I left Mali, a couple of months ago at this point. I traveled through France and was able to visit my French “sister” and meet her family. It had been over years since I had seen her! We had a fantastic time, so much laughter.
I made it back to the states, not a problem with my bags AT ALL!!!!! I was like this is soooo easy!!! I mean every time I was freaking out a little bit (read as I was totally FREAKING OUT!), but it all went well and everything made it home… which was so odd, originally I thought the baggage people were out to get me!!! Guess not… Can I say that I still might be in shock though? That’s aloud right? UM YEAH! It was hard! The hardest year of my life (so far, scary thought what the future holds) and now I am back in the land of plenty. I don’t have to freak out about how much shampoo or contact solution I have left or where I might be able to find more. I don’t have to dress a certain way before I leave the house! In fact I can leave whenever I want because I have car that I can drive. I can go visit people my age that speak my language because they live nearby. I no longer have to stare at a screen to talk to my family members; everyone is here and within reach, they are finally real again. The time is no longer seven hours of a difference, YAHOO!! The internet is no longer limited. I am in the land of plenty. But where is my God? While in Mali every day I asked, Lord are you with me? Are you here? He was. I always was in need there. Spiritual and physical needs were not being met so I would ask Him for help and I made it through. Every morning I would talk with Him. The first thing I noticed when I got back was I no longer asked for help, I felt like I could do anything on my own, but I was wrong. I am still in shock, I still need help. Just because I am in the land of Walmart’s and Sam’s Clubs that does not make me satisfied, it does not make me miss our conversations. I still need Him, I will always need Him. I am still alone; I have not lived in this area for a long time. I lack courage, perhaps more here because I don’t know how to act; my own culture sometimes feels foreign. Making lasting friends was never easy for me, it just made sense when it was hard in another culture, it is just embarrassing when it is your own culture and you’re not very good at it. It is hard for me to realize that if I make a friend here we can stay friends in person for a long time, I have often found myself in the situations where I become fast friend with someone because I know there is a chance I will never see them again. I still ask are you here with me? Yes, even here. I have been back for a couple of months now and in that time I have traveled from coast to coast. My life seemed non-stop. I saw LA, I saw NYC. I have been to six different states and our capital, some of the states I have been to multiple times this summer, there and back etc. I have not stopped, until I did. I hit a wall and I hit it really, really hard. At that point, I just cried. I was tired and confused, totally drained and realizing nothing was feeding into my life. I am tired from my semesters at college. I am tired from my last year in Mali. I am tired from my summer and really the list goes on… So I stepped back, WAY back, slept in napped A LOT! Tried to relax and after all that I have now begun to process and it seems like a new journey. Leaving Africa was not THE END, it was finishing a chapter. Now I am starting a new one and I am oh so excited! God has many things in store for me and I cannot wait to see where he asks me to go, my only hope is that I listen and follow because I know he will always be with me. That is it I did it, I spent a school year in Mali teaching and I sorta, not really kept a blog. I officially feel done with it now and sure there are like a million gaps and so many stories and pictures that I never will write about because if you read anything previous to this you have begun to realize that I in fact hate writing, especially to an unknown audience, so I will be giving formal speeches… JUST KIDDING! If you want just ask me and I can tell you some of the wonderful crazy, possibly horrible things that happened while I was in Mali! Thank you :D
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Well golly! I haven’t written in forever… again, no surprise there really! (hehe it is not my favorite thing to do and I have to be so motivated)
I think about writing, a lot! So that counts for, nothing, ok yeah that means nothing. But now I am writing! WOW! (I mean I was going to have a whole post dedicated to how stinking hot it is here, to put some perspective on it, we hit triple digits in FEBRUARY!!! That is just WRONG!) Ok so here is the deal, I am leaving sooo soon! It is crazy I have been here for 8 months! MAN TIME FLIES! One month to go and then so many new adventures begin it is kinda overwhelming! I have had a blast teaching the kids, exploring Mali and making friends! I am now starting to get into the swing of returning (what do I need to bring back, what can stay, making plan!), but I don’t want to be fully here too. No skipping out on these last weeks. Plus there are still fun things to be a part of. A wedding is coming up, I am still gathering gifts for people, going to the tailor and always getting a surprise back I mean you have no idea (I usually go in and I am like please copy this, awesome, a week later, WHAT IS THIS? I mean really what did they copy? Oh wait that kinda looks like the right thing, no never mind it is totally different, oh well) and just being here teaching, hanging out, dying from heat YEAH! But