Never has not being French been such an advantage to me. While yes it means that there are idioms I don’t understand here and makes my professional life a little harder, it makes my social life (by the most generous definition- as in people I talk to, ever) much easier. All the Obama lovers instantly like me. Once they know I’m not French, the instant topic of conversation turns to what people don't like about French people. Amazing.
Every day I ask a cab driver to teach me how to say something in Bamabara or Peuhl. Today I learned "Neh-tay-too-ba-boo-yay". Guess what that means?
For the record- I have no problem with French people! I just find it amusing that everyone in Mali seems to.
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