Oh Bats!

Ok, ok, ok, ok. There aren't any bats in my house. Sorry to get your hopes up. I have no idea what will be in my house a week from now when I return though. It's just too exciting to think about right now...
So I am here in Sikasso once again. I was skeptical about returning to site at first. The problems began the second I stepped out of the greatness that is the office in Sikasso and attempted to go back to my site. We walked to the bus stop near the office and told them where we were going. The guy working there is really familiar with Peace Corps and we were told he would be able to help us. The problem is that he can only help us go anywhere but the direction in which we needed to be going. He helped us get a taxi to go to the main bus station and catch a bus. Long story short, the taxi driver tried to put us in the worst vehicle I have ever seen. It was probably a 40 year old station wagon and it's white exterior was covered in rust. The second option was taking a bashe.
If I were to describe a bashe I would have to first tell you it looks just like the Scooby Doo car. It is painted a darker green color, but it has the same shape and is about the same size. I know it is the same size because I once saw the Scooby Doo car at Six Flags in St. Louis. The big difference is that instead of sharing the car with the regular crew of Scooby, Shaggy, and Co., I get to share the car with roughly 30 very sweaty and sometimes smelly people with no ventilation.
We weighed our options, taking Peace Corps policy into consideration of course, and chose the bashe over the station wagon, paid our wage, and were on our way. Kind of. We sat inside the car with no ventilation in the 90+ degree heat for an hour and a half before leaving. Apparently I wasn't the only person upset by the wait and loved listening to a particularly rotund woman in the front row yelling at the driver in French telling him he was a mouton (sheep) and that we were packed in the bashe like sardines. Hearing it in French was so much funnier than hearing it in English for some reason and we laughed and laughed at her. We finally left the station, and I got to my stop, climbed out, and loaded my bike up with my stove, clothes, books, computer, and food and set off for the long ride.
After that adventure, it was pretty much smooth sailing for two weeks. School began the day I arrived back at site so I was able to sit in on a few classes. I started my Bambara tutoring and I even managed to start tutoring in Samogo. The mayor and the general secretary held a couple of meetings and spoke on my behalf about the literacy center (more below). I met a married couple from Europe who have lived in my village for several years, and I saw an American woman who lives in the next village over drive through my village one day. I went to the health center and got to help weigh babies. I was brave and started running in the mornings. There are still rough moments where loneliness hits at not being able to speak with people, times when I get annoyed waiting three hours for meetings to begin, and so on, but compared to my first few weeks at site, things are much better.

Visitors
So yesterday my boss came to visit me at my site, which was super sweet because we were able to meet with some of the women who want to be part of the literacy center. Originally, he was supposed to come on Wednesday, but for whatever reason it was delayed until Saturday. The women were already intending to come to the meeting on Wednesday, and I was really impressed. Nearly 40 women showed up, and they brought a list of names from two other villages with nearly 30 women. Needless to say, I am amazed by the initiative they have shown in wanting to study, though it will be months before their first class. At any rate, about 20 women were able to come to the meeting yesterday, where my boss explained the concept a little more in depth to them. Then he asked the women if they had questions or comments. One woman made a particularly touching comment, when she said that they felt good about themselves as women, but they couldn't read and that learning to read and write would finally make them whole. I was really glad another PC staff member was there to translate this all for me.
After the meeting, we were able to discuss some of the problems I was having with my house or with the village in general. They are not large problems, but it is nice to know they will finally be resolved. Soon, I will be the only person using my nyegen again, I will have chickens, my screen door will lock so that mice can't get in, my back brake on my bike will work, and the best of all is that I will finally be able to cook with my stove!!! No more cooking over coals. Mac and cheese will only take a respectable 15 minutes to cook and not an hour. It's going to be great. It's just a shame I have to eat hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, egg sandwiches, and all the yogurt I please for the next week here in Sikasso. Such a shame...

“I've learned to distinguish low expectations from indolence...Krishna proclaims that a person is wise 'when all his undertakings are free from anxiety about results'...it's possible, indeed desirable, to give one hundred percent effort to an activity and yet have absolutely no stake in the results.” The Geography of Bliss