Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday to Ghana

Happy birthday to you

Ghana at 50. That’s the slogan plastered onto billboards, product advertisements, t-shirts, hats, posters and various and sundry other objects. Yes, of course, I bought a t-shirt.

The trip to Ghana was occasioned by my post-mate, Emily, having to take her LSAT’s. I merely took the invitation of traveling companion for the sake of visiting another country. Several other volunteers have been to Ghana and all recommended a visit.

After some difficulty in getting a visa for Ghana (I think the Ghanaian embassy staff here in Benin don’t want people visiting Ghana. But, no bad stories here, all is well.) and the usual (although unusual to most of you fortunately) problems in traveling around West Africa (The windshield of one of our taxis shattered for no apparent reason as nothing hit it. Our speculation is that it was too hot, but then we always think that.) we arrived in Accra, the capital of Ghana.

Accra is much more like a large western city than Cotonou. There are tourist areas as well as shopping districts, mass transit, real supermarkets, movie theaters and the like. Most of the taxi drivers know where everything is (unlike here in Benin). And, best of all, everybody speaks English. OK, not everybody, but almost everybody. The vast majority of the population at least, enough to make it easily possible to get around with only English. Good thing too because not too many people speak French (former English colony don’t you know). The dominant local language I n the southern part of the country is Twe (twee), nothing like anything I’ve ever heard in Benin.

As Emily studied (diligent as always) I had two days to wander around Accra by myself. Getting lost, and eventually found, in strange places is my favorite past-time. I got lost trying to find the Peace Corps Ghana office but found it with the help of people at the Ghana Disaster Management Bureau, appropriately enough. They actually gave me a ride in one of their trucks. I got lost looking for a supermarket (I was told they sold Ben & Jerry’s, never found it though) and found, instead, an army base. With very friendly and helpful soldiers, a public mess open to the public with very good food and the trees on the surrounding streets filled (covered?) with bats. Not small insect eating bats. Large (4-5 ft. wingspan) noisy, fruit eating bats. I counted over three dozen trees with uncountable numbers of bats in each tree. They were also in trees in other places on the base I could not go to (for obvious reasons). Neither, unfortunately, could I take any photos because of the proximity of the military installation.

After Emily completed her test (she won’t know her score for some time, but I am certain she did very well) we went to a sushi restaurant for a congratulatory dinner. (Even if we could find sushi in Benin, I don’t know if anybody would trust eating there.) The next days were touristy stuff together.

First, to Kakum National Park and the canopy walkway. This is over 1000 ft. long and over 100 ft. high in places. It is divided into several sections, each one anchored around a large tree which serves as a viewing platform. There are said to be elephants and several types of monkey in the park. Unfortunately, they are not generally seen near the walkway due to the noise of visitors. (Although we were a small group of just five the animals didn’t alter their ways for us.) Although there were a number of birds in the area we could only catch glimpses of them as they flew due to the thick rainforest foliage. Along with the forest (ground level) hike (both guided) it was still well worth it.

Other trips were to Elmina and Cape Coast to see former colonial forts that have been restored. Tours included history of the forts and the area and were quite interesting usually. Also interesting were the (unguided) walks around the towns and market areas we took afterwards, especially the colorful (in many ways) seafood markets. These trips were sandwiched around a night at Onamabo Beach Resort. Very nice, air-conditioned (Weather in coastal Ghana is similar to that of Benin. Right now, dry and hot.) rooms and the ability to survive swimming in the ocean (unlike Benin). Also, very good food and although more expensive than going into town, not actually expensive. The lobster thermidor and seafood spaghetti were delicious.

Then it was back to Accra for one last night of good (Indian this time) food (yum) and meeting some Ghana volunteers (fun) before heading back to Cotonou. No exploding windshields at least but still not really fun with several hours in two different taxis and two border crossings to negotiate. But, all is well. Just waiting for the next adventure. We still can’t go to Timbuktu so maybe Togo. We’ll see.

Dog Days

Home in New England the dog days are in August. So named because Sirius, the dog star, is very prominent. The term, however, has come to mean a stretch of hot, humid weather which makes one want to do nothing but lie down and nap all day, like dogs.

Here in Bénin dog days has a different meaning. (At least for me since I haven’t heard anybody else here use the term.) I and the group of volunteers I arrived here with are nearing the end o our service. We have reached a point at which we begin to think about going home and what we are going to do when we get there. It is still too early however, to start any serious planning as of yet. Except, that is, for those of us who know what we want to do. Several volunteers have, or are about to take, heir GRE’s and LSATs in preparation for graduate school. A few others already know the jobs they are going to be applying for. For most of us though, we just spend a fair amount of time between work and other commitments daydreaming about, or wondering what, we are going to do next. Sort of like dogs in August in New England.

As I said we are all continuing with work. I, myself, am still giving formations in accounting, marketing etc. as often as I can. I am also trying to form another group to begin classes with. I have also spoken with the newer volunteer I Kétou about doing some projects together. (As regular readers know Steve has COSed, completed service.) I may not have welcomed Ryan to Kétou in this forum yet. Welcome Ryan.

We have also begun the preparations for Camp GLOW which will be held in June or July this year. Camp GLOW is a worldwide Peace Corps program designed to help young girls through skills and confidence acquisition. Although said to be a Peace Corps program it is actually organized, operated and funded through the work of volunteers with minimal assistance from administration. Volunteers have consistently asked family and friends for donations to fund Camp GLOW but it appears that, here in Bénin at least, we have found an NGO to provide all necessary funding this year and perhaps for some time to come. Thank you to everyone who has donated in the past. Hopefully you won’t have to be asked again and can put your money toward some other well-deserved program.

We want to also thank those who donated clothing, toys and other things to the Christmas parties volunteers assist in giving each year for orphans and poor children in the Bohicon area. This is another volunteer led effort. We receive funding form local organizations to be able to supply a good meal to the children but it is also nice to be able to give a toy and at a least a piece of new clothing. In fact, we were able to give most children a new ensemble this year. This is a fairly new program which hopes to continue to be done with some new volunteers each time, including this year. We were able to serve over one thousand children at three locations, up form about six hundred last year. Hopefully this program can continue and grow as it is very rewarding to work with the Beninese adults and children as well as serves a useful purpose for the community and Peace Corps.

I have done one other thing worth noting recently. I went to London for a short family reunion. Rainy, windy and cool (January in London, duh.) it was still nice to see people I have only heard from, or of, for the past year and a half. My mother, two sisters, two nieces, aunt and two cousins showed up to help me enjoy good food and public services again for a short-term change of pace. (As I’ve said before food in Bénin is good but somewhat lacking in variety.) The hot water showers I enjoyed by myself. We did the usual touristy things, visited the Tower of London, St. Paul’s etc., and caught up on family news. Not as exotic as a trip to Timbuktu but still enjoyable. Maybe the next trip will be a little more exciting.

I got a big booboo

It’s blue, and my turban is white. (I bet you thought I got hurt again.) So, why do I have, and what is, a booboo and turban? First, what is a booboo? A booboo is the traditional clothing style of many of the groups living in or near the desert regions of northern Africa. Not only is it traditional it is still widely worn. The reason it is also still widely worn is that it is very effective. As I’m sure you know deserts are generally hot. Booboos are long, loose fittings robes and pants made of light cotton. They are breathable and catch any light breezes that come along. As such they are probably as comfortable a piece of clothing as can be worn in a blazing, near equatorial sun. The desert can also get somewhat chilly at night. Being loose a booboo can also be wrapped tightly around to make another layer against the chill. A turban; in northern Africa at least, is a strip of cotton material, about a foot wide and as long as you want, wrapped around your head in a certain manner. Being a novice I got just three meters, about 10 feet. It also serves the purpose of heat protection quite well, preventing the sun from hitting the head but still breathable.

Second, why do I have a booboo and turban? I have them because I needed them? Without them I might be dead, or at least still recovering. (I have never claimed that I wouldn’t resort to hyperbole.) I have them because I have just returned from a trip to Niger (not Nigeria) with some other volunteers.

We visited some small, and not so small, towns. All of which were fascinating in their own way. Two of the nomadic groups living in the area, the Tuareg and Fulani, are regarded as excellent silversmiths. Each area has its own style of design so it was interesting to see the different selections in the marché and with the roadside vendors. Each town also had its own particular mix of ethnic groups giving each town that we were able to linger in for a while a different feel due to changes in some customs, architecture, foods and other details.

The entire was very enjoyable but in the interest of time and space I will only write about two places we visited, Agadez and the Tenéré.

Agadez is the last large city (but not too large, it is still Niger) before entering the Sahara. It is the traditional starting, or ending depending on direction, destination for camel caravans across the desert to the north, towards Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and the southern Mediterranean coast. The caravans have largely been replaced by truck and airplane traffic now but there is still a large, active, interesting camel market in town. Camels are still the primary mode of travel for most people living outside the cities. Incidentally, fresh camel milk is delicious. It is creamy smooth without being overly rich or thick.

