Work, Work and more Work : )

Things are going great. Busy but great. Just finished the 12 day PD hearth Nutritional Recuperation program in a nearby village and it went fantastic! The children are looking better than when they first came to the program. During the program different porridges were made each day and the women were very motivated. Most of them made it to every class. They made various porridges with crushed dry fish, soybeans, moringa, eggs, bananas, tomatoes, onions and peanuts. They were all mixed with sugar and oils to add calories and taste. They all came out tasting pretty good and sweet. They also were given information on various topics on malnutrition and child feeding practices such as handwashing, diarrhea, vaccinations, and the food groups. Here are few pics of the program.

This is an added image to the health mural.

Learning about the food groups.

Adding moringa to the porridges. You know I love moringa!

Bonne appetit!

A mother placing an energy food in it's proper food group.

Explaining the recipes and the importance of adequate nutritional content.

The head nurse taking the roll call of the women and their children in the program. Taken at the end of the program to ensure they stay through the whole session.

The pavilion is pretty much finished. I just have to put a sealer on the paint now to make it last. We already use the pavilion to give health formations during our womens' group meetings and other events at the health center. It pretty much is a collection of health topics such as the food groups, malaria prevention, vaccinations, handwashing, sanitation and water borne illnesses including diarrhea. I left out HIV/AIDS prevention for two reasons, I didn't have the authority to promote condom usage and safe sex in the mural. Most of the funding of the heatlh center is through a catholic monestary in a nearby town. No sense in mentioning HIV/AIDS if I can't talk about prevention. So instead, I have health education sessions on the subject in the village without the monetary support of the church. I was a little disappointed at first but we have to be flexible when we are talking about health. Since I am a rural community health volunteer, the information will always be readily available if the people themselves are looking for it. People in my village have been buying the condoms at the health center so that is encouraging. Here are some updated pics on the pavilion. Hope you can understand it. No words are added yet we hope the meaning is captured in the images.

World AIDS Day is coming up on December 1st and I am planning a big event on awareness. It will be a complete and comprehensive day on HIV/AIDS education that will include films, a presentation from a person living with HIV/AIDS, a discussion on HIV/AIDS stigmas myths and facts, condom demonstrations, songs, HIV/AIDS testing and counseling for people with positive results, and a question and answer dialouge. Soooooo, it will be a big day. And guess who will be in my village during the event?? The US Ambassator of Benin!!! WOW RIGHT!!?? I will be sure to put up pics later on. So right now, I'm in Cotonou working on a grant to fund my event. I'll be heading back tomorrow because I have to bring back mosquito nets for my village. They came up with the money upfront to purchase them and I'm soooo encouraged about that. They are taking charge of their health and are not depending on someone to give them something for free. The sad part is there are no mosquito nets in the region for people to buy at subsidized prices. At least not his time of year. So I feel fortunate to know of an organization where I can purchase them to bring back to my village. I can't buy enough for the whole village at the same time but this is my third trip so far with purchasing them.

School started again and I have spoken to the teachers in a nearby town about having health talks in their classrooms. They are on board and i start my first one in this village on Wednesday. The topic will be on handwashing. They will learn the proper way to do it (with soap and or ash, and washing BOTH hands, not just the right hand that they eat with.) They will learn about microbes and worms and it's relation to improper handwashing and the lack of. They will demonstrate handwashing in the classroom and learn a song. I am very excited about it. The children really enjoy this lesson and I look forward to working with a new school.

Soooo, things are going great! Busy but great! Sorry I haven't been online lately to update my blog. Hope people are not discouraged by the absence and are still gaining from my online journal. I could still really use your encouragement and prayers. Keep in touch and thank you for all the support.

Working and having fun in Benin.

Chillin' at a night club in Benin. Staying cool at all times.

I like this pic a lot. Do you like my beads? I got them when I was on vacation.

Can't you tell I'm happy. If you had a week like I did, you would be too!!

Enough of the fun and games. Now let's do some work in village.

We're doing a health mural. Food groups, hygiene and other topics. All visual without words.

Fruits and vegetables protect the body from illness. Like an umbrella. There have been

several health education sessions of the topics already and the village loves the paintings.

I used to sketch and paint as a child. I guess some things are never forgotten. Make your work

enjoyable. So I did.

More pics and an update....

Training has gone really well. I really love the trainees so far. Peace Corp quote~"In an effort to increase the exposure of dedicated Volunteers in the field, and the work of the Peace Corps, the Press Office has developed a “Volunteer Matrix” of star volunteers from all over the world." Guess what. I was selected to be the spokesperson for the health sector in Peace Corps Benin! So I might be on the website and other places. Cool right?! My bestfriend is coming to see me in less than two weeks!! I am so excited. Jealous that she will be in Nigeria while I am not allowed. It's all good though. We'll figure a way to see each other since she's sooooo close. Like and hour and a half. So Nia (volunteer from the north) came to my village for a day and we took some VERY interesting pictures.

So one of my friends went through my trash and found this Peace Corps article. And he speaks minor French so he wanted to keep it to remember me and my role as a volunteer. Next to Tom Kat. Isn't that cute?!

Yes that is what you think it is. A friend wanted to sell it to me. This is NOT agouti, the bush rat that I usually eat. However, regular rat is pretty good too : ) Don't knock it till you try it.

Group picture with some friends. The boy closest to me with his leg up is my "boyfriend." He is such a sweetheart. When people ask me where is my boyfriend or husband and I need to have one, he's my backup. Everybody gets a kick outta that. But eventually, people stopped asking me. Surprisingly, his french is really good and he's been taking English lessons with me.

