The Adventures of Annie Swank

December 20th at 1:30am Annie Swank landed in Cotonou, Benin. Fortunately her flight finally made it out of snow invested Paris 5 ½ hrs late. I had planned for 2 days in Cotonou to visit the Peace Corps Benin main office and Ouidah, the port city where the majority of the slave trade occurred. After not nearly enough sleep we got up had breakfast at our hotel near the Fidjorosee beach and headed to the Peace Corps office. There my mother met my APCD Yves, AO Iffy, and PTO Lauren (Sorry Acronyms exist everywhere in the PC!) After an amazing lunch at the hotel we took a wonderful nap then decided to walk a bit along the beach. Tuesday we went to Ouidah and visited the museum, sacred forest, door of no return, and the beach along the coast. It is such an amazing place with so much history and sadness but the museum and city don’t do it justice. We stumbled upon a beautiful resort just west of the door of no return along the beach. There were many foreigner guests staying at the resort just swimming and eating and drinking! I started to imagine that I could be in Mexico!
After our time in Cotonou and Ouidah we purchased bus tickets and headed up North to the wonderful Natitingou!! I most give my mom props for handling the 9hr bus ride without ear plugs and only taking 3 bathroom breaks! The bus always stops in Prekete, a small village on the togo border. One of my closest friend here Lauren, lives there so I always stop and chat with her. After visiting with Lauren for 10 minutes we boarded the bus and finished the voyage to Nati. I am such a loved girl that my mom carried all the way from Houston, TX to Benin, West Africa 2 giant suitcases each weighing 70lbs. (Both were completely filled with stuff for me ) Since Annie was a little apprehensive about taking a motorcycle taxi I decided that I would make 4 trips to deliver all the luggage to my house, I mean that’s the least I could do right?

During our time in Nati we ate and drank (a lot) with the other volunteers, cooked amazing wagashi lasagna for Christmas, took bucket showers, washed clothes in basins, took motorcycle taxis, met my tailor, talked with BEF students, visited Parc Pendjari, visited numerous banks to find someone to exchange “old” bills, met my Marché mama, and was greeted as “MAMA” by every Beninese person!! I don’t know what it is but Beninese society must greet mothers and fathers. So as you can imagine everyone stopped to say hello to my mother. There is an awesome place by this old cinema that sells AWESOME beans, rice, and wagashi with a really good sauce, my mom and I ate it 3 maybe 4 times. The lady selling the food remembered us “yovos” because we are so nice and friendly; so when my mother and I show up to eat again I tell my mom to go sit down and I will just order the food for her. The lady told me that my mom must go over to her so she can say hello! Of course as you can imagine Annie Swank was a hit with every ONE, BENINESE and AMERICAN. Everyone is still asking me how my mom is and if she made it back safely. I am wondering how long people will ask me how she is doing, rough estimate I would say for the next 2 years!!

I am sure there are so many things I am leaving out but needless to say it was a very full action packed two weeks with plenty of time for many naps. That is one thing the Beninese sure do know how to do…..nap from about 12-3. I am so glad that my mother was able to come and visit and see what life I like here. I am glad that she has an insight to everything I am doing… from washing my clothes all the way to talking with the guards who work at the peace corps workstation. I think one of the guards has a crush on Annie Swank (who doesn’t), every time I’ve seen him lately, about 6 times, he has asked me how my mom is!!! I told him not to worry she is probably coming back for another visit! He sure liked the sound of that!
I wish everyone could come and see what Benin is like; my mom took great pictures and even got some videos everyone must check out to get a better idea. Sometimes it took me by surprise that she was shocked at some things….I guess I really am integrating. This Sunday will be exactly 6 months in Africa. I have never lived this long away from home, family, and friends. I think for the most part the way I live isn’t that different (I mean I have wireless internet at the workstation for Pete’s sake) it’s the surroundings that are EXTREMELY different. I am used to seeing naked children with huge distended belly’s playing with a tire in the road, or a woman about the age of 60 carrying a pile of branches on her head to Marché to sell.