Within Agadez there are still a relatively large number of older buildings. Mostly in the Old Quarter, and now containing the occasional satellite dish, it was very interesting to walk around an area that has been continuously occupied by peoples from cultures completely different from anything I have ever experienced. I found the people very friendly, and as curious about me as I was about them. I bought breakfast from a woman in the street, talking with her and her family for a little while. I then walked on only to get invited into somebody else’s courtyard for tea and conversation.

Other attraction on Agadez include the marché area, in the same place for several hundred years now, and shaded so much cooler than the rest of the city. There is also the Grand Mosquée. Built in the early 16th century it is a remarkably well preserved, and still used daily, example of the architecture of the time. At nearly 90 feet tall it is the predominant feature of a city skyline that contains very few multistory buildings.

These things, in addition to numerous jewelry makers, various street vendors, and other facets of a very old culture alongside more modern amenities such as restaurants, bus depots and cell phone vendors and towers make Agadez a place that must be unique in the world. The same can be said for virtually every place, but I don’t think anyplace else is as different from every other place else as much as Agadez.

The other major highlight of the trip was a five day trip into the Tenéré. The Tenéré is the piece of the Sahara Desert in northeastern Niger. V means desert in one of the local languages, I’m sorry but I don’t remember which language. The Tenéré is considered by many to be the most picturesque part of the Sahara. Not having been to other parts of the Sahara (yet) I cannot comment on that other than to say it is a believable statement. Interlaced with the Air (I-ear) Mountains, other mountains made of marble, small desert oases, ancient volcano magma columns, inhabited by camels, gazelles, jackals, large beetles, small mice, surprisingly large birds considering the apparent lack of prey and coupled with the occasional sighting of a solitary camel rider the Tenéré is poetically gorgeous. (If I were poetically inclined I could probably do a better job describing the Tenéré. As it is, I’ll do what I can and you can use your imagination for the rest.)

Until recently visitors needed to hire a certified guide and purchase a special permit to visit the Tenéré. As well as being perhaps the most beautiful part of the Sahara it is also one of the most dangerous. (Doesn’t it always seem that way?) There are not very many oases or water sources and it can be impossible to find your way in the shifting sands. The road is fairly well defined in some areas and apparently non-existent in others. We were caught in a brief, 10 minute rainstorm and the riverbeds filled to sometimes impassable torrents almost immediately. In one of the driest places imaginable we had to cross rivers with water up to the hood of our Land Rovers after only a matter of minutes. By that afternoon, in the space of about four hours, there was no trace that there had been rain there, ever.

Beside the road are still the graves and markers of travellers that were not so luck, or prepared. When one of our Land Rovers got stuck axle deep in sand that shifted as we walked on it we started to wonder about our own fate. (Since you’re reading this you know all is well.) We also found several camel skeletons and were followed by buzzards (or vultures, what do I know?) for the entire five days.

During the day we drove the desert stopping at oases, to watch wildlife or talk with the nomads we encountered. We also were able to see several ancient sites of rock drawings including one place with giraffes carved into the rock. The carvings are said to between 4000 to 5000 years old and are up to 14 feet tall.

Now, back to the reason for the booboo and turban. It is HOT in Niger and in the Tenéré especially. We did a little research (read the Rough Guide to West Africa) and found that the cooler time of the year around Agadez is from October to February with high temperatures up to about 100° F (38°C). After living a year in Bénin we thought we should be prepared for 100° with no humidity.

I should say we were led to believe it is a bit cooler in October because, again, it was HOT! (I think the Rough Guide needs to be revised.) Although it did get somewhat cool at night, about 70°F (22°C), the temperature increased rapidly with the rising sun. My guess is that the lowest high temperature we experienced during our five days in the desert was 110°F. Other days were even hotter, and for long periods of time. You might think that sitting by the open window of a vehicle driving along at about 60 mph would provide a refreshing breeze. WRONG! It was more like sitting in front of an open oven. Hot might be insufficient to describe it but I don’t have anything else. (Again, sorry, not a poet.)

In the evenings we stopped among the dunes and spent the night after dinner. Since there was no possibility of rain and no biting insects we slept in the open air on mattresses. Beautiful blue by day the desert sky is incredible at night. Every star seems to be visible. We were able to see shooting stars regularly and identify several satellites. With so many stars it was bright enough to walk around without a flashlight. (Not that there was any danger of walking into anything.) In the morning we investigated the signs left by the various visitors to the camp while we slept. There were beetle, lizard and mouse tracks everywhere. We could occasionally find a spot where a bird (we assumed owl of some kind) caught a mouse or lizard. Several times we found what appeared to be dog tracks. Our guide told us they were from jackals. We were never able to actually see one and were told they were harmless scavengers looking for scraps of food.

As you might have guessed by now I recommend a visit to Agadez and the Tenéré. If you are aver fortunate enough to be able to do this I suggest using Tinarawene Expeditions as your guide service. Tell Souleyman, the owner, that you heard about him from Peace Corps volunteers and would like Gigi as your guide. Souleyman gives volunteers a good price understanding that we are good word of mouth advertising. And, yes, that’s right , I said Gigi. Gigi is a Tuareg who has lived in the Tenéré his whole life. We had lunch and spent an afternoon at his home in Iferouane during our visit. He is knowledgeable, hospitable, intelligent and experienced, all necessary qualities in one of the most beautiful and inhospitable places on the planet.

Well, I don’t know what my next adventure will be but I’ll let you know about it as soon as I can afterwards. I’m thinking of going to Timbuktu early next year. For those of you who don’t know me I like out of the way places.

cost of living

This latest entry in my attempt to explain life in Benin involves the price of various things (I hope the title didn’t ruin the surprise). As this is a poor country one would most things to be priced relatively inexpensively as compared to the first world. This is largely true. In fact, the only exception to this is that foreign made (foreign to Benin) products that must be imported such as American candy. Some imported items would apparently be so cost prohibitive that they are not even available here, or at least very difficult to find. This includes European and American beer (although Guinness is everywhere), good quality cuts of meat and most common name brands of foodstuffs.

So, here’s the list. I’ve included conversions to make it easier to see the actual cost of things. (Remember, volunteers are on a very limited budget so some of these things are actually relatively expensive for us regardless of the actual cost.) The conversion rate fluctuates of course but I have used 500 francs to the dollar. The rate has hovered near there since our arrival.

Item francs dollars
Beer 300 - 800 $.60 – 1.60
Coke 250 – 350 .50 - .70
Bread 100 .20
Toilet paper 250/roll .50
Rice 500/Kg 1.00
Rice, cooked 100 – 200 .20 - .40
Beans 300/Kg .60
Sugar 400/Kg .80
Apple 125 .25
Orange 2-4/50 2-4/.10 (seasonal)
Pineapple 100 – 200 .20 - .40
Eggs 75 each .15
Water 1/Liter ~.01/1.5 gallon
Pasta, 200gr 150 .30
US candy bar 450 .90
Other candy 150 .30
Pringles 1200 2.40
Meat s’wich 450 .90
Restaurant 2,000-10,000 4 – 20
Internet 400/hr .80/hr
Movie 1,000 - 1,500 2 – 3
Prostitute 250 .50
Pen 75 .15
Shirt 3,000 - 4,000 6 – 8
Pants 2,500 - 3,000 5 – 6
Rent (2br) 10,000 20
Taxi 800/hr 1.60/hr
Zemidjan 100/3-4mn .20/3-4mn

Some notes about this list. The prices listed are generally for Ketou, some things (taxis and zemidjans) cost a little more or less in other parts of the country. Some things (internet access) are not available in Ketou so I’ve given an average price from what I’ve seen in other places for these. Still other things, while available in Ketou or elsewhere, I have no use or need for personally (movies and prostitutes). The prices listed for those items have been acquired form other sources, i.e., somebody told me the price.

Other than generally paying very little for most things (less than a penny for nearly a gallon and a half of water!?!) life goes on. I am continuing to give formations whenever I can. Through an unusual set of circumstances I only spent eight days in Ketou over the span of more than five weeks recently. There was a party, a PC-sponsored program for young girls, training for me, a visit to another volunteer, working with stagaires (volunteers in training) and accompanying a sick volunteer to Cotonou. While it was good to get out and see other parts of the country it was also a bit expensive and tiring. Hopefully, I’ll be able to spend more time in Ketou for a while to do some of the work I came here for as well as get some rest, do a lot of laundry and save some money for the next trips.

Speaking of trips, I should be going to Niger in October. Hopefully I’ll be able to post another update before then but who knows. Whatever happens I’ll let you know as soon as I can.

comings & goings

It's been a while and it's going to be a while. Gone is the cyber in Kétou. I can no longer update my blog (been right on top of that haven't I), send an e-mail, check Red Sox scores (the horror) or otherwise interact with the outside world even once a week. The closest internet connection is now in Pobé about 40 miles, 1 hour (over one of the worst major roads in the country) and 800 francs (1/3 days pay) one way. I may go to it occasionally but I suspect I will just try to use a cyber whenever I travel. I travel infrequently, normally at least.

