My new look...

I know you've been dying to see my new hair...or lack thereof.lol! Do you like it? I know I do!! Feels great!! My new hair is so much easier to deal with. Feels a lot cooler (can FINALLY feel a breeze on my neck), I save a huge amount of shampoo (you have no idea how much shampoo AND water was used to wash my locks), less maintenance, all i gotta do is just brush it and get up and go, and last but not least, i still look pretty! LOL! At least I think so. Sorry if I disappointed anyone but sleeping at night and walking around with a WOOL like sweater on your head 24/7 in Africa was no longer my idea of fun....should've cut my hair during training with the other girls. I had chickened out. So glad I'm on the team now.

Updates

Still alive and kicking. Havent been sick surprisingly. It is hot here. Not as hot in the north though. Had a snake in my backyard that ate y neighbor's baby chickens. His bite also killed the mother. Dont know what kind of snake it was although I was told that he was long and black. Hope it wasnt the Black Mamba.... Yesterday I rode my bike for that first time in my villlage. It was awesome! The sand the other way made the route difficult so i refused to try. I was bored and needed something to do. Playing solitaire became obsessive so I needed to get out and do something. So I took a bike ride. I totally loved it. Didnt know exactly where I was going but I was going. Just felt like going...Like Forest Gump. Next time I will go further. Managed to run into a school. Not literally, but found one. I did run into a lot of puddles and was very muddy. Wont ride my bike after a rain again. That was smart. So I spoke to the teacher at the school and to the children in my limited Fon. They just loved that. Explained why I am here and what I am doing. Great integration! I was nervous because no one was with me to help me translate but I figured I would be okay...and I was. I knew more French than I thought I did. I did find out that there are a few people in my village who speak French. Mostly they are men and children who have started school. But they are rare. If anything, they know greetings and that's it.

During my free time....which I have a huge amount of, I read, read, read, cook new stuff so people can try it...I made cornbread and they LOVED it. Even gave a cornbread making class. So in a way I was working...Exchanging some American culture. Also I listen to BBC on my shortwave radio religiously, write letters, write in my journal, and talk on my cellphone with other volunteers and family from home when I have the phone credit. Speaking of BBC, can I hear just ONE positive thing on the radio?? I mean just one. Things here in Benin are looking better and better...Yesterday, opened my door and a lizard fell on my arm...I am telling you those lizards love me!!LOL! So now I have been better able to store foods. Only buy what you will eat in two to three days. Smoked fish lasts pretty long if you fry it a little eat day. Up to three days without a fridge. Eggs can last for a couple of weeks. The pavilion is almost completed so I will start giving sensibilizations soon. Looking forward to starting work. Malaria is common here as well as malnutrition.

So here is a unique experience for me. Three or four days ago marks the FIRST day children have started staring, following, stalking me at my house. They watch me do EVERYTHING. Cook, sweep, talk on the phone, eat....I feel like a caged animal in the zoo. Interesting because in the beginning I was always mistaken as Beninese. Word must have got out.... Now I understand and feel sorry for the other volunteers. It's totally weird to be watched all the time. But I will get used to it, or even better will become boring with further integration.

I miss the other volunteers...A lot...Hope they are doing okay. I miss home too. I miss my mom. She's hilarious. I also miss ice. God, I love ice. I love Benin. I see or learn something new EVERYDAY. Like today I learned how to say, I am going to the market in Fon. N nanyi ahime bowa. Exciting! Everything is Gunji Gunji (great). I cant wait till mango season hits again. We got here the last two weeks it was here. Mangoes are sooo good. Got a mango tree in front of my house. Although I have solar electric at night. It hasnt been on the past few days. And I havent died so things are okay. The lamp and candles do just fine. Since my house is small with two rooms, I dont need much light. I am not as afraid of spiders anymore. I have seen probably three hundred plus since I have been here so they have become less scary with acquaintances. I hate those damn crickets though. They are in my ceiling which prevents me from getting to them and KILLING them. So they sing all night. That's when I wish a spider will just EAT them. But each night I am disappointed. Where is a spider when you need one huh? Killed my own chickens and have just bought a male and female so I can raise a couple at my neighbor's house. Cheaper that way. Life in Benin so far is going and going pretty good. Thanks to those who have sent me packages!! Hopefully I will be getting them in my hands this week....I will keep my fingers crossed....

