To make up for my last post...

Be sure to check out my new pictures on facebook!

In Cotonou on my way to GAD weekend! More about that later!

March 19, 2010
Lizard Wars
At about 2 am last night I woke up to this incredible noise coming from my ceiling. I’m pretty sure that there were two lizards having a turf war up there. I have seen this between lizards before. Mind you these are not the little house geckos that run up and down my walls, these are big, ugly lizards with orange, yellow or red heads and tails- if they have tails, many of them don’t (I assume battle wounds). The scratching, pounding noises made their own images to me in the dark. What happens is that both lizards do push-ups at each other, and then one of them lunges and either misses or grabs a hold of the neck of the other lizard and sakes, hard. This leads to a scuffle, until the unlucky lizard escapes and the process starts over again. Last night, this went on for about 2 hours, loud enough that even blasting my iPod I couldn’t block it out (not to mention with my iPod that loud I can’t sleep!). So it was a fun night.

The Rains Have Come!
In other news, the dry season is over! It has rained (REALLY RAINED, HARD) three times in the last week. The whole village and everything around has changed. My area is green year-round, but with the rain that green has gotten more lush and has added about 30 shades. The heavy rains have also increased my concern for the amount of erosion that is going on in my village. Because it is on a hill, slopping down to the river, every time it rains extreme amounts of water make all the “streets” into muddy rivers. Last week while I was walking to school after a rainstorm in the afternoon, I took a false step and ended up in a sink hole halfway to my knee. I had to fish for my sandal in the mud. Luckily, I found it! When I got to class my students told me “Madame, your foot is dirty!” I had tried to get most of the mud off at the pump at the school, but without something to scrub with, the tiny grains of dirt wouldn’t come out of my skin! Back to what I was actually talking about- erosion. The cure for erosion here is that after it rains, women go down to the river and put dirt in a huge basin (what they use to wash cloths and dishes and small children), then they carry the dirt back to where it had been before. I suppose this is better than doing nothing, but there has to be something more! So while I was stuck in Cotonou this week I talked to the APCD (department head- I forget what it stands for) for EA (Environmental Action) so that they can check out the situation here to get an EA volunteer when I leave. I thought about trying to get one for next year, but the more I think about it the more I want a PCV to end up with my awesome (and fully furnished) house. Also, I kind of like having my village to myself, even if during the first few months here I was dying for want of a post-mate.

Ironically, it just started raining again. Listening to the rain outside is so soothing, the sound, the smell, the cool, the wet, are all extremely comforting to me. The smell especially. You would think that Seattle rain and Benin rain would have a different smell, but they don’t. It still has that tinny smell that makes my teeth tingle and reminds me of eating caned tomatoes. I love to sit on my porch with a mug of tea and watch the rain, and to take a shower in it. The rain comes fast enough off the roof that it makes a real shower, even if it is freezing cold. And often now it also comes with thunder and lightening. When there is a storm at school it amazes me that my students here are also scared of thunder and lightening, just like kids at home. The reason this surprises me is that children here often seem so much like miniature adults. They work more than most of the adults around, as well as going to school. And because of how much they work it can be easy to forget that they really are children, until they show fear at a storm, or break into a joyous dance and song. That’s one of the reasons I love singing in class, it brings out the children that sometimes can disappear behind very adult eyes and faces.

