Livin here makes ya wanna...fill in the blank...:)

Well, it has been a long time since I have blogged….super sorry!!! Been dealing with life in Benin! It has its ups and down, but hey I am still here and going strong. I would just like to tell ya about my daily life in Lokossa and my trips to Cotonou…..I teach Monday thru Thursday to 7th and 8th graders. The students are very happy to have my as their teacher, but they can really get me going sometimes. The patience level is def. on a low level some days, but then I think, I can do this! Most of the kids are great though! I can always see their brains thinking super hard and I love those AHHH HAAAA moments!! The kids always like to say “here, ici, Madame, teacher, snap snap…” all for attention because they know the answer. There is no nice hand raising in the schools here, but guess what the students learn quick in Madame Kay’s class because I will not answer them. Haha They are like oh crap Madame Kay sorrry!!! Love it! Actually had a moment where a student was just vomiting under his desk for about 10 minutes…..guess how the students cleaned it up!!! Come on you can do it!!!! They threw some dirt on it and sweeped it up with some sticks! Eww, I had no idea what to do except give stickers to the helpers and pat the boy on the back and say Ca va alle!!!! It’s going to be okay!!!! J My voyages to Cotonou and back…oh well that is a story in itself!! The driver stops and pees on the side of the road about three times a trip one way…vendors shove fish, water, bread….etc in your face until you need to vomit and then there are random traffic jams where men are chasing taxis, ripping doors open and beating the driver….witnessed this…no worries…I just thank God that I always have my helmet…may need it to catch a Zemi or hit someone with it haha But the zemi drivers arent very nice at times either….they like to haggle me for money! ummm yea cause I am American…..go figure lol My day to day walks to school consist of a lot of Good mornings or good afternoons, people are really getting to know who I am through the 5-6 min conversations we have…have to leave 30 minutes early just to make sure I do not offend anyone haha. I find myself taking lots of naps at around 1-2pm everyday…much needed repose…NAP! The French is coming along and the English is slowly flying far away…lol cant speak any language correctly anymore, the animals are reproducing like mad and the stars are beautiful! Actually saw a shooting star two nights ago……….I think….it was super fast….;) Just got a package from Sept and it is not Nov. so yes, I wait and wait…..could be worse….I could get the package a year later even though it was stamped 10 months ago…haha Well, I hope everything is going well at home in the US of A! Miss and love everyone!! Keep me posted on the latest gossip…oh how I ache to hear about life in Ashtabula…BAHAHAHABAHAHAHA ilu xoxoxo Oh, and even if you stay on the path, there is always pooop to be stepped on!!! ewww I know!!! So, that just shows no matter how hard you try to stick to the normal day to day life…you will not be able to find the fun in life! Be adventurous, see the world, explore, find your way! I am def. trying my best!!! Thank you to all those who have stayed in contact and support my throughout my crazy and exciting journeys around the world!