when you have a song stuck in your head, but then can't think of the name or the singer? and to makes things more fun, you don't know the words, so you can't google part of the lyrics...oh, and the song happens to be in Spanish? anyone? i have this song in my head and i can hum it every now and then, but there is no one here to help me out. i just hope i can remember it the next time i talk to my mom. she might be able to help me out.
today for, late lunch, we ate at the yam pilé place. and i think i have said before that the stuff is like mashed potatoes with a peanut sauce. so i was telling the other PCVs how weird it's gonna be on Thanksgiving when i get back and i have my girnormo plate of food in front of me and everyone is nice dressed and the table is pretty, blah, blah, blah, and i am gonna have the urge to eat my mashed potatoes with my hands as i dunks little mashed up balls of it into my gravy. and then i will think, where is the wagashi cheese? (did i ever mention how people, for the most part eat everything with their hands? maybe i didn't, but y'all probably figured so much anyway.)
i just finished reading eat, pray, love and it has inspired me to consider travling some more for a little while after i am done in Benin. perhaps indonesia/bali, thailand, europe, india, or australia even-maybe? but perhaps the smart thing to do would be to come back home and sqve my money. but you only live once, right?
oh, and before i forget. random and weird. but yesterday my filipino friend Ellen , who is married to a beninese man and has a 12ish year old kid, says that the beninese people have nice butts because their mothers form their babies' butts. i guess it would be hard to describe how/what she showed us (amber and i), but i don't think that it really needs explaining. haha. she said her son has a butt like he does because she had her sister-in-laws form her sons butt. hmmmmmm.........
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
yesterday was my half birthday.
3.26.09
Today is my half birthday. I am 24.5 years old.
I’m having one of those moments where I feel like I have a lot to say…but I will probably get distracted or side tracked and in the end will have only talked about a fraction of what it was I was gonna say. So here goes, and please excuse my randomness…
A lot of people have made plans for the summer. I don’t really have any. I think a majority of people are flying home for at least a couple of weeks. Or at least having visitors and then traveling around West Africa or Europe or something. Not my case. I don’t know if I am ready to come home yet, not even for a visit. For the next 18 or so months…Lokossa is my home. And traveling is a bitch. Also, I don’t know how I would fit in back home. Stupidly, I gave away most of everything that I owned. So I wouldn’t have any shampoo, conditioner, hair products, a good portion of my clothes, purses, etc. Not to mention I would have no money.
Peace Corps doesn’t give us substantial amounts of money…but for living in a developing country, I guess you could say we do pretty well. So I guess theoretically I could save money, maybe a few hundred dollars…but that doesn’t buy you much back home. And with that money here, I could do a lot, buy a lot, and go a lot of places. My three hour taxi ride from post to Cotonou (not sure how far that is in distance) costs me three dollars!
Yesterday I bought real butter! And I made cookies with it! Mmmm! They are sooooo good! And I bought bread just so that I could spread the butter on it to eat, plain. And then this afternoon, I made myself some scrambled eggs, yup, using the real butter, and it’s amazing to taste the yummy difference. However, the butter cost me nearly as much as a taxi ride to Cotonou!
I bought the dog a tennis ball yesterday. I stopped in at this little supermarket…think—one of those old fashioned shops the pioneers used to go to, kinda like a super mini Fred Meyer. I went to buy spaghetti noodles and tomato paste (to make lunch tomorrow for Ellen and Amber—my yovo friends!) And then as I look around to see what else they have, and what I may/could use, I see tennis balls! Weird! No one here plays tennis! I have never even seen a tennis court! Nor a racquet. But I thought that Marley may enjoy a tennis ball. And he did! At first he was confused as I bounced it. He saw it hit the ground and then looked around in puzzlement as he could not figure out where the ball had gone (as it bounced back up, and into my hand)! Hahahaha! I had a good laugh. And it took him a good few minutes to figure out that the thing bounces. And he’s pretty good about playing fetch. Though, I don’t think he purposefully brings it back to me. He just consequently likes to curl up and lay down on my feet. He is content so long as at least part of him, if not the majority of his body can cover my feet. Which would be cute and whatnot, were it not 85-90 degrees plus 100% humidity. THANK God for my fan. And my shower.
