i hope that everyone had a very good christmas, that Santa Claus was gentil avec vous and that y'all had a enjoyable New Years; mine always tend to be somewhat of a letdown =(
i just got into the bureau this afternoon. i was on a 10ish day trip up north to the countries of Burkina Faso and Mali. I went on a 4 day trek/hike to Dogon Country in Mali. It was awesome. there really is no way to fully describe it all. it was a lot of walking...in sand, under the hoooooooooooooooooooot, hot sun, climbing rocks where just feet away was a 300-500 foot drop off, getting really thristy, riding on ox or horse carts, sleeping under the stars--watching the moon, Orion's belt and the big dipper move across the sky and in the morning watching the suns rays puch away the darkness, FREEEZING cold at night, not understanding the culture or language (VERY frustrating!), watching the sun set over the plateau, getting cankles after traveling in uncomfortable mini-vans (aka tro-tros) where they manage to fit 16-20 people inside, not sweating--it just evaporated!, getting reaaaaaaaaaallllllly dirty just because it was inevitable, all that and soooooooooooo much more.
we used just one camera for the trek so as to save room in our bags. i must wait for the pics to be uploaded onto a computer so i can upload them...and in the meantime you will have to wait and wonder what this so called Dogon Country place looks like.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Friday, November 27, 2009
happy thanksgiving!
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!
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!
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?
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