New Baby

Passed by the hospital this morning only to greet. I spent the rest of the morning contemplating animations but not actually writing anything. Slept. A lot.

In the evening I went over to Aliou and Zubba's where she told Aliou she wanted to go to the hospital. He didn't hear her properly and there in-house help goes, "Eh, what now?" Laughing. I went home because a storm was approaching, and was bummed I couldn't go assist.

The next morning I met Zubba and new baby boy (a healthy 3kg500g) at the hospital. Surprisingly, this was the first time I extensively held a newborn here. They joked how he was the same color as me. A little Anasara. He was heavy! I guess I am so used to itty-bitties. Zubba complained how there had been not net to tie up and spent the night swatting mosquitoes. Great. Zubba asked me to name the baby, but of course the name I gave "Joshua Charles" was "too hard to say!!!" So instead I told them to name him after Aliou's father so he would have the nickname "Papa." Cute.

Met the women at the sewing center where we actually started lessons on some old pagnes they brought. Not much sewing per se, just threading the machine and stitches and hand cranking. It was uncomfortable sitting on the mat--but I was glad they had actually bought a mat, a cannery, and a broom. Baby steps...baby steps.

Got a little frustrated when we were chatting casually after the sewing lesson about why I am not going to marry a Malian. I tried to explain the history of race relations in America and how it doesn't work in our culture to just decide you want to marry a type of person--it is the actual person you meet and fall for who matters! (I always get bugged by the question "Can you tell me your American girl-friends about me? I want to marry one of them.")

Zubba helped me through some of my frustration. Why do people see me as a racist just because I don't want a Malian husband? They don't see that I have clearly come here to help--volunteering precious years of my life to serve--rather my rejection of Malian men is because I don't like the color of their skin. Zubba explained it is not all about skin color but more that they see a single woman like myself as unclean until I marry off. Right.

Got some baby time--good for me he doesn't like to be set down, so he napped in my arms for a large part of the afternoon. Good thing too cause Zubba is exhausted and still ill. Somehow I had magically hoped with delivery her health would drastically improve. Alas.