WILD

Ecotourism in the Gourma

I've been studying for the GMAT over the last month so you must excuse the structure of this blog post; I used it to practice my analysis of an issue analytical writing assignment, (short for can you compose sentences in English). Eco-tourism as a tool for development really is an important topic to debate and one I've gone back and forth on in my time here for and against. As of now, I'm pro but I'd love to hear others opinions on the subject. Some abbreviated thoughts... The use of eco-tourism as a tool for development and conservation of ... Read More

A Journey South

I spent yesterday and the day before on the long voyage down to Bamako from Gao, a trip of about 20 hours by bus but by Peace Corps shuttle 15 hours or less. The change of the landscape over the trip is drastic. The dry desert of Gao and the sand dunes pockmarked with shrubs change to the high cliffs and mesa of Hombori and Boni in Mopti Region. The outcroppings of rocks gradually diminish to fields, deforested and eroded by slash and burn techniques. Then town after town crowds along the guidron , the main ... Read More

Amane Iman – Water is Life

I went for a run yesterday, after the heat of the day had subsided as much as it could, and before the sun set followed quickly by the night. It was the first afternoon where the heat had really started, marking the end of the cold season and I started to feel thirsty and parched only midway through my run. It's nowhere close to as hot as it will get later on. It was at most 95 at that moment a dry heat that pales in comparison to the 120 degrees heat of the coming months of ... Read More