I have noticed that a number of large and disgusting, though sometimes cute, bugs make their way to the back area of my house. And then they get stuck. I have like an outdoor hallway between my bedroom and the kitchen or bathroom. I have found all sorts of things. My favorite has to be the preying manti. Did you know that they can change color? And their eyes are so cool. I find it hilarious how they look at you and put their arms up like they have a fighting chance against me if I somehow decide that would fight them. Ok, all that to say that usually, and I don’t know why, but a lot of these bugs, seem to be on their way to die. Yesterday as I was taking a shower I noticed a gi-normo moth. I ignore it. Usually they fly away. And then I had to wash a few things…which I do in the bathroom because there is a handy spicket there…and the moth had died right by the toilet. So what do I do? I put it in the toilet and try to flush the thing down. Bad idea, and I should have learned the first time (a while ago, there was a bg ugly cockroach that died near the bathroom and tried to flush him down) And in both cases (I should remember for the next time that…big ugly dead bugs float! And it’s nearly impossible to flush them down!
********(sorry if this next paragraph is long and confusing…basically, if you wanna skip it, go ahead, just know that 2 of MY students have made it to the second round of the English competition I am helping out with.)***********
So this English competition thing that I am doing…today I found out that 5 students from my CEG (middle/high school) have made it to the second round. They will compete with students from other, I guess, districts, to see who the three students from each grade level will make it to the third round. The first round…every school participating had 2 students from every grade level…a total of 14. The top, I dunno how many students from every school—their grades on the test were compared to everyone else in the district. So I think that there will be a total of 14 students representing our district of Lokossa…and they will compete against, 4 or 5 other districts. And five of our students made it! Including 2 of MINE! Yay! And one of them is one of my favortites: Urbain (aka “urban”, opposite of “rural”. People here are VERY creative in naming their kids sometimes.). He is such a little cutie. He is the class responsible (like a little teacher’s aide). And when I am teaching, he is always participating and if there are no students who know the answer, I can count on him to be sitting there patiently, with his hand raised before anyone else. And sometimes it’s funny cause I look at him and I tell him, “I know you know the answer, but I need to see if anyone else can get it, (plus, more than likely I have called on him 4-5 times already!) So I am VERY happy to see that he has made it to the 2nd round. I congratulated him today, and told him I would be at the 2nd round. And that he should study for it.
I have made tentative plans to travel to Mali this Christmas. I will be going to Dogon Country. And if possible, Timbuktu. And I really wanna go to Ghana.
I really [heart] my students. Today I went to school because the 6eme kids took their English test and I wanted to see if there were any errors on the test, and to take the tests home with me when they were done. And as I was waiting, some of the kids finished up and they came over to the teacher’s “pi-ote” aka where all the teachers hang out. And they were excited because they had finished their tests and asked me if this answer was correct and whatnot. And before I knew it a whole mob of them came up to me and the other teachers had to chase them away but they thought it was funny at the same time.
I’ll try to get some pictures of my class before the school year is up. But I am scared that if I take the camera to school, EVERYone will want me to take their picture and it could be, well, overwhelming. Hahaha, I can picture it now, and it makes me laugh.
Today is my half birthday. I am 24.5 years old.
I’m having one of those moments where I feel like I have a lot to say…but I will probably get distracted or side tracked and in the end will have only talked about a fraction of what it was I was gonna say. So here goes, and please excuse my randomness…
A lot of people have made plans for the summer. I don’t really have any. I think a majority of people are flying home for at least a couple of weeks. Or at least having visitors and then traveling around West Africa or Europe or something. Not my case. I don’t know if I am ready to come home yet, not even for a visit. For the next 18 or so months…Lokossa is my home. And traveling is a bitch. Also, I don’t know how I would fit in back home. Stupidly, I gave away most of everything that I owned. So I wouldn’t have any shampoo, conditioner, hair products, a good portion of my clothes, purses, etc. Not to mention I would have no money.
