Wednesday, February 25, 2004
My Family
So far my host family has been the best part of this trip. My immediate family consists of five people – Ladi and Anta, my host parents, and three younger brothers – Moussa, 10, Kassim, 3, and Amadou, who is four months old. We live, however, with 43 people total, in a compound that consists of four sets of rooms surrounding a courtyard. By American standards it would seem hopelessly crowded but somehow it works, mainly because almost all the rooms are simply a space for sleeping, and although 4 or 5 people might share them, when awake people spread out outdoors. The courtyard contains the well where we draw up all our water, a shed where cooking utensils, pots and pans are kept, mutliple cooking fires, and clotheslines. It’s also the main place for activity – where I play soccer with Kassim and the other young boys, where the young men play scrabble, and where most socializing occurs. The other main center of action is my family’s living room ( I have a small room right beside it, although I don’t spend much time there other than sleeping, as it is very stuffy and has no windows). There’s a tv in there, as well as a ceiling fan (although I think I am the one who appreciates it most) and even a telephone, which is very rare for a Malian family. I think because there are so many people in my compound my family can afford the telephone. I find the tv fascinating, not only because the Malian tv station is so great, but because I think it’s hilarious what people like to watch. No matter what neighborhood in Bamako you are in, around 7 : 30 every evening you will hear Brazilian music coming from every house, because a French-dubbed Brazilian soap opera, « Family Secrets » is like a national addiction. Last night there were 14 people crowded into our living room to watch it. It’s so bad, especially with the dubbing, and it is nothing like the Brazil I visited, but, like most soap operas, it has a ridiculous plot, and I think people are drawn into the intrigue and scandals that would never happen here. I really enjoy the Malian news that comes on after the telenovela, though, because unlike the local evening news in the States, which focuses on fires, robberies, murders etc. the news here actually focuses on real issues, such as a meeting of local women who work with micro-financing instutitions, or a conference held at the university on the negative effects of corporate globalization. The other thing that the Malian station plays are Malian music videos, which can sometimes be so cheesy, but are such a refreshing contrast to the most ridiculous gangsta rap videos that are played on the East African music video station. The other stations we get are Canal + and TV 5, two French stations with programming specific to Francophone Africa, and an international version of CNN in English (that was a shocker) so I have been able to follow a bit of international news.
I really enjoy the various conversations I get to have with the people I live with, and as if 42 other people weren’t enough, I do live just a block away from another student with my program, Beth (also an AU student !) who I guess is now technically my cousin, as our host dad’s are brothers. It’s been good for both of us to have each other so close by, and we’ve had a great many adventures coming to and from school. There are also a lot of visitors who come to my house, including Anta’s younger sister Beita, and younger brother Bavier, who are just a few years older than me. Bavier is just finishing his law degree at the university here, and we’ve had a lot of great political conversations. This weekend I’m actually going with him to San (a town about 6/7 hours away, halfway between Segou and Djenne) where my host grandparents live. I am very close to Anta, so I want to take pictures of her and her children to her parents. Also, my host grandmother speaks French, and I want to interview her for a « life history » assignment we have. Sunday, then, I’ll come back on my own (Bavier is staying for a week with his parents) and then on Monday our group is going for a 5-day village stay in Sanankoraba, which is about 30 kilometers away. I’m a little nervous as the people there will only speak Bambara, not French, but my Bambara has been improving and I’m excited to work on it more. Also we have a lot of interesting activities planned and I’m looking forward to getting a more extended experience in rural Mali.
The weather has been great so far – definitely too hot at times, but the steady 90’s have been bearable because the humidity is so low. I think we’re all a little worried, though, that this is the « cold » season, although in reality it’s getting hotter every day, little by little, and when the hot season really begins, in a few weeks, it won’t be that much hotter than now. Also, we’ll sleep outside then, on the porch. The other good thing about the heat is that the bucket showers with cool well water feel great, and there’s no reason to miss heated water. I do miss running water sometimes though, mainly because our bathroom – mud floor, concrete walls, tin roof and hole – is home to many cockroaches and a few rats. It’s nothing that I can’t deal with, but oh, how I have come to appreciate the simple things in life – namely tile floors.
Today is a « free day » for us to explore the city, which is why I’ve had the chance to write this. I will try to update again soon though. I have to go in a few minutes because Beth (now Nassira Coulibaly) and I (now Oumou Coulibaly) are going into the city to explore some. Later today Bavier is going to show me some of the quartiers non-lotis (shantytowns/almost like S. African townships) because I am thinking of doing my independent study project on this. Like all major cities Bamako has it’s share of shantytowns and slums, and I’m interested in what the different neighborhoods in Bamako are like.
Anyway, I’ve been getting mail quickly, which is so nice. If you send me your address, either by email (emjacobi@mac.com) or on a letter, I will send you postcards.
Hope all goes well wherever you are – feel free to send me updates, because even with the occasional few minutes of CNN, I feel like I am so very far away from what’s happening in the world.
