Seasons greetings from your favorite Filipino-German in Benin (actually, I’m probably the only Filipino-German in Benin, at least until my schwester comes to visit, and even then, I’ll probably still be your favorite hehe). I’m not as depressed as I thought I would be around the holiday season, but that’s probably because it doesn’t really feel like Christmas time to me. No snow, no overcrowded malls, no hideous reindeer displays, no jolly old men dressed up in Santa costumes. I don’t think any of that is going to appear overnight in Benin, but I don’t mind since I’m really looking forward to spending the holidays with some of the other volunteers.
I think this is where I’m supposed to have some revelation about the true meaning of Christmas, but instead of boring you with that, I’ll bore you with what I’ve been up to these past few weeks.
I finally started doing some work! As much as I’ve enjoyed doing nothing for the past few weeks, it feels good to actually do something meaningful. I think I was a little discouraged about my work situation this month because the President and VP of the artisans (my work partners) were really helpful in the beginning, but haven’t been so helpful recently. It took me a while to realize that I’m going to have to take much more initiative in getting projects and classes started. I don’t mind the complete flexibility in making my work schedule, but I’m realizing more and more that I like things a bit more structured.
There is also such a different meaning of “time” and “work” here that it’s kind of hard getting into a schedule. If I don’t happen to do something today, then I can always do it tomorrow, and there isn’t any consequence in waiting a day or a week or a month to start something. I guess the only consequence is the guilt I would feel not doing anything, which does weigh pretty heavily.
Anyway, so I had my first computer lesson this past week with 6 artisans. I feel really lucky to even have a classroom of computers available for me to teach with. The classroom is a part of my town’s technical school (where apprentices go for class a few times a week). Normally, the computers are reserved for students and faculty only, but the director of the school was nice enough to let me use the classroom for a few hours a week. The class was supposed to start at 5pm, but seeing as Benin is in Africa, and it follows “Africa time,” people didn’t show up until 5:45.
And this isn’t the first time that time has been an issue. Last month the VP told me he was going to pick me up to go to a meeting at 8am, but didn’t actually arrive until 10 or so, no big deal. I’m going to have to be stricter about the class really starting on time, but then again, what if I’m not? Is someone going to die? Is the world going to end? The answer is no.
Becoming more relaxed in my punctuality-ness is my first step to being “bien integré” or well integrated in my community and the Beninese lifestyle. The phrase is often used among volunteers to describe other volunteers who are really into Beninese culture. They eat a lot of pâte, wear tissue clothing all the time, date or even marry a Beninese person, and even join secret voodoo societies.
Anyhoo, the class went well, but it was a little shocking to realize how little is known about computers. I mean, in the States kids seem to know how to use a computer before they’re even eating solid foods. It’s just something that we’ve grown up with as a normal part of our everyday lives. There are obviously people here who know how to use computers and surf the internet, but what I experienced in my class gave me one of those “reality check” moments that I’ve had almost daily since I’ve been here. A lot of what I did the first class was teach people how to hold a mouse, explaining the difference between a left-click and a right-click, and other basic computer functions that seem like second nature to you and me. I don’t think people here are stupid; they’re not, but certain aspects of life and the things that are important to know here are just so different than what’s needed to get by in the States. For example, I may know how to use a computer, but ask me to kill a chicken, build a table, or pick out a good yam from a bad yam, and I’ll just give you a blank stare and an awkward “I have no idea what’s going on” smile.
Besides the computer class, I’ve continued helping with the English club at the local high school. I am also continuing my French lessons, but have added some Nagot (a main local language) to the session as well. Nagot is a really hard language to learn for a couple reasons: 1. It’s a tonal language so slight differences in intonation make a world of difference. I have this fear that I’ll end up saying something like “Yes, I will marry your son” when I really mean, “Yes, I would like 3 bananas” all because of an incorrectly inflected “A” or something. 2. I’m learning Nagot through French which means I have to go from English to French to Nagot and back again for anything to make sense. Oh well, I guess I’ll learn. On a good note, I am excited to say things like “baba baba” (grandfather) and “oooooh” (a response for things like good morning and good job).
I’m not planning on becoming fluent in Nagot, but I do want to be able to saluer (greet) people and buy things in the marché from the women who don’t speak French. Plus, people get really excited when they hear the town whitey say something in Nagot, and it makes me happy to put in that effort to learn something so culturally important to the people in my town. The other night I even got a round of applause from all the neighbor kids because I said “good night” in Nagot. I think I was having kind of a bad day too, but it’s funny how something small like that can just make everything better.
Speaking of the neighbor kids, we’ve been hanging out a lot this past week. Some of you know that the word “affectionate” isn’t the word used to describe my feelings towards children, but I actually like the ones that live by me. They’re really friendly and helpful and when I come home with a bunch of stuff in my hands they always take it from me and bring it upstairs to my apartment. I still get the occasional “yovo” or “oweebo” (white person or foreigner in local language) yell from them, but I hope to be able to teach them to say something like “foxy lady” or even just my name. I think I’ll probably go for “foxy lady” because I think it would be hilarious to have all the little kids yell that when they see me.
All the kids are very curious about what I’m doing and will knock on my door a lot just to get a peek inside my house. Also, I normally burn my trash in this metal bucket once a week and whenever I do that, they all come out and watch me. All I’m doing is poking a bucket of burning trash, but for some reason this is highly entertaining for these kids. I don’t think I’ve talked about what I do with my trash here, but I guess now is as good a time as any. Trash collectors don’t really exist here. Most people either burn their trash or just throw it on the street. I toss all my food scraps out of my kitchen window (since I’m on the second floor it just lands in this trash pile on the side of my house where goats and pigs will eat it). All my paper and plastic trash gets tossed into a bucket where I douse it with kerosene and light a match. Interesting, right?
So after burning my trash the other night I bring out some crayons and a coloring book for all the kids and they start clapping and screaming. Then one of them asks me if I can get my camera to take pictures of them. Since I was in a good mood, I said yes and brought my camera outside. I took a few pictures and showed them on the digital camera screen and they start flipping out. I mean not just jumping around, but going crazy like it’s the coolest thing they’ve ever seen. I’m not even gonna go into how amazed they were when I tried to explain the self-timer button. While I would like to say that I’ll post the pictures, I would only be lying. I’ve tried, but it just takes too long to load even one picture, so if anyone back in the good ol’ US of A would like to be responsible for loading some of my pictures on a website, please let me know and I’ll get you a CD of my pictures.
Hmm…what else did I do this week? Well, I fixed my bike (all by myself), ate lot of papaya (the VP of the artisans gave me 4 huge papayas. Thank goodness my postmate likes them or I would be a little nervous about eating so much that I would actually turning into a papaya), and met some Canadians (there are 7 or 8 of them in my town until the end of January. I think most of them are just out of high school, but their supervisor is a little older and it’s nice to speak English with them and share experiences).
I also went and got yam pilé with one of my neighbors for dinner one night. I originally thought we were going to eat dinner with his family at home, but thanks to cross-cultural miscommunication, it meant that we were going out to get yam pilé alone. He’s older and the director of one of the local high schools, but I never got the “creepy man” vibe from him so I decided to go. I had a good time, but I definitely thought more about how strange and different my life has become in a matter of months…all from getting on a plane. I mean, there I was eating yam pilé with my Beninese neighbor speaking in French. So weird. I guess it was just one of those “Holy bologna *, I’m in Africa” moments.
* I don’t think I’ve ever actually mouthed the words “holy bologna” in my entire life. I’m not sure why I wrote that. It’s probably because the word “bologna” is normally replaced by something more vulgar than a highly processed lunch meat, but not really appropriate to post on my blog.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
I'm still alive although I haven't written in a while
Next week will I’ll celebrate my 4 month anniversary in Benin and my 2 month anniversary at post! Looking back, time has gone by pretty fast, but I try not to look too far into the future because it’s pretty terrifying to think I have 22 months to go. Luckily, I love my town and I have a great postmate so my time in Benin shouldn’t be too miserable (aside from missing family and friends, mosquito bites, inevitable stomach issues, and the constant feeling of being “the smelly kid” in class).
I still haven’t started teaching any business or computer classes yet, but I have helped out with an English Club at the local high school which is called “college” here. I’m really looking forward to doing that each week because the kids seem really enthusiastic and eager to learn. In terms of my actual work, things are moving very slowly. I’m the first business volunteer in my town so there is a lot more prep-work to be done than for another volunteer who is replacing someone. I’ve met with a lot of the artisans, but the only thing we need to do now is figure out some sort of schedule of classes. No one seems to be in any rush here, which is both good and bad, I guess. I thought I would have trouble adjusting to the slower pace of life after being in NY for 4 years, but honestly, I’m doing just fine. I enjoy making my own schedule, I love love love repos (3 hour midday break), and I have a lot of “me” time to explore my town, read, draw, watch movies, write letters, and make peanut butter. Yep, I made peanut butter. I spent an embarrassingly large part of my day making it, but it was fun. Once I start teaching classes I’ll have a more “set” schedule, but for now, I’m just simply taking pleasure in the less stressful atmosphere.
Another obstacle to starting classes was that I had a PC meeting in Natitingou (a large city in the north) last week. It was with all of the other SED (Small Enterprise Development) volunteers who I was with during my 9 weeks of training. It was really nice to see everyone because I hadn’t seen any of them for about a month and a half since we got to post. I loved hearing about everyone’s experiences and realizing that work stuff is moving just as slowly for them. It was also a good venting session for everyone to talk about their problems with their towns, the artisans, or language/cultural issues. I was also happy that the meeting was up north because I haven’t been to that part of the country yet. For as small as Benin is, there are actually a lot of differences between the northern and southern parts of the country. The north is much more mountainous than the south, but not as green, and since less people live in the north, it gives off a more relaxed atmosphere.
