Hey Everyone,

I hope all is well at home. I have an urgent that one of my fellow Peace Corps Volunteers asked of me. She is working on a Girls Camp here and I have seen first hand how hard they have been working on this project. I even sold them mosquito nets for the girls so they don't get torn up overnight during the camp and to protect them from malaria :-) If you have ANY money, 10 bucks, 100 bucks, whatever to give towards this project, please go to the link below and donate something ASAP. The link provides more information about the camp. I can tell you first hand that the girls are very excited about the camp and take all the sessions seriously. Gender empowernment here is VERY needed and oppourtunities like this only come once in a lifetime for these girls here. Please give what you can. You will feel so AWESOME about yourself when you do. Trust me. Encourage others as well. Thanks everybody!

https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=680-204

Okay. Since this is a new year and I feel I could be more productive, I've decided to actually take some initiative, get off my butt, and actually STUDY for the GRE. I'm not getting any younger, and time is going by. I think initially, it was fear that I may not do well on the exam. And also fear of not getting into a reputable school. But in the end, fear will get me nowhere. I might as well just suck it up, and do it already. So I wiped the dust off my GRE for Dummies book qnd Kaplan book and actually opened them. AND read a couple of chapters. Did you know the first several questions are the most important on the GRE??? New info for me. I don't know if that's good or bad. At least my brain will be fully awake in the beginning so I guess that's an advantage. The GRE for Dummies book is hilarious and actually a little fun to study. Suprising right? I would like to take the test in Ghana since they offer it there and it isnt too far from Benin. It's about a five hour bus ride. It gives me a reason to travel there, plus my brother lives there now. He moved a couple of weeks ago and it was some of the worst news I've received over here on this end. No he's not my real brother, but yes he's my real brother. LOL! Doesn't make sense huh? I'll break it down. I don't have a biological brother. Only a sister. And I always wanted a brother. I became great friends with a Nigerian guy I met over here who used to date one of my friends in the Peace Corps. When she returned to the states, him and I remained close friends. More like siblings. I asked him if we could be siblings and he said why not. So there you have it. So when I say my brother, I'm actually talking about him. It's pretty cool having a brother. I can try to hook him up with girls, he gives me honest opinions, he doesn't try to get in my pants, and he looks out for me if I need something.

For New Years I went to Penjari Safari. It was amazing!!! I saw a juvenile male lion lay in the middle of the road. When we rode up on him, he dazed into the tall grass. I heard some cubs in the grass. Ten seconds later, I swear, a herd of elephant busted through the grass freaking out, scaring the lion and cubs away....then they saw the car. They had a baby elephant that was so small you could barely see him through the tall grass. The chaffeur wanted to bang against the car to fix the dent in the roof because we were sitting on it. GREAT IDEA!!!! Elephants HATE cars which I have repeatedly heard from friends and TV. So guess what? The elephants were pissed and tried to CHARGE THE CAR!!! We shouted at the driver to get moving and we quickly pulled off before he got to us. That was SCARY....BUT AWESOME ACTION!!!! It was like a movie. I also saw baboons, warthogs, tons of antelope, beautiful birds, vultures, and a lioness watching her cubs hunt. We couldn't see the cubs because they were so hidden in the grass but it was great watching the mom do her thing.

Work is okay. I sold out all my mosquito nets. Now I'm working on translating documents, and small reports during my free time. It's still work so I'm not complaining. I enjoy working in Cotonou. I have access to everything, and I even have air conditioning. We came from a week long tour checking out mosquito net places of sale throughout Benin. We also checked out a couple of volunteer's post to see how they collaborate with their work partners on the distribution of the nets. It was nice traveling the country, seeing volunteers at their sites, and working at the same time. World Malaria Day is April 25th so check out some sites to find out what you can do that day. Could someone send me some Essence Magazines, and some good trailmix please???? I know I'm begging on here but I have no choice. I need it. I know somebody out there cares. I'll give me energy to study for the GRE :-) Thanks for reading. Until next time...

Hello everyone. As you can see it's been quite some time since I have last written. The new Peace Corps Volunteers sworn in September and then a few days later, I left for the states. I spent about 10 days home then I left for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for about two weeks. I wanted to stay longer but things weren't planned the way I hoped them to go. Home was good. Home was home. It was rather cold so I found myself staying home most of the time. I should have spent more time with my friends. I didn't even go out to eat too much. I didn't have any serious cravings. I did eat some sushi, Subway, Ruby Tuesdays, drank margaritas, caribbean and chinese food, and a ceasar salad. Those were my biggest cravings. I got to watch some American football. Now THAT was nice. Let's see how far those RAVENS go this year....I went to Walmart to stock up on food items that NO ONE cares to really send me during my toughest times over here....I bought some Nature Valley trailmix bars. They are DELICIOUS!! I ate a whole box before they even got back to Benin. I have come to realize that NutriGrain bars aren't very good anymore. WAY to sweet for me. Too processed... I REALLY need an IPOD. I regret not buying the small pink one I saw when I was home. I want to use it to work out at the gym. Maybe I'll get a surprise in the mail.....just maybe..... I also was able to make it to uncle's fiance's bridal shower. It was beautiful. They got married after I got back to Benin though. I really wanted to make it to the wedding. At least I got to spend some time with them and to catch up before I left. I wish them well.

Brazil was AMAZING!! I wish I spent time outside of Rio. I had so much to do in Rio that I was okay. It's soooo beautiful there. The beaches, the people, the landscapes....everything. And yes the bikinis ARE quite small. The food was delicious. The portions were huge!!! I didn't speak any Portuguese but the people were really helpful. It was also different being in a place where to be black was somewhat exotic. The Brazilian look is very diverse. Their complexions range from cream to chocolate. There hair ranges from straight to think and curly. I was often mistaken as Brazilian!!! Can you believe that?! It was quite beautiful seeing that and I would love to make it back there again. I am even considering moving there for awhile one day in my life. We'll see. Here's a link to a nice photo I took while I was in Brazil. Check it out!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=32846196&l=8f6c3d2a60&id=19301442

So now the fun is over and I'm back in burning hot Benin. No complaints though. I love it here. Doing this third and last year in Benin is going to be amazing. I love my new house and neighbors, work is finally picking up since I've been back, and the holidays are coming up so I plan on doing something nice next month. Well here's my update for now. I hope you continue to keep following my stories and comment if you'd like. It's nice to know that somebody out there is reading up on my experiences.

To be continued....

Hey everybody. Things are still going. I hosted the trainers again this year for a technical visit in my village went really well. They seem to really enjoy my site and the work I was involved in. We even got to see a voodoo fetish performance. It was great. There was a lot of dancing. Everything was awesome. The following week was not so awesome. I ended up getting malaria. My fault. I was a week late taking my medication. Because I'm in idiot who didn't think I would actually catch it. It was the worst thing ever. I felt like I was hit by a car, my temperature reached over 103 degrees, dry cough, I couldn't move, and I had serious cold chills. It's almost like the flu but ten times worse. I HONESTLY thought I could f*cking die. But I'm okay now!!! Could you imagine if I had NO antimalaria medication in my system. I could have really died. Don't wanna play with that idea again. What else. I went to Akon's concert here in Cotonou, Benin. It was quite an event. First of all, the show started at 4pm, but he didn't get on stage until 1:30am. They played a song called Ashawo which was good, HOWEVER, the girl who was dancing was over the top! She had her legs open dancing on the floor on her back, climbing up the goal post on the field, one guy was dry humping her.....eww. That was really stank. Then there was an extremely long performace about the independance of Benin which was great for the first twently minutes but after about an hour people were like, "okay now....where is Akon???" Then it started raining and they said they wouldn't bring him out.....people were ready to riot. Then he FINALLY got out on the field in a SUV driving around the stadium. There was soooo much energy. He got on the stage and told everybody to leave there seats and surround the stage on the field.....ummmmm....do you know where you are Akon? We could have a stampede if you didn't know. But my dumb ass sure did manage to get outta my seat leave the building, getting slightly pepper sprayed, witnessed a police beating of a man who had his ticket trying to get in, my glasses got lost, him spraying us with bottled water, getting the chance to actually touch his BOOTY through a bubble, and feel a piece of his shirt, and was crowd surfed on. It was worth it. I can say that I was there and experienced all of that. Akon did not know how to speak french, therefore, the organizing of people moving to the field was crazy. The security team were idiots. But I had a lot of fun and was happy I did it. All for five thousand cfa AKA 10 bucks. For the record, I really did touch Akon's booty. Firm : )

I left my village today. It was really sad to leave them. There were tears involved. Even my boss cried at the going away ceremony on last Friday. They were great. They gave me clothe to make an outfit, the priest gave me a beautiful cross with pictures on it to put up in my new house, and a carving of huts. They didn't have to give me anything but they did. I am so grateful and with take the gifts back with me to the states. People coming to my door every five minutes asking for a gift was a little overwhelming but besides that, everyone was really nice. Bridgette who will be working there seems to really like the place so that's encouraging. She's already speaking a little bit of Fon! I'm sure she'll fit right in. Now I'm in Cotonou and it feels weird to actually be living in a city from the bush. It's so different. So EXPENSIVE! I'll be fine though.

I'm still going to Brazil and home. In two weeks!!!!! Can't wait! I am soooo excited!!!!

So what has been happening. I'm still here in Benin and things are still going well. I constantly feel like my Attention Defecit Disorder only pops up around quarterly report time. It's due tomorrow. So I decided to write on my blog instead:) Work will get done trust me. I mean how long have I been here already? I've done lots of quarterly reports and turned them in. Time in my village in winding down. My home will not be replaced and I'm crushed about it. It's such a beautiful village and it's so peaceful there. Security regulations won't allow me to be replaced because my house is not in a closed in concession with a neighbors house attached. I still have people nearby though. I can fart and they'd yell to ask if i'm okay... It's really unfortunate and my village doesn't know yet. They know I'll still be in Benin for another year but they don't know that they are not getting another health volunteer in my village. My boss is currently looking at other options in the nearby area but it's nothing like what we have now.

