Sacred Monkey Forest

Hi guys,

I am writing to you from the Kandi Workstation, on the way back from an in-country excursion with my post mate Camille. Workstation wi-fi is not working, which is a drag, but it is probably curbing my facebook addiction, and helping me focus a little more. With any luck I will be able to use my internet key a little bit.

This week I replaced one of my Peace Corps issued gas tanks in Banikoara. Originally I let my little neighbor Gael (Guy-yel) do a lot of the planning, he seemed very sure of the options available, and he really wanted to go with me. I’ve always wanted to travel with my neighbors, so I was very open to this idea. However, when time came to get going, I slowly realized how faulty his plan was, and I had to go it alone. I did feel bad that we couldn’t go together. When the second gas tank is empty (which will probably be soon) I will make better plans that he can be a part of. I don’t usually buy ‘gifts’ for my neighbors when I travel (unless they take care of my cat Jack) but I felt bad for Gael, so I bought him his own small loaf of bread, a traditional Bariba travel gift. That did seem to brighten him up.

I had a meeting in Founougo about the Solar lights and all 30 were sold in the first week. Banni, the bike vendor, thinks this is just the tip of the iceberg and word isn’t even really out yet. It’s exciting that there is so much interest. Now we have to worry about the logistics of reliably getting lights here.  That should be interesting. Exciting challenges.

In the second half of the week Camille and I traveled to Bassila, a town directly west of Parakou in the center of Benin. I had won a Gender-and-Development Benefit Date with my friends Heidi and Bethany. We wound up needing a fourth person, and Camille happily umped in. It was very exciting to travel to another part of the country (if a little harrowing logisitically). Bassila seems like the jungle compared to the Sahelian north where Camille and I live. We got to visit with three other volunteers, Henry, Marjorie and Mary, and enjoy their company, hospitality and good food. In the morning they took us to the nearby sacred monkey forest. We got to walk pretty far into the jungle (lead by the local chief, dressed in basketball shorts and a sleeveless shirt). The monkeys were a little hard to spot at first, but so cool when we did see them. It was amazing to watch them jump from tree to tree – they are pretty big! There is something really exciting about seeing animals like that free in their natural habitat. The walk through the forest/jungle was beautiful too.

It was also great to travel with a fellow northerner like Camille. First, it’s fun to have a buddy to travel with, but we also had some similar priorities, namely food we don’t get at post! We ate really well on this trip, and really travel went very smoothly. The first leg of our return trip was an hour and a half long motorcycle ride cutting across the middle of Benin. There was a little bit of a cool breeze, I was listening to my ipod, and it was lovely to watch the scenery and the Collenes or low mountains roll by. All and all it’s been a very fun trip.

To follow up on the illness mentioned last month, I did start taking medicine and am feeling much better (quite a relief before traveling). The neighbors are all doing well, and they are actually taking care of my cat right now. Speaking of whom, my cat Jack is still growing and is doing great. He and the neighbor kids are getting along better and better.

I think those are all the updates for this week. Let’s go Bruins!!

Thanks for reading.

With love,

Lauren