After giving us a wonderful send off in Washington DC, we got to spend one final evening with Tom here in Mali. We just sent him off on the dusty road back to Bamako after he joined us for a quick training center tour and dinner. It was a gift that his job brought him to Mali and he was able to work with the Peace Corps staff to arrange a visit tonight before we ship off to our homestays for the next 2 months. I am sure that in a few weeks we will be eternally grateful for the gummy treats he imported as well!
George and I will be living with seperate families for the next two months but we will be in the same village. We will be learning to speak Bambara which is the most widely spoken language here in Mali. We will not have internet during homestay but we will come back to the training center every 2 weeks.
Please keep us in your prayers, send email or post comments here so that we know you are all out there and doing well!
One more back home checking in. Glad to hear you've made it over alright and are transitioning in well. Thanks for keeping the blog; I've enjoyed the commentary so far. Looking forward to hearing more about you guys learning Bambara, among other things.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
- Kevin
because of my mother and God i am here...
ReplyDeleteand i am praying for you guys. getting great entertainment by reading along. according to your mom, i should not sogo any fufu anytime soon. have fun in your dugu, i hope your upcoming so is comfortable for you. i'm praying you don't get sick, especially so you don't have to try to pronounce this word...dókótórósó. and also bassassogo kadi shèssogo yé yiranchogo de bu boyongona. :)
Leah, Where'd you get your dicionary? I had coffee with some St Teresa moms yesterday and a couple of them were very enthusiastic about the pictures of Anna, George and Tom in Mali on Monday, courtesy of Tom via facebook, I think. Wow! It is too wonderful for me to believe that three of my children were together in Africa! God is Good! I am ordering my bees today. I am not ordering africanized bees, as they are for expert handlers. The bees do very well in Brazil, and are excellent honey producers, though. Anna and George, How great that you will be training in the same village. Happy Training! love mom
ReplyDeleteHope all is going well and you are enjoying your experience. I can't wait to read more!
ReplyDeleteDan Weins
it was lovely to spend time with you. i'll miss you. hope to see you again in mali! xo
ReplyDeleteMiss you dearly, pray for you daily.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
eg
Very excited to read about your adventures and what you have learned in such a short time. Wishing you best as you learn more about yourself and your new home.
ReplyDeleteR~
We miss you guys so much, but I couldn't be more happy for you and your adventure. Ah...the Lariam pills - I hope you don't get too weird of dreams. We'll be putting together a lovely pkg tmw on President's Day....so anticipate its arrival :)
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you don't miss the wacky winter of MN...it was 51 degrees last week, nearly all the snow melted, but today...today there's a blizzard bringing 12-20" AWESOME!
We missed you guys for the winter getaway weekend...be well!
love your postings...they make me giggle!
xoxoxox
the Garlas