We all know the expression- if at first your plans are foiled by political instability, try try again. So on Wednesday I'll be heading back to West Africa to help with the upcoming presidential elections in Chad. Just kidding. I'll be going to Mali- a country with no elections until 2012 and relative stability...and a 30% literacy rate. You win some, you lose some.
I will be living in the Segou region of Mali in a town of 3,000 called Touba. The nearest map-worthy town is called San. Touba is the former home of your friend and mine, Sr Vicky, who spent 5 years working at the hospital there. The sisters pay the salary of the Malian doctor (Mali boasts .08 physicians per 1,000 people) who works there and the hospital is apparently fairly large and includes a maternity wing. Sr Vicky went as far as to call Touba "un petit paradis" but I can't help thinking that she's playing some sort of joke on me, based on the fact that a sister I met in Benin told me that when she lived in Touba, they would put their sheets in the freezer before going to bed. At least they have a freezer?
So just a heads up that this blog will be continuing for the next few months. I'll update it whenever I can, but feel free to shoot me an email anytime! I might not respond as quickly as I do here (my computer and I are basically dating) but I really did appreciate all of your support when I was in Duekoue. Speaking of support...let's hear it for my parents!! Really though they are awesome.
For anyone who is curious or who would like to see a website last updated in 1999, the volunteer program run by the sisters is called VIDES and can be found at http://vides.us/. The international website is http://www.vides.org/
Thanks for reading and I'll hopefully be updating soon from Mali!
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