"When the music changes, so does the dance." ~African proverb
And when the country changes, so does the apparel. My packing list for Mali calls for long dresses and/or long skirts ending below the knee...and a quick glance in my closet informed me that I own neither. Well I do have some, but they are not appropriate. I am, of course, excluding anything formal, pencil-shaped, with a halter-back, just at the knee or with majority white print since the red dirt there would probably stain it. Who knew my entire closet would be excluded? Mental note: Buy long casual skirts and dresses in wrinkle-free materials.
Today we received more information about our departure! Apparently we'll be leaving from NYC and flying through Casablanca with a day long layover there. I can't wait to explore Casablanca. I want to walk into a gin joint just to see if I know anyone in there or at least say to someone, "Here's looking at you, kid!" I'll try to catch up with all of you folks in NYC when I come through the city on the way to Mali in the last days of May. We have an orientation in NYC so I expect to be there for at least two days. Hopefully everyone won't be on vacation the week after Memorial Day.
We also got a chance to choose our two most desired assignments based on three profiles. I almost feel as if I can't go wrong:
1) The project with World Education includes traveling to northern Mali and interviewing scholarship recipients, their families and communities (and taking pictures) to document the effect of the program and creating communications around the impact. Sounds like a perfect fit with my background in journalism and I would love to spend time with families and experience the differences between northern and southern Mali.
2) The Projet Jeune assignment involves socio-cultural research and mobilizing youth around contraception and sexually-transmitted disease prevention. (Currently the incidence of HIV is relatively low in Mali at 1.6% of the population and efforts are underway to keep it that way.) Projet Jeune is somehow connected to the Ministry of Health in Mali and they work with the United Nations Population Fund. Sounds perfect with my background in social change communications.
3)And the project with ASDAP, the organization founded by a Malian midwife, is very similar to that of Projet Jeune but it also involves teaching kids.
Since I had to make a choice, I chose World Education first and Projet Jeune second, but really it would be ideal if we could have a chance to do all three assignments.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Vaccinations: Part I
"We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes." ~ John F. Kennedy
Indeed! And since I didn't want to let my fear of shots hold me back from pursuing my trip to Mali, I headed to Student Health this morning for a one-on-one consultation at the Travel Clinic. (Note: I didn't always have a fear of shots but having bloodwork drawn pre-surgery a few years ago resulted in me having blood-spattered clothing and black and blue bruises up and down both arms. I can't imagine what part of that experience could have turned me off from needles...)
At any rate, the pharmacy resident I consulted with did a very thorough job of explaining in detail a number of exotic diseases to which I had the potential to be exposed, their horrible symptoms, and the list of practices I would need to follow: only bottled water even to brush your teeth, no ice, don't eat fruit unless you peel it yourself in case someone rinses it with water, apply 12 hour insect repellent lotion with DEET at morning and night, spray your clothes with an insect repellent that lasts for 5 or 6 washes (it makes you insect-proof), check your mosquito net for holes, avoid food from street vendors, don't take aspirin for six weeks after your yellow fever shot, take your malaria pill once a day. The consultation ended with the resident giving me a take-home packet of information to study (is there a test?) and recommending a list of seven vaccinations and one prophylaxis.
In order to get them today, I had to fill out yet another questionnaire and I found myself hesitating when I came to a question that asked if I was currently sick. I hadn't felt sick before that conversation, but the details she provided spurred my very vivid imagination and in the ten minutes since I met with her, my throat started to feel raw, the lymph nodes under my jawline started feeling swollen, and my body started feeling achy. Ultimately, I checked no, that I wasn't currently sick, or at least, no, that I hadn't been sick upon arriving, so we didn't delay the inevitable.
In my naivete I had assumed that I'd be getting all the vaccinations in one fell swoop today. (Now, why I thought it was a bright idea to get seven shots, two with live viruses, only hours before I was scheduled to give a presentation, I'll never know.) She politely suggested that I get half today and half at some point next week. So today, Hepatitis A, Tetanus, and Yellow Fever went into my left arm and Meningitis into my right, with the last two being extremely uncomfortable to the point where I got goose bumps and felt the nerve endings in my right eye socket make themselves known. (She actually pinched the fat on the back of my arm to administer the Yellow Fever vaccination. Stop that!)
