I just spent my first week down south back in Porto Novo for IST. I went to visit my host family. They were happy to see me.
Right now I'm waiting for the shower to be vacant. I'm going to the beach for Christmas. It's so different being down south. My friend Dione and I have a real plan for the day.
1/ Artisan's Market
2/ Embassy to drop off a letter
3/ Lunch
4/ Old America Clothes Market
5/ Rest
6/ Walk on the beach
One of the fullest days... only days I've planned... since getting to post (of course, I'm not AT post). I'm leaving tomorrow to go visit my friend Julia's post.
I haven't felt much like writing lately. Nothing to say.
It's funny how things here just kind of become... normal.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
burnt fingers and losing cats.
So, I'm in Cotonou. I'm starting to get a little frustrated that I can't get any work started. I had a 10 day evacuation to Parakou because of an incident with a former postmate, and now I'm down in Cotonou because of stomach problems and I burned 2 1/2 of my fingers when the gas oven exploded and my hand was in it. I'm really lucky I didn't hurt myself worse. It hurts, but it's not that bad. Just a little purple.
Questions
Katie wanted to know what kind of house you live in. We saw some people living in the city who lived in apartment buildings and some who lived in grass and mud huts with dirt floors. So we were wondering what your home in Kalale was like.
Peace Corps has a rule that we have to have at least tin on the roofs and cement on the walls and floor, so that's what I have. There are definately (35%?) people with mud huts and dirt floors in my town though. I'm in the "big town" in my area, so if you go outside of Kalale you'd find a much higher percentage.
becca, are there many people there who subsist off the land i.e hunters-fishermen-craftsmen- farmers . i know there are nomadic cattle herding people.just wondering.
I would say that most people here live 50% off of what they grow and do and 50% off of stuff they steal from Nigeria. They consider Nigerians horrible and dangerous, but if the boarders closed for one day, this country would not work. They use everything here, nothing is wasted... but they don't use it to the fullest extent. Like the idea of crop rotation is absolutely unheard of. They grow the same crops every season and then it takes all the nutrients out of the soil. That kind of thing.
i'm on my way to winning the company football pool just 5 more games to go packers lost a squeaker in o.t. they are 3and 3 for the season.and have many injuries al harris- clay mathews- nick barnett-nick collins-jermicheal findley ect but all there losses have been very close and none of these guys are season ending.maybe they will come back fresh.
NICE! :)
Those 2 OT losses hurt me bad. I'm glad we had two wins following.
Do they have "medicine men" in every village.Anyone that acts like the village nurse and helps deliver babaies? What if someone breaks a leg,do they get rushed anywhere like we rush to the hospital?
This is a great question. There ARE "traditional healers" and it's just known that you have to do the traditional healing first for any type of sickness, wait 2-3 weeks, THEN seek professional care. Most plants' leaves are used for a tea for some type of sickness or another.
For babies, as exucation spreads less women are having them at home and more are using the sage-femmes (midwives) at the health centers. Unfortunately most of these women dont have any actual medical training and the health centers are full of disease and dirt.
Same with the hospitals. They're full of disease and people just sitting/dying on the floors. There aren't enough beds. I've seen a broken leg handled with someone snapping it back into what looked like it's place and a homemade brace to keep it straight.
(Peace Corps would go to the capital and med-evac-ed to South Africa is it was something they didn't feel confident fixing here.)
Oh - I forgot to tell you guys. I got rid of Dave (the cat, not the person). He was too much of a bother, I travel a lot and I couldn't go a night without him pooping on my bed. It just didn't work out. Near me is a 25yr old woman with a baby, a husband, and a very old mother she takes care of -- the woman is also starting highschool and working hard to pay for that. She expressed that they have a mouse problem, so a passed little Dave on. They call him "mreow mreow" because he's so loud.
Questions
Katie wanted to know what kind of house you live in. We saw some people living in the city who lived in apartment buildings and some who lived in grass and mud huts with dirt floors. So we were wondering what your home in Kalale was like.
Peace Corps has a rule that we have to have at least tin on the roofs and cement on the walls and floor, so that's what I have. There are definately (35%?) people with mud huts and dirt floors in my town though. I'm in the "big town" in my area, so if you go outside of Kalale you'd find a much higher percentage.
becca, are there many people there who subsist off the land i.e hunters-fishermen-craftsmen- farmers . i know there are nomadic cattle herding people.just wondering.
I would say that most people here live 50% off of what they grow and do and 50% off of stuff they steal from Nigeria. They consider Nigerians horrible and dangerous, but if the boarders closed for one day, this country would not work. They use everything here, nothing is wasted... but they don't use it to the fullest extent. Like the idea of crop rotation is absolutely unheard of. They grow the same crops every season and then it takes all the nutrients out of the soil. That kind of thing.
i'm on my way to winning the company football pool just 5 more games to go packers lost a squeaker in o.t. they are 3and 3 for the season.and have many injuries al harris- clay mathews- nick barnett-nick collins-jermicheal findley ect but all there losses have been very close and none of these guys are season ending.maybe they will come back fresh.
NICE! :)
Those 2 OT losses hurt me bad. I'm glad we had two wins following.
Do they have "medicine men" in every village.Anyone that acts like the village nurse and helps deliver babaies? What if someone breaks a leg,do they get rushed anywhere like we rush to the hospital?
