Disclaimer:

The opinions presented in this blog are my own and may not necessarily reflect those of the Peace Corps

Monday, June 27, 2011

African Summer

Mali's lower latitude sets the country up for weather and climate unlike that in the States.  Most of Mali's population lives at around 15 degrees north latitude.  This means that twice a year the sun will be directly overhead (no shadows...) and that during the longest days of the year (now) the sun passes across the northern part of the sky.  Winter is not as dark here as it is in the States and summer days aren't quite as long.  The other week I mixed up my north and south because of the sun's different tracks across the sky.  I was disappointed in myself.


Another result of living at 15 degrees is that it's so hot.  Its brutally hot!  I knew that coming here, but that didn't make the heat suck less.  I can't say for sure, but if its a sunny day, it is nearing 100 degrees.  If you're from Arizona you probably don't think that sounds too bad, but try to go a few days without AC and it might change your mind.  Also, the trainers like us to wear pants because it is what respectable Malians wear in public.  It's more professional I suppose.  I find it hard to feel professional when my clothes are saturated in sweat. 

Its interesting to see the way the village adapts to the heat.  Since buildings are mostly concrete with tin roofs, no time is spent inside.  We eat in yard, we have class outside beneath a mango tree,  and there is no roof over our heads when we bathe or use the bathroom.  We even sleep outside!  Even more interesting is seeing my habits change.  I bathe twice a day because sweat feels gross and because it is a way to find some relief from the heat.  I also wake up at 6:30 every day and enjoy the cooler morning temperatures.

There is one great thing about 15 degrees latitude and that is the thunderstorms.  I like them not only because they dampen the heat, but mostly because they are the most spectacular storms I have ever witnessed.  They can usually be seeing approaching in the distance as an ominous reddish-black mass constantly flickering lightning.  Soon the wind slams into the village carrying dust and debris.  The rain follows in buckets.  Its dark and wet, and everytime I am convinced that the wind is going to rip the tin roof off my room.  The first time a storm hit I was scared and went inside. But watching my 8 year old host sister run out and spend 10 minutes untying a ram from a tree in what seemed like a class 5 hurricane, made me realize that these storms were not unusual.  One storm was particularly strong and a medium sized river raged just outside my compound.  That was pretty awesome and dangerous.

June marks the beginning of the rainy season so I expect these storms to continue.  The storms will provide cloud cover and a wet earth that will absorb more of the sun's radiation.  So while the States are at the begginning of summer, the hottest days in Mali are about done.  The rainy season extends through September for most of Western Africa.  Then it is "cold" season.  I've always been a fan of winter, but this year it is not snowboarding that I will be looking forward to.

Even though I hate the heat in Mali, things are good and I have had plenty of positive experiences that I will post soon.

Dogon


Homestay training has focused mainly on language acquisition.  The day before being sent to live in our homestay villages I learned I would be not be learning Mali's principle language, Bambara.  Instead I would be learning a minority language called Tomokan.

The Tomokan class is only me, Zacharia, and our teacher, Regina.  Regina grew up speaking Tomokan, and also speaks Bambara, Bobo, French, English, and German!  Me and Zacharia (From Boston) live with Tomokan speaking families and spend several hours everyday in language class.  Unfortunately, our peers studying Bambara seem to have an advantage as the homestay villages are Bambara speaking villages.  While they get constant practice with Bambara, my Tomokan practice is limited to class time and short conversations with my host parents.  I still rely on French mostly, and I get frusterated when I am unable to speak basic Bambara to people in the village.  It feels like I am learning a fake language, since I am not able to experience the practical uses of communicating in Tomokan the way my Bambara studying peers can.  It's annoying.

The plus side is that I know what region I will be going to, and its going to be wild.  Bambara students may end up anywhere in Mali (in 10 days we get the name of our site villages and do a site visit), but Tomokan is spoken only by the Dogon people.  Knowing that I will be serving my 2 years in Dogon country makes me feel like badass.  Its a region famous for cliffs, caves, masks, and animist traditions. It is one of Mali's major tourist destinations.

As shown on the map above, the region is east of Djenne and Mopti against the Burkina Faso border.  Bankas will be my banking town, and though I do not know the name of my village until ten days, I know that it will be a community of only a couple hundred, and I will be a bike ride away from Zacharia's village.  

Below one can see the unique linguistic diversity of Dogon Country.  Though the Dogon are viewed as a single ethnic group something like 10 Dogon languages exist.  Include the Fula, Bambara, and French that are spoken and you have one of the most linguistically interesting places in the world.  The pink dots in the map below represent a Tomokan speaking village.  Though no major towns speak Tomokan, it is relatively wide spread and one of the most spoken Dogon languages.


Dogon Country is gonna be Wild!!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

It begins...

We are about to leave our sheltered compound where we have all been living comfortably.  In an hour I will move in with a host family in a village nearby and stay there for most of the 8 weeks of training.

During this last week I have had several moments of 'this is it,' or as my friend Immanuel likes to put it: 'this just got real.'  Getting on the plane to leave Montana, going to Orientation in DC, leaving DC, and arriving in Bamako all felt like the start of my journey.  Its been nice to slowly be eased into my life as a Peace Corps volunteer, but arriving at my training host village today will be a significant step forward and I can't say I am not nervous.  It will be my first time seeing the realities of life in a Malian village.  Though most my time will be spent in language class and technical skills class, I will be sharing meals and living space with my host family and it will be interesting to see how we interact.

This is it... until 8 weeks from now when I go to my post.  Then that will really be it!

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Staging

On May 31st I arrived in DC for a two day orientation.  DC was the perfect place to start getting used to Africa for several reasons.  It was nearly 100 degrees out, I saw a lot of black people, and (most importantly) I met my fellow volunteers.

The Orientation was helpful, but it was hanging out with a group of 22 new volunteers (a relatively small group) that gave me an idea of what is to come.  My new friends will be my support group during my Mali adventure.  They will also be my social outlet and a reminder of my American personality.  So I guess its a good thing that I like them.  They are pretty much what I expected a group of 22 Mali volunteers to be like. 



We are all in our early 20s except for Renate.  This is her second time doing Peace Corps.  The first time was in Nigeria in 1963.  That's hard core! (Photo courtesy of Maria Harris)
 
I have been in Mali for 24 hours now.  It feels like home already, really.  The training staff is awesome.  We have already had some cross cultural training and language training.  Any doubts I had about spending 2 years in Mali have been pushed to the side... but I'm sure they will resurface from time to time.

My cell number for the next 9 weeks will be 223-71689664

My address for the next 9 weeks will be:
Matthew English, PCT
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 85
Bamako, Mali  West Africa