Back in Benin

Well, here I am again. I know it’s been forever since I last wrote but between the computer-crash crisis and life in general, I haven’t thought much about blogging. Since I last wrote several things have happened.
I was selected to work stage, which is the term for Pre Service Learning, the 9-week training period that takes place in country before trainees swear-in as volunteers. I was also picked to work week one, which means I’ll get to go to the airport and greet the volunteers, then spend the first week watching their initial culture shock and answering questions. I will also work week 5, and run the technical sessions on the subjects of maternal care, prenatal care, birthing, post-natal care, and immunizations. This should be interesting considering I would have been better suited for the nutrition and baby-weighing week, but I still have the information from last year and I’m going to be well prepared. I’m so excited for July 16th when they arrive! Welcome PSL 23!!
In April, I applied for the position of Peace Corps Volunteer Leader, interviewed with the administration, and was selected on the basis of the interview and PCV comments. The position of PCVL is to serve as liaison between the volunteers and the administration. I will also manage the workstation and dues fund, help with site development, and provide emotional support to volunteers. I just finished a two-day workshop in Peer Support Network training, which I really enjoyed. I found the part about active listening especially helpful, as it reminded me about my interrupting problem and reignited my motivation to work on that. : )
I resigned from my position with AFAP but am working with them until I move to Cotonou. I helped them outline a program for an Environmental Action volunteer and worked with the EA APCD to place a new volunteer with the NGO. I also helped set up an RCH site in Vakon, a village near mine, with another health NGO called Vie et Reinsertion. I went to talk to them about Peace Corps and our mission and what their roles and responsibilities will be as a host structure. I really enjoyed helping to develop these sites and hope they work out for the volunteers who will be placed in them!
The job of PCVL is technically considered part-time so I will also continue working on community projects with the Beninese. Yesterday, I interviewed for a position with CARE International, an international NGO whose Benin offices are in Cotonou but whose projects span the country. CARE works in conjunction with USAID and is in the process of expanding its projects in country. They will be hiring a consultant to expand their child and maternal health programs, as well as leadership initiatives for young women. I will be working with this consultant to come up with innovative solutions to Benin’s development needs (if it sounds like I am not entirely sure what I will be doing, that is because I am not. But I will let you know as soon as I do!) I sent the director my resume yesterday after the interview, and he responded affirmatively, so it looks like I will definitely be collaborating with CARE! I’m very excited about this change and to become involved with women’s issues.
So I’ve been trying to figure out when I’m going to move to Cotonou. Peace Corps didn’t budget for a PCVL house until FY 2011, which starts in October, but our current PCVL is just interim and already has a full-time job, so she is eager for me to come take over. And I am eager and excited to begin! The solution we came up with is for me to live with another Cotonou volunteer until then. However, I went house hunting with my friend Sarah Binder, who is going to be working here with Catholic Relief Services, and we found one that we LOVED and had to have. So we convinced PC and CRS to share the bill and if everything goes according to plan, we will be moving in July! The house has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, running water and electricity, a kitchen with counters and a sink, a little patio, and a giant tiled living room! It is on the third floor of a large building, and a French couple lives across the hall. There is a little boutique on the bottom floor where we can buy all the staples we need, and, oh! Did I mention there’s a PACIFIC OCEAN at the end of our road? Yep. You can smell the saltwater from our deck. J J J J I can’t get enough. There are a LOT of steps to the process though so we’ll see if it works out.
I’ve also been working on helping organize our annual summer camp for girls, Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World). I finished the banner, designed and ordered our awesome t-shirts, and have been helping has out the last minute details. I’m also going to present on health and nutrition during the camp. I’m planning on including a section on how vitamins and minerals found in fruits and vegetables can help the skin and hair, because what is more important when you’re 15? I’ve got to sell this info! I’m really, really excited about the camp, which is one week and aims to encourage girls to stay in school and finish their educations. The ambassador and PC Country Director are coming to the opening on Sunday. Look for pics in the next blog!
SO. That brings you up to speed on my work life. I came home for a visit last month that was everything I had hoped it would be. I already miss Iowa City, family (Grandmas especially), friends, Frisbee golf, boating, bonfires, driving and Dr. Mario. And good beer. Nicole’s wedding was beautiful and I’m glad I got to be a part of it. Iowa, you’re the shit. Keep being flat and greenish-gold, and I’ll come back to you someday.
Back in Benin… I’ll leave off with a story. Two nights ago I ate out with a couple of friends while watching the world cup (USA! USA! Good luck tomorrow!!!) and we were ready to leave to go back to the hotel where we were staying for our Peer Support Network workshop. None of the Zemidjan drivers seemed to know where we were talking about when we said the name of our hotel. I eventually just gave up and said “Camp Guezo,” the name of Benin’s military camp which happens to be located about ½ km from the hotel. After a pleasant ride, my friends Clay, Jeff and I were dismounting and searching our pockets for change when we heard two Camp Guezo guards yell “AVANCEZ! AVANCEZ!” which, given their tone, translates into “Move your asses- this is military property!” I’ve never had a problem in this area of town before- the houses are nice and finished, the roads are paved, and the gendarme (name of the type of police that use Camp Guezo) are always friendly. But apparently at night things are a little different.
Our zems waited while we looked for their payment. This all happened so fast, or maybe it took forever, I don’t know- it’s a blur and it was night, but all of a sudden, a guard was running across the road. One zem gunned it and got away, but the one who had driven me wasn’t as lucky. The gendarme grabbed the back of the motorcycle, pulled it up onto the sidewalk, and proceeded to beat the shit out of the driver. Yelling things like “What were you thinking!?” the gendarme began to slap and punch the zem driver around the face and head. I tried to protest, “No! We haven’t paid him yet!” but quickly realized, thanks to Jeff and Clay, if I didn’t shut the hell up that would be me instead of the driver. The gendarme guard took off his belt and used it to beat the man’s face. He used his baton and fists. These things were retold to me later, as I'd had my hands over my face and was pacing in circles a couple of meters away, listening to the horrible sounds of bones on flesh. I heard the man’s glasses break and his moto tip over. What seems like minutes but was probably seconds later, the gendarme marched back to his post at the gates of Camp Guezo, my zem stumbled to his feet and got back onto his bike. I ran over and pressed a ten mille bill (about $25) into his hand, whispering “Merci.” He drove off and we walked back to the hotel, me screaming “I HATE BENIN” and not being sure what to make of the situation. Why had this happened? Why didn’t the zems move when the gendarmes told them to? Because they needed their payment from us, however minute (less than a dollars’ worth). Why had the gendarme reacted so violently? Because consequence has to be immediate here. You don’t give tickets and collect fines later. You don’t yell and you don’t go easy because that doesn’t make an impact. The only way to keep order is by swift action and brute force. I’ll remember that next time I need to go somewhere near the camp at night. I’m still kind of traumatized.
Okay, so my storytelling is rusty. I’ll work on that. I’ve been making a list of things to tell you all about, so look for more as the housing situation gets finalized, the new PSL arrives, and Benin keeps... Beninning.