American Robin: Mali Archives

home > archives > Mali

“You Westerners may have watches, but we Africans have the time.” (October 02, 2007)

Ian, former director of Geekcorps Mali, reminds us to drink tea, and captures something essential about living in West Africa.... ... (continued)

A sad day in Mali (March 07, 2006)

Ali Farka Toure, the legendary musician, died today at 67. I got the news from Benn loxo du taccu, a fantastic African music blog by an American named Matt. Recently Matt's recommendation prompted me to buy what we know now... ... (continued)

Serendipity (December 12, 2005)

Remember that serendipity I was talking about? Well, it got even stranger. Our very last night, after we had done early check-in at Air France, but before we had to be at the airport, we ate dinner at the Bla... ... (continued)

The Last Time (November 21, 2005)

With ten days until we move out of the house, and less than three weeks until we leave, we're entering the phase of The Last Time to do everything. Saturday I took my Last Saturday Morning Walk with my friend... ... (continued)

Ramadan faux pas (October 27, 2005)

Tuesday I offered Cheick a caramel. Today I slurped loudly from my bottle of water, which always sits on my desk. These people are fasting, sunup to sundown, not a drop of water, and I can't keep my foot out... ... (continued)

And now, back to the countdown (October 26, 2005)

I woke up two times Monday night wondering where the heck I was – and where the heck E was, since he wasn't in bed next to me – and once at dawn in a panic, thinking I had missed... ... (continued)

Moving to Mali: two years later (October 01, 2005)

I moved to Bamako at the beginning of October 2003. This morning I was rereading the post I wrote a few days before I left Washington, and the post I wrote shortly after I arrived. I have some updates: I... ... (continued)

"Heureux menage" (September 23, 2005)

In the morning I was gripped with anxiety about doing the right thing at the wedding, but all that worry was for naught. ... (continued)

Three-day week, four-day weekend (September 21, 2005)

I don't know if it's because I'm still tired from last week's training -- or from last week's post-training outing (dancing to the Beegees at Appaloosa until 4:00 a.m.; what was I thinking?) -- but I'm sleeping heavily until 7:30... ... (continued)

Hallelujah, DaGuido is FINALLY open again after the summer holiday (September 15, 2005)

"Vraiment, tu est africainne aujourd'hui!" ... (continued)

Two days down, four to go (September 13, 2005)

How our train-the-trainers is going. ... (continued)

Gulp ... (September 09, 2005)

Now we're getting ready to do another training, also at HKI, but it's six days long and it's a very different format. ... (continued)

Siby (August 21, 2005)

A day-trip to Siby. ... (continued)

There is rain, and then there is rain. (August 18, 2005)

During the rainy season I always wish I'll wake up to a dim, gray morning, and it will start drizzling as I drink my tea, and keep at it all day. ... (continued)

Typhoid Robin, the sequel (August 15, 2005)

Well, that self-diagnosis of giardia may have been a bit off, or at least, not comprehensive. ... (continued)

Stopped by the police ... (August 08, 2005)

That would bring the grand total to nine or ten stops in 19 months of driving. ... (continued)

The walking wounded (August 04, 2005)

I had long heard about the last legendary ARPO party, which also took a week to recover from, but for alcohol-related reasons. ... (continued)

It's a bird, it's a ... a ... what is that? (July 28, 2005)

"Was that an airplane?" I asked. E busted out laughing. ... (continued)

McBurger (July 25, 2005)

The NY Times published an article about a Starbucks knockoff in Addis Ababa on Friday: The hottest cafe in the Ethiopian capital is not a Starbucks at all but a knockoff, the creation of a Starbucks devotee who tried to... ... (continued)

Luna Parc d'Amusements (July 01, 2005)

C. and I have been talking for ages about going to the Luna Parc at night to take photos. ... (continued)

I'm not zee only one (May 19, 2005)

Fanta told me that our guard Fousseini is getting married today. I was confused, because I thought he was already married. A couple months ago, he wrote a letter to E -- that is, he had someone else write a... ... (continued)

Reality check (May 06, 2005)

