NEWS FROM ALLEN IN AFRICA

JOURNAL – Volume 2

January 2003 to present

Allen departed Manantali for the last time on 13 March 2004 and arrived in Bamako on Sunday, 15 March to prepare for his departure from Mali and his “long trip home.” Please use the following mailing address for all written correspondence until further notice:

L. Allen Mowbray

324 Lexington Avenue

Nashua, Iowa 50658-0007

USA

E-mail addresses: al_mowbray@hotmail.com or mowbray@rconnect.com

(PLEASE NOTE: Allen can receive e-mail via his hotmail account only if he has the sender’s address in his contacts list. Mail sent to him via the rconnect address will be forwarded to his hotmail account.)

20 March 2004

Chat on MSN Messenger

Allen in Bamako. Parents in Iowa. Grandparents in New Jersey.

[We all coincidentally came online at about the same time. Allen has everything ready for departing Mali tomorrow, and reported that he has recovered completely from the giardia problem.]

I’m all better – got my appetite back – ready for cheese and wine. We even got a ride to the airport tomorrow, which saves us about $20.

[Allen chatted at some length with his grandparents, and told his grandmother that he was going to try to get back home in time to celebrate her 84^th birthday.]

We’re going from near 40° C to around 40° F…. I’ve got all my cold [weather] clothes, the same stuff I had in Italy. I was fine there in December.

[We continued our chat together until about 7:00 PM CST, 8:00 EST, 1:00 AM Allen’s time, when Allen called it a day. He noted that if he was not online on Sunday before they left for France, he would send a message when they arrived at his friend’s house near Lyon. Our blessings and good wishes to Allen and Mary for a pleasant and safe journey stretched out the chat a bit further - our last such chat with Moriba Kante of Dialakoto.

Thus begins the end of Allen’s 2 and ½ year adventure as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Kayes Region of Mali, West Africa. As Musa informed Allen a number of moons ago, the floating log has become a crocodile, and the traveler now knows all the donkey paths.

Dear Allen: The world is a better place today because of what you and your Peace Corps colleagues have shared with others. Allah ka balo di ya kosebe. Love, Dad]

19 March 2004

Chat on MSN Messenger

Allen in Bamako. Parents in Iowa.

[Allen and Mary will fly out of Bamako on Sunday night, 21 March. They will stay with friends in France for about a week before proceeding on their “long journey home.” Most of the 23 or so PCVs in Mary’s group have already left Mali, some last week and seven today. A few will leave next week or a little later. They all have enjoyed a few good nights out to say goodbye.]

[We had] one last night out just now [tonight]. I was taking it easy, because I got one last parting gift of giardia…. I got it one last time, so I’m taking medication. So, I couldn’t drink one last beer with the group. [Giardia is a malady caused by a parasite.] We have a bunch of PC medication…. We take the Mefloquin for another month. Then the last two weeks of that we take another thing [drug] that kills any larvae that might be hiding in our livers. It’s all very healthy – probably about as healthy as the art restoration [work I did after graduate studies] with the lead-based paint.

[Allen noted that both he and Mary were able to ship some things back to the States with their group to the address of a PCV in San Francisco who was going directly home. They will need to pick it up there when they arrive on the West Coast. He noted a few additional COS arrangements and details. He has received 1/3 of his readjustment allowance and the rest will be sent within 6-8 weeks. We discussed his allowance and how far he might get to travel on it.]

Well, I hope it gets me back to the US, or you might not see me for a while. I’ll be working in a Nike factory in Thailand, trying to pay [for] my way home…. We are thinking that we will probably be broke sometime in June, making it the best time to return home….

[Allen did indicate that he might try to get to Iowa by the 4^th of July. We have two family celebrations at that time: Allen’s parent’s 30^th anniversary and his grandmother’s 84^th birthday. Allen noted that it was midnight there and we noted it was our dinner hour, so we closed down our joyful chat. --tlm]

Tom Mowbray says:

We are having barbecued pork shoulder, the first corn-on-the-cob of the season, and fresh asparagus. Wish you were here.

Allen says:

Sounds good. Can’t wait to get out of here and get some real food. I’m going to miss my village peanut sauce, but wine and cheese and pizza in Europe are calling my name.

16 March 2004

E-mail plus Chat on MSN Messenger

[Allen purchased his plane ticket to France and will be staying there with friends before traveling to Italy and Greece. The ticket to France was half the cost of flying to Morocco. He noted that he had received the last package we sent to him in Manantali that contained small gifts from us to his host family. He is still working on how best to ship some of his “stuff” home. Mailing it costs about $10 per kilogram. Allen has some heavy wooden items. He and Mary are looking into sharing a small shipping container.]

I think we can [do this], but it might not get there in my lifetime. I know there is no hurry, but I’ve heard shipping by sea is not reliable.