This is a great question. There ARE "traditional healers" and it's just known that you have to do the traditional healing first for any type of sickness, wait 2-3 weeks, THEN seek professional care. Most plants' leaves are used for a tea for some type of sickness or another.
For babies, as exucation spreads less women are having them at home and more are using the sage-femmes (midwives) at the health centers. Unfortunately most of these women dont have any actual medical training and the health centers are full of disease and dirt.
Same with the hospitals. They're full of disease and people just sitting/dying on the floors. There aren't enough beds. I've seen a broken leg handled with someone snapping it back into what looked like it's place and a homemade brace to keep it straight.
(Peace Corps would go to the capital and med-evac-ed to South Africa is it was something they didn't feel confident fixing here.)
Oh - I forgot to tell you guys. I got rid of Dave (the cat, not the person). He was too much of a bother, I travel a lot and I couldn't go a night without him pooping on my bed. It just didn't work out. Near me is a 25yr old woman with a baby, a husband, and a very old mother she takes care of -- the woman is also starting highschool and working hard to pay for that. She expressed that they have a mouse problem, so a passed little Dave on. They call him "mreow mreow" because he's so loud.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Questions #2
What do you eat in a typical day? Have you eaten anything really strange (to us) yet?
Usually I don't have breakfast, but when I do it's either oatmeal or little fried balls of dough ("gateaux" - it means cakes, but it's not exactly sweet). For lunch my concession sister, Lucy, sells rice, sometimes cous-cous, and dish called pate rouge. I'm not sure if i've written about pate yet, but it's cornmeal and water boiled together to form a galatinous carb-y substance. Regular pate isn't my favorite dish, but pate rouge (red pate) is when they add tomato sauce to it - and that's delish! And for dinner, I usually have eggs and ketchup - or egg, tomato, and onion omlette on bread with mayo. OR I make pasta. My specialty is mac and cheese made with tomato and onion and "Laughing Cow" cheese (they sell it in bigger cities like Parakou! - and it's called "Le vache qui rit") and a little bit of mac and cheese powder. The only veggies I can get in village right now are tomatoes, onions, and little green eggplants. The fruits are bananas (on the brink of spoiling) and oranges.
Have you had goat yet?
My favorite eating days are THURSDAYS! And that's because it's marche day. And when the market is in town, I treat myself to "Street meat" and my choices are between a whole chicken ($3) and like a handful of "mouton" (sheep) for $1. *(Which they just call "viande" = meat. I wasn't sure if it was sheep or goat, but I did some investigation, i.e. looked at the skin of the animal laying next to the fire pit and discovered that it is, in fact, sheep.)*. So technically I haven't eaten goat yet, but I have a tough time walking past the man selling sheep and not getting a little taste! You can pick up just like 3 or 4 pieces of meat for about $0.20USD. The $3 chickens are amazing and involve a little more commitment than the mouton man, but the chicken in Kalale is honest to God like Publix rotisserie. It's NOT that good everywhere - it's actually usually pretty dry and not much meat. And the sheep usually has a lot of fat and bone - but not in Kalale. It's almost all quality meat. I'm so lucky to be in a place with such healthy animals! :)
Sorry I haven't seen any cool animals, Katie. Your pictures were totally awesome though! I'm jealous! Hopefully I'll be able to see something cool before I'm done over here.
Usually I don't have breakfast, but when I do it's either oatmeal or little fried balls of dough ("gateaux" - it means cakes, but it's not exactly sweet). For lunch my concession sister, Lucy, sells rice, sometimes cous-cous, and dish called pate rouge. I'm not sure if i've written about pate yet, but it's cornmeal and water boiled together to form a galatinous carb-y substance. Regular pate isn't my favorite dish, but pate rouge (red pate) is when they add tomato sauce to it - and that's delish! And for dinner, I usually have eggs and ketchup - or egg, tomato, and onion omlette on bread with mayo. OR I make pasta. My specialty is mac and cheese made with tomato and onion and "Laughing Cow" cheese (they sell it in bigger cities like Parakou! - and it's called "Le vache qui rit") and a little bit of mac and cheese powder. The only veggies I can get in village right now are tomatoes, onions, and little green eggplants. The fruits are bananas (on the brink of spoiling) and oranges.
Have you had goat yet?
My favorite eating days are THURSDAYS! And that's because it's marche day. And when the market is in town, I treat myself to "Street meat" and my choices are between a whole chicken ($3) and like a handful of "mouton" (sheep) for $1. *(Which they just call "viande" = meat. I wasn't sure if it was sheep or goat, but I did some investigation, i.e. looked at the skin of the animal laying next to the fire pit and discovered that it is, in fact, sheep.)*. So technically I haven't eaten goat yet, but I have a tough time walking past the man selling sheep and not getting a little taste! You can pick up just like 3 or 4 pieces of meat for about $0.20USD. The $3 chickens are amazing and involve a little more commitment than the mouton man, but the chicken in Kalale is honest to God like Publix rotisserie. It's NOT that good everywhere - it's actually usually pretty dry and not much meat. And the sheep usually has a lot of fat and bone - but not in Kalale. It's almost all quality meat. I'm so lucky to be in a place with such healthy animals! :)
Sorry I haven't seen any cool animals, Katie. Your pictures were totally awesome though! I'm jealous! Hopefully I'll be able to see something cool before I'm done over here.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Questions #1
How do the Beninese celebrate birthdays, or do they at all?