I'm going to Brazil! Well I'm almost sure I am if Peace Corps doesn't change their mind and decide they are not going to fly me there for my home leave. I got authorization but I'm nervous that they'll decide "actually, nope..." I plan to go there for about two weeks, fly home from Rio and stay there for three weeks, and do a 5 day layover in France before returning to Benin. France might be pushing it, but we'll see what happens. If I don't go then I'll definitely get there another time. I just feel like doing my own thing. I keep hearing wonderful things about Brazil so I decided, "Why not?" I need to brush up on my Portugease though. Just the stuff that can me by. I'm pretty good with picking that stuff up. Here's my list of phrases I want to know.

Thank You-Obrigiado (know that already!)

Please.

Hello.

Yes/No

Where's the bathroom.

Excuse me.

Could you please help me?

red wine/beer/club

Check please.

Where is a good and inexpensive place to (eat, go dancing, ect.)

It's beautiful but no thank you (vendors..)

That's too expensive.

How much?

Good night.

Good morning.

This place is beautiful/fun.

I'm so happy/excited to be here.

You are hot!

You are gorgeous!

I can't. I have a boyfriend. But you are hot/gorgeous :)

Let me know if I forgot anything else really important. I think I can pretty much get by with this.

What else is new? This weekend we had a Fourth of July party at the Ambassadors house. It was AWESOME! The music was great too. I was dancing with the Ambassador's wife. She's really amazing. There were sliders, beef kabobs, quiche, grilled corn, mini pizzas, and tons of alcohol. They even open their house pool to American citizens on Saturdays. I did that this weekend. I didn't drink too much at the party though. I'm a light weight. Which will be AWESOME because I won't need to waste my money on drinks in Brazil and France. Two cocktails will make things NICE for me already. I need to buy a decent camera before I go. The one I had here broke on me : (

I've been working out. Like seriously working out. I run or do cardio three times a week, and I've been on a diet. I do crunches everyday. Trying to get into a brazilian bikini :) It's soooo hard to diet here though. The food is not very healthy in my village and when I come to Cotonou, there are way too many temptations. Like tonight there is a fourth of July potluck. Yesterday was a dinner over an RPCV's house with her husband, and the day before that was the party at the Ambassadors. I will have gained all the weight I lost BACK from THIS WEEKEND alone. I'm upset about it, but I still want to enjoy myself. When I move to Cotonou it'll be different. I'll have a membership at the gym here and things will be different since I have access to healthy foods to buy and cook at home. Eggplant casserole, soy stir-fry, and stews are a few ideas I have. That's all I have till next time.

So a lot has happened since my last update. Let me get all the bad news out first. My grandmother passed away and I was sent home on emergency leave. She was everything to me. A lot of people claim to know what it's like to lose a grandmother but she wasn't the typical grandmother to me.

I lived with her for the majority of my life. My first memory was her giving me a bath. And her HUGE face looking down at me smiling. Not only did I live with her, but I slept in the same bed with her. No one really knows what it was like to get home and go to the bedroom and find everything there just as she left it. My clothes still in my drawer, where she slept the bed was not made, and her favorite shoes on the floor as if she never left. Her Baby Phat jeans next to the bed as if she recently wore them. That was the hardest for me. So I just want to put things in perspective so people can understand. Gloria had style. Gloria was sassy. She had the most beautiful smile. When her picture was taken she would turn her head to the side like a model. She fed anyone that came by and was loved by anyone who got the chance to meet her. A 5'2 woman with enough attitude and PHYSICAL strenght to make anyone listen. She almost knocked ME out before! This woman was a fan of a good cognac (preferably Hennessy), red sequins bras, knee high boots, tight fitting jeans, and flashy cocktail rings. So you can just imagine! She WAS a second mother to me. She never set foot in a nursing home. This woman was independent. She took long walks. She wasn't sick. It was very sudden. A stroke took this angel.

So when I got home from seeing her at the hospital the day before she passed and it was time for me to sleep, the room was surpisingly warm. I'm not joking. Then I heard these weird whimpers in the closet. When I went to check, two very small kittens were in there! They were so adorable. I guess they kept my grandma company. They peeped their heads out and I fell in love with them immediately. I really think they helped me heal. One of their names is Gloria. I think I stayed in the house for a full three or four days. I couldn't eat, I didn't shower, and my eyes pretty much shut closed from so much sobing. I was like a zombie. It was serious depression. My sister even thought I needed to see someone. The mornings and the evenings were the hardest. In the mornings, she always made coffee. Just enough for herself...then ask if you wanted some. You say yes then she's say, "well go boil some water and make yourself some!" lol. At night, it was her getting up in the middle of the night to have a cigarette or use the bathroom. Things are really hard on my mom. We both lived with her. I'm much better now. I managed to come back to Benin.

I also failed the Foreign Service Exam. That's not so bad though. It's pretty common like I mentioned before. I'll take it again when I return to the states. There I should have more resources to study from.

Good news. I am 99.9 percent sure I will be the next Malaria Coordinator. This means I will be extending a third year, and moving to Cotonou, the big city. I'm pretty excited about it. Plus the house I'll be moving in is REALLY sweet. I would have my own rooftop terrace and watch the planes fly over my head to the airport. Some people would be annoyed by that but I LOVE the sound of passing planes. Traveling is in my blood.

When I went home, I ate sushi, hung out with my best friends, got my navel pierced again, went to the Cheesecake Factory, and took my God daughter to the Barnum and Bailey Circus. That was AWESOME!! They did some stuff this time that I had NO IDEA how they did it!!! And I had GOOD seats know what the hell I saw!!! If they are in town in your area you MUST go. I didn't do too much because the first week home was just me in the house. Is it wrong to be obsessed with the new RuPaul's Drag Race show??? That show is AWESOME!! I really am upset that I only got to see one episode. It's funny, unique, and there is genuine talent in the art. Check it out. I also brought back a ton of pasta and rice side dishes from Lipton. They are my absolute favorite because they only need usually margarine and milk which I can get. Powdered milk is what I use in village and that works just as good. Maybe I've been here too long because I can't taste a difference.

Coming back to Benin wasn't hard at all. I'm actually looking forward to getting back to my village. For the past week and a half, I've been in Cotonou working. I brought back a lot of candy to share with them. I also brought back some origami books for my art class. I can't wait to get them started on that. Me and my boss will be going up north to lead a training on malnutrition recuperation. We are very excited to be selected for that. I adore my work partner. He's the hardest worker ever!! I really think he should consider working for Peace Corps one day. I don't think I have anything else to add. Thanks to all who were there to comfort me in the hardest time of my life. I really appreciate it. Please continue to follow my blog and keep in touch. Please write me and/ or send me FOOD, FOOD, FOOD! My wishlist is magically displayed on your right. Thanks for reading my update. Until next time.....

So I decided that I want to complete another year of service in Benin. There are a few positions that I am interested in here. So I'm going to put in my applications and see what happens. I believe that if I want to have a career in the foreign service, staying overseas for a extended period of time would be beneficial. I hope to better my French speaking skills, increase my work load a little more, and gain more health work experience at the NGO level to increase my chances to get into graduate school. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is my first choice and anything that will increase my chances of getting into the program would be a help. I also am looking into Tufts, and The University of Maryland. We'll see what happens. I know I probably upset many people from home, but this is best for me. I enjoy the work that I'm doing so I might as well continue doing the things that I love. As far as I know, nothing has been promised to me at home so I might as well do what I can for myself here.

Updates....

I was a trainer for the In Service Training last month for the 1st year volunteers. It was really nice getting a chance to see all of the volunteers from health, environment, and small business enterprise. I missed them a lot. We got to catch up on what's happening in our villages and I needed the time to hang out with them. It was refreshing.

I have been studying for the Foreign Service Officer Exam which will be on Feb. 28th. A week earlier than I was expected. I'm extremely nervous because many people don't pass. But I'll still give it a shot. You never know. It is a test on EVERYTHING! Math, economics, world history, U.S. History, computer technology, communications, cultural sensitivity, American Government, U.S. Society and Culture, world politics, geography, and grammar. Damn right? The worst part about it is that we dont have the resources here to study like we could in the states. Tips to do well on this test include reading the New York Times for six months straight.....and where will I find this newspaper here? Watch the news daily....what TV? So just wish me luck....I need it. If I fail it, I won't be too devastated. Apparently 10-40 percent pass....I know, I know. I don't sound very confident. Who would be when everybody, including the Embassy keeps reminding you about the stats?

I was a presenter at the 1st snnual stakeholder's meeting. The meeting showcased Peace Corps and the work we are doing in Benin. It went very well. The US Ambassador of Benin and the Minister of Foreign Affairs was there. So it was pretty high profile. I was very happy to be one selected to give a presentation. My workparter also got a chance to present the benefits of having a volunteer which worked out well in my favor. Good thing I do work in village. I plan on going to the Gender and Development dinner next month. The dinner is really good and I look forward to eating vegetarian lasagne. I ate the steak last year and ended up regretting it. The steak was good but not as good as the lasagne. So I decided to change my order this year.

I got some packages! I recieved an AWESOME package from my friend Kaitlin. She sent me EVERYTHING. Or at least close to it. Granola bars, beef jerky, nutrigrain bars, mac and cheese (Kraft AND Velvetta), ear plugs, Ebony and Essence magazines, a notebook, GOOD pens, gum, peanut butter and cheese crakers, and INDULGENCE trail mix. OMG!!! I think I gained five pounds alone off this package. I couldn't stop eating all of the delicious goodness! I still have some trailmix, granola bars, and my Velvetta left over. I plan to hold onto that as long as I can. The kids LOVED the magazines. They rip out the pages and put them on their walls in their homes. It's so strange to walk around in the bush, enter a mud hut and run into a picture of Beyonce on the wall. I find it to be a very interesting site to see. That's all for now.

