Well, I was able to work everything out for the spelling bee. Phew. Well, almost everything - I still need to work out a few more details.
I have been here in Benin for just under two years, with just over three months to go. I've been thinking alot about the things I will miss and the things I won't miss - Unfortunately the last few days have been filled with things from the 'won't miss' list! I will definitely miss many things having to do with my village, and I haven't been there for a week. I will head back tomorrow - yay!
I definitely will NOT miss how completely rude and obnoxious the men are at the bank; busses breaking down in the hot sun and how completely obnoxious the bus line people are; Being grabbed on the street because it's assumed that as a woman any man has the right to do whatever he wants; when zemidjan drivers are complete jerks, or even worse, when they seem nice but think it's okay to start caressing your leg while driving a hundred miles an hour in the city...Yes, most of my 'I hate Benin' moments don't have anything to do with the fact that I have to haul my water or deal with the heat and bugs, though I won't miss those things either! The worst moments in my service is having to interact with men in a culture that completely disregards the humanity, rights, and personal space of women. I haven't written about this much, but it is awful. I've cried many tears over the injustice of it and the fact that there is absolutely nothing I can do to stop it. Now I'm not saying that all Beninese men are bad, there are alot of really great people, especially in my village. But unfortunately, more often in the south, these things are a common occourance for female volunteers to deal with.
Okay, enough on that! What will I miss?? My village family, of course! The girls I work with often, my neighbors, the health center staff... I will also miss the food! It definitely takes some getting used to - I didn't like much of what I ate at first, but now, I know I am really going to miss Wagashi, the fulani cheese, along with pate rouge, igname pilee with peanut sauce, and even their simple rice with tomato sauce is just amazingly good. Last week at post one of my favorite mamas showed me how to make Riz au Gras, which is super yummy rice, and I think I can re-create it, even in the US. We shall see!
Well, I need to get to work and get the rest of the details straightened out and stuff ready for the spelling bee! It's in two weeks, here in Natitingou, and I won't be up here again before then so I need to make sure all the supplies are ready and such. I'm really excited for it to actually happen!!
Peace! Krissy
I have been here in Benin for just under two years, with just over three months to go. I've been thinking alot about the things I will miss and the things I won't miss - Unfortunately the last few days have been filled with things from the 'won't miss' list! I will definitely miss many things having to do with my village, and I haven't been there for a week. I will head back tomorrow - yay!
I definitely will NOT miss how completely rude and obnoxious the men are at the bank; busses breaking down in the hot sun and how completely obnoxious the bus line people are; Being grabbed on the street because it's assumed that as a woman any man has the right to do whatever he wants; when zemidjan drivers are complete jerks, or even worse, when they seem nice but think it's okay to start caressing your leg while driving a hundred miles an hour in the city...Yes, most of my 'I hate Benin' moments don't have anything to do with the fact that I have to haul my water or deal with the heat and bugs, though I won't miss those things either! The worst moments in my service is having to interact with men in a culture that completely disregards the humanity, rights, and personal space of women. I haven't written about this much, but it is awful. I've cried many tears over the injustice of it and the fact that there is absolutely nothing I can do to stop it. Now I'm not saying that all Beninese men are bad, there are alot of really great people, especially in my village. But unfortunately, more often in the south, these things are a common occourance for female volunteers to deal with.
Okay, enough on that! What will I miss?? My village family, of course! The girls I work with often, my neighbors, the health center staff... I will also miss the food! It definitely takes some getting used to - I didn't like much of what I ate at first, but now, I know I am really going to miss Wagashi, the fulani cheese, along with pate rouge, igname pilee with peanut sauce, and even their simple rice with tomato sauce is just amazingly good. Last week at post one of my favorite mamas showed me how to make Riz au Gras, which is super yummy rice, and I think I can re-create it, even in the US. We shall see!
Well, I need to get to work and get the rest of the details straightened out and stuff ready for the spelling bee! It's in two weeks, here in Natitingou, and I won't be up here again before then so I need to make sure all the supplies are ready and such. I'm really excited for it to actually happen!!
Peace! Krissy
P.S. To other bloggers out there - DO NOT update to Internet Explorer 9, it is not compatible with Blogger. I just spent an irritating two hours trying to figure out why I couldn't publish and ended up reverting back to IE8. You've been warned.
0 comments:
Post a Comment