Big Day #1 --- Tomorrow

So - now that Michele and I are PCVs, we are eagerly looking to get started in the real life of the Peace Corps. Tomorrow is our big day. We are sitting in Sikasso ville right now buying the furniture, cooking utensils, etc that we believe we will need for the next two years and tomorrow morning Claudine (our chef du mission and Michele's APCD) will stop by the hotel to pick us and all our stuff up to take us to Blendio. After that life begins.

In all honesty, this whole thing is a bit daunting. Our language skills are decent, but not that great; I'm not so sure as to how to even get started at site. I will have a 7km bike ride a day to Kassoumbougou that will be fun, but I'm still not 100 percent about how I am supposed to interact with my homologue (my village partner). He is a well respected elder of the village who has had 2 previous volunteers, so things should only be new to me and not so much to him. So far in Mali, when I haven't had enough Bambara skills to communicate I switch to a Bambara/French combo, but no one in my village speaks French. I really feel like I am about to be thrown into the deep end to either sink or swim - which really isn't that bad since I always thrive in those kinds of situations. The first three months I'm really not supposed to do anything anyways - just work on language and start to get to know people in the village. It will be a good time to start to get a feel for the Malian way of life and how to really live on our own.

We arrived in Sikasso Sunday, and for the past few days have been hanging with a few of the PCVs here getting to know them and the area. Today, being my birthday, has so far been one of my more interesting birthdays. I've been yalayala-ing through the Sikasso market looking for an assortment of goods, getting into the same arguements with many of the people here about why Traore's are a ka nyi and why Diarra's be sho dun (eat beans). Tonight we (those of us left - me, my Michele, the other Michele, Trinh, and Brooke) plan on cooking a 'one last hurrah' American dinner before we all ship out tomorrow; cheesy noodles with ground beef, garlic bread, and guacamole.

It is hard to pinpoint exactly how I feel right now. I am nervous for tomorrow, yet extremely excited at the same time. This coming week wil probably be the most difficult, at least for me just trying to get my head around what needs to happen and what I will be doing for the next two years. - Oh, and it may be getting a little easier for Michele and I to get in touch with everyone back home (or easier for you all to get a hold of us); the PC gave us a cell phone! Thing is, it broke within us having it for a few hours - it didn't break until we left Tubaniso for Sikasso so that it is much more difficult to get the PC to fix it. This may take a few weeks. To all those who will want it:

Our phone number: 011 223 517 4791

The 011 is what you dial to get an international call while in the US, the 223 is the Mali country code and the 517 4791 is our personal cell phone. Like I said earlier, it doesn't quite work at the moment but in the next few weeks it should be up again and you all will finally have a direct line to us in case you ever want to talk.

Other than that, I don't have much to say at the moment. Life doesnt feel any different since swear-in since I havent had to actually do anything- but everything will change out in the brouce (bush) tomorrow. The fact that my birthday is today will make it much easier to keep track of how long I spend at site.


P.S. If anyone is interested, Michele and I have been looking into maybe coming back to the States next July or August. Also, if anyone wants to visit us, give us a few months to get the language down and then all are welcome.

We love you all and thank you for the birthday wishes. I will be eating good tonight (and I had steak yesterday - Sikasso steak is the best) so dont worry about us. We miss you all.