Well, other volunteers might have a different answer for this one. In my village of Kalale people most times don't know the year they were born, let alone the birthDAY. The easiest way to find the year someone was born (esp. a child) is to ask them (or their parents) how many chaleurs (the REALLY hot season) they've been through. But often times you'll talk to an older woman (80 or so)who will assure you that they are at least 120 - probably older. That being said, right before I left my host papa (who lived in the capital and came from an affluent family) was celebrating his 50-something by going out to see his family. Most parties here consist of a lot of food, dancing, and alcohol (unless you're religious!). Funny though - my host mama knew she was born on a thursday in September in the year 1956, but didn't know which one. And the family thought it was funny that I cared so much as to try to figure out what the possible dates could be.
What holidays do they celebrate?
I feel like that would be a better question to answer after I've been here an entire year. The word for celebration/party in french is fete and people here love any reason to fete. Most of the big ones are religious fetes (voodoo in the south, muslim in the north, and catholic spread around a little bit everywhere). Coming up sometime in the next month or so is Tabaski. I don't know much about it except that it's muslim and they're fattening up a considerable amount of goats to sacrifice (then eat!). I guess the streets run with goat blood for the next few days, but it's a delicious holiday. And Ramadan (the muslim fasting time) just finished not too long ago. There's also whipping fetes, and rights of passage fetes into adulthood for men. In those, a boy/man is whipped by an older person in the community and if he winces in pain at all, he hasn't made the passage into manhood. Whipping fetes aren't the same as the right of passage fetes (though they involve whips), but the big whipping fete is in february, so i'll be better to explain it after I experience it. In the south, the voodoo has crazy dancing fetes, but they also have spirits like the time of "Aura". And Aura (or auro... can't remember) is a spirit (or man in a costume) that travels the streets at night for a week or two in specific areas. And it's necessary to not travel during that time or be out in the streets. If you are, the aura beats you until you give him enough money... or you die. I'm not around any of that and Peace Corps gives fair warning of when that time is.
What "cause" has touched you the most over there (ie: what do the Benin people need the most that we Americans could help with, or are they doing just fine without us thank you very much?)
Another good question, I'm not sure exactly. I like that you added that they're doing just fine without us - because I've learned a lot since arriving about how aid is making Benin (and all of west africa poorer). I'm not sure if I told you all when I learned this, but 70 - 80% of the money in the Beninese government is foreign aid. Only 20-30% is actually revenued by the government. Which is absolutely wild! I'm happy to be here and happy to be helping, but nothing has hit me too hard yet. The one thing I'm excited to work with is Small Enterprise Development. Because if people can make their own money and they're making more on selling bread than they're spending on supplies, the economy will go up. It's hard though because there's no sense of competition at all. No one wants to do any better than their neighbor (And I don't think it's because they'd get ostracized, I genuinely think it's just people don't have a desire to make more than a dollar a day). Also the Beninese people know that they can't do too well, because if they do, they wont get more aid in the future. And if a kid is getting an allowance of 5 dollars to do the dishes, it doesn't make sense for the kid to do the dishes and the laundry and only earn 3 dollars.
A story that I think sums up aid in Africa really well was told to me by my friend, now 2nd year volunteer, Tony. He told about an NGO (Non-government organization) that came in, gave a lecture, and had the great idea to give out soccer balls. The NGO came in talked about health, nutrition, and staying active and distributed the soccer balls (some to older kids, some to younger kids, and some to parents/families). No sooner had the NGOs van left the village did grown men come out and literally beat up the kids to take their soccer balls - to the point that there were young children hurt and laying on the ground while older men took the soccer balls for themselves, their families, or to sell... or just break and treat like crap. The NGO had already left and after thinking they did such a good job will never know the tradgedy they caused as soon as they left. It's SO SO important to understand a culture when you go in to help them, and that's something I've really realized. Tony managed to get his hands on about 100 soccer balls given to him by the NGO that he's been giving out to anyone in his community that can prove they did a project to help the environment. He's found that when someone EARNS something, it's a lot more respected as their possession, AND they take much better care of it.
Another interesting story I read is about NGOs coming in and giving away rice and beans to malnourished/impovershed places. It seems like a great idea, how could it go wrong? But you have to think that when you give away something like rice, all the mamas who make their only money at the little boutique selling rice are now completely put out of business. So it creates a new group of poor, hungry people and doesn't take any groups out -- nor does it support local economy.
I kind of went off topic a little bit - and all this being said, it just gives me a new outlook to aid. I'm still more than ever interested in International crime. I'm seeing new avenues I can help with that and really figuring out the advantages and limitations of justice in small villages.
Have you seen any wild animals like lions or tigers?
I have not. Unfortunately tigers are only native to Asia. As far as Lions, when people came and really started building up Benin, they started at the coast and pushed the animals north. So, while I'm pretty far North the only places you could go to see all the awesome big game is at a HUGE safari park spanning part of Benin, Niger, and Burkina Faso called Parc W (on the east side) or Parc Pendjari on the west. Parc Pendjari is much more built up and because it's inbetween mountains the animals can't get out and there's a much better chance you'll see all the animals you came to see. It's about $150USD to get a guide and go on a few day safari though.
