Day Two: Sunday, August 9, 2009

I finally met up with the people I had expected to fly to Paris with at CDG airport. Our flight to Mali had a different vibe from anything else right from the beginning in that there was a different kind of chaos going on than the usual boarding-a-plane process. For some unnecessary-seeming reason the line to check in was absurdly long and slow, and then the system of putting luggage in the overhead compartment was kind of like a team effort to break some kind of world record for how much stuff can get packed in there…everyone was offering each other their input for which direction to push the bag, etc…once the man sitting next to me and I had arranged our own bags, the man in the next row who had volunteered his opinion from the beginning, smiled at me and said, “Il y a toujours une solution!” (“There is always a solution!”)

The flight was about 5 and a half hours long, and it certainly felt like it. As we flew over Bamako low enough to see lights on the ground I had the same experience as right before I landed in Dakar, but to a lesser extreme, that combination of exhilaration and panic at the realization that this is real; I actually am about to do this crazy thing I signed up for…We finally landed at about 8:30pm and entered the airport, which was absolute madness. Long lines, way way WAY too many people in way too small a space, and no organization whatsoever. After somehow managing to get our bags off the one conveyor belt surrounded by a pack of people at least 5 deep at any point, we realized there was yet another line we had to wait in to put our bags through security to get out. Everything was going about as smoothly as possible until the machine broke down. People got a little fussy at that point but no one got trampled and finally we were out!
Michelle was waiting for us at the door and brought us to the baché that would take us back to Yeredon (the school/building we would be staying in) in Dzoumana (I might have spelled that wrong), which is the specific district of the city. The first sign I was definitely in Africa was the ridiculous airport, but a close second was the next kind of transportation. A baché is like the most beat up van you’ve ever seen that packs in as many people as possible and makes sure you feel every bump in the road. This one was rented out entirely, so it was just us new arrivals with all our stuff and Michelle’s two daughters, and then one Malian guy driving and another sitting by the door to hold it closed. (Usually there aren’t doors at all.) The drive was interesting; the air smelled like a combination of pollution and spices that you wouldn’t find anywhere else, and the people out and about were a mix of people sleeping on the sidewalk and small groups sitting around a tv or radio. As we got closer to the school, the roads turned from paved to dirt (as I would see in the daylight the next day, dirt and trash) with the most ridiculous potholes ever. We finally arrived chez Coulibaly…a really beautiful building. Michelle gave me a tour, it’s three levels and the top level is basically an open rooftop, with the studios for dance and drum lessons. I was assigned a room (17) and a roommate (Marlaina, a Brown student who had arrived with the earlier group), was introduced to everyone, ate some food, tried to learn poker, and then fell into the deepest sleep ever on my “bed,” which is a rectangle of foam on the tiled floor. (so comfy compared to the planes!)

I feel like a reference is needed – Who’s Who:

Michelle Coulibaly: teaches African dance at Brown, runs “New Works” African dance company at Brown, runs this whole trip, is pretty much all-around awesome. She is married to…

Seydou Coulibaly: He is THE MAN in Mali. Really famous dancer and musician, has tons of friends and admirers who come hang out at the house; he is the connection to all the great teachers and artists that come work with us. When they are here, he usually doesn’t come out with us because griots will recognize him and sing praise songs for him, which he is culturally supposed to pay them for.

Asi and Ami Coulibaly: Their daughters, who are 15 and 13 years old.

Seykou Kamera: Really nice guy who speaks English really well so he is the official translator and our Bambara teacher. Also a really good musician.

Marlaina: My EXCELLENT roommate! Nicest girl ever…always tells people how much she loves me, which is helpful because it’s kind of isolating to jump into a trip with group of people who already know each other.

Remy: Ridiculously good hip hop dancer, going to be a sophomore at Brown, grew up in Amherst!

Sharon and Alex: Sharon is doing phD research here, Alex is her husband. They know a lot about a lot of different things and have great travel stories.

David: Brown student, speaks really good French/studied abroad in Paris.

Cam: speaks amazing Bambara, has been here once before and since June. Cool guy, has tons of Malian friends, known for drunkenly punching a goat after it headbutted him.

Sali and Imb’a: teach us dance

Lagi: teaches djembi drumming

Papise: teaches guitar

Djiby: adorable semi-cousin? of Seydou, does a little bit of everything around here. I think he’s like 20 years old or so.

Ok here are names of other people who are here because I don’t feel like individually listing them all anymore, most are Brown students: Grisselle, Ida, Sophie, Collette, Alex, Matt.