Things I’m thankful for this year:

Thanksgiving feast in Kandi

Peace Corps Volunteers: For being there when I want to speak to a fellow American, to share stories and experiences with. For being trustworthy, easy-going, and good listeners. For being my travel buddies, work partners, my family during holidays and celebrations, and my go-to group of people when I have a question about just about anything. For cooking a delicious Thanksgiving dinner that was just as good as being in America. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, green beans, salad, stuffing, deviled eggs, vegetable pot pie, pumpkin and apple pie. Thanks to people who visited Benin or had food sent from America, and to those who picked up ingredients in larger towns in Benin, we ate very well!

Workstations: For providing electricity, internet, showers, ovens, and refrigerators to volunteers throughout the country. For giving us a place to see other volunteers to share resources and have meetings.

Work partners: For being on time. For being helpful and surprising me by going beyond my expectations. I am thankful any time this happens because it could just as easily go the other way (like arriving late or not at all!)

My house: For not being infested with rodents or insects or at least for a sealed ceiling that doesn't let the rodents in; for no break-ins; for a roof that prevents water from entering; for a latrine all to myself; for my painted walls and decorations that remind me of home.

My health and safety: For not being in any accidents or falling gravely ill.

·        Talking to my parents every Sunday: For their weekly phone calls that fill me in on life in America and allow me to explain just what the heck I do in Benin.

Electricity: For my ability to turn on lights, charge my electronics, and cool off with my fan; for my internet key that has been reliable; for the phone network that allows me to talk to other volunteers for as long as I want for one fee per month.

Food: For my access to protein sources (eggs, tofu, peanut butter, fish, powdered milk); for fruits and vegetables (sometimes); for foods sent from home; for foods I can bake/cook that remind me of home.

Books/Movies/TV shows: For the impressive libraries each workstation has that allows me to read books on any topic of my choosing; for the just as impressive amount of movies and TV shows that are shared among volunteers that keep me entertained when I want a few minutes away from Benin.

YOU!: For reading my blog and supporting me J    

Empowering Girls

Benin doesn't rank very high in women's equality issues which include jobs, health care, and education. In fact, according to the 2012 Global Gender Gap Report, Benin ranks #117 out of 135 countries. With that being said, Peace Corps Benin along with many other Peace Corps countries, works with these complex issues with a variety of programs. The Gender and Development program, or GAD, has a committee that represents a number of programs run by volunteers throughout the year. These include boys and girls camp resources, small grants for projects relating to gender and development, "Take Our Daughters To Work" weekend, Summer Internship Program, and the Scholarship Girls Program.

This year, I am the Scholarship Girls Program Coordinator. This program allows for volunteers to work with their local secondary schools to choose one girl who will receive a scholarship for her school fees and school supplies. The recipients are required to stay in contact with the volunteer during the year, fill out the necessary forms, and complete a community project. Volunteers are encouraged to tutor and mentor the students to motivate them, provide support, and be a role model. Traditionally in Benin, if a family only has enough money to send one child to school, they will send a boy over a girl. The government is working hard to change this by waiving the school fees for girls up to the equivalent of tenth grade. Each year for the past few years, they have been expanding the program to include more grade levels.  In addition to the government fees, each school has it's own fees. Outside of the fees, students need a school uniform, a gym uniform, notebooks, workbooks, and other school supplies. This can add up to a lot of money for a family, multiplied by sometimes many children.

Being involved in this program in my first few months at post last year helped me get to know my community and understand the education system in Benin. I got to know my girl and met with her one on one. This was a unique experience for both of us. At times communication was difficult as was finding time to meet, but by the end of the year I noticed that Delphine had more confidence, and she passed her classes and the national exam needed to go on to the second cycle of secondary school. For her project, she decided to talk with villages about the importance of sending girls to school. After we met to go over the presentation, she practiced and presented on her own to two different villages. I was impressed with her public speaking skills and the positive response she received from the audiences. Most girls I meet here are very shy and do not enjoy speaking in front of groups of people. Seeing her in the front of a crowd and speaking with authority gave me hope for her future and girls like her. I learned that it doesn't take but a little nudge in the right direction and some encouragement to make a difference in someone's life. My student for this school year is a very sweet girl, and we are getting along well already. We bought all of her school supplies in the market together, and all that's left is to order a chalk board that she can use to study at home. I got excited for her while we were doing our "back to school shopping" just like I used to do as a student. She's equipped and ready for an exciting school year that I have the pleasure to accompany her on.

Delphine giving a presentation in a village

First Vacation: Paris!

Well, everyone I finally did it. I left Benin for the first time in thirteen months in August. The world really does still exist outside of Benin! I took my first vacation to Paris, (of all of the beautiful places) with my parents for ten days. We couldn’t have chosen a better place or a better time. It was amazing (which probably had nothing to do with the fact that I was coming directly from a developing country)! I had been counting down to this trip for months, and the time had finally come. I was so ready!

My first stop was Brussels for a layover. I took in my surroundings slowly, appreciating the carpet, the clean bathrooms with automatic faucets, the smoothie bar, and the departures and arrivals screens, displaying up-to-date information. Then I sat down and enjoyed a real cup of coffee with bread and cheese that was left over from my first flight.

Eiffel Tower and Alexander III Bridge

When I arrived in Paris, I got my baggage and then saw my parents waiting for me. We ran (in slow motion) towards each other and embraced. No really, it was quite precious, smile. Then, we proceeded to navigate a train and multiple metro cars with our rolling suitcases to our hotel (with super-fast Wi-Fi!)  

