I received my post assignment last Friday! I will be living in a small village north of Parakou in the North of Benin. My village has no electricity and no running water, so this should be an interesting experience. Kerosene will be my new best friend. I was supposed to leave today to visit my village and stay until Sunday, however, I've been a little sick so I can't go :( I'm upset I will not be able to see my house and village before I move in. However, I've talked to a few current PCVs about it and they've all said it's not a huge deal to miss Post Visit. Most people use Post Visit to see what furniture their house has so they know what to buy, however, since I am the first PCV to be in my village, my house will be completely empty and I will have to buy everything for it...YAY interior decorating!

Training is going well but it's not exactly my favorite cup of tea. My host family is very nice, but I still feel very much like a guest in their home. I also don't like having to rely on other people for meals and having to report my daily activities. I'm excited to move to post in September and feel like an adult again. Training classes are good. I love my french teacher, she is super nice! The technical classes for TEFL volunteers are very informative but long. I enjoy the bicycle maintenance and cooking session a lot though! From what current volunteers have told me, life as a volunteers is nothing at all like life as a trainee. So only 5 weeks more of training and then it's swear-in...YAY! Swear-in ceremony also coincides with the 40th anniversary of Peace Corps in Benin so we're getting special 40th anniversary fabric so we will all have matching outfits...yesssss.

Other than that, not much else to report, or rather there is a ton more to report but writing it here doesn't seem to do it justice.

Until next time...

(don't forget to write and email!!!)