Work

Work has been good. We have gotten tons done. I changed my plane ticket to come back the 31st for a prior engagement in early August and no sooner had I done it than work picked up and we finally started to get stuff done. We’ve met with the Sante Diabete program representatives about scaling our program up to work with them and include diabetes education/treatment. And we’ve met with the artists to get our new education cards made and laminated. And before we could do that, we met with the CHAG and tons of other important doctors to narrow down our list of diseases to add to our program to a mere ten. It’s now just a race against time to get our list of things done before we leave. I hate having the time crunch now and feeling like we wasted a month, but maybe it had to happen this way. In any event, we are getting work done and feeling good about it. I finally feel like I am getting stuff done.


And along those lines, I also feel much more comfortable in Sikoroni. My Bambara has improved so I can have many basic conversations in Bambara and hence, defend myself against children and win them over with my language skills. I can buy food for myself and bargain down prices. I can go where I want in town and do whatever I want without Caitlin, mostly (though she’s much better at everything and helps with saving money). However, the point is, Cari asked me if I would come stay for a year and I immediately said no whereas everyone else said yes. And I realized that even though I was unhappy before, I’m not now. And it’s OK that that changed. I COULD live here for a year if I wanted. It just so happens that I don’t. But I know that I could if I needed to and that’s good enough closure for me.


Now the big plan is to take a brief vacation with Katie and go up to Dogon Country in the north for a week while all our work is taking care of itself (e.g. cards getting made, supplies being bought). We are planning on a day up to Mopti by bus (a long and grueling trip), a day to find a guide in Mopti and explore, then two days in Pays Dogon with homestays, and a day to get back to Bamako for work. It’s going to be swell. Then Caitlin leaves two days after we get back to go home for a few months and Katie and I leave shortly thereafter. And then it’s over. It’s kind of sad to know that it’s so close, even though I was unhappy for so long. But I’ve come to like and love this place. X Adama X