We spent the next ten days exploring Paris and making a few day trips to nearby towns. We saw churches, all with their unique features, museums, parks, looked out over the city during the day and at night, took tours by bike, bus, and boat, ate delicious food for every meal, shopped, navigated the city by foot and my metro, and chatted at cafes. I reveled at the architecture of the buildings, pondered at the nonsensicality of Versailles, smelled the falling leaves, listened to Parisian French (much different from the accents in West Africa), and savored truffle cream, nutella, cheese, strawberries, crepes, and gelato. I also made a point of using the Laundromat to have my clothes cleaned by a machine!

Rouen

I was surprised to see a great deal of West Africans in Paris. During our first metro ride through the city, I recognized their traditional outfits and vibrant fabrics instantly. On this particular day it was a Sunday, so everyone was in their Sunday best for church! On one of my last nights, we walked around a neighborhood where many West Africans live. There was a market starting to pack up for the night with women sitting on the side walk selling small eggplants, smoked fish, and boiled corn (yelling out “maïs chaud!” or “hot corn!”). Hair dresser shops lined the streets with women getting weaves, and there were even shops selling West African fabrics. It was Little West Africa!

Dahomey Kingdom throne

We visited the Branly museum which has artifacts from Asia, Africa, and South America.  We went specifically to look at the items from Africa, and sure enough, they had an exhibit from Benin.  They were items from the Royal Dahomey kingdom in Abomey (Dahomey was the name before it was changed to Benin). It was great to see Benin in the spot light.

The trip was incredible for many reasons, not the least of which was being able to spend so much time with my parents. My dad was our fantastic tour guide, navigating us through the city on foot, by train, or with the metro. Mom was our time keeper, making sure we didn't dilly dally too much and keeping us on schedule. She was also our planner, fitting in everything we wanted to do at just the right times. I was just along for the ride, trying to soak in as much as I could on our short stay together. We had some “firsts” for this family vacation. It was our first international vacation and our first one without Grace. But, it was successful all around! Sadly, the trip did eventually come to an end and I made my way back to Benin. After a few days of adjusting I’m back and ready to finish out my service.  

I appreciate everyone’s support, encouragement, and prayers!

Boys and Girls Camps

During the month of July I participated in two of the numerous camps that volunteers all over the country put on during the summer months.  This year there were day camps, overnight camps, camps for boys, camps for girls, both big and small. They are in my opinion one of the most successful projects that volunteers do during their Peace Corps service. We can cram all of the important thing we want kids to learn and do into one week!

The first camp was for girls ages 11-16 (grades 6-8) in the capital of Porto Novo. It is called Camp GLOW  (Girls Leading Our World). Volunteers from all over southern Benin participated and brought girls to attend. We chose girls based on their grades, our impressions of if they would be active participants, and their availability.  We also invited “tutrices” or camp counselors. These were mostly working women from volunteers’ communities that stayed with the girls and sometimes led sessions. We rented out part of a Christian conference center that included a kitchen, dorm rooms, and a room to hold our sessions. The week was full of activities such as a field trip to the old royal palace of Porto Novo, soccer games, a movie night, a necklace-making session and lots of presentations. People from the community were invited to speak about their careers, adolescence, and women and children’s rights. Volunteers also presented on topics such as budgeting, malaria, and study skills.  

The second camp was for boys ages 11-16 in the southern, historic city of Ouidah. It was the first boys camp in southern Benin and it was very successful. We called it Camp GRACE (respectful boys learning how to create equality in French). It was very similar to the girls camp except that we had male “tuteurs” as counselors. We stayed on the campus of a private girls school with separate facilities for sleeping and holding activities. The field trips included a guide-led slave route tour where the boys learned about how slaves went from being sold to being put onto the slave ships at the Point of No Return. They also visited the voodoo Temple of the Pythons and everyone wore a python around their neck.  There were two art sessions, one music lesson, and a soccer tournament. They learned about sexual harassment, the roles of men and women, HIV/AIDS, nutrition and food security, and career planning to name a few of the topics.

At both of the camps, the students were split up into teams. Throughout the week they earned points based on good behavior, cleaning up after themselves, and participation. At the end of the week, the top two teams got prizes. This technique really helped keep them under control! On the last night of the camps, each team performed skits based on one of the topics they learned about during the week. This was a great way for us as volunteers to see what they learned and to wrap up the week. It was very impressive to see what they came up with! Both of the weeks were also full of songs and games. We taught them songs in English and French, Simon Says, Duck Duck Goose, and countless other fun ways to pass the time. 

We could tell everyone had a good time because they all said they wanted to come back next year. The opportunity to go to camp away from home was a big deal for many of the kids. When I talked with parents before and after the camp, they expressed their gratitude to me over and over (and I’m sure they were also glad to get their kids back in one piece!) During the summer months, most kids hang around at home, find some form of work, or take summer classes. We volunteers hope that camp was the highlight of their summer this year! Although we brought our American ideas of camp to Benin, kids are the same no matter what continent you’re on. What kid wouldn’t enjoy a week away from home to have all of the fun that we did? I can't write a post about these camps without mentioning that they aren't possible without the support from friends and family back in the states. The community makes a 25% contribution and the rest is you! Thank you to everyone who helped out this year and stayed tuned for information about 2013!

Foods in Benin from A-Z

A: Atassi- A rice and bean dish served with an oily, concentrated tomato sauce called dja. Made by boiling beans and then at a certain point adding rice to the same pot.  Eaten for breakfast or lunch with a boiled egg, fried fish, or fried local cheese. 

B: Bouille- Porridge  usually made from corn in the south but can also be made from millet or sorghum.  Sweetened with sugar and eaten for breakfast or as a snack with roasted peanuts or some form of fried dough.

