We were up at 7:45 am to head out on our first excursion outside of Bamako. We met the driver, Solo, downstairs, and picked up Yacouba, who’s wife provided us with some delicious egg sandwiches. On the 4 hour drive (which normally takes 6-9 hours), we saw some varying landscapes, from huge ranges of farmland to seemingly endless miles of dirt with scattered trees. We passed by many small villages and markets, scattered along the only highway in this direction. We even got to see two men riding camels. I dozed in and out for most of the trip, catching up on some much needed sleep.

Drew and I with Tamba and his friend Karamoko

When we arrived in Markala, we reached another milestone of our trip – Drew and I were given our Mali names, which Scott and Yacouba had discussed on the trip. As I’ve been mistaken as a
brother of Scott on numerous occasions during the trip, it was only fitting that I was given the name of his Malian younger brother, Seydou Sangare. I’m honored by this name (not to mention that it’s the same first name as Mali born Barcelona superstar Seydou Keita).

We spent the rest of the day/evening at Tamba Traore’s house (Drew’s namesake). Tamba is an English teacher at a well known high school in Markala (the current president of the country went there). We at dinner (fish and rice), talked about what Malian schools were like, discussed the problems with soccer in Mali, watched his kids play, and relaxed. It was was a nice change of pace from the hectic schedule of the previous two days. People stopped by to say hello to Scott, many of whom were members of a women’s program that Scott helped start to promote literacy. Before we went to bed, Scott, Tamba, and I walked Tamba’s friend back to his house a short ways away. It was a perfect night, and during the walk, Scott explained to me some more about my name.

The next day, we had breakfast (egg sandwich) and went to visit Tamba’s school. Scott discussed how to bring wifi (weefee) to the school with a group of teachers and administrators before we were showed an English classroom. The students had good English skills, and were given the chance to ask us questions. Once they had heard that I played soccer, the questions came flying in – What position do you play? What team do I play for? (I jokingly told them AC Milan becauseone of the students had a jersey on, and a few of their faces dropped in surprise before they realized that I was kidding). When asked how I liked Markala, I told them that I loved the city, that the people were very generous and kind, and that I hoped to return soon to play football there. The class clapped and cheered.

While getting back into the car, I talked to Scott and Tamba about the possibility of coming to teach/tutor English, even if it was for a week/month. The students seemed really cool, and I would love to come back and work with them. We stopped at a couple of family houses to visit briefly before heading to a village called Soumabougou just outside of Markala. (At one of the family houses, a boy who played goalie took a liking to me when he learned that I played soccer, and I joked about scoring on him.) It was situated on the edge of the Niger River, and was primarily a fishing village. This will be one of the sites of the new African Sky schools. The kids here were awesome and super friendly, and I wish we had had more time there. Drew took measurements around a soccer pitch a few hundred yards outside of the village and found the perfect location for the school, while Scott and some other took soil samples. I hung around with our driver and the kids.

FORZA MILAN!

On the way back to Markala, we stopped by a village with a Peace Corps volunteer so that Scott could meet her and offer assistance if she needed it. We drove back to Tamba’s, had lunch, and said our goodbyes. Despite having met them only 24 hours before, it was an emotional goodbye. The boy I met earlier who played soccer even came by to see us off. Our trip back took about 5 hours this time, and after going out for some Chinese food, we called it a day.

I must have said this in every travel journal I’ve kept – As soon as I get comfortable somewhere, it’s time to leave.

-Seydou