**these two posts, From Sunday and Monday didn't orginialy send. Sorry for the confused order!**
**Sunday**

Hi Everyone!

It’s been a good Sunday here. We went to church in the morning and I got to wear my traditional Boumba. I was surprisingly nervous about what kind of reaction I would get at church. When I tried on the boumba on Friday all my little siblings started laughing and it was tough to tell if they thought it was absurd or exciting. I for one have never felt whiter than when I was sitting in the car waiting to go to church.

Fortunately, while I felt like I stuck out, I think I got much less attention than I had when I wore my more western dress to church. I’m still the only white person in the congregation, but I guess I didn’t seem as different as before. It does make sense, but it feel strange to be wearing something that seems so uncharacteristic of me and the people I meet don’t bat an eye. I did get to catch a glimpse of the whole outfit, and it is actually really nice. I’m excited that I chose a traditional outfit first, instead of a more western style, and I do really love the pattern. Pictures someday!

After church I changed clothes and read up on my post a little bit. It sounds like there are electric generators in the area even if my house itself doesn’t have electricity. Also my town apparently has the biggest market in the region. The volunteer who was there before did a lot of great work. I hope that paves the way for more awesomeness in the days to come.

Around 2pm my host mama said to me ‘there are some fried yams if you want a snack, and then we are going to a party’. The party actually turned out to be a wedding and I got to done the boumba once more. The wedding-reception-party was a total cultural guessing game for me. I can’t say I was in top form, but I learned a lot. Based on what I observed, I think that here, because lots of people want to wish the couple well, and because homes are the most popular reception venue, people will come through in waves and stay for an hour or two. When we arrived there were about 15 people eating at tables outside, and when we left one person had just sat down and it looked like fresh table cloths were being put down. Also, there was a lot of food. I ate spicy rice with fries and fish. It was good but I was definitely kicking myself for eating those yams before I got there. Then, to my horror, we were presented with pate noir, and pork in a red sauce. Fortunately my host mama explained that I was all set. That would have been a somewhat adventurous dish on an empty stomach, never mind after (in my mind) just having finished one meal! Amazingly, both my host parents happily dug in and successfully finished both servings. I don’t know how people do it.

After leaving the party I took a long rest and then did more reading up on my post.  Dinner was more rice and fish, which was fine enough because I just had a little. After dinner I watched some traditional music videos with the family, and then wrote this post! While I was watching the videos I thought a lot about how in Benin, I haven’t really seen the stereotypical ‘big attitude’ that is often associated with African American culture. No one has snapped their fingers in a Z formation. Sure, people here laugh hard and play the music loud, but when I am talking with people, if anything they can be rather soft spoken. Just another interesting little cultural difference.

Thanks for reading!

With Love,

Lauren

****

**Monday**

Hello everyone,

Today I started learning Bariba, the local language that is commonly spoken in the north. Initially I had been intimidated by needing to learn another language, especially one that is not Latin based. However it has actually been really exciting to learn a language that is a first language for my neighbors and work partners. In part, it feels like a gift to them. Also, learning Bariba has also made some French oddities make more sense. Here (when speaking French) in addition to “Hi, how are you,” people will add on further greetings like “Et chez toi?” ‘And you’re your house(hold)’ and my host mama asks me every morning if I’ve have slept well “A tu bien dormer?” It turns out that these phrases are both very common in Bariba, in fact the phrase for ‘Good morning’ could also be translated “Sweet dreams?” I thought that was funny.

After language class we split up by work focus and got to do some practice work immersion. In the case of my group that meant traveling to the nearby town of Dabomey and meeting with the chief. It turns out that in the case of Dabomey, the chief is actually a lot like a mayor. He was elected by the people and serves a four year term before there is another election. We talked with him a little bit. Everyone was pretty quiet, afraid to say something impolite or undiscernable as we are still learning French. When we talked with the assistant director of Environmental Action later, he said that the chief was at least a little intimidated too, since it was his first time talking with Americans! He was actually a pretty normal looking guy. He wore the traditional brightly printed pants and shirt of a men’s boumba, but not big robe or jewelry or staff like I might have guessed. After talking for a while we went on a tour of the gardens in the area. Each trainee had a moment of exclaiming, “Wait! I know that plant!” and I think we all left feeling encouraged.

In the evening I chatted a lot with my host mama, and got her perspective on the Bariba I had learned. We alsotalked a little more about the wedding party. She said that here, weddings are often held on Thursdays and are just small private affairs for a few people. Then the wedding reception/party is on the weekend. I think that method could have a lot of merits. However, I did try to explain how in the United States, having everyone at the ceremony is a symbol of how all friends and family are a little bit a part of the wedding event, and all that. It was an interesting conversation.

The power was out for an hour or two while my host mama was making dinner, so for a while she actually used a gas lantern to see. That made me think of my grandparents and the beautiful gas lanterns they have.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading!

Lauren

Meetin' the Director of Songhai

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are doing well. Today we got to meet with the director of Songhai, the center where we usually meet for class. If you are curious, I highly recommend checking out the Songhai website. http://www.songhai.org/en/ It was such a pleasure to get to listen to the Director, Father Godfrey (Godfried?) talk for an hour. He is one of those people that is just intelligent and wise and charismatic. He spoke very passionately about fighting poverty buy teaching people how to meet present needs. He said that he enjoys working with the Peace Corps because we are a trusted and listening presence in the communities of Benin and we have big hearts. That was a big compliment coming from such a wise and capable person. He talked about the need to act with the head, the hand and the heart jointly, and talked about how Songhai is a center for all three.

In the afternoon we had health classes and a diversity awareness session.

