So it took a full day to go from Cotonou, Paris, ATL, to SRQ. It was tiring but it was fine. I did not know that you had to re-check bags once you came back into the US. Had a tasty Taco Bell taco once I landed and my grandma had a bunch o people over for my homecoming, which was nice. Since this was a Benin blog this will prob be the last post. Peace out.

In the Office finishing up final reports, medical, returning equipment, and transferring my million CFA to the new PCVL. The office is closed today due to Ramadan so next week I start up again. Sent my itinerary to people and look forward to seeing everyone when I get back...and eating a new Taco Bell 'volcano' configuration.

Been looking for small knick-knacks to bring back to people commemorating my 2 years in Benin. Unfortunately Benin really doesn't have much outside of Voodoo that is exclusively Beninese. I have been traveling a lot in the Alibori the last few days and I have the taxi tans/burns to prove it. Saw a semi trailer split in half due to it MAERSK container weight. Also saw Benin in the news http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/world/africa/19benin.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&sq=benin&st=cse&scp=2 I saw this crowd in Cotonou when I was down there a couple weeks ago. There is one of those investment offices across the street from where I pick up the bus line. People asked me a long time ago if my money was there...the company was telling people they were from America. I told people it was a scam...anywhere that promises 50-100% returns OR MORE is just silly. But apparently lots of people wanted to get in on it. I like how the article seems to link the many poor people in this country with the few rich, rich functionaries who actually invested funds in this scheme. I'm lucky to be getting out of here now, in case there are any uprisings in the upcoming election.

It has been almost a month since my last post...sorry about that. Been busy traveling and wishing the 1st groups of PSL 21 safe travels back home. We started sending people back last week. My boy E and I did a lot of neat (and pricey) things for his last week in Cotonou, including massages and golfing. 7 mille for an hour massage was awesome and I will be back. Golfing was interesting @ the Marina Hotel. It was the most grass I have seen for 2 years....greens were packed oil sand....4 holes were on the beach. I've played better. Tomorrow I head back up to post to finish off my last month. Only 1 more up/down trip until I never have to ride that road again! I want to order some furniture for the incoming PCVL so his new house seems more livable. Met some of the new trainees and they all seem excited to get going...they are still soo clean (clothes/hair). After watching the first departures I'm eager to head back and start all over again.

I am in Cotonou again for a little while to help train the incoming class of PCVLs. After that there is a National VAC meeting here....and after that the new stage come into Benin. Everyone is excited to welcome the newcomers...and a few of us are excited to be on our way. I think 2 Alibori PCVs are out the 1st week of Aug. I come back down at the end of the month for medical. I think I really need to start on my resume and start spamming those employers. Maybe next week. I hope to get a round of golf in with Elliot before he heads out. I lost a temp guard the other day to illness (as in he is dead), and another guard is getting married so I think they will want me to attend the festivities (funerals are reasons to party here). Recently Kandi hosted a girls camp...girls were brought in from all over the Alibori. They really enjoyed themselves with all the singing and activities and informational sessions. They liked the soccer training the best...especially the header drills.

Still no internet in the WS. I am lucky enough to be typing on a computer linked by USB key...but it is leaving later today. Spent the fourth (our 2nd anniversary in-country) in Djougou. Many PCVs come out to battle a group of German volunteers in Soccer and Football (american). We tied in soccer...and the ensuing p-ks, which was impressive since we Americans are not known for our soccer affinity nor prowness. Only a little over 2 months to go over here. Trying to wrap things up. Thanks to Kims mom (I think it was Kim's mom) for the info on the warthog tusk....I have one and want to bring it home but I still have not found anything restricting me from bringing it. Warthogs aren't endangered or anything, so I think it will be fine. June was a busy month and July is shaping up to be more of the same...lots of traveling. Ready to get back to the US to be poor and jobless (here in Africa I am only one of those 2 things)

My part of the Alibori has been without internet connection for over a month...it makes work only slightly more difficult. Just approved the construction on the new WS house for the incoming PCVL. Sched. my Oral Assessment for the State Dept in the middle of Oct. Does anyone know if a warthog tusk is ivory? Watched the US Vs. Algeria world cup match today. A beninoise was making noise at the ajoining table. I told him the Beninese squirrels weren't playing and he said he was rooting for the 'African' team. I didn't think I had to explain to him that the US team had more players of 'his' african descent compared to the arabic algerian team.