I will try and post a blog about the parc and all the animals that I saw and that whole experience when I get some time. Hopefully this weekend. I have started a new program with my homologue and I found a new tutor to get my French stronger, I have also scheduled office hours for the BEF students so I can spend more time with them and find ways to help them. One student somehow got my number and has been texting me in franglais to meet him and help him, at first it was funny because the words he chose to communicate were pretty interesting then it just got annoying and creepy. I am going to have to regulate that situation! Anyways, I also have training in Porto Novo the last week in January so hopefully I will be pretty busy throughout the next few weeks and even months!
Until the next,
xoxoxoxo

The special today is Python

At the request of a certain cousin-in-law that shall remain nameless I will do my best to increase my blog output! As surprising as it might be I have been extremely busy in the last 5 months and have been faced with the issue of sharing everything I experience over here or choosing a handful of events to write about. I guess in this instance its better to give more information!! Well I do have one interesting story to explain in detail…..eating python snake for dinner.

It all started back in October when my post mate Jonny informed myself and our other post mate, Clay that he had asked Daniel to find python and cook it for us. Daniel is the cook and owner of La Souvenir restaurant in Nati that we usually visit at least once a week if not more. Daniel is a great chef. He cooks good chicken, fries, rice, and couscous with this awesome sauce. Jonny helped Daniel improve his restaurant and also made it popular among many volunteers. Jonny has also become good friends with Daniel and I plan on working with him regarding some savings and marketing things after the holidays. So Jonny and Daniel had a conversation about eating/preparing python and Jonny decided that we were all going to try snake!

I am one for experimenting with new things and being adventurous every now and then (I mean I moved to West Africa  ) but every time I thought about eating snake I just envisioned a huge chunk of snake like the one from that movie with Jennifer Lopez, Anaconda, laying on the plate…my mouth didn’t exactly start watering when I thought about eating snake….but you can believe that I sure wasn’t going to not at least take a bite. A few weeks ago Jonny mentioned that Daniel was having trouble finding snake so it might be a while before we could try it….not gonna lie I was a bit relieved. I figured I had gained hopefully 2 months to mental prepare myself for eating python.

Yesterday Saturday December 11, I went with 4 other volunteers to Materi, Benin to attend the official inauguration of a school building with 3 classrooms that the volunteer who lives their built. Jamie is an English teacher at the CEG (Collège D'Enseignement Général, the same as high schools) in Materi and she raised funds to have 3 new classrooms built. It was awesome to see the work that she has done and the joy that she has brought to her village. Brittany, the English teacher volunteer in Toucountouna (a neighboring village to Natitingou) and I are going to also try and raise money to build three new classrooms at her CEG. More information to come on this project!! Anyways the previous 2 nights I hadn’t slept well or gotten enough sleep so I was extremely tired. In the car on the way to Materi I received a text message from Jonny saying “We are eating PYTHON at Daniel’s tonight”. I was completely surprised and worried! I wasn’t prepared to eat snake!

After spending a wonderful day seeing Materi and the work Jamie had done we headed back to Nati. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to relax and nap before dinner so I was really tired when we headed to Daniel’s. Also since I didn’t know what to expect I decided that I was going to eat least take a bite…that was unless they served someone the face of the snake, then I wasn’t exactly sure what my reaction was going to be. (You know when you are in the situation where you have no idea what to expect so you always picture the worst case scenario, well that sure was me) Ok I will skip to when the plates came out. Fortunately at Daniel’s you eat outside under a straw rough and the lighting is pretty poor. There were 5 other volunteers and myself at Daniel’s. We all received a plate with two pieces of snake about 5 inches long the circumference of a steering wheel and rice. At first it wasn’t bad. We all just looked at the plate and decided how to eat it…some went right in and ate it like a chicken wing while I decided to knife and fork it! All I can say is it actually taste good, like chicken only sweeter. It’s just really difficult to get past the skin and spine. The spine moves just like a snake moves (I know that is a stupid explanation but I can’t think of any other way to describe how weird it was). There were surprisingly a lot of bones coming off the spine. Also there were a lot of organs….I’ll just leave it at that.

All in all python essentially tastes good but you have to be mentally prepared to deal with the thoughts of eating a snake. I am proud to say that I have eaten python, don’t tell anyone I didn’t finish it all though!!

Christmas Wish List 2010

Christmas wish list 2010

Hello everyone…so I thought that I would write a Christmas wish list incase anyone wanted to send me a little something something for Christmas (yeah I am completely selfish!)…its ok if it comes after I will of course STILL LOVE THE GESTURE and GIFTS!!!! Like I always say anything and everything is welcomed and appreciated!

