Just call me Kegnoro

It's Saturday and yet again I'm late on posting for you guys. We just got back from all the villages and are staying in Bamako so I have wifi. Lets take a step back to Thursday- my favorite day of the trip so far.

Thursday was absolutely crazy because we had two school dedications back to back. The morning was the usual routine; weird breakfast, weird night's sleep, and a long bumpy bus ride. The Indiana Jones seat wasn't fun anymore. I was excited because Lofine is a huge deal for my Dad and he was excited to go back and visit. We pulled up to the usual lineup of kids, but this time hundreds all singing and clapping. They herded us around their flag and as it was being raised the children sang their national anthem. Just like in the US, everyone puts their hands on their hearts and I saw some people remove their hats. The singing gave me chills. All these children were so proud of Mali and so spirited and it was absolutely amazing. Similar to the other school we were asked to sit front row under a massive tree in the shade next to many dignitaries. I did not feel important enough for that.

There were again many different speeches from different people. Most I didn't understand, but some were translated for us. They told us how grateful they were that Pongo Sonogo ( my Dad's African name) had come back to the people of Lofine. They treated us like family the whole time and couldn't stop emphasizing the bonds between Americans and Malians, and how eternally grateful they were. Alou then went up to speak and offered the Cola nuts to the chief as a gift that we had brought for him. The chief got very close to him and whispered to him for a moment. Alou then went up and began talking. I had absolutely no idea the immensity of what had just been said until our good friend Falto said "Wow, that is amazing!".

The chief had given my dad a small piece of land in Lofine to do whatever he pleases. Whether it be for a house or farm or anything, as a member of their family, they wanted to keep him and his family close. Falto then told me that the chief had named his three year old daughter after me and that I would take on her African name of Kegnoro (Ken Yo Ro) which translates as " May god allow us to keep you". He explained that the chief's wife had given birth to many children but the majority of them passed away at a very young age, so when his daughter was born they named her that. I started crying because now I know that many miles away sleeping in a mud hut is a strong little girl named Brianne who is being educated due to the work of my Dad and so many other big hearted people. So guys, just call me Kegnoro.

Ivy also recieved an African name of Kanadena which means lucky or good business. It was absolutely amazing that they did that for me and my family. I was relieved when the speeches were over and we got to do a ribbon cutting of the school. My dad cut it, handed the ribbon to me, and instantly a random stranger tied it around my wrist. I wore that bad boy with pride for the rest of the day. We were crowded by a million people in the small classrooms. I was stopped in every one for pictures with Bridgett. Everyone was taking videos and pictures and would grab me and pull me aside for a picture, I would sit down in a desk so my dad could take a picture, and instantly had five others crowding around. At one point a man said to me " May I have your hand as my wife?" I instantly went red and laughed it off and said no. He said " Then let's just be friends." Phew! I dodged that bullet a couple times. Oma, Alou, Falto and others were great at translating and keeping everyone safe. When I was overwhelmed by people or a guy would start being weird they would grab my wrist and pull me out of there. I found that if I stuck with them I wasn't given any trouble. However, Garret and Bridgett and I couldn't walk anywhere.

We were then ushered back to our seats under the trees for dancing. Hours of crazy dancing where a guy in a crazy monkey costume would come up and ask for tips and a huge line of buff traditional African dancers would shimmy and shake all over with iron cuffs on their ankles that made a cool noise. I can't even explain the music and the environment. It was just beyond anything I had ever seen before.

We then went to check out the piece of land that the chief had given my dad. It was kind of boring to stand around and look at it so when we showed up I took a quick look at small piece of land covered in trees and grasses and went over to an open field with Garrett and Falto to play some soccer. We soon had quite the group. Everyone would take turns shooting into the goal and the bus boy would play goalie. Malians know how to dance and play soccer extremely well so they were showing us all up until Bridgett came up and kicked the ball so hard and fast everyone was shocked and started cheering. It was hilarious. 

