i had a wonderful meal yesterday at Catherine's. We had everything a regular T-day meal would have back home minus whip cream and vanilla ice cream for out "green papaya (tastes like pumpikin) pie." and there was even a little left over pie for breakfast!
after breakfast, Catherine, Andrew and I left Dogbo in a taxi...but we split the price of the 4th seat in the back amongst us...so it was the most comfortable ride to Cotonou i've had! and it's amazing how much better a mood i was in upon arrival!
once again i thought i had seen everything concerning bush taxis...but once we hit the outskirts of Lokossa our car filled up in the front and then the driver opens the trunk and climbs in. and someone who i thought was a passenger hops into the driver's seat and we go on like this for 15 or so kilometers (aka 25-30 minutes). and then the new driver gets out and the old driver gets back to driving! odd. i don't think i will ever stop seeing new things people do when it comes to transportation in this country!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
word of the day
i started this thing called "word of the day" today in class. the word was: whatever.
i took this idea from Angelina who's done this since last year. i think i will be a good way for my kids to get exposure to American slang, sayings, culture, etc.
it was fun explaining "whatever," using examples of when i would use it, and getting them to try and guess the meaning. it was fun. and the best part was that i was able to use "whatever" in class. sometimes they are like little children and quarrel in the middle of class. i could care less about if someone insulted someone else, or if someone is taking their red pen and lying about it...they're big kids. so i just said "whatever" and they laughed and went back to their seats. awesome!
maybe later i'll post a list of words that i have given them. this is gonna be a fun year!
i took this idea from Angelina who's done this since last year. i think i will be a good way for my kids to get exposure to American slang, sayings, culture, etc.
it was fun explaining "whatever," using examples of when i would use it, and getting them to try and guess the meaning. it was fun. and the best part was that i was able to use "whatever" in class. sometimes they are like little children and quarrel in the middle of class. i could care less about if someone insulted someone else, or if someone is taking their red pen and lying about it...they're big kids. so i just said "whatever" and they laughed and went back to their seats. awesome!
maybe later i'll post a list of words that i have given them. this is gonna be a fun year!
pictures
this is a view from underneath the canopy walk in Kakum National Park, near Cape Coast, Ghana.
women getting water from a river.
Peuhl/Fulani women. the Peuhl/Fulani are the nomadic cow herdsmen that are found all over West Africa.
Cotton! its the main money making product of Bènin. grown in the northern part of the country and is like 3/4 of the country's income (i'm forgetting the big word for it, :p)
kids L-o-V-E putting on our helmets. it's entertaining. and yes, all kids are this cute!
here men are shoveling up cement to contruct a multi-story building. it's fascinating to watch. they sing while they work...there's a video floating around. i'll see if i cn get ahold of it. PS every person has a body like the men on ground level. haha, even the children. 
an overloaded truck. very typical...doesn't matter what they're transporting.
mangoes! (btw, these are the little, juicy, stringy variation, still very tasty). this is how fruit is transported to markets from surrounding villages. you could substitute oranges, grafted mangoes, plantains, etc...
another overloaded truck. a common thing to see on the highways.
a typical street food stand. delicious!
not exactly sure what each of these things are used for, but i know it's voodoo stuff.
plastics! colorful and they make life easier.
dead yovo clothes for sale. thee is essentially no department stores here. especially NOT outside Cotonou. though i guess there are prêt a porter stores, but it's not the same :(
chickens for sale! (heading to be sold at the market)
definitely not a Nordstrom shoe store. ha, can you imagine buying shoes like this back home?
women sweeping the market
zemidjans can carry anything you want them to. amazing!!
this is what we like to call "walking wal-marts" because they essentially have every basic household item you need.
people are trained fro a very young ae to carry things on their heads. as you can see, they start small and work their balance to bigger, heavier things.
another example of children training to carry things. i think iwas foolish to imaginei could master this by the time i leave!
pit stop! we might have as stations with little markets, but Bènin has marchè mamans! they RUN right up to the car and shove their porducts through the window and into your face.
a lizard on the wall. these guys are ALL over! and they do push-ups :)
a slogan we have on t-shirts***note*** i can't take credit for these pictures. i found them on the workstation computer.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
“Money can’t buy experience."
Experience in life is important. To live comfortable always and forever is nice. But what kind of stories can you tell? Experience is what makes life interesting. Get as much of it as you can. Even the bad experiences where you might have suffered a little bit. That makes you a stronger person. So even the bad experiences are in a way—good.”
That is what was told to me by the husband of my friend Olive. I think that it is something to really think about. After hearing that, it helps me to process my life so far in Benin. Any PCV or RPCV can confidently state that life as a PCV is very much an emotional roller coaster. One can the highest of high days and moments later experience the lowest low. And one never knows which way the ball will swing. But if I can remember that everything happens for a reason and that I can learn something from anything…even when nothing happens—something happens and something can be learned. Does that make any sense?
Friday, November 13, 2009
more ramblings
Yesterday after class, 17:00, I salue’d my friend Madame AMOU and there happened to be another teacher standing there too. And as always I had my helmet with me. Back in May, I was at the market and there was a sticker guy there with an Obama sticker. So I bought it and stuck it on my helmet. Well, the other teacher commented on the sticker and told me he was my president. I feel as though Beninese really like to state the obvious. Anyways, I told him how I recently found out Obama won the Nobel Prize. He asked, “for what? What did he do?” And to be honest, I don’t know why. Dad mentioned it was for a political reason. The teacher then asked me what he could do to win the Nobel. And I said to get people to stop using the word “yovo.” I was half joking-half not.
Then we got into a little discussion over the use of “yovo” and the derogatory words used for black people in “Yovo”—Land. I had to explain to him that in America at least, the vast majority of people would not just yell out the n-word (well, these days anyways). Yes, it’s still used, but there certainly are not children who delightfully sing an n-word song to every black person.
His response was that the children are amused by white people and get excited to sing the song.
And I told him that that would not be acceptable in America. Then he said some stuff about France and how children supposedly rub black people’s skin to see if the color comes off….blah, blah, blah…and I tried to assure him that’s not how it is. And finally, I said, “well, when you go to America or to France…let me know how it really is, because you do not believe me.”
And then he went on about how he’ll never be able to go to France or to America cause he doesn’t have the money nor any connections with people in high places to help him get there. And on that note, I agreed, felt bad, shut up, and walked away.
And then as I started to leave school, I heard claps of thunder and saw big black clouds. Halfway home it started to sprinkle. And I could hear the rain chasing me from behind. More claps of thunder and a few bolts of lightning. I was ¾ the ay home when it started pouring and I was invited in to a courterier shop to sit and wait for the rain to lighten up a bit. People are nice.
Then we got into a little discussion over the use of “yovo” and the derogatory words used for black people in “Yovo”—Land. I had to explain to him that in America at least, the vast majority of people would not just yell out the n-word (well, these days anyways). Yes, it’s still used, but there certainly are not children who delightfully sing an n-word song to every black person.
His response was that the children are amused by white people and get excited to sing the song.
And I told him that that would not be acceptable in America. Then he said some stuff about France and how children supposedly rub black people’s skin to see if the color comes off….blah, blah, blah…and I tried to assure him that’s not how it is. And finally, I said, “well, when you go to America or to France…let me know how it really is, because you do not believe me.”
And then he went on about how he’ll never be able to go to France or to America cause he doesn’t have the money nor any connections with people in high places to help him get there. And on that note, I agreed, felt bad, shut up, and walked away.
And then as I started to leave school, I heard claps of thunder and saw big black clouds. Halfway home it started to sprinkle. And I could hear the rain chasing me from behind. More claps of thunder and a few bolts of lightning. I was ¾ the ay home when it started pouring and I was invited in to a courterier shop to sit and wait for the rain to lighten up a bit. People are nice.
My buddy Simplice
I wanted to note that I think that every female dog in Benin is named Patience. (Minus Brezil—the dog who got her throat slit and lived.) Seriously. I’ve met like 5 of them. But, perhaps it’s just name everyone likes for their dogs in this cartier. Or maybe it’s just a name that Simplice and his friends like.
Speaking of my buddy, Simplice…that boy is probably around 10 years old, maybe 11 or 12 at the most. He does not go to school. I am pretty sure he is already training to be a mechanic. I always see him working on motos under this little shack as I walk on my way to catch a zem to town/school/etc. and I always wave to him and go through the greetings.
It makes me sad to personally know a kid so young who does not/ cannot go to school. And I say personally because one can hear about that kind of stuff all day long. And you can feel bad for like 3 seconds and say, oh that’s sad. It sorta just files away in the back of the brain with all those other things that suck for people in life. But you just kinda go on without ever thinking about it again. But I’d like to think that I will always remember Simplice. I’ll remember how he loves dogs. How he was the one I asked to chercher Marley the night he disappeared. How he babysat Rosie one weekend and lost her the first night (thank God she came back!). How he stopped by for a period of time to “visit” and ask for 100cfa because he was “hungry.” Oh, Simplice, what will become of you?
Speaking of my buddy, Simplice…that boy is probably around 10 years old, maybe 11 or 12 at the most. He does not go to school. I am pretty sure he is already training to be a mechanic. I always see him working on motos under this little shack as I walk on my way to catch a zem to town/school/etc. and I always wave to him and go through the greetings.
