Well, it's been a busy few months, and I think I haven't sent out a big all-encompassing email since August or September...? 

Actually, I HAVE written several emails -- in my head --, several hours from the nearest phone or internet, wanting so much to share what's swirling around in my brain from day-to-day.  My relationship with rain; how my long dusty (or muddy, depending on the season) bumpy road reminds me of running a technical river (complete with bus-eating holes); what an average week in village looks like for me and how I only see glimpses of a whole world that goes on there especially at night that I will never really experience, and maybe don't want to; all the work stuff as well, and the fascinating frustrating observations of a culture so convinced that they are inferior to the 'Europeans' (plus the love/hate that comes from it) and also so entrenched in their repressive attitudes toward women that they can't even step outside of it for a moment to contemplate a different perspective.  It would be so utterly fascinating if I was just here to observe a culture, but as someone who is living here and trying to work and accomplish something, to effect some positive quote-unquote behavior change, it mostly just serves to make me wallow in the futility of it all.

So, anyway, sometime last month I realized how much easier it is to get work done, and to write emails, with a laptop.  I know, I know, I'm in Peace Corps Africa for chrissake, but it's true.  PCVs who don't have laptops soon begin running to their nearest connected PCV neighbor to get things done on their computer.  Writing up funding proposals, planning and editing the program and activities for my health agent training, translating health info for the training packet, writing about certain health topics to contribute to our program toolkit as well as my part in the new training program, etc., AND keeping connected to friends and family and thus fulfilling one of the goals of PC to foster understanding between cultures -- Peace Corps in the new millennium practically begs for this little slice of technology.  And Aunt Aleda, that little thumbdrive you gave me has been a godsend.  Even out in the bush, training participants have come to expect a typewritten program and any and all legible info to go along with it, whether a handful are illiterate or not.  I'm not even saying internet access, just basic word processing.  It would save me so much headache and heartache to not have to worry AS MUCH about whether or not the power is out for half the day in Atakpame when I've come in explicitly to type up documents, make photocopies, and hopefully have time to email.  Or if it's going to go out in the middle of all that.  I'm not the fastest typer either AND I'm a perfectionist.  If I'd been able to type up the stuff ahead of time at home and then stick it on my thumbdrive, I would have saved tons of time and money and frustration.  Plus how many times I could have written up my thoughts to later post on emails.  They had recommended we bring one and I just thought it was ridiculous -- I knew I'd opt to be without electricity -- but little did I know they have generators even way out there...  My neighbor Jeff is going home to the States next week for xmas and is holding a fundraising event while he is there, and I told him if anyone had an old laptop lying around, he could include me as one of his 'needy'...