[He noted that most PCVs ship by air, but his heavy stuff would be quite expensive to ship that way. –tlm]

14 March 2004

Chat on MSN Messenger

Allen in Bamako. Parents in Iowa.

[Allen and Mary arrived in Bamako after a two-day ride from Manantali, “for the last time.” Allen noted that his goodbyes went well. His family and village put on a huge going away party for Allen and Mary in the form of a Malian wedding.]

There were a bunch of people (PCVs) that came down … and people from Manantali and Molly’s village.

[They are working on travel plans for their long trip home. They might skip Morocco and go first to France to visit friends there. The Stage House computer was in demand by others so Al soon excused himself and told us to look for him online later. He will be in Bamako all week and will be in touch with us. –tlm]

16 March 2004

E-mail plus Chat on MSN Messenger

[Allen purchased his plane ticket to France and will be staying with friends there for several weeks before traveling to Italy and Greece. The ticket to France was half the cost of flying to Morocco. He noted that he had received the last package we sent to him in Manantali that contained small gifts from us to his host family. He is still working on how best to ship some of his “stuff” home. Mailing it costs about $10 per kilogram. Allen has some heavy wooden items. He and Mary are looking into sharing a small shipping container.]

I think we can [do this], but it might not get there in my lifetime. I know there is no hurry, but I’ve heard shipping by sea is not reliable.

[He noted that most PCVs ship by air, but his heavy stuff would be quite expensive to ship that way. –tlm]

14 March 2004

Chat on MSN Messenger

Allen in Bamako. Parents in Iowa.

There were a bunch of people (PCVs) that came down … and people from Manantali and Molly’s village.

Chat on MSN Messenger

24 January 2004

Allen in Bamako. Mom and Dad.

[I was getting ready to send Allen an e-mail message when he came online. We continued our discussion of the day before. Everything seems to be going together. He is planning to return to Manantali tomorrow, but will probably stay in Kita a few days. Allen does not like Bamako and noted that he had been there way too long. He described Kita as “small compared to Bamako, but big compared to Manantali.”]

It’s like a small, big town. No traffic, and no traveling salesmen.

[Allen noted that he might be online later today and we could look for him. There were other people who wanted to use the Stage House computer for a while. –tlm]

Chat on MSN Messenger

23 January 2004

Allen in Bamako, and Dad.

[I received a call from Allen’s friend in Ames, Iowa, who said that Allen was online and would like to chat. We spent a while discussing banking matters and the best arrangements for his travels. Later in the day I called Allen’s bank and arranged the changes in his accounts as we had discussed them. These are times to celebrate the convenience of Internet communications. –tlm]

Chat on MSN Messenger

18 January 2004

Allen in Bamako. Mom and Dad.

[We enjoyed a long chat with Allen on Sunday. The discussion included the Democratic candidates and American politics.]

Malians might be the most misinformed people in the world, and the most blindly pro-American, but they still all know that Bush likes war too much.

[Allen offered an explanation of his swimming accident, which in spite of his misfortune was rather humorous. We chatted more about travel plans. He has been job searching and has found a few good leads. Because he needed to stay in Bamako until he got his stitches out, he had time to check out quite a few things of interest. Allen noted that he was not planning many new projects for his last days in Mali.]

We only have like a month and a half…. I’m doing a few formations (well and latrine covers) – not much – winding down and saying goodbye.

[Allen had found his grandparents online the day before and had a chat with them, and a chance to wish his grandfather a happy birthday. –tlm]

E-mail

17 January 2004

FROM: Allen in Bamako TO: Mom and Dad

Well, I hope you don’t freak out. Don’t worry. I’m fine, but I had a freak accident yesterday involving synchronized swimming and needed a few stitches in my lip. I’m fine. Actually, you should be happy because it means I’m going to be around Bamako for another week until I get the stitches out - so you’ll hear more from me.

[Allen wrote about a number of matters concerning his end of service and about his travel plans. The first leg of his journey will be to Morocco, then to Europe. He can fly rather inexpensively from Morocco to Rome if he stays a few days in London. He said we could call him at the Stage House that night, but our calls did not go through. –tlm]

Telephone Call

01 January 2004

FROM: Mom and Dad. TO: Allen in Kayes.

[The PCVs arranged a piggyback telephone calling tree for parents and we were delighted to receive a call from Mary’s father in Oregon, saying that Allen was waiting by the phone at the Stage House in Kayes. We had to call several times before the call went through, but what a great way to start the New Year. Allen sounded very upbeat. The PCVs had a good time celebrating the New Year together, and Allen would be heading back to Manantali very soon. In addition to the plans he outlined in his last e-mail, he shared some tentative plans for traveling after his End of Service. He will be done by about the 15^th of March, but said he would probably not leave Mali until about the 20^th. He is starting to get some things ready to ship home. Traveling plans include Brussels and France to visit with friends, and possibly going to Greece to follow up on some leads concerning employment during the Olympics. Greece is seeking English speaking young adults with multiple language skills to work there. We will look forward to hearing more from Bamako in about two weeks. –tlm]

E-mail

31 December 2003

FROM: Allen in Kayes. TO: Mom and Dad.

