heat

I know i've said that it was hot before but I didnt really know what i was talking about. now its hot. I can just be sitting in a room and im baking. i have a sweat sheen on my skin, sort of like beyonce in her baby boy video except not. Its scary how much the environment here effects your daily decisions and activities. its not like al(my climate change advisor dad) telling me "dont forget your raincoat natalie" and me thinking..... pshawww i wont really need it and then i regret it when im drenched later on in a downpour (al always knows the weather). here its more of a sickness , living dying thing. It is literally a health hazard to be out too long in the middle of the day and you absolutely can't forget water when you travel, even at night. When i came into gao several days ago, I left my water bottle at home on accident and even though it was night time and cooler, I was dehydrated and desperate for water when I arrived. it was really stupid and dangerous of me. People here are always willing to offer water to you because it would really be making someone suffer and risk illness if you didn't. There are days in gossi where in the middle of the day, where the only thing to do is sleep, you cant even sleep because its like trying to fall asleep in a sauna.


I came to gao to escape the heat of the day and find some ice and fans and ive also been getting some work done for the ecotourism projects im working on. A team from the us forest service is coming up to conduct a feasibility study on tourism in the region im stationed based on the elephants and the other biodiveristy in the region. It will be interesting to introduce them to my community and the projects we have going on.

I've started working with the middle school kids more, who have shown such amazing enthusiasm in writing letters to their new penpals at Abington Friends School in Pennsylvania and with whom i've started my environmental education club. Their project for next time is to either draw a comic strip or a before and after picture telling the story of their local environment based on interviews with family members. We're also hoping to arrange some activities for earth and environment week, the first week in june here. I really enjoy working with the kids because they are so motivated. I think adults here have come across many dissapointments and have lost some of their hope and drive, just like you can sometimes find in the US. The kids and I are able to work right now without thinking off all the negative things that could set us back and without getting discouraged. Its refreshing. One obstacle for the youth in Gossi is there is no high school for them to continue their studies. They have to go to Gao, timbuktu or sevarre to purue their bac and I think the cost of this prevents some students from continuing. An increasing problem in Mali at large is that even students with a high school and even university degree find it difficult to find employment. There are not many large companies in Mali and government bureaucracies already seem to be overpopulated. Many young people leave their villages to pursue employment or their education in Bamako or another city but many find themselves unemployed and as a result the villages have also lost their working age population.
quick update but better than none?

some pictures above of my classes, my little brothers with their clay animals, the garden etc.