Thursday in Benin

Hi everyone! Today is really Thursday. It’s been a really fun day. When we woke up in the morning there was a torrential downpour. I hurried to get my raincoat out of my bag. When my roommate and I ran to where we needed to meet, there was about three inches of water on the road. My sandals and skirt were soaked. However, my backpack and shirt were nice and dry under my raincoat, so I was a happy camper. It was actually pretty fun. Plus we had to wait like a half an hour for the buses that were taking us to the work station, so by the time we got to the station I was pretty much all dried off.

Most of the day has spent doing individual meetings. There was a French interview, and a medical check in,  a ‘get to know you’ meeting with the head of Environmental action and an introduction to bikes and motorcycles. All of the meetings were really encouraging. Everyone seemed to go out of there way to say they had my back, and that I shouldn’t stress out.

The motorcycle training was especially helpful. We talked about how to call over a moto-taxi, negotiate a price, and even get on the motorcycle. Then we got to go for a ride on the bike. I’m not going to say that it wasn’t a little intimidating, but it was also really fun. I am glad we got to practice all together, when the moto-taxi drivers know we are all newbies, instead of needing to just take the plunge on our own.

It seems like internet might be a little more scarce than I hoped it would be. I mean, I know that I am going to be in a lot of different contexts, but It doesn’t look like daily access is going to be an option soon. So, like I said before, I’m going to keep trying to typing up entries daily, and posting them when I can. In the mean time, any time you want to email me at lauren.mae@me.com, I would love to get your notes! Also as of yet, I haven’t gotten on facebook. It loads very slowly. Maybe that will change with time??

On that note, I do have my mailing address!

Lauren Mawe Peace Corps Volunteer

Corps de la Paix

B. P. 971

Cotonou, Benin

Feel free to send me stuff J So far, my stuff seems to be holding up fine, but I mean, it’s only day 2 in Benin, so we’ll see how that goes.

It’s really nice to be with a whole group that is so focused on serving others. Of course there is a the occasional observation of something negative (power going out in a torrential downpour perhaps), but really there has been a staggering lack of complaining from the group, and an abundance of Merci’s. And the more I slowly see of Benin the more I love it. So far, this is really the adventure I might have hoped for.

While I have a minute, that reminds me of another topic. And I’m sorry if I am chatting everyone’s ear off. I won’t hold a grudge if you if you don’t read every word.

Security: I will admit that coming here, security was something that I was somewhat nervous about. I am glad to say that there have been a lot of briefings about security, and from what I am hearing from current volunteers and the training staff, the incidence of any crime is pretty low, and volunteers generally feel really safe, especially in more rural areas where they know all their neighbors.

I am really interested in where I will be placed for post, whether it will be in the north of the country or the south, in a rural or urban area. I talked with the Environmental Action Director, and he said that at post, most volunteers use their cellphone to get internet access, so we will see about that. I should be getting my Benin Cellphone on Monday, the current volunteers are buying them for us. So great.

Ok, I’m going to see if I can’t check up on facebook or something. To summarize, life has been really great here, and my thoughts are with you guys.

With love,

Lauren