Malian Resourcefulness/Purple Hair

So I am amazed at the different ways in which Malians are very smart/resourceful. For example, I will often see trucks drive past with a load strapped to the top that is bigger than the height of the truck! Seriously, no exaggeration! Each time, I stand in horror thinking its going to tumble over at any second, esp since the trucks are going way fast. And after the truck passes, I ask aloud, “how do they even get that stuff THAT HIGH?” I truly don’t understand. Its usually bigger than a 6ft tall person. I think if they started a worldwide moving company and changed a flat rate, they could just stack a whole house worth of stuff on a car and move it to the new destination. LOL

Anyway, I tell that story for say- I’ve got purple hair!!! Yep, for real. In the states, when I get the type of extensions I have this time, we wrap the ends around rods (little curlers) and dip them in boiling hot water to make the ends curly. My braider didn’t have any rods (or a means to get them) so I was kinda concerned about how this would work. She finished braiding my hair and she took a section and wrapped a small piece of the extensions around the section in a tight spiral. Then she dipped in it in hot water and VOILA! Presto- change- there are curls everywhere! And I never would have thought of that!
Purple is the “IN” color for any sort of weave/braids/extensions for women in Mali. At first I wasn’t into it. But then I figured, ‘what other time can I get purple hair and still be respected/ workplace appropriate?’ Having purple hair (and being Black) actually helps me in this situation, to better fit into Malian culture and be accepted according to Malian standards. Plus its kinda cute.

One day, pics will come ;-)