What else can we send you? Do you need anything?
You guys have been so so awesome about sending packages! It's pretty ridiculous. Thank you! There's really nothing I need right now. And I've gotten almost everything I've wanted. If anything comes up though (like for thanksgiving preparations), I'll let you guys know right away. Thank you so much again!
If anyone has any other questions, please ask! It's a lot easier to write this if I know what you guys want to hear. I'm getting used to living here now and the everyday stuff really has become... just every day stuff. But I want to explain what I can!
Well, other volunteers might have a different answer for this one. In my village of Kalale people most times don't know the year they were born, let alone the birthDAY. The easiest way to find the year someone was born (esp. a child) is to ask them (or their parents) how many chaleurs (the REALLY hot season) they've been through. But often times you'll talk to an older woman (80 or so)who will assure you that they are at least 120 - probably older. That being said, right before I left my host papa (who lived in the capital and came from an affluent family) was celebrating his 50-something by going out to see his family. Most parties here consist of a lot of food, dancing, and alcohol (unless you're religious!). Funny though - my host mama knew she was born on a thursday in September in the year 1956, but didn't know which one. And the family thought it was funny that I cared so much as to try to figure out what the possible dates could be.
What holidays do they celebrate?
I feel like that would be a better question to answer after I've been here an entire year. The word for celebration/party in french is fete and people here love any reason to fete. Most of the big ones are religious fetes (voodoo in the south, muslim in the north, and catholic spread around a little bit everywhere). Coming up sometime in the next month or so is Tabaski. I don't know much about it except that it's muslim and they're fattening up a considerable amount of goats to sacrifice (then eat!). I guess the streets run with goat blood for the next few days, but it's a delicious holiday. And Ramadan (the muslim fasting time) just finished not too long ago. There's also whipping fetes, and rights of passage fetes into adulthood for men. In those, a boy/man is whipped by an older person in the community and if he winces in pain at all, he hasn't made the passage into manhood. Whipping fetes aren't the same as the right of passage fetes (though they involve whips), but the big whipping fete is in february, so i'll be better to explain it after I experience it. In the south, the voodoo has crazy dancing fetes, but they also have spirits like the time of "Aura". And Aura (or auro... can't remember) is a spirit (or man in a costume) that travels the streets at night for a week or two in specific areas. And it's necessary to not travel during that time or be out in the streets. If you are, the aura beats you until you give him enough money... or you die. I'm not around any of that and Peace Corps gives fair warning of when that time is.
What "cause" has touched you the most over there (ie: what do the Benin people need the most that we Americans could help with, or are they doing just fine without us thank you very much?)
Another good question, I'm not sure exactly. I like that you added that they're doing just fine without us - because I've learned a lot since arriving about how aid is making Benin (and all of west africa poorer). I'm not sure if I told you all when I learned this, but 70 - 80% of the money in the Beninese government is foreign aid. Only 20-30% is actually revenued by the government. Which is absolutely wild! I'm happy to be here and happy to be helping, but nothing has hit me too hard yet. The one thing I'm excited to work with is Small Enterprise Development. Because if people can make their own money and they're making more on selling bread than they're spending on supplies, the economy will go up. It's hard though because there's no sense of competition at all. No one wants to do any better than their neighbor (And I don't think it's because they'd get ostracized, I genuinely think it's just people don't have a desire to make more than a dollar a day). Also the Beninese people know that they can't do too well, because if they do, they wont get more aid in the future. And if a kid is getting an allowance of 5 dollars to do the dishes, it doesn't make sense for the kid to do the dishes and the laundry and only earn 3 dollars.
A story that I think sums up aid in Africa really well was told to me by my friend, now 2nd year volunteer, Tony. He told about an NGO (Non-government organization) that came in, gave a lecture, and had the great idea to give out soccer balls. The NGO came in talked about health, nutrition, and staying active and distributed the soccer balls (some to older kids, some to younger kids, and some to parents/families). No sooner had the NGOs van left the village did grown men come out and literally beat up the kids to take their soccer balls - to the point that there were young children hurt and laying on the ground while older men took the soccer balls for themselves, their families, or to sell... or just break and treat like crap. The NGO had already left and after thinking they did such a good job will never know the tradgedy they caused as soon as they left. It's SO SO important to understand a culture when you go in to help them, and that's something I've really realized. Tony managed to get his hands on about 100 soccer balls given to him by the NGO that he's been giving out to anyone in his community that can prove they did a project to help the environment. He's found that when someone EARNS something, it's a lot more respected as their possession, AND they take much better care of it.
Another interesting story I read is about NGOs coming in and giving away rice and beans to malnourished/impovershed places. It seems like a great idea, how could it go wrong? But you have to think that when you give away something like rice, all the mamas who make their only money at the little boutique selling rice are now completely put out of business. So it creates a new group of poor, hungry people and doesn't take any groups out -- nor does it support local economy.
I kind of went off topic a little bit - and all this being said, it just gives me a new outlook to aid. I'm still more than ever interested in International crime. I'm seeing new avenues I can help with that and really figuring out the advantages and limitations of justice in small villages.
Have you seen any wild animals like lions or tigers?
