salut

so i just added a couple pictures from the village... id put up more but it takes a really long time. today was a good day because i think ive finally decided on my isp topic: womens cooperatives. k so thats really broad i still have a lot to narrow down, but im excited i at least have a starting point. on wednesday (we have wednesdays off from school) one of my teachers is taking me to a fabric dying cooperative and im really excited. i also want to look into agricultural cooperatives but i have a feeling if i do something with that i wont be in bamako so well see what happens. if anyone reading this can share any information about this sort of thing with me, articles and what not, it would be much appreciated!

anyway, my bambara is getting a lot better lately so thats nice. tonight my family asked me in bambara if im afraid of mice and i answered in bambara: no, im not afraid of mice, but mamadou (the baby) should try to catch the mice. this was a big step and they all got really excited and my sister diami clapped and lala the 4 year old danced. they were like HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT! it was pretty exciting.

OH lucy asked me the other day what the weirdest foods are that ive eaten here. they are:
1. there is a dish which is hardboiled eggs coated in ground beef. yum.
2. in the village i expressed once to my host father how much i love bananas (yes, its true, im no longer afraid of them). that night for dinner we had a pasta kind of dish with some variation of tomatoey meat sauce and GUESS WHAT HE DID?! he put 3 raw bananas right on top!!! for me! here all meals are eaten with everyone over a big communal dish and you use your hand (the right one to be specific). so i couldnt offend him... i ate that banana with the pasta and meat sauce all together... yuck!

other than that, there isnt anything too wild about malian cuisine although im eating lots of things i dont eat at home. i love eating with my hand and im starting to get good at it. theres a real cuppage technique that takes some practice. i miss some american foods though and especially cheese. mmm cheese.

hErE