Greetings to all friends, family, and anyone who has found interest in my blogs. Happy Holidays to everyone in the states and in other parts of the world. I hope you are enjoying the cold weather in the states because I really miss it. I would kill to eat some snow....I've been doing it every year since I was a kid. It's a habit that I just can't break. But since I've been here, I don't have a choice other than deal without it. I miss home. A lot. Last Christmas, I gave candy to all the children in my village. NOTHING was happening there for the holidays. People were just working and chilling like a normal day. I didn't even get a bonne fete (good holiday/party)? I don't think I have ever been that depressed. I went to my house and just cried pretty much all day. Not to mention I didn't get any phone calls. Not one. Sooooooo, you know I was feeling pretty down. Maybe I will get lucky tomorrow and someone will think about me. Okay. Enough with the guilt trip and sob stories. Things are going awesome nonetheless for me. I have started studying for the Graduate Record Exam and for the Foreign Service Exam that I will be taking in March. I have decided that I want to get into the Foreign Service as an actual career doing public diplomacy, be a consular at an embassy, or do international public health. Right now I am thinking about schools to apply to when I get back. I'm looking at Johns Hopkins or the University of Maryland at the moment. However things can change before I get back. The Foreign Service Exam is INSANE. A majority of people who take the exam fail it multiple times before they pass it......so we'll see what happens. I will be willing to take it more than once if I have to so I'm not fully discouraged. The questions in the study book are absolutely obsurd!!! Do YOU know what model plane hit the twin towers during 9/11??? That was a random question. I know it was a plane. And I know it happened in New York City. Soooo, I got the question wrong. I have been encouraged by my work partners to take the exam. So I'll give it a go. PLEASE PRAY FOR ME!!!

World AIDS Day in my village on December 1st was a smashing success. Lots of volunteers came up to participate in the program. Male and female condoms were given out as well as HIV/AIDS awarness magazines and World AIDS Day t-shirts. They learned a lot and enjoyed the event. Also 200 people got free HIV testing in village that day. Also the US Ambassador was really impressed with my village and how organized things were. So things are looking good on this end. Apparently, the embassy here was so happy about it, they invited a girl from the states who works at the US state department to my post also. She came with the US embassy consulate. They were really impressed with my work in village and the consulate gave me the rundown on working for the foreign service. He was soooo helpful. I really want to do it. I really think the foreign service is my destiny. We'll see.

Yesterday, I treated myself to a holiday dinner and a silver ring. I made garlic pepper steak cooked in red wine with melted goat cheese on top. Served with a side of spinach and baked pototes. I had a split bottle of bordeaux wine from France and a big juicy mango for dessert. It was absolutely amazing. To top it off, the mother of a volunteer who I was very close to sent me a Christmas package!!! I got italian pasta sauces, scented candles (which I was always secretly envious of Steffi for getting often in her packages), cosmopolitan and trash mags (which i LOVE), tons of crystal lights and other cool stuff. That was soooooo nice of her. I needed the love. That's pretty much my update for now. Happy holidays everyone!!!!

Things are going great. Busy but great. Just finished the 12 day PD hearth Nutritional Recuperation program in a nearby village and it went fantastic! The children are looking better than when they first came to the program. During the program different porridges were made each day and the women were very motivated. Most of them made it to every class. They made various porridges with crushed dry fish, soybeans, moringa, eggs, bananas, tomatoes, onions and peanuts. They were all mixed with sugar and oils to add calories and taste. They all came out tasting pretty good and sweet. They also were given information on various topics on malnutrition and child feeding practices such as handwashing, diarrhea, vaccinations, and the food groups. Here are few pics of the program.

This is an added image to the health mural. Learning about the food groups.

Adding moringa to the porridges. You know I love moringa!

Bonne appetit!

A mother placing an energy food in it's proper food group.Explaining the recipes and the importance of adequate nutritional content.

The head nurse taking the roll call of the women and their children in the program. Taken at the end of the program to ensure they stay through the whole session.

The pavilion is pretty much finished. I just have to put a sealer on the paint now to make it last. We already use the pavilion to give health formations during our womens' group meetings and other events at the health center. It pretty much is a collection of health topics such as the food groups, malaria prevention, vaccinations, handwashing, sanitation and water borne illnesses including diarrhea. I left out HIV/AIDS prevention for two reasons, I didn't have the authority to promote condom usage and safe sex in the mural. Most of the funding of the heatlh center is through a catholic monestary in a nearby town. No sense in mentioning HIV/AIDS if I can't talk about prevention. So instead, I have health education sessions on the subject in the village without the monetary support of the church. I was a little disappointed at first but we have to be flexible when we are talking about health. Since I am a rural community health volunteer, the information will always be readily available if the people themselves are looking for it. People in my village have been buying the condoms at the health center so that is encouraging. Here are some updated pics on the pavilion. Hope you can understand it. No words are added yet we hope the meaning is captured in the images.

World AIDS Day is coming up on December 1st and I am planning a big event on awareness. It will be a complete and comprehensive day on HIV/AIDS education that will include films, a presentation from a person living with HIV/AIDS, a discussion on HIV/AIDS stigmas myths and facts, condom demonstrations, songs, HIV/AIDS testing and counseling for people with positive results, and a question and answer dialouge. Soooooo, it will be a big day. And guess who will be in my village during the event?? The US Ambassator of Benin!!! WOW RIGHT!!?? I will be sure to put up pics later on. So right now, I'm in Cotonou working on a grant to fund my event. I'll be heading back tomorrow because I have to bring back mosquito nets for my village. They came up with the money upfront to purchase them and I'm soooo encouraged about that. They are taking charge of their health and are not depending on someone to give them something for free. The sad part is there are no mosquito nets in the region for people to buy at subsidized prices. At least not his time of year. So I feel fortunate to know of an organization where I can purchase them to bring back to my village. I can't buy enough for the whole village at the same time but this is my third trip so far with purchasing them.

School started again and I have spoken to the teachers in a nearby town about having health talks in their classrooms. They are on board and i start my first one in this village on Wednesday. The topic will be on handwashing. They will learn the proper way to do it (with soap and or ash, and washing BOTH hands, not just the right hand that they eat with.) They will learn about microbes and worms and it's relation to improper handwashing and the lack of. They will demonstrate handwashing in the classroom and learn a song. I am very excited about it. The children really enjoy this lesson and I look forward to working with a new school.

Soooo, things are going great! Busy but great! Sorry I haven't been online lately to update my blog. Hope people are not discouraged by the absence and are still gaining from my online journal. I could still really use your encouragement and prayers. Keep in touch and thank you for all the support.

Chillin' at a night club in Benin. Staying cool at all times.

I like this pic a lot. Do you like my beads? I got them when I was on vacation.

Can't you tell I'm happy. If you had a week like I did, you would be too!!

Enough of the fun and games. Now let's do some work in village.

We're doing a health mural. Food groups, hygiene and other topics. All visual without words.

Fruits and vegetables protect the body from illness. Like an umbrella. There have beenseveral health education sessions of the topics already and the village loves the paintings.

I used to sketch and paint as a child. I guess some things are never forgotten. Make your workenjoyable. So I did.

Training has gone really well. I really love the trainees so far. I was selected to be the spokesperson for Peace Corps Benin here. So I might be on the website and other places. Cool right?! My bestfriend is coming to see me in less than two weeks!! I am so excited. Jealous that she will be in Nigeria while I am not allowed. It's all good though. We'll figure a way to see each other since she's sooooo close. Like and hour and a half. So Nia (volunteer from the north) came to my village for a day and we took some VERY interesting pictures.

So one of my friends went through my trash and found this Peace Corps article. And he speaks minor French so he wanted to keep it to remember me and my role as a volunteer. Next to Tom Kat. Isn't that cute?!

Yes that is what you think it is. A friend wanted to sell it to me. This is NOT agouti, the bush rat that I usually eat. However, regular rat is pretty good too : ) Don't knock it till you try it.

Group picture with some friends. The boy closest to me with his leg up is my "boyfriend." He is such a sweetheart. When people ask me where is my boyfriend or husband and I need to have one, he's my backup. Everybody gets a kick outta that. But eventually, people stopped asking me. Surprisingly, his french is really good and he's been taking English lessons with me.

Yes it is what you think it is. Good thing they weren't used. This is what happens when people go through your trash. I have a latrine to put the others but I totally forgot to get rid of the broken ones I had. One woman's trash is another man's treasure. Should I tell him what they are??

Me and Nia. The pic was taken in my house. I use a sheet as a door to seperate my two rooms because it gets hot. People respect the barrier so it's all good.

My bestfriend in the Peace Corps is leaving Benin. What the hell do I do now??!! I just want to crawl in a hole and cry my eyes out. And after that, I want to break all the windows outside. And after that, I want to cuss her out for leaving me. But it's what's best for her. Not me. I can't type this. It hurts sooooooo bad right now. I'm crying my eyes out right now. I really don't know what I'm going to do. I don't know how I'm going to manage without her. First it was Steffi and now Natalie. What the hell!!!!?? I'm DYING right now. I'm not handling this very well at all. I'm sure I'll be fine in a few weeks but in two days she will be gone. The wounds right now are still very fresh. I'm really hurting. Nobody can replace her. I would catch MALARIA if it could keep her here. I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't know what I'm going to do. I really just don't know. I hurt so bad right now. I don't know what else to say. I hate life sometimes. Why does it have to take my friend from me? I'm sorry everybody. I'm just really hurting. Later.

