We actually do exist

Somehow it is already 2015 and I have failed to record any moments from our last five (almost six) months in Mali. Time sure does pass quickly!

We do in fact still exist. Ebola has not taken us over. Even though we have a monkey. :)

Meet Bella. 

We were very thrilled with her. She became very attached to our house worker who had her before we arrived. She thinks he is her husband, as he always says, which means she is a bit protective...and aggressive towards women. After she got me, our teacher, and a couple other ladies, we stay away which is sad. Brett and Kenan still hang out with her but the rest of us keep our distance. I sometimes think maybe we shouldn't keep her but then I think that it's pretty cool to say you have a monkey...even if you don't touch her.

                               We were reunited with our dogs and cat. Oh happy day.

The house we have is quite large. We live upstairs. It's nice but it came with no kitchen. And the upstairs opened up to the porch so it had to be closed in. Our first week was kind of hectic as this is what was happening in the room I was sleeping in. Why you ask? Because stuff was everywhere and the beds weren't made and there just wasn't a place in the other rooms to sleep.

Brett quickly got out his climbing gear and started rappelling off the house with the boys.

The boys started school (D-4th, K-2nd and S-kindergarten) with their teacher Miss Jessi.

Sweet little girl turned six months...how can it be? 

And Brett won a moto from Orange, the phone company. We buy a lot of phone cards for our phones but also the internet so I guess we had a good chance. It was a fun welcome gift to the city of Segou!