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Published: July 28th 2006
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Bamako city 1
View of the city from a hill on the outskirts. The water you see is the Niger River. Heya everyone!
Sorry I've been so long between blogs lately. Bamako has tired me right out and I haven't made the time to blog. Shame on me. Anyway, there's lots to tell so get comfy and read all about it!
So after my arrival in Bamako last Saturday I got to do a little tourism with my faithful driver, Yacouba, and explore a bit of Bamako and the surrounding hills. I think I've mentioned before how much I love the scenery here, but the pics say it all. On Monday I started my course on promotion of hygiene and sanitation in local communities and it has been going super. The facilitators leading the course have so much expertise and energy, and the group is fantastic too. Very funny and relaxed people who also really enjoy what we're doing. I've made friends with some of the folks in the course, and it's been great to get a taste of local flavour. To paint you a picture, I'm the only white person and one of 3 women in a course of 18 (plus the 2 lady facilitators). Lots of countries are represented here, such as Benin, Burundi, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and
Bamako city 2
Nice hills around here. The stadium you see is where I watched some women's soccer here: Mali vs Benin! Senegal. It's been fun getting to know different people from lots of neat places, and to see how common African people are regardless of where they're from. We've gone out for beers as a group a couple of times (the other women chose not to come, boo!) and I've even been teaching one of the guys to swim! I must say, it's a little strange seeing a 30-year old man afraid of water...
I got my local outfit made the first week, and you can see how I fit right in with the other ladies! Ok, maybe not QUITE, but close. 😊
Last weekend I had planned to take a little trip to Dogon Country, which is part of Mali and supposedly one of the most beautiful places in West Africa. But I couldn't get flights out so I asked my driver if he could find someplace for us to go for the day to escape the city. I've become such a bush rat now that I find the hustle and bustle of city life very unappealing. I want to escape to the hills at every opportunity! So, without knowing where we were going, Saturday afternoon Yacouba took
Snappy dressers
Gotta love the patterns on the clothes here! These ladies are very traditionally African with rounder figures. The younger generation has a more North American take on beauty, but I find this really refreshing! me and my friend the swimming student out of the city. Where to, you ask?
To an orphanage.
I don't know where on earth he got the idea from, but he took us to an orphanage run by SOS that was founded by a German guy named Herman Something-or-other. I can't describe to you how amazing it was to see the kids and play with them and just hang out, and all they desperately wanted from us was hugs. It was really REALLY touching and beautiful. Now, don't get put off by the fact that this is an African orphanage by thinking it's run down with children living in squalor. This is not the case. This particular orphange is well-funded and well run and you can tell the kids are happy and normal and fed and clothed well. They were just so NORMAL. The staff took us for a tour of the housing and of the school next door. The school is also funded by SOS and it's for local kids as well as orphans. It's amazing how well maintained it is, and you'll note the difference between these and the pics of the rural schools in Burkina
School 1
One of the buildings in the school. You can see they're well maintained. Faso. Here, the children are also responsible for cleaning and maintaining the yard, as well as a garden where they grow the food that feeds the kids for lunch. It's a great system that promotes a sense of ownership in the school among the students.
Anyway, that amazing experience over, I continued with my week and Monday I was back in classes learning about hygiene and sanitation. That day we did a re-cap of the field trip we'd taken the Friday before into a local urban community where they had a very basic household water sanitation system in place. Our task was to use the tools we'd learned to evaluate the situation and make recommendations. I can't tell you how crazy it was to stand there and see the way people live here. Even the communities from Burkina I work with aren't really like this because they're rural so it's totally different. But this community was really urban and dealing with crowding and all sorts of issues. Anyway, the pics say it all.
Later in the week I met some other expats who were eating at the pub where I have my dinner. They're from South Africa and
School 2
You won't believe this, but this is how local kids get to school. Forget the bus! These carts get strapped to a donkey and pulled around. The school is out in the country so there's not a lot of traffic. Luckily! they work here with some mining-related company. After only 2 mins of conversation they invited me out to play pool with them the next night. I gladly accepted since the evenings here are a little lonely (just me and my computer!) so I was looking forward to getting out a bit. The night I was supposed to meet up with them, I ordered my dinner at the same pub when I met some OTHER expats (one English, on South African) who know my company well. Anyway, it ended up turning into dinner and drinks and so I invited them along to play pool with me and my other South African chums. Well, as a testament to how freakin small the mining world is... they knew each other already. So, as you can imagine, the night went downhill quick. It involved lots of pool, and dancing and drinks, and the Brit doing a headstand at the bar and drinking his beers upside down! A fantastic time was had by all, and especially by me, who managed to get herself invited to yet another mining party on Friday night. I'm turning into one popular chick! 😊 This get together on Friday is
Orphanage
Brownie in her bush hat, playing with a tyke. Shortly after this pic was taken she put my fingers in her mouth. I think that means she likes me... a monthly party hosted by a local company for all the expats around. It will be a good opportunity to schmooze and make some contacts in the biz, so I obviously went out and bought a new shirt for the occasion. Can't hob-nob in my bush gear!
So that brings us to today. Here I am, getting ready to take yet another plane ride and leave yet another African city behind me. I never thought I'd say it, but I'm getting a little sick of all this moving around! I haven't been "home" (in Ouaga) for more than a weekend in almost 2 months! It's great to get out to site, and to travel, but I also miss a bit of stability and routine. None of that coming up soon though, as my trip to Ghana is coming up in less than a week and then Kilimanjaro not too long after that. So it looks like my "settle down" time in Ouaga will be somewhere in the neighbourhood of October...
Anyway, enjoy the pics. I hope you find them worth waiting for. This fabulous experience continues to be fabulous despite the gruelling schedule. Much love to all of
Urban housing 1
A household in the urban community we visited. you back home and elsewhere!
xoxo
-Brownie
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Jackie Oh!
non-member comment
Wowzers!...again!
Hey Linds, I love the outfit!!! Well you just keep blowing me away with your adventures. It's good to know that you're having fun while helping to save the world. :o) You're quickly becoming one of my heroines. Lots of love and big hugs, Jackie Oh!