America part 1

As you all know, for the month of June and into July I was able to go home for a little well deserved R&R. I was lucky enough to get around and be able to visit a lot of people however not everyone. I thought i would share some of the reoccurring questions.

1. What is the weather like in Mali?
Easy, hot. I know i complain a lot about the heat but really, its at least 120 everyday during the hot season. However there is the rainy season which is a big sigh of relief when the temp drops to about 95-100. The third and final season is cold season, which entails temperature in the low low 80's.

2. What do you eat?
A lot of fruits and veggies. In my daily market i can get lettuce, cucumbers, onions, potatoes, carrots, green peppers, coconuts, bananas, oranges, mangoes, guavas, pineapple, apples, and grapefruits all depending on the season. Also since i'm in a city i have restaurant choices. There is a (real) Italian restaurant, a togolease restaurant that has amazing rice and sauce, and "the shack". Which is literally a grass shack that has amazing food at good prices. And last but certainly not least, American food when people are so generous to send some.

3. What do you do all day?
I wake up and bike to work. I usually stay at work from 8-12 and then pass by the daily market for lunch/dinner. Bike back home and put all the veggies in bleach water to kill all the gross germs and then make whatever lunch is going to be. Sit in my new hammock and read/nap for a bit and then go out and say hello to a lot of my malien friends. Usually drink some tea. But don't forget i have to hand wash all of my cloths and dishes. So things take a lot longer to do here.

4.How do you do it?
I really don't know. Some days are harder than others but you just kind of wake up, look around and remember life isn't all that bad.

5. Do you like it?
In case you can't tell, I love it here. The people are amazing and the problems really just kind of disappear. When the water cuts out... you just wait. When your bus doesn't leave on time... you just wait. Its a whole different lifestyle here.

I'm going to try to update my blog more in the coming days. I have lots of new stories and adventures that i would love to share with everyone.