Back in the swing

Life is very good. And, life being very good, it would not do to let this blog die. Especially as I have heard that it gets printed out and mailed in certain situations. Shout out to Wichita!

Please forgive the long absence. The hot season really beat me down. Then in June, I got a few really odd illnesses. I'd been pretty cocky since my arrival in January. Everyone told me, "Oh, you're going to get sick sooner or later. Expect it." But I was incredibly lucky. I avoided food poisoning or anything more serious than a head cold for more than five months! But things caught up with me, and I felt like I spent most of June either sick or recovering from being sick.

July I was busy with not being sick, not going to the gym and planning every last detail of a vacation to France. It was wonderful. And then August was vacation and September was spent getting caught up with work and doing another training in D.C. It's been busy, but good. Now, it is mid-October, which means that my parents are each another year older (but move as sprightly as ever).

So, I figure it's time to get caught up. If I do a little each day this week, I'll be caught up in no time. Here are some photos I took back in July once the rainy season had started. The rains cooled things off and turned the city green. I went up to the hills surrounding Bamako to take photos of the gardens, the flowers and the GREEN. It was welcome.

The view looking down at the city. After months of dust and heat, it was great to hear the birds chirping -- and you couldn't always see them because of the density of the foliage!

One of the pretty gardens, all lush and watered.

One of the walls looking down the other side of the escarpment away from Bamako towards Kati and Kita.

More photos from the garden walkways on the top of the plateau. This is a popular place to take wedding photos. Most of the times I've been up here, I'm always double-checking to make sure I'm not accidentally ruining the wedding party's shot!

We do not have flowers like this where I am from.

Or trees like this. But I like them!

The Wonderful World of Irrigation

I just got back from an invigorating work trip all about health care, agricultural productivity and IRRIGATION!!! While that may sound sarcastic, it isn't in the slightest.

I visited Segou for the first time, ate good food, toured a massive irrigation and rice farming project, ran out of juice in my camera battery, ate really good food, visited a wonderful woman who mills rice and bought a 55-lb. bag from her (contributing slightly by shooing away two donkeys who decided to snack on the rice she had laying out to dry), visited the gorgeous mud mosque at Niono, which was built by the same architects who did the larger and more famous mosque at Djenne, ate more good food, attended the official opening of a U.S.-funded rural health center with a U.S.-funded health fair, ate more good food and then scurried home to Bamako to eat more good food and fete friends who are headed to new adventures.

It was a wonderful trip and just the breath of fresh air that I needed. Because my camera battery died, I don't have the pictures to really illustrate the journey. Frankly, I don't think I have the words to illustrate the journey -- certainly not the emotional upswing I feel every time I'm on an African open road with red dirt underfoot and hot sun overhead, nor the easy joking with folks despite our lack of a common language. So, instead, some pictures and random thoughts (if I get pictures from other folks on the trip, I'll try for a redo on this post.):

First -- above, the Markala Dam, which is the source of the irrigation water for the entire Office du Niger basin. It's this huge alluvial plain turned into countryside by a massive system of canals in various states of repair. The main canal system we followed to get to the U.S. rice project is more than 90 miles long (and those of us on the trip hatched a plan to kayak it during the next harvest season).

The sad part of the dam is its history. The French used forced labor to build it back during the late 30s and early 40s, and the death rates due to malaria and accidents were so high that many Malians volunteered to fight in WWII, rather that risk their lives working construction. Crazy.

Today, it's gorgeous and lovely, with a broad lake filling out the back, white water rushing out the base and peaceful pools on either side -- perfect for washing your clothes, motorcycle or person. On the way back to Segou for the night, we got stuck behind a bunch of herders moving their cows over the bridge. Some of the cows were more attractive than others -- I certainly prefer my cows big-boned.

A map of the river/irrigation system. It's crazy just how much acreage that could never be farmed using rainwater has been converted into food-producing farmland with some river water and engineering. If I was from the American Southwest, I probably wouldn't be impressed at all; but I'm not, so I was.

Company car next to the Niger. Honestly, it looks so much like L'il Goat, if you blinked, you'd think it was her! Except this is more like her rough-and-tumble older brother, Earl the Clydesdale.

A view off one of the side canals -- you can just see a rarely used boat lock on the left.

Last year this was scrub land. Right now, it's dust and tractors as far as the eye can see. In two months, it'll be green with rice paddies.

Driver Nuhum Traore takes a peek at the Alatona irrigation canal.

The farmers' association will be able to manage the amount of water flowing into each field via the use of these handy-dandy gates.

Housewarming and Other Items of Note

I have been very bad with the blogging recently, and did things and took pictures that have not yet been shared. So let me end that (kind of) now.