It makes me sad to personally know a kid so young who does not/ cannot go to school. And I say personally because one can hear about that kind of stuff all day long. And you can feel bad for like 3 seconds and say, oh that’s sad. It sorta just files away in the back of the brain with all those other things that suck for people in life. But you just kinda go on without ever thinking about it again. But I’d like to think that I will always remember Simplice. I’ll remember how he loves dogs. How he was the one I asked to chercher Marley the night he disappeared. How he babysat Rosie one weekend and lost her the first night (thank God she came back!). How he stopped by for a period of time to “visit” and ask for 100cfa because he was “hungry.” Oh, Simplice, what will become of you?
Possotomé Zem ride
I am currently obssessed with the song “Halo” by Beyonce.
A couple of weekends ago, Angelina, Catherine and I went to Possotomé to check out hotel rooms (Catherine’s parents are coming to visit) and to grab a drink at a restaurant at another hotel that literally sits on Lake Ahème (it’s gorgeous).
Possotomé is about a 25-30 minute zem ride away from Angelina’s post. And that was part of the gig. I had wanted to do the zem ride between Possotomé and Lobogo (Angelina’s post). And it was so beautiful and amazing! We left Possotomé and rode along it for about a third of the way. We passed a couple of villages and to the right we caught glimpses of the lake. Then we turned off, or we hit the end of the lake (I can’t remember) and hit a dirt path.
At this point the sun had begun to set and it started to get really hilly. The hills reveal how lush and green the area is. [Catherine got the short end of the stick and rode on the Mate moto (not a particularly stong moto) and struggled up the hills. My zem and I were in the back and stayed behind Catherine the entire way, which she thought was sweet.] It had rained earlier in the day, and we hit a huge puddle. I didn’t think it was possible to go through it, but we did and I didn’t even get wet!
Shortly thereafter, we passed a little village where little kids began running along side us. The sky was a beautiful reddish pink with blobs of a grayish purple from the earlier rain clouds. It was nice and cool out, almost a little too chilly.
Near an enormous Baobab tree, the song “Halo” came on my ipod (which I usually put on for long zem rides). And I saw a squirrel! I really didn’t think they existed in this country…but they do! Who knew! I could see birds fluttering around trees settling in for the night and bats twisting and diving as they hunted for their prey. I can never get over the beauty of the shadows of the trees, birds, and bats against the glowing sky, nor the smell of relief from the sun the evening brings. And to wrap it all up, every time I listen to “Halo,” it reminds me of that zem ride. I was so caught up in the moment, I almost starting crying.
A couple of weekends ago, Angelina, Catherine and I went to Possotomé to check out hotel rooms (Catherine’s parents are coming to visit) and to grab a drink at a restaurant at another hotel that literally sits on Lake Ahème (it’s gorgeous).
Possotomé is about a 25-30 minute zem ride away from Angelina’s post. And that was part of the gig. I had wanted to do the zem ride between Possotomé and Lobogo (Angelina’s post). And it was so beautiful and amazing! We left Possotomé and rode along it for about a third of the way. We passed a couple of villages and to the right we caught glimpses of the lake. Then we turned off, or we hit the end of the lake (I can’t remember) and hit a dirt path.
At this point the sun had begun to set and it started to get really hilly. The hills reveal how lush and green the area is. [Catherine got the short end of the stick and rode on the Mate moto (not a particularly stong moto) and struggled up the hills. My zem and I were in the back and stayed behind Catherine the entire way, which she thought was sweet.] It had rained earlier in the day, and we hit a huge puddle. I didn’t think it was possible to go through it, but we did and I didn’t even get wet!
Shortly thereafter, we passed a little village where little kids began running along side us. The sky was a beautiful reddish pink with blobs of a grayish purple from the earlier rain clouds. It was nice and cool out, almost a little too chilly.
Near an enormous Baobab tree, the song “Halo” came on my ipod (which I usually put on for long zem rides). And I saw a squirrel! I really didn’t think they existed in this country…but they do! Who knew! I could see birds fluttering around trees settling in for the night and bats twisting and diving as they hunted for their prey. I can never get over the beauty of the shadows of the trees, birds, and bats against the glowing sky, nor the smell of relief from the sun the evening brings. And to wrap it all up, every time I listen to “Halo,” it reminds me of that zem ride. I was so caught up in the moment, I almost starting crying.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
OH Bènin!
heeeeeeeellllllllllo people.
i think il y a trois jours that i haven't written a post. i guess not much has happened in the past few weeks.
school is still going good. In my 5eme class (aka 8th grade) we have wrapped up revision of verbs in simple present, present continuous, and simple past. and all 3 classes have taken their quizzes and i graded and passed them all back this week. And so far, so good. Compared to last year, the students are doing much, much, much better. perhaps it's cause i am doing a better job at teaching.
towards the end of the week this past week, i ran out of school/teaching appropriate clothing...so i wore my modelé. which is a top and a long, floor length skirt tailored out of tissue (fabric with outrageous prints). the modelés are generally form fitting and quite cool to wear in hot weather. it was the first time i wore such an outfit to school...and i was quite nervous to show up at school. hence i showed up like 25 minutes early. so there i was, sitting in the teacher's payote and my math teacher buddy, Madame AMOU salués me and compliments me and says that my outfit is pretty. and then it's time for class. and as i am walking to the classroom, i literally feel the gaze of 100 pairs of eyes, all on me. i step into class, and hear the slap on the desk followed by the "good aft-noon teacha."
"Good af-ter-noon class. How are you?"
"Fine, fanks, and yoooooooou?"
"I'm fine. Sit" and then i wait for them to settle. And it's at this point i am told "Madame, vous êtes belle," by one of my students (a girl). And then a second later, a pagailleur and smarty pants kid, Ezèchiel...I could tell he wanted to say i was pretty too. And it was funny to watch him watch me read him as he stumbled over his words. I think he couldn't decide if it would be appropriate or not to say that to me! it was quite entertaining.
yesterday, i came down to Cotonou cause we southern volunteers had a meeting for Camp GLOW and for the GAD dinner in Cotonou. I think that I have explained what Camp GLOW is, so I won't go into that. But GAD stands for Gender And Development. And every year there are these dinner/silent auction things to help raise awareness and funds for various projects all around the country. I am going to help plan the menu and find a good location (restaurant), as well as help assist in decorating--aka choosing a theme and color scheme.
ooooh, and after the meetings and after the supermarchés reopened, i made my way over to erevan. the new hypermarché...which id literally like a super-walmart/target...! it's frickin amazing. they. have. everything. it's literally like walking into America. They even have sliding glass electronic doors. it even SMELLS like America. crazy! the whole area is essentially a centre commercial, a shopping center. They are going to open up a salon! a café, think a nice little coffe shop!!! I CAN"T WAIT! esspresso!! and there's a Wrangler store. And this store something like the Magnolia Hi-Fi?? where they have HUGE, FLAT PANEL, TVS!! and a glasses store, something like a Lenscrafters...WFT?? and there's even a 24 hour bakery--with a window in the back of their store so that one can literally buy bread at any time!!
It's pretty amazing to see how there has been so much development in the past...[whoa, i just had to ask someone how long we've been in country. and OMG...16 months!!!!!!!!)...16 months. they've paved half the terre rouge en route to Angelina's post. They've opened up the erevan. they've recently made it a law that people (aka drivers) have to wear seatbelts and that one must wear a helmet on a moto. Yesterday as i was riding into Cotonou, they had a good chunk of policemen at every major roundpoint into the city with megaphones reminding drivers to buckle-up and to wear a helmet. and it was enough to get my driver to grumble and fumble for his seatbelt! so all that among other things that probably don't even register in my head anymore.
OH Bènin!
i think il y a trois jours that i haven't written a post. i guess not much has happened in the past few weeks.
school is still going good. In my 5eme class (aka 8th grade) we have wrapped up revision of verbs in simple present, present continuous, and simple past. and all 3 classes have taken their quizzes and i graded and passed them all back this week. And so far, so good. Compared to last year, the students are doing much, much, much better. perhaps it's cause i am doing a better job at teaching.
towards the end of the week this past week, i ran out of school/teaching appropriate clothing...so i wore my modelé. which is a top and a long, floor length skirt tailored out of tissue (fabric with outrageous prints). the modelés are generally form fitting and quite cool to wear in hot weather. it was the first time i wore such an outfit to school...and i was quite nervous to show up at school. hence i showed up like 25 minutes early. so there i was, sitting in the teacher's payote and my math teacher buddy, Madame AMOU salués me and compliments me and says that my outfit is pretty. and then it's time for class. and as i am walking to the classroom, i literally feel the gaze of 100 pairs of eyes, all on me. i step into class, and hear the slap on the desk followed by the "good aft-noon teacha."
"Good af-ter-noon class. How are you?"
"Fine, fanks, and yoooooooou?"
"I'm fine. Sit" and then i wait for them to settle. And it's at this point i am told "Madame, vous êtes belle," by one of my students (a girl). And then a second later, a pagailleur and smarty pants kid, Ezèchiel...I could tell he wanted to say i was pretty too. And it was funny to watch him watch me read him as he stumbled over his words. I think he couldn't decide if it would be appropriate or not to say that to me! it was quite entertaining.
yesterday, i came down to Cotonou cause we southern volunteers had a meeting for Camp GLOW and for the GAD dinner in Cotonou. I think that I have explained what Camp GLOW is, so I won't go into that. But GAD stands for Gender And Development. And every year there are these dinner/silent auction things to help raise awareness and funds for various projects all around the country. I am going to help plan the menu and find a good location (restaurant), as well as help assist in decorating--aka choosing a theme and color scheme.
ooooh, and after the meetings and after the supermarchés reopened, i made my way over to erevan. the new hypermarché...which id literally like a super-walmart/target...! it's frickin amazing. they. have. everything. it's literally like walking into America. They even have sliding glass electronic doors. it even SMELLS like America. crazy! the whole area is essentially a centre commercial, a shopping center. They are going to open up a salon! a café, think a nice little coffe shop!!! I CAN"T WAIT! esspresso!! and there's a Wrangler store. And this store something like the Magnolia Hi-Fi?? where they have HUGE, FLAT PANEL, TVS!! and a glasses store, something like a Lenscrafters...WFT?? and there's even a 24 hour bakery--with a window in the back of their store so that one can literally buy bread at any time!!