Peanut butter
Crackers (cheese-its)
Honey nut cheerios
Honey
CD’s (you can burn me a mix!!)
TV show series
Trail mix
Cake/brownie/cookie mixes
Candy

Or you can just make a donation to the NGO, The Benin Education Fund, which I work with. Here is a link to their website. As much as I would love you to send a package with random food products that I will devour in 10 minutes; I also would love you to use your money wisely and send a Beninese student to school for a semester or year and help them grow and have an opportunity for a bright future. I have seen first hand work that BEF has done for the students in Benin. I know that a little bit can go along way. Instead of getting your nails done or ordering that appetizer and dessert donate $20!

www.benineducationfund.org

Through BEF, over 550 students have stayed in school since 1998. BEF provides scholarships and educational support to needy but promising students from rural Benin. Only primary school is free in Benin. Basic high school expenses exceed $150/year in a country where the average annual income is less than $700. About 50% of students drop out after primary school.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT: Sample giving levels:$150: a high school student’s tuition and fees for one year
$300: a high school student’s tuition, fees, and basic expenses for one year
(includes books, uniform and school supplies)
$1000: a college student’s tuition and basic expenses for one year
$1500: a medical school student’s tuition and basic expenses for one year
$2000: a primary school teacher’s salary for one year

Every dollar helps! As we receive more donations, we increase support per student and add students to the program. Read more on Our Work and in Newsletters.
To give by check: Make check payable to “Benin Education Fund” and mail to:
Benin Education Fund
4110 Bennett Drive
Annandale, VA 22003

Why donate? Only primary education is free in Benin, so most students drop out in 5th or 6th grade. Fees, uniforms and books can cost $150 or more in a country where the average annual income is less than $700. BEF is a US-based 501(c)3 organization so all donations are tax deductible. Your contribution will go directly to our programs. We are run almost entirely by volunteers, which keeps administrative expenses extremely low.

I hope that everyone has an awesome Christmas and New Year! I will be spending much needed time with my mother! Showing her my house, my work, my town and everything else!!!! I will definitely post some blogs on that experience and pictures!!

The week of FÊTES

(Typed back during the week of 11/15-11/21)

So this week has literally been the week of Fetes (parties) there was the Muslim holiday of Tabaski which is about killing and eating goats or something like it. Tabaski is schedule by the placement of the moon so apparently it was time to celebrate it on Tuesday November 16th. Banks, Schools and pretty much every other person in Benin had off. I had just come back from Cotonou so it was perfect timing to have a day of rest and relaxation. That night my postmate Jonny told me that his landlord (who also owns a bar we all visit QG) was having a Reggae concert at his bouvette. So after dinner we went to the bar and waited for the concert. All I can say is how ridiculous it was…everyone was lip-singing and the audience was EATING IT ALL UP! So unbelievable but it was actually pretty funny!

During the concert I learned that apparently one day off is not enough, Yayi Boni the current president of Benin came on TV earlier that day and announced that he was extending Tabaski to Wednesday so everyone had off again!!! It was the strangest thing, you know how when you were younger and you wished that someone would decide school was cancelled again because the holiday just continued another day…well this has always been a dream of mine…its ridiculous I had to come all the way to Benin to have it fulfilled!!! Unbelievable! Wednesday was an encore day of fetes and celebration. I was able to hang at the workstation with my postmate Clay and watch brand new (yes I said BRAND NEW) episodes of GLEE!!! For some reason Glee is the only thing that I can watch right now. It gives me unbelievable joy and takes me away from Benin for a few hours! Anyways we had fun and relaxed.

Today Thursday I met the Mayor of Natitingou, with my other postmate Jonny. We are putting on a World Aid’s day event and we needed to let the Mayor know of our plans. Fortunately Jonny works with the Mayor’s office so he knows everyone and he did all the talking. Little did I know the Mayor’s office was planning a Fete de la Beire (Beer Party like Ocktoberfest) for this evening. There was a legit Reggae band that played pretty good music 5 other volunteers and myself sat drank beer and listened to the band…we also got to watch Beninese people dance and act like fools! I ‘m not sure whats in store for tomorrow or this weekend but I hope the Fetes continue!! I guess if anything next week is Thanksgiving so that will sure be one good fete!

