1.29.2011

January Boredom, Pump, Projects, and Public Transportation

Since returning to village after training, and Christmas festivities nothing really exciting happened, actually to be quite honest I was fighting boredom with all my might. It is easy to get sucked into the everyday monotony of just sitting around drinking tea, not even saying much, just sitting. Finally the monotony was broken with the arrival of a new pump to be put in next to the Dugutiki’s house. Excited for a change in my daily routine of greeting, and sitting at the butiki drinking tea for hours, I switched up locations and sat and drank tea for hours at the Dugutiki’s house watching the men working. They built a wall, and a soak pit around the new pump- rather quickly too! Surprisingly it only took about two or three days for the project to be completed. One morning while yalayalaing around the village I decided to check the progress of the work being done on the pump. Joyously the dugutiki greeted me saying how glad he was I finally made it to his house because he was waiting for me all morning. I had to be there to witness the Dugutiki pump his first bucket full at the new pump! To the average person this may not sound very exciting, watching an old man pump water into a bucket, however to me it was exhilarating! It was so wonderful because he was so proud of the pump, proud to finally have access to clean water rather than grimy well water, and proud to know that his family and other villagers will be healthier too.
I was not the only spectator present, among us was Old Man Segou, who thinks it is absolutely hilarious that I walk around village telling people they should drink pump water instead of well water, or at least treat the well before drinking it. He ceases to understand that there is importance in this message, and only hears me saying “Kolon ji A min!” Well water is bad! Every time I see him around village he always makes a comment about me thinking well water is bad and laughs-hysterically.
I thought there is no better time to reinforce my message than now, while standing around a brand new pump! Of course I called Old Man Segou out of the crowd and said isn’t great that this brand new pump is so close to your house? Actually you have to walk by it everyday on the way into village, and to your field. You can stop here and fill your water jug every morning! You don’t have to drink dirty well water anymore and the pump water won’t make you sick, won’t make your stomach hurt, and won’t give you diarrhea like the well water does. He agreed that is was nice to have another source of clean water in our small village. Thinking he finally understood the importance of drinking well water I was happy that my message finally made it through to him.
Later in the week I was on my way to visit my host family and I see Old Man Segou chatting with friends who where about to make tea. I walked over eyeing his water jug. I picked it up saying how thirsty I was, and that I couldn’t wait to drink this clean pump water that I know is in his water jug. But before taking a big gulp I looked at him and said this is pump water right? Because if it is not I will get sick and you are going to have to call Peace Corps and tell them why I have diarrhea! Segou jumped up and took the jug out on my hands saying don’t drink it! Its well water! Attempting my most disappointed look, I ask did you walk by the new pump on your way here this morning? He said yes, but my jug was already full. I said oh okay, I understand, you would just rather have diarrhea than refill your jug. He laughed, not knowing that I was not about to back down. Segou then offered his money to buy sugar for the tea. I took the money from his hand and said you put this back in your pocket! I turned to his friends and said sorry fellas your friend here can’t buy sugar today; he has to save his money to buy medicine because he has diarrhea! Finally, for once, Segou is not the one laughing! He looks at me and says okay okay Marium. I won’t drink well water; tomorrow I will fill my jug at the pump. I said tomorrow, and the next day and the next day and everyday you walk by the pump stop and fill your jug! He agreed. I have decided that if getting Old Man Segou to drink pump water and actually understand why it is better for him is the only success I have living in Mali I will be happy!

Among the excitement of the new pump being put in, my village also was excited to see some Peace Corps visitors stopping in to check on my village and me. The PC Doctor stopped to see my village, my house, my water sources, and to check my mental status-which I am glad to report were all up to her standard! Also the education program assistant stopped in and met with me, my homologue, the director of the school, and the school board members to talk about possible projects that I could get started working on. It was nice to not be the only stranger in the village, and nice to have someone there to translate my still learning, broken, Bambara.

After the meeting, and discussing my village’s wants and needs, my head was swimming with hopes and dreams of funding and successful projects. I was ready to set plans into actions and really get the ball rolling, so I decided to venture to Bamako to further discuss my plans- however the only sucess I had was adding yet another funny story to my book of never ending Peace Corps Adventures. Getting to Bamako was quite the interesting ride as is every ride on Mali public transportation. Once a van stopped to pick me up I greeted everyone, as I squeezed into the second row of seats filling what I thought was the last available spot. I shoved my backpack under the seat between my legs and while doing so I noticed a chicken occupying the space under the seat in front of me. Muffling a giggle, thinking “Lord, this ain’t America!” I notice that there is more than one chicken…actually there are about five chickens hanging out under the seat. Just as I was settling in for my three-hour ride I start to feel little pecks at my feet. So as nicely as I can I say to the man next to me, excuse me sir, your chickens are eating my feet. He looks at me and says they aren’t my chickens. But he gently gives them a little kick and they settle down. At the next stop, since I am the closest person to the door, I am asked to hold a small child out the door so she can relieve her bladder, and then pass her back to her mother in the row behind me. After doing so, one last passenger enters the van and spots the three centimeters of seat next to me and squeezes in. Doing all I could not to just burst out in laughter, or tears from being stuck in the middle of six people shoved into seats for four and sweating like crazy, I start to feel a few little pecks at my feet. I once again turned to the man beside me and said Just whose chickens are these? Grinning he says nothing and points to the man in the front of the van. What? There he is sitting upfront, the best seat in the house, with a window that opens, not squished between six other people, and his chickens are two rows back eating MY feet? I couldn’t take it anymore! I holler up to him saying, “Hey Old Man! Why aren’t these chickens under YOUR seat eating YOUR feet?” Sending the vanload of people into a fit of laughter and comments about the white girl not liking chickens. Mali’s public transportation certainly is never boring!

After returning to village I made a hair braiding, tea drinking date with my best friend Tenna. Tenna is a twenty-three year old, second wife, with one child and one on the way and she is my very best friend in village! I have spent days and days sitting on a tiny stool next her in a smoky, round, mud hut with a thatched roof watching her cook over an open fire. I have listened to her talk about her husband, her daughter, the catty women in the village, and sing along to her always-present radio. My favorite days are the ones when she has a string of questions about America, I answer her the best I can, knowing she really doesn’t understand what it would be like to cook at a real stove, or throw a load of laundry into the washer. As my Bambara gets better I can see our friendship getting stronger.

Another month is closing in on us, now having survived living in Africa for almost 7 months, I am excitedly looking forward to my growing projects, and friendships that will take place over the next 20 months.