Busy Week (as always)

Princess' hair is finally long enough for pigtails. They don't stay in very long, though, so enjoy em while you can.

I think things are far enough along that I can admit this publicly: I am the new Economics Department Chair. Our former chair is a dean, an interim dean, AND an associate dean all at the same time. It was felt it was time for someone else to chair the department.

On Friday we went to a party to welcome new faculty and staff. There were a few too many people there for Prince's comfort, so we went outside to play on the brand new playset at the Club.  The #1 thing we were worried about missing from the States (other than family) was a park or playground. We're very happy to see this.

We were very sad to learn one of our dear friends here is leaving rather abruptly.  We and most of AUN are saddened to see him go. He did a lot for this university and will be greatly missed.

Joy got to do the socializing at Friday's party. This was a very good thing since you can see how stir-crazy she has been.

Not really. What you see before you is Joy's latest toy: a mortar and pestle for making pounded yam. You take the bark off these enormous yams, boil them so they aren't poisonous anymore, then pound them in that drum.

"I had a nice Saturday afternoon," Joy reports. "Prince played with our neighbor kids and I visited with the Mom. Princess explored and got to know their little baby. A good time was had by all. We plan on having them over on Fridays regularly."

We hadn't been back long before the bugs welcomed us back. Prince had 11 bites just on his arm in one night. More were on his face and other arm. I sprayed his room, only to come down with half a dozen on my ankles the next morning. When you get bit out here, you really know you've been bit.

I'm teaching development economics again, intermediate macroeconomics for the first time, and two sections of the AUN Freshman Seminar for the first time. I finally have all the textbooks I need (two weeks in) but at least one class is still trying to get hold of their copies.

The good news is that we are now finally all on the same time zone. Derrill has been on Middle East time falling asleep during dinner, and Joy's been somewhere in the Atlantic unable to get to sleep. It was kind of like Bizaro World.