Classes are in full swing now, everyday language class 9-1 taught by our LCF’s (Language Culture Facilitator, everything apparently needs an acronym) than a 2-5 session on topics that rotate daily (ie Community Development, TEFL, and Cultural Adjustment) these are taught by current volunteers who rotate visiting and teaching at our site.   Cara and Tomay are excellent language teachers and have been so good about helping us get settled in, classes are getting more and more intense as the pace continues to pick up, no English aloud mostly because our teachers don’t really speak it, I’d call it advanced basic at best.

            Outside of class I’m trying to become accustomed to the everyday doings of my family.  I’ve learned that for one thing my family is a lot bigger then the Peace Corps let on.  In addition to three brothers (I still haven’t met the youngest or oldest) I also have three older sisters, all have children and husbands and they frequently stop in and spend the night.  I spend a lot of time playing ping pong and striving to understand Jarga as he strives to understand me.  Meal time has become an interesting affair, the food has been delicious, but each meal also doubles as a vocab lesson.  Every piece of food, utensil and furniture must be identified and repeated.  This is both helpful and nerve-racking.  My family is also very competitive all of them excel at ping pong, volleyball, basketball, and soccer.  Jarga is also fond of chess so we’ve found a game that we’re both good at and it has served as a good non-communicative way of getting to know each other.  Its also exciting because I can never find anyone who wants to play chess in the States.