Back in Bamako!

After 6 weeks in the US- Ghana - US, I was happily surprised how excited I am to be back in Bamako. I stepped off the plane into less than stifling heat that smelled like the Sahel ecstatic to be back home. Six weeks away had been a pleasant vacation - a nice rest from the wear and tear of hot season, but now a Bamako at 80 degrees was like a whole new (yet familiar) world. I came home to find my sub-letter in my bedroom and our cleaning guy Drissa living in my office. My courtyard has transformed into the neighborhood card spot. My dog - much to my delight and amazement - got fat! My nieces and nephews crawled and squirmed all over me as I distributed beenie babies from my grandmother. In thirty minutes they were already parading the stuffed animals across real livestock, attaching rubbery wire "leashes", and throwing them up into the air.

I have made a pact with myself to only update this blog while on Malian soil, but here I will offer a quick update of the last month and a half of activities. In 6 weeks away I conducted a mini East Coast tour (NYC-Ithaca- NJ-Philly) and saw great friends, family, my dog, and my husband. Activities included: house party in brooklyn, lots of Ithaca fun, my mom's retirement party, snuggling Zumana, and a weekend date with Drissa to Philly (I love that city). Then spent 3 weeks with 20 profs from all over Africa at the American Political Science Association Africa Conference in Accra. Accra was overwhelming - there was a mall and coffee shops and a Shoprite! In addition to the intellectual exchange, I got to check out dwarf soccer, bring Obama posters to local nightclubs, visit an Ashanti palace, and jump into freshwater in Africa for the first time ever. Go Team APSA Accra! Jokers foreva? A special shout out to my comrade Jessica - who traveled 12 hours overland to come visit me in Ghana - it was fabulous.

So, now back to work. It's nice to be home.