I haven’t had much time with access to my computer and internet these past couple months. What have we been doing? Well let me answer with a list of photo albums. All photos can be viewed on Picasa at https://picasaweb.google.com/dbrentarnold.com/

This week we are back at the Peace Corps training compound for further training. The women at the women’s garden in my village have been telling me how great it would be to have a pump in the garden. Why an electric or gas powered pump is not feasible, this rope pump sounds promising. Combine this pump with the cisterns and we have a highly functional water distribution plan. Each of four gardens in my village has two wells and two cisterns. By building one pump per garden and connecting the cisterns with pipe, each pump will be able to efficiently provide enough water for each garden. Each pump costs around 80,000 FCFA, roughly $160 USD, making it one of the least expensive pumps available for the type of wells we have.

More photos of the pump: https://picasaweb.google.com/dbrentarnold.com/RopePumpIrrigationTrainingISTTubaniso02

While Malians don’t celebrate birthdays, us Americans in Mali do. Ashley’s birthday was June 14 and we had the pleasure to be back at Tubaniso (Peace Corps training facility in Bamako) with a bunch of Americans eager to celebrate. Paper crowns, happy birthday banner, and of course cake! Happy birthday wifey: https://picasaweb.google.com/dbrentarnold.com/Ashleys25thBday

In case you are wondering what our living space in village looks like, I took a few snapshots of our compound. We have two mud huts and a gwa (covered patio). We have both a front and back yard, and an outdoor latrine. Here are the photos of the exterior of our huts: https://picasaweb.google.com/dbrentarnold.com/OurHutBeginingOfRainySeasonJun2011

Of the interior: https://picasaweb.google.com/dbrentarnold.com/InsideOurHutJun7

And under the gwa: https://picasaweb.google.com/dbrentarnold.com/OurHutUnderTheGwaJune6

No house is complete without artwork on the walls. Thank you to PresenTense Jerusalem for the house blessing: https://picasaweb.google.com/dbrentarnold.com/HutArtWork

 

Mali is a moslem country. Alcohol is not something that is commonly consumed or produced. For those that know us well, you will know that we enjoy that glass of wine on Friday nights. It is a three hour bush taxi ride to the nearest alcohol store, and the booze is cheap quality and high priced. What’s not expensive is mangos. So with the help of my parents in the states who mailed us packets of yeast and a few other supplies (thank you mom and dad!), we were able to brew our own wine. Our first batch of kosher mango wine, bottled and waiting to be consumed: https://picasaweb.google.com/dbrentarnold.com/MangoWineMaking8Jun2011

The wine is super sweet, reminiscent of a good dessert wine. The mango flavor adds that touch of Africa. It’s delicious!

 

On May 22, we set off on our bikes to one of the many kourous (mountains) that give Kourouninkoto its name. We ascended the hill to its peak and took in the gorgeous views. The photos feature two subjects I find are so beautiful here, trees and birds. The giant tree in the photos, the one where the bright green birds are pirched, is the African Baobob tree. The pods hanging from the branches are its fruit—a fuzzy hard-shelled fruit that is a delicacy here. On first glance, one might mistake the fruits as monkeys hanging by their tails. The green birds are one of a few brightly colored tropical birds that live in our village. There is a similar species that is baby blue.

Photos of our trek at: https://picasaweb.google.com/dbrentarnold.com/MountainClimbingMay22

Ever wonder what a sunset in Mali looks like from the mud huts you live in? It will make you fall in love with Mali: https://picasaweb.google.com/dbrentarnold.com/HutsAtSunsetApr28

My brother has asked for more photos of wild life. However, where we live there aren’t any wild mammals. No tigers, lions, giraffes or hippos. However we do have birds, toads and lizards. Here is one of the common variety of reptiles that calls our hut home: https://picasaweb.google.com/dbrentarnold.com/LizardInDishesMay10

As you might be catching on, it’s not all work at our site—this of course is by design. Our goal for the first three months in village is to integrate with our community, learn the language, find out what the community truly needs and identify possible partners for projects.

Every morning we wake up at sunrise and ride our bikes to the women’s garden. [https://picasaweb.google.com/dbrentarnold.com/LeavingTheWomensGardenOnBikeMay6]

At the garden, we have a 200 sq ft plot where we are growing cucumbers, squash, watermelon, and other veggies.
Above is a picture of our garden in April. More at: https://picasaweb.google.com/dbrentarnold.com/OurFirstGardenInMaliApr28

Here it is in June. More pics at: https://picasaweb.google.com/dbrentarnold.com/OurGardenPlotJune6

We are planning to spend some of our time in village to help with sanitation. Poorly built latrines cause runoff to flood the streets where children play and animals scavenge for food.
More images at: https://picasaweb.google.com/dbrentarnold.com/TrashPitsAndRunOff

While I’m partnered with the women’s garden, Ashley is partnered with the local CSCOM (under-five children’s clinic). The CSCOM does more than just vaccinates children, it offers family-planning services, has a pharmacy and maternity ward. Everyday women from Kourouninkoto and the surrounding villages visit the clinic with their children. Two weeks ago, we saw a child that almost made me cry. Only a few weeks old, the baby was sick and not eating. Its an image I doubt will ever leave me. However, the clinic also sees hundreds of children that are healthy and happy. Like the baby below.

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This is from April, before finishing pre-service training. We ran in to a group of nomads riding across Mali on camels. Our trainer spoke with them and they let us go for a ride. These camels were about twice the size of the one I rode in Israel. The photos of me were snapped by a fellow Peace Corps volunteer: https://picasaweb.google.com/dbrentarnold.com/CamelRiding7Apr2011