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.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
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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