Peace Corps doesn’t give us substantial amounts of money…but for living in a developing country, I guess you could say we do pretty well. So I guess theoretically I could save money, maybe a few hundred dollars…but that doesn’t buy you much back home. And with that money here, I could do a lot, buy a lot, and go a lot of places. My three hour taxi ride from post to Cotonou (not sure how far that is in distance) costs me three dollars!
Yesterday I bought real butter! And I made cookies with it! Mmmm! They are sooooo good! And I bought bread just so that I could spread the butter on it to eat, plain. And then this afternoon, I made myself some scrambled eggs, yup, using the real butter, and it’s amazing to taste the yummy difference. However, the butter cost me nearly as much as a taxi ride to Cotonou!
I bought the dog a tennis ball yesterday. I stopped in at this little supermarket…think—one of those old fashioned shops the pioneers used to go to, kinda like a super mini Fred Meyer. I went to buy spaghetti noodles and tomato paste (to make lunch tomorrow for Ellen and Amber—my yovo friends!) And then as I look around to see what else they have, and what I may/could use, I see tennis balls! Weird! No one here plays tennis! I have never even seen a tennis court! Nor a racquet. But I thought that Marley may enjoy a tennis ball. And he did! At first he was confused as I bounced it. He saw it hit the ground and then looked around in puzzlement as he could not figure out where the ball had gone (as it bounced back up, and into my hand)! Hahahaha! I had a good laugh. And it took him a good few minutes to figure out that the thing bounces. And he’s pretty good about playing fetch. Though, I don’t think he purposefully brings it back to me. He just consequently likes to curl up and lay down on my feet. He is content so long as at least part of him, if not the majority of his body can cover my feet. Which would be cute and whatnot, were it not 85-90 degrees plus 100% humidity. THANK God for my fan. And my shower.
I have noticed that a number of large and disgusting, though sometimes cute, bugs make their way to the back area of my house. And then they get stuck. I have like an outdoor hallway between my bedroom and the kitchen or bathroom. I have found all sorts of things. My favorite has to be the preying manti. Did you know that they can change color? And their eyes are so cool. I find it hilarious how they look at you and put their arms up like they have a fighting chance against me if I somehow decide that would fight them. Ok, all that to say that usually, and I don’t know why, but a lot of these bugs, seem to be on their way to die. Yesterday as I was taking a shower I noticed a gi-normo moth. I ignore it. Usually they fly away. And then I had to wash a few things…which I do in the bathroom because there is a handy spicket there…and the moth had died right by the toilet. So what do I do? I put it in the toilet and try to flush the thing down. Bad idea, and I should have learned the first time (a while ago, there was a bg ugly cockroach that died near the bathroom and tried to flush him down) And in both cases (I should remember for the next time that…big ugly dead bugs float! And it’s nearly impossible to flush them down!
********(sorry if this next paragraph is long and confusing…basically, if you wanna skip it, go ahead, just know that 2 of MY students have made it to the second round of the English competition I am helping out with.)***********
So this English competition thing that I am doing…today I found out that 5 students from my CEG (middle/high school) have made it to the second round. They will compete with students from other, I guess, districts, to see who the three students from each grade level will make it to the third round. The first round…every school participating had 2 students from every grade level…a total of 14. The top, I dunno how many students from every school—their grades on the test were compared to everyone else in the district. So I think that there will be a total of 14 students representing our district of Lokossa…and they will compete against, 4 or 5 other districts. And five of our students made it! Including 2 of MINE! Yay! And one of them is one of my favortites: Urbain (aka “urban”, opposite of “rural”. People here are VERY creative in naming their kids sometimes.). He is such a little cutie. He is the class responsible (like a little teacher’s aide). And when I am teaching, he is always participating and if there are no students who know the answer, I can count on him to be sitting there patiently, with his hand raised before anyone else. And sometimes it’s funny cause I look at him and I tell him, “I know you know the answer, but I need to see if anyone else can get it, (plus, more than likely I have called on him 4-5 times already!) So I am VERY happy to see that he has made it to the 2nd round. I congratulated him today, and told him I would be at the 2nd round. And that he should study for it.
I have made tentative plans to travel to Mali this Christmas. I will be going to Dogon Country. And if possible, Timbuktu. And I really wanna go to Ghana.