It's pretty amazing to see how there has been so much development in the past...[whoa, i just had to ask someone how long we've been in country. and OMG...16 months!!!!!!!!)...16 months. they've paved half the terre rouge en route to Angelina's post. They've opened up the erevan. they've recently made it a law that people (aka drivers) have to wear seatbelts and that one must wear a helmet on a moto. Yesterday as i was riding into Cotonou, they had a good chunk of policemen at every major roundpoint into the city with megaphones reminding drivers to buckle-up and to wear a helmet. and it was enough to get my driver to grumble and fumble for his seatbelt! so all that among other things that probably don't even register in my head anymore.
OH Bènin!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
one more thing
about a week ago, Rosie's BFF, Brezil, aka Augustine's family's dog had it's throat slit in the middle of the night! poor little baby is still alive. but has a really ugly cut. i hope it doesn't get infected! poor thing.
i was starting to get comfortable letting Rosie out for a little while at a time, but i have gone back to being scared :( for the dogs in the neighborhood. mostly because there are several dozens of trucks that drive along my little (big-ish) dirt road to mine(?), quarry (?) little round, smooth rocks used for construction. and i am sure that dog dissappearances and throat slittings are because of these unfamiliar men. grrr.
it makes me appreciate that the fact that my neighbor essentially tortured Rosie by pouring some strong liquor/moonshine down her throat so that she growls and snaps at people who are of questionable character or try to nab her away.
i was starting to get comfortable letting Rosie out for a little while at a time, but i have gone back to being scared :( for the dogs in the neighborhood. mostly because there are several dozens of trucks that drive along my little (big-ish) dirt road to mine(?), quarry (?) little round, smooth rocks used for construction. and i am sure that dog dissappearances and throat slittings are because of these unfamiliar men. grrr.
it makes me appreciate that the fact that my neighbor essentially tortured Rosie by pouring some strong liquor/moonshine down her throat so that she growls and snaps at people who are of questionable character or try to nab her away.
how yoooooooou doin'?
Ça fait trois jours. that is a Beninese expression used in greetings when you haven't seen or heard from someone in a long time...not literally 3 days.
so how are my peeps back home? i think about y'all all the time. you even show up in my dreams, haha.
i hope everyone is well and looking forward to happy times with the holiday season approaching.
PS
just watched "Meet the Robinsons," which is funny cause one of my BFF is a robinson =)
anyways, one thing i got from that was: keep moving forward :)
so how are my peeps back home? i think about y'all all the time. you even show up in my dreams, haha.
i hope everyone is well and looking forward to happy times with the holiday season approaching.
PS
just watched "Meet the Robinsons," which is funny cause one of my BFF is a robinson =)
anyways, one thing i got from that was: keep moving forward :)
an extra day
i had to come to Cotonou Sunday for a mid-service exam yesterday. and i was done too late to head back to post yesterday afternoon. and then today, i was in no rush to get out.
Kyle got rid of the viruses on my computer! had i returned to post earlier than in an hour, they would not have been gotten rid of!
And i got a chance to talk to our new CD (country director). her name is Brownie Lee. and she's pretty awesome. she was in the first group to go to Togo once upon a time. it was just nice talking to her cause she totally understands eveything and the frustrations and concerns i had, as well as the happier moments i have here.
it's also nice to have a nice connection to the internet where i can also use my own computer. i take the opportunity to download songs =)
i can't believe it's already the middle of october! halloween is right around the corner. and then it's gonna be thanksgiving. then it's christmas and my Mali vacay. followed by new years, and the deadline for a job application i am looking into and then...jeeze...it's going by too fast!
Kyle got rid of the viruses on my computer! had i returned to post earlier than in an hour, they would not have been gotten rid of!
And i got a chance to talk to our new CD (country director). her name is Brownie Lee. and she's pretty awesome. she was in the first group to go to Togo once upon a time. it was just nice talking to her cause she totally understands eveything and the frustrations and concerns i had, as well as the happier moments i have here.
it's also nice to have a nice connection to the internet where i can also use my own computer. i take the opportunity to download songs =)
i can't believe it's already the middle of october! halloween is right around the corner. and then it's gonna be thanksgiving. then it's christmas and my Mali vacay. followed by new years, and the deadline for a job application i am looking into and then...jeeze...it's going by too fast!
Friday, October 9, 2009
the first week back =)
This year is off to a great start! Especially in 6eme…I started out real firm and it’s awesome how well they are responding. I’ve got all 40 or so pairs of eyes on me and their ears listening to me as well. I made all the kids take out a sheet of paper and I went around to each kid and handwrote each of their names. It would have been easier and faster if I had eux meme fait ça, but it’s a whole lot easier on my eyes if I can read my own handwriting. Plus, I think it ensured my kids that I want to get to know each of them. It’s amazing how a little individual attention and a lot of French can do in the first days of school. Last year is going to look terrible in retrospect. But I also think that I wouldn’t be the teacher I am and will be, had it not been for all the suffering I went through last year as a teacher. =)
My 5eme kids on the other hand…I think 5eme kids will be 5eme kids and use the whole year to make trouble. I think that for the most part they treat the year to mess around and not be too studious. It’s a weird age. But it’s nice to walk into their classroom and know 85 percent of their names. And I also feel comfortable joking around with them right off the bat. Currently, as of today, I only have one of the two 6emes I had last year. The smaller and perhaps the better behaved class: 6m2 now 5m2. And about twice a day I have kids from my 6m4 class from last year come up to me and ask me why I don’t have them this year. I’ve buckled. I went to talk to the censeur (vice principal) to see if he can switch things around so that I can teach them again. They’re like my babies, and I feel horrible leaving them to another teacher. I wonder if teachers back home get that kind of attachment to their students. It’s early enough in the year to say that I am 75 percent sure that the censeur will make it happen. I’m just that special; though I wish I could claim a higher percentage.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
End of the first week!
Ahhh, I had such a blast this week. I have been reminded how cute and little the 6eme kids are at the beginning of the year! Oh how I wish they would stay that size! (It makes keeping them in line and the punishments that much easier!!)
And I’ve been lucky too. It sounds like most volunteers have barely picked up their employ du temps (aka schedules for the year). Not only did I pick up my schedule last week…but I have essentially been able to dive into my lessons. A lot of teachers at my school claim to not have started, déjà, because the kids don’t come to school. And then I talk to the students, and they say that their teachers don’t come to school…problematic, non? Well, I did not have that problem. I showed up to school this week, Monday morning at 7am and as a result, I had full classes by the end of the week. Word spreads fast.
In my 5eme class, there is a kid by the name of Sylvain. He is one of my top 5 favorites. He is however of the reasons why I sometimes hate teaching. Sure he’s hilarious and makes awesome jokes that make even me laugh. At times, I can hardly keep a strait face. For example, today I was teaching “adverbs of frequency” (ie always, sometimes never…) and then he said “ah, madame, ce n’est past huit heure…c’est “never?” (aka neuf heure). Haha, get it?
Anyways, he was strolling past my second class of the afternoon, and I walked out and called him by name. And he just took off running. It was quite hilarious and kinda cute. But I made him some back because I wanted to talk to him before class today, but he showed up a little late, on account of the rain. And then the kids were all busy copying down the hw assignment that I couldn’t talk to him after class. So anyways, I told him we need to talk before the next time we have class. (it’s delightful how—when hot-shot students, like Sylvain, get called out by teachers; they turn into humbled, cute, squishy little teddy bears.) I am going to tell Sylvain that I appreciate his sense of humor. It’s lively and he’s got some good jokes and it makes my job more fun. But he needs to know that there’s a time and place for his comedy routines. Sylvain is a really smart, bright, hard working kid, and I want to channel his actions/humor in a more positive direction…to see if I can work with him instead of just being another member of his audience.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
I think I am going to be really sad when I leave. Chances are that I won’t ever see my kids again. Not that I don’t want to, but with the way things work here…I just don’t think that it’s feasible. And that breaks my heart. Despite all the BS that I have to put up with sometimes, this place has captured my heart. And it’s going to suck to have to leave.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
Maybe I should do little biographies for y’all of my kids. A little blurb and a picture too. I’ll see what I can do…
My 5eme kids on the other hand…I think 5eme kids will be 5eme kids and use the whole year to make trouble. I think that for the most part they treat the year to mess around and not be too studious. It’s a weird age. But it’s nice to walk into their classroom and know 85 percent of their names. And I also feel comfortable joking around with them right off the bat. Currently, as of today, I only have one of the two 6emes I had last year. The smaller and perhaps the better behaved class: 6m2 now 5m2. And about twice a day I have kids from my 6m4 class from last year come up to me and ask me why I don’t have them this year. I’ve buckled. I went to talk to the censeur (vice principal) to see if he can switch things around so that I can teach them again. They’re like my babies, and I feel horrible leaving them to another teacher. I wonder if teachers back home get that kind of attachment to their students. It’s early enough in the year to say that I am 75 percent sure that the censeur will make it happen. I’m just that special; though I wish I could claim a higher percentage.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
End of the first week!
