Getting into things

Marshall's commando crawl is leading him to all sorts of places he shouldn't be going. We try fencing him in, but this child has the speed and stealth of a Navy Seal. The first picture shows him after a foray into the front entry way acting as a human mop. He is so filthy, Ian can't even bother to hold him properly. The second is this morning, being caught exploring in there again. Luckily, the floor is a bit cleaner this time. I honestly think the more butter we give him, the faster he goes...
Tooth update...we now have 4. We kept thinking it was the top center two that were coming in next, but discovered this morning that it was actually the two flanking those that made the first appearance. We're all sleeping much better now that they've broken through.

The african dodo...

And you thought the dodo was extinct...little did you know that its now a fish in Mali. Its been a side research project that I've gotten roped into as its been this crazy mystery ever since Ian saw a piece of its skin in the market. Just when we thought the mystery had been solved(its been 2 weeks now!) as identifying it as a type of puffer fish(we thought it was a freshwater ray at first), its gone again.

In searching for it again this morning, we did come across this wacky site...just thought I would share.:

http://www.freakingnews.com/Puffer/fish/pictures//1642.asp

The past 5 days...

This morning I went in search of avocados and chickpeas...the elusive chickpeas...I saw them ONCE and passed them up thinking, next time...darn it! They looked super yummy. Looked kinda like a chunky hummus. They were put in a small plastic bag and then she squirted a dressing on them that looked like citrus juice, oil and a little spice. I'm so annoyed I can't find them.
Anyway, a man who I pass when I go to the big market where I look for these things greeted me and said, "Hey, long time no see!" And I was like, "Not really...kinda!" And he responded again with, "No, really, its been a bit, close to a week, what have you been doing?" And I couldn't recall, really, what I had been up to. Its been one of those weeks. Not bad, but perhaps more of a reflection of life becoming a bit normal and routine around here. I've been tending to Marshall, shopping other places, cleaning the house, nothing spectacular.
But apologies to my faithful readers for the lapse in my writing. I really thought only a day or two had passed...
Anyway, here is a list of random things that I recall thinking about writing about over the past few days...

On Saturday, I went to toss some dirty water outside and looked to my right only to see two camels being ridden about 100 feet down the street...This is a common sight even in larger villages/towns up north, but not here in Bamako. I thought there was maybe a circus around for a minute before I realized that I was, in fact, in West Africa...this is a normal means of transportation...I just really can't understand how they were able to navigate downtown traffic. Horses and donkeys are all over town, but camels are a bit bigger and sluggish...

There is a little "diner" of sorts that has opened down the street and turns into an outdoor dance club on Saturday nights. You know, there seem to be so many connections to our little urban artist enclave to those in the states. Kids are free spirited and educated in strange little things, like able to speak all sorts of wild languages. Various cultures all live in harmony. There is a mix of all sorts of socio-economic levels. Ladies are on the cutting edge of fashion, taking all sorts of cool risks in their clothing design and choices. Folks hang outside their house and play music, dye fabric, cut cloth, and pursue other creative endeavors. And there is cheap and quick food all about at all hours, and dancing into the wee hours. And on Sunday morning, after all the partying, people emerge red-eyed from their slumber and all take to the streets in search of a greasy breakfast they don't want to cook themselves. I found this out as we were out of internal breakfast options and I went to the frufru lady to get something just to put in my belly. Typically, she takes my money, puts some in a bag and I'm on my way. Well this time, she was surrounded by people and I had to wait 45 minutes for a kid to bring me my order. She was filling big orders.

Marshall continues to cruise around the house. He can MOVE. A couple of days ago he was doing his new favorite thing of grabbing the lip of his bathtub that he finds in the hallway, lifting it up with the leverage and then letting it drop. Well, he got some serious leverage at one point and actually flipped the tub over and on top of him, like a turtle shell, we rounded to corner to find him still scooting along, only seeing an overturned bathtub making its way towards the wall with a little hand and foot sneaking out here and there. He was still giggling as he went along. Right now he is exploring the whole living room. He's covered just about every square foot with a great big smile on his face.

