Sadiola Week in Review
October 28, 2005
Friday feels good! It has been a good week overall, although slightly challenging at times. It started out great, got a little rough, and now I need a nap. I am not entirely positive that I will get a nap this evening and I have some work to catch up on this weekend, but we have a day off next week to pull it together.
Sunday was the craft fair. There were all kinds of things for sale. There was a bunch of stuff “created” by ex-pat women who have nothing better to do with their time. They are the wives of employees who are looking for things to do to occupy their time. They are the same women who have come around to the school begging for jobs. They don’t seem to understand that with only twelve students, we don’t need a whole lot of help. There were also a lot of Malian goods including some really cool woodcarvings, metal work, leather goods, and clothing. We bought some fresh pastries and a couple of cocktails and window-shopped. We’re saving our purchases for vacation.
Monday afternoon we got a message that there were packages waiting for us at the office. We got really excited because we have been waiting for several packages from home for quite some time. By the time we got to the office, the receptionist had gone home for the day, but Stan was kind enough to find someone to let us in. Two big boxes and an envelope…all for the other teacher, what a disappointment. We fueled up and headed home. I was anxious to get to Reg’s house for his birthday party. He had a great braai (BBQ)! The food was amazing and the booze was plentiful. It made for a wonderful Monday, but a really challenging Tuesday.
Having recovered from Tuesday, I glided into Wednesday. Immediately after work we loaded into the car (In Sha Allah) and headed off to Sadiola Village. We were in search of Malian garb (boubous (boo-boos)). Saturday is the official farewell party for Stan, the CEO, and he has requested that it be a Malian themed night. Thus, everyone should wear Malian outfits. There has been a woman selling these clothes at the club for a few days but we were told that she was too expensive and we should go into the village to purchase these items for half of her price. We asked Mohammed to help us locate some good, cheap Malian clothing. Apparently he misunderstood what we wanted, because he brought us to the shop of the woman who had been at the club all week. As it turns out, it is the brothel that Carrie had visited earlier. Her clothes are actually Senegalese, but we got a good deal and even sprung for clothes for Mohammed.
As we left we encountered a fellow with a live chicken in his hand. Zachary got to pet it, which made him quite happy. He also tried to pet a donkey, but the donkey wanted no part of that action. Okay, time to go, but, oh shit, the front tire is flat. Great! I call Mohammed to help. He immediately takes over. I try to suggest several times that we should make sure the jack works before we use it, but no one is listening to the long haired Toubab. I had to fight to help out and finally had to stand back when the four guys working discovered that the jack would not go down. After successfully pushing the car off of the jack, we headed home.
Thursday Carrie got her Malian driver’s license and we picked up packages from the plane. This time it was presents from the boss who had shopped at the American Commissary in Bamako. What a joy to receive Oreo’s, Cup O’Noodles, graham crackers, and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Just as we were finishing our Mac and Cheese dinner, my French tutor showed up for my first lesson. It was challenging, but it seems very close to the Spanish I studied in high school.
Now here we are at Friday. Zachary has the sniffles and we are all exhausted, ready for the weekend. Only five weeks left until break! Life here is pretty easy. It will perhaps get easier if we learn how to relax into the Malian mentality and take things as they come. We are working on that. We are closer now than we were when we arrived, but we still have a fair distance to go.
MJR
Friday feels good! It has been a good week overall, although slightly challenging at times. It started out great, got a little rough, and now I need a nap. I am not entirely positive that I will get a nap this evening and I have some work to catch up on this weekend, but we have a day off next week to pull it together.
Sunday was the craft fair. There were all kinds of things for sale. There was a bunch of stuff “created” by ex-pat women who have nothing better to do with their time. They are the wives of employees who are looking for things to do to occupy their time. They are the same women who have come around to the school begging for jobs. They don’t seem to understand that with only twelve students, we don’t need a whole lot of help. There were also a lot of Malian goods including some really cool woodcarvings, metal work, leather goods, and clothing. We bought some fresh pastries and a couple of cocktails and window-shopped. We’re saving our purchases for vacation.
Monday afternoon we got a message that there were packages waiting for us at the office. We got really excited because we have been waiting for several packages from home for quite some time. By the time we got to the office, the receptionist had gone home for the day, but Stan was kind enough to find someone to let us in. Two big boxes and an envelope…all for the other teacher, what a disappointment. We fueled up and headed home. I was anxious to get to Reg’s house for his birthday party. He had a great braai (BBQ)! The food was amazing and the booze was plentiful. It made for a wonderful Monday, but a really challenging Tuesday.
Having recovered from Tuesday, I glided into Wednesday. Immediately after work we loaded into the car (In Sha Allah) and headed off to Sadiola Village. We were in search of Malian garb (boubous (boo-boos)). Saturday is the official farewell party for Stan, the CEO, and he has requested that it be a Malian themed night. Thus, everyone should wear Malian outfits. There has been a woman selling these clothes at the club for a few days but we were told that she was too expensive and we should go into the village to purchase these items for half of her price. We asked Mohammed to help us locate some good, cheap Malian clothing. Apparently he misunderstood what we wanted, because he brought us to the shop of the woman who had been at the club all week. As it turns out, it is the brothel that Carrie had visited earlier. Her clothes are actually Senegalese, but we got a good deal and even sprung for clothes for Mohammed.
As we left we encountered a fellow with a live chicken in his hand. Zachary got to pet it, which made him quite happy. He also tried to pet a donkey, but the donkey wanted no part of that action. Okay, time to go, but, oh shit, the front tire is flat. Great! I call Mohammed to help. He immediately takes over. I try to suggest several times that we should make sure the jack works before we use it, but no one is listening to the long haired Toubab. I had to fight to help out and finally had to stand back when the four guys working discovered that the jack would not go down. After successfully pushing the car off of the jack, we headed home.
Thursday Carrie got her Malian driver’s license and we picked up packages from the plane. This time it was presents from the boss who had shopped at the American Commissary in Bamako. What a joy to receive Oreo’s, Cup O’Noodles, graham crackers, and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Just as we were finishing our Mac and Cheese dinner, my French tutor showed up for my first lesson. It was challenging, but it seems very close to the Spanish I studied in high school.
Now here we are at Friday. Zachary has the sniffles and we are all exhausted, ready for the weekend. Only five weeks left until break! Life here is pretty easy. It will perhaps get easier if we learn how to relax into the Malian mentality and take things as they come. We are working on that. We are closer now than we were when we arrived, but we still have a fair distance to go.
MJR
posted by Bronx to Timbuktu at 3:26 PM
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