Well everyone, i finally broke down and bought a refrigerator. Its amazing. I hadn't bough one at first since they are expensive but i saved my money and got it.
Also a big motivator was the mini-hot season coming up again where the temperatures will raise again and ice cold water at my becking call was just worth forking over some cash.
So the good news is you can now send me "Refrigerate After Opening" stuff, like cheeses, or well anything that requires refrigeration.
Its a mini-fridge about waist hight with a freezer on top, i'm so looking forward to filling it with tons of goodies!!
Friday, August 27, 2010
I got my wallet stolen
Three days ago, i was sitting at the bus station waiting for Marks bus to arrive/leave when i noticed my wallet was missing out of my purse. I had my purse sitting next to me and when Marks bus arrived i checked my bag and realized it was missing!
Generally Mali is a very safe country and petty theft isn't a problem but its Ramadon and money is short all around... It happens I guess. I had about 15,000 CFA ($30), my ID card, and my bank card in my wallet so i was more concerned about those. I went and talked to the staff of the bus company while Mark called Peace Corps asking what we should do. The bus staff wasn't helpful at all and just said there were too many people to do anything and that i should just go to the police in town. Basically that is what the Peace Corps staff said too.
On the walk out we looked all over for my wallet with the thought that someone would have just taken the money and thrown the rest out. But we found nothing...
At the police station we had to declare my wallet stolen and write out a report... in french. When we were done writing out the report then we had to take it to the secretary who was supposed to do something with it. Well the secretary said she didn't need anything and we were done with her and we should go over to the bank to tell them my card was lost.
So we taxi down to the bank and find someone to report my card missing to. He asks if we had went to the police and i show him the paper we got for declaring my wallet missing. He tells me its not the right paper and we need to go back to the police and get something else. I ask if there is anything he can do now and he just looked up my account info and told me to finish with the police and come back the next day.
So we get back in a taxi, oh i forgot to mention it was POURing down rain during most of this, and go back to the police station. The secretary now is saying that we need to go to the Treasury office to get a stamp, come back and let her sign something.
We leave, get in another taxi, and try to find the treasury office. After searching for a while we find the office and it looks closed. But as we are walking up a window flys open and a nice malien man says he is happy to stay and help us. So i tell him what i need and he is telling us all about the Malien hospitality. Then he asks why i need this stamp and i tell him my wallet was stolen and i need to declare my bank card missing. He was shocked and apologized.
So then we walked back to the police station and waited for the secretary to fill out and sign a paper, put the stamp on and charge us a $2 fee. By this time it was past 5 and since its Ramadon the bank was already closed. So at this point we called it a day.
We were tired, frustrated, and soaking wet.
The next day we got up and went to the bank. Sat there for several hours waiting for a new card to be issued and was able to take out money.
So everything work out fine and everything is now settled. Now please don't think that Mali is a bad place or anything... Remember, this could have happened anywhere!
Generally Mali is a very safe country and petty theft isn't a problem but its Ramadon and money is short all around... It happens I guess. I had about 15,000 CFA ($30), my ID card, and my bank card in my wallet so i was more concerned about those. I went and talked to the staff of the bus company while Mark called Peace Corps asking what we should do. The bus staff wasn't helpful at all and just said there were too many people to do anything and that i should just go to the police in town. Basically that is what the Peace Corps staff said too.
On the walk out we looked all over for my wallet with the thought that someone would have just taken the money and thrown the rest out. But we found nothing...
At the police station we had to declare my wallet stolen and write out a report... in french. When we were done writing out the report then we had to take it to the secretary who was supposed to do something with it. Well the secretary said she didn't need anything and we were done with her and we should go over to the bank to tell them my card was lost.
So we taxi down to the bank and find someone to report my card missing to. He asks if we had went to the police and i show him the paper we got for declaring my wallet missing. He tells me its not the right paper and we need to go back to the police and get something else. I ask if there is anything he can do now and he just looked up my account info and told me to finish with the police and come back the next day.
So we get back in a taxi, oh i forgot to mention it was POURing down rain during most of this, and go back to the police station. The secretary now is saying that we need to go to the Treasury office to get a stamp, come back and let her sign something.
