Andi and Sedou

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Andi and Sedou. Andi is a friend of a friend, and I got her information before heading to Mali. From the Rochester area, she now resides in New York City where she met and married Sedou. Sedou, is a Malian! Apparently there is a little pocket of Malians in NYC. Like a "Little Mali". They speak Bambara, make rice and peanut sauce and everything. Andi told me about how she once made toh on their apartment stove. I can just see Sedou instructing her on how to whip the thick paste just like the women in the Malian villages do.

So Andi has had a bit of exposure to Malian culture. She could speak a little Bambara, new some of the customs. But nothing would have prepared her for her first intense experience in Mali. After Andi and Sedou wed in New York, they planned their trip to Sedou's homeland. When I first got to Mali, I was eased into things. Surrounded by Americans, pizza for dinner the first night, a dooni-dooni philosophy of adapting to the cutlure. When Andi first came to Mali, she was thrust into the center of a traditional wedding, caught in a whirlwind as her new family welcomed their son's bride.

I imagine it somewhat like the other Malian weddings I've been to, except this time with a spunky, excited white girl as the woman of the day. She must have gotten her feet painted with henna, given traditional wedding garb to wear, and lead around all day by old women with a shawl over her head. Sitting in the middle of a circle of women, her head covered a thick scarf, she stared at the ground like she was supposed to. Meanwhile, women danced around her to the slow beat of a drum while a griot sang her blessings. All the time thinking about the next few days of house-arrest honeymoon tradition to look forward to.


"I had no idea what was going on!" she confessed. "All of the sudden an old, calloused hand started washing my face as part of the ritual. I thought, Oh there goes my makeup! Well at least no one can see because of this hooded shawl." Meanwhile, the old woman tore off the shawl to reveal the new, cleaned bride (with her mascara running) to the entire crowd.
If anyone could be a great sport about it all, it was Andi. Though new to the country, she was so genuinely excited and full of adoration. A rainstorm and family obligations kept them from getting out to Dombila, which was too bad. Andi aspires to get her medical degree and move back to Mali to work in health care. How cool is that? Sedou is now doing graduate studies in agriculture, and has actually been to Dombila doing some work while he was still in the country.

What a fascinating and courageous couple! It was a joy to meet them and I wish them all the best in their marriage. I know I'll be making a trip to NYC after my Peace Corps service for some good Bambara conversation and some Peter Pan Peanut Butter Sauce and rice. Thanks for the visit, and the blessings from Joanne and Mary!