Roll on, Brother (In the wheel inside the wheel)

Back in the game! I've got a little bit of time since we're up in Parakou for some in-service training, so I FINALLY was able to check my email and log onto (gasp) Facebook. And thus, I am able to write to you at a (quasi) leisurely pace. How are things?!?! Keep me updated on your lives, either through snailmail or email. I'll be able to check my mail more frequently in a few weeks, so I promise to have more of an online presence from here on in.

So here we are. It's been an eventful couple of months at post. Lots of salutations, lots of awkward silences, lots of yelling and laughing and frustrations and pleasantries in the classroom. In short, it's been wavy. But most of the time, I love it. I've been reduced to uncontrollable laughter on several occasions in the classroom. For instance, I discovered that "I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet I sit" exists solely to try to get the speaker to say "Sh--", and (not surprisingly) it succeeded with my Beninese students. Realizing the terrible mistake I'd made, I kind of lost it in class. It's these kind of moments that make some days easier.

I eat really well here. I mean really well. I bake goods several times a week, and I eat a TON of pounded yams, which has finally started to show in my midsection. But I really enjoy the food. And little by little, I'm outfitting my home with more tables, chairs, and things to put on the walls. If ever you're thinking of sending a package, send pictures or little mementos to hang on the wall, because that's the most integral part of transforming this place from a concrete box to a livable space. So, as one would expect, leisurely time has become "pressed for time." But I promise to write again before I leave Parakou this week. I hope all is well with everyone, and keep me informed! I promise to do a better a job at my end. Work is good, life is good, and we're in the midst of the cool season right now. Can't complain.