Restaurant Seats in a Car Wash ??

July 11, 2011 Restaurant seats in the Car wash:)) People here at Healing2TheNations are all used to seeing me in a long skirt, or with a “paign” (simple length of material) wrapped around my waist, so when I came home from an excursion to Bamako in blue jeans and a nice tee-shirt, Fanta made a comment in Bambara that made Paul chuckle before translating for me. “Tonight Mimi is a lady. She is not a gramma.” What a nice compliment to be given! (We had also noticed that Fanta dressed differently when her husband came home after being away for several months. LOL) All in all it was another “experience” day. We have been having some discipline issues with several of the boys--(Yes, boys are boys in Yirimadio as well as in Shippensburg!) so we're looking forward to a little time away to just relax. Our trip to town was our Sunday holiday, of sorts. We spent some time at the American Club in the afternoon before going to the Worship Service that is held (in English!) in a church downtown on Sunday evenings. We have enjoyed getting to know other missionaries who are here in Mali thru this English speaking group, and look forward to that time together when we can get there. It was thru this group that we discovered the American Club here in Bamako. The American Club is a nice place to relax, with a pool, sand volleyball and tennis courts, a nice pavilion, and a small restaurant. We found we were able to join it as Americans in Mali for about the cost of 2 nights in a hotel, so we have afforded ourselves that luxury. Ray and Julie spent time in the pool and I relaxed in the lounge with my computer. I had intended to catch up on my blog, and send it out with pictures before joining them in the warm pool water—Florida warm, not PA swimming pool warm! It was a good plan, except for the fact that there was no internet service. When we got home we discovered that the lack of service was not a problem of the Club's wireless connection but apparently of the whole server for Bamako, as they had no service here at the base, either. Also, Ray had come back from the bathhouse to tell me that there was no water on in the bathroom. That meant there would be no showering to wash off after a swim, and the little plastic kettle with a spout, which we have come to recognize as part of an outdoor latrine's sanitary facilities, was in place beside the commode. Such is life in Mali! :) Our intent was to get a snack or salad at the Club restaurant, but rather than opening at 4pm, we found that 4 pm is the CLOSING time for the kitchen on Sundays. Julie was hungry after having swum 20 laps (it is a small pool!) and the 3 oranges and a handful of peanuts that we had brought with us didn't satisfy her. OK! We did see a little Malian Restaurant just a block or so away as we came in, so we thought maybe we would be brave enough to try it, or at least look at it as we drove by. That too was an experience! Arriving in front of the building that proclaimed itself a Restaurant, we parked along the street, being careful as we got out of the car to stay on the curbing and not step down into the open sewer that runs beside most streets here. (With the rainy season in full swing,there is a good quantity of water flowing, so its not too odorous.) The music was blaring, and the lights were on in the little building that housed the eatery. Inside the doorway was an open tilefloored space, where we saw various pots and pans stacked on a bench to one side. Before we had time to make a decision to leave, the proprietor came from across the street and greeted us. With the limited vocabulary that we have in Bambara or French, and his equally “small, small” English, we agreed that a sandwich would be what we would like to eat. He exited and crossed the street to the small car-wash establishment, quickly gathered up 6 plastic deck chairs and headed back toward us. Meanwhile, we stepped into the interior room and looked around in surprise. Yes, the music was on, and a small TV was also playing from a shelf mounted high on the end wall, but except for a single corner counter and a small refrigerator that seemed to be unplugged, there was no furniture in the room. It was clean, but empty! Before we could process all this, he was back with the chairs and a matching plastic table, wiped them off with a rag and offered us a seat. Thru the window Ray saw a young lady bring a baguette from next door and come back into the courtyard out front. We asked for a Coke, Fanta (the soft drink, not our cook LOL), and a Sprite (usually a safe bet for something to drink- sanitary, if not cold) and began to wonder if we should just drink our sodas and do without supper. The sodas, which he selected from the bottles stacked in the freezer compartment of the small refrigerator, were pleasantly cold. The young lady came in and took a pan of something from the refrigerator and I (wondering what in the world we were getting into) followed her outside. She had split the baguette, spread something onto one side of it, and was spooning fresh vegetables from the refrigerated pan on top of that. We decide it was too late to back out and sat drinking our sodas while we waited. The proprietor soon returned with a platter of the 3 sandwiches, each on its own piece of tin foil. What we had was a very acceptable, hoagie type sandwich, seasoned ground beef (we think!) with wedges of fresh tomatoes, onions and green peppers, on fresh french bread.) We left there, marvelling, and drove downtown to enjoy a worship service. Beside the regular crew, there were 3 missionary families from out of country who were on holiday in Bamako. We also had a few minutes to shop at their small Christian bookstore where we selected 5 or 6 books, which are in the Bambara language, to bring back here with us. God has already used one of those books this morning-- but that is another story. By th eway, we get more fish to eat here than I usually worked into the menu at home in PA. However, as you can see from the picture of Julie at our kitchen table, it is a little different than Mrs Paul's fishsticks of fish fillets.lol Usually we are eating it out of the community dish with 5 or other hands dipping in. This day we decided to take some rice up to our apartment and add a salad. This whole fish was the piece we were given Count your many blessings and don't forget to thank God for all His many provisions for you. Be blessed and be a blessing! Mim in Mali