C: Condiments- Anything added to a sauce that adds flavor. The most popular condiments are garlic, ginger, black pepper, local mustard, chicken bouillon cube, salt, bay leaf, hot pepper, and onion.

D: Dokon (“doko”) - A classic fried dough ball eaten by itself or with bouille. Made with white flour, yeast, salt, and sugar.

E : Ekuli- The word in Adja for a type of legume that is boiled and then flavored with oil, hot peppers, and onions. It is served with gari or rice. Other beans such as black-eyed peas, red beans, and round chick peas are prepared and served in the same way.

F : FanMilk- a brand of ice cream, yogurt, and fruit-flavored frozen treats. Sold on the street from coolers on bikes or carts. Flavors include chocolate, vanilla, orange, and cocktail.

G : Gari- Locally made, course cassava (manioc) flour. Made from peeled and grated cassava tubers, then pressed, left to ferment, dried and sifted. Eaten with water and sugar as a snack with roasted peanuts or kluie kluie (see below). Also made into a form of pâte called piron.

H: Hot pepper- Small red peppers added fresh, dried, or in powder form in just about every savory Beninese dish. If fresh or dried, the peppers are ground into a paste with water with a grinding stone and then added to sauces.

I: Igname pilé- A popular dish in northern and central Benin made from pounded African yams. The yams are boiled and then pounded in a large mortar by multiple people until it is similar to the consistency of dense, sticky mashed potatoes. Eaten with one’s hands and served with peanut, melon seed, or palm nut sauce and either cheese, meat, or fish. 

J: Jus- Means “juice” or “gravy” in French. A simple accompaniment for rice, couscous, and other starches made from cooked onions and tomatoes. Flavored with chicken bouillon cube, salt, and hot pepper.

K: Kluie Kluie- Fried peanut butter snacks served with gari and bouille. Roasted peanuts are made into a paste which is then worked by hand until it resembles peanut butter. Then some corn flour is added and the dough is rolled into either sticks or rounds and then fried.

L: Légume- Represents any leafy green that is cooked and made into sauce. Some are bitter, some become slimy, and others are more like spinach. The leaves are washed and boiled, then cut up and cooked with condiments.

M: Mango – There are two types found in Benin. One is small and very stringy and the other is large and grafted, like the ones sold in the United States. When in season they are sold everywhere very cheaply. Children can be seen climbing trees in search of ripe fruit, and mango pits and scattered all over the ground.

N : Nescafé- The main type of coffee sold in Benin. It comes in small cans in instant form. It is served in cafeterias with lots of sweetened condensed milk. 

O : Omelette- A dish served for breakfast or dinner mostly at cafeterias. Made with onions, hot peppers, and tomatoes and fried. Can be eaten with a baguette as a sandwich or with spaghetti and a spicy tomato sauce.

P : Pâte- By far the most popular dish in Benin. Corn flour is mixed with water, then boiled, stirred and mixed with more corn flour until thick and firm. Eaten with one’s hands and served with sauce plus fish, meat, or cheese any time of the day. Other forms include pâte rouge made with corn flour but with pureed tomatoes and condiments mixed in, and pâte noir made from dried yam flour.

Q : Quaker- A popular brand of oatmeal sold in Benin. If you want to buy oatmeal in the market it is called “Quaker” (with a French accent) no matter what brand they sell. Mostly eaten by foreigners or the upper class. 

R : Riz au gras- “Greasy rice”.  A rice dished made by adding oil, tomatoes, and condiments while with rice is cooking. Served mostly for special occasions. Vegetables such as carrots, cabbage, and peas can be added as well as fish, boiled eggs, meat, or cheese.

S : Sauce- An accompaniment to just about every dish. The most popular are tomato, melon seed, peanut, leafy greens (legume), okra, and palm nut.

T : Tomato- The most readily available and consumed vegetable in Benin.  They are about the size of the cherry or grape tomatoes in the states. To make sauce, they are crushed and pureed with a grinding stone before being added.

U : Upside-down cake- A cake that is very easy to make in Benin with pineapple. Delicious!

V : Vegetables- The most common vegetables you can find in marchés are leafy greens, tomatoes, and okra. Some marchés also sell vegetables such as carrots, lettuce, cucumber, eggplant, cabbage, green beans, and green peppers. However these are much more expensive and harder to find.

W : Wagashi-Cheese made locally by a group of people called the Fulani, or Peuhl in French. They raise cattle for milk and cheese. More prevalent in northern Benin.  It is served cut up and fried. 

X: Xtra food- When buying produce in the marchés vendors will give a “cadeau” or gift of a few extra of whatever you are buying in hopes that you will come back and buy from her again.

Y: Yam frites- One of many fried snack foods sold in the early evening. Usually sold alongside fried sweet potatoes, plantains, and bean flour beignets with hot pepper and onion sauce.  

Z: Zaatar- A Middle Eastern spice mix. In Cotonou, there are many Lebanese restaurants that sprinkle it on their dishes that volunteers love to eat when they want a change from Beninese food.

Amour et Vie

One of my current projects that I’m most excited about is called Amour et Vie, (love and life). It’s a project run by an NGO called PSI that is based in the United States. The target group is young people who have either dropped out of school or have never attended. The idea is for young role models in the community to give health presentations to the target groups on topics such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, family planning, and diarrhea.  Once a Peace Corps Volunteer decides to be a part of the project, he or she puts together a local team of two young people (one boy, one girl from ages 15-24) called “Peer Educators”, one community advisor. Then a week-long training is held. Ours was June 3-10 in Bohicon (a large town in southern Benin).

