Orientation week in Mali, West Africa complete!!

After only four full days in-country, what I am about to say may be premature…but I’m gonna say it anyway! I AM GOING TO LOVE LIVING, WORKING AND CULTURALLY INTEGRATING INTO THE MALIAN CULTURE!! There I said it! Yes I have to adjust to the heat, my Malaria prophylaxis (Mefloquine), the vaccinations, the different smells, and my daily basic living regiments…but it seems to be worth it! Malian culture is rather different from American culture and even a little different from what I know about Nigerian culture. My one week of orientation alone has definitely got me intrigued about Malians way of life and excited about what is to come in this journey that I have just begun! All the adjustments that I am making and will have to make seem small in the grand scheme of things…this experience will be like nothing else that I’ve ever experienced! I’ve had a crash course in Malian life…thanks to my trainers…now I am about to witness Malian life for the first time through my own eyes! Tomorrow I meet my new Malian family with whom I will be living with for the remainder of my in-country training! I will be the guest of a Malian village’s Chief, which is a BIG deal in this culture. I look forward to it meeting my new family and even being apart of my first big Malian Islamic holiday this coming Sunday: Tabaski! I won’t go into details about the religious holiday until I’ve seen it for myself…but I’m sure it will be pretty interesting!! I’ll be away from wi-fi for a little bit but I will let you know how it goes as soon as I can and hopefully be able to post some pictures! Mz. Ambitious travels to a Malian village…stay tune!