Our time in Lofine was ending and we had to make our trip to Dovong for our third dedication. We gave the headmasters a suitcase full of school supplies, three freshly pumped up soccer balls, and had our last little meet and greet with a cute group of kids. 

The bus ride to Dovong was the worst. The bumps and the heat knocked out our awesome AC and we all felt like super car sick and grumpy. I think it was worth it though when we showed up to probably the largest of all the dedications.  We were greeted by children holding signs that said "Good morning the Americans" and "Thank for the school we are verry happy". We also had a group of traditional African hunters walk in front of us singing and playing their instruments. We sat down under a tent once again and had the usual speeches from everyone. We were surrounded by hundreds  of people just staring and waiting for something to happen. We then did another walk through of the school and the publicity got pretty crazy. It was hard to keep our group together because we were all being pulled aside for pictures and whatnot. At one point Bridgett and I went to use the latrines and had quite the experience. First of all the doors hardly shut so you have to do your business in the farthest corner and its basically just a hole in the ground. It was interesting. 

While waiting for Bridgett to go I said hey to a group of about ten that soon because thirty. Bridgett came out and for the next fifteen minutes we were Disneyland characters. A guy would squeeze between us for a picture and as soon as we were done another would come and another and another. It was super funny. We were then flagged down by a member of our crew and ushered on the bus so we could finally leave. We had a huge group waving goodbye as we left.

That night we drove until about ten to Sikasso to the nicest hotel of the trip. We had towels and sheets and tv and we ate a late dinner there. I had this penne au frommage, or noodles with cheese. It was pretty good. I slept like a baby that night but had to get up at 6:00 the next morning which wasn't awesome.

Day 4- Wednesday

It's one in the morning on Friday, so about 6:00 in Salt Lake. We're staying in the nicest hotel yet. We have towels and a bed sheet and wifi so even though I have to be up at 6:00 in the morning, I'm going to power through at least one more post so you guys will be updated until Saturday when I know I'll have wifi again.

Day four- Wednesday

The days keep getting crazier and crazier! I don't even know where to start. 

Today was a big travel day. We had to get up about 7:00 and hit the road for a long seven hour drive to the dedication of our first school. It was an alright trip. My legs were cramped and I couldn't catch up on sleep from the night before in the weird hotel with no blankets. We had to keep stopping at checkpoints where you show some papers every few miles which was frustrating, and we would have to stop so everyone could buy their share of goat milk and weird fruit. When we would stop people would run up to the bus and shove whatever they're selling in the windows. I saw everything. Cookies, eggs, water, bananas, etc. I actually got to try this fruit they (I think) call tzi tzi. It looks like an artichoke mixed with a dragon fruit  and tastes like a cross between a banana and a  mango. It was actually pretty good, it just had a lot of big seeds in little pods. I also got to use my first weird latrine bathroom. Bridgett and I were dying in the car so it was either pee into a concrete hold, or squat next to a villager on the side of the road. Too bad we couldn't have found a nice bush though. Less splashy..

Moving on. So we're on our mini bus and the last hour of our trip was similar to the Indiana jones ride at Disneyland. I first snickered when there where "OMG" bars on the backs of the seats, but now I know what purpose they serve and why cars only last about three years in Africa. The road was crazy bumpy and crazy fun. I moved to the very back row right in the middle of the isle which I named the "Indiana Jones" seat. You catch the most air there. As we went further from the city the scenery became gradually more beautiful. The trees are massive with twisted trunks and huge leaves. There are also massive cotton and rice fields, tall grasses, and I even caught a glimpse of a small pond with large white Lilies floating on top. We tried getting pictures but it was difficult because we were bumping around everywhere and moving very fast.

