the grand excursion

Hey Everyone--
HAPPY (belated) HALLOWEEN!!!!!!

GRAND EXCURSION
So, I am back from the trip with my class that was appropriately entitled the ‘Grand Excursion’. We spent 10 days traveling around different regions of Mali, taking tours and enjoying what the different cities had to offer. In order to make this as organized as possible, I will write the name of the city, and the dates we slept in each place with a description of what we did or saw there.

Segou (October 28 and 29)
After a 5 hour bus/ van ride from Bamako to Segou, we were treated to a great lunch at our hotel. Whenever we travel as a large group, our professors always have us sleep in pretty nice places that have restaurants attached. By western standards, the hotels are comparable to maybe a Motel 8 but by Malian standards… the hotels seem like palaces. We spent the first day in Segou observing the river and visiting a huge dam. The riverside observations were somewhat interesting… we saw women washing clothes and dishes, men washing sheep, boats being made, children swimming, and people bathing. Although the river looks semi-toxic, no one really seems to have a big issue using it. Like I have said before, the Niger River is both a blessing and a curse. The dam was actually incredible. Not only was it huge but the amount of activity taking place all around us was astounding. There were so many people doing so many things, no one really even had an opportunity to stare at our huge group of white tourists and bombard us with questions of gifts and money. Also, when we crossed over the dam there were huge stampedes of cattle crossing at the same time from the opposite direction. All of us had to squish onto the narrow sidewalks and press our bodies against the railings as to make sure we wouldn’t get trampled. Because the cattle/ bulls are very unique here… SO huge with big horns and strange humps on their backs… and because they were SO close… we had little to no choice but to reach out our hands and cop a little feel. Now, I must admit, I almost chickened out but after a little pep talk, I took a deep breath, waited for the biggest bull to pass, and reached my hand out and grazed its side. It was awesome… to say the least. After that little adventure, we returned to the hotel to find that… there was a POOL there! Obviously we spent the rest of the night soaking in the water and I thought I had just had one of my best days yet, but little did I know, Grand Excursion had really only just started.
The next day we visited two women’s groups — the first of which uses scraps of fabric to produce large paignes (floor length fabric that makes skirts) and bags. The second organization we visited trains women to make large woven rugs. Both organizations bring in untrained and uneducated women who are looking for a brighter future, train them in a skill or craft, and then employ them. Although the organizations make little to no profit, making it difficult for them to bring in more women and continue to function, they seem to be doing well enough for themselves to at least help a handful of women support themselves. Organizations like this are also helpful in promoting women’s rights in the society and exposing the needs of women and their children. These organizations typically act as the voice of women and are empowering for they are created and run by women, for the good of women. Later that afternoon, we visited the tomb of Biton Mamary Coulibaly, also known as the founder of the city of Segou and took a tour of the rural village 30 minutes away from town. Here, we were mobbed by children who after two months have started to lose their charm and become more of a health hazard than feeling of joy. It is difficult to know that a child has only ever seldom washed their hands in dirty, bacteria infested river water. They then play in waste that the city has been accumulating as well as with dirty animals and have no conscious understanding that they are touching and walking through feces. They use their hands to scratch sores, clean their skin of puss, and wipe their bums after they use the restroom. Then, after all of that, they want to hold your hand while shouting “Cadeaux! Toobaboo! Cadeaux! Toobaboo!” which translates into them begging you for presents or basically anything you have in your hands at that moment… water battle, pen, camera, sunglasses… you name it, they want it. We proceeded to spend the rest of the day lounging pool side after lunch which we all needed. It was a perfect way to start our trip and energized us enough to enjoy the rest of our long journey.

