Leaving Mali has always been an intangible possibility. It was something we would do eventually. Not now. One day.

And it was something we planned on doing – eventually – for practical reasons. Namely, to get Bintou US citizenship and to spend more time with family. 

Well, it’s looking more and more like we are leaving. At least for a time. And it’s not for the reasons we thought. 

In my previous post, I suggested that circumstances in Mali may force our hand. I thought that perhaps something would happen that would make us say, “this is it.” A singular event that would leave us with no choice. 

That hasn’t happened. Instead, it has been a steady unraveling that is difficult to measure. One day I think I’m paranoid and worrying too much, and the next I’m the frog in the boiling pot of water, oblivious to how bad things really are. 

I’m not going to get into everything here. I have no plans of ending up in a black 4×4 with no license plates. Is keeping my mouth shut paranoid or prudent? Probably paranoid but it says a lot that I have to even think about it.

I will say that our business in Bamako has struggled throughout 2022, and particularly since the attack in Kati this past summer. Regardless of how I feel about the political and security situation, there is no dancing around the fact that short-term prospects are grim for our little auberge and restaurant.

Senegal

There is no perfect choice when it comes to uprooting your life. We are lucky to have options in the first place. 

Senegal is familiar and as closeby as a country can be in the vast Sahel. We have friends. We have a business already running. Might not be the best business when teetering on the edge of a global recession, but it has very little overhead and no infrastructure required.    

We are looking to be outside of Dakar, partly for cost of living and partly because our little scooter project does not operate on the roadways of cities that have over a million residents.

Schooling outside of Dakar was my biggest worry, but we received a great recommendation from a friend. It turns out there is an excellent school in Somone, about 80 kilometers south of Dakar. 

You might be thinking, boy, it seems like you’ve got it all figured out. Hardly. This could be an absolute catastrophe. Could end up bankrupting two businesses instead of just one, while also needlessly disrupting an otherwise good life in Bamako.**

In my last post, I wrote:

Bintou and I have some hard choices to make in the coming year. If anyone has any solutions to tick the following boxes simultaneously, we are all ears:

1. Get Bintou US citizenship
2. Spend more time with my family
3. Continue la belle vie in West Africa
4. Assure Andre’s education
5. Sporadically go on scooter trips
6. Avoid a nuclear family in the US suburbs situation
7. Avoid going bankrupt, getting divorced or losing our minds

If we move to Senegal, 3-6 are looking pretty good.

Like many people, I tend to string up difficult decisions somewhere far off on the horizon. Within sight, but too far to bring into focus. This one is hurtling towards us. It is terrifying.

But we’ll be OK.

Right?

**I am being dramatic here. Don’t worry, we don’t need to start that gofundme just yet.