How is it already October?

Maybe it was the oppressive heat last night, or the fact that we could sleep in today, but the entire group just pulled an all-nighter, relaxing on our roof and gazing out over a sleeping Bamako. It was one of those times where a group really bonds, where conversation flows unconsciously and you suddenly find yourself making crepes at 5am and watching the sunrise together. Since this was only a few hours ago, I’m a bit tired and the following post may lack the traditional eloquence I try so hard to achieve.

As we were returning from a puppet performance, stuck in traffic over the Niger River, my classmate Jake suddenly declared, “I just need one day where nothing exciting happens!” and I realized how indicative that statement was of our past week. You see, we had just watched a rehearsal of master puppeteer Ya Ya Coulibaly, who worked with Broadway director Julie Taymor on The Lion King. We strolled through his house where 1,500 puppets occupy every corner and all got slightly jealous of Emily who will be apprenticing with him next month. This stuff happens all the time and our access to Malian celebrities is quite astonishing.


Earlier in the week, we had gone to a club to celebrate Mali’s Independence Day and danced as Fat Boy Slim did a live recording with local musicians. A couple days later, Jake, Kunal, and Cam were at Le Relax, met the artists and spent the afternoon at their house, listening to another jam session.

As I type this, my program director is negotiating the possibility of doing my home-stay and internship with Cheick Oumar Sissoko, world-renowned filmmaker and current Minister of Culture in the Malian Government. My brain is exploding at this opportunity and I’m trying hard not to get my hopes up. I’ll write more on this as I find out more information, but the access I would have to Malian’s top artists, to West African and international events would be invaluable. As I look at my life, of past experiences and future goals, this just seems to fit perfectly. Just the prospect of this happening has given me more focus here. Cross you fingers, pray, wish me luck.

I gave the following analogy yesterday during our weekly group check-in: I feel like I’m running a race and training for it at the same time and not really knowing the course. Meaning, our learning curve is exponentially steep and based on cumulative experiences. My French education is not limited to our morning 9-10 classes, but reinforced during visits to the market and my understanding of Malian society. How can I know the proper greeting until I know the history of the 12 families here and their relationship to each other? I love this cultural immersion, but it can also be a bit exhausting too. Will I really grasp this country, these people in just three months? As of this Wednesday, we’ll be one month in, one third of the program completed and that kinda scares me to see time pass so quickly.

This week felt really solid, as if that transitional period has finally finished. We’re all accustomed to the food, the rhythms of Malian time (or lack of any consistent beat), the Vache routes, and even the heat (I’ve tried to stop missing autumn in the Midwest and instead, feeling lucky that I have an extended summer tanning season). And honestly, I’m feel healthier and more awake/alive than I’ve felt most of the year (three hours of dance tends to add some serotonin in one’s life).

We leave for three weeks of traveling next Saturday, to places like the Grand Mosque in Djenne, the cliff dwellings of Dogon, and Timbuktu at the base of the Saharan desert. Apparently the roads are better than our first field trip, but I’m sure we’ll have more than our share of adventures. I’m not sure the state of e-mail and internet connection at these places, but I’ll do my best to keep posting.

Thanks for listening everyone! I miss you all and can’t wait to see you in a couple months.