August...that happened???

So yes August went by really really fast for me. I worked the second week of training where we focused on introductory technical skills and the basics about how to do an effective formation. We also visited health structures which was much better for me this time because I speak French! There wasn't anything else too noteworthy the second week. To date only 3 of the trainees have quit which is fantastic, I think by this time my group had lost 6. They are on their post visits now so we will see if that changes. I also hosted 3 trainees at my house in Zinvie for 4 days in the middle of August for a technical visit. We worked at my ONG and they sat in on pre-natal consultations and re-touched my mural. The next day we measured and weighed children at the nutritional recuperation center in my village. They really enjoyed that, especially the question and answer session I set up with the nurse. We also watched a formation in local language which will help them develop facilitation skills and skills needed to work with translators. Then the last day we went to Ganvie! Ganvie is one of the largest tourist attractions in Benin. It is a stilt village, meaning everyone gets around on boats...talk about a malaria risk factor. The picture is actually a school but, unbelievable huh? Anyway it was really fun!

This week I helped the PC staff interview for open positions in the office. It was interesting to see the other side of the process, but tiring to keep asking the same questions and sit for blocks of 3 hours. It is a good way to develop my interviewing skills and something cool to have on my resume! I had a meeting with my "boss" in village today where we did price checks for new equipment at the ONG. I am working on a grant to get supplies for our new building. We are moving towards general medicine and there are some things we really need to function. It went well, I just need to buckle down and start working on the request and the budget. Then like I have mentioned, I am working on starting a Care Group in Yevie and lesson planning for the next school year.

The next two weeks I will be in Porto Novo to work the last 2 weeks of training through swear-in. One of the other health PCVs left in August so I replaced her for one of the weeks. It should be fun to work, there's an excursion to Ouidah, another popular tourist site, plus the trainees will be excited to finish training and become PCVs! A fellow PCV is getting married next Saturday too and he invited me to go to the wedding. I will finally have an occasion to wear my fancy tissue outfit! There isn't anything else new or exciting going on. This Monday marked a year in my village, so happy anniversary to me...that was a weird realization. I think I have made strides with many aspects of my life in village, but there is always room for improvement...again strange to think I have been in my house for a year, but it's a good thing for sure.

I hope you all had a nice Labor Day! And football season is underway, sorry I have to miss yet another one...Go HEELS! Have a great weekend!

My Pet...well kinda!

So this is my pet, he/she has not yet earned a name, but "it" takes a shower with me every night and always keeps me company with it’s practically permanent place on my wall. No really, it does, but for writing purposes we are going to call it a female. This lizard with the handicapped tail is always in my shower area, and has been for the past year. She helps keep the place tidy by eating smaller creatures—flies, ants, mosquitoes and spiders. That is also her rent for living in my ceiling, we worked out a silent deal. The only time she really gets on my nerves is when she decides to chase something in the middle of the night, while I am patiently trying to sleep. Anyway I think she’s a pretty resilient little thing with her half gone tail and I am happy to have her around. It’s comforting seeing her everyday and now you have seen her too!

On a more serious note, we have a new country director as of last week. She is coming from Togo (the country next to Benin) and has been their country director for the past few years. She worked in Benin for 12 years in the past and planned on retiring here next year. Her name is Brownie and she was in the first training group that went to Togo in the 1960’s. We are really excited to have her and it’s definitely a sigh of relief for many of us. Staying on the topic of new things, the new stage has finally arrived! There are now 56 new stagiaires in Benin. I gave some walking tours and helped with the policy discussions, but I am actually working stage next week and can’t wait to start getting to know them.

Everything else is going well. My village is great as usual and work is slowly progressing. I have a lot to do; I just need to stop procrastinating—especially with the lesson planning. And we wonder why I never wanted to be a teacher…haha. PCVL stuff is going well too, I am really starting to enjoy it. Nöel (safety and security officer) and I went on site visits last week to look at 4 new houses and check on their progress for the new group, it was really fun. That is going to be my favorite part I think, going on post visits and providing PCV support!

Like I said earlier I will be working stage next week, in Porto Novo. It will be a nice time to catch up with my host family too—my sister passed the BAC! It’s like their crazy hard test after high school and the only way you can go to college (the French system). Anyway it’s a pretty big deal, so I can’t wait to see her and give her the gifts I bought in the states and of course a big hug! Oh and my other “house” is all set up in the city now. I am staying with my friend Meg; she is another health volunteer working for PSI (HIV/AIDS) stuff. The house is super cute and I have another double bed to sleep in, running water and don’t forget another “super mostiquaire” too! Haha.

I hope everything is great there! Happy Independence Day to Benin! August 1^st (FYI). Talk to you soon and hugs and kisses!

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!