Sorry to jump all the way to Thanksgiving but here is the post I started from Thanksgiving!

My first big holiday in Benin was actually a great success! I was surprised that all the food was prepared before 4pm! I must say that the turkey (Earl…yes we named him) was AMAZING! My soon to be postmate Mary killed him this morning at 5am with the help of the workstation guard. Then my postmate Jonny cooked him all morning and he was ready to eat by 1:30pm!! We also had about 10lbs of mashed potatoes, our version of green bean casserole, stuffing and a TON of gravy. Mary and Jen baked 2 apple pies, 2 pumpkin pies (made of fresh home grown pumpkins) sweet potato pie, and pecan pie…and I contributed with carrot cake. Still not sure why I wasn’t ever a fan of carrot cake before but its so amazing! I hate to say it but my favorite thing we ate was the pumpkin pie!!! It was so much better than store bought! So at about 2pm we (myself and 20 other volunteers) stuffed ourselves silly with all the turkey, potatoes, and pies! Don’t worry before we ate we all went around and said what we were Thankful for! (I of course am thankful for all the opportunities I have been given to see the world and live this amazing life while still having the love and support of my family and friends!!)

Nothing felt too different besides the fact that I feed the turkey apple pieces the day before I ate him!! Oh and Grandma you would be proud I made brownies that could never be as good as yours but sure did come close! Everyone told me they were amazing so I know they would have made you proud!! I was able to spend time with some friends I haven’t seen in over a month so overall great weekend with good food and good friends! Nothing beats holidays like that! I hope that everyone back home had a great day also!!! I was definitely thinking about everyone!! I never realized how much I love Thanksgiving until coming to Benin.

Update as of December 1st:
I just realized that I haven’t posted in almost over a month…I truly apologize but things have just seemed to fly by! I can’t believe that my mom will be here in 17 days! I have fortunately booked the hotel and driver for her visit and am in the process of booking the room at the Parc and the guide! I have also helped my NGO The Benin Education Fund (BEF) aid flood victims this last weekend! It was awesome to go and visit small villages and distribute food to people who have lost their crops due to flooding. I also have the World Aid’s day event that my postmate is planning coming up this weekend Sunday Dec. 5th! There really is so much to do!!

I also just realized that it’s been just about 5 months since I was back home in the states with everyone! Some nights I have dreams about being in Houston and when I wake up I don’t know where I am for a second then I realize “ohhh yeah I joined the Peace Corps and was accepted and was placed in Natitingou, Benin for 2 years”…what a crazy life I live! It’s been interesting to be able to skype with my mom, and best friends Kristen and Tina….it’s weird that even though I don’t have running water in my house I can use satellite internet technology to see their faces and communicate in real time!


I hate to cut it short but I need to get some sleep, the seasons are changing and the Harmattan is here and people have begun to burn their fields so I have had some minor allergies with itchy/water eyes and stuffed up/runny nose! Not fun! I will blog about the World Aids Day event and post pics on facebook! Until then Happy December!!

I send my love to everyone!

Halloween weekend actually was scary

I’ve drank at least 6 liters of water and got about 9 hours of sleep so I feel like I can sit and talk about what happened Monday November 1, 2010. I was fortunate enough to go to Parkaou list past weekend. I went with my postmate Jonny, and 4 other volunteers in my region, all of which are in the stage before me so they have already been in country for one year (Mary, Jennifer, Brandon, and Doug) On the way to Parakou, which is about a 4-5 hour journey our taxi was flying down the terre rouge (red dirt road); everything was fine we were all just chatting it up trying to distract from the heat and layer of red dirt that was slowly covering our skin when we saw in the distance something in the middle of the road. It’s very typical for animals to be crossing the road (please refer to my previous post where my homologue hit the cow) sometimes even people are crossing the road. As we got closer we realized it was a small adolescent goat. We all silently hoped that soon the goat would realize it was not in the optimal resting place and would run across the road like all the previous animals we’d seen. Unfortunately the goat turned toward the side of the road our vehicle was driving on and our drive didn’t slow down…at all. I felt the bump of driving over the goat under my feet in the car. It was not a very pleasant feeling, Jonny was the only one to look back and see the damage.

