New Year?

While in Niger, I didn't get the chance to post as much as I would have liked to, but fear not, I'll try catching us up over the next few days. But for now I'll bring you to my present state of being...

Tomorrow I will begin participation in a workshop called Designing Behavior Change. About ten other volunteers and accompaning Beninese work partners will be attending the conference. While I'm excited about the practical techniques that I'll pick-up at the workshop, I'm apprehensive about what tomorrow signifies. Tomorrow is like the first day of school for my work life in Benin... What do I mean by that? The day before schools starts you're excited about seeing your school buddies again, eating cafeteria food, learning new things, but you're also nervous about the new teacher, who exactly will be in your class, if you can handle the work load, and if the cafeteria will still serve diced chicken. In the land of Benin for a Natural Resource Advisor October is the month in which work bursts forth like algae blooms. October is the month when school tends to start, thus school environmental clubs become part of our schedule and we start hanging out with some amazing young people. The rains begin to cease their falling, and in their place people begin dropping seeds into their gardening terrain; people gardening means you start advising and forming gardening groups, which likely means meeting new people. In short, tomorrow will be the beginning of a busy work season. I'll go to the conference get back to post and throw myself into the start of work load October brings,whilst continuing my waste management activities. October marks the beginning of a new work year, and just like the night before the first day of school, brings shivers of excitement and fears about one's possible social or task related failing. God willing, this work year will be a-OK, as it has been each school year.