I’ve just been reading all my holiday mail and my hour is almost up. I’ll be in Bomako from the 14th-16th, so I’ll be on free email then and will write more. Christmas was great; we were on the beach, eating shrimp in Senegal. Getting there was a trip: 36 hours each way on multiple busses and bush taxis, but worth it. Now we’re back in Kayes for New Years, then back to Manantali - maybe even tomorrow. I’m helping Mary with a project in her village on the 5^th, then to Bomako for Mary’s end of service conference.

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Happy Hanukkah! May Allah make tabaski great! Please greet the relatives for me, and I’ll talk to you soon.

Love you,

E-mail

25 October 2003

FROM: Allen in Bamako

[This is a report for Mrs. McMullen’s class on a well cover for the large, deep well in Dialakoto.]

There is a large well 100 m from my village that was built when the village was displaced in 1986 for the building of the dam. It is lined with cement. There is also a cement slab surrounding it and a brick wall surrounds most of it. The well is 13 m deep, so it has plenty of water and does not go dry in the hot season, when the 7 m traditional wells (just a hole dug in the dirt) are dry. The old cover for the well was very thin, and cracked due to people climbing on top to pull water. The door in the cover is right in the center, and the top of the well is raised, so it is difficult to pull water without standing on top. When the old cover cracked, people stopped going there because they were afraid of falling in. In April, we began work making a new cover. First we removed the old cover. To make the new one we needed:

2 bags of cement: 6000 x 2 = 12000

Reinforcement bar: 2000 x 4 = 8000

Angle irons for the doorframe: 6000

Sheet metal for the doors: 5000

Welding fee: 5000

Total: 36,000

I don’t have a calculator to put this all into dollars but its about $60. We started by digging a hole in the ground about 10 cm deep and 2 m across (the diameter of the exterior of the well). We left 2 rectangles, one on each side, where the doors would be. With the doors on the sides, people can stand beside the well and not have to reach far to pull water, so they wont have to stand on top of the well. Next we made the reinforcement grid: one circle of re-bar just smaller than the diameter of the cover, then a criss-cross of bar inside of that, leaving open spaces around the doors. The pieces are all tied together with bailing wire, so they don’t shift while we pour the cement. The doorframes were cut and welded by a welder in Manantali, then my host father cut and attached the doors himself. The cement was mixed with sand and gravel delivered by the village, with a crew of the village men doing the work. A thin layer of sand is laid first in the mold, so that the cement won’t stick to the dirt underneath. Then a layer of cement is laid down, followed by the reinforcement grid, and sandwiched by more cement. If done properly, the grid should sit 1/3 of the total thickness from the bottom. The doorframes were laid in place and more cement to hold them in place. The total thickness was about 8 cm. The mix of the cement was fairly strong: 1 bucket of cement to 2 buckets of sand to 3 buckets of gravel (it can be mixed with more sand and gravel when strength isn’t as important, or less when more strength is needed.). When it was finished we watered the cement every day for a week to make sure it cured well, then gathered a bunch of men and lifted it onto the well.

Near the large well was an old broken pump for a borehole well. It also was built during the displacement. The hole was dug too deep and reached a sulfur deposit, making the water in the pump undrinkable and even unusable for washing clothes and irrigation. We removed the pump from the borehole, and used some parts to make a pump in the big well with the new cover. We removed one of the doors of the cover, and built a wooden frame that would sit in the doorframe to support the weight of the pump. All the metal parts and the weight of the water being lifted can be very heavy. We cleaned all the pump parts, which were caked with sulfur deposits from sitting unused for so many years. We had to replace the leather seals (coupelles):

2 large coupelles: 2550 x 2 = 5100

2 seals: 1250 x 2 = 2500

The local pump repairman did the work free of charge in exchange for learning how to do this kind of pump-in-a-well assembly. We lowered the pipes into the well, and attached the pump to the base we had built. My host father cut a wooden lever arm to pump the water, finishing the project.

This well is not used much in the rainy season because of the high grass and standing water between it and the village, but in the hot season it provides drinking water for a large part of the village.

OK. I think that covers the whole thing. I’m going to try to get out of here soon [out of Bamako and back to Manantali], but I’m going to try to attach some illustrations to this. [The attachment could not be opened.]

E-mail

22 October 2003

FROM: Allen in Bamako

This is to start detailing projects done with funds from Mrs. McMullen’s class. [Photographs will follow.]

