Written September 7th

Nineteen years ago, I had just turned four and I set off for school for the first time and I've started classes every September since then. It's weird not going back. The academic calendar has ruled my life for so long that a huge part of me feels that it's time to drop the pickaxe and pick up a book. So I have a small itch to get moving.

Other than that, things are going great. I've been spending my days talking mostly. There's a lull in the farm work, so people are hanging out more, talking and drinking corn beer. I feel confident enough now to drop by at houses out in the forest so I've been working at getting to know families further from town. Also, at popular request, I've started an English class for adults. But something must be wrong with my approach because of the 50+ people who asked for a course, about three have been coming. It's kind of frustrating, but overall I'm feeling optimistic about my prospects for work.

I'll be helping Felix and th Ecoclub with their nursery- producing fruit trees for around the houses and lumber species to reforest the area. I'll also be working with individual families to help with gardening, fish tanks, rice tanks, soil improvement, and especially any kind of farming that involves trees. And there's talk of a project to build stoves that use half the amount of firewood and keep smoke out of the ladies' faces. And those same ladies have asked my help getting funds for a communal building where they can get together to weave bags and sew dresses. Oh! And the school. I'll be in there a couple times a week teaching environmental education and gardening.

It looks like a lot, written down like that, and I'm excited to be able to work with that much variety. I hope that my work is steady and that there's a lot of it. In the past, I've found that I'm happier when I'm very, very busy. Without a good workload, life out here could be way too slow.

You've probably noticed that this week's blog as been focused on settling down for a long stay. A lot of my energy is towards that. Plans for work and for recreation, purchase of a few comfort

items, planting chilis, and working on my house. It's been two and a half months, so it's time to settle in. And the house needs work. It hasn't been lived in for two years, an eternity here. Termites and scorpions everywhere and all the support beams rotted out. I've enjoyed spending an occasional afternoon going to fix it up, imagining what sort of life I'll make for myself here.