It was a short season

The cold season, or what there was of it, is definitely over. I have now returned to sweating while sitting still and looking for shade instinctively. It's getting lighter in the mornings, but only very slowly. Our early morning runs are still cool and dark, and at my new house I have to search around sometimes before I find a motodupe at that early time.

School is going ok, though time is winding down before the final exam. I realize this but the students don't seem to see it as clearly as I do. Taking almost this whole next week off for Chinese New Year is a nice break, but it means that there are only a few classes left in the semester. A donor conference involving most of the teachers on campus this past week meant that most of the students decided their holiday would start an extra day early and many of us were faced with empty classrooms, or two or three forlorn students.

My new host family situation is going fairly well, with still the occasional mis-understandings. Sometimes I feel that I am either being followed around constantly or ignored. I guess it is hard to have a middle ground when my vocabulary is focused around food and basic daily events. Last night I ate some strange candied fruit that though being deceptively coated in sugar, still managed to set my mouth on fire. I must say I am coming to somewhat appreciate the sour, hot and sweet tastes, and in various combinations, but it still is always a novelty.