Giving a practice presentation on hygiene

During the training, the Peer Educators learned everything from technical information, to how to be an animated presenter, to practicing what they learned around town. My team consists of one boy and one girl from the local secondary school (both around age 16), and a nurse’s aide.  The Peer Educators are the most important part of the team, because they are the ones that will be giving the presentations. My role is to supervise the team, help complete monthly reports, and offer support when needed. Throughout the week I watched as my team members got to know each other and work together.  The Peer Educators showed a lot of enthusiasm and confidence in the project.  PSI provided each team with all sorts of visual aids for the presentations they will be giving as well as t-shirts that we will wear. At the end of the training everyone received certificates of participation.  Being selected for this type of activity is very special for the team members, especially for the students.  

Demonstrating hand-washing

Each team is required to give at least two presentations per month. Groups that we can talk to include apprentices for hair dressers, tailors, and welders. We can also work with  zemidjan (taxi moto) drivers, and women’s groups. Before the team can give a presentation, a pre-test is given to assess the current knowledge of the group. To launch the project, each team will hold an opening ceremony. Important leaders in the community as well as the target groups will be invited. A representative of PSI will also be present to introduce the organization. The Peer Educators will give a small presentation to show the kinds of presentations they will be giving in the community.  Afterwards, they will present their three month action plan with the names of the groups they will be working with to PSI. As with any ceremony in Benin, there will be music and food!

I am looking forward to working with my team and watch them as they become more confident speaking in front of groups. The project seems well organized and lets the community (the Peer Educators and the community advisor) take the lead instead of me (the foreigner). The hope is that after one year, the project will continue without the volunteer.   

A Look at Benin from A-Z

A quick look at life in Benin as a Peace Corps Volunteer from yours truly.

A: Animism – the technical word describing the traditional religious practices in Benin. Also called Voodoo, or Vodun. Based on the belief that everything, living and not living has a spirit. In my experience, the locals are not very open about showing and talking about it. They assume that we would not agree with it or think it is evil. The visible signs of it are fetishes made out of mud, clay, cement, straw, etc. that represent different deities. You can find them in outside of peoples’ homes and even in markets sometimes.  Some markets also have a fetish section where you can buy all kinds of items used in ceremonies, sometimes unidentifiable and weird-smelling.  Some include cowrie shells and animal skins.  

B: Babies- Benin loves its babies. You will never hear me say I am being deprived of seeing babies. The birth control idea hasn’t really taken flight yet, especially among poorer populations. Because women are so physically active here, babies become part of that action by being tied to their mother’s back. They also adapt to breastfeeding in odd positions so that the mother doesn’t have to stop what she’s doing (this is not always the case, but if the child is hungry they figure out how to get it!) 

C: CFA franc- Or franc CFA.  It is the official currency in Benin and seven other West African countries. It is guaranteed by the French treasury.  CFA stands for Communauté financière d’Afrique (“Financial Community of Africa”).

D: Discuter – The French word meaning to discuss. In the Beninese context, we use it to mean to barter or bargain. Just about anything can be discute-ed from zemidjan (see below) rides, to produce, to fabric. It is obligatory for anyone, but especially for foreigners. If we didn’t, we could easily pay triple the price. 

E: Elephant- The only elephants wandering around Benin are in the two national wildlife parks in northern Benin (Parc Pendjari and Parc W).

F: French, Franglais, and Fon- French is the official language in Benin, used in the government, schools, and businesses. Franglais is what many Peace Corps volunteers and staff end up speaking either because we don’t know how to translate a word, or just plain get lazy. When I first arrived to country, I was confused listening to the current volunteers speaking a strange mélange of languages (whoops).  Fon is the main ethnic group in Benin, concentrated in the south. They can be found throughout the country, and many times if someone speaks more than one local language, Fon is one of them. It is also one of the “Gbe” languages, a cluster of about twenty related languages, including Adja(gbe).

G: Gendarmerie- The most prevalent group of authorities that enforce the law in Benin. Includes the commisariat, brigade de recherche, and the brigade territorial. Not to be confused with the police force.

H: Humid- The main way to describe the weather in southern Benin (with the addition of hot and sunny).

I: Ice- Sold in clear plastic bags from people’s homes for 25 CFA. Can be frozen tap water (filled by hand) or frozen treated water (massed produced in a factory, then bought and sold as water or ice).

J: Jewels- Used to bedazzle women’s tailor-made clothing. Come in all colors and styles.

K: Kings- Many towns have a king that is follows a blood line on the father’s side.  Kings are not considered by the government as official authorities. However, they are highly respected and people are expected to pay them.

L: Là-bas- What some Peace Corps volunteers call the United States of America. Literally means “over there” in French. In conversation, the Beninese also refer to it as where we come from, for example “do they have malaria là-bas? “

M: Malaria- One of the top health issues in Benin (and Africa). It is the number one killer in Africa and one of the top reasons children do not reach their fifth birthday. The Beninese government, in partnership with a number of organizations, distribute treated mosquito nets, and provide health centers with rapid diagnostic tests, preventative medicine for pregnant women, and treatment.

N: Neem- A tree found throughout Benin that’s leaves and seeds have insect-repelling properties. Peace Corps volunteers teach people how to use them as an insecticide for plants and mosquitoes.

O: Obama- You can tell that the Beninese love Obama by the number of paraphernalia they have with his name. You can find Obama shirts, underwear, stores named after him (ex. Obama barbershop), soap, and beer!