In late April, I had a housewarming party! While I've painted and organized, the house is still somewhat, umm..., empty and odd-looking, but I decided that if I waited until everything is perfect, I wouldn't have people over until my going-away party. That just wouldn't do. So I propped my paintings up against the wall where they will one day hang and sent out the e-mail invites.

Unfortunately, the day of the party, I got a little bit behind in my preparations (I can feel your shock and surprise from over here.). I'd hired a friends' housekeeper because because she makes awesome spring rolls, and she and I got to work on a Friday after work to prepare all the food. Because I ran late, I spent most of the party in the kitchen, cooking, or running back and forth to greet people and bring them drinks. I will have another party in June so I can be a part of it too.

But the highlight of the night -- WE GOT A SHEEP!!! My friend Harouna (that's him on the left) got up early that morning to go pick out a good one, get it butchered, take it to the sheep-cooking guy and returned after work to pick up the roasted mutton and bring it to the party. Then he and his friend Mohamed cut it up and everyone *pounced.* Some more than others. Sheep is a big deal here. That's Malian coworker friend Idrissa Coulibaly with a piece of mutton and a glass of tamarind-gigembre in the photo at the top.

Speaking of Coulibalies, I've taken the name Coulibaly as my Malian last name. People tend to assume I'm a Peace Corps volunteer, especially if I'm not dressed up, because of my age and tentative attempts at Bambara. Since all the Peace Corps volunteers take Malian names, it seemed like a natural thing after people kept asking me my name..."your Malian name."

But what's funny is that because of cousinage, a hundreds-years-old system of teasing that has helped Mali avoid conflict between different groups over centuries, and even today, *everyone* teases me as a Coulibaly and I'm supposed to tease everyone else too. Coulibalies are probably the most-mocked family name in Mali. A social system based on teasing, joking and making fun? Tell me Mali isn't the perfect first post for me!

As a Coulibaly, I know I'm supposed to eat beans, not ride in pirogues (sorry, I'm a pirogue rider) and not eat one particular kind of fish, which sounds like polio. I will keep you posted as I learn more about what I'm allowed to do.

The week before the housewarming, friends Heidi, Harouna and I took a trip to the nearby Selingue Dam as a first day roadtrip for L'il Goat.

I am a terrible, terrible driver. That's not false modesty. I should probably not be allowed on the road. I'm 30-years-old and this is my first car, my first time driving regularly! I'm allowed to be a little bit bad. Fortunately or unfortunately, I fit right in here in Mali.

After a three-hour drive punctuated by me deciding to pass or not pass people (always the wrong decision, and by "people," I mean cars, trucks, motorcycles, semis, motorscooters, bikes, donkey carts, pedestrians, cows and goats), we had a lovely lunch looking out at the lake formed by the dam.

After lunch, Heidi and Harouna went swimming while I stretched out on this bench under a tree and promptly went to sleep. For a couple hours. Oops.

Well, it was very relaxing. It was so hot that it was kind of like sleep-sweating. But so nice.

Afterwards, we had some dessert -- aren't Harouna and Heidi adorable? They're married, but don't mind (or pretend not to mind) having me along as a third wheel. Seriously, they've helped me find so much and introduced me to so many awesome people -- I owe them tons. They've helped me love Mali even more.

After that we headed on home. But not without stopping to buy some mangoes: 35 for $1. Yeah, you read that right. And they were INCREDIBLE.

Life is very good, and I feel very fortunate. Next week I head up to see a rice-growing area for the first time, so I'll make sure to share any rice-related adventures. You must be on the edge of your seat with anticipation. I will try not to disappoint. Hugs.

Bowling in Bamako

I'd heard much talk about our local bowling alley/night club/Lebanese restaurant, but last night I finally made it there! Some new and old friends started the night with some mezze in the fancy sit-down restaurant upstairs. Then we headed downstairs for the bowling.

In addition to the fancy dance floor on the bottom -- with built-on-a-column DJ booth -- there were 10 bowling lanes, a bunch of pool tables, a fancy air hockey table and a few arcade-style sports games. On the right, here's a picture of my espresso with awesome sauce rock-n-bowl stirrer. Like an idiot, I forgot to take it home with me for future glow in the dark usage.

But one of my favorite parts of the night came at the very end. New friend Molly and I tackled the team player option of the basketball arcade game. It had four levels. You had to get a 50 to move past the first level. We did that no problem.


On the second level, and from then on out, the basket moves back and forth. You have to get at least 100 points on each of the second and third levels to advance. By our fifth try, we made it all the way to the end, the 4th level.

