Just about 10 months...

Crazy to think about it. Time has a funny way of passing here. There are some days that seem to drag on and on, but when I get to the end of the month I look back and say, "Where did march go?"

Work is finally picking up (fingers crossed). I'll be heading to Ouahigouya (wah-ee-goo-ya, say it fast its fun) in a week with Maiga Issoufi, a counterpart of mine, to attend a formation put together by Tufts University. I have visions of young female grad students who are thorougly impressed by my rugged African lifestyle (fat chance). Can't blame a guy for dreaming though.

Congeé (spring break) is over and so things are slowly picking back up. I hope to meet with a director at the High School sometime this week to talk for the umpteenth time abou starting an English club.

We just received some grant money to do work with sanitation and water. I think that Dori is a prime candidate for this kind of project. I hope to collaborate with some Japanese volunteers to do some latrine maitenence and education. I essentially want to teach all the kids at my primary school to use the latrine, and not my front yard. I hope to do a series and educate them on handwashing and basic hygeine as well. To cap it all off I'd like to install a handwashing station complete with hygeine tips and handwashing instructions next to the school. I believe it can be done rather cheaply, and the director of the primary school will probably be on board.

In social news, I just DJ'd a closing of service party with the help of two other volunteers. Despite an hour long power outage, we still managed to rock the rooftop until the early morning hours. We danced, ate, drank some questionable punch, and even managed to raise some money for our Gender and Development committee (GAD). We did this with a date auction. 15 or so of us guys were auctioned off to the highest bidder. I offered to cook dinner and serve it by candlelight, and was content to be sold off to Leslie Otto (who happens to be a picture of beauty and class) for 12500 cfa.

Before the COS party I held "Man Camp" in Dori. Sometimes us Girls Education volunteers need a little male bonding. I constructed a grill in my courtyard and made barbecue sauce. We grilled meat, drank beer, and talked about how to improve the literacy rates of primary school students.

All in all is has been a good month. Now I just need to get through the blinding heat of April and then do some singing in the rain. And you can bet that when the first rains come I WILL be singing.

2010 til...