The "Super Mostiquaire"!!!

So I got a new mosquito net and it is amazing. I mean it would have to be for me to include it in the title of my blog. See the problem, I'll lay it out for you so you can truly understand why this mosquito net has changed my life. PC gave us single place mosquito nets that are stiff and hard to tuck in...like can literally scratch your hands, it's also a very dense material and hot to sleep under-which is never a good thing. After I moved to my house I got a two place bed, equivalent to a queen or full I suppose, so basically I stopped using my mosquito net, but then the rain started. I had no choice, I had to have a mosquito net. It is called a "super mostiquaire" and it is all that and so much more. It's huge--it's for a three place bed! The material is light and not hot. The net sits high on the bed posts so it doesn't touch you when you are sleeping. I feel like I have a canopy bed now, it's glorious. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the magic...so you should come visit and check it out!

A little story about my ditziness...Along with the many other gifts, I gave the kids at my house coloring books and crayons. They kept carrying around the books, but I never saw them actually coloring or drawing in them. I noticed this for a couple of weeks until finally I opened the book and realized it was completely blank...they weren't coloring in the house as I originally thought. So I asked them, where are the crayons? Why aren't you coloring in the pictures? They had no idea that's what it was for because they had never seen a coloring book in their life. I felt horrible and ignorant for not explaining what it was in the first place and making the assumption that they already knew. It is amazing how a simple thing like a coloring book can brighten up a child's life, something that American children grow up with and think of as a necessity. Now they can't stop coloring and I think they now have spiderman colored perfectly!

I am doing pretty well. I am working on lesson plans and writing fun songs about handwashing and other health topics for elementary aged children. I decided that since I know the director's of 5 different primary schools in my area I should take advantage of that and try to teach them something. Our projects are supposed to be sustainable and that's one of the hardest things to do here, but I believe that education is inherently sustainable. The major challenge is going to be the French levels of the children in primary school. Sometimes there are more than 100 children in a class and many of them do not speak French in their homes, inhibiting them from learning much past salutations until school starts. But hey I am more than willing to try. The acting Country Director and an attorney from DC are coming to my house on Friday to do a small post visit. It should be fun, not sure what we'll do, but I'll figure something out. And the new group gets here in 2 weeks, which is crazy!

President Obama was just here in West Africa...visiting Ghana, which I am separated from by just one country for all of you who are geographically challenged. I flew out of Ghana for my vacation. Anyway it was all over the news, I admit I'm jealous he didn't come over here. And I will say R.I.P. Michael Jackson, which is a comment in support of my mourning brother, haha! Hope all is going well for each of you in the US.

Back to Benin!

Ok so I am officially back in Bénin and already working like crazy. The trip back took 48 hours, but it was more bearable. First of all because I wasn’t sick, then I stayed in a hotel overnight in Ghana before taking the bush taxi back to Benin. Everything I brought made it back safely, even the chocolates! My family in village and all my village friends loved the gifts I brought. The kids are going crazy with the water guns, ha good choice mom! Our Country Director announced her resignation about 45 minutes after I arrived in the office, which really jolted me back to life to say the least. Then the next day I was given the reins to a new position Southern PCVL (Peace Corps Volunteer Leader).

“What the heck is that? Freaking Peace Corps acronyms”…words of my mother while I was home chatting about something, haha. Anyway so yes there are 4 PCVLs in Benin that manage the workstations where volunteers can go to work, sleep, eat, take a break, etc. Also we provide support for the volunteers in our respective regions. The Southern PCVL position is brand new and I am pretty much the first one, before it was a test run for 5 months. So I am now responsible for all the PCVs in the south of Benin. I do day to day things like: make sure the volunteer space is maintained, i.e. there are clean sheets, toilet paper. Then I am also supposed to help with site development (new places for volunteers) and do post visits to all the volunteers in my region to make sure they are doing okay. I am a liaison between the PC-Benin staff and the PCVs. The best part about it is that I get to stay in my village-Zinvié part time! When I applied I said the only way I would do it was if I could stay at post, which is very important to me. So yes I will be in the capital more often, skype dates anyone? You can talk to me for free! And I am going to be very busy this year between my PCVL and PCV duties. I am excited and looking forward to the opportunity and the challenge.

