La Pocatiere!

Bonjour! This is my 3rd blog entry

Tuesday June 22nd:
Today we got up and had our last breakfast at the camp. After our breakfast we finished packing and loaded the bus for La Pocatiere. The bus ride was full of anticipation and excitement, as we were anxious to get to our new home town. We stopped for lunch in a beautiful park along the way, and relaxed for a while, then hopped back onto the bus. Once we arrived in La Pocatiere, I began to get nervous and excited to meet my host family. I had no idea what they would be like or where I would be living. We arrived at the library and said goodbye to the other team who needed to drive another 7 hours to get to their new home town. We has one last meeting before we would be picked up by our host families, discussing last minute things, and then played cards while we waited. When my host family arrived to pick Rahama and I up, they brought 4 of the 5 children with them. The kids were very cute and full of lots of energy! When we arrived at our new home (20 mins from La Pocatiere), we were introduced to their entire family. The parents (Pierre and Joanne) were very nice and welcoming. The kids names were Osiana (18 months), Jarron (3 years), Penelope (4 years), Natacha (7 years) and Bernard (8 years). They were all very excited to have us stay with them, and the kids gave us a personal tour of their home. When we got settled into our rooms, the whole family took us for a tour around the farm and explained to us what we would be doing while staying there. The rest of the night was spent visiting and getting settled into the home. The family was very nice, but the home itself was very unclean and I was not sure how I would cope with the mess everywhere. If you have ever seen an episode of Hoarders, than you would understand what I mean by unclean and unsanitary. I did not feel comfortable in my new home, and I knew it was not just nerves from being in a new place. I decided to not let my concerns get the best of me and I chose to give my new surroundings a chance. My goal was to at least give it a chance and to see where things went.

Wednesday June 23rd:
When Rahama and I woke up this morning, we talked for a bit and I discovered that we both were concerned about being in a home that was in the condition it was in. I felt relieved that I was not the only one who felt that way. My concerns continued to get worse as we both were hardly being fed at all, and I expressed these concerns to our supervisor after talking to my parents. The family was being paid $160 a week to feed us, so there should be no reason as to why we weren`t being fed properly. Although my counterpart and I were concerned about our diet, we decided to wait and see if things got any better.
That morning we went to the College in La Pocatiere and met with our team. We had a meeting about safety and did an activity, which was a scavenger hunt around La Pocatiere to get to know it better. After the Scavenger hunt we went to a thrift store to get clothes for our work projects and we helped our counterparts find some stuff as well. After shopping at the thrift store we went back and finished our meeting. At 5 pm, we were picked up by our host families and taken back to their home. That night I made a lot of calls to friends and family. Even though I could not see anyone in person, it felt like home just being able to hear all their voices. Those phone calls defiantly made my night and gave me a good dose of home. Tonight and last night was the first time I began to really miss home. Before I went to bed, Rahama and I went over some French, as I am still learning. It`s great that I have a counterpart that is so willing to help me in my process of learning the language and I am blessed to have been paired with her.

Thursday June 24th:
Today when Rahama and I woke up, we got ready to head to the College again for another full day with our team. We headed downstairs to find out that it was raining and was such an ugly day. Our supervisors had called us to let us know that what they had planned for us that day was mainly outside, and considering most of the Malians did not have raincoats, we were given the day off to relax. Rahama and I were very tired and decided that it would be a great idea to catch up on our sleep, so we both took a much needed nap. When we woke up, we decided to take a walk and explore the outdoors and walk down the highway. We went for a 2 hour walk, taking in the beautiful views and nature that was all around us. I had a very good time on this walk, as it was a great way to bond with my counterpart. We both enjoy long walks, and it`s great that we can use this as an activity to bond with each other. When we arrived back at the home, we played with the kids in the yard and hungout with them for the night. Even though it did not seem like we did much that day, it was a very successful day between Rahama and I, as we are starting to connect with each other.

