Yes We Can!

I was in Bamako for the election last week, and aside from being a memorable election in and of itself, those of us who watched it here have something else to talk about.

The superficial details first:
Several ex-pats had parties that we were more or less invited to -- I think we were less invited to the one we went to until the very last minute. But boy am I glad we went! We met a pretty big crew of Peace Corps volunteers at a bar/hotel in Bamako, and carpooled (more or less) in taxis to someone's house slightly outside the bustling center of Bamako. I didn't know they had McMansions in Bamako, but apparently we found one of the few that do exist. Let me see if I can do their house justice without pictures: A couple (American wife, Malian husband) designed and built the house themselves and it is by far the most beautiful American-style house I've seen this side of the Atlantic. The rooms are spacious, and the artwork inside is probably (we got a house tour, but I didn't ask) from all over Africa and has TONS of character. Each room has a great piece from somewhere on the continent. And if there's just not enough room inside, there's a screened-in porch outside (key in this maliarial climate), as well as a tennis court, a swimming pool, a bar and a spacious pool house. They'd set up a big screen on their tennis court and connected it to CNN. We arrived, sat down to watch the election, and were immediately served pork!!! Yes, pork in this Muslim country! We gorged ourselves and settled in for a long night of anticipation. It was almost like Christmas, and frankly the food we ate then might very well turn out to be better than the food I eat this Christmas! It was a unique crowd - a mix of ex-pat Americans, as well as a handful of Malians. The big screen in the pool house was playing the election coverage in French so the Malians who didn't speak English could understand, but this also meant that they weren't in with the mix of English speakers watching outside, so we didn't get a good read on their reactions. I made it until about 3am, when the cold set in and the mosquitos biting got old. At this point, there was no way McCain could win, so a friend and I decided to call it a night and went in search of a taxi. We heard the results when our friends came back home, and were able to watch the speeches the next day online.

So what are the Malians saying? Well, on Monday before the election, my friend and I were walking around the market hunting for a paint brush when we stumbled into a store where a man asked us who was going to win. We were really surprised -- not that he knew America was holding an election, but that he knew it was the next day and that he knew the candidate's names. We told him that we hoped Obama would win and he laughed and agreed with us. That night while watching the election, most of the Malians present wanted Obama to win. And the next day, I got a text message from a Malian friend congratulating me on our win! The folks at my health center think it's great that Obama won, and I received yet another congratuatory note from someone in passing today. They Malians think it's great that one of "them" won, and the doctor at my health center even sees it as proof that racism doesn't exist in America. While I can't quite agree him on that last point, it's still really neat to see Malians so concerned and excited about our election.

And now I'm back at site putzing along at a rather slower and less exciting pace. Thanksgiving is coming quickly, and my region traditionally hosts the big Peace Corps party. We're looking forward to seeing everyone on our turf, and especially to eating turkey. I haven't had turkey since I left the States!