Today I passed my French test, moved up two more levels, which means yes I can swear in! I am very relieved and more excited about the ceremony now. The tailor came the Tuesday night to measure two friends and I for the dresses. I picked out a pretty cool design from one of her magazines. Hopefully it will look that awesome when I get it on Monday night.
I went to post! It was wonderful. My house is tiny. Two rooms the front room will be the salon and the second my bedroom. I have a little area in the back for cooking and a flushing toilet and shower—which means a bucket shower for all of you who are not familiar with showers in Benin. That’s not fair-- so people do have running water showers, but most people use the shower or douche for a bucket shower. So I fill a bucket with water, rinse, wash, rinse. It’s a great way to cool off after a hot day and most people here take 2 or 3 a day. I am on the one to two a day routine right now. I also have a porch with an awesome bench where I enjoyed a few naps during my post visit. I have a latrine if I don’t feel like using the toilet and pouring water down it to flush. I enjoy the latrine, less work and cleaning for me. My house is adorable though and the walls are painted CAROLINA BLUE! A volunteer who just finished her service and went to UNC gave me a UNC poster, which will be the first thing I put up! I live in a concession with one other family. There are three younger children living there, 10, 11 and 15, I think we will become fast friends, and then the others are in other areas for school and work. The major issue is that most people speak Fon there so it will be difficult at first to communicate, but not a problem. Local language learning will be interesting.
The clinic is great it’s in a small village, I would say about a 30 minute bike ride. I have three homologues and they are all sage femmes. The clinic focuses on pre and post natal consultations, family planning and delivering babies. I held a four hour old baby first thing when I arrived. Everyone seemed nice and the aides were also very sweet and close to my age. My homologue is the wife of the king of the village so she is pretty stylish. She said I am one of her daughters now, which was comforting to hear. I am excited about the possibilities for work and the wonderful relationships I will develop. Overall I am very happy with my post. My post mate was on vacation in the US so did not get to spend time with her, but I did meet her for a few minutes right before she left
Saturday we are going on an excursion to Grand Popo, which is a beach and tourist spot. I am excited to get out, but I hope I do not get as sunburned as my last venture to the beach. The swear-in ceremony is next Friday and our host families are coming among other big wigs from PC-Washington. The president of Benin will also be in attendance, tentatively he is hosting a dinner for us that evening in Cotonou. It should be quite an event with lots of singing and dancing.
Stage is almost over...hope all is well stateside! Heard the running mates are being chosen, bet that's fun!
2 comments:
Congratulations! It probably seems like forever since you left the USA - isn't amazing how life can change in such a short time? But you know me - that is always a good thing and an exciting thing. I am thinking back to my "house" in Ecuador. At least you do not have to walk across the town square with towel in hand to take a shower. People in my town thought I must have had some disease to feel the need to take a shower everyday! But it made the "shower guy" in Machachi a very rich man as I handed him my sucres everyday. My version of spreading the wealth - every "aid" program should be as win-win as that one was. Your swearing in will be memorable. Watch the sun this week. I have been having my UNC reminders of late also - I have been getting my email notices about all the great speakers and programs that will be going on on campus as school gears up. I am especially taken with the Stone Center year long program looking at what was happening in the world in 1968-69! I miss Chapel Hill at this time of year (and most times of year...) Enjoy every minute and let me know about your site mate. I never had one, so I think that would have been neat to have another volunteer in my town. Will look forward to your take on the situation. Love, Anne
Kaili! Benin sounds awesome. I am really glad to hear you are doing so well, especially with your French. Swearing in next week? Sounds exciting. I am very envious. We still have almost a month, although I am pretty sure I know where I am going already and I am pretty pysched about the place and the work. Send me an email sometime, or maybe I will send you a letter and we can be super international pen pals.
-Patrick (in Honduras)
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