Junior Nathan Kennedy '07 is spending winter term 2006 on an off-campus French studies seminar program in Mali offered through Carleton and led by French professor Cherif Keita, a native of that country. Those of us he left behind in Minnesota's ice and snow can follow his academic and cultural adventures in his blog, Messages from Mali. A recent excerpt:
"Bamako, the capital of Mali . . . seems to represent the intersection of two worlds—the traditional Malian on the one hand, and the occidental influence on the other. In many respects this is a modern Western city. Cars and small motorbikes have taken over the major roads, internet cafés are popular, and stores sell a wide range of Western products. Yet most streets remain unpaved and walking around the city you see chickens, donkeys and even cattle alongside Coca-Cola and instant coffee."