The last hour was the most brutal. The bumps and the heat knocked out our awesome AC and we all felt like super car sick and grum The ride was totally worth it though when we pulled up to our first dedication. I sure wish my dad would've given me a heads up because I was absolutely amazed. We pull up to a huge isle of little kids singing and clapping and smiling. We walked between the rows and shook hands, gave high fives and tried a few knuckle bumps here and there. I would throw out "Bonjour" and  "Ca va" (how are you) in hopes that they would understand, although I know that many of them speak Bambara and what little French they have learned so far in school. We were guided to the front rows of the ceremonies. I sat behind the chief. :D The whole village sat around in awe as my dad, Bridgett, Alou, and many people from The village went up to speak. Our Malian friends that travel with us would translate back and fourth between English and Bambara. I still didn't know completely what was going on, but I just smiled and waved and everything was "very good" (a phrase I've used a million times down here). They were just completely and utterly grateful for the school and couldn't say it enough. We just told them how much we value education and we hope that one day these children can be educated and give back to their village and the people of Mali.

After the speeches huge xylophones where played for us a some villagers started to dance. It's basically this awkward foot shuffle and arm wiggle around in a circle to whatever speed the beat is at. We all watched and took pictures but it wasn't long before a lady pulled Bridgett in. I just thought " You only get to dance with Malians once!" And jumped in behind her. We soon had nearly our whole group doing the shuffle with them.

We then went to tour the schools. We walked from class to class taking pictures of the inside which was just concrete, a blackboard and many crowded splintery desks and then took  pictures with the headmasters, teachers, and members of the board of education for Mali. I then became a celebrity for a few hours which was extremely overwhelming. Everywhere I turned someone was taking pictures or video of us as we walked around. Many people stopped and asked for a picture or I would ask for everyone to gather in for one with me, and would be doggy piled again. It was simply amazing to see how we'll received we were by many people. I tried my best to talk to everyone in broken French and touch as many hands as possible, but there were just so many kids it was impossible to get everyone.

We then had the dreaded communal eating experience. In Mali they throw all their food into a huge bowl, sit around in a circle, and eat with their right hand only because their left is their potty hand. We all sort of had a heads up that it would happen at the dedications and we knew it would be rude to say no. Luckily, for our first time, we sat with our group and our Malian friends who showed us how it was done. Let me tell ya, it is an art form to eat the way Malians do. It was a simple meal of chicken and rice that was actually pretty good if you could get past the weird gritty bites here and there. Not sure if it were dirt, seasoning, or something else.... I just pecked at it while a million people watched me.

By this time it was about 7:00 but its was pretty dark. The party was sort of dying down and we were about to drop a suitcase full of some supplies off to the headmaster and head out. Earlier that day we also donated some soccer balls. Garrett and I walked onto the mini bus to grab them and when we came out we had a crowd surrounding us so instead of playing with them, we gave them to the headmasters and let them take care of it. While everyone was situating the supplies Bridgett and I had a cute crowd of about 8 or 9 kids gathered. We shook hands and introduced ourselves and they told us their names and we decided we had a blast. We showed them the Hokey Pokey, itsy bitsy spider, and the chicken dance, etc. They danced along and giggled and listened to Bridgett and I singing. It was the most fun I've had with the kids so far because it was a small group that I could actually have some personal time with. You can't be too crazy around them because they just think you're a silly American and think you're awesome. They even sang for us a little which was adorable. We still had them humming the chicken dance as we loaded the bus to go.

The Village of Lofine was supposed to be on the next days' agenda but when they heard that my dad was close they said we absolutely had to come say hello. We got back on the dark bumpy road, showed up in the pitch black and a small group of village elders and the chief greeted us. Lofine is where the school my dad's company donated is. He had visited around this time last year for the dedication and they all fell in love with him. Some kids ran up to us as soon as we got off the bus and said "Fred! Fred!" Some even still had their shirts he gave them last year. The meeting was short and sweet. I shook hands, met the chief (whose hand you don't shake because its tradition not to touch him), and we went to another sketchy little hotel. Still no bed sheet or towel. The courtyard was cool though with little animal statues and chairs. I shared a room with Bridgett and used her maxi dress as a sleeping bag for the night. I slept like a baby.

