Le début

Bienvenue!  I got tired of writing the same thing over and over again in emails and IM's.  Here you all go--- some insight into my fabulous life on a remote island in the Indian Ocean.  Jaloux?

Tomorrow makes a month since I left the USA and nearly three on Reunion Island.  Although I haven't yet started work, I have accomplished a few things.  My German roomate and I have rented a fantastic villa- complete with garden, terrace and, oh yeah, chicken coop.  I have a Reunionais cell phone, I've acquired my "carte de sejour" (residency permit) and I am working on purchasing a scooter because the bloody public transportation here is no good.

I have been officially employed since October 1st, but the schools in my area are waiting until after the vacances (October 11 - 26) to implement foreign languages- which means that my total time before actually doing any work will amount to 6 weeks (but don't worry, I'll be paid for 3).

In terms of work, I have been assigned as an English assistant in three primary schools in the Tampon 1 district.  Yes, the name of my town is actually tampon... believe it or not.  And, yes, "tampon" does mean the same thing in French.  I will be working alongside the language teachers, taking half of the class aside to work on pronunciation and to serve as a "complement culturel."

Oh, I better explain the title of my blog.  The beer here is called "Dodo" as in the bird, not as in Adoley.  The beer's slogan is "La dodo le la," which is creole for...yeah, well, I haven't figured that one out yet.  Something about being somewhere or having been somewhere.  Dodo is quite nice.  It comes in a short brown bottle and can be drunk from morning 'til night.  Have seen many people drinking it at the early hour of 8 a.m.  For some reason we woke up Sunday morning with a lot of empty dodo's all over the kitchen.  Don't know how that happened.

Anyways, je m'amuse bien ici and I hope you will all enjoy reading about my adventures au bout du monde.