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

Orientations

First full day in Benin! I have to say it’s been a really good day. Like I said before, it would be really easy to get stressed and overwhelmed worrying about how life is going to be with my host family, and how good I am going to be at picking things up during training, and of course, life at post. However, I have been choosing to just take life one day at a time, and just look at the challenge in the next hour.

This morning we had omelettes with green onions and parley along with bread, tea, and intant coffee. I pretty solid start to the day. After that we pretty much sat at desks in the small eent hall all day and got 5 different informational books (including the cook book!) and listened to information.  Besides the heat, and the siting we were all jetlagged, so that was a bit of a struggle. But I have to say I don’t think a single head hit the desk. The information was all important and pertinent. It really seems like everyone is motivated to be here.

We also got a snack break featuring insant coffee and croissants, and a lunch of rice and fish with a side of delicious fresh pineapple. So food has been pretty surprisingly great. They say not to get used to it, this isn’t exactly the low protein low fat diet I was promised, but I’m sure not complaining!

Happy Birthday to Kev and Mom! I hope you guys had an awesome birthday. I had to write the date on a lot of papers, and every time I was like “*buhuhuh* Mom and Kev’s birthday!” But I am glad that we got to go to Bucca and do presents before I left.

A couple of Logistics for when this gets posted. I am hoping and expecting that this is going to get posted on Thursday. After that, Friday we are going to meet up with our host families and be with them for the weekend. So, o be honest, I don’t know when the next time I will have internet will be. It’s possible that I could have it over the weekend, or at the beginning of the week when we start language classes… I’m not really sure. I hope we can all just take it one day at a time. For the time being, I’m going to try to write blog posts every day and save them up until I get the chance to post them. So, you will be hearing from me everyday (if we want to), it’ll just be a couple days in between the days.

I am not sure what else for now. I know this experience is going to be a little bit of everything, but for now, it’s really great. I’m really happy to be here.

First Night in Benin!

Hi Everyone!

I know this post probably isn’t going to hit the internet until Thursday, but I am writing it on Tuesday night, my first night in Benin.

Today started when we exited our plane from JFK in Brussels, Belgium. We had a 5 hour lay-over and shopped around a little bit. I bought two books I French, the 7^th Harry Potter, and P’tit Pif, a novel about a young neandertal and his mammoth. P’tit Pif is geared towards 7 year olds, but it’s still giving me a run for my money. Hopefully that will change with some practice.

The flight from Belgium to Benin consisted mostly of sleeping and being woken up to eat some pretty decent plane food. As we entered the final hour of the flight, we were all craning out the windows to try to catch the first glimpse of the country. I was surprised at how easy it was for us to share the mix of excitement and nervousness we all felt. As the plane finally started it’s decent we were able to make out the coast, or the Bight of Benin.  We were all surprised by how many lights we could see. There were glowing highways stretching out below us, and an even covering of illuminated two story houses.

At security, we were greeted by two Beninese Peace Corps Staff who helped us find our luggage. There were also about 8 current volunteers who cheered for us as we crossed through security.

The compound we are staying in this week has several dorm buildings, as well as a dining hall. The space in between buildings is covered by several inches of red sand. You do constantly feel a little like you are trekking across the beach, but my wheeled suitcase made it through fine so no complaints here!

Looking at my first few hours in Benin, and my first few days in the peace corps, I am really pleased with all the experiences, and grateful to the people I have met. I feel like taking things one day at a time s crucial. It would be easy to be over whelmed at this moment, but I am choosing to focus on how nice it was to put our bags down in our rooms, and just think about what time I need to be at breakfast tomorrow.

My thoughts are with you all back west. Thank you so much for your prayers and your interests. I am so glad to get to share my journey with you.

Sincerely,

Lauren

Hi Everyone! I am in JFK waiting to depart for Brussels, and from there, Benin! Yesterday was spent in Staging, where all of the trainees talked about our an ieties and aspirations. It was really validating to get to talk with fellow volunteers. Everyone seems very nice and we are all getting to know each other better. Tomorrow we will be in Brussels for the day. I am crossi g my fingers that we will have wifi, and I will be able to write another post. If there is no such luck, then the next time I will be posting is when we are all settled in in Benin! The group is all so amiable and well traveled. Most of our time has been spent getting to know each other. However,I think we are all eager to get to know Benin! It will be so nice to finally stop speculating and be there. I wrote another post last night, but sadly it didn't send. If I find it in the near future I will post it. In that post I took a moment to say that I have so much to thank all of you, my family and friends for. For the wonderful send off, all the kind facebook messages and gifts and just getting to catch people for a meal. You make a person realize how many awesome people she has in her life. I hope I can pay it forward to my new Beninese neighbors! Got to go, With Love, Lauren

Internship Comes to a Close

Hello All,

I am happy to report that I am now safe and sound back in Boston. Now I have my eye set on all of the things I still want to research before leaving for Benin! I am incredibly grateful for my time in Hawaii. I learned so much about agriculture and about myself. I was blessed by so many people.

You can check out the final product from my independent study project online at: http://agroforestry.net/internship/index.html

I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading!
Lauren

The End in Sight

Hello faithful blog readers!