P: Pagne- Translates to “loincloth“ in French. In Benin it is a 2-meter long piece of material.  The number of uses for a pagne is endless. Some include a baby-carrier, wrap skirt, blanket, sheet, and towel. 

Q : Questions- Refers to the stream of questions asked during any salutation. Did you arrive? Where did you go? How are your work, health, wife, children, and day?

R : Repose- Means “rest “ in French. Refers to the mostly respected three-hour pause from the hours of 12PM-3PM. Ideally, people will take this time to eat lunch, take a nap, and shower. In reality, some people continue to work during this time, but most understand that they should put off work matters until 3PM.  Businesses and schools are closed during these hours.

S: Snakes – There are variety of snakes found in Benin from harmless to poisonous. 

T: Taxi- One of the main forms of travel around the country. Most larger towns have a taxi depot where passengers go and find one going to their destination. When you show up, men will start calling out town names trying to find passengers. They will also try to help you with your luggage, so you have to make sure it goes with the right person!  Prices are usually reliable, but still need to be negotiated before departure. The amount of time you have to spend waiting before the taxi leaves depends on how many other passengers are there when you show up. If you’re lucky and you’re the last one you won’t wait at all. If you’re not as lucky, you could wait one hour, or four hours depending on the situation. Sometimes it is faster to find one on the side of the road where prices can also be cheaper. Taxis are almost always old cars, such as Peugeots that have refurbished seating. The two taxis sizes available are a 5-place and a 9-place. A five passenger taxi really means a six-person with two passengers in the front seat and four in the back. A nine passenger means two in the front, four in the middle and three in the back. It’s important to establish your personal space right away; otherwise you will find you don’t have any! If you do this well, you will have a little wiggle room to use when you start getting stiff from sitting in the same position.  Without air-conditioning, the windows are always rolled down to keep the heat down. Some of the roads in Benin are not well-maintained meaning drivers have to maneuver over pot holes, puddles, and dirt patches.  Taxis also get stopped a lot by the police and other toll stops.  If you want to simulate this experience in America, stuff as many people as you can into an old car, turn off the air-conditioning, make sure it’s a hot, humid day, and drive on a dirt road for about four or five hours, making frequent stops!

U: Underwear- Since there are no washing machines available, all laundry is washed by hand. If you hire someone to wash it for you, you need to provide the soap and a basin. It is not culturally appropriate to include your underwear in your laundry.  These need to be washed at home and hung where no one can see them.  I had a table with a hole in it to hold a basin built for my small kitchen in the back. I use it as a sink to do laundry and the dishes. The Beninese way is to do it all on the floor and bend over or sit on a small stool. 

V: Village- Where most people in Benin live. Village life is very different from life in the larger cities.  Many do not have electricity or running water and most of the homes are made from local materials.  The main source of income is farming and product transformation out of items like manioc and peanuts. You are more likely to see young children running around with very little or no clothing.  The level of education is much lower in villages and parents are more likely to send boys to school over girls. Every village has a chief who is considered the head of the village. There is also a village crier who goes around informing people about important meetings and events.  

W: Wells- Most people get their water from wells. They come in all different styles, but one of the most common has a long rope with a plastic container tied at the end. Another type takes two people to use and uses a crank-type handle. Benin has many different types of water sources besides wells thanks to projects that the government and other organizations have done. These include manual pumps that provide clean water. 

X : Xa vas (Ça vas)- The text message version of writing ça vas.  In English it means things are good/fine. It is sometimes used as a question to ask how things are going.

Y : Yovotomey- In Fon, “the home of the yovos (foreigners)” .  If you haven’t had any education, you might think that all yovos come from the same place.

Z : Zemidjan- Zem for short.  The Fon word for a taxi moto, meaning “get me there fast”. Used throughout Benin. Distinguished from other motos by the driver’s shirt. Every town’s zemidjan drivers wear a different colored shirt. Drivers register with the town and receive a number, which is painted on the front pocket and back of the shirt. Prices must be discussed before getting on.   

Happenings in March 2012

March 17^th, 2012

Some interesting opposites in culture:

Hissing or whistling is a perfectly acceptable way to get someone’s attention, mostly by zem drivers trying to recruit passengers.

Finding change is a constant problem. Unlike in the States where you will do anything possible to get rid of it, here there is always a shortage. Most things that people buy here cost less than 1,000 F CFA. Anything less than 1,000 is in coins.  Therefore, if you try to pay for something that costs maybe 200, it will be difficult to give anything bigger than a 1,000 bill. It’s not uncommon to have a seller walk around to find someone to make change for you before you can make a purchase. Sometimes zem drivers will try to get you to pay more by saying “il n’y a pas la monnaie” (there is no change).  But, instead of giving in I say if they can’t go and find change I’m not paying them! It really takes some planning to make sure you don’t get yourself in a situation where all you have are large bills. There almost as worthless as not having any money! At the bank, we have to plead for the tellers to give us smaller bills too. Certain boutiques as well as places that sell phone credit are usually good places to break large bills. 

For women, the major hairstyles are weaves, braids, or a very short, shaven head. The weaves are called “mesh”. They are fake hair that you pick out at shops before going to a local hair dresser.  The “mesh” is braided into the woman’s existing hair. This process can take hours- easily a whole afternoon!  Some hairstyles look somewhat natural and others completely unnatural.  Some have brown, bronze, or purple pieces in them too. They can last anywhere from one week to three months depending on how well they keep it and if they like it. One funny thing about having mesh is they can’t scratch their head or it will mess it up. Instead you see women tapping their heads with the palm of their hands, which I find quite funny.

