As some of you know, I just graduated from the University of Michigan with an Engineering degree and will be leaving for Mali, Africa in early July. As a Peace Corps volunteer I will be stationed fairly close to the capital, Bamako, which is about 700 km southwest of Timbuktu. Mali is a big country, slightly less than twice the size of Texas, much of it stretching into the Sahara. The national language is French although local languages such as Bambara are also spoken, both of which I will need to learn. The time commitment is 27 months and I will be working as a water sanitation engineer and extension agent. According to Wikipedia, Southern Mali gets more rain on average over the course of a year than Detroit although for 5 months out of that year less than a quarter inch of precipitation is recorded. This adds up to big water problems as they do not have adequate methods for storing up water for the dry season. This is one problem I will be addressing along with health education. Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world with a life expectancy of just under 50 years and the median age of 15.8 years. As my sister pointed out, I am soon to be a middle-aged man!
Rice and millet are sometimes the only food options available so I have been eating as much as possible before I leave. I will send out updates every so often and would love to hear back from you! I want to stay up to date with what is happening in your lives, even if it is just some random things you did that day. It will probably take some time to answer your e-mails as internet will be sporadic, but I am sure they will me most valuable to me. Hope to hear from you soon!
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