Rainy season can be a hard time for many Peace Corps volunteers. Since everyone in village is busy working in their fields, there is no time for projects, formations, or even regularly scheduled meetings. We kept the first half of our rainy season occupied with the following:
Tree Nursery Training: Probably the most exciting that happened in the past month is that James and his Malian counterpart went to a Peace Corps training at Tubaniso (summer camp) on how to start and manage a tree nursery. Not only can a tree nursery be a great small business, but more importantly, it encourages tree planting, a priority for Mali’s environment volunteers. Depending on the species, trees can provide shade, animal fodder, soil conservation, field protection, firewood, construction wood, raw materials for processing and – most importantly – food, especially during months where food is hard to come by. Therefore, to counter deforestation (cutting down too many trees), we urge villagers to plant and cultivate valuable trees, most of which can come from a well-managed tree nursery. A good nursery prevents the young saplings from being stunted by disease and also can graft young trees to expedite and maximize their fruit-giving potential. Not only did he learn way to much about trees, but it was also a great time to catch up with other volunteers who are working on similar projects.
Presentations & Formations: As we mentioned, it is really hard to meet with groups during rainy season since everyone is working in their fields. But even so, we have managed to lead a few informational sessions with various women and discussion groups. In Duguba, we met with twelve women to teach them how to make mango jam and mosquito repellant. And just last week in Kongodugu, we spent two hours stressing how all people need to eat from Mali’s 3 food groups: energy foods (calories), construction foods (proteins), and protection foods (vitamins), and not just one or the other. We explained to parents that their children’s bloated stomachs are not proof that they are full, but is rather a symptom of protein deficiency (kwashiorkor), which is tough but important lesson to learn. We have also been keeping up with our radio show, now going 26 shows strong!
Gardening & Farming: With the rains comes more work in the garden. Not only have our veggies been growing quickly, but so have the weeds! However, right now (post-hot season) it is very difficult to find vegetables in market, so we are more grateful than ever for having the garden as a dietary supplement. Furthermore, after a particular boring day, Joye succumbed to the old wisdom of: “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” She went out and planted cotton with our neighbor for an entire day, from 10am to 5pm! We now tell our villagers that Joye farms while James cooks the meals; the men always laugh nervously.
Graduate School: Despite being in Africa, we have also been pursuing post-undergraduate opportunities. As many readers know, James is currently writing his Master’s thesis in village in order to earn a degree in agricultural economics from Michigan State. This month, he began writing his proposal and began playing with the data collected from a survey he conducted in April with 50 households. Meanwhile, Joye has been applying to pharmacy schools and dutifully studying for the pharmacy college admission test (PCAT, the MCAT for pharmacists). For her, this has meant reading for an hour or more daily an Anatomy & Physiology textbook, which by the way, was a pleasure getting to our site. :)
Reading Russian Literature: Lastly, Joye just started “The Brothers Karamazov” and James “Anna Karenina,” so that should keep us busy for a few weeks at least.
Thanks for reading! – James (& Joye)
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