Since my last entry, work has been busy, but good. I am teaching in schools usually two days a week and then working with families on the cooperative the rest of the time. Most of my coop work has been with a women´s group where we work in different member`s garden each week. Other than that, I´m still working on putting a stove project together, but that`s going to be a fairly slow process before things really get moving.

The only really big news as of late has been the change of administration at the cooperative. Every two years, the coop members elect a new president and directive who are essentially in charge of all decision making concerning the tea and all development issues. This includes our projects as well. For me, this change is great as the last president tended to dominate all projects and intimidate the other people in the office. He gave the last volunteers a lot of problems. However, the new president is much younger, university educated and an all-around easier person to work with. We are still just getting started with him, but already, I can see how things are far more relaxed around the office.

For the change of administration, the coop threw a big all day assembly followed by an enormous feast. We killed over 200 chickens and something like 60 turkeys. For the meal, you just get a big chunk of bird with a mountain of this traditional corn meal sauce on it. All 600 people just sort of grabed a plate and went to town.

Beyond work, I´ve spent that past few weekends here in Coban. A friend of mine just opened up a language school, so handful of other foreigners moved to Coban. We´ve got our own ex-pat circle going. My buddy Brandon just took off from the States by bus last week and should be here in Coban by the 18th. It´s my first visitor, so I´m pretty pumped. I´ll put up another post after then.