Hiring House Help

Before I could even inquire, my guard approached me a couple of nights ago and told me that he has just the right girl for me to help with housework. I probed a bit deeper and found out she had worked for the previous employee I replaced. In the spirit of keeping things simple, I asked him to bring her around sometime for a discussion.

I got home last night and she was waiting for me along with both of my guards, her friend and her uncle, all men. I wasn’t prepared….I still hadn’t decided what kind of help I needed, besides washing clothes of course (there are no machines here, so clothes are hand washed and takes hours). I began asking her questions but one of the men would always talk to her in Bambara (a local language) and then answer for her in French . As soon as money was brought up, I cringed. I’ve never liked that discussion.

In any case a deal was made, and hands were shook, yet I still have no idea if she even speaks French or if I am getting ripped off. I am paying the same amount as the last employee but she had the maid come 5 times a week to clean the house and wash clothes. I decided I’d only be comfortable with her coming three times a week (I mean, c’mon, do I really need someone 5x a week!) but I’d also like her to iron my clothes and prepare dinner in addition. (I was looking forward to learning how to cook from scratch in Mali but have realized this week that I cannot get chicken breast, thighs, or any part at all in this town…but have to go to the market, buy a live chicken, kill it and skin in, and frankly I’m just a little bit too American for that). I’m not even sure I want or need all this help but the guards told me that’s what I should do. So that’s that.

I’m a little worried with giving her my key, but I guess I’ll just have to get used to that and lock my personal belongings. I’m also a little worried I won’t like her cooking, not because I am picky but I loathe dishes with lots of oil…which is common here.  Do you think I can alter our agreement in a week or two if I don’t want all these services?

The Meat Market

I made another trip to the town market yesterday to finish shopping for the items left on my list.  I made my way to the meat area where I picked up another kilo of ground beef to use for the week.

My experience was much more pleasant this time around.  Although it’s more inconvenient to “shop” for groceries at a market in Mali than it is in a supermarket in States, when you’re surrounded by a slew of boys that want to take care of everything for you, it’s just as easy and twice as fun.

My resident meat grinder two days in a row

My meat market men (Check out the totally rad makeshift baseball cap made out of a garbage bag)

Below is a fantastic video clip of boys being boys (while grinding my meat). It also shows you how accomplishing one task here (buying ground beef) involves a lot more patience and people than you could imagine!

Market Mudbath

So I’m behind a few days with writing, but it was only because I was transitioning…into my new home. I’ve finally moved in, yipee!

My new home is about a ten hour ride from the capital, Bamako. It is a medium sized town near all the main tourist attractions including Timbuktu, Dogon Country, and Djenne. The reason I am working and living out of our field office is because 90% of our development programs occur in this region. As our boss says, “It’s where all the action is.” This will enable me to better understand our programs with site visits and access to partners.

Anyway, I serendipitously met an American guy who lives in my town last week. He invited me to a party his friends were throwing last Saturday night. I arrived in town at 7pm, and made it to the party by 9.

I was having a nice time, meeting other Americans living in the region, until drama struck. One of his friends comes rushing into the party screaming for help. His guard, a Malian man, had malaria and just took a turn for the worse. As I was the only one with a vehicle at the party, I, of course, agreed to drive him to the hospital. Indeed, poor man was sweating bullets one minute, and shivering the next…signs of acute malaria. Fortunately, we got him to the hospital on time and am happy to report that today, he is recovering well.

I wanted to start off my first Sunday morning on a different note. I blasted iTunes and cleaned the heck out of my place. 4 hours later and 3 piles of mouse dung richer, I ventured off in my company issued vehicle to explore my town and shop for things I still had outstanding.

I had a list. I thought it was reasonable, i.e. noodles, oil, salt, clothespins, ground beef, wine, sugar, coffee, etc. I thought I would drive around looking for some stores to purchase these supplies and in addition, make an effort to note key places around town such as the post office, restaurants and markets. I thought it would take me only an hour given the small scale of the town. I definitely underestimated how hard it is to concentrate on driving stick shift while looking for key places left and right while dodging a myriad of video style obstacles coming at you, as seen in the video below.

I drove around and around and around the four paved streets that make up my town for 3 hours (I definitely must have confused the police who sit at each corner of the rectangular grid) until I acquired 70% of my list (most importantly, I found the only Coca-Cola Light dealer in town, BONUS!)

You can only get meat in this town at the market. So I went…right after a big rainstorm. This is also when my trip was cut short. The market is not on the paved road, but on side dirt ones. What do the dirt paths turn into when it rains? Mudbaths. Literally 2 minutes after venturing into the market, I slipped and fell butt first into the mud (amongst other things). I guess my gold metallic Steve Madden flip flops did not have enough friction.

