I am alive and doing very very well!

Merry Merry Belated Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!!!

Lenny and I spent a very strange but wonderful Christmas in the desert in Timbuktu. We didnt have much Christmas spirit but we definitely took time to think of home and our families and friends so far away.

We have been having crazy adventures every step of the way. Our trip started out with a 55 hour train ride on a train built in the 1950s...possibly not cleaned since then either...some of the cockroaches looked a little dusty :)

We hadn't planned to stay in Mali so long but we met a fantastic German couple on the train who we decided we wanted to travel with, so we headed north to Timbuktu with them. Part of the journey was on a cargo Pinasse (big boat) for 3 days on the Niger River. That was very relaxing! Unfortunately Nathalie and Ansgar had to head back towards Dakar so we didnt get to spend Christmas with them but instead we spent Christmas with three guys in the desert and a camel.

Two of the guys were our guides. The third owned the camel. It was wonderful. One of them is playing in the Festival du Desert...so he sang a bit for us and we learned some traditional Tuareg dancing. They taught us about Tuareg beliefs about the stars. Quite a special Christmas...I even got to open one present that I have been carrying since September from Adam's parents!! That was a big exciting event in our evening!!!

The guys were really sweet so after our desert trip they invited us to their family's house for a traditional diner on the 25th...their Christmas present to us!

Delicious as it was (rice with goat and camel butter)it must not have sat so well in our stomaches because on our drive back to Mopti (leaving Timbuktu) Lenny and I both were violently ill. First and LAST time - inshallah - that I throw up out the window of a moving van!! :(

We spent a day recovering in Mopti and yesterday we hopped on a bus to Koro (near the Burkina-Mali border) and then on to Ouagiyah in Burkina. Another painful painful bus ride leaving my butt and back seriously bruised :) We were at least 30 people in a van meant for MAX 20....almost impressive, if it wasnt so painful!!

Unfortunatly Lenny's illness seems to have hung on because she is still recovering today so we postponed moving on until tomorrow.

Tomorrow we will grab a bus to Tougan and visit my dear friend Max's host family from her Canada World Youth days. That will be really really neat!!

From there the plan is to head south to a region with pretty waterfalls and hippos - and then spend a week heading back to Saint Louis. Likely with a stop in Dakar!

I probably wont have internet access until I get back to Saint Louis again but I promise an update at that point.

Hope that everyone who follows this had a fantastic Christmas and are still having a great winter break! Happy New Year!!!

The BIG Day!!

Today I rolled small pieces of fat into mouton stomach lining and then wrapped mouton intestine around it. "Unfortunately" we left before I was able to sample this sumptious treat! :)

Animal lovers beware...Tabaski is NOT for you. Although, it was much easier to watch than I had imagined. We arrived at the tailor's shop this morning shortly before 8. Finding a bus into town was much easier than anticipated! Mbaye (our tailor) was still working on last minute outfits for the day. When he finished he took us to his house where we met his 4 brothers and 2 sisters and their various wives and husbands and children! They had 6 sheep that they were going to kill. One was a huge one that his father had bought!

At 9:30 all the men went to the mosque to pray and when they came back the real work began. All 6 sheep were brought outside and tied to various posts. 6 holes were dug for the blood to drain in to. Then one by one the sheep were pushed/carried to the holes, placed on the ground and their throats were cut over the holes. I had a whole range of emotions going on - intrigue, disgust, sadness, apathy....I wasn't sure how I was feeling. Lenny and I documented it well though, so those of you interested can see the whole process at some point. I wont post the most graphic photos out of sympathy for those who don't want to see.

It was quite a process. Mbaye's father killed the first mouton, the biggest. Then each brother killed one after. All the little boys were right there helping hold down the sheep.

The sheep were then carried back into the courtyard of the house were the men began to prepare the meat. The women began to cook the meat and after awhile everyone was occupied with prepping the meat. I helped one of the daughters prepare the onion sauce that went with lunch! MMMM tasty!

The day was mostly spent sitting around and dealing with the meat. I don't know if you can picture it but 6 sheep is a LOT of meat. There was also a whole ritual of taking certain pieces to neighbours as 'gifts' and receiving certain pieces as well! At one point a man came in and sang a song and people were dancing!

It was all very festive and everyone was helping!

In the afternoon there was a bit of a lull as not all of the sheep killed were being processed. Some would wait until tomorrow.

Lenny and I went for a bit of a walk and when we came back we got to eat again! We got to eat with the men...which was strange. But I guess we were guests! The younger women all ate together and then the older women ate together.

Now I am all sheeped out...well, really, all meat-ed out in general for a good long time to come! I can still smell mouton stomach on my hands...

All in all a fantastic Tabaski celebrated with a wonderful family!! We will definitely go back and spend time with them. Despite Mbaye's iffy tailoring skills :)

Tomorrow -- off to Dakar!

Pre-Tabaski post!

Tabaski!

Tabaski is a Muslim holiday all about mouton (sheep)! Apparently when Abraham was going to sacrifice his son to god, god replaced Ishmael (I think that was the son) with a Mouton. So every year Muslims around the world celebrate this sacrifice by they themselves sacrificing a mouton.