Have you ever seen the movie, Smoke? Great art film with Harvey Keitel and a few other greats...anyway, Harvey Keitel is the owner of this tobacco shop in Brooklyn. Its on a corner and something he's done for 30 years or more is every morning at the exact same time, in the exact same location just outside the door to his shop, he takes a picture. I've always loved this concept. I think I'm going to start doing it and sharing the pictures with you here on this site...will be something to put on on the days I don't have time/inspiration for much else.

We saw another white baby a few days ago! He was HUGE! A big chubby French baby. Marshall lit up when we saw him. His mom had him in a similar South American fabric carrier to our own. I can't believe she hadn't thrown her back out. He was at least twice as big as Marshall and maybe only a month or two older...Marshall also responded great to a sweet little baby girl named Ami this morning. He was chatting it up at her while her mom, me and another woman all responded to his loud sounds back with funny ones ourselves...this is a universal thing. Anyway, its been decided that he and Ami will get married and go to America together. I think we actually have to buy a cow to make it official.

Ian might be on Turkish TV! He arrived in the market yesterday to quite a commotion as a Turkish film crew, who spoke no French, were trying to get footage of the animal parts vendors who they had only paid some of only 1/10th the typical fee paid for such things...turns out they are with a news magazine show in Turkey and are exploring "magic" in Mali and they interviewed Ian. They are coming back today for some time with his teacher. I hope he blogs about it...I'm sure it will be a good story. He was able to arrange a $250 fee to be paid to Kara. He's such a good student. Speaking of Kara and his growing business, stay tuned. Ian suggested the internet to him and he's all over it. Before you know it he'll be on late night TV with a 1-900 number and the fortune telling sands...

Tubani So

Im so annoyed at myself that I didn't get a picture last night. Marshall, Ian and I all went out to Tubani So, the Peace Corps training site, where Ian gave a presentation on his research to about 60 volunteers there for in country training. Tubani So is where it all began...perhaps where Ian and I first saw each other although we only vaguely remember. The chance meeting was at a roadside fast food stall called the "Bozo Shack"...how fitting in someways for a couple of wackos like us. We sadly discovered yesterday that its no longer there...

Anyway, Tubani So...besides a gate at the entrance, some computers in the dining hall and some fresh paint, EVERYTHING was exactly the same. Its was really really trippy. I guess I should say the same for the Peace Corps offices where we met the car that took us out to Tubani So, that was strange as well. Again, more security to get in, some new cushions on the couches, but even the guards, even Moussa, the driver, now fleet manager(what was once 6 vehicles is now 16)was there to get us into the car.

The volunteers have mostly been in country 6 months and are the same mix from when we were there, although I did say to Ian that I remember our groups being much cooler...perhaps a reflection of how I view our lives back then more than anything. Ian thought they asked good questions, in general. There is always one in the group who doesn't want to get it.

Overall, it was a great experience. Familiar faces who honestly remembered us were everywhere from the kitchen staff, a couple of language professors(Bocar Bocum, Abdolaye Coulibaly, Mamadu Sissoma for those RPVs reading this), Sam Samake, training coordinator(again, RPCVs, Saloum retired a few years back), and Yakouba, the shy young assistant Natural Resources program coordinator. They greeted us so warmly and looked with the pride of grandparents upon Marshall, passing him around, so happy to see what they were calling the next generation of volunteers. It was appropriate as these people raised us into Mali and to see us come back, not just for a training or visit while in service, but years later as professional adults now with a family is an accomplishment for them as well. They showered us with sodas and bananas and watermelon for Marshall.

The Assistant Program Director for Natural Resources is now an American who served as a PCV in Mali just before Ian did. She's married to a Dogon man(the cliff dwelling people up north) who is a contemporary sculptor. She had actually invited Ian to come speak and was a great person to talk to. I think we will be having dinner with them soon. They have a 4 year old and a 7 year old. I think I'll close this babbling post with a cute story she told us about when they first came to Mali a year ago. Although her husband is Dogon, they had never brought the kids back here. They arrived in country at night and her son, as they were driving through town became very upset and shocked. He turned to her and asked, "Mommy, was there a hurricane or horrible storm that came through here?" She said, "No, honey, this is just what it looks like...why?" Apparently, not only the rubble strewn nature of a third world city did it, but at night, all the open stalls that exist for selling things along the side of the road were closed, tables and chairs were turned on their side to protect from dust. He thought something had come through and blown them all over.