Training is going very well. They are adjusting to the culture here very well. It's also great to be with my host family again in the same town. Hopefully we can go out tonight. Coming back to Benin has been a good experience. Spending six weeks in the states really had me missing my second home. I went back to my house and I found it termite infested. Lovely right. Good thing I brought back a huge can of Raid. It seems to work better. I was expecting a package to come so I could start a cultural exchange program but it has yet to come after over a month. I don't know what's up with that. There are 56 new trainees and I already feel like some of them will be my new best friends. Peace Corps volunteers I feel in my own opinion are the coolest people on the face of this earth. If any of their family are reading this they are being taken VERY care of. We have been waiting forever for them to show up and it has truly been a breath of freash air. It's great to actually be about to give advice now and talk people through their problems. When I was new I didnt know ANYTHING and it is great to see how much I have grown in a year. I will be 26 in about a week and I feel soooooo old. But I guess it is great to be celebrating another birthday in Benin. I will try to make the best of it. Dont really know what to say besides I miss Nat already while she is away for two weeks, my village is still awesome, and I couldnt be in a better place. I'll write again soon. Aizande (later)

I had an awesome time at home. But home also had way too much drama. But in a way, it was as if I never left. That's the ghetto for you. It is so strange to come back to where I once lived and find so many differences between Baltimore and my village. Where I live, there are drug addicts are on every other corner, you hear police and ambulance sirens as often as the birds, and you can never have a dollar without somebody trying to take it from you. HOWEVER, this does not describe all of Baltimore City. Just up the street everything is so much more peaceful. Although many will not like where I'm living, it was very exciting to be back in it. IDK why but it was. Maybe it was the action, or the idea that there is always something to do in Baltimore. I miss my friends already. I should've spent more time with my closest friends. I regret that but at the same time, I'm hoping they understand that Peace Corps in DC took a lot of my time I could've used to spend with them. When I was in DC, I wanted to do one thing, then all of a sudden something else pops up. As if I was on a Bmore addiction where I wanted to do everything. Now all that is over and it's time to get back to doing what I love most. Being in my village, getting back to work, and seeing my fellow volunteers in Benin. Can't wait to get back. I really can't. Don't you wish you loved a new place like that as much I do? It really is a great feeling.

Oh yeah, so when I got back from Benin, I found out that my weight dropped from 146 to 137 lbs. Everybody was talking about how thin I looked. I do not understand how that happened. Now I think I'm back to 146 lbs. It was ridiculous how much food I ate. I'm bringing back sunflower seeds, peanut chews, gummy hotdogs, and beef jerky for the kids. I also have a few baby clothes for my boss and some other stuff to give out. Hope everybody likes them. A toute a l'heure Amerique! (See you soon America!)

Home is AWESOME!! Kinda don't wanna leave but that's life. I saw Starbucks and haven't been yet. Talked about it but haven't done it. Said I wanted McDonalds, ate their breakfast and didn't feel too good. Went to my old job and everybody can't believe I cut my hair. But they all love it. My own mother didn't even recognize me at the door when I showed up. That was crazy. Just crazy. I DID have on a wig though. I had to buy it because it was so cute. But she should've known it was her daughter. Oh well. I saw the lakers beat in the game last night. I was at a bar. That was AWESOME! There was AC in there. Wow! Buildings that were being worked on are done, gas is cheaper....still high as hell but cheaper. I bought some designer clothes that I have been missing. I went to the Cheesecake factory and didn't even eat any cheesecake. I had a caesar salad and stuffed mushrooms. It was soooo good. I can't finish ANY of the food I've been eating. Everybody says I LOST weight. I guess I did. All my clothes at the house are loose. I KNOW i gained 6 pounds I just don't know where it went. But I'm happy with it. It's weird not having a cell phone. Especially when everybody wants to catch up with you. I can't stop talking about Benin. It's really bad so I just don't bring it up till people ask me about it. Riding the bus is nice. I actually took a picture so I can show people in my village what the Maryland bus system is like. The bus driver thought I was crazy at first. I'm a tourist again. The harbor still stinks, but I missed that smell. That's all for now. God I love being home!!!

Things are really picking up in village. I also have a slight addiction to Cotonou, the big city. I always have a great time there and I have really cool friends. One volunteer is being transfered to Botswana and she will be missed very much. I've been really sad about it. She is one of my best friends in the Peace Corps. I could tell her anything and she always understood me. *tear* But life goes on. She is very happy about her new placement and I sincerely wish her the best. I also lost all my pictures in my camera so I'm really pissed about that.

Now here's the good news

I have been selected to be a volunteer trainer for the next group coming in July! I'm really excited about it. I will be helping out with child nutrition training and will be taking volunteers to my village during their technical visit. I can't wait to meet them. Not too long ago, I was one of the new volunteers confused, frustrated, excited and curious at the same time. It's nice to be one giving out advice and counseling when they come in with many of the same questions we've once had. It's all a cycle. Before I know it, my service will be over and a new chapter in my life will have started. I'm really thinking about grad school. I was so sure before I joined Peace Corps, then I started changing my mind so I could go straight to work, and once again, I am thinking about it. I spoke with the country director today and she really gave me some good pointers about paths after Peace Corps. We'll see what happens. What I need to do is crack open that GRE study guide again. I'll be taking the exam in Accura, Ghana either at the end of the year or early next year. I always get my work done so don't worry about me.

I also have been selected as the Volunteer Advisory Committee representative for my region! VAC reps are responsible for getting the volunteers together in each region to discuss new ideas, problems, and changes in Peace Corps policy. VAC really gives volunteers a voice and I will be with 5 other VAC representatives dicussing with the country director and administration what fellow volunteers in my region need. So it's good to have an impact.

I completed the PD Hearth Nutrition Recuperation program in my village! It was the first one done in my village and it was a huge success! We had 45 children and 28 mothers participate. Out of the 45 children who were underweight and malnurished, 43 of them gained weight. There are four color phases in PD hearth which determines your weight based on age. If you are in the blue, you are overweight and green if you are a healthy weight. Yellow is slightly malnurished, and red is severe. Half of the children who were in the yellow moved to green, and all children in the red moved to yellow. And this was over the course of 12 days!! So work is going VERY well. We have added moringa powder as a nutritional supplement to their porridge and the kids can't taste a difference. Although there is a slight color change. We also have added other foods to the porridge such as soy, fish, eggs to help pick up the weight. Each day the porridge was made with a different key ingredient. I think for the next Hearth program I will show them how to make mango porridge. I think they'll like that one. Why porridge so much? Because it's an EASY, LOW COST, and FAMILIAR food to make in Benin and it's easy to add key ingredients such as moringa powder. I had some great pics of the program but they were lost. I'll take more at the next Hearth.

We are starting a moringa tree garden in the village. We will begin planting by the beginning of next month. If you didn't know what moringa is, I will explain this miracle plant.

It filters water

High in protein, vitamin C, vitamin A, Iron

Great for diabetes

Great for people with high blood pressure

It grows in parts of the world most affected by malnutrition

It grows in harsh weather environments

It grows VERY fast

So people are excited. Hopefully, in the next 5 years, they will be able to make revenue by growing the plant and selling the powder in the market. That's my update for now. A la prochaine (till next time).

Things are going okay. I had a program in my village about HIV/AIDS awareness. I think I mentioned I was going to have an event in an earlier blog. It went very well. Over 200 people showed up. Most have not heard about the virus so the information was well received. There was a pretest on what the participants knew about the virus before the program was started. They didn't know very much. Many thought you could get HIV/AIDS through mosquito bites. Some though kissing can pass the virus. Some though the virus was in condoms. So there was a lot to talk about. A woman who lives with the virus came to the village to talk about her experience. Also we had a condom demonstration and had a series of films about HIV/AIDS in Fon. Lots of questions were asked and many people took the matter very seriously after hearing about it. So it was good work. Today I will be heading up north for a training on moringa planting. We will be starting a moringa garden in my village and the women are interested in using the plant in their cooking for malnutrition recuperation. So things are going really well. It's good to finally be working. Things here go so slow but when it goes, a lot can be accomplished. Also, I went to the Gender and Development dinner and auction. It was very fun. And all money raised went to a good cause.

Burkina Faso was great. I met up with a volunteer I went to college with. It's good to see she's doing well. She plans on extending her service too! What else is new. I am a little homesick. I miss my friends and family. I spoke to my mother last week and I miss her a lot now. I haven't been gone this long from her. But I think it's normal to miss mommy every now and then. You only get one. I am still upset with my folks though. They should make more effort to try and keep in touch. I can probably count on one hand how many times I have spoken to my folks since I have been here. It's kinda pitiful. Also if you wanted to know I am also still single and me and my ex finance never worked it out. Oh well. Sh*t happens. Also, I dyed my hair. It's a good look. I will put a picture up when I can. I also was selected to be a trainer for the next group of volunteers coming in July. Exciting right?! I can't wait to meet them. That's all for now.

Me in my village after a health formation. Images are the best way to get messages through to people with language and educational barriers. They were very happy with the program and wanted to take a picture with the drawings.

I am now single once again. WHY?? Because HE is a workaholic. I mean a REAL workaholic. When you tell your fiance that you were in a moto accident AND robbed and he doesnt call you back because he's too tired from work....we have a f*cking problem. Excuse my french. But that isn't all. Everything with him is about money and you can never compensate not being there in exchange for gifts, money, furniture, clothes, ect. All of it is nice but that's just not my style. He can have it all back and I'd rather be with the guy in my village who lives in a mud hut without anything else but at least I would know that he gives a sh*t about me. Not even a phone call on Valentine's day. AFTER I reminded him. I even called him the day I decided to give the ring back at his job but he didn't pick up the phone. I called him three times in a row. I asked the manager if I could use his cell to call him and guess what. He picks up on the FIRST ring! WHAT THE HELL!!!!

SOOOOOOOO what do I do?? I drop the ring off and made the decision that it would just get worse later on down the road. As fast as I got engaed, it ended just as rapid. Life in Benin....What a ride indeed!

On a good note, I am in Burkina Faso for the African film festival. It is awesome!! The bus ride was 22 hours long. And my body wants to sweat but the air here is so dry I can't. But other than that the country is gorgeous and I am having a great time with the other volunteers!!