First we did a latrine slab formation. The well team that Molly and I work with wanted to expand their horizons and find things they could do all year round as a source of income. The word for latrine in Bambara is “nyegan”. The nyegan slabs provide a solid, waterproof surface to place on top of a pit latrine. The traditional way to cover a nyegan is with wood, then leaves and packed dirt, with a hole in the middle. They are usually left uncovered and can easily erode, especially in the rainy season, and become muddy and very messy. If the erosion is severe enough, the cover can collapse.

The nyegan slabs [that we build] are made out of cement [concrete], and they are domed to drain water away from the hole. They are much stronger than wooden covers and prevent erosion. They can be easily covered [with a roof and walls] to reduce the amount of flying insects and to reduce the smell.

Each nyegan slab requires:

2 bags of cement: 6000 x 2 = 12000

1 wooden shaping arm: 2500

1 piece of metal for the form: 1000

[1000 francs = $1.80 - The name of the Malian currency is Communaute¢ Financiere Africaine Francs BCEAO.]

The village contributed the sand and gravel for the covers, and dug the holes for the nyegans. They also provided food for the well team while they were working, and helped find other things necessary to build the covers.

First, the metal is cut into a strip 10 cm high and made into a circle with a diameter of 1.5 meters. Then a small layer of sand is laid down to cover the bottom, with a mound of sand in the middle. The wooden shaping arm has a hole in the middle and is mounted on a piece of metal on which it can spin in the center of the circle. Its length is also 1.5 meters, and it is arched when it is spun around. The axis shapes the sand into a dome. The arm is then removed and the sand is smoothed. On top of this, in the center of the mound, a form is placed that will shape the hole for the nyegan slab. It should be 4 cm tall. The shaping arm is again attached in the center of this form. Cement is added, and shaped by the arm, to make a slab 4 cm thick in all places [with a hole in the center]. While still wet, the form for the hole should be removed, but the exterior metal form remains. During drying, cement should be watered morning and night, to ensure that it doesn’t dry too quickly and crack in Mali’s hot sun. If the first slab is made in the morning, it should be watered that evening, and again the next morning. Then you can begin another slab. On top of the first slab, the wooden arm is used to shape another layer of sand, then another slab is shaped on top of that. The process can be repeated up to 8-10 slabs high. As the pile gets too high for the metal form for the edge, it is simply slid up a few centimeters to create the 4 cm thickness of the slab.

The dome shape directs the water away from the slab, and also helps support the weight of a person better than a flat slab can. For this reason, metal reinforcement is not necessary. When we make a well cover, metal reinforcement is used.

One bag of cement will make one nyegan slab. We made 2 slabs during the formation, and the 2 families helping with the work and providing the community contribution, received the completed nyegan slabs.

Hopefully other villagers will see the slabs and be interested in purchasing one from the well team for their own nyegan. The well team can make these slabs all year round, a few at a time, to make extra money, and it will improve the sanitary conditions of their village. One nyegan slab should last up to 10 years. The well team plans on selling them for 10,000 each.

OK. I’ll write more later about the other projects.

Sunday,19 October 2003

Telephone call

FROM: Allen’s parents in Iowa. TO: Allen in Kita.

[Allen and other PCVs were meeting at the Stage House in Kita and put together a piggyback calling tree to their parents in the States. We were so happy to talk to him. He has been quite busy planning new projects and training new volunteers. He noted, however, that very few new projects have been started, because villagers were still in the fields, and with Ramadan starting next week, not much work on water projects will take place until December. He will be traveling to Bamako now and should be there by Wednesday, 22 Oct., to meet Mary at the airport, and promised to catch up on news via e-mail while he is in Bamako. Allen will stay in Bamako to meet the new volunteers and attend their swearing in ceremony before returning to Manantali. –tlm]

23 September 2003

Chat on MSN Messenger

Allen in Bamako – Allen’s father in Iowa

[Allen was at the PC Bureau in Bamako. He took Mary to the airport the night before and is preparing to return to Manantali tomorrow. Mary will be on vacation in the states for a month. They all had a good time in Bamako.]

We went dancing for Molly’s birthday. It seems like I’ve been in town forever already, but it’s only been since Friday night.

[We chatted at length about Allen’s gardening projects. Mary is an Agriculture Volunteer. The coffee is growing well.]

We are going to have enough coffee to keep Mary hyper for a couple of months.

[Allen has planted some of the seeds we sent to him. Allen, Mary and Allen’s host brothers cleared brush and planted a peanut field about half the size of a football field.]

I got somebody with a cow-plow to dig it up. I didn’t get to do much of the planting, because I had an infection in my leg for a week or so. It’s better now. Don’t worry – a mosquito bite gone horribly wrong. It just got infected, but it’s all better now.