Two dedications tomorrow! Should be crazy.

Gummy bears and seizures

Tuesday- Day three

Today was by far the craziest day of the trip. I felt a whole new wave of culture shock and I finally got to see some cute African kids! I'm so excited!

Alright, so the group got up a little earlier than usual today, ate breakfast, and spent some time sorting through all the school supplies donations we brought to give to the schools. Between the six of us we have a huge selection of first aid kits, Bountiful High School apparel, rulers, paper, crayons, backpacks, math compasses- you name it, we probably have it. We then packed up everything because we were staying the night in Oolesseabougou and began loading it onto our "mini bus". I'll post pictures when I get s chance, but it's pretty serious and makes us look like the biggest tourists ever. I love it. We stopped by an ATM so everyone could get some cash and we drove about an hour with Alou, his crew, and my crew. My dad said he was kidding around when he saw our hotel and said "oh, we'll look at that sketchy little place." And then we pulled in and were told this is where we were staying the night. The hotel is the usual; simple, two in one shower and bathroom combo, a large bed to myself but no blankets or sheets or anything. I ended up  sleeping with my neck pillow and hoodie. We checked the place out, claimed our rooms, and were hanging out when we noticed that some villagers realized we were there. Ivy then had the idea we should go give them gummy bears. So we went out and slowly approached these two little kids and offered them gummy bears. I think they were a little confused so my dad put one in his mouth to show them. They copied him and laughed and ran off, then came a couple more timid children. They were so sweet and would whisper "merci" and smile. We decided that gummy bears are solid way to keep Mali Rising public relations in tact. We would go sit in our little courtyard in the hotel around a table waiting for lunch and would see a little group peering in from outside. I would run over and give out gummy bears with Garret and try not to be too scary. Some were very friendly and curious, others were shy or scared. Anyways, operation gummy bear was a success and I'm wondering wether or not this tactic will help me make more cool friends at home. Lunch was ready an hour later, and it was actually the first Malian meal we'd eaten. It was really good! Onions, tomatoes and cucumbers with what I'm gonna describe as thousand island dressing on it, French fries, and (extremely fresh) grilled chicken that was soon replaced by a man with ten live chickens on his scooter. 

After lunch we went to visit our first school; the Su Chin school. We pulled up and instantly I saw little heads  poke out of windows, around corners, and through doors. They would smile and giggle and run back in or watch us in curiosity. We then would walk around from class to class. I got some awesome pictures of them. These classrooms were dark, hot, and packed to the max. Most rooms kept role in the corner of the blackboard. It would say how many where present, the number of boys, the number of girls, and how many were absent. There were classes of up to 88 students with none absent. And the boys usually outnumbered the girls.Alou would introduce the organization, introduce us, and then we would just interact with the kids. We were sang to on a couple of occasions, kids told us their favorite subjects in school, what they were learning that day, their input on the school, etc. we were then introduced to the teachers, the headmaster, and the village elder. We told them through our translator and teacher who speaks awesome English. The more I hear him speak, the more I wonder how we made it those few days with Alou. We told them that the purpose of the Mali Rising Foundation is to better lives through education and all that jazz. It was good to check in with them and see how things are going for them at the school and hear their concerns. We then wrapped up our visit with them and headed to the next school.

This school was a little more overwhelming because the kids weren't in class, they were just walking around. We did pretty much the same as the other school, went into classes, talked to kids, took pictures. This time, I was married off though. Malians Know that Americans arent accustomed to plural marriage so they usually do it as a joke, so I kind of saw it coming. My husband was maybe twelve years old And Garett's  was about our same age, only we were pretty sure she was serious. We realized later we forgot to take them home with us, whoops.There was this one girl who was drawing a pretty flower when we came in that my dad and I took pictures of. She later came up to me in the crowd and gave me the picture.  She wrote her name and "I love you".I also got a picture with her which was awesome. So we were all just walking around giving knuckle bumps and handshakes which they love and taking pictures. I would turn my camera facing me and they all would gather in and see themselves. At one point I gave my phone to my dad so I could take a picture with them and when I waved them all in close I had three little boys on my lap and everyone pulled my face close to theirs. It's so cool how friendly they all are. They just want to be recognized and loved and played with. 