Another thing going is me. I am currently in the midst of a travelling spree. There was a week in Porto-Novo recently for Camp GLOW. Camp GLOW is a Peace Corps program to help build confidence and study skills in young girls and help them realize other options for their lives than those normally available in Bénin. On the way home from Porto-Novo there were stays in Adja-Oueré (more on that later) and Pobé for a night each. These towns were on my way home so didn’t involve much extra travel actually just time away from Kétou. After less than 2 weeks at home I am now in Bohicon for the PC Olympics (not a PC sponsored event regardless of the name). After the games is a party with a glam rock theme (I’m early Elton John). This is actually the COS (close of service) party for several volunteers about to leave. In a similar vein the night at Adja-Oueré was a party celebrating one year in Bénin for the group of volunteers I arrived with. Not everybody was there (though all were there in spirit, including the 6 who have left) it was still a very good party. With 2 days in Kétou (for laundry?), and another night in Pobé, it’s off to Grand Popo for PSN training. PSN is the peer support network, it is a group of volunteers who offer their time and services to assist other volunteers cope with the stresses of life here. When training is finished I will be going to Azové for Bénins Independence Day August 1st and to visit my host family again. With 2 days free before that I will be visiting another volunteer or two somewhere along the way. I then return to Kétou on August 2nd but leave again for the yam pilé (it’s food) festival in Savalou on the 15th.

As I mentioned one group of volunteers are in the process of finishing their service. Another group is on the way, arriving July 21st. Due to the closing of the Chad program Bénin is getting a record number of volunteers this year, 60. It will be interesting to see where they all get posted to eventually of course but even more interesting to see myself in them when they first arrive in the country. The scary part is that now I, and the others in my group, are the experienced ones here that the new arrivals will be looking to for assistance and direction. As I know what I’m doing.

In other happenings the rainy season is about to end here in Kétou meaning that the really hot weather is coming. I have also started doing the work I was trained for and told to expect to take up much of my time (teaching business and money management skills to small business owners and entrepreneurs). It does give me something to do (as well as a reason to stay finally) but I am still not very busy (did you see my travel schedule?).

Finally, my postmate, Steve, is leaving at the end of August. I believe I’ve mentioned earlier that Steve lives in Kétou as a TEFL (English) teacher at the public school. He arrived about a year before me and has helped me immensely in learning many things and adapting to life here. From telling me where to find good food and the price of taxis to explaining various cultural unknowns his help and experience have been instrumental in my being able to function and even survive. I would like to take this opportunity to thank him, and the others like him, for all that they have given to myself, my fellow volunteers and Bénin and wish him, and them, the very best in whatever they choose to do next.

I’ll update again when I can. Don’t know when, don’t know where, don’t know how. Life’s just an adventure, isn’t it?

Oh, they're poor

Living in a foreign country can be very tiring. Besides the facts of not knowing anybody or where to find anything, figuring out how to get around and (for some of us) having trouble learning the language, there is a different culture to learn, and adapt to. Here in Benin that means constantly being concerned about your appearance, having to greet virtually everyone you see and generally being assumed to be the richest person in the area (definitely not the case on a Peace Corps stipend). Being so physically different means that we can never be inconspicuous and cannot really ever fully relax, except when home alone. Because of this we volunteers take advantage of most excuses to get together with others. We will visit each other for no real reason other than company, or we sometimes make up the flimsiest excuses for small parties. There are often reasons to get together as well; joint projects, meetings to plan events for various programs and Peace Corps mandated gatherings. There has just been a string of occurences to keep me in the company of various numbers of volunteers, and away from Ketou, for two weeks.

First, there was the All-Voll conference. As the name suggests this is a gathering of all volunteers in the country. It is ostensibly for Peace Corps to pass on information about various subjects (health, safety & security, etc) in an efficient manner. Of course, most of us use it for socializing and getting together with others we haven't seen for a while because they are posted some distance away (Benin isn't very large but some villages are fairly remote and transportation is not very easy anywhere). The conference went very well, and on schedule mostly, with lots of good food. There were also plenty of parties, some lasting longer than they should have, but there were no real problems.

Immediately after All-Vol SED had its IST conference. IST is In Service Training. This is intended as a way to allow a transfer of ideas, and problems encountered, between volunteers of the same group. SED was the last group to convene because of rescheduling due to the recent presidential elections here. Again, the conference went well, accompanied by more evening (and later) parties.

The last event was a traditional dance and music competition arranged by a volunteer posted not far from, and on the way back to, Kétou. No parties, and I and others arrived a little late, but it was still a lot of fun. When we arrived outside the venue some children appeared to carry our bags for us (another good use for children not exploited often enough at home). Since I knew I would be traveling for two weeks my bag (backpack) was too heavy for the children so I walked in with it on my back. During my travels with this bag I had received some unusual looks, and comments about its size and weight from taxi drivers. As I walked into the large crowd in the theatre for the competition people stared, at myself or the backpack, and several people couldn't keep themselves from touching it. It was then that I realized that, along with my shoulder bag and the cement bag in my hand, I was probably carrying more than most of these people owned.

Of course, living in one of the ten poorest countries in the world (at least that's what Peace Corps tells us) one can't help but notice many of the differences from the US; dirt roads, paved roads in very bad condition, lack of running water (lack of clean water for that matter), unreliable electricity, basic health services at best. I, like all volunteers here, am reasonably fortunate. Besides being American (and being able to return at any time) my stipend puts me solidly in the middle class here (admittedly not with the same opportunities that brings in the US), I also receive a travel allowance and a vacation allowance. The vacation allowance isn't much (less than a dollar a day but everything helps) and the travel allowance does go almost entirely for traveling (although it doesn't pay for as much travel as we would like). We also received a settling-in allowance. This was (as the name implies) to allow us to buy whatever we might need for our houses. I bought everything from an outgoing volunteer and had enough left to buy more. I have eight chairs, five tables, a stool, a double bed and an armoire as well as dishes, cutlery and plasticware. This is all in addition to what the Peace Corps gave us (and expects back at the end of our service), a bicycle, a mattress, a stove with two gas bottles, a lantern and footlocker as well as screen material for our doors and windows (to keep out mosquitos). Even with all that I still have one room in my house (apartment really and I only have three rooms) which is virtually empty.

Seeing and visiting people I have noticed two things. (Actually, of course, I've noticed a lot, but only two are important here.) Houses are generally sparsely furnished and people usually wear the same clothes for several consecutive days. I thought there were some cultural meanings to these practices and that I would learn them in time. My experience, and observations, traveling with my backpack has forced me to see the real reason however. Poverty. Imagine that, the lack of money actually affects peoples clothing and furniture choices and options.

There is not much furniture in peoples homes not because they are adhering to minimalist design principles but because they cannot afford to buy furniture. People wear the same clothes for several days running not because they want to show off their clothing styles and taste but because they only have two or three sets of clothes to wear. Without washing machines or dryers, and with high humidity, and now rain, the laundry cycle is often two days or more here.

I suppose it's a good thing that I have learned someting new about a foreign country. However, for all of you who thought they were reading the writings (ramblings) of a person of at least reasonable intelligence, consider this; it took me nearly a year (I have been here since July) to realize that people don't own a lot of furniture or clothes because they have little money.

Perhaps I can begin to see things a little more clearly here now. Maybe I am finally beginning to lose the filter I've acquired from living in the US. One of the reasons I joined the Peace Corps (instead of another short-term volunteer option) was to have a long-term exposure to another culture. I didn't know all that that would entail but I''m learning as I go along. Who knows what I'll be able to learn next, maybe even French.

