First stint in homestay

WOW. I just got back from my first week at my CBT (community based training) site. We headed out in groups of 3-5 to our training villages. My site is Darou and I am so happy with it. Thies is a bit overwhelming for me so it is nice to be in a smaller village. My family has lots of kids and they own a boutique so there are a lot of people coming and going. They gave me a new name-- Mamahwaa-- and I love it. I decided I will only answer to Mamahwaa hence forth. Its so surreal to be in another town, without knowing the language, and trying to survive. I am basically like a newborn-- the family tells me where to sit, what to eat, when to shower, etc. I am really lucky because my host sister speaks French. Of course my French isn't fluent, but I can get by and not make a fool of myself (hopefully). I have language classes for about 4 hours a day, eat lunch and dinner with my family, and then attempt to communicate with local Pullo Funta speakers. Lunch and dinner are quite the cultural experience. We all sit around 1 bowl and eat with our hands, spoons, or bread. Typically we eat fish with rice and vegetables. There is rice or cous cous or millet with every meal, and all I can say is I am glad I like rice! When I was packing I wanted to bring some Uncle Bens rice packets because they are cheesy and delicious, but I am SO glad I didn't! For heaven sakes we eat rice every meal. At least it isn't goat. I have been learning to count my blessings every morning- many days have been like emotional rollercoasters. I have really good moments where I feel affirmed and understood, then there are those moments when I seriously wonder what I got myself into. I was really prepared for the homestay, which is good, but there are still so many cultural things that sort of shock me and that I just have to get used to. This is my new normal and as I sit in the protective bubble of the training center, I am reminding myself that these moments with wifi and English speakers are really nice and I should enjoy them. On Wednesday we head back to our villages for a 13 day stint (which will be the longest). Everyone says that training is the hardest part so if I can do this, I am confident I can make it 2 years. I will try to update with more details and respond to emails. I know I keep promising pictures so I will try to upload those too! As always email me at hhines77@gmail.com-- I love hearing news about you even if you think there is nothing worth telling. Thanks for reading and thanks for all the prayers.