Exploring

Marshall is doing some serious exploring now that he's on the move. Below, he's first realizing that it is, in fact, his bathtub without any water in it(the tub, by the way, was something I found in the market as a part of a "set" that was together about $7. The other two items in the set are a baby toilet(looks like a dog bowl with a seat back) and a poop bucket).
The others are of his new favorite trick of climbing up into the coffee table. He seriously can't get enough of this and thinks its the coolest thing ever.

Our Growing Boy...

Marshall had his 6 month checkup with Dr. Tatiana today. She was a very lovely Russian woman who married a Malian and has lived here for 23 years.
He's healthy as can be, all checks out and handled his vaccinations like a champ. He's got an 18" around head(75% for those that keep up with his place in the world of baby sizes)and he's 28" long(again, 75%)-um, thats FOUR INCHES since his 4 month checkup.
Now he's at 15 pounds 10 oz. A small weight gain in a month or so, a low percentile, but as Dr. Tatiana said in half French, half Russian accent with a dismissive look and tone, "Americans are so...how do you say...so...prudent...they get scared about everything. Just give him some oil and butter and in a month, you come back, he will have one kilo more."
Marshall just can't stop moving, so all his calories go to his brain and length and the rest are burned. Don't you wish your doctor told you you needed to eat more butter?

tuesday morning

Poly-sateen light show

We've discovered that not only does our "lovely" coverlet add gauche style and the kind of warmth only a cheap synthetic can, it also provides entertainment. When all the lights are out, and its as dry as it is it lets off pretty blue sparks when it moves.

Yey, Applesauce!

Apple sauce(well...more like apple smash as our homemade version came out...) was a big hit. Whew, we finally have another option of something he'll eat enough of besides bananas and rice cereal mixed together. And, honestly, its just cleaner.
I'm going to wait the 4 days that is suggested before introducing a new food(to make sure he's not allergic, but I don't think I've ever heard of anyone allergic to apples...) and then move forward with sweet potatoes.
Sweet potatoes should have been something I started with, but I found myself stuck in that sweet potato, yam debate...couldn't quite figure out what was what and I wasn't seeing any pink skinned, orange fleshed things in the market that seemed to be the beta carotene rich things I should be feeding Marshall.
So, here's some education, for those of you who don't already have it. Everything sold in the US as a sweet potato or a yam is actually a sweet potato. Yes, yes, its quite true. Sweet potatoes come in all sorts of colors of flesh and skins(here, pink/purple skin, white flesh), but all tend to have that smooth, thin skin and the appearance of a somewhat gnarled potato.
Now, here in Mali, there is, actually, a true yam. Here is a picture of what they look like here(thanks to some random guy on the web...)



Well, the ones I see here are a bit skinnier and tapered, but its the same woody, bark-like skinned thing, 2-3 feet long, I understand they can get as long as 7 feet. The flesh is remarkably different as well. Somewhat yellow and fibrous when cooked.

So why, now that you see the difference, do we call sweet potatoes yams in the states sometimes. Well, here is something else I learned. The "Africans" called sweet potatoes "nyami" when they "came over." Hence the word yam was applied.

So there you go. I'll let you know how the sweet potatoes go. And Im sure at some point, he'll also have yam, although just one seems to make a pound and a half of them...

By the way, sweet potatoes are now recognized as one of the healthiest foods. Go enjoy one...Here's a way to enjoy it in an, unfortunately, not so healthy way that I discovered somewhere in the states and would adapt for special occasions:

Bake a medium sweet potato(I don't know...like 40 minutes at 375-400), open as you would a baked potato and dress with brown sugar, butter, sour cream and chopped pecans. SO yummy.

I guess a more healthy way I've done them is sliced as french fries, tossed with olive oil, salt, cayenne pepper and paprika. Bake, 20 minutes(i think) at 375. Serve with ketchup mixed with Tabasco or tarter sauce.

Stuff...

