la vie est toujours comme ça

i knew that it had been a while since i last posted anything, but i didn't realize it had been over three months... where has the time gone? lots has happened, here are some general highlights from the past few months:

february

i spent most of february trying to figure out how life in my village is going to work out for the rest of my service. i've faced challenges that i've had a hard time putting into perspective and figuring out how to overcome. as with any hardship, it's both a pain in the ass and a blessing in disguise. i've learned so much about my own limits and capabilities, which can be drepressing and enlightening at the same time. it's also made me realize just how incredibly blessed i am when it comes to the friends i've made among other volunteers. the support and encouragement they've offered me-- and continue to offer-- is beyond anything i could have asked for. who ever said God is dead?

my birthday and little vacation to burkina faso at the end of the month and beginning of march came at a great time. turning 23 proved to not be life-changing, just a good excuse to soak up some positive attention, eat some good food, and indulge in other innocent pleasures. the trip to ouagadougou for the film festival was simply wonderful for many reasons; i loved seeing the difference between the more lush green, humid south that i'm used to and the flat, dry north that i hadn't spent much time in before. the difference in culture was just as interesting as the scenery, although because i stuck to mostly interacting with my travel buddies and doing touristy things i can't rightly draw too many conclusions. the food was delicious. i loved browsing the artisan markets, despite the few times i wanted to punch the guys that were practically pulling money out of my pockets to buy something or another. the films themselves weren't too bad. i successfully stayed awake for at least two of the six(ish) films we watched-- i learned i'm not too keen on the low-budget, independent, sometimes artsy films. at least not the ones i sat through. my favorite (and one i stayed awake through) was an amusing film from burkina that served as an ego-boost since i felt like i actually know french since i understood just about all of it. the films where frenchy french was used made me feel like i don't know a lick of the language, which is not a good feeling considering i've been living in a francophone country for over a year and a half. i try to avoid having to deal with frenchy french at all costs. and overall the actual traveling presented no complications, which is always a relief.

the rest of my time in march was mostly focused on a teacher training i organized for the 21 of the month. i had 11 school directors and teachers from my and two close by villages come to mpoti and follow a day-long training, covering topics such as gender equity and how to promote young girls' education, sexual harrassment (which is a very present and frustrating problem among teachers and students, to varying degrees and almost entirely among male teachers and femal students) and how to be a "model teacher," how to creat and manage a club, positive reinforcement and alternatives to punishment, how to go about doing a community project... among a few others. there were a few things that could have gone a little better, but overall i'd say the training was a big success. at least in terms of peaking interest in teachers and directors and get them talking about topics that really need to be put out in the open. it's surprising how long problems can go on without getting addressed at all.

i took another trip at the end of march that went through the first week in april; my third time crossing over to ghana. this time i spent about 3 days in accra and about 3 days at cape coast. God apparently really looks over me when i take these trips because this one was another success. A- for sure. just when things seemed to be taking a turn for the bad (me losing my glasses, for example...), things would turn around for the better (or i'd realize i need to learn to do a better search of my bag when i can't find something...). i haven't gotten the chance to post pictures from my trip, i feel like they would tell a much better story of the trip than i can right now due to my obvious lack of articulation abilities. stay tuned.

my easter celebration this year consisted of a nearly hour-long tag team (with kristina) recount of the easter story for my friend ashley and a volunteer-family dinner outing in atakpame. it was a good time and i'm sure God was pleased with the communal love flowing among us friends. after easter, the rest of april went by with random... adventures?... leading me up to this past week. i'd be happy to elaborate on those experiences but would rather it be in person. needless to say, i'm happy to see that hot season has come and gone and june is only a hop, skip, and a step away.

one thing is for sure: even though i fail to recognize it most of the time, God has been and continues to be good. the past 19+ months have changed me in ways i could not have anticipated and i am grateful for every experience i've had, be it for better or worse. as i approach a transition period, i am constantly reminded that i can't take the Now for granted. it's just so easy to do sometimes. i truly appreciate all your continued thoughts and prayers. i'll try my best to not let 3 more months go by before i post again.