"Kitten" the kitten

I found a tiny kitten when I was out walking my dog.  It was on a bit of ground between a metal fence and a paved road, far from any houses, and with no mama cat in sight.   The kitten was crawling around and would have certainly been killed by traffic within a few minutes if I had not rescued it.  Nearby was another kitten, already dead.  I couldn't bear to leave the living kitty behind to be killed.  So I picked it up and carried it home where I quickly gave it a bath.  After checking online I figured that the kitten was about 3 weeks old.  I also read that you aren't supposed to wash tiny kittens, but I wasn't going to leave it all filthy, and it survived the bath.

Our big cat wanted nothing to do with the kitten at first.  But Teddy dog loved it.  My silly dog thought that he was the kitten's mama.  He licked it and gently carried it around in his mouth.  (later, when the kitten was older, he wasn't quite so gentle with it, but it learned to be tough)  I thought it might die because it wouldn't eat on its own, I had to feed it milk out of my hand.  Somehow it lived.  We had the kitten for 6 weeks because it took me awhile to find it a new home. 

 

Here is Teddy with the kitten just before it left.

After having already asked a lot of people and not finding someone to take the kitten, I thought I would ask my English students if they wanted it.  In my big class of 24 students, no one was interested.  I was discouraged.  I hadn't thought it would be so hard to get rid of the kitty.  Our pet quota is filled, so we really couldn't keep it.  Besides, we already have a cat, and I'm not even a "cat person."  Then I asked my smaller class of 12 students.  I had 3 of them raise their hands.  All 3 wanted the kitten!  So I left it to them to discuss and decide who the kitten would go to. 

 

So here is one of my students (the one who best convinced his classmates that he needed a kitten I guess) getting ready to take the kitty home.  He said he was going to name it "Kitten."  How do we transport a cat in Mali?  In a bird cage of course.  I really need to find a cat carrier or get some kind of box built before we move again.  Our big cat made the long trip here crammed into this same bird cage!  I sort of missed the kitty the first day after it was gone, but I don't miss dealing with a litter box.  Our big cat goes outside to go to the bathroom, so normally we don't have a litter box.  I am glad that Kitten has a new home, and I hope that she will do a good job of getting rid of all the mice there.

About English School

I've had a few questions about English school, so I thought I'd write a bit more about it.  

The school was started a few years ago by some Americans from a couple of different organizations.  I think that now there are 4 organizations working together with the school, and I really appreciate that.  When it started they were meeting in a building just once a week for class.  Some time ago, not sure when exactly but before I arrived on the scene, they found a villa, a house, to rent to use as a center for classes.  The building is well located about a mile from where I live and not far from the city's university.  Now the classes meet twice a week for 24 lessons, so about 3 months for the semseter.  We are using an English as a Second Language curriculum that has 5 levels.  I am teaching level 1 (beginner) and level 3 (intermediate) this semseter.  My level 1 class has 24 students and level 3 has 12.  I enjoy the level 3 class more because the smaller class size is better, and because the students are able to speak and understand a lot more English. 
The students are all adults, and the classes are in the evenings.  Some students attend the university and some have jobs.  They are all taking English classes by choice and I think that it is nice as a teacher to know that they are there because they want to be, because they want to learn, not because it is some requirement. 
There are several centers in town that offer English classes, but we are the only one with (all) American teachers!  New students come in because they have heard about the school from their friends.  I've had 1 or 2 people stop in each week asking me to add their name to the contact list so they can sign up for the next semester.  To register for class they have to take a placement test and pay 20,000 cfa tuition, which comes to about $40.  So no, I am not getting paid to teach.  (actually I've had to spend some money on photocopies!)  The hope is that the tuition will cover the printing of the books and pay for the rent and utilities on the building.  The founders have been helping to cover the costs up until now, but there are enough students that it is becoming self-supporting.
Besides the twice a week classes, the center offers a Cafe night where students come to play games and converse in English.  There is a different topic each month, for example February was Black History Month and they watched and listened to MLK's "I have a dream" speech. 
I do enjoy teaching and me talks ok in English, so there is something valuable that they can learn from me.

hot, hot, hot

These are the days when you can sit completely still in the shade and still have sweat dripping off you.  Yes, it’s Hot Season again!  Daily highs have been between 102 and 107 for a few weeks already, and we can’t expect relief until rainy season starts in June.  Along with the heat have come daily power cuts.  It seems that the electric company can’t keep up with demand to power fans and air conditioners.  The power has been out for 5 to 10 hours every day.  We only open the fridge when absolutely necessary during the power cuts!  Even though the overnight lows are in the 70’s, it doesn’t get below 90 in our house.  Cement block buildings absorb heat during the day and keep things toasty all night.  I think I might get my hair done in braids again soon because I’m tired of a sweaty neck and soggy pillow.

With these inconveniences, (not to mention a war taking place in the north of the country,) one might ask why I’d want to live in Mali.   And though I wouldn’t mind a quick trip to the beach, there is nowhere I’d rather be right now.  I know that I’m where I’m meant to be. 
And honestly, I prefer a sweaty 105 degrees in Mali over a Minnesota winter’s -40 degrees that comes with scraping ice off windshields with numb fingers, frozen eyelashes and nose hairs, and cold that hurts down to the bones.

Even the Malians start to complain when it’s this hot.  One of the Bambara phrases that I know well is “it’s really hot!” 

visiting the refugees

 

I recently got to go with friends to visit some refugees here in Bamako.  These are people who fled from the North of Mali almost a year ago because of the Rebel, Islamist, and al-Qaeda groups taking over up there.  The people I met had all come from the big towns of Timbuktu and Gao.  While it may have been a good plan for anyone and everyone to flee the north with these groups moving in, it was especially urgent for the Christians to leave.  I have read that something like 1/2 millon people left the North and are living displaced in neighboring countries or elsewhere here in Mali.  I was happy to meet and talk with just a few of them.  We visited the Baptist Mission and the Catholic place where families from the North have been living since last April.


These first pictures show the guy in the hat sorting donations of rice, oil, soap, and bleach to be distributed among the refugees.  He and his wife (in the red print) shared their story.  They were students at the Bible school in Gao.  The bad guys came into town and into their house.  They pointed a gun at them and took the wife's wedding ring.  They were able to leave with their 4 children in only the clothes they were wearing.  Since the director of the Bible school also fled and is living in the mission compound with them, they are able to continue their studies here. 

 

 

This is my videographer friend who filmed the interviews with her fancy-schmancy camera.  My job was to hold the microphone on its long stick thing, keeping it out of the shot but close enough to hear what the people were saying well. 

Isn't great that a baby bathing tub can be used for more than bathing a baby?  It is also handy for letting baby take a nap in.  I've also seen people using them to wash clothes in.

 

    I got pictures of the boys playing soccer at the Catholic center.  The big boys are kicking around a tennis ball, and the little ones have a spongy nerf ball.  I wish I had real soccer balls to give them.  And that one little guy could probably use some pants, too. :)

 A lot of the women were working on crocheting projects to generate income.  They have also done soap making and decorative sandal beading.

A boy pumping a well to collect water for watering gardens.