(yes, I am aware that mouton is the french word and that there is a proper english word but mouton just sounds so much better)

There is a whole intense spirit around Tabaski that is very similar to the Christmas spirit. Although much less commercial and more about being with the family. Although, I am sure Tabaski is a big economic boost at the same time as people are buying gifts and clothing for the big day!!

Imagine for a minute the whole ritual of going to pick out a Christmas tree. You go and you select the one that is the most within your means (both in terms of price and space), you either cut it down or you select it out of the precut pile. Then you throw it up on the roof of your car, maybe even put it in a bag first, tie it down and off you go! Now mentally replace the image of the tree with that of a mouton…and there you have tabaski spirit ☺ You go and pick out your mouton….put it in a bag….throw it on the roof…tie it down….bring it home! But instead of decorating your mouton you slaughter it and eat it…

For Tabaski, it is the obligation of every Muslim (I think just the men) to buy a mouton if they can afford it. If you can afford more you buy more than one and share with your neighbours. It is a day of prayer, eating, and being with family. If you aren’t Muslim, that doesn’t matter you will still get tons of invites to spend Tabaski with a Muslim family. I don’t think I can count the number of people we have turned down and not because we are just ‘oh so popular’ but because it is part of the tradition to share and be open and welcoming. Everyone has been talking about Tabaski for weeks…..everyone goes home to be with their families. Campus right now is so empty because people are at home preparing. Everywhere you go there is Tabaski spirit. Saint Louis is a MESS to walk through because you have to dodge all the vendors selling beautiful outfits to wear, food, gifts and of course the most important. It is almost dangerous to walk in town because you might get stuck up against a car while a herd of mouton go by with their sharp little horns…but so far I have managed to avoid any gouging!

Ooohh it is just so exciting!! Lenny and I are spending Tabaski with our tailor. It is a little funny because, as we have discovered, our tailor is not necessarily the most…how to put it…skilled tailor in Saint Louis. But he has a big heart and he invited us a long time ago! So tomorrow morning we are going to leave campus at 7 am to be in town by 8. The reason it might take so long is we have to wait for a nice person driving by to stop and pick us up. Taxis don’t really work on Tabaski….

Then we will spend the whole day with the tailor and his family. There is apparently a big prayer at 10….there is the killing of the mouton….there is the preparation of the food…and then eating of the food. I am sure there are a whole lot of other things going on too but I can write about that after the fact ☺

Tomorrow night we will return to campus for a nice rest and then early Wednesday morning Lenny and I are off to Dakar. We aren’t entirely sure of our plan but we will start with going to Dakar and trying to figure out the train schedule to Bamako in Mali. From there, who knows….we will see how far we get.

So – for now….Dewenati (sort of means…bonne fete for this year and years to come) and Dem leen chi jamm neuw chi jamm (go in peace and return in peace)!

Students win!

Strike is over...bursaries have been paid! To most people at least. The first years still have to wait but I guess they have worked something out to appease them somehow.

Thanks to those of you who voiced your concern for me! I am sorry I was out of touch for a bit after sending an message like that...there was actually no other violence after that day. There were two more roadblocks but other then some loud words with angry truck drivers and passers-through no one was hurt and the Gendarmerie stayed away.

There is still a bit of tension on campus because the students are a bit divided on the topic of whose tactics actually solved the problem. Was it the students blocking the road that pushed the Ministry to deliver the payments or was it the Delegates in Dakar having meetings and insisting on immediate payment...

Maybe it was a combination...

Either way - the students have their money and are able to travel home to their regions to celebrate Tabaski! Yeah!

And now I have to go in to town to pick up my Bubu (traditional dress) that I will wear for Tabaski....

More updates later!

Intensity!

Today I tasted and smelled tear gas for the first time. It gives a weird sensation like you have inhaled a lot of pepper mixed with chemicals. Luckily it wasn’t that strong or I am sure it would have been much more unpleasant.

Last night Annie, Genet, Lenny and I went out to go dancing and to see a show of Mbalax music and dancing. The dancers we met Saturday night said that we should meet at 21h because the show started at 22h. When we got their we were told the show started at 23h, which got bumped to 24h….which got bumped to 2:30….when we left at 3:00 the show had not begun! All that to illustrate that if there is ONE thing I will learn from this trip (I think I have said this already) it will be patience and super low expectations that things will go they way they should!!

We still had fun and we hung out with two Norwegian exchange students who are really nice. They spent the month of October travelling through Mali, Burkina Faso and Togo. Actually, they have inspired us to do the same. It sounds like a fantastic route to take!

Lenny and I have a tentative plan to take off next Wednesday. Hopefully the other girls will want to come too. The chances of any serious classes between now and Christmas are slim to none and I think we would learn much more on ‘the road.’ Finish this year off with a bang and start the next one fresh and ready to go to school!!

The point of this whole story is that I was asleep in my bed when Lenny knocked on my door to say she had gotten a text from Raff saying that there was a ‘manifestation’ at the front gates and tear gas was being lobbed at the students. Lenny and I headed to the front gates to see what was going on.