Since my life is settling into a little bit of a pattern for the moment, I will try to give you a picture of ‘a day in the life’: Between 6 and 6:30 my iphone (turned ipod touch) alarm goes off. I get ready for the day in my room and bathroom and pack up my bag. I go out to the dining room and greet my little siblings and host parents along the way. My host parents and I usually go through a list of greeting ‘Hello? How are you? And your household? Did you sleep well?’ once we have established that everyone successfully slept well I sit down to breakfast. I eat alone, I think the rest of the family has a bowl of rice around 10, but I’m not sure. My mama or sisters have already set out a thermose of hot water as well as the can of Nescafe, sugar, and powdered milk. There is also a loaf of sliced bread, a small jar of peanut butter that I bought, some mayo (just in case, I guess) and some fruit (usually bananas or apples or oranges). Sometimes there is a hard boiled egg, though I have been less and less inclined to go for that. We all have our weird preferences I guess.

At first it seemed weird to me that the food was set out, but other trainees have said that they eat all of their meals at their host home alone with everything set out for them. In Beninese culture it is common for the kids to eat separately from the parents, and sometimes for the adult women to eat separately from the men. I couldn’t help thinking of stories from when my Dad was growing up and all the kids ate together, trading each other for the things they liked.

After breakfast I say goodbye to y host mama and anyone else I cross paths with on my way out. Then I either meet Heidi to bike, or (as is a little more common) I walk out onto the bigger road connected to ours and hail a Zemidjan. I am getting pretty good at haggling down the price. That or I’m just getting stingy! Haha.

I usually get to school about 15 minutes before classes start. I find that it is a good practice, because it’s good to have some buffer time in case you can’t hail a Zem, or have bike troubles, or any other issues. Also, it is really nice to have a little time to chat and compare host stories with the other trainees.

For lunch we usually find some rice and beans across the street or at Songhai. Many people like to get an avocado sandwich during the 10:00-10:30 break. You can also buy a somewhat expensive, but delicious yogurt cup from Songhai. At lunch rice and beans are sometimes complimented by a hard boiled egg or chicken, fish, or fried bananas. There is some variety to be had there.

After class I bike or catch a Zem home around 5pm. I try to chat with my mama a little right when I get in the door, and then I usually rest in my room for an hour. Sometimes my host mama has a snack like fried bananas, fried yams, or grilled corn. After resting for a while I usually sit in the living room and review my notes and watch TV with my host siblings, or I stand in the kitchen while my host mama prepares dinner. For a while I really hoped to help prepare a lot of the food. However, now I’m kind of content to sit back. I don’t really want to elbow my way into becoming a part of the food prep routine only to leave again in another month and some change. So I chat with my mama, and ask her about what she is making if it’s something new.

Dinner is usually around 9. I’m usually served first, but I eat with the kids. It’s not unusual for my host mama and papa to sit down and eat as well after the kids have started. Papa often doesn’t come home until 9, so he never eats earlier than then. After dinner I sometimes boil some water for my filter. I usually sit and watch TV with the family until about 10. Then I say good night to the family and go to my room. I get ready for bed, write a post and read a bit before turning off the light.

That’s life at the moment! On Sunday it switches up a bit. I will be journeying north for my two week hosted visit in my new post. I will be staying with the director of one of the primary schools and his wife and two kids. After two weeks there I will return to Porto Novo to start Technical Training and if all goes well, on September 14^th I will be sworn into the Peace Corps!

Thanks for reading. I am thinking of you all very often.

Much love,

Lauren

POST ANNOUNCEMENT!

Hi everyone!

It’s been a good past two days. I can tell you about them, but it’s been pretty typical except for the fact that yesterday (Friday) I got my post announcement! Here we go!

So, I am way north. In fact, I am pretty sure I am in the north most post. But! I actually have a post-mate, another volunteer living in the same town as me. Her name is Camille and she is a English teaching, or TEFL volunteer. We haven’t hung out very much, but she seems like a very sweet and kind person. She also jumped right out of French into Bariba, a local language, so she’s got a good leg up on communication!

The name of the town is Founougo (foo-noo-goo) in the state of Barikoara, and the region of Alibori, in Northern Benin. Apparently the weather is drier there, so you get slightly more heat and cold. More like Israel! I will be replacing a current Environmental Action volunteer and living in her house. It sounds like she is actually the second EA volunteer there, and I will be the third, with Camille opening up a TEFL post there.

The village is on the remote side. It sounds like I probably won’t have electricity or running water. With regards to water, you want to find out what the norms are in your community, but most volunteers pay local kids or teens to carry water for them. It’s a starter job like babysitting or dog walking. I will get to learn more details about the proximity to electricity (or the likelihood of getting it soon) when I visit in a week. Cellphone coverage is a reality, though I might get better coverage on a secondary network, we shall see.

In the packet of information I got about my post it repeatedly said that there are many willing work partners and people are generally warm and inviting. I think that information is really backed up by the fact that two volunteers in a row have requested that another volunteer be posted there after them, and we are now expending to EA and TEFL. It sounds like the previous EA volunteer put in some good hours teaching about the environment in the local schools, so having the EA post be complimented by TEFL should expand things really nicely. They mentioned that there is a real interest in building a garden at the school. Also if the volunteer wants, there is some real potential for development in waste management and sanitation. There is a waste management organization in the area, but it’s not widely used because in one way or another people don’t really understand it/know about it. With regards to sanitation, there is some real interest n building latrines and hand washing stations at primary schools. These things were listed as elective options if the volunteer is interested. I don’t know much of anything about these things now, but if I can, I would love to learn about them, because I think that would be a good area to become more knowledgeable in.  Camille and I will both be staying with primary school directors during our two-week host stay.