This past week has been pretty uneventful, but I guess I can describe my “typical” day so you have a better idea of what exactly I’m doing with all my time Benin. I usually wake up at 6:45 or so and go for a run or do yoga (it’s too hot to work out at any other time of the day). After that, I shower and eat breakfast (bread, oatmeal, or leftovers from the night before). Sometimes I’ll do some laundry in the morning so I can leave it out to dry for the day, though it normally takes only a few hours for stuff to dry when it’s really hot. On Wednesdays my postmate and I work with a French tutor from 10-12 and then I help out with the English Club from 3-5. On other days I do work stuff or enjoy “me” time. “Me” time will lessen once I start classes (which will probably be in the morning at around 10 or in the afternoon at 3 or so). During repos from 12-3 I make lunch or go to a local “restaurant” (the lady who sells beans or rice on the side of the road) and then I take a nap or read for a bit. Sometimes I’ll wander around in the afternoon or buy things to make dinner. You usually have to buy things like tomatoes, onions, and fruits every other day because they go bad really quickly if they’re not in a fridge. I actually have a mini-fridge (all my furniture is from an old volunteer), but I never really use it. I try not to use a lot of electricity, plus I don’t mind going out to buy things every day because it gives me something to do. After I make dinner (which usually takes a while because I don’t know what I’m doing), I read some more or write letters. It gets dark here at around 7, so I don’t go out after that. I think I normally fall asleep by 10:30 or so. Exciting, huh?
While there are obviously a lot of differences between the way people live here and the way people live in the States, I like to think it’s not too different. I mean, each day I wake up and each day I fall asleep, just like I would at home. It’s just the things I do in between that make it interesting =)
I still haven’t started teaching any business or computer classes yet, but I have helped out with an English Club at the local high school which is called “college” here. I’m really looking forward to doing that each week because the kids seem really enthusiastic and eager to learn. In terms of my actual work, things are moving very slowly. I’m the first business volunteer in my town so there is a lot more prep-work to be done than for another volunteer who is replacing someone. I’ve met with a lot of the artisans, but the only thing we need to do now is figure out some sort of schedule of classes. No one seems to be in any rush here, which is both good and bad, I guess. I thought I would have trouble adjusting to the slower pace of life after being in NY for 4 years, but honestly, I’m doing just fine. I enjoy making my own schedule, I love love love repos (3 hour midday break), and I have a lot of “me” time to explore my town, read, draw, watch movies, write letters, and make peanut butter. Yep, I made peanut butter. I spent an embarrassingly large part of my day making it, but it was fun. Once I start teaching classes I’ll have a more “set” schedule, but for now, I’m just simply taking pleasure in the less stressful atmosphere.
Another obstacle to starting classes was that I had a PC meeting in Natitingou (a large city in the north) last week. It was with all of the other SED (Small Enterprise Development) volunteers who I was with during my 9 weeks of training. It was really nice to see everyone because I hadn’t seen any of them for about a month and a half since we got to post. I loved hearing about everyone’s experiences and realizing that work stuff is moving just as slowly for them. It was also a good venting session for everyone to talk about their problems with their towns, the artisans, or language/cultural issues. I was also happy that the meeting was up north because I haven’t been to that part of the country yet. For as small as Benin is, there are actually a lot of differences between the northern and southern parts of the country. The north is much more mountainous than the south, but not as green, and since less people live in the north, it gives off a more relaxed atmosphere.
This past week has been pretty uneventful, but I guess I can describe my “typical” day so you have a better idea of what exactly I’m doing with all my time Benin. I usually wake up at 6:45 or so and go for a run or do yoga (it’s too hot to work out at any other time of the day). After that, I shower and eat breakfast (bread, oatmeal, or leftovers from the night before). Sometimes I’ll do some laundry in the morning so I can leave it out to dry for the day, though it normally takes only a few hours for stuff to dry when it’s really hot. On Wednesdays my postmate and I work with a French tutor from 10-12 and then I help out with the English Club from 3-5. On other days I do work stuff or enjoy “me” time. “Me” time will lessen once I start classes (which will probably be in the morning at around 10 or in the afternoon at 3 or so). During repos from 12-3 I make lunch or go to a local “restaurant” (the lady who sells beans or rice on the side of the road) and then I take a nap or read for a bit. Sometimes I’ll wander around in the afternoon or buy things to make dinner. You usually have to buy things like tomatoes, onions, and fruits every other day because they go bad really quickly if they’re not in a fridge. I actually have a mini-fridge (all my furniture is from an old volunteer), but I never really use it. I try not to use a lot of electricity, plus I don’t mind going out to buy things every day because it gives me something to do. After I make dinner (which usually takes a while because I don’t know what I’m doing), I read some more or write letters. It gets dark here at around 7, so I don’t go out after that. I think I normally fall asleep by 10:30 or so. Exciting, huh?
While there are obviously a lot of differences between the way people live here and the way people live in the States, I like to think it’s not too different. I mean, each day I wake up and each day I fall asleep, just like I would at home. It’s just the things I do in between that make it interesting =)
Saturday, October 13, 2007
3 weeks
Almost three weeks have gone by since I got to post, and I can honestly say that not much has changed from the first week, except for the fact that I know my way around town a little better. My house still isn’t finished (my proprietor said it would be done this week, but that really means next week or never), but I guess it’s not really that big a deal. I’m just bummed because I feel like I’m in this sort of limbo between the idea that this is home for the next 2 years and the reality that this is home for the next 2 years…if that makes any sense at all.
I also just can’t wait to decorate and use my pastel pink toilet and sink.
Anyway, my postmate and I have walked around a lot together and that has lead to some encounters with some interesting people. Most of the time people just want to know what we’re doing here, but sometimes we get the pleasure of dealing with the folks who want us to bring them back to the States. I haven’t thought of a great comeback yet, but I’m thinking I’ll say something along the lines of, “Well, you can come back to America with me, but men there cook, do laundry, and take care of the kids.” Since these fun tasks belong to only women here, maybe they’ll think twice about wanting to relocate. Also, I was walking down the street the other day when a man held his baby up to me and said (jokingly?) something about bringing her back to the States. Maybe I should have just grabbed the baby and walked away to see what he would have done.
The two things I do love about exploring my town are discovering new food places and coming across the town crazies or “fous” en francais (they usually just yell things and are often missing some major article of clothing, like pants). I also love having my regular bread, fruit, chicken, and cheese ladies that I always go to for, well, bread, fruit, chicken, and cheese. It kind of reminds me of some of the regular food places I had back in NY: Rabin Raj for egg and cheese sandwiches, Mamoun’s for falafels, and Grey’s for hot dogs. Sigh. Close enough right? Oh, and don’t get too excited for me that I found cheese in my town. When I say cheese, I really mean a mixture between mozzarella and ricotta that doesn’t taste like either of those. I’m not sure how to explain it, but it’s white and round and doesn’t melt. I think the whole point of cheese is for it to melt, but I’ll take it because it’s the closest thing to cheese for more than an hour away by bush taxi.
Also, during my nine weeks of training, I only ate yam pile (my favorite Beninese dish) twice, but during my three weeks at post, I’ve probably had it 5 or 6 times. My postmate and I went to check out this yam pile place last week and we were deciding what type of meat to get. Our choices were fish, goat, and ‘agouti.’ I went with the goat, but my postmate got the ‘agouti’ even though she wasn’t quite sure what it was. She pointed to a picture of this rabbit on the wall and asked the woman who works there if ‘agouti’ was similar to rabbit. The woman said, “Yea.” Well, my friends, we later found out that ‘agouti’ means bush rat. It really isn’t as bad as it sounds (I tried a little bit), but I’ll probably stick to goat or chicken.
In other news, I finally named my cat after just calling her “cat” for 2 weeks. Her name is Magnolia. I’m not sure if I was really craving a cupcake when I thought of that name or if it was just too perfect for me to name her that, but there it is. You may or may not be judging my mental stability at this point (I don’t blame you since I did name my cat after a bakery), but I can assure you that my malaria medicine (the one that gives vivid dreams and hallucinations) has not made me crazy (yet).
Speaking of baked goods. I made my first cake in Benin! Yes, my initial fear that I wouldn’t be able to bake for 2 years is long gone. I made a pineapple upside down cake for my birthday party last week. I was a little nervous because 1. I’ve never even made a pineapple upside down cake in the States and 2. There are no such things as real ovens in PC houses and you have to construct a Dutch Oven with a big pot, old tomato paste cans, and a baking pan. Anyhoo, it turned out really well! Long live Martha.
My birthday party was a lot of fun. I went to a nearby town to visit some friends on my actual birthday, but we had a little shindig in our town the weekend after. My wonderful postmate hosted the party since I’m kind of homeless at the moment. We made a bunch of food and some sangria (made from boxed wine and mixed in a bucket…a classy bunch we are), and surprisingly, everything turned out really well! I was just so happy to be celebrating birthday #22 with a great group of people. I woke up on my actual birthday feeling pretty indifferent towards the whole day, which for me is not at all normal. Luckily, I was lifted out of my slump and ended up having a great week =)
I also just can’t wait to decorate and use my pastel pink toilet and sink.
Anyway, my postmate and I have walked around a lot together and that has lead to some encounters with some interesting people. Most of the time people just want to know what we’re doing here, but sometimes we get the pleasure of dealing with the folks who want us to bring them back to the States. I haven’t thought of a great comeback yet, but I’m thinking I’ll say something along the lines of, “Well, you can come back to America with me, but men there cook, do laundry, and take care of the kids.” Since these fun tasks belong to only women here, maybe they’ll think twice about wanting to relocate. Also, I was walking down the street the other day when a man held his baby up to me and said (jokingly?) something about bringing her back to the States. Maybe I should have just grabbed the baby and walked away to see what he would have done.
