Hey Everyone!
I had to make a quick trip to San to buy some gifts for village. I’m getting my host family some fabric (a pretty standard though nice gift given Malian emphasis on clothes) and am hosting a small goodbye party at my homologue's house. We’re having rice and beans and drinking tea on the night of the 27th. My last name is Coulibaly and we’re known as the bean eaters, so it’s only fitting that we have beans during my last few days. I also bought a goat at market…but I felt just awful…It was like sentencing him to death; which I suppose I did.
I’m still very much dreading my last day of goodbyes. The 31st will be one of the hardest days of my life. It’s even more daunting knowing the communication struggles that exist here but I hope to do my best to stay in touch (challenges include, illiteracy, no address, expensive phone credit, etc). I’ve already had a lot of goodbyes from my American friends but those too I still have more to make.
Otherwise, all is well here. I’m very content in my last few days. I’ve been busy farming my peanut field…I’m still incredibly slow, but the village is impressed with my ability so that was at least encouraging. My body disagreed with it though and I’m still sore and the blisters on my hands haven’t turned to callus yet so they just hurt all the time. People do now take my hands and make fun that my white person hands have turned into Malian hands accustomed to a hard life of working in the fields…a vast improvement from the jest that my white person hands are so soft and can’t do Malian work.
I brought my laptop to site this past stint and have been working with Bah’s oldest daughter, Madeline, on typing. Of course the French keyboard is different than the English keyboard but she is at least getting familiar with the general concept. I’m really proud of her. She just passed her exams so she can continue on to 12th grade; no small feat given the fail rate is well over 50%.
The new baby in the family is super cute. He still doesn’t have a name as the waiting period to announce the name isn’t over yet, but I’ve been asked for some ideas so we’ll see if they take any. One of my highlights of the past 2 weeks was when Kardi, who has always been timid and often cried at my approach, finally ran up to greet me in the morning and held my hand as I tried to go about my morning chores…which actually was really annoying after the “cuteness” wore off as it’s really hard to pull water from a well when you have a child clinging to your arm.
I guess I have no more updates to catch you all up on. I’m excited to get back to site and enjoy my last week and half. The prospect of going home is actually upon me now and that too is driving force to keeping my spirits up during the sad goodbyes. I hope all is well back home and I can’t wait to see everyone when I get home in 3 weeks!
Love,
Cait
