We are now settled in our home in Badalabougou, a quartier of Bamako located on the south side of the river. If you look zoom in to Bamako on GoogleEarth, our house is right near the new bridge. Can you see the small marker in the photo on the left?
Jenna and Gus are ajusting well to life here, exploring our neighborhood and walking down the block to their school to play on the playground. They are making good use of our swimming pool and getting very comfortable in the water!
Our school, AISB, opens for business this Tuesday (Yup! School starts on August 19th over here!) Both Jenna and Gus have met their teachers. Jenna has been making daily trips to the campus to pop in on Amanda. Gus' PreK teacher, Dana, was a Peace Corps volunteer in a village in the Mopti region of Mali, so Gus will be getti
ng his preK lessons in Fulfulde!
ng his preK lessons in Fulfulde! Yesterday Gus and Stacy made a trip to see the new land that AISB has purchased for their new campus. The land is in the Sotouba quartier, located about eight kilometers east of downtown Bamako. Because we are in the height of the rainy season right now, the road out to the land was quite muddy. The land directly borders the Niger River on the North side, and because of the rains, the river is over a over a kilometer wide right now.
After exploring around the river we returned to our car to find that one of the tires was flat. After changing the tire and making our way back into the city, the car then died on us in the parking lot of the new bakery. By the time we got back to Badalabougou we agreed that the car will be confined to Bamako city limits for the time being!
Last night I went to a funky night club called "CaseRouge" to hear a Malian "Orchestra" featuring one of Mali's finest guitarists, Zina Diabate (No direct relation to Mali's famous Kora player Toumani Diabate). Most of the musicians were playing modern instruments (no Kora, Ngoni, or Balafon) but they were quite good. If you are not familliar with the sounds of Mali, probably the best place to start would be Toumani Diabate's new release "The Mande Variations," which can be downloaded on iTunes.
7 comments:
Hi Stace, Randy, Jenna & Gus,
I am thrilled that I can follow your adventures in Mali through your blog. I think about you constantly and try to imagine what your daily lives are like. It sounds like you have settled into life in Mali quickly and successfully. I look forward to your next update! XXOO Julie
True RUDDAS do not have swimming pools. Do you already have a cabana boy?
RUDDA--I fear you will be getting too soft. Stay away from the twinkies at the commissary.
We're glad you all made the trip safe and sound. We had a great time at Mom and Dad's 50th, but you were missed! We look forward to sharing your adventure through the blog. Stay safe and know you are thought of often!
Love,
Jeff, Mary and family
Hey Guys! Great to see pics of your new home and hear a little bit about life there. I can't wait to read and see more! Congrats on getting it all done to get there. xo Mama Liza
Hi Stacy, Randy, Jenna and Gus
Greetings from Denmark. I'm so happy you all have settled in. So great that I can follow your every moves here on this blog. Great idea.
Lots of thoughts and love
Bibi
TOOO TOOO TOOO FUN guys... love hearing about the adventures (though apparently im still a city girl... flat tire, mud, rainy season- i might not have done so well! :o) miss & love you tons & tons. Love Jamie & John... hugs too all!!
Hello Browns! What an excellent adventure so far! We miss you back here stateside. Do you have a mailing address &/or email? We have started the rock wall with the "brown stone" Will send pics of progress & finished product. Love & hugs, Olivia, Greg & Athene
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