I cut my hair!! I will provide photos soon. It was just too hot for me to keep my locks. I absolutely LOVE it! So I have spent three weeks at post....AND LOVE IT!! The people here are awesome, yet there isnt much for me to do. I do enjoy cooking. I also enjoy reading, writing in my journal, and talking on the phone with my postmate. You really have to find things to do when you are in the middle of nowhere. Okay, so I will talk about a couple of weird/new/funny things I have experienced here so far since I have been at my post. Again, my stories do not reflect Benin generally but I must tell you a couple of stories because they made me smile. Dont take anything I say personally.

The first couple of days, I was trying to figure out how to comfortably use my latrine. I dont sit butI stand on it. First, I stamp a few times so if there are bugs there, they will get lost. So after I did that, I stood on it and began to urinate. Immediately, a gecko jumped out and landed right on my ass!!!! I fell off the larine and ran out with my pants down! LOL! I freaked out and busted out laughing. Never new I would get intimate with a lizard so soon.

So a sage femme (midwife) who i work with along with my other work partner who is a male helped me move in my place. Remember that I am REALLY in the bush and people dont have much access to anything here. So while they were helping me move my stuff around, my tampons fell out of one of the boxes. I was very embarrassed. The guy says, "Are these cigarettes?" And the midwife says, "Yes they are. I didnt know you smoked Satin!!"

Have you ever seen a person put out a cigarette...with his barefeet? I did and was totally shocked. He tells me thats because he is African. And I say "No, Thats not African! Thats bush!!" And he cracked up laughing!

So here are a couple of things I have experienced so far and cant wait to experience many more interesting things. Dont have much internet access so I will try to write again soon. Still waiting on a package.....Does anyone love me??

Final pics before I head to post...

That's me at the beach. Grand Popo is the name. Great spot to just relax, eat ICE CREAM, and enjoy the sun. Bubbles from the water is what is on my ankle if you wanted to know.
This is my favorite outfit I got made. Love the colors.
This is my awesome host family. This was at the swearing in ceremony. This year is the 40th anniversary for Peace Corps in Benin. If you look closely you can see the custom made design on my outfit. We all swore in with style! Now I am an official Peace Corps Volunteer!! In the pic is my host uncle, his wife and my house sister. Host mama giving me a congratulations kiss as you can see. You want to know something nice? My mother from the states gave me the same kiss on a pic when I graduated from college. See, we're not as different as we may think we are. I will miss them dearly.
Some cultural visuals for you. Voodoo. It was a nice event. They can dance pretty good actually. This was at my house.

So this is my last post before I move to village. In host family closing, I could not be more happier with the family I had. I learned so much, I ate so much, and I was loved so much! Host families are the best way to integrate into a new culture and I am truly blessed to have gotten that opportunity. I do plan to visit them diuring my time here. Training was intense and I am glad it is over but I am sad at the same time because I really bonded with a lot of the volunteers. I will really miss our times together. As a new volunteer reflecting on everything, I couldn't be more happy with what I am doing. I am so nervous and excited for tomorrow. I had to buy so much stuff for my new place since I am a new volunteer and not replacing another one. Life in Benin has truly been a ride alright!!! Can't wait to talk about what will happen next! A la prochaine (until next time)!

Who wants to be the first one to send me a package??? Dont all rush at once : )

More pics and my village!!!

My house is on the right. There isnt a powerline in the sky for miles yet I have electricity and cellphone coverage. SolarPower baby!! Nice to be friendly to the environment. My village is gorgeous! So I am very happy with my boss placing me here.
This is the baby I helped to deliver...well not exactly deliver but I got to pass some stuff to the nurses and help out momma at 5: 54 am so you can say I kinda did something lol. He is about three hours old here. You can see that he isn't very happy with me lol. He was a first born too and the mother took it like a champ!
This is the health center I will be working at as well as a monestary about six km away. They are building this pavillion so I can give health education sessions. They are so kind. I didn't even ask for this.

This is the first outfit I had made. How do I look?? I did the headwrap myself!
This was on the way to my village. I was so nervous to find out where my spot was. As you can see the road is really eroded and I am REALLY in the bush!! But I love it!! Cars cant even get through this.
Chez moi!! Weh che bea dieh (my house is here)! I have a living room and a really large bedroom which will also be my kitchen area. Simple and just fine for me. I have a mango tree about 25 steps away from my front door : ) and I have two latrines....I dont know why but I do. I have my own backyard area with my own douche (shower) area. I also have a chicken coupe. Yes I just might use it.
This is my village about 1km away (6-7blocks) This is the entrance that I will be walking through each day. Isn't it beautiful!? Most of the people in the village live here. I live in a concession across from the health center I will be working at because this place here doesnt have a water source and they have to get their water from a stream. So I wasn't allowed to live directly in this area but I am VERY close. I think I will be starting a well project sometime soon.
This was the big ass spider I found in my room. Glad I saw him before I went to bed huh? Dont worry. I have a mosquito net so he wouldnt have eaten me alive in my sleep.