The two things I do love about exploring my town are discovering new food places and coming across the town crazies or “fous” en francais (they usually just yell things and are often missing some major article of clothing, like pants). I also love having my regular bread, fruit, chicken, and cheese ladies that I always go to for, well, bread, fruit, chicken, and cheese. It kind of reminds me of some of the regular food places I had back in NY: Rabin Raj for egg and cheese sandwiches, Mamoun’s for falafels, and Grey’s for hot dogs. Sigh. Close enough right? Oh, and don’t get too excited for me that I found cheese in my town. When I say cheese, I really mean a mixture between mozzarella and ricotta that doesn’t taste like either of those. I’m not sure how to explain it, but it’s white and round and doesn’t melt. I think the whole point of cheese is for it to melt, but I’ll take it because it’s the closest thing to cheese for more than an hour away by bush taxi.
Also, during my nine weeks of training, I only ate yam pile (my favorite Beninese dish) twice, but during my three weeks at post, I’ve probably had it 5 or 6 times. My postmate and I went to check out this yam pile place last week and we were deciding what type of meat to get. Our choices were fish, goat, and ‘agouti.’ I went with the goat, but my postmate got the ‘agouti’ even though she wasn’t quite sure what it was. She pointed to a picture of this rabbit on the wall and asked the woman who works there if ‘agouti’ was similar to rabbit. The woman said, “Yea.” Well, my friends, we later found out that ‘agouti’ means bush rat. It really isn’t as bad as it sounds (I tried a little bit), but I’ll probably stick to goat or chicken.
In other news, I finally named my cat after just calling her “cat” for 2 weeks. Her name is Magnolia. I’m not sure if I was really craving a cupcake when I thought of that name or if it was just too perfect for me to name her that, but there it is. You may or may not be judging my mental stability at this point (I don’t blame you since I did name my cat after a bakery), but I can assure you that my malaria medicine (the one that gives vivid dreams and hallucinations) has not made me crazy (yet).
Speaking of baked goods. I made my first cake in Benin! Yes, my initial fear that I wouldn’t be able to bake for 2 years is long gone. I made a pineapple upside down cake for my birthday party last week. I was a little nervous because 1. I’ve never even made a pineapple upside down cake in the States and 2. There are no such things as real ovens in PC houses and you have to construct a Dutch Oven with a big pot, old tomato paste cans, and a baking pan. Anyhoo, it turned out really well! Long live Martha.
My birthday party was a lot of fun. I went to a nearby town to visit some friends on my actual birthday, but we had a little shindig in our town the weekend after. My wonderful postmate hosted the party since I’m kind of homeless at the moment. We made a bunch of food and some sangria (made from boxed wine and mixed in a bucket…a classy bunch we are), and surprisingly, everything turned out really well! I was just so happy to be celebrating birthday #22 with a great group of people. I woke up on my actual birthday feeling pretty indifferent towards the whole day, which for me is not at all normal. Luckily, I was lifted out of my slump and ended up having a great week =)
Saturday, September 29, 2007
First few days at post
Well, folks. I made it through stage and am now officially a volunteer! The swear-in ceremony was on September 21 at the US Ambassador’s house in Cotonou. There were representatives from each Beninese Ministry that we’ll be working with (artisan/tourism, education, health, and environment). The best thing about swear-in; however, was the abundance of incredible mustaches. Yea, you heard me. The SED guys first decided to grow “swear-in beards” for 9 weeks, but that later changed to a “swear-in stache.” Represented staches included the Chester A. Arthur and Nintendo’s Mario, among others.
After the ceremony we went back to our training site town for a few days to pack up our stuff and head to post. I left for my town last Monday morning with another volunteer who is posted in a nearby town. Hopefully, I’ll get some pictures up soon because it’s incredible how they load things into these cars. I’ve definitely seen some taxis with so much stuff on top that they look like they’ll tip over at any moment. Anyway, I got to my post and unloaded my things and then went to a nearby town to get some furniture that a previous volunteer left for me. Unfortunately, my house isn’t finished yet, so I’m staying in another apartment right next door. I should be able to move in next week and finally get settled into my first house!
Oh! I bought a cat! She doesn’t have a name yet, and any suggestions would be welcome. I bought her at the marché in my training site town and brought her with me to post. She was definitely terrified in the taxi ride over, but she’s ok now and will probably enjoy her life as Benin’s most spoiled cat.
My first few days at post have been really great. I walked around the marché and other areas of the town with my postmate. The marché isn’t too impressive, but you can find all the basics like tomatoes, onions, rice, beans, oranges, bananas and stuff like that. My postmate and I are going to attempt to cook a few times a week, but we’re both pretty lazy when it comes to stuff like that, so I’ll probably end up eating street food a lot. Street food probably sounds a little sketchy, and it can be, but I’ve found some good places that serve rice and beans and yam pile, which is this delicious mashed yam dish with peanut sauce.
The one thing that I really love about my town is that it’s beautiful and fairly tranquil. A large road goes right through the town, but my house sits far enough from that road that the nights are really peaceful. I have also had the chance to go running this week on this dirt road that branches off from the main road. It’s a little hilly, but that makes my run even better because you can see the countryside when running away from town, and then you can see the town (which sits atop the hill) when you run back. Most of you know that I’m definitely a “big city” girl who still thinks Central Park is all the nature one needs, but I think I’ll really appreciate my 2 year break in “real” nature. I like to think of it as my version of Walden.
This week I also went to Porto Novo for a day with some other volunteers and then went to Cotonou because I went to my host mama’s papa’s funeral ceremony today in a town north of Cotonou. The cousin of my host family drove me up there and it was a really great experience. It was basically a big party with lots of food, music, and people dressed in similar tissue. While people are definitely sad when a loved one dies, the ceremony itself is more about celebrating their life than mourning their death. I don’t think that’s something that could be done everywhere, but it’s just a different take on that.
After the ceremony we went back to our training site town for a few days to pack up our stuff and head to post. I left for my town last Monday morning with another volunteer who is posted in a nearby town. Hopefully, I’ll get some pictures up soon because it’s incredible how they load things into these cars. I’ve definitely seen some taxis with so much stuff on top that they look like they’ll tip over at any moment. Anyway, I got to my post and unloaded my things and then went to a nearby town to get some furniture that a previous volunteer left for me. Unfortunately, my house isn’t finished yet, so I’m staying in another apartment right next door. I should be able to move in next week and finally get settled into my first house!
Oh! I bought a cat! She doesn’t have a name yet, and any suggestions would be welcome. I bought her at the marché in my training site town and brought her with me to post. She was definitely terrified in the taxi ride over, but she’s ok now and will probably enjoy her life as Benin’s most spoiled cat.
My first few days at post have been really great. I walked around the marché and other areas of the town with my postmate. The marché isn’t too impressive, but you can find all the basics like tomatoes, onions, rice, beans, oranges, bananas and stuff like that. My postmate and I are going to attempt to cook a few times a week, but we’re both pretty lazy when it comes to stuff like that, so I’ll probably end up eating street food a lot. Street food probably sounds a little sketchy, and it can be, but I’ve found some good places that serve rice and beans and yam pile, which is this delicious mashed yam dish with peanut sauce.
The one thing that I really love about my town is that it’s beautiful and fairly tranquil. A large road goes right through the town, but my house sits far enough from that road that the nights are really peaceful. I have also had the chance to go running this week on this dirt road that branches off from the main road. It’s a little hilly, but that makes my run even better because you can see the countryside when running away from town, and then you can see the town (which sits atop the hill) when you run back. Most of you know that I’m definitely a “big city” girl who still thinks Central Park is all the nature one needs, but I think I’ll really appreciate my 2 year break in “real” nature. I like to think of it as my version of Walden.
This week I also went to Porto Novo for a day with some other volunteers and then went to Cotonou because I went to my host mama’s papa’s funeral ceremony today in a town north of Cotonou. The cousin of my host family drove me up there and it was a really great experience. It was basically a big party with lots of food, music, and people dressed in similar tissue. While people are definitely sad when a loved one dies, the ceremony itself is more about celebrating their life than mourning their death. I don’t think that’s something that could be done everywhere, but it’s just a different take on that.
Post visit
(This is a really old post, but thought I would put it up anyway)
My visit to post (my home for the next two years) was definitely the most bizarre, awkward, and wonderful part of stage thus far. I left my training site town for Cotonou with another stagaire and our homologues, and after getting dropped off we went to search for a taxi to my town. After finding one (and knowing it could take hours for it to fill up) we walked around Cotonou and did some shopping (and by shopping I mean it was me just awkwardly following her around the marché while she bought some things). Anyhoo, we get back to the taxi and end up waiting for at least an hour and a half before it finally leaves.
I guess I haven’t really described the “bush taxi” experience yet, so here goes. First, imagine the oldest, most rusted car you’ve ever seen. Now, make it a Peugeot and add fifteen years to the car, and that’s the general state of most taxis in this country. I would be scared for my life every time I get into one, but usually I just think about how hilarious it is that I’m even in that sort of situation. I mean, how can you be sandwiched between a car door and a woman twice your size with her elbow in your back and not laugh? If you’re now wondering about the space issue in the taxis, I’ll try to clear things up. There will always be three people in the front- the driver, the person in the front seat, and the unfortunate person who is stuck between the two and who must be careful not to hit the stick shift or any of the exposed wires that are surely sticking out from under the dashboard. The backseat will always have 4 people (of varying sizes), hence the being smashed up against the door part. On my way back from my post visit there were actually 11 people in a station wagon taxi with 3 in the front, 5 in the middle, and 3 in the back.
