our kitten had kittens!

We got back to Mali and were greeted with the surprise of our little kitty, not yet a year old, being pregnant. She waddled around with her big belly for the last couple weeks, and a few days ago gave birth to her kittens. There were 3 but we have 2 surviving, doing well and growing fast. Our cat is learning to be a better mother now. At first she didn't seem to even notice if we picked up a kitten, and she would hop out of the box and leave them alone for long stretches of time if they were sleeping - like she had better things to do. But now she meows at us and seems at least interested if we pick up a baby.
But what I really want is a puppy!

Not as I’d planned…

We got back to Mali very late Friday night/ very early Saturday morning. Thankfully the flights were fine, no problems and no delays. At the airport ALL of our bags came right out on the belt. It couldn’t have gone smoother! We were even prepared for the weather here because it had been around 90 and humid in the states before we left, and that is exactly what we have returned to here. We were really looking forward to getting home to our town and our friends and our house after being away for 3 months. So we were planning on just sleeping a few hours and taking the afternoon bus on Saturday.

But suddenly JP needs a visa to be in Mali. They made him pay an exit visa fee when he flew out of the airport, and now when we returned through the airport, he had to get a visa to be in the country. He has lived in Mali for 8 years and never had a visa before! At the airport they gave him a temporary 4 day visa for $30 and said he needed to go on Monday to get it extended. So on Monday we went downtown to go to the immigration office and get his visa taken care of.
But first we needed to get some money to pay for it, so we went to an ATM. I guess that not too many years ago ATMs were unheard of here, but luckily now there are quite a few. Luckily because we had to visit 7 of them to finally find one that had money in it and would work. So that was pretty frusterating. I have to remind myself that my reaction and attitude makes all the difference in a situation like driving all around town and having 6 ATMs in a row not give me money. Finally we had some money, so off to the visa office.
The visa office is pitiful for a national bureau in a capital city of a country. There were like 15 people crammed into what is basically a hallway, not in any real line or order, just all filling out papers or waiting. At one end is a woman in a uniform at a desk who is processing the paperwork amidst the noise and chaos. There was a piece of paper taped to the wall explaining the different visa fees. For JP to have a 1 year visa it will cost $120. And now he needs to go get a visa every year to be in Mali because if he doesn’t he will have to pay big fines the next time he wants to leave through the airport. Somehow its ok to cross land borders without a visa, but for the airport he has to have a visa. This makes no sense, but I guess it is a kind of tax on the “rich”.

The visa will be ready to pick up on Tuesday afternoon, which means that we won’t be home until Wednesday afternoon because we will have to wait for the Wednesday morning bus. So not as I’d planned is that instead of ½ day in Bamako, we are here for 4 ½ days because they decided that JP needs a visa. And not as I’d planned is that we now have spent $150 for him to get it.

On the brighter side is that we will now return home and be well rested instead of exhausted from traveling from the states. And I am very thankful for the lovely family that has so graciously hosted us during our surprise extra days here.

in America for the 4th of July

We got to have a great American 4th of July this year! You can see we are decked out in the patriotic shirts we bought just for the occasion.
We went to the parade in Cloquet in the morning and to Duluth for the fireworks at night. We went early to Bayfront Park to enjoy the music of the Duluth/Superior Symphony Orchestra. It was a good day. God bless America!

weekend in the cities

We just spent a long weekend in the cities. (in MN we have Minneapolis and St.Paul, known as the twin cities, but we just say "the cities" usually)
We did lots of fun stuff! We visited Valleyfair, the sculpture garden, Ikea, the Mall of America, a big church on Sunday, saw friends, ate Chinese buffet, and got to swim in a nice pool at the hotel. And it actually felt like summer! It was pretty hot and humid, but I was glad to not be cold!
Us with the spoon-cherry bridge at the sculpture garden.

At the Lego place in the Mall of America.

valleyfair

The alpine coaster (see previous post) was just a warm up for our trip to valleyfair- a big amusement park near Minneapolis.
Jean-Patrick liked the rollercoasters and was brave enough to try rides like the tower where you ride high up and then fall. (that one is too scary for me!) We got to go on lots of things, some not so extreme -like bumper cars, ferris wheel, carousel, ect. The park also has some waterslides and rides, so we did those too.

Jean-Patrick is in the blue shirt, he went on this ride with my mom, and I took pictures.

alpine coaster

We decided to try out the "Timber Twister" alpine coaster that is at Spirit Mountain in Duluth. This is new since the last time I was in the states. You get on a little cart that looks like an alpine slide car, but it is a "coaster" because it is (thankfully) attached to the track. It went so fast and I felt like we were going to fling into the woods, especially around the sharp curves. I admit it: I was screaming like a girl. And JP was lauging and yoo-hoo-hooey-ing. Seriously, that was the noise he was making.
The photos are from when we were riding back up the hill to the end - it would be kind of hard to take pictures while zooming down the track.

the Mining place in Chisholm

Jean-Patrick Mally found a sign with his initials.

JP on one of the huge trucks that they use for mining. (I don't think you're really supposed to climb on top like that, but there wasn't anyone around to yell at us.)

Me with a truck that could scoop me right up.

Getting comfy on a big mining scoop.

We visited this Mining museum place in Chisholm, MN. It is about an hour and a half from where I grew up, on the "Iron Range" of MN, but I had never been there before. We had fun! We got to learn all about the mining process. They find iron ore and make it into taconite pellets, then it goes on trains to the harbor where big ships bring it down to Chicago to get melted and whatever. Then we got to go outside and see the equipment and even climb on some of it.