Stories of Firsts in Bamako

27 April 2010

Last Friday, as I woke up from a nap at Ma fitini’s concession in Djonkalan, still lying on the mat on the floor of the hut I raised my arms above my head, arched my back, and stretched. It was then that I felt something pop in my lower left ribs, leaving me uncomfortable ever since.
Three days later, still having discomfort I decided to call Dr. Dawn and describe to her what happened. Expecting her response that she’d never heard anything like this before, I told her it was something that’s happened to me on several occasions back home, and normally my mom would be able to reset whatever facet had popped out of place. Dr. Dawn recommended I come into the Med Unit so she could take a look for herself and then decide what we would do.
Arriving this afternoon, Dr. Dawn scheduled me a consultation at a clinic just down the road from our Bureau in Hamdallaye-ACI 2000. The Pasteur Clinique is where I got my first X-ray, and had the pleasure of receiving care from friendly Dr. Hamet Touré, who speaks excellent English.
I suppose I should be happy the X-ray showed nothing cracked or broken or dislocated, but that did little to explain this residual pain. Left with recommendations to find a good masseuse and apply some topical ointment to the area before I sleep each night, I knew this latest slipped rib ordeal would prove a test in endurance of a different sort, as if life in Mali hasn’t enough of those.


2 May 2010

It is way too early for me to be saying my first good-bye in Mali, but that may have just happened last Friday night. My Daoudabougou friend (more like an uncle at this point) Baba Coulibaly left yesterday night for another sixth month contracting project for Somafrec, the construction company he works for, I think driving heavy machinery. This trip takes him to a town near the border of Burkina Faso, Kuri. As we sat together outside Mamadou’s concession, I told him I’d just decided I wasn’t okay with that being our last night together and I’d do my best to visit him before I left, as in get on a bus and go find him. We went together to see Batima and Nènè, the former of whom he revealed is the woman he’d like to make his second wife, a decision he’s been chasing after ever since he met her, which he said had been before he’d gone on his first ever project in another region of Mali. Even though I know Baba shares my feeling of this uncle-nephew relationship we kind of have, he rarely opens up and shares personal matters like this with me. Before he left Mamadou’s place, we did our best to navigate the awkwardness of such a good-bye greeting, saying even if we couldn’t see each other that we’d do so over the phone. That night I dreamt of him!

Yesterday morning I went to Stade du 26 Mars where Moussa Sacko, Mamadou’s boss at the cell phone repair place, has football academy each Saturday morning. I’ve never been to a football academy practice, and was blown away by some of these young people’s skills. I’d also never been to the stadium where Mali’s national football team, the Eagles, play their international matches, and took pictures on the pitch with Moussa and several of his friends after their practice was over.