Hello alll!!!
Ah  I know what you are thinking - FINALLY BROOKE/BENDU!!!But in my defense since my last post, things got crazy busy! Since my last there has been so much stuff I don't even know where to start. So much so that everytime I tried to sit down and write a blog I got way too overwhelmed and couldnt. But I"M OFFICIALLY A PCV now!!!! No more training for Bendu, which is another change. I know all of you grew to love my new African name, seeing as though many of you used it in cards (WHICH I LOVE GETTING IN THE MAIL, HINT HINT), but since gonig to my new home Bandajuma, I have been given yet another African name - Musu Rogers (my principals last name) Sowa (the Paramount chief of Bandajuma's name). So for the next two years you can call me Musu. I promise there will be no more name changes. I hope.

But The last three weeks of training flew by because we were in summer school at the Amiddiya (thats not how you spell it, but i should learn seeing as though it's my schools name) Muslim School in Bo. It was hectic, chaotic, I might have wanted to strangle a few kids, but it was also so much fun and probably the best preparation I could have asked for for the next two years. At the end of the third week we had an award ceremony for the students the awards were the two top grades and the most helpful. Then also in that week, we PC's voted on awards for each person in out group. I recieved, drum roll please - BEST DANCER. So for everyone who has hated on my moves, they are greatly appreciated here! :) Then After our swear in ceremony to be PCVs we came up with specific awards for each person in our group. I got "most likely to accidently snort coke." For those of you who may not know, I tend to snort occasionally when I laugh. But surprisingly the sierra Leoneans have never been phased, or even made a second look when it happens. They probably assume its some crazy white person thing or are just even more taken aback by my other weird habits.

Anyways I am at my site and I couldnt be more happy with my placement! Peace Corps did a great job and I am super happy. I already have people, thanks to Chrissy, the Salone 1 I replaced, that I can trust and feel like family. My Prinicipal, Mr. Rogers, is amazing! He's extremely open-minded and ambitious about making our school as good as it can be - two things which are very rare for principals in Sierra Leone, so i've been told. He makes me extreeml;y excited to teach and take on secondary projects for the school!He calls me his daughter, and I feel like he is my second dad. He always reminds me to lock my windows at night, never give my number out, and is constantly checking to make sure everything is okay.

Here are some of the other people I have already come to love:

Pa Kamara:  a retired police officer in Bandajuma who lives right in front of me. He told me his sole job is to protect me and make sure I get home safe to America in two years. He is also another father. He is a hoot and takes his sold job very seriously. The first morning I woke up I came outside to him on his hands and knees scrubbing my latrine and adding air freshner. He is also my poyo (wine) drinking buddy and card game teacher.

Kadi, Ami, and Fati: My other neighbors who take care of me. Kadi will be my student this year, she is about 15 and is my tour guide. Yesterday she wanted to go jogging with me so we went, and that lasted all about 1 minute. She never leaves my veranda, which can be overwhleming sometimes, but shes a sweetheart and most of the time it's nice to have the company. Ami is Kadi's mom and she is also a hoot! She has a garden she goes to everyday and her and kadi even taught me how to carry potato leaf on my head. We are working towards bigger things for me to carry, but they thought i should start small. Ami, even though i eat my own thing, makes me dinner every night and forces me to eat some. She also is taken care of my three kittens. Yes, i have cats. Chrissy left me two cats, Mina the mom and Otter her son. Well little did I know, that on last Sunday she gave birth to three other kittens. SO now I have five cats. I have turned into that creepy cat lady with five cats. Fati is also a hoot.

Then there is Pa Abu and his wife, who i buy bread from every morning. I can't even begin to describe Pa. I s a character from another world and is probably one of the funniest human beings I have ever met.

There are so many other characters in my town but there are just some of my faves already.

Okay, well the blog keeps trying to shut down on me so this is all for now! Sorry for the long delay and I will try my hardest to get on again asap before school starts, which is Sept. 13th I believe!

Love and Miss you alll!!!!! :)