back at Tubani So

I'm back at the Peace Corps training site after almost 2 weeks in my homestay village. Things there have been going really well. My host family is wonderful. My host father has two wives, and they have four children: boys that are 15 and 17, and girls that are 9 and 10. In our household as well are the 14-year-old sister of the younger wife, plus the father's younger brother.

We basically spend all day learning Bambara (Bamanankan), with a two hour break for lunch. Sometimes there is a cross-cultural session thrown in as well. There are 11 PCTs in my village, but only 4 of us are doing Bambara (the others are doing French). Our village is actually more of a town. It's pretty big and pretty near Bamako. I haven't gone into Bamako yet though. It's nice to be in a larger town because there is a market every day, so we can buy fruit, cloth, cookies, whatever.

At my house we have luxuries like a refrigerator, which my mother uses to chill or freeze juices that she sells at the market every day. I know they are safe to drink because I know my family only uses robinet water, which is already treated, so it's nice to have access to that. I also have electricity in my room, and even a fan. My family is really respectful of my room and my belongings.

Our language classes are held at the concession (walled in compound) of a fisherman who lives by the Niger river. We have classes under some mango trees (no mangoes on them right now).

Can't write more now, but we should be finding out about our sites either tomorrow or Thursday!