Thankfully, I asked for a red lollipop beforehand. And yes I probably looked like an overgrown child, purposely averting my eyes, and sucking on a lollipop while getting my shots, but, hey, you do what you have to do to get the job done. I'm not ashamed!
Indeed! And since I didn't want to let my fear of shots hold me back from pursuing my trip to Mali, I headed to Student Health this morning for a one-on-one consultation at the Travel Clinic. (Note: I didn't always have a fear of shots but having bloodwork drawn pre-surgery a few years ago resulted in me having blood-spattered clothing and black and blue bruises up and down both arms. I can't imagine what part of that experience could have turned me off from needles...)
At any rate, the pharmacy resident I consulted with did a very thorough job of explaining in detail a number of exotic diseases to which I had the potential to be exposed, their horrible symptoms, and the list of practices I would need to follow: only bottled water even to brush your teeth, no ice, don't eat fruit unless you peel it yourself in case someone rinses it with water, apply 12 hour insect repellent lotion with DEET at morning and night, spray your clothes with an insect repellent that lasts for 5 or 6 washes (it makes you insect-proof), check your mosquito net for holes, avoid food from street vendors, don't take aspirin for six weeks after your yellow fever shot, take your malaria pill once a day. The consultation ended with the resident giving me a take-home packet of information to study (is there a test?) and recommending a list of seven vaccinations and one prophylaxis.
In order to get them today, I had to fill out yet another questionnaire and I found myself hesitating when I came to a question that asked if I was currently sick. I hadn't felt sick before that conversation, but the details she provided spurred my very vivid imagination and in the ten minutes since I met with her, my throat started to feel raw, the lymph nodes under my jawline started feeling swollen, and my body started feeling achy. Ultimately, I checked no, that I wasn't currently sick, or at least, no, that I hadn't been sick upon arriving, so we didn't delay the inevitable.
In my naivete I had assumed that I'd be getting all the vaccinations in one fell swoop today. (Now, why I thought it was a bright idea to get seven shots, two with live viruses, only hours before I was scheduled to give a presentation, I'll never know.) She politely suggested that I get half today and half at some point next week. So today, Hepatitis A, Tetanus, and Yellow Fever went into my left arm and Meningitis into my right, with the last two being extremely uncomfortable to the point where I got goose bumps and felt the nerve endings in my right eye socket make themselves known. (She actually pinched the fat on the back of my arm to administer the Yellow Fever vaccination. Stop that!)
Thankfully, I asked for a red lollipop beforehand. And yes I probably looked like an overgrown child, purposely averting my eyes, and sucking on a lollipop while getting my shots, but, hey, you do what you have to do to get the job done. I'm not ashamed!
Thursday, April 12, 2007
A Journey of a Thousand Miles...
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. ~ Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu
My upcoming journey of 6,852 miles from California to Mali also began with a single step. As most of you already know I was selected by The One World Foundation to lead a team of volunteers on a two-month community development engagement in Mali this summer. As it is a volunteer assignment, I needed to raise funds for my project fees and the trip itself. I created a one-page information sheet about the need for donations and I have been absolutely overwhelmed by the outpouring of support I received from my immediate and extended community. Thank you all so very much for enabling me to take the first step of this journey!!
I am going to Mali to do what I can to make a difference. I will be volunteering primarily with issues of access to healthcare and primary education. By doing so, I hope to expand my sense of the possible, both for myself, for those I meet and work with, for those who have helped to make this trip possible, and for my disciplines of nonprofit management and community development. I expect to return full of enthusiasm, insight, and a deeper comprehension.
In the meantime, I made an appointment to get all the shots I will need to travel (shudder!) and I signed a form stating I will only drink bottled water while in Mali. There are so many warnings about what to do to avoid getting some tropical, intestinal "fun" (thanks to all those who gleefully shared details) that I am worried about not able to relax and accept and appreciate Malian hospitality (think Babel).
