My trip to Mali; Part III; A comedy of errors

"A comedy of errors is dramatic work (often a play) that is light and often humorous or satirical in tone, in which the action usually features a series of comic instances of mistaken identity, and which typically culminates in a happy resolution of the thematic conflict.

A slight variation of the "Comedy of Errors" discipline is Farcical theatre, which revolves around humour caused by the foolish mistakes of unintelligent characters and the chaos that derives from it."
(Wikipedia)

So here I am making another error. I am going to post this as a Comedy of errors post as an optimistic approach to the end of my journey here. Wikipedia has shown me that really this holiday/vacation would probably be a better fit for Farcical theatre. I have written a short song to memorialize this occasion in my life.

On the first day of vacation I really fouled things up...
I got ripped off by a stupid taxi man

On the second day of vacation I really fouled things up...
I lost four hundred dollars after getting ripped off by a taxi man

On the third day of vacation I really fouled things up...
I went on a trip with Polish speakers, lost four hundred dollars, after getting ripped off by a taxi man

On the fourth day of vacation I really fouled things up...
My glasses broke while packing, can't understand Polish, lost four hundred dollars, after getting ripped off by a taxi man

On the fifth day of vacation I really fouled things up...
I broke the lousy car door, no glasses in the desert, can't understand Polish, lost four hundred dollars, after getting ripped off by a taxi man

On the sixth day of vacation I really fouled things up...
I soon ran out of money, broke the lousy car door, can't see in the desert, still can't understand Polish, lost four hundred dollars, after getting ripped off by a taxi man

On the seventh day of vacation I really fouled things up...
I slept in a car park, ain't got no money, broke the lousy car door, sand in my eyes in the desert, why can't they speak English, lost four hundred dollars, after getting ripped off by a taxi man

On the eighth day of vacation I really fouled things up...
Walked in on my friend in a towel, slept in a car park, not one single cent, broke the lousy car door, may be permanently blind, what the heck are they saying, lost four hundred dollars, after getting ripped off by a taxi man

On the ninth day of vacation I really fouled things up...
Got my back stuck in the car door, my friend has turned bright red, slept in a car park, no money left for anything, broke the lousy car door, cannot see to type this, Polish sounds like English backwards, lost four hundred dollars, after getting ripped off by a taxi man

On the tenth day of vacation I really fouled things up...
Hit a guy while closing the car door, got my back stuck in the car door, barging in on my friend in a towel, slept in a car park, begging beggars for a handout, broke the lousy car door, sand still in my eyeballs, who speaks Polish anyways, lost four hundred dollars, after getting ripped off by a taxi man

On the eleventh day of vacation I really fouled things up...
Bruised my head on a street shop, guys got a mark on his head now, great big whelt on my back, my friends towel is pink, slept by a Toyota, sold my body for a mango, broke the lousy car door, who breaks their glasses before going to the desert, I've lost all love for Poland, where is my four hundred, after getting ripped off by a taxi man

On the twelfth day of vacation I really fouled things up...
I forgot I don't speak French, bruise now on my noggin, matches the guy who I hit with the door, goes nicely with the whelt on my back, wake up so I don't get run over, five hours from home with no money, broke the lousy car door, next time pack more glasses, the world should all speak English, four hundred left on the plane, after getting ripped off by the taxi man


Thank you...thank you very much.

Just to let you know that pretty much sums up a lot of my trip. However I could have written and equally cheesy and horrible song about the amazing things that I have seen this trip. I road a camel (which isn't a cute animal by the way) into the Sahara desert. I practiced yoga on a sand dune as the sun dipped below the horizon and the wind blew my now shaggy beard in a very calming and wa filled way. I was able to spend easter morning watching the same sun rise up over the sand dunes and took a moment to give thanks for the amazingness of that moment. I have an amazing friend who hardly knows me but lent me some money so that I wouldn't be stuck by myself floating down a river in a country where I don't know the language, directions, or much of anything else. I was able to play a game of football in a dried up bay with a bunch of kids and not break anything, while making a few decent plays and not getting shown up too badly. I went to Dogon country where the villages of the Dogon remain from 800 years ago and the villages of other "little people" remain from the 800's. I was able to crawl through houses that haven't been lived in for hundred's of years. I saw a masked ritual dance performed by the initiated men of a small village in the heart of Dogon and learned about how their history still permeates their current lifestyles. I walked along a river in Segou, which was absolutely beautiful with lush green gardens, lot's of people washing, and hand thrown pottery shops adjacent to the blue sparkling waters of the Niger.

And, though I didn't really talk much, due to my new friends love of the Polish language, or the guides knowledge of only the French language, I had a really good time. It was a very change my globe of comfort type of trip. I had to be very reliant on others, I couldn't be a leader, and that is a position I don't do often and got a bit frustrated with this week. But I've learned a bit, grown a bit, and when asked why I am happy so often was able to respond with, "Why not, I always try to be happy!" Why live life focussed on the Farcical theatre that could be overwhelming? I'd rather live a comedy of errors. Where I mess up all the time but hope that, through the hard times, everything will turn out alright in the end.