Update

So this week is a pretty crazy one. I’m back at the training site and we had a mid-training language test and a mid-training technical test. In addition, we found out our permanent site of service and we’re going to meet out work counterpart.
After all that jazz, we’re going to visit our permanent sites by ourselves for a week straight!! Craziness!!!!!
So I’m in the Segou region of Mali in a town/city called Dogofry (google it!). It’s a big town by Malian standards, with access to public transportation. I’m going to live in a compound with the chief of village; there are a decent amount of volunteers fairly close to me; and its toward the north of Mali in the dry heat ;-)
Hmmm, what else is new?
I love Malian clothes and fabrics and I plan to buy a lot! Lol so far, I have bought a women’s day fabric and gotten a shirt, tafe (wrap shirt), and a headband made from it. That’s basically what women wear here, and its very comfortable. I have another tafe with letters and numbers on it (I am an education volunteer) and I bought a fancy outfit for swear-in, the ceremony in which I officially become a Peace Corps Volunteer.
Now it seems like I’m balling out of control, but really, I’m not. I promise! In fact, the outfit I got made cost $10 and some change, including cost of fabric and the labor of the tailor. Here in Mali, they practice bargaining. So you got up to a vendor, or the vendor calls you over to sell you something and you ask how much. They give you a price and you bargain them down. Volunteers have giving me the guidelines of going ¼ of the price they initially give and don’t settle for more than roughly 1/3 or ½ of the original quoted price. This goes for everything except for produce bc they usually arent trying to make a profit.
At first thought, it seems great, but this system only values the customer, NOT the vendor/businessperson. In fact, Malians would rather give you a lower price to make you a happy, return customer, than get the worth of an item. Or they just don’t realize the total worth of an item given the time put into it, transport, labor, etc. This is def something I want to inform Malians about bc there are many things of value here.
Other than that, I’m doing well. Food is good; I’m not sick, and I’m still having fun. I do miss you all greatly though!

Love, hugs and kisses! Whats going on in the States?

Malian Resourcefulness/Purple Hair

So I am amazed at the different ways in which Malians are very smart/resourceful. For example, I will often see trucks drive past with a load strapped to the top that is bigger than the height of the truck! Seriously, no exaggeration! Each time, I stand in horror thinking its going to tumble over at any second, esp since the trucks are going way fast. And after the truck passes, I ask aloud, “how do they even get that stuff THAT HIGH?” I truly don’t understand. Its usually bigger than a 6ft tall person. I think if they started a worldwide moving company and changed a flat rate, they could just stack a whole house worth of stuff on a car and move it to the new destination. LOL

Anyway, I tell that story for say- I’ve got purple hair!!! Yep, for real. In the states, when I get the type of extensions I have this time, we wrap the ends around rods (little curlers) and dip them in boiling hot water to make the ends curly. My braider didn’t have any rods (or a means to get them) so I was kinda concerned about how this would work. She finished braiding my hair and she took a section and wrapped a small piece of the extensions around the section in a tight spiral. Then she dipped in it in hot water and VOILA! Presto- change- there are curls everywhere! And I never would have thought of that!
Purple is the “IN” color for any sort of weave/braids/extensions for women in Mali. At first I wasn’t into it. But then I figured, ‘what other time can I get purple hair and still be respected/ workplace appropriate?’ Having purple hair (and being Black) actually helps me in this situation, to better fit into Malian culture and be accepted according to Malian standards. Plus its kinda cute.

One day, pics will come ;-)

Cutest thing ever! Baby on Back!

So women here have a lot of babies and a lot of work. To do both, they strap babies on their backs. They literally take a big piece of cloth, bend over, and put the baby on their back. They secure the baby by tying a big knot at the top across their chest, gather the rest of the cloth under the baby’s butt and tie a knot across their stomach. I think it’s very smart and efficient.
Anyway, I’m in village, in my compound for lunch and one of my host sisters (who cant be more than 4-5 years old), takes a little toy bear, bends over and her sister (who’s 6-7yrs old) ties the bear to the other sister’s back.


Seriously, the cutest thing I’ve seen!!!!