Some cultural exchange going on. This was one of my first photos in a Benin and I think one of my favorites. Gloria was the first child I played with in Benin. I taught her a hand game I used to play as a child and she learned it in about five minutes flat! Apparently hand games are many little girls' favorite pastime in Africa. She was so adorable.

My village was just what I wished it to be. Welcoming, beautiful, quiet, and a place where I could be of service. It is sooo peaceful there. Plenty of time to think and reflect about a lot of things during my two years. I already am learning Fon, and the village chief can speak English!! How crazy is that!! I was struggling with my french and he just busted out talking in English and we just laughed and laughed. In response to me being worried about French, not too many people speak it in the village anyway so I guess that makes me feel better. Each thing I said in Fon just made their glow up!! Everyone loves me already and cant wait for me to get back. I helped out with a birth at the health center already (these women are hardcore without the painkillers!! They dont make ANY noise of pain), I also met the with the nurses I will be working with, and Chief of police and the doctor of a neighboring town (my village is just too small for all of that). I just cant get over how beautiful my village is an how friendly the people are. I cant wait to swear in and start my work. I am sorry for the late picutes and I hope these will suffice until another time. Please comment, email, and write me sometime.

The Day Before Seeing Her Village.....

Okay. So I have met my work partner and am very happy with meeting her so far. I found out that the director of the NGO I will be working for was a Peace Corps facilitator. He was a french language trainer. Crazy cool huh?!! From what I hear they have been waiting on a volunteer for quite sometime and they are really excited to have me!! I will be the first volunteer here and my home is newly built for me so I'm happy about that. And I see my village tomorrow....I just don't know what to expect and I am really nervous about it. I am only staying for four days but this is the time to gt a feel for our work partners and communites. My work partner wants to help me order my furniture from the carpenters and bargain. Im excited about that. Visuals always work with limited french. She told me that I will meet the mayor, village chief, and a bunch of other people waiting for me. Can you say "nervous"???

Again I heard that my village is beuatiful with palm trees all over the place. And I am in anana (pineapple) paradise!!!! Nice!!! She says, I will be living in a village with 500-700 people actually. I thought it was 1500. I'm very excited about it because I wanted a very small close knit community. She said I was lucky about getting what I wanted and my facitator said I was lucky to be working with the director who already knows the mission of Peace Corps. Yay!!!! However....my french SUCKS!! I am getting discouraged but I continue to try every chance I get. I know I will get better like anyone else who learns a language but I feel that I really SUCK!!! However I have been told that I'm doing fine. I plan on getting a tutor. So now I have put my focus on learning Fon because only about three or four people in the village speak French. Great huh? Oh yeah!! I got my first Beninese outfit made and I am very happy about it. I blend right in which is good and bad. I even fooled one or two volunteers who glanced right at me and thought I was Beninese. Nice. I still havent packed so I should probably get started on that. Wish me luck!! I hope I like the place I will be living in for two years.

Thoughts crossing my mind...
How will the ride there be?
What does my village really look like?
What does my house look like?
How will I react?
Hope my village isn't mad that I'm not white
Will they believe that I'm American?
What will they think of my French?
How much will my furniture cost??
How friendly are the people?
What do they expect from me??

I will soon find out.....

Damn I hate these computers. They are slow and because these are French keyboards make contact even slower. Oh well...I should just thank God I have the internet. I saw a HUGE spider in my room last night!!! I mean freaking huge!! Did I ever tell you that I was terrified of cockroaches and spiders?? Well I am. The spider was about half the size of my shoe!! EEEEEKKKK!!! And guess what....I killed it myself!!!!! There was no way in hell I was gonna run and get somebody so he could hide when I got back! Yay!! I'm a big girl now!! First, there was the flying cockroach, the one I stepped on barefoot (eww, by accident), and now a spider on steroids! I'm so proud of myself for bringing that big ass can of Raid here with me!! I didn't even have to go near the monster. I will provide a picture of him soon. A la Prochaine (until next time)!!!

Some pics

This was in Ouidah at the Sacred forest. We've been told that trees are the wisest because they have seen so much in their years. If they could talk they'd have a lot to say!! This one is over 300 years old.

This is at the Sacred Temple of the Serpents in Ouidah. I love snakes! If you cant see it, my shirt says "Benin....Right there next to Nigeria" We aren't allowed to go there even though we are soooooo close! It really sucks but rules are rules. News update...I still love BENIN!!! You would too if you ever been in Benin lol!!