Allen then came up to Ivy and said there was a medical emergency and they needed her because she's a nurse. Kids circled in super tightly around a young boy who had had a seizure, fallen and bit his lip and the inside of his mouth. We instantly grabbed our first aid kit and moved everyone back. There wasn't much we could do besides give him clean water, clean him up, give his mom some ibuprofen to give him, and bandage him. The poor thing was really scared when he woke up surrounded by a bunch of white people helping him and the whole school yard filled with kids watching. We took him in one of the schools and waited for him to calm down. After his mom came and he was all fixed up we sent him with some fresh water, fruit snacks, and granola bars, and we were on our way. It was pretty crazy to think about what would've happened if we wouldn't have been there. Health care is so poor and no one would've known what was going on so he probably would've been laid down somewhere and sent home. People may have even been afraid to touch him or help him because of what shape he was in. It was scary yet incredible.

We then decided it was time to leave and headed back to the hotel. There wasn't much we could do but hang out and wait for dinner. We ate these yummy "butter noodles" as I'm gonna call them, the same french fries and vegetables from earlier, and this shishkabobbed meat that was chewy, but overall pretty good. I took a cold shower and stuck my legs in the arms of my hoodie because I didn't have a blanket. It was an interesting night.

What a crazy day though. Tomorrow is the dedication of a school in Lofine which is where my dad's homies are from last year when he visited. I'm excited to meet the kids and see what events take place. Hopefully pictures are coming soon!

All is well in Africa.(:

Hey guys, sorry it has been a couple days since I've last posted. The wifi is in and out and in the smaller villages outside of Bamako wifi is nonexistent. I'm having a wonderful trip and can't wait for you all to see more pictures about our experiences! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment. I usually write these in a hurry and half asleep so I leave a lot of stuff out. Love you guys!

Day two
Today was just another day of running some errands, preparing for our trips to the villages, and waiting for the rest of our group. We woke up at La Hotel Venise, ate the usual weird omelette, coffee and bread and waited for Alou. It was around 11:00 that we went to the bank to withdrawal some money. Alou, Oma, Ivy, my Dad and I pulled up, were checked by security, and we then entered what greatly resembles the DMV. You walk in, take a number, and everyone is sitting around in chairs waiting to be called up so that they can access their accounts while be surrounded by four other people. It was here I saw THE CUTEST little African baby. I'm talking fresh out of the oven, puffy lips and cheeks, and super dark sparkly eyes. Don't even get me started on African babies. You see them all over the place tied to their mothers' backs. They're dark, pudgy, and have little clumps of fuzz on their heads. I freak out every time I see one. I'll try to take some cute pictures sometime, but I don't want to be rude and sometimes their mothers are camera shy.
 After we had exchanged some money for nearly the same price as we did on the streets, we headed to the Mali Orange store to set up my dad's phone. This was a similar experience as going to the bank. Ivy and I waited with Oma on some chairs in the back and Alou helped translate for my dad. So what took us a couple hours to do in Africa we could've accomplished in one hour back home with a quick stop at the ATM, and a call to a Verizon store. It was about 2:00 when we finished and my dad asked Alou if we could go to a pizza place for lunch. Alou smiled at the idea and before we knew it we were sitting at this little cafe surrounded by pastries, sipping Cokes, enjoying a random free wifi hotspot, and eating small personal pizzas. The pizza wasn't awful, but it was African pizza... So lets just say it had its quirks. Coca Cola is a universal thing, which I seriously appreciate, and so is the term "okay", and I think as long as that statement holds true, ill be content with traveling to strange places. I also got to use a sketchy public rest room here,which I'm sure is normal for them, but it was just too weird. The sexes aren't separated, a man peed with the door open, and lets just say I hover peed because I was not about to touch anything.
Next, we went the Alous's office and the main headquarters of The Mali Rising Foundation. Basically it was this little hole in the wall that was as big as my room with a small wooden divider. It really amazes me though how much these people do with so little. A club I'm a part of at school can't get itself off the ground with all of our resources to help the organization, but I think if they can make do with the basic supplies of a computer, printer, and wifi, then we should have no excuse. I have serious respect for those who are a part of the MRF because it is a HUGE commitment of your time, energy, and money. There's a quote that says "charity is cheap", but if there's one thing this trip has taught me, it's that "Charity isn't cheap." And it has taken a lot of work for the organization to come this far.
We  then decided to go to a market where we could buy some futbóls, or soccer balls that we could take around to the schools with us to play with the kids. So we went to a market where of course we stuck out like sore thumbs, and I nearly melted, but we found some soccer balls. Alou would tell us to wait around the corner, he would go haggle with the vendor, and then my dad would come pay for it because as soon as they see white people they raise their prices two or three times as much. Might I also mention how they sell EVERYTHING here. Tires, pots, prayer mats, seat covers, clothing, electronics,  you name it, they sell it once street somewhere or runyour car and try to get you to buy it through your window.
For our last event of the day, Alou asked if we wanted to go to a Malian National Park. We drove slightly out of town around a mountain that had a pretty, large white house on top of it. Alou and Oma told us that the president lives there and so everyone calls it "power mountain". I think that encompassed my thoughts about the day because I was slowly making sense of why Africa is oppressed, and what the biggest problems are. Everything is a power struggle here, and it makes me extremely grateful for my political circumstances at home where I don't live at the mercy of the power of one person. But anyways...(:

