Another one bites the dust...

Hello everyone! It has been awhile since I have last updated...about 2 weeks or so. I think this schedule is going to be pretty regular providing my access to internet is available but pretty expensive (60 metacais per hour or about $2.20 per hour).

So I am and have been at my training site in Namaacha for the past week and a half. I have been taking portuguese classes every day for like 7-8 hours a day. Lets just say that it is pretty tough and mentally exhaustive. In the US I go to bed usually at like 1 am...here it is not un-normal for me to go to bed at like 8:30 or 9 PM. WHOA! I def do not like that but I need to do it because there is nothing else to do and I am just so tired that I have to go to bed. The malaria prophgylaxis I am on (Mela-something) is making me have bad dreams every night, and I,m pretty sure it is the reason why I feel I am mildly depressed. Dont worry thougH! I am fine and its just a lot to bear all at once. I will survive so dont worry too much about me. Oh yeah! If you do want to get ahole of me in person I just got a cell phone in Maputo...contact Dave Rust or someone from my fam to get the number...just remeber to dial 011 before the 258 country code!

I love my familya nd they seem like they love me too...I have a mother (mãe), a father (pai), 2 sisters (irmas) and 2 brothers (irmãos). My bros and sistrers are all younger than me and they are really curious to know about me and where I am from, in egenral just everything about me...kind of cool! The climate here was hot whern we got here but since we are in the mountains we are fortunately cooler than most of teh country. Right now it is freezing at 34 deg C (I think like high 60´s or low 70´s)...Its really freezing here! Who would have thought?!

My portuguese is coming along at a steady pace. Every Friday we have an LPI whichj is just an interview with the language peopel to see how we are doing. I am rigth in the middle so its all good. I can communicate what IU want to my fam and they generally knwoi whwta I´m saying. Most of the time I) just have my dicitionary with me so I can look up the terms I dont know at all. But like last night I was explaining to them that my sister was about to have a baby and what halloween was. They didnt get the ideaabout carving pimpkins bc that would be a waste of food! Also I cooked for them last night an »American» dinner which consisted of roasted chicken (which I helped kill) with roasted potatoes, carrots, and onions. I also made mashed potatoes which they really liked. Which is great b.c I am sick of rice!

Ok on a more depressing note...people keep leaving here to go back to the US. And by people I( mean people that I am close with here. Yes I would consider tjem friends already b.c when you go through soemthing like this you need as big of a support system as one can have. Shari...a friend from Wisconsin left about 5 days ago while Heather a nice girl fron Ohiop left like 30 minutes ago. My support system is dwindling and its not cool. I cant deal with people like this leaving its really really hard. I often want to go home to but I cant leave because I feel like I need to stick it out for the next 10 weeks here and give it a real go. I am not a quitter but hey if after 10 weeks I decide like I am really not meant to be in the bush takinbg bucket baths and all that good stuff then hey, I tried right?! Its not that bad now whre I am dying to come home but I think of it often. I am told this is normal and I know every singloe one of s here is going through the same thing....we just miss home. AKA CULTURE SHOCK. It´s hard and if you have never gfone through this...try it. You will really learn to appreciate everything back at home. Now I dont mean to paint a horribke picture bc I have learnbed a lot and this is a great experience. I wouildnt give this for anything andI hope It continues.

I will leave you with a goodbye from myself and from the entire MOZ 12 group...and hey do us a small favor, have a beer on us!

Love always,
Jon