Ahhh, I had such a blast this week. I have been reminded how cute and little the 6eme kids are at the beginning of the year! Oh how I wish they would stay that size! (It makes keeping them in line and the punishments that much easier!!)
And I’ve been lucky too. It sounds like most volunteers have barely picked up their employ du temps (aka schedules for the year). Not only did I pick up my schedule last week…but I have essentially been able to dive into my lessons. A lot of teachers at my school claim to not have started, déjà, because the kids don’t come to school. And then I talk to the students, and they say that their teachers don’t come to school…problematic, non? Well, I did not have that problem. I showed up to school this week, Monday morning at 7am and as a result, I had full classes by the end of the week. Word spreads fast.
In my 5eme class, there is a kid by the name of Sylvain. He is one of my top 5 favorites. He is however of the reasons why I sometimes hate teaching. Sure he’s hilarious and makes awesome jokes that make even me laugh. At times, I can hardly keep a strait face. For example, today I was teaching “adverbs of frequency” (ie always, sometimes never…) and then he said “ah, madame, ce n’est past huit heure…c’est “never?” (aka neuf heure). Haha, get it?
Anyways, he was strolling past my second class of the afternoon, and I walked out and called him by name. And he just took off running. It was quite hilarious and kinda cute. But I made him some back because I wanted to talk to him before class today, but he showed up a little late, on account of the rain. And then the kids were all busy copying down the hw assignment that I couldn’t talk to him after class. So anyways, I told him we need to talk before the next time we have class. (it’s delightful how—when hot-shot students, like Sylvain, get called out by teachers; they turn into humbled, cute, squishy little teddy bears.) I am going to tell Sylvain that I appreciate his sense of humor. It’s lively and he’s got some good jokes and it makes my job more fun. But he needs to know that there’s a time and place for his comedy routines. Sylvain is a really smart, bright, hard working kid, and I want to channel his actions/humor in a more positive direction…to see if I can work with him instead of just being another member of his audience.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
I think I am going to be really sad when I leave. Chances are that I won’t ever see my kids again. Not that I don’t want to, but with the way things work here…I just don’t think that it’s feasible. And that breaks my heart. Despite all the BS that I have to put up with sometimes, this place has captured my heart. And it’s going to suck to have to leave.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
Maybe I should do little biographies for y’all of my kids. A little blurb and a picture too. I’ll see what I can do…
Saturday, October 3, 2009
sans titre
This past Thursday I went to my school to pick up my schedule for the year. For now it looks like I am going to teach only 3 classes, again. I was hoping to teach 4, but we had to remove one because it would be like me teaching 7th, 8th, and 9th grade, I just want to stick to grades 7 and 8. so hopefully, the vice principle will add one more class to my schedule and I will keep busy. I feel like nothing is new any more for me and I have fallen into a routine and this year I need to keep busy with classes and other projects.
I believe I have mentioned that there is an orphanage a stone’s throw away from my house. I brought one of their girl’s (my student) to Camp GLOW…. Well, they have a big wall where my friend, Catherine and I are going to paint a big, huge world map. And then we have to paint all the names of all the countries on it too. We are going to have the older kids from the orphanage help paint. I don’t know how long it is going to take, but I am thinking we are going to start sometime in November because we have to do certain paperwork to get a little grant. And then we have to draw a big huge grid…there’s an actual manual on how to do this, and I don’t think that it’ll be too difficult. It’s been a secondary project for volunteers all over the world and I am totally falling into the cliché of that volunteer who painted a world map. Once we get started I will post up pics.
Speaking of pictures, I apologize for not posting many recently. Last year I broke the screen on my camera and I feel all awkward taking pictures like they used to do. People here are either big on having their pictures taken or seriously don’t want them taken. It’s disappointing to them when they rush to see how their portrait turned out and there’s a big crack and darkness with a few lines of reddish, blueish, whiteish color. And I have to explain how it broke and they can’t see the picture. And then it’s hard to be discreet about taking pictures when I have to hold the flashy camera up to my left eyeball and squint the right one…take a few seconds to adjust the focus and another second to take the pic. And then I never know if it’s gonna be any good. I feel like regular old 35mm cameras were good at doing their job. But now that we have those neat digital screens to view them right after being taken…I feel like without seeing them, they just don’t turn out as good as they used to—once upon a time.
I believe I have mentioned that there is an orphanage a stone’s throw away from my house. I brought one of their girl’s (my student) to Camp GLOW…. Well, they have a big wall where my friend, Catherine and I are going to paint a big, huge world map. And then we have to paint all the names of all the countries on it too. We are going to have the older kids from the orphanage help paint. I don’t know how long it is going to take, but I am thinking we are going to start sometime in November because we have to do certain paperwork to get a little grant. And then we have to draw a big huge grid…there’s an actual manual on how to do this, and I don’t think that it’ll be too difficult. It’s been a secondary project for volunteers all over the world and I am totally falling into the cliché of that volunteer who painted a world map. Once we get started I will post up pics.
Speaking of pictures, I apologize for not posting many recently. Last year I broke the screen on my camera and I feel all awkward taking pictures like they used to do. People here are either big on having their pictures taken or seriously don’t want them taken. It’s disappointing to them when they rush to see how their portrait turned out and there’s a big crack and darkness with a few lines of reddish, blueish, whiteish color. And I have to explain how it broke and they can’t see the picture. And then it’s hard to be discreet about taking pictures when I have to hold the flashy camera up to my left eyeball and squint the right one…take a few seconds to adjust the focus and another second to take the pic. And then I never know if it’s gonna be any good. I feel like regular old 35mm cameras were good at doing their job. But now that we have those neat digital screens to view them right after being taken…I feel like without seeing them, they just don’t turn out as good as they used to—once upon a time.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
school starts
today, technically. but classes won't really start until monday the 5th. and guess who has a 7am class? me! and this morning i had 4 classes, but i was gonna teach 3 different grade levels...aka too much work. so my censeur enlever-ed my 4eme class (9th grade) but i am okay with that because they were my worst class last year. so i am again stuck teaching only 3 classes. i am going to try and get a fourth class.
the other day i was really upset because my neighbor once again asked me for money to build her a building on their land so they could make some money. and that was really frustrating, but i forgot to bring my flashdrive and i am not as angry as before; so i guess it's good that i didn't post that blog. but it makes me wonder: if someone who has been friends with 2 PCVs and has gone to 2 Camp GLOWs ...if someone like that still doesn't understand that i am not here to line peoples' pockets with money...what hope is there for everyone else? wow, that totally sounds Debbie Downer, but i don't know how to express it any other way =(
back to the topic of school. i am really looking forward to this year. already i kinda know how things work. and showing up at school isn't gonna be all awkward like it was last year cause i déjà know the admin and the teachers (sadly, i don't know their names) and i know my students! and i also have my lesson plans from last year, therefore i know what went well and what didn't; therefore i am hoping that the lessons will be at least 50 percent better. (i don't know why 50 percent, but 50 percent it is.)
This year’s birthday was one of the best I’ve had. Pizza, beer, bar-lounge, dancing, champagne, tequila and a car ride home.
Swear-in was good. Lots of speeches were given. Food and drinks at the end. And this year I just jumped right in there and attacked, otherwise I’d be left with nothing. And then I left for home around 4ish with lots of goodies, including cheese!
My birthday meme was awesome. I woke up and it took me several moments to realize that it was really my birthday. Initially, I thought it was the next day. Hahaha, I guess that happens when you’re old, ha. When I read a text from a PCV I thought she had gotten the date wrong, so I double checked the calendar, oops! I started the day by doing some laundry, followed by cleaning of my house. Then it was a shower et après ça I made myself lunch/dinner. I sliced up the cheese and made me some nachos. Not macho ones or deluxe with all the toppings. Just regular tortilla chips with cheese and some salsa to dip them in…just like my mom made when I was little. Before I started to eat, I opened up my birthday cards from the fam and shed a tear for each of those cards. (I am even more of a cry baby these days, especially when it comes to hearing from my family.) Moving on, I put in The Breakfast Club and for dessert I ate some gummy candy I bought in the city and some Greek chocolate from Christopher and Weihow. Around 21:30 my dad called and I got to talk to him and Melissa and Nathan. Mom wasn’t home, but we reserved some minutes so that she could call me later. I went to bed around 22:30 and was reading in bed, finishing up The Time Traveler’s Wife (a VERY good book, btw). And mom called around 22:45 and we got to chit chat. Overall, it was a very nice, low-key birthday and I could not have asked for anything more.
the other day i was really upset because my neighbor once again asked me for money to build her a building on their land so they could make some money. and that was really frustrating, but i forgot to bring my flashdrive and i am not as angry as before; so i guess it's good that i didn't post that blog. but it makes me wonder: if someone who has been friends with 2 PCVs and has gone to 2 Camp GLOWs ...if someone like that still doesn't understand that i am not here to line peoples' pockets with money...what hope is there for everyone else? wow, that totally sounds Debbie Downer, but i don't know how to express it any other way =(
back to the topic of school. i am really looking forward to this year. already i kinda know how things work. and showing up at school isn't gonna be all awkward like it was last year cause i déjà know the admin and the teachers (sadly, i don't know their names) and i know my students! and i also have my lesson plans from last year, therefore i know what went well and what didn't; therefore i am hoping that the lessons will be at least 50 percent better. (i don't know why 50 percent, but 50 percent it is.)