Yes it is what you think it is. Good thing they weren't used. This is what happens when people go through your trash. I have a latrine to put the others but I totally forgot to get rid of the broken ones I had. One woman's trash is another man's treasure. Should I tell him what they are??

Me and Nia. The pic was taken in my house. I use a sheet as a door to seperate my two rooms because it gets hot. People respect the barrier so it's all good.

Peace Corps just got a little harder.

My bestfriend in the Peace Corps is leaving Benin. What the hell do I do now??!! I just want to crawl in a hole and cry my eyes out. And after that, I want to break all the windows outside. And after that, I want to cuss her out for leaving me. But it's what's best for her. Not me. I can't type this. It hurts sooooooo bad right now. I'm crying my eyes out right now. I really don't know what I'm going to do. I don't know how I'm going to manage without her. First it was Steffi and now Natalie. What the hell!!!!?? I'm DYING right now. I'm not handling this very well at all. I'm sure I'll be fine in a few weeks but in two days she will be gone. The wounds right now are still very fresh. I'm really hurting. Nobody can replace her. I would catch MALARIA if it could keep her here. I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't know what I'm going to do. I really just don't know. I hurt so bad right now. I don't know what else to say. I hate life sometimes. Why does it have to take my friend from me? I'm sorry everybody. I'm just really hurting. Later.

Stage

Training is going very well. They are adjusting to the culture here very well. It's also great to be with my host family again in the same town. Hopefully we can go out tonight. Coming back to Benin has been a good experience. Spending six weeks in the states really had me missing my second home. I went back to my house and I found it termite infested. Lovely right. Good thing I brought back a huge can of Raid. It seems to work better. I was expecting a package to come so I could start a cultural exchange program but it has yet to come after over a month. I don't know what's up with that. There are 56 new trainees and I already feel like some of them will be my new best friends. Peace Corps volunteers I feel in my own opinion are the coolest people on the face of this earth. If any of their family are reading this they are being taken VERY care of. We have been waiting forever for them to show up and it has truly been a breath of freash air. It's great to actually be about to give advice now and talk people through their problems. When I was new I didnt know ANYTHING and it is great to see how much I have grown in a year. I will be 26 in about a week and I feel soooooo old. But I guess it is great to be celebrating another birthday in Benin. I will try to make the best of it. Dont really know what to say besides I miss Nat already while she is away for two weeks, my village is still awesome, and I couldnt be in a better place. I'll write again soon. Aizande (later)

Back to Benin

I had an awesome time at home. But home also had way too much drama. But in a way, it was as if I never left. That's the ghetto for you. It is so strange to come back to where I once lived and find so many differences between Baltimore and my village. Where I live, there are drug addicts are on every other corner, you hear police and ambulance sirens as often as the birds, and you can never have a dollar without somebody trying to take it from you. HOWEVER, this does not describe all of Baltimore City. Just up the street everything is so much more peaceful. Although many will not like where I'm living, it was very exciting to be back in it. IDK why but it was. Maybe it was the action, or the idea that there is always something to do in Baltimore. I miss my friends already. I should've spent more time with my closest friends. I regret that but at the same time, I'm hoping they understand that Peace Corps in DC took a lot of my time I could've used to spend with them. When I was in DC, I wanted to do one thing, then all of a sudden something else pops up. As if I was on a Bmore addiction where I wanted to do everything. Now all that is over and it's time to get back to doing what I love most. Being in my village, getting back to work, and seeing my fellow volunteers in Benin. Can't wait to get back. I really can't. Don't you wish you loved a new place like that as much I do? It really is a great feeling.

Oh yeah, so when I got back from Benin, I found out that my weight dropped from 146 to 137 lbs. Everybody was talking about how thin I looked. I do not understand how that happened. Now I think I'm back to 146 lbs. It was ridiculous how much food I ate. I'm bringing back sunflower seeds, peanut chews, gummy hotdogs, and beef jerky for the kids. I also have a few baby clothes for my boss and some other stuff to give out. Hope everybody likes them. A toute a l'heure Amerique! (See you soon America!)

Being HOME

Home is AWESOME!! Kinda don't wanna leave but that's life. I saw Starbucks and haven't been yet. Talked about it but haven't done it. Said I wanted McDonalds, ate their breakfast and didn't feel too good. Went to my old job and everybody can't believe I cut my hair. But they all love it. My own mother didn't even recognize me at the door when I showed up. That was crazy. Just crazy. I DID have on a wig though. I had to buy it because it was so cute. But she should've known it was her daughter. Oh well. I saw the lakers beat in the game last night. I was at a bar. That was AWESOME! There was AC in there. Wow! Buildings that were being worked on are done, gas is cheaper....still high as hell but cheaper. I bought some designer clothes that I have been missing. I went to the Cheesecake factory and didn't even eat any cheesecake. I had a caesar salad and stuffed mushrooms. It was soooo good. I can't finish ANY of the food I've been eating. Everybody says I LOST weight. I guess I did. All my clothes at the house are loose. I KNOW i gained 6 pounds I just don't know where it went. But I'm happy with it. It's weird not having a cell phone. Especially when everybody wants to catch up with you. I can't stop talking about Benin. It's really bad so I just don't bring it up till people ask me about it. Riding the bus is nice. I actually took a picture so I can show people in my village what the Maryland bus system is like. The bus driver thought I was crazy at first. I'm a tourist again. The harbor still stinks, but I missed that smell. That's all for now. God I love being home!!!