My name is Omar Coulibaly

I've spent the past two weeks in the village of Tieguena, about an hour out of Bamako, where I have been living with a Malian family and studying everyday to learn Bambara.

A typical day:
I wake up and wash my face, then greet my family.  It is very important in Mali to wash your face before greeting anyone.  Then I eat breakfast, usually bread and tea with powdered milk.  Then I go to class for four hours.  We sit in an orchard of Mango trees, which I climb when we get breaks in class.  Then I go home for a about three hours during the hottest part of the day.  My sister, Omo, will make me fish and peanut sauce with rice.  I'll usually relax in the shade of our family's shea tree, reading a book or trying to chat with my brother, Sidi.  Back to class for the afternoon, and then home for dinner.  My family has a constant stream of guests coming over for dinner and then tea afterwards.

Now I'm in Tubaniso, getting a weekend of technical training, before going back to my homestay for another two weeks.

Now its lunchtime and I gotta go...

K'an Ben