Hello all,
     I am here in Sikasso City for a security briefing on the situation in
Cote D'Ivoire.  It was informative but nothing Earth-shattering;
basically, the U.S. embassy currently sees no danger in us being at
our sites far south in Mali, but they are constantly monitoring the
violence down south in Abidjan and waiting to see if the rebels in
northern Cote D'Ivoire start up further attacks.  If that were to
happen, there would be potential risks if any armed refugees were to
try escaping across the (very porous) border between Cote D'Ivoire
and Mali.  It's really nothing to be concerned about because even if
the situation does get hairy, there are Peace Corps drivers, Marines
and embassy folks who are ready to get us out, just as they did in
Haiti and Cote D'Ivoire when problems started there.  I really doubt
there will be any serious problems, but it's good to be informed.
     As far as village life, mostly I've been taking it slow, spending a
lot of time reading books and cooking and getting the house ready.  I
have spent most of my afternoons hanging out with the school director
and his friends drinking tea ... 
One night there was a party in the village in which three ballafone
players came to perform (a ballafone is like a giant xylophone made
of wood.)  I stayed up 'till about one in the morning, danced for
four hours and drank about ten shots of tea, and definately felt like
I would never sleep again.  It has more caffeine than a cup of
coffee, and is so strong and bitter that each little shot glass of
tea has a teaspoon worth of sugar in it.  ... 
Let's see: I also went to the school to give the 6th-grade class a talk 
about where ... the volunteer that I am replacing, went.  I gave them 
a speech based on my relatively limited knowledge of Louisiana, but I 
think they got most of it.
    Overall I'm in much better shape than before I left home thanks to 
the 3-mile walks and bike rides to get to market or to the main road, 
and thanks to finally having time for Yoga.  That, and my host family 
in Sheouba is much more understanding about me not wanting to eat a whole 
lot, which is good health-wise because the food they prepare is very 
nutritionally deficient; most nights they make a huge pot of rice with a 
few tomatoes and onions and random seasonings, or a gelatinous, gritty
jello-like corn-based food called To.  It tastes vaguely like corn
bread but without much flavor because there's no egg or milk or honey
in it.  Anyways, like much Malian village food, this stuff is
basically there just to fill your stomach and give you enough carbs to
replentish the calories burned off in daily work in the fields, and
it's severely lacking in protein and vitamins, so I usually eat a
small amount with them just to partake in the social aspect of a
Malian meal and to be respectful, but make almost all of my food at
the house.  You can get carrots, eggplants, garlic, pasta, beans, and
other staple foods at the market in Kebeni, and more exotic spices and
foods such as lentils and Corn Flakes and Quaker Oats at the shops in
Sikasso City.  So, overall, except for the non-availability of tofu
and certain veggies and spices, I'm eating largely the same stuff as
in the USA.  Sometimes I'll be sitting at the Peace Corps house eating
pretzels and drinking soda or beer and watching a movie, and thinking
I came to Africa for THIS???  Ah well, it's nice to get a break, and I
realize now that no matter how close to Malian a volunteer becomes,
almost all of us need a connection to our lifestyles and cultures from
back home at least every once in awhile.
    Let's see: getting back to my village, right now I'm working on
getting the women's community garden started and waiting for the money
to come in for the school project.  The last time I heard, 4,800 or so
dollars were still needed; ... assistance is greatly appreciated; thanks 
to them, the students in Sheouba school will get desks, new books, and 
other supplies, and the teachers finally get their own houses near the 
school.  To give you some perspective, the 10,000 that this project will 
cost is 5 million CFA for a school where the teachers only make 20-25,000 
CFA per month and the tuition is only 5,000 CFA per year; in other words, 
there's no way they could afford all of these improvements on their own, but
improved education will contribute to the vitality of the village to
the extent that maybe someday they could.  One would hope, anyway...


       Anyways, g'bye for now.  Peace,
       -Eric

       "Let us count each day a separate life."  -Seneca