Total Eclipse of the Heart

So, most of you have never heard of Quarterflash I suppose. That's OK, it doesn't matter, one-hit wonders are not generally too important and they have nothing to do with this post anyway.
A new king, only the third president elected of the country and now, a total solar eclipse. Little did I know the wonders of Benin ere I arrived. I wonder what's next. Seriously though, I have witnessed a lunar eclipse and one or two partial solar eclipses but never a total solar eclipse before now. Ito cured February 29th about 10:30 am. My postmate Steve had brought me glasses for viewing the previous day and I shared them with my neighbors (both named Marcelline incidentally, one as a first name the other as a surname) during the event.
The neighbor who is my landlords wife did not know anything about the eclipse happening. My other neighbor came out about 10 and said the eclipse would occur in five minutes (she was listening to the radio). We looked up (with the glasses) and saw that the moon was covering about three-quarters of the sun. This amazed my landlords’ wife and she became very excited and informed her friend in the neighboring concession. In fact, she continued to do so through the entire process.
As totality approached we could hear others in the area becoming more excited as well, particularly the nearby private school. The noise level spiked suddenly at totality and took a while to settle down afterwards. Some were merely excited at experiencing the rare event. Others I'm sure were probably a little concerned at what was happening not having knowledge of its occurrence or cause.
For those of you who haven't seen a total eclipse I'll describe it as best I can. There is a slight drop in light level only just before totality, as well as for only a short time (about 30 seconds in both cases) afterwards. Totality here lasted about 2 minutes. The suns corona, of course, becomes visible but, that may be one of the less spectacular aspects of the event. The clouds overhead became very dark while those nearer to the horizon remained apparently unchanged. When the sun went directly behind a cloud however, there was a circle of color around the sun. Not like a rainbow as there were no distinct bands but there were many colors in the cloud. I know it was just light being bent by the water droplets in the cloud but it was still rather unique. The sky turned a deep, dark blue and several of the brighter stars became visible. Most people seemed more interested in stars being visible during the day than the sudden drop in light level or other sights.
Although the drop in light level was sudden and dramatic it did not ever become very dark. It was like early twilight, just about sunset, a half-hour or so before nightfall. The birds however thought it was more like dusk as they started singing again just after totality ended.
After the big event Steve and I were congratulated for knowing about the eclipse and being prepared for it (having glasses for viewing). The unfortunate part of this is that it is the result of one of the problems in Benin right now. Although not the only people to know about the eclipse or be prepared for it we were the only complemented. We knew about the eclipse from the radio and learned where to get the glasses from talking to friends and neighbors. Every Beninoise does both of those things much more than Steve and, certainly I, do. We were singled out by some for special notice because we are foreigners and, especially, white (sorry, light-skinned).
The problem I refer to is that, in my experience, some Beninoise have an inferiority complex towards foreigners in general and often whites in particular. I know that inferiority complexes, as well as other disorders, can be complex in origin and difficult to counter (right, Dana?). It can, I'm sure also be difficult to determine their cause. Not being very learned in these matters (or any other as I've been told from time to time) I will not try to discuss causes or treatments at this time. I can, however, speak to the effects I see here.
Those with this inferiority complex (if that's what it in fact is) think that foreigners are rich because they are better (Of course, you and I know we are not all rich). We are smarter, healthier and wealthier because we deserve that, not because of any chance of geography or history. These people often then think that they are not capable of doing anything worthwhile. They often, in fact, don't have a job. Those that do have a job are either not very good at it or have one that doesn't require much effort or thinking; taxi driver, divers vendor etc. They think that the Peace Corps and other groups are here in Benin not to help the Beninoise live better on their own but rather to, in effect, run the country. We are here, they think, to fix roads, not to show them how to build and maintain highways and city streets for themselves. We are here, they say, to teach in the schools, not to teach others to teach. The only thing we cannot do, they claim, is tell them anything about religion (of course, that's a trait with a lot of people in virtually every country).
These people are obviously never going to contribute very much to the improvement of Benin. Fortunately, there are not very many of them (they are annoying though) and will hopefully not be too much of a hindrance either. There are people in America who don't do much good also but that economy is doing OK.
So closes another chapter in the life of Benin (bet you never thought you would read so many). I'll get another one out as soon as I can but that is sometimes out of me control (internet had not been available here for over a week because the phone system was not operating). I'm just trying to stay dry in the meantime.So, most of you have never heard of Quarterflash I suppose. That's OK, it doesn't matter, one-hit wonders are not generally too important and they have nothing to do with this post anyway.
A new king, only the third president elected of the country and now, a total solar eclipse. Little did I know the wonders of Benin ere I arrived. I wonder what's next. Seriously though, I have witnessed a lunar eclipse and one or two partial solar eclipses but never a total solar eclipse before now. Ito cured February 29th about 10:30 am. My postmate Steve had brought me glasses for viewing the previous day and I shared them with my neighbors (both named Marcelline incidentally, one as a first name the other as a surname) during the event.
The neighbor who is my landlords wife did not know anything about the eclipse happening. My other neighbor came out about 10 and said the eclipse would occur in five minutes (she was listening to the radio). We looked up (with the glasses) and saw that the moon was covering about three-quarters of the sun. This amazed my landlords’ wife and she became very excited and informed her friend in the neighboring concession. In fact, she continued to do so through the entire process.
As totality approached we could hear others in the area becoming more excited as well, particularly the nearby private school. The noise level spiked suddenly at totality and took a while to settle down afterwards. Some were merely excited at experiencing the rare event. Others I'm sure were probably a little concerned at what was happening not having knowledge of its occurrence or cause.
For those of you who haven't seen a total eclipse I'll describe it as best I can. There is a slight drop in light level only just before totality, as well as for only a short time (about 30 seconds in both cases) afterwards. Totality here lasted about 2 minutes. The suns corona, of course, becomes visible but, that may be one of the less spectacular aspects of the event. The clouds overhead became very dark while those nearer to the horizon remained apparently unchanged. When the sun went directly behind a cloud however, there was a circle of color around the sun. Not like a rainbow as there were no distinct bands but there were many colors in the cloud. I know it was just light being bent by the water droplets in the cloud but it was still rather unique. The sky turned a deep, dark blue and several of the brighter stars became visible. Most people seemed more interested in stars being visible during the day than the sudden drop in light level or other sights.
Although the drop in light level was sudden and dramatic it did not ever become very dark. It was like early twilight, just about sunset, a half-hour or so before nightfall. The birds however thought it was more like dusk as they started singing again just after totality ended.
After the big event Steve and I were congratulated for knowing about the eclipse and being prepared for it (having glasses for viewing). The unfortunate part of this is that it is the result of one of the problems in Benin right now. Although not the only people to know about the eclipse or be prepared for it we were the only complemented. We knew about the eclipse from the radio and learned where to get the glasses from talking to friends and neighbors. Every Beninoise does both of those things much more than Steve and, certainly I, do. We were singled out by some for special notice because we are foreigners and, especially, white (sorry, light-skinned).
The problem I refer to is that, in my experience, some Beninoise have an inferiority complex towards foreigners in general and often whites in particular. I know that inferiority complexes, as well as other disorders, can be complex in origin and difficult to counter (right, Dana?). It can, I'm sure also be difficult to determine their cause. Not being very learned in these matters (or any other as I've been told from time to time) I will not try to discuss causes or treatments at this time. I can, however, speak to the effects I see here.
Those with this inferiority complex (if that's what it in fact is) think that foreigners are rich because they are better (Of course, you and I know we are not all rich). We are smarter, healthier and wealthier because we deserve that, not because of any chance of geography or history. These people often then think that they are not capable of doing anything worthwhile. They often, in fact, don't have a job. Those that do have a job are either not very good at it or have one that doesn't require much effort or thinking; taxi driver, divers vendor etc. They think that the Peace Corps and other groups are here in Benin not to help the Beninoise live better on their own but rather to, in effect, run the country. We are here, they think, to fix roads, not to show them how to build and maintain highways and city streets for themselves. We are here, they say, to teach in the schools, not to teach others to teach. The only thing we cannot do, they claim, is tell them anything about religion (of course, that's a trait with a lot of people in virtually every country).
These people are obviously never going to contribute very much to the improvement of Benin. Fortunately, there are not very many of them (they are annoying though) and will hopefully not be too much of a hindrance either. There are people in America who don't do much good also but that economy is doing OK.
So closes another chapter in the life of Benin (bet you never thought you would read so many). I'll get another one out as soon as I can but that is sometimes out of me control (internet had not been available here for over a week because the phone system was not operating). I'm just trying to stay dry in the meantime.

Le Bon Temps

Temps means both time and weather. Its meaning must be derived from its usage. I am using it as part of a larger phrase common in Benin. Après la pluie viennent le bon temps. "After the rain comes the good weather" is the most literal translation. "With the rains come the good temperatures" is closer to the actual meaning. In case you haven't figured out what I'm getting at yet let me tell you. It's raining again. It hasn't rained here in Ketou since November.

There are two rainy seasons in Benin. I arrived in Ketou during the short season, from mid-September to mid-November. The long season is just beginning. It runs from March through July. (The timing of seasons varies a bit from north to south. I am referring to the Ketou area only.) Supposedly it is a little cooler during the rainy seasons (le bon temps). It didn't seem to be anything I would call cool in October but maybe I wasn't acclimated to the hot climate at that point yet (for those readers who don't know I am a New Englander that very much prefers the mountains in fall to the beach in summer). In just the first few days of the rainy season I have noticed some changes. It is often very windy just before it rains. This obviously has at least a temporary cooling effect for a while (as well as providing a warning of the impending wetness). There are also some prolonged breezes after dark that makes sleeping a little less uncomfortable. Also, during the day it is not as hot as normal as long as there are clouds. As soon as the clouds disappear however it gets very hot again very quickly. At least there is some respite from the heat at times.

There are other good, and unfortunately bad, things about the rainy season too. With the rains there isn't nearly as much dust. This makes taxi rides cleaner and means that I don't have to sweep every other day. Rain means mud. The ground here drains fairly well but in places there are puddles and mud pits that persist for a while. One of these large puddles is just outside my concession, a nuisance only. One of the mud pits however occupies the spot on the street in the marché in front of my benier vendor and the only vendor I have found that speaks English. Since I go to both of these people every marché day (every four days) the mud pit there is very annoying.

Another good thing about the rainy season is that water is free. Whenever it rains I take the covers off of several plastic buckets to collect rainwater. I usually pay a child to keep these buckets filled with water but during the rainy season this cost is not necessary. (PC volunteers are paid less than $5 per day and must budget accordingly.) This, of course, is bad for the childs budget but I still give him candy every few days so he doesn't seem to mind so much. It is less work for him and the money went to his mother anyway.

Construction standards here are less stringent (nonexistent?) than those in the states. My apartment is not exactly hermetically sealed. Even with screens on the windows and doors closed I get the occasional large wasp (or hornet, what do I know?) visiting me as well as other, less scary, insects. I also have a few leaks. Fortunately just small ones around doors when it is very windy and raining. Generally a minor inconvenience.

