I'm "Toubabou"

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Today I realized that al the kids on the streets are shouting the same word day after day, when they see me coming. And they do see me coming because they know that I always keep a big bag of candy in the car.

"Toubabou, toubabou, toubabou..."

Guava tree

And of course it is followed by the usual "Bonjour" and often adding "ça va?" what means something like ''how is it going?"

And when I asked my driver Momo, what 'toubabou' actually means he gave me a big smile (one of those sunshine smiles that only african people can produce) and informed me that ... "I AM TOUBABOU". At first I thought that it is a name, given to me personally until Momo cleared my confusion. "Toubab" means white person. So, when I arrived home, of course I looked it up on the internet (yes, today the internet was working) and guess what: They are calling me "doctor"! Ha ha ha, nobody called me that one before (except in Italy where everybody is "dottore":-)))

"The West African term for foreigner (read: rich white person), 

toubab is thought to be derived from the Arabic word for doctor."

He also explained me that the black people are called "falafi" and at the market I have to ask for "des prix de falafi" prices for the locals in stead of the prices for the "rich white people"...

Grasshopper?!

Every day I learn something about the local flora and fauna as well. Today, for the first time I saw a guava tree. Originally the guava is coming from Mexico and Central America. The jam made of guava flowers that we bought a few days ago is delicious but the fruit was not yet ripe for eating. Soon...

I also had the honor meeting one of the most colorful creatures on earth. It looks like a grasshopper and jumps like one but it is not my definitive answer. It was in the local news that Mali stocked 72 535! liter of pesticides in case of a grasshopper invasion. I have seen one of those on the National Geographic Channel and I must say it was spectacular but I wouldn't necessarily like to experience it first hand.

Carpets made out of plastic strings

And while those thoughts were playing in my had I saw something else amazing. Handmade carpets, made out of plastic strings hanging on the side of the street for publicity. I just love all those african motives but looking at them this time, the memory of the grasshopper  pupped up in my mind. Don't you also find the colors and the motives have very much the resemblance to my colorful friend from above?! ...

It was our last day before deciding if we wanted to stay in the house designated for us or move to a different one. At first I hated the house... and the garden... and the location... and the neighborhood and...

With my Western standards I was 100% sure that we were swindled but after having visited about 19 different houses for rent, I changed my mind; now I LIKE MY HOUSE :-)) All the "toubabou", white people that I told about my discontentment who lived in Africa for a while now, asked me the same question; "You have never lived in black Africa before, have you?!" Still having difficulties believing it but apparently our house is one of the best once in Bamako.

So folks, if you are coming on a visit, you better bring your own toilet seat cover, if you want to have one to sit on. And while you are shopping for that specific item, you could grab a few shower heats as well. And I tell you now: after having taken your bath or shower at our place don't expect not to have the whole water flowing like the Niger River out of the bathroom into the corridor...

For the past 10 days there was a 'piscinier',  a pool-man coming every day to clean up a very neglected swimming pool and eventually also the gardener cut through the (at least 3 years old) jungle in our garden so finally today after 13 days we found our swimming pool. :-))
(And yes, I did photoshopped it a little to make it look better, in reality it is less ... 'blue?'.)