[Allen’s attention turned toward plans for his last months in Mali and travel plans when he and Mary leave Mali in March.]

We both want to come back to the states from the west coast, not the east coast, and go through Australia, New Zealand, Bali and Hawaii. I have friends from camp [in these places] and Mary has friends in Hawaii we can stay with.

[Our chat turned toward plans for after the Peace Corps and then returned to PC work in Stage Manantali.]

We’ve gone through another rotation now, [and have] a few different people. The rest of my group is about to leave. The super-seniors will be me, Josh and a girl in Sikasso. Mary is about to become a Senior when the rest of my group leaves. She got here right after I did.

[We chatted about the dam in Manantali. An engineer and professor of geology and former PCV wrote to Allen with questions about the dam.]

There is power [being generated]. I think all five generators are working, but there are only three going at a time: one for Mali, one for Senegal, and one for Mauritania. The others are backup. They actually cut the power to Bamako a few weeks ago, because the power company wasn’t paying the dam for the power they were buying. They are like $7 million American dollars in debt to the dam and the dam is billions in debt to the investors. The crappie thing about it is that the Malians [who are] paying their electric bills are eventually supposed to pay off the debts from building the dam, including the costs of all the ridiculous salaries they have to pay westerners to live here in a “hardship country,” plus pay back all the money that was stolen along the way. We call it “bouffing,” from the French – the same word for eating off a buffet (bouffet) – skimming off the top. Like the engineer said, the money for the generators was “bouffed,” so they didn’t get built in the original contract, along with a road to connect Manantali to Bamako. So, the generators are on another loan and Malian people are supposed to pay it all back. The only reason the western world gives a damn about building power generation facilities in a poor country like Mali is so they can build industry here and take advantage of the average annual salary of $300 a year. That beats paying a factory worker in the states $20,000 a year. I can’t even talk to the dam workers anymore. They have a totally opposite view of what development is.

[We chatted about a number of things concerning Allen’s village and family, more about Mary’s trip home, and about the traditional Stage Manantali Thanksgiving dinner.]

I think Mary is going to bring a bunch of stuff back for Thanksgiving. Some old volunteers from 1995 came back to visit. We almost cancelled the Manantali Thanksgiving [celebration], but their stories made us feel obliged to keep the tradition alive.

[I asked Allen about the correct spelling of Manatali/Manantali, since he now spells it Manantali.]

Well, the language isn’t a written one. There are about ten different ways of spelling Mary’s village, Kouroukunding. But we decided to make it Manantali. “Manan” means cliff. (“Mana” means plastic/rubber.) “Ta” means “fire.” “Li” is a signal for a duration of time. So, “Manantali” means “the fire on the cliff that is always burning.” Well, it used to. The old people say there used to be a light every night shining on top of the cliff that the dam is built out of. Even if there was a light up there now, you’d never know it from all the lights on the dam, lighting up the bridge, road, power grid, and everything. It’s kind of symbolic of the light of this culture getting snuffed out by the western culture. The original “mananta” was just a fire, perhaps lit by genies or spirits, or brush fires. I don’t know. There is a similar story about a pillar of rock in Dogon Country. That light doesn’t shine at night anymore either. There are no believers left to see it.

After the rainy season, when everything dries out, the grass fires do get out of control. Every night there is a glow on the horizon in some direction. It can be beautiful, watching the fire come over the cliff and snake down the little trails of grass, like giant Zorro marks.

[I was fascinated with Allen’s descriptions and very grateful for the chat we had, but he soon told me that he had to leave the Bureau to see about a ride tomorrow. He plans to be in Kita in a day or two, and to be on e-mail there. -tlm]

Hug Mom for me. Bye.

20 September 2003

E-mail

FROM: Allen in Bamako. TO: Friends and Family.

I didn’t think we would actually make it here. The rainy season is in full swing and is systematically destroying all roads in the Kayes region. My girlfriend, Mary, was already here in Bamako, and my teammate Molly and I were supposed to come in to celebrate our birthdays and to see Mary before she goes back to the states for a vacation. Molly and I waited for 15 hours for a ride last Thursday, and not a single vehicle was going to Bamako. The next day the Peace Corps land cruiser showed up and was able to give us, along with my host brother, who was returning to Bamako to start his last year of high-school, a ride in yesterday. The road was ridiculously bad. We passed a big mud pit with a dump truck stuck in it that had been there for 3 days. I think if we hadn’t come in the Peace Corps car, we would still be sleeping on the road tonight trying to get here. I hope Allah helps me get a ride back, because I don’t have the money to stay here very long. Mary is going back to the states for a month. I’m so used to her being around, I’m going to have to try to keep myself busy. I’m supposed to be organizing a training [program] for 5 pump repairmen, but the guy I’m supposed to be working with hasn’t gotten here yet because of the road. So, last night we went out for dinner and dancing at the Byblos nightclub. They have Lebanese food and American music. Good times! We got in to town an hour before we were supposed to be there for dinner. Just made it.