I really [heart] my students. Today I went to school because the 6eme kids took their English test and I wanted to see if there were any errors on the test, and to take the tests home with me when they were done. And as I was waiting, some of the kids finished up and they came over to the teacher’s “pi-ote” aka where all the teachers hang out. And they were excited because they had finished their tests and asked me if this answer was correct and whatnot. And before I knew it a whole mob of them came up to me and the other teachers had to chase them away but they thought it was funny at the same time.
I’ll try to get some pictures of my class before the school year is up. But I am scared that if I take the camera to school, EVERYone will want me to take their picture and it could be, well, overwhelming. Hahaha, I can picture it now, and it makes me laugh.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
cooking and food
i have become quite a cooker. i have made things i don't think i would even dream of making back home...for example: creamed "spinach," "spinach" frittata, pad thai, mango cake, lentil burgers, spanish rice and refried beans, etc, etc...and i make things i had no idea i would have been able to make including all of the above and also cookies, tuna casserole, macaroni and cheese, salads... (PS, i put spinach in quotes because i don't actually use spinach, rather i use a little leaf called "fotaytay," and when i cook it, it comes out tasting like spinach! and it's cheap, cheap, cheap too.
mmmmm, now i am hungry. i think i think about food way too much. so i will end this now and search for some food/lunch.
(note...i think i will start taking pictures of the foods that i make/eat. it doesn't always turn out looking pretty, but it sure tastes yummy! PS another note, i can find peanut butter here, and for the most part it's pretty good. but a couple weekends ago, i was at Angelina's place and she had some JIF pb and i scooped out a chunk to taste...and i had forgotten how delicious it was. hahaha, thinking about it makes me kinda laugh!)
mmmmm, now i am hungry. i think i think about food way too much. so i will end this now and search for some food/lunch.
(note...i think i will start taking pictures of the foods that i make/eat. it doesn't always turn out looking pretty, but it sure tastes yummy! PS another note, i can find peanut butter here, and for the most part it's pretty good. but a couple weekends ago, i was at Angelina's place and she had some JIF pb and i scooped out a chunk to taste...and i had forgotten how delicious it was. hahaha, thinking about it makes me kinda laugh!)
BESA
Best English Student Awards. that is what i have been working on lately as a secondary project in addition to my main job teaching. and it's been more work than i thought, but also i feeel like it is going to be one of the most rewarding things i have done too. well, maybe not the most rewarding, but it will be up there. i was put in charge of writing the three tests for each grade level. it was a lot of work, and i had few other volunteers and i worked on them for hours! and there is still 2 more rounds of the test...but the prize giving ceremony will be sometime in April and i think that it will be fun. and my hard work will have paid off.
some pictures
a pretty old picture. when mom got
home from Peru last year. back when
i still looked cute. i miss looking
cute. getting my hair cut, eyebrows
waxed, wearing a jacket, and jeans...
marley trying to inch his way closer
to me as a try to get him
to "stay" while i take his picture
cutest baby i have seen in a while, and
he didn't cry when his mother passed him
off to me in the taxi!
we sat down for some yam pilé. delicious,
pounded yam...to the consistency of mashed
potatoes, served with wagashi cheese and a
peanut sauce. and in the background you can
kinda see the 4 ladies at work. pounding
the yams in a rather large mortar and pestal
kind of thing.
i may have already posted this picture, but
here it is again. this is our group for the
safari. and here we are, technically in
Burkina Faso. we just waded across the river...
a very shallow part of the river.
marley and dirk. dirk used to be my dog, and
his name was potter. but here they are,
napping together. so cute. i was babysitting
dirk for the first week i had marley, so as a
result, marley never cried/howled at night
because dirk was there for company.
Friday, March 20, 2009
I am writing this at home…so I don’t know what people know about what happened last week because I have not been on the internet for several days.
I can’t believe it’s been one week since we have lost an amazing person and heaven gained an angel. Kate was a 2nd year TEFL volunteer. She worked all four weeks of our stage/training. She helped me out a lot with teaching and planning lessons, helped me with my French (which was horrific) and she helped me through a difficult and sad time when my best friend decided to go home. She was just such a wonderful person! And my words do not give her enough justice as to what kind of person she was.
