difficult days, difficult decisions

I am getting ready to leave Mali. Just two days ago I thought I was staying. But things can change so fast.
Since the coup d’etat less than 2 weeks ago, the rebels in the north have taken the 3 big towns up there, (Kidal, Gao, and Timbuktu) and now the news is that they are pushing south. Not good. It has gone from bad to worse, and instead of waiting for it to get even worse than that (worser? more worse? ha, ha.) I am going to try to get out while I still can.
I was on the phone with a travel agent tonight, but now the office is closed and I have to try to finalize a plane ticket out of Bamako in the morning. I could go with the rest of the non-africans from my group who will be leaving by land to Burkina Faso, but I would rather just go straight to the states. I don’t think that whats happening here is going to be over in the next week or two.
So if it all works out, I should be going with 2 friends on a bus to Bamako on Friday – that is if there is gas and the buses are still going to Bamako. Then I’m looking to fly on Sunday or Monday night – that is if I can get a ticket tomorrow when I talk to the travel agent.
My husband Jean-Patrick is going to be staying in Mali. I think that I am in the middle of the shock of all of this right now, and too busy trying to arrange my house and pack and leave for an unknown amount of time, that it hasn’t really hit me that I am going without him. He can’t just get on a plane with me, he’d need a visa. (and that’s a whole process) If this goes on for too long he will try to get a visa, but for now he is going to stay in Mali at our house with our puppy and our kitty and our 3 chickens.
So I am putting things away, cleaning up the house and wondering when I’ll get to come back home to Mali again, and when I come back will my things still be there. I’m trying not to imagine desperate people ransacking our home. There is already the threat of famine here and now the borders are closed so no food shipments can come in. And I know, I know, things are just things. But that’s a lot easier to say when its not your things, not your life that could be compelety rearranged.
I think its some kind of psychological relief mechanism to start to worry about trivial stuff when there are huge things looming: hmm, the country is falling apart and I’m going to be seperated from my husband, but should I pack the green or the blue barettes for my hair, or maybe both? I should probably organize the bookshelf before I go. And too bad about this cheese in my freezer that I haven't used yet. Ridiculous.
I will keep this updated as I can; we’ve only had power at night the last few days.