I have not. Unfortunately tigers are only native to Asia. As far as Lions, when people came and really started building up Benin, they started at the coast and pushed the animals north. So, while I'm pretty far North the only places you could go to see all the awesome big game is at a HUGE safari park spanning part of Benin, Niger, and Burkina Faso called Parc W (on the east side) or Parc Pendjari on the west. Parc Pendjari is much more built up and because it's inbetween mountains the animals can't get out and there's a much better chance you'll see all the animals you came to see. It's about $150USD to get a guide and go on a few day safari though.
What else can we send you? Do you need anything?
You guys have been so so awesome about sending packages! It's pretty ridiculous. Thank you! There's really nothing I need right now. And I've gotten almost everything I've wanted. If anything comes up though (like for thanksgiving preparations), I'll let you guys know right away. Thank you so much again!
If anyone has any other questions, please ask! It's a lot easier to write this if I know what you guys want to hear. I'm getting used to living here now and the everyday stuff really has become... just every day stuff. But I want to explain what I can!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Kalale
So, I just moved to Kalale. I love it. Im at the workstation in Parakou right now, taking a couple "mental health days" - I don't feel as though my mental health is in the balance, but it was my post mate's (there's another volunteer in my village) birthday and she was coming here to celebrate. On top of that, Terebessy (pretty much my PC BFF) was coming to town, and he lives so far I had to come when he was.
Kalale is so far so good. I don't have any mice and few cockroaches, a couple lizards and a ton of spiders. I'm worried when the season changes I'm going to get mice. I bought a cat yesterday (in the "Meat" section of the market), it's a kitten right now. We have these things call PCVLs (PC Vol Leaders) and the new one for the Parakou work station is named Dave and he's a red head with short hair, and since my cat is orange and white, we decided almost immediately that it looked like Dave. So, that's my cat's name David Patrick Cowell II (aka Dave).
There's a phenomena in Kalale that we like to call "Street Meat" - it's not road kill, much more delicious. Guys set up big bbq pits and roast whole chickens and sheep and you can find a couple of these in every village. Unfortunately, some villages don't have safe street meat - but Kalale is not one of those villages. You can buy a whole chicken for $3 US and it tastes like publix rotisserie. DELICIOUS! So on Market day (thursday), I get together with my post mate Loren and we search for the most delectable street meat (meaning deciding between the beninese guy or the nigerian guy across the street... I prefer beninese, she likes nigerian) and chow down on chicken and large cold cokes. I pretty much love Thursdays. It's my favorite day of the week. Last thursday, we had omlette sandwiches for breakfast ($0.75), then chicken for lunch. That's what you call here a "Mama and baby day"... you get pretty jaded to the fact that they were once living just because it's the most delicious and nutritional food you could hope to find in country.
Today I'm on vacation though, so I'm deciding now if I'm having a burger or pizza for dinner... It's a little pricey, but when you live in the bush, money doesn't get spent any other way. And I'm certainly not going to live without any luxury here just to save up the $100 that we get paid per month. So, I'm treating myself - to a cheeseburger or a pizza... hmm...
I'm setting up people to hang out with on my birthday so I wont be all alone in village. :) Not that it's that big of a deal, but any reason is a reason to celebrate in PC Benin.
Well, I've got a cat sleeping on my stomach and date with Angee (a good friend who lives not far from Parakou) for an omlette sandwich and a coke.
:)
Kalale is so far so good. I don't have any mice and few cockroaches, a couple lizards and a ton of spiders. I'm worried when the season changes I'm going to get mice. I bought a cat yesterday (in the "Meat" section of the market), it's a kitten right now. We have these things call PCVLs (PC Vol Leaders) and the new one for the Parakou work station is named Dave and he's a red head with short hair, and since my cat is orange and white, we decided almost immediately that it looked like Dave. So, that's my cat's name David Patrick Cowell II (aka Dave).
There's a phenomena in Kalale that we like to call "Street Meat" - it's not road kill, much more delicious. Guys set up big bbq pits and roast whole chickens and sheep and you can find a couple of these in every village. Unfortunately, some villages don't have safe street meat - but Kalale is not one of those villages. You can buy a whole chicken for $3 US and it tastes like publix rotisserie. DELICIOUS! So on Market day (thursday), I get together with my post mate Loren and we search for the most delectable street meat (meaning deciding between the beninese guy or the nigerian guy across the street... I prefer beninese, she likes nigerian) and chow down on chicken and large cold cokes. I pretty much love Thursdays. It's my favorite day of the week. Last thursday, we had omlette sandwiches for breakfast ($0.75), then chicken for lunch. That's what you call here a "Mama and baby day"... you get pretty jaded to the fact that they were once living just because it's the most delicious and nutritional food you could hope to find in country.
Today I'm on vacation though, so I'm deciding now if I'm having a burger or pizza for dinner... It's a little pricey, but when you live in the bush, money doesn't get spent any other way. And I'm certainly not going to live without any luxury here just to save up the $100 that we get paid per month. So, I'm treating myself - to a cheeseburger or a pizza... hmm...
I'm setting up people to hang out with on my birthday so I wont be all alone in village. :) Not that it's that big of a deal, but any reason is a reason to celebrate in PC Benin.
Well, I've got a cat sleeping on my stomach and date with Angee (a good friend who lives not far from Parakou) for an omlette sandwich and a coke.
