Obama in the Freezer Section

I have been out of the loop this election year. But when I ran across this at an ice cream shop in Bamako I was quite surprised. Either it is one of the craziest publicity stunts ever, (probably not) or the people that live in West Africa are just so enamored with Obama that they would name an ice cream flavor after him....

Goodbye Jeff

I kissed Jeff goodbye this morning as he left our house to go find his bus. He is going to Bamako to try and convince our company to release our container with our bikes from France. They really want us to come get it as the longer it sits in Bamako, the more we owe in holding fees. But they need proof of our wire transfer which is somehow caught up in France, so we have been stuck, unable to move forward or backward. So... he is going there to talk with them in person. Pray that they release it to him. And that he can find a good form of transportation to bring it down here to Kadiolo. Jeff will also be doing some shopping for us in Bamako. Things we cannot get here but are available up in Bamako...

Paint,

Cheese,

Toilet Paper,

Shampoo,

Soap,

Chocolate,

Nems,

Strawberry Jam,

Pickles,

Butter...

Oh my list is much longer, but you get the idea... hopefully he can manage this on his own. It takes one day to travel each way... and I imagine his Bamako errands will take him 4 days or so. So we are on our own for a week. So far so good. Except for the power outs. I don't know the system for getting the generator started and switched over to run the house power. So I am really hoping it just stays on! Pray for us this week!

Bienvenue

We have arrived in Bamako. The journey was long. We changed planes once and then had another layover where you stay on the plane. Overall it went very well. This adventure seems surreal but also so completely normal. I'm not sure what to think. On one hand I have been here before, but on the other hand this is all new. I have never moved my family to Mali. When Jeff and I lived here together is was just the two of us and we had little to consider. I anticipate a lot of hard work, but today I feel ready for this new adventure.

Things that are fun...

The Maliens are awesome

There is so much to learn and discover

Bananas

Warmth

No winter coats

So many decisions to make

Things that are hard...

The Heat

Malaria Meds (the kids are getting better at swallowing pills)

Mosquito bites (Drew is covered)

We are not at home yet

So many decisions to make

The pros and cons overlap a lot at this point... but it is going well and we are ready to get 'home' and get settled for Christmas.