Some CWY Ponderings

Okay, so Mali is one of the 25 poorest countries in the world. The Sahara Desert runs through it, and the climate ranges from "desert" to "semi-desert". It's 90% Muslim. The official language is French. The food there usually consists of rice, millet, sauces made from leaves, and sometimes strips of meat.

I have to get a Yellow Virus vaccination, but they also recommend Tetanus and diphtheria, Poliomyelitis, Measles, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis A, Typhoid, and Meningococcal meningitis. I think I have Tetanus and diphtheria.

Other than that, and the fact I need 4 passport photos, there doesn't seem to be any more costs.

The woman who works at the station next to me is from West Africa. At my first Linamar branch, I worked with someone from South Africa. When I was in Katimavik, two people from a region of Africa that I can't remember did a speech for us at our rotation camp, moving from Thunder Bay to Chisasibi. They spoke to us about their culture, and what it was like adapting to ours.

I know you can't take an entire continent, and say that knowing this one culture was this way, means that you know what you're going into, but it's all I got, sooo...

These guys... They said that cows were huge culturally. Everyone owns cows, and they all roam freely. They have markings so people know whose cows are whose, but nobody owns land. They were all named after cows. Like, the one guy's name meant "brown horned cow" and the other guy's meant "cow with brown back". They said they danced for their cows. And not like "I'm dancing, give me a cow" but rather, "Hello cow, would you like to watch me dance?". And dancing was huge for them, too.

Also... A guy who travelled Africa, who did a speech at my high school said that, even if they have poor resources, their quality of life is far higher. He said that everyone is always happy. They'd tell him that us Canadians, with our food, water, and money, must always be so happy. But it wasn't true.

I leave for Mali the day after my birthday. Meaning, my last day in Quebec is going to be my B-day.

I remember one of the people at the meeting said almost all they ever ate while they were travelling abroad was beans and rice. I know that beans and rice are staples over much of the world. I didn't see anything about beans, but it looks like I may be in for a similar experience.

I am really scared right now, okay? I'm more scared for this than I was for Katimavik, and even if I want to do it, I feel I have more regrets about leaving this time than I did for Katimavik.

Before Katimavik, I couldn't find work, and while I had some pretty cool experiences during my stint of unemployment, that's not the kind of life you want to maintain. As I leave this time, I've got a job and, if not a clear idea of where I want to go, a clearer one at any rate.

Buuuut, I know I wanted to do this when I had a clearer head than the one I have now, and the call for adventure is overwhelming. My current goal is to stay so busy that I don't have time to be scared. So far I've been doing a pretty good job of that. Cover your fear and stress with lesser, more immediate fears and stresses.