We leave, get in another taxi, and try to find the treasury office. After searching for a while we find the office and it looks closed. But as we are walking up a window flys open and a nice malien man says he is happy to stay and help us. So i tell him what i need and he is telling us all about the Malien hospitality. Then he asks why i need this stamp and i tell him my wallet was stolen and i need to declare my bank card missing. He was shocked and apologized.
So then we walked back to the police station and waited for the secretary to fill out and sign a paper, put the stamp on and charge us a $2 fee. By this time it was past 5 and since its Ramadon the bank was already closed. So at this point we called it a day.
We were tired, frustrated, and soaking wet.
The next day we got up and went to the bank. Sat there for several hours waiting for a new card to be issued and was able to take out money.
So everything work out fine and everything is now settled. Now please don't think that Mali is a bad place or anything... Remember, this could have happened anywhere!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Some old photos
So here are some old photos that i haven't posted that I thought you guys would enjoy seeing!
(Your one and only plowing a millet field)
(Myself in front of a GIANT termite mound on a walk into the bush)
(Zame or Riz au Gras, my all time favorite African dish)
(A bone yard... like in Lion King... outside of Marks village where all of the large animals are sent to die)
(Your one and only plowing a millet field)
(Myself in front of a GIANT termite mound on a walk into the bush)
(Zame or Riz au Gras, my all time favorite African dish)
(A bone yard... like in Lion King... outside of Marks village where all of the large animals are sent to die)
Flight over Segou
Another part of my amazing birthday was going up in a little plane and flying around over Segou. I have a German military friend who lives here in Segou that owns a private little plane that he will take people up for a small fee. So i contacted him a few weeks ago and set up to fly on my birthday weekend.
It is a private airstrip... he and one other guy are the only ones how know how to fly a plane in all of segou and he owns the only plane in the entire city of Segou. So Gerhard, the German guy picks Mark and I up and takes us out there, checks all of the things and I load in for my flight.
It was a really small, two seater plane. I really don't know how to explain how amazing it was so here are some of my photos.
(Me getting ready)
(Take off)
(The Niger River)
(Downtown Segou where women go to do their laundry in the river and dry in on the river banks)
(Segou!)
It is a private airstrip... he and one other guy are the only ones how know how to fly a plane in all of segou and he owns the only plane in the entire city of Segou. So Gerhard, the German guy picks Mark and I up and takes us out there, checks all of the things and I load in for my flight.
It was a really small, two seater plane. I really don't know how to explain how amazing it was so here are some of my photos.
(Me getting ready)
(Take off)
(The Niger River)
(Downtown Segou where women go to do their laundry in the river and dry in on the river banks)
(Segou!)
An amazing birthday in Mali
Happy 24th birthday to me!
Mark came into town on my birthday. On the morning of the 19th we got up, made breakfast burritos (Mmmmm!), went and made a cheesecake (from a Pilsbury box), and went to the pool. My birthday was a surprisingly sunny day so the water felt so good and it didn't even rain. At the pool some other peace corps people meet us for a beer and slish splashed in the pool with us.
(The pool we swim at)
Around 5:30 Mark and I started to clean up because we wanted to go and watch the sun set at the Italian restaurant right on the river. Because it was a picture perfect day, the sunset was incredible but too short.
(Sunset on the Niger River)
And then, there was no gas for the restaurant to cook so all they could make was salads. I didn't want salad so the two of us went over to the "Shack" a local "upscale" malien restaurant that i love and had a nice dinner there and taxied back home and ate the cheesecake we had prepared that morning.
Overall it was an amazing birthday... but it got better (please read Flight over Segou)
Mark came into town on my birthday. On the morning of the 19th we got up, made breakfast burritos (Mmmmm!), went and made a cheesecake (from a Pilsbury box), and went to the pool. My birthday was a surprisingly sunny day so the water felt so good and it didn't even rain. At the pool some other peace corps people meet us for a beer and slish splashed in the pool with us.
(The pool we swim at)
Around 5:30 Mark and I started to clean up because we wanted to go and watch the sun set at the Italian restaurant right on the river. Because it was a picture perfect day, the sunset was incredible but too short.
(Sunset on the Niger River)
And then, there was no gas for the restaurant to cook so all they could make was salads. I didn't want salad so the two of us went over to the "Shack" a local "upscale" malien restaurant that i love and had a nice dinner there and taxied back home and ate the cheesecake we had prepared that morning.