Hope everyone is doing well. Take care

12 August 2003.

E-Mail

FROM: Allen in Bamako. TO: Family and Friends.

So, I’m heading back to Manatali tomorrow. My host brother was studying here in Bamako, and will be returning with me. I think Mary and Molly will stick around for a day to try to get a free plane ride with the [Manatali] dam workers. I’ll probably be in [Bamako] again at the beginning of September for a meeting. I’m going to try to not be here [in Bamako] for a while since I’ve been away from Manatali for too long…. I’m trying to be frugal and save for one last little vacation, to Senegal with Mary and probably her sister, who is coming to visit in December.

Take care and see you next time.

10 August 2003

Excerpts from a Chat on MSN Messenger

[Allen was in Bamako and had just returned from a trip to Dogon Country with several PCVs.]

Dogon was great. We hiked for three days and got stuck in the rain a few times. It was beautiful. We did take a guide. They don’t really let you do it without one. We got a good price. Our first guide hurt his foot and had to pass us off to another guide. Then he got sick and almost couldn’t take us the rest of the way. On our last night, the guy we arranged the trip through showed up on top of the cliff waiting for us with a bottle of gin – gin and tonics on the cliff face at sunset.

[Allen chatted a bit about future plans. He is ready to leave Africa after his extension. He is looking forward to returning to his village and he will head back to Manatali on Tuesday (August 12).]

[We chatted about the seeds we sent to Allen.]

Things need to be planted during the end of the rainy season. Most people don’t have time to garden during the rainy season, so they plant gardens after planting and cultivating their crops, and before harvest. The rains end in October, but there is plenty of water in the wells. That is the beginning of the “cold” season, which means like summer in the states. Most people still cover tomatoes during the heat of midday, because the sun just cooks them as they grow.

[Allen requested more seeds for cucumbers, squash and pumpkins.]

The hot weather stuff available in the states would be good in the cold season here.

[I told Allen I had sent Musa some tools in the mail and to watch for them.]

Moussa will appreciate anything given and will be eternally grateful. I’m surprising him by bringing his son back from Bamako with me. Moussa doesn’t think he is coming back, because Moussa didn’t have any money to send with me to pay for the ticket…. My brother is finishing high school. He has one more year left. He’s about twenty, but that’s how it goes in this country. My teammate’s brother, Kate’s brother, is twenty-one and just finished 8^th grade. It’s a strange situation. It seems like a lot of people go to school, even college, and then go become a peanut farmer. There is nowhere to use an education here. People go to school to learn languages that take you out of Mali to a place where you can make money. It’s a huge problem in this country, because everybody who is educated either leaves or uses their knowledge to swindle money out of whomever they work for.

[We chatted about crops. Allen is growing coffee in his backyard. He wrote that most of the world’s chocolate comes from the Ivory Coast, but most Africans don’t have the money to buy it, and they don’t really like chocolate. In Allen’s area of Mali they grow mostly peanuts, along with millet, corn and rice. Cotton is a cash crop, but the market system is corrupt and is backfiring. People are going back to sustenance farming. Then Allen gave a recipe for tigadigana, a peanut sauce for rice that he loves.]

Roast the peanuts and grind them in a meat grinder to make a peanut butter, or buy all natural peanut butter with no salt or hydrogenated fat added. Boil a small amount of water and add some boullion cubes. Add tomato paste, sautéed chopped onion, and a chopped hot pepper. When that is cooked, add a big blob of peanut butter. I love it really thick.

You can also make nuguna. Na means “sauce” and nugu means “leaves.” Use soybean leaves. Don’t use lettuce or spinach. This is served on cous cous or rice. Nuguna on cous cous is fantastic. Use the same recipe as tigadigana, and add the leaves. Boil the water and cook the leaves first, then add the other stuff, and the peanut butter last.

[Allen wrote more about Dogon Country and how beautiful it is there. He noted that the PCV annual 4^th of July barbecue was great. “We were running out of food, but we had plenty of beer.” Allen wants to have a PCV reunion barbecue here in Nashua, Iowa next year, and we think that is a wonderful idea. We closed with a bit of news from home and plans to try to have another chat tomorrow morning. What a wonder day. –tlm]

09 August 2003

E-mail FROM: Allen in Bamako TO: Mom and Dad

I’m back for a day or two. I saw Dogon country again. It was more beautiful than last time. We got stuck in the rain one day, and it was amazing to see the entire cliff face turn into a waterfall. The hiking group was me, Mary, Molly, a volunteer from the Bamako area named Ellie and her friend Eric. Then we went back to Djenne. There is a volunteer there now and we visited him. It was a hell of a ride back here. We came with some French tourists who encountered some car problems, climaxing with the police stopping us just outside of Bamako for not having any headlights after dark. The battery was dead and we had to push start the car every time [we stopped].