I don’t think the taxi experience is too terrible because people get out along the way and it isn’t always that cramped. Also, there will usually be some crazy story that’ll come out of it.
My taxi ride was pretty interesting mainly because it involved me almost being “kidnapped” and married off to this woman’s son. I was sandwiched between my homologue and this crazy woman who didn’t speak any French. She had her daughter sitting on her lap so it wasn’t too crowded. However, this woman kept on staring at me, and since I am habitually awkward in those kinds of situations, I just kept smiling at her. Then she starts touching my hair. And hugging me. And saying things in a local language that I don’t understand. Luckily, my homologue was able to translate for me and the woman was basically asking if I was married and telling me that she had a son whom I could marry. She said that she lived in a neighboring town and that I should just stay in the taxi with her so I could go meet him. I just laughed the whole time because that’s what I do best. I only got a little nervous about the whole thing when I tried to get out of the taxi and she held on to me (but not too tightly) and kept yelling the name of her town and trying to get me to come with her. Good times.
I stayed at my homologue’s house for the whole visit and had my own little room on the other side of her courtyard. After napping for a few hours (the trip ended up taking about 8 hours) I woke up to a courtyard full of about 20 people. I later found out that they are the presidents of each association within the collective of artisans in my town. There are 21 associations for each trade (ex. furniture makers, seamstresses, mechanics, etc.). Everyone was so nice and welcoming, but the experience itself was pretty awkward because I had to go around the circle of people and “saluer” or greet everyone and also sit through a meeting that was entirely in Nagot (the main local language).
The next day I was taken around town by the VP of the collective on the artisan collective moto. I met the mayor (a woman), but didn’t really have a chance to speak with her because she had to go to a meeting. I also went to the offices of the police and the gendarme. Then we went to the CET (artisan technical school) where some of the artisans teach their apprentices a few times a week (the apprentices are at the artisan’s workplace the other days of the week). I’m hoping to be able to use the classrooms once I start teaching savings, credit, marketing, and accounting formations, but who knows. I also saw a classroom full of computers so I think I may have the opportunity to teach computer formations as well. Also, because my town is pretty close to Nigeria, I think there are a lot of artisans who are interested in learning English so that may end up being one of my side projects.
My two favorite stops of the day were visiting the king of my town and my new house. The king is this hilarious little old man who I want to be my new grandfather. I walked into his compound and saw him sitting on a throne-like chair in his courtyard. There were a couple people sitting by him and one man was kneeling in front of him saying something in Nagot. The VP tells me that he is praying to the king for the well being of our town or something along those lines. Then, the kneeling man whips out a few shots of sodabi (strong Beninese alcohol), and the king and this man start drinking. I guess I should add that this was probably around 10 or 11 in the morning. After that the king comes over to greet us and I find out that he speaks some English. He’s just so funny. I wish you all could meet him right now. I’m sure I’ll have some funny stories about him in the future.
On to my house…it’s amazing! I really can’t believe how nice it is. I’ll eventually put up pictures, but for now I’ll just say that I am not living in a mud hut. My house/apartment is part of this bigger house that houses an NGO and some other people. It has a metal gate surrounding the fairly big concrete courtyard. I have my own set of stairs that leads up to my part of the house. It wasn’t completely finished when I went to see it, but there were 4 rooms (living room, bedroom, small kitchen, and bathroom) and they all had tiled floors. Also, I have electricity and running water!!! My house is definitely too nice to be a PC house, but I’m not complaining. =)
The next day was by far one of the most ridiculous days of my life. There was a fête (party) for all of the artisans. I think it was National Artisan Day or something like that. Anyway, the party included a parade around town followed by a speech, lots of food, and a football (soccer) match. The best part of the whole experience was that most of the artisans had matching “tissue” or fabric. My homologue is a seamstress and made me a skirt and a shirt so I could match the rest of the artisans. I guess this is a good time to explain the fabric/clothes customs here. While people do wear Western style clothing here, for celebrations and everyday life people wear clothing made from brightly (and sometimes oddly colored) fabric called “tissue.” Some of the designs are actually really beautiful while others have prints of things like cuckoo clocks, chickens and eggs, or flip flops. After you buy a couple pagnes (pahn-yuhs) which equal 2 meters of cloth, you take it to the tailor or seamstress to be made into clothes. The outfits for women usually include a long, tight fitting, uncomfortable skirt and a shirt with crazily designed sleeves. I am now the proud owner of a shirt that has sleeves resembling wings. It’s fantastic. Men normally wear tissue pants and a shirt called a boomba. The boomba can have pockets, interesting embroidery, or my favorite thing, tassels. The fashion sense in this country is amazing. Besides my new love of tissue, it amazes me that while it probably hasn’t dropped below 70 degrees since I’ve been here, a day hasn’t gone by where I don’t see someone in a colorful stocking or ski cap. Funky hats are pretty big here and I did see someone in a red, white, and blue cowboy hat the other day.
Anyway, the rest of the party was great. I took pictures with a ton of people because everyone wanted to be photographed with the new town “yovo.” I really think my town is the perfect place for me. The town sits atop a hill so you can actually see the countryside from the main road. It’s pretty spread out and my house is kind of far from the center of town, but I’m really happy about everything I’ve seen so far. Also, the road to and from Cotonou is really nice (meaning not completely covered in pot holes), so that makes riding in bush taxis a bit more bearable, too.
The rest of my post visit was pretty uneventful. I just hung out with my homologue and her family the next day and even got to watch some TV in English. I was also able to experience the cinematic genius that is Nollywood (the Nigerian movie channel). I won’t have a TV at my house, but I think I’ll be able to get some Nigerian channels on my radio so at least I can listen to the news in English.
After my visit I met up with another stagaire from a nearby town and we took a taxi to Cotonou together where I was able to check my email and reconnect with the outside world. We also met up with the two stagaires who will be posted in Cotonou, and went and got pizza and ice cream! Mmm. I’m still thinking about how good it was. It’s nice to know that if I’m really craving those types of foods that it’s only a two hour taxi ride away.
Overall, my wonderful post visit is what’s basically getting me through stage. I can’t wait to start living and working on my own and meeting people in my community. I know it’ll be really difficult the first few months, but I’m definitely ready for it. Since my post visit, nothing too exciting has happened back in my training site town. It’s been raining pretty hard for almost a week straight and at one point, the road in front of the volunteer house turned into a river and we couldn’t leave for a while. Luckily, it was the day of our Iron Chef cook-off so we didn’t have plans to go anywhere. Most of you know that I can’t cook/hate doing it, so I was a little nervous about having a cooking competition within our sector. However, it was actually really fun and my group ended up winning best appetizer! I think more importantly, it got me really excited to attempt to cook once I get to post. I may end up returning to cereal and sandwiches like I did in college, or I may just end up “surprising” my neighbors around dinner time and hopefully they’ll feed me.
Well, that’s it for now. I hope I didn’t bore you, and I hope all is well in the land of constant electricity, delicious and readily available dairy products, and clean water you can drink from the tap.
My visit to post (my home for the next two years) was definitely the most bizarre, awkward, and wonderful part of stage thus far. I left my training site town for Cotonou with another stagaire and our homologues, and after getting dropped off we went to search for a taxi to my town. After finding one (and knowing it could take hours for it to fill up) we walked around Cotonou and did some shopping (and by shopping I mean it was me just awkwardly following her around the marché while she bought some things). Anyhoo, we get back to the taxi and end up waiting for at least an hour and a half before it finally leaves.
I guess I haven’t really described the “bush taxi” experience yet, so here goes. First, imagine the oldest, most rusted car you’ve ever seen. Now, make it a Peugeot and add fifteen years to the car, and that’s the general state of most taxis in this country. I would be scared for my life every time I get into one, but usually I just think about how hilarious it is that I’m even in that sort of situation. I mean, how can you be sandwiched between a car door and a woman twice your size with her elbow in your back and not laugh? If you’re now wondering about the space issue in the taxis, I’ll try to clear things up. There will always be three people in the front- the driver, the person in the front seat, and the unfortunate person who is stuck between the two and who must be careful not to hit the stick shift or any of the exposed wires that are surely sticking out from under the dashboard. The backseat will always have 4 people (of varying sizes), hence the being smashed up against the door part. On my way back from my post visit there were actually 11 people in a station wagon taxi with 3 in the front, 5 in the middle, and 3 in the back.
I don’t think the taxi experience is too terrible because people get out along the way and it isn’t always that cramped. Also, there will usually be some crazy story that’ll come out of it.
My taxi ride was pretty interesting mainly because it involved me almost being “kidnapped” and married off to this woman’s son. I was sandwiched between my homologue and this crazy woman who didn’t speak any French. She had her daughter sitting on her lap so it wasn’t too crowded. However, this woman kept on staring at me, and since I am habitually awkward in those kinds of situations, I just kept smiling at her. Then she starts touching my hair. And hugging me. And saying things in a local language that I don’t understand. Luckily, my homologue was able to translate for me and the woman was basically asking if I was married and telling me that she had a son whom I could marry. She said that she lived in a neighboring town and that I should just stay in the taxi with her so I could go meet him. I just laughed the whole time because that’s what I do best. I only got a little nervous about the whole thing when I tried to get out of the taxi and she held on to me (but not too tightly) and kept yelling the name of her town and trying to get me to come with her. Good times.
I stayed at my homologue’s house for the whole visit and had my own little room on the other side of her courtyard. After napping for a few hours (the trip ended up taking about 8 hours) I woke up to a courtyard full of about 20 people. I later found out that they are the presidents of each association within the collective of artisans in my town. There are 21 associations for each trade (ex. furniture makers, seamstresses, mechanics, etc.). Everyone was so nice and welcoming, but the experience itself was pretty awkward because I had to go around the circle of people and “saluer” or greet everyone and also sit through a meeting that was entirely in Nagot (the main local language).