Overall it was an amazing birthday... but it got better (please read Flight over Segou)
Bless the rains down in Africa
My favorite time of year in Africa has arrived. The rains have come, allowing people to start their rainy season harvests, the markets are filled with good veggies now and most importantly, IT HAS COOLED OFF!
Typically here in Mali the rains are not as frequent as they were in Guinea but we are still getting rain about two to three times a week where in guinea it was two or three times a day.
(Main national highway completely washed out by an over flooded highway)
When the rains come, the streets turn to rivers and city life practicly stops until the rivers become roads again.
Biking has become interesting... I'm always muddy and have to do laundry more than ever. But the sun shine is so unpredictable it is near impossible. One day i looked outside and saw blue skys for miles, started laundry and when i was about halfway finished it was pouring for the rest of the day...
Also, I'm lucky enough to live in a concrete house but many people (Maliens as well as Peace Corps Volunteers) live in mud houses. When the rains come so heavily so often, without time for the mud to dry out, the mud becomes weak. And yes the houses will crumble. Along the older section of Segou, where there is the highest concentration of mud housing, walls and roofs have been falling left and right. There has also been a PC Volunteer who had his house fall with the rains.
But i will take the african rains over the sweltering heat any day!
Typically here in Mali the rains are not as frequent as they were in Guinea but we are still getting rain about two to three times a week where in guinea it was two or three times a day.
(Main national highway completely washed out by an over flooded highway)
When the rains come, the streets turn to rivers and city life practicly stops until the rivers become roads again.
Biking has become interesting... I'm always muddy and have to do laundry more than ever. But the sun shine is so unpredictable it is near impossible. One day i looked outside and saw blue skys for miles, started laundry and when i was about halfway finished it was pouring for the rest of the day...
Also, I'm lucky enough to live in a concrete house but many people (Maliens as well as Peace Corps Volunteers) live in mud houses. When the rains come so heavily so often, without time for the mud to dry out, the mud becomes weak. And yes the houses will crumble. Along the older section of Segou, where there is the highest concentration of mud housing, walls and roofs have been falling left and right. There has also been a PC Volunteer who had his house fall with the rains.
But i will take the african rains over the sweltering heat any day!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Surprise… Here’s a cat!
Surprise… Here’s a cat!
While I was out at Mark’s house one morning we woke up, started making breakfast and when his neighbor came over to greet the day to us he pointed out four baby kittens in Marks compound. Someone knew that mark had a cat that he took care of well and thought he would like four more to take care of.
Of course Mark doesn’t want four kittens plus his cat so we gave them some milk and started looking for some homes. We found two people who said they would take one cat each which left two kittens. One kitten is very small, definitely the runt of the litter and is too small to give away and the other was so cute and so playful that I just had to take him. So I now am a cat owner. Who would have thought? I always thought of myself as a dog person, but we will test out the cat thing for a while.
So this is Cεncεn, as best as I can tell it’s a boy. Maybe about 8-9 weeks old. Don’t worry when he gets a little older I will have the vet come out to get his rabies shot. Also there is a huge sand pile in front of my house that I steal/barrow a handful and use as cat litter. Now, Cεncεn eats smoked, dried fish and milk. The fish is a new thing so he is still getting used to it.
Also, Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for the package. I loved the birthday card, and of course GRANDMA CRACKERS!!!!!!! And Aunt Mary & Uncle John thank you for the birthday card. I opened it early but enjoyed the card.
While I was out at Mark’s house one morning we woke up, started making breakfast and when his neighbor came over to greet the day to us he pointed out four baby kittens in Marks compound. Someone knew that mark had a cat that he took care of well and thought he would like four more to take care of.
Of course Mark doesn’t want four kittens plus his cat so we gave them some milk and started looking for some homes. We found two people who said they would take one cat each which left two kittens. One kitten is very small, definitely the runt of the litter and is too small to give away and the other was so cute and so playful that I just had to take him. So I now am a cat owner. Who would have thought? I always thought of myself as a dog person, but we will test out the cat thing for a while.