Once upon a time, I was flat broke and in the need of some cash. But I had to go to Cotonou to complete my grant for my project. It was Tuesday and I was done with my proposal. The administrative assistant told me to say in Cotonou because a reimbursement was going to hit my account the next morning if I really need the cash. So of course I stayed. I didn't have cash for a hotel so I chilled over a friend's house. The next morning I was at the bank to find out that not only did I not have my Peace Corps ID on me, but I also didn't have any checks in my wallet. The bank wouldn't except my Xerox copy of my passport. Don't wanna carry that around just in case it gets stolen, you know. And I don't carry my whole checkbook on me just in case it gets stolen, you know. Crap. So I needed to get back to my post to get a check. Like a normal day, I took a bush taxi back to my post. Couldn't find my PC ID so I grabbed my personal passport because I didn't want to carry the government issued passport with my Benin visa in it, grabbed two checks (one to keep in my wallet unsigned), took a midday shower, changed, and headed back to Cotonou before the bank closed at 5pm.

I get to Cotonou, hopped out the bush taxi, put on my helmet, then jumped on a Zemijan taxi moto (get me there fast in Fon) to head to the bank. It's 4:52pm approximately. About a block from the bank, as the Zemijan slowed down to turn onto the street of the bank, BAAM!!!! Me and the taxi guy were knocked off the bike, I hit the ground on my left side, messed up my foot, my elbow, but my head was okay (I wore my helmet). It all happened so fast. A man in a gray shirt snatches my purse off my arm while I was under the bike and ran off quickly. I scramble up screaming voleur (thief in French) not even looking at how messed up my foot is yet, and run towards the crowd of people running in the direction of the thief. A man hands me back my purse, I say thank you, I check on the Zemijan, he's alright and does not want payment. I think the thief was getting beat up by the people. There was an awful lot of shouting. But I didn't have time to see what happened. I hear it's normal. Felt a little sorry for the guy. Then, I glanced at my watch in panic. It's 4:57!!!!! I BOOK IT to the bank, limping at the same time praying that the bank isn't closed yet. I get there just at the guard shuts the door in my face. I frown, gave a look of pain, showed him my bloody foot through the glass and he let me in. All I had on me was enough money to get to the bank and a cheap meal. I had about 800 CFA in my pocket $1.75 USD.

I stand in line, sit my helmet down happy that I made it regardless of the accident because I would've been screwed for yet another night in expensive Cotonou. I just wanted to get back to my village with money to get by. I look in my purse to pull out my check so I can start filling it out....but my wallet wasn't there. Wait...neither was my passport. NOOOOOO!!!!! I got outta line and immediately started freaking out. I didn't cry because that's a weak thing to do here in public. But I really needed to. I had no money, no identification, no way home, nothing, but luckily my cellphone was in the small pocket of my purse. Glad he didn't see that. I think the person who gave me my bag might have went through my things because although I got my purse back, things were missing. Who was I to call? I only had enough phone credit to make one call. I would've put more credit on it after I got my money. But sh*t happens. I wanted to call Peace Corps but the building was closed, and my foot wasn't so bad that it needed urgent attention to call in the doctor. It could wait till tomorrow. And it wasn't like the thief could write a check and get it cashed tonight with the banks closed. I wanted to call my fiance, but he was in Porto Novo because of work and I knew he couldn't get to the phone or to me at that very moment. So I called my friend T. He's dating one of my fellow volunteers here. I knew he would help me out. He picked me up three minutes later on his moto and took me to a restaurant where I was to meet up with three of our other friends. I guess they were all hanging out before I called. Thank God they spoke English. I REALLY needed to vent. They were Nigerian and could understand me. My dear 6'5 big-footed friend K. greeted me at the restaurant door and hugged me without noticing that he was STEPPING ON MY FOOT!! He apologized in shock probably 20 times and helped me to the table. A COLD beer was waiting for me. Along with a cigarette. Yeah, a cigarette. I needed one. I drank the beer and smoked while spilling out what happened to me. They were shocked and very sympathetic.

Once we finished our drinks, I was escorted to the car and taken to a supermarket. I was told to pick out whatever I needed to help me feel comfortable. I picked out a towel, soap, razor, and a bottle of South African red wine and they picked out ice cream, snacks, champagne and hard liquor. Those guys can drink. They payed for everything then took me to the pharmacy and bought me pain killers, antibiotic ointment, and gauze and bandaids. I have no idea how many times I said thank you. Then we went over C's house and relaxed and listened to some tunes. The pain killers really helped. I even felt like going out. I was feeling sad and I wanted to feel better. So they took me out to a nightclub. The next morning (today), they cooked me breakfast and I was handed money since they knew I couldn't access any from the bank. It was way more than enough. They took me to Peace Corps so I could sort out all my information about my stolen items. I went to the police station to file a loss of ID form so I can get my account number changed at the bank. Then, I saw the doctor, got my foot and elbow treated, and she had me stay in the medical unit tonight. It is now 12:42am and I'm finished telling you about my story because I am tired and I'm now on my limping way to bed.

I was so happy and thankful that I had friends to look out for me. Of all my time here, on that particular day, I've had one of my worst experiences and also one of the best ones here in Benin. Moral of the story...It's good to have real friends.

The End

Okay. I feel like putting my folks on blast. So I get to the Peace Corps office after two weeks thinking that I MIGHT have a package. Then of course reality sets in that my folks STILL haven't sent me jack S.uger H.oney I.ced T.ea the whole 7 months I've been here in Benin! I wanted to be pissed off then I thought about it and figured I shouldn't even waste anymore energy on hoping they'd send me something. I mean, can I at least get a freakin letter??? "Hey, just writing to see if you're alive and well." SOMETHING! This is getting ridiculous. How about anybody that enjoys reading my blog send me a letter/package/sympathy note because my folks apparentely don't care about my needs over here. I know who sends stuff over here. Because I have become a vulture standing around when they're opened from time to time. Thankfully, some of the volunteers like to share. Sorry to complain but this is the only place where my depression comes from. I'm not very homesick, I haven't been ill here, and things are generally okay. But when you do not get correspondance from home, it really puts a shadow over my days. Of course this blog is not for the people that DO check up on me in the form of letters, emails, calls, and packages. I really do appreciate them. These are the things that keep me going.

On another note, I am planning an HIV/AIDS Awareness Kickoff in my village on March 25th. Former President Bush allocated money set aside for programs in Africa relating to the epidemic. Say what you want about the man, but the money will be put to good use. All the funds through this program needs to be used by March 30th. So of course, I wrote a grant to get some of that money for my village. The program will first consist of a two day crash training course about the virus to the nurses at the health center I work at. The nurses there told me they have not received training about the virus. They do not use gloves during injections. Only during births. They told me that blood is not touched during the injections. Yet I have seen blood touched a few times. I asked them what would they do if a women or a man comes in the health center WITH the virus and they KNOW they have the virus. They said they would wear gloves. Then I asked them, how would they know WHO has the virus if there is not testing in our village. They were silent.

After the two day crash course training the nurses will help me run the program, a film about the virus in the Fon language will be shown to the village, a person who lives with the virus will come to speak to people. Then there will be lunch. Afterwards with the help of the nurses, there will be two seperate health sessions, one for people 15 and older (how to put on a condom, fidelity ect.) and another for the children under 15 (don't touch blood, seperate razors for scarification, basic modes of transmission) so the messages will be understood according to age and experience. At the end of the program will be a game of soccer played by the children of the village.

I also will be doing a four day bike tour riding to different villages talking about HIV/AIDS with 10 other volunteers at the end of this month. All together we will be biking around 30 miles. I'm very excited about it. Also the first week in March I will be traveling to Burkina Faso for the African International film festival. I'm VERY excited about that too. I hear there are strawberries grown there. Like I said before, it's the little things that make me happy. Also in March I will be in a two day training up north to learn about moringa. Google it!! It is a MIRACLE plant for malnutrition. It's grown in the poorest conditions in the parts of the world most affected by malnutrition yet few know about the plant. Can't wait to start a moringa field in my village. Then following that, I'll be going to a Gender and Development fundraiser dinner. A married couple is coming to Benin in July for service and the wife went to my small 2500 student populated college!!! It's really a small world! I'm very excited about it.

So in conclusion, my folks suck, work is going well, and I'm doing pretty good.

Out with the girls!

Let's just say we have some awesome friends in Benin who really know how to enjoy themselves and have a great time. What a night!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAILI!!

That's right people. I am in Senegal! The most west part of Africa, home of Akon, and some of the most beautiful people on the planet!! This place is absolutely gorgeous. Don't get me started on the Peace Corps building here. It makes the one in Benin look like a homeless shelter. Well, at least our old one. I'm not sure how the new one is gonna come out until I get back next week. I'm talking marble steps and staircases, air conditioning in the WHOLE building, NICE bathrooms (nicer than the hotels in America type nice), and I can even get food delivered here!! WOW!! So I'm living it up...for a short minute. Senegal is gorgeous! So much more developed, mansions everywhere (at least in Dakar because Cotonou, Benin has them too), nice weather (I'm FREEZING in 66 degree weather), and TONS of stuff to do. I can't say too much now because this is my second day here. I'll fill you in next week. But it's awesome! I'm about to head to the bakery to get me a FRESH baked bagette to go with my omelette. I DO have to cook mostly here. It's high as S.uger H.oney I.ced T.ea here!! Last night I made baked red snapper with a lemon and garlic butter sauce served with jasmine white rice and corn. You know a girl can throw down in the kitchen! ; ) I got four whole red snappers for about two dollars!! I love being on the coast!!

I know it's so sudden. But I couldn't say no. He's that awesome. What the hell. In terms of how I feel about it, I have been honest to him about how I feel about a lot of things. My past relationships, my goals, my family, and even learning the difference between love, lust, and friendship. He's a wonderful person and has proven to me that not only can he handle a woman like me, but I also feel lucky to have met him. I hope everyone who is my friend and who cares about me understand that I am truly happy and couldn't have been more sure.

