This blog is a race against the generator.  It is going off at 10pm, and with it will go the wifi.  It is 9:52pm.

So, today was incredibly, wonderfully awesome.  Yes!  It was just that good!   Dr. Janice Cooper is the Director of the Liberia Project.  She is a native Liberian who works for the Carter Center.  She came into the country yesterday and drove out to Gbarnga to spend the night with us.  You could tell she was there because suddenly we had electricity and wifi in the morning, the housekeeper was there when we woke up making fresh coffee – it was a brand new world!   She told me that I could give the housekeeper money and she would bring any groceries I wanted.  Man, if I had known that a couple of days ago!  So, I asked her to bring me fruit.

I went off to work this morning—the last day of classroom instruction.  Because I had a video clip in the presentation, I was testing the speakers and used Rihanna’s Diamonds.  One of the students stood up and started dancing and lip syncing.  Then, another student came and started dancing with her.  Soon, everyone was dancing and laughing and the party was in full swing!   Since we had 5 minutes before class was to start, they asked me to play another song.  I chose Blurred Lines.  Then, I made everyone stand up and do the electric slide.  The video is PRICELESS!

Following a very fun beginning, we hunkered down to business and finished the last 4 hours of instruction.   The students did very well on the post-test – improving the class average by 16 points (in only 3 days!).   They made me really proud.  After the test, they presented me with a gift – a BEAUTIFUL Liberian top and bottom.  Now you know I almost cried, right?!  It was such a wonderfully, joyous day.

Then, I came home and Nyatta (our housekeeper) had indeed brought home fruit.  Watermelon, pineapple, cucumbers, oranges, bananas and a papaya.  Everything is fresh from the field.  She cut it up, and we sat in the front yard with the security guards and had a fruit feast.  It was such a good time.

I laid down for a nap.  Woke up STARVING to find Peter, the Liberian course coordinator waiting to take us to dinner.   I had mixed vegetable stew (which came with a hunk of meat in it!) followed by another fruit feast at the house.  A long Skype call with Joel and the kids, and I’d say today is one of the best days so far.

Photos will probably not upload before the generator goes off, so check them out tomorrow: https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/102428141509725093638/albums/5968491000844312753?authkey=CL_H9fyeqZDvPA