no smile :(

6/8/2001:
i’m not unhappy, but i’m not smiling either. i wasn’t smiling towards the end of my stay in the US and now no smiles here??? a friend said i should just force myself to smile and be happy, then it would come! :)

we went to get our ID’s at the station today. Syria all over again. files everywhere, fingerprint stains on the wall, and that faint smell of sewage in the streets... even the condescending civil servants. went to jum’aa with Omaru. nice man. no english. me no french. khutba was short. mosque small. i’m itching to get out and explore.

we’re leaving for Babadjou in the morning. was nervous about it at some point today but no longer. survival french class today was rough. just couldn’t keep up. any confidence i had about picking up the language quickly was diffused, quickly.

feeling OK now, though. i’m just not down with how prolonged this whole process has been... 2 days staging, 5 days here, and now homestay. i know i’ve got so much more to learn but i’m itching to get in the classroom and teach. i’m uplifted just thinking about it.