I have never before seen anything like what happened. There was a huge mob of students standing in front of the gates and just outside the Gendarmerie was standing in full riot gear. There weren’t that many of them though – about 30 at the beginning and 45 by the end. We stood around watching and listening as the students were yelling, cheering and gathering rocks to throw at the Gendamerie. It was mostly just a lot of confusion and then all of a sudden the whole crowd of students was running towards us. Lenny, Raff, Aime and I hesitated a bit but then other students were shouting at us to run because the Gendamerie were coming.

We didn’t run far because the crowd soon slowed. Luigi, who had made his way to the top of a building, managed to film a bit of what happened (in secret because had he been seen the students would probably have taken his video camera…Andreas was forced to delete some pictures that he had taken)! The Gendermerie broke through the gates and threw tear gas canister at the students. They made it in a bit but then the students turned back and started pitching rocks at the Gendarmerie and they were forced to retreat!

One student got hurt. I am not sure to what extent. We just saw a group of 10 students carrying a guy and running towards the medical center. I suppose we will find out later what happened exactly.

Anyway – basically it was a lot of backing and forthing between the Genderamerie and the students. And the occasional BANG when they fired the tear gas. The Gendarmerie are allowed on campus but they are not allowed beyond a certain point (near the classrooms) so they would push forward and then fall back…then push forward…fall back….the students would turn and run and then push back…turn and run and then push back…

We basically stood at the back on the steps to the Ampitheater (where we could run into if we needed to…and close the door) and watched.

I don’t know what to think about the whole situation. I know that the throwing of rocks and intensity of the students was really frightening. I don’t handle violence all that well and I was scared, not at all for me but for the students who were bound to get hurt in all of this!

On the other hand I totally understand the frustration of the students in being promised this money and then being told no….over and over again for the past month! Clearly their actions were provoking a response and drawing attention, which was the ultimate goal I think.

The history between the Gendarmerie and the students is interesting too because there is a resentment on the part of the Gendarmerie against these ‘cushy’ students who always complain but have cheap lodging, cheap food, and cheap education!

Some of the students were the most frightening. Throughout all of this people were standing on the road in front of the gate but there were also a lot of students standing on the upper floors of the nearby buildings. At one point the core group of students leading the manifestation turned and started throwing rocks at other students who were standing on the second floor of nearby buildings. They broke some windows and hit some students – all because those students weren’t ‘participating.’ I had just suggested we go up there for a better view, am I ever glad we didn’t!

I am trying to be pretty neutral and just observe because I recognize there is a lot I don’t understand BUT I can’t help question the logic of throwing rocks at your fellow students. What does that accomplish other then divide your sense of solidarity? These students were still there watching and showing support through their presence. They just weren’t down on the street chucking rocks! Not everyone can play a direct role like that….

It struck me mostly as sad.

So eventually I guess they students struck a deal with the Gendarmerie or decided to end the blockade and everyone started to leave. They were cheering as if they had won but kept warning the Gendarmerie that they would be back the next day if the bursaries don’t come in.

Oh and yesterday there was a roadblock also. I wasn’t there but I heard afterwards that there had been rock throwing and tear gas as well. We also found out that the students turned on the Delegates of the Social Committee. The Delegates had and have been advocating negotiations above blocking the road or striking and the students (when their Bursaries didn’t come in Monday morning) got fed up and took some of the Delegates by force and held them ‘hostage.’ They broke down the door of one of our friends in searching for him. He said later that he really feared for himself because the students had said they wanted to beat-up the Delegates. I guess the Delegates that weren’t taken were able to negotiate and get the others free. But I can imagine it would have been pretty terrifying.

Reading this post over, it all sounds much scary and much more intense but in reality campus is still very calm. Walking to the gates this morning you would have no idea that there was anything going on. Yesterday, I didn’t know that our friends had been taken hostage until the afternoon when they were free again. It is the strangest, most sureal feeling seeing all this going on. Some students are just going about their normal lives and some are out there burning their eyes, noses and throats in the tear gas.

Well - it is over for today but the Delegates are in Dakar negotiating with the minister. If the bursaries don’t come in, tomorrow will be likely be a repeat of today and perhaps even worse for the Delegates. I only hope that the mob mentality doesn’t fully take over and that the students remember what they are fighting for and who they should be fighting – something that doesn’t seem like it is easy to do.

Guess what?

Strike...roadblock...no class...what more is there to say?

Woke up this morning and went to class only to find out that the students' bursaries have stopped coming in and so the students are out on the road, blocking it! Hopefully the problem will be resolved quickly or this week will go by without class...next week we have no class (for Tabaski)...then we have one week of class (if Profs show up)...and then it is Christmas break!

The part that worries me about all of this, is that once we get back in January all the profs are going to do a mad scramble to catch-up on the semester and here we will be, totally unprepared for stress and working hard! That is not going to be pretty...

In the meant time though, Wolof courses are going well. Paul is a great teacher and I already feel like I have learned a lot. If all else fails I want to leave this country speaking the language!!

Okay - off to the library to try and learn and study Wolof! More updates and pictures to come...