And while we didn't set a new record, we came pretty close! 326 isn't far from 369!!! It is possible that our shouting and cheering -- and relatively high scoring -- attracted attention from the waiters, pool players and other assorted party goers. Let's not say that a crowd formed. Let's say there was a body of interest.

So I daresay I'll be back. Awesome food + bowling + silly games + awesome dance floor = good times. And maybe next time we'll get a little closer to setting a new basketball record.

Welcome to L'il Goat

My car is here!! I bought a 10-year old RAV4 on a Monday, shipped it on a Tuesday, and left for Mali on a Wednesday. For the last four months, I've been using motor pool cars, taxis, the kindness of friends and my two little feet to get around. The car, for its part, took a long boat ride to Europe, then another to Dakar, where it sat in the port for about two months before making its way to Bamako by train (I hope she had enough leg room.).

And now L'il Goat is here and she's so cute!!! I got the call that she was ready to go last night, but decided not to pick her up because it would have meant driving in the dark on Bamako's crazy streets for my very first outing. Instead I went down to the embassy today to sweep her off her feet.

I was delighted that a bunch of drivers who've put up with me for four months were at work. We took a celebratory picture -- me because I'll have a bit more freedom now and them because I am a *trouble* client. I actually went in to the office the other day and changed my name to "Trouble" on the schedule.

I often wait until the last minute to call. I can never make up my mind. And I'm somewhat disorganized. When I do call to see if I can get a car, I try to be really polite and understanding -- if I can get a car, awesome. If there isn't one available, I can take a taxi. I don't want to put people out. But if you're a motor pool dispatcher, it's incredibly obnoxious, even if I'm nice and relaxed about it. A fun pain is still a pain.

I'm really going to miss riding with the embassy drivers, especially some of the guys who weren't there today, but have put up with me for so long: Adama Coulibaly, Mamary Gillavogui, Yacouba Coulibaly, Mamadou Sanou, Fouseyni Fofana, Abdoulaye Diakite, etc. These were the folks who helped me figure out the layout of this town, put up with my bad French, and helped me begin to understand Mali. People were even beginning to help me with Bambara. I'm so indebted. I'll still see the guys when we reserve cars for meetings during the day, but I want to try to commit to myself to run down by the motor pool office every once and a while to say hi.

Having my own car is bittersweet.

Also, these dudes can drive. Bamako streets are crazy. There are thousands of motos, who do not come close to following any kind of traffic laws. Lanes are meaningless. Stop signs and red lights are sometimes meaningless (and sometimes meaningful -- you just have to know where you actually stop!!!). For example, to get to my house, you definitely have to turn left on a red light. The first time one of the drivers did it, I nearly screamed and climbed up the passenger's side wall. But if you don't, the policemen who work the corner will come over to find out why the heck you aren't going! Same thing driving through the stop sign at a roundabout on the way to work. Honestly, they might as well just take the sign down and stop confusing newbies.

She's such a coy little thing! And she'll need to be. This is the first car I've ever owned and this will be the first time I've ever regularly driven. I'm...ummm...unpracticed. So the idea of driving in an entirely unregulated environment is terrifying. I'm gonna try to just be slow and patient, but assertive. We shall see. I've already honked my horn once, but it wasn't a mean honk. It was a "Hey, massive 4Runner in the left lane, I know you want to get off at this exit, but I am in the right lane and I am corporeal and if you keep turning right, we are going to collide." It was a helpful honk.

Also, I thought to myself today, "What's the speed limit in town?" I have no idea, and I certainly haven't seen it posted anywhere. This is gonna be fun.

The bad news is that the poor little dear is a bit worn from her long trip. L'il Goat is fine on the outside, but has a bit of a mold problem inside. It's probably just a function of humidity during transport, so after some TLC, a good scrubdown and exposure to the dry Bamako air, she'll be just fine. Her battery can also be a little testy, but the guys assure me that that's not terribly unusual. If I keep having problems, I'll replace it. (Note to Brett: The dealership did indeed fix the windshield before shipping it. The car drives really great, both on two-lanes and unpaved, rocky roads.)

With the help of my baby, I made a trip to the frame store to replace some frames that had broken. Oddly, I think the guys there -- or the owners -- are members of Sun Myung Moon's church. There was a pretty nice photo of the smiling
reverend and his wife in the display case and also at the back of the shop. A display of framed certificates reflected the successful completion of a three-day "Course for Husbands" by some lucky Malian dude from the Church of Peace and Unification, among other related trainings. Nice. If I ever need a quickie marriage, I could save on organizing time.

I meant to ask the guys at the shop about the connection, but while they framed my painting, I forgot. It was an odd little reminder of home. I kept expecting to see a framed copy of the Washington Times. Perhaps I'll have to bring one back with me next time I'm in D.C.

