I am lazy. Not really, but as far as this blog is concerned, I am a piece of crap. Really I've just been too busy to write anything in it. But right now I have my lesson plans done for English and Excel for the next class, and then it's the glorious weekend. So what have I been doing? Fixing computers, teaching classes, and being generally helpful. None of which makes for good blog writing. But some interesting things are afoot.

Two weeks ago I went to Santiago for a week to prepare for the next Pre Service Training, for the new batch of volunteers due to arrive in a few weeks. I went with the assignment of being a training assistant for the 6 new IT volunteers, the idea being that I would assist a professional trainer. But he flaked out, didn't sign his contract, and guess what? Now I'M the trainer for them. This sucks in some ways. One is that it's a lot of work on top of a pretty good pile of work I have already. Another is that I now have to spend a lot more time in Assomada (where the training center will be), at the expense of my projects in BV. I have already had to delay my technical training course twice, and now I have to push it back yet again to September. Also, I need a fucking VACATION, and it's going to be a lot harder now that I'm already spending 5 weeks away from my site. However, I really actually do want to help out with it, and I weirdly find the training work to be interesting and fulfilling. And it will look good on my resumé. Duh. So overall I'm pleased to do it, so long as I get adequate support from the Peace Corps, considering I can't be there in Assomada before training to organize my component. Fortunately, the new Community Development training coordinator seems really with it, so I should be ok. All the volunteers helping out with PST are going to be living together in one big house. It's going to be The Real World: Assomada, if only we had video cameras. Seriously, half a dozen volunteers, plus two staff members, sharing three bedrooms, one shower, and one kitchen? It's going to get crazy, trust me. Incidentally, if any incoming volunteers are reading this, your training is going to be a LOT better than ours was. I'll see you all at the end of July.

On the way home, I got to stop over on Sal for a night to chill with Kyle and Caryn. We spend a few hours in Santa Maria, which is THE resort town in CV. It was cool, but it sucks when everyone greets you with "Ciao! Come stai?" and you have to constantly assert your nationality and convince people that yes, you can in fact speak Creole. Still, I had possibly the best meal I've had in this country, in a restaurant close enough to the water that waves were splashing onto the seat next to me. (oh come on, am I really in the Peace Corps? I don't even believe it any more) And I bought some swanky stuff from Josh Angulo's surf shop. We also went swimming in the salt pools at Pedra da Lume, where the water is so dense, you practically float on the surface. I got hit with a giggle fit when I first got in, and I just kind of drifted around chuckling for twenty minutes. But the real prize of Sal is Espargos. Seriously. People from Santa Maria talk shit about Espargos like it's lame because it's not a beach town and it doesn't have all the wealth and resorts. But the last part is why it's awesome. In Santa Maria, we were three out of hundreds of white people. In Espargos, we were almost the only ones, and no one tried to speak Italian to us. Kyle and Caryn have tons of friends, and we made more over the course of Saturday night. Kyle and I swilled some coffee at midnight-ish (I was running on under 4 hours of sleep) and stayed out dancing at some disco until 5 am. It was fantastic, despite an ugly incident with a pushy guy and a pretty friend of Kyle's. Plus I met a Brazilian guy who looks like a short version of the Artist Formerly Known as Prince. Can't beat that.

My coworker Diva had her baby last Friday. Last night was the Sete, literally just Seven. It's a traditional party one week after the baby's birth where all the friends and family come and hang out, drink a bit, dance, and coo over the newborn. It wasn't the first one I've been to, but was definitely the most fun.

Well. That's all. Oh, almost. I'm going to Morocco in December. Rhett backed out of the Ghana vacation to spend some time with his girlfriend, and I asked my parents to meet up with me somewhere. My mom and I both suggested Morocco. Fes, Marrakesh, Rabat, Casablanca, and a trip to the Atlas Mtns if we can. Sounds nice, não é?