I’m thinking about a long trip when I complete my service (COS). My extension is confirmed, so I wont be leaving here until March 2004….

[Allen wrote more about his travel plans, and closed by saying he was very tired from driving all day. They just got into Bamako a few hours before he wrote this letter very late in the evening. ]

Love you. Talk to you soon.

02 August 2003

From : "Allen Mowbray" <al_mowbray@hotmail.com>

Subject : whats up

Hey:

I just got done with our conference (close of service). Got to stay at one of the nice hotels in town and talk about going back to the states with everybody from my group. Unfortunately, I’m not leaving right now so most of the conference was completely pointless to me, but it was good to see everybody again one last time and pay our respects to a volunteer that died here last month. Maybe you heard about it there in the states. A volunteer in the Segou region committed suicide the beginning of July. He was in our group… It’s the first suicide in a long time in Peace Corps and I think the first volunteer death in Mali. There was just a memorial service today.

We were supposed to go to Mopti for starting our trek to Dogon Country today, but the busses were all full, so we’re off tomorrow. I’m, going with Mary, Molly, and another volunteer friend near Bamako and a friend visiting her from the states. I think we will just do the hiking ourselves without a guide since I’ve done the trail before and the guides are expensive. Anyway, it’s late, and I’m out of here to get some sleep.

Love you all.

27 July 2003

From : "Allen Mowbray" <al_mowbray@hotmail.com>

Subject : hey y'all

I just got in to Bamako after a hellish ride from Kita. Will be here till next Sat. or so… Everything is good. Going out to see Dogon Country again after the conference is over. Will write again soon.

25 June 2003

FROM: Allen

TO: Mom and Dad

So, I just got back from the dentist. No cavities, and I can go back to drinking large quantities of sugared tea all day. Mid-service stuff is almost done, maybe. I don’t have TB. That was good to know….

[Again, Al’s note was rather brief. He noted that he was going to see about getting his wisdom teeth out and he might go to Senegal for that. His Stage Group was to have meetings on the weekend in Bamako and then they were all heading to Manatali to prepare for the 4^th of July party at the Manatali Stage House. –tlm]

22 June 2003

FROM: Allen

TO: Mom and Dad

So, I’m back from Ghana, back in Mali, back where there is no beach, no seafood, but at least I don’t have to listen to any more horrible Ghanaian English. I hope I don’t sound that bad when I speak Bambara….

[Allen continued with some family chat and correspondence details and then mentioned that he would be staying in Bamako for a routine medical checkup. -tlm]

03 June 2003

[We received a very brief e-mail message from Allen stating that he was in Bamako getting ready for a trip to Ghana. Everything is going great, but he has been working very hard in Manatali and is ready for a break. –tlm]

15 April 2003

[The following are excerpts from a chat on MSN Messenger between Allen in Kita and Thomas Mowbray in New Jersey with Allen’s grandparents, as Allen had suggested in his e-mail of the day before.]

I guess I could have come earlier. I’ve just been relaxing most of the day, but that’s good, because it’s like 172 degrees here right now.

[Our connection kept failing, but it came back. Allen explained that he went to Kita just to get in touch with family because of my letter about my brother’s death. I asked Allen for the translations of the blessings in his e-mail.]

Allah ka ne ma, means “May Allah cool him.” Allah ka da yoro sumaya, means “May Allah cool his resting place.” It’s really hot here, so they hope things cool off afterwards.

[Allen chatted more about the climate and weather.]

The rains end in October. They start in June. But actually, it did rain here twice lately, one night for a good few hours solid. I had to sleep in my leaky house, and it was still ridiculously hot.

[Allen explained that although his roof was repaired with plastic sheeting and lasted through the rainy season, the intense heat of the dry season destroyed the plastic. The roof will be repaired before the rains start again.]

This time the repair will be a little more permanent. The plastic will still be on top, so the water doesn’t just pool as it leaks through the metal, but we’ll put a layer or two of mud on top. It will hold down the plastic and protect it from the sun, and provide some more insulation so I wont be living in an Easy Bake Oven.

I finally covered the well in my village. We made the cover. When I get back we’ll put the cover on. I took pictures of my dad making the doors [the doors in the well cover]. I will take pictures of us putting on the well cover. I was planning on taking pictures of us mixing the cement, but there was some debate on how we should do it and I forgot about the camera. I wanted to make sure it got done right so it won’t collapse again. I’ll send that camera with a detailed "how we did it" report for the kids to see. I want to get a picture of the class [in Waterloo, Iowa] to show my villagers so they know where the money came from. I’ve told them, but I’m the face on the money right now and I don’t want it to stay like that.

