Welcome to your new life- Part 2

Wednesday morning, the very first in my new home, I awoke bright and early to take my breakfast in my room. I'd been pleased to learn upon my arrival that I was going to get to visit Village Altonodji for training straight away, even though classes don't begin for another month. Once I'd enjoyed my baguette and hot insta-milk, my host father, Samuel, and I got in the car and made the quick trip to the school.

It was a big moment driving through the gates of the campus that will largely be my home this year. It is lush beyond belief, with tall wild grasses growing between all of the concrete yellow buildings. Because of the recent rains, my host father navigated us past huge, deep puddles that positively glistened in the morning sun!

I figured I was first going to receive a tour or something, but as Samuel led me into the first building, the chapel, I found myself facing about 20 people who's attention was on a male speaker standing next to me. I was introduced to the speaker, and led to a folding chair to the right of the pews. As my host father left, I heard him introduce me to the group, adding that I spoke little French. Then he departed, and I was officially in training!

For the next 8 1/2 hours, except for a quick trip home for lunch, I sat in the chapel and began to have those warm fuzzy WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO feelings as the two speakers instructed us in French on a number of pedagogical concepts. If I kidded myself before that I understand enough French to at least know what general topic is being discussed at any given time, I certainly am not laughing now. I was totally lost. At first, I was somewhat on edge, thinking that at any moment they would ask me a question, or the session would end and I'd have to figure out what was happening next, but as time went on, I realized that this was likely going to last the whole day, and furthermore, nobody seemed to assume that I understood anything. Fortunately, before too long, a man sat beside me and said, "Hello, how are you?" adding that he was another English teacher who was going to help me. I was very appreciative to have a fellow English speaker there to assist, but throughout the day, his input was minimal, and was eventually limited to explaining why everyone in the room would suddenly be roaring with laughter, and even so, I never really understood the jokes.

That evening, I felt ready to drop at any moment, but I forced myself to sit with the short reading assignment we'd been given and write a thorough translation, making about a million references to my French-English dictionary. Only when that was completed did I let myself pass out and rest up for the next round. Come morning, I was the first one to arrive at the chapel, and soon my English speaking friend and the others were there to join me. And guess what! I was much less bewildered. The group spent the first hour or so reviewing the day's reading, so I actually knew what the topic of discussion was this time around, and I found that a lot of the vocabulary from the previous night's reading was coming into play today, This time, instead of hoping that the language might just sink into me as I sat, I wrote down anything I could pick out, and shamelessly poured over my poor, overworked dictionary the whole time. I asked questions of my new mentor, and felt a small sense of victory every time I understood, or recognized, a new word. So basically, I don't know if my understanding was any better, or if my expectations were just different (much lower), but I found the second day much more energizing. I'm fact, I was sorry to realize that I might not have more opportunities like this, to spend all day in a safe place where I can hear a ton of French without the obligation to respond or even understand it all! Furthermore, to be armed with a dictionary and a friend who was constantly happy to answer my questions, it was a pretty sweet deal!

At the end of the day, members of the administration, including Samuel, came for a bit of a closing ceremony in which we were each presented with an official certificate of completion. I received mine somewhat sheepishly, and to the friendly laughter of the others in attendance, because I didn't exactly participate nor did I take away many of the intended concepts for my mental toolbox. But by golly, I'm going to hold onto that certificate as a reminder that when things are overwhelming during this year of radically new experiences, there is clarity at the end of the tunnel. It will take a lot of effort on my part. It will take a lot of patience and assistance from others. Some things will just take time, or a few good nights' sleep. But I know that with every passing minute, I am learning a great deal here, and that with each small step, I am working my way to a much greater understanding of my surroundings. So for now, I'm pretty happy to be in this place of almost complete mystery, because there's nowhere to go but up!