Okay. Since this is a new year and I feel I could be more productive, I've decided to actually take some initiative, get off my butt, and actually STUDY for the GRE. I'm not getting any younger, and time is going by. I think initially, it was fear that I may not do well on the exam. And also fear of not getting into a reputable school. But in the end, fear will get me nowhere. I might as well just suck it up, and do it already. So I wiped the dust off my GRE for Dummies book qnd Kaplan book and actually opened them. AND read a couple of chapters. Did you know the first several questions are the most important on the GRE??? New info for me. I don't know if that's good or bad. At least my brain will be fully awake in the beginning so I guess that's an advantage. The GRE for Dummies book is hilarious and actually a little fun to study. Suprising right? I would like to take the test in Ghana since they offer it there and it isnt too far from Benin. It's about a five hour bus ride. It gives me a reason to travel there, plus my brother lives there now. He moved a couple of weeks ago and it was some of the worst news I've received over here on this end. No he's not my real brother, but yes he's my real brother. LOL! Doesn't make sense huh? I'll break it down. I don't have a biological brother. Only a sister. And I always wanted a brother. I became great friends with a Nigerian guy I met over here who used to date one of my friends in the Peace Corps. When she returned to the states, him and I remained close friends. More like siblings. I asked him if we could be siblings and he said why not. So there you have it. So when I say my brother, I'm actually talking about him. It's pretty cool having a brother. I can try to hook him up with girls, he gives me honest opinions, he doesn't try to get in my pants, and he looks out for me if I need something.

For New Years I went to Penjari Safari. It was amazing!!! I saw a juvenile male lion lay in the middle of the road. When we rode up on him, he dazed into the tall grass. I heard some cubs in the grass. Ten seconds later, I swear, a herd of elephant busted through the grass freaking out, scaring the lion and cubs away....then they saw the car. They had a baby elephant that was so small you could barely see him through the tall grass. The chaffeur wanted to bang against the car to fix the dent in the roof because we were sitting on it. GREAT IDEA!!!! Elephants HATE cars which I have repeatedly heard from friends and TV. So guess what? The elephants were pissed and tried to CHARGE THE CAR!!! We shouted at the driver to get moving and we quickly pulled off before he got to us. That was SCARY....BUT AWESOME ACTION!!!! It was like a movie. I also saw baboons, warthogs, tons of antelope, beautiful birds, vultures, and a lioness watching her cubs hunt. We couldn't see the cubs because they were so hidden in the grass but it was great watching the mom do her thing.

Work is okay. I sold out all my mosquito nets. Now I'm working on translating documents, and small reports during my free time. It's still work so I'm not complaining. I enjoy working in Cotonou. I have access to everything, and I even have air conditioning. We came from a week long tour checking out mosquito net places of sale throughout Benin. We also checked out a couple of volunteer's post to see how they collaborate with their work partners on the distribution of the nets. It was nice traveling the country, seeing volunteers at their sites, and working at the same time. World Malaria Day is April 25th so check out some sites to find out what you can do that day. Could someone send me some Essence Magazines, and some good trailmix please???? I know I'm begging on here but I have no choice. I need it. I know somebody out there cares. I'll give me energy to study for the GRE :-) Thanks for reading. Until next time...