Djenne (October 30 and 31)
We left Segou early on the morning of the 30th and took the 5 hour trip to Djenne. The journey was pretty easy and we even got to take a ferry across to the other side of the Niger River, where Djenne is located. The ferry ride was fun except for when we were unloading… I wasn’t paying attention and I almost got run over by our van that was unloading. Alou Balou (our driver) wasn’t paying very close attention and almost crushed me. Bright side? Alou Balou proceeded to treat me like a princess for the next 8 days and I got to keep all of my limbs! Win, win situation.
All together, Segou looked and felt very similar to Bamako. Very little of the climate or scenery had changed between the two cities. Djenne, on the other hand, was extremely different. Not only did the entire town have a more laid back, calm, and conservative Islamic feel, complete with Moroccan architecture and Mali’s most famous Mosque, but everything was sand and dirt-- there was little to no greenery. All buildings were made of a mud/clay mixture; the ground was also only dirt and sand. Overall, the temperature was cooler as well and on Halloween, it even rained. In Bamako, the rainy season is over and although it has gotten cooler (low to mid 90 degrees), it is still rather hot. The only down side to the cooling rain we experienced in Djenne was that rain and dirt do not mix well… especially dirt buildings and rain. One night I was walking in the rain from one side of our hotel to the other and because it was slippery, I tried to use one of the walls as a base for my own personal catapult. Instead of hurling myself forward, like I had intended to do, I simply broke off a large chunk from the wall. Although the hotel was not angry with me (their hotel is made out of dirt and it was raining, what can you really expect?!?) they were not overly pleased with my display of sloppy behavior.
For our first day in Djenne, we took a walking tour around the city to see the famous Mosque, study the architecture, see a tomb of a girl that had been ‘sacrificed’, visit a museum, and learn about their waste/sewage system. The mosque was great from the outside but unfortunately, we were not allowed to go inside. Because a famous French photographer once used the inside of the mosque as the backdrop to a nude photo shoot, non-Muslims are no longer allowed inside which was obviously heartbreaking for everyone in my group. The Moroccan architecture was extremely beautiful and rich with Islamic meaning and tradition inlayed into almost every detail. Although the museum and tomb were somewhat boring, observing their sewage system was very interesting. Not only was it right in our faces as we walked throughout the city, the smell would have been enough of a lesson. The system they use is basically open canals that are not covered but instead flow openly throughout the city. Thus, as you walk through back streets, you literally walk next to them and over them in order to get from point A to point B. They then spew out into the Niger River in the same spots were everyone washes, fishes, plays, and drinks. It is alarming, smelly, disheartening, and overwhelming all at the same time.
The second day was Halloween and it started with an awesome adventure. My entire class piled into three tiny boats and traveled directly on the Niger River for our first time yet. Now, traveling on a boat in a river doesn’t sound that invigorating but let me paint a little picture for you—the boats were TINY and because we are Americans, we are BIG. Also, the boats are Malian made (aka. pretty poorly made) and we were traveling in the Niger River… you know, the one thing the SIT program told us over and over again NEVER to touch. So here we are, cramped two-by-two into these small boats that are sinking lower and lower with each person that is added to the boat. Because one of the boats (this one happens to be the one I am in) is sinking too low into the water, some of the kids have to move from one boat to another. Thus, they straddled between two boats over the river while inevitably shaking both boats back and forth-- scary. As we proceed to travel in the boats, they started to fill with water and every time anyone leaned ever so slightly in any one direction, the boat tilted, everyone screamed with fear of the water touching them, and then we all got wet and silently prayed to not get any parasites. After traveling for about 15 beautiful minutes, we are dropped off onto an island and then escorted around the ancient archeological site that was discovered in the area years before. The walk around was super hot and the ground was covered in thorns that got stuck in the bottom of our flip-flops causing a lot of pain. After about three hours of that, we were ready to board the boats back to the main land. We spent the rest of the day indoors due to the massive amount of rain we encountered but didn’t let any of that stop us from celebrating everyone’s favorite holiday—HALLOWEEN! Every single person in my class came prepared with a costume. We were very well represented with a fisherman, Indian princess, gypsy, octopus, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, bumblebee, Africa Siamese-twins, Superman (me), and much more! You can take kids out of America, but you can’t take America out of the kids. We celebrated in style, keeping the entire hotel up most of the night in true ‘20-something year old, rowdy American kid’ style. It was fun, refreshing, and just the dose of home all of us needed.

Sangha/ Dogon Country (November 1 and 2)
The next day we got up early and headed out on our 7+ hour journey to the Dogon Country. Dogon Country is THE bomb.com to say the least. Not only was this hands down my favorite part of the country due to its scenery, hospitality, and incredible weather but we did the best activities on our two day visit.
The first day was very leisurely. Because we had such a long journey in the van and because I was recovering from a bit of car sickness, I opted to nap for a while and then do a little private tour of the city of Sangha. My class did nothing together this day but instead had free time to chill out, relax, regroup and prepare ourselves for the huge hike we were preparing to take the very next morning.
To preface this hike (the fourth this semester) I should begin by saying on our very first day of class way back in August, our professors forewarned us about this hike. They told us it is the single most challenging bit of physical exercise we will endure all semester. We even heard tales of small children who run alongside you saying they will carry your bags for you because students typically look like they are going to pass out from sheer exhaustion. Needless to say, my athletic-lacking little butt was worried and nervous. I obviously thought I would hate it but went into it with a positive attitude telling myself that if two of my 60 year old professors could do it, so could I! Little did I know but I was about to have the best experience of my entire life. We climbed up and down huge sections of rocks, around waterfalls, through dusty villages, alongside cliff dwellings, and across countryside. The weather? Perfection. The scenery? Perfection. The company? Perfection. The level of challenge? Perfection. I have never completed something and felt so healthy, alive, accomplished, and proud all while in the midst of beauty that can never be put into words or captured in a picture. I think I can officially say that I have transformed from a Johnson County princess to a hike-loving, semi outdoor-enthusiast. For further visual explanation, please see facebook and the pictures labeled ‘dogon country…’. After our 5 hour morning hike, we went back to the hotel, showered, ate lunch, regrouped, took our laundry down to be washed, and headed out again for some traditional dancing. We got to see Dogon men, dressed in traditional and ceremonial clothing, perform a tribal mask dance. Not only was the rhythmic drumming and singing enchanting but the combination of their costumes, masks, and dance moves were hypnotizing. They had several animals and Gods represented, as well as men on stilts. The choreographed movement and dancing was systematic, well-planned and practiced, yet very spontaneous and natural. After the dancing, and a bit of relaxing free time, we had dinner and then all crowded onto the roof to set up camp for the night. Although we all had our own rooms in the hotel that consisted of a single mattress in the middle of a concrete room with no other bare essentials, we opted to all sleep outside on our mattresses for the night. Due to the incredibly cool temperature and lack of mosquitoes in the air, it was the perfect ending to a perfect day. Lying out under a complete blanket of stars, breathing in the freshest air on earth, surrounded by my classmates, after an exhausting and rewarding day of hiking and cultural activities is absolutely the best ending to any day I have yet to live. And, to add a cherry to the sundae of my day, I woke up the next morning shivering cold (the first time I have been ‘cool’ all semester) to a sunrise that was too precious to even try and capture in a photograph—I have decided that some things and moments are too beautiful to be ruined with a photo but instead must be absorbed whole heartedly in that moment with every ounce of your energy—breathing, feeling, and experiencing the moment of beauty for the enjoyment of only yourself and claiming a moment of selfishness knowing that you, and only you, have the ability to recall the exact feeling and image of that moment. It’s soul cleansing, to give it a technical term, and that can never be put into a piece of technology but instead, can only be lived and experienced organically.