The next day I was taken around town by the VP of the collective on the artisan collective moto. I met the mayor (a woman), but didn’t really have a chance to speak with her because she had to go to a meeting. I also went to the offices of the police and the gendarme. Then we went to the CET (artisan technical school) where some of the artisans teach their apprentices a few times a week (the apprentices are at the artisan’s workplace the other days of the week). I’m hoping to be able to use the classrooms once I start teaching savings, credit, marketing, and accounting formations, but who knows. I also saw a classroom full of computers so I think I may have the opportunity to teach computer formations as well. Also, because my town is pretty close to Nigeria, I think there are a lot of artisans who are interested in learning English so that may end up being one of my side projects.
My two favorite stops of the day were visiting the king of my town and my new house. The king is this hilarious little old man who I want to be my new grandfather. I walked into his compound and saw him sitting on a throne-like chair in his courtyard. There were a couple people sitting by him and one man was kneeling in front of him saying something in Nagot. The VP tells me that he is praying to the king for the well being of our town or something along those lines. Then, the kneeling man whips out a few shots of sodabi (strong Beninese alcohol), and the king and this man start drinking. I guess I should add that this was probably around 10 or 11 in the morning. After that the king comes over to greet us and I find out that he speaks some English. He’s just so funny. I wish you all could meet him right now. I’m sure I’ll have some funny stories about him in the future.
On to my house…it’s amazing! I really can’t believe how nice it is. I’ll eventually put up pictures, but for now I’ll just say that I am not living in a mud hut. My house/apartment is part of this bigger house that houses an NGO and some other people. It has a metal gate surrounding the fairly big concrete courtyard. I have my own set of stairs that leads up to my part of the house. It wasn’t completely finished when I went to see it, but there were 4 rooms (living room, bedroom, small kitchen, and bathroom) and they all had tiled floors. Also, I have electricity and running water!!! My house is definitely too nice to be a PC house, but I’m not complaining. =)
The next day was by far one of the most ridiculous days of my life. There was a fête (party) for all of the artisans. I think it was National Artisan Day or something like that. Anyway, the party included a parade around town followed by a speech, lots of food, and a football (soccer) match. The best part of the whole experience was that most of the artisans had matching “tissue” or fabric. My homologue is a seamstress and made me a skirt and a shirt so I could match the rest of the artisans. I guess this is a good time to explain the fabric/clothes customs here. While people do wear Western style clothing here, for celebrations and everyday life people wear clothing made from brightly (and sometimes oddly colored) fabric called “tissue.” Some of the designs are actually really beautiful while others have prints of things like cuckoo clocks, chickens and eggs, or flip flops. After you buy a couple pagnes (pahn-yuhs) which equal 2 meters of cloth, you take it to the tailor or seamstress to be made into clothes. The outfits for women usually include a long, tight fitting, uncomfortable skirt and a shirt with crazily designed sleeves. I am now the proud owner of a shirt that has sleeves resembling wings. It’s fantastic. Men normally wear tissue pants and a shirt called a boomba. The boomba can have pockets, interesting embroidery, or my favorite thing, tassels. The fashion sense in this country is amazing. Besides my new love of tissue, it amazes me that while it probably hasn’t dropped below 70 degrees since I’ve been here, a day hasn’t gone by where I don’t see someone in a colorful stocking or ski cap. Funky hats are pretty big here and I did see someone in a red, white, and blue cowboy hat the other day.
Anyway, the rest of the party was great. I took pictures with a ton of people because everyone wanted to be photographed with the new town “yovo.” I really think my town is the perfect place for me. The town sits atop a hill so you can actually see the countryside from the main road. It’s pretty spread out and my house is kind of far from the center of town, but I’m really happy about everything I’ve seen so far. Also, the road to and from Cotonou is really nice (meaning not completely covered in pot holes), so that makes riding in bush taxis a bit more bearable, too.
The rest of my post visit was pretty uneventful. I just hung out with my homologue and her family the next day and even got to watch some TV in English. I was also able to experience the cinematic genius that is Nollywood (the Nigerian movie channel). I won’t have a TV at my house, but I think I’ll be able to get some Nigerian channels on my radio so at least I can listen to the news in English.
After my visit I met up with another stagaire from a nearby town and we took a taxi to Cotonou together where I was able to check my email and reconnect with the outside world. We also met up with the two stagaires who will be posted in Cotonou, and went and got pizza and ice cream! Mmm. I’m still thinking about how good it was. It’s nice to know that if I’m really craving those types of foods that it’s only a two hour taxi ride away.
Overall, my wonderful post visit is what’s basically getting me through stage. I can’t wait to start living and working on my own and meeting people in my community. I know it’ll be really difficult the first few months, but I’m definitely ready for it. Since my post visit, nothing too exciting has happened back in my training site town. It’s been raining pretty hard for almost a week straight and at one point, the road in front of the volunteer house turned into a river and we couldn’t leave for a while. Luckily, it was the day of our Iron Chef cook-off so we didn’t have plans to go anywhere. Most of you know that I can’t cook/hate doing it, so I was a little nervous about having a cooking competition within our sector. However, it was actually really fun and my group ended up winning best appetizer! I think more importantly, it got me really excited to attempt to cook once I get to post. I may end up returning to cereal and sandwiches like I did in college, or I may just end up “surprising” my neighbors around dinner time and hopefully they’ll feed me.
Well, that’s it for now. I hope I didn’t bore you, and I hope all is well in the land of constant electricity, delicious and readily available dairy products, and clean water you can drink from the tap.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
I'm in Cotonou for a few days because I've had some unfortunate stomach issues the past couple of days. I just had to have some blood drawn and I am now taking some medicine that's supposed to kill all the microbes in my belly. The positive side of this is that I actually have access to the outside world! I was able to read the news online and check facebook! haha. Honestly, it's been nice to kind of get away from all of that for a little bit, but I still want to know what's going on in the world and in my friend's lives.
My latest news is that I got my post placement. I'm not allowed to write the name of the town, but it's a few hours north of Porto Novo (the capital). I'm happy because I'm located in the south which is far less isolated than the northern part of the country. I have a post visit next week where I'll get to see my house (I'm crossing my fingers for electricity and running water) and meet my homologue (work partner). My homologue is the president of the collective of artisans I'll be working with. I was so happy to find out that this person is a woman because the gender roles in this country are so vastly different than in the US, and I was pretty worried about how much work I would actually be able to get done as a young woman in this country. Luckily, I've been given this boss who will surely be a great role model, not just for me, but for other Beninese women in my community.
Also, one interesting thing I learned is that my town is located in the Plateau region (like a state) which has this thing called an 'oro.' The oro is this type of ceremony that takes place only in my region where people dress up and make loud noises at night for about a week or so. However, women are not allowed to be involved in this ceremony and it can be pretty dangerous if a woman is caught outside at night when the oro is going on. You shouldn't be worried for me because the PC sends the volunteers in that region to Cotonou for the week. I'll write more about it once I get to post and learn about what it really is/means.
Training is...pretty rough. The days are long and often frustrating, but everyone (the other volunteers and my host family) are really supportive. I've also been able to get out of my town on the weekends to visit the other volunteers who are training in different cities. I went to the closest town with internet (about a 4o min taxi ride away) a few weeks ago and then I biked with 5 other people to another site (about an hour bike ride) this past weekend. It was pretty cool to be able to see the more rural parts of Benin.
That's all I have for now, but I may end up putting up another post tomorrow just because I feel like I should take advantage of having internet!
My latest news is that I got my post placement. I'm not allowed to write the name of the town, but it's a few hours north of Porto Novo (the capital). I'm happy because I'm located in the south which is far less isolated than the northern part of the country. I have a post visit next week where I'll get to see my house (I'm crossing my fingers for electricity and running water) and meet my homologue (work partner). My homologue is the president of the collective of artisans I'll be working with. I was so happy to find out that this person is a woman because the gender roles in this country are so vastly different than in the US, and I was pretty worried about how much work I would actually be able to get done as a young woman in this country. Luckily, I've been given this boss who will surely be a great role model, not just for me, but for other Beninese women in my community.
Also, one interesting thing I learned is that my town is located in the Plateau region (like a state) which has this thing called an 'oro.' The oro is this type of ceremony that takes place only in my region where people dress up and make loud noises at night for about a week or so. However, women are not allowed to be involved in this ceremony and it can be pretty dangerous if a woman is caught outside at night when the oro is going on. You shouldn't be worried for me because the PC sends the volunteers in that region to Cotonou for the week. I'll write more about it once I get to post and learn about what it really is/means.
Training is...pretty rough. The days are long and often frustrating, but everyone (the other volunteers and my host family) are really supportive. I've also been able to get out of my town on the weekends to visit the other volunteers who are training in different cities. I went to the closest town with internet (about a 4o min taxi ride away) a few weeks ago and then I biked with 5 other people to another site (about an hour bike ride) this past weekend. It was pretty cool to be able to see the more rural parts of Benin.
That's all I have for now, but I may end up putting up another post tomorrow just because I feel like I should take advantage of having internet!
Host Family Life
I guess I'll apologize first for this post being really long. Due to the lack of internet in my training town (and most of the country), I'll be blogging less frequently…which means longer posts. Anyway, I'm in a town about 3 hours northwest of Cotonou. I'm not sure how many people are here, but it's pretty bustling, particularly on marché days (traveling market days that occur every 5 days in my town).
