Ups and Downs

Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve been able to update the ol’ blog. Believe me, I’ve noticed too.

Peace Corps has been awesome, shitty, and everything in between. It’s not uncommon to head home from school at an unbelievable low and fall asleep at a fantastic high or visa versa. The pressure and stress of not knowing Kiswahili is countered with small steps in the language, technical trainings, and spending time with friends over a cold Kilimanjaro or Safari at the esteemed Rudewa bar.

Here’s a bit about my village! I’m being trained in Rudewa, a village in the Morogoro region. Its population is 12,000 and everyone farms. Everyone. I live with a family of 3… baba, mama, and my kaka, Abduli. Baba speaks English and owns a gas station along the main strip. Mama doesn’t speak English but makes a mean plate of rice and beans… not to mention the French fries and ketchup I get every now and then. Abduli is 3 and was circumcised two weeks ago. He stopped crying a couple days ago. Thank god.

After 3 weeks of training, I’ve got a decent grasp on the language. I still have a long way to go, but I’m feeling a lot better then I did on day one. I only have a couple more weeks of language before training is usurped by site shadowing, a trip to a game reserve, and other filler activities like that.

A few apologies: Haven't been able to find the time to write anything that's terribly meaningful. Hopefully this general update will suffice for now. Also, I’ll get around to uploading some pictures sometime soon.

I hope everything back home is well and I hope to make some phone calls once I get my cell phone!