An update from MaliMy relationship with my host dad has recently gotten a little better, I think because we now have something new to talk about. There’s only so much I have in common with an old Malian man and we had run out of conversation topics a while ago. We would usually sit in awkward silence after dinner. But several months ago my host dad went on his first pilgrimage to Mecca. It is required of every good Muslim to make the pilgrimage at least once in their life if they are able. This was the first time he had ever left Mali and I think it was a big eye-opener for him. So now, every evening after dinner he tells me a story about Mecca. He always starts out with, “Salimata, it is really late in Mecca right now”. Although I know exactly what time it is in Mecca, I humor him by asking the time. He looks at his watch (its always about 7 PM) and says, “it’s 10PM there now.” Then his eyes get all big and he explains with child-like enthusiasm how ALL the roads are paved, everyone drives cars and no one drives mopeds or donkey carts, and the buildings are all really tall. He likes to talk about how his hotel had 30 stories and he frequently explains what an elevator is and how it works. Work Stuff… Recently, the doctor in my village, Cisse, and I have been making visits to Koursalen, a village 5 miles down the road to convince these people to come use the regional health clinic in Djoliba. They refuse to come to the health center because of a ridiculous long-standing rivalry between them and my village. The rivalry has been around for so long that no one, not even the village elders know why they dislike each other. If they want to stay mad at each other its fine by me. I think the whole thing is stupid. But what really makes me upset is that they refuse to come to the health center. Innocent kids who have nothing to do with the conflict are not getting vaccinated as a result. And mothers are giving birth in their homes rather than the maternity, jeopardizing both their own health as well as of the baby’s. Cisse and I have made numerous trips there and used every tactic to convince them to use the health center, but to no avail. They do the typical Malian thing and always say what we want to hear and promise to come, but then never do. After a recent unsuccessful trip to Koursalen, Cisse asked me what we do in America when a small village refuses to go to the health center to vaccinate their children. That really made me stop a moment and realize: Hmmm….America and Mali , kelen te…. (are not the same). My soak pit project has finally gotten underway...after 5 months of trying to get it started. This project consists of digging large holes near everyone’s pit latrines, filling them with sand and rocks and then closing them up by laying logs across and then dirt on top of that. These pits prevent sewage water from running into and accumulating in the streets. You’d think that such a simple and inexpensive solution to such a disgusting problem would motivate people and would be really easy to accomplish. But it’s like pulling teeth to get it done. The dugutigi (village chief) had to set a fine of $30 per household who doesn’t agree to make a soak pit, in order to get this project going. The threat worked and we started about 3 weeks ago. We've been doing 3 households each week and now have completed 11 soak pits. It’s slow, but I guess it’s a start. We will continue to make 3-4/week until July when rainy season starts. Site Change… I’m actually in the process of changing villages. I have found a house in Karina, a small village of about 1000 people 3km away from my current village. I will hopefully be moving in sometime next week when the house is finished being repaired. I’m really excited about the move. This move has been a really difficult decision for me to make, but I think that I’m making a good choice. Djoliba is more of a town than a village and people are more aggressive and harder to get to know well. Plus I have been having problems with theft and a crazy guy walking around in my yard in the early mornings. I’ve also been having problems with my host dad’s 3 wives who are always fighting amongst themselves, and are often really disrespectful to me. (I’ll greet them and they won’t greet me back. Or I show up for dinner and they throw the dish on the ground and tell me, “go eat with your dog”. If I buy them something, like pasta they will always ask “where’s the oil?”, “where’s the meat?”, etc.) Moving to Karina will alleviate all these minor problems I’ve been having in Djoliba. There is a stronger sense of community in Karina and people are a lot more laid back so I think it will be a lot easier to integrate. The house I will be moving into is a really cute 2-room mud house with a thatch roof which will be really nice and cool during hot season. The house is in a Griot family’s (the storytellers/musicians of Mali) concession and they are seem like really nice people. I will still be working in Djoliba probably 4-5 days a week as I have several projects started there and that is where the health center is. So I will really have the best of both worlds. I’ll get to finish my projects, continue the friendships I have in Djoliba and get to experience small village life. Some random thoughts… Contrary to Malian belief, babies crying, laughing psychotically, or making farting noises does not make good music no matter how good of a beat it is mixed with. If you are a winner of a beauty pageant in West Africa, you have a great shot at becoming the second wife of a corrupt dictator. The Giant African Millipede, although large, fast and capable of making loud rustling noises when trapped in a plastic bag, is not harmful to humans and is definitely not worth locking yourself out of your house and spending the night in the mosquito ridden health clinic for. By the way here is my contact info since a lot of people have been asking for it: Mailing address: Sarah Zuger, PCV Corps de la Paix, Mali B.P. 74 Kangaba, Mali, West Africa If you mail anything make sure you send it airmail as ground mail can take anywhere from 6 months to a year to get here if it ever gets here at all. My phone # is: 00223 – 519 – 0730 Also, for those of you who haven’t received my emails. I have posted pictures online at: http.//www1.snapfish.com/photolibrary/t_=83950595 | 