To Future Benin Volunteers…
So I can’t help but remembering that at this time last year I was just learning that I was coming to Benin. Not only because its that time of year, but also because we have filled out our applications to work at the 2010 Stage (Training). I also very well remember the anxiety that went into planning, packing and saying good-by, especially the packing. Somewhere near the beginning of this blog there is an exhaustive packing list. I’m not going to say that you shouldn’t worry about packing (I was told that and it was really frustrating), instead I am going to tell you the things that I packed that I use the most that are not immediately obvious.
1. My iPod speakers. I got Sonic Impact iF3, which are a little pricy but totally worth it. Basically you want some with 3 basic requirements: 1.Battery power, I mean that they charge on AC/DC- that way when the power goes out your alarm clock still works, 2. Radio-I listen to the BBC all the time, I’m listening to it right now, I do wish I could get VOA though, 3. Decent sound quality- you don’t want to not be able to hear what your playing over, its also really fun to put on Western music and then dance African style with your neighbours.
2. Computer- this was a big discussion on our facebook page, but really, you want it. A lot of people have cheap netbooks (including me) and have no problems with them. I am at post, writing my blog, right now. This means I can type a blog in advance and save myself a ton of money in internet time. I can also calculate grades a lot faster. Not to mention I can download movies, music, and books as well as get them from everyone else. You also need an external hard-drive of a decent size. And virus protection, because internet cafes are VERY viral.
3. Lesson Plan Book- obviously just for TEFL volunteers, you can also get it sent!
4. Sony Reader- I can get new books! Its also really great for when the electricity goes out, because it has a built-in light, and for long trips, because I read really quickly. Its preferable to the Kindle because as long as you register it at home you have no problem downloading, whereas I have heard that Kindle has issues.
5. A Real Pillow- the ones here really suck and I’m pretty sure I never would have slept during stage if I hadn’t had it. Get a Space Bag, it won’t take up that much space.
6. A Real Towel- I just brought a swim towel with me and after a month and a half of using just that I almost cried when I got one in the mail. I should have just brought one. Besides, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” advises it, so you can’t go wrong.
I think that’s about it. Cloths, keep it light, tank tops are really fine, just don’t show your bra straps (really- that’s what the Beninese will judge you for), at least that’s how it is in the south, where you will be training. By the end of stage you will have a better idea, and you will have had cloths made here anyway. Long shorts are fine too- but girls should keep is below the knee. Leather flip-flops (Rainbows) are fine too, that‘s all I wear. Just remember when your packing that you can get sent pretty much anything (except electronics) and you can also get stuff sent (or send it to yourself before you leave). This is especially true for any household items, as your host family will take care of you for the first 2 months.
HOT TIP: I got away with overweight luggage by telling the airline that I had a government-bought ticket getting to Philadelphia and it wasn’t a problem after that. Apparently they are not supposed to charge you over if you work for the federal government (in most cases the military) but mostly I think it has to do with how sympathetic the desk agent is.
We look forward to meeting you, really! If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment. And someone please start a facebook group!

The World is Going Crazy, except Benin
Recently, West Africa has been in the news a bunch, at least on the BBC. Nigeria is having all sorts of problems (were not allowed to go there), Niger just had a coup, and Togo is having trouble during their elections (we’re not allowed to go there temporarily too). And those are just the countries that share boarders with Benin! There are other things going on in Guinea, the Gambia, and probably others that I haven/t heard about. You’d think with all of that that Benin would be a little crazy too, but not here. Benin just marches along, to its own drummer you might say. As far as I have seen, Christians and Muslims get along well, because everyone is a traditional animalist anyway. The military is too busy trying to control the totally porous Nigerian boarder to stage a coup. And people are generally just happy to put pate on the nat (the Beninese version of bread on the table) to care too much what happens in Cotonou and Porto-Novo.

The Problem With My Tooth
I have a problem. Since I got here I have discovered that I love bone marrow, mostly of chickens, but goat is good too. So last Saturday I was in Cotonou, having dinner at a place popularly called (by PCVs) “Fish and Chips”, when I bit on a chicken bone in an attempt to get at the marrow. I popped a filling. Now I need a root canal, says the Beninese dentist who has the nicest office I’ve ever been in. The problem with that (other than it really hurts) is that to get a root canal I have to go to South Africa. Now, I know what your thinking‘,” oh… poor Glenna, she has to have a free vacation of South Africa, boo hoo.” The thing is that I don’t want to miss school. Especially this close to the end of the year I really need to be around, because if I spend even 3 days in South Africa that’s 5 days I’d miss of school (one day for travel both ways) , and that’s basically a whole unit that I would miss. However, if this had to happen eventually it could not have happened at a better time. If I can get it taken care of in the next two weeks, I’m golden, but I have to get approval from D.C. first, so hopefully that will go well. Wish me luck!

Update...

Not so much going on here...
Its amazing how, well, normal and boring life is. In a good way. It's like home. I live my life, make food, go to work, hang out with my friends. The surroundings are different, but life is still life. I feel like I'm really hitting my stride with things and I feel really comfortable with my life here. Hope you all like the pictures of my kids! Next year, I think I am going to let them all pick out American names (now that I know there real names), I'm also laying the ground work to start a girl's club, so that girls can have a safe forum where they can talk about issues that are important to them, but can be a little taboo.

Anyway, all's well! And I'm excited for spring break when ill have some time to travel!

Love! -G