Sunday, July 10, 2011 Life with a house full of boys!

We continue to experience life with the boys (and Sarata, our one little resident girl. Fanta is her mother, and the family lives in the 2 rooms just below us, adjacent to the kitchen area.) If you have grown up in a family of more than 3 or 4, you will realize some of the interactions that we face. Big boys teasing little boys, little boys trying to mimic their elders, big boys testing each other, and all of them vying for attention one way and another. There is the normal struggle to see who will be in charge, but in addition there is the reality that many of these boys have already on their own, on the street, which is not always a friendly environment. They are wise in the ways of manipulation and coercion. But they have also acknowledged their need of a saviour and all have made a verbal commitment to follow God., however that translates into everyday life. They also are looking for love and affirmation, as we all are. It is a delicate balance to supply what they need-- room to grow and mature, while still enough boundaries to give some structure. We need to remember to laugh and play as well as do correcting. We also welcomed another "boy" into our family group here. Mattias i a young man who comes rom Austria, and plans to be here about 3 months. THe picture of me holding a tray of banana men with mustaches is a treat I made in honor of his coming. Banana 1/2s with a squiggly pretzel mustache and peanut eyes. It was fun! Sunday is a day with very little on the schedule. The boys need to do their own laundry sometime during the day, but otherwise they have a day to rest and play. Julie and I played a game of Quirkle with Paul and Saloum- 2 games actually. Then I went to check on a couple of new plantings that we did this week, and spread some “misibo” (well rotted cow marure) that Paul had gotten for me. On the way to spread it I got distracted by 3 little ones doing their laundry on the top of the concrete septic tank. (Sounds a little bizarre, but it is a solid concrete platform to stand on or alongside for that chore.. I stayed to work alongside 4 of the boys as they were did their washing. This weekly chore that they are responsible for, is done in rather primitive surroundings, compared to what you probably have to work with, but it is enough!. Each one is given a cup or so of soap powder and it is up to them to get the job done sometime on Sunday. There is a garden hose with a good supply of water, a large metal tub, a laundry scrubboard, as well as a (new)clothes line and various railings and concrete places to hang the washed clothes on to dry. The sun does the solar drying work. As you might imagine, some do better than others, and so I was trying to show them ways that I have found that work to get the clothes clean. I try to use the washboard as little as possible because it is terribly rough on the clothes, but Karim showed me that it does enable him to get his pants cleaner than my hand work did. Live and learn! Another of the boys seemed to leave me to do his laundry when I had offered to help. Not so! He had gone to take a clean garment to put on and bring back the dirty pair of pants that he was wearing, so that both sets could get clean today. Another set of blessings to count: Automatic washing machines and dryers: can you conceive of it?? Machines that leave your clothing clean, dry and fluffy! Also, plenty of clothes, so that you do not need to wash one thing and then go and change so you can wash the clothes that you have on. Count your many blessings today. And be a blessing to others as you go. Mim in Mali

