Urbad Planning 1: The Streets of Bamako

Well one month has past and no one has sent me any scathing emails, which means I have to keep myself in check, and make another post. I should really start by talking about 'Time in Bamako' and how there exists no such thing as a deadline. This lack of punctuality and sense of urgency has caused me too many problems in getting work done here (on the part of the Malians I work with and myself).

So I finally bring you my thoughts on the streets of Bamako—or I should say, the lack thereof. If you check out Google Earth, you will most certainly see a somewhat confusing web of paved roads that indeed can be labeled 'streets.' This web can be a little difficult to navigate at first since it doesn't strictly follow the graph paper model of equidistant blocks and perpendicular intersections as is done so often in the mundane world of American cities and suburbs. Normally I would say that a less patterned street map would be beneficial for a city in discouraging the use of personal vehicles and encouraging pedestrian traffic and public transportation; but thanks to the wonders and efficiency of Chinese factories, too many people in Bamako jam up the roads with their identical Power-K scooters (the topic of my next entry). So what we have in Bamako is a decent—albeit confusing—web of paved roads that simply cannot keep up with amount of vehicles trying to get around town.

Unfortunately, the majority of roads in Bamako don't fit into the same category of those in the previous paragraph. Most can hardly be described as roads at all. I want to call them dirt roads, but I am afraid that the reader in America will immediately think of the kind of dirt road you would ride on when traveling to your cabin or driving to a campground. A dirt road of that quality is called a 'piste entretenue' which literally means well-kept path, and is really the second-best quality of national road in Mali. So what am I to call these roads that make up the majority of roads in Bamako? Let's go with 'inner-city off-road streets.' Really, your vehicle would be better off driving 60 mph over a speed bump than have to constantly deal with these streets. Driving on these turns everyone in the vehicle into an over-excited bobble-head. It is highly inadvisable to get into a taxi in Bamako if you need to go to the bathroom, I've done it once and barely made it to my apartment. Rocks, old cement blocks, ditches, potholes, trash: all of these are to be found on the streets of Bamako. There are no lanes. There is only the most level path you take no matter the direction you are driving. And what happens when you face a car going the opposite direction? You put on a neck brace and prepare for a bumpy ride.

That pretty much explains the two kinds of streets in Bamako: the smooth but confusing and overcrowded web of paved roads, and the inner-city off-road paths. To end this topic I leave you with a picture:

This picture was taken only after a mild rain, so much for drainage systems.

Next up on Bamako Breakdown: Power-K: The Scourge of Bamako

The Beginning

I know it has taken me a while to get started on my newer edition of the blog, and for that I hope you can all forgive me. Before getting started i needed to find some sort of inspiration, something interesting to write about, both for me and whoever may end up reading this.

Ever since moving to Bamako, I've realized that there really isn't much to write about except Bamako. Therefore, in the next six months that is exactly what I will be doing—writing about my observations on the transportation, streets, economy, government, planning, restaurants, markets, and just life in general here in Mali's busy capital. My thoughts have been brewing ever since moving from the reposeful village to the toilsome city. Most of my thinking has been done while walking the streets uncomfortably in the midday sun, or watching the life of the city pass by from the window of a taxi, and even while moving from ice cold air conditioned offices of well-to-do Malians back to the scorching air of hot season to eat lunch on the side of the road.

I already have planned two 'bleries' (blog-series) for you to look forward to, that will each cover a sub-topic in a broader topic. One will be called 'Transpoortation' where I will reflect on the different modes of transport and how they interact with each other. The other (which I don't have a name for yet) will broadly cover aspects of city planning from infrastructure to architecture.

At minimum I will post once per week (and feel free to send me scalding e-mails if I don't keep that promise), and I would appreciate any comments, thoughts, or contradictions you have.


Next up on Bamako Breakdown, 'The Streets of Bamako'.

I'm back, but am I back for good?

I have decided that I will finally succumb to all of my mother's pressure and get back on to Blogger. With this, I hope she will stop asking me, "When are you going to post on your blog again?"

