Année Une.

I have officially been in the République du Benin for 365 days. 12
months. An Entire Year! For a kid that'd previously never moved more
than 10 miles from the house she grew up in, this is something of an
accomplishment. It has been a rollercoaster and I can't believe how
fast the time has gone by. It's weird to look back and see how much
has changed, in a good way, in the past 12 months. I've learned how to
converse in French like an awkward 7 year old, become a morning
person, learned how to be sweaty, stick up for myself, and become
significantly weirded-out by pre-opened beer….also, I may not have
eaten a single meal that wasn't prepared with a (un)healthy amount of
oil. I'm ready for year two! I hope it's as wonderfully weird,
awkward, and fun as the first year has been. Also, "bienvenue, bon
chance, et du courage!" to PST 26 who are probably at the airport as
we speak, and are set to arrive tomorrow…can't wait to meet you all!
[Actually, they're already here since this is being posted 2 days late
due to an internet situation. I hope the fatigue d'hier isn't too
bad!]

To celebrate, I will share some lists (of 12!)…and perhaps drink a
calabash of tchouk later. ;)
[Actually, I actually ended up drinking Senegalese tea with a
Dakar-born antiques dealer and a Parisian kid…NEVER EVER DO THIS
WITHIN 8 HOURS OF BEDTIME. Especially if you don't normally consume
sugar or caffeine…]

Things I Love:
1. When people call me "Bodarma" (my Waama name meaning 'the beautiful
life') or "Maman Ellie".
2. The amount of recycling that goes on here. It's out of necessity,
but it's awesome. Almost all bottles are glass, which are sent back to
the bottling plant to be reused, and people are always happy to take
an empty plastic bottle off your hands to use for selling palm oil or
homemade drinks. You don't often get asked in The States whether there
are "les bons choses" ("good stuff") in your trash, as you're about to
burn it.
3. The feeling of community and family here. Yes, people still talk
shit a lot, and their relatives annoy the crap out of them
sometimes…just like the rest of us…but you will always have someone to
help watch the kids, give you some food or money or a place to stay,
and talk to/hang out with. People help each other. Although families
are large here, everyone always has way more "brothers," "sisters,"
and "parents" than they were actually born with.
4. The spirit of fête-ing. Life is an excuse to party, and music is
always a reason to dance…no matter where you are.
5. People's willingness to share. People are always ready to offer me
whatever food or drink they have, despite the fact that they probably
have less than I do.
6. How much my carbon footprint has diminished since moving here. I
actually vrai love my latrine, and bucket showers can be really nice.
7. Salutations. Although it can be fatiguing sometimes (especially if
you're running late, not feeling well, or don't speak one of the 10+
local languages), everywhere you go people say hi, and if they
actually know you, they'll ask about your
spouse/kids/house/work/dog/parents/outside temperature/health/most
recent voyage/etc.
8. The concept of time here – things are relaxed. I have as pretty
formal "job" here, and I still get a 3 hour lunch break every day
(though it means I work till 7 at night). It is totally acceptable to
be late if it's raining, or if it's especially hot, cold, or windy.
People walk slowly.
9. Public transportation. I love that I can get anywhere I want by
bus, taxi, and moto. Hitch-hiking is totally normal and totally
acceptable, and much safer than in The States. [I just wish
transportation was as well maintained as it is back home.]
10. How free the children here are. The only time you're really
required to wear clothes before the age of 11 is to church or school.
Kids can run around wherever they want and pretty much do whatever
they want. Baby-snatchers don't seem to exist here.
11. The super random music that ends up here. ABBA, "Barbie Girl,"
"Guantanamero," the numa-numa song, etc...
12. The natural beauty here. Sometimes it's so hot you can't move, or
so dusty that you can't see the mountains right down the road, but
then there are the gorgeous sunsets, the mornings when you wake up to
dew and lush mountains shrouded in fog, and the times when the sky is
completely filled with enormous fruit bats chattering away at each
other.

…and I'll just make it a baker's dozen :
13. The religious and ethnic diversity that exists here. In my town
alone, I can think of at least 10 local languages that people speak,
in addition to French and languages from Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger,
and Togo. Mosques and Churches exist on the same street, with voodoo
fetishes scattered in between. Sadly, people can still be critical or
prejudiced against people from other groups (thanks news media and the
radical Muslims in Mali!), but it's still impressive the way they all
manage to peacefully coexist.

