One Month Reflections

September 1, exactly one month from when we arrived here in Cotonou. At times, it feels like we just arrived, while at other times, we've been here more than that. We truly are settling in: we don't get quite the number of stares from the local people that we did when we first arrived. And the guards on our way to and from school and other places know us, some by name. I thought I'd do some reflecting about our feelings so far. Please feel free to ask questions or comment on what you read.

Things We Miss (in no particular order)

• walking to Hawthorne Hophouse for a locally brewed beer and tasty calamari
• talking to our children whenever we can
• Pippin
• relatives, church friends and neighbors
• reliable internet service
• Movie Madness
• our yard and garden
• accessible exercise opportunities
• clean air
• quiet

Things We Like

• walking to school every day
• fresh, sweet, juicy fruit
• Colette cooking for us twice a week
• dedicated co-workers (faculty and staff)
• Fernand helping me with my French every day
• a breeze every day to cool us off
• local people who smile and greet us
• watching movies on my Kindle Fire (nothing else works!)
• the rooster that crows every morning (really!)
• colorful clothing
• interesting things transported on the zemidjans

Things We Look Forward To

• getting a car (October, maybe . . .)
• exploring beyond our neighborhood
• finding someone qualified to cut my hair :)
• having a garden
• speaking French fluently
• Fall Break conference in Phuket, Thailand
• Winter Break (Ghana, maybe . . .)

We have many items that could be added to each list. What I think we value most is how this opportunity has strengthened our relationship. We've had to stretch our comfort zone in many ways. Mutual support and understanding have gotten us through some major roadblocks since our decision to do this in February. I wouldn't recommend quitting your jobs and leaving everything you know and love to make the heart grow fonder, but it seems to be a nice by-product for us.

Enough of the mushy stuff! I hope to have some awesome pictures for the next post.

Au revoir!