pictures

so this kid on my program, josh, uploaded photos,if you wanna check themout go www.joshmadson.blogspot.com
more news later!

lets get an xray of that face

SO. the headaches here have been really bad. I tolerate them, but after school i alway feel like i could go right to sleep. i read a lot, and sometimes join my sisters as they watch soap operas transcending national borders through dubbed french, but it all made me kind of dizzy. i thought oh well, i'm just gettin used to the heat, at least i don't have typhoid or diarrhea. Since I came to Mali with a cold and it seems to be holding on to my sinuses for dear life, I figured it might be an infection. Of the sinus. Finally I decided I would be responsible and head to the clinic, as my friend Katie was already going there with one of our teachers (Harber the sage- for he is maybe the wisest man I have ever laid eyes on). I met with a doctor, told him my issues, then without really knowing what I was being sent off to do, holding two test orders in my hand I went and got by blood drawn, and then...my FACE xrayed. hmmm, maybe they were thinking brain tumor from the headaches...I didn't know that mucus blocked xrays...apparently it does. Next day, I find out I have both le paludisme, commonly known to English speakers as the malaria. AND a sinus infection. but they gave me a little party favor too, the xray of my face, which is fun. So now I'm on three different drugs and today I just felt tired and soft. hmmm
Good week though, for serious.
Saturday and Sunday were great - I went to the market on Saturday and saw what I believe to be the worst of the intense crowds of venders. Everyone wanted to show us where the "best" trinkets were, it was hot, my head hurt, after awhile we were getting pretty testy. We bought some beautiful fabrics for a bonne prix though, and took a crazy loud right home on the bus.
The buses here.
Called Soutiramas. They are dark green and look like they are about to fall apart, sound like they are going to just spontaneously collapse into tiny pieces while crossing busy highways. But they only cost 150 FCFAs which is about 30 cents. With a bonus of your bare thigh sticking to that of the stranger next to you.
That night I went out with my brother Tania, who's just fabulous, and we met up with my friends at this little cafe/bar place. Palm trees and love poems galore.
This week has gone by really quickly. I've been feeling more and more comfortable in my house, I especially love all my brothers. They all engage my in such interesting, intellectual conversations, or we just laugh hysterically from teasing each other.
I'm loving the life here.
malaria aside, I'm just rockin out.

ok. big news. do not be alarmed, but, i decided to take my nose ring out. i know i know, i can feel myself transforming already.
in other, less interesting news, all is very good. a lot has happened since the last time i wrote and it really feels like i have been gone for a month, i cannot imagine what it will be like after 4 here. After a beautiful two day stay in the village of Siby, about an hour from Bamako, we moved into our homestays. Siby was very peaceful, less mobile dust caused by cars, fewer people asking "ca va?", really kind people with whom we used our three lessons worth of Bambara. With a group of girls, we found a woman who spoke some French, who had taken it upon herself to start a daycare/early education facility for children from about 3-5. We were welcomed into the little hut which housed about 13 adorable kids smiling and using the few words they knew in French to communicate with us. The teacher showed us that she had been teaching them how to write the alphabet, that day, it was 'i'. One by one they got up to write the letter on a chalkboard, three-year olds!
So the homestay is great. Last weekend when we were dropped off it was pretty intense. My family does speak french, in varying levels, but alas I am living with a porcelain hole for a toilet and a bucket shower(in the same room outdoors). I have showered with my first cockroaches, and I feel pretty awesome about it. I already feel used to it, and its really not even that big of a deal because at school here we have toilets and toilet paper. My family is really nice, I especially like the three brothers, all very inclusive and protective, all quite willing to engage in very interesting conversations ranging from their religion (in which they are thoroughly involved) to my religion, to language education and reform in Mali, to my thoughts on missing my loved ones at home. It's difficult sometimes because they do not speak to each other in neither french nor bambara, but bosso (sp), the old disappearing language of their particular ethnicity.
They feed me a lot of food, sometimes I get two dinners, a full plate of rice and then on top of that some pasta, so I definitely get really full. I try to buy bananas and other fruits, fill up on vegetables at lunch at school to stay healthy, i think it'll be okay.
Its hot, but only bothers me when trying to fall asleep, and focus in our 7th and 8th hours of class. Class is...sometimes interesting. They do mostly the french system of teaching which is... lecture. We had a great guy yesterday tell us about the development of the education system here, and he was really engaging and animated, willing to take questions and ask students for their opinions. NExt week we really start with the gender stuff so that, hopefully, will be more interesting.
The group is great we've gone "out" a few times; i really lucked out with some super friendly and intelligent people. It's really good to have others to relate to, to learn about other family lives here so as not to make the assumption that "my family IS the Malien family", we're definitely supporting each other and it's very impressive to see that with people who have known one another for a mere txo weeks, AH!

alright. i love you all. i hope this did not bore you...i am very happy here, i miss America like you wouldn't believe, but i know that i need this. hey if you wanna use skype and call my celly to say hello ever, hit me up at 22378112863 and whatever you have to do to get out of the US, maybe 001?

gros bisous! A bientot!

ARRIVED

hey all. just so you know i cant use exclaimation points right now so its not that im unenthused. it is incredible here. were staying at a hotel in bamako, for the moment being fed delicious simple meals, croissants and nice french bread. we have gone to the SIT school and already learned some Bambara, and yesterday, our first day here we were dropped off in pairs downtown with a given destination and some questions we had to answer before finding our way, by taxi, back to the hotel. first day. crossing a bridge on foot across the Niger river; i thought to myself, this is the kind of thing that brings me back to childhood thoughts of, but are my parents allowing me to do this? they couldnt, its too dangerous. but alas, i remember, im 20.
the people here are stunning. i honestly cannot get over how beautiful they are, dark dark brown skin with brillantly colored wraps and robes, called pagnes. im constantly surrounded by bambara, not english, so well see how im doing when i get to my homestay on friday. were about to meet one of the members of our family this afternoon, testing out some of our new language skills...i ni tile means good afternoon, and i ka kene means how are you? yay.
im really having a good time, but i can tell this orientation is quite the cushion because besides the heat and the headaches nothing feels too hard yet...
i feel like ive been here for so long already yet this is only my second day here.
im in for quite the adventure, dudes, im so glad i chose to do this.