Oh, and also, there are elephants. We are close to one of the National parks (Parc W? I’m too lazy to look it up now). And apparently elephants do sometimes wander around. When one of the fascilitators was telling us about the Alibori region he said that sometimes elephants stop in the road and drivers have to get out and try to shoo them. Elephants! I kind of can’t handle it. But now I am also expecting to get a pet elephant. If you came visit I might let you ride him. I’ll give you a friend price.

Many more facts yet to come in the following weeks, but that is the preliminary information. With every post there is some give and take. In this case the take would be living so far up-country, and not having electricity, but the take would be having someone else close by that is going through the same, or similar things, and living in a town that is historically willing and eager to work with volunteers. It’s a tough call, but I think I’m getting away with the better option.

For the small potatoes news of the last two days: Language class Friday was spent in anxious anticipation of post announcement. When we gathered before the posts were announced, we took a group picture all together. Lord willing that will hit Facebook someday. Either way I thought it was a really great symbol of solidarity.

Solidarity before we start regional rivalries anyway! Just kidding. When each person received their information on their post everyone clapped. The fascilitators had drawn a giant map of Benin on the floor of our large meeting area, and we all stood where our posts are to see where other volunteers are. I know it doesn’t mean much now, but after Camille my closes neighbors are Josh (another EA volunteer), Suzanne, who I think is TEFL, and Alex who is EA and she will live right in Kandi where a small workstation and many taxis are.

After posts were announced and we got to read and hear a little, and write our names on everyone else’s maps together, we all went to a Buvette to celebrate. Most people did partake of a ‘Beninoise’ the local beer, but it was a very low key event. It was great to celebrate our posts all together, instead of darting off to our host homes right away.

After class I told my host mama about my post and showed her some of the information. She was supportive and congratulatory even though she had hoped I would be closer to my host home. However, as luck would have it and just to reinforce what a small world it is, my host mama actually speaks the northern dialect (Bariba) that I need to learn! Crazy. I whipped out my notebook and wrote down the basic ‘hi, how are you, my name is…’ phrases.

As we were chatting a boy arrived delivering the outfit I had made a few days ago! As I put it on, I was overwhelmed by the feeling that I /live/ here. I have arrived. Getting the name of my town and my post, and getting my first Beninese garment in the same day was such a cool experience. It feels like the first steps into really having ownership of things here.

I don’t want to over hype it. The crazy pattern of my boumba, (or traditional shirt and wrap skirt), is a little overwhelming. But it is also a great color for me. It fits really well, and (thankfully) the seamstress did a really good job. I would have hated to go sewing-snob on my hosts. Fortunately, my host mama knows what’s what.

Wow! Friday night was also the opening of the Olympic games! I was loving all the British culture, but my host family was super checked out of it. It was really interesting to see that for all us trainees, watching the Olympics was a pretty big deal, but local Beninese people barely knew when they were starting. There are 11 athletes competing from Benin, but I don’t think any of them are favored to win, so people aren’t really invested I suppose.

Today, Saturday, we had class in the morning, and in the afternoon Ian, Sarah and I (later joined by Shannon, another trainee) went to the pool at a hotel in Proto Novo. It was sooooooo nice. We stayed there for probably 6 hours. The water was cool and clean and there were lawn chair under the shade of coconut palms where you could rest and sleep. I bought an over priced but delicious chicken sandwich with a sort of fajita sauce with onions and peppers. That was a first for Benin! We swam and swam and lounged and chatted. It was like a mini vacation and I loved every minute of it. But yes mom, even though I did put on sunscreen, I did get burnt. Hooray for aloe!

And that, my friends, is all of the things. Thanks for being awesome.

With Love,

Lauren

Day before post announcement and random answers to questions

Hi everyone!

I hope you are doing well. Today was a less eventful day. Language class was better than yesterday. I feel like the class moves at a slower pace, but that should give me the opportunity to really fix some mistakes. I am trying to be more of a perfectionist about my work.

During many parts of training we have a current volunteer, who has completed a year of service here, and sits in on our classes during the day and helps us out with anecdotes, advice and will even help us get things we need. These people always seem a little bit like saints to me. When I look at them and think about all of the challenges and maladies we are trying to prepare for, it is so good to think, “They really have been living this out for a year, and they really seem to be enjoying it.” Each of them seems to be pretty relaxed about things that seem very complicated to us right now, and each of them seem to really feel like their work is important and meaningful. This week we have Bubby, or Robert, and it is awesome to get to pick his brain.

After class Amber, Ian, and I went to a buvette or bar to chat and hang out a bit. It was a relaxing experience.

Tomorrow we find out about our posts for work. Many people are really excited, referring to it almost like Christmas or a birthday. However, there are also many of us, including myself, who are treating post announcement with a little more weariness. I am confident that there will be cool things about my post, but I also know no post is perfect, and I am trying to keep my expectations low. Incidentally, when I have brought it up to my host family, they have said that they hope my post is close, so that it is easy to visit. I think that is a big compliment. That, or they don’t think I’m ready to live on my own yet!

And now for some general and miscellaneous information:

With regards to the Job selection process:

Job selection has a lot of variables, which fortunately I have very little to do with. I believe that first the Peace Corps sends out a general inquiry to towns saying, "Ok, who wants help? and what kind?" There are for general fields of Peace Corps work here in Benin, Teaching English (TEFL), Community Economic Development (CED), Rural Community Health (RCH), and my own sector, Environmental Action (EA). A current EA volunteer said today that sometimes it seems like there is TEFL, and then everything else. He personally works on a community garden, but also spends a lot of time at a local school and at the health center working with nutrition. Afterwards I joked with Heidi that I get the feeling I am just going to teach a bunch of kids how to sew. I certainly would be happy to see that get worked in. We will see what happens!