I am excited to go home. Plus on the way I am making some fun stops! FRANCE! (This place is promising a lower temperature, by almost half, so needless to say I will freeze and I have never looked forward to anything more!) I get to go to France for a couple days and see my sister Esther!!! WHAT? It has been 6 years and I miss that girl sooo much! I cannot wait for that, although I hear there are going to be some major temptations, they have lovely bread and dairy everywhere! AHHH! SCARY! EAST COAST! (family, family, family, family, family and more family, I LOVE THEM ALL!) Family time before AZ family time! Yeah I get to see cousins and grandparents and uncle and aunts! Good times always! I really can’t wait to see them and talk with them, tell stories and reconnect! So yeah I don’t write much, haha that doesn’t surprise me (once again I wish I loved writing, but I don't I would much rather give a speech or talk or sing or dance, but honestly some people just don't want me to do those things, understandable, me dancing, well haha scary). I would much rather tell you all my stories and share them with you in person! So when I get stateside call me, hunt me down, tell me when you are free! or just come show up at my house cause we will party! I like to think of it as wow I haven’t written much so now you have to ask me more questions about my time here. Because I have done some wild and strange things! I got to go into a hospital and get the grand tour, I mean it, I saw everything (I mean EVERYTHING!)! I was locked in jail, yeah that happened. I went to a pottery village, it was AMAZING! And it involved a boat ride! Many fun things to come and until the end I will be fully here and enjoying my time with my students and friends! I don’t write much, but man I can TALK A LOT! So prepare your ears, I am going to be stateside NEXT MONTH! Official Date (haha I wanted to write tour dates, but I didn't, but then I guess I just did, well... never mind): I leave Mali May 22nd at like 2:45AM!!! WHAT? I show up in FRANCE! BAM! May 27th, I leave France :( I show up on the EAST COAST BAM! June 4th, I leave the East Coast :( I SHOW UP IN ARIZONA!!! WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?! I miss everyone and can't wait to TALK!!!!!!!!!! (and eat Chipotle, so we will have to incorporate the two) Recently I was kidnapped by the nanny (Joka) and I have never had so much fun at church! I mean WOWZA! It started the day before when the nanny said she would be showing up the next day to take me to church with her at 2:30 on the first of January... it wasn't a question and it was all translated to me. I wasn't even sure if it was going to happen. WELL IT DID!
Some highlights, first I drove us there on a moto (basically a motorcycle which I had driven only once prior to that and had never had someone on the back or been on the "big road"... we lived chill)! Once we arrived she introduced me to her mother, told me to sit and then I realized she was actually in the choir! UM OK!? And it all began after that, the music, dancing , conga lines the whole works, it was the best couple hours I have ever spent in church. So yes, if you ever tells me she will take me someone again, I am sooo going! It was inevitable... Making our feet pretty!
It is like a temporary tattoo :D YEAH! Didn't tickle at all!!! HAHA yeah right! Black feet for days! All four of us had some henna done on our feet and it was a blast, we made the day of it and some of the night too, if it looks intricate and like it will take a long time... IT WILL!!! Finished at midnight! I have never had henna done this way before and it was so much fun. First she started with placing tape on our feet for the parts that would not get the dye. Second we wore bag shoes will the henna was on our feet and making them colorful! Next you take that off and have a lovely red color (this is what I have always left it as) but here you add a little extra something and layer it on for another half an hour or until it burns they told us... Afterwards it is a dark green or black color which helps it last longer! We had a wonderful ladies day with our Christmas visitors! I traveled to the village (Farmarila) that the family I am living with is currently working towards making a livable house available for them to stay in for extended periods of time. This is because there is a centralized clinic there where they have committed their time and expertise to training the local workers and this will be a longer-term project. The first step however is the house which is in need of some serious love and care. It was only one night that I spent out there, but there are many things that happened. The family now has a pet donkey (adding to the collection ALWAYS :D ). I found a safe in my room and almost died of curiosity (if anyone knows the safe, PLEASE TELL ME!!! The house hasn't been lived in for over twenty years). There was an old 70's abandoned RV on the property. Squatty Potty (with no roof, two "stales" and one door). Traveling to the village and back and some puking to make it interesting (tummy not happy). Some weird foods... Seeing a patient at the clinic and just not being able to handle all the feels that I was feeling. An abundance of mosquito netting and an all-around atmosphere of this is what camping is like with cement around you... BUT the stars... it was all worth it because of the night sky. WOW just WOW! I won't even try and describe how blessed I was to be able to see that sight.
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Mali & Me
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