banqui da tugu

I woke up super early this morning just to make sure it got done today. I fretted and fretted for weeks about having to deal with all the presumptive issues that would arise. I dressed up, albeit my shirt was a John Deere tractor shirt. And then, I went for it.

I closed my Malian bank account today. I've been paid for the last time. I've passed in my ID card and I signed away all the papers. I no longer have an ATM card (carte GAB). I no longer will deal with BNDA (Banque Nationale de Developpement Agricole).

And you know what? It feels great. It was easy, at times seeming far too easy. All these horror stories of fighting with the people at the bank to sign certain papers and not having to pay exorbitant prices to shut the thing down (here you have to pay for everything, including to close your account. See that paper work ain't free. Or so they say.), my experience was none of that. I was finished in three hours, which is quite a feat here, especially on Friday when offices close at 11.30 for prayer. I only had to pay the 30 dollars to close, nothing more. And they even signed my paper, which they wouldn't do for other volunteers. I think I didn't act Peace Corps-esque to them, and they treated me better as a result. I'm impressed.

And more importantly, this harkens to a greater piece of information: my Peace Corps service is finished. I've moved everything out of my site. All my books, all my clothes, all my stuff. They now sit ready to pack, eagerly looking at me to put them in bags and board the plane. My official last day as a volunteer is August 21st. I'll board the plane to France that day, and shortly there after - stopping to see Paris en route, of course - I'll be in Boston. Ready for the Red Sox, nachoes and the cocktail of medications I'll have to endure for a couple of weeks to kill all the stowaway parasites I've developed during my time here.

I am, of course, incredibly reflective right now. I've been backing up old photographs and remembering all that's happened here. Two years has been a long time and until I looked at those pictures, I hadn't really grasped what an extended period my service really was. I look so much older now, so much more worn. I guess being 25 may have something to do with it. (And 50 pounds underweight too!)

I'm working on a blog entry that'll close this thing off; a final submission to end a two year writing experiment (so often taken by... well, everyone who joins PC!) It's not ready. I'm not ready, to be honest. But I'm getting there. Slowly.

So until that time,

Allah k'an ben dowere.

(May God allows us to speak again)

Ryan