Rainy season and other complaints

There really are only about 2 good months in Mali. Initially, I had been excited for the beginning of the rainy season because it would bring greenery and cooler temperatures. This, so far, has proven to be true. But along with the greenery and cooler temps comes a massive influx of flies, gnats, mosquitoes, ants, etc. They are really no fun. Remember when I wrote about the powdered donut effect? The hot temperatures where you sweat, followed next by the intense dust storms, and finally followed by the rain... yup, it's here. And when the rain comes, it doesn't go anywhere. The ground has been baking under the sun for the last 10 months and has become like an impenatrable concrete floor. Everywhere you walk, there are just giant lakes of water mixed with the runoff from pit latrines and garbage piles that are a common feature outside EVERY home in Douentza (and most of Malim for that matter). You try your best to dodge, but sometimes you are left with no other option but to trudge on through to the other side. Or you have to fight a herd of oncoming cows for that last little island of mud.

Anyway, last night Phil, Fikru and I left the house in Douentza to get dinner by the main road. Clouds were rolling in, but we figured if we were fast, we might just beat the storm. About 10 minutes into the walk, the sand storm came in with a vengence and we couldn't see 2 feet ahead of us. This proved to make the walk through the lakes of pit latrine runoff even more difficult than it should have been. Arriving at the main road, we took cover in a tin-roofed hut and bought some roasted sheep meat, It was probably the best sheep meat I've had since I got here. We waited out the storm for about an hour and then had to make our waiy back. By the time we got to the house, the entire yard was flooded. What this means is that we must sleep inside. Inside the house, there are mosquitoe clouds thicker than porridge and the temperature is about 15-20 degrees higher. Yes, I now hate the rainy season. Like I said before, there are only 2 "good" months here (December and January). I say "good" because, like everything else here, it is relative compared with your constantly lowered standards of everything.

On another note, I have my "Dogon rock gym" at site. It is this really nice area on top of a hill that no one ever goes to, so I can relax and lift rocks, do pushups, situps, etc without a thousand kids watching me in wonderment (what's the white guy doing? what's the use in that?). My Dogon rock gym is great. I have different rocks picked out for different lifts, different types of pushups, for dips, and everything; it's perfect. Or at least it was perfect. The other morning I went for my run and ended up at my gym as the sun was rising in the distance. The view is so serene, as you can watch the sun rise and the air is still cool. Along the ridge of mountains, breakfast fire smoke rises in large puffs where villages stick out from the valleys. On my other side, I can always count on watching a herd of goats, sheep and cows traverse a ridge across the way. This is all before I have coffee to start my day and I really enjoy it. Last time I was up there, I was stretching and heard my name called from off in the distance. Looking up, I could see Hama coming towards me waving. I like Hama; he's a good friend of mine here, but this hour in the morning is my time. Well, he stopped about half way to me and, as he waved, squatted and pulled his pants down. He used my dogon rock gym as a bathroom! Plus, he didn't even bring the ass-kettle (plastic teapot used for bathroom runs...otherwise known as a salidaga or saatella) to wipe with. There are no leaves up here and toilet paper is unheard of. I didn't stick around to find out how he was going to clean up after himself. The peace, the tranquility, the serene view... it's all ruined by the uncleanly dumping of one man named Hama.

Maybe you are wondering what is going on with my projects now. I did receive the seeds for the millet test plots, but ICRISAT messed up big time. Instead of receiving 16 packets of seeds (4 different varieties for each of the 4 farmers), I received just 4 packets (and only 2 varieties!). My plans for a big scientific field plot research project have been stomped out. Now each othe the 4 farmers will only get one packet, which he will plant next to the local millet variety. By no means is the project completely ruined, just mostly ruined. I am wicked bummed about that, and felt like an idiot going back to village and explaining the problem to the farmers after promising them this big new millet variety project. But, in order to be successful here, enthusiasm is the key. So, I keep it positive with them. The blog can sort of be my area to vent, and maybe you all will find some of this funny.

I bought wood on Sunday in market to build a large lid for the mud brick rabbit hutch. Right now, it is only covered with chicken wire tied to rocks. This is obviously not a very good deterent to wild animals. The lid will do a much better job. I bought the wood and gave it to some guys from village. They said it would be no problem to take it back to village in the local transport bus, as I can't ride a bike with 10 foot long pieces of wood. Thinking the problem of transport was solved, I went to relax and pat myself on the back for a job well done. I patted too early. That night around 8 I went back to the market to get dinner and what was propped up against a building with no one around to watch it? My wood for the rabbit lid! They just left it there in the middle of market, where anyone could just pick it up and go. I asked a guy sitting by the wood where the guys from Dimbatoro were. They had all left, he said. Now I am in Douentza still with this wood and no way to get it back to site until next market day. The two girl rabbits are pregnant, I think. I need to protect them, but I am getting no help here.

I just have one more gripe, hopefully. All the cement I bought for the cereal bank has been sitting in Douentza for weeks now. I have been attempting to work with the village to get it delivered, but they had been of no help up until recently. They arranged a car to take it back and would charge 150 CFA per sack, or 3,000 CFA total. I agreed to this price and assumed we were good to go. Late in the afternoon, the car pulls up to ge the cement and the mobel-tigi (car chief... aka guy in charge from village) says he can't do it for any less than 7,000 CFA. I yell at him, call him a thief, tell him off and he won't lower the price. he just laughs in my face. At this point, I am stuck, My hands are tied. The rainy season is here, the cement is getting wet, it NEEDS to get to village, and he knows this. I end up paying the 7,000 CFA as he walks out laughing. That guy sucks. I swear, everywhere I turn in this country, I get hit up for extra surcharges for no reason beyond the fact that I am looked upon as being Mr. Moneybags due to my complexion. I serisouly need to get out of this country. Thank god this trip to Spain and Morocco is coming up soon. I need it.

But on a positive note, I have taken on a big project that will be very beneficial to Douentza, and probably really stressful to me. Fikru, who has volunteered in Douentza for the last two years, is leaving in August. He has worked with an association to build a library in Douentza, but has ultimately run out of time. The proposal is written, the materials are all accounted for, the land has been donated next to the school here, the mason is waiting for the go ahead and the the plans have been drawn up for the building. My role in this project will be to acquire funding and dole out the money. I will be working with a man named Baga Cisse, who heads up the library association and will be the main librarian once the project is finished. There is currently no library in Douentza. There are multiple schools. The kids here are able to study at home and at school, but they have very limited access to books. The hope is to get books in French, English, Fulfulde, Songrai, Bamabara, as well as in Dogon dialects. Te research for the project has been completed and all of the right people are waiting for the signal to begin. The original plan for the library does not include electricity, but I will be looking into that because I want to give the kids access to computers and the internet. There are volunteers in Mali who have worked to provide computer and internet access to students throughout Mali. I plan to work through their contacts to bring internet access to the students of Douenza. It's a big idea and a big project, but the bulk of the organizational work has been done. With a year-plus here, I can accomplish this project.