This year’s birthday was one of the best I’ve had. Pizza, beer, bar-lounge, dancing, champagne, tequila and a car ride home.
Swear-in was good. Lots of speeches were given. Food and drinks at the end. And this year I just jumped right in there and attacked, otherwise I’d be left with nothing. And then I left for home around 4ish with lots of goodies, including cheese!
My birthday meme was awesome. I woke up and it took me several moments to realize that it was really my birthday. Initially, I thought it was the next day. Hahaha, I guess that happens when you’re old, ha. When I read a text from a PCV I thought she had gotten the date wrong, so I double checked the calendar, oops! I started the day by doing some laundry, followed by cleaning of my house. Then it was a shower et après ça I made myself lunch/dinner. I sliced up the cheese and made me some nachos. Not macho ones or deluxe with all the toppings. Just regular tortilla chips with cheese and some salsa to dip them in…just like my mom made when I was little. Before I started to eat, I opened up my birthday cards from the fam and shed a tear for each of those cards. (I am even more of a cry baby these days, especially when it comes to hearing from my family.) Moving on, I put in The Breakfast Club and for dessert I ate some gummy candy I bought in the city and some Greek chocolate from Christopher and Weihow. Around 21:30 my dad called and I got to talk to him and Melissa and Nathan. Mom wasn’t home, but we reserved some minutes so that she could call me later. I went to bed around 22:30 and was reading in bed, finishing up The Time Traveler’s Wife (a VERY good book, btw). And mom called around 22:45 and we got to chit chat. Overall, it was a very nice, low-key birthday and I could not have asked for anything more.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
awesomeness
Someone came over to my house this morning and installed some A/C! And while I was in town I picked up a down comforter and a feather bed. Boy, I think I am gonna have to get a humidifier so that I can slowly readjust to a non-humid environment. I am gonna continue sleeping under the mosquito net; I don’t wanna gamble getting malaria.
I think I might get high speed cable or DSL wireless internet installed too. It’s a little expensive, but whatever. My neighbor knows someone who knows someone who can install it for free and then I just have to pay it on a monthly basis…I just have to walk to their bureau and pay the bill, just like I do with my water and electric bill. It’s gonna be awesome. I hope that I manage to still get out of the house on a daily basis like I do now….haha.
The day after tomorrow the newbies are going to swear-in as volunteers! I am going into town tomorrow so that I can celebrate my birthday with my PC colleagues without having the whole swear-in thing cloud my day…even though my birthday is not till Sunday. We are going out for pizza (Pizza Hut!) and beer (PBR on tap!! We’re getting these beer bong type pitcher things. I see them there every time and this time I get to try it out!) followed by ice cream at this place that is kinda like Coldstone.
But what’s really cool is that I made friends with some expats who have a helicopter! So guess who gets to ride into Cotonou in a helicopter! ME!! I’ve always wanted to ride in a helicopter and wear those cool looking headphone thingys. By car it takes me like 2.5-3 hours to get to the bureau, but I’m thinking that I might make it in half that time! Woo-hoo!
School starts in like a week or something, I dunno. This summer has been so awesome and it’s been a lot busier than I thought it was going to be. So I can imagine that this school year is gonna go by even faster than the summer and faster than it did last year.
Today was so hot! I think that the hot season is right around the corner. Either that or the weather is all effed up because of global warming or something. The weather here is being abnormal compared to past years. Maybe we should blame it on El Nino. Whatever happened to him? Did he start behaving himself and that’s why we don’t blame him anymore?? It was so hot that after lunch today, my friend and I walked over to this cute little place and got happy hour drinks and sat under the trees in the cute backyard area. We felt like getting smoothies or root beer floats or something to cool down, but they close down for lunch and she had to get on her way…so we’ll go there next time.
And get this…they are opening up a Starbucks next to CEG1…it’s like the biggest high school in town and pretty much in the center of town. Mmmm, frappacinos (did I spell that right) are gonna be such a treat! Though no one really knows when they’re opening up. I miss those green straws!
I think I might get high speed cable or DSL wireless internet installed too. It’s a little expensive, but whatever. My neighbor knows someone who knows someone who can install it for free and then I just have to pay it on a monthly basis…I just have to walk to their bureau and pay the bill, just like I do with my water and electric bill. It’s gonna be awesome. I hope that I manage to still get out of the house on a daily basis like I do now….haha.
The day after tomorrow the newbies are going to swear-in as volunteers! I am going into town tomorrow so that I can celebrate my birthday with my PC colleagues without having the whole swear-in thing cloud my day…even though my birthday is not till Sunday. We are going out for pizza (Pizza Hut!) and beer (PBR on tap!! We’re getting these beer bong type pitcher things. I see them there every time and this time I get to try it out!) followed by ice cream at this place that is kinda like Coldstone.
But what’s really cool is that I made friends with some expats who have a helicopter! So guess who gets to ride into Cotonou in a helicopter! ME!! I’ve always wanted to ride in a helicopter and wear those cool looking headphone thingys. By car it takes me like 2.5-3 hours to get to the bureau, but I’m thinking that I might make it in half that time! Woo-hoo!
School starts in like a week or something, I dunno. This summer has been so awesome and it’s been a lot busier than I thought it was going to be. So I can imagine that this school year is gonna go by even faster than the summer and faster than it did last year.
Today was so hot! I think that the hot season is right around the corner. Either that or the weather is all effed up because of global warming or something. The weather here is being abnormal compared to past years. Maybe we should blame it on El Nino. Whatever happened to him? Did he start behaving himself and that’s why we don’t blame him anymore?? It was so hot that after lunch today, my friend and I walked over to this cute little place and got happy hour drinks and sat under the trees in the cute backyard area. We felt like getting smoothies or root beer floats or something to cool down, but they close down for lunch and she had to get on her way…so we’ll go there next time.
And get this…they are opening up a Starbucks next to CEG1…it’s like the biggest high school in town and pretty much in the center of town. Mmmm, frappacinos (did I spell that right) are gonna be such a treat! Though no one really knows when they’re opening up. I miss those green straws!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
looking forward
Yesterday Angelina and Catherine came over and we hammered out a priliminary letter to a big, international NGO, PLAN Benin to get the ball rolling on Camp GLOW. PLAN has offices all over the world; google them if you like. Anyways, PLAN Benin funded our Camp GLOW last year, 100 percent. I am working with Angelina and Catherine in organizing 2010's annual Camp GLOW. It's gonna be a lot of work, but I know that it's gonna be one of the most worthwhile things I have ever done in my life!
The three of us also took the opportunity to plan a little more of our trip to Dogon Country in Mali this Christmas. We are doing a 4 day trek through the cliff villages and visiting the largest mud-structure in the world and will be camping out under the stars. We officially booked our guide Oumar, who apparently speaks English!
Also, yesterday I stopped by my school to say hello to the Administration. I chatted with my diréctrice for a while and then the censeur showed up and I requested to have/follow one of my classes from last year. It looks like I am going to have two 5eme classes. The other two classes are going to be either 6eme or 4eme...I am leaving it up to them to decide for me cause I could go either way. And I am going to have Fridays off and no 17-19h classes, and hopefully no 15-17 classes (it's WAY to h-o-t to teach 15-17). ((this is all 24 hour time)) It felt really nice just physically being at my school and reminds me how much I love my job here!
In other things, I am looking forward to going to Cotonou this Thursday. I am going out with my friends for an early dinner pizza lunch and beer and then perhaps on to some ice cream. On Friday, PSL-22 (the new trainees) are swearing-in as volunteers; it's going to be a good time all around. And then on Sunday I al going to open up the birthday cards my family sent me =)
I hope and will assume that everyone is doing awesome back home since it's been a while since it's been months since I have heard anything.
The three of us also took the opportunity to plan a little more of our trip to Dogon Country in Mali this Christmas. We are doing a 4 day trek through the cliff villages and visiting the largest mud-structure in the world and will be camping out under the stars. We officially booked our guide Oumar, who apparently speaks English!
Also, yesterday I stopped by my school to say hello to the Administration. I chatted with my diréctrice for a while and then the censeur showed up and I requested to have/follow one of my classes from last year. It looks like I am going to have two 5eme classes. The other two classes are going to be either 6eme or 4eme...I am leaving it up to them to decide for me cause I could go either way. And I am going to have Fridays off and no 17-19h classes, and hopefully no 15-17 classes (it's WAY to h-o-t to teach 15-17). ((this is all 24 hour time)) It felt really nice just physically being at my school and reminds me how much I love my job here!
In other things, I am looking forward to going to Cotonou this Thursday. I am going out with my friends for an early dinner pizza lunch and beer and then perhaps on to some ice cream. On Friday, PSL-22 (the new trainees) are swearing-in as volunteers; it's going to be a good time all around. And then on Sunday I al going to open up the birthday cards my family sent me =)
I hope and will assume that everyone is doing awesome back home since it's been a while since it's been months since I have heard anything.
someone want (to watch) my dog?
