So I'm retyping this jamming out to some Dear Prudence by The Beatles which has become my favorite song to listen to as I walk through Kabe watching the sunset. I wrote this poem during one of our sessions today; the first line just came to me and I jotted it down as I strolled to the negen. It more or less sums up how I feel sometime here in Mali. Take it tongue and cheek, its not like 100% serious...
Free flowing thoughts devoid of structure
buoyant, lying stagnant in my mind
A self imposed muzzle, I struggle to speak
How do I formulate words without language
I am the fly on the wall, the fish in the bowl
I believe in ghosts, because this is who I am
Stumbling, my tongue trips, fails to stand
Speak to me, breathe, give me a voice past silence
A whisper would suffice, but let my soul scream
You stare at me, but you look straight through me
How can you understand what you can not read
Give me a voice like the east wind in the fields
We understand the rain as we hear it shower the trees
give me a voice like the sunrise and sunset
an unforgettable voice that echoes across the world
not just a voice; nay give me a chance to be heard
Let me be the moon; guiding all who look for guidance
Brand me Al-Mustafa the prophet let me speak of life
Give me the cement to hold my thoughts, a mold to form
give me rope to rescue my falling spirit, pull me out
I look to you for a hand, and in return I will give you mine
My hand, my voice, my love, my tears, my inner spirit
Give me the chance and I will help you flourish
Let me be the moon and I sir will make you the sun.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
T.I.A This is Africa.....previously an e-mail to my family
Hey Everyone,
So I am Back!!!! I've been in a small village in Mali since last thursday and it
was really an experience that I don't even think someone on heavy
drugs could have shared. This country is truly a place like no other
and it is pretty incredible. I go through whats called the W of
cultural adjustment everyday. Its up and down but the ups are great
and the downs are not so unbearable that a little bike ride, some
tunes or some laughing/smiling and telling my family I want to punch
them in english doesn't fix.
I live with my host dad ,his wife and their two children On our compound we also live with my dad's parents, his
oldest brother and one of his cousins. My malian name is Omar, all i
kept thinking was that I had to travel all the way to West African
village of 800 people who don't know Spanish people from white people,
to be given a spanish name. They pronounce it ooh-mar but its all the
same. So first off I'll talk about the food. I am happy to say that I
have not eaten any bugs, , lizards, or other strange food. I mostly
eat rice and tegadegana (a hot peanut sauce), macoroni, potatoes in
this really cool red sauce, and in the morning i get bread two
hardboiled eggs and peanut butter. Organic peanut butter is absolutely
fantastic. I also have my fair share of beans, but here in Mali when
you eat beans its a big joke. Quick side note, here in mali you have
whats called joking cousins. Its more or less the reason why there is
no war or civil unrest here, if two people are arguing, one of their
joking cousins (these relationships are all traditional) can come up
and call them a bean eater or say their brother is a donkey and
everyone laughs and goes about their business as if nothing was wrong.
So now onto the people im with. I am at my homestead village with 7
other PCT's (peace corps trainees). We have all meshed really well. I
am thrilled to say that we have become a good group and rely on each
other as a support system and its been really good. I am pretty
surprised to see that I am only one of two people from NY in my
staging group but its cool to see people from all over the place.
The local language of Mali is called Bambara (pronounced
Bahm-bah-ra).This has made me reallly want to
learn spanish again so I will need help with that when i get back. I
study hard during class and my routine through out the day does
include some time going over bambara. So to elaborate on that my
routine consists of waking up at about 6 am going back to bed till 7
then getting out of bed. I take brush my teeth, take my bucket bath,
have my egg sandwich. I go off to class around 757 for class at 8. I
always get there on time bc it is a five second walk. After morning
class i go home eat lunch and then sit in my pimp hut aka the bull. my
lunch break is james time. I sit in there and either read passages of
the prophet, listen to american music or just write. I go to night
session around 230 till about 530. Then i go home grab my bike and
ride for like 3 or 4k. Then i go to the yiri kalanyoro (the
kalanyoro-school- yiri-tree-) and i do my pull ups and push ups. I had
home around 630 and take my bucket bath, have some lipton tea, and
then relax all night. Duley and Adama go over my bambara with me and
then i have malian tea with my dad and stare at the stars. HOLY CRAP
you have never seen the stars till you have seen them in west africa.
