Lists...

The following is a receipt of my first supermarket visit. And by supermarket, I mean a small convenience store the size of a walk-in closet. Still, I was a kid at Christmas, not knowing which gifts to open first.

Currency is in CFA, pronounced “say-fah” with $1 American converting to 520 CFA on the black market. The banks rip you off and it’s just easier to go through a family “friend.”

1. Spiral pasta…500 CFA

2. Baby food…2,450 CFA (Yes baby food. We’ve grown accustomed to supplementing our breakfasts with Stage 3 baby formula because of it’s high nutritional value and assistance in warding off GI problems)

3. Orange drink mix…3,000 CFA

4. 2 Wheels of Laughing Cow Cheese (La Vache Qui Rit)…1,200 CFA (Finally, cheese
for our overabundance of French bread!)

5. Nutella…2,100 CFA (well, the Malian version)

6. Djion Mustard…650 CFA (oddly popular here)

7. Dutch Cookies…800 CFA

8. Chinese green tea…1,500 CFA (The cashier indicated that this was good if you were sick.

9. Fruit Jam…1,500 CFA

10. Malian Pastries…500 CFA (These are my new favorite snack, thick cupcakes with a golden glaze and a few raisins hidden inside. Usually you can get them from street vendors for around 200 CFA).

Total…14,200 CFA or around $30 American.



After three weeks, we’ve learned two Malian dances, well the basics at least. Each step is repeated several times until a “break” is initiated by one of the drummers. Our current obstacle is remembering the transitions so last class we wrote the following names on a blackboard to help us remember each step. I’m sure you’ll all look forward to seeing me perform them:

Madan
1. Mashed Potato
2. Windmill Hop
3. Gypsy Clap
4. Pit Wash
5. Smooth Jazz
6. Dizzy Bird
7. Beggar
8. Sassy Ass
9. Serve Muffins
10. Hot Step Back

Tansule
1. Base step
2. Base turn
3. Turn Ride Wave
4. Strong Woman
5. Hopscotch
6. Ching-Chong
7. Tough Boy
8. Apple Picking Cha-Cha