A few other thoughts

Things I’ll miss from Africa:

1. The people – First off, let me say that Malians are probably the nicest, warmest people I’ve ever met in my life.  I’ve never been to a country where I felt more welcomed by total strangers and that feeling lasted the entire year and a half I lived there.  On top of that, I met a lot of really cool people who are working overseas.  Be they American, Canadian, European, or whatever, they have a wealth of interesting personalities and backgrounds and I truly feel privileged to have met so many of them.
2. Drinking from glass bottles – Nothing is more refreshing than an ice-cold Coke or Sprite from a glass bottle.  I wonder what it would take for the US to go back to offering more glass bottles of soft drinks in stores and restaurants.
3. The craziness – Life in Africa is almost always interesting.  Whether it’s crazy drivers, seemingly bizarre local customs, or the always-interesting intersection of African tradition with Western influence, there was something on a near-daily basis that would make me think, “This kind of stuff never happens in the US.  Never.”
4. The music – Mali especially has a great music scene.  There were bands playing at parties and street festivals almost every weekend and the air was full of music. I got to see some really great concerts and the music scene in Bamako is just as vibrant as what you’d find in Austin or Nashville or Chicago.
5. I don’t really know how to describe this last point except to say that life in Africa was a lot like something out of a Richard Scarry “Busytown” book.  Everyone does everything outside and in the span of one city block you’ll see people building furniture, fixing cars, selling livestock, weaving fabric, bathing children, sleeping, talking, and even going to the bathroom. It’s such a change to come back to the US where almost all of these things happen behind closed doors. In Mali, you were never bored sitting in traffic because there was so much to watch on the street right in front of you.

Things I won’t miss:

1. The heat – I’ve long suspected it and now it’s confirmed.  I just don’t like hot weather. I don’t mind a few weeks of it here and there, but the oppressive, never-ending heat of the hot season was too much for me.  Every time I came indoors, my clothes were sticking to me from sweat.  I spent most hours of the day inside, out of the heat and sun, because it was near impossible to do anything between the hours of 10 and 6.  I like cold weather. I like snow.  I like a brisk fall wind.  They don’t have these things in Mali.
2. The trash – I can’t speak for all African cities, but Bamako and Kinshasa are really dirty.  People throw their trash wherever they please and it’s never picked up. Garbage dumps are spread all throughout the city and you never know when you’ll happen upon one.  Sewers are open and can get pretty rank by mid-day. Even the air is dusty and filled with smog and car exhaust and the smell of burning garbage.
3. The French language – sorry.  People talk about how beautiful of a language French is, and how they love speaking it.  Give me Spanish any day of the week.  I just don't like French.