Aaanway (this is the long answer). Besides having work to do, there is some work structure, which varies from job to job, but I believe every volunteer has a 'homologue' a person who lives in the community and is something of a mentor to the volunteer. Some volunteers will have a boss, others a co-partner, others 8 10-years-olds. I think it's likely you will do a little with all of these demographics.

There are some pretty specific housing requirements, and if a post doesn't meet them, then it is a no-go. The volunteer must be in personal traveling distance of a bank and post office. The volunteer's housing is ideally in a consignment, which is kind of like one story condominiums. All volunteers have doors with locks, secure windows, complete with screens, a private latrine, and a stove. You do get a move in budget for other things you might need, but those seem like the most staple things. 

I have met twice with the EA director and assistant director. They asked about my experience and interests. They did repeatedly ask if I was interested in working with children. I told them honestly that I don't have a lot of experience teaching children, but I'm very open to the idea. They also had all EA volunteers fill out a form asking how important electricity, running water, a post-mate, and proximity to a city were (among other things). I put an interest of 6 or higher out of 10 for all of the options. I figure there is enough to adjust to, I will ask for all the amenities, and expect none of them. That being said, my highest priority was having another volunteer living within an hour or on the same village. They said that is very frequently the case. I am glad to hear it because it seems wise to have that support/option if every you are sick or feeling down, and it would be great to be able to help someone else out who is going through similar challenges. 

Coffee:

I got the french press out the first weekend and proudly shared some American culture by brewing American-style coffee for my host parents. My host mama took one sip and said, "Mmh, it's good!" and then bolted out of the room, never to return. My host papa did drink his whole cup of coffee, but I think in general Beninese people are afraid of sugar and caffeine. When I was brewing the coffee my host papa said, "It's toxic, like alcohol right?" Oh cultural differences. So basically I have resolved to save my coffee for post, and embrace the local culture of Nescafe for the time being. Should the need arise for some coffee in my life, it is good to know that it is an option now. 

And with regards to people I have chatted with for french class:

I have seen some of the same people on the street, especially students at the local high school and Muriel, who helped Heidi and I find our way home one time. I haven't seen the pastor since the time we met him, I think he might have said he spends most of his time in a different town, and was just visiting when we met him. We did go back to see the lady from Cote d'Ivoire the next day at the restaurant where she works. I haven't been down that way again since though. I might be a little too much of a home body. But I spend pretty mush all of my time either in class or with my host family. What can I say, I am learning plenty at both places!

Plenty for today. Thanks for reading!!!

With love,

Laure

New class, new fabric

Hello Everyone!

I am tired today and want to crash into bed, but I want to tell you about my day first! I had a new French class, and I got to take my first big steps into having some Beninese clothing!

The new French class was a little bit of a struggle. I knew all along that I had been really lucky in my old French class, to have such a dynamic, and organized facilitator, and to have such a good thing going with my classmate Heidi. I really like my new classmates, but I am nervous that I am not going to be learning as fast as I was before, and I don’t find my new facilitator’s style to be as intuitive as the previous one. However, we are only in these French classes for a week before it switches up again, so I suppose there isn’t mush point in being fussy.

Before lunch we got to go out into the community and shop in the grand marche. That was great because I really wanted to get another notebook, and some nail polish remover. I think I did reasonably well at haggling down the prices. We also looked at a lot of fabric, which was so much fun. I considered buying some, but the last time I talked to my host mama about it she said she was going to pick something out for me, and I didn’t want her to feel like I overruled her or anything.

After class some people wanted to go to a local buvette, or bar, to have a post-class drink to celebrate the birthday of another Trainee, Victoria. I seriously considered going, but I don’t really know Victoria really well, and when none of my closer friends were really motivated to go, I decided to go home. On the zemi-taxi ride home, I wondered if I ought to be a little more adventurous. Even then, I appreciated the irony of sitting on the back of a motorcycle taxi, watching giant baskets and colorful fabric whoosh by, feeling like a home-body.

However, it turned out to be very good that I did go home. After I chatted with my host mama a bit, she told me that she actually had bought some fabric for me that day. Thank the Lord, I really love the fabric. It’s navy blue with light blue accents and broad stripes of golden grain. I think it was a very good choice for me, and I was so complimented that she picked it out for me.

We were actually able to go to the couturier pretty promptly. It turned out that the ‘couturier’ was actually a mama who lives two streets over, with no sign on her house to indicate that she sews things for people. Clearly people have figured this out though, because her sewing room already had some other fabric piled up, and large posters with pictures of different styles of dress on all of the walls.

I looked at a lot of different styles and commented on a few that I liked. However, on the walk to the couturier, I had told my mama that I would probably get a ‘boumba’ which is the staple dress for women. My mama wears a boumba almost every day, and it’s what all the ladies wear to church, even my host sisters Onelia and Cena. It consist of a shirt with a wide boat neck and three-quarter-length sleeves, and a wrap skirt or ‘panye’.  I told my mama and the seamstress that I would just get a simple boumba like the one my mama was currently wearing. However, I have learned from other volunteers that couturiers tend to add a little accent, even if you tell them not to, so I was prepared for and open to that. I chose to trust my mama and the seamstress. However, as I was being measured, they were chatting, and I kept hearing the word ‘ballon’ with some gesturing to the stomach area, and when I asked the price my mama said that it was a little more expensive than the basic outfit. I am pretty sure my mama said ‘I am trying to fatten up this skinny American, so leave lots of room in the stomach!’ Just kidding. My mama does have good taste, so I kind of trust her better than myself to be able to think of and successfully communicate something pretty and culturally fitting. I will just be surprised to see what that winds up being! I should know on Friday!

More to say, especially about perceptions of body weight, but for now I have got to catch some Z’s.