A few random topics going though my head this morning...

Fridays...
So Friday to Muslims in BKO is like Sunday to Christians, kinda...the 1pm prayer call is when everyone goes to mosque. It seems that EVERY Friday at 1pm, I find some reason I need to leave the house. I just don't learn. For the most part, Im typically looking for something(lunch, bread, etc) and everything is closed, but this past Friday, I decided it was time to take a walk in a new direction to explore. In that direction, as I discovered, are two massive mosques, almost across the street from each other. Those praying at mentioned mosques had spilled out into the streets to pray, blocking all my assumed routes. I decided to wait a bit until prayer let out and forge onward. Little did I know that put me smack dab swimming upstream. It wasn't worth it, I had to ride the crowd in the other direction. Today, I am going to give it another go...it looked like there was some really cool stuff up there.

Peace Corps...
Most of you reading this blog know that Ian and I were here before and actually met here as Peace Corps volunteers. I've been a couple of places lately where there have been current volunteers dining. I can't bring myself to introduce myself as an alum. Seems that people did that when I was a volunteer and I always thought they were weird. Granted as a volunteer, it is typically you that is the weird one, but with 150 some odd others in country, you tend to feel validated.
None the less, I feel I should leave them to their experience and not interrupt it with mine. Kinda like sensitive wildlife. Granted, Ian has been invited to speak at Peace Corps training this upcoming week and I think Marshall and I will go with him (there tends to be free dinner involved), but those are newbies. They tend to find us less weird than the seasoned volunteers as they are closer to their stateside lives. None the less, it will be surreal to go back to the training site. Its been a long time...

Stoop side shopping
There are a handful of things that I still want for the house that I have yet to purchase. Part of the reason is that there are some things that are typically, or only in small quantities, sold in the market. Some vendors, for whatever reason, are solely wandering vendors. A perfect example is bananas. Every time I want some bananas, I typically have to wait for a banana seller to wander near me. Luckily, I know where some of them go to take their breaks and know I can typically find there. I am in search, though, of some large mats. This is a wandering seller. I dont know where he takes his breaks. This is something that I simply need to sit outside one day and wait to go by.

Pictures
As much as I would love to show everyone more images of where we live and what I see everyday, I have to be careful with the camera. It can cause a commotion with kids around. In addition, I don't want people that have become my friends and neighbors to feel like tourist attractions. I mean, how would you feel if someone came up to you at work and asked to take your picture like you were a fascinating animal in a zoo? It might not feel like that, but the fact that it could causes me hesitation. Perhaps I'll get over it a bit as time goes by and I get to know people better. For now, I hope my words are painting a good picture. Also, most images I find when I Google Bamako paint a pretty good picture of things.

Marshall and food
Marshall still can't get enough of bananas. He also had a little furufuru(millet dumpling) yesterday that he seemed to enjoy. Avocado is touch and go. Peas seemed to have a good flavor, but they needed to be cooked a bit more to be mushier. He really seemed to like millet and banana as well, but again, the millet needed to be cooked a bit more. Tonight we are going to try some applesauce.

Growing up...

So, as you can see in the bath picture below, Marshall is now sitting up all by himself. We also discovered yesterday that he can push himself into a sitting position from his hands and knees. Finally, this kid is mobile. Its not quite crawling, more like a salamander scoot on his belly, but he can MOVE FAST. All this came together in 2 days! And he can fetch...there are reasons we don't remember these times in our life.