[I told Allen he could easily print the picture of the class from the website photo. We talked about my brother’s funeral service, and that I would be returning to Iowa the Tuesday after Easter. We then discussed Allen’s extension plans. He was planning to extend 6 months.]

I definitely have enough work to keep me here that long. I think I’ll be ready to go by March. I wrote a letter to my boss to officially announce my plan to extend. Six months doesn’t give me a free trip home. We are going on a little, cheap vacation in June to Ghana - Kita and Manatali volunteers. I need to get back to the states to figure out what I want to do next….

[We chatted about my visit in New Jersey, about some of Allen’s friends in Iowa, about Allen’s car, exchanged happy Easter wishes, and said good bye. –tlm]

14 April 2003

E-Mail

FROM: Allen in Kita. TO: Thomas Mowbray in New Jersey.

Dad:

I got your letter on Wednesday. I’m so sorry to hear about Uncle Don! Allah ka ne ma. Allah ka da yoro sumaya. These are Bambara benedictions for a good resting place. My Malian family said a lot of benedictions for all of you and Uncle Don, and they greet you and send their sympathies. Like I said, I got your letter on Wednesday. I was debating whether or not to go to Bamako anyway, because of the swearing in party [for new volunteers] and people I haven’t seen in a while are in there…, but I decided that I had work and shouldn’t go. Then Wednesday night the boss of the dam [in Manatali] showed up and offered a ride to Bamako, and I still decided to stay, because Bamako really wasn’t necessary and the work in my village was planned, and we got a really good rice here today. So, this all will work hopefully.

There is chat here on MSN [at the Stage House in Kita]. I’m going out to Josh’s village tonight to say hi to him. I’ll be back first thing tomorrow morning, and will be on for chat tomorrow afternoon. I will be here at three in the afternoon Mali time tomorrow. Whoever gets this, please let the rest of the family know I’m here and will be on tomorrow. I need to leave again on Wednesday morning to return to Manatali; our new volunteers are arriving then.

Dad:

Are you in New Jersey or Iowa? Send me a note with a recap of what’s happening. Love you all. My thoughts are with you.

Al

19 March 2003

From : "Allen Mowbray" <al_mowbray@hotmail.com>

To : tom_mowbray@hotmail.com

Subject: hello

A quick hello from Kita:

I just left Josh's village to come back to Kita so that I can go to Manatali tomorrow. We were doing, are still doing field based training for the new volunteers (or more commonly called “FBT for the kids”). We’re doing one this week in Kita, and Josh's village, Karya, then on to Manatali for the second week. We just finished the large soak pit connected to a pump in Karya, and then we’ll do two small latrine soak pits in my village and a well cleanup in my teammate Molly's village, Diokeli. This is going well so far and I hope to get back to Manatali and find everything in perfect order for the next week. I should know better than that by now, but I’m an optimist….

[Allen added a number of comments about his colleagues and their work, and work in a new site in the village of Jakaba. Allen then signed off abruptly, noting that he thought the Internet was crashing. Well, it didn’t, because we got his note. --tlm]

31 Jan. 2003

FROM: Allen in Kita

TO: Mom and Dad

Hey:

I’m in Kita. Had hamburgers yesterday and eggs benedict with corn bread for breakfast. They built a mud stove at the Stage House here and we’re breaking it in. All of Team Manatali is here, and today the rest of Team Kita is coming in. It’s fun. We’re on our way to Bamako, too, now. We’re going to talk to the big boss man. He’s the new country director - just got here a few weeks ago. I have some concerns to talk to him about, and we have lots of stuff to plan with the head of water sanitation. Lots of projects going on right now. Nice to have a break to hang out with friends for a few days in between….

I’ll write again soon.

Later.

08 January 2003

From: Allen Mowbray

Subject: hi

Hey:

I made it back to Mali. I’m still alive after Air Algeria. That is probably the nicest airline I’ve ever flown on. We had a two hour delay leaving Rome, and they gave us all free vouchers for the airport restaurant. The people are so nice. It’s great to be back in Mali. I’m definitely ready to get back to my mud hut. It was interesting talking to all the people at the hostel, people from all over the world. Seeing their views on the U.S., development, all kinds of stuff. The rest of the time in Rome was good. I made it out to Tivoli and Bomarzo with the Eurail pass that couple gave me. No problems at all. Tivoli is absolutely beautiful.

I talked more with Brenda about me and a graduate program in Rome…

Anyway, I’m going to write a letter to [Mrs. McMullen]... to thank her and the kids for the money… and I’ll tell them some specific project plans and give some details of stuff, and I might even capitalize and punctuate, but I’ll write again before I leave, I think tomorrow night. There is only a night train now.

Love ya,