Back at the training center, I've never thought I would feel so grateful for wonders such as toilet paper, phone service, and fans. The last two weeks (has it really only been that long?) have been pretty real. As we came into our homestay village, we were greeted by the villagers who had set up a huge celebration in our honor. As we walked out of the van, they grabbed us to join their dance/drum circle, which was a great way to meet the villagers. The village I am in is relatively large, which has its advantages - namely a small farmers market and the occasional cold soda at our local Boutigi - but it also means that each morning there are hundreds of people yelling "tubabu" ("white person") as I walk to class, and I am usually followed by a cloud of twenty children - the Tubab parade. I am living with the Chief of the village (the Dugutigi), and my host family is incredibly accomadating and tries their best to speak with me in a sort of French-Bambara-English creole. I am woken up each morning to the donkeys and goats outside my door. I am quickly getting tired of rice with peanut sauce, or the dreaded "to," a millet ground into a stonelike mound and covered in slimy okra sauce. We try to do yoga most afternoons - authentic Bikram sweat yoga in the 90degree heat - and even managed a full sun salutation in the sweeping rainstorm. The language training is really intensive, but I am amazed at our progress after less than two weeks, and I can actually put coherent sentences together. Friday night our village had a great "soiree," with a dj spinning drum and bass and Malian techno through a generator. We tried our Tubab best, but were in awe watching the amazing rhythm of the Malian youth.
At training, we finally has some great sector specific training, which reaffirmed my purpose here in Mali. We learned how to weigh and measure babies to monitor their growth and nutrition. Child malnutrition is one of the worst epidemics here, and with a population where 50% are under 15 years old, it is desperately needed. Some eye opening statistics: 27% of children in Mali under 5 are underweight foor their age (10% severely), and 38% of children under 5 are underheight. Pre-natal and neo-natal health is also a real need, with a 10% infant mortality rate. We also put together a health survey in Bambara, which I will compile during the first three months at my village. Tomorrow we will go to Bamako, the capital city, and then back to my homestay village.

To the village

So I am leaving my training site tomorrow and will be going to my homestay village, which is a bit outside of Bamako, where they speak the local language Bambara. I am staying in the village Chief's house, which will be both exciting and intimidating, since my Bambara vocabulary right now consists of four greetings. I will be in the village with ten other volunteers, and will be there until September 10th, when I will move to my permanent post. The homestay village is where I will get my intensive language and cultural training, and I will be completely immersed in Bambara.
These past few days have been pretty interesting. Right now its finally raining - its been hot and extremely humid the past two days here, so it is definitely welcome. Training has been great so far, but it really feels alot like summer camp, and I really look forward (with a bit of trepidation) to leaving for my homestay village tomorrow. The training has been really varied, and weve had classes on language, cross cultural and diversity issues, our technical field training, and even a two hour class on how to deal with gastrointestinal malaise (which is, apparently, inevitable). The training is mostly done by Malian Peace Corps staff as well as with current volunteers who are really trying to prepare us for life "en brusse" (in the village). Its undoubtedly been a learning experience - from the tragic fall of one of my Birkenstocks into the deep, dank neygen (toilet, aka a hole in the ground), to learning the polite way of eating with your hands around a communal bowl, learning how to fix a bike tire, and trying to understand the different gender roles and respectable behavior. Alot of our training is focused on how to be well integrated and respected in the community, as well as how to stay healthy an d safe. We had a cultural festival on Sunday, where the Malian staff and local vendors came and performed music, made food and sold some Malian clothes.
So tomorrow will surely begin the real culture shock, as I will be living and interacting with Malians, learning how to filter my own water, washing my clothes, and learning a language that I have had no experience with. As I will not have internet, I won't be able to post for about two weeks. Until then!

Je suis ici!

So I've arrived here at the Peace Corps training center outside of Bamako, after a day (only?) of travelling. The Philadelphia orientation was brief but definitely brewed my excitement. After hours and hours waiting at the airports in Philadelphia and Paris, with our backpacks strewn across the terminal, irrecognizable from the mounds of sleep-deprived bodies (not to mention the 13 hours we spent in the air) all 66 of us landed in Mali. As soon as we stepped off the plane, the humid dusty air hit us (80 degrees even though it was after dark), and I felt that immense, excited jolt of realization that I was here to stay, for awhile at least. We waded through the chaos that is the tiny Bamako International Airport, which was just big enough to fit the people in our flight and the mounds of bags. We finally found our luggage, and were greeted by seasoned Peace Corps Mali volunteers who slightly intimidated us with their flawless Bambara. They threw our bags on top of several serious looking jeeps, we piled in the back, and off we caravaned Tomb raider style through the city, past the shanty towns and suprisingly clean metropolitan areas of Bamako. And here I am at the training center, which has electricity, fans and shower heads! What a luxury. Today we learned some of the interesting nuances of the Malian culture, including the intricacies of handshakes and the horror of using your left hand to do anything but, er, clean yourself. It really is amazing how much pride Malians take in their appearance; the women wear the most beautiful clothes everyday. I've started the malaria pills, which I swear is giving me some fun perceptual changes (extreme depth perception and color contrast after affects). The other side effects include "vivid dreams" and some other fun things. I will be here for a few days and then I go off to my "homestay" village where I will live with a few other volunteers with a host family for the next nine weeks before I am sent off to my village post. So far so good! More to come.