It has been a while, hasn't it? I guess that is a symptom of being settled in. Let me try to give you some updates.

In the time between the last post and this one I hit that point of settled in mediocrity. It was just like after the first week of school when you stop wearing perfectly color coordinated outfits, and re-reading your class notes, and switch into 'just doing what you need to' mode. My clothes started getting a little dirtier, the floor of my cabin really needed to be swept, and the dishes that I have fought so valiantly against, finally started to pile up in the sink. Fortunately, with a weekend and some added motivation from good strides in my research project, I have mostly turned that around.

Throughout the internship I have been researching and devising a research project. It has been a challenge to come up with something original, but I think I have done it. I'm not going to tell you about it now though, because I want to show it to you all when it is finished! Then you can assess it with minimal preconceived notions.

Currently, I have to say I am very motivated about the research project, very much enjoying my friends here, and also very excited to be coming home in less than two weeks! It's been good hard work and learning hear in Hawaii, and I really have been met with a lot of blessings. I can't be grateful enough for the people who have been willing to give me rides (even with these gas prices) and the friends that I have gotten to play Bubble talk at 2 am in Denny's with. What more can you want really?

At the same time, I am so excited to see my family, my friends, Boston, and all my familiar things. I'm lucky to have this time to be at home, and just really enjoy all of that.

As for Benin, I am getting more excited about it every day. Leaving is going to be really difficult, and I know transitioning to life in Benin will be challenging. But the closer I get to it, the more excited I am to get to meet the other volunteers, carve out a life for myself in West Africa, and find creative ways to love on people. I think I have been spending a lot of time trying to be aware and prepared for the challenges of the transition. That is important, but I think I can stand to spend some time envisioning all the things that could go so amazingly well. I look forward to sharing all of that with you.

Ok, gotta get back to work. Thanks for reading (and for all the supportive messages!!)
-Lauren

Halfway through!

Hello blog readers!

As of today, I have officially been in Hawaii for 5 weeks. Pretty crazy, huh? Let's do some general overviews of how things are going:

Events:
Two weekends ago was the Annual Grow Hawaiian festival. It was hosted at the Amy Greenwell Botanical Garden. Many traditional crafts like paper making, poi pounding, and gourd carving were displayed. Organizations focused on sustainable Hawaiian agriculture were also invited. I got to help out by taking water around to the different presenter/venders, and in exchange I got a free lunch! I also got a flower lei, which was really lovely.

This past weekend Craig (who runs the farm) and Ngaire (his wife) went to a festival on the other side of the island and stayed there for two nights, so I held down the fort here at the farm. I thought it would be lonely, but I actually really enjoyed taking care of Lei lei and Bijoux (the dog and cat), doing a little cleaning, and skyping while I cooked. I did also get to travel off of the farm a bit. More on that next. Enjoying my time alone made me realize how much I worry about Craig and Ngaire liking me. When they came back, I was more relaxed and ready to joke around a little. It was a good way to get perspective.

In other news, I have made some friends from church, which is really wonderful. On Saturday I was able to catch a ride (so grateful) and get some much-missed Starbucks, and watch Inception. It was really great to get to hang out a bit, and to have found some really friendly people. So that is a plus.

On that note, here's an update on the challenges and difficult things:
Five weeks in, food is still an interesting challenge. Up until this past weekend I felt constantly hungry. I would have two bowls of stir fry with quinoa and still be just as hungry as when I started. It was a little vexing. I went food shopping on Friday and indulged in a box of brownie mix. When I was licking the batter off the spoon after the brownies were in the oven, I finally didn't feel hungry any more. So /cravings/ have been a big part of my life. Since I realized that, I have been less inclined to worry about if I have enough food, or what snacks I could eat if dinner isn't filling. I haven't been as hungry since Friday.

I do sometimes feel lonely. I definitely miss my friends and family from home. But getting in some social time here, and the wonder that is the internet have done a lot to help that.

I am sometimes discouraged by how long the work seems to take me, but it seems like Craig is happy with my progress, and I am getting more familiar with more jobs. So that helps a lot.

Good things:
I am feeling more settled in here. It might sound strange 5 weeks in, but I am finally starting to have a sense of what needs to be done next and what that means. I am getting stronger, and my research project is rolling. I am even doing a pretty decent job of keeping my cabin, kitchen, and tools clean. I can tell the rest of the time is going to go by fast. It does feel like I just got here in a lot of ways!

Cooking has been a great thing. I am really enjoying mixing it up and incorporating foods from around me in my meals. Since the above mentioned brownies I have also been on a baking kick. Today for breakfast I had a piece of peanutbutter toast and a toasted tortilla with passion fruit butter (the Hawaii intern crepe). For lunch I had left over shepherd's pie, with ground beef carrot, chaya (a leafy green) and aerial yams (very similar to potatoes). For dinner I had some avocado and a banana scone.

That's life in Hawaii for now. I am really enjoying it, and every once in a while I am climbing through the vines and volcanic rock and have to stop and think "this is really my life". Of course, I am also missing my friends, my junk food, my Boston. Counting the days till I see all of that again.

Thanks for reading!
-Lauren