I like Parakou it’s not what I imagined but then again everything I have pictured is not quite correct. The work station there really reminds me of the different fraternity houses I have seen. It was really great to see the people from my stage I haven’t seen since September. It was a really good weekend with great conversations and good food. I actually was able to eat STEAK!!!!!! It was expensive but totally worth it! Oh and a mini keg of Heineken was purchased!! Seriously random but funny!

The same group minus Brandon left Monday morning around 10am to return back to Nati. We arrived at the Taxi gare and surprisingly found a taxi ready to take us that was a pretty (not actually pretty just less ugly than the other cars) light blue that seemed decent enough. We left shortly thereafter and started for Nati. At 11:30 we had a pee stop and when the car got back on the road there was a strange noise and shaking coming from the rear right tire. We all looked at each other and said “Uh yeah that doesn’t sound/feel good” The driver said the next town was only about 10K away so he would stop there. After about 15 more seconds of driving he pulled over to check it out. The bolt holding the tire on had fallen off because it was so stripped and rusted. There was only 2 bolts left holding it on and they were together near the top not spread out to distribute evenly. He flagged down a moto and said he was going to the next town to get a mechanic to come and fix it. At noon he returned with a mechanic. They tried for 40 min to remove the other two bolts to put new ones on; they were unsuccessful and ruined their tools in the process. So the mechanic jumped in a passing taxi. Our driver said he was going to take a 100 steps and the mechanic was going to return with something to fix it. We waited on the side of the road for 3 hours during the hottest part of the day. When it reached 2:30pm Jonny brought up the idea of leaving and searching for another taxi because at the rate we were going we would be headed back to Nati when the sun was going which is dangerous because of Bandits who rob people. We all sorta agreed or at least didn’t disagree and got our stuff and started to walk toward the next town. Two hours earlier we had eaten cookies, bread, beef jerky and drank all our water. I actually was worried; I didn’t know how far I could make it walking during the hottest part of the day without water.

There was a sign that the next town was only 1K away so I knew I could make it at least there. Right when we cleared the curve and I saw the next town Jonny stopped a truck that fortunately was able to take us all the way to Nati. They were a group of guys who were doing some financial work in Nati and were so nice to take us with them! I’m not sure how things would have turned out if they hadn’t passed by at that moment.

I can’t believe that such craziness happened during the journey but then again I am in Africa and crazy things happen.

Well Christmas came early literally, I went to the post office today and I had three packages waiting for me!!! I had a huge package from my aunt Linda in Anderson, Indiana, a package from my other aunt Nancy and Grandma in Conroe, TX, and a package from my little Liz in Houston. I got some amazing things I feel so lucky and happy I started crying out of joy! My aunt Linda sent me a freaking Christmas tree with decorations along with tons of other stuff!! My Aunt Nancy sent me sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie and enough smores to feed a small army!! My little sent me a beautiful necklace I can’t wait to wear and an absolutely beautiful bible I can’t wait to read! Seriously it was a magical event! The children that know my name saw me with three packages and started chasing after me…I had to politely tell them to BACK OFF the presents were ALL MINE!

I promised my post mates that I would back cookies with all the m&ms I had sent and we are going to taste test which cookie is better, regular, peanut, or pretzel…yeah I know we are so adventurous!

Oh also another volunteer Mary brought me paint and promised to help me paint my house (the inside) this weekend so that is the next adventure on the list!

Also just FYI I am hardcore now I can kill bugs (baby roaches, spiders, and crickets) with my bare hands and I can also kill giant black flying/jumping crickets just by throwing my shoe I have that good of an aim….there are two baby salamanders I am trying to muster up the courage to kill.

Until the next adventure…

And the work begins...

Play time is over. I have been extremely busy this week going to the different schools with my homologue meeting the Directors of the schools and paying the students yearly tuition. Since Monday I have visited Boukoumbe, Perma, Birini, Tampegre, and Toucountouna. Each day we leave around 8am and take his motorcycle for about 1 hr and 30 min there and then another 1hr 30 min back during the hottest part of the day. I don’t feel old until I have been on a moto for about 4 hours each day; my back, butt, and hips hurt really bad (I have only two seating options on his moto, 1. ride up on him 2. sit further back on the metal rack both of which are extremely uncomfortable) . All of the above listed towns are smaller villages so it was really interesting to get a glimpse into village life. I have much more respect for those volunteers who spend two years in a tiny village where people are constantly watching them. Tuesday in Perma we went to the marche were I seriously thought I might have forgotten to wear clothes the way everyone was just staring at me and when I would say Bonjour and smile they would just stare harder in amazement that I, the white person, spoke.