So this is Cεncεn, as best as I can tell it’s a boy. Maybe about 8-9 weeks old. Don’t worry when he gets a little older I will have the vet come out to get his rabies shot. Also there is a huge sand pile in front of my house that I steal/barrow a handful and use as cat litter. Now, Cεncεn eats smoked, dried fish and milk. The fish is a new thing so he is still getting used to it.
Also, Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for the package. I loved the birthday card, and of course GRANDMA CRACKERS!!!!!!! And Aunt Mary & Uncle John thank you for the birthday card. I opened it early but enjoyed the card.
You can take the girl out of the village, but you sure can’t take the village out of the girl
You can take the girl out of the village, but you sure can’t take the village out of the girl
Every few weeks or so I like to go out to Marks village, Madiama, for a few days. Clear my head of the “city” life, have a chance to just sit around the tea set and joke around. I was starting to feel the anxiety that builds up with having a work schedule so I took a week off and went out to visit the village.
First off, I received a lot of questions while I was back home about how I travel around the country. Public transport can very from company to company and bus to bus. I usually take Bittar, I’ve never had major problems with them and they are only about an hour late most of the time. I chose Bittar again this day and had problems the entire way. I go to the bus station about 45 minutes before the bus is supposed to be there; 11:30am, bought my ticket and batted flies. They don’t announce busses when they come in so you have to rush up to the bus and find out where that bus is going. Every bus that came by I would jump up and ask, hoping to hear Mopti the direction of where I was going. Around 2:30 pm my bus just pulls in. I run up, give the man my ticket and go to jump on the bus but am pushed off by the entire bus load of people. Normally bus stops are around 2-5 minutes, so I thought that is what it would be. I was wrong! We had to fix not one, not two but THREE TIRES! That is never a good sign!
Finaly around 3:00 we are off. I push my way on and find a nice old man to sit next to from Timbuktou. I have a general rule I like to abide when bussing alone. Buy candy or a treat for the person next to you so they will watch out for you and make sure you don’t get left somewhere. I don’t think my rule has ever saved my butt, but I don’t ever want it to come to not being polite that I get left somewhere.
We truck along for a bit and then stop, in the middle of the bush. Nothing around us, not even a latrine to pee in. Another tire has broken something or other. I’m not to keen on my mechanical French terms so I didn’t understand a lot. But I go under the big mango tree and sit with my new friend. We sit and wait for 45 minutes and then after a few fights (that I stayed away from) we got back on the bus.
Mark was expecting me around 5 and I wasn’t even halfway there by five. We went without problems until I was going to get off. The bus driver jokingly didn’t want to let me off in the village he wanted me to continue just until the city. I convinced him I was in fact getting off in Madiama and it sure helped that I had a fan club of Marks friends there to pick me up. An easy 5 hour trip can shortly run into a 9 hour day from hell.
Marks village is a small mud village. Everything, or at least almost everything is made of mud. Its amazing what you can do with mud. We spent the first day just walking around and making sure I said hello to the village chief and town mayor, the lady that is in charge of the watering pump and the tailor. It’s a great feeling to be welcomed back into a village, I don’t get that in Segou.
I also spent two days learning how to make rice and sauce. Here is a recipe for all of you daring cooks out there. This is one of the best dishes here in Mali.
Peanut Sauce
5-6 small onions, chopped
5-6 small tomatoes
3-4 small eggplants
2-3 globs of peanut butter
1 cube Maggi
salt and pepper to taste
optional--fish or meat, cooked well
prior to adding
potatoes, ignames, or manioc, boiled
separately until soft before adding
Boil 2-3 cups of water, add eggplant and
cook. Add peanut butter. Stir frequently
until peanut butter is fully blended, adding
more water if necessary. Add onions,
tomatoes, Maggi, salt, pepper, and other
desired vegetables. Continue boiling until
sauce becomes thick and the oil from the
peanut butter surfaces abundantly. Keep
stirring over low heat. Serve sauce over
rice.
Mark and I also went out to Nericoro, a neighboring village where Mark is working with his community to build a school and finance the desks and chairs. It was about three kilometers out of town so we woke up very early, walked out there and Mark showed me the school. It only took about five minutes to see the school since there is no roof or floors right now. Then we walked about a quarter of the way back with a herd of sheep. We also climbed giant termite hills and a bayobob tree. And the final thing we did on our walk back was help plow a field.
