Challenges

Life in Mali is interesting, different, and above all, challenging. These are some of toughest things for me:

Mosquitos and flies everywhere. The mosquito net is clutch, as are the bugspray and the itch relief creme that I take with me everywhere.

Bambara. It's pretty cool learning a new language, but it's less cool not really being able to understand what anyone is saying until they decide to speak to you in French.

Cockroaches. Enough said.

Air quality. The pollution in Bamako is incredible. There is a constant haze over the city, and sometimes it's just plain hard to breathe.

Trash. I can't seem to figure out where to put it. Any trash my family has, they just chuck over the wall of our compound, and I don't really want to do that. For now, I just hoard it in my armoire.

No toilet paper. This is by far the toughest thing to deal with. Somehow, wiping down with water and a hand just doesn't cut it.

So, life here is a little bit of an adjustment. I'm sure it will get easier, though, and the value of the experience will definitely be worth it in the end.