During the journey to Boukoumbe my homologue actually ran into a cow….I didn’t think it was possible but we literally ran into a cow with his motorcycle. I thought I was going to die. I have heard crazy stories of volunteer’s moto accidents but I said a prayer that my journeys would be fine. We were just cruzing down the goudron when I saw a man herding cattle across the road and there was one cow in particular a head of the group. I started calculating and I realized we were on a course for contact. I grabbed my homologue’s shoulder and said “Oh my god” and he slowed down but not quite enough and the head of the cow and the front of the motorcycle collided. The cow backed up a bit and swayed then moved just past us behind the moto. My homologue replied “desole” and then rubbed his knee. Apparently the cow also hit his knee. Then for the next few minutes while on the moto I finally realized I am in Africa where it is possible to crash into cows.

Besides being uncomfortable and hitting livestock, it was fun to get out of Nati and visit other villages. I know that the main reason for my attendance is for my homologue to show me off “Hey look we have an American volunteer working for us!” So I just smiled and saluered the directors. It was amazing how some of the schools have over 800 students but only 8 classrooms where up to 75 students crowd into one room and they have classes from 7am-7pm and even Saturday mornings just so all students can attend all classes. Each director proceeded to list the things they need for their school and how some have had volunteers before but it had been a few years and some were lucky enough to have a volunteer but still needed more classrooms and professors. Many students walk multiple miles to school in the heat on the goudron where 18 wheelers and huge oil trucks fly by. There is also no lunch for the students; they are expected to go home and eat then return for more classes. I am really excited to be paired up with students so I can hopefully provide some extracurricular activities and outside thinking.
I have my work cut out for me over the next two years but at the same time I am happy to see that I have work.

On a bad note, one of my friends from stage has decided to Early Terminate (ET); which is leave early. Not everyone is as lucky as I am to have an organization to pair up with and clearly define their goals over the two years. Many volunteers have to search for work and it usually takes a long time as working with Africans you have to build a relationship first before convincing them to take your advice. She didn’t think there was work in her village and she didn’t see the point staying in country to do nothing. I am sad because she was one of my close friends here but I told her she has to do what works for her because life is too short to be miserable and stay 2 years in a country when you don’t want to be there. It is unfortunate but I want her to be happy. This whole situation has just got me thinking…as much as I miss my family and friends I don’t want to let my ONG down or the students they support. Anyways I can’t dwell on it just need to focus on why I am here and what I can do.

My homologue is visiting Tanguieta and Materi the two remaining villages where there are students; they are about 3 hours North and I told my homologue I don’t think I will survive the trip so he is letting me sit this one out. I need to start preparing for my English clubs to start and the visit with my APCD mid November. I also need to complete my community evaluation so I can explain to their other volunteers about my city and work. I need to start making preparations for my mom’s visit….Mom you will be happy to know that I have stopped making to-do lists and I am just trying to “ride the wave” like you told me. No more stressing whatever happens each day happens. I have a feeling from now until Christmas is going to fly by, then it will be 2011 and I will have beaucoup de chose to do.

I hope everyone has an awesome Halloween weekend and can’t believe November is around the corner…where does the time go???
If you get time send me an update! Love everyone!

October already?