We went to a beautiful nature reserve. As usual, we paid more to get in than Alou and and Oma.  It was shaded by huge trees and you could walk around the paths and hang out in a park like atmosphere. We also went to the zoo. I saw monkeys, crocodiles, a baby elephant, a hyena, a lion and lioness, fish and cool snakes. This trip hasn't quite been an African safari, but I've had more than my fill of animals.
We then went home in crazy rush hour traffic which made it take forever.I took a little catnap, we ate our supply of snacks, and I  managed to stay awake long enough for Allen, his son Garret, and Bridget to make it to our hotel.
Phew! I never realized how much we did until I wrote that. Just another crazy day in Africa.

More pictures

A mild example of a "Scooter Gang".






Cruising around town on our first day.



Our cute little hotel room. Notice the bug nets hanging above my bed in the corner.

Pictures from yesterday

Here's Alou and my Dad at "Office Depot" yesterday.

Most all the books are in French and everything was really cluttered.

In the top corner they had some Sharp brand fax machines. Totally irrelevant and outdated back home, but seen as luxurious in Bamako.

Here is Ivy, my Dad, Bouba, and Oma's arm getting ready to purchase the past of our school supplies.

Again, the 

It's sort of blowing my mind right now.

I can now say I have been in three continents in 24 hours!  We arrived around 9:45 last night which means it was about 2:45  Sunday morning for you guys. It was all pretty crazy. We boarded the large plane with an incredibly colorful crowd, no doubt we already stood out. On the plane I realized we were some of, if not the only people on the plane speaking english and it all started to hit me that I was going to a place far outside of my comfort zone and many miles away from home. I got a few solid hours of sleep, watched part of a One Direction concert, and conversed awkwardly with the flight attendants because of the slight language barrier. It was a six hour flight and then we reached Bamako. We were rushed through a line where we had to fill out a declaration of entrance card and show our visas/passports and then we met the in-country director of the Mali Rising Foundation- Alou. He and a few friends assisted us in grabbing our luggage and pushing through the swarms of people to our car. We then met Alous's good friend Baboo who monkey'd on top of the car to store our stuff and then drove Alou, my dad, Ivy and me to our hotel. It was around 10:30 when we landed, and nearly midnight by the time we had our largest bags stored, our personal items situated in our rooms, and were hanging out in our room eating goldfish and beef jerkey.