So the new year started off great!! This is the year where I will remember to love myself as well as my work. I want to get in shape, start on a project in my village, along with a personal endeavor. I might try to get something published. I have a journal online as well as one I handwrite in. I have some good thoughts I'd like to share with people and now is the time to share my memories. I went to Lome, Togo for New Year's. It was a beautiful experience. Lome seems to me that it's infrastructure is better than Cotonou. That's just my opinion. I stayed on the beach, chilled in VIP, ate good chinese, and danced all night.

One of my favorite photos.

Okay. So I'm beginning to feel a little homesick. I think it's because of the Christmas holiday. A lot of volunteers made trips back home to visit family, plus many parents are coming here to visit. On another note, I'm pretty exhausted after IST (In Service Training) and hanging out with my friends. Lots of information was jam paked into two weeks. My lugguge bags are full to the max and I regret bringing so many clothes to the training. I wanted to show off all my cool clothes. Now it's kicking my butt. Imagine riding a moto through the bush with a huge luggage bag on the front, a backpack that's about to tip you off the back of the moto, and two bags of Xmas gifts and groceries. This will be interesting in the next couple of hours. But i'll get back to post and be happy to see everyone in my village again.

I really am happy to see everybody in my health sector again. Some came ALL the way from up north. I'm happy to hear that everybody is doing great and loving their posts. In my training, I have learned how to start a latrine building project, and I also have some information for who to contact for small grants. I am very excited about really getting to work on some projects. It was kind of depressing to look in my mailbox and find little mail. Especially around the holidays. Most of my friends were getting lots of Christmas, I miss you, and thinking about you packages. So I have been a little sad about it. Okay really sad. But not ungrateful because I have received a few packages from friends earlier. But it sucks to not hear from family. I think that is what is beginning to get to me. I have become a vulture standing around people who get packages in hopes that they will share whatever they may have. What kind of sicko have I become???

On another note, I saw my host family during IST and they were very surprised. My friend who volunteers up north gave me some Wagasi (cheese), and I gave it to my family. They were very happy about it. Wagasi is GREAT cheese!! Some great things I got to do over the last two weeks during training and being with friends included clubbing, CHEESEBURGERS, ICE, Indian food, tailored clothes, and Northen Wagasi!! I had a blast! Maybe that's also why I'm a little sad. Everyone is leaving back to post today. I don't really have too much else to say other than I miss my friends, I'm a little disappointed about my mail situation, but thanks to everyone that kicked in because it meant a lot to me, and that I'm doing okay.

I think it's time for an update. So WORK has finally started in my village. I am very excited about it. Vaccinations have started and although I'm not allowed to give the shots, I was able to give vitamin A supplements, anti malaria medication, and medication for stomach worms. I strongly believe that because I have focused on integrating into my community first, the village recieved my first presentation very well. They wanted me to speak Fon and I did, they new my name, and are willing to help me in anyway possible towards future projects.

I am lucky to actually be able to use some of the tools we learned in training such as community mapping. It isn't very efficient if you live in a large populated area. My village is FAR from that. In fact, there wasn't too much to even put on the map. It's a great community building tool to not only bring the village together, but to see what their priorities are in terms of what resources are needed that are lacking. Ever since I got to my village, I wanted to build a well or two. Yet while using the community mapping project, I have found that there are water sources I didn't even know about. Including a hidden well. Very exciting. They really know their village. Also, the village wanted to draw in a cemetary and did not want to put exactly where the traditional healers lived because of tradition. Once we finished with the map, they came together and decided that they need latrines. Everyone goes into the bush and when it rains, Lord knows WHAT flows through the village. My village considered this a health problem and made it a priority. Not the well. They sure showed me. At first people were reluctant to say "I will work for free" in terms of digging, and building the latrines, but after explaining that this is their village, their children, and their lives who are going to suffer, they ALL stepped up. Even I'm going to dig too and they were very excited about it. They were all proud to take ownership of the project.

Last week, me and some other volunteers helped with eye screenings for over 200 children too. The children who failed the eye chart reading will be sent to Cotonou to see an eye doctor. Hopefully, we can get them some free glasses. They are getting free official exams and lense measurements. Things are awesome. I got packages too!! Thank you friends!! I really needed the love.

Me WALKING with balancing at the same time. Yeah, I rock I know!

Yeah that's me. Getting my integration on. Hot right?!

I know you've been dying to see my new hair...or lack thereof.lol! Do you like it? I know I do!! Feels great!! My new hair is so much easier to deal with. Feels a lot cooler (can FINALLY feel a breeze on my neck), I save a huge amount of shampoo (you have no idea how much shampoo AND water was used to wash my locks), less maintenance, all i gotta do is just brush it and get up and go, and last but not least, i still look pretty! LOL! At least I think so. Sorry if I disappointed anyone but sleeping at night and walking around with a WOOL like sweater on your head 24/7 in Africa was no longer my idea of fun....should've cut my hair during training with the other girls. I had chickened out. So glad I'm on the team now.

Still alive and kicking. Havent been sick surprisingly. It is hot here. Not as hot in the north though. Had a snake in my backyard that ate y neighbor's baby chickens. His bite also killed the mother. Dont know what kind of snake it was although I was told that he was long and black. Hope it wasnt the Black Mamba.... Yesterday I rode my bike for that first time in my villlage. It was awesome! The sand the other way made the route difficult so i refused to try. I was bored and needed something to do. Playing solitaire became obsessive so I needed to get out and do something. So I took a bike ride. I totally loved it. Didnt know exactly where I was going but I was going. Just felt like going...Like Forest Gump. Next time I will go further. Managed to run into a school. Not literally, but found one. I did run into a lot of puddles and was very muddy. Wont ride my bike after a rain again. That was smart. So I spoke to the teacher at the school and to the children in my limited Fon. They just loved that. Explained why I am here and what I am doing. Great integration! I was nervous because no one was with me to help me translate but I figured I would be okay...and I was. I knew more French than I thought I did. I did find out that there are a few people in my village who speak French. Mostly they are men and children who have started school. But they are rare. If anything, they know greetings and that's it.

During my free time....which I have a huge amount of, I read, read, read, cook new stuff so people can try it...I made cornbread and they LOVED it. Even gave a cornbread making class. So in a way I was working...Exchanging some American culture. Also I listen to BBC on my shortwave radio religiously, write letters, write in my journal, and talk on my cellphone with other volunteers and family from home when I have the phone credit. Speaking of BBC, can I hear just ONE positive thing on the radio?? I mean just one. Things here in Benin are looking better and better...Yesterday, opened my door and a lizard fell on my arm...I am telling you those lizards love me!!LOL! So now I have been better able to store foods. Only buy what you will eat in two to three days. Smoked fish lasts pretty long if you fry it a little eat day. Up to three days without a fridge. Eggs can last for a couple of weeks. The pavilion is almost completed so I will start giving sensibilizations soon. Looking forward to starting work. Malaria is common here as well as malnutrition.

So here is a unique experience for me. Three or four days ago marks the FIRST day children have started staring, following, stalking me at my house. They watch me do EVERYTHING. Cook, sweep, talk on the phone, eat....I feel like a caged animal in the zoo. Interesting because in the beginning I was always mistaken as Beninese. Word must have got out.... Now I understand and feel sorry for the other volunteers. It's totally weird to be watched all the time. But I will get used to it, or even better will become boring with further integration.

I miss the other volunteers...A lot...Hope they are doing okay. I miss home too. I miss my mom. She's hilarious. I also miss ice. God, I love ice. I love Benin. I see or learn something new EVERYDAY. Like today I learned how to say, I am going to the market in Fon. N nanyi ahime bowa. Exciting! Everything is Gunji Gunji (great). I cant wait till mango season hits again. We got here the last two weeks it was here. Mangoes are sooo good. Got a mango tree in front of my house. Although I have solar electric at night. It hasnt been on the past few days. And I havent died so things are okay. The lamp and candles do just fine. Since my house is small with two rooms, I dont need much light. I am not as afraid of spiders anymore. I have seen probably three hundred plus since I have been here so they have become less scary with acquaintances. I hate those damn crickets though. They are in my ceiling which prevents me from getting to them and KILLING them. So they sing all night. That's when I wish a spider will just EAT them. But each night I am disappointed. Where is a spider when you need one huh? Killed my own chickens and have just bought a male and female so I can raise a couple at my neighbor's house. Cheaper that way. Life in Benin so far is going and going pretty good. Thanks to those who have sent me packages!! Hopefully I will be getting them in my hands this week....I will keep my fingers crossed....

I cut my hair!! I will provide photos soon. It was just too hot for me to keep my locks. I absolutely LOVE it! So I have spent three weeks at post....AND LOVE IT!! The people here are awesome, yet there isnt much for me to do. I do enjoy cooking. I also enjoy reading, writing in my journal, and talking on the phone with my postmate. You really have to find things to do when you are in the middle of nowhere. Okay, so I will talk about a couple of weird/new/funny things I have experienced here so far since I have been at my post. Again, my stories do not reflect Benin generally but I must tell you a couple of stories because they made me smile. Dont take anything I say personally.

The first couple of days, I was trying to figure out how to comfortably use my latrine. I dont sit butI stand on it. First, I stamp a few times so if there are bugs there, they will get lost. So after I did that, I stood on it and began to urinate. Immediately, a gecko jumped out and landed right on my ass!!!! I fell off the larine and ran out with my pants down! LOL! I freaked out and busted out laughing. Never new I would get intimate with a lizard so soon.

So a sage femme (midwife) who i work with along with my other work partner who is a male helped me move in my place. Remember that I am REALLY in the bush and people dont have much access to anything here. So while they were helping me move my stuff around, my tampons fell out of one of the boxes. I was very embarrassed. The guy says, "Are these cigarettes?" And the midwife says, "Yes they are. I didnt know you smoked Satin!!"