I have taken a little inspiration from my boy Adam, whose blog I have added to my web links on the right hand side (called Baroké). I doubt that I will post as often as he does, and I doubt that I will have anything as valuable to say, but I will do my best--which has unfortunately proven not to be even worth the word 'best.'

I have changed the name (pardon the alliteration in the title), and I have changed the layout again, and hope to make it a little more pretty in the near future. Whether or not my ability to post for both quantity and quality will change as well is yet to be determined.

On va voir.

Not my thing

So I promised a few people that I would put a new post up on my blog. I must admit, that this blogging isn't really my thing. I tried it, but for some reason I am more addicted to analyzing music charts and finding new music than I am at sharing the fairly uneventful life that I am leading in my third year in Mali. Even though I still love it here, I guess I have just become accustomed to all of the things that may or may not be interesting.

Anyways, the only thing I can think of writing at the moment is the update about my new project. Working at the Ministry is pretty uneventful, so I have started working with Junior Achievement of Mali. The big thing that I will be helping out with is planning and organizing Global Entrepreneurship Week here in Mali. Put simply, the idea is to get youth involved in and excited about entrepreneurship. More detailed information can be found on the website.

Global Entrepreneurship Week's Website

One of many reasons I love Mali

First thing after getting through the chaos that is the Bamako-Senou airport, I walked outside to supposedly catch the ride that Peace Corps said they would have waiting for me. Unfortunately, there was no one there to pick me up. So I turned on my Malian cell phone to find out if my ride was going to show up. But wait, my credit was expired, and even though there were plenty of men outside the airport ready and willing to sell me phone credit--I didn't have any money on me. When they understood the fact that I didn't have any local currency there were 3 more men asking me if I wanted to change Euros or Dollars. Oops, didn't have any of those either. This would be the time to say that I was up shit creek without a paddle.

No need to worry though, I wasn't in America. I walked around the parking lot checking all of the white Toyota SUVs trying to find one with the Peace Corps logo until a man came up to me offering his cell phone, "You can call from my phone." I tried...and got a busy signal. "No problem," the man said. "I'll take you home, and you can pay me later."

I had no other choice than to accept the taxi driver's kindness. He helped me with my bags and we got in the car and he pulled away from the smallest international airport I have ever experienced. As all other Malians in Bamako, he was surprised at the fact that I spoke Bambara. After chatting a little and exchanging the standard jokes about each others last name, I told him that I would go to the bank on Monday and he could come by and get the money that afternoon.

We arrived at my apartment and he helped me out with my bags. I was happy to be back, and reminded of the kindness of the majority of Malians. But when I was about ready to grab my bags and head in to the apartment, the cab driver stopped me, "Wait," he injected, "can I give you some money to get you through the weekend?" (Since I arrived on Saturday and couldn't get to the bank until Monday) I wanted to say no, but he insisted that I take some, and when I said 2000 CFA would be fine (the equivalent of 4 dollars) he offered me more. I took the 2000, thanked him, we exchanged phone numbers, and I went inside.

Tuesday he called me, we planned to meet in the afternoon, he came by the apartment and I paid him back with a little interest, and he acted as if I had done him a favor.

I won't generalize and say that all third world countries are like this, but I can say that Mali is a country where people will almost always help each other out. Taxi drivers don't make that much money, but he still had enough to help me out. This is just how it is here, no rewards or honors for helping, and they do so without hesitation.

It was, to say the least, a kind welcome back to Mali.

