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 =)