I think our first hotel, La Venise Malienne, is pretty  cool. There is a small bed for me and a medium bed for my dad and Ivy. Both of which have a bug nets hanging above it for when you sleep at night. Our bathroom is simple with a toilet, sink, and a small bar of organic soap. The whole room doubles as a shower with a small step down in the middle for the water to drain. I am pretty relieved to have both a shower and a toilet.  There is also this really cool courtyard in front with tables and chairs. It's nice and shady and theres a little turtle cruising around.The air conditioning is also pretty fabulous in our room and I appreciate it a lot more after walking around in the heat the next day.

I didn't get to bed until about 1:00 and was up at 9:00. I wasn't very tired so falling asleep was difficult, but once I did, I slept like a freaking rock. My dad and Ivy must have too because there wasn't any snoring the whole night...let's see if this lasts. We put ourselves together, ate a breakfast a man at the hotel graciously made us. We ate  a few eggs made into an omelette, coffe, rolls with butter, and some delicious cherry juice in the front courtyard of the hotel as the Muslim call to prayer started playing. For those of you who don't know, because I sure didnt, it is played five times day and when it is people stop, face Mecca, pull out their prayer mat, and pray. Alou then came to pick us up in his car with his friend Oma and we headed to the city to run some errands. 

The city is pretty much what I expected- absolutely crazy. There is no wrong way to drive a car so the next time my little brother gives me crap I'll tell him about Mali and how everyone just swerves through the lanes. There are a few cars, bikes, and the majority of people have a little motorized scooter. We drove past many "scooter gangs" of a bunch of people cruising around with at least one other person on the back.  Everything is dirty and crowded and crazy. We first had to exchange money so we talked to Alou and he found us someone who could do it for us. Alou was sort of our translator as my dad tried negotiate the exchange rate. The main languages here are French and Bambara, and boy do I wish I spoke them. Language barriers freak me out. People will just walk up to you assuming you speak French and its really awkward to sort that out. I didn't understand what was said but its amazing how much you can understand through body language and the words "big paper".Clearly, the man wanted my dad to pay far more than the normal exchange rate and he wasn't having it. It was quite the process, but they soon figured it out and then we were off to "Office Depot", as my dad called it, to buy some more school supplies other than that which we had packed with us. When we walked through the streets we were recieved in totally different ways, but were universally looked at like complete freaks, which I suppose we probably are here. Some people would point the bottom of their shoes towards us which is kind of the equivalent of flipping us off, and others would ask us to sit down and smile for pictures when Ivy had her camera out. I was thankful to have Alou, Baboo, And Oma with us. They showed us where to go and walked behind and in front of us. Office Depot was about 10x10 and stacked to the rafters with French books, pens, pencils, you name it. It took us another little while to decided what we needed, how much, and how much we were going to pay. Luckily, my dad had his currency converter handy through all of this to make sure we weren't getting jipped. We ended up buying paper, pens, and some really nice illustrated dictionaries. We wanted to locate and Orange store which is basically their main cell phone provider here to activate my Dad's phone, but they were all closed so we decided to stop for some fresh bottles of water at this nifty little shop and were then on our way back.

We made it back home around 2:00 P.M and all crashed for a couple hours. I think I will get used to the time change soon, though. For tonight we are eating beef jerkey, goldfish and protein bars for dinner. It's pretty insane that I can sit on the Internet in our front courtyard totally still plugged in to everyone back home.  It's about 8:30 PM here and 1:30 in Salt Lake. Looking forward to a shower tonight, seeing the rest of our group tomorrow, and visiting the villages later in the week. Following will be some pictures Ivy snapped since we've been here. I appreciate those of you reading and will keep you all updated. 

A big thumbs up from me in Bamako! Pictures will follow if we don't have another power outage in the next ten minutes.