A quickly
passing August started with readjusting to village life and planning for year
two! The farm’s irrigation system is almost finished, so there will be much
gardening and harvesting ahead. Back-to-school season is only a month away, and
a week-long environmental camp in the city of Parakou gave me some great
insight into lesson plans and potential activities for my village – hand
washing stations, crafts with recycled materials, latrine use campaigns… I’m
looking forward to improving on last year’s projects, as well as the
introduction of a few others.
My Amour et Vie
team worked hard the last couple of months to survey the community about its
health awareness. We hosted a kick-off ceremony for the target groups and
authorities from our region. True to Benin, no one showed up at the invited
time (2 PM), but by the end, there were over 100 guests to watch the peer
educators’ skit and hear about the team’s goals to raise awareness and improve the
health of our community members.
The community gathers for an Amour et Vie kick off ceremony
Mid-August brought
personal projects: recording some of the many guitar songs I’ve been inspired
to write during my time here and helping paint a mural on the side of my house!
It’s about time it started to feel like a home…
The artist and his finished product!
The month will
end with a formation for my women’s group about tomato conservation and
home-canning, just in time for the September surplus!
While Peace
Corps life is unhurried and often unscheduled, I think I’ve established a good
pace for the year ahead, and these days it seems there’s always something on
the calendar, including a few vacations to look forward to: West Africa road
trip in November, family visits for Christmas, and a spring break birthday
adventure.
New pictures of
Environmental Camp, the Amour et Vie kick-off ceremony, and the mural process
can be seen here.
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