:)
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Crazy Cyber Lady and UFOs
Sorry I havent written in a while. I kind of suck at this. Last week I got into an argument with the cyber cafe lady and walked out... so I couldnt use the computers. Unfortunately my computer is very much on the fritz _ I hope a new keyboard will fix that. For now, Im on a french keyboard... but its a benin keyboard so its raggidy and the buttons arent where they say they are. Theres pieces of tape on the buttons from probably 10 years ago denoting what buttons have moved where. Awesome.
This post is for D
I went on tech visit 2 weeks ago and I swear I swear I saw a UFO. It was a huge green light in the sky that was under the clouds because it reflected off of them. And it was faster than a helicopter or a plane and then it disappeared! And no I wasnt drnking. My friend I was with and I just stopped walking and stared at it.
And it wasnt a light shinging into the sky because I was in a village of a couple hundred people and they just dont have that technology there.
So you were right D, the aliens came to Africa.
Maybe thats why the cyber cafe lady was so mean. Shes an alien and she knows Im onto them!!
Leaving tomorrow at 6am for my 15 hour drive (to stay a day and a half and take another 15 hr drive back) on half paved roads to see my post! Here I come Kalale! Get ready.
This post is for D
I went on tech visit 2 weeks ago and I swear I swear I saw a UFO. It was a huge green light in the sky that was under the clouds because it reflected off of them. And it was faster than a helicopter or a plane and then it disappeared! And no I wasnt drnking. My friend I was with and I just stopped walking and stared at it.
And it wasnt a light shinging into the sky because I was in a village of a couple hundred people and they just dont have that technology there.
So you were right D, the aliens came to Africa.
Maybe thats why the cyber cafe lady was so mean. Shes an alien and she knows Im onto them!!
Leaving tomorrow at 6am for my 15 hour drive (to stay a day and a half and take another 15 hr drive back) on half paved roads to see my post! Here I come Kalale! Get ready.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
A couple other things
1. Send me awesome stickers! (Like Packers! And FSU! It's for my moto helmet!)
2. I went to a bible study tonight and the subject was something very pertinant to what I was struggling with -- only because I was sick, so I was in town. Sometimes God works in mysterious ways.
2. I went to a bible study tonight and the subject was something very pertinant to what I was struggling with -- only because I was sick, so I was in town. Sometimes God works in mysterious ways.
What I do in a day
Well, today I'm sick and at the PC med unit waiting for blood work to come back and say I have a very minor case of food poisoning. But, I'll take this time to tell you all what I do in a day (a day that I don't get shuttled back to the med unit an hour away).
6:30 - Wake up, get tangled in my mosquito net, get dressed
7:00 - Go downstairs and have breakfast
7:20 - Hail a moto/take my bike with Alex and Molly to school
8:00-17:30 - School. Usually lots of language and technical classes. (Lunch break is 12:30-1:30)
17:30 - Bike/Zemi home
18:00 - Go home and watch my mom prepare dinner
19:00 - Have dinner with just my host papa
19:30-20:30 - Boil water/Do homework/Clean
20:30-22:00 - Hang out with my friend Alex at his house or mine and just rehash the day
22:00 - Shower and go to sleep!
And that's my normal days until I go to Post in 6 weeks!
I find out where my post is on Friday! I was supposed to have an interview about it today... but I'm at the med unit. So I'm trusting God will give me the post I'm meant to have.
Someone new dropped... but we got someone added. So our number is 59 now. We've had two of out originals drop (a health and an environment vol) - but we gained an extra teacher.
6:30 - Wake up, get tangled in my mosquito net, get dressed
7:00 - Go downstairs and have breakfast
7:20 - Hail a moto/take my bike with Alex and Molly to school
8:00-17:30 - School. Usually lots of language and technical classes. (Lunch break is 12:30-1:30)
17:30 - Bike/Zemi home
18:00 - Go home and watch my mom prepare dinner
19:00 - Have dinner with just my host papa
19:30-20:30 - Boil water/Do homework/Clean
20:30-22:00 - Hang out with my friend Alex at his house or mine and just rehash the day
22:00 - Shower and go to sleep!
And that's my normal days until I go to Post in 6 weeks!
I find out where my post is on Friday! I was supposed to have an interview about it today... but I'm at the med unit. So I'm trusting God will give me the post I'm meant to have.
Someone new dropped... but we got someone added. So our number is 59 now. We've had two of out originals drop (a health and an environment vol) - but we gained an extra teacher.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Je me porte a merveille. (I'm doing wonderful).
Things I'm happy about :
-My host family is AWESOME
-My host brother and I get along great -- and he's staying in town for a few days!!
-The bread here is delish
-I really do love the company of a significant amount of my staging class
-My french is improving
-I'm not afraid to mess up
-Lunch costs me under $1 USD every day
-I haven't worried about ANYTHING since I've gotten here
-I live really close to my best staging friend (like 2 streets away)
Things I miss :
-My Etats-Unis (United States) Family!
-Lambeau
-Ice Cubes
-COLD water!
-Black and Milds
They keep telling me staging will get tough - but right now, I love being here. I take each day meal by meal, so I'm not overwhelmed at all. People around me are worrying about everything, but for some reason I feel an incredible calmness being here. I love you and miss you all - but I am doing wonderfully. Do not worry about me - I really do feel at home in Benin already. Things will be hard, but they'll be hard everywhere. Being in Benin really puts things in perspective - and for that I thank God. I thank God for my chance to be here, the calmness I've had, the love I have for the other volunteers/host family, and the love they have for me. And I want to thank you guys for supporting me in doing this, and loving, thinking about, and supporting me now that I'm here.
