Thomas Schelling in Bamako

As soon as Drissa arrived at the airport we stopped by his parents house right before morning prayer to greet everyone before heading back to our house. My father-in-law must have told the kids that he was coming because everyone was up and buzzing about. As Drissa emerged from the car everyone was chanting "ton-ton Drissa." We said our hellos then headed to Magnambougou to say hi to my host family. Then my brother-in-law insisted on breaking his fast and praying at our house before heading home, so we sat with him and Solo for a while to plan out the next day. The missions included the following: changing money, buying a new motor for our taxi, starting to sell various electronics drissa brought from the US, and starting to scout locations for our newest business venture - a bridal shop in Bamako. Drissa and I were finally able to escape family-time for five hours or so before the crowds arrived back at our house at about 10 AM.

After a team huddle we all dispersed in various directions - first heading to look for a motor. I wasn't quite ready to let Drissa out of my sight - so I decided to head downtown with them. (I think I might hold the title of toubab logging the greatest cumulative hours in West African garages). Then the rain started to pour - and pour and pour and pour. Rain means business stops and people sleep. Drissa braved the rain and managed to arrange to get a motor the next day. We headed back across the river to our neighborhood. Roads were flooding as sewage systems got clogged with mud. We saw crazy moto-drivers trying to navigate through 3 feet of water. People got were panicking and abandoning their cars in the middle of flood zones. Luckily, I was with 3 public transport people: solo, drissa, and our taxi driver Cheble. Solo was driving and as the water approached our windows - Drissa walked him through the flash flood - keep your car in low gears, keep the accelerator steady. Water poured into our car onto the floor maps. We slowly drove around abandoned taxis and people pulling their motos to the median. Any sudden change of speed or stopping the car would pull water into the motor and break it. I was completely impressed by the calm of my husband, solo, and cheble. It was only after the water receded from the floor mats and I saw drissa laughing explaining that Solo was a Kalanden numan (a good student) that I realized how crazy what we just did was and how nervous they had all been.

Meanwhile, neighborhoods away in Niamacoro, our nephews decided that they wanted to visit Drissa and I at our house. So the 5 year old and 8 year old started walking to our house. The rain started pouring down and my in-laws noticed that the two boys had disappeared. Boi had told another nephew: "It's late - we've waited all morning. Ton ton Drissa hasn't come yet. We are going to his house." Drissa and I arrived at the house to learn that the kids had been gone for a couple of hours in the rain. Noone knew where the kids had gone. Everyone in the house - except the younger cousins - was out searching for the kids. Drissa and I exchanged glances - it was one of those amazing moments where you gain strength and calm from your partner in the most pressing of times. He said that often lost kids are deposited at a local radio station in Magnambogou. He called my host brother to get the station's number and seconds later he was talking to the DJ who explained that they would announce that the kids were lost. Each announcement cost $2. Drissa called his brother Yacouba and told him to go to the radio station to investigate. As Drissa made these calls, the political scientist in me was amazed that a private radio station - and not a police station - was the "focal point" for lost kids.

I started out on foot - trying to think of places where a five and 8 year old might go or hide during the rainstorm. I walked along the road and Drissa got our car and tried calling other relatives to figure out where they had already been. After an hour or so of searching, I got a call from Drissa who had talked to Yacouba who said that the radio station had located the kids. Drissa picked me up and dropped me off a couple of blocks from his house, where I jogged back to tell everyone back at the house that they were found. His dad was relieved, but his mom was still out looking - without a cellphone. I decided to stay put at the house where I could call both Drissa and Yacouba for updates.

About 30 minutes later, Drissa arrived with our nephews. He had bought them meat and they were eating it as they arrived rather sheepishly. Drissa sat down and explained the whole story. A man had seen the kids near the large highway that separates my neighborhood from Drissa's parents. He asked them where they lived - realized they were lost and promptly brought them to Radio Guintan. Radio Guintan said they had nowhere to put the kids so the secretary took the guy's information down and had him bring them back to his house. By the time Drissa had called the station, the kids had already come by the secretary's office. However, she failed to tell the DJs in the booth (who drissa had spoken to). Yacouba arrived and asked the secretary if anyone had brought any kids by. She said yes, but then she asked for $20 to tell Yacouba the location of the kids. Yacou was furious, but composed enought to negotiate down the "finders fee." If I was there I would have been far less composed - I have been practicing my bamana insults for the one day i get to meet her: Fin be be sugula?(ohh, everything in this world is for sale?) I be i yere yere fere? (Does that mean that you sell yourself/you are a prostitute). Eventually she disclosed the phone number and address of the man who was hosting the kids. Drissa met Yacou at his house. The man was extremely nice and refused money, but finally Drissa convinced him to take $10. On the car ride home, Drissa overheard the boys saying that the younger one was willing to stay at this guy's house, but that Boi was already planning his escape cause he missed his grandparents.

Back at the house, Drissa called a family meeting with all the grandkids. He revealed the toy cars my grandma had sent from the states and explained that there would be no more escaping -especially after dark. After 14 days of good behavior, the children would be rewarded with the cars. He enlisted all of his younger brothers to report back on the children's behavior. Hopefully the toys will serve as a sufficient incentive to keep the kids at home.