Au revoir (ohr vwahr)

Until we meet again, goodbye...

The time has come for us to say goodbye to all of our Mali friends and come home. Last night was filled with packing, phone calls, and sad goodbyes. We had a wonderful time in Africa, but miss our family and friends at home dearly. Tonight we will board the aircraft... this doesn't mean the end of our postings, but rather a delay in them showing up until we get home. We still have so much to tell everyone about Mali!

Our 5 1/2 months here in West Africa went by fast and I recall the day we stepped off the Air France flight. Many things have changed since then and it is now "winter" here (if you call 90F and dust storms...winter). Here is a list of things we will miss and a few things we won't ever forget.

1. Our dog Walter :(
2. Watching the African sunset from our porch
3. Joking with our drivers
4. Getting stuck in traffic
5. African red dust and dirt
6. Banana ladies
7. To-Baboo (word for white man)
8. Watching the kids from our porch chase the baby goats
9. Our guards sleeping!
10. The neighborhood kids playing

The gates we have passed through countless times on our way to the airport. Tonight will be the final time.

Second Visit Part II

We are preparing to depart on sunday for the USA! Here are some more pictures of our trip on thursday. The boy really liked his t-shirt. He had to put it on right away! Enjoy the smiles.


Two more gifts for us...

Second Visit

We made it to all the sponsor children once again. World Vision was kind enough to dedicate another day to us. This time we were allowed to do something special. We requested to stop at the school (before it let out for lunch) to visit the kids in the classroom. The headmaster was kind enough to allow us to interupt his class and pass out stuffed animals. Each child attending the elementary school got a gift, and Mrs. Gander's 2nd grade letters will be translated and read to the Malian 2nd grade later this week! (Most of these children are registered with World Vision or have a sibling who is). We had a blast and will never forget it. The kids were great. Lots of mixed reactions as always. But in the end they had smiles from ear to ear and were laughing so hard they could be heard villages away.

Thanks again to all those at home who sent gifts and helped get the animals here. We have been blessed beyond measure by this experience and can't thank you enough!

Here are a few pictures from today! The first two are from the school. The third is Jody and I being surrounded by the village kids...you think they are expecting something!?! The last photo speaks for itself. More to follow...

Our Visit Part III

We are back with some more information about our trip and a new development to report! When we made our village visit we only had part of the shipment. The remaining boxes made it to Bamako and cleared customs TODAY! That means that we will be going back to visit more sponsored villages as well as meeting with our kids to drop off pictures, cards, and more stuffed animals. We can not thank World Vision enough for allowing not just one, but two visits. It's truly a blessing that the packages made it here. The airport is closed for maintenance and we didn't think we would see them while we were still here. How they made it here is a miracle! We depart Thursday for our second mission at 0700.

Back to information from our first visit... In between two villages there is a school. The school was built with donations to World Vision in 2005. It replaces the outdoor school that was plagued with snakes and insects. We were honored to tour it and meet with the Head Master. The children were on lunch break when we went. A typical school day goes from 8-12pm and then 3-6pm, but it varies from area to area. This way they avoid the heat of the day. This school teaches all of it's classes in French.

P.S. It was brought to our attention that Mrs. Gander's second grade class also participated in the donation program! Thank you for sending such wonderful letters and pictures. We can't wait to share them with the children. Hope you enjoy the photos of the Malian 2nd grade class room!

Our Visit Part II

After writing the last post we realized that God has given us a huge task, but no matter how many posts, emails, or hours it takes…we are going to do the best we can. We came up with this list of questions and answers to explain what we saw, what we learned, and what we will never forget. We tried to put them in order of how the day went…and have included some more pictures.

How were the roads to the villages?
The trip to the World Vision site office was quite nice, but after we left the pavement it was a rough, narrow dirt road that winded through the Sahel. We had a 4x4, but good thing it hadn’t rained lately.

Who from World Vision accompanied you on the trip?
We were accompanied by the manager, the sponsorship supervisor (who over sees the needs of each child, makes frequent visits to them, and is responsible for their enrollment. She has the biggest responsibility!), and the development facilitator. These people were great! They spoke English and were able to translate for us where needed. They knew just what to say and when!

How many villages did you see and how many kids?
When we first asked to do this we thought we would only get to see Soh and Seba. We did not expect WV to dedicate an entire day for us! We saw 6 villages. If your child is on the MLC master list we saw him/her along with several hundreds of other kids who gathered around. Our visit was planned and good news travels fast right?!

