sometimes i hate cyber cafes

i started a post yesterday but accidentally turned off hte computer with my foot and lost it all. today i spent way too many hours in a cafe researching for my final exams tomorrow and then when i was ready to print, that has taken another 3 or so hours. sigh. sigh again. at least they are relatively cheap.

i am going on a "grand excursion" with our group this sunday for 9 days to visit other parts of mali.
after we get back the rest of hte time here is just independent study. i will be working with Association pour le Progrès et la Défense des Droits des Femmes Maliennes, on what exactly i am not yet sure. i have a meeting with them friday. i am thinking along the lines of domestic violence advocacy, considering cross cultural approaches and the effect of globalisation on exchange and development of ideas in mali, vs traditional customs...etc etc. we'll see.

save the children didnt work out - their project wasnt great for my needs and interests. apdf does not really speak english but are patient with me so thats good.

since last blogging, i went to the states for 5 days to itnerview for truman. it went okay but not great. i did not get hte scholarship. it was a good experience. i dont want to talk about it anymore.

coming back to mali has def been an adjustment. i can do middle class american living and i can do average ie locally fine but globally poor malian living, but to go between the two in such a quick period of time is tough. i am doing alright though. my fam here is great. i brought back books and gummy vitamins for the kids.

i went to a wedding this past sunday. i will upload more photos on facebook.

i am exhausted from internet troubles so am forgetting what else i wanted to write about.

i sat next to a funny woman on teh plane from atl to senegal. the atl airport is great. the senegal one is not.

that is all for now.

lots of love.

oh. hey. send me stuff please.

heather day c/o modibo coulibaly
bpe 2953
worldlearning/sit
bamako mali
west africa

reflections

many people on my program are having a hard time here -- they have complaints about the program, the homestay family, the food, the way malians respond to us in public...for the most part i am doing well. i expected this to be different and it is and thats that. i havent had any really negative experiences with people here, i have been walking a lot lately and enjoy the excercise and hope it helps balance my ridic carbs intake... walking poses a few challenges but none are really grave. it is hot and sunburn weather always; it is culturally polite to greet just about everyone you pass which can be time consuming and awkward; taxis and sotramas beep and yell at you - especially taxis which target white women assuming we always want rides. false. men making kissing and hissing noises which is a little creepy; children and sometimes adults yelling "toubabou" frequently.

the toubabou thing at first make be feel special, then began to sting and i'd resent it, now i just think it is kind of stupid but i can deal. some students want to yell back the bamanankan (that is bambara for "bambara") words for "malian" or even "black". i don't feel the need to yell back anything that would eqaully state the obvious/objectify/categorize/insult. but i have taken to greeting these people with a "ça va" or "ini sogoma". its my way i defying the gaze; of not being silenced and objectified by their calls -- which are for the most part not even malicious but are objectifying. and i know that it is not about me, it is just that i stand out and they want to shout that fact for me and all else to hear. its not that deep, its just weird. but it makes me feel better to speak back -- to let them know i am active and aware and not stupid and even know a little of the same language they scream at me. kill em with kindness, just not in the vengeful way cuz i am not really mad about it. another student with whom i discussed this stuff today asked me how i am always so chill and i said i think it takes too much energy to get upset and angry so i rarely do. its true -- living antagonistically is exhausting. i am pretty good at staying centered and finding a sense of peace anywhere. maybe thats why things are going so well for me in this place that should be so disorienting.

what i wanted to write about though was the one sort of complaint or really regret -besides i painfully small rool with no space to unpack - that i do have: the downsidse of studying in a french speaking and english non speaking country. it was a very intentional choice of mine and i do believe that my french is improving -- however it is at the expense of lots of content information that i do not understand, that i just plain miss out on. lectures, field trips, tours, educational conversations - i intake a fraction of what is said and that is really a hard fact for me to cope with. no matter how hard i try to focus, my comprehension is just not that good and so with a conversation in english i can help further it because basic comprehension is a given, but here, i am stuck on that and my thinking and learning does not advance to any sort of higher level. it is really difficult.

so, when yesterday our group visited mali's save the children office and the director spoke to us in english it was really an amazing experience. i got so much more out of it. i could follow what she was saying, question things, participate, and feel good about learning new info but also about being able to apply the smarts i already have. another student in my program with whom i discussed my frustrations said that often in class she does not feel smart because she cant contribute or participate on an intelligent advanced level do to the language barrier. i wouldnt use the same phrase, but rather would say that i do not get to excercise or share my smarts/knowledge/intelligence much. that is difficult.