My host family is amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better one. The day I arrived they were playing some Jennifer Lopez music really loud and dancing around. There is always music playing whether it's from an American, French, or Beninese artist. Plus, they love to dance and watch music videos. I think I fit right in. I have a Papa who teaches at a local primary school and 2 Mamas. Yep, 2 moms. Polygamy is still going strong here. I also have 6 new siblings (3 boys and 3 girls). The oldest son is 16 and the youngest daughter is maybe 2 or 3. They are all so nice and helpful. It's been a really great experience so far, but definitely one of the most awkward as well. I just basically smile and laugh a lot when I have no idea what they're saying, but they seem to get a kick out of me, so that's cool.
I pretty much have my own little house to myself with my own courtyard. It has a living room, a bedroom (complete with my fairytale princess bed a.k.a. a bed with a mosquito net), and another room where I keep my sweet ride (my PC Trek mountain bike). I also have electricity in my house. I'll try to post some pictures at some point, but with the shady internet situation in Benin, who knows when that will happen.
I take bucket showers in this cement shower enclave connected to my house. It's not really my idea of a good time, but I think I'll get used to it. I also have to use an outdoor pit latrine. I won't go into any details, but if I had to choose between having running water/indoor plumbing or electricity, I would definitely choose the water/plumbing.
I eat my meals with Papa and Mama #1. Mama is a great cook! I've heard some horror stories about other stagaires (people in my training group) getting sick or eating some weird things, but I haven't had to deal with that. For breakfast I have Milo (sort of like Nesquick or Ovaltine) and bread. The bread used to have butter or cheese on it, but one day Papa asked me if I liked mayonnaise and I said 'yea,' thinking it would be going on a sandwich or something. Well, guess what was on my bread the next morning and has been ever since? Yep, mayo. It doesn't taste bad, but it's just a little odd eating bread and mayo without other sandwich toppings at 7am.
After breakfast I go to the volunteer training house in my town via bike. We have class from 8-12:30. Then I go home for repos (like siesta in Spain) where I eat lunch with Mama and Papa. Repos is my new favorite thing because I get to go home, eat yummy food, and then nap for at least an hour before going back to class from 3-5:45. Lunch and dinner usually consist of rice or pâte (local dish made of corn or flour…it looks like mashed potatoes and tastes like nothing) with vegetables and fish or some other meat. Mama also makes salad and whenever we have it I make sure to eat everything because I'm never really sure when I'll see fresh veggies again. I also eat fruits like oranges, pineapples, and bananas.
In my free time I hang out with the other stagaires in my sector (there are 14 of us total). Sometimes we'll play basketball or soccer or hang out at a local buvette (bar). We also seem to take daily trips to the little supermarché to buy drinks or cookies. I also hang out with my siblings and sometimes we'll throw a frisbee around on the dirt road that our house is on. It causes quite the spectacle because 1. They don't sell frisbees here and I might as well be throwing around a baking pan or a helmet or a hamburger or something else random and 2. I'm the neighborhood yovo and people want to see me make a fool out of myself.
The other day I also helped my sister with the dishes and even drew my own shower water from the well! I actually carried some water (in a bucket) on my head, too. It's amazing the things women carry on their heads. I've seen people carrying tables, clothing, eggs, bread, anything and everything.It's really a practical way to move things, but I seem to lack the grace and coordination needed to seriously attempt this.
I also spent a good 45 minutes with my sister picking through a giant tin tray of rice looking for bad pieces. I really had no idea what I was doing, but I just kind of went with the flow. You buy rice from street vendors at the outdoor marché here, and it doesn't come in nice, neat, clean packages. You have to pick out the single grains of rice that are still in their husks or anything else that may have landed in the rice sack.
Doing my own laundry by hand was also an interesting experience. Mama showed me how to wash and scrub everything in a big bowl and then I had to rinse it in 2 other bowls. Honestly, my clothes have never been cleaner. The bad thing about the laundry process is that American clothes really were not meant for rough handwashing and a lot of stuff will probably get worn out quickly. Also, have you ever attempted to wring out a pair of jeans? Yea, I didn't think so. It's pretty painful and I'm thinking that I'll have really strong hands and forearms after 2 years of this.
My host family is amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better one. The day I arrived they were playing some Jennifer Lopez music really loud and dancing around. There is always music playing whether it's from an American, French, or Beninese artist. Plus, they love to dance and watch music videos. I think I fit right in. I have a Papa who teaches at a local primary school and 2 Mamas. Yep, 2 moms. Polygamy is still going strong here. I also have 6 new siblings (3 boys and 3 girls). The oldest son is 16 and the youngest daughter is maybe 2 or 3. They are all so nice and helpful. It's been a really great experience so far, but definitely one of the most awkward as well. I just basically smile and laugh a lot when I have no idea what they're saying, but they seem to get a kick out of me, so that's cool.
I pretty much have my own little house to myself with my own courtyard. It has a living room, a bedroom (complete with my fairytale princess bed a.k.a. a bed with a mosquito net), and another room where I keep my sweet ride (my PC Trek mountain bike). I also have electricity in my house. I'll try to post some pictures at some point, but with the shady internet situation in Benin, who knows when that will happen.
I take bucket showers in this cement shower enclave connected to my house. It's not really my idea of a good time, but I think I'll get used to it. I also have to use an outdoor pit latrine. I won't go into any details, but if I had to choose between having running water/indoor plumbing or electricity, I would definitely choose the water/plumbing.
I eat my meals with Papa and Mama #1. Mama is a great cook! I've heard some horror stories about other stagaires (people in my training group) getting sick or eating some weird things, but I haven't had to deal with that. For breakfast I have Milo (sort of like Nesquick or Ovaltine) and bread. The bread used to have butter or cheese on it, but one day Papa asked me if I liked mayonnaise and I said 'yea,' thinking it would be going on a sandwich or something. Well, guess what was on my bread the next morning and has been ever since? Yep, mayo. It doesn't taste bad, but it's just a little odd eating bread and mayo without other sandwich toppings at 7am.
After breakfast I go to the volunteer training house in my town via bike. We have class from 8-12:30. Then I go home for repos (like siesta in Spain) where I eat lunch with Mama and Papa. Repos is my new favorite thing because I get to go home, eat yummy food, and then nap for at least an hour before going back to class from 3-5:45. Lunch and dinner usually consist of rice or pâte (local dish made of corn or flour…it looks like mashed potatoes and tastes like nothing) with vegetables and fish or some other meat. Mama also makes salad and whenever we have it I make sure to eat everything because I'm never really sure when I'll see fresh veggies again. I also eat fruits like oranges, pineapples, and bananas.
In my free time I hang out with the other stagaires in my sector (there are 14 of us total). Sometimes we'll play basketball or soccer or hang out at a local buvette (bar). We also seem to take daily trips to the little supermarché to buy drinks or cookies. I also hang out with my siblings and sometimes we'll throw a frisbee around on the dirt road that our house is on. It causes quite the spectacle because 1. They don't sell frisbees here and I might as well be throwing around a baking pan or a helmet or a hamburger or something else random and 2. I'm the neighborhood yovo and people want to see me make a fool out of myself.
The other day I also helped my sister with the dishes and even drew my own shower water from the well! I actually carried some water (in a bucket) on my head, too. It's amazing the things women carry on their heads. I've seen people carrying tables, clothing, eggs, bread, anything and everything.It's really a practical way to move things, but I seem to lack the grace and coordination needed to seriously attempt this.
I also spent a good 45 minutes with my sister picking through a giant tin tray of rice looking for bad pieces. I really had no idea what I was doing, but I just kind of went with the flow. You buy rice from street vendors at the outdoor marché here, and it doesn't come in nice, neat, clean packages. You have to pick out the single grains of rice that are still in their husks or anything else that may have landed in the rice sack.
Doing my own laundry by hand was also an interesting experience. Mama showed me how to wash and scrub everything in a big bowl and then I had to rinse it in 2 other bowls. Honestly, my clothes have never been cleaner. The bad thing about the laundry process is that American clothes really were not meant for rough handwashing and a lot of stuff will probably get worn out quickly. Also, have you ever attempted to wring out a pair of jeans? Yea, I didn't think so. It's pretty painful and I'm thinking that I'll have really strong hands and forearms after 2 years of this.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Yovos on Parade
I guess I should start by explaining the title of this post. A “yovo” is a white person/foreigner in one of the Beninese local languages. We get called it all the time, but mainly by little kids. It’s pretty funny now, but I’ve heard it will start getting really annoying. Anyway, our group feels like “Yovos on Parade” because we’ve all been walking around and doing stuff together and it’s kind of hard to miss a giant group of white people in Benin.
Anyhoo, so much has happened these past few days that I don’t even know where to begin. I can’t believe it’s only been a week since I left home. The long plane rides were great because I slept the whole time. We ended up traveling for about 24 hours and it was pretty jarring to be thrown into the craziness that is Cotonou.
Seeing the city for the first time at night was pretty interesting because the streets were lined with vendors who lit oil lamps to show their goods. We drove down that same road the next day and while the vendors were still there, the poverty that runs rampant in city immediately became more visible.
Our PC group is staying in an old monastery called Saint Jean Eude. I was pretty happy when I found out that this place had electricity and running water, but what I should really say is that this place has “electricity” and “running water.” The electricity seems to be fine, but the water often stops working…mainly at inopportune times…like in the middle of a shower. Yep. It wasn’t too bad though…probably because I stopped really caring about personal hygiene. It only took 3 days in Africa. For most of you, that shouldn’t be a surprise since I often state that showers are overrated. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a completely filthy human being now, but when you’re constantly a sweaty mess and surrounded by other sweaty people, you just stop caring.