We started with 60 stagers - 1 has dropped.
We're at 59 now. I really didn't expect him to leave - and I'll miss you!
I don't want to be rude --- but I am going to keep a tally on here of when people drop... and I know more people will drop.
P.S. - I lost my lighter, if I could get one sent to me, that would be great. Right now, I've been using like 3 matches to light my stove ever night.
-My host family is AWESOME
-My host brother and I get along great -- and he's staying in town for a few days!!
-The bread here is delish
-I really do love the company of a significant amount of my staging class
-My french is improving
-I'm not afraid to mess up
-Lunch costs me under $1 USD every day
-I haven't worried about ANYTHING since I've gotten here
-I live really close to my best staging friend (like 2 streets away)
Things I miss :
-My Etats-Unis (United States) Family!
-Lambeau
-Ice Cubes
-COLD water!
-Black and Milds
They keep telling me staging will get tough - but right now, I love being here. I take each day meal by meal, so I'm not overwhelmed at all. People around me are worrying about everything, but for some reason I feel an incredible calmness being here. I love you and miss you all - but I am doing wonderfully. Do not worry about me - I really do feel at home in Benin already. Things will be hard, but they'll be hard everywhere. Being in Benin really puts things in perspective - and for that I thank God. I thank God for my chance to be here, the calmness I've had, the love I have for the other volunteers/host family, and the love they have for me. And I want to thank you guys for supporting me in doing this, and loving, thinking about, and supporting me now that I'm here.
We started with 60 stagers - 1 has dropped.
We're at 59 now. I really didn't expect him to leave - and I'll miss you!
I don't want to be rude --- but I am going to keep a tally on here of when people drop... and I know more people will drop.
P.S. - I lost my lighter, if I could get one sent to me, that would be great. Right now, I've been using like 3 matches to light my stove ever night.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Living like a VIP in Benin!
Here's an except from an email I wrote to my parents (I don't have time on the internet to create a new blog) :
The food situation is great! As of a couple days ago, I moved in to my host family. I was weighed 3 days ago, and I'm the exact weight that I was at home - and I think since moving in with the family, I've gained 5 pounds! :) My host family is awesome. Have you ever felt like you're exactly where you are supposed to be? Well, I found out that my dad is a Supreme Court Judge in Benin. Which is AMAZING for me. I'm excited for my french to improve so we can talk about the justice system here. My teacher is teaching me words to use for it. And because he's a supreme court judge - he's RICH by beninese standards. I'm living like a VIP for the next two months and getting fed more meat, fruit, veggies, (and CHEESE!) than I can handle! I get the entire second floor apt to myself, because all of their kids have moved out and are in school now. It has a gorgeous view over Porto-Novo (the capital). I haven't laughed and smiled this much in a very long time. I know that it hasn't gotten hard yet - but since being here I still feel like it's perfect for me.
The people here are very friendly. Life is different, but not bad at all. It's so interesting. I don't think I yet have a concept of 2 years, but I'm excited for the possibilities of what I can do in that time!
I love and miss you all!
The food situation is great! As of a couple days ago, I moved in to my host family. I was weighed 3 days ago, and I'm the exact weight that I was at home - and I think since moving in with the family, I've gained 5 pounds! :) My host family is awesome. Have you ever felt like you're exactly where you are supposed to be? Well, I found out that my dad is a Supreme Court Judge in Benin. Which is AMAZING for me. I'm excited for my french to improve so we can talk about the justice system here. My teacher is teaching me words to use for it. And because he's a supreme court judge - he's RICH by beninese standards. I'm living like a VIP for the next two months and getting fed more meat, fruit, veggies, (and CHEESE!) than I can handle! I get the entire second floor apt to myself, because all of their kids have moved out and are in school now. It has a gorgeous view over Porto-Novo (the capital). I haven't laughed and smiled this much in a very long time. I know that it hasn't gotten hard yet - but since being here I still feel like it's perfect for me.
The people here are very friendly. Life is different, but not bad at all. It's so interesting. I don't think I yet have a concept of 2 years, but I'm excited for the possibilities of what I can do in that time!
I love and miss you all!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Je suis arrivee!
I know that hteres an accent on the first E inarrivee before I have allyou francophiles correcting me. Also, I'm typing on a french keyboard that's beeconverted to an english keyboard - and dont have much time to type. Therefore, I'n def notgoingback tocorrect my typing. I hope you all can understand anyway. I', still at the point in my training where i'm just super excited to be here. The other PCTs (peace corps trainees) are awesome. I have a lot incommon with a lot of them as far as priorities and just overall morality and ideas for what we want to do in theworld.
I love and miss you all!
(PS to D - there's a guy named Dave in my PCT class... and I started calling him D jjust because I was used toit with you... but it's so not the same... so he's back to Dave. hahaha there's the shout out you were looking for)
I love and miss you all!
