Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Back to work

We've been back in Lokossa for week or so, and have started our model school - basically a free school for stuents so we can practice teaching before we go to post. And I have to say, I am actually liking teaching so far, which is a relief, since if I didn't, I'd be in for a very long couple of years... The classes here are nothing like in the states, though, for example, I have about 50 kids in my class, and somehow it actually works. I'm not saying that kids here are that different from in the US, but put 50 American kids in one class - say about 6th grade, and keep them there for 3 hours teaching one subject, and you would have anarchy. I think. Maybe I'm mistaken, but I just don't see it happening Well, I've got to go, since I have class in a few minutes, but as I'm sure you can tell, my picture didn't load again, so you'll just have to wait to read some more bad English (or just reread some of my entries where I was particularly sloppy with my grammar). - As you can see, I got a few more pictures up, so no more problem....

This, by the way, is from our trip to Ouidah, the home of an infamous slave fort and a center for Voodoo> This is me in the python temple.... I was a wee bit terrified, but I have survived.




Ciao

Friday, August 17, 2007

Post Visit...

I am sitting in the PCV work station (a cool place to sleep, hang out, get fast internet, complete with a guard, fan ice and frozen pizza - not to mention dvds and player.... - and you can do work here- basically I am sitting in mini USA and am loving it)in Parakou right now, waiting with a couple of other stagaires to grab a bus back down to Lokossa. I have to say, I am glad I got to stop here after my post visit for a little break from the whole travel travel thing. It is nice to have seen it for future reference. Oh yeah, the post visit. to start off with, there really is no experience quite like a "bush taxi." You are crammed in a car with at least 8 other people and maybe a goat or duck or something, 18 fulani women,chickens, etc. and travel for hours with no bathroom break (I deffinitely think a kid peed on me to day)And lunch is served now so I may just call it quits for the time being.) But, I'll leave this post with a picture of the back of a CD I saw at my host families. note the english.

Monday, August 6, 2007

3 weeks down, 2 years 5 weeks to go

A couple of nights ago,I was greeted with a scene that, had it happened in the US, would have left me more than a little panicked. I had gotten up in the middle of the night to go to the latrine (which is outside, of course), and when I gt ouside, litterally the enitre ground was covered with cockaroches. There were hundreds of them, just covering the ground and all over the inside of the latrine as well. Considering that until that moment I had only seen one or 2 at a time here, I was rather taken aback, but somehow it wasn't quite as shocking as I would have expected. I asked my host-sister about it the next day and she said they had put poison out, so they were all dead by morning, but they were cretainly very much alive when I went out... Other than that, things qre going well here. I went to the marché with one of my other host-sisters on saturday, and bought a pagne and another good bit of fabric, which I al getting madeinto a shirt and a couple of skirts (all for about 10 US dollars. Class is long, but I'm sure it will all be proven useful whe I get to post... speaking of which, I'll find out where I'll be posted for the next 2 years sometime this week, so wish me luck...

a bunch of TEFL stagaires at a buvette