hey hey hey. Its killer to think you are all enroute to family and friends, opening up bottles of wine, and getting reaady to mange a turkey..... Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday and spending it so far away from my family makes me miss the land of the free somethin' fierce. I trully hope everyone arrives safe and sound and spends some quality time with their families. I, along with the thirteen or so volunteers in my region, have met in Labe to speak a little english and share some American love. The Peace Corps sends a Turkey to each regional capital so the volunteers can get a taste of home (and protein for the first time in months). Everyone is theoretically cooking something; though I think I strategically landed the 'opening beers for the two real chefs' position- obviously crucial to operation Thanksgiving in Guinea's success. Uncle Pat, Aunt Linda, wor on the Guinean street is that your Throwing Down for Godfrey Thanksgiving....obviously a strong choice, I have no doubt it will go off in fine form....bless the Pecan pie in my name. Oh man. Thats enough talk about Pecan pie, I'n liable to break down and weep on the floor of this internet Cafe.

This month has been rough...not for any reasons in particular, but ive been generally down. Some of it is not having enough to do, some of it is missing home, a little was getting sick, but i think most of it was just readching the point in any long undertaking where the newness is gone and you need to find new sources of energy and inspiration. I have complete confidence that I will find them both. School is now in full swing, and I should warn you, the first day of class I wrote the names of all my family and friends on the chualkboard and let everyone pick and American Name. Execpt for one kid who walked in forty minutes late....whom I christened Anoop. I have about sixtyish students, so pretty much everyopne is represented. So far my superstars are Uncle Mark, Amy, Madeleine, Scott, Taylor, and Christine. I am completley corruptible, care packaegs will give serious boosts to the grades of your Tokara(namesake). So when your having a bad day, remember that African school children are butchering your names in adorable ways a few thousand miles away.

Teaching class is one of my favorite parts of Guinea...I teach two sections of 11th and 12th graders three times a week. Class is a trip...the difference between strong and weak students is vast, I mean really really vast. I may have spoken about this before, but lag is mostly due to French. The kids who mastered French as wee ones having been gaining in scholastic confidence for twelve years while the students who never mastered french are timid, and have no confidence whatsoever. Everyyear this process compounds itself so that the french speakers get more and more posativereinforcement, suceed in their classes, and push their expectations higher and higher, while the other suffer the reverse. Anyway, its difficult to challenge the advanced students while not drowning the others. In terms of discipline, I have zero problems. In fact, my kids are too polite. I would gladly trade a little pagaille(no translation but the best word ever, it means to run amok, chaos) for a little more confident participation. I suppose I do fit all their power stereotypes; male, white, comparativley wealthy; but whatever the reason, from what ive heard, my friends in teach for America have a much harder job in terms of class room discipline. I'm sure my colleuages here would chalk that up to American teachers inability to hit the kids

Ive spent a little time-not nearly as much as I should or want to-trying to master Puular. Learning a language is brutal workm especially for someone like me who does not have a knack for it. It sounds so romantic when your thinking about it....learning an african language in Africa, integrating, slowly gaining confidence until I can truly be myself in a new language. Ehhhh, not so much. Success are small and failures constant. Its tempting to just stick with French and forget abut Puular, but then I'd belimited to talking to men between 15 and 40- the only demographic that speaks french. (with obviouis exception)

Ok, I am coming back tomorrow or Friday for sure, but my hour is up. In labe I have phone service 24 7. Call me! I wish everyone the happiest thanksgiving. To my own fam-I miss you like crazy!!!

love,
Con