The latest from Dombila- Mangos, Naps, and politics

Easter always seems to come up so quickly. At home, I’m always surprised to see Easter when I look outside and the expected flowers and grass and chirping birds and such have not yet arrived. But in Mali, the seasons are certainly changing. The hot season is well upon us, and sometimes it seems like there is no escape from the blistering sun. Though I have been watching the trees for weeks and weeks as their little buds start to grow, little by little. They were big and green but not quite ready yet, until finally, this week, they came upon us.
Yes, my friends, the mangos have finally arrived. Almost every tree in my village is a mango tree and the fruit is unlimited for the next few months. Every morning, noon, and night, kids come to my door and give me mangos. Since the start of the hot season, I’ve been impatiently watching them ripen, now satisfactorily, eating 7 to 8 a day! I had mango oatmeal for dinner last night, mango spagetti another night, and then just your average mango snack throughout the day. Temperatures are rough, the sun’s rays even rougher, but the mangos are getting me through. They are absolutely delicious.

Seasons are changing in other ways here in Dombila. With the heat, there is “community naptime” from approximately 1pm-3pm. Everybody sleeps. It’s the only thing you really can do in the heat. Me, I typically don’t sleep, but I’ll relax under the shade of my hanger and read a book or something. It’s too hot to sleep. And as soon as the sun goes down I hit the sack- though that’s the time the rest of the village goes out to sociallize. In other news, the election is right around the corner, and with 7 political parties bidding for control of the mayor’s office, people are quite preoccupied with it. So I have two things here: the village leaders who have their heads rapped up in nothing but politics, and the common village people who are pretty much sleeping all day. Who is going to work with me?
The last two weeks have been painfully slow. I try to keep my motivation and determination up, hoping someone will listen to me, but so far I have felt very unheard.. Just a few weeks ago I was stressed about having too many projects on my mind, now I am desperate for something to do. My job is to work with the community, so really, there is little I can accomplish on my own. But with an absent community that doesn’t have the time or interest in working with me, things are at a standstill. I have a zillion ideas for the community, and every time I mention one I am told to put it off until later. It’s understandable I suppose- there are other things to do now. But what am I supposed to do in the meantime? I used to think that Peace Corps volunteers who read all the time were a bit lazy or distracted from their work. But now, I’m reading quite a bit. Reading, eating mangos, weighing some babies here and there, and trying to stir up some motivation in the community. If there is anything I’ve learned thus far, it’s that patience is a virtue. I’ve learned to be patient, but my months are numbered already, and what little we’ve accomplished is far from my vision. Donni donni all the way.