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?
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VERONIQUE!
ReplyDelete1) Where are these pictures of this purple hair?
and 2) Where are these pictures of this purple hair???
Lol, we just miss you is all. Not much exciting going on in St. Louis, except that me and Kalimara finally got jobs (!) and we started our training which includes a week of camping/hiking/running around. We were just looking at pictures of Dogofry online and missin on you. Thinkin about you all the time--keep having fun!!