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!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
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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