Have you ever seen a person put out a cigarette...with his barefeet? I did and was totally shocked. He tells me thats because he is African. And I say "No, Thats not African! Thats bush!!" And he cracked up laughing!

So here are a couple of things I have experienced so far and cant wait to experience many more interesting things. Dont have much internet access so I will try to write again soon. Still waiting on a package.....Does anyone love me??

That's me at the beach. Grand Popo is the name. Great spot to just relax, eat ICE CREAM, and enjoy the sun. Bubbles from the water is what is on my ankle if you wanted to know.

This is my favorite outfit I got made. Love the colors.

This is my awesome host family. This was at the swearing in ceremony. This year is the 40th anniversary for Peace Corps in Benin. If you look closely you can see the custom made design on my outfit. We all swore in with style! Now I am an official Peace Corps Volunteer!! In the pic is my host uncle, his wife and my house sister. Host mama giving me a congratulations kiss as you can see. You want to know something nice? My mother from the states gave me the same kiss on a pic when I graduated from college. See, we're not as different as we may think we are. I will miss them dearly.

Some cultural visuals for you. Voodoo. It was a nice event. They can dance pretty good actually. This was at my house.

So this is my last post before I move to village. In host family closing, I could not be more happier with the family I had. I learned so much, I ate so much, and I was loved so much! Host families are the best way to integrate into a new culture and I am truly blessed to have gotten that opportunity. I do plan to visit them diuring my time here. Training was intense and I am glad it is over but I am sad at the same time because I really bonded with a lot of the volunteers. I will really miss our times together. As a new volunteer reflecting on everything, I couldn't be more happy with what I am doing. I am so nervous and excited for tomorrow. I had to buy so much stuff for my new place since I am a new volunteer and not replacing another one. Life in Benin has truly been a ride alright!!! Can't wait to talk about what will happen next! A la prochaine (until next time)!

Who wants to be the first one to send me a package??? Dont all rush at once : )

My house is on the right. There isnt a powerline in the sky for miles yet I have electricity and cellphone coverage. SolarPower baby!! Nice to be friendly to the environment. My village is gorgeous! So I am very happy with my boss placing me here.

This is the baby I helped to deliver...well not exactly deliver but I got to pass some stuff to the nurses and help out momma at 5: 54 am so you can say I kinda did something lol. He is about three hours old here. You can see that he isn't very happy with me lol. He was a first born too and the mother took it like a champ!

This is the health center I will be working at as well as a monestary about six km away. They are building this pavillion so I can give health education sessions. They are so kind. I didn't even ask for this.

This is the first outfit I had made. How do I look?? I did the headwrap myself!

This was on the way to my village. I was so nervous to find out where my spot was. As you can see the road is really eroded and I am REALLY in the bush!! But I love it!! Cars cant even get through this.

Chez moi!! Weh che bea dieh (my house is here)! I have a living room and a really large bedroom which will also be my kitchen area. Simple and just fine for me. I have a mango tree about 25 steps away from my front door : ) and I have two latrines....I dont know why but I do. I have my own backyard area with my own douche (shower) area. I also have a chicken coupe. Yes I just might use it.

This is my village about 1km away (6-7blocks) This is the entrance that I will be walking through each day. Isn't it beautiful!? Most of the people in the village live here. I live in a concession across from the health center I will be working at because this place here doesnt have a water source and they have to get their water from a stream. So I wasn't allowed to live directly in this area but I am VERY close. I think I will be starting a well project sometime soon.

This was the big ass spider I found in my room. Glad I saw him before I went to bed huh? Dont worry. I have a mosquito net so he wouldnt have eaten me alive in my sleep.

Some cultural exchange going on. This was one of my first photos in a Benin and I think one of my favorites. Gloria was the first child I played with in Benin. I taught her a hand game I used to play as a child and she learned it in about five minutes flat! Apparently hand games are many little girls' favorite pastime in Africa. She was so adorable.

My village was just what I wished it to be. Welcoming, beautiful, quiet, and a place where I could be of service. It is sooo peaceful there. Plenty of time to think and reflect about a lot of things during my two years. I already am learning Fon, and the village chief can speak English!! How crazy is that!! I was struggling with my french and he just busted out talking in English and we just laughed and laughed. In response to me being worried about French, not too many people speak it in the village anyway so I guess that makes me feel better. Each thing I said in Fon just made their glow up!! Everyone loves me already and cant wait for me to get back. I helped out with a birth at the health center already (these women are hardcore without the painkillers!! They dont make ANY noise of pain), I also met the with the nurses I will be working with, and Chief of police and the doctor of a neighboring town (my village is just too small for all of that). I just cant get over how beautiful my village is an how friendly the people are. I cant wait to swear in and start my work. I am sorry for the late picutes and I hope these will suffice until another time. Please comment, email, and write me sometime.

Okay. So I have met my work partner and am very happy with meeting her so far. I found out that the director of the NGO I will be working for was a Peace Corps facilitator. He was a french language trainer. Crazy cool huh?!! From what I hear they have been waiting on a volunteer for quite sometime and they are really excited to have me!! I will be the first volunteer here and my home is newly built for me so I'm happy about that. And I see my village tomorrow....I just don't know what to expect and I am really nervous about it. I am only staying for four days but this is the time to gt a feel for our work partners and communites. My work partner wants to help me order my furniture from the carpenters and bargain. Im excited about that. Visuals always work with limited french. She told me that I will meet the mayor, village chief, and a bunch of other people waiting for me. Can you say "nervous"???

Again I heard that my village is beuatiful with palm trees all over the place. And I am in anana (pineapple) paradise!!!! Nice!!! She says, I will be living in a village with 500-700 people actually. I thought it was 1500. I'm very excited about it because I wanted a very small close knit community. She said I was lucky about getting what I wanted and my facitator said I was lucky to be working with the director who already knows the mission of Peace Corps. Yay!!!! However....my french SUCKS!! I am getting discouraged but I continue to try every chance I get. I know I will get better like anyone else who learns a language but I feel that I really SUCK!!! However I have been told that I'm doing fine. I plan on getting a tutor. So now I have put my focus on learning Fon because only about three or four people in the village speak French. Great huh? Oh yeah!! I got my first Beninese outfit made and I am very happy about it. I blend right in which is good and bad. I even fooled one or two volunteers who glanced right at me and thought I was Beninese. Nice. I still havent packed so I should probably get started on that. Wish me luck!! I hope I like the place I will be living in for two years.

Thoughts crossing my mind...

How will the ride there be?

What does my village really look like?

What does my house look like?

How will I react?

Hope my village isn't mad that I'm not white

Will they believe that I'm American?

What will they think of my French?

How much will my furniture cost??

How friendly are the people?

What do they expect from me??

I will soon find out.....

Damn I hate these computers. They are slow and because these are French keyboards make contact even slower. Oh well...I should just thank God I have the internet. I saw a HUGE spider in my room last night!!! I mean freaking huge!! Did I ever tell you that I was terrified of cockroaches and spiders?? Well I am. The spider was about half the size of my shoe!! EEEEEKKKK!!! And guess what....I killed it myself!!!!! There was no way in hell I was gonna run and get somebody so he could hide when I got back! Yay!! I'm a big girl now!! First, there was the flying cockroach, the one I stepped on barefoot (eww, by accident), and now a spider on steroids! I'm so proud of myself for bringing that big ass can of Raid here with me!! I didn't even have to go near the monster. I will provide a picture of him soon. A la Prochaine (until next time)!!!

This was in Ouidah at the Sacred forest. We've been told that trees are the wisest because they have seen so much in their years. If they could talk they'd have a lot to say!! This one is over 300 years old.

This is at the Sacred Temple of the Serpents in Ouidah. I love snakes! If you cant see it, my shirt says "Benin....Right there next to Nigeria" We aren't allowed to go there even though we are soooooo close! It really sucks but rules are rules. News update...I still love BENIN!!! You would too if you ever been in Benin lol!!

Hey everyone. Things here are still awesome! I love my placement i'll be getting after traning. Its definitely in the bush. Its a real small community in the south with less than 1500 people. I have solar electricity!!! Way cool!!!! I'll be working in violence againt women, family planning, maternal care and anything else would be too many expectations at least until i get there. I love the volunteers here. i feel we have a great support system. believe it or not, i haven't even been homesick!! the pace here is awesome!! everyone is so chill!! the clothing is absolutly gorgeous!! and training is going pretty well! french is sooooo hard but im forced to use it all day everyday. sometimes i just want to shout out in english what i am thinking to someone but very few people around me speaks english. my host family speaks in goun all day so its even more challenging to learn my french; but i can do it!! pas une probleme (not a problem). man do i miss flaming hot cheetoes right now!!!! So bad i can almost taste them!!! i love benin so much!!! i see a cool thing every single day!!! Just the other day i saw a baby goat being born on the side of the road. Cant get that in Baltimore i tell you that!!! i am soooo happy to be here! Write me!!!!!

okay so my sense of privacy is totally different here. even right now if you get my drift... it is okay to show your breasts here but you should NEVER show your lower back.......yah i dont get it either. people dont walk around like that in public by they do in their houses sometimes like it isnt a problem at all. when my host auntie talks to me, i get a little side tracked lol!! also i miss just getting in a bed without having to re fix my mosquito net. there are goats and chickens walking around everywhere. yet they have owners. sometimes they just sit right on your steps and just chill. i just wanted to be random. i also hear the muslim calls every morning at 4:30 am....things here are sooo different but soooo awesome....until next time!!!!

Wow do I have an awesome family. Everyone takes extra care of me. They feed me all day, I sing and play hand games with my host sisters and neighbors which they absolutely LOVE, I dance all day, and pretty much just entertain people with my jokes in french. At least with the little french I know. My family greeted me with open arms and it is surely the best experience I have had thus far. They want me to get fat. I don't mind. The food is great!! I had crabs for lunch the other day. I have fish almost everyday which is one of my favorite foods so things are working out. People here use a lot of hot peppers which isn't bad either. The music is great!! Also, they have black eyed peas!! That's big in southern African American diet along with many other things here such as a similar green sorta like the collard green. They have okra too!! Things are coming together in terms of how African Americans and the people of the Caribbean connect through the slave trade. Even the instruments are the same like in the Caribbean!!