The worst thing about the rainy season will, I suspect, be more frequent outages of electricity. It has gone out a couple of times already but only for short times. With no electricity though there are no TV’s, fewer radios and no loud music from the buvettes (every little bit helps). There is also, however, no internet with no electricity. Sometimes there is no internet with electricity. A coupe of days ago lightning knocked out the land line telephone system eliminating any possibility of contact with the rest of the world. It took three trips to the cyber to get this update posted for example.

The last thing about the rainy season is all good. There is no need for the Fulani to come into town. I like the Fulani. They are hard-working, respectful and simple living. They herd cows though. Again, I have nothing against cows (they're delicious) or herders. Just cow droppings. During the dry seasons the Fulani come into town to water their cattle. They pay a woman with a robinet (water faucet) to keep a bunch of large buckets filled with water for their use every couple of days. This robinet happens to be around the corner from my house and on my route to the CLCAM, marché and almost every other place I go to. Besides the noise there are the droppings that nobody cleans up, they are just trampled into the ground by the next herd. With the rainy season there are watering holes available outside of town that the Fulani can use for free. This is cheaper, obviously, and easier for them and cleaner, and a little bit quieter (again, every little bit helps) for everybody else.

So, overall I guess, the rainy season should bring a slight improvement to the quality of life here. At least for me, provided I don't get too wet. It should help the farmers also of course so maybe there’ll be a little more variety of foods available. We'll see, and I'll let you know.

The good, the bad and the ugly

OK, maybe ugly isn't the right word but I couldn't think of another that would work to make a referencable (it's a movie) title for this entry.
Just like all you loyal readers we volunteers have good days and bad days. Most, however, and again like you, are generally mixed (ugly?). In fact, I find that all days contain good and bad elements. It is just a matter of which ones outweigh the others. Sometimes that weighing is by number of events, sometimes by the last event. In my experience, however, most of the time there is one event that makes, or ruins, a day. Occasionally I find it is difficult to figure out whether I have had a good or a bad day. Maybe that would make it an ugly day. February 2nd was just such a day. (I told you things happen slowly here.)
First, a couple of words in the way of explanation (you knew I had to drag it out somehow). Zemidjan is a word, we are told, derived from one of the local languages meaning either "get there fast" or "get me there fast". I forget exactly, relatively unimportant for the story. Anyone driving a moto in this country, whether they are zemidjan drivers or not, seem to have adopted this as their driving philosophy. Motos go as fast as they can, often faster than they should, and seem to pay little heed to anything smaller than themselves. They often ignore cars and trucks. They always ignore pedestrians except for the cursory, and not universal, warning from the horn.
Then there's the yovo problem. Yovo is a word in one of the local languages of the South of Benin. There are others due to the diversity of languages here. Oyibo is another in and around Ketou. Yovo, and its cousins, means either foreigner or white man, nobody seems to know for sure. Nobody calls anybody by their name here. Everybody is addressed by their title or workplace. People refer to each other as proprietaire or l'electricienne or CLCAM and the like. Volunteers are universally called yovo or whatever word exists in their area. If it sounds annoying you should try living here. We all just have to learn to cope with it in our own way.
So, for the day. It started out with my neighbor playing his TV rather loudly until after 1am, obviously bad. When I got to the CLCAM I actually had some work to do, a rarity. One of the employees is trying to create some forms electronically and needed some help with Excel and Word, relatively good. At lunch I went to the marche to buy beniers (sort of a cross between a muffin and a donut), eggs and candy (all the staples). I have found a vendor I like in the marche who sells beniers, peanut oil and eggs but she has not been there for two weeks by this time. Unfortunately, she is missing again this day. As I am buying the beniers from a nearby vendor, the one I have been using for 2 weeks, the egg vendor I have been going to recently, also nearby, starts screaming "Yovo, les oeufs" (eggs). Since I buy a dozen eggs at a time I am a relatively large customer but she is still over reacting to my presence by a wide margin. I also have a general rule that I don't do business with anyone who calls me yovo if I can help it. So, I went off to find another egg vendor. Not a difficult chore, just a little extra time and walking (have I said it's hot here?), certainly bad.
Once my purchases are done and I'm walking toward home, almost out of the marche area, everybody in the area starts shouting. I don't understand what they are saying, but at the least the yovos stop for a time. It only took a moment to see why. There was a young girl, about 2 or 3 years old, barely able to walk, running away from a vendors stall and into the street. This happens all the time of course, but this time there was a moto driver coming. As someone who has taken advanced math courses as electives I could do the geometry, there was about to be cause for a funeral. Nobody else is doing anything but yelling and screaming so I grabbed the girl.
Before anybody goes nominating me for a Nobel prize there was no dramatic leap inches from the moving wheels of an onrushing tractor trailer. I was never in any danger (I have to put that in for my mother but it's true). Fortunately the girl ran directly in front of me. I just stooped down and put one hand on the girls chest and one on her back to stop her from walking for a moment as the moto drove by without the slightest swerve, very definitely good. As I continue walking home the yovos begin to emanate from the vendors and children again, but never a merci, somewhat bad.
The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. No work at the CLCAM in the afternoon, normally bad. Dinner came out well, reasonably good. Got to bed late because of a loud church service, slightly bad. Was able to sleep through the night (maybe just because I was tired form the night before), unexpectedly good.
So, I ask you, was February 2nd a good day or a bad day? The bads outnumber the goods 5 to 4. But, does the one big good tip the scales in that direction? Or, does it just add up to an ugly day? Just a little to think about until I write again.
I, with others, am off to Senegal for the annual West African Invitational Softball Tournament (WAIST), starting this weekend. We are expecting that a good time will be had by all. Who knows, maybe we'll even win a game or two. Wish us luck.

Traveling, man

I was going to open this with a few lines from "Traveling Man" (at least I think that's the title) by Ricky Nelson (again, I think please feel free to correct me on any of these misconceptions of mine) but I couldn't remember any lines with any certainty. (Of course, that never stopped me before.)
It occured to me recently that I have been talking of my travels here (among other things) without actually talking of the process of travelling. The destinations and activities have been fun, or informative, or thought-provoking as the case may be but, often, the greater adventure, like life itself, is in the journey. With this posting I will try to describe the modes of travel here in Benin.
Let's start at the bottom. The very bottom. The ground. Benin has the best road system in West Africa. Admittedly this is a bit like claiming to have the best seafood in Mongolia (There is a point in the Gobi Desert, in Mongolia, which is the furthest point on the surface of the Earth from water, fresh or salt), but one takes what one can get. The quality of the road system allows for relatively rapid transport of people and goods across and through the country. This brings some commerce, and tax dollars, here due to neighboring countries using the roads to transport goods to and from seaports. The relatively high quality of the roads also means however that, too often, drivers are going too fast. There are numerous old abandoned wrecks in some places, and during my last trip to Cotonou my taxi passed by three very recent accidents. Each with police and vehicles still present. In Ketou recently a gendarmerie (police) vehicle drove off the road while responding to a call at night. There were reportedly three officers killed.
Okay, time to put peoples (parents) minds at ease a little. The Peace Corps is very concerned about volunteer safety. Also, while it takes a bit of an adventurous spirit to do what we are doing we all understand some of the limits of the envelope we are in. Volunteers are given training in riding zemidjans. We are also given helmets and their use is required. Non-use can result in immediate termination of service. This is true of the velos (bicycles) we are given as well. We have been instructed not to travel by motor vehicle at night, the most dangerous time obviously. Taxi training involved being told how to recognize an unsafe vehicle and driver as well as being told that we should sit in the middle of the back seat to minimize the possibility of injuries in the unlikely event of an accident. I have heard of very few accidents involving volunteers here in the last few years and none with injuries.
There are several ways to get around in Benin. There are zemidjans and taxis of course. And we can all walk or use our PC issued velo, though of course just for around the village. There are also privately owned cars and motos and commercial trucks. We are not allowed to use commercial trucks for transportation for safety reasons. Very often Beninese utilize this method however. It is cheaper than a taxi and the driver makes a little money too. Neither are we allowed to take a ride in a private vehicle unless the driver is known to us, a neighbor, work colleague etc. There is talk of some sort of public transportation also. Supposedly this is only in Cotonou and Porto Novo (the bigger cities obviously) but I have not seen evidence of this. Even if it exists it is certainly not used by volunteers very often if at all. There are also privately operated bus lines. What all this means is that as volunteers we are restricted to zemidjans, taxis and buses to fulfill our travelling requirements.

