visiting a nearby village

I have started visiting a nearby village for Bambara language practice.  A friend has been going there for awhile, so the first 2 times I went with her.  

Here is what I do to get there:  Leave my house and walk 5 minutes to get to the paved road where I can flag a taxi when one comes by.  I take the taxi across town, about 20 minutes to the big tower, this costs $3 one way.  At the tower I take a Sotrama, a green mini-bus, for about a 1/2 hour ride past the airport south of the city to the village, this costs .50 cents one way.  When we get close, I have to keep a look out for the store pictured below.  You just let them know when you want to get out.  The money taker guy taps on the metal of the mini-bus, and the driver stops.

A beautiful little girl at the wedding celebration.

This village has several families that used to host Peace Corps Volunteers when they were in training.  The PCVs would spend a month living with the family taking in the culture and working on language skills. 

The first time I went with my friend to visit her family.  The family is huge, the man has 4 wives and all sorts of children and grandchildren.  My friend said that usually she sits and chats while she is there, but as everything here, you need to be flexible because things don't typically go as you think.  When I was there we sat with the kids for a little bit, but then we were taken to accompany the first wife to a wedding celebration.  The wedding ceremony had been the day before, and we were at a party of all women with dancing and music.  It was a Muslim wedding.  We never saw the bride because she has to stay in a house, in a mosquito net, for three days after the wedding (or something like that, its strange to me and I don't quite understand.)  We sat on a bench, were given a stranger's tiny baby to hold, and stared at by curious small children.  I went to take pictures of the dancing and the griot asked my name and then sang a song about me, so I had to go dance in the middle and then they of course wanted me to give them some money.  I try to be a good sport in these situations.

Wild dancing, a griot singing,  and ladies playing on gourd drums at the wedding celebration.

CUTIES.