Young girls, students, and many adults keep their heads shaven.  It’s the most easy, inexpensive, and easiest to keep clean style. It is recommended for girls in school because they save a lot of time and money by not going to the hairdresser. 

My favorite look for women here is in braids. They braid it in all different ways into their head, so that only a small piece sticks out at the ends.  It can stay for about a week like this.  It’s simple, neat, inexpensive, and beautiful!

Sports Competition:

The Japanese volunteer in my town put on a sports competition at one of the local primary schools a couple of weeks ago. Each grade was divided into three teams, and each grade competed in a different activity. The two youngest grades did a dance competition, seeing who had the best dance moves to piece of local music.  Another grade did a baton relay race, and the last threw balls into a basket that was balanced on an adult’s head.  The kids had a lot of fun and I enjoyed helping and watching.  A group of Japanese volunteers from the area came too.  They were all very nice and fun to hang out with. We talked about Benin, the US, and Japan.  Some spoke a little English, but we mostly communicated in French.

Voodoo Celebration: 

I also got to watch a local voodoo ceremony that week.  I heard they have it every two years, but I’m not sure exactly what they were celebrating. All of the voodoo initiates of the neighborhood sang and dance to the drumming and wore special outfits and jewelry. I didn’t get to stay long because it started to rain, but it was interesting!

Live Birth:

At the health center, it was a typical Monday. I finished helping with the vaccinations and baby weighing and was heading over to “saluer” (say hi) to the women working at the maternity ward.  I said I could stay for a little while to help with the prenatal consultation paperwork. After the first woman, the nurse said she needed to go and check on a woman in labor. I had been hearing her from the room next door since my arrival but not realized what was happening. I asked if I could go with her and she agreed.  I suppose the nurse figured out the woman was coming along because she told her to move into the birthing room. This meant the poor woman had to get up and walk to the table in the next room by herself! She wasn’t fully dilated so all the nurse could do was keep the woman clean and get her tools ready. Just a few minutes later, she was ready to deliver. We saw the crown of the head make its appearance and then the woman and the nurse worked together to push/pull the baby out.  The baby didn’t make any sounds at first and was blue in some parts.  The nurse cut the cord and brought the baby over to a table with lights to start cleaning it off. Eventually, it started crying and the placenta came out. That was it! Quick and easy J I just stood back and watched it all, although the nurse wanted me to reach my hand in and feel the baby before it came out.  I politely refused!

International Women’s Day 2012:

For this holiday, people celebrate in a variety of ways all throughout Benin.  For many international days such as this, the celebration looks the same in my town. In the center of town, they put up tents, chairs, and a banner explaining the event.  Many important people from the town, county, and department are invited.  For this event, groups of women from each part of the department were invited too.  A few women’s groups danced and sang. Later some important people like the mayor and a representative from Cotonou spoke.  All of this took all morning and went until after 1PM. Also, celebrations like this never start on time. It’s not uncommon to start two hours late!

To continue the celebration, I visited a village not too far away.  A man who works with the Peace Corps for part of the year invited all of the volunteers from the region for his event. It was a discussion about women’s development, reducing poverty, and achieving their goals.  He invited women’s groups from the surrounding villages to share what projects they are working on. Some were using sustainable farming techniques, others made cassava/manioc flour, and another produced loofahs that are sold to Europe. They also wanted to hear from us and our thoughts on women’s development.  We explained the importance of girls’ education, having positive role models, and what kind of attitude and behavior is helpful to reach one’s goals.  They were so happy that we came to talk with them and they showed it by singing and dancing. Of course, they invited us to join them! Afterwards, we saw a library in town where girls can rent and share textbooks for the school year. Then they fed us a huge lunch of rice, beans, and boiled eggs.  

That day was the birthday of one of the volunteers.  After the event was over, some of us headed to a volunteer’s house to celebrate. We took zems (taxi motos) to the town next to where I live.  Then we went to the taxi park to wait for a taxi to the town where another volunteer lives. There were five of us, which meant theoretically we could fill up a small taxi and go without waiting for other passengers. However, supposedly the next taxi in line to go was an eight-person taxi. Whatever the problem, all of the drivers started yelling and couldn’t decide who was going to take us. We couldn’t figure out what the problem was (they were speaking Adja) or what we should do.  After a couple minutes we were told to get in a car, but then others told us not too! We eventually got in, but with much effort and many of the men still didn’t want us leaving in that taxi. To add to this adventure, when we were five minutes away from our destination we got a flat tire. The driver borrowed a moto to go into town and left us by the side of the road for over an hour. When he came back, he had a tire in hand.  In less than two minutes he had the new tire on and we were ready to go!

That evening we shared the birthday cake and sang “happy birthday” to the volunteer.  Then we went out to find a cold drink and something to eat for dinner. 

Girls Club:

I invited a nurse from the health center to come and talk to my girls.  She did a wonderful job, which of course made me very happy!  She talked about STDs and HIV.  Many of the girls had already learned a lot about the topic at school, but there are some younger girls who I’m hoping learned from the older ones. They asked a lot of questions and when I posed review questions at the end they responded well. The nurse and I worked well together too. To say thank you, I made her a chocolate cake. 

During the presentation, my supervisor from the Peace Corps called me to say he was fifteen minutes away from my post. I told him I was at the secondary school.  He came a few minutes later to give me invitations for me and my work partners for the next training in April.  He said hello to the nurse and the girls and left. It was late notice but at least he got to see me working!

Other things going on:

I just submitted my first Volunteer Reporting Form. It’s an electronic program to track all of my activities as a health volunteer. We complete two every year.  It was exciting to see everything I’ve done so far in one document.