Then around 930 i go to bed. I wake up at 12 to towel off the sweat
then again at 3 when the donkeys begin to seizure/orgasm/death rattle
and then at 530 when the roosters starts sounding off every 15 minutes
like clock work. and then i start alll over again. Its nice to have a
routine it keeps me really sane.
So I regret to tell you guys that i can not in good conscious come
back to America during my two years here. I mean that might change but
im not sure. I think that if i came back it would be way to hard to
leave the US and come back to mali. This is not something you long to
come back to in that way. I would love to meet you guys in Spain or
Morocco but the US aside from being close to 6 thousand dollars round
trip would be too much to handle. I am sorry i know i said i would try
to come home but it would be sooooo hard. I may change my mind but
right now i'm in the no us for two years mood.
So next step will be the thunderstorms. I don't know if you have ever
lived under a tin roof, but when it rains its loud. Im pretty sure i
can empathize with london during WW2 and the bombs that went off. It
breaks the humidity and the thunder and lightning are amazing but shit
its loud.
I'm sorry if this blog bounces a lot but i took notes on what to say
and obviously its just random thoughts so I am trying to correlate
that best I can. I got to watch the world cup final and it was
wonderful because the malians all laughed because i stomped about and
yelled in english the whole time.
I need to say this now too so you all see it. This was the best
decision i have ever made, the Peace Corps. Oh and I am currently
vaccinated from Yellow Fever, typhoid fever, rabies, hep a, hep b,
meningitis, and will getting more soon. I take my vitamins every day,
and if i don't i take an airborne every three to four days. I take my
doxy malaria medication every day.
Overall i really love this place and am enjoying my time here. I will
spend 795 days in mali and tonight marks 780 left hahaha. Love you
all. i'll try to write again before I leave on wednesday.
To finish here is a nice passage i read in Kahlil Gibrans The Prophet
that makes me really understand why i'm here.
"you give but little when you give of your possessions.
it is when you give you of yourself that you truly give,
for what are you possessions but things you keep and guard for fear
you may need them tomorrow?
and tomorrow, what shall tomorrow bring to the overprudent dog burying
bones in the trackless sand as he follows the pilgrims...
you often say 'i would give, but only to the deserving'
surely he who has deserved to drink from the ocean of life deserves to
fill his cup from your little stream."
So I am Back!!!! I've been in a small village in Mali since last thursday and it
was really an experience that I don't even think someone on heavy
drugs could have shared. This country is truly a place like no other
and it is pretty incredible. I go through whats called the W of
cultural adjustment everyday. Its up and down but the ups are great
and the downs are not so unbearable that a little bike ride, some
tunes or some laughing/smiling and telling my family I want to punch
them in english doesn't fix.
I live with my host dad ,his wife and their two children On our compound we also live with my dad's parents, his
oldest brother and one of his cousins. My malian name is Omar, all i
kept thinking was that I had to travel all the way to West African
village of 800 people who don't know Spanish people from white people,
to be given a spanish name. They pronounce it ooh-mar but its all the
same. So first off I'll talk about the food. I am happy to say that I
have not eaten any bugs, , lizards, or other strange food. I mostly
eat rice and tegadegana (a hot peanut sauce), macoroni, potatoes in
this really cool red sauce, and in the morning i get bread two
hardboiled eggs and peanut butter. Organic peanut butter is absolutely
fantastic. I also have my fair share of beans, but here in Mali when
you eat beans its a big joke. Quick side note, here in mali you have
whats called joking cousins. Its more or less the reason why there is
no war or civil unrest here, if two people are arguing, one of their
joking cousins (these relationships are all traditional) can come up
and call them a bean eater or say their brother is a donkey and
everyone laughs and goes about their business as if nothing was wrong.
