Over a month has past since my last blog post and a lot has happened. A trip back to America to see two dear friends get married. The start of rainy season and the beginning of farming along with it. Lastly, I put together another formation this week.
When you join Peace Corps inevitably you do a lot of reading on the organization and the lives of other volunteers. During this literature review one will discover that many people (and the Peace Corps itself) warns volunteers of the dangers of going back to the States. A once well integrated and well functioning volunteer at site will come home to find comfort, excess or security. The volunteer asks themselves “Am I really doing any good over there?” Before you know it the volunteer decides that going back to their host country would be a mistake. I am probably over simplifying the issues, but once I came to Mali I realized those fears did not apply to me. I love Mali and to put it simply Mali is the place I belong right now, not Montana. I decided months ago that the idea of missing Jennifer and Mikey Burrall’s wedding would be a giant mistake. Coupling the wedding, a law school visit and seeing visiting family I tried to make the most of the trip. To put it simply I had a excellent time and wouldn’t have changed a thing. One thing has occurred to me since returning to Mali. This was more than likely my last trip to the Great Falls of my adolescence. Between marriages and relocations many of the people that have made Great Falls a special are leaving. Montana was excellent, but it’s good to be back in Mali.
Hot season is done. YAH!!!!!! San is staying cool in the nineties and thunder that amazed me upon coming here almost a year ago has return. As has a large percentage of my sites population whom had been working in urban areas to make some money. What was once desolate earth now has grass and tomorrow I start farming.
This last week I put on a formation with the women’s cooperative on shea butter. This is the second shea butter formation I have done and this one encompassed the entire process of shea butter production from fruit to butter. It seems to have been successful with many women sharing concerns and talking on some of the bad habits in shea production Mali is known for. For instance, Malians often smoke the shea nuts making them mildly carcinogenic. I am excited to see if the training sticks.
One last things, thanks largely to two of my Uncles and my father, there is now a horse in my concession. The horse should help a lot come harvest time and will shorten the trips into San by around seven hours total for those taking the horse cart. To say this is a big deal for myself personally and for the rest of the Coulibaly clan would be making a gross understatement. Once again to Jim, Andrew and my Dad thanks a lot for the help.
