HOMESTAY A BANNA

Hi Friends! Today is the Last day of July, which means I left home 2 months ago! In one way I cant believe that I have been in Mali for two months now, but at the same time, I feel as if I have been here forever!
This morning I left my HomeStay village for good! Although I am extremely relieved that I never have to share a negen again, never will be forced to take a bucket bath again, and will never have to explain where I am going and what I am doing at all times, I am actually going to kind of miss that place.
No, I am not going to miss that actual village (with its pungent oder, and rivers of garbage, and children throwing rocks and rotten mangos at me as they scream "TUBABU!!") but I am going to miss many aspects of it. I will miss being able to walk right outside of my compound to my good friend Zach, and being able to walk through the fields to Pamela's house! I will definitely miss Pamela.
I was reading a letter yesterday that my mom had written me. The letter said "I pray that God gives you companionship," I know she wrote that because I was so worried about being alone in this country, yet that is just one (of many I am sure) prayers that have been answered! All of the people I am serving with have helped me immensely during this experience, but I have been so lucky to have found a true friendship in Pamela (without whom I could not have gotten through these past 2 difficult months!)
HomeStay in a way is like Survival of the Fittest!! When we arrived here we were put on high dosages of Mefloquine (which I am starting to believe does more harm to you body and emotions than good..)and sent into some really harsh living conditions.
Ex: My tin-roof flew off of my hut during a storm yesterday, thus Pamela and I got completely soaked.

HomeStay is what most volunteers claim is the hardest part of Peace Corps service. Getting through HomeStay is what makes you into a volunteer, yet along the way it can really break you down.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:::
Well lets see...
I feel that I have accomplished  A LOT. For one, I survived HomeStay! Don't get me wrong there were plenty of tears shed, which really freaks out Malians because they don't ever really cry, and lots of phone calls to my poor mother and friends, but I am alive and well!
I am now an INTERMEDIATE Bambara speaker, a language which I did not know existed until I arrived here!
I kill termites with my bare hands!! (You kind of have to when your room is infested with them...)
I have learned to take advantage of nature!!~Instead of taking bucket baths everyday, I sometimes just put conditioner on my dry hair, and wait until it rains and rinses it out!!...Too Much Info??*
Not trying to jinx myself but I have managed to stay relatively healthy, Yes I had a low grade fever one day, and experienced a mild Cold, but compared to a lot of people in my Stage, I have been about the healthiest!!*

Although it took some getting used to, I learned to Love the people in my village. My family was amazing. My little 2 year old brother, Zumana, brightened my every day, and my sweet mother was incredible. She only had one leg, yet that woman did not let that slow her down. She can do with crutches and one leg, what I can't do most days with two legs and a car. We definitely had our share of miscommunications, but I can honestly say that A SMILE IS UNIVERSAL!~and a smile can go a long way.
My HomeStay family definitely touched my life, and I pray that I touched theirs in some small way :)

This Friday I will become an official Peace Corps Volunteer, and all of my hard work and hardships throughout the past two months will have been well worth it! I am so thankful to have such an amazing support system at home, and I am so grateful for your care packages and encouraging words on FaceBook!! I love and Miss you aLL!!* Peace*