Presidential Palace of Côte d’Ivoire ‘s first president, Félix Houphouët-Boigny 
My new home! Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire 
Street View 
Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Yamoussoukro’s public university 
Taxis. Catching them is like catching greased pigs: near impossible. 
Who says laundry bins can’t protect you from monsoon-like rain? 
Trying new foods at a maquis (outdoor restaurant); chicken in tomato sauce with rice = SPICY!
As I begin to interpret what it means to be a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA), I find myself at a loss for words as I’ve only been in-country trying to “orient” myself for seven days. It feels like it has been seven months with the packed schedule of briefings and logistics that are required before even stepping foot into a school building. If you take a look at the pictures above, you’ll see a myriad of what it has been like this week. Between staying in hotels, making introductions with school headmasters, welcome dinners, and trying to hold back tears when I didn’t understand what the SIM card man was repeatedly saying to me, I tried my best to come into this experience with no expectations and it has served me thus far for the better. Every day is an adventurous challenge that I hope to conceptualize in a blog post (or VLOG!), a feat that rarely justifies reality. But by following my journey, I strive to give you a heartfelt look at hardships, humor, growth, and love for a new place and its culture.
Above all, I want to thank my family, friends, and mentors that have so willingly supported me by encouraging me to take this leap of faith, pushing me to complete the Fulbright application process, making sure I am prepared, sending me off from the airport, and keeping in touch while I am away. If it weren’t for all of you, this would be a dream.
Ivory Coast Times 