Transition Part Deux - The Real Deal

I realized that I was lying by calling my last post 'Transition' when all I did was put on some pictures of the Radio opening. I figured that I would bring you the actual news about the transition out of the simple village life into the big city of Bamako. Here's a little list of what's changed:

USED TO HAVE ---- WHAT I HAVE NOW
Hole in the ground toilet ---- 3 western toilets (that actually flush, wow)

Bucket baths with water the temperature of the air ---- 2 Showers with hot water heater
Car battery rigged to work with some electronics ---- Full-out electricity
Camping gas stove ---- 5 range stove top/Oversize Oven (with igniter, which means no more singed arm hair when I turn on the oven)
Straw hand fan ---- 5 High powered ceiling fans
Cement floor ---- Tile floor
Canary cooled water ---- Refrigerator/Freezer cooled water
Monthly internet access (when in Bamako) ---- Daily internet access (when in my Apartment)

I think that I might finally be living above the poverty line if I was in the States, even if my 'income' would indicate that I am below it. Looking at that list from the perspective of someone still living in America, I realize that 'what I have now' doesn't sound all that unique or exciting; however, after two years of living in Tene, it feels like I am living in a Palace.

Transition

So it's been a while, and there's much to say about what has happened in Tene, but I'm feeling a little too lazy to write all about it right now, but I thought I would share the pictures from the radio opening.

Revisiting the Blogospere

I'm spending some time in Bamako right now, to help out with the planning of the training of the new volunteers that are coming in July, then I will be going to play in a soccer match between the Mali and Mauritania volunteers in Mauritania - a nice trip sponsored by the Peace Corps as a part of the plan as the Deputy Director comes to Mali for a visit.
While being in Bamako and having a lot of free time on my hands, I thought I would take a little time to update the Blog. I don't have too much to say right now, and I only have a few new pictures to share, but I should be able to update it more often now.




In terms of news of Mali, all I can say is that things are still moving along very slowly, but moving nonetheless. Here are the updates:

• Radio Station / Resource Center : The antenna has finally arrived and there have not been any problems with money recently. The library was movied into the meeting room (4m. x 6m.) and has been very popular with the kids (since the last location was hot and dirty). The thing that the community is waiting for is for the consultant to show up with the equipment and complete the installation. Then - as I have told the radio group from the beginning - the real work starts.
• Adult Literacy Program : The class with women I originally started is still going strong and we are in the process of expanding the program to include more of the many intersted men and women in Tene. We have been given the old (hot and dirty) library building to use as a classroom to use as the Literacy Center, I just hope it isn't as disagreeable to adults as it was for the kids. We hope to have about 60 students in the program and 2 or 3 teachers.
• Tree Nursery : The training of the workers took place at the end of March and was successful up to this point. They are reaching the end of their "trial planting procedure" and are hopefully going to be prepared to sell some seedlings by the middle of the rainy season.

All in all, I have been happy with the results of these projects, but they just take much longer than expected. In the meantime, I have still been reading and writing, trying to catch up on current events with my two-month-old Newsweeks. I just got back from a vacation in Greece, which I will talk about in more detail soon (hopefully with pictures).

It's now time for some pictures of Africa....but I don't think I'm going to describe them all so when you have questions, you can either write a comment or just email me.

As many of you know...and as many of you don't know, I am on vacation from Mali for a total of three weeks.
Here you see me enjoying the wonderful German Hefeweizen Bier about to watch Germany play Sweden in the World Cup.





More of us getting ready for the big Game in the Round of 16.





Then after a long time waiting for the game to start, lots of unusual waving of the German flag and a newfound sense of Patriotism that hasn't been as openly expressed in Germany (as far as I have been able to gather) at all in the past 50 years, we all sang the national hymn (and I hummed the familiar Haydn melody since I didn't know all the words) and the game began with lots of cheers and the best atmosphere for any sporting event in the World.

Not too far into the game......
GOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!

So Germany went on the win 2-0 and the entire country was in a state of euphoria. All of the special songs made specifically for the World Cup played and people dances and laughed and had a great time. The city was alive with celebration for the rest of the day and night.

Now that I have briefly described the fun atmospehere that accompanied the German victory, I should make a quick note that they beat Argentina in a penalty shootout in the next game and then lost to Italy in overtime the next. On Saturday the 8th of July they will be playing against Portugal for third place in Stuttgart. Although the euphoria has subsided into the disbelief and shattered hopes of millions of German fans wanting their team to win the World Cup in their own country, everyone had a great time and the German team did in fact, perform better than anyone had ever expected.