le 23 novembre

In the last two days...

I have...
- had my first ultrasound
- succeeded in making a joke about being pregnant in FR to the med tech, only to have no idea what he said in response
- circumlocuated asking about a kidney stone (negative) in FR
- (as you saw from last night's note) been out of my mind with impatience
- talked to Gersh (woohoo!!!) via skype
- learned two health related FR words
- been again thankful for my minimal FR
- (many many times) been super thankful and pumped for the shirts from Aunt Ann (thanks!!). They're the best.
- fixed the pictures I've posted and added lots more
- helped the med team here interpret my own ultrasound (which was explained to me in FR recall)
- tried fried (I think) grasshoppers. Kinda like popcorn.
- had some homemade taffee. Kinda like the burnt part of the marshmellow achieved when making smores.
- felt I lost a bit of momentum, a bit of confidence
- finally had the discussino scheduled for sat with my CHA supervisor about my thought on PST and my preferences for placement. I emphasized that I will go wherever needed, but right now, I think I would prefer to 1) have my own concession, 2) be in a more rural placment, 3) open a site, that is go to a village that has never previously hosted a volunteer. I feel I am better at setting precedent than following precedent.
- achieved the level of "Intermediate Low" on my first LPI (lang oral exam). We are supposed to acheive the next level, Intermediate Mid, by the end of PST to "pass". I was, of course, hoping for more dominance. Two girls learning Hausa scored as Intermediate Mid and Intermediate High. All the Zarma phones I talked to scored as either Intermediate Low or Beginnner High.
- decided to try to stop worrying about standards of performance and just...do
- been very happy to return to my friends and to my host family


I have not...
- studied Zarma
- slept past 0715 in the only air conditioning in a month
- (but almost) used a phone for the first time in a month
- succeeded (on Monday or Tuesday) in the first installment in my planned Sunday essay series. Hmmm
- weeded my garden
- (today) run
- bought anything at the market this week
- gotten a haircut, though two other trainees did, for 250 CFA (50 cents), get their hair buzzed mad short. This is coming I feel, especially after today's medical session on lice and other creepy crawling things that can invade one's body.