Summertime, and the livin's easy... ?

Been moving around a lot recently, which is definitely not a bad thing, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to explain to my community that I'm actually working when I'm away from post. Anyway, it's now been about a month without a single day off, barring the one day when we played the Germans in soccer (which resulted in a tie, which is as good as a victory in my book), and we all ended up so torn up from playing on a concrete/dirt combo terrain that I'm still feeling broken up two weeks on.

My cryptic and cynical recent post about the hurdles facing girls has been remedied. While many hurdles still exist, this one particular instance that got me so worked up is now a nonissue. In short - I'm happy. I had the great chance to work during the 1st ever Boys Camp in Benin in Ouake, a post on the border with Togo. It was an incredibly rewarding experience, and I had some great company from volunteers that I'd previously not gotten to know. We focus so much on the empowerment of girls that we'd previously neglected to share our experience/knowledge with the male half of the population. And while there are definitely fewer hurdles facing males here, in general, they are FAR from perfect, and display an equal need for some extra attention as the girls. Anyway, I want to thank the volunteers in that region (Heidi, Rut, Sarah) for recognizing this disparity. It was a pleasure.

Now down in Cotonou for PCVL training. I feel... clean. Going to be moving around quite a bit as I work during the first two weeks of stage, which is always busy, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again. This much is sure: it is going to be a shocking moment when I see myself, one year back, in the 60 new arrivals this Friday. It's been a bumpy ride, but everything is right at the moment. The road ahead is by no means smooth, but it's worth the troughs to get to the peaks. These are my thoughts at this landmark moment, when we become the experienced volunteers and welcome the freshies to their new life.

I love the Peace Corps. I encourage any listless graduates to seriously consider this path.

Then again, my opinion may be entirely different by the next time I post to this blog.

Ya never know! See you all soon!