It's a strange thing to wrap my mind around, but blogging may be the best way for me to share my life with you for a long time. In all likelihood, I will be placed into a rural area in Mali with no access to running water, electricity or toilets — much less the internet or a reliable phone. This means I'll probably only be able to add a blog post once a month or so. But if you've made your way to this blog, it means that I want to continue to be a part of your life while I'm in the Peace Corps. And with that said, I have an important request for you, as per the advice of many former Peace Corps volunteers that I've talked to: Send me mail while I'm gone! I'm not talking behemoth boxes stuffed with dollar-store nonsense and food (that shit perishes, kids)... and even if you tried, the price by weight to mail things to Africa will quickly have you turning on your heels and booking it from the post office. All I ask is for a letter every once in a while with a word of comfort so that I can keep track of your lives and remember where I came from, and who I love.
For the first 3 months (until September) I will be in training at the PC headquarters of Mali, in the capital, Bamako. My address there is...
Sara Litke, PCT
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 85
Bamako, Mali
One thing you'd probably be interested to know — make sure you send any mail by air, because they say the ground mail service takes "from 6 months to a year, or more" to get anything from you to me. I know that getting word from you all will be like a breath of fresh, non-trash-burning-polluted air.
Only six weeks state-side left! I'm getting SO excited. The anticipation outweighs any anxiety, so far that is. So here's the breakdown for you — the A, B, C of my soon-to-be life:
Where again, Bali? Sweet! nope folks, I'll be in Bamako, Mali, in West Africa. The country in Africa with the epic title of the musical epicenter of the continent. Here's some stats:
- 12th poorest country in the world, according to the Human Development Index
-65% of its territory is desert or semi-desert (a.k.a. the Sahara or the Sahel)
- 90% Muslim, 1% Christian, 9% "indigenous beliefs" -- a lot of idol-worship/animism /superstition
- Democratic Republic since 1992
- Peace Corps has been there since 1971, and there are currently about 100 volunteers there
What the hell are you doing out in the desert? My job title will be "Natural Resources Management Extension Agent" -- which means.... well who knows? I could be doing anything related to (here's the laundry list) reforestation, agroforestry and environmental education. This could be programs like building nurseries, soil conservation structures, erosion control programs/education, fruit tree production, grafting, and building fuel-efficient wood stoves.
When do you leave, how long will you be there, do you get time off, do you get paid, are you an indentured slave? I'm leaving July 6th or 7th, and I'll be gone for two years and three months. I get a miserly stipend and 'work compensation' that will probably total a whopping $6,000/year. Yeah guys, I'm buying everyone drinks. I also get a portion of my student loans paid off. I get about one month off per year, and I'm STOKED to go travel around Africa as much as possible. And yes, I am an indentured slave.
Alright, well that's enough for now. I'll hit you all up again in a few weeks, when this whole thing really starts to settle on me... If any of you have other questions, comments, or straight up concerns about my choice to do this, feel free to post a comment and I'll answer, so everyone can get the low-down.
paix de sara
(peace from sara / sara's peace)
