Tuesday, 15 July 2008
A lot has happened since my last post. The final weekend in June a bunch of volunteers organized Pork Fest (aka Pork-a-palooza). We all got together in Parakou and chowed down on a couple of pigs. (A few adult beverages might also have been consumed.) We had pork of some kind for every meal: breakfast sausage, pulled pork sandwiches, hand-made bratwurst (yes, we cleaned the intestines, ground the meat and stuffed them ourselves), and - of course - a whole roast pig. A fine feast was had by all. And it was a nice way to let loose before the next major event - the arrival of the new stagiaires!
They arrived on the Fourth of July and were greeted at the airport with great enthusiasm. We spent a few days in Cotonou, staying at a monastery just outside the city. The new trainees got their initial briefings, medical checks, immunizations, language evaluations...etc. And, of course, their first taste of "Peace Corps life", i.e., bucket showers, latrines, waiting, bush taxis, zemidjans, pate, waiting, nescafe, bureaucracy...did I mention waiting? They are a great group and I think most of them will still be around for swear-in. Of course there will be some who decide that either Peace Corps or Benin is not right for them (there have already been a couple) and I have to respect them for having the courage to make that decision and stick to it. There is nothing noble about being miserable for no reason.
After Cotonou, we all picked up and headed for Porto Novo where they met their host families for the first time. During stage, all of the trainees live with Beninese families so they can learn about the language, culture and customs first-hand. This group is pretty spoiled, however, because most of them are living with very well-to-do families. Almost all of them have electricity 24/7, indoor plumbing (toilets and showers), tile floors, blah, blah, blah. (OK, so I'm a little jealous, but can you really blame me?) They are in for a bit of a rude awakening when they get to post, I'm afraid. In Porto Novo they've gotten their first technical, cross-cultural and language sessions, initial bike training, more shots and of course more waiting.
Sadly, while in Porto Novo my computer finally died. I got one BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) on Friday and by Sunday I had a "Hard Disk Failure Imminent" warning whenever I booted. I am trying to get a new hard drive ASAP because, of course, I haven't backed up any of my data. C'est la vie.
At the moment I am in Cotonou. When I arrived last night I found out that the maman in my concession had passed away over the weekend. So there was music blaring away until 3am that started up again this morning at seven. Needless to say I got very little sleep last night. Now I'm headed for the beach at Grand Popo. My friends Steve and Jaren Schwartz are there with Jaren's parents, who are visiting from la bas. They (her parents) have renewed their wedding vows every few years in different parts of the world, so Steve and Jaren have put together a vow renewal ceremony for them out in Grand Popo. And they have asked me to officiate the ceremony! The best part is that her parents don't know about it yet! They are actually going to get invitations to their own ceremony. Steve and Jaren have arranged local musicians and dancers to perform for the ceremony...it should be very cool.
After that it's back to work and sleeping in my own bed...for a change.
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