Happy Anniversary to ME!!! :D

Last Thursday, I officially celebrated one year in Mali!!!

Recap:

It’s Been One Year (or more) Since I’ve…

·      Hugged my mom

·      Played games with my dad

·      Fought with my sister

·      Seen snow

·      Eaten a variety of foods, including, but not limited to:

• Blueberry waffle cone ice cream
• Mango margaritas
• A real Chai Latte
• Jif Peanut-Buttered English Muffin
• Skim milk

·      Been skiing

·      Ridden a rollercoaster

·      Driven!

·      Worn heels

·      Flown in an airplane/left the country

·      Not slept under a mosquito net

·      Channel surfed

·      Gone to the movies

·      Bowled

·      Gone a whole day without lugging around (at least one) a Nalgene

·      Seen a white baby

·      Been to a Wal-Mart or a Target

·      Attended and understood a church service

·      Gone a day without seeing, or hearing, at least one donkey, goat, or rooster

·      Worn contacts 2 days in a row

·      Been to a library

·      Gone to the beach

·      Gone on a date

·      Baby-sat (although I do run an unofficial day care center at my house every day whether I want to or not)

·      Experienced weather <50°

·      Worn a coat

·      Seen or used a washer or dryer

·      Been to the chiropractor

·      Used a hair brush, dryer or straightener

Surprisingly, I HAVE:

·      Consumed the following:

• Yuengling beer
• My dad’s homemade chocolate cookies dunked in cow’s milk
• Amεriki-style PB&J (made with Amεriki bread, PB, and jelly!)
• Pop-Tarts
• Jameson
• Delivery pizza
• Gelato
• Pig (4x!...remember, it’s a 95% Muslim country)

·      Salsa danced

·      Baked challah

·      Gone out dancing till 5am

·      Worn my lip ring

·      Managed to keep up with 3/6 Amεriki TV shows

·      Laid in the grass (once!)

·      Ridden an elevator (after 357 days)

·      Ridden a boat

·      Tried to teach a villager how to use a laptop, in Bambara

·      Played Pub Trivia

·      Used glitter glue!

·      Watched a soap opera

·      Learned new Amεriki music from villagers

New Things I’ve Learned:

·      To like tomatoes, eggplant, cabbage, and beets

·      How to plant fields of millet, beans, and peanuts

·      How to harvest peanuts and cotton

·      How to balance and carry things on my head

·      To speak a new language

·      How to walk in a tafe (wrap skirt) without tripping (usually…)

·      How to navigate a country, alone, where I’m a foreigner to the language, culture, food, and pretty much everything about it

·      How to eat rice and sauce with my hands

·      How to feed milk to a baby goat

·      Not to put water into a pan of hot oil unless you want to burn down your hut

·      How to read the skies: the directions storms approach, the movement of the sun, star patterns

·      How to play a new card game without a common language

·      How to administer polio vaccines and Vitamin A supplements

·      How to tell the difference between sheep and goats

·      Wash my clothes (ALL my clothes, ALL the time) by hand

·      The fine arts of Patience, Sitting, Thinking, and Sleeping

·      How to bargain prices

·      To make peace with ants and roaches

New Things I’ve Done:

·      Lived alone in my very first place! (Sure it’s a mud hut with no electricity or running water, and I don’t pay rent, but it’s a step in the right direction…)

·      Ridden in donkey carts

·      Seen real, live cases of lymphedema, the most common symptom of chronic lymphatic filariasis

·      Gained 5 new families (Homestay in Mountougoula, my site host fam, my homologue’s fam, the CSCOM fam, and my Peace Corps fam)

·      Ridden a bike with 2 people
·      Fulfilled a 12 year curiosity of shaving my head! Plus worn a mohawk and unintentionally started growing a mullet.
·      Purchased, carried, and vehicle-transported a live chicken.

·      Eaten bugs

·      Lived through 4 consecutive months of 100°+ everyday without air conditioning, fans, or cold drinks

·      Experienced and lived through ‘fun’ diseases: Amoebas, Malaria, and Intestinal Bacterial Infections

·      Gotten away with calling my boss, friends, and strangers a donkey or a farting bean-eater

·      Gone to the doctor/dentist ALONE and navigated the hospital/appointment with limited language skills

·      Gone more than 1 day in a row without email, Facebook, YouTube, OR Wikipedia

·      Made travel buddies with goats and chickens

It’s been a great year…may there be much more greatness to come!! :D