The Peace Corps doctor visited me last week. It was his first and only visit to my post during my service. He made sure my living conditions were adequate, and asked me some questions about my health. Then we visited the zone hospital that is about a two-minute drive from my house. We met with one of the three doctors to explain that if there was an emergency I would go there.

In the past few weeks there have been many applications available for various positions and projects. I have applied to be a trainer for the incoming group of volunteers, to be on a food security task force, to be a representative of the peer support network, and to have a student-lead health team in my community. I am excited to see which ones I get to participate in and to have some more responsibilities!

Cotonou:
 
I spent this weekend in Cotonou. We had a meeting for the summer camps were are having in the summer to divide up the duties.  I also made some errands, went out to eat, and enjoyed seeing my fellow volunteers.  For St. Patrick’s Day, some of us wore green, and a group went out to celebrate at one of the restaurants. 

I was so excited to spend the weekend in Cotonou this past time. I hadn’t been there since January and I felt like I needed to get away for a few days. The balance between being at post and being away can be difficult.  Having a continuous presence makes it easier to integrate and get acquainted with one’s community. The locals get used to having a volunteer available to help work on projects, while the volunteer gets into a work rhythm and gets a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the community.  On the other hand, volunteers need to leave every once in a while for a number of reasons. Since most volunteers live at a distance from other volunteers, making visits to other posts or workstations allows us to see our fellow American comrades. In my experience, this contact is needed at least once a month.  Although we do use our cell phones to call and text, many times it doesn’t suffice.  Other reasons for leaving post include visiting the doctor’s at the Peace Corps office in Cotonou, going to the bank, participating in all types of trainings and meetings, vacations, projects (such as summer camps), and other work reasons.  I’ve found that I have more reasons for leaving post lately other than just for a weekend away.  Like I mentioned before, there are a lot more opportunities for positions, roles, and projects available to use first year volunteers now.  My training group will soon be the leaders for the new group of volunteers coming in June as well.

While in Cotonou, I visited the local artisans market. It’s in walking distance from where we volunteers stay and very touristy-looking.  It is surrounded by a colorfully painted fence and inside are all sorts of huts and buildings filled with anything a tourist could desire. They are items that can be found in many cities all over Benin, and probably West Africa.  You can buy wooden statues,, jewelry, drums, masks, paintings, and purses to name a few. Every stand or store has similar items and each merchant calls out for you to come and take a look at his wares. They even try to use their limited English vocabulary to draw you in. “Don’t worry, I give you good price”, and “It is very nice, you will like it” are some of their tactics.  It got overwhelming pretty fast with so many people begging for your attention and so many items to look at. On top of that, I had no idea how much things were supposed to cost. I knew they were giving us ridiculous prices since we were at a tourist stop and we are foreigners.  I decided to get some advice from other volunteers before draining my meager Peace Corps salary.  Afterwards, one of them told me to ask yourself how much you think it’s worth and not focus as much on its “real” price. Another said to divide the given price by at least three! Next time, I’ll be ready to put my bargain face on! 

I also took advantage of being in Cotonou by going to a tailor that works in an ex-patriot/international neighborhood. He is used to making clothes with European style.  He even has a booklet of magazine cutouts with design ideas.  I brought him some “basin tissu” that I found in my market.  It’s a shiny, fancier tissu (fabric) that people wear on special occasions. I picked out a simple dress pattern with some embroidery on the waist. I’m going to wear it for the annual Gender and Development fundraiser that volunteers organize in May. Surprisingly he didn’t try to rip me off too much and we set the date for my return, less than a week later.

After the weekend, I spent two days at post before heading back to Cotonou. I scheduled to see the doctor on Wednesday because I had to go to a training anyways from Thursday to Sunday.  After the appointment I spent the rest of the day and the next morning working with my training assistant on my current health project. It involves training women leaders in a local village to work with mothers with children under five and pregnant women.  Each leader will share a health message and stay updated on the health of the children each month. With the training assistant, we put together the materials the leaders will use and a survey that I will use to get baseline information about each household. Any time I give a presentation here, I try to use images, or boîte à image instead of materials with words.  We can’t assume that the people will be able to read or understand French. The images allow the message to be given in any language and reinforce the message.  I was so grateful for the assistant’s help. I knew she had a lot of other work to do but she took the time to work with me. 

After I finished getting all of my project materials together, I headed out to lunch with a few other volunteers. We went to an Indian restaurant in the expat neighborhood that is familiar with volunteers.  The food is delicious and reminds me of home (although the chutney doesn’t quite compare to Nikki’s Indian!) I split chaana masala and cheese naan.  Then we walked down the block to the tailor’s.  He had finished my dress and after a couple of small alterations we were on our way.  One other volunteer and I were headed to the capital, Porto Novo for a local language IST (In-service Training).  We found one of the dozens of vans that shuttles people back and forth between Cotonou and Porto Novo and we off.  In less than an hour we were back to where we had our training in Benin last year.  It was our “home sweet home” of sorts for eleven weeks, and now we were coming back- all grown up! 

We stayed at a place called Songhaï, where we occasionally had training last year.  They have a hotel, internet café, conference rooms, and restaurants, in addition to raising all types of crops and animals. We got to stay in the nice rooms with ceiling fans and air-conditioning (that worked some of the time). It was nice to be back to someplace that was familiar. We also realized how nice of a place it is, which we couldn’t have known until after being in the country for a few months.