What was the first thing you did when you got to each location?
At each site we were greeted by the village elder/chief and shook multiple hands. Then we were seated in the center of the village and the child’s name was called. We visited with each one, asked questions, and shook their hand. Each site also has a World Vision volunteer. This person reports to the Sponsorship Supervisor and is essentially her eyes and ears! The volunteers and families were more than excited to see us and communication mostly consisted of smiles and laughs. These elders asked for their photo to be taken. This is a rare occurrence in Africa!


How did it feel entering this place for the first time?
Jody and I felt at ease in the village. Having been in Africa for so long and having visited other villages for work…we knew what to expect. The only thing I didn’t expect was how I would feel when I saw my families child. Thousands of miles apart, decades of difference, but one thing was the same- her smile on the fridge at home and the one I saw.

What were the living conditions like and what type of health were the kids in?
The children were all in good health, besides the common runny nose that every 3-5 year gets. By our standards, the living conditions are very poor. They live in mud huts and sleep on the dirt floor. They don’t have many clothes or toys. Some don’t have any toys. Two toys were spotted on our trip – one was a rolling toy made out of gourds and the other was a Barbie phone! Anyone send there child this lately?


What was the funniest thing that happened on the trip?
While I went back to the car to get candy, some how Erin was given a chicken! A live chicken! It seems like a strange gift, but to them it is an important gesture. It was an honor to receive the chicken! When we get home we’ll tell you whose family gave it to us. Were just glad they didn’t try and give us the goat which came before the chicken… Jody and Talla (our driver) unloading the chicken. Talla was our photographer for the afternoon.


How did the children react to you and what did they do when they were given a toy?
Some were excited and bravely approached us with out caution. Some were scared…a few cried. Almost all of them had never seen a white person before. This made a lot of them unsure. But like parents at home…they told their children not to be afraid and encouraged them to shake our hands or give us high fives. When they received the toys they were mostly curious. They stared at the toys to see what it was. After a while they were excited and holding their toys tightly. This little boy just wasn't quite sure how to react. One of our favorite pictures from the day.

The Day in Summary

Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay in this posting, we had internet problems last night. Sometimes the conveniences we take for granted at home, such as fast internet or next day shipping, can take days to accomplish here in Africa.

Jody and I have so much to tell you all about the trip so we will do our best to get in every detail. If you have questions that you just can’t wait to hear about, please do not hesitate to send us an email or leave a message on the posting board for everyone to see. We have been in Africa for so long that we tend to forget what its like to live at home verses here…and sometimes leave out things that we have grown accustom too.

One quick note before we start- For the sake of keeping things confidential I won’t relay too much information about names or locations. When we get back this information will be shared and personal stories will be linked with names. I hope you understand.

We left our house on the day of the trip at 0630 and met up with our World Vision contact at the office in Bamako. There we loaded the car up (saw the package for the first time) and got a briefing of what the day had to hold. Very little details were shared with us prior to the departure and we had no idea what to expect. We anticipated a morning visit to one site and then a departure before lunch. We were surprised when we saw what was planned. The itinerary included ALL of the children and in several different villages…it also included lunch (lunch in the village always makes one nervous), a meeting with the mayor, and a visit to a school built by the program.

Here is a break down of how the day went and some more pictures…check back for our next post soon! Click on the photos to enlarge them.

0700 departure
0715 stop for bananas (not sure why…)
0730 stop again for bananas (now our curiosity has sky rocketed!)
0745 back on the road again (paved and in good condition, actually one of the best we have been)
0930 arrival at World Vision field location
0945 meet with staff that is responsible for our kids
1000 meet the mayor of the general area (what a wonderful guy!)
1015 depart for first village (dirt road into the middle of the Sahel…)
1100 arrive at first village (custom was to meet each village elder/chief before proceeding with our gift giving and picture taking)
1130-1415 three more village visits, two house visits and a school tour
1430 lunch at World Vision (not in the bush…what a relief. Guess what we ate? Chicken, salad, french fries and fried bananas!)
1500 depart for two more villages
1700 back to World Vision field office to sign out
1900 home in Bamako

Our Visit Part I

We just made it back to Bamako! We departed at 0630 and are exhausted...6 villages...2 home visits...1 meeting with the mayor...stuffed animals galore...21 sponsored children and hundreds of others! All of the families involved welcomed us with open arms! It was an exciting and humbling experience.

Here are a few pictures to start off with. More to come! The first picture is of us loading up the car in Bamako (good thing we traded in our 4 door car for the SUV). The next two are pictures of the MLC Sunday School sponsored children: Soh and Seba. The last two are of Jody and I in action.


PS. In our last post, I accidentally forgot to mention that Gran Lutheran Church is also a part of the program and they sponsor 2 children. Sorry!

