Barack Obama is my president

I was going to run the hash yesterday - a running group that has clubs all over the world - to get some exercise, meet some people, see other parts of Bamako, but my plan quickly went out the window when I was invited to the home of the sister of a friend of a friend for the afternoon. It was really a treat to attend a house-warming feast with an entire family. We arrived shortly after 1 pm and proceeded to eat for the following 4 hours. The house was located in a newly developed neighborhood across the river in Bamako.

The women had been cooking outside in the backyard since 8 am and the heat was practically unbearable in the direct sun by the time we arrived, but there were a half dozen women cooking sauces and couscous in giant metal pots perched on 3 or 4 rocks, over open flames, and baking bread and dividing up meat. Some of the women had babies on their backs, wrapped in cloth around their middles. There was no air conditioning or fans inside, where all the men were sitting, and where we ended up eating. There were lots of kids - nieces and nephews - all of whom looked at me curiously or would shyly smile while hiding behind a mother's leg. Two little ones outright starting crying when I said hello to them.

We ate in 3 rounds - couscous with red tomato sauce and sheep meat, beans and onions cooked in vinegar and oil, and then the fresh-baked bread (it was like pizza dough, but more delicious) to dip in another meat sauce. I couldn't believe how tirelessly the women worked while we and all the men sat inside.

My co-worker gave one of the brothers an Obama pin and a lively discussion ensued about the upcoming elections. Two of the guys staged a mock debate between Obama and McCain while I was the moderator. I still miss at least half of what's said in French, but we laughed a lot when one of them started talking about Joe the Plumber. Asked who won the debate, one of the guys at the table starting chanting (with a Malian French accent), "Barrrrack O-bama is my president!" I'm still amazed by how much of American politics are followed by people here, when I was proud of myself for just knowing the name of the Malian president. CNN is always on and it's advertising the election as an election that will change the world - to affect change around the globe.

Parts of an interview with Kofi Annan that I heard on CNN have continued to run through my mind: the $700 billion that Congress came up with in a short time for the financial bailout is equivalent to all of the resources given to Africa in a decade. He said that we need to treat poverty, starvation, and hunger with the same urgency as we've dealt with the financial crisis. Seeing how unfairly resources are distributed worldwide, and how closely people are following the elections, it underscores the importance of a positive change in leadership and representation in the US. Several people here have asked me who I plan to vote for and my response is always, "Obama, of course!" I always see big smiles in turn and they seem happy to hear that I already cast my vote before I left the US on this trip. The Republicans' campaign has turned nasty and distasteful, and it would be a real shame to miss this opportunity to elect a new representative of America. We'll be in the field when the election happens but I hope that we'll all be able to say that indeed, Barack Obama is my president!