Warning

9.12.10
Just so no one (Mom) freaks out when I don’t write for a while, here’s a warning: I’m not going to write for a while. This is not a matter of personal choice, but rather of location – I’m pretty sure my village doesn’t have a cyber cafe. There might be one in a surrounding village, and I’ll ask someone when I get there, but I’m banking on not being able to update for a couple of weeks after I move to Daagbe.

Current plan is to visit Porto Novo or Cotonou after 2-3 full weeks in village… we’ll see if I can make it that long without the interwebs.

Also, I will survive the next couple of months, mainly by venting through letters, phone calls, and any other means of communication I can manage. I’m setting mini-goals. I learned during stage that saying “Just make it to the weekend/the field trip/tomorrow/lunch” helps a lot, so I’m staging regular holidays to keep myself motivated. My major (mostly invented) celebrations:

9.17 – Swear in as a real PC Volunteer
9.26 – Survived 1st week at post
10.1 – School officially starts
10.15 – Meeting in Cotonou
10.21 – School actually starts (probably)
10.23 – 100 Days in Benin!
10.31 – Halloween
Mid-November – TEFL Workshop in Parakou
11.25 – Thanksgiving (I’m making a pie!)
12.12 – 150 Days in Benin!
12.25 – Christmas AND End of Lockdown Period – yay!

It’s going to be a busy celebration schedule, but I am dedicated to the full observance of every holiday listed (and others, if you email me more ideas). I will be making myself presents and/or something delicious for each of them.