So now onto the people im with. I am at my homestead village with 7
other PCT's (peace corps trainees). We have all meshed really well. I
am thrilled to say that we have become a good group and rely on each
other as a support system and its been really good. I am pretty
surprised to see that I am only one of two people from NY in my
staging group but its cool to see people from all over the place.
The local language of Mali is called Bambara (pronounced
Bahm-bah-ra).This has made me reallly want to
learn spanish again so I will need help with that when i get back. I
study hard during class and my routine through out the day does
include some time going over bambara. So to elaborate on that my
routine consists of waking up at about 6 am going back to bed till 7
then getting out of bed. I take brush my teeth, take my bucket bath,
have my egg sandwich. I go off to class around 757 for class at 8. I
always get there on time bc it is a five second walk. After morning
class i go home eat lunch and then sit in my pimp hut aka the bull. my
lunch break is james time. I sit in there and either read passages of
the prophet, listen to american music or just write. I go to night
session around 230 till about 530. Then i go home grab my bike and
ride for like 3 or 4k. Then i go to the yiri kalanyoro (the
kalanyoro-school- yiri-tree-) and i do my pull ups and push ups. I had
home around 630 and take my bucket bath, have some lipton tea, and
then relax all night. Duley and Adama go over my bambara with me and
then i have malian tea with my dad and stare at the stars. HOLY CRAP
you have never seen the stars till you have seen them in west africa.
Then around 930 i go to bed. I wake up at 12 to towel off the sweat
then again at 3 when the donkeys begin to seizure/orgasm/death rattle
and then at 530 when the roosters starts sounding off every 15 minutes
like clock work. and then i start alll over again. Its nice to have a
routine it keeps me really sane.
So I regret to tell you guys that i can not in good conscious come
back to America during my two years here. I mean that might change but
im not sure. I think that if i came back it would be way to hard to
leave the US and come back to mali. This is not something you long to
come back to in that way. I would love to meet you guys in Spain or
Morocco but the US aside from being close to 6 thousand dollars round
trip would be too much to handle. I am sorry i know i said i would try
to come home but it would be sooooo hard. I may change my mind but
right now i'm in the no us for two years mood.
So next step will be the thunderstorms. I don't know if you have ever
lived under a tin roof, but when it rains its loud. Im pretty sure i
can empathize with london during WW2 and the bombs that went off. It
breaks the humidity and the thunder and lightning are amazing but shit
its loud.
I'm sorry if this blog bounces a lot but i took notes on what to say
and obviously its just random thoughts so I am trying to correlate
that best I can. I got to watch the world cup final and it was
wonderful because the malians all laughed because i stomped about and
yelled in english the whole time.
I need to say this now too so you all see it. This was the best
decision i have ever made, the Peace Corps. Oh and I am currently
vaccinated from Yellow Fever, typhoid fever, rabies, hep a, hep b,
meningitis, and will getting more soon. I take my vitamins every day,
and if i don't i take an airborne every three to four days. I take my
doxy malaria medication every day.
Overall i really love this place and am enjoying my time here. I will
spend 795 days in mali and tonight marks 780 left hahaha. Love you
all. i'll try to write again before I leave on wednesday.
To finish here is a nice passage i read in Kahlil Gibrans The Prophet
that makes me really understand why i'm here.
"you give but little when you give of your possessions.
it is when you give you of yourself that you truly give,
for what are you possessions but things you keep and guard for fear
you may need them tomorrow?
and tomorrow, what shall tomorrow bring to the overprudent dog burying
bones in the trackless sand as he follows the pilgrims...
you often say 'i would give, but only to the deserving'
surely he who has deserved to drink from the ocean of life deserves to
fill his cup from your little stream."
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Counting the days
So after this thursday I will be posting a lot less regularly. I am off to Homestay which means i will be living in a village with a malian family. I will have my own room and get to stop living out of a bag. It was really cool here today at like 85 degrees. Sorry for not posting as much, I had a rough day yesterday but today is going great and I really love being here. Started learning bambara today and I am getting pretty good at it. I hope this post finds every one really well. Today was a cool training day we got to start looking at our sector of work, and in WatSan (water sanitation) we get to do anything from fish hatcheries, to garden work, to wells, to digging negens (toliets). I am looking forward to my work and my two years of service.
