This week was the last week before Christmas break and the last of the first trimester, so our 6th - 9th grade students had exams. We saw many students coming into the library for a quiet place to study, and a few even came to tell me they thought they'd done well on their English exam. We also continued to see an increase in kids from other neighborhood schools coming to visit the library and use our resources, including these two girls.
Ana, the one on the right, likes to hold books open in front of her and “read aloud” by either making up her own stories in Bambara or reciting one of her French texts from school. She also likes to ask librarians to read books aloud to her. We hope she'll be coming in a lot more in the new year.
In other news, our new shipment of books has arrived from the US, but is currently tied up in customs. I spent several hours this week between the post office and customs headquarters moving from office to office trying to find the person who could explain how to get the “exoneration” everyone assured us should be “no problem” to get. We believe we have finally figured out the proper procedure and the right person to expedite it, so the books should be in our possession by the end of next week, inchallah.
Finally, as we prepare to celebrate Christmas in Bamako, I want to tell you that I have been amazed by your generosity towards the project. Thanks to you, we have raised over four thousand dollars, which will go a long way for the project in 2012 and beyond. To everyone who donated, thank you for believing in our students' potential and in the work we do. We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, Happy rest of Chanukah, Happy belated Winter Solstice, or whatever other celebrations you have in mind.
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