Big Day Tomorrow!

Day 19. Tomorrow, I find out where my post will be. I am terrified, anxious, thrilled and ecstatic. Things are great here and I’m journaling everyday. There are a lot of things I’ve had to de-sentitize to, such as the role of women and the way children are regarded, the treatment of animals and the environmental quality, but not to such an extent that I am traumatized or depressed. Benin keeps me guessing with its limitless surprises. I love the little lizards of every color that inhabit the concrete walls of Porto-Novo. I love the tiny footprints in the sand that tell stories about the children who have played there. I love the freshness of the food and the availability of produce on every street corner. I love the street culture: the people here live OUTSIDE their homes, not in them, and know the names and families of most who pass. I love the collectivist mentality and the communication among neighbors and families. I love the simplicity of the pleasure of doing laundry by hand. I love getting to explore a new city by bicycle. I love the exhilaration of zooming around on the back of a Zemidjan and the knowledge that I can get to where I need to go, alone. I love the support of my fellow PCVTs and knowing that all my “first times” aren’t solely mine. I love that I get to come to the states and visit in nine months and tell you all what it is like to live in Africa.
Some details for now: The yards are sand and must be swept of trash daily. Trash is burned where it lies. My house is made of concrete and is very nice by Beninese standards. We have a well in the yard as our water source. I bathe in a bucket because although we have a shower, it is cold and I like to be able to control the flow of chilly water over my body (I can wash and rinse my hair and body with about two gallons of water). My family raises rabbits and they are kept in a hutch in the backyard. I have crashed my bike three times because I hit sand pits in the road and I fishtail and fall off. People (mostly children) yell “Yovo!” at me everywhere I go, but what a friend told me to say is “On veulent dire ‘Madame,” n’est-ce pas?” which (if I spelled that correctly) means, “We can say ‘Madam,” can’t we?” Apparently it stops them dead in their tracks and they just gape. Implying that someone has bad manners is a major stab here- it’s like insulting their mother. The ‘Madame” phrase isn’t exactly doing that but it’s getting there. One thing a volunteer told me that stood out is that in an argument with a Beninese person, you can just repeat a statement over and over and this is just as valid as arguing a point. He is an environmental action volunteer and the example he used was “We should plant trees.” He was met with some resistance at first (economic resources, mostly) but after and hour or so heard “Wait… you know what we should do? We should plant trees!” I am told that this method is effective in all walks of life, and have found it to be true when haggling with Zem-drivers (since I don’t know French, I just repeat “Cen francs” (sahn-frahn) until they agree and nod the go-ahead for me to board. No point arguing with a yovo who doesn’t understand anyway!
I purchased a bunch of tissue (fabric) at the market on Saturday and took it to a tailor. I’m exci9ted to see how the clothes look. I picked designs from some posters full of photos of dresses and skirts, and will get the clothes in about a week and a half. Must try to stay the same size until then : ) I eat a lot of rice and pate (pronounced pot) with oily sauces. Very yummy food but not easy on the waistline. I think when I cook for myself I will use a lot less oil but I am LOVING having my family cook for me because they actually know how. My dies is essentially vegan except for the bi-daily egg. They gave us multi-vitamins today but they are tiny so I’m not sure how complete they are. Mom’s sending more (thanks mom). I am stuck in my glasses due to tearing my final contact lens (I now have two functional left lenses and no rights. I tried wearing both the lefts- only lasted two seconds). I just realized I use a lot of (parentheses). Wearing glasses while biking in the rain nets some funny looks and an interestingly distorted perspective of the road.
Electricity is on and off, depending on availability and usage. When too many people use too many appliances there are blackouts which vary in size and length. I have lantern and two flashlights in my room, though. We have a flush toilet, too, which rocks. A fellow PCVT told me there was a rat in her toilet this morning. It wasn’t dealt with humanely, but that is simply not a way of thinking here. Maybe I can talk to new friends about this when I get to village and at least introduce the concept. PCVTs have been afflicted by all kinda of things: food poisoning, repeated bike crashes, getting lost, bug caught in the eye, diarrhea, constipation, bitten by a dog, broken teeth (3 of us now), sexual harassment, rashes, fatigue, etc. Fortunately, the Peace Corps gives us tools to deal with ALL of it and the med unit is quite nice (I considered bashing out another tooth so I could spend the night with an air conditioner and take a hot shower in the morning). I haven’t used nearly as much electricity as I thought I would either. I haven’t charged my ipod or used the rechargeable batteries I brought. Many things I brought will not be used until I get to post because I do have such a modern set-up here and my family takes good care of me.
I purchased a cell phone, as well. The number is (229) 96 73 67 40. This is all you need to dial- 229 is the country code. If you do chose to call, I suggest looking into a calling card. I hear they are much cheaper. I miss you all terribly!!! Love you