Friday 2 December: It seems so long ago. We were living at the Mande Hotel in Bamako. We had a beer on the veranda while the sun set, then we went to the Hong Mai Vietnamese restaurant.

Friday 9 December: we arrived at Dulles Airport. I took the lead at passport control, since I'm so suave:

Passport control guy: Do you have any food?
Me: No.
PCG: OK. Do you --
Me: Wait! Yes. I bought chocolates in the duty-free shop.
PCG: OK.
Me: [Putting duty-free shopping bag on counter.] And cookies. Duty-free.
PCG: It doesn't matter how much tax you paid on them; they're still food.
Me: Yes, of course. Sorry, I forgot.
PCG: Do you have any alcohol?
Me: No.
E, standing behind me: [Clears throat.] Yes we do.
Me: I mean yes! Yes we do.
PCG:
Me: We bought it duty-free.

Incredibly, all our luggage arrived at the same time we did (and, even after that conversation, we did not get searched). We were most concerned about an oversize painting in a custom plywood case, and a pair of carved Dogon canes that we carried on board from Bamako-Paris without a problem, but, at Paris, had to wrap in a plastic bag and check. I do believe we were the only people at the baggage claim actually jumping up and down cheering.

Friday 16 December: While E wrapped up a workshop he'd been facilitating all week, I picked up our rental car. Saturday we drove to Battle Creek, Michigan, to visit my in-laws. There we learned that there really is a difference between 15 degrees Fahrenheit and 25 degrees Fahrenheit. We drove out to St. Joe one afternoon to see E's sister and her family. Here's one of E's four nephews:

Friday 23 December: We drove back to Gaithersburg, Maryland, from Michigan, and spent Christmas with my family, playing with my niece and nephew, working on a giant puzzle with my sister-in-law.

We found out earlier in the month that we will not be going to Senegal. Right after Christmas, we moved back to our friends' apartment in DC, so we could look for our own place in the city.

Tomorrow, Friday 30 December we'll sign the lease on our new apartment! It's a one-bedroom on the eighth floor over Connecticut Avenue. The view is fantastic. I'll take a picture with my new camera phone and show you.

Happy New Year!