I have been informed that the Beninese and American governments are working together in their investigation over Kate’s death. We haven’t been told a whole lot of details because they “don’t want to compromise the investigation.” Which is fine. I just hope that we eventually find out what happened…maybe not all the details. What we do know is that she was murdered last Wednesday. (jeeze, that was hard to type). They have 3 suspects in custody…but they are just suspects and they have not released their names. But they do have some sort of ties to Peace Corps. Which really creeps me out. And that’s really all I know.
This past Monday there was a memorial service which was beautiful. A bunch of people gave their testimonies on Kate and there were a couple of songs sung. And there was also a slideshow with a bunch of pictures of Kate and other PCVs from her past 18 months here accompanied by a soundtrack put together by her friends. There was not a single dry eye in the place by the time the ceremony was done.
And then we all waited around for our turns to write in her guest book thingy. And that took a while because everyone had so much to say about her.
I’ve been doing better than I thought, but who knows…I have become a little more weary of people and I am a little more scared at night. Last night was the first night I let Marley sleep in the house. Usually he sleeps out on the patio. But I slept better with him indoors last night. Oh, and the first day back to school, this past Wednesday was the hardest. I almost started crying when I told my students why I was absent from school for the past week. I felt that they should know the general idea of my absence. I think that they appreciate that I am always on time and that I don’t skip out on class just because I don’t feel like being there. But Wednesday and yesterday were indeed very difficult for me.
In other news, I bought a new mattress yesterday. It’s a lot better quality than the one I bought back in December. And I ended up buying my mattress (for a little more than I wanted to spend) but from my friend who owns the “africrap” store in town. And as we were chatting, she points to the corner, and on the floor is a little baby sleeping inside a mosquito tent net thingy…and she tells me that is “Michelle.” I am not certain, and a little too humble to ask whether or not the baby was named after me! Although I do remember Christine telling me she was going to name her next baby Michelle. But I had no idea she was pregnant! I just thought she was a bigger lady…like her mom. But she had the baby back in December. Little Michelle Jesus-est-la (Jesus is here/there(not sure which one)) is super cute.
And speaking of cute babies. On the taxi ride back to post on Tuesday, I was sitting in the back, back row of a “9 seater” car. Matt, Nathaniel and I were squished like sardines, but luckily Matt got out way before Nathaniel and I so we had a little more room. And because we are in the way back, back…the taxi driver usually doesn’t fill it back up once leaves it. So it was quite roomy. And there was a little baby in the car, who was the cutest thing I have seen in a while. And the mother passed him back to me. And the little tyke didn’t cry at all! And after a while of talking with the little guy and interacting with him he started babbling. It was soooooo cute.
And before I forget. There are about 100 volunteers in country right now. And just about everyone made it to the memorial service, maybe all but 5 or 6. So there was definitely not enough room at the bureau for us, and they have cut out our hotel room money, so we were told that there were American families (probably all Embassy workers) who opened up their doors to us volunteers. I stayed at Stephanie’s house with three other girls (one of whom is returning home as a result of this tragic incident). Stephanie was a volunteer in Ghana a while ago. She made us Mexi food. Tacos! With real taco shells!!! There was everything expect Spanish rice and sour cream!! It was sooooooooooooo good. And it was nice to be in a beautiful house with a big yard, air conditioning, a hot shower and access to breakfast food in the morning. I mixed 3 kinds of cereal together and used more milk than I really needed but it was good. And I had a cup of REAL coffee! And probably the best part was playing with the little girl. She was 3 years old and sooooooo excited that there were 4 volunteers to play with. We had a blast chatting with her and singing songs. We even taught her the hokey pokey. It was so much fun hanging out with a 3 year old American little girl. The kids here are cute and everything, but they don’t interact with adults in the same way. In fact they behave completely different and it’s hard to describe. But I will never forget little K-Kelly!
And we ate ice cream before dinner. Amazing.
Xoxo, and please keep Kate and her family in your thoughts and prayers!
