sick for a couple days and then there was a nation-wide taxi strike
for three days, but now I can officially say I am a resident of
Tanguiéta! It's been just shy of a week and I already love it here.
The rhythm here is so much more my style than Porto Novo's. People are
nice to me and my puppy. There is tchouk. My (<300 sq ft) house has
windows (it is adorable, btw, and almost totally set up, thanks to the
fact I am replacing someone).
This past week has been exciting...three volunteers from the stage
before me, who will be doing a bike sensibilisation tour in January,
stopped by my house for the night and we went out and they showed me
some of the good places to eat here. A couple days ago, Tom and Teresa
(my closemates) came for the marché, and afterwards we walked to a
very pretty waterfall that is ~20 minutes from my house. That night
when I went to use the latrine, I turned on the light and a bat flew
in and went DOWN the hole. I'm cool with bats eating the flying bugs
in my toilet, but not when I want to tinkle in it. I just had this
mental image of peeing on some poor bats head, pissing it off, and
having it come tearing out of the deep abyss right into my bare ass.
That would not be good…so I waited as long as I could and came back.
Thankfully, the bat had departed by then (or got swallowed by the
latrine, but I hope not). Yesterday morning, my neighbor's daughter
walked in on me in the douche (shower), because the door doesn't lock
and I share it with the family next door…that was embarrassing, but
definitely could've been worse. Then after that, I was on my way to
work when this crazy old dude came up to me with his hand stretched
out – me, thinking he wanted to shake hands like a normal person, held
out my own…and he grabbed my boob. The people around me (and I) yelled
at him, but I don't think he was quite right in the head so I don't
know that it made much difference. Twenty minutes after that, I get to
the office and plug in my computer and the surge protector (which made
a weird noise the whole time I was here for post visit) started
smoking and lit on fire! I freaked out and unplugged it, and it
stopped (phew!). My computer survived, and no one else was there yet
so they don't ever have to know. ;) So many things happened in the
span of an hour and a half! Thennn, in the afternoon, I went to the
marché and was happily perusing the stalls when a little girl comes up
to me and says something about my derrière being ouvert...took me a
couple times to understand what she was saying, but it turns out the
zipper had come apart and the back of my ass was hanging out to the
world. lol! I promptly pulled my shirt down as far as it would go and
went home. Such a day! But then after that I drank some tchouk, talked
to my neighbors, saw a rainbow, found a maman at the marché to make me
peanut butter in bulk, and snuggled with my pup and my/the neighbor's
kitty...so the day was an overrall win. :)
Speaking of my puppy, Ellie LOVES it here. She is totally adjusted to
a more "country" lifestyle – mostly chasing chickens (or being chased
by them) and digging in the dirt. She has made friends with my
neighbors and the quartier's petits already, and only two people have
asked me whether I plan to eat her when she's bigger. She spent like
two hours playing soccer with my neighbors this afternoon.
Well, I just wanted to let everyone know that life is good! I love and
miss you all!
p.s. The title of the this post ("little by little, the bird builds
his nest") is the reason that the Beninese say "petit à petit" in
response to me saying that I don't speak French well, but I'm
learning...and the reason they all say "small small" when saying they
don't speak much English.
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