Thanks for reading!

With love,

Lauren

New French Classes

Hello Everyone,

Another busy day in Benin!

Health first: I have been amazed by how affective the cream and antibiotic have been. The swelling on my skin infection is down at least 80%. Yay doctors!

Also, today I came to find out that it was not one chicken living outside my window, but three! No wonder they were making so much noise. Another volunteer, Josh, lives on a chicken farm. I don’t know how he gets any sleep. As for me, I put earplugs next to my bed and actually put them in after I woke up, while I was getting ready. It kept my morning a little more serene. Fortunately or unfortunately, our gang of three chickens is now down to one (and the other two were delicious! XD Sorry chickens).

After successfully navigating morning with chickens, Heidi and I took Zemi taxis to Songhai. We actually both got very reasonable prices. It’s taken a while to get better at bartering, but I think we are learning a thing or two.

At Songhai I learned that I placed Intermediate High on the language test. That’s four levels higher than when I started, so there is a lot to feel good about. However, Heidi did place higher than me, which means for this week at least, we are in different classes. I think I need to be more of a perfectionist about my grammar, and push myself to use different tenses. My comprehension is relatively good, I just need to push myself to think out my conjugations a little more before I speak.

Class today was mostly administrative work, talking about safe travel, and mental health. It was all reasonably easy and manageable.

Tomorrow my new French class will be meeting at Songhai. There are two other students in the class, David (who hosted the cuisine challenge last Saturday) and Sarah A. who is a self-proclaimed herpetologist. They are both pretty cool, but I don’t know either of them very well, and neither of them live very close (sadly!). I guess I will have to get to know Porto Novo a little better.

Tonight Heidi is in Cotonou so that she can be examined by one of the doctors tomorrow. She has had a persistent cough for maybe two weeks, and it’s time to get that checked out. I hope she has my good luck with diagnosis and treatment!

Also, (depending on how you want to count) it was one month ago today that I left for the Peace Corps. What a month it’s been! I’ve been so lucky to have so many things go in my favor, and to have the challenges be manageable. I am so grateful that I’ve been able to communicate so frequently. Being able to share my experiences with you (and to hear from many of you also!) has meant so much to me. I know the road ahead is going to have more challenges in store. I am so grateful to have such a strong, well-supported start.

Thanks for reading!

With love,

Lauren

Mal a la peu - sick on my skin :P

Hey everyone,

More adventures today for sure. Unfortunately, the adventures of the day started on  a low note. We are currently keeping a rooster just outside my window at the house. This is the second chicken we have kept while I have been here. I’m not really sure of what happens to them, because I know my mama is not keen to kill them. Maybe they get resold. Either way roosters really do crow first thing in the morning. Most mornings that hasn’t bothered me too much, they pretty much crow right when it’s time to wake up. Maybe it’s just that I am tired, but usually it isn’t that jarring. Unfortunately, that was not the case this morning. The rooster started crowing an hour before the sun came up, and it was very loud. I definitely had some mean sleepy thoughts I would have shared with the rooster if I had the opportunity. Fortunately I did not, and the morning rolled on.

At our first break from language class, I decided to call Peace Corps Medical offices. I have had some tenderness and swelling on my lower back that I thought might just be a bruise, but I decided that it could be worth getting some tips from Medical. I was surprised when they told me to come over to Cotonou to get it checked out. Fortunately, my language fascilitator was very understanding and there was a peace corps shuttle to take me and another sick trainee to Cotonou within the hour. It turned out that the doctor and I were both glad that I went because I actually had a skin infection! Woops! Don’t worry, I have some antibiotics and ointment now, so I am on the road to recovery. It’s good to know what is going on, too.

Driving to the Peace Corps base in Cotonou was no joy with the speed bumps and crazy traffic, but once we got there it was actually a real treat. I picked up a few things from the library and the give-and-take and watched the season finale of Game of Thrones with a Volunteer who is closing service in a week or two. Having to worry about my health was no fun, but getting to hang out at the base was a real treat. I picked up a few Christian books (something my personal repertoire has been embarrassingly lacking) as well as a cute little shoulder bag, a tank top made of Beninese fabric, and a big ball of yarn! It’s almost enough to make a person wish to get sick. But then you have to make it through the bumpy lumpy drive back to Proto Novo and think twice about that.

For dinner tonight my Mama made salad, which was so exciting. I had just been thinking that I hadn’t been eating many vegetables lately. I had also told her that I like eggplant, so with the salad she presented me with a whole (raw) eggplant. Thank the Lord I apparently like eggplant raw! I really appreciated that she bought it for me. Maybe I will have to try to make some eggplant parm to show the family another way of preparing it! Only time will tell…

Plenty of adventures for one day. Tomorrow I will find out about my new language class placement. Heidi found out today that she scored Advanced Medium! I am so happy for her. There are 9 levels, Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced, with subcategories of low, medium, and high, for each of them. It is so exciting that she placed so well. I really hope we are in the same class, but for now I’m just excited for what Heidi has achieved, I know that she has worked hard.

Well, until later – a la prochaine!

With Love,

Lauren

Laundry and Conversation

Hi Everyone!

 It’s been a great Sunday here in Benin, I hope it has been in for you too!

This morning the whole family packed up and went to St. Michael’s for church in the morning. It’s my favorite of the three churches I have been to. It is the closest to home, and has a community feel. I was happy to catch more of the phrases in the service this time, I was even able to follow parts of the sermon. The music is pretty cool too. It’s hard to pick out words, but it does always have such a joyful feel. Also there weird little cultural difference – in the US (or at least in New England) when we clap along to a song in 4/4 time, we usually clap on the 2 and 4. Here is a 4/4 song, they clap on the 3 and 4. That caught me off guard. Fortunately, as someone who is not rhythmically gifted, not knowing the words, I can count out the measures to make sure I’m on the right beat. Thanks marching band!