Just in time -- when the heat really starts getting to me, when I dread the thought of having to drive across town in midday traffic, when I have had it up to here with people trying to sell me... ... (continued)

What I love about Mali (April 26, 2005)

I've accumulated a list in my mind, a catalog of positive things ... In my defense, Exhibit A: A list of things I love about Mali. ... (continued)

A consumer's guide to Malian textiles: home furnishings (April 20, 2005)

I meant to show you some of the things I bought last weekend ... ... (continued)

Arboretum ()

We went to the arboretum on Sunday. ... (continued)

Overlanders (April 18, 2005)

If all goes well, I'll be joining E on an overland trip. ... (continued)

How high's the water, Mama? (April 16, 2005)

I sat down at the dining room table this afternoon and I thought, My, that chair is hot! ... (continued)

Forgive and forget (April 14, 2005)

Something unpleasant happened to me last Saturday, and I didn't want to write about it right away, when I was still bitter and upset and confused. Now, that makes it sound much more horrible than it really was, so I... ... (continued)

The jazz club evasion (April 05, 2005)

I feel like I really need a rest, but there's so much going on lately. Saturday night was the going-away party for the lovely Miss Hannah K. (She has a website too but seems to be a bit shy about... ... (continued)

Mali v. Togo (March 31, 2005)

BAMAKO, Mali - Enraged Mali soccer fans set cars ablaze, looted shops and destroyed monuments early Monday, hours after rushing onto the field and forcing the suspension of a World Cup qualifying game against Togo. Mali Soccer Fans Riot After... ... (continued)

Koulikoro (March 30, 2005)

Tuesday I drove myself and another Geekcorps volunteer to Koulikoro. We were going to Radio Jamana Koulikoro to set up a new digital studio-editing system, train the station staff on its use, and get some photos of Geekcorps in action.... ... (continued)

You know the hot season's begun when ... (March 22, 2005)

... high temperatures are over 100 degrees Fahrenheit every day. Time to turn on the air conditioning. ... (continued)

Weekend, in bullet points (March 20, 2005)

Five men on camels, riding through our neighborhood Saturday night. ... (continued)

March Madness (March 19, 2005)

The other Hot Blog Topic these days is NCAA basketball. And strangely, that's what's on TV right now in Bamako! ... (continued)

I [heart] BNDA (March 14, 2005)

I went to the bank to cash a check. I don't have a Malian bank account so I am at the mercy of my creditors -- whatever bank they draw on is the one I have to visit to get... ... (continued)

N be ta yalla yalla la (March 05, 2005)

This week snuck up on me and overwhelmed me with big transitions. There are lots of people leaving, lots people getting ready to leave, projects wrapping up. On Monday I went to an un-birthday party for my friend Awa.* “Un-birthday”... ... (continued)

An albino donkey! Eating garbage! (February 20, 2005)

The weekend in Bamako: Working too much, eating out, visiting the Musee National. The usual. ... (continued)

Festival sur le Niger (the rest of it) (February 10, 2005)

(See also: Festival sur le Niger: Installment the first) After shopping for pottery, we drove down to the Festival grounds. There were a few dozen stalls selling crafts of various kinds. The schedule said there would be a performance of... ... (continued)

Festival sur le Niger (installment the first) (February 07, 2005)

(See also: Festival sur le Niger: The rest of it) Friday afternoon there was much confusion about who was going to the festival and who was not, but in the end, four of us rode up in the Geekcorps vehicle.... ... (continued)

Marché Medin (January 31, 2005)

The heart of the market is dark, narrow paths winding through a forest of wood-frame stalls, under a low ceiling of tarps. ... (continued)

And you can't stop me. (January 28, 2005)

See my name up there? Yeah. That means it's mine. ... (continued)

Tabaski Countdown: Part Three (January 21, 2005)

I took more photos of the sheep market on Thursday, but I might have waited too long. It seemed like there were more people than sheep. ... (continued)

Did I mention THE DUST? (January 11, 2005)

Have you seen the forecast for Bamako? I will tell you what it is. It is: "WIDESPREAD DUST." ... (continued)