Rosie; these days
i really, REALLY want to bring Rosie back home with me, but i am also planning on going to France for 7 months next year, a little after i get back to teach some more English (mid september to be exact, if i get the job). So if you or anyone you know that i could trust with my precious would be willing to take care of her let me know! she's a super sweet dog and you don't even really have to buy her real dog food. leftovers work just fine...that's what i feed her here =) and i'm pretty certain that she's not gonna get much bigger.
and this is a picture of a goat that fell down a well thingy. it's not very deep maybe 8-10 feet deep. but the poor thing was down there for several hours and it was bleeting the whole time, and everytime i looked down it looked up at me and shut up. haha, stupid goat!
i really, REALLY want to bring Rosie back home with me, but i am also planning on going to France for 7 months next year, a little after i get back to teach some more English (mid september to be exact, if i get the job). So if you or anyone you know that i could trust with my precious would be willing to take care of her let me know! she's a super sweet dog and you don't even really have to buy her real dog food. leftovers work just fine...that's what i feed her here =) and i'm pretty certain that she's not gonna get much bigger.
and this is a picture of a goat that fell down a well thingy. it's not very deep maybe 8-10 feet deep. but the poor thing was down there for several hours and it was bleeting the whole time, and everytime i looked down it looked up at me and shut up. haha, stupid goat!
Lobogo; pâte rouge, and petits
YAY for new jeans! I went to Lobogo the other day to visit Angelina who had been home for the past 3 weeks or so. I went there right after English Club in Zounbonou. (That town…I swear, no taxi driver ever understands what I’m trying to say…and have to repeat myself 5 or more times.) So anyways, I went to Lobogo and Angelina and I had a grand old time. We just sat and talked for a while before starting up dinner and she handed me my bonne choses from là bas. Mom sent me a new pair of jeans and a new pair of shoes! (I feel so American and normal wearing them!) And Angelina got me some goodies for me and Rosie! It was awesome and a little like x-mas. Then we went over to salué her neighbors whom I think may be a little obsessed with me. But it’s cool, it’s nice to be missed and feel the love from people.
The neighbors ended up buying us like 3 beers each, which ended up being a nice accompaniment to doing the 2000 piece puzzle of NYC Times Square that Angelina brought back. Yup, that’s what we do here for fun…puzzles, read books, crochet, watch movies, cook…kinda makes me feel like I’ve aged like 50 years, haha.
I was gonna leave the next day around 3-4ish, but I stayed another night cause I was so intent on finishing the puzzle, plus I decided that the dog would be okay for another day. My buddies Gaytón aka Gaga, Angél and/or Tangi feed her when I’m gone anyways. No harm done.
I had a really good time away from post.
I am now 9 days away from becoming officially old(er). PS—thanks mom, dad, and Melissa for the birthday cards! And Melissa, I promise I haven’t opened them up yet…I’ll do that on my birthday! It’s weird, I don’t feel like I am gonna be 25, Does one ever get to feel like their age? I feel like the only way that I know that I am getting older is because other people are growing up and moving forward in their lives.
I have found out that school is officially starting on October 1st, in hopes that everything will be said and done and ready to start classes on the 5th—the day I am set to do my mid-service exam. Cool. Whatever.
Today Ruth and I made pâte rouge. Ruth was a 5eme student of mine last year, and she comes over once in a while and we show each other how to cook. Rest assured that I don’t hang out with all my students because most are NOT trustworthy.)Pâte rouge is, in my opinion, the most delicious of the pâtes. I had to run back doen to the parc to buy some meat, which was probably a few days old. I found out today that they’ll slaughter another cow on Saturday morning. This leads me to believe that a cow is slaughtered not on a daily basis. But whatever, I got the rib section of the cow and it was quite tender. I may study up on parts/cuts of the cow and try to get a kilo of filet mignon for roughly 4 dollars. Or maybe a t-bone steak, or some other delicious cut. People here aren’t all that picky so I guess if I know my cow well enough, I can cook up something delicious.
Ugh, I am so scatter-brained. I hope that what I write here is somewhat comprehendible.
Oh and here is a little excerpt from Nine Hills to Nambonkaha by Sarah Erdman. It kind of explains how children are seen/treated all over West Africa.
Kids are the lowest rung in the well-entrenched “petit” system that rules West Africa. Basically, anyone younger or less important than you will double as your errand boy or girl without a complaint…I began my days doing everything myself, but quickly realized that [some things] are done far more efficiently by small children [ie running to buy an egg, lemon, tomato paste, etc from a little boutique, which is like a mini little shop]. There’s a certain beauty to the system: kids respect their elders wholeheartedly and often consider it an honor to serve them. They actually argue who gets to [carry my motorcycle helmet].
Children graduate to petit status around age four…Parental affection is all but curtailed. Kids are taught to consider themselves inferior until they grow up and can lord over a new flock of petits. Their pride is trampled upon so they don’t become too uppity…
-page 86-
Nine Hills was a fairly good book and illustrates what life is like here. Though we are in different sectors, she did health—I teach English. She lived in a small village where everyone probably knew her name—I live in a big town where all the people in my quartier don’t even know my name. She was probably a super volunteer—I am probably not. She lived without running water, electricity, shower, toilet, etc.—I do not. But it draws a good enough picture. I recommend you read it to get a better idea of what life in West Africa is like.
The neighbors ended up buying us like 3 beers each, which ended up being a nice accompaniment to doing the 2000 piece puzzle of NYC Times Square that Angelina brought back. Yup, that’s what we do here for fun…puzzles, read books, crochet, watch movies, cook…kinda makes me feel like I’ve aged like 50 years, haha.
I was gonna leave the next day around 3-4ish, but I stayed another night cause I was so intent on finishing the puzzle, plus I decided that the dog would be okay for another day. My buddies Gaytón aka Gaga, Angél and/or Tangi feed her when I’m gone anyways. No harm done.
I had a really good time away from post.
I am now 9 days away from becoming officially old(er). PS—thanks mom, dad, and Melissa for the birthday cards! And Melissa, I promise I haven’t opened them up yet…I’ll do that on my birthday! It’s weird, I don’t feel like I am gonna be 25, Does one ever get to feel like their age? I feel like the only way that I know that I am getting older is because other people are growing up and moving forward in their lives.
I have found out that school is officially starting on October 1st, in hopes that everything will be said and done and ready to start classes on the 5th—the day I am set to do my mid-service exam. Cool. Whatever.
Today Ruth and I made pâte rouge. Ruth was a 5eme student of mine last year, and she comes over once in a while and we show each other how to cook. Rest assured that I don’t hang out with all my students because most are NOT trustworthy.)Pâte rouge is, in my opinion, the most delicious of the pâtes. I had to run back doen to the parc to buy some meat, which was probably a few days old. I found out today that they’ll slaughter another cow on Saturday morning. This leads me to believe that a cow is slaughtered not on a daily basis. But whatever, I got the rib section of the cow and it was quite tender. I may study up on parts/cuts of the cow and try to get a kilo of filet mignon for roughly 4 dollars. Or maybe a t-bone steak, or some other delicious cut. People here aren’t all that picky so I guess if I know my cow well enough, I can cook up something delicious.
Ugh, I am so scatter-brained. I hope that what I write here is somewhat comprehendible.
Oh and here is a little excerpt from Nine Hills to Nambonkaha by Sarah Erdman. It kind of explains how children are seen/treated all over West Africa.
Kids are the lowest rung in the well-entrenched “petit” system that rules West Africa. Basically, anyone younger or less important than you will double as your errand boy or girl without a complaint…I began my days doing everything myself, but quickly realized that [some things] are done far more efficiently by small children [ie running to buy an egg, lemon, tomato paste, etc from a little boutique, which is like a mini little shop]. There’s a certain beauty to the system: kids respect their elders wholeheartedly and often consider it an honor to serve them. They actually argue who gets to [carry my motorcycle helmet].
Children graduate to petit status around age four…Parental affection is all but curtailed. Kids are taught to consider themselves inferior until they grow up and can lord over a new flock of petits. Their pride is trampled upon so they don’t become too uppity…
-page 86-
Nine Hills was a fairly good book and illustrates what life is like here. Though we are in different sectors, she did health—I teach English. She lived in a small village where everyone probably knew her name—I live in a big town where all the people in my quartier don’t even know my name. She was probably a super volunteer—I am probably not. She lived without running water, electricity, shower, toilet, etc.—I do not. But it draws a good enough picture. I recommend you read it to get a better idea of what life in West Africa is like.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Tata Yovo!
(i wrote this on friday but forgot my flashdrive at home so i couldn't ost it the other day when i was at the cyber)
Today was a good day, I guess, other than waking up WAY later than I wanted. After I woke up I got ready to meet my friend, Chinatsu by Supermarché Bel Air. Chinatsu is doing the Japenese version of Peace Corps, it’s called JICA…although I don’t know what it stands for. Anyways, we met up for some lunch of yam pilé at my favorite restaurant, Maquis Les Collines. It was a good meal and good conversation but when it came time to pay l’addition…the tanti was useless and we waited around forever for our reliquat (change). Finally I went back to the kitchen to talk to the head-tanti and patron to sort things out.
