Wednesday, 6/24

Today was an absolutely great day. I woke up at 8AM or so (relatively early for me here, but still late by Malian standards) and went hiking with Katie. All around Bamako are tiny mountainesque hills that are nice for hiking. We took a new route through Sikoroni and went up through the mountains to this pretty little rock formation. It required some Cliffhanger moments to get to the top of all of the formations, but it was a fun little expedition.


Along the way, we ran into a small family (the one from my photos) and we got to meet all of the children. It was nice to just be able to talk to a family and take a picture (I rarely do - it seems impolite somehow), and not be expected to pay. I guess that's the value of being able to speak a bit of Bambara. It's just one small way to show that you've already made an investment in them and their home.


However, the encounter turned from cute to annoying when the children refused to leave us alone for the rest of our hike. After the initial limited Bambara conversation and laughter, we said goodbye to finish our hike, but they kept following us. The chorus of children's laughter was a little bothersome and kind of eerie, so I tried multiple times in various forms of Bambara to tell them that we were serious and wanted them to leave. We would point back to their home and tell them we wanted to be alone and that they were being disrespectful, but they would just giggle at us infuriatingly. And I kept getting angrier and angrier until I finally had this strange realization that tied back into the racism theme: they had nothing else to be doing. These children have absolutely nothing they are expected or encouraged to do other than respect their parents and eat. There is no school in the neighborhood, most of them are too young to work, and I am just a form of entertainment for them. Why WOULDN'T they want to harass me? And that's when it hit me that I can't let the toubabou comments become personal. These kids are just trying to amuse themselves and have fun in a place where the only fun you get is the fun you make for yourself. And knowing that, I can't fault them for trying to torture me. It's like playing with an ant under a magnifying class - what kid can deny himself the simply joy? We descended in a neighboring slum called Sourakabougouni and were promptly invited into a woman's tiny, decrepit house for a quick respite and good conversation. Surprisingly, she spoke French and had a cell phone, despite living in one of the poorer parts of town. We told her about the microfinance program and asked her to get in touch so maybe she could start a business. I don't know if she'll ever go, but it was nice to at least have a resource available like that as a way of thanking her for her hospitality.


When we got back, I got to debrief with Caitlin about the racism issue, which was helpful. We also got to talk for a while alone in general, which was also pretty nice (not to mention the delicious egg/cucumber/tomato/garlic sandwiches… I'm coming to appreciate them right next to Yoplait yogurt sacks). It was really necessary to just debrief about all the frustration and put it out on the table. It's actually been remarkable how challenging this experience has been. I'm so used to getting work done when and how I want it and this job is all about just going with the flow and letting other people make decisions for me. I have almost no relevance here. The CHAG (community health action group) makes the decisions, the CHAG knows what is best, and I am just providing a skeletal structure for them to work in. As a pseudo-control freak, that's tough to work with. But Caitlin totally gets it and has been super helpful in dealing with the frustration. Thank G-d for people who get it and know how to explain it to me. As smart as I am, sometimes I just self-destruct if left to my own devices.


At the end of the day, I got a tattoo done by a local artist. When I say tattoo, I mean henna. And when I say henna, I mean she bought a $1 pack of hair dye powder and painted it on my skin. That's right. I just got a hair dye tattoo for $1. I'd been trying to get it done for a few days, so it was fun to finally do it already. I ended up missing Bambara lessons so she could finish, but who ACTUALLY needs the past tense anyway? Extra studying seems to be in my future…


In other news, I finished a great book I'd been working on, which is actually a major accomplishment. I usually hate reading and rarely have the time for it. So it's really nice to find a book I love and have all the time in the world to read it. No deadline, no paper to write. Just sponge time with my brain and the words on the page. Now I'm starting What is the What, which is already proving to be quite gripping. Very excited to get into reading again. And it's good preparation for my first ever literature course this Fall back at Brown. I also got my yarmulke back - not one, but two. I now have a crimson and lime green pair to add to the collection. And surprisingly, they turned out really well - better than my original, actually.


That's it for now. Off to sleep. Been pretty tired recently. Best to indulge myself - if I won't, who else will?


X Ben X