For a good cause ...

Recently, I went to a local park in the afternoon to review some materials.  At all times of day, people are out milling about, chatting, playing cards, or just relaxing.  As soon as I sat down on the grass, a young man approached me and explained that he was a student at a school that trains hairdressers/barbers.  He asked if I wanted a free hair wash.  He insisted that it would be a big help to him and the other students.

He led me to their school and into their "classroom."  After that he took a tiny bottle of water and squirted a bit into my hair and then directly applied that shampoo (I learned later that this is a technique, not an indication that they have a shortage of water)  : ).  After they washed my hair, they blow-dried it.  And this is how it turned out.

Emily almost didn't recognize me.  I rode home on my electric bicycle as fast as I could, pleading that I wouldn't see anyone I knew.  Sure enough, I bumped into one of my teachers and had to explain why my hair looked the way it did.  At least my family had a good laugh about it!

Wheels

About a month ago, I decided it was time to expand our transportation options.  It was time to get a local driver's license.  Over here it is not a straight swap.  You don't need to do a road test, but you do need to take a written test.  The written test has a question bank of 1,500 possible questions of which 100 are chosen at random.  You must score 90+ to qualify.  To further complicate matters, where we live the driver's test is not available in English, only in the local language.  There is also a time limit! 

After a couple of tries here, I decided to travel to a larger city where the test is available in English.  After working through a bit of red tape to qualify to take the test there, I did take it and passed.

After returning home, we began to do a bit of car shopping.  We settled on one of the mini, mini-vans they sell here.  These vehicles are often used as village-to-city taxis by local farmers, so we blend in really well!

A little over a week ago we went to a bigger city (with lower prices) and made our purchase....

We've already put it to good use, taking some friends out to visit and encourage, and are planning to make another trip outside of the city tomorrow. 

English Corner

We had our second English corner here Saturday night, and 15 came this time--full living room! 

Students here focus a lot on written English and rote memorization in order to pass their examinations, so when they try to have a real conversation, they often become embarrassed and give up. They seem to be enjoying the opportunity to interact with us and practice speaking. 
This past week's topics were daily schedules and job interviews. These two students are doing a role play of an interview. 

Tomorrow will be our third English corner--topic is movies and music.  Should be fun! 

Where are you going, Pop?

(Skype conversation that occurred a couple of weeks ago between Gracy, her dad, and Susanna...)

Me:  "Susanna, did you know Pop's going on a trip soon? Why don't you ask him where he's going?"
Susanna:  "Where are you going, Pop?"
Dad:  "I'm going to a far away place called Haiti, to try and help some people get clean water to drink."
Susanna (turns to me and says): "Mom, he's gon' go find Katie."

Lately

Just wanted to update you on our activities of late...
One exciting development is that we have started an English corner at our house.  The first one was last Saturday evening--we invited students that we've met who attend the college.  All of them came and some brought friends, so we had 11 students come.  Most of the students are English majors and hope to teach English in the local public schools after they graduate. Right now their opportunities for practicing English with native English speakers are very few, so we thought since we live across the road from the college, we could provide a comfortable environment for them to come practice with us.  Each time we meet we'll have discussion, games, and skits all centered around the topic of the evening.  Then David and I will do a voice recording of a dialogue about the topic, discuss the recording together, and then send it home with them for them to listen to for more practice.  We hope it will be helpful for them, as well as comfortable and enjoyable.  This past week at least was fun... the kids were ready for bed when the students began arriving, so they had fun meeting our friends and showing them their room and toys, etc.  The "aunties" enjoyed reading to and talking with the kids, and singing them bedtime songs.  Then some of the girls helped me finish baking cookies before we got started.  The topic of the evening was "Learning a Second Language" and we talked about things that are helpful, frustrating, difficult, etc.  It's fun to have a mutual understanding with them in this area!  Anyway, we're really hoping to deepen our friendships with these young students and have an impact on their lives, so be thinking with us about that!
Another happening of late is that David got his driver's license (which was quite an accomplishment!--Go Dave!) and this past weekend we bought a van!  We'd been really considering this for a while, and are excited about being able to more easily visit new places and get to know about the situations and opportunities that are around us. We're going this weekend with a friend to a nearby village and looking forward to what comes out of our time spent there. Thanks for remembering us as we get out and about more.. and ask for safety as we go!  =)