But I’m very, very happy.
So far my host family has been the best part of this trip. My immediate family consists of five people – Ladi and Anta, my host parents, and three younger brothers – Moussa, 10, Kassim, 3, and Amadou, who is four months old. We live, however, with 43 people total, in a compound that consists of four sets of rooms surrounding a courtyard. By American standards it would seem hopelessly crowded but somehow it works, mainly because almost all the rooms are simply a space for sleeping, and although 4 or 5 people might share them, when awake people spread out outdoors. The courtyard contains the well where we draw up all our water, a shed where cooking utensils, pots and pans are kept, mutliple cooking fires, and clotheslines. It’s also the main place for activity – where I play soccer with Kassim and the other young boys, where the young men play scrabble, and where most socializing occurs. The other main center of action is my family’s living room ( I have a small room right beside it, although I don’t spend much time there other than sleeping, as it is very stuffy and has no windows). There’s a tv in there, as well as a ceiling fan (although I think I am the one who appreciates it most) and even a telephone, which is very rare for a Malian family. I think because there are so many people in my compound my family can afford the telephone. I find the tv fascinating, not only because the Malian tv station is so great, but because I think it’s hilarious what people like to watch. No matter what neighborhood in Bamako you are in, around 7 : 30 every evening you will hear Brazilian music coming from every house, because a French-dubbed Brazilian soap opera, « Family Secrets » is like a national addiction. Last night there were 14 people crowded into our living room to watch it. It’s so bad, especially with the dubbing, and it is nothing like the Brazil I visited, but, like most soap operas, it has a ridiculous plot, and I think people are drawn into the intrigue and scandals that would never happen here. I really enjoy the Malian news that comes on after the telenovela, though, because unlike the local evening news in the States, which focuses on fires, robberies, murders etc. the news here actually focuses on real issues, such as a meeting of local women who work with micro-financing instutitions, or a conference held at the university on the negative effects of corporate globalization. The other thing that the Malian station plays are Malian music videos, which can sometimes be so cheesy, but are such a refreshing contrast to the most ridiculous gangsta rap videos that are played on the East African music video station. The other stations we get are Canal + and TV 5, two French stations with programming specific to Francophone Africa, and an international version of CNN in English (that was a shocker) so I have been able to follow a bit of international news.
I really enjoy the various conversations I get to have with the people I live with, and as if 42 other people weren’t enough, I do live just a block away from another student with my program, Beth (also an AU student !) who I guess is now technically my cousin, as our host dad’s are brothers. It’s been good for both of us to have each other so close by, and we’ve had a great many adventures coming to and from school. There are also a lot of visitors who come to my house, including Anta’s younger sister Beita, and younger brother Bavier, who are just a few years older than me. Bavier is just finishing his law degree at the university here, and we’ve had a lot of great political conversations. This weekend I’m actually going with him to San (a town about 6/7 hours away, halfway between Segou and Djenne) where my host grandparents live. I am very close to Anta, so I want to take pictures of her and her children to her parents. Also, my host grandmother speaks French, and I want to interview her for a « life history » assignment we have. Sunday, then, I’ll come back on my own (Bavier is staying for a week with his parents) and then on Monday our group is going for a 5-day village stay in Sanankoraba, which is about 30 kilometers away. I’m a little nervous as the people there will only speak Bambara, not French, but my Bambara has been improving and I’m excited to work on it more. Also we have a lot of interesting activities planned and I’m looking forward to getting a more extended experience in rural Mali.
The weather has been great so far – definitely too hot at times, but the steady 90’s have been bearable because the humidity is so low. I think we’re all a little worried, though, that this is the « cold » season, although in reality it’s getting hotter every day, little by little, and when the hot season really begins, in a few weeks, it won’t be that much hotter than now. Also, we’ll sleep outside then, on the porch. The other good thing about the heat is that the bucket showers with cool well water feel great, and there’s no reason to miss heated water. I do miss running water sometimes though, mainly because our bathroom – mud floor, concrete walls, tin roof and hole – is home to many cockroaches and a few rats. It’s nothing that I can’t deal with, but oh, how I have come to appreciate the simple things in life – namely tile floors.
Today is a « free day » for us to explore the city, which is why I’ve had the chance to write this. I will try to update again soon though. I have to go in a few minutes because Beth (now Nassira Coulibaly) and I (now Oumou Coulibaly) are going into the city to explore some. Later today Bavier is going to show me some of the quartiers non-lotis (shantytowns/almost like S. African townships) because I am thinking of doing my independent study project on this. Like all major cities Bamako has it’s share of shantytowns and slums, and I’m interested in what the different neighborhoods in Bamako are like.
Anyway, I’ve been getting mail quickly, which is so nice. If you send me your address, either by email (emjacobi@mac.com) or on a letter, I will send you postcards.
Hope all goes well wherever you are – feel free to send me updates, because even with the occasional few minutes of CNN, I feel like I am so very far away from what’s happening in the world.
But I’m very, very happy.