Speaking of my new sweaty friends…we seem to be getting along just fine. We aren’t allowed to leave the monastery after 8pm, so we have just been hanging out, playing cards, drinking a bit of La Beninoise (local brewsky), and listening to some of the guys play guitar. Last night was particularly amazing because I decided to go to bed a little early and then ran into some of the PC guys who were singing and playing guitar with some of the Beninese workers. It was the making of a cross-cultural dance party. One Beninese man was a wicked dancer. I mean, he had some absolutely hilarious moves. I, being one to never turn down a good dance party, jumped on in. I was bobbing around to whatever the guys were playing and then showed my new dance partner the “fishing line” dance. Leave it to me to be the dancing fool who breaks out the fish dance in front of a group of strangers. Oh well, I’ve realized that laughter instantly brings people together, so why not make a fool out of myself?
I also went on my first run in Africa. I woke up early with some of the current Volunteers (they have been here a year or so and are helping out with training) and ran on some of the “roads” off the main street. I say “roads” because it was basically a sand/dirt path. It was definitely the most eye opening run I’ve ever been on. We ran past a bunch of houses (shacks) and there were goats, pigs, and roosters walking around picking at the piles of garbage on the street or drinking from dirty puddles that are definitely breeding grounds for malaria. The sight of this poor neighborhood (though I’m pretty sure it’s one of the better-off ones in Benin) was definitely unsettling, but it was even worse when I saw a little girl sitting in one of the garbage piles. I’m going to have to get used to seeing these sorts of things or else I won’t make it through two years here.
On to more upbeat things… I rode my first zemidjan (motorcycle taxi) today! They are the main modes of transportation in Cotonou and other cities in Benin. Our PC group had a little orientation and then we went out onto the street and had to hail a zemi (though the drivers that took us on our first ride knew what was going on and were waiting to take us out around the block). I was pretty terrified because I had seen how crazy people drive and how bad the traffic is, but it was actually fun! PC Volunteers are required to wear helmets (no one else does) and that definitely helps a lot. The only bad thing about the zemi ride was that I think I was a little enthusiastic in throwing my leg over the bike that I ripped a giant hole in my pants. Luckily, one of the volunteers had some fabric that I made into a makeshift skirt that I walked around in all day.
We took a walking tour around Cotonou and got to see more of the downtown area. We also saw the beach which leaves little to be desired. If you come visit me, we are not going to the Cotonou beach. It’s pretty dirty, plus the tides are really strong and it’s dangerous to swim there. The rest of the walk was cool. We stopped and got a drink (I had a delicious beverage called a Fizzi Pampelmousse which is a fizzy grapefruit type soda) and chatted with the older volunteers about different diseases some of the other volunteers had gotten. Awesome. I won’t say anything too gross, but I’ll just say that PC people become very open about what’s going on inside their bodies.
Other things I’ve done this week is get 2 more shots (typhoid and meningitis) and had my language interview. I’m pretty sure I’m placed in either Novice-High or Intermediate-Low, so despite all my nervous laughter during the interview, I must have said some things correctly in French. I had my first language lesson the other day. There are only 2 other people with me (guys from my business sector). My teacher is this really cool Beninese woman. We learned about different African French slang phrases and just practiced speaking a bit. I’m excited to learn French, but I know that I’ll have to study and practice a lot and be prepared to make many mistakes.
I’m not sure I’ll be able to write anything for a while because I’m start the intense 9 week training tomorrow and also move in with my host family. I’m sooo excited to meet them! It’ll probably be pretty awkward, but I’m sure it will only lead to some hilarious stories and me gaining a better insight into the French language and Beninese culture.
Anyhoo, so much has happened these past few days that I don’t even know where to begin. I can’t believe it’s only been a week since I left home. The long plane rides were great because I slept the whole time. We ended up traveling for about 24 hours and it was pretty jarring to be thrown into the craziness that is Cotonou.
Seeing the city for the first time at night was pretty interesting because the streets were lined with vendors who lit oil lamps to show their goods. We drove down that same road the next day and while the vendors were still there, the poverty that runs rampant in city immediately became more visible.
Our PC group is staying in an old monastery called Saint Jean Eude. I was pretty happy when I found out that this place had electricity and running water, but what I should really say is that this place has “electricity” and “running water.” The electricity seems to be fine, but the water often stops working…mainly at inopportune times…like in the middle of a shower. Yep. It wasn’t too bad though…probably because I stopped really caring about personal hygiene. It only took 3 days in Africa. For most of you, that shouldn’t be a surprise since I often state that showers are overrated. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a completely filthy human being now, but when you’re constantly a sweaty mess and surrounded by other sweaty people, you just stop caring.
Speaking of my new sweaty friends…we seem to be getting along just fine. We aren’t allowed to leave the monastery after 8pm, so we have just been hanging out, playing cards, drinking a bit of La Beninoise (local brewsky), and listening to some of the guys play guitar. Last night was particularly amazing because I decided to go to bed a little early and then ran into some of the PC guys who were singing and playing guitar with some of the Beninese workers. It was the making of a cross-cultural dance party. One Beninese man was a wicked dancer. I mean, he had some absolutely hilarious moves. I, being one to never turn down a good dance party, jumped on in. I was bobbing around to whatever the guys were playing and then showed my new dance partner the “fishing line” dance. Leave it to me to be the dancing fool who breaks out the fish dance in front of a group of strangers. Oh well, I’ve realized that laughter instantly brings people together, so why not make a fool out of myself?
I also went on my first run in Africa. I woke up early with some of the current Volunteers (they have been here a year or so and are helping out with training) and ran on some of the “roads” off the main street. I say “roads” because it was basically a sand/dirt path. It was definitely the most eye opening run I’ve ever been on. We ran past a bunch of houses (shacks) and there were goats, pigs, and roosters walking around picking at the piles of garbage on the street or drinking from dirty puddles that are definitely breeding grounds for malaria. The sight of this poor neighborhood (though I’m pretty sure it’s one of the better-off ones in Benin) was definitely unsettling, but it was even worse when I saw a little girl sitting in one of the garbage piles. I’m going to have to get used to seeing these sorts of things or else I won’t make it through two years here.
On to more upbeat things… I rode my first zemidjan (motorcycle taxi) today! They are the main modes of transportation in Cotonou and other cities in Benin. Our PC group had a little orientation and then we went out onto the street and had to hail a zemi (though the drivers that took us on our first ride knew what was going on and were waiting to take us out around the block). I was pretty terrified because I had seen how crazy people drive and how bad the traffic is, but it was actually fun! PC Volunteers are required to wear helmets (no one else does) and that definitely helps a lot. The only bad thing about the zemi ride was that I think I was a little enthusiastic in throwing my leg over the bike that I ripped a giant hole in my pants. Luckily, one of the volunteers had some fabric that I made into a makeshift skirt that I walked around in all day.
We took a walking tour around Cotonou and got to see more of the downtown area. We also saw the beach which leaves little to be desired. If you come visit me, we are not going to the Cotonou beach. It’s pretty dirty, plus the tides are really strong and it’s dangerous to swim there. The rest of the walk was cool. We stopped and got a drink (I had a delicious beverage called a Fizzi Pampelmousse which is a fizzy grapefruit type soda) and chatted with the older volunteers about different diseases some of the other volunteers had gotten. Awesome. I won’t say anything too gross, but I’ll just say that PC people become very open about what’s going on inside their bodies.
Other things I’ve done this week is get 2 more shots (typhoid and meningitis) and had my language interview. I’m pretty sure I’m placed in either Novice-High or Intermediate-Low, so despite all my nervous laughter during the interview, I must have said some things correctly in French. I had my first language lesson the other day. There are only 2 other people with me (guys from my business sector). My teacher is this really cool Beninese woman. We learned about different African French slang phrases and just practiced speaking a bit. I’m excited to learn French, but I know that I’ll have to study and practice a lot and be prepared to make many mistakes.
I’m not sure I’ll be able to write anything for a while because I’m start the intense 9 week training tomorrow and also move in with my host family. I’m sooo excited to meet them! It’ll probably be pretty awkward, but I’m sure it will only lead to some hilarious stories and me gaining a better insight into the French language and Beninese culture.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
What are you doing today? Oh, just flying to Africa
I’ve been looking forward to this day since I applied to the Peace Corps almost a year ago. Insanity. Pure insanity. I can’t believe it’s finally here!
Staging has been really exhausting (who knew sitting in meetings all day would be so tiring), but I’ve enjoyed meeting the 60 or so people that have become my new “insta-friends” in just a matter of days. Everyone is great….our group as a whole seems to have a great sense of humor which has made the meetings go by much faster.
Besides learning about PC policies and safety, I spent my last full day in the US getting some vaccinations (only polio and yellow fever…I get more once I’m in Benin), removing contents of my old bag and placing them in a new one (I definitely brought too much stuff in a bag that was difficult to carry), and eating Thai food as my last “American” dinner.
Another exciting thing I did today was take my first anti-malaria pill. Luckily, I’m not on a pill that you have to take everyday, but just once a week. I’m not sure what it’s called, but I know some side effects include “vivid dreams” and “hallucinations” along with the normal nausea, headaches, and dizziness that accompany most medicines. So, at dinner, a few of us took our pills and toasted to these apparent vivid dreams and hallucinations. I’ll let you know how things go.
I’m glad I’ve had the chance to say some last goodbyes, and it seems that many people have asked if I’m nervous or scared. I’m definitely more excited than anything and not really scared because I know I’m going through this whole training process with an amazing group of people who will understand exactly how I feel. I’ve dealt with so many emotions over the past few months, but one thing I’ve never felt is unsure. I’ve never thought that the PC was wrong for me or that this isn’t what I should be doing with my life, but one thing I have thought about a lot is the reason for my being here. I guess I knew that this was a perfect fit for me, but why?