Starting on Friday, we had local language training with our tutors.  The tutors had been there since Monday, learning teaching techniques and methods. For many of them, they have never been formally taught their first languages, which make teaching it to English-speakers very difficult. They have to in affect learn their own language in terms of structure and grammar before they can teach it to others.  Unfortunately, my tutor didn’t come until Friday. He was given a short summary of the training for a couple hours before he started practicing with me.  There were nine volunteers participating. It was a perfect size for this sort of training, especially since it was Peace Corps Benin’s first time doing it.  I found the training very helpful.  The facilitators helped me and my tutor a lot and taught us new teaching/learning methods.  They want the tutors to use as little French as possible, by using the local language with gestures and drawings to get across the meaning. At the end of the training we each made goals for our tutoring sessions for the next three and six months.

We were served breakfast (omelets, coffee, bread, and jam), snacks (juice, soymilk, croissants, and cookies), and lunch (rice, couscous, fish, French fries, fruit, and salad) during the training. It was a real treat to get spoiled with such good food!  For dinner, we were on our own, but found places to eat in the city. 

On Sunday, everyone left to return to their posts. I made a detour by visiting a volunteer outside of the city.  I had to take a zem to another part of the city, where I found another zem to take me to her house.  I got to see her house (which is possibly the biggest one of all of the volunteers) and two other volunteers that were visiting.  I stayed for a couple hours before grabbing lunch and hailing a taxi to Cotonou.  At the taxi park in Cotonou I quickly found a taxi going to Azove (my closest town) and waited for about thirty minutes for it to fill up. It was a nice ride back- not too crammed and it was cool and overcast. I made it home before dark and just before it started raining. 

The balance between being at and away from post that I mentioned before got a bit off balance due to the two weekends away in a row.  Being away for more than a couple days makes it more difficult to come back and get it the swing of things again.  I couldn’t do much about being gone that long because both were legitimate, work-related reasons.  It really helped having things to look forward to at post such as my girls club, spelling bee, and health project in a local village. It also helps knowing that I have plans to leave again in the near future. Next weekend is our regional taco night, and after that I have two more trainings to attend in Porto Novo.  

We’ve been experiencing “chaleur” or hot season in the south for about three weeks now.  This means it’s very humid and the sun’s already penetrating heat feels even hotter. I am constantly sweating. I  take between two and three showers a day. The first is before my afternoon nap at the hottest part of the day, the second one may be in the evening, and I take another right before bed. I have been successful at limiting the use of my fan surprisingly.  I save it for the really hot nights and afternoons and rely on shade, breezes, and showers to cool me off.  I get tired more easily and I’m drinking a lot more water.  Even though it has rained a few times, the long rainy season isn’t here yet. When the rains come, the hot season will end.  In the north, chaleur is a hot, dry, heat. However, due to climate abnormalities, I’ve heard from other volunteers that it hasn’t come yet. 

A nation-wide strike at all of the public schools lasted from the end of January until Monday, March 26^th.  It was confusing, even for the local to understand why.  It had something to do with salaries, of course. Every school has permanent, salaried teachers, and “vacateurs” or for-hire teachers. For the most part, the for-hire teachers kept on teaching.  Depending on a student’s schedule, they might have kept going to class a few times a week, but this only applied for students in secondary school. At the primary school, everyone stayed at home.  The strike manifested itself differently at each school, and wasn’t well-organized.  Every week there were different projections of the end or the next step in discussions. Finally, it officially ended and now everyone is back at school.  This all means that the school year will be extended in addition to having extra classes on weekends and breaks to catch up. For students taking the BAC exam (needed in order to go to university) the date will not change because the same test is given to students in many West-African countries.  We will see how it all plays out and what other consequences show up!

On Palm Sunday I went to my local Catholic church with a student from the secondary school.  Everyone brought a palm branch (the main part, without leaves) and my friend brought one for me too.  The mass was almost completely in Adja, and lasted for three hours. I was very ready to go home and take a nap at the end, but my plans were never realized.  When I arrived at my house, my supervisor called me. I couldn’t understand what he was saying, but eventually he handed the phone over to someone else. All of a sudden I heard the voice of a female American on the phone.  “Hi! I was a volunteer in Aplahoue twenty-years ago and I’m here visiting. We’re going to come and pick you up and eat lunch.” Of course I said yes! So, in less than two minutes I was picked up in a car (only on very rare occasions do I ride in a car that is not an old taxi) and we drove up the street to meet everyone for lunch.  I got to meet the returned volunteer and all of the friends that she has kept in touch with over the years.  Her friends were very excited to see her and I could tell that they had been very close.  I have a lot of work to do fill her shoes! We ate pâte rouge together and talked about how the Peace Corps and volunteer life in Benin has changed. She used to work at the social promotion center when it was in a smaller building.  It was such a treat listening to all of her stories and advice (and to be able to speak English with an American!). We made a few visits to other people’s houses around town and then we parted ways. It was a great surprise meeting a volunteer that lived in my shoes twenty years ago.  It was just the thing I needed to keep me going and to give some perspective to my stay here.    

Cultural Tidbits: 

In some local languages (including Adja), yesterday and tomorrow is the same word.  Also, most greetings, like I mentioned during training, are obvious questions.  Are you there? Are you in the middle of doing something? Did you arrive? Did you come back? Any obvious question is fair game!

A common thing I see here in Benin is children living with other family members. For whatever reason, if the biological parents cannot take care of one or more of their children, they are sent to stay with more well off family members. Sometimes their parents separate and the mother doesn’t want to take care of the father’s children anymore. Other times, living with another family member means the children will have better opportunities. If they move to a town, there will be a school close by with better teachers, more items available, and better prospects for jobs. My supervisor is an example of this. He has four children living with him in addition to his three sons. They all go to school and are expected to help with chores around the house.