Ironic how I made several posts in the month leading up to
the grand departure, yet one of the most blog-worthy months of the experience
will be represented by only this post here. But remember (mom), no news is good
news! I’d like to give some
snippets from along the way, but I warn you this is a long one…
Getting here – I made
it!
Departing Atlanta for Philly was one of the most rushed and
stressful and absolutely worst mornings possible to start off the whole
experience. Though we left in time, nothing went right. Somehow I made my
flight by cutting lines (I have never been
that person. Ugh), running through the terminal, and taking advantage of how
girls can get away with things when they cry…
During staging in Philadelphia, I met the other 60-some
volunteers and signed a whole ton of papers. My fellow stagiaires (the French
word for “trainees”) are from all over the US and of many different
backgrounds. One woman is embarking on her second round of Peace Corps service
since she previously served in Jamaica, 20-odd years ago! Most volunteers are
young / recent graduates like me, and there are 4 sectors of work in Benin:
Environmental Action (chyeah!), Teaching English as a Foreign Language, Rural
Community Health, and Community Economic Development.
The morning after Stage, we took a bus to NYC. We spent a
lot of time in lines and in airports over the next two days, traveling from NY
to Brussels, and finally to Cotonou. That was a good time to get to know each
other and get used to feeling dirty.
Cotonou and Porto
Novo
We arrived late and exhausted to St. Jean-Eudes, a school /
hotel / church in Benin’s largest city, Cotonou. We ate a late dinner (with our
first dose of anti-malarial prophylaxis for dessert!), and went to bed under
our mosquito nets. Oddly enough, I spent my first night in Africa freezing…
The next two days were a series of meetings, presentations,
and vaccinations at the Peace Corps office. On the third day, we strapped our
luggage to the tops of vans and headed to Porto-Novo, the capital city, to meet
our host families.
Before meeting our families, each stagiaire received a photo
of them. Though I had already been through five days of minimal sleep, multiple
time changes, relentless heat, pouring rain, a new diet, AND my first
zemidjan*, the host family gathering was my first “oh shit, here we go” moment.
I received a photo of a very scary looking couple, Claudia and Justin Lodakpa,
and the same woman greeted me at the PC gathering and took me home to my new
neighborhood for the next 10 weeks.
*The zemidjan
(the word means “Get me there fast” in Fon, the local language) is the most
common mode of transportation around Benin. In Cotonou, we learned how to wave
down a zemi, bargain the price, and hop on! No worries, I’ve got a PC issued
motorcycle helmet and a really good grip… I also have a bicycle that I prefer
to take everywhere instead – free, eco-friendly, and I’m not putting my life in
someone else’s hands. Check out this
Beninese music video about Zemis. Classic.
My Host Family
I have a Mama, a Papa, and several siblings. While my host
parents have 4 children of their own: Innocent (boy, age 11), Jean-Paul (boy,
age 8), Houefa (girl, age 4), and Grâce (girl, age 1), there are also cousins
who spend a lot of time here and extended family members who live in the compound
as well. Greetings in Benin are incredibly important, so each morning when I
wake up or each time I arrive home, I have to be sure to greet the family and
ask how everyone is doing. The house is large
and my family has electricity and running water. There is a bathroom inside
with a seat-less toilet that sometimes flushes, and a bucket for me to bathe
from.
While my host family is a good way to experience culture and
lessen my burden since I have training and language classes all week, I already
look forward to being on my own – it’s difficult to feel and behave like a
guest for 10 weeks!
Learning the Language
I have language classes 4 days a week from 8 AM to 5PM. The
first few days were exhausting but I was able to build the endurance to speak
(or at least listen) to French all day. Now I have no problems jumping right
into French. My Language and Cultural Facilitator is very encouraging and
supportive, and I get along very well with my classmate.
The accents here are very strong which also took some
getting used to. My family mostly speaks Fon together so at home, Inno is
especially helpful to me since he speaks clearly and slowly in French – he
tends to be my go to guy for questions or practice (also, he is learning
English, so we trade!). My Papa is well educated and works in Cotonou where he
speaks French all day, so he is always easy for me to understand, too.
During class, we spend part of the day in the community,
just talking to people around town (carpenters, tailors, vendors, technicians… whoever
we can find to chat, really) to practice French and learn a little bit about
life in Benin.
When I’m not in language class, there are other scheduled
seminars on health / safety / culture / bike maintenance etc. My favorites so
far have been an African Dance lesson and a Fashion Show where I got to model
some Beninese couture! I’m real big on participation here.
Sunday is my free day, which I usually spend speaking
English with other PCTs at a buvette, jogging, and doing laundry in my bucket.
Other Observations
I am very happy here so far. I am in good health and I feel
safe and comfortable with my surroundings. I am now used to seeing chickens and
goats run around all over the city, and when I bike by children on the road, I
am no longer shocked each time I hear the Yovo song: “Yovo, Yovo, Bonsoir! Ça
va bien? Merci!” (Translation: White
foreigner, white foreigner, hello! How’s it going? Thank you!). Overall, I
am amazed at how quickly the body (and the mind) can adjust to a new diet, a new
climate, a new environment, fewer luxuries, etc.
There are of course many times when I’ve felt powerless
because of language and cultural barriers, but that knowledge comes little by
little, and every day is full of triumphs and failures. One difficult aspect
for me to adapt to in this city is the immense amount of pollution – smoggy,
barely breathable air, and a complete lack of a trash removal system (though some
people can pay to have theirs dumped in the ocean, if that counts). At the same
time, I suppose that is motivation for me to stay, learn, and see what I can do
to address those problems here and in general, which is part of why I am here
in the first place! I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go, but I
always seem to find the strength or support I need, so I’m excited for whatever
comes next.
Thanks and congrats if you made it through this blog post J