After church lunch was turkey with beans. I actually liked it a lot (this was two new things, and in general, I am happy to report that I am developing more of an appetite for Beninese food).

After lunch I hand washed my clothes with my little host sister Cena, under the instruction of my host Mama. I am pleased to say I felt a little more confident than the last time. Still my hands were so raw afterwards. I can really understand why people, especially kids, re-wear clothes until they really are dirty. Otherwise you would have so much laundry to do! I had a surprising cross cultural moment during the washing process. In general we have been told that women are expected to do all the domestic work. However, while I was washing clothes, my host Mama’s younger brother was visiting and chatting. At one point he crouched down and said, “try it like this”. And then proceeded to wash one of my shirts to demonstrate an effective way to quickly get the collar and sleeves. I was both grateful and surprised. It was really cool to see a slightly different method than my host mama’s also, she is so deft, it can be a little daunting!

After that I got to chat on the phone with my Mom, Dad, and Aunt Julie (by proxy) a little bit. It was so good to hear from them and it is just always encouraging to hear that people are enjoying the blog, and appreciating the information. I’m so grateful to you guys for reading it!

Dinner was a Sunday special of fries and plantains with fish. I have let my host mama know that my favorite Beninese dish is fried plantains. I had a great conversation with my host family about the next couple weeks, and everyone’s upcoming birthdays, etc. Apparently here 10 and 20 are big birthdays, and Onelia brought out her photo album from her 10^th birthday last year. It was so exciting to see her birthday outfit, and pictures of the family from a year ago, and a surprising number of familiar faces that have visited over the past three weeks. It was heart warming. Apparently, I will have to come back here at the end of January for Cena’s 10^th birthday party. It’s exciting to have a little over two years here to get to celebrate birthdays with the family and all of that. On that note, I finally learned the ages of all the kids: Onelia (11), Chancella, or Cena (9), Jerro (7), Romeo, who is actually a cousin but it living here for now (6), and Yani (5). I have probably spelled all of their names wrong, so sorry about that, but there’s a little more information!

Thanks for reading!

With love,

Lauren

Day of Delicious Food

Hello Everyone!

Happy Weekend! As tends to be the case, it’s been a busy Saturday!

In the morning Heidi and I got Zemis to class. My motorcycle helmet was recently replaced with a newer one, and since we have been biking, this was the first time I got to try it out! It is very nice. However, I miss the Boston stickers (Patriots, Red Sox, and Celtics) that a previous volunteer put on my old helmet. It seemed pretty lucky to me. Hopefully I won’t need luck with my newer less beat up helmet!

Once we all met up for class, we had some time to review and chat before each of our language interviews. There were several new Beninese outfits to admire.

I felt like my interview went well. It was definitely better than my initial language interview in Cotonou, the day before we met our host families. I felt like I conveyed my thoughts more clearly, and I was seldom scrambling for the word I wanted. However, I am worried that I didn’t correctly use enough different tenses to move up a level. We will see how it goes!

After the interview we went in shifts to the Porto Novo Palace Museum. We got a tour of all the different rooms, and their traditional purposes. It was interesting to hear about different traditions for Porto Novo Kings, and I was impressed by the well recorded lineage in a culture that, through most of its history didn’t have a written language. However, the tour didn’t really get to go into detail about the art or other scenery that would have been in the Palace, and we didn’t have a chance to get into Benin’s more recent history, which I would like to learn more about. Today, there are still regional kings in Benin, who sere a social role while the elected government makes and enforces rules and regulations (just like Great Britain!).

When everyone finished with the tours we commenced with what I thought would be the most stressful part of the day. We had been told a few days ago that we would be divided into groups of 7-10 and would go tone trainees house to make some Beninese cuisine. There was a lot of ambiguity around who was buying the ingredients, and how we were going to learn to make this food. It turned out that different host families volunteered, and I wound up going to the trainee David’s house. His family was given some money by the peace corps and bought the ingredients needed for the food we wanted to make. The family also guided us through cooking the cuisine. We made talli talli, which is sort of a fried banana deliciousness, benignets, rice with eggplant and a spicy peanut sauce, and sliced pineapple. It was so good and I ate so much! Even though I had my doubts going into the activity it turned out to work out perfectly. I learned how to make some Beninese cuisine, ate a meal that I helped chose and thought was delicious, and got to share the activity with my Peace Corps friends. Who could ask for anything more?

Upon arriving at the home of my host family, I chatted and caught up a bit. My mama was mercifully understanding when I only took a half portion of dinner (half portion for me, which is more like a quarter portion for the rest of the family!). We had beef for the first time since I left the states and it was delicious. I couldn’t help but wonder why all the delicious food was in my life on the same day!

After dinner the power went out. This happens somewhat frequently in Benin. I picked that up the first time it happened and no one commented or reacted. Usually it comes back on in 10 minutes to half an hour. This time it’s been a little longer, maybe an hour now. We chatted by candlelight for a while, and I talked about when the power went out for a day at my house in the United States over Christmas break.

Who knows what tomorrow will hold. For today, I’m just thankful for great food!

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Lauren

lunch with the director and scheduling

Hi All!

A big day with the Peace Corps today! My French class, and many others, met at Songhai, since all the Environment and also Community Economic Development volunteers had lunch with the director of Peace Corps Benin. We had met him during the first few days of orientation, but it was nice to hear a little more about his life and his prespective on the peace corps. He did say one thing in particular that really struck me: Peace Corps has a tension between being a practical aid organization and a cultural exchange.  He brought it up because finding the balance can be difficult, but I realized that is one of the things I love about Peace Corps. Both aspects seem so necessary and interrelated to me. It is a cool thing that we have going on here.

