Let's Dance

Long time no blog, apologies! I could say it is because work has picked up, since we are now in the full swing of surveying. Maybe it is also a sign of our growing social life, as we visit and get visited by more people in the area. But it is mostly a sign that I’ve succumbed to Mali time, the heat of the day dictating when I can work and when I must sit on my bum and do absolutely nothing, not even blog. Those times of day are reserved for napping, sipping tea, or just listening.

Some quick updates:

- We have become the groupies of a bunch of Malian musicians. Our “in” is named Mamadou, a member of Habib Koite’s world-famous band, who happens to be very close friends with Sophie. Madou is one of the best tama (or “talking drum") players in the world, and his entourage is full of young musical talent. We hang out in little nightspots that are the equivalents of smoky jazz clubs but with Malian music instead. The music is way over my head, but I love it.

- The other night we accompanied Madou to a sort of block party in the neighborhood he grew up in. Madou set up a DJ system complete with amps and a mic, and at least fifty children of all ages gathered. It’s amazing how music can get these kids going! Dancing ensued, by age group…Lauren and I joined the older girls group, and Lauren wowed the crowd with her sick dance moves. But no moves were quite as impressive as those of a young girl and boy, neither of which could be older than ten, who broke it down in a dance-off at the end of the night. Beyonce could learn a thing or two!


- We started shadowing TB rounds in Mali’s biggest hospital, called Point G. Complete with white-coats and face masks, we toured the TB ward and listened to the medical team’s debates about treatment regimes for their patients. The hospital’s campus, perched on a steep hill overlooking Bamako, has some resemblance to Stanford University, very open and flowery. However, the world inside the wards is much more dismal. Even in Mali’s leading medical institution, tree branches are tied to the hospital beds to hang up mosquito nets, and a single aspirator is shared among several hospital buildings. The TB rounds last Tuesday were ended prematurely when a storm hit and rain started slapping down the hallways. Moving from one patient’s room to the next, we thought the wind was going to carry us off the hill!

Now for some Lessons Learned in Mali:
o Don’t give your phone number to friendly men. Lauren has been our guinea pig, having shared her number with quite a few individuals during her few days of owning a phone. Lauren has now grown accustomed to getting about 10 calls a day from EACH of her 4 doting men.
o Don’t use bug spray at mid-day. It may keep the mosquitoes away but – believe it or not – flies LOVE IT. Yesterday, when I was attacked by flies shortly after my spraying, we conducted a little experiment. We sprayed a nearby wall with bug-spray. Sure enough, the flies zoomed to the wall like magnets, and I’m talking significant numbers here. I guess poison for some is candy for others.
o Don’t eat, or touch people, with your left hand. It’s known to be the one you wipe with (here where the concept of TP is somewhat bizarre)
o Don’t give anything to kids unless you have that same thing for all of them. As Lauren and I were walking to the CSCOM the other day, I took some pictures with some smiley kids, and gave them some of my water to drink. I told them they could keep the bottle…but in their eyes I told this one guy that HE could keep the bottle. For the next two kilometers, these kids were on our tails, asking “ou est MON cadeau” (where is MY present?) By the time we reached the health clinic, we thought we had lost them, and began our meeting in the safety of a closed office with one of the doctors there. But about half-way through the meeting, the same kids were reaching in through the window shouting “Mamou!” (my Malian name), and one even came in the door from the other side, not letting up until the doctor scolded them in Bambara. I felt awful and humiliated. Lesson learned.

Best recipe yet in Mali: Sophie's crepes with caramelized mangoes. To die for.

-Mamou

N be bilenman kanu