Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Village

Hey! Here are some pictures from the village. We had such a good time. We got to visit a lot with a pastor and his family and their church. There are so few Malian Christians so it's really cool when you get to know them. Not that I could really talk to them much, since they don't speak English and my Bambera is "small small," sometimes pick out words and figure out a little. We ate peanut butter sauce 4 times! my FAVORITE! Life out there is really nice, I think it's better than Bamako. It's not so dirty and stinky. They live in cute little huts and there are lots of trees and mountains and not so many cars. We went to the little market everyday and I even carried something on my head. They can carry anything on their heads and they make it look so easy. It's deceiving. I just carried some fabric on my head and all the people wend "Eh?!?" They make that noise a lot, it's like "What?!?" I got about 5 steps before I had to fix it. It's really hard. Maybe one day. They carry huge buckets of water without spilling a drop. It's amazing.
Yesterday we went to this waterfall! It was really hard to find and the roads were terrible, but it was worth it! We swam and read and worshipped. It was wonderful.



































Monday, November 17, 2008


We just finished up our homestay with our family. They were so great and I'm really going to miss them, even though they live close to us. When we left, Assaita sat us down and told us how much she enjoyed us staying with them and how we are now part of their family and welcome over there any time. She said we were just like daughters to them. The amazing part is she said it in Bambera and I understood!!! Not every word, but enough to put it all together! She translated it after and it was what I had thought she would say. Granted, it was kind of expected that she would say something like that, so I wasn't completely guessing, but, I still was excited. The African people are so gracious. Most Americans have an idea that houseguests for 2 1/2 weeks is too long and you're ready for them to leave, but they said it wasn't long enough!
Our last day there, their daughter Zainab took us shopping at the "Big Market." It was huge. Well, people told us a thousand times to watch our purses because there are pickpockets, so, I was guarding my purse with my life. These men started pointing to this old man and telling me something. I looked up at him and he was holding my phone! (it's a pink razor, and I haven't seen many africans, much less men, with one). I panicked and started yelling at him to give it back and hollering that it was mine and tried to grab it from him. Everyone around was looking at me oddly and Zainab came up to me and told me that it wasn't mine. I looked in my purse and there was my phone. I pulled out my phone to explain to the man my mistake and everyone started laughing really hard at the stupid white girl. I tried to play it off by casually walking away but when I casually walked back they were still laughing. A man told me (in English, while laughing hysterically) that I was "crazy" why did I think that many had taken my phone? It was mortifying. But other that that, I had fun and we're going back again today. Hopefully no one will recognize me.
Tomorrow we leave to our to the village for a week, so that should be a lot of fun.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Tubabu


Tubabu. This is what I get called every day. It means white person. When Rachel and I walk down the street, children yell, "Tubabu, Tubabu!", in a kind of chanty, sing songy way. Once when someone was trying to come to our house, they found our street but couldn't find the house. They asked where the tubabu's lived and people took them right to it. Yesterday Rachel, Assaita, and I were in the market and as were leaving, I knocked over a fish stand with my purse (gross). I turned around to pick up the fish and when I looked up, they were gone. This market was crazy like a maze and there was no way I could have gottan out by myself. I said, "Tubabu be me?" Which means, where's the white person? A little girl took me right to Rachel. Clearly being the only white person has it's advantages. Assaita told us that she felt famous with us because we drew so much attention.
Good news of the week, not only can I count successfully to ten, I can count to a hundred!!
Once you get the first ten down, the rest is pretty easy, but whatever. Just getting to ten was an accomplishment. But, you would think that once I could count, I could barter at the market without pulling out my cell phone to show the numbers. Not the case. Unlike America, Where the number 100 also works for $100, numbers that you count things with and money numbers are different. You have to measure everything in 5's. Like 10 CFA's, is 2 5's. For 1000 CFA's you say 2 500's. So, you have to first do math, then figure out how to say it. I think I'm going to stick to my cell phone. The only thing my number skills has been useful for is Uno and Phase 10, which we taught the girls we are living with to play.

This picture is of a peanut butter machine. We brought them a huge bowl of peanuts, and then grind them up and it comes out peanut butter. They call peanut butter "tigadigi." They don't really eat peanut butter except for making sauces, and they think putting it on bread is weird. I told them it's because they need to put some sugar in it, like Jif does. They have peanut butter, bread, and jelly, but they think it's weird to put that we eat the three together. I told them I was raised on it. But, they do something amazing with peanut butter that we don't do. It's called "tigadigina." Peanut butter sauce. YUM! They made it for us yesterday and served it over rice, AMAZING! My favorite African food by far. We can teach them about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and they can teach us about peanut butter sauce. Fair trade.

