oh, where to start? I moved into my village, set up house. A bed, a floor mat, and some pots and pans are about my only furnishings so far, but I put that interior design degree to use, made some curtains, and decorated the termite infested walls a little. Its about as cozy as a mud hut could be. Ive been super busy the last two weeks getting to know everyone in the village, and settling in. Ive also done an incredible amount of manual labor. I didnt know the bambara word for architect (because there is no word) so I told my village I was a house builder, and theyve been putting me to work! I built a soak pit for my waste water, helped build a small addition to the school (out of sticks and rope, like robinson crusoe), and built a porch off my house so I can sit outside in the shade.
Ive also been doing some baseline surveys to figure out what the village needs (and figure out what I should be doing for the next two years). Aside from sanitation needs like soak pits, access to potable water, and trash management, the women are really interested in starting a collective vegetable garden, which I think will be a fun side project. On a much larger scale, from what Ive seen, there is also the need to develop the infrastructure for the village to host a market once a week, as they have to travel several hours to the closest market town. The chief is really excited by the idea of a market, as am I, so Im doing some work to figure out the economics of how it would work, etc. In short, Ive got a lot to keep me busy!
My new address is:
Mary Althoff
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 117
Segou, Mali
West Africa
I love to get mail and packages! Send junk food, candy, spices, seeds (veggies and flowers), and pictures of ya'll. And can somebody send me a potato peeler? Just one please, though, so pick a delegate.
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3 comments:
OK! I am the self-appointed potato peeler delegate! I will get one in the mail to you SOON.
It does sound like you will have no trouble keeping yourself busy for the next 2 years.
So much to do. . .. so little time .. .
You have got a great start on your plan now that you have assessed the situation and can start getting some more things accomplished.
Again, I am very proud of you, Mary. Love you and miss you, too.
"Aunt" Linda
Mary,
It's good to read that all is well and you have begun to make a difference already. Your touch is decidedly needed in the places such as those that you have traveled to and assisted. Mali is blessed to have you.
Are we even permitted via customs to send seeds? They're so picky about what comes back to the USA (perhaps rightfully), but I imagine that may not be the case the other way around. What kinds of veggies and such would you like?
Your pictures are absolutely stunning; please keep them coming. Your sense of scene and proportion is fantastic. Are you sure you haven't been surreptitiously been freelancing as a photographer?
I'm also wondering if you have access to a CD player or some media player via computer? I imagine so, but I want to check before I go mailing you my CD when it is finished. It's an album of some covers and some originals based on an exploration of intimate relationships. I've got most of my song list down, but the final recordings and arrangements are still in progress. I'll keep you posted.
Other than that, all is well here in Boston, and very busy. I'll bop Nate over the head and get him to post to you. School is going really well for him and he seems to be utterly enthralled in film. I'm really happy for him to have something like this to focus creative energy upon instead of wasting it away in restaurant management.
Keep up the great work, Mary, and keep us posted.
Love,
The Greek
don't you know the peel is where all the nutrition is? Hope all is well. i just found the blog or i would have emailed earlier.
matthew c
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