Market Mudbath

On the bright side, a bunch of people first laughed at me, but then helpfully offered to instruct me on how to buy meat. They selected which part of the cow I should get my cut from at one stand and then took me to another stand where I had it ground (for 50 cents).

I made it back home safely andand proceeded to boil some noodles and cook some ground beef until I realized I never bought tomato paste/sauce. So although my first dinner at my new home was pasta, beef with olive oil and salt, it was nonetheless quite a reward after my first day of exploration.

The Africa Packing List (they don’t tell you about)

Moving to Mali was my third time moving to West Africa.  As a result, I felt like I knew exactly what I should and should not pack.  For the most part, I packed well but I’ve already realized some things I wish I had brought.  This is the unconventional packing list for those who are moving to (or want to send care packages to people in) countries where there are no McDonalds.

1. Your pillow! Many countries have variations of our pillows. Some are about 1 feet wide, some are about 1 inch thick. Others are filled with rice beans, and others are made of Styrofoam. Believe me, it is worth it to smush your pillow into your knapsack and you will never regret it!

2.  Ranch and Italian dressing packets. Seriously, it will make the five national dishes you eat weekly over and over again so much more appetizing and you’ll look forward to the days when you can cook on your own. Most importantly, you will make friends…FAST. Easy to pack and no weight at all.

3. A subscription to the Economist or Elle. (Wait until you get a PO Box).These are a couple of the only magazines that will deliver the magazine either weekly or monthly to your boonedock post office. Plus, many of the countries currently serving volunteers have tailors that make clothes in lieu of ready made clothes stores. It is great to have pictures of new trends that your tailor can replicate in the national country’s fabric!

4.  A Skype phone. This is only if you have wi-fi or high speed Internet.  Buy the phone on the Internet and make sure MAC users get one compatible.  I bought a SkypeOut number which is basically a Chicago phone number…so when I hook up my skype phone to my computer, I have unlimited ANY U.S.A number for $4 a month.  It’s sick.

5.  Laptop cooler. Overheating is frequent.  Most definitely pack a laptop cooler and keep it underneath your laptop at all times. (Also, don’t forget things like a keyboard and screen cover to protect laptop from dust and bugs entering).

6.  iPod accessories. Including one that connects to FM transmitter radios. There is nothing better than playing your ipod in long car rides in the bush as well as in your hut or home!

7.  Seasonings. Specifically…taco seasoning packets, Parmesan cheese, All purpose seasoning salt, dill, gravy mix, and anything else you enjoy.

8.  SHEETS!  I knew I should have packed these…but I didn’t.   100% cotton sheets here are costly, over a $100.  The cheap sheets are from China and make you feel like you have bed bugs; lots of itching and scratching.  I know it’s heavy, but do yourself a favor and bring a full size sheet set.

9.  A photo flipbook. Forget about individual photos…Make yourself a flipbook on http://www.shutterfly.com or other photo networks and add photos of your family, your city, your home, (even rooms like kitchens are a big hit), friends, etc.  You can look at this anytime as it is easy to transport but more importantly your friends abroad will love looking through this and asking questions.

10.  DVD Television Series. You can only watch a movie so many times…but if you bring tv series, you can watch them over and over again.  They usually 30 mins and just long enough to put you to sleep.

11.  220 volt hair straightener. In West Africa, women are notorious for dressing well and looking put together (hair, jewelery, henna, shoes, purse, etc) whenever they go out.  Why would we do any less?  This flat iron I got from http://www.folica.com works like a dream here, just as good as my CHI bac home. Just make sure you get the appropriate plug letter.

12. Bug tent from REI. HANDS DOWN, the best item I had in the Peace Corps.  BUY IT NOW.  It folds up into a small bag, and pops up within a minute.  I used this a million times when traveling either at hotels or peoples homes.  I just put a mattress inside, and can sleep wherever I want. Its usually to hot to sleep indoors so many people sleep on their roofs.  However then you must find a way to hook up a mosquito net which undoubtedly will come undone at night.

13.  Stickers. If you MUST bring something to pass out to kids and passerby (which I do not personally recommend unless you have developed relationships with people), then I would advise bringing stickers rather than candy or money.  Light, cheap and come in packs of hundreds.

14.  Hair Dye.  You can always go local and henna your hair, making the outcome fire engine red.  But if you plan to color your tresses, bring some boxes of dye with you.

15.  Pens.  Really.  West Africa doesn’t have as big a selection of office supplies as your nearest Staples.  Actually, most of West Africa has ONE kind of blue pen, ONE kind of red pen, and ONE kind of notebook.  I miss my American college ruled paper and seamlessly flowing ink pens.  Be prepared to work, and bring what you work with best.

For the most part, this list could also be a Peace Corps packing list (sauf the electrical appliances).

Do you have any other suggestions?

Click here to read my latest post about living in West Africa.