Michelle
I can’t believe it’s been one week since we have lost an amazing person and heaven gained an angel. Kate was a 2nd year TEFL volunteer. She worked all four weeks of our stage/training. She helped me out a lot with teaching and planning lessons, helped me with my French (which was horrific) and she helped me through a difficult and sad time when my best friend decided to go home. She was just such a wonderful person! And my words do not give her enough justice as to what kind of person she was.
I have been informed that the Beninese and American governments are working together in their investigation over Kate’s death. We haven’t been told a whole lot of details because they “don’t want to compromise the investigation.” Which is fine. I just hope that we eventually find out what happened…maybe not all the details. What we do know is that she was murdered last Wednesday. (jeeze, that was hard to type). They have 3 suspects in custody…but they are just suspects and they have not released their names. But they do have some sort of ties to Peace Corps. Which really creeps me out. And that’s really all I know.
This past Monday there was a memorial service which was beautiful. A bunch of people gave their testimonies on Kate and there were a couple of songs sung. And there was also a slideshow with a bunch of pictures of Kate and other PCVs from her past 18 months here accompanied by a soundtrack put together by her friends. There was not a single dry eye in the place by the time the ceremony was done.
And then we all waited around for our turns to write in her guest book thingy. And that took a while because everyone had so much to say about her.
I’ve been doing better than I thought, but who knows…I have become a little more weary of people and I am a little more scared at night. Last night was the first night I let Marley sleep in the house. Usually he sleeps out on the patio. But I slept better with him indoors last night. Oh, and the first day back to school, this past Wednesday was the hardest. I almost started crying when I told my students why I was absent from school for the past week. I felt that they should know the general idea of my absence. I think that they appreciate that I am always on time and that I don’t skip out on class just because I don’t feel like being there. But Wednesday and yesterday were indeed very difficult for me.
In other news, I bought a new mattress yesterday. It’s a lot better quality than the one I bought back in December. And I ended up buying my mattress (for a little more than I wanted to spend) but from my friend who owns the “africrap” store in town. And as we were chatting, she points to the corner, and on the floor is a little baby sleeping inside a mosquito tent net thingy…and she tells me that is “Michelle.” I am not certain, and a little too humble to ask whether or not the baby was named after me! Although I do remember Christine telling me she was going to name her next baby Michelle. But I had no idea she was pregnant! I just thought she was a bigger lady…like her mom. But she had the baby back in December. Little Michelle Jesus-est-la (Jesus is here/there(not sure which one)) is super cute.
And speaking of cute babies. On the taxi ride back to post on Tuesday, I was sitting in the back, back row of a “9 seater” car. Matt, Nathaniel and I were squished like sardines, but luckily Matt got out way before Nathaniel and I so we had a little more room. And because we are in the way back, back…the taxi driver usually doesn’t fill it back up once leaves it. So it was quite roomy. And there was a little baby in the car, who was the cutest thing I have seen in a while. And the mother passed him back to me. And the little tyke didn’t cry at all! And after a while of talking with the little guy and interacting with him he started babbling. It was soooooo cute.
And before I forget. There are about 100 volunteers in country right now. And just about everyone made it to the memorial service, maybe all but 5 or 6. So there was definitely not enough room at the bureau for us, and they have cut out our hotel room money, so we were told that there were American families (probably all Embassy workers) who opened up their doors to us volunteers. I stayed at Stephanie’s house with three other girls (one of whom is returning home as a result of this tragic incident). Stephanie was a volunteer in Ghana a while ago. She made us Mexi food. Tacos! With real taco shells!!! There was everything expect Spanish rice and sour cream!! It was sooooooooooooo good. And it was nice to be in a beautiful house with a big yard, air conditioning, a hot shower and access to breakfast food in the morning. I mixed 3 kinds of cereal together and used more milk than I really needed but it was good. And I had a cup of REAL coffee! And probably the best part was playing with the little girl. She was 3 years old and sooooooo excited that there were 4 volunteers to play with. We had a blast chatting with her and singing songs. We even taught her the hokey pokey. It was so much fun hanging out with a 3 year old American little girl. The kids here are cute and everything, but they don’t interact with adults in the same way. In fact they behave completely different and it’s hard to describe. But I will never forget little K-Kelly!
And we ate ice cream before dinner. Amazing.
