i've only got a second, and this isn't the kind of thing i imagine people are dying to hear about, but something that really swept me off my feet today is i realized all the birds flying in the sky at night are actually GIANT BATS. these are bigger than any bat i've ever seen -- like the wingspan of one of my arms, if not bigger -- and they fly overhead in great swarms with such non-bat-like, graceful flapping that i always just assumed they were birds.
i think i relate to bats because they are the only mammals that are truly capable of flying.
also, i actually do have something of interest, and i might as well go ahead and write while it's fresh... i just came from one of the handful of expatriate supermarkets that exist in bamako. i told some fellow students the other day -- and this may shock family members as much as it did the girls i told -- but honestly, i am attracted to supermarkets only in the way i am attracted towards pornography. some kind of visceral, experience-based reaction went on when i walked through those grossly familiar aisles with the other rich can't-standenites that wander the streets in mali when they're not hiding away in mansions. it's the same lure that las vegas or times square has, that kind of stomach-churning american dream that leaves you wishing you were having a nightmare...
anyway, it wasn't a metaphor market; there were interesting things to be found there, and certainly "interesting" as compared to the street markets here, or even the american grocery stores to which i am accustomed. most of the products seemed to come from france or the middle east -- though other european products and a bunch of american hair-care stuff were both pretty prevalent as well. anyway i'll put that into better context later when i get a chance to talk about other, more common methods of food distribution.
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6 comments:
Hey Isaac, Outstanding story about the bats. I've always wanted to see bats like that. You probably also relate to them as you're both nocturnal. I understand that bats are the most common mammal on Earth. Do these make any noise? I take it that they're fruit bats. What species in particular? Perhaps you can find their daytime roost. Get some photos. (Can you post photos on the blog?) The grocery analysis trenchant.
To identify the bats you saw, you might try the following URL. It lists mammals in Mali, including bats and has pictures of most of the species.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mammals_in_Mali
Hey Isaac, thanks for the updates. Vicarious travel with favorite people a real joy... I'll love checking up on you.
Hi Isaac! I'm so glad to hear that everything's going well. Your stories and observations are so interesting. (One of my high school friends who read the blog said - wow, he's a great writer). I had dinner with a friend the other night who spent several years in West Africa, including about 8 weeks in Mali. She was so excited to hear that you were there, and after I told her you were on an SIT program, the first thing she said was "Oh, he's going to do the Peace Corps." I told her about your research ideas and she said you should go to Djenne to check out their market, that it's really amazing. She went to Timbuktu when she was there, and said it's definitely worth the trip -- she said you can go via river if it's the right season. That sounds pretty awesome. And the other thing she asked was -- has he told you about the toilets yet? And I said, yes he has! She said the markets all sold these small plastic tea kettle things that people would carry around to use when they used "the facilities." Also, relevant to your topic of gender and health, she raised the issue that the bathrooms are definitely biased toward the male anatomy -- so count your blessings young man! Anyhow -- a big hug from far away. -Sistahhhhhhhhhh
Yeah, class differences are so much more noticeable in poor countries.
Idrissa - love what you wrote about the bats - I could vizualzie the scene very clearly on the movie screne of my mind. I had a similar experience here in Pennsylvania but it involved a single owl. It occured late one evening when I use to use my bicycle as my primary means of transportation. Saw this enormous creature, or the silouette of it, poised on top of a street lamp. As I rode under the lamp post -- the owl/creature sweeped down at me. The wingspan must have been as large as my outstreched arms & the wings themselves generated this mighty wind that almost knocked me off of my bike. Thanks for sharing your tale. Can not wait to read more!
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