Hot & Sunny

Mali May 12, 2011
Another hot and sunny day on the outskirts of Bamako. THe view out my kitchen window is a hill comprised of a tumbled pile of large red rocks interspersed with a few green shrubs growing from the soil at their base. From time to time you can see someone making their way up a winding path to its top, or doing some sort of work at the brim. A few stuctures are beginning to be built on its side-- where they said that no one was allowed to build-- apparently that has changed. Yesterday there was a loud blast that came from the direction of one of those precarious building sites. A large blue truck backed out from the edge of the plateau at the top and made its way down the path to another high building site, partially hidden behind one of the larger outcrops. White grafiitti scrawls across its surface, bold against its red-brown face.
The day started with a haze and some considerable wind, which throws the sand and grit against the hard surfaces of the house walls and roof with a scratching sound. We attempt to quickly shut the windows so as to keep out most of the dirt, but a fine reddish powder still finds it's way thru the cracks under the door or between the window and its sill where there is a gap. The floor, which I washed one afternoon is gritty again by the next day and everywhere the surfaces need to be wiped clean before any food preparatiosn are done.
Tha might sound like a problem, but when I look down from that same kitchen window into the walled yard of my neighbor, I see a multitude of things for which to be thankful.
My spacious apartment is up on the second floor and has a smooth tile floor and walls that WILL wipe clean. I have ample water that flows from a tap in the wall-- not one place but THREE. THere is clean running water at my kitchen sink, bathroom sink and wall hung shower bath. There is an additional faucet that is mounted beside the kitchen sink that dispenses filtered water that I can safely drink. It is often warmer than I would like, but it is clean and potable and always available without my having to go some distance and bring it back to my home in a container on my head or the back of a donkey cart.
What else can I be thankful for? I will share a few now, and will doubtless see many more that I can add to the list as time goes by. I have screens on my window to keep out pesky flies-- in fact, I HAVE windows--AND a door-- that close securely, inside a walled compound with a guard on duty 24/7. I have all the water that I want to use, so I can (and do) shower more than once a day if I like. THAT is refreshing, I can tell you!