Hello Everyone!
I hope you are doing well and staying cool. I hear it’s been
a hot summer in New England!
The week before last I did not update the blog, partly
thanks to a nasty cold that I think I caught on the rainy trip home from
getting my cat Jack neutered. That cold really knocked me back. I just wanted
to lay around, blow my nose and read. Fortunately, I was able to do a lot of
that and I even succeeded in making a really delicious French onion soup. I
also picked up my copy of the seventh Harry Potter book in French – something I
bought on the lay over in Brussels on my way to Benin! It’s slow going but I’m
happy and a little surprised to say, I can really follow it. It’s turned out to
be the perfect sick-day read. I feel like I’m learning a little bit while
resting.
Despite the formidable cold, I was pretty determined to get
my selected students and me to Parakou for Environment Camp. We teamed up with
Josh and his students to rent a taxi all together and were among the first ones
there. The camp went really well. It was exciting to see some of the
organizational strategies that other volunteers have picked up, like putting
the kids in teams and giving points for good behavior. It was also wonderful to
see volunteers who live in other parts of the country and I wouldn’t otherwise
see. Most importantly it was great to see how invested and excited the kids
were to learn and participate. I would say that all the lessons went very
smoothly and the kids left excited to put what they learned into action in
their communities. Early in the week two volunteers gave a presentation about
recycling and reusing materials. The kids were then sent out to collect trash
that could be reused or repurposed. They tinkered with their materials all week
and on the final day of camp each team did a skit that incorporated what they
made. My team, the orange team, did a skit about the importance of hand washing
that included a recycled drum and maracas and a paper cat costume. The skits
were really funny!
Now I am back in post, trying to get organized. There were
lots of ideas that came out of that week in Parakou, including but not limited
to the possibility of doing an Environment Camp in Kandi. I have started to ask
around about that to see if there is a good venue. Nothings sure yet, but it’s
an exciting idea. Sooner than not, we are also going to be doing an information
day for the latrine project, and I’m VERY eager to get rolling with that. I
look forward to keeping you all informed.
Thanks for reading!
With love,
Lauren
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