“I have diarrhea right now! If we don’t stop immediately, I will defecate on your bus!”
It was ridiculous that it had come to this. But we had talked to the driver before, and only now that we were at our stop did he decide not to comply. I had already ordered him to pull over, shouting over the other passenger's heads, and when he refused I adopted a new strategy. It worked; he pulled over immediately, and the other passengers were so busy laughing that no one was bitter over the minor inconvenience. Soon we were off the bus, and I had another story to tell concerning the insanity of Malian transportation.
Whereas in 2011 Joye and I would travel to Bamako about once every three months, during this past February we went there and back three times. Since each one-way trip takes about 12 hours on the road, this means we spent 72 hours (or three days) in a Malian bus, which is considered by most Peace Corps Volunteers to be the worst part of Mali. They're hot, always late, always smell of a boy’s locker room, and moreover, the people who comprise the Mali’s transportation industry are unlike all other Malians in that they are not hospitable, accommodating, or well-intentioned. However, the reasons for our traveling made the efforts worth our while. Here is a little of what we did in February:
Two of our trips to Bamako were the bookends to a fantastic visit from Joye’s siblings, Scott and Hope. During their brief 10-day stay, we visited Kongodugu (our site) and its weekly market and spent a few days relaxing at a quasi-resort outside of Bamako. We also attended the annual Segou Music Festival, which did not fail to impress with its numerous artisans, delicious Capitaine fish, and world-renown musicians - Salif Keita anyone? It was great to spend so much quality time with Scott and Hope, especially without the distractions of Internet and texting interfering with our conversation. To see if they agree, maybe we’ll post something from them soon about their impressions of Mali. Here are some pics:
Moreover, the month started with a Food Security Task Force meeting in Bamako, where about 30 volunteers gathered for a week to utilize and improve our food security program. About 12 of us started out the week by developing resources, such as a Bambara cookbook of nutritious recipes and a video showcasing a water-conserving tree-planting method. Joye worked on compiling a radio script manual that will largely draw from our own show, while I brainstormed and drafted planning materials for a West Africa Food Security Summit, which will hopefully happen between April 10-14. To me, all of these projects are very exciting! We also voted for new leadership for our Task Force, since many volunteers (including us) will be finished within the next six months.
One final noteworthy travel story is that, after the Task Force meeting in Bamako, Joye and I biked back to our site Kongodugu from Koutiala, down a dirt road that cut through five other villages we had not visited before. In addition to seeing the new sights, we were fascinated to hear each subsequent village’s dialect of Mianka (a native language to our region) gradually evolve into Kongodugu’s form. But it was a tiring journey - over 80 kilometers (50 miles) in the hot Malian sun. It’s funny how some Malians are terribly impressed by this feat, which took us about eight hours with a lunch break, while other are surprised we could not do it in four or five. Either way, we’re proud of the accomplishment and enjoyed the adventure.
Thanks for reading! – James (& Joye)
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