More News About Kate!

I just realized that there were posts in the comments section, and there's some news from Kate that was posted in the comments. Here's the letters from Kate, reposted.

From July 29, 2008

Fo Fo Family!

This note has to be short because I have limited internet use, but i happen to be in the capital traveling back from a weekend away from training. Everything is going well so far. I live with a host family in a rural compound right outside the town of hamdallaye. We dont have any running water or electricity. My house consists of a round thatch roof hut and a walled in concession. my shower and latrine are seperate. the latrine is clearly just a hole, and the shower is cement room. there is a letter in the mail with some more details so you should be receiving that soon.
Everything is going pretty well- It definitely is harder than anyone says it is but it is also more amazing than I could describe. I am practicing my new language everyday and am already getting the hang of it. I have made a solid group of really good friends and all the people in my training group are really supportive. The trainers and the language teachers are all really great and have been helping us through all the difficult times. My family has given me the name fadila so everyone in hamdallaye calls me that. I either here fadila or anasara (white person) being yelled across the feilds wherever i go. at first being called white person all the time sucked but now i respond by calling them borobi which is black person and is a pretty good joke.
I miss you all tons and hope everything is well at home. I should be getting a new cellphone number soon so i will text you all when i have it. Happy Birthday James! and send me letters everyone with all your news because i feel really out of the loop.

I love you guys
-kate (perhaps a little more african, but still kate)

Here's the second letter...

Today we got a Kate letter.She wrote it before we talked to her so some of it you've heard before. One of her fellow PCT's has developed a severe peanut allergy and is returning to the US so he offerred to mail a letter from his home in California. Another letter is somewhere in the mail from Niger.

excerpts from her letter...The night sky is amazing,I have never seen stars stars like this! I went for my first run, the landscape is amazing. You can see for miles and it is very green as it is the rainy season. She has no electricity or running water but takes a bucket bath every day. She says that she still wears her good clothes, wears makeup and brushes her hair everyday. Still Kate!!She is learning a new language 'Zarma' and is beginning to make some sense of what people are saying to her. She has some good friends and lives near 2 PCT guys, who keep her company, walk her to school etc.

She is quite homesick but determined to get over it. She loves to get letters about our everyday stuff so if you have a chance drop her a line. A stamp is about $1:00. Make sure you write 'Air Mail' on the envelope.