The Blog is Back!

Sorry it been so long since my last post!  So many people  have asked me to keep posting, so here it is!

I came back to Mali in May after a wonderful month in America seeing family and friends and eating good food.  Now its back to work and back to "toh."  It's rainy season here now, which means that it's hot during the day, with torrential downpours at night.  But with the rains come lots of vegetables that are now available at the market!  Yum!

The school project is finally becoming real and work is happening fast now.  We've teamed up with a group called BuildOn who is helping us iron out the details and we'll start making bricks in november! (Inshallah!)

In the meantime, I've been keeping myself busy!  One of the highlights in recent weeks was my friend Solo's wedding in Cinzana.  All the guests were instructed to buy the same fabric and have an outfit made (see below).  So my teammate Kyle and I each had something made and rocked it at the wedding.  However, the wedding was a 2 day affair.  We showed up the first day wearing the "uniform" only to discover that we'd jumped the gun and were the only ones.  We went home and changed.  After the ceremony, which consisted of everyone cramming into the Mayor's office and watching the bride and groom sign into the registry, there was big meal, followed by dancing.  In the afternoon, everyone showed up wearing the matching outfits.  So we went home again and put them back on.

(the party was BYOB, or bring your own bench!)

Another fun occasion was going to my friend John's village for the dedication ceremony of his completed women's garden project.  Malians really like to give long speeches on formal occasions, and this was no exception.  After listening to words from the chief of the village and the mayor, John also gave a speech in Bambara to thunderous applause.  We were treated as distinguished guests, adored by the kids, and given a gourmet meal of beans.

The last time I was in Bamako, I took a trip to the "Jardin Zoologique" (or Zoo).  Although the park was surprisingly well maintained, and they had more animals than expected, conditions in the zoo were a little depressing.  The cages were small and the animals looked terribly malnourished.  

The low point was a dead manatee in a broken tank.  How or why they ever brought a manatee to west africa is beyond me...  

But the highlights included a baby elephant, and a brontosaurus!

In between all these exciting events, I've just been hanging out in Tongo, Cinzana, and Segou.  As may of my fellow volunteers start heading back home after finishing their 2 years, I'm preparing for my 3rd and hopefully best.

As always, comments, emails, letters, and care packages are greatly appreciated!!!