2008 already?

I have just now realized that I haven't had a post for quite some time...and that its 2008 and half way through January.... I don't know where the time has gone. It just seems like yesterday I got here and it has been almost 6 months......

Thanksgiving.... Christmas.... New Years.... were all spent with other Peace Corps Volunteers.

For T-day about 60 of us came together for fabulous turkey, pie, mashed potatoes, salad, stuffing... and all the works. Just incredible. I have never been so thankful for good food (not the normal Malian cuisine) and friends. I ended up eating way more than I should have and had to lay in the floor for about an hour after dinner.

Christmas..... A bunch of us went to Bamako for the Holidays... and had a great time... lots of good food, live music, and dancing... no Christmas trees or stockings... just ice cream and wine and cheese....

Live music...... a bit of jazz

Christmas Eve Wine and Cheese

News Years....was spent on the Niger in Segou. It began with a boat ride after sunset and ended after a visit to the egg shack after sunrise the following morning...what a night... and great way to begin a new year....

Just before Christmas, I celebrated my first Seliba (Tabaski) in my village which is the big feast of the year. Usually, every family kills an animal and shares the meat... and its eaten for the next couple days (not quite the ideal holiday for those who don't eat or like much meat).

The day before the fete, I bought lots of spaghetti for the my family, onions, the largest watermelon I could find, tea, sugar, and candy (bon bons) for the kids... as a gift.... as I had no intentions of buying a goat, sheep or any other animal to be killed.

The entire feast lasted for about 4 days... The first morning after the men prayed the sheep of our family was killed. I made myself watch, as they slit the throat and cut its head off as the rest of the legs were still kicking... I felt sick afterwards.... and I don't know if was from watching of eating the meat later. I was truly a Malianmuso (woman) and all dressed up, had my head covered and henna on my feet. My village was just estatic. It was a good time.