Mayville to Mali

Thank you everyone who helped organize this event! Jody and I are excited to visit the children tomorrow. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this project here is a brief summary. Or you can check out the article in the Mayville paper last week.

My (Erin) home town church sponsors several children from Mali through a relief organization called World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization. Currently there are 19 Malian children sponsored by Mayville Lutheran Church (MLC) and it's members.

When we heard we were going to Mali, my mom thought it would be neat if we could meet the child they sponsor. What started out as a short visit quickly turned into an AMAZING out pouring of love!

Hundreds of donated stuffed animals symbolizing HUGS were packed…shipped…and an appointment was made to meet the ENTIRE “Mayville Village”. Hearts-Hands-Hope, the current Sunday school theme, quickly became…Hearts-Hands-Hope & HUGS!

More pictures to follow after the visit. For those of you who donated items, time, or gave financial contributions…THANK YOU!! For those of you who would like more information about this program feel free to contact us or visit World Vision online!

Hard Day's Work

Need somthing moved across Bamako? Ask one of these guys...they move everything and anything that needs to be moved.

The Zoo

We heard the zoo was an "adventure", so we bought a bunch of bananas as suggested and went. The zoo is very small and has only a few animals. We saw monkeys, a chimp, deer, goats, cows, a lion, two leopards, a few birds, and a snake. Our favorite part was feeding bananas to the baboons.

Check out the sign on Samba's cage. I'll translate for you: "Do not give him cigarettes or else". I guess a few years ago Samba decided to take up the bad habit and people thought it was funny. The president has since declared it illegal, but Samba still tries to get a puff in and begs for cigarettes by pretending to smoke.

To be honest the zoo was a "zoo"! Several people have put out cries for the animals and I see why. A lack of food, poor health, no clean water, and rotten carcasses littered the zoo. I nearly lost my lunch and stepped in large amounts of poo.

No wonder it was the cheapest thing in Bamako! It cost 150 CFA for all three of us, that is less than 30 cents. The bananas cost more than the tickets. That’s Jody trying to see the crocodiles…if they don’t find him first.

If anything is alive in that water tank, I don't think I want to know what it is?!

Invited to a true African wedding dance?!

Okay so we weren't technically invited...and it wasn't a wedding like we originally thought...IT WAS a BAPTISM or type of naming celebration that happens 8 days after a muslim baby is born. It took up our entire street (500+ people) and we had the best view from our deck. It was AMAZING! A live band, tons of drums, and children galore.

The video picture is not spectacular but click on it and turn up your speakers! Each video sounds just a little different. Some of the drums were large hollowed gourds played while they float in water. Also, between songs they wet the dirt dance floor (aka the street) to keep the dust down. Now if I could only bring you a sense of smell from here, haa haa haa!

Back from the Desert!

We were sent in a hurry to Mopti (actually Sevare- a small town near Mopti) last week to do some seeding. We spent several nights at Mac's Refuge. It is a local bed and breakfast. The place is full during tourist season, but since it's too early for that...it was usually just us! We stayed in the Bobo and Songhai rooms. Bobo and Songhai refer to ethnic groups located in Dogon Country. Note: The Bobo room didn’t have a toilet. Check out the outdoor community one!
What does Dogon have to do with our trip? Everyone passes through Sevare on their way to see Dogon Country. The Dogon people fled their original homeland to escape the spread of Islam, and settled in and around the cliffs of the Bandiagara escarpment. They practice subsistence farming on the plateau above the cliffs and on the plain below. We saw the cliff dwellings from the air, but regret not having more time to check out the area. We heard it’s amazing! (Also, it just so happens that Mac’s Refuge is run by Dogon people).

The rooms had air conditioning, but no hot water (not horrible since it has been near 100F !!!!) The best part of our stay was the food, home cooked and three courses every night.

Sevare itself is a very small town (about the size of Mayville), but has a lot of people. Jody and I enjoyed the quietness at night, looking at the stars (for the first time in months), the afternoon breeze, watching kids catch frogs with grasshoppers and borrowing bicycles for rides through town. Here are some pictures of town from the bike. Right now Sevare is busy harvesting peanuts (see picture of boy and cart), millet, and sorghum (which we ate mixed in peanut clusters for dessert several times).

Mopti is a 15 minute car ride from Sevare and is the main city. They say it is the third largest in Mali. The town itself is located on the Niger and Bani River. In Mopti you can take a spin around the river. We made a few visits to the "big town" and ate at the Bissap Cafe, admired the water from a distance, checked out the large rice patties, viewed the mud houses that engulf the city, saw an early 1900’s mud mosque, and visited the soccer stadium.