Xoxo, and please keep Kate and her family in your thoughts and prayers!
Michelle
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Once again it’s been a while since I have taken the time to write on my blog. Maybe it’s because I am used to life here and don’t find everything quite so shocking. So maybe that is a good thing, but bad for any one of you two people who actually read this.
We wrapped up our first semester just a couple of weeks ago. That means I am on the home stretch of this school year, and I can’t believe it. And really there is only like 7 or so weeks left of actual teaching left. That is because we have two devoirs (exams) left and each one takes a week. The first is two weeks away. The other is at the end of May. And we have like 2 weeks of break for Easter.
I wrote to Melissa yesterday and it was an interesting topic that I wrote her. She told me that nothing new happened and that everyday she does the same thing. To that I replied that I too do the same thing everyday. Probably not what she wanted to hear, but I think it’s just that. Everyone gets caught up in their lives that they lose perspective. For example, I could write novels on the weather alone. But, for the most part, I think I have stopped complaining, lol. Perhaps I have become desensitized to everyday life here. Don’t get me wrong, here and there, there are a bunch of things where I pause, and go “HUH??”
Anyways, when I get home I am contemplating giving up driving for riding a motorcycle. I know that the weather is not always optimal for a motorcycle, but perhaps I could get one and do what dad does and take it out on the nice days. I think I am just spoiled by getting to ride around on a motorcycle just about everyday. It’s sooooo much fun. Probably one of my favorite things about being in this country. And it’s funny too…in a lot of ways…because people use motorcycles here like you have no idea. First, the majority of people do not wear helmets. Bad idea considering the conditions of the road and how people drive…although I can’t remember if WA has a helmet law. I know that not all states require one. But I am leaning towards a yes for WA. And did you know that three people can fit on a motorcycle? It’s a little squishy, but ça-va. And I have even seen up to 4 or 5 people on one. Granted that would be a little child in front of the driver, the driver, the wife/mother of kids, a child between them, and/or perhaps a baby strapped on the mother’s back via pagne (aka a 2 meter piece of cloth that is the equivalent to the complete opposite of the bra when holding a baby). But I’m sure that I saw 5 people on one only once. 4 is usually the max. It’s kinda cute actually. Instead of the 4 door family sedan or station wagon, it’s the family moto.
Riding around on motos. I feel like such a yovo though, when we’re riding somewhere and the road gets a little bumpy and I have to reach down and hold onto the seat or the little bar thing on the back. The Beninese, man, I rarely see them doing that. I try to keep at least one arm free at all times in case I have to do the grab. But the Beninese, wow, they do not. I see them carrying all kinds of stuff. Chickens, big basins on top of their heads, etc, etc. they have such nice posture too. I hope that I can one day confidently and successfully ride a motorcycle without having to do the grab.
Back when we got training on how to ride on a zem…I remember Lizzy telling us it’s NOT okay to grab the zem. Do not grab around his waist. And I thought it was so awkward and uncomfortable to have to sit so intimately close to someone on such a little seat…it’s like the extreme opposite of the American personal bubble space…you know the one I am talking about. But now, I look forward to zemming. And the personal bubble space—on a zem…that doesn’t apply. And now, I wouldn’t dare hold someone around the waist while riding around. THAT would be awkward, for sure. So now I wonder, mostly because I can’t remember, do people riding on the backs of motorcycles back home grab the driver by the waist?
I look forward to sleeping on a comfortable bed in air conditioning tonight in our new bureau. Here’s to being cold tonight.
PS
I hate beeps. “Beeping” is what someone does when they want to talk to you. But most likely they do not have any credit on their phone. Pretty much everyone does the pay-as-you-go thing because I don’t even know if they have phone contracts…like back home. So anyways, beeping is extremely obnoxious. And I wish they wouldn’t. If you wanna talk to me, find the francs, or find me in town. Well, how about just finding the francs cause I hate it when people just show up. That’s probably another one of my biggest pet peeves. Pretty much anyone in the neighborhood knows where I live. And if they don’t they can just ask around and someone will tell them. I have let only a handful of Beninese people within my fortress, but not in the actual house….I have a little “terrace” in front of the living room. So people I don’t want coming in, but I don’t want to stand in the street with are allowed onto the terrace.