(PS to D - there's a guy named Dave in my PCT class... and I started calling him D jjust because I was used toit with you... but it's so not the same... so he's back to Dave. hahaha there's the shout out you were looking for)
Saturday, July 10, 2010
SPADES
ATTN: I added my blog to a Peace Corps journals website. So, If you are joining Peace Corps Benin in July 2010 and you know how to play Spades -- Please comment on this, or make note of my name and find me in Philadelphia. My parents don't think I'll be able to find 3 other people who can play Spades, but I hope that I can.
Monday, July 5, 2010
One week until Philly!
Words I used to associate with Philadelphia:
-Eagles
-Liberty Bell
-Really busy airport
-Mean football fans
Words I now associate with Philadelphia:
-Immunizations
-Conferences rooms
-Last comfy bed
-Africa
I'm leaving for Staging (a two day "don't freak out, but you're about to be in Africa... have some immunizations!" meeting) next Wednesday morning. I've got everything packed and it's currently weighing 74 of my 80 lbs. It's tough because there's constantly something else that I think of or get an email about that I need to pick up. At some point it just has to stop, and I just have to say "No, I guess I don't really need a calendar for the next few years" or "Ok... so I get a shortwave radio or a can opener". And I just found out today that I'll be arriving while rainy season is still going on. I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing.... (Less heat/sun vs. more malaria carrying mosquitoes). I've been very addicted to reading other Peace Corps Vols blogs these past couple of days. It's good, because it's giving me more to think about, but then again... what good will thinking of week long protozoal bacteria infections do me? All that being said, I really am excited to go. I've been thinking about the Peace Corps at least once every single day (a lot of days I thought about it most of the day) since November 2008 and I'm in disbelief that the time is almost here.
I've tried to share with people what made me decide to run off to a third world country for 2 years, but I'm not sure that I've always done a good job of it, so I wanted to explain now. I got a criminology degree from The Florida State University in December of 2009, but had been planning for it long before that. I decided my first summer in school that this was an opportunity for me to travel and see things I may never have the chance to see again, so I studied abroad in France. I caught the traveling bug, and knew I'd need to do something after I graduated that allowed me to travel. I wanted to work on my French too - and when I found the Peace Corps (I can't remember who turned me on to the idea, but thank you very much), it just fit. Since then, I've traveled quite a bit more, and took more international classes. My last semester I took a Human Rights class taught by the brilliant Terry Coonan that made me really consider a future in international human rights. I studied the International Criminal Court and had a chance to really see how it worked. I'm very interested in all that goes into an International Court case, especially the work of the non profit organizations and non-government organizations. The Peace Corps allows me to not go into debt immediately, and look for a job based on my experience -- instead my "put-me-in-the-red $40,000 Graduate School degree". At least, that's the plan for now.
I really do feel passionately about the mission of the Peace Corps. I am extremely excited and forever grateful for this opportunity. I also know that I wouldn't have these aspirations if it weren't for my family, especially my parents, always supporting me to do whatever makes me happy, even when it makes no sense at all to them. Thank you guys. I love you. :)
-Eagles
-Liberty Bell
-Really busy airport
-Mean football fans
Words I now associate with Philadelphia:
-Immunizations
-Conferences rooms
-Last comfy bed
-Africa
I'm leaving for Staging (a two day "don't freak out, but you're about to be in Africa... have some immunizations!" meeting) next Wednesday morning. I've got everything packed and it's currently weighing 74 of my 80 lbs. It's tough because there's constantly something else that I think of or get an email about that I need to pick up. At some point it just has to stop, and I just have to say "No, I guess I don't really need a calendar for the next few years" or "Ok... so I get a shortwave radio or a can opener". And I just found out today that I'll be arriving while rainy season is still going on. I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing.... (Less heat/sun vs. more malaria carrying mosquitoes). I've been very addicted to reading other Peace Corps Vols blogs these past couple of days. It's good, because it's giving me more to think about, but then again... what good will thinking of week long protozoal bacteria infections do me? All that being said, I really am excited to go. I've been thinking about the Peace Corps at least once every single day (a lot of days I thought about it most of the day) since November 2008 and I'm in disbelief that the time is almost here.
I've tried to share with people what made me decide to run off to a third world country for 2 years, but I'm not sure that I've always done a good job of it, so I wanted to explain now. I got a criminology degree from The Florida State University in December of 2009, but had been planning for it long before that. I decided my first summer in school that this was an opportunity for me to travel and see things I may never have the chance to see again, so I studied abroad in France. I caught the traveling bug, and knew I'd need to do something after I graduated that allowed me to travel. I wanted to work on my French too - and when I found the Peace Corps (I can't remember who turned me on to the idea, but thank you very much), it just fit. Since then, I've traveled quite a bit more, and took more international classes. My last semester I took a Human Rights class taught by the brilliant Terry Coonan that made me really consider a future in international human rights. I studied the International Criminal Court and had a chance to really see how it worked. I'm very interested in all that goes into an International Court case, especially the work of the non profit organizations and non-government organizations. The Peace Corps allows me to not go into debt immediately, and look for a job based on my experience -- instead my "put-me-in-the-red $40,000 Graduate School degree". At least, that's the plan for now.
I really do feel passionately about the mission of the Peace Corps. I am extremely excited and forever grateful for this opportunity. I also know that I wouldn't have these aspirations if it weren't for my family, especially my parents, always supporting me to do whatever makes me happy, even when it makes no sense at all to them. Thank you guys. I love you. :)
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