There is an article about Mali in the Washington Post ()

It's just about ... Mali. Why? Who knows! ... (continued)

Tabaski Countdown: Part Two ()

Did I say I would take a photo of the sheep market every day? Ha. That was overly ambitious of me. The problem is not, for once, my own sloth. No, it is the weird cultural tensions that arise when... ... (continued)

Tabaski Countdown: Day One (January 09, 2005)

Tabaski is tentatively scheduled for Friday the 21st (pending the decision of the Commission de la Lune). Last year, in the weeks before Tabaski, one of the streets near our house slowly turned into the biggest sheep market in town.... ... (continued)

Don't Try This at Home (January 01, 2005)

I thought, then again, I'm pretty happy here on my couch. ... (continued)

"I am going to read God's Word to you now" (December 04, 2004)

Does the (incidental) good work outweigh the questionable preaching? ... (continued)

Pop Quiz (November 25, 2004)

How am I celebrating my thirty-second birthday? ... (continued)

City Slickers (November 18, 2004)

You know you've been in Bamako a while when you can spot the country bumpkins. ... (continued)

Stopped by the Police, Episode #7 (November 03, 2004)

I had been home just 17 hours, was venturing out for the first time and had only driven a few hundred yards when I was stopped by the police. This happens to me at an improbable frequency; today was the... ... (continued)

Pros and Cons (October 10, 2004)

It's good to be in America ... most of the time. ... (continued)

le petit saison chaud (September 30, 2004)

We are in the "little hot season" that comes between the rainy season and the "cold" season. ... (continued)

public transportation (September 08, 2004)

The names of some of Bamako's quartiers may be a mouthful (Bagadadji, Baco Djicoroni, Torokorobougou) but I'm pretty sure there is no Boom-Schelle Winklerstraat. ... (continued)

Africa is not a country (August 21, 2004)

We're going to the quarter-finals! ... (continued)

a plague on the Sahel (August 10, 2004)

The north of Mali is getting hit hard by the locusts. ... (continued)

speaking of griots (August 09, 2004)

The UK Telegraph has an article about the griot tradition. ... (continued)

la vie quotidienne (August 08, 2004)

I shouldn't be surprised that I'm writing less about life in Mali; I've been living in Bamako for ten months now. ... (continued)

a day at the races (July 21, 2004)

We live in the quartier of Bamako called Hippodrome, and Sunday we went to the Hippodrome for the first time. ... (continued)

three-day weekend (May 16, 2004)

Tension and traffic built up last week as dignitaries from Saharan and Sahelian nations began pouring into town. ... (continued)

let the rainy season begin (May 06, 2004)

One week is an arbitrary but important deadline I set for myself. ... (continued)

Pope-mobile (April 22, 2004)

I’m growing awfully fond of my car here in Bamako. ... (continued)

oh, the places I've seen (March 04, 2004)

My husband got back Tuesday night from the United States with an extra-heavy suitcase packed with goodies like books and magazines and new clothes and maple syrup, a fishing rod and lures, Barbies™ (for a friend), and Jif® peanut butter.... ... (continued)

things to do in Timbuktu (February 24, 2004)

“Are sandals appropriate footwear for riding a camel, or do I need something sturdier?” I asked my companion. “Actually,” she said, “it doesn’t matter. You ride barefoot.” Not everywhere, you don’t (I later learned) but when in Timbuktu, you ride... ... (continued)

Timbuktu (February 17, 2004)

When I started writing this, I was sitting under a fluorescent light on a broken couch in the guest house at L’Institut des Hautes Etudes et de la Recherche Islamique Ahmed Baba (a.k.a. the Ahmed Baba Institute) in Timbuktu, munching... ... (continued)

the road to Timbuktu (February 16, 2004)

There are two routes to Timbuktu. We took the shorter one, but still, no one in Bamako can believe how fast we got to Mopti: 640 km in six hours. We drove very, very fast. Our driver Issa was chosen... ... (continued)

from Timbuktu (February 11, 2004)

