Meet Joanna Thomas

I would just like to start by saying that here at the Rose's blog, we pride ourselves on customer service. We are all about giving the people what they want and need. We know there are other blogs out there with more interesting stories and better grammar (I hear Michael’s blog is pretty good), but you are reading ours and we appreciate it.

So in the spirit of customer service, we have heard that some people (I am talking to you Joanna's boyfriend and parents) have been checking the blog in hopes of new pictures or stories of Joanna only to be disappointed time and again. My first reaction upon hearing this: Are we not good enough? What's the big deal about Joanna anyway? But then I remembered our goal of serving the people so this blog entry is for you Joanna's parents and Aaron (Joanna's boyfriend):

Joanna Thomas: exposed

Perhaps some of you have seen pictures of a tall, blonde forever smiling and found yourself asking, "What is it that makes her so happy?"
The answer: unhappiness

World, meet Joanna Thomas. She goes by many aliases; in her village they call her Aisha, but I think Danielle says it best when she describes Joanna as "the captain of the bitter boat". This string bean of gloominess is always the first to complain whenever it is time to do group work, go to language class, ride bikes, eat, breathe...If this were Snow White, Joanna would be Grumpy Dwarf (only surprisingly tall).

Yes her persistent bad mood and negativity is annoying, but what really gets my goat is her complete disregard for the cultural values here. In a country where skirts should be below the knee, I would deem Joanna's tube tops and miniskirts not culturally appropriate. And yes, her language skills have improved, but as Danielle again points out "Joanna has learned most of her French from the guys at the bars every night."
Maybe the fact that she knows every cabaret in town could be described as good integration into the community but I think bringing sachets of whiskey to morning language class is a bit much.
As far as I can tell, Joanna's favorite past time is seeing how many kids she can bring to tears on her rides through village.

So there you have it, it's not pretty. Maybe it is best if we stick to tales of the latest parasite Aaron and I have contracted.

But all joking aside, we love this girl. She's probably the most cheerful person I have ever known and we are lucky to have her here with us. Sorry there aren't more pictures for you but we only get to see her once a week.