Greetings, Carletonians and associated avid blog readers. There has been many an adventure since Liv, Julia, and I last wrote. As for me, now baptized Mariam Keita, I originally was set to describe a magical day the group experience on the banks of the Niger River last weekend, and yes, I will get to that, but I think an update of medical status is also in order.
I think I speak for everyone in saying that life in Mali has been going very well. Yet at the same time, many of us, myself included, are beginning to experience the first signs of illness, as we are clearly not habituated to the climate and culture yet. (Let me also assure all parents that everyone is handling everything responsibly and Cherif is at the ready if anyone needs anything at all, which is wonderful. He also knows everyone in Mali, literally everyone, which is an excellent perk.) For a few it's been the traditional traveler's diarrea or nausea, but my problem was/is quite mundane: I contracted a common cold that I just couldn't shake this week. At the insistence of my family aux Etats-Unis in this country, it looks somewhat like a typical doctor's office but with staff dressed in traditional beautiful Malian clothing and more antiquated equipment than back home. Much like everything else here, it wasn't clearly marked so I would have no idea that it was a doctor's office from the outside without Cherif to take me there.
Remarkably, my French was sufficient to explain all of my symptoms, and Dr. Bruno Keita (there are many Keitas in Mali and in general not many different family names) promptly wrote a prescription for three different medicines to cure my decongestion and slight dizziness. And all for under five USD, less than my copay back home! Mom and Dad, how would you feel about my moving to Mali permanenly? Just kidding!! Hopefully by next week I will be back to my old Mariam Keita self.
Despite some of us feeling under the weather, we students in the program has been super supportive of each other. I really appreciate everyone's concern here and think that as a group we mesh quite well. Additionally, experience is an excellent teacher. For example, I was too hot one night to drape the mosquito net over me in bed. An hour and about 18 mosquito bites on my left arm later, I decided that 'la chaleur' aka the heat, was preferrably to the red polka dot look. Live and learn right?
Now on to the Niger. While nothing in life is perfect, as perfection, like infinity, is something one can approach but never quite reach, I believe that there are moments that at least approximate perfection. Last weekend, the third day of our visit to Jolibas, a large village where Cherif spent part of his childhood (Liv has more on that), Cherif surprised us with a visit to a nearby island. As usual, we didn't really know what we were getting into. We drove to the banks of the Niger, a brilliant sparkling blue offset by overhanging green flora in the background, where three pirogues awaited us. Pirogues are canoes, these ones made of wood and with someone standing at the back with a long stick to propel it forward in the water.
The canoes deposited us on the shore of our island for the afternoon. We had several hours simply to soak up the sun and each other's company. Save one prepared student (shout out to Eliza Berry) who wore a bathing suit, no one else came prepared. No matter, we plunged into the deliciously cool but not cold Niger waters and splashed around like kids. I dove in with leggings and a knit blouse, others were down to underwear. It was quite amusing and fun.
Just the idea of swimming in the Niger River was something I never expected to do in this lifetime. Me, the Niger?! Me, in Africa?! A lot of us felt this incredible sense of awe of actually being where we were. After the swim, we walked a bit around the island and lay in the sun. As Cherif said, it was truly 'une journee radieuse.'
That's all for now! Best, MARIAM KEITA
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