Well, I was really looking ahead to the future and not procrastinating and I went and wrote a Christmas bucket list... but then ebola happened - well, it had been happening, but it started to affect things. Alumni planning to return for Christmas were told by their schools that they would have to be in incubation even though they were going to a country that is ebola free. To make a long story short, my parents and sister are coming to Dakar for Christmas and so none of things below that are in italics are going to happen. It is like the Bible verse, "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps" (Prov 16:9).
So… Christmas break is coming up and I decided to make a
bucket list. My sister will be there and my parents have a car so all kinds of
things can happen!
First, visit the Chutes de Gouina. My family has a tradition
of camping here every new years since the year 2000. Now… when I say camping, I
don’t mean tents and fancy stuff like that. I mean makeshifts tents out of
mosquito nets, mats, and mattresses. I mean piling under and over layers upon
layers of blankets because (shocker since this is in Mali!) it is cold!! It
used to take 3 hours or so to get there, but now it takes less than two! The
road was paved because of a potential hydroelectric dam being built there. Here
you see a picture of the beautiful falls and one of our past campsites.
Second on my bucket list is going to Le Campement. This is a
beautiful little resort on the outskirts of Bamako that my parents and I went
to last year. They are two pools, one regular one, and another that is built in
to boulders. It is beautiful! Voici a picture from last year:
Next up is hanging with my baby sister. I haven’t seen her
in 2 and a half years so it will be a treat (though we have skyped and written
letters {as in snail mail – we’re old fashioned that way J }). We probably won’t
be staying up till all hours of the night braiding each other’s hair and
talking about boys… but we may stay up and watch Doctor Who and get on each
other’s nerves ;).
I can’t believe I am putting this… but I will probably be
hanging out with my parents dog Lola “a bit”. This is the only dog I have ever
really liked… except for one my parents dog-sat for for a month. My family used
to accuse me of secretly liking my parents former dog (RIP Chester), but when you
see me with Lola and compare my attitude to her versus my attitude the other
dog… well, those accusations were
pointless. I will probably spend time teasing her by saying things like
Wal-Mart and talk and stalk and others while my mother admonishes me but is
really amused by her dog’s reactions. I’ll spend my nights being scooted off
the bed while the dog takes up most of the room in the bed – kind of like my
sister does…
Kayes… we are probably going to go and visit the city that
was our home for our entire lives… see church friends, see our maid, see
co-workers, go to Echo Beach, and more. This is where we’ll probably be
spending Christmas… it is nice to know that even though my parents have moved,
some things stay the same.
American goodies!! Since my sister will be coming from the
States, I am counting on her bringing a whole suitcase full of stuff for my
parents and me. This is not stuff like candy and food and impractical things
like that. It will be more like contact solution, socks, cookbooks, contacts,
and other sweet stuff. Maybe some fun stuff too if my parents have her bring
out Christmas gifts for me. (PS – if anyone wants to send me something, I would not mind! :) )
Dressing alike. Many African churches – at least in West
Africa (or is it just Mali?) – have a tradition of choosing a fabric and having
a Christmas themed picture and Bible verse printed on it. This is at Christmas.
At Easter they choose an Easter theme. For a political thing it will have a
picture of a candidate. Etc. There are so many reasons to dress the same! So
many in the church buy a length of fabric and have an outfit or piece of an
outfit (like just a shirt for the boys sometimes) made out of it. Then on
Christmas when you go to church everyone is wearing clothing out of the same
material… or from Christmases past. You know what they say, “The church that
dresses alike stays together”… or something along those lines.
Speaking of Christmas, our family and whatever other English
speaking people out there will get to sing a song in English for the church on
Christmas day. Every people group chooses a song from their language and gets
to sing it in front of the church. When there are 15 languages, this does not lengthen the already lengthy service
which includes three or four choirs singing two songs, and the mayor coming to
visit, and an extra long sermon (or so it feels). I don’t have a picture for
this, sorry! Some things are better left to the imagination!
I’ll also get the chance to practice my Bambara. Ever since
I have been wise (22) I have wanted to learn Bambara and have wished that I had
learned as a child. But each time I have gone to Mali in the last two and a
half years I have picked up more and more words and phrases so that when we are
visiting with people I can catch the drift of the conversation as I pick out a
word here and there.
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