August 15, 2002
Dear Mom, & Dad & Lonnie, Friends & Family
How are you? Things are going a bit better here, maybe it is just cause things are going a lot slower too. It rains every few days here, so I have lots of time to read, write letters, and relax. Recently in my market town we (Peace Corps Volunteers) played a large soccer match against the local villagers. We lost 1 to 0. I think we had about 1,000 spectators, then at halftime we gave theater productions on different topics ranging from the importance of soybeans to dehydration to bank savings. After the events we went to a large resort of sorts for two day 37 kilometers from my house for about 8 dollars. This place was amazing! It was all run on solar energy, there were trees everywhere, they raise their own eggs, chickens, camels, horses, ducks and rabbits. They have tons of fish also b/c it is next to a large river. They have two swimming pools, one with a water slide and a large tree farm. I bought two trees one Avocado tree and a Mandenne tree. the men who runs it is a retired Catholic priest and he single handed has supplied over 10% of Mali’s clean water by donating solar water pumps and has lived in Mali for over 50 years now. The place was just amazing, it just shows what money can do. As much as I believe in the goals of Peace Corps being culturally integrated in order to help people help themselves, I also see there are so many things that will never happen in a country like Mali if money isn’t available. It is like those pump “The Pere” donated, he donated two for my village, but one is broken now and the village doesn’t have the money to fix it. The only way it will ever get fixed is if someone donates the money & that is that. But just being at that place I thought if Mali had money it would all be like that. I hope to send you some more pictures soon. I recently sent a roll of film to Nicole and a roll of film to Reuben but they are both sending the photos & negatives back to me so I will return them to you when I get them. Other news, my friend Jillian’s cat just had kittens so I might be taking a cat to live with me soon. However, my puppy has taken to the bad habit of killing farm animals (her names Amonata) so my family might have to kill her & I’m pretty heartbroken.
Well, last but not least I’ll leave you with a story. The other day I was walking through market & I saw my friend’s mom looking at earrings she calls me over and asks me to look at the earrings too. I think “I don’t have money don’t try to get me to buy them.” She asks me “do you like them?” I tell her yes but I don’t have the money. She says “no do you like them?” and I quietly say yes, but again tell her I’m being honest and that I can’t buy them. She asks again if I like them and when I say yes she puts them on me and pays for them. Leaving the market, I almost cried thinking that someone who doesn’t really know me that well just bought me a present out of the blue for no reason at all. Everyone here always expects me to give them things and it was really nice for once for someone to give me something not wanting anything in return besides friendship. Anyways that’s all for now. Please write soon and don’t forget to tell everyone I said Hi.
Love Always,
Pattie