A female police officer?

Work is going quite well. I’m over a third done with the editing process, and now that I don’t have the distraction of my Peace Corps friends here, I get a lot of work done during the day, then have time in the evening to myself (and my kittens). The night before last, I read all of Herman Hesse’s “Demian”, which was a very good little book. I’m reading Plato’s dialogues now to get up to speed on my classics.

Sami and Pili are proceeding very nicely in their litter training. They know that sand is where they are to pee, so they use the make-shift litter box in my room and pee outside the door of the main house. Pili got confused yesterday and peed in a little spot of sand that was in the house, but that’s an understandable mistake. They’re eating well—milk, dried fish, and table scraps—and sleep peacefully in their basket at night.

Oumar had gone up to Boni a couple of days ago, and he brought back a bag full of delicious carrots today. I’ve spent all morning crunching on those and a cane of sugar that M. le Maire bought at the market.

I’ve been inducted into the Ouologuem family affairs. M. le Maire told me just a little while ago, “Now that we’re family, you can be part of the family discussions,” and proceeded to tell me how Ramata had told him last night that she wants to train for the police force. Her father was not particularly jazzed about this idea, not only because of the physical danger but also because it is still a society where being a female police officer would be hard. Like any good father, he doesn’t want to see his daughter face hardship. I told him I understood that completely, but that also if anyone could be a female police officer, it was Ramata, with her strength of character and ability to stand up to anyone and anything. He nodded thoughtfully and told me how he had particularly raised her at his side, never raising a hand against her (unlike his other children). She is kind of his pet or his protégée. I didn’t want to voice my own opinions too strongly, namely that if Ramata wanted to be a police officer, she has the strength to and should do it. But I agreed with him that all we want for her is the best and to see her doing something that fits her character, since that is surely not one of a subservient housewife.

It is sometimes hard for me to both share my opinions and present my culture and to not interfere or meddle in Mali’s business. I’ve been inducted into the family, but I will never be an integral part of it.