So that’s it for now. Not sure when the next post will be.
We wrapped up our first semester just a couple of weeks ago. That means I am on the home stretch of this school year, and I can’t believe it. And really there is only like 7 or so weeks left of actual teaching left. That is because we have two devoirs (exams) left and each one takes a week. The first is two weeks away. The other is at the end of May. And we have like 2 weeks of break for Easter.
I wrote to Melissa yesterday and it was an interesting topic that I wrote her. She told me that nothing new happened and that everyday she does the same thing. To that I replied that I too do the same thing everyday. Probably not what she wanted to hear, but I think it’s just that. Everyone gets caught up in their lives that they lose perspective. For example, I could write novels on the weather alone. But, for the most part, I think I have stopped complaining, lol. Perhaps I have become desensitized to everyday life here. Don’t get me wrong, here and there, there are a bunch of things where I pause, and go “HUH??”
Anyways, when I get home I am contemplating giving up driving for riding a motorcycle. I know that the weather is not always optimal for a motorcycle, but perhaps I could get one and do what dad does and take it out on the nice days. I think I am just spoiled by getting to ride around on a motorcycle just about everyday. It’s sooooo much fun. Probably one of my favorite things about being in this country. And it’s funny too…in a lot of ways…because people use motorcycles here like you have no idea. First, the majority of people do not wear helmets. Bad idea considering the conditions of the road and how people drive…although I can’t remember if WA has a helmet law. I know that not all states require one. But I am leaning towards a yes for WA. And did you know that three people can fit on a motorcycle? It’s a little squishy, but ça-va. And I have even seen up to 4 or 5 people on one. Granted that would be a little child in front of the driver, the driver, the wife/mother of kids, a child between them, and/or perhaps a baby strapped on the mother’s back via pagne (aka a 2 meter piece of cloth that is the equivalent to the complete opposite of the bra when holding a baby). But I’m sure that I saw 5 people on one only once. 4 is usually the max. It’s kinda cute actually. Instead of the 4 door family sedan or station wagon, it’s the family moto.
Riding around on motos. I feel like such a yovo though, when we’re riding somewhere and the road gets a little bumpy and I have to reach down and hold onto the seat or the little bar thing on the back. The Beninese, man, I rarely see them doing that. I try to keep at least one arm free at all times in case I have to do the grab. But the Beninese, wow, they do not. I see them carrying all kinds of stuff. Chickens, big basins on top of their heads, etc, etc. they have such nice posture too. I hope that I can one day confidently and successfully ride a motorcycle without having to do the grab.
Back when we got training on how to ride on a zem…I remember Lizzy telling us it’s NOT okay to grab the zem. Do not grab around his waist. And I thought it was so awkward and uncomfortable to have to sit so intimately close to someone on such a little seat…it’s like the extreme opposite of the American personal bubble space…you know the one I am talking about. But now, I look forward to zemming. And the personal bubble space—on a zem…that doesn’t apply. And now, I wouldn’t dare hold someone around the waist while riding around. THAT would be awkward, for sure. So now I wonder, mostly because I can’t remember, do people riding on the backs of motorcycles back home grab the driver by the waist?
I look forward to sleeping on a comfortable bed in air conditioning tonight in our new bureau. Here’s to being cold tonight.
PS
I hate beeps. “Beeping” is what someone does when they want to talk to you. But most likely they do not have any credit on their phone. Pretty much everyone does the pay-as-you-go thing because I don’t even know if they have phone contracts…like back home. So anyways, beeping is extremely obnoxious. And I wish they wouldn’t. If you wanna talk to me, find the francs, or find me in town. Well, how about just finding the francs cause I hate it when people just show up. That’s probably another one of my biggest pet peeves. Pretty much anyone in the neighborhood knows where I live. And if they don’t they can just ask around and someone will tell them. I have let only a handful of Beninese people within my fortress, but not in the actual house….I have a little “terrace” in front of the living room. So people I don’t want coming in, but I don’t want to stand in the street with are allowed onto the terrace.
So that’s it for now. Not sure when the next post will be.
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