If you make it to Mopti, stay in Sevare at Mac’s! Click on the pictures to make them bigger to see.

P.S. Did I mention my (Erin) least favorite part? Well it was all the LIZARDS and BUGS...good thing Jody has good aim with flip flops!

In Mopti

Greetings from Mopti-Sevare, a small town NE of Bamako (about 9 hours in a car). We arrived on October 2nd and are here temporarily. It is extremely HOT here, but we are enjoying our stay away from the bustling city! The Internet is unreliable, but we will try and get some pictures up soon.

What have we been doing?

We have been busy as usual...flying...here is a picture Jody took over Djenne, where the world's largest mud mosque is located. They say it takes over 2,000 people to complete annual renovations. Adding more mud of course...
The picture is a little blurry but you get the idea (it was a bumpy flight).

Also, a few weeks ago we had a television crew here from London. Here is a picture of the crew and technicians trying to mount the camera. No this is not where it ended up…those flares burn at 2,000ºC!

It’s hard to believe we have been here since May 30th, but it is official we are headed home November 11th. Until then we will enjoy the beautiful African sunsets from our porch with Walter! This is something we will treasure long after we have returned home.

Money

Mali is a cash-only economy. Credit cards and checks are not accepted (except at major hotels & a few businesses). ATMs are scattered through out the city but they only take Visa! As for traveler’s checks, don't bother...

Bills are in denominations of 10,000, 5000, 1000 and 500. Coins are in denominations of 500, 100, 50, 25, 10 and 5. The lone problem is that the ATMs only dispense 10,000 and 5,000, which a majority of people here don't have change to break. We try to exchange these at the supermarket.

The CFA Franc was created on December 26, 1945. Mali left the CFA franc zone in 1962 and established its own currency, the Malian franc (Mfr), at par with CFA franc and its own central bank. However, smuggling and speculation rapidly undermined the new Malian franc forcing it to revert in 1967. It is said that all Francs are minted in Paris.


Although Central African CFA francs and West African CFA francs have the same monetary value against other currencies, West African CFA coins and banknotes are not accepted in countries using Central African CFA francs, and vice versa.

The current exchange rate for $1 USD = 470 CFA Francs. When figuring out the exchange we use the "500-to-1" rule. It is very uncommon for people to use 10 or 5 CFA they just drop the number and round. We have seen only a few 5 or 10 CFA coins since our arrival.

The Anniversary Cake

We got it at the local bakery. The frosting was thick like butter and made up 90% of the cake, but it sure tasted good! (white cake inside)

Candy Bars

“One of these things is not like the others; one of these things just doesn’t belong.” Do you remember those Sesame Street lyrics? We started to count the number of different Kit Kat's they have here, but lost count...

Where there is rain in Africa...there are kids!

When it rains...it brings out the neighborhood. Some children are bathed and some like these just like to get muddy! I know what your thinking, is that a white karate suit? Yep! I bet his mom is proud! What started as a few kids (as you can see), ballooned into several doing tricks for the camera.

Our Roof

What are they doing on our roof? What was a large pile of bamboo has turned into this (left picture)! The other side of the building (right picture) has what we thought was a collapsed roof from a sunporch/deck area; however, we realized this is not true. The bamboo poles are 'wired' to cement blocks. Your guess is as good as ours!

Segou

We decided to get out of Bamako and see another city. Segou is the third largest city in Mali. It is located NE of Bamako and is also on the Niger River. Segou is known for it's relaxed atmosphere. Bamako to Segou is about a 3 hour drive.

First, we stopped at Hotel L'Independence and had lunch. Then we headed to NDOMO. NDOMO is a mud cloth gallery (natural dyes on cotton cloth). We met Boubacar Doumbia, one of Mali's most famous mud cloth artists. He showed us how to make mud cloths and let Erin try her hand at it.

There are 3 types of mud cloths: Basilan, Bogolan, and Gala. Basilan- is a cloth painted with natural dyes (usually medicinal plants) and soap with a range of shades from yellow to light red. Bogolan- is basilan painted with iron, rich clay, or mud and soap. Gala- is a white cloth dyed in a traditional blue dye made out of the leaves of indigo tree and potash.

After the gallery we went for a stroll down by the river and made a quick trip down the arts and crafts area of town. Here we admired the wonderful pottery that is created in Segou (another thing they are famous for). They say you can take a boat trip to another village across the river for even more pottery...next time maybe!

It was a long day and a rainy drive home, but we had a wonderful time and are planning our next trip to Segou!