Earlier in my posts I was worried about how I would be viewed by the locals being black. Well...it has its good and bad. When I'm with the other volunteers I am not greeted. If I'm greeted, it's second. So in that sense, I don't feel included. Some people even look at me like "Why is she speaking when I was talking to the Yovo (white person, stranger)??"" Also people wonder why I don't know the culture and think I'm Beninese. On the other hand, when I wear the local clothes, I blend in with everyone!....until I ride my bike with my book bag and helmet and then I look like a complete idiot instead of an American. They stare at me like I'm a fish out of the water. It's cool though. I just greet everyone who stares and whomever I pass. I also can talk to them about the similarities that I share with them at home and they love to hear about it!!! In that sense it's nice to be able to show them that all Amerians are not white. My experience is definitely unique and I'm loving every minute of it. I feel at home. I'm so happy to be in the motherland!!!

This is Cotonou. The city where the Peace Corps Office is located. See the Zemijans! They are EVERYWHERE. Plus I love the sign with the African flags. Those are just a few by the way. Busy place!! My post won't be this populated though.

Go speedracer go!!!! Pray for me!! Zemijan training. How do you negotiate prices, called them over, get on and off with a dress and what not? Very cool experience.

So It was great to have so many volunteers greet us off the plane. I felt so included. The first thing I noticed once we loaded all of our luggage and rode the taxi to our hostel was how many Zemejans (get me there fast) motorbikes are around. Just think of New York City and the cars.....replace them with Zemejans. And they drives like nuts. But they are soooo awesome. I rode my first one today. The other day I had my first bucket bath and believe it or not, It wasn't bad at all!! In fact, since it's hot, the cold water actually feels pretty good. Glad I have black soap. It's sooooo cleansing. It's an African soap which for some reason I can't find ANYWHERE. I have five bars so far and in about 3 or 4 months I may need some more. That's what someone told me. I didn't realize how much French I knew! I'm so proud of myself. I've been having nice conversations already with the local people. I can't wait to get better at it. Training is intense but well worth it I'm sure. The other volunteers are soooooo kind. One even gave me a digital camera memory card since I left mine home. People REALLY look out for each other hear and I am ever so thankful for being in Benin and being with such an awesome group!! I love the Beninese people!! They are soooo kind and really try to make an effort to get to know you. At least that's what I'm getting. Then again, I approach everyone. Just wanted to say again that my time in Benin is awesome and I'm even MORE happy that I joined Peace Corps now that I'm here. It's totally me!!!! Yay!!!!!

As time is crunching down with only three weeks left in the states, some intense anxiety along with excitement comes over me. I have come to realization that I won't be going home to visit while in the Peace Corps, unless I get a sponsor from home. So as of right now I'm trying to live my life to the fullest here before I leave. I'll be back before I know it. I leave tomorrow morning to Seattle, Washington to see my aunt who has been my biggest inspiration! She had nothing coming up yet she worked hard for the success she has achieved. She is a vice president at a community college. Although she has a great career, she always had time for her niece. I can't wait to see her! We're supposed to be checking out Canada too! I've never been to Seattle or Canada so I'm hoping to see some nice mountains. Just last night I came from NYC. Don't you just love Time Square at night? I'll be a great dream I'll have in my slumbers while being in Benin.

Right now I'm just trying to cherish the small things you know. Stop to smell a rose. Close my eyes and open my arms to a cool breeze each day. Eat chocolate. Travel. Hug and talk to my grandma. Tell my mom that I love her and will miss her nagging. The great thing about my aunt is that she always believes that I'll be successful. At one time she lost a little faith when I fell behind in college. She is soooooo happy that I'm joining the Peace Corps and she is the ONLY one in my family who understood my reasons for going. She also was the ONLY one in my family who understood my reasons for going to college out of state. To experience new perspectives. The fact that she works at a college not only helps her to understand to my dreams as a graduate student wanting to pursue a masters in student affairs, but my aunt who always had something in common with me. It's been years since I've sat down with her and talked about my future. I'm not a teenager anymore and although it's been years, I want to have a closer bond with her at this critical time in my life. I look forward to her advice about graduate school. Enjoy time with your family at take all the advice you can get. I think those are the best memories.

So as I relax thinking about my beautiful vacation in the Bahamas this past week, a few minutes later only ends in guilt. Guilt that there are people around the world that could never have the experience I just had. With deep thought, I realize that my love for others should not be at the expense of me loving myself. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, I want to share something that I recently grew to understand. I think that guilt for one another who has hardship is nothing but wasted energy. Knowing that we have the power to educate and understand one another while learning from their experiences is a blessing. Do something about the issues, but only if you truly care. If you don't care you won't grow. Learn another language, read about cultures different from yours, be proactive, challenge fears, and LISTEN. History as shown that bad things happen amongst people because they don't listen to one another. Examples include ignoring the devastation slavery has caused, ignoring the discrimination that women have, or ignoring the children who's schools have failed them.

I don't know about anyone else, but I feel as an American, we (and I mean we) unfortuately have a dark history as a country of oppression. Although we are viewed as a free country, we are just as equality viewed as imperfect. Capitalism has bled a line of oppression at the expense of others. Today, we still see the aftermath of our past in front of us. My own family doesn't understand why I'm doing FREE work and not pursuing a better line of work. Our society is a materialistic society. Our society is a capitalistic society. Therefore, it isn't hard to see a person in another country to view us as greedy, selfish, and maybe even cruel people. I hope that my raw perspective of the world spoken to a native in Benin could be of benefit to the both of us. We could be windows for each others curious views about one another's experiences. I know for certain that although I won't be wearing flashy diamonds around my neck, or driving a Bentley, they know that my food is processed at the market before I buy it, and that I have clean water coming from the faucet. Some may see that as rich. So although I may see them as poor with nothing to be happy about, they are richer than me in other ways. To know the name of everyone in your community would be considered a popularity thing in America. To them, it's having an extended family who looks out for you. Or to be the one who actually sees the "fruit of their labor" and see the end results and profits of his/her harvest. I've heard so many negatives about me going to Africa but I look forward to so many more positives. It's almost time for me to leave this small part of the world around me and enter a new world for me to live in soon. I'm looking very forward to it. Now back to Rosetta Stone! LOL!

So now my placement has been changed due to my insecurities with my asthma and Niger's extreme weather conditions. The extreme heat could trigger my asthma. Better safe than sorry. As far as how I feel about the new placement, I COULD NOT BE MORE SATISFIED! You may wonder why I'm so excited about the placement. For a few reasons, some medically and some personally. First of all, the weather is more tolerable which means better breathing for me. Hopefully....but I don't wanna count my chickens before they hatch. They also have decent fruits and that grow there! Pineapple, Mangoes, Oranges, Papaya, and bananas. Other reasons is because I wanted to be in West Coast Africa to learn more about the slave trade areas. Voodoo is a Caribbean tradition that goes back to Benin where it's true origin lives. The culture was sent over seas through the slave trade and we can still see that culture lived today in both places. I find that very interesting.

Nigeria and Ghana are very nice countries from what I've heard so I wouldn't mind checking them out since they aren't too far away. I also would have better access to a seafood diet. I REALLY love seafood! I am from Maryland if you didn't know. And I get the beach!!!! Yay!! Of course I may not be anywhere near it but it's in reach if I want to see it. It's definitely a country I wanted to see before I knew about my placement. Of course speaking from a slightly selfish point of view and from someone who doesn't know too much about the benin, these are a few basic things that I find pleasing about the country. You have to remember that I'll be living amongst extreme poverty...so these few things hopefully will make my stay a little more bearable. Shout out to Josie who recommended me speaking to Peace Corps about my grievences. It truly made me feel sooooo much better! I'll be a community health advisor and I'm looking very forward to it! I leave July 1st.

I plan on using this website as much as I can and I would love to hear from current volunteers, future volunteers, returned volunteers, or just inquiring minds who want to live vicariously through my writings. Enough of the rambling. I've ALWAYS wanted to be a Peace Corps volunteer, even since I was in high school. I have always had a love for culture different than mine. I always wanted to travel and experience what life would be like in another perspective. Without this type of interaction, we cannot truly appreciate the things we have as Americans and what I look forward to most of all is to share life with humanity in a way that seeks to uplift each other through dialouge and compassion. Although I am an African American, I am still an American who has a completely different understanding than the people who live in Benin West Africa. To them, they may still view me as a "white person" which I believe is another word for "privileged". What MY personal goals as an African American woman is to show the Benin people that America isn't filled with people that are born rich. That includes white, black, and brown. It is important for them to know that America wears the faces of different types of people. America doesn't always have a white face or a rich face.

Many people on their blogs express their fears of being called the nasara or white person all the time and the burden of them being viewed negatively and seen as rich all the time. I can understand those fears clearly and I show my empathy. I too have fears from my own brown skin color. Although I may blend in which may be considered a good thing in some cases (won't be stared down to death), I still could be confused as one of them therefore, I could be more oppressed. Being a woman already has its risks. I may not be as respected by the people since I look more like them. This has been told to me in my interview. I may be ignored. Or even confused with being from a particular tribe. Being amongst people that look like me has its ups and down. I'll be able to see people that look like me in high office positions but i'll also see them dying and starving. These experiences can be difficult to bear and I expect tears to fall sooner or later. But I'll also will hear the beautiful music flow through my body from the drums beating, and learn about the precious culture that has been preserved, and develop bonds through a new language, and share skills and information to people. All of these things, good and bad, is what makes the Peace Corps Experience. I look forward to every step of the way!