Where do I begin...

*First of all, let me explain my internet-access issue: I don't have it. My village is several hours from the city of Konni, where there is a Peace Corps transit house/hostel, where I usually spend a few days each month, but Konni is a small city and doesn't have any internet cafes. There is a precarious internet connection up in Tahoua, which is the regional capital of my region (the Tahoua region...), but this is yet further from Konni and so far I have only been up there once to go to the bank... Long story short, I'm going to try to update this as often as I can, but please bare with me and don't think I've forgotten to keep you all updated on my life...it's just that getting online/communicating in general is a little more complicated here than it is in the States.

So... with that said... let me try and explain what I've been doing for the past few months...

Having just finished my first three months of service, I am back in the capital city, Niamey (Nee-ah-may), for three weeks of IST (In Service Training). During this second training period we will do a little more language, but mostly be focusing on how to plan and manage projects, apply for grants, etc. While you can start small projects in your village during your first few months, most people (myself included) take that time to get to know the community, work on language skills, make friends, identify the strengths and needs of the community, brainstorm potential future projects, and generally get a feel for what your service will be like fort he next two years. So, in a nutshell, that's what I've been doing up until now. Trying to learn Hausa, getting to know my villagers as best I can, finding ways to feel comfortable and at home in this new enviornment/village/house, etc. In Peace Corps lingo, trying to become a "well-intergrated" volunteer... easy, right?

...

I've had some really funny moments, some really frustrating moments, some really joyful moments. What I can say for certain is that on the worst days, I love it here. There are moments that are difficult, and there's no use trying to sugar coat that. It's a totally different culture. Language barriers can be frustrating and are a constant presence. But at the end of the day, every single day, I'm so glad that I'm here.

So... with all that said... where do I possibly begin?? I've started to draft potential blog entries many times over the past few months, and each time I find myself up against a wall. There is so much to explain, so much that is impossible to adequately explain, and so much that I am sure to overlook, as a lot of things that probably don't make any sense to you or are really interesting already seem normal to me... I'm going to write a series of entries, trying to explain various aspects of village life, my life, my work, etc., today and next weekend before I head back to Konni. If anything is unclear or if any of you have questions about anything (that I have mentioned or otherwise), please leave a comment and ask me. I promise I'll respond, it just might take a while...

>I have pictures but am having trouble loading them. Insha'allah (God willing), they'll be up before I go back to the bush.

Mini Hausa Lesson: "Sai hankuri" (sigh hankooree) : have patience. (aka the moto of my life here)