Hot season, site change and homologues

9 months have come and gone since I arrived in Mali and to be honest, sometimes I’m amazed I’m still here. I’ve never seriously considered coming home early, but looking back on some of the struggles I’ve had, I find that a bit surprising. Whatever the difficulties, and there have been many, I’m still thrilled to be here.

Hot season is in full swing. Days reaching 110˚ are the norm and we’re lucky if it drops below 90˚ at night. Malians are up at the crack of dawn to get work done because you can’t expect any productivity in the heat of the day. The heat has also made transportation a nightmare. Buses here don’t have air conditioning (not functioning AC, that is), so long rides are torturous. The only option is to fan yourself endlessly with little grass fans and drink all the water you can get. Dehydration is a constant struggle. It’s especially a challenge when the wells have dried up and water needs to be obtained from a pump a considerable distance away. On the plus side, it did rain for the first time since September. Mango rains. It lasted for about an hour and cooled us down quite a bit. I was in San with a few other PCVs, who immediately began celebrating.

Site change is still in process, but I suppose it is official enough to talk about it. My new site is Tominian, a town of about 8,000 people 45 km northeast of San. It is the circle capital and entrance to the Bobo (a minority ethnic group in both Mali and Burkina Faso) part of the country. Yes, that means I need to work on language #3; Bomu. My homologue has arranged for tutors for both French and Bomu. Tominian also happens to be Kali’s site. I’m one of very few PCVs who will have a site mate.

I’ve visited Tominian several times before to see Kali and went again last week with Macki (Peace Corps staff) and my new homologue. I met many of the people I will be working with, my homologue’s family and saw my new house. Unfortunately, my house isn’t quite ready yet, which is the reason I haven’t yet moved. They need to repair part of a wall, install screens and build a new nyegen (outdoor bathroom). Hopefully it will be done in the next week, though I’ve learned not to get my hopes up. Until then, I’m moving back and forth between Tominian, Yangasso and San, slowly moving my things over to Kali’s house.

Paul Tienou, my new homologue, is amazing. He came to IST at Tubani So and to a leadership formation held in San this past week. He works with the youth organization in Tominian and is beyond excited to get a volunteer. Beyond that, he is personally motivated; exactly what a homologue needs to be. While at the leadership formation, we brainstormed project ideas and where we wanted to be by the time I leave. My old homologue believed money (from me) had to come before any projects could start. Paul is the polar opposite. He’s already working with the kids and looking into funding possibilities. When we started talking about needed financing his first thought was to attempt to get a loan! I can’t begin to explain how huge this is for a Malian. Granted loans are very difficult to get for locals, but the fact that he’s thinking about it, believing it would be a good example for the kids is fantastic.

The most exciting things about my new site and homologue are the endless project possibilities. Brainstorming with Kali and Paul is so much fun. Paul has talked about a children’s garden, which could also lead to projects with improved farming techniques and produce transformation; things I’ve been learning about for the past few months. Kali also has 6 sewing machines donated by USAID, so we’re planning a project together with a women’s organization for sewing classes and the use of the machines as an income generating activity. Junior Achievement is still in the works, though perhaps delayed until the next school year, as well as projects in shea nuts/butter and the building of soak pits for runoff water from nyegens. It’s thrilling to feel motivated again!