Right now I am talking to my boss about family planning outreach ideas; I was given a great idea while at home and would like to try it out. We are doing trainings on malaria and aquatabs (pills that clean water so it is safe for drinking) and trying to distribute mosquito nets. I am working on the budget and net profit and loss for the ONG which is super tedious when everything is done by hand, but it’s extremely helpful to my boss and for the future success of my ONG. I am writing a handbook for Southern Volunteers and getting ready for the next group to come in. Next week I am teaching 4, 2 hour computer classes for the girls at Camp Glo. Camp Glo is funded by GAD (gender and development); we have fundraising events every year (date auction, silent auction, etc) to fund it and it is run by a PCV and their partner organization. There are Camp Glos to empower young girls throughout the country where they do things such as games, speakers, field trips, and a variety of lessons, i.e. anatomy and puberty, computers. It should be really fun! I am going to work on my lesson plans right now, yep that’s right I am not going to just wing it, a little hard to do in French unfortunately.

Have a Happy 4^th of July! There’s a beans and beer weekend in Parakou, it’s a chilli cook-off basically, but since I don’t eat meat…I’m not going to make it…enjoy the fireworks for me. More pictures from home because well I love you guys and miss you already, thanks for everything!

Vacation!

You never realize how much you need a vacation until you are actually on vacation. I have had such a great time visiting with family and friends. I was sick the first week I was here, but I am feeling much better now thank goodness. My brother and I went skydiving and it was insane. He is ready for his next jump, me on the other hand, I think I'll stick around on the ground for a while. It was very very fun and exhilarating, but to be honest I barely made it out of the plane then I was nauseous when we got closer to the ground. The view of the beach was breathtaking and we couldn't have asked for better weather. It was nice to be able to do that with him.

My dad came into town for a few days as well as one of my best friends from Boston. I have been cooking a lot and well dancing too much! The wedding festivities were so much fun and I was happy that I could be there. The actual wedding ceremony and reception were gorgeous and the bride looked spectacular as she always does. I might still be recovering from the many days and nights filled with debauchery. I leave on Sunday and there's still lots left to do, but I feel almost ready to get back and start work again.

Rain and a new baby!

RAIN! Yes I am not going to stop talking about it because I’m that excited, it’s raining now! It is so much nicer outside, like amazingly so. It has really changed my quality of life, haha. Everything is so green and beautiful. The villagers are starting to work in the fields and soon it will be mango season. There are a few trees right outside my house and a ton lining the road I bike to work. And more importantly than my quality of life, there’s a new baby! My mama in my village has a new granddaughter. She is absolutely beautiful and in fact just finished taking a nap on my bed.

Work has been moving slow since my big HIV/AIDS training because I was in the medical unit for a week, then we had an IST about malaria, which was another week in Porto Novo. The good thing about that is that I was able to spend time with my host family. After that for a few days all the volunteers who are training the incoming group in July had to get together to make their training schedule and figure out who’s working what weeks. I am working week 2 and week 9, which means I get to see the new volunteers when they don’t know anything and when they think they know everything and can’t wait to be finished with training. We were such a pain in the butt that 9^th week, patience will be crucial. There’s a facebook group for the incoming volunteers and I saw there was a girl from UNC coming. I think I am going to email her and see if she wants to meet, maybe pick my brain while I am in NC.

I have some good ideas going into the next year such as an English club, health lessons at a different village’s high school, care groups—will go into detail if that works, and of course there are more, but who knows. I went to a cultural day this past Thursday and Friday in another village, it was really fun. There was traditional dancing, music, and skits about staying in school and other messages that are good for that age group. I was given quite a few compliments about how integrated I am and how well I understand the culture, not to be cliché, but they were priceless. It made me feel great about the progress I have made as a volunteer in the past 10 months.

I am excited for my trip to NC. I can’t wait to be a bridesmaid and party with my girl! I am so anxious to see everyone and I can’t believe my brother graduated from college this weekend. I am so proud of him and wish I could have been there, but we are going to celebrate in a few weeks!