Training so far

Ok, this post is going to be super quick becuase A) I procrastinate, B) socializing has so far taken precedence over blog writing, and C) I'm leaving for my home-stay village in about twenty minutes! Kind of an exciting time. A couple things about the last five or so days we've been here in the Thies training center...

1) Meals - most are eaten around a huge bowl on the floor, four or five people to a bowl. The food consists of some sort of rice with sauce, with a huge chunk of meat or fish in the middle and usually some veggies. It's delicious. I'm told this are not the kind of thing we'll be eating daily at homestays, but I'll fill you in on that later. There are a bunch of social rules centered around eating, such as in which position you can sit (differs for men and women), what part of the bowl you can eat from, how many ingredients it's acceptable to mix together (none), and what to do with your hands (eat with your right, since doing nearly anything with your left is horribly, inexcusably rude) It's funny to watch my left-handed peers struggling to adapt. Meals are also taken in complete silence, which will both be a relief (since I can't speak the language) and kind of awkward (since I'm American)

2) Technical/Cultural/Medical training - We've had quite a bit of this. No time to go into detail now, but expect them later. I'll just say now that I can prepare some awesome tree sacks.

3) Language - There are about 49 of us PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees) and we are learning 8 languages between us. These include Wolof, Mandinka, Jaxanke/Malinque, Sereer, and three different types of Pulaar. I'm learning Jaxanke/Malinque, which are similar enough that I should be able to switch between them easily. It ain't easy. 4 hours into classes, we've probably covered the equivalent of a couple weeks in high school language classes, and my brain is having a hard time coping. Time to locate some flash cards, stat. Some examples: Mtoxo mu Anne le ti = "My name is Anne" Mman futuu = "I'm not married." We also learned to explain why we aren't married ("I don't know") I'm fairly sure that I'll totally blank when meeting my host family tonight, and it will be an amusing and awkward clash of cultures. Can't wait.

4) The people - All I'll say is that the training staff is amazing, and we all feel like we're in excellent hands. My fellow PCTs are also an awesome bunch. Everyone here is genuinely a hugely adventurous, open-minded, decent person. Advice to the guys out there: join the Peace Corps if you want to meet a girl. There are 10 boys, 38 girls.

Ok, gotta run. More to come later. Wish me luck!