Language class was actually a little un characteristically difficult today. Our class joined up with another class that seemed to need a little help. At first it was really great to have some other French class mates, and get to hear their stories and thoughts (as another trainee said, you can only ask someone what their father’s name is so many times). But after a while the troubles that the other class has been having started to bubble to the surface. The fascilitator is newer than our fascilitator Aurelien, and the exercizes he chose were a little more academic, with less immediate personal application than what we enjoy in our class. This might have been fine on it’s own, but their was at least one trainee who was having a very difficult time staying motivated to keep trying in french, and because of that wasn’t really presenting herself positively. As other trainees tried to joke and be sympathetic the balance of the class really got out of whack and basically, it took a long time to do even simple exercizes and almost everyone was a little frustrated by the end. I do hope things get better for those other trainees. It made me grateful for what a good rapport we have in my french class, and how dynamic, passionate and organized our fascilitator is. It’s nice to recognize the things that are working out right.

Unfortunately, neither Heidi nor I have heard from Bethany, and I’m afraid she won’t be rejoining our stage. It would be sad to see her go, and she will be missed, but I hope this is the best choice for her.

Things that are happening next:

On Saturday we have a language placement test. Our French competency will be re-assessed in a conversation exam, and if we do well enough we may get to start with a local language.

On July 27^th we are supposed to find our placements for work during our service in the Peace Corps.

On August 5^th I believe we will be leaving for a two week visit to our future posts. We will be staying with different host families and be getting our first look at the local climate, traditions, food, and of course, our work!

After the two weeks at post we will start our technical training.

If all goes well, Lord willing, as Dr. Phillips would say, we will all swear in as Peace Corps Volunteers on September 14^th, after that, it’s off to work!

Thanks for reading and for all your support!!

With love,

Lauren

lunch with the director and scheduling

Hi All!

A big day with the Peace Corps today! My French class, and many others, met at Songhai, since all the Environment and also Community Economic Development volunteers had lunch with the director of Peace Corps Benin. We had met him during the first few days of orientation, but it was nice to hear a little more about his life and his prespective on the peace corps. He did say one thing in particular that really struck me: Peace Corps has a tension between being a practical aid organization and a cultural exchange.  He brought it up because finding the balance can be difficult, but I realized that is one of the things I love about Peace Corps. Both aspects seem so necessary and interrelated to me. It is a cool thing that we have going on here.

Language class was actually a little un characteristically difficult today. Our class joined up with another class that seemed to need a little help. At first it was really great to have some other French class mates, and get to hear their stories and thoughts (as another trainee said, you can only ask someone what their father’s name is so many times). But after a while the troubles that the other class has been having started to bubble to the surface. The fascilitator is newer than our fascilitator Aurelien, and the exercizes he chose were a little more academic, with less immediate personal application than what we enjoy in our class. This might have been fine on it’s own, but their was at least one trainee who was having a very difficult time staying motivated to keep trying in french, and because of that wasn’t really presenting herself positively. As other trainees tried to joke and be sympathetic the balance of the class really got out of whack and basically, it took a long time to do even simple exercizes and almost everyone was a little frustrated by the end. I do hope things get better for those other trainees. It made me grateful for what a good rapport we have in my french class, and how dynamic, passionate and organized our fascilitator is. It’s nice to recognize the things that are working out right.

Unfortunately, neither Heidi nor I have heard from Bethany, and I’m afraid she won’t be rejoining our stage. It would be sad to see her go, and she will be missed, but I hope this is the best choice for her.

Things that are happening next:

On Saturday we have a language placement test. Our French competency will be re-assessed in a conversation exam, and if we do well enough we may get to start with a local language.

On July 27^th we are supposed to find our placements for work during our service in the Peace Corps.

On August 5^th I believe we will be leaving for a two week visit to our future posts. We will be staying with different host families and be getting our first look at the local climate, traditions, food, and of course, our work!

After the two weeks at post we will start our technical training.

If all goes well, Lord willing, as Dr. Phillips would say, we will all swear in as Peace Corps Volunteers on September 14^th, after that, it’s off to work!

Thanks for reading and for all your support!!

With love,

Lauren

cutting bangs and biking

** I wrote this post on Wednesday, July 18th**

Hi Everyone!

I hope you are doing well, and all is good chez-vous, with your home.  I am happy to say my host brother seems to be doing fine. It seems like it was a one off sickness last night. If I hadn’t seen that he was sick last night, I never would have suspected it today.

After that happy news, there is some less than happy news. My fellow trainee and french classmate Bethany has had some family trouble back home and she isn’t in class right now while that is being sorted out. Heidi and I are missing her in class and hoping she will be able to jump back in and not have to go home while we are covering so much ground. It’s a very unfortunate situation and she is missed.

Other than those two events life is settling into a normal pattern. I get up and have breakfast (bread with peanut butter, fruit, and instant coffee) and go to class. We do some grammar and vocabulary and some more casual conversational practice. Today when we were walking around we met a local pastor and he was really excited to talk with Heidi and I about our church background and why we chose the Peace Corps. He also talked a lot about his work here in Porto Novo. It was exciting to talk with someone who is so excited about the Gospel. It was energizing.

For lunch Heidi and I ate at a local roadside spot and chatted briefly with some of the students who hang around there. In the afternoon we covered some common idioms, practiced utilizing different tenses, and talked about celebrities. After class I rested for a while and actually tried to read the French copy of the 7^th Harry Potter book that I bought in the Brussels airport. It was definitely easier to read now than when I first bought it, which is encouraging, but it was still a bit of a chore, so I only read a little bit.

