Some updating

Just a quick update. The good internet place is down, so now I have to pay double the price at a slower location. That's no fun.

But, I did just get back from rock climbing in Hombori again. I'm going to try to get up there about once a month because it's only a two hour ride away and the campement there is super cheap. I ordered climbing shoes and a harness from EMS that Mike and Zack will bring to Mali when they come in a few weeks. It's gonna be awesome playing Mali tour guide with my brothers for three weeks. So far I've put together a tentative schedule for us. As this is Mali, nothing is permanent and everything is relative. We'll just kind of go where we go with a few definite destinations once they get here.

The cereal bank project has officially begun. Last week the villagers tore down the old building and began to construct the new one. Yesterday, I picked up the windows I had ordered in Douentza and will bring them to site tomorrow. The guys there will be excited to have everything they need within the next few weeks.

Rufus disappeared for a week and a half, but he's back now. I found him a few towns over chasing some girl dogs around. When he was gone, the village kids dropped a cat (Sally) off at my house. Now that Rufus is back, I had to give the cat to Derek. Rufus goes in to crazy attack mode when he sees the cat. So that's too bad. I has hoping the cat would keep away the scorpions, spiders, and mice. I found a huge white spider with claws crawling on my stomach IN my tent the other night.... no where is safe! The same kind of spider (bigger than my hand) ran out of my house the other night, but I couldn't throw rocks fast enoughto kills him. I unfolded some sheets and a 4 inch long yellow scorpion fell out and ran straight at my feet... but I stomped him out fast. I've yet to find any snakes in my house, but it's only a matter of time. There are some sersiously poinsonous snakes in Mali. Yes. I'm just a little nervous.

I'm trying to find a way to get to Morocco to meet up with Erica in August, but it's hard to find travel deals flying out of Bamako. This place is like a black hole... you can get in, but leaving is a trick I haven't yet discovered. If anyone has info, please let me know.