Then we walked back towards the parc and went our separate ways. I bought a ton of veggies from my ladies and then went home and hung out with my favorite person, Mayo, for a while. We played football with Rosie’s little football and I tried to teach him how to count to 5 in English. And it’s amazing really, how little kids (like really little, but already talking…say 3-4 years old) they have such a talent for picking up other languages. And by that I mean that getting Mayo to say things in English…he doesn’t have an accent! I gave him a few glasses of water (which I had mixed Propel into) and he sucked it all down. “C’est bon!” is what he told me after drinking the flavored water. What a cutie. I tell him I am going to take him home with me—là bas (in my bag). He giggles at the thought, but then refuses because he doesn’t want my dog to eat him. Hahaha. I guess he thinks I am just gonna take him to my house here (across the street from his) and there my dog, Rosie will eat him. Mayo, just like any other child/person in this country is terrified of dogs. Ha. The hard part about hanging out with my buddy is telling him to go home. I told him that I was tired/ needed to work/ his mom was calling him…so many excuses, but the kid wouldn’t budge. So finally, and this is horrible of me, I told him that he should ride his bike and that I would see him later or tomorrow. But I guess all he heard was “go get your bike.” So I go inside and he comes back with his bike and starts banging on my door, “tata……tata……tata” but if I answer he’ll never go away. Eventually his mom calls him and he goes home. Oh, Mayo. And before I forget, he has started to call me “Tata Yovo,” which is better than just plain Yovo, but oh well, we’ll work on it.
I just realized that today is the 8th anniversary of 9/11 and I really can’t believe that so much time has passed! My life wasn’t really all that impacted by it, but I can still remember the day pretty vividly.
School starts essentially 3 weeks from Monday. Although, I won’t be there for the first official day because that is when I am scheduled to go and do my mid-service exam. Not really looking forward to that…they are essentially going to check EVERYthing, and I’ll just leave it at that.
My 25th birthday is in 2 weeks and 1 day. The newbies swear-in in 2 weeks. Next week I am going to talk about holidays in America at English club, then visit Angelina whom I haven’t seen in a month.
And in November, Catherine and I are hopefully gonna start painting a world map on a wall at the orphanage by my house. There was a volunteer who was here from 2007-08 who did a lot of work at the orphanage and started to do a world map, but left town before she could really get started. Catherine and I will pick up where she left off, but not exactly cause Jennifer chose to paint the wall on the opposite side of the building, where essentially no one would see it. Part of me feels, oh, I dunno what the word is, for wanting to paint the wall everyone can see when they come to visit the orphanage. I guess I’ll post pics up once we start the work, but you’ll see what I mean.
Oh, and in just about a month, I will be able to apply to a teacher assistant position in France. It’s this deal set up by the French and Americans where someone like me or anyone with “two years of higher education” and “a proficiency in French” can apply to live and work (teaching English to elementary or secondary school kids) in France (or an overseas dept. of France: French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, or the Réunion—whatever that is!) for 7 or 9 months and be paid like $1,013 for 12 hours of work per week! What an amazing opportunity! Not to mention, it’ll give me about 7 or 9 more months to figure out what I want to do with my life. The program, I assume, starts Oct. 1st every year. So that would give me just enough time to relax and visit people. I figure my French will be at it’s best at this point in my life, and bottom line, why not?
That’s all for now, folks! À tout moment!
PS, if you get a chance and want to kill time, get your hands on a game called “Plants vs. Zombies.” It’s a GREAT time killer, super addicting, and super fun! Trust me :)
Today was a good day, I guess, other than waking up WAY later than I wanted. After I woke up I got ready to meet my friend, Chinatsu by Supermarché Bel Air. Chinatsu is doing the Japenese version of Peace Corps, it’s called JICA…although I don’t know what it stands for. Anyways, we met up for some lunch of yam pilé at my favorite restaurant, Maquis Les Collines. It was a good meal and good conversation but when it came time to pay l’addition…the tanti was useless and we waited around forever for our reliquat (change). Finally I went back to the kitchen to talk to the head-tanti and patron to sort things out.
Then we walked back towards the parc and went our separate ways. I bought a ton of veggies from my ladies and then went home and hung out with my favorite person, Mayo, for a while. We played football with Rosie’s little football and I tried to teach him how to count to 5 in English. And it’s amazing really, how little kids (like really little, but already talking…say 3-4 years old) they have such a talent for picking up other languages. And by that I mean that getting Mayo to say things in English…he doesn’t have an accent! I gave him a few glasses of water (which I had mixed Propel into) and he sucked it all down. “C’est bon!” is what he told me after drinking the flavored water. What a cutie. I tell him I am going to take him home with me—là bas (in my bag). He giggles at the thought, but then refuses because he doesn’t want my dog to eat him. Hahaha. I guess he thinks I am just gonna take him to my house here (across the street from his) and there my dog, Rosie will eat him. Mayo, just like any other child/person in this country is terrified of dogs. Ha. The hard part about hanging out with my buddy is telling him to go home. I told him that I was tired/ needed to work/ his mom was calling him…so many excuses, but the kid wouldn’t budge. So finally, and this is horrible of me, I told him that he should ride his bike and that I would see him later or tomorrow. But I guess all he heard was “go get your bike.” So I go inside and he comes back with his bike and starts banging on my door, “tata…
I just realized that today is the 8th anniversary of 9/11 and I really can’t believe that so much time has passed! My life wasn’t really all that impacted by it, but I can still remember the day pretty vividly.
School starts essentially 3 weeks from Monday. Although, I won’t be there for the first official day because that is when I am scheduled to go and do my mid-service exam. Not really looking forward to that…they are essentially going to check EVERYthing, and I’ll just leave it at that.
My 25th birthday is in 2 weeks and 1 day. The newbies swear-in in 2 weeks. Next week I am going to talk about holidays in America at English club, then visit Angelina whom I haven’t seen in a month.
And in November, Catherine and I are hopefully gonna start painting a world map on a wall at the orphanage by my house. There was a volunteer who was here from 2007-08 who did a lot of work at the orphanage and started to do a world map, but left town before she could really get started. Catherine and I will pick up where she left off, but not exactly cause Jennifer chose to paint the wall on the opposite side of the building, where essentially no one would see it. Part of me feels, oh, I dunno what the word is, for wanting to paint the wall everyone can see when they come to visit the orphanage. I guess I’ll post pics up once we start the work, but you’ll see what I mean.
Oh, and in just about a month, I will be able to apply to a teacher assistant position in France. It’s this deal set up by the French and Americans where someone like me or anyone with “two years of higher education” and “a proficiency in French” can apply to live and work (teaching English to elementary or secondary school kids) in France (or an overseas dept. of France: French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, or the Réunion—whatever that is!) for 7 or 9 months and be paid like $1,013 for 12 hours of work per week! What an amazing opportunity! Not to mention, it’ll give me about 7 or 9 more months to figure out what I want to do with my life. The program, I assume, starts Oct. 1st every year. So that would give me just enough time to relax and visit people. I figure my French will be at it’s best at this point in my life, and bottom line, why not?
That’s all for now, folks! À tout moment!
PS, if you get a chance and want to kill time, get your hands on a game called “Plants vs. Zombies.” It’s a GREAT time killer, super addicting, and super fun! Trust me :)
Saturday, September 12, 2009
missing home :(
Tomorrow (September 8th) I am going to English club in Zoungbonou and will be talking about the Star Spangled Banner and the Pledge of Allegiance. And looking at the words to each and then the researching what it all means…it’s beautiful. America is awesome and I won’t see it for another year.
And I miss my family. I miss talking to my mom every night. I miss taking my sister on errands, shopping, etc. I miss driving. I miss fast internet in my own home. I miss feeling cold. I miss gummy bears. I miss pho. I miss my dog. I miss washing machines and dryers. I miss fast food, especially the drive-through part. I miss real grocery stores. I miss movie theaters. I miss cute boys with blonde hair and blue eyes. I miss all paved roads. I miss “one-person-per-seat” and the whole “click it or ticket” deal because that implies that one is obligated to wear a seatbelt. I miss the absence of HUGE cockroaches and mice in my house. I miss only having to speak English. I miss debit cards. I miss traffic lights. I miss left hand turn lanes. I miss coffee and Starbucks (on every corner). I miss Evergreen trees. I miss freeways. I miss (whole) rainy days and weeks (you would too, eventually)! I miss those days where it’s sunny and still freezing cold outside. I miss regular haircuts. I miss wearing make-up and cute clothes. I miss wearing high heels even though I hate them at the end of the night. I miss department stores.
I miss America.
And I miss my family. I miss talking to my mom every night. I miss taking my sister on errands, shopping, etc. I miss driving. I miss fast internet in my own home. I miss feeling cold. I miss gummy bears. I miss pho. I miss my dog. I miss washing machines and dryers. I miss fast food, especially the drive-through part. I miss real grocery stores. I miss movie theaters. I miss cute boys with blonde hair and blue eyes. I miss all paved roads. I miss “one-person-per-seat” and the whole “click it or ticket” deal because that implies that one is obligated to wear a seatbelt. I miss the absence of HUGE cockroaches and mice in my house. I miss only having to speak English. I miss debit cards. I miss traffic lights. I miss left hand turn lanes. I miss coffee and Starbucks (on every corner). I miss Evergreen trees. I miss freeways. I miss (whole) rainy days and weeks (you would too, eventually)! I miss those days where it’s sunny and still freezing cold outside. I miss regular haircuts. I miss wearing make-up and cute clothes. I miss wearing high heels even though I hate them at the end of the night. I miss department stores.
I miss America.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Updates. And R.I.P. Eddy
I have started to workout. A while ago I downloaded the Couch-to-5k podcast…it’s a 9 week program to get people started in running. Anywho, I have started it several times and have never managed to get past week 5 or 6 for some reason or another. But tomorrow I start week 2! I have been running at the parc public…they fixed it up real nice for the fete and now the outside circle is like running around a track. And if I get out there early enough, there are no people there to watch the yovo run. In addition, I have just run out of both of my gas can thingys, so I am left to eat only fresh fruit: apples, pineapple, mango and salads. I hope that I can get ahold of a new gas tank, but if not, it can only help me in my quest to lose a little weight.