Friday June 25th:
When Rahama and I woke up this morning to sunshine and birds singing, we were relieved, as we knew we would be able to have our meeting with our team at the College. The meeting was full of important information and fun activities. At 12pm, when everyone went for lunch outside, Rahama and I were asked to stay behind. We were told by our supervisors, because of the conditions of our home and what we were not being fed, that we would be moving out that night. I was extremely happy and relieved, but also very nervous to tell the family. The family was such a nice family and the kids were so much fun to be around, but we could not possibly live in that home for 3 months and work full days on the farm, if we were not going to be fed properly. The rest of the day was full of team activities and as 5pm got nearer, my nerves began to grow. When it was finally time to be picked up, Rahama, me, and our two supervisors (Madame Baby and Lili) came with us to talk to our host mother. We explained to them that the relationship between the family and Rahama and I was just not working out. We did this to prevent the family from feeling bad about their home being the real reason as to why we were leaving. I felt better that we didn`t put all the blame on them, because I would have felt awful for that. Like I said, the family was super sweet, just not liveable conditions for us to be in. After our conversation, we went to their home and retrieved our luggage, said goodbye to the family and left. We were placed for the weekend with the Malians supervisors host family. They were very nice about having us stay with them. Even though I felt like we were intruding, they made us feel extremely welcome and fed us a huge, delicious meal. This was something both Rahama and I appreciated a lot! After supper I gave my family a call to let them know that everything was being worked out and to not worry. I also gave some of my friends a call to just chat and see what was new with them. Today was Sheryl`s 19th birthday, and I wanted to see how her day was going. I had called and ordered for flowers to be delivered to her home, and was glad to know they made it there. It was nice to be able to talk with some familier voices, as I miss Saskatoon and everyone there. Today was very eventful and both Rahama and I were so tired, so falling asleep was not difficult at all.

Saturday June 26th:
When I got to this home on Friday, I was relieved to find out that they had internet! I mean, internet is not everything, but when you are far away from home and can`t always talk to family and friends on the phone, it`s nice to have something to keep in contact with. I am so happy that I am able to continue my blog as it was left on standby for awhile haha. The host family also has a dog and a cat. The dog is such a cutie and loves it when I give him attention. It makes me miss my dogs at home, but its nice to have some sort of familiarity here. For those who have been to my home or know me well (you actually dont even have to know me well), know that I am obsessed with animals, mainly dogs and not having a dog around would be weird for me. Today Rahama and I went for a long walk again. We went all the way into town and down where we had a magnificient view of the St. Laurent River! This walk took us about 2 hours, but it was so nice! I am enjoying these long walks with Rahama and I think we are starting to feel even more comfortable around each other, which is great! When we got back to the house we ate lunch and then Lili, the Canadian supervisor picked up Rahama, Madame Baby and I. We drove out to this super cute food market, where the employees uniforms were old fashioned. Once we were done there, we drove out to the Buffalo farm, where Sarah and her counterpart are living and working. They also have a food market every Saturday, so our supervisors bought some food. It was great to see them and talk with them for a while before we left. When we got back to the home, we made supper and then relaxed for the evening. We watched a movie (In French), and I watched it, not understanding much haha. The day was pretty successful and I was very tired by the end of it.

Sunday June 27th:
This morning I chose to use the computer while Rahama slept in for a change! Usually she is up way earlier than I am haha. I have been uploading stuff for my blog today and im glad I had the time to do so. After lunch me and my counterpart played some card games and then watched a little bit of television. Later in the afternoon, the host family came home, as they left yesterday morning to go to a wedding. For supper we all ate together and then the Host dad took me and Rahama out for soft icecream. It was such a treat! The rest of the evening was spent with everyone and we watched the movie Click (In French), but I understood what was happening as I had seen it before. The night was once again very good and I am glad everything is turning out great. Rahama and I get to meet our new host family tomorrow and are extremely excited for that! There is also a big celebration in La Pocatiere tomorrow, so I am very excited to experience that with my team. I will update as soon as I can about everything that is going to be happening in the next little while, as a lot will happen. For now, I leave you with what I have written which is a lot (Sorry! I didn`t have much internet connection).
Peace!
--­ Shelby :)