and i went back to save the chidlren today because i think it might be a better choice for me to work at a bilingual organisation where i can be most useful to them because i can actually express myself well, and the experience will yeild the most info and understanding for me in return. i am not sure if working with them is possible due to time and programming contraints but i hope it is. i had a really interesting convo with the director about stuff related to my truman and the subject of policy translating to implementation, or not translating. it was so refreshing and innvigorating to be able to discuss critically and really be on on the ball instead of ... under it. it felt so right and i think i want more of that out of my experience here. french is important but is only one facet of hte experience. it cant be at the expense of so many other types of learning. i also chose this proram for its gender health and development theme and want to be able to partake in and enjoy that stuff.

back from the village

hey everyone!

i am leaving mali thurs eve for boston and returning to mali wed the 19th. my interview is mond the 17th -- wish me luck! seriously, i really wouldl ove to here your thoughts on the potential truman questions that i posted a couple entries ago! let me know what you think!

things have been cool lately, i have a lot to say but am nto really inthe mood right now; sorry.

1. the village stay was relaxing. there was quiet and alone time both of which were very nice. my bambara is unfortunatly not much better now, but i can pound millet and clap at the same time and also i made some pretty cool printed things in traditional art styles. there were lots of kids with dirty hands and they all want to touch the toubabous. luckily i am overall healthy despite a long lasting cold. i am developing an addition to pinapple sodas.

2. yesterday was international womens day. it was all over television and men and women everywhere were dressed in a special pagne or patterened outfit for the day. the theme was economique equality and there were specials on tv and packed concerts in the afternoon and evening. it is nice to see how big of a deal the day is here and it makes me wish the us did a better job of celebrating too.

3. yesterday i also went with all the women in my family to a baptême which is like a baptism ceremony i guess, but there were no babies involved at this part of the celebration/ceremony. there were five or six griots who sung the praises/histories of many women in attendence (the only men there were musicians and one griot and two little kids), and there was lots of enthusiastic exchanging of money and some dancing followed by great food. it was fun and interesting and a good way for me to bond with the women in my family since that has been harder than getting to know the men.

4. i have been clubbing twice. the music is great; the best mix of hiphop, afrocarribeanmusic, and just a little techno/house. the men are agressive though and its clearly an attraction based on the fact that we are white girls. dancing is a lot of fun though.

5. in general it is almost impossible to make friends here that are guys and have ti be just friendship. this is disapointing and difficult.

6. there are mangos everywhere. they are great. malian food thus far has been mangos and nongenetically modified oranges and bananas, bad chocolate; fried dough; icecream, fanta and other fruity sodas for snacks, baguettes with laughing cow cheese, butter, honey or nutella with tea and occassinally eggs for breakdfast, and for lunch and dinner rice with fish sauce, peanut sauce or another sauce, lots of fried plantains, french fries, and a little beef ontop lettuce and sometimes with mayo dressing, occassionally pasta, occasionally this really good chinese food dish my host mom makes, to -- a traditional dish that is pretty good with the gumbo sauce its served with, occasionally african couscous which is the only thing besides fish that i really dislike, and everything on a baguette. i am genreally a picky eater but this diet, despite being incredibly starchy, serves me pretty well. i need more excercise though.

sorry for the unorganized run on sentence.

7. i am taking sotoramas now which are gutted out green vans used for public transport. they are really cheap and incredibly crowded. when you are sure that no one eles can fit in, sure enough three more can.

8. my feet have sandal tan lines and are always dirty even tho my host mom makes me wash them frequently and vigorously.

xo

tu es mon esclave!

in mali people rep their last name like american rappers rep their city. when you introduce yourself they always want first and last name and if you share the same last name its like a mini celebration. if you dont share the last name they might joke with you saying theirs is better than yours. the most common way to diss someones name is to tell them that family 'eats beans' or that your people are their people's slaves. both these jokes are considered hilarious. awk as a white american? you'd think so. i think so. malians don't seem to think so... i am not telling anyone to be my slave. nuh uh


on the topic of names, mine is nene doumbia -- i found out that 'nene' means cold and 'doumbia' blacksmith. nene is the name of the oldest of my siblings. in my family a lot of people have the same name, as a tradition to honor relatives, and then are given nicknames that they go by on a daily basis. there are two mele's in my fam, three ba's, at least three or four ibrahim farabans, four or more moussa fasiqi's... as you can imagine it makes it hard for me to figure out who is who haha. last night i had my host father map out a family tree which helped a little. except by now they think i know peoples names when really i do not so i am kind of stuck...

this coming week all students are travelling to sanankoroba, a rural village. i will have to practice my bambara bc very few adults there speak french. we are returning to bamako on saturday the 8th which is international womens day and there is a big event for it in bamako which my cousin invited me to. details on that next week.