Bathtime and laughing

Prayer Call, or the never ending alarm clock

Ok, first, have you seen that sleep aid commercial, well theres a few of them, that highlight, "Sleep like you did before the..." There is one that is a couple on a farm and when offering her husband the sleep aid late at night, she says, "Sleep like you did before the rooster went blind." And you see this rooster crowing even though its nighttime.
Yeah...so we have one in our neighborhood. The first week we were here, I thought it was a normal rooster until I started looking at the clock and realized I was hearing it from 1:30am and all hours in between.
I say this as it is but one thing that interrupts my sleep (excuse my bitterness about sleeping the past two posts...I've had a couple of bad nights with the baby). There is obviously Marshall and Ian's snoring, but Mali offers the unique addition of more than just the blind rooster. Prayer call.
So again, this is something I remember differently from being here before. Maybe I just blacked some of it out. First, for those of you unfamiliar with what I am talking about, one of the pillars of Islam is to pray 5 times a day. One of the times is at sunrise. In Bamako, since its a big city and there is such a high population density, there are loud-speakered calls to prayer from the Mosques for each prayer time. Ok, so back to what I remember...I remember very clearly, when in Bamako at the Peace Corps house, seriously seeing the sun and hearing about 2 mosques do their call to prayer over, say, about 15 minutes. It was pleasant, peaceful, and something I really enjoyed.
Supposedly our neighborhood is very Muslim, and we live closer in town, so maybe that explains some of the fact that prayer call starts at about 4am and continues until about 6:30am. It seems that some of the calls are prerecorded(making me wonder if they are on some sort of timer that someone needs to fix) and some are real time. They come from at least 4 or 5 mosques. I think they actually start doing it when they see the sun in Mecca. Either that or its like 3 rounds each:
Round 1- If you want to be a REALLY good pray-er, get your butt up now!
Round 2- Ok, we know its early, but come on, its time to get up and pray.
Round 3- Slackers. You are lucky we don't turn you in to Allah, last chance, get up and pray already.
It seems to have not a thing to do with the rising of the sun. They must be seeing something I'm not. In fact, prayer call is over(its 6:15am), but according to the weather report, sunrise isn't until 6:55am. What the $#%^?
Ok, I've saved the best part for last. The part that always gets me out of bed in case I was still lounging about after all this excitement. There is some dude who wanders through the neighborhood(passing by our house at about 4:55am) who, honestly, I am not sure what he's doing. If its like a personal call to prayer or he's just being one of those Round 1-ers letting everyone else know that he's awake and the good one already praying, BUT, he wanders through singing/chanting, "Al-lah....Al-lah...Al-lah...Al-lah...Al-LAH(this last one twice as loud as the prior ones)" Again and again like that, sometimes stopping to say something else really fast. If it wasn't culturally inappropriate and flat out disrespectful of a major religion I'd go out there and find his snooze button. Muslim or not, I'm sure I'm not the only one on the block who wants to.

Happy New Year!

I hope it was well passed by all. New Year's Eve has always been a quiet night for us, being that its the anniversary of when we got together. A romantic evening...a bit different with a 6 month old. Now, romance is being able to get a bit of sleep regardless of the holiday. Ian made it until midnight. I got to about 11:07 and then conked out. Ian woke me with a quick kiss at midnight, I heard lots of fireworks go off and then, miraculously, about 30 minutes later, pure silence. It was odd, because most nights here, I dont even hear that until about 2:30am.
We did celebrate in typical Malian style, something that had slipped past us the last time around here. Basically, with the eating of chicken and french fries. There were chickens being sold everywhere! BIG chickens too...already cleaned chickens...and everyone was in such a great festive mood. We added the un-muslim piece of some banji, or palm wine. It was good banji, but I'm still not a huge fan. Ian loves it. I think it tastes like urine. Give me a millet beer anyday.
Honestly, I was, perhaps naively, surprised that it was such a big celebration. I remember coming back from my Peace Corps service and reading a blurb in the NY Times about a film collection of shorts of how people were ringing in the millenium around the world. One was of this village in Mali, a couple of old guys sitting around drinking tea, and listening to the radio. In otherwords, nothing out of the ordinary. But, despite the fact that this was a film, it took place in the village. This is Bamako, the party capital of West Africa. Basically, we didn't know how big it was because a. we didnt live here and b. New Years was a time for PC Volunteers to get together and celebrate Ameriki style...none of us were ever in our towns or villages to experience it.
New years day is not unlike the states. Everyone is tired. They greet their neighbors with tidings for a good year, but for the most part, relax, stay quiet and watch TV. We hung out with Abdolaye for a bit who came by to greet us.
So in getting settled and dealing with Marshall teething(those top two should be in ANY day now), I honestly have not had much of a chance to get to my list of things I want to do while here. Thats my sole New Year's resolution.

I hope all of you have a happy, healthy and successful year.