I had to make sure I had some solid reasons for doing something like this. Well, there are plenty of reasons: helping others, traveling, learning French, being immersed in a culture that is completely different from my own, grad school, job stuff, meeting a group of people with similar passions and interests who are just as nutty as I am, the challenge, my interest in working in international development, my attempt to tip the scale to the more positive things that can happen in this world, etc.
While these are all convincing reasons for joining the PC, I also felt that a little mental instability and narcissism had to play a role, right? I must be a little crazy for choosing to potentially live without electricity or running water in
But, I thought about it and realized that it isn’t insanity or narcissism at all. This may sound a little crazy (and I’m writing this at
I think it’s something I will only figure out when I get there, but I know that there is something that
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
OH SNAP....
....ONE WEEK! Besides a few mini panic attacks, I’m doing quite well. I think I just get a little stressed out when I look at the pile of crap in the corner of my room. I’ve attempted to pack most of it into a hardcore army backpack my dad got me (thanks Pop!), but I really feel like I’m going to fall backwards when I put it on. Oh well, I’ll figure it out. If not, then I’ll end up like a cockroach that has landed on its back, flailing limbs and all.
I’m not really sure what I’m going to do with my last week at home. My sister, Alisa, is home for the week, and I guess I’ll hang out with her. She hugs me a lot, and it kind of weirds me out. She may have hugged me on 5 different occasions today. I also gave her all of my clothes/shoes/jewelry that won’t be practical/appropriate in Benin. Apparently, the clothing I’ve accumulated in NY over the past few years isn’t really suitable for bush living.
As well as lots of hugging, there will probably be lots of crying as I say goodbye to the few friends that are actually left in Indy. For those that are not here, expect a goodbye phone call soon. Finally, during my last week I’m going to enjoy Momma Levoit’s home cooking, water pressure in the shower, air conditioning, the Food Network, big pillows, and drinking water from the tap because I’m fairly certain, actually 100% certain, that I ain’t getting none of this in Benin.
I’m not really sure what I’m going to do with my last week at home. My sister, Alisa, is home for the week, and I guess I’ll hang out with her. She hugs me a lot, and it kind of weirds me out. She may have hugged me on 5 different occasions today. I also gave her all of my clothes/shoes/jewelry that won’t be practical/appropriate in Benin. Apparently, the clothing I’ve accumulated in NY over the past few years isn’t really suitable for bush living.
As well as lots of hugging, there will probably be lots of crying as I say goodbye to the few friends that are actually left in Indy. For those that are not here, expect a goodbye phone call soon. Finally, during my last week I’m going to enjoy Momma Levoit’s home cooking, water pressure in the shower, air conditioning, the Food Network, big pillows, and drinking water from the tap because I’m fairly certain, actually 100% certain, that I ain’t getting none of this in Benin.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Preparations
I’ve been getting a lot of things together these past few days because I think July 17th is going to sneak up on me really fast. Also, I got my “staging kit” (I’ll be in Philly for 3 days before heading off to
The staging packet included some fun things like sheet with bike measurement information. I’m pretty stoked about getting a bike…mainly because I want to get a bike horn, basket, colorful handlebar tassels, and those beads that go on the bike wheels and make noise. Remember those? I won’t actually get any of that stuff. Well, except for the tassels. I’ll pack them right along side my head lamp, shortwave radio, swiss army knife, and all the other necessities. They also asked us about our mountain biking abilities (I’m a novice) and our bike maintenance abilities (novice, again). So apparently, besides job and language training, I’ll also be getting schooled in the ways of bike repair.
Interestingly, we have 2 more vaccination field trips once we get to
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Benin in T-minus 1 month
I never really saw myself as much of a blogger mainly because I never felt that I had anything so important to say that it should demand the attention of the entire world wide web. I mean, come on, I’m no Perez Hilton.
Then I thought about the Facebook news feed which basically documents your every mouse click. I guess I’m saying that if you care enough to look at my profile to see that I added “baking” to my list of interests, then maybe you will care to learn about the inner-workings of my brain via blog.
Anyway, who knows if I’ll actually keep up with the thing. I’m not sure what my internet situation will be like inBenin
Some warnings about my blog: I will probably jump around a lot as my fingers are not able to type fast enough to keep up with the words and ideas that come spewing from my brain. Also, I am not a beautifully poetic writer (see previous sentence). Don’t expect anything at the level of Shakespeare, although I will probably use words like thou, whom, henceforth, and shall mainly because I think they sound funny, and I often wonder how certain words just seem to disappear from colloquial English. Also, check out my disclaimer at the bottom of the page.
Anyhoo, in exactly one month I will leave for staging in either DC or Philly. I’m really anxious about all the things I need to get done before I leave (I won’t bore you with the whole list), but some things include packing a new life for myself for 2 years (at a weight of under 80 lbs), learning to say things like “Can you point me to my mud hut?” in French and Fon/Yoruba/or one of the other many local languages, and deciding which movies I want to put on my new ipod whose name is Todd “The Big Kahuna” Pod. He replaces the original Todd the Pod who decided to crap out on me a few months ago with the “sad ipod face.” May he RIP.
Now for a little info on the title of my blog. Some of you may know about my obsession with my “word of the day” emails…for those of you who didn’t know that, I’m obsessed with my “word of the day” emails mainly because they have exposed me to words like tarantism, gourmand, and hobbledehoy. Basically, I love silly words.
So, not only would I like to thank the Germans (Danke Mutter!) for bringing to this world Oktoberfest, bratwurst, Oktoberfest chicken (it’s the best chicken in the universe, and that’s not an overstatement), the Neuschwanstein Castle, and German Shepherds (RIP Gus and Dabu), but I would also like thank them for some words that have been brought over to the English language: kitsch, gesundheit, schadenfreude, and wanderlust.
I, my friends, have discovered that I have a severe, incurable case of wanderlust. Since it can be described as an “innate desire to travel,” I am henceforth to believe that I cannot be blamed for this since it’s something that’s been with me since birth. There is very little that excites me more than long plane rides and passport stamps that become the gateway to so much more. The funny thing about wanderlust is that it’s caused by traveling and can only be cured by more traveling, creating this vicious, never-ending cycle that will surely lead me to be very happy and very poor.
While traveling to interesting places is one of the reasons I’ve joined the PC (there are many, but I’ll save it for another blog), my wanderlust is more about what comes from traveling than just the act itself. It has exposed me to new countries, people, foods, cultures, and languages. Also, traveling tends to bring about open-mindedness, which I think we can never have enough of.
With one month to go I am nervous, excited, terrified, happy, sad, curious, eager, and hopeful. It's a little too many emotions for me to handle at one time, but I'm dealing with it. Sorry this post has been really long. I can't promise that others won't be longer, but once I get going I just can't stop, won't stop. Holla.
Then I thought about the Facebook news feed which basically documents your every mouse click. I guess I’m saying that if you care enough to look at my profile to see that I added “baking” to my list of interests, then maybe you will care to learn about the inner-workings of my brain via blog.
Anyway, who knows if I’ll actually keep up with the thing. I’m not sure what my internet situation will be like in
Some warnings about my blog: I will probably jump around a lot as my fingers are not able to type fast enough to keep up with the words and ideas that come spewing from my brain. Also, I am not a beautifully poetic writer (see previous sentence). Don’t expect anything at the level of Shakespeare, although I will probably use words like thou, whom, henceforth, and shall mainly because I think they sound funny, and I often wonder how certain words just seem to disappear from colloquial English. Also, check out my disclaimer at the bottom of the page.
Anyhoo, in exactly one month I will leave for staging in either DC or Philly. I’m really anxious about all the things I need to get done before I leave (I won’t bore you with the whole list), but some things include packing a new life for myself for 2 years (at a weight of under 80 lbs), learning to say things like “Can you point me to my mud hut?” in French and Fon/Yoruba/or one of the other many local languages, and deciding which movies I want to put on my new ipod whose name is Todd “The Big Kahuna” Pod. He replaces the original Todd the Pod who decided to crap out on me a few months ago with the “sad ipod face.” May he RIP.
Now for a little info on the title of my blog. Some of you may know about my obsession with my “word of the day” emails…for those of you who didn’t know that, I’m obsessed with my “word of the day” emails mainly because they have exposed me to words like tarantism, gourmand, and hobbledehoy. Basically, I love silly words.
So, not only would I like to thank the Germans (Danke Mutter!) for bringing to this world Oktoberfest, bratwurst, Oktoberfest chicken (it’s the best chicken in the universe, and that’s not an overstatement), the Neuschwanstein Castle, and German Shepherds (RIP Gus and Dabu), but I would also like thank them for some words that have been brought over to the English language: kitsch, gesundheit, schadenfreude, and wanderlust.
I, my friends, have discovered that I have a severe, incurable case of wanderlust. Since it can be described as an “innate desire to travel,” I am henceforth to believe that I cannot be blamed for this since it’s something that’s been with me since birth. There is very little that excites me more than long plane rides and passport stamps that become the gateway to so much more. The funny thing about wanderlust is that it’s caused by traveling and can only be cured by more traveling, creating this vicious, never-ending cycle that will surely lead me to be very happy and very poor.
While traveling to interesting places is one of the reasons I’ve joined the PC (there are many, but I’ll save it for another blog), my wanderlust is more about what comes from traveling than just the act itself. It has exposed me to new countries, people, foods, cultures, and languages. Also, traveling tends to bring about open-mindedness, which I think we can never have enough of.
With one month to go I am nervous, excited, terrified, happy, sad, curious, eager, and hopeful. It's a little too many emotions for me to handle at one time, but I'm dealing with it. Sorry this post has been really long. I can't promise that others won't be longer, but once I get going I just can't stop, won't stop. Holla.
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