Its rainy season which means everyone is out in the fields all day. We saw a great opportunity to help a man out. A child was leading two cows/oxen (I don’t know how to tell the difference) and an old man working the plow. Mark jumped in and grabbed the plow and his line was very crooked. I thought I could do better than that so I took over. My line was stick straight, however my line ended up half way to China. Lord knows I don’t know how to plow a field but I think with a little more practice I could be an amazing plow women.
The other big thing that I did “au village” was markets. Markets are a once a week highlight for villagers. It’s the day where everyone comes out to buy and sell their livestock, produce, or other products. We went to Sofara, a larger town about 45 minutes away. They have ice and bread!
Every few weeks or so I like to go out to Marks village, Madiama, for a few days. Clear my head of the “city” life, have a chance to just sit around the tea set and joke around. I was starting to feel the anxiety that builds up with having a work schedule so I took a week off and went out to visit the village.
First off, I received a lot of questions while I was back home about how I travel around the country. Public transport can very from company to company and bus to bus. I usually take Bittar, I’ve never had major problems with them and they are only about an hour late most of the time. I chose Bittar again this day and had problems the entire way. I go to the bus station about 45 minutes before the bus is supposed to be there; 11:30am, bought my ticket and batted flies. They don’t announce busses when they come in so you have to rush up to the bus and find out where that bus is going. Every bus that came by I would jump up and ask, hoping to hear Mopti the direction of where I was going. Around 2:30 pm my bus just pulls in. I run up, give the man my ticket and go to jump on the bus but am pushed off by the entire bus load of people. Normally bus stops are around 2-5 minutes, so I thought that is what it would be. I was wrong! We had to fix not one, not two but THREE TIRES! That is never a good sign!
Finaly around 3:00 we are off. I push my way on and find a nice old man to sit next to from Timbuktou. I have a general rule I like to abide when bussing alone. Buy candy or a treat for the person next to you so they will watch out for you and make sure you don’t get left somewhere. I don’t think my rule has ever saved my butt, but I don’t ever want it to come to not being polite that I get left somewhere.
We truck along for a bit and then stop, in the middle of the bush. Nothing around us, not even a latrine to pee in. Another tire has broken something or other. I’m not to keen on my mechanical French terms so I didn’t understand a lot. But I go under the big mango tree and sit with my new friend. We sit and wait for 45 minutes and then after a few fights (that I stayed away from) we got back on the bus.
Mark was expecting me around 5 and I wasn’t even halfway there by five. We went without problems until I was going to get off. The bus driver jokingly didn’t want to let me off in the village he wanted me to continue just until the city. I convinced him I was in fact getting off in Madiama and it sure helped that I had a fan club of Marks friends there to pick me up. An easy 5 hour trip can shortly run into a 9 hour day from hell.
Marks village is a small mud village. Everything, or at least almost everything is made of mud. Its amazing what you can do with mud. We spent the first day just walking around and making sure I said hello to the village chief and town mayor, the lady that is in charge of the watering pump and the tailor. It’s a great feeling to be welcomed back into a village, I don’t get that in Segou.
I also spent two days learning how to make rice and sauce. Here is a recipe for all of you daring cooks out there. This is one of the best dishes here in Mali.
Peanut Sauce
5-6 small onions, chopped
5-6 small tomatoes
3-4 small eggplants
2-3 globs of peanut butter
1 cube Maggi
salt and pepper to taste
optional--fish or meat, cooked well
prior to adding
potatoes, ignames, or manioc, boiled
separately until soft before adding
Boil 2-3 cups of water, add eggplant and
cook. Add peanut butter. Stir frequently
until peanut butter is fully blended, adding
more water if necessary. Add onions,
tomatoes, Maggi, salt, pepper, and other
desired vegetables. Continue boiling until
sauce becomes thick and the oil from the
peanut butter surfaces abundantly. Keep
stirring over low heat. Serve sauce over
rice.
Mark and I also went out to Nericoro, a neighboring village where Mark is working with his community to build a school and finance the desks and chairs. It was about three kilometers out of town so we woke up very early, walked out there and Mark showed me the school. It only took about five minutes to see the school since there is no roof or floors right now. Then we walked about a quarter of the way back with a herd of sheep. We also climbed giant termite hills and a bayobob tree. And the final thing we did on our walk back was help plow a field.
