K, so, pressed for time, and couldn't prepare a blog this week (see explanation below), so here are the super-quick updates from my life:
- Canoe Tour of Stilt Villages! Visited new volunteer Jessica in her village Azowlisse, and she took me on an amazing canoe tour of the surrounding villages. All built on the slow-moving edges of the Oueme river, the villages are full of buildings built up on stilts above the water: churches, schools, houses, animal pens, etc. You wade, swim or paddle to wherever you're going. So cool! Lots of gorgeous photos, which I'll share as soon as I have internet for a long time.
- My Second Computer Seems to Have Given Up. Africa, really? wtf. So no more prepped blog posts or photo montages, unless I get really sick and have to stay in Cotonou for a while. Sigh.
- Power Cut. Because they wanted to. Had to pay 3.5 mille ($7) to get it reconnected.
- Director Says Library A Go! Yaaaay! Working on the grant now. :)
- Asked My New Class Why They Shouldn't Call Me Yovo.
- New Fun Student Names: Innocent (two of them, neither of them all that innocent), Valentin, Mouchidatou, and Norbert. Norbert!!!
- The Difference A Year Makes. Feel so much more confident this year, like I actually know what to do in class. Have classes gone smoothly? Not necessarily (one class has been terrible so far), but at least I don't feel lost.
- Accidentally Caused 4 Kids to be Hit. Did they need to be disciplined? Definitely. Did I want administration to whack their hands repeatedly with a paddle at full force? Definitely not. The kids were perfect after that, though, and I've now learned not to go to admin for discipline unless I absolutely can't handle it myself.
- See You In 2 Months! Yaaaaaaaaay!
Correct answer: because you're a teacher, and we should respect you with the name "Madame." Students stare blankly. One boy tentatively raises his hand, stands up, and responds, "We shouldn't call you yovo because... you're not white?"
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