Put It In Drive and Set the Cruise Control

Below is another picture from the Malian mask ceremony we were lucky enough to witness. The guy in front brings to mind the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

This is an ancient Dogon village on the side of an escarpment. No one lives there anymore.

This is a staged fight between two of my students taken during my English Club. Can't work all the time :). For more information about the club, see below (especially Mrs. Artz's class).

Shown below are my English World Club students, working diligently to write letters (in "English") to Mrs. Artz's class at Leighton Elementary in Oswego. That's them waving to all of the students who sent letters from her class! The letters were humorous, and a lot of them were just copying the sentences that Mrs. Artz's students had written, but I was actually very impressed with some of their work. I mean, come on, these kids are in the equivalent of 7th grade and they were able to correspond in English. I love it. To the students at Leighton, expect to see some of these letters soon! Sorry it took so long, but keep the letters coming.

This is CEG Kemon, where I teach. The teepee is there to protect what I believe are burgeoning mango trees. No, there are no doors and windows on this building, but there are in the other buildings on the school grounds. And believe me, you really appreciate the open space on a hot day, which is every day.

This is me in my Tuareg getup in front of a Dogon village in Mali. Awesome.

Mali!

Had a great vacation in Mali with my fellow volunteers Brad and Sarah, as well as my friend Ali who was able to fly in from Dubai. Mali is like Benin but different. There are certain things that are plentiful in tropical Benin that you can't get in Mali, which consists of mostly desert terrain. Mali certainly has more Muslims than Benin, and there seems to be more of a developed music scene there, but I've yet to explore the back alleys of Cotonou's music scene so I guess I should wait to pass judgment. One things for sure: Mali is gorgeous. Above is a picture of my friend Brad exchanging some words with a native of the Dogon Country. When you meet an elder on the route, one must give him/her a cola nut, which is a (slightly addictive) caffeinated nut that supposedly serves as a mild hallucinogenic. I tried one, but all I got in return was a sick stomach. I suffered some intestinal difficulties for about 11 of the 12 days while we were on vacation. Can't win em all!

These are some performers in an ancient ritual dance performed in the Dogon Country. All in all, there were approximately 40 or so performers, including the musicians. A story was told, but don't ask me to pretend that I am able to recount the tale. The colors were pretty, though. Local women and children were forced to maintain a safe distance from the performers. What would happen if they were caught sneaking in too close? Some guardians would charge them with sticks while letting out a battle cry.

This is a village in the Dogon region of Mali. These villages are rustic, to say the least, and possess a lingering charm. Although there are many tourists these days, vehicles are unable to reach these havens, and the villagers have thus been able to continue practicing their simple styles of life into the modern age.

Hope you all enjoyed your holidays! I know I did. Best wishes to all, and may this new year and decade bring only good things to us all.

-Dave

I'll Be Home for Christmas...

Hey everyone, I just wanted to wish all of you a Merry Christmas, and a happy 2010! Can you believe it's already been 10 years since the Millenial Crisis?!? Well, this year will be a bit different for me, as it will be the 1st holiday season spent away from my family. Fortunately, I'll be with my best new and old friends. I'm traveling through Burkina Faso to Mali in order to do some exploring there with Sarah and Brad, two other TEFL volunteers. My Christmas night will most likely be spent on an overnight bus to pick up Ali, who is crazy enough to leave his family in Austin to join me for another New Years together!!!! From there we are going to continue on to the Dogon Country, an ancient and sacred region in which we will hike for a few days. Although I'll be physically alone on Christmas Day, I know that I'll be in your thoughts, and vise versa.

Please drink some eggnog for me.

Peace be with you all this holiday season.

-Dave