Digging Douches

We had a whirlwind trip to the village and lots of things are going on! The Peace Corps Partnership was entirely funded, thanks to everyone's generous donations. Thank you, thank you! While I was on vacation, the money arrived from Washington D.C., and the very evening I got into the village my counterpart was holding a meeting to explain the project, who it came about, and the steps everyone had to take. The very next day, the two men in charge of measuring the space for the latrines went around the town, marking off the area. By day two, people had already begun digging. One of my nearest neighbors had done two meters in only one day! They're really excited. As my counterpart says, the people of my village have been wanting to build latrines in their compounds for nearly ten years now, and finally - because of this Peace Corps Partnership - they can do it. On their own, they've organized a mason to help with the technical parts of latrine construction, such as building the seat, and everyone is doing their part to collect the materials they need for their family's douche. Next week we'll meet in Kaolack to buy and transport the materials, so everyone can start making bricks. It's so exciting! And everyone is so pleased.

Return to Senegal

It feels ridiculously good to be in Senegal again. We saw so many marvelous things, stayed in so many unique places, but in the end I'm happy to be back and settling into the Kaolack rhythm I've come to know so well. Pissy cab drivers, enthusiastic post office staff (what? No gift from Togo for THEM?!), and my favorite cyber cafe, all waiting for me as if I had never left. On our way back from Mali we passed through Tambacounda, where I had never been, and then headed south to Kedougou. It was my first time there as well, and what a different feel Kedougou has from central Senegal! It rightly deserves the reputation as being the most beautiful region. Even now, in the dusty dry season, you can tell how lush it must become after the rains. The place is thickly forested, and has low mountains in the distance which probably turn stunning emerald. Arwen and I climbed up a ridge to look down over the tree-covered plain, and to marvel once again at the tiny villages perched on top of the rocks. But our big adventure was a 30kilometer bike ride on a dirt path to a gorgeous little town, right at the base of some craggy mountains. There is a waterfall hidden in the cliffs, tumbling down over a hundred meters to splash into a chilly pool. Further downstream, women and girls wash their laundry in the little creek, slapping the clothes against river stones to beat out the stains. After admiring the lovely waterfall, we hiked up to the top of the cliffs to find it's source. You can go right to the edge, where the water flows down, all the way to the forest floor. There were also caves of red rock, really convoluted and fun to explore. We even saw some wildlife there. A whole colony of bats in the cave, startled by our presence and agitatedly flitting back and forth, then reattaching themselves to the ceiling with their feet. Also, a troupe of baboons. On our climb up we heard them barking, and later on we surprised the troupe in their crossing of the river, and got a close look at them! It was very cool. Plus, on top of the mountain, you get to see the entire village spread out below, and the stunning geography all around. So, after hiking in the environs of Kedougou, I feel like I'm back in the flatlands again.
Now I'm rushing to complete all my chores in Kaolack, so I can gte home to the village! But apparantly all the mass-transportation drivers are on strike today and tomorrow, so I may have to wait until Wesnesday to finally get there. Oh, Senegal.

The road to Timbuktu

After Dogon country we went to a town called Sevare, right next to Mopti. Our goal was Timbuktu, but we were told at the last minute that we needed special Ambassadorial permision in order to go there, because of the travel alert for Northern Mali. So....we were in Sevare. Which was a great place to be stuck, because we stayed at a hotel called Mac's Refuge that was just like a slice of America. Mac himself presided over the family-style dinners, passing around bowls of soup, salad, bread baskets, asking who would like more. It was easy to forget that we weren't invited guests, the atmosphere was so welcoming. Highly recommended! But, in the end, we got approval, and Arwen and I got into a packed Landrover bound for Timbuktu. It was definitely worth the trouble! The town itself is mostly a jumple of curvy streets, mud brick houses, dotted with heavy wooden doors studded in silver. These buildings must have been magnificent when they were new, with every entrance gleaming silver in the sun. There were tons of othr tourists there, and I had forgotten how pleasant it is to feel lost in a crowd, not standing out all the time. The market was neat, because besides the usual vegetables and spices, there were vendors selling slabs of desert salt. It looks like quartz, glittering white salt, one of the reasons for the city's past glory. And perhaps the highlight of our visit was a camel ride into the Sahara, to visit a Tuareg camp. Watching the sun set, red-gold, over the sand, while feeling the peculiar rolling gait of a camel, with nomads' tents spread out across the dunes...well, it was a surreal experience. And I learned a piece of desert wisdom that I think applies to all: "s'eloigner les tentes, s'approcher les coeurs". Which is so true! The same as "distance makes the heart grow fonder". And there was so much beautiful Tuareg handicrafts for sale: jewelry and leather, all sorts of things, that it was impossible to resist. We've had such smooth travels, seen so many fascinating places. This is a great vacation!