Things I greatly dislike:
1. Being asked for cadeaus (presents)/money/candy/soccer balls/etc
everywhere I go (thanks, French voluntourists! grumblegrumble). Most
foreign "aid," actually, and the culture of dependency and poverty
that it creates and maintains. It gets depressing when you are
unconsciously cautious when making new friends, because you don't if
they actually like you or if they just see you as a novelty/piggy
bank/way to get a visa for the U.S.
2. Being called "whitey," "white lady" or "stranger" a zillion times a
day. It is usually not meant as an insult, just as an identifier – a
way to say hi when they don't know my name – but it wears on you after
a while.
3. Trash. Everywhere. Trashcans are virtually non-existent, and so
littering is just what you do. I'm pretty sure that the goats here
have evolved to live purely off of plastic bags.
4. Being treated differently for being a woman…i.e. not being taken
seriously and creeped on by lots and lots of single – and married –
men.
5. "Hyper Mix DJ" and other terrible imported music.
6. Gross, annoying, scary, weird tropical
viruses/bacteria/insects/fungi/etc…but at least guinea worm has been
eradicated! Hygiene issues/cultural differences. Washing your hands
here doesn't mean much as the water is probably not clean anyways.
Knowing that it wasn't dog poop that your friend just stepped in.
Public nose-picking and ear de-waxing.
7. Going hours at a time without being able to understand what people
are saying or being able to communicate how I would like to.
8. Insane wind storms that fill my house with sand and launch giant
mangoes at my head.
9. Cultural attitudes towards non-human animals. I've seen a hog-tied
bull strapped to the back of a motorcycle, screaming goats and
traumatized chickens attached upside down to taxi roofs for several
hour rides, and huge pigs picked up by their tails and dropped on
their backs from several feet in the air …plus, the childhood pastime
of throwing rocks at/eating what we typically consider man's best
friend/family pets…I understand the logical reason why they eat dogs
and cats here, but it still makes my white American self sad.
10. The concept of time here – things move slowly. Almost no one is
ever pressé'd. It's perfectly acceptable to be late if it's raining,
or if it's especially hot, cold, or windy.
11. Being told that I've gotten fat, although it is a compliment here
(but I don't think I have), or that I'm old and that I should have
been married with babies for YEARS now.
12. Taxis…they're always twice as full as they were designed to be and
usually in crappy shape. Crazy zem drivers. Buses with broken A/C that
leave late and take the shitty road to Parakou.

Things That Are Now Totally Normal:
1. Seeing people take a poo (n'importe quel âge)
2. Power and/or water outages
3. Being told I'm beautiful and/or fat, often aux même temps
4. Really colorful, highly patterned clothing
5. Seeing teenagers with babies
6. Not being able to understand what's going on
7. Customer service that is…unlike the U.S.
8. Having total strangers automatically want to be my friend
9. Taxis with two or three taxis worth of stuff strapped to the roof
10. Motorcycle rides – with a dog, no less
11. Being offered alcohol in the morning [I advice against accepting]
12. Making sure never to leave the house without potable water and TP;
immodium and sunscreen are also highly recommended

Things that I eat now, that I didn't before:
1. Tomatoes
2. Olives
3. Tapioca pudding
4. Mangoes
5. Bouillie (porridge, sorta)
6. Beef jerky
7. Pâte (white, rice, and red…not so much a fan of black or millet)
8. Bell peppers
9. Couscous
10. Dijon mustard
11. Igname pilé
12. Green sauce ("snot sauce" for its consistency - okra sauce, leaf sauce, etc)

Things I really like to say:
1. Il y n'a pas de problème (French - there's no problem - with
accompanying hand gesture)
2. Doucement (French - what you say when someone trips or otherwise
hurts themselves, you bump into someone, want them to drive slower,
etc)
3. …ou bien?! (French - or better yet? this is hard to explain; used a lot)
4. Meki meki na ta? (Waama - and yesterday's fatigue?)
5. Na meki (Waama - with the second word drawn out – I'm pooped)
6. Na faga (Waama - good well-water drawing)
7. Bon assise (French - enjoy sitting)
8. Di ki ti fa (Waama – money; "n panna di ki ti fa" – I don't have a
lot of money)
9. Wallahi (Arabic – I swear)
10. Moussi (Waama - cat)
11. Fo fo (Fulfulde for "ça va?" - it goes?)
12. Da kpana wɛyone! (Waama – see you later!)

Thank you all for your incredible and continuing support during the
past year, as well as during the application process. It means the
world to me and I couldn't, wouldn't be here without you. I love and
miss you all!! xoxo

p.s. Read a good book lately? Listened to some awesome music? I'm
currently taking recommendations.