Sweating everything but the small stuff...

Soooo this is going to be a rare thing I think. Internet is hard to get to and harder to use.

Not sure where to start. Im in Africa! Feels completely normal though. I dont feel out of place at all. So far the hardest part was last night and today as I prepared for my first teaching lesson. It went well. I feel alot better. I might actually enjoy teaching and do well.

The group is pretty awesome and we all get along. Ive met alot of cool people and already feel close to some. The Sierra Leoneans are amazing. Everyone here loves us. I could not have gotten a more Pro-American country. They told us we won the Peace Corps lottery and I completely agree. We are exetremely welcome and highly regarded here. We owe that alot the the first group that was here in the 80s and 90s before the conflict.

The culture is so different here and is interesting to adapt to and learn about. I am not having much trouble though as I adapt pretty well. The people here are ALL about greetings and every conversation begins with tons of greetings. Everyone greets and when I come back I feel like I might be the crazy person walking around saying hi to everyone. All the children chant Apoto everywhere we go and its becoming background noise. It means white person by the way. They are also all mainly extended families here and have aunts, uncles, cousin, ect all together and very close. Alot different than how we do things in the states. Another big difference here is everyone is always around and in other peoples space. For independant Americans that love space and alone time, its quite the cultural backflip. Doesnt bother me but Im sure alot of people will go crazy. If they see you sittng alone they will come and talk to you because they think you are lonely. They dont understand that sometimes we just want to be alone with our thoughts...they think were wierd.

The Country is gorgeous and very prehistoric feeling. I love it. So far I havent seen much wildlife other than birds, but the birds Ive seen make up for it. It is a bit slumlike here but nothing that bothers me....i mean it is the third or so poorest country in the world. Things are def going up though, which is good. I have high hopes for the future of this country and hope to aid is some small way by bettering the education system. We climbed a hill on Saturday and got an amazing panoramic view of the area surrounding Makeni (RUF headquarters during the civil war) and was blown away.

The one thing I didnt think would be a problem actually might be my biggest problem. The food here is not my favorite. Some dishes are alright and I can stomach most but the amount of oil in the food and the added Magi (MSG) is too much for me. I eat SO much fish here. I guess I should enjoy it as long as I dont have to eat bushmeat or other wierd things. Hopefully I will come to like it. The fruit here is quite amazing though. Fresh mangos, oranges, cucumbers, bananas, and other various fruit are delicious. The nuts and beans are good too...they are just usually involved in the sauces mentioned above...which all taste alot alike. Cassava is not bad though.

My host family is awesome and takes good care of me. I have a nice room and at least a pore flush toilet, unlike alot of guests who have latrines(holes in the ground outside) and even shower outside. Cold bucket baths are really hard to start, after initial cold water shock, but becoming really enjoyable. The heat and humidity dont bother me at all. Im already acclamated pretty well. Nothing too exetreme. The rainy season, which has just begun, is awesome. I love the constant rain and thunderstorms. Sexy sexy. Green Green Green.

So far have not been too sick. Had one bout of bacterial diarrhea which included a 104 degree fever but nothing too bad. Im sure more will come but im an African now.

Krio is pretty straight forward to learn and you can almost figure it out just from the english involved. Im sure ill have more trouble with the local tribal languages when I get place in a village in a few weeks.

Ummm that will do for now. More later hopefully. Contact my mother is youd like to call. I have a cell phone that is accessable...just a matter of you paying the charges.

Wi go si bak.