Sunday, July 24, 2016

Hiking Pics

Just outside of Bamako, a group of about ten people went for a hike today. Normally there would be a runner's group and a walker's group, but since we got rained out and some of the trails were deemed treacherous, we all hiked together instead.

Beginning of the hike. Interesting wall that stretched quite a ways, maybe marking a township? No idea, really. Just that there was a lot of trash on the side opposite the town. 


The hike begins along a dirt road.
Roadside view. 

Leaping over obstacles (puddles)!

There are a lot of partial buildings, the beginnings of construction, in Bamako. 

Workers in the field under the trees.  
Pristine silver tray and teapots amid the dirt and mud and concrete blocks. 

Intrepid explorers. 

First valley view of the hike. 

Man on phone under tree. 

Another great valley view.

Small home on the hill.

Trail-side view. 

The three most persistent followers, who asked if I had a ball to give them, or a PSP, or an iPhone or tablet. They also enjoyed having their picture taken.  
Fascinating and very large statue. No signs or descriptions anywhere. Just a guy on a horse overlooking the valley.


The climb down. 
Malian women are always so colorfully dressed and graceful, somehow.

A rainbow for our troubles!

Sunday, July 17, 2016

A Hodge-podge of Photos

The "lettuce patch" just in front of my home. Green after a rain.

One of Bamako's bridges behind two commuters in different local-style hats.

The fruit-sellers on their way to work.

At the Grande Marchée, motorbikes are parked and watched by 

Making the special cloth for Eid. 

Kids in front of their family's cloths. 

Color amidst the dust and dirt. 

Vibrant, drying cloth. 

A rainbow of colors. 

American Club July 4th event

Embassy July 4th event, before the guests arrived. 

Saturday, July 2, 2016

July Update

Having lived in Bamako now for a little over three months, I can say that things are getting easier. And harder. Funny how that works, isn't it?

My first supervisor was sent back to DC just one year into her third year tour, just about three weeks ago. Though I can't speak to the reasons, I can say it is a relief and a burden lifted. My first few months here were incredibly difficult, not just because of the hectic pace and incredibly steep learning curve, but because of a difficult boss. I didn't post much detail here, and still won't, but suffice to say that the pressure caused by the moral and interpersonal challenges she presented were pretty soul-crushing. The stress was really getting to me and I realized that I wasn't prepared for it. 

Now that she's gone, I see smiles on the faces of people in my office area, both locals and Americans, and where there were none before. Things seem a bit lighter overall, and people come to the GSO office to ask questions and say hello more than they did before. It's an incredible change to see. 

On the other hand, I'm now handling an entire GSO office where normally there are at least two people doing so. Instead of focusing on just three sections of the office, I must juggle all six. Thus far, it's been daunting: I have so much more to learn, where before it already felt like too much at once. The paperwork alone is overwhelming and the need to understand each sheet that I sign and stamp means my days are packed in just dealing with that. Never mind the 100+ e-mails I receive daily, the many procurement requests, housing issues, new projects, in-the-moment problem-solving needs, support requests from people inside the embassy and out... and the need to take care of myself. 

Throw in a recent decision to change our embassy status to adults-only, and you get a pressure cooker. Oh and hey, many key officers and leadership positions have recently been vacated, with replacements canceling their orders because they don't want to leave family behind. 

I'm learning so very much and am actually enjoying much of the GSO work. The sheer volume of it, though, and the pressure to learn, understand, apply and enforce the various laws, regulations, and guidelines, without a real chance to spend time reading them and ask questions... it's hard. I can't lie, the stress still gets to me and I'm still learning how to handle all of this. 

Luckily, though, the current team we have here is fantastic, supportive and positive and hard-charging. Hopefully we'll get help in the form of temporary assistance and soon, I'll learn to prioritize everything well, and get the most important things done well.