Dogon country

Just a quick response to our Dogon country trek. It was awesome! We hiked across the plateau, down the cliff, along the bottom (where we got to visit the old Dogon buldings, tucked literally into the face of the cliff, and the tiny Tellem houses even further up), then up the falaise again. We stayed at campements with our guide, who was fantastic, a really nice guy. They fed us well and the scenery here is breathtaking. If ever in Mali, a couple nights in Dogon country is an experience not to be missed!

We made it to Mali!

Yesterday we left Ouagadougou at dawn, and continued until dusk in a series of rickety busses and cars, but we made it to Bandiagara! Our glimpse of the Dogon country, an austerely beautiful landscape of red rock, viewed beneath a golden sunset, was tantalizing. I can't wait to start trekking through it. But I will miss Burkina Faso. We visited some sacred crocodiles, watching them snap at the sacrificial chicken we bought, and crouching down above one's tail for pictures. They're smaller than one might suppose, but those jaws look powerful. And they shut with an alarming SLAP! on whatever bit of chicken it could reach. That was our main "tourist activity", but we spent a lot of time walking around Ouagadougou, admiring the enclaves of actual, real art (hidden among the tourist trash. But we did manage to find some gorgeous, unique bronze sculptures! They're made by forming the statuette in wax, then covering that with clay, firing it until all the wax melts away, and pouring molten bronze into the resultng mould. They're really special) and eating good food. What I will always remember about Burkina Faso is how impressed I was by the women there. They do everything! At least a third of motorcycle drivers are women, sometimes a big mama in her boldly-colored traditional outfit, head scar and all; sometimes a young girl in blue jeans and high heels; occasionally even a mother zooming along, revving her moto with a sleeping baby tied to her back. It's fantastic! Women just don't do that in Senegal, that I have noticed. And we were stopped on the road by a female gendarme, welcomed to the bank by a female security guard. Just little differences, but they made a big impression on both Arwen and me. Burkina Faso strikes me as a country that, at least judging from the capital, is moving fast and in the right direction.
But now we're in Mali! And I'm so excited to see it. People have been fabulously warm and welcoming so far, as is usual anywhere in West Africa that I've been, and the buidings are interesting, flat-topped affairs made of red, red earth. How will the Dogon cliff houses compare to Togo's fascinating "tatas", those fortress-houses near the Benin border? They're unlie any other house in the world, made only by this single ethnic group. Each tata is a two-story home, with a single small entrance in front, leading into a room which is designed so there is a staircase, but next to it a dark space where inhabitants could hide to ambush an enemy. Upstairs, a kitchen area, then an open roof, with sleeping rooms shaped like squat circular huts, accessible by a round hole. To get in, you have to slide yourself backwards through the hole! And in the corner, a grainery, raised so high up that vermin would have a hell of a time getting in, and with seperate compartment for each kind of grain. The roof provides a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view of the surrounding area, a dry plain with a backdrop of stunning hills. And out in the front of each tata are a cluster of tall earthen mounds, which are guardian ancestors of the house and the people in it. Everything made exclusively of the local clay dirt, and wooden branches for support. Those were the tatas. Now for Dogon country!

End of Togo, beginning of Burkina

We said goodbye to Togo yesterday morning early, on our way to catch a bus to Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, at the border. I had such a good time in Togo! Not only hanging out with Arwen and the other Volunteers we met, who were all amazing, but also enjoying the differences, but subtle and obvious, between the two West African countries I've visited so far. Some highlights were the beautiful area near the Kabye mountains, where Arwen lives. Also, the handicapped cooperative near Niamtougou, which makes spectacular art, especially fabrics. They had adorable clothes for children, as well as bags, jewelry, some all hanging batiks, greeting cards with a tiny batik painting...I bought two meters of gorgeous fabric, with it's distinctive handmade batik print, which I think I'll have made into a dress. On New Year's day (they celebrate the first here, not midnight of the 31st) we went back there for their fundraiser dance party, which was super fun! It's so interesting to me, too, that the music tells you how to dance. When you hear the music, your body wants to move a certain way, which makes the Kabye "chicken dance" (as Arwen calls it) work so well, and makes my Wolof dancing look silly. But in my village you can really only dance that way to match the beat. Anyway, it was fun to give Togolese dancing a try. In Dapaong, we visited a women's co-op that makes beautiful hand-woven bags, blankets, tablecloths, and other things. I couldn't resist a spacious purse from there. And it was neat to watch them at work, weaving the bright colors into a pattern. They also make nice-smelling soap with shea butter. So many hardworking people! Those are the ones I like to help out.
And then, yesterday, we rode the bus all the way to Ouagadougou. It's a very clean, fairly calm city from what I've seen so far. Of course, that could be because we stayed at the centre d'acceuil which is run by nuns and located right at the entrance of the cathedral grounds of the archdiocese. But last night we found an "American bar" called showbiz that served the most delicious croque madame with lettuce and tomato! And this morning, a lady on the street was selling real avocado sandwiches! And so we feasted.