Homestay Update!

That’s what we are all excited about over here, anyway. And after that its another week before our swearing-in party, where we promise to defend and uphold the United States Constitution, and then go actually party. Don’t get me wrong, I will miss my home-stay family, because they have been great with me and we have finally reached that point where we all feel comfortable together. I’ve also finally gotten all the little kids to stop being afraid and to play with me instead, a challenge I’m sad to have to start over again at site. And I will especially miss my home-stay brother, who’s become my best friend here and who’s helped me out more than words can describe. I will definitely work hard to keep that relationship alive, despite the relative isolation I’m going into for the next couple of months. However, all of us volunteers feel ready (as ready as you can get, anyway) to move on to the next stage and start the real part of Peace Corps service.

I think most of us have retained our sanity pretty well, speaking of which… yes, I did lose it one day when we had to practice stabbing ourselves with a needle to make malaria blood smear kits (to check whether you have malaria) but otherwise, everyone is holding up fairly well. The schedule of our lives every day is starting to wear everyone’s patience thin, but it helps that we have been able to go into Bamako on our day off every week and play a little. Last Sunday I was able to get some good Lebanese food and go fabric shopping in the main market (Malians buy fabric and then take it to their local tailor to have it custom made into an outfit. Pretty neat). This past Sunday, Peace Corps actually took us to a hotel to go swimming (yes, I wore a bikini) and then into town again for a food binge. Let me tell you, it is amazing how much one can eat when one mostly eats rice and beans all week. Which brings us back to the last six days here before heading back to Tubani So this Sunday.