Mopti (November 3 and 4)
Mopti was a drastic change of pace from Dogon Country and snapped us back to reality. With its hustle and bustle, market scene, crowded streets, and location to the water (and thus, tons of boats, people and activity) we found ourselves all too quickly back in the real world. Our first activity after the 4 hour drive into town was to scramble onto a huge boat and take a tour of the city from the water. The big boat, or perog, was very comfortable and a very thought-through way of looking at the city. We were able to get to the island outskirts of the city and see more rural dwellings as well as observe the role the river plays in this particular area. After a bit of shopping and two stressful meals (Malians trying to feed a group of 20+ is a joke and requires the patience of a young grasshopper) we were all exhausted and turned in early for the night.
On the second day, we found ourselves on a ground tour of the city exploring the market, boat ‘factory’ (I use the term ‘factory’ affectionately and not accurately), mosque, and artisana (or shopping market). I bargained my way through the city buying souvenirs with a few friends and finally made it back to the hotel in time to take advantage of the wireless internet our room received thanks to its close proximity to the hotel lobby (shout out to room number 1 and, Kat and I’s ability to continually pick the BEST room in every single hotel in which we stayed).

Segou (November 5)
For our last night, we returned to Segou. Because the drive from Mopti to Bamako is a total of 12.5 hours, our class stopped back in Segou to enjoy another night in our favorite pool-inclusive hotel. After the 7.5 hour car ride, the first thing most of did was shed our clothes and jump right into the pool. There is nothing more relaxing than lying out by the pool, in sunshine, with your laptop and wireless internet after a long 10 days worth of traveling. The next afternoon we returned to Bamako and life got back to normal…


REALITY
On Friday November 5th, after returning from the Grand Excursion, I moved into a new house! For the next, and last month of my trip, everyone conducts a research project. Thus far, all of us have spent a majority of the semester gathering background research and making contacts so that for the next month we continue to research and write our huge fieldwork research paper. Instead of spending the next month with my host family, a few friends and I decided to rent a house in downtown Bamako. Although I will be spending a majority of the month in a small village outside of the city at an orphanage, whenever I am in the city, I will be living at this new address. To summarize the house we rented let me say this… it is AWESOME! Kat, Luke, Sam, and I (the housemates) each get our own bedroom as well as an indoor kitchen, bathrooms with hot water showers from a shower head, two family rooms, an entry/ dining room, semi-air conditioning and a houseboy named Benoit. Although it is a little dirty, I am getting great practice in the realm of ‘domestic-goddess’ training by playing an active role in our little pretend family and learning to clean AND cook—it’s shocking, I know.
I leave this Tuesday for the SOS Village, or orphanage, where I will be conducting my research and I couldn’t be more excited. I plan to hop back and forth between Sanakoroba and Bamako for the next month working hard to crank out my first piece of real fieldwork research. I promise not to wait almost three weeks to post another blog—time flies when you’re busy.
As for my last update,
I think most everyone knows but I have decided not to go to Cameroon next semester. Instead, I switched programs and will be traveling to Fiji to gain a new and exciting perspective of a culture located literally on the polar opposite side of the globe. I am so excited and already looking forward to my next big adventure. The one month countdown has started… I will rapidly go from the weather of summer to winter, I don’t know how my body will handle it but luckily I get to quickly return to paradise-like settings for the spring.

Love and miss you all!
Love, Sarah