After leaving Mali a mere 7.5 months ago, I'm back! I arrived safely last night to Bamako with all my luggage and will be here for a few days before heading out to my site.

Seeing as how my last entry was so long ago, here is a short list of what I've done in the interim:
travelled on 4 continents in 5 countries
been in 22 airports
moved about 5 times
held 2 jobs
spoken in 3 schools
attended 1 epic concert (GAGA!)
got in 1 painful bicycle accident
and
met innumerable awesome people

Now I am back in Mali with Peace Corps Response, working alongside Helen Keller International near the town of Tominion in the eastern Segou region. My assignment is working with community health workers, women’s groups, and school personnel to promote improved hygiene behaviors in an effort to reduce disease transmittal, and I will be here for 6 months this time. It seems like such a short time in a lot of ways, but I'm hoping to get a lot accomplished. SInce I will be in a different part of the country I will be learning a new language for trips out to small villages, and hopefully improving my French for more professional atmospheres. I'm excited for the opportunity to make a difference again here in Mali and also to get more experience and contacts in the international development community, since I think it's what I would like to do for a career. I've been looking at graduate school programs and checking out a few jobs, but all of that is being put on the back burner for a little while so that I can concentrate on doing my best work here. Wish me luck!