Zemis are generally used for shorter trips. Going across town or perhaps to a neighboring village. Taxis and buses are used for longer voyages. Going to Cotonou or another larger town. Taxis can be used for short trips as well, but they are more costly than zemis. Zemis can be used for longer trips, but they are more difficult with baggage. Also, not that taxis are comfortable (more on that later) but zemis are even less so, especially on longer trips.
Zemis are mopeds to small motorcycles, never larger than 125cc, generally between 80 and 100cc. Since zemis are small and sloz you might think that a longer trip would be faster in a taxi. This is not neessarily so. Taxis often stop to pick up and discharge passengers. There is also the occassional check of licenses, permits and carrying capacity by the gendarmarie. Because a zemidjan doesn’t have the same requirements it can be quicker for a long voyage. Again, however, there is no space for baggage, the seat is often uncomfortable and the suspension is never factory fresh or properly adjusted for two. Taxis, or buses if possible, are the predominant choice for longer trips.
Taxis are Peugeot 504 sedans and wagons. They are all the samefor two reasons. 504’s are readily available and relatively affordable. Also, having all of the taxis the same means that parts are interchangable. If a taxi is ever considered unrepairable (an apparently extremely rare occurence) the good parts can be used to keep others going. Finally, mechanics only have to stock and know how to repair one type of car. There are other cars, and a few taxis of other type of car, here of course, but a mechanic can be kept busy working on only taxis if he so desires.
The cars are often stripped of unnecessary parts, including always for some reason window levers. (The driver always has one lever to open or close windows if requested.) This often includes lqrge chunks of dashboard as well. Even on taxis with dashboards I have never seen a functioning speedometer or gas gauge. The wagons have an extra rear seat in the back (apparently from other, dead taxis) to increase capacity. Normal capacity for a sedan is 5 with 8, due to the extra seat, being the norm for a wagon. However, a sedan will never a taxistand with less than 6 passengers, plus a driver. A wagon must have 9 passengers plus driver. This is in addition to luggage for passengers and other cargo the driver has been able to find (and charge for). Carrying capacity is not limited to the closed trunk. Taxis will often (always?) have open, tied down, trunks and cargo on the roof that often more than doubles the height of the taxi. (Incidentally this is also true of trucks which often makes them very scary looking.) Drivers will also often tell passengers to carry their own luggage in their lap (whether you have one or not once you get in). I am usually told that I have to carry my helmet. Along with luggage I have heard of other volunteers being in sedans with as many as 8 passengers plus driver (my personal record is 7 fortunately) and 12 plus driver in a wagon (10 for me at most).
Buses are the most luxuriant form of transportation generally available to volunteers in Benin. (Again, a volunteer can accept a ride in a private vehicle if the driver is known to them, but this does not happen very often.) Although available in limited areas they are utilized as often as possible. The prices are about the same as taxis, sometimes higher, sometimes lower. Luggage is stored in an area below the seats but there is often luggage and cargo on the roof as well. The major difference from taxis is that every passenger gets their own seat. If there are no more seats available, there are no more passengers allowed to board. I am not fortunate enough to live near a bus line but I am told that there is a meal served on long distance portions of the trip also. (I try not to eat before I have to get into a taxi.)
There are differences in the way the three transportation systems work as well. Buses have regular routes and schedules. They stick to their schedules regardless of the number of passengers. If you get to a bus stop too late then you don’t get on the bus because it has gone. There is always another bus of course but sometimes not until the next day.
Taxis have assigned routes but no schedule. They wait at gares until they have enough passengers to justify a journey. When one taxi leaves another pulls up to wait for the next batch of passengers. Small villages are often not served by taxis as there is not enough traffic to warrant the service. On the other hand, large cities have multiple gares for taxis going in different directions. For example, I have to go to Dantokpa to get back to Ketou when I leave Cotonou. Those who have to go toward Grand-Popo must go to the Etoile Rouge gare. There are several other gares in Cotonou to handle all of the taxi traffic. Most other cities don’t have quite so many. Ketou has only two. One for going south, toward Cotonou, and another for going west, into the central portion of Benin, and east, toward and into Nigeria. There is no taxi service to the immediate north of Ketou.
Zemidjans have neither schedules nor prescribed routes. They are always parked at taxi gares looking for fares from passengers. They are also parked at other busy places in every city and village. It is also possible to wave one down in the street that happens to be between fares. In fact, in the larger cities some drivers actively drive around looking for fares. Zemis can be utilized beyond their normal carrying capacity just like taxis. I myself have been on a zemi holding four people. I have also seen many other things being carried by zemis. Refrigerators are common pieces of cargo, but I once saw two on a zemi. I have also seen four goats, an uncountable number of chickens, three 55 gallon oil drums (pesumably empty but who knows), a dozen or so 50 liter plastic jugs (used for holding vegetable oil, gas, water or virtually any liquid), other zemis and, on one occassion, a passenger carrying a piece of sheet glass about 4’ x 4’ in size. My personal favorite however occurs regularly right here in Ketou. Seven people on one zemi. (Dramatic pause here.) It is one driver with 6 small children. I doubt that they are all his beause they all appear to be the same size and age, I guess about 5. The children are all dressed in their school uniforms, which happens to be a red and white checked shirt with blue pants. Along with the drivers tissue it often makes for a very colorful display. The children are arrayed on the zemi with 3 behind the driver, each with their hands around the one in front of them, 2 sitting on the gas tank and one perched on the handlebars, all facing forward. This group rides in front of the CLCAM office twice a day so I hope to able to get a photo sometime.
That’s all for now. Sorry, I know this was a little long (I have done worse though) but I hope it helps you to understand a little more about life in Benin. I have some ideas for other subjects about life here. Hopefully though, I’ll be able to make them a little more interesting, and shorter.

Let there be light

I know God created light on the first day but things move a little slower here in Benin. I received electricity today!!!! Now, there is a slight problem with this miraculous achievement. The light fixture in my living room doesn't work. Every other one is OK, but I use the living room more often than any other room. I can cook, or shower or "use the facilities" at night easily now, but not read or write or study French without moving chairs or desks. A little at a time I guess. We'll see how long it takes to fix this problem.
Speaking of miracles, the Christmas party at the orphanage was quite an event. There were about 160 children there. (There were two other parties at other places for a total of about 700 orphans.) There was not much work for the volunteers to do. We were apparently there just to make an appearance. Everybody, administrators and children alike, seemed to appreciate it though. We danced and played with the children. Tom (Emmons) and I played soccer for a while with some. Erin (Bowman), Erin (Sillin) and Kat (Echavarria) received a tour of the facilities from others.
Later, we helped distribute dinner. It was just tuna sandwiches and fruit juice but it was probably the best meal the children had eaten in a while. Meals are usually just staples (rice, cornflour products etc.) and water, occasionally there is some milk powder available.
We brought the toys to be distributed but decided to leave them to the next day. The party was actually Christmas Eve so the gifts were distributed on Christmas Day as well as giving the children another day with a special event.
The orphanage is able to raise enough funds to provide food and limited education and health care. You have read about the food already. There are three part-time teachers that come by most weekdays. There is also a doctor that is available if needed in an emergency and comes by once in a while to do check-ups. With the help of some PC volunteers they are putting together a sponsorship program to raise more funds. I will put the link to their website on this blog soon to make the program as widely known as possible. Keep reading and tell all your friends. Tell them I will try to be a little more interesting.
With the passing of the holidays life here should become a little less interesting (that will make my last statement a lot harder to adhere to obviously). I'm sure I'll be able to come up with something once in a while though. Who knows maybe I'll actually start to do some real work.
Please feel free to make suggestions or ask me to write about particular subjects. I do read the comments.

