Mali

Mali

GEOGRAPHY

Dear Family,Finally I get here! I’m finally at Mali. I get of the plane and feel the rays of the sun shining on my hair. I see many people walking. Some playing other helping to carry things. Everyone seems happy. Mali is all so quite. My uncle told me it was one of the most peaceful nations on the African continent. Everyone is sweating. Its so hot here. Its May and it feels like its summer. In Mali they have 3 seasons. The hot season is from May to March. From May to March it goes above 125 degrees. The rainy season is from June to September. The cold season is from November to December. North of Mali is the southern Sahara dessert. Maybe that’s why its hot here. The Niger River is southwest of Mali. Many people live along the Nile River. South of Mali is the Semiarid Sahel. Mali looks like a very interesting place to spend vacations.

Sincerely, Anahi

Moreno

Culture

Dear Family, I got to learn more about Mali’s culture. It is very fun and interesting. I learned that ninety percent of all Malian’s are Muslim. About 1 percent is Christian. Muslims believe that wearing masks or charms is going to protect them from any harm or illness. I was walking to a store when I realized that almost everyone was speaking French. They also speak other languages like English, and Arabic. North of Mali is the southern Sahara dessert so its mostly hot and dry in Mali. There’s not many jobs in Mali. That causes parents to not have that much money to send their kids to school. I went to a restaurant in Mali. I ordered a plate called Jollof rice. It was delicious! It’s rice mixed with vegetables and meat. I can tell that many people order that. Malians have a special Nut called Kola Nuts. On special occasions people take kola nuts as gifts to show respect. Many people have posters of a famous man called Salif Keita. He is the most famous musician in Mali. People in Mali love to dance and sing. For special occasions people spend their time doing masks, stools, and statues. Kora is a special instrument that is only used for special occasions. Mali has a really interesting culture. Everyone is so nice here.

Sincerely, Anahi

Moreno

Affects incolonialism

Dear Family, I only have 3 days left in Mali. I decided to go to the library today. The library is far from Mali it took me a lot of time to get there. In the books I read, I learned that Mali exports cotton, salt, stones, metals, oil, gold, and many other things. French ruled them before their independence. They were ruled direct and they gained independence peacefully. Mali gained independence in 1960. During the 1960’s Mali was left in debt as the result of worldwide inflation. In the 1970’s and 1980’s rainfall shortages caused regional droughts. Thousands starved and died. In Mali the president is Elected for a 5 year term. The prime minister is appointed by the president. I’ved noticed that many kids don’t go to school. In Mali most kids work. They don’t go to school. About half the kids don’t go to school.

Sincerely, Anahi

Moreno

HealthIssues

Dear Family,In Mali there’s a disease called onchocerciasis, it is caused by a black fly. Once it begins there is no way to stop it. The disease causes people to become blind. Their eyes start to get red. Your skin becomes itchy. Almost 20 million people are infected. Doctors cant find a way to stop it. Also, in Mali there aren’t many doctors. There’s only a few. Doctors aren’t working all the time so people that are sick have to wait a couple days until they go to the doctor. I hope I don’t get sick while I’m here. When baby’s are about to be born most women don’t go to the hospital. Most baby’s are born at home. Some baby’s even die. Mali needs more doctors so people can be healthy and not sick. They also need more medicine so that the people that are sick can get better.

Sincerely, Anahi

Moreno

Current

Events

Dear Family,On March 21, 2013 French Forces came to help the Malian military. The French attacked a vehicle and two Malian soldiers suffered minor injuries. Also, a truck exploded and it killed people around the truck. The police is still trying to figure out if the truck exploded by itself of is someone put it on fire. I hope nothing bad happens the next few days.

Sincerely, Anahi

Moreno

Dear Family,I’m at the airport waiting for the plane to come so I can go back to my house. I had a great time learning and visiting Mali. It was a great place to spent time in. I really liked Mali. I would love to go back and spent more time. Mali has many nice people there. I also loved the climate there because mostly it is always hot. The best part was that I got to learn about their culture. I hope I can go back some other time.

Sincerely, Anahi

Moreno