Signing off.

I got the note from Travelocity. :) OOOOORRR, I am psychic. Meeting in
Morocco sounds lovely, I'm game.

It won't be too late to book upon my return home? I don't know if I
can come to the Cape because Erin and I have had a road trip planned
during August and I believe it's during the same time that the trip to
the Cape is planned.

I am very excited to see you and get to spend time hanging out with
you. It'll be good too, to live close to you and be able to spend a
lot of time together.

I've got a pit in my belly though at the thought of leaving. I taught
class 4 today and they did well (apostrophes). Now I will work on
packing, writing in my students' diaries, cleaning, etc. I can't tell
you how grateful I am to have Hannah here. She has offered to take
over diaries with my students, teaching Richmond for me, and, well, I
just feel good about leaving the place in her hands.

Well, I'm gonna finish this here application and submit it. I think
this will be my last message before I return. I love you. Call me if
you need anything.

I hope graduation went well. Can we eat dumplings when I come home? I
hope the weather is nice.

Less than a week.

You booked the tickets! I am SO happy for you and dadzilla! You'll have an amazing time and I hope you'll both come back slightly fat and joyful. Also, thanks for the essay notes. Is it horrible? I just can't seem to get into the groove.

On that note, no flight to VT for me? Am I not going?

Less than a week left and, for the record, I've already started crying. Lemuel wrote me a little note in class and, well, I'm just so full of adoration for that guy and, sigh. Ha! And I wonder why all the students think we're dating. :)

I just talked to the U. After some pestering, I've found the best spot for cell phone service in my room. Good to learn it now. OH! ON THAT NOTE, I JUST learned that it's super rude to wave to anyone with a left hand or accept an item with your left hand. Why did no one tell me this earlier? Bah. I just want to apologize to everyone I've ever interacted with before.

So, my last week. Ugh. I pick up all items from my seamstresses on Monday. Tomorrow I have open, so I anticipate some general hanging around. Sunday I'm...cough...going to church because I promised Langabel I would once before leaving and, hey, it's my last one. Then Beauty invited me over to teach me how to cook banku. Monday = class and packing. Tuesday = class and packing and, if possible, a secret trip to the beach during school hours. Wednesday = parties in class (I'm bringing honey for all the students to try, but it's a surprise) and then I'll leave the village and catch a trotro to the airport at 4 or so. Oh, wait, on Tuesday we're also having a s'more party.

The week has been fine, the students haven't showed up to class much and none of the teachers have been teaching, I've taught apostrophes though...and "Down by the bay" and the like. It's been good.

The 4 young white Canadians left, and one, their mentor, is left. I really like her from what I can tell. She's chatty and fun and when I say, "Try this!" she does. Plus, she likes fish. I've been eating an insane amount of banku and tilapia with peppers. MMM.

Well, I should get back to my application. I love you a lot. Please let me know asap if there's anything you'd like me to bring you.

I love you, but I don't want to go home yet.

Hi! Thanks!

Don't worry, I have been making the most of my time. Yesterday, I went to the beach with Elom and Beauty...drank palm wine, ate groundnuts and coconuts and bofruit, swam, read. It was perfect. I've been getting a little irritable because, well, you know how I get when there are lots of people around (plus, I've been jealous because they're getting lots of special treats!), but, at this moment, I've got nothing but joy inside.

Right now, I like that I don't get special treatment (in truth, there hasn't been enough room at the table to include me, so I've been eating outside with other folks) because it means I'm part of the family. :)

Also, right now they are all at the beach and it's been kind of a perfect day. I woke up before 6 and sat on the porch and read. My book is slightly lame, but it's growing on me. Sitting on the porch in the morning means I get to get in all of my morning greetings with ease and see everyone else as they're just starting out their days. The weather is still cool then and if I have a cup of coffee, some bread and eggs, WELL, tickle me pink. Then the white people went to Keke's house to see a baby outdooring which I skipped because I was making Naomi a birthday card (she's 13!), then I gave her the card and some gifts and she was shy and sweet and just perfect as always.

Then, I watched a movie with Stronggy in his room with Mustapha snuggled in between us. The movie was cheesy, but the company was perfect.

After, we went on a walk (me, Nico, Naomi, Emmanuel, Wisdom, Mustapha) to Angona (the place where we took you where you can see the village across the lake, only accessible by canoe) AND when we got there I saw Raabi (a student at the school, I think she's 5, she's so adorable I can barely handle it) across the way and greeted her and THEN, a boat came to take us across! I have never been across, neither had Naomi (and remember it's her birthday!), Nico has once. Then I got to see their village. It's an island. We walked around and chatted and then we were gifted some coconuts (mmm!) and came back. Sweating and parched we trudged back to the village and now I'm working on my application (well, will be soon). Tonight we'll have some birthday s'mores for Naomi (no one here knows what they are except that they've seen them on the television).

Perfect day.

Really.

I guess I can't be too sad for missing the lilacs when I'm so spoiled here.

Also, there was so much afiangbe! We gorged on the berries and brought some back to give to the white people. They've been a bit scared to try new things, so I'm not so sure they will go for it, but maybe. :)

Anyhow, the computer is being very strange right now so I'll finish while I can. I can ask a friend to pick me up for the airport too, I don't want to inconvenience anyone. Let me know and I can ask. :)

Love you!

All's cool, mom.

Whoah. How do you feel? Sad? Relieved? I love spring! I hope it's not over.

I've been given the a-okay for the letters. Send them to Ellie and Jessica asap, please. Don't forget to include a stamped envelope with the SCSU address there (I love you).

I'm back in the village and all is well. After Burkina I flew into Ghana and visited the slave forts in Cape Coast (wait, I emailed you there already I think), then went to the beach town of Busua and lounged for a stretch. The owner of the only internet cafe in town was on holiday so there was no internet there.

In the town (which is a beach town like many other places, full of beer, surfers, and rastafarians) I took a surf lesson (I am still awful. Really awful. Like, I feel kind of guilty for being so awful because my instructors increasingly get desperate to try to, somehow, improve my performance, then I just fall off the board and hit my head/bottom/face/leg/etc.) and walked to a couple of nearby villages. I ran into two fellows that Dima and I met on the boat trip up North so hung out with them. Their company was most welcome. I drank a lot of beer and wine.

I came back last night and Keke literally knocked me on the ground with a running/jumping hug. I am completely obsessed with her. She missed me. I missed her. And Nicholas was there and I saw tons of students today and in Kasseh when I arrived and, well, I'm just feeling awfully lucky and loved.

Dima leaves tomorrow. I'm glad it's not me yet though I know my time is coming soon. Also, there are currently 5 new white people in my house. College students from Canada doing some program called Intercordia, 4 of them will be going to nearby villages to teach there and one will be staying here for 3 months. It'll be good that the school is not volunteerless, but it's also crazy to have so many bufonos around. I took them around the school and felt like the head of a white gang as they followed behind.

Today I will visit seamstress and Saturday I'm going to the beach with Elom and Beauty. School starts on Monday though, as it's the first week, I don't anticipate high attendance.

The fellows from Busua said they're coming to visit the village next week and stay at Ada Foah, so I think I'll sneak away for an extra beach day there too.

Oof, I'm going to cry like a crazy person when I leave. Can you pick me up from the airport?

Is there rhubarb in Minnesota? Can we eat at Charlie's Cafe and go for bicycle rides?

Love you!