Easter Sunday in Sikasso

Pictures are of visitors to the falls and the Catholic church, Sikasso.

Hello to all and I hope you have had a nice long weekend with family.

We began the day by going to the Catholic church. We were met there by one of our students who escorted us to a pew, strategically located next to a fan. We decided to move to the other side so that we could better see the choir and later moved back when we realized that we were on the men's side!

The service was lovely, the music especially,......in Bambara and perhaps other languages. I recognized the familiar rhythms of the mass even though it was conducted in a mixture of French and Bambara. After church, we went to a popular local spot, the waterfalls. We spent a pleasant time there, listening to the falls, watching the butterflies and dragonflies and the carrying on of the local young people. There was a professional photographer there with his old film camera who was kept busy with people wanting their picture taken by the falls. As you will note in the picture, the falls are really low as it is nearing the end of the dry season.

Today, Easter Monday, is a day of rest, spent by the pool, reading a new book. On another religious note, I met a couple at the pool who have been here for thirty years....they are missionaries. Their "mission" seemed to be to explain to me all about "these people". Every other sentence seemed to start that way. They got on to the topic of lack of honesty at all levels and I suggested that even in my own country the politicians are not always telling the absolute truth, to which Mama missionary replied, "We have that problem with our president". I had to admit that I like Obama and she asked, the distaste clear in her tone, "You do? Why? I said he was an improvement over the last fella and floated away, not wanting to get going too much as it was already very hot out!

Bye for now. We are off to do school visits tomorrow. Can't wait.