tea. But don't forget i have to hand wash all of my cloths and dishes. So things take a lot longer to do here.
4.How do you do it?
I really don't know. Some days are harder than others but you just kind of wake up, look around and remember life isn't all that bad.
5. Do you like it?
In case you can't tell, I love it here. The people are amazing and the problems really just kind of disappear. When the water cuts out... you just wait. When your bus doesn't leave on time... you just wait. Its a whole different lifestyle here.
I'm going to try to update my blog more in the coming days. I have lots of new stories and adventures that i would love to share with everyone.
1. What is the weather like in Mali?
Easy, hot. I know i complain a lot about the heat but really, its at least 120 everyday during the hot season. However there is the rainy season which is a big sigh of relief when the temp drops to about 95-100. The third and final season is cold season, which entails temperature in the low low 80's.
2. What do you eat?
A lot of fruits and veggies. In my daily market i can get lettuce, cucumbers, onions, potatoes, carrots, green peppers, coconuts, bananas, oranges, mangoes, guavas, pineapple, apples, and grapefruits all depending on the season. Also since i'm in a city i have restaurant choices. There is a (real) Italian restaurant, a togolease restaurant that has amazing rice and sauce, and "the shack". Which is literally a grass shack that has amazing food at good prices. And last but certainly not least, American food when people are so generous to send some.
3. What do you do all day?
I wake up and bike to work. I usually stay at work from 8-12 and then pass by the daily market for lunch/dinner. Bike back home and put all the veggies in bleach water to kill all the gross germs and then make whatever lunch is going to be. Sit in my new hammock and read/nap for a bit and then go out and say hello to a lot of my malien friends. Usually drink some tea. But don't forget i have to hand wash all of my cloths and dishes. So things take a lot longer to do here.
4.How do you do it?
I really don't know. Some days are harder than others but you just kind of wake up, look around and remember life isn't all that bad.
5. Do you like it?
In case you can't tell, I love it here. The people are amazing and the problems really just kind of disappear. When the water cuts out... you just wait. When your bus doesn't leave on time... you just wait. Its a whole different lifestyle here.
I'm going to try to update my blog more in the coming days. I have lots of new stories and adventures that i would love to share with everyone.
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