Random Thoughts/Observations

Time:

The way that people spend their time here is so different from the way Americans use theirs. The people move so slowly here. I've heard Malians make comment on how fast I walk, when I think I'm going really slow. Another thing I've noticed is that meal time here is not exactly a social occassion. People eat, and they eat rather quickly, and when they are done eating, then they will talk. I also eat really slowly in general, but here it seems like I'm eating for twice as long because they are all finished before me.

Sounds:

I wish that I could record some of the Bambara phrases that I find hilarious when I hear them. They're mostly phrases used towards kids telling them to sit down, to put something down, to stop or to go away.

Expression:

The Bambara language is relatively simple compared to other languages. For example, there are no articles. Also, the language is very limited in terms of expressing different degrees of adjectives. For example, there is no exact translation to distinct words expressing the degrees of happiness, like "joyfulness" or "elateness." And I've also noticed that there are not a lot of facial expressions. If I recall correctly, the Russian language does not use any articles or degrees of expression either and the people do not show a lot of expression on their face as well. So, I hypothesize that if a culture does not have the words to express degrees of emotion they will not show many emotions and vice versa. Another interesting thing to note is that I've met a lot of Malians who have studied Russian, so maybe there is some truth to what I'm thinking.

Another thing to note, is that there are only nine colors in the Bambara language. It's strange because I've noticed that Malian's love to wear a lot of colors and patterns. Where are the words to express all the varying colors I see?