N taraa!!!
N taraa!!!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Breakfast in Mali
I am officially eating my first breakfast in Mali. We arrived in Bamako last night and were met by a gracious staff of volunteers that met us with friendly smiles. After settling down in H-7 with my two hut mates, we were taught how to use the bathrooms again. It was a cool 80 last night and the humidity was really high. I slept really well last night, only for 5 hours though. Today we have a great big meeting and then we are celebrating the 4th of July at the American Club. I've only been here a couple hours but I feel adjusted and I am ready for the task ahead of me. Yea for Africa
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Paris
I am currently in CDG airport in Paris. I am doing great and only have ten minutes of free wifi. Flight to Bamako leaves at 4. BON SOUR.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Last Day In Philly
So here I am, last 25 minutes in Philly. Great day at staging and a really great night out in town. Hanging out in the restaurant area watching the Ghana game. Got to watch Brasil loss this morning while enjoying an ice cold Yuengling. The city is beautiful and being here the weekend of the 4th is pretty epic. I'll probably sleep on the flight....after having a tanquery and tonic. It was good to see some many other people with the same aspirations and beliefs. Its just as nice to see people are worried and nervous. Its hard to fathom that I am about to go to a country, that two months ago couldn't point out on a map, to volunteer two years of my life to better others. This truly is a dream come true. Looking forward to the flights and arriving in Bamako. Hope everyone who is reading is doing well.
As-Salamu Alaykum
As-Salamu Alaykum
Thursday, July 1, 2010
First Post, First Leg
So this is my first post on my blog. Here it goes...
I am sitting on the 2153 Amtrak Train headed to Philadelphia for my Peace Corps Staging. The train is really comfortable and they have free WiFi, its gets better because there is a wicked cute girl sitting across from me. I helped her put her bag away, 95% motivated by being a good person 5% motivated because she is cute. It was definitely a little emotional leaving Mom and Dad. I knew I wouldn't "go to the airport" (cry), but I almost did.
Today starts with this train ride out of NYC and will continue when I arrive in Philly and head to Staging. I will be in staging for the better part of the day and it will be informative I hope. I hope it settles my expectations and sets new ones for me. I must admit I almost don't know what I am getting myself into. But this is my dream and its an opportunity that may never come again.
When I leave Philly tomorrow at 2pm, I'll head back to JFK and my plane leaves for Paris at 11:30. This will be the first time I fly out of the North American Continent and only the second time I step foot on foreign soil. On a lighter note if this door separating the car from the entrance way doesn't stop opening and closing I may or may not jump kick through the door shattering its hopes, dreams, and functionality.
Nothing more to report, except this time July 4th, America's Birthday, I will be in another country spelling Peace with a CAPITAL P!!!
I am sitting on the 2153 Amtrak Train headed to Philadelphia for my Peace Corps Staging. The train is really comfortable and they have free WiFi, its gets better because there is a wicked cute girl sitting across from me. I helped her put her bag away, 95% motivated by being a good person 5% motivated because she is cute. It was definitely a little emotional leaving Mom and Dad. I knew I wouldn't "go to the airport" (cry), but I almost did.
Today starts with this train ride out of NYC and will continue when I arrive in Philly and head to Staging. I will be in staging for the better part of the day and it will be informative I hope. I hope it settles my expectations and sets new ones for me. I must admit I almost don't know what I am getting myself into. But this is my dream and its an opportunity that may never come again.
When I leave Philly tomorrow at 2pm, I'll head back to JFK and my plane leaves for Paris at 11:30. This will be the first time I fly out of the North American Continent and only the second time I step foot on foreign soil. On a lighter note if this door separating the car from the entrance way doesn't stop opening and closing I may or may not jump kick through the door shattering its hopes, dreams, and functionality.
Nothing more to report, except this time July 4th, America's Birthday, I will be in another country spelling Peace with a CAPITAL P!!!
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