Blog End of August

Thanks for all of you who continue to read my blog. I apologize for not writing for awhile. Earlier this month, my Grandpa Bretveld on my mom's side passed away. It has been especially hard being so far away. I love both of my Grandparents so much, and I will miss my Grandpa always. I have felt very supported from Peace Corps friends and administration, and from letters and phone calls from family and friends back home. Please pray for my Grandpa as she is currently living in a physical therapy center. About a week before my Grandpa passed away she fell down the stairs and broke her pelvis. The pain is a lot better and she is doing better with the physical therapy but there is a long way to go before she can go back home. The nurses who were looking after her and my Granpa are so sweet and they told us they are looking forward to taking care of her back at home. Please continue to pray for myself as well, that I don't get too lonely and that God continues to teach me in the hard times. I deeply miss all of you, but I will be visiting in a little over 3 months!

Currently, I am finishing up training with a group of artisans in accounting, marketing and personal finance. I taught a training session with the new volunteers on the work I do during their 2 months of training. I also hosted 3 of the new volunteers at my post. I showed them some of the things I cook at post and showed them my work around village. I also found out that a volunteer named Bridget will be placed near my post and 2 married couples will be placed an hour north of me. I am looking forward to cooking with them for a Thanksgiving celebration and to visiting Bridget often. It is crazy to think that Thanksgiving is kinda close. The time moves by quickly now.

I have been also writing a grant proposal through the Small Project Assistance program. A community health worker and I from a neighboring village are organizing a World AIDS Day event (Dec 1) as well as radio dramas and an interview with the Medicin Chef on the radio, all focused on AIDS prevention. I will be putting my business trainings on hold until after the New Year when I come back from vacation at home because there is a lot that will need to be done for that event.

We are in the middle of the rainy season. I planted zucchini but the chickens ate mot of the seeds. There are two plants that look sort of promising. I also made seed starters for tomato, basil and zucchini plants that will hopefully be ready to eat before I leave for vacation. I might donate the starter plants to the orphanage after I see how the moringa trees turn out that we planted soon. It is nice as well that the farm school down the road has lots of vegetables now: cabbage, lettuce, beets, and soon carrots and cucumbers. I never ate beets or cabbage alot before but I have tried a couple recipies from our cookbook and they turned out well.

My girls soccer club is on hold as well. I did not realize that all students go to village to work or to Cotonou to study and spend time with their extended families. We will possibly be trying to start again at the beginning of October when they start again with school.

Well I miss and love you all. May God bless you and keep you.