Julie's African Braids

July 8, 2011 – Julie's African Braids by Julie Heisey on Friday, July 8, 2011 at 9:06pm OH. MY. LANTA! I have a whOLe new respect for all of the girls that I see walking around everywhere with these crazyily (new word) designed braids. It hurts a LOT! I didn't think it was really going to be such intense pain, but when she takes a little section of your hair and braids it right on your head, it's definitely intense. I actually cried on the third or fourth braid, and was thinking, 'oh my gosh, why in the world would anyone pay someone to do this!' lol. And, I have, and probably will have, a headache for a while. Bebe, the name of the lady that did my braids for me, did one half of my head, then the other half, then did the whole back/bottom from left to right. She did it so that it pulls up into a pony tail, with those colored plastic bands to hold them in place at the end of the braid and also right where it starts away from my head. It took 2 hours and 12 minutes for her to do it all, with a few short breaks (like 2 or 3 minutes). But, my experience wasn't completely filled with pain lol. They served me some millet drink that one of the girls made as an afternoon snack. Later, when we'd moved outside of their yard to do the 2nd half of my hair, a lady came by selling what I think were frufrus (it's basically fried dough, sometimes with stuff in it, this one had chopped up onions and boiled eggs) and Bebe gave me one. (: It was really really good, besides giving me a break because Bebe had to take time to eat hers lol. Just after that, another lady finished making her tea that she'd started when I'd gotten there, and served me a little cup. They serve them in little 'shot' glasses, and you're supposed to slurp it as loudly as you can lol. It was good and sweet, and a little distraction from the pain... for a few seconds. I've gotta say though, despite how painful it was, I'm glad I went through with it and got it all done. I don't think I'm gonna do it again, maybe, maybe not, but I'm certainly glad for the experience. There you have it, right from the mouth of the one who is hurting!! Do any of you ladies remember “curlers”??-those plastic cylinders that we used to wrap our hair around at night, attach with bobby pins or little plastic picks, and (try to)sleep on to have big curls? Ouch!!—that gives me a headache just remembering. Oh, the things we do for fashion!! It was a lovely way to make a onnection with a neighbor though, I discovered that 2 of my near neighbors are named Miriam (or a variation thereof), which I told them is my given name. Now when I pass their stand in the local market, I am greeted with cries of “Meriam, Meriam!” and we greet one another. We know each other – and that is good. Again on Saturday I went with Fanta, our cook, to that open air market down at the main road. Always before we have walked down the hill the kilometer or so that it is, purchase our supplies and trudge back up the hill , I with my big, red, HALE REAL ESTATE shopping bag slung over my shoulder, and Fanta with her bucket full of food balanced on her head. This time we drove down in the little pick-up truck with Eva Durst and Mattias ___, the 2 short-termers at H2TNI.. I wanted to get a large quantity of mangoes, as I know that their season is coming to an end, and carrying that extra load back up hill, in the morning heat was more than I wanted to tackle. Another reason for taking the truck was to get Fanta going a little earlier. I wanted to be early at the meat merchant to see if I could get the tenderloin. The Malian people seem to prefer the combination of meat, bone and fatty pieces instead of just the leaner cuts that we prefer. I have watched as a thick sirloin chop disappeared under the machete type knife the butcher wields, whacked into bite sized pieces, bone and all, then accompanied by a select handful of other pieces that we would probably disdain to use. He had to be convinced that I wanted only that fat-less meat; the lean piece is not asking for anything special in their eyes. It is much better in my eyes however, so hopefully it is a win-win situation. If the merchant realizes that I will be a regular customer for that piece, maybe I can get him to save it for me in the future. We will see! Blessing for today's counting?? More than enough! Food, family, friends and neighbors. Be blessed and be a blessing! Mim in Mali