What Will I Miss?
Kate asked the question; “What, if any, creature comfort do you miss from the states the most these days?”

Kate, thank you for the question. It encourage me to think about my feelings of my memory of the USA ( it has been almost 2 years since I was there), as well as my feeling for Mali. Here is what I came up with.

First and foremost, I miss my family, friends, and girlfriend. Being in Mali has magnified these feelings, because Mali is such a family oriented society.

Next, I missed things that work well and reliably, for example:
- electricity
- water
- Internet
- Phones (cellular and land lines)

In addition, I miss behaviors and situations that are predictable and consistent, for example:
- sidewalks without missing blocks leading to a 3 foot drop into an open sewer
- traffic lights
- traffic patterns where vehicles drive in lanes on their sides of the rode only, not in the other lane, in their lane going the wrong way, or on ‘sidewalks’
- rights of pedestrians and bicycles, where they are not almost or actually knocked down because a car or motorcycle got too close.
- Cars and trucks that do not belch black exhaust
- Meaningful speed limits, with drivers not driving recklessly fast in dangerous rode conditions, including into areas of high population density with children while simply honking their horn for everyone to move out of the way
- Meetings that occur on schedule
- Food with nearly assured quality, without dirt, stones, or parasites
- A variety of nutritious food
- Clean bathrooms with soap
- Not having to sleep with a mosquito net
- Temperatures less than 115-120 degrees
- Rivers, lakes, ponds and streams that I can walk and swim in
- Being able to understand any conversation that I hear or enter into, without language difficulties
- Almost unquestionably qualified medical care and advice
- Being able to bicycle safely for some distance
- Paying reasonable, labeled prices rather than negotiating the price of nearly everything, often starting at a ‘white persons’ price
- Normal health, energy, and digestion

If one was to ask what I am likely to miss about Mali after I leave, these would be some of the things:
- friendly people who smile and wave at me from up to 50 feet away, whether or not they know me
- being invited to share a meal with friends as well as strangers
- the 5 am call to prayer (a chant)
- not being overwhelmed by cars, being able to walk down a side street with no cars on it, with children playing in the street, and an occasional small herd of sheep walking by
- children running up to me with big smiles and out-stretched hands in order to shake my hand
- people being outside much of the time, talking, eating, playing cards, working. The outside is everyone’s’ living room
- Having laundry dry on the line in about 5 minutes
- Tremendously grateful people when I offer my aid and assistance
- Witnessing team members apply skills and behaviors which I have helped them learn
- Making a difference
- The lack of advertising, very little on television and along the road, and practically none on the radio. No barrage of advertising at Christmas time, rather a real emphasis on family and community.
- Walking to a pizza shop with my friend Tim, then walking to the French Cultural Center for a free movie
- Learning and speaking French
- Learning about new aspects of the culture everyday
- Smiling people
- Occasional parties at the homes of other expats where we share experiences in our host culture
- Other people, Malian and expats, working very hard to make a difference
- Eating mangoes, bananas and oranges fresh off the tree
- Consistently sunny days
- Whole classes of students standing up in respect when I enter a classroom
- Having younger people race up to me and offer to carry my luggage up the stairs
- Getting on to a municipal bus/van, greeting people in my limited Bambara, and watching them smile from ear to ear

So there you have it, some top of mind thoughts about what I think that I do or will miss on either side of the ocean. A Peace Corps nurse suggested that it will take 6 months for my body and emotions to readjust to the USA. Some say that the adjustment of coming back to the US is a greater shock than coming to Mali. I believe it. I am trying to prepare myself now for the return. If I have a blank stare on my face when you see me, please understand.