I "met", online anyway, the team of young leaders from the U.S. One member is currently in Boston working with Outward Bound; another member is directing a program for youth in Hollis, Queens, and yet a third left a banking position in NYC to work for a nonprofit in South Africa. I can't wait to meet them in person. I am also very excited about meeting and working with the young leaders in Mali, working with nongovernmental organizations ASDAP and World Education, and using French in a professional setting (thank you to all my French teachers over the years). If you haven't clicked the above hyperlinks you should as both are very impressive organizations.
Once I get to Mali, I will be working with our country coordinator to set up a weekly speaker series for the group, featuring representatives from government agencies in Mali; local organizations such as ASDAP, Haute Conseil Nationale Islamic, and Groupe Pivot/Sante Population; and local representatives from: USAID, UNICEF/UNFPA, World Health Organization, CARE International, Africare, the US Embassy, and the World Bank. It will definitely be interesting to weigh all the various perspectives.
I am excited and nervous about the upcoming trip. And somehow as long as I've got these papers and presentations due before then, and graduation afterwards, the trip doesn't seem real yet. I worry that as much as I have to offer the organizations and people I will encounter, that I will still be learning far more from them than they will be learning from me. I don't quite know what to do about that imbalance other than to accept it humbly.
We don't have our departure dates yet but we are supposed to be in Mali come June 1st. Until then I will continue to update you on my preparations, and after that point I will be coming to you live from Timbuktu.
Full disclosure: My work will be centered in Bamako, the capital of Mali, but since most people have heard of Timbuktu and not Bamako, I employed artistic license.
My upcoming journey of 6,852 miles from California to Mali also began with a single step. As most of you already know I was selected by The One World Foundation to lead a team of volunteers on a two-month community development engagement in Mali this summer. As it is a volunteer assignment, I needed to raise funds for my project fees and the trip itself. I created a one-page information sheet about the need for donations and I have been absolutely overwhelmed by the outpouring of support I received from my immediate and extended community. Thank you all so very much for enabling me to take the first step of this journey!!
I am going to Mali to do what I can to make a difference. I will be volunteering primarily with issues of access to healthcare and primary education. By doing so, I hope to expand my sense of the possible, both for myself, for those I meet and work with, for those who have helped to make this trip possible, and for my disciplines of nonprofit management and community development. I expect to return full of enthusiasm, insight, and a deeper comprehension.
In the meantime, I made an appointment to get all the shots I will need to travel (shudder!) and I signed a form stating I will only drink bottled water while in Mali. There are so many warnings about what to do to avoid getting some tropical, intestinal "fun" (thanks to all those who gleefully shared details) that I am worried about not able to relax and accept and appreciate Malian hospitality (think Babel).
I "met", online anyway, the team of young leaders from the U.S. One member is currently in Boston working with Outward Bound; another member is directing a program for youth in Hollis, Queens, and yet a third left a banking position in NYC to work for a nonprofit in South Africa. I can't wait to meet them in person. I am also very excited about meeting and working with the young leaders in Mali, working with nongovernmental organizations ASDAP and World Education, and using French in a professional setting (thank you to all my French teachers over the years). If you haven't clicked the above hyperlinks you should as both are very impressive organizations.
Once I get to Mali, I will be working with our country coordinator to set up a weekly speaker series for the group, featuring representatives from government agencies in Mali; local organizations such as ASDAP, Haute Conseil Nationale Islamic, and Groupe Pivot/Sante Population; and local representatives from: USAID, UNICEF/UNFPA, World Health Organization, CARE International, Africare, the US Embassy, and the World Bank. It will definitely be interesting to weigh all the various perspectives.
I am excited and nervous about the upcoming trip. And somehow as long as I've got these papers and presentations due before then, and graduation afterwards, the trip doesn't seem real yet. I worry that as much as I have to offer the organizations and people I will encounter, that I will still be learning far more from them than they will be learning from me. I don't quite know what to do about that imbalance other than to accept it humbly.
We don't have our departure dates yet but we are supposed to be in Mali come June 1st. Until then I will continue to update you on my preparations, and after that point I will be coming to you live from Timbuktu.
Full disclosure: My work will be centered in Bamako, the capital of Mali, but since most people have heard of Timbuktu and not Bamako, I employed artistic license.
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