An E-mail Home

This is an E-mail I sent my Family...

So I seem to be learning things about Peace Corps and Mali as I go along...

Bess and I leave for site visit in Gossi on Wednesday, a 15 hour buss ride whereby the bus may break down to a point where we'd spend the night along the side of the road. One volunteer has a story about walking from a broken down bus to the next village, this volunteer walked miles with Malian woman carrying all sorts of large items on their head. In our trainee crash course in public transportation we've been taught how livestock and cattle here in Mali pee and poo on people from the roof through the window of the bus, so we won't take the window seat...

Bess and I just got our African cell phones and will be calling our parents within a day or so... We will post our Phone Numbers in case anyone in the U.S.A. wants to give us a called - there is cell phone reception in the city of Gossi.

Just so you all know... especially those coming to visit us in Mali... a Peace Corps vehicle can make it to Gossi in 6 to 8 hours (also good for emergencies) and in the past you could fly from Bamako to Gao (only 2 hours by bus to Gossi). I've heard a rumor that Peace Corps Mali gives a little extra money to volunteers living as far away as Gao (for travel expenses), and even enough money to buy flights to and from Bamako/Gao, but I've also heard that the airport is not operating right now.

Here are two quick stories from Home Stay...

Bess prayed with our host family, she shared a mat with the two youngest children, Akmad and Tinelbarka, then they all huddled together and prayed... I wasn't home when this happened (another testimony to Bess' deeper acceptance into the host family), I didn't see her until we met up at school and Boy was she glowing and radiating happiness.

The other story...

Tartit was flying Air France back from Europe and Muso, the ragged Muslim who always wears the same smelly black robes (see a picture of Muso on my blog), had a first class business ticket in the airplane... the flight attendants tried to move him to the back of the plane and were shocked to find he would not move and that he had the rightful ticket... he later asked the same flight attendants if he could see where the pilot was because he wanted to know if the plane had a wheel and peddles like a car... the flight attendants said no and got scared and thought he was a possible Terrorist, so Muso actually got up and tried to open the pilots door, which he did open, the flight attendants grabbed Muso and pulled him back... he told them he was looking for the bathroom...

Amano and Muso came home laughing and laughing, they thought this event was the funniest thing ever, then all of the family and relatives came over for the story, tea, and a good laugh... Boy was it funny... Muso is so far from a terrorist...

Muso has been asking me to give him a massage, because the children and even Mohammad (age 18) are all part of his personal massage team. They will work him for hours as a group... he pulled up his robes the other night... slapped his upper inner thigh... and kindly asked me to get started... so I did... he then immediately pointed to his crotch and said "Abo!!!!" meaning No in English... and so I gave him an excellent massage along side of brother Mohammad... I found a Tumor in his back the size of a golf ball... he wanted me to massage it...

Jared