Moto lesson #1

Hi guys,

I can't believe it's december... There's now a Christmas Village thingy near my office, but there's really nothing Christmas-y about Benin! Making Christmas cookies on Sunday with the wind blowing through the palm trees was definitely a little weird. I miss snow.

My exciting news for today is that I finally had my first moto-driving lesson last night! It was quite exciting. I drove around the sand in my courtyard and managed to only tip over my moto once right at the beginning (it got stuck in the sand, and I forgot how heavy it is...) So all and all quite successful! Zemle, my instructor/neighbour, said that I was better than the last girl he taught, which was very nice to hear. Tonight we're supposed to drive around the neighbourhood, but I'm not sure that'll happen because I have to go to a going-away party for a colleague who is moving to Mauritania on Saturday. So we'll see. I'm very excited to be able to get around on my own, though! Hopefully by next week I'll be able to at least get myself to work and back - it's not far, don't worry - and then by the week after I should be competent enough to go a little further afield. Woo! It's very nice to have some independence.

The other exciting thing is that I'm going to a wedding in Burkina Faso in two weeks! A colleague's daughter is getting married. It should be super fun, but I have eighty million things to do first. A visa, some clothes to wear (apparently at the traditional ceremony on Sunday everyone wears the traditional outfit - big shirt thingy, wrap skirt, and a 'booboo' on your head), a wedding gift, etc. If anyone has any ideas on Burkinabe weddings, I'd love to hear them. My project for today is to go to the tailor near here and see what he can do for me between now and then. I think I'll get two dresses that I can wear while there, but I'll see if he can make them so that they might be something I'd wear at home too... We'll see. I will report back :)

Work is also going well. Lots of things are going on this week! Monday I finished captions for this photo exhibit and met with an artist for a brochure, Tuesday I read about logical frameworks, and yesterday I went to Camp to meet with my group. Today there are lots of small things with the brochure to finish up, as well as working out the last details for our World AIDS Day event on Saturday. This will make the third Saturday out of six that I've worked here! Yuck. I might try to take a day off next week just so that I can go to town and do some grocery shopping, etc. I don't mind working a lot, but I don't have a cook/maid/house "girl" so it's hard to get everything done in the evenings/Sundays. My boss was quite amazed that I do my own laundry and cooking, and told me that I just HAD to hire someone to help. I politely explained that since they don't pay me here, I don't have enough money to hire someone. Urgh.

Anyway, I should go work on my logical framework. I find it confusing and it's much more complicated that mine will end up being (since I'm planning very simple things). Sigh.

I hope everything is going well at home! I'll put up more pictures soon, because I've actually been taking them :)

love Katie