a quick review of the last few days/weeks

Sorry, my thoughts are not complete. I am writing this post from an internet cafe and I've ran out of time :(

09/02/10
Today was my last day as a Peace Corps Trainee! Last night, we had a concert with a performance by a famous Malian guitarist. He was a pretty amazing performer. A lot of Malians got up to dance and the Americans followed, trying to pick up on the Malian’s moves. It was a fun sight to see and soon, Americans and Malians became Amerilians and Malericans. I was also taken over by the intoxicating tunes and despite my reserved nature, I joined in the sway. On that note, I’ve noticed how easily it is to succumb to peer pressure here. In a place where there are only so many Americans around and you want to make friends, but I have to remember who I am, especially as a Christian.

09/05/10
I’m back at my hoooome! I’m so happy to be back, even though my bowels are running like crazy! I really like my family and the feelings are mutual. They take care of me and treat me like a queen. I must say, this makes me like them even more, but it is strange being treated this way and I’m here to be help to them. It’s going to be weird going back to America and not having someone draw my bath water and offer me their seat and thank me for doing absolutely nothing, haha. I’m definitely getting the better end of the deal at the moment, but as soon as I get this language down and get to know my family and surroundings better, I’m going to be an awesome help.

09/07/10
Today, I’m feeling much better and my sister, Adama, is tired of seeing me sleep all day after being tired from being in the nyegen for half the day. So, we went to Bamako to visit her friend and get our hair braided. It was a “Girl’s Day” in the city. This was my first time visiting an urban Malian home. It was smaller; there’s no room for concessions in the city. It was also cleaner, because there’s no room for lots of animals in the city and there’s not as much land, so there’s not a lot of mud. My sister’s friend is married to a pharmacist and they have two kids. Because this family is smaller and they don’t have any livestock, they have money to spend on more things. So, they had comfy couches, electric fans, a refrigerator, glass tables and the nicest nyegen I have ever seen! It was tiled and there were no flies or cockroaches! I didn’t think it would ever be feasible to classify a nyegen as nice, but this one was choice. The food that they served was pretty good too. I thought that this was supposed to be the hunger season? But, apparently, that is not so for this family and mine. I got served an equivalent of an American pot roast, with rice, and then they cut up a delicious watermelon. I was back in America as I ate on a comfy couch, under a fan, watching American music videos. Katy Perry, Eminem, Soulja Boy and Snoop Dog joined us for lunch. The little kids were singing along and an older girl expressed her romantic feelings for Soulja Boy. After lunch, I went for a walk around the neighborhood and the houses reminded me of American southwestern homes. The color schemes of the homes are similar and they all have walls built around them. They are pretty nice, at least, through my Malian goggles, they are. There were some really large homes in the neighborhood as well, some as tall as three stories, with glass windows and trimmed trees. I haven’t quite figured out the Malian class system yet, but I think that middle-class is a new thing as Bamako is becoming one of the fastest growing cities in the world. Back to the hair party, once again my hair fooled them all! I felt bad, but they really wanted to do my hair and I have tons of it, literally tons compared to the women’s hair here. Their hair is so dry and coarse and short, and I think it is mostly due to the lack of nutrients.