My first and probably last post from Timbuktu's one cyber cafe. Their single Anglophone keyboard is stiff with sand, and only marginally easier to use than the Francophone keyboards. We got here after two hard days of driving, averaging 120... ... (continued)

Tabaa-aa-aa-ski (February 01, 2004)

Sheep baa-ed in the street in front of our house all day; sheep baa-d in the neighbor’s driveway all night. A small herd of sheep trotted down our dead-end road in the morning, and trotted back out again. Sheep munched... ... (continued)

the beautiful game (January 29, 2004)

Between La Coupe D’Afrique des Nations and the imminent arrival of Tabaski, you can feel the excitement building in Bamako. First things first: Football! (Soccer, rather, since I am after all an American Robin.) I wish we’d seen the opening... ... (continued)

language lessons (January 24, 2004)

Over the door of the photo studio it said Lion Photo, but inside the dingy shop, which looked like somebody's unfinished basement, the name was crossed out and replaced with “Sun Color.” A dozen men sat on rickety wooden benches,... ... (continued)

la musique Malienne (January 18, 2004)

When E. began working at his current job, he traveled frequently and for weeks at a stretch, spending as much time in various hotel rooms in Bamako as he did in our Adams Morgan apartments. In fact, the address listed... ... (continued)

rules of the road (November 30, 2003)

Yesterday, I drove around town for the second time, and took a lot of pictures (including many of Koulikoro Road, which I wrote about recently). The most important thing to know about driving (or walking) in Bamako is the pecking... ... (continued)

my first Thanksgiving (November 28, 2003)

It wasn't anything special, we didn't even have turkey or pumpkin pie, but I pulled it off: I made an actual Thanksgiving dinner. One of our guests was a British man who had never eaten a Thanksgiving meal, didn't know... ... (continued)

Ramadan in Bamako: the fête (November 26, 2003)

The fête du Ramadan (Aïd el Fitr) was on Tuesday. The market stayed open until just before dawn, so everyone could get supplies. We could hear music playing all night, but by eight o’clock, it was unusually quiet. Fanta had... ... (continued)

Ramadan in Bamako (cont'd.) (November 24, 2003)

It’s Thanksgiving week in the United States; (almost) no one will work on Thursday, many people won’t work on Friday, and (almost) everyone will feast. It’s a big week in Mali, as well: The fête de Ramadan, the end of... ... (continued)

from the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli ... (November 20, 2003)

Last Saturday we attended the Marine Ball, an annual event to celebrate the anniversary of the formation of the Marines. I’m not going to tell you about it, because they would have to kill me. Not because it was top... ... (continued)

Fair and Balanced (or, Things That Frankly, I’ll Really Miss While I Am Away From Mali) (November 16, 2003)

Sunshine. Warm sunshine. Not having to remember a jacket, and scarf, and gloves, and hat. Sandals or bare feet, all the time. Our mango tree, our grapefruit tree, and our little banana tree. People carrying things on their heads.... ... (continued)

Things That, Frankly, I’m Really Looking Forward To When I Get Back To the United States In Three Weeks (November 13, 2003)

Boots and jeans and sweaters. And my suede jacket, and gloves, and scarf, and hat. Blankets. Bookstores. The New York Times, Sunday edition. The growing stack of New Yorker magazines at my parents’ house. Brand-new movies, in the theater,... ... (continued)

parties with expatriates … (November 10, 2003)

… are just like parties back home, except for a few little details: Introductions always include: “He/she was in Peace Corps in [fill in name of African country].” It’s unusual to meet someone who was in Peace Corps on another... ... (continued)

Ramadan in Bamako: some observations (November 06, 2003)

“J’ai un mal a la téte,” Fanta, our housekeeper, tells me one morning. “Je fait karem.” I have a headache, and by way of explanation, I’m doing Karem*, the holy month, Ramadan. (*I have no idea how to spell Karem.)... ... (continued)

Route de Koulikoro (October 21, 2003)

I haven't left the house much during the week. For one thing, I don't have a car. Even if I did, I'm not sure where I would go. I'm sure as time goes by I'll have more and more to... ... (continued)

fauna (October 14, 2003)

