The past couple of days have been a mixture of many things. We were situated at this camp for 5 days, where we had the chance to get to know each other better, before we had been split off into our host families. There was my team of 18 and another team of 18, who were also on the Quebec, Mali trip, just not in the same areas. While at the camp I stayed in a room with Sarah and two girls from the other Mali team. The camp is about an hour or so from Montreal and 3 hours away from La Pocatiere (where I will be living for 3 months). The camp was absolutely gorgeous as stated in my last entry and there was a semi-private beach, where we had the chance to swim and hangout. Random information: We met this guy who told us that he was the voice for the French version of Homer Simpson. We weren`t that sure, but if he was, I guess you could say I kind of met a celebrity haha.
Saturday June 19th and Sunday June 20th:
Over the weekend, we had a workshop that helped us understand a lot of what we are going to be experiencing while in Quebec and Mali. We explored many situations that could potentially take place while we are on this trip, and did group activities that gave us a chance to get to know everyone even better. It was an interesting workshop and I learned a lot about the Mali culture that I never knew before. There was this one activity where we were placed into groups of four. All the Anglophone (English) people were split up and put into groups. No one was allowed to speak any english nor translate it for the four of us while this activity was taking place. We had to communicate trying to use French and listen and figure out what the rest of the group was saying. We had to act out a skit in French that went along with the situation we were given. This activity was a lot of fun, but kind of frustrating as I was confused for a while. Eventually, I understood what was going on and what was being said, and that was a really good feeling to have. I am starting to pick up certain words and what people are talking about, but it will take me awhile before I will be able to pick up entire conversations and join in. During our free time, we played a lot of soccer, volleyball and cards. The Canadians stuck to Volleyball, while the Malian`s stuck to soccer. We tried to get the Malians to play volleyball with us, but they wouldn`t. We eventually figured out that they had never played before, and so we showed them basic techniques so they could play. When we would get involved in soccer, it was so much fun to play. The Malians had epic skills and made it so exciting! I wish I could be as intense as them, but that is pretty much not going to happen. (I did score a goal once though!!! :P ) I have learned a lot already and am having a blast every second. I miss home so much and everyone there, but I wouldn`t trade this moment for anything.
I am trying really hard to pick up French fast, and eventually I will be able to join in on a conversation, but until then I will have to get by with my handy French-English dictionary. I also learned how to count to ten in Bambara, which is the most commonly spoken language and first language in Mali other than French.
On Saturday night, we had a Mali
Monday June 21st:
Today we discussed the homes in which we will be placed and we gave our preferences from how they were explained and what we would like. There were 9 homes to choose from and each had something that sounded unique and so different from what I am used to. Trying to narrow 9 homes down to 2 and one we least liked was very hard. I chose 2 families with children, who lived on farms, as my top two preferences. The one family had two children and were very active. They has a small lake by their home and liked to canoe. The other family I chose was a family of 7, with kids ages 1 to 8. These families seemed pretty sweet, so I didn`t really care for what place I would be put in. After supper, we all got dressed up into nice clothes and brought something to blindfold ourselves. We stood blindfolded and our supervisors placed our partner behind us, so that we were back to back. No one knew who they were going to be paired with for the 6 months, which made it quite exciting, but also worrisome. Everyone was unsure of how they would connect with whoever they were placed with, as each pair had one Canadian and one Malian. When we were told to remove our blindfolds, I was very excited to discover that my counterpart would be Rahama. Rahama and I had already worked together in a group and we seemed to get along well. After everyone found out who they were paired with, we had a special ceremony which is a tradition in the Malian culture. We went up in front of everyone with our partner and promised them one thing that we would do while we were partners with them for the six months. It was a unique ceremony that I was proud to be a part of. After the ceremony was finished, we danced and then found out which home we would be staying in. Rahama and I found out we would be placed into the family with 5 children. I was very excited, because I absolutely love children. Shortly afterwards, we had a huge bonfire for our last night at the camp. We brought marshmallows and found sticks to roast them with. We showed the Malians how to cook them, as they had never seen a marshmallow before. One of the Canadians marshmallows caught fire, and soon afterwards there were dozens in flame, as this was how they thought marshmallows were cooked. It was very funny and I had to try and explain to my counterpart that you didn`t want to set it on fire, because it is better when golden brown. As expected, she did not understand me and ate one that was practically charcoal and did not like it. I tried to get her to try another one, but that was not happening haha. The night was a lot of fun and full of dancing and laughing around the fire. It`s simple things like this that brings me joy and I already know this experience is well worth the ride. I am looking forward to everything that will be put in my path and I know and trust in God, that he will provide for me everything that I need, and will not put me in a situation that I cannot handle.
--Shelby :)
No comments:
Post a Comment