I went to Porto-Novo earlier this week to do the bake sale. I might have mentioned this in another blog, or to someone, I dunno… I ended up making a profit of 15500 CFA, which is about $34…doesn’t sound like a lot, but I doubled our current budget. It was really fun doing the bake sale—maybe not so much the actual baking because I was up until 3:45 in the morning. And I had only had 3ish hours of sleep the night before (more on that in a minute). But I hitched a ride on the Peace Corps shuttle and arrived at Songhai where Nathaniel made the announcement and soon I had a huge line of people wanting to buy brownies, cookies, key lime pie, and empanadas. In the end, I sold everything but a couple packs of cookies I was happy to eat so that they wouldn’t go to waste! And it was also nice going to Porto-Novo because I hadn’t really had an opportunity to meet the stagaires (thank you Maria for not choosing me) and we hung out a bit during the down time.
While I was in the bureau Monday, I had a chance to speak with Dr. Rufin. I haven’t been sleeping very well these past few months and turned into somewhat of an insomniac. Insomnia = no fun! So I ended up switching to Doxycycline.
So then I returned home Wednesday afternoon, around 2ish. And once I got home I reached into my bag and then I remembered, well I guess I remember not remembering to take my keys out of my locker at the bureau before I left for Porto-Novo! So yup, I came all the way home without my keys! But it ended up working out. I called my PCVL, Kaili and she got a hold of Kyle who was at the bureau and had my keys. Kyle then went over to the taxi station and sent my keys to with a chauffeur. In the meanwhile, I wasn’t sure what I was gonna do. I was sitting outside my gate brainstorming and trying to get a hold of Ellen, when a neighbor rolled by and offered to let me stay at his house. But I don’t really know the Papa, so I felt a little uncomfortable doing that. So I rang Thierry’s doorbell and he was home. Thierry is my neighbor who is kinda like an apt. manager. He hands out the water and electric bills, etc. Anyways, we’re buds and he let me stay with him. We chatted, watched TV, fed me…until I called the chauffeur and zemmed down to get my keys from the gare (taxi station). Ahhh…what a process! But at least I didn’t have to go all the way back to Cotonou. I really hope that this won’t happen again, but it kinda already has happened before. Except last time, I remembered that I forgot my keys before I hopped into the taxi!
I was gonna post this when I was at the cyber Friday evening, but I was having some issues with the computer and my account and the flashdrive…bottomline it just didn’t work out.
I was gonna zem home cause I am semi lazy and figure I would just run in the morning, but I decided that I would walk until I found some street food for the dog. But it turns out there wasn’t much out there except bouille (bwee). It’s like porridge and there a gazillion kinds of it and it’s delicious with a side fried doughballs. So I am walking at a fairly brisk pace so that people on the street don’t really have the opportunity to stop me and engage me in conversation. Then I am about halfway home when a bicycle pulls up next to me. I try to ignore it (it’s amazing the guard I have built myself). And then I hear a familiar “bon soir, Madame!” It’s Desiré, one of my favorite kids. (he’s the one who found me dog #3, carried my helmet home for me a bazillion times, helped me get my front gate key copied on a Sunday…this kid is awesome!) I often see him riding his bike around.
Anywho, we end up walking back together and along the way he tells me that one of his classmates died earlier this week! It was Eddy. I can’t exactly picture his face, but he was friends with Desiré and those boys. RIP Eddy. I guess he got sick or something. And he was throwing up, and that’s all I know. I don’t know how much more death I can take.
I went to Porto-Novo earlier this week to do the bake sale. I might have mentioned this in another blog, or to someone, I dunno… I ended up making a profit of 15500 CFA, which is about $34…doesn’t sound like a lot, but I doubled our current budget. It was really fun doing the bake sale—maybe not so much the actual baking because I was up until 3:45 in the morning. And I had only had 3ish hours of sleep the night before (more on that in a minute). But I hitched a ride on the Peace Corps shuttle and arrived at Songhai where Nathaniel made the announcement and soon I had a huge line of people wanting to buy brownies, cookies, key lime pie, and empanadas. In the end, I sold everything but a couple packs of cookies I was happy to eat so that they wouldn’t go to waste! And it was also nice going to Porto-Novo because I hadn’t really had an opportunity to meet the stagaires (thank you Maria for not choosing me) and we hung out a bit during the down time.
While I was in the bureau Monday, I had a chance to speak with Dr. Rufin. I haven’t been sleeping very well these past few months and turned into somewhat of an insomniac. Insomnia = no fun! So I ended up switching to Doxycycline.
So then I returned home Wednesday afternoon, around 2ish. And once I got home I reached into my bag and then I remembered, well I guess I remember not remembering to take my keys out of my locker at the bureau before I left for Porto-Novo! So yup, I came all the way home without my keys! But it ended up working out. I called my PCVL, Kaili and she got a hold of Kyle who was at the bureau and had my keys. Kyle then went over to the taxi station and sent my keys to with a chauffeur. In the meanwhile, I wasn’t sure what I was gonna do. I was sitting outside my gate brainstorming and trying to get a hold of Ellen, when a neighbor rolled by and offered to let me stay at his house. But I don’t really know the Papa, so I felt a little uncomfortable doing that. So I rang Thierry’s doorbell and he was home. Thierry is my neighbor who is kinda like an apt. manager. He hands out the water and electric bills, etc. Anyways, we’re buds and he let me stay with him. We chatted, watched TV, fed me…until I called the chauffeur and zemmed down to get my keys from the gare (taxi station). Ahhh…what a process! But at least I didn’t have to go all the way back to Cotonou. I really hope that this won’t happen again, but it kinda already has happened before. Except last time, I remembered that I forgot my keys before I hopped into the taxi!
I was gonna post this when I was at the cyber Friday evening, but I was having some issues with the computer and my account and the flashdrive…bottomline it just didn’t work out.
I was gonna zem home cause I am semi lazy and figure I would just run in the morning, but I decided that I would walk until I found some street food for the dog. But it turns out there wasn’t much out there except bouille (bwee). It’s like porridge and there a gazillion kinds of it and it’s delicious with a side fried doughballs. So I am walking at a fairly brisk pace so that people on the street don’t really have the opportunity to stop me and engage me in conversation. Then I am about halfway home when a bicycle pulls up next to me. I try to ignore it (it’s amazing the guard I have built myself). And then I hear a familiar “bon soir, Madame!” It’s Desiré, one of my favorite kids. (he’s the one who found me dog #3, carried my helmet home for me a bazillion times, helped me get my front gate key copied on a Sunday…this kid is awesome!) I often see him riding his bike around.
Anywho, we end up walking back together and along the way he tells me that one of his classmates died earlier this week! It was Eddy. I can’t exactly picture his face, but he was friends with Desiré and those boys. RIP Eddy. I guess he got sick or something. And he was throwing up, and that’s all I know. I don’t know how much more death I can take.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
i guess Rosie likes to sleep on this chair. she's such a weird/funny dog.
passed out on her pillow
Primaël; aka Mayo. probably my favorite person right now. loves to wear my sunglasses...or my headband
Mayo on his trike. you should see him wearing my bike helmet. he's such a pagailleur!
see that little white speck? that's a kid playing in the field just outside the orphanage.
a couple of boabab trees. i can't get enough of them. wish they could grow back home!
same trees as above. i love the natural contrasts of colour in this country. i love the red dirt and the shades of green. so pretty.
the setting sun
a view of the town from around my neck of the woods.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
fete d'independence
the one doing a salute is Dr. President Mr. Yayi Boni. sweet car...i want one
the group at Cape Coast Castle. Obama was there just days/more like a week before us!
they built a fancy new fountain at the park. and cleared away all the brush and made it look all pretty for the fete.
on the other side of the park
a view of the street.
all in all, i guess i am a little sad that the Independence Day came and went so fast. it was a bon moment.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
newbies
they arrived last night: pale, clean, and baby-faced! they were sooooo cute. it's kinda hard to describe. but it was an amazing feeling to be that volunteer who's been here one year. to be the volunteer with answers to all (well, most) of their questions.
and then there is GHANA! what can i say. Accra is like America. we literally couldn't see the difference between Accra and some tropicalish-nice-warm-weather city in the states...except that there were more black people. Ghanaians (spelling?) are so nice and helpful and i feel like they didn't try to rip us off as much as they do in Cotonou. and bottom-line it was nice to be able to speak English. although to the flip-side, English was no longer our "secret language"...which comes in handy here in Benin.
i of course forgot to bring my camera along with me, but everyone else brought theirs. so, supposedly, i will be getting a disk or some thing with pictures from everyone's camera. so sorry. y'all will have to wait for pics!
13 more months! and i feel like it's gonna FLY by. it already has.
and then there is GHANA! what can i say. Accra is like America. we literally couldn't see the difference between Accra and some tropicalish-nice-warm-weather city in the states...except that there were more black people. Ghanaians (spelling?) are so nice and helpful and i feel like they didn't try to rip us off as much as they do in Cotonou. and bottom-line it was nice to be able to speak English. although to the flip-side, English was no longer our "secret language"...which comes in handy here in Benin.
i of course forgot to bring my camera along with me, but everyone else brought theirs. so, supposedly, i will be getting a disk or some thing with pictures from everyone's camera. so sorry. y'all will have to wait for pics!
13 more months! and i feel like it's gonna FLY by. it already has.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