For dinner we had tilapia, and afterwards I reviewed my notes a bit and watched the regular soap operas with the family. Gustavo is out of jail, but his brother is in the hospital, and Shree is expecting twins and had a baby shower!

Oh! I also finished the hat I have been knitting! It’s on the big side, but it came out really well. I’m very proud of it. Now I just need some cold weather! It actually has been very reasonable here. Today we actually had some cool breezes that probably brought the temp down into the high 70s. I guess I will have to carry the hat around in case I get the chance to wear it!

I also cut my bangs the other morning (first thing in the morning) and I think I was feeling a little hostile towards them, because I cut them very short. I’ve been cutting my own bangs for years and this is a record breaker. They will be perfectly fine in a week and could be artsy right now, but I’ve just been opting to pin them back for the time being.

Biking to Songhai tomorrow, wish me luck!

Love,

Lauren

Biking revisited

Hello Everyone,

Another successful day in Benin! Despite the challenges of biking yesterday, Heidi and I bravely and decidedly jumped on our bikes again this morning. I’m pleased to say there were no falls today, and in general the ride was smoother than yesterday. Especially riding home after class I was struck by how biking is so typical of all my experiences here; scary and also fun at first, and I slowly but steadily feel more comfortable and confident. I also feel like I am constantly learning new things; how best to avoid that puddle, who has the right of way, how fast I can go here, etc. etc. All in all, it’s really nice to be getting ourselves around (probably safer and definitely cheaper!). I have to hand it to Heidi for getting her host brother to teach her the back roads route to Songhai (where we often have class). Heidi gets the gold star for initiative on this one.

For class today we had some language work, and some information for all trainees. It’s is fun to see the new Beninese outfits being sported every time we all get together. I was especially happy for my friend Amber, who now has a beautiful Beninese outfit after toughing it out with just one skirt for the last three weeks!

In my host family, the oldest brother Gerard (Jeh-rar) got sick to his stomach this evening. I hope he feels better, and that it isn’t anything serious!

Short note tonight, to compliment yesterday’s long one.

Thanks for reading!

With love,

Lauren

Sunday crafts and bike adventures

** I wrote this on Monday, July 16th**

Hi Everyone!

Today is Monday, the beginning of week 4 in the Peace Corps, week 3 with the host family. I’m still learning a lot every day, but I am starting to settle in a little bit too.

On Sunday I went to mass with the whole family. We went to a different church than the one Mama and I went to the week before. I guess this one had a better service time for everyone. This church was larger and had more of a cathedral layout. The service was once again in French and Gune or possibly Fon (with prayers in French and songs in Gune for the most part). Again it was really exciting to see church so personally owned in a culture so different from my home culture, but again it was hard to follow. I am going to try to look up the French version of some of the big prayers so I can join in on those next week.

After church we hung around the house for a while. My friend Amber asked if I wanted to meet up, but my host papa had said about going to the pond, and I am still really hesitant to spend time away from the family. You just never know when you are going to observe something helpful and important (or even better, get to be helpful).

We watched TV, which happened to be a French dub of Peter Jackson’s King Kong. This is only the second movie I have watched while here in Benin. The other was also starring Adrian Brody. Coincidence or national infatuation? I’m hoping for the later! Just kidding. It was nice to watch a movie though.

I also worked on my knitting and did some crafts with my host sisters. We braided yarn and made bracelets. I had mentioned before that I thought it would be fun to teach them how to make friendship bracelets, and it looks like we are starting at the very beginning with braiding. Both of them have cropped short hair, so I guess the concept is pretty new for them. I am going to be keeping an eye out for gimp string and beads. Also, I need to start brainstorming crafts and ideas for my little host brothers. That could be tricky.

In the afternoon Papa and Mama and I took a drive and they showed me the building where parliament meets (and the new parliament building under construction) as well as a huge statue of one of the famous kings of Benin, and the ‘pond,’ which was actually a river with a bridge that connects Porto Novo to Cotonou. After the driving tour we stopped at a Buvette for a drink and chatted for a while.

I went to bed early because I knew Monday would be a big day. Heidi, my neighbor and fellow Peace Corps Trainee had learned a route to Songhai from her host brother. She was confident that we could get there on our bikes without taking the main road. In the morning, I wasn’t a happy camper. I hadn’t really organized my bag well for biking, and trying to get it organized used up my breakfast time, so I just took some bread to go. The roads are mercifully not hilly, but they certainly are bumpy, with some intimidating puddles. Still despite all obstacles we trekked along at a good pace. Despite any disgruntled-ness, I could see why a lot of other trainees swear by the bikes. It feels so good to get a little physical activity in the day, and to be doing something by and for yourself. We spend our days receiving lessons, and vocab and culture notes, and zem rides and food. When we get to make something happen by our own reasoning and power, it’s very refreshing. I hear that the opposite will be true at post though!

I ended the difficult ride with a fall on my butt. I knew it was only a matter of time until that happened, so in a way it was good to get that out of the way without major incident. We stopped very close to the deep gutter outside of Songhai, and I really did NOT want to fall in that, and I basically over compensated, lost my balance, and would up on the ground. It wasn’t great for my pride, but it can take the hit.

French class was successful, and without incident. Most of the time we all buy lunch together after practicing French with people on the street. Today our instructor Aurelien needed to make some copies, so the three of us eleves or students went out to lunch together. We all got atassi, which is a mix of rice and beans in a spicy tomato sauce and Bethany and I got a small piece of fried cheese, a popular topping here. It was nice to go out to lunch just the three of us.

I am happy to say that the bike ride home was very smooth. When I got home I got to talk on the phone with my mom a bit, which was so nice. I’m thinking of you all back home! Thanks for all your support and interest. It means so much.

With Love,

Lauren