Saturday is our last day living with our family and I'm really going to miss them. They are so much fun and such a great family. Good thing they live close by, I can visit them whenever I want! Lucky them, haha! Next week we are going to the village with a One Story team and we'll stay a week. I'm really excited, it will be my first time to go out to a village. Please continue to pray for my language skills, it's getting better everyday, but it just seems so slow. But, I am able to use more words and fewer hand gestures. so that's exciting. Also, pray for the village we are going to. The one story girls have been working there for a while so pray that God will continue to do a great work there.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Coming Along


Please don't think this means I support Obama, this is what Africa thinks. I took this picture at a nearby bakery, the day of the election, before he even won. If he wants to fun for president here, he could definitely win. Wednesday morning I woke up and the woman I am staying with ran up to me and started spinning me around and screaming, "We did it, We did it!!" Now when we go out people stop us and ask if we're Americans and say, "Barack Obama!" It's embarrassing how much more they know about U.S. politics than I do. One man even stopped and showed us a picture of Obama and told us Bush needed to leave to Obama could start. It's ridiculous.

Milestone: I had my first conversation in Bambera. It went like this.
Me- Good Afternoon
Man-Yes, how are you?
Me-Quite well (I found out that's what I've been saying)
-Your people?
-Quite well
-What's your name?
-Lala Diop (my African name given to me by my African family)
-Oh, Senagelise?
-Yes, what's your name?
-Something Diop
-Diop?
-Yes! (he nods his head excitedly)
-You are my older brother! (or older cousin, it just means older male relative)
I laugh at my joke (it's the closest thing I can make to a joke in this language), he laughs-probably at my bad Bambera. Wanting to end the conversation before he sees how little Bambera I really know, I say, See ya! He says, greet your people! I realize it's not hte most impressive conversaion, and that it probably can't really count for a conversation, but considering I didn't speak a word of Bambera one month ago, I'm happy.

African meals are very different from American meals. They have one dish, usualy rice and sauce, and everyone eats out of the same bowl. It sounds gross, but it's not because you only eat what's in front of you. It's very rude to reach into someont else's part of the bowl. They also eat with their right hand. So, in order to be more like them, I have started to eat with my right hand too. You're probably thinking, what could be easier than eating with your hands? Everything. Everything could be easier. Except learning Bambera. They take the food and ball it up and stick it in their mouths. I try, it falls all over me. If I lean my hear back and dump it in my mouth, they laugh at me (and they usually don't laugh at what I do, so this must look really ridiculous. Clearly that's not how you're supposed to do it.

Everything here is going well. We are staying with the greatest family, they are teachinbg us to much about language and culture. They have been so welcoming and really make us feel like we are part of their family.

Please continue to pray that I will learn the language and understand the culture. Pray also for the lost here, it's overwhelming to see how many people have no idea about the gospel. Also, pray for more workers to be sent here, there are so many lost peopel here and so few people to tell them.

Thanks for your prayers, miss all of ya'll!



Saturday, November 1, 2008

Donni Donni

Hey Everybody!

Lots and lots has been happening. Rachel and I are staying with a Malian family to learn the language. It's going to take more than that for me I'm afraid, maybe brain surgery. Every morning we wake up, eat breakfast, then go out to the markets. We greet everyone we see. You say, ane sokoma! (I have no idea if this is spelled right, I've never seen it, only heard it). They usually say Bonjour, because they think we're French. Sometimes they ignore us. If we're lucky, they'll reply, N'say, Somo Obede. I say, Torrote . This is how it works out in English.
Me-Good Morning!
Them-Good Morning, how are you?
-Fine
-How is your Family?
-Fine
-How is your husband?
-Fine ( I say this because I'm not exactly sure what they're saying when they're saying it and all I know how to say is fine)
-How are your kids?
-Fine (same as husband)
-they ask about more family members and stuff
-Fine
-Greet your family
-Fine--When it gets to this point I am supposed to say, They will hear it, but unfortunately, I am never sure when they are saying greet your family. So, I am still saying fine. They give me a confused look and I say, "donni donni Bambera." This means "slowly slowly Bambera" but they are supposed to know if means I don't speak Bambera well. They say "oh, donni donni" and then speak to me about a mile a minute in Bambera. I keep telling them I don't speak Bambera but it doesn't phase them. I say "cambe!" Which means, "see you!" and keep walking and repeat this again a few times.

I go to the market and look around. Rachel and I have on friend there, Babu or something like that. He sells us moomoos. I know moomoos are old ladyish in the states, but they're ok here I think. And tye dyed! SInce I don't know numbers (the numbers here are crazy hard), I have to barter with my cell phone. He shows a number than me and back and forth until we agree. All you have to do is walk away and he'll give us what we want.


DRIVING
oh my goodnes, it's crazy. The rule here seems to be, if you can possibly fit your car there, help yourself. Only 2 lanes? Who cares, 3 cars can fit! Are there cars coming toward me? Who cares, they're not here right now so I can turn in front of them, they'll probably slow down! Amazingly, this system seems to work for them. Except, for me who struggled with driving in the United States and has hit more still objects than I can count, it could be a problem. I've driven twice and it's been ok but not great. Oh well, we'll see how it goes.

Everything here is really great. The people here are amazing, they could not have been nicer to us. They don't seem to care that we're dumb white girls, they treat us like we're part of their family.

Please pray that we'll learn the language and culture quickly. Everything here is so different and it's really easy to offend people without knowing it and that could really affect us sharing the gospel with them.