I know I know it’s been way to long…there are no excuses so I won’t type any 

First off I would like to list the things that I have realized I would like sent to me. Please take this as a suggestion but realize how amazing these things would be! Oh and bubble packages are better! Boxes are ok but I have to pay to pick them up!
In no particular order:
Liquid hand soap
Wheat thins/Cheese-itz
Cocoa powder
Cinnamon
Wheat flour
Seeds to plant a garden (cilantro, basil, tomatoes, bell peppers)
Puzzles (you could put the pieces in a plastic bag and take a picture of the cover, or it could be a surprise when I put it together! Ha!)
Travel games
Uno
Sweet-n-low packets (splenda or whatever’s cheapest)
Reese pieces, M&Ms, ANY CHOCOLATE, chocolate chips for cookies
Blueberries, raisins, Oceanspray craisins (the trail mix one is delicious!)
Chexmix
Cake mix, brownie mix, any desert mix
TWIZZLERS (disclaimer: sending a package without candy is like a cruel joke even if you just throw in a lousy tootsie roll it’s better than nothing)
Crystal light packets/ Gatorade/ PowerAde/ Kool-Aid mixes (lemonade, raspberry lemonade, fruit punch, anything fruity and delicious)
Solid color t-shirt from target/ON/anywhere fitted cap sleeves or tank top that’s not revealing or spaghetti strap in any bright solid color orange, red, blue, green, pink, teal, maybe even brown or tan (it would match this tissue I got a skirt made in) Size Large is good or get medium if it looks huge just use your judgment!
CD’s or any current new music
Super large flash drive like 16G
Sunscreen (I like the spray sport one that’s sweat proof)
Things to pamper myself with!
Any other food you think I might miss which is EVERYTHING that can transport well
Soup mixes/packets
Protein powder/bars
Special K bars/ granola bars
Spices you usually live by
Pepper grinder (they sell black pepper kernels here and I know I could smash them up)

I think you get the idea!

So I had a really great past weekend…there was a meeting in Nati so the volunteers in my region came to the workstation and I got to see everyone and hang out with them. It’s really cool to hear what everyone is doing at post and how we are all adjusting differently but we are all going through similar experiences with homologues and neighbors and random people asking us for money or to “start our program” with them immediately. Some people think that we are here just to help them exclusively and it’s always interesting to hear about those different situations. I had a young male neighbor who came up to me and wanted me to help him so I sat with him and talked with him for an hour. I told him I was from Texas and asked if he knew where it was, of course he said no. At the end of our conversation he told me he had always wanted to go to Texas and he was so glad that I was here to help him get there. Anyways I politely told him why I was here and if I could help him I would love to but I need to work with my counterpart first and see what they need me to do.

Speaking of work partner, today I helped distribute school supplies to BEF’s students it was so awesome! Just like back at home when the schools list the supplies needed for every class; we packaged up the notebooks, pens, rulers, erasers, and other things for each student and handed them out at the office. I’m excited to go and meet the students in the next few weeks and see what I can do for them!

Well unfortunately my power went out…it usually goes out 3-4 times a day which isn’t bad. Since my computer sucks and is going to die any day now I need to wrap this up because I probably have about 5 minutes left without constant charge. Oh and I have ducks on my roof….seriously big fat UGLY ducks sit and walk around on my roof; which is made of like sheet metal so its horribly loud and annoying. The first time it happened I thought there was a human walking around on my roof! There’s a little complaining for you!

So far everything is still going great! Thanks to my mom, sis, Tina, Ashley Vaughan (Congrats again on the engagement!), Casey (Congrats on the job offer!) for calling me and making my week awesome! I need to write some more letters to everyone…I’ve been lazy my bad!

I love and miss everyone and thanks for taking the time to read my blogs…I know they are old but I still feel like I should put them up so people know what I am doing or at least have done!

Oh and special shot out to Jonny’s Parents! Don’t worry I will share the candy in my packages with Jonny!!

Also one last thing tonight I gave silly bands to my neighbors children which seriously made them so freaking happy they couldn’t finish their chores for the evening which negatively sparked the reaction of their mother who then wanted to know why I gave the kids presents and not her so I gave her a silly band then the other neighbor with her son came over and demanded I give her a present (in a nice way; Petit Cadeaux are big here) so I willingly obliged and gave her and her son silly bands. Then the first neighbor asked me why I didn’t give one to her 7 month old baby so I tried to explain how it could be dangerous (her son was carrying the silly band around in his mouth and I started to picture the baby choking on it and I didn’t want to be responsible for a babies death, but I couldn’t explain this in French) so I told her to keep it until the baby was older. Then I asked if everyone was happy and you bet they were HAPPY! Isn’t it ridiculous how one tiny plastic bracelet worth $.10 can bring people together! HAHA! Silly bands are taking over the world. I should write the inventor of silly bands and see if I could get some shipped to Benin. I bet $50 tomorrow morning I will have every child (and Mother) in a 3 mile radius at my door asking for silly bands.

A la prochain