Long live the King

As you all know we had the coronation ceremonies for a new king this past weekend. I informed and invited the other volunteers for the festivities in Ketou. Five answered the call and a good time was had by all. Incidentally, their presence, along with that of other PC, French and Canadian volunteers as well as invited guests and a group of Russian gold miners, made for an unprecedented numer of light skinned individuals in the city. This alone added to the atmosphere of the event. Seeing one or two white people on the street is cause for rubbernecking and some curiosity by some here (even some who see one everyday), but seeing them in groups of 5 to 10 or more can stop traffic and conversations and be the cause of shouting to friends (by the dozen), parades following us and crowds gathering around us whenever we stop. Having 2 or 3 people stop and stare as you walk by is strange but becomes commonlace quickly. Being the subject of a large group of people watching, often not even talking to each other, will apparently take a little more getting used to. There probably won’t be many instances like this though. There was never any danger, we were merely a source of curiosity.
Since I have been told that several parents of members of my group are reading this blog on a regular basis (Although I can’t imagine what they find so interesting) my guests for the festivities were Margaret Graham, Emily Howe, Charles Reeves, Maria De Souza Santos and Michelle Edwards. To all their parents they are all well, doing great work and remarkable individuals in their own right. You have all done marvelous work as parents and guardians of the future. The same can be said (at least in my opinion) of all of the parents of my fellow volunteers. Being here with these gifted, caring young people has given me a much greater hope for the future of the US and the world, something I was wondering about before I left for Benin.
Although running late by several hours and somewhat disorganized (both conditions typically Beninoise and expected) the coronation was a spectacular event. It seemed as if the entire population of Keou was there along with many visitors and invited guests. The six of us got there about noon. It seemed as if we might be too late to be able to see anything but once some of the organizers discovered we were Americans chairs were produced and space made available (It helps to be pushy Americans sometimes). The space created for us was less than 20 feet from the seat of the king. We were in the front row to witness all of the groups coming to pay homage to the new king. The dances and clothing were spetacular. It was obvious that this was not thought of as an ordinary event by anyone. Dancers must have practiced for weeks and I can only guess at how much time and money was spent colletively on the clothes for some people. I’m sure that some of the clothes were made especially for the coronation.
At one time it was time for individuals who wished to do so to present themselves to the king. Sitting almost next to the king put us almost first in line. We all walked up and genuflected or fell prostrate (the proper method) and received a blessing and a touch to the head from the king with his ceremonial brush (brushes are often used here instead of staffs or the like). There were some more speeches and visits by dignitaries before the actual coronation but because our seats were in the sun (the penalty for being late apparently) we had to leave since we had exhausted our water supply. While we were at the buvette rehydrating we heard that the ceremony was delayed awaiting the arrival of the governor of the neighboring Nigerian state. Moments later said motercade drove by us. It was impressive in itself. There were about 20 vehicles. Several army vehicles, buses with invited guests, press corps, police escort and the governors car. The procession was moving at about 10 miles per hour but there were a dozen men dressed in black suits and sunglasses (Nigerian secret service?) running alongside the governors car. Presumably this was only for the ride through Ketou and not for the entire drive from Nigeria. Still impressive though. This was about 3pm and I know I've told you how hot it gets here. How these men are still alive I don’t know. We were only sitting in the sun and had to move before we got heat exhaustion.
Ater rehydrating we relaxed at my house for a while before attending the next round of coronation festivities. We were told that there was to be traditional dancing demonstrations around the palace later at night. After dinner we went back to the palace with my neighbor acting as guide and interpreter. As usual the festivities started late.
Standing in front of the palace practically alone made this fact obvious. With nothing else happening we were ushered through a side door of the palace. There were about a dozen people seated quietly in a room. We removed our shoes and were led to one of the men. We shook hands and exchanged greetings. We were not told it was the king until after we started (he was wearing a head-dress with a beaded mask during the day so we did not recognize him). Once informed of his identity we genuflected and wished him long life and a peaceful reign. It was not until after we had left that we were told we were not supposed to shake hands with the king. This was not our first cultural faux pas, neither did we jeopardize US-Benin relations of course but I doubt we will invited back to dinneer with the king.
After this encounter we met the French volunteers and talked with them for a while until the festivities resumed. When they did they were not what we were led to believe them to be. It turned out not to be dancing but the appearance of a protective spirit. We arrived at the ceremony again a little late. My neighbor disappeared for a moment and came back with officials and chairs. We were set up in the front row again. Since it was now past midnight (and only about 80°) we were able to remain for the entire ceremony; Unfortunately none of us brought cameras. The ceremony consisted of some dancing and music followed by the appearance of the spirit.
The spirit was wearing the traditional headpiece of Ketou and a very bulky outfit. With all of his activity and the heat and humidity he must have lose 10 pounds through sweating during the ceremony. Accompanied by the dancers, musicians and singers the spirit performed ceremonial dances and songs from the spirit world. Obviously different from anything most of us have ever experienced it is very difficult to describe. It was very well received by the crowd with several people (including some of us) throwing money and a few (none of us) becoming excited enough to roll on the ground in apparently spiritual trances.
Being in the front row accorded us a great view, of course, but also allowed us to be blessed and accepted by the spirit. It also presented an opportunity for an unusual display of Beninoise hospitality. My neighbor looks out for me. She is part of my security around the house. As a married woman she is expected to stay at home and tend to domestic matters (she had to ask permission of her husband to go with us). As such she can keep an eye on my apartment and has informed me when I have missed a visitor and passed on messages for me. I have never asked her to do any of this she does it only because I am her neighbor and it is what neighbors do here. At one point during the ceremony there was a rush of people forward that enveloped Charles. My neighbor rushed in, grabbed the arms of Charles' chair and shoved several grown men backwards with her hips providing Charles with more space. (If Charles' parents are reading he was never unsafe merely uncomfortable.) As my friend Charles was deemed worthy of my neighbors hospitality, and protection, whenever needed. The rest of the night passed peacefully with my neighbor remaining standing next to Charles in case her services were needed again.
Today spirits have been emanating from all of the fetishes in town (and there are lot of them) to pay homage to the king. They have been emerging from their fetish and travelling to the palace and back. It has made for a very colourful day here. Unfortunately I didn’t bring my camera with me for the day so I don’t have any photos of the spirits. I have been led to believe that I may not have been able to take pictures of most of them anyway. Also, this has not been witnessed by any other volunteers since I didn’t know it was happening I couldn’t invite them to stay for it.
Enough of coronations for now. Next is Christmas with the orphans. If anything exciting happens I’ll let you know as usual. Bye for now and Happy Holidays.

Haves and have-nots

Thanksgiving (if you can remember that long ago) in Parakou went very well. Green beans, mashed potatoes, turkey, lots of other things and plenty of everything for everyone, just like home. Everyone was about 30 volunteers including all but one of SED. (SED, and its red-headed stepchild ICT is the group I am in, it is Small Enterprise Development. ICT is Information Communication Technology. There are a lot of acronyms in the Peace Corps, like any good governmental organization. I’ll try to explain them as I use them.) It really was great to have all (most) of us together again for the first time since stage (training). It was almost like we had never left each others company. After being at post for about 2 months we all had a lot more to talk about with each other though.
The second night we all went tchouking. Tchouk is a beer (sort of) that is home brewed by some of the ethnic groups in the North of Benin. It is sold by women (and only women) in stalls in the marche alongside the vendors of all other products. Each vendor has an area surrounded by a low stone wall that serves as seats for the clients. The client is initially given a sample and can then leave or buy more. The night is spent going from stall to stall tasting the different batches, sort of like a Beninese pub crawl.
The whole weekend coupled with the situation surrounding me got me to thinking (there’s plenty of time for that around here). Some of us have more than others. Is that fair? Is it right? What problems does that cause? These and other questions can be asked globally or locally. Take me for instance. Running water I don’t have. I do have enough money to pay a child to bring me water every week. This costs me from 100 to 150 francs cfa, about 20 to 30 cents. I am lucky to afford this and the child, and his family, is lucky to get it. Electricity I don’t have (yet, I hope). I have a lantern , flashlights and candles. The lantern was free (PC issued), the flashlights I brought fom home and the candles I can afford. Some here have none of these luxuries. The night (7pm year round) is spent by the fire of the days trash or with a neighbor fortunate enough to afford a small home made kerosene lantern made from an empty can of tomato paste. Although officially a volunteer, a job (although no salary) I have. I have many neighbors without anything to guarantee the funds for their next meal. There is an official unemployment figure listed for Benin but it doesn’t really mean anything. Because of the lack of funds available to the government (and other problems with the money that is available) it is not possible to accurately gather a lot of data that is easily available elsewhere. Another example is the AIDS rate here. It is officially listed at just over 6 percent but it is assumed by most researchers to be about twice that.
With everything I have, and have-not, here I am about an average Beninoise. Most don’t have running water but there is water available nearby either from a well or a public (but not free) or private tap. Most actually have electricity (as I hope to soon) and can afford at least a few lamps. Almost everybody has a radio and some even have a TV (Although with only 2 stations in the country I don’t know why). Most on’t have jobs but do have income from selling farm products, hand-made household goods or illegally imported products (plastics, radios and the like) or make themselves available for whatever farm, temporary government or other work becomes available.
One good thing here is that because of the sense of community and family, the availability of building materials, both man-made (cinder blocks, cement) and natural (wood, palm fronds), and the amount of open space there are no homeless people. Some people are living in thatch huts or even just lean-tos by the side of the road but at least everybody has a roof and some walls for protection from sun and rain.
Two big events coming up. Christmas, of course, but also here in Ketou we have the coronation ceremony for a new king. The ceremony is this weekend, Saturday the 17th, and promises to be a gala event with a 23 million franc budget (about 50,000 dollars). For Christmas, speaking of haves and have-nots, I am going to Bohicon with several other volunteers to give Christmas parties to about 700 orphans in the area. Local companies have donated enough money for food and gifts we have to just organize and distribute everything. Thanksgiving was just like home but I doubt that Christmas will be. I suppose that’s why I came here.