I found a website listing some West African birds that helped me identify the two I see (and hear) most frequently. Several large long-tailed glossy starlings drop by our yard every few days. Their shiny blue bodies and yellow eyes... ... (continued)

le week-end (October 12, 2003)

My second weekend in Mali and the first I've felt remotely normal. We woke up bright and early Saturday morning to play ultimate frisbee with some other expats over in Badalabougou (on the other side of the river). One regular... ... (continued)

settling into the Bamako groove (October 10, 2003)

The days go like this: I get up around 7:30, after E. leaves for work. First thing, I set up my laptop in the “office”: plug the power cord into the surge protector into the AC adapter into the plug... ... (continued)

I can wear pants and drink beer! (October 07, 2003)

As soon as I stepped off the plane into the night air, I remembered something about Bamako that I’d managed to forget: the smell. Part fuel, part exhaust fumes, part garbage, part smoke. It’s salty, acidic, ammoniac, smoggy; it’s inescapable.... ... (continued)

in two days, my new life begins. (October 01, 2003)

I'll arrive in Mali for the second time in my life. The Bamako airport is a terrible introduction: hot, loud, crowded, and chaotic. Having been through it once, I’m not as nervous about it as I was the first time,... ... (continued)

letter to the editor (August 02, 2003)

I know I haven't posted in a while, but I've been busy writing passionate letters to the editors of the Washington Post about ... butter knives. If I had any dignity I would not broadcast this, but hey! I'm famous!... ... (continued)

more Mali photos (July 13, 2003)

are posted:... ... (continued)

more photos from Mali (July 10, 2003)

And still more yet to come.... ... (continued)

Salif Keita sighting! (July 02, 2003)

I thought I saw Salif Keita on Sunday at the Folklife Festival—how many albino Malian men are walking around the Mall this week, after all? Well, at least two. The man I saw on Sunday had a small entourage, and... ... (continued)

the Malian meme continues to spread (June 25, 2003)

It started with my trip, of course. Then NPR and National Geographic did a Radio Expedition to Timbuktu and beyond, visiting the salt mines at Taoudenni, and announcing the formation of Issa Mohammed's Timbuktu Heritage Institute, which seeks to preserve... ... (continued)

back from the roadtrip (May 22, 2003)

And back on an English keyboard, ahhhhh! From Bamako to Bandiagara and back, I saw: A thousand women carrying baskets of mangoes and peanuts on their heads. A thousand girls doing washing on the riverbanks, making money any way they... ... (continued)

this will be a short post (May 16, 2003)

as I am on a French keyboard. Our hotel here in Sevare has a cyber cafe. Heavily air conditioned and with a robust bqckup power supply; which we saw in action last night when a storm blew into town and... ... (continued)

first post from Mali (May 12, 2003)

My fourth full day in Bamako. Malians in general, and especially the staff at our hotel, seem very friendly. Every one I meet, after the usual bon jours and ca vas, begins the same conversation: Welcome to Mali! (Merci.) Is... ... (continued)

I leave tonight for Mali. (May 07, 2003)

I have run around for three weeks, acquiring things for my trip: a sunhat, sunscreen, insect repellent with DEET, water purification tablets, vaccinations, prescriptions, a visa (for entry to Mali), a VISA (for getting cash from Bamako's one ATM). Thirty... ... (continued)

jabs (April 21, 2003)

I decided that the six shots I received last month (three in each shoulder) just weren't enough, and went back for one more of the CDC-recommended vaccinations for travelers to West Africa. For the record, I am now up to... ... (continued)

transAtlantic (February 09, 2003)

Toward the end of my phone call with E this morning, he opened the window of his hotel room so I could hear the call to prayer. Muslims in Mali and other African countries recently celebrated Tabaski, the holiday that... ... (continued)

the single life (November 10, 2002)

As I type this, E is between in the air between Paris and Bamako, Mali on his first business trip for his new employer. I dropped him off at Dulles yesterday afternoon and promptly reverted to complete b@chelorette-hood: drinking sour-apple... ... (continued)