C'est la...

The days seem to be getting hotter and the workload heavier as we progress through September. What amout of this is based on reality and what amout is due to the patina of restlessness through which I view my world cannot be said, c'est la vie for a Peace Corps trainee aproaching the end of staging with post and life for the next two years finally coming into sight.
As of this writing we are all currently in our seventh week of the roller coaster ride that is stage (pronounded staajzh, in honor of the francophone world and all its glory). It seems as if the information cannot stop coming at us and soaking it all up has presented quite the challenge. While this makes for an exciting pace to life it also makes for an aching cerveau (that means brain, I need to at least attempt some semblance of French immersion whilst on le internet, Du Courage!).
A good diversion lately from the rote rigamorol of model school has been world cup qualifying and cooking sessions with our new Peace Corps Volunteer trainers. The fighting squirrels (yes, that is their real nickname), you will all be happy to know, fought Mali to a one-one draw yesterday. I'm not quite sure what that means for the team (it was the first game of qualifying for mon nouveau terre d'habitude), but it is better than a loss.
On Friday us TEFLers had the annual Iron Chef competition at the SED-TEFL house. In a close competition between three teams mon equipe was able to land a second place finish. I attribute this "victory" to my staying out of the kitchen. I did manage to haggle us some cinnamon for some bon cookies, bon appetit!
The next day was burger night for the SEDers (that's Small Entreprise Development for you civilians). They were kind enough to let us teachers-in-training tag along and sample their American cuisine, bon travail to them. Unfortunately I was unable to stay for the feature presentation of "Star Trek" as I had to haul my gas tank back home after having used it in the competition on Friday.
I suppose it's a good thing to finally be settling into life on this continent. Gone is the constant sense of awe as I walk around the streets. As comforting as this may all seem, I know that it is not to last long as my life at post (le Royaume d'Aklampa) rears its heliopic head. And while Porto-Nova may have lost some of its exotic charm to me, there are still those moments of awe managing to work their way into daily life. C'est la vie. C'est l'Afrique.