From the frame shop:

FORE!!!

Today I went golfing for the first time! I believe I've "played golf" exactly twice before: Once when my dad let me tag along and once in South Africa with termite mounds and cows for obstacles. Lovely coworker friends George and Susan let me join them for the afternoon, and I just may have found a new hobby.

We planned our golf outing for the middle of the day. I'll admit that I was a bit nervous about the heat. The mid-day temperature is about 106 recently, and you all know I'm a delicate flower.

Luckily, it turned out that I was always comfortable. There was a bit of a breeze, plenty of shade on the course, and -- fortunately -- there's just something about dry heat that's not as miserable as Washington at 95. Or 92 for that matter.

Here's Susan walking down the fairway with two of the caddies. There was definitely no shortage of life on the course -- palm trees, baobab trees, mango trees, bougainvilla, cattle egrets.

I noticed that many of the groundskeepers were wearing Dogon hats. It made the course -- which could have been plopped down anywhere in the world and been perfectly comfortable -- seem especially Malian.

Here, George is shocked that I'm taking pictures, but have failed to capture for posterity his gorgeous chip in from the rough. So, let me give witness -- it was a great shot.

And here's a baobab tree. I hit a lot of trees. If I wasn't hitting the trunk at the bottom, I was getting stuck in the leaves up top, with my ball dropping from the heavens with a disappointing thud. I didn't really care, though. I was outdoors on a beautiful day with interesting people.

No matter how poorly I hit the ball, there's something about the scenery here that makes me pinch myself. I feel so lucky to be among palm trees and baobabs again.

Here's another image of the same tree -- you can just see the fuzzy little fruits backlit by the sun.

When I wasn't hitting trees, I was getting stuck in sand traps. I joked with my caddy that I could only really hit with "Lucky No. 7." When I tried to use the pitching wedge, bad things happened. Again. And again. And again. And again.

This is a picture of me with my ball right up against the damn hill. That's no good. But I'm still having fun, showing my father how he can come play golf and watch me get stuck in sand traps when he visits Mali.

You can't see it, but I'm making a very goofy face for the camera.

And here I actually get out of the bunker on the first try! About one-third of my shots were muffs with the pitching wedge. Magically, I seem to have learned how to hit tee shots in the last 10 years, without ever having hit a golf ball. Maybe height and weight make a big difference? But as I quickly learned, I "need to work on my short game."

Here George hits a second shot amongst the lovely baobab fluff. After our 9 or 12 holes (not really certain, because we took a break and I wasn't counting; also, there were soldiers hanging out on the first hole, so we decided to skip that one), we headed to the club house for a cold drink and good conversation.

I'm not saying I'm going to commit to a club membership, because it's still expensive, but I had a wonderful time. I'm sure I'll be back.

Rolling on the River

Ok, so this image has nothing to do with the subject of this blog post. But it's an AMAZING CHOCOLATE CREPE with GRILLED PINEAPPLE!! What's not to like? They make it at my new favorite brunch place, and it's every bit as amazing as it looks -- just as tasty as the rest of their menu.

Last Friday, I went on my first float down the Niger River. While the Niger may not be the same transportation corridor that it's been in the past, it's still *the* key resource in the country for irrigation, food and fun times. Ok, there are plenty of others ways to have fun, but it's quickly become a top 10 for me.

Some coworkers have shares in a pirogue and can take boat rides whenever they like. We took a little sundowner cruise and it was wonderful. Even though it's getting much hotter these days, as the sun dropped lower, it wasn't so hot. And with a bit of a breeze picking up as we set off, I was positively comfortable.

We passed the Spanish ambassador's house -- gorgeous in every way -- right next to the first shantytown I'd seen in Bamako. It's shocking that as fast as the city has grown, there doesn't seem to be a South African- or Kenyan-style slum on the outskirts with clustered roofs of corrugated aluminum. I like that.

When driving over the bridge, you often see fishermen in their pirogues using throw nets to fish and even jumping in for a dip. But it was fun to see the river from their level. I liked what I saw. (Note: We did not hit this guy. We did say good evening, though, and inquired after the health of his family.)

So, yeah, that was pretty much the evening. In fact, I pretty much could have summed it up like this: "I took a boat ride. It was fun." But the layout of this post would have looked funny, so I rambled instead. Sorry. Next time I'll edit myself and save you time.

Hugs to everyone -- definitely missing all you wonderful people. Consider this blog my long-term plan to 1) maintain friendships with people I love, 2) make it seem like I'm not so far away and 3) subtly give you all reasons to visit. I mean, chocolate crepes with grilled pineapple! For goodness sakes, what more reason do you need?