I aim to please

I hope you have some time, this one is a little long, sorry.
The Peace Corps was founded in 1961 (Damn, I'm even older than the Peace Corps) with three aims which are still the guiding principles today. The first aim is to assist peoples in interested countries in meeting their need for trained men & women. The second aim is to promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served. Finally, to promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.
Besides any other reasons I may have had for starting this blog I suppose that at least part of the idea is to fulfill the third aim of the Peace Corps as well. So here goes.
As I have said (complained?) before it can be somewhat niosy here. One of my avid readers (hat wouldbe you Mike) is wondering why since most noisemaking involves spanding money in one way or another. With Benin being one of the ten poorest countries in the world the question is "Why is their money available for noisemaking when it is often difficult to have enough money for food, clothing or housing?" Good question. I'll explain as best I can with my as yet somewhat limited exposure to the culture here.
There are natural and man-made sources of noise. You might think that the natural noises are the same here as in the US and in some aspects you would be right. Thunder, for instance, cannot be controlled anywhere. The same with wind and rain. The only difference here is that I have a tin roof. With a heavy rainfall it can be difficult to have a conversation, or sleep, with the sound from the roof. Also this is almost entirely an agrarian society. That means that there are chickens, goats, pigs and cows almost everywhere. Never having lived on a farm I never realized how much noise domesticated animals can make. The animals here are all free range. There are no pens or holding areas so a rooster, or pig, can show up at anytime of the day. The roosters here appear to have no respect for sunrise. They will crow at anytime of the day or night. In case, you don’t know roosters are very loud and can be very disturbing when close by. Coupled with clucking chickens; rooting and grunting pigs and bleating goats I will never again think of life on a farm as being peaceful.
Besides the chickens, roosters, pigs and goats there are cows. The cows are herded by a nomadic group here called the Foulani (I’mnot sure of the spelling) so their appearance is somewhat sporadic. There is however the occassional clash with the modern world. Since the cows (as well as chickens, goats etc) use the same roads as the cars, trucks and zemidjans there is inevitably a problem between the two. Cows move a little slower than cars but are bigger than chickens. It is difficult to avoid a cow in the road. Two weeks ago a zemi almost hit a cow. There were no serious injuries, just some minor road rash, but there was quite a bit of noise. Not from the accident itself but from the argument and mini stampede afterwards. The only thing that prevented either from getting out of hand was the Foulani herder.
The Foulani have been living like they now do for several hundred years. They are very good at controlling, and protecting, their cows. One herder was able to stop about 50 large cows in only a couple of minutes. Each Foulani herder carries a large stick which they use for herding and protecting their cows. The use in herding is obvious, hitting the cows to move them, turn them or stop them. They are very adept in the use of these sticks. At about 8 feet in length they are almost poles. The protective part of the sticks is in the herders ability to ward off, and even kill, predators. This inludes poachers or any other human deemed as a threat to the herd. The zemidjan driver knew of this ability and did not press the argument too far. Ah, the simple life.
In addition to the domesticated livestock there are, of course, abundant numbers of wildlife around as well. The most important from a noise standpoint is the birdlife. There are quite of number of songbirds and crows as well as some pigeons and birds of prey. The sonbirds are responsible for most of the noise but crows can also be very noisy at times.
So, on to the man-made and, maybe, costly sources of noise. Actually, most of the non-natural noise here is not unique to the culture but, as you will see, exagerated by the level of poverty here. There is one exception however.
Similar to the US traffic is a major source of noise. Not many paople here can afford to own private transportation but there are quite a few taxis, trucks and zemidjans. Like in any poor, developing country people do not have a lot of money tos pend on transportation. This means that there is not a lot of profit to be made in the transportation industry. This, in turn, means that there is not a lot of money to reinvest in new equipment. Vehicles here are generally somewhat old and in less than pristine condition. (The fact that cars, trucks and zemidjans continue to be able to operate given the conditions of roads in West Africa is a great testament to the intelligence, resourcefulnessand ingenuity of the Beninese.) There are often squeaky springs, inefficient mufflers and a myriad number of other noises emanating from any part of the average vehicle here. Although we do have two stop signs in Ketou there are no traffic lights. Consequently the intersections hee are another source of noise from horns and shouting, but remarkably few accidents.
Also, like the US and other countries, another source of noise is children. (One could argue that children are natural but that has never been my contention.) The fertility rate in Benin is 6.6 Accounting for infant mortality there are still more than 5 children in each household. With the prevalence of bigamy here I am defining one household as a women with children. Many men have their wives living apart from each other (I told you they were smart here.) so there are many women with children who appear to live alone but in fact host their husbands one week a month. Yes, go ahead and do the math. Some men here have over 20 children.
Although Africa in general, and Benin in particular, is considerably more rural than the US Ketou has a population of about 40,000. Forty percent of the population, or about 16,000, is below the age of 15. (There is no “graying” of Africa.) I don’t think I need to explain the level of noise that is capable from 16,000 children. I don’t think I could if I had to.
Another source of man-made noise is industry. There are not many large employers in Benin, and none in Ketou. Most people here, lie those in transportation, are self)employed. Everybody either sells, makes or fixes something. On virtually every street there are tailors, welders, bicycle, or car or truck, repair shops food vendors of one kind or another, barbers, bars and various other types of vendors or service provider. Ther are two kinds of noise from this sort of commerce. First, of course, the lack of a central commercial district means that there is foot and vzehicle traffic everywhere, all the time. People bargaining, sometimes loudly, cars with less that perfect mufflers etc. Second, many of the businesses have equipment. Welders have torches, repair shops have compressors, food vendors have processors to crush tomatoes into paste or corn into flour and on and on and on. Just like the vehicles many of these machines arenot in the best working order and often noisy. Even the ones that are working well are not competing for quietest on the block.
Another large source of noise is religion. Again, I suppose there could be an argument that religion is not man-made but I am sticking to earthly manifestations and not addressing anything supernatural.
There is a theory that people turn to religion more often in times of stress and economic downturn. For example, the Bible was the no. 1 bestseller in the US for several weeks during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Poverty is an undisputes sourse of stress, not to mention the economic downturn part. If not proven, the theory is well supported here. As I’ve said before there are practically uncountable number of places of worship here. I seem to find more every week. From at least a dozen mosques, one large Catholic church, several protestant denominations, the local mixture of Christianity and Voodoo, Christianisme Celeste, private non-denominational conclaves and several voodoo sects there is virtually always a service of one kind of another going on at all times. Services can be at ant time of the day or night as well. Every day during Raadan each mosque sends out a congregation to the house of each member. Each congregation consists of one person shouting something in Arabic (This might actually be singing but it doesn’t sound like it to me.) and one or two others banging drums. (Again, this might be considered music to some but not to me.) I do not know the function of this paticular clamor, but it occured every night during Ramadan at 2:30 am. Ramadan is now, thankfully, over until next year. Also, with Islam, there is a call to prayer emanating from every mosque five times a day. I don’t know why but every mosque has a PA system and loudspeaker for this purpose.
As I said earlier the one Catholic church here is very large. The Sunday morning service, coupled with thaat of the Protesant and Christiane Celeste at the same time means that music and singing can be heard in virtually every corner of the city on Sunday mornings.
Voodoo ceremonies are often conducted in public. These are generally fairly small and erratic. Often confined to one street or even just one building they are usually not a major source of noise. The one exception is the ORO sect. I wrote about Oro ceremonies in an earlier post if you want more details. Women are not allowed outside the day, or night, of the ceremony. The men, however, ae very active and boisterous long into the night all ove the town.
The final source of noise is due to the culture and pays no espect to the level of poverty. It is practiced in much the same way by everyone here regardless of how much, or how little, money they have. As I said everyone here is a member of some religion or other. A tenet common to virtually all religions is a belief in the afterlife of some kind or another. A tenet virtually all Beninese, regardless of religion, is that entry into the afterlife is a cause foe celebration.
When somebody dies here they are buried almost immediately, after one or two days at the most. This is because of the climate and lack of mortuary services. Bodies decompose quickly here. After burial however there is always a party that puts the term ‘Irish wake’ to shame. First, there is a procession. This is led by a band in a truck, both hired for the occassion. The procession includes all family members, friend and any other members of the community who wish to participate. After the procession which itself can last for several hours, there is a gathering at the home of the deceased. If everybody cannot fit into the house then the street, or even sometimes the entire neighborhood, is occupied.
The band stays on at the party. There is also a PA system setup so that family and friends can express their feelinf of the deeased to the group when the band is not playing. Neither the band nor the PS system are set to volume levels required to address only the gathering. They can be heard some distance away. Added to this, of course, is the talking and, often, singing of the assembled horde. This all combines into a din that waxes and wanes to sometimes deafening levels even at a distance. Oh yeah, this lasts for at least two or three days, sometimes more.
Fortunately infrequent, this is the one source of noise that isnot caused by poverty. It is a cultural phenomenon shared by some others. Unfortunately, it is an expensive undertaking. There are costs to hiring a and, a truck and renting a PA system. It also costs money to supply food and drink, and not just water, to sometimes several hundred people for several days. Also, when the party is over memorial notices are printed and distributed, increasing the cost even more.
There is one other contributing factor to the noise level here. While not a source of noise the local architecture does not work to absorb or otherwise decrease noise. The most common building materials here are cinder blocks and cement. They may not be the least acquire but they do not require any significant, expensive, expertise to work with and can be maintained and repaired relatively easily. Also, if a person runsout of money before completing a project it can be left until more money is available to finish it. There are quite a numbeer of unfinished buildings here due to this reason.
Hopefullly this posting was able to help some of you to a little better understand life in one o the ten poorest countries in the world. If it has then I can say that I am accomplishing one of the aims of the Peace Corps. Won’t my director be happy! Seriuosly though this is what the Peace Corps and other organizations are trying to stop. By teqching people money management and other practical business skills we hope to help break the poverty cycle. Eventually I will be actually start doing some work here and will try to relate how I am trying to help. For now I am talking to people to try to learn the particular problems they are having. After that I hope to be able to help them find some solutions to those problems so they can get themselves on the road to a better life. Someday I’ll start posting those stories. In the meantime though it’s Thanksgiving in Parakou next. Deep fried turkey, yummy.