I Guess It Was a Little Too Quick

So, let's rip this band-aid off fast and make it quick and painless: I am staying in Mali for another two months. As I was saying my goodbyes in Bandiagara, and panicking about all the loose ends that I felt were left hanging with my departure, I came to the realization that I could actually stay. There were logistics to figure out - where I would live when my replacement arrived in village, if I could change my flight information at the last minute, if administration actually wanted me to stay... But all in all, it was a relatively easy process, and now it looks like I am here until December 8th.

But more immediately, my father has arrived, and my post-service trip to Ghana and London is continuing as planned, and is now a during-service trip instead. At the moment my dad and I have just returned to Accra from three days in Cape Coast of doing nothing more than staring at the ocean and watching the coconuts drop from the trees. It was just what we needed after a whirlwind trip through Mali and Burkina Faso during a very sudden, very hot heat wave. As soon as he goes to the airport today, I am catching my first bus back to the beach. And I'm certain that my week stay in England will ensure that I will have no more money to travel after I complete my service - so no worries, I will be coming right home. I promise.