Did I mention....

My flights home are booked, and as the days winde down it is slowly becoming all I can think about. What will I do my last few days in Mali? What will they serve on the airplane between here and London, where I am meeting Rob, my little brother for a week of exploring? How amazing will the "foggy London-town" weather be when I get there? What will we do when we get to Paris and I STILL can't communicate with anyone? What will I do first when I get home to Seattle? What will I eat first? What will be the first caffeinated beverage I consume courtesy of good ol' Sbux? Will Simon, my dog, snub me like he did last July, barely giving me a hello before he runs off, just to prove to me that he's been fine since I left him behind, THANKYOUVERYMUCH!

With my time here coming to a close, of course I am faced with the fact that I must leave behind people I have come to think of as family. I will no longer be the focus of attention among a village of people (probably more good than bad) and people will not be awed at the fact that I speak their language instead of French. No longer will I use charades to get my point across (also a good thing?) or will I have to explain items I don't know the names for in terms of other items. (fen ka fen were tege.....? the thing that cuts that other thing?) I will miss a whole community of people: young people who will go through school and in sh'allah help to change the ace of Mali; old people who will continue to cling to their ways because really, they have been doing it that way their who lives and what is wrong with it anyway? children who will brighten the lives of other volunteers to come with their smiles, karate moves and warm and slightly sticky hands perfect for holding. I will miss the people I have shared my experience with, the other volunteers who left before me and those I will leave behind, a whole network of extended family, crazy cousins, wise aunts and uncles, brothers-in-law twice removed, that will support me and seek my support for years to come. I look forward to joining the thousands of returned volunteers before me who all have stories to rival my own.

I will miss the brilliance of the night stars with no light pollution. They really do twinkle. I will miss the beautiful colors that the women here wear and the way that they carry their babies, the way they let their children roam through village unsupervised (I was certain this was a huge mistake when I first arrived!), the way they find time to do everything that they have to do to keep their homes in order and still find time to laugh. I will miss the Malian tea and how it is a cure-all for just about everything from upset tummy and sleepiness to heat-exhaustion and the grumpies. I will miss the way Malians treat each other guests and otherwise. A 'hello' to everyone on the street, a joke between arguing parties is quelled by the exchange of last names (called joking cousins, something the US should seriously consider adopting), the offer of foo or drink or shelter or anything else you may need even if the giver doesn't have enough for two.

While I look forward to he next chapter, all filled with good cheese and beer, I will miss it all. The thought that calm my heart being of course that I am not leaving Mali forever; it is not done with me.

thank goodness for great friends

I made Thanksgiving dinner this last Tuesday at the San house. After Thanksgiving this year, we have been talking about how much fun we had and how great the food was, and how surprisingly easy it was to make it all. So through out my last few months, I have slowly collected random ingredients to go into our feast. Of course, it helps when my mom sends me a large Trader Joe's box of instant mashed potatoes, or when past volunteers send us pie crust and filling in a well thought out care package. Add to that a box of stove top that Alyssa offered up, an extra large can of green beans from the boutiki (local store), and some je (pumpkin) from my favorite vegetable lady in market, and you've got yourself a feast.

Knowing that Henry and Alyssa would most definitely be in San, we decided to get Lindsey to come in as well. And by chance, our three newest volunteers Hannah, Chrissy, and Michelle were also in. With seven of us, I had decided to pick up some extra mangoes in town and so we had a mango pie and a raspberry pie with mango on top. At the last minute, just as we were about to start dishing up, Tom came back from having tried to catch transport out to his village all day. (Africa wins again!)

With the boys out on the front porch, us girls had a great time catching up on village stories and each others' lives. When I let it spill that my conversation with my mom earlier that evening brought the unfortunate news of my school plans not coming through, it was my great friends who were there for me. "Well, lets have another drink!" said one. Others offered sympathies and support, helping me to see the bright side of it all, and letting me know that it was ok to be sad about it. And to top it all off, every one of them said "well, that means you can stay in Mali!"

I can't write the right words to convey the way it made me feel, to be surrounded by so many great people. People that a year ago, even months ago, I had not known. Is it the way that this experience throws us all together and makes us form quick bonds? Or is it that the people that choose to volunteer 2 years of their lives to a group of people half-way across the world are of a like mind and would bond together anyway? What ever it is, I thank who ever is responsible for the opportunity to make life long friends that are great for a good laugh, and a good cry, and who I could never have done this with out.

Complete!

The addition to our CSCOM (health center) is complete, we have a new maternity in Niasso!

Thank you to everyone who helped, through all forms of support, to complete this project. The women now have a brand new facility for their pre- and post-natal appointments, birthing, and child vaccinations and baby weighing, and they are beyond thrilled.

This project has been at times trying and at (most) other times eye opening and inspiring. Before the money we needed to collect was even guaranteed, the village had already gathered the materials they were supplying and had begun to make the bricks that constituted part of their community contribution. Before the project had the go-ahead, they already had faith in it.

When things began to look less positive, when our budget was about to be cut or when we had a change of Chef de Poste (director/main doctor at the health center), those involved in the project still held fast. They pushed on and held my spirits high when I was unsure of the future of the center. A community I was sent here to help helped me in the long run.

In addition, thanks to extra donations from an anonymous donor, we were able to give the women's Savings for Change group a large donation. This group was established through Oxfam in order to work with women's groups at the village level. The group provides small loans to women in the community on a quarterly basis. The group meets weekly to collect a small amount of change from each woman to put into the communal pot. When the time comes, women can petition to receive a small loan, which they then have 3 months to pay back little by little.

These loans can be used for anything, and usually are used for securing initial materials to begin an income generating activity such as soap making or selling of treats at market. These IGA's (income generating activities) help to provide women with a personal income, something many women cannot count on. They use funds for things like new fabrics for clothes for themselves and their children or paying for adult literacy classes. Some even to purchase birth control and other birth spacing tools at the CSCOM pharmacy with out having to ask their husbands for the money since many might not approve of it.