Luffmans.com - the web presence of Aaron and Robyn

Current Location:
Bamako, Mali

Welcome to Luffmans.com - a web site for Aaron, Robyn, Anders, Brooks and Rhys Luffman. This site helps us stay in touch with friends and family who are spread around the world. You will find photos, video, and news about Aaron, Robyn and sons Anders, Brooks and Rhys. The site is updated about once a month. Enjoy!

Aaron is a Foreign Service Specialist (IMS) and Robyn is working in the health unit as a Nurse. Anders, Brooks and Rhys are being pampered as first world kids living in the third world.

Anders conquers a climb

08/30/2010 04:28 PM

Anders and I took a climbing outing on Sunday and Anders is truning into quite the climber. Here he is after finishing a 4+ climb up a vertical wall.

1st grade questionnaire by Anders Luffman

08/26/2010 06:26 PM

1. What I liked best about kindergarten was "activities and painting".
2. In first grade I would like to learn "how far are all the planets".
3. My favorite thing to do at school is "recess time".
4. I already know about "3X3=9".
5. I'm really good at "soccer!"
6. My favorite book is "Moby Dick", a comic book edition.
7. If I could do anything I wanted, "I would jump over a car with my bike, or crash through walls".
8. One more thing you should know about me is "I like to eat".

I don't like bargaining

08/07/2010 08:43 AM

Aaron and I had this brilliant idea we would buy a tall wooden giraffe and use it as the kids growth chart. So on a rainy Saturday Aaron and I ventured out to the Artisan Market. The merchants were hungry for business and were very aggressive. We didn't blend in enough to peruse comfortably and wearing a bright pink shirt (brilliant) didn't help matters.

We were bargaining hard for our giraffe. I did not like the bargaining process. I have been doing it since I was a high schooler in Rome, but I am still not use to it. We got it down to 60% off his asking price (which is normal), but he just seemed defeated. We argued over $10?! I mean really, that could have fed his whole family for a week and what is 10 bucks to me?! It is solid wood and took someone awhile to hand carve. Here we are taking it home to paint the kids height on. Needless to say, Aaron and I had a hard time recording their height on it.

There was big section of hand carvers working so I spent a lot of time mesmerized by their work.

I also took some time off work and went to the Bazin factory. The local woman work over these huge boiling pots and dip beautiful fabric into the boiling dye. I could hardly stand the heat myself, I can't imagine doing that all day. After dyeing and dipping in starch about 8 men used large heavy wooden hammers and hammered away over wood until it laid flat. Thank goodness for my iron!

I didn't have to bargain this time (YAY)and bought this beautiful royal blue bazin. I am tempted to make a bubu, but I think I am going to make a top with it. That way I can even wear in the States. They do great embroidery, so now I just need to get my creative juices running to come up with something. And that is not me at all.

Aisha, Anders' and Brooks' nanny, told me I can't wash it. I guess I understand that, it has a waxy appearance and any messes could be easily wiped off. But I think I might still wash it, LOL.

FYI-These are NOT my pictures of the bazin factory. I forgot my camera.

Rainbows over Bamako

08/02/2010 05:01 PM

A tiny rain shower tonight produced a great rainbow.
It looked like we could walk down the block and touch it.
We didn't.
But maybe we could have.

A Week in Bamako

07/11/2010 06:55 PM

Anders is showing off his new found reading skills and Rhys is enthralled.

Here, Rhys is showing off his new found eating skills. Robyn is clearly enthralled.

Here, a Malian musician showing off his electric flute skills - he was the best electric flautist I've ever seen! The entire audience was enthalled.

Here's Aaron (me) showing off his new found big climb leaders skills and no one is enthralled.

WOW..Rain!

06/25/2010 07:00 PM

We had a crazy amount of rain this morning. The rainy season has started, and the amount of bugs in my shower proved it. I am just waiting for the mosquitoes to raid the house. While the bugs (and destruction!) from the rains can be annoying, I welcome the cooler weather.

One of the hazards of the rain is the wet tile floors in our home. I fell and slipped after walking through a puddle. Brooks started laughing (in nervousness as I was down for awhile) and out of the corner of my eye I saw him look at Anders, immediately stop and hang is head down in shame. I am assuming Anders gave him a dirty look. Anders got up from eating, came down to me and asked me if I was ok. He then said matter-of-fact, "Mom, next time you need to go around the water, it is too dangerous to walk through it, ok?" He got some rags and promptly cleaned up the water. Before I could get up, he said "Well that should be better for you now that I cleaned it up". I swear I forget he is only 6 years old. As for me, I just have a bruised knee.

Brooks and I got out the marble maze on Saturday when Anders and Aaron went out rock climbing. I took about 5 minutes to explain the importance of keeping the marbles away from Rhys. I sat Rhys up in the corner surrounded with his bazillion toys to occupy him. Out of the corner of my eye I see him reaching OVER all his toys to grab the one marble that rolled away. Of course he went to put it in his mouth. Why in the world would he reach for the one thing he can't have when he was surrounded with easy to reach safe toys?! Typical boy.