Its rainy season which means everyone is out in the fields all day. We saw a great opportunity to help a man out. A child was leading two cows/oxen (I don’t know how to tell the difference) and an old man working the plow. Mark jumped in and grabbed the plow and his line was very crooked. I thought I could do better than that so I took over. My line was stick straight, however my line ended up half way to China. Lord knows I don’t know how to plow a field but I think with a little more practice I could be an amazing plow women.
The other big thing that I did “au village” was markets. Markets are a once a week highlight for villagers. It’s the day where everyone comes out to buy and sell their livestock, produce, or other products. We went to Sofara, a larger town about 45 minutes away. They have ice and bread!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Weirdest Day Ever
Weirdest Day Ever
A couple of Fridays ago, I woke up, brushed my teeth and went into work like any normal day. As soon as I got into work my boss told me we are going out. He was sick and tired of just sitting around all day. We were going to hit the ground running that day.
We ride over to the market area and then Diarra (my boss) wants me to go and meet his Tae Kwon Do master. So he carts me over to his master’s house to introduce me. We sit, watch some bad music videos and then France 24 News. I keep thinking we are going to leave any minute but we never do. More and more little kids in Tae Kwon Do outfits keep coming in and soon after a dance party breaks out. Diarra uses his cell phone to DJ, I hand out candy to motivate the kids to dance.
After sitting in the Tae Kwon Do Master’s house for three hours I finally ask Diarra, “What are we waiting on?” He keeps telling me to just wait, something will happen soon. About five music videos later I start to hear honking moto horns coming our way. Usually honking moto horns in processions is saved for marriages and I didn’t think there would be a wedding on a Friday morning. But sure enough I was wrong. The honking stopped and the once empty living room filled up with about 100+ Maliens dressed for a wedding.
I try to search out Diarra but I’m swarmed by the photographer and bride party. Mind you I didn’t know the bride (or groom for that matter) let alone I didn’t even know there was a wedding going on. But I smile nicely for the photos because I know that one day the will decorate some wall and grandchildren will be told about how I was once friends with a Toubabou.
Then it got even weirder. Suddenly everyone leaves, leaving Diarra, the master and I alone in this living room. I get swept away by the master into the gym where the tae kwon do classes are held and then the wedding party enters the gym. The bride and groom put on the Tae Kwon Do outfits over their wedding gear. We take a few more photos and then everyone leaves. So there I am, alone thinking, what just happened?
A couple of Fridays ago, I woke up, brushed my teeth and went into work like any normal day. As soon as I got into work my boss told me we are going out. He was sick and tired of just sitting around all day. We were going to hit the ground running that day.
We ride over to the market area and then Diarra (my boss) wants me to go and meet his Tae Kwon Do master. So he carts me over to his master’s house to introduce me. We sit, watch some bad music videos and then France 24 News. I keep thinking we are going to leave any minute but we never do. More and more little kids in Tae Kwon Do outfits keep coming in and soon after a dance party breaks out. Diarra uses his cell phone to DJ, I hand out candy to motivate the kids to dance.
After sitting in the Tae Kwon Do Master’s house for three hours I finally ask Diarra, “What are we waiting on?” He keeps telling me to just wait, something will happen soon. About five music videos later I start to hear honking moto horns coming our way. Usually honking moto horns in processions is saved for marriages and I didn’t think there would be a wedding on a Friday morning. But sure enough I was wrong. The honking stopped and the once empty living room filled up with about 100+ Maliens dressed for a wedding.
I try to search out Diarra but I’m swarmed by the photographer and bride party. Mind you I didn’t know the bride (or groom for that matter) let alone I didn’t even know there was a wedding going on. But I smile nicely for the photos because I know that one day the will decorate some wall and grandchildren will be told about how I was once friends with a Toubabou.
Then it got even weirder. Suddenly everyone leaves, leaving Diarra, the master and I alone in this living room. I get swept away by the master into the gym where the tae kwon do classes are held and then the wedding party enters the gym. The bride and groom put on the Tae Kwon Do outfits over their wedding gear. We take a few more photos and then everyone leaves. So there I am, alone thinking, what just happened?
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