Hey everyone. The Alibori has been with out internet (24h/24h) since May 21st...lame. I just got my invite to go to the State Dept oral assessment...but I have to wait until the end of the month to schedule the interview date (when/where). If i don't have to do it in D.C., that would be great. I will have to get some clothes tho...basically 2 years in the African bush mandates that you get an entirely new wardrobe:) Getting excited to see everyone again, and finishing up my service strong!

Finally know my COS date. I am heading out of here on Sept 16th. COS conference was nice. Got the chance to speak with a couple embassy people who helped to flesh out the selection process. Heading back up north tomorrow, so no more warm showers. Rainy season came early this year and is full swing up north. Decided to let PC buy my ticket home instead of getting cash-in-lieu...hopefully did not miss an opportunity to get some extra cash.

So the last month I have been very preoccupied with the fact that I have been here a very long time. Been looking at alternative sites for the workstation incase we need to move. A large storm blew of a contactor in the electrical closet yesterday that I had replaced 12 hours earlier! Other than that I have been taking it easy this month ahead of COS conference (when we decide your COS date).

I have been pretty busy since my last post. I went back up to post and fixed the workstation computer again. I then started the process to relocate (we might have to move the workstation because the landlord wants to double the rent and his asking price is unreasonable)...this means I talked to everyone I could think of to find out if there were available properties of the size I would be looking for. There are no real estate agents in the Alibori. I talked to NGO directors, school professors, mayor's office officials, my guards, the nuns at the local catholic mission, the post office guys....you get the idea. I finally tracked a couple leads on 4 houses from the guy at UNDP's environmental volunteerism project and the guard at the bus station. The friend of the bus station guard actually looks like my best bet and I will start to see sites on Monday. My last post mentioned I was heading up...I spent 3 days at post, paid guards and started the house hunt...then I went back down to Cotonou for a national VAC meeting...am currently en route to head back up to post and get an eye on these possible workstation sites and get specs/prices. I am half and half on moving workstation sites. On one hand it would be a cool thing to write on a resume that I saved PC 25% on rent costs by finding a new site and relocating....but the move would come at the very tail end of my service....I really did not want to be THAT busy at the end. Weather has been really strange the last few weeks. It actually rained in the Alibori! It was 74 degrees the morning I left (Monday the 26th)! For chaleur weather that is insane, but I really hope it continues. I read some of the reports of the oil spill in the Gulf...I hope that stuff stays away from our pristine white-sand beaches! Grandma, tell Obama this is why FLA is against off-shore drilling!

So I got the green light to head back up to post, which is exciting. I will be coming back down at the end of the month to participate in the national VAC. I log a LOT of hours on those buses. Speaking of which, I heard of another Intercity bus catching fire and burning up near where my accident happened...looking forward to that cursed S-curve. Helped interview the next generation of PCVLs yesterday so I know who is replacing me, the other UF grad here in Benin (congrats to Jeff).

So apparently there is a large volcano in Iceland or somewhere that is closing out all the airports in Europe. We PCVs in Benin would normally pay no attention to this except that Paris is our one gateway out of here, back to America. There are a lot of people in the Office right now (I am still here and will prob be here for a couple days) that are coming to/from America for differing reasons. My wrist was examined and the docs put me on a large dosage of anti-inflammatory drugs. They said nothing was structurally wrong but they sent the CT scan to Washington to have it double checked. I asked for a copy (I have a copy of my MRI done to my knee) but the doc got very defensive and would not let me have one. I think he believed I was asking because I wanted a second opinion and did not trust his assessment. In reality I just thought it would be cool to have a copy of the scan. As I stated earlier, I have been in Cotonou all month...I need to get back and do work (the workstation seems to be falling apart, according to the phone calls I have been receiving). A number of other PCVs were sent to S. Africa for medical reasons. Their descriptions make it sound like a nice place.

I am still in Cotonou until the docs can give me the results of the CT scan. We are just waiting on the local hospital to send the results over to PC and then another doc will look me over. I finished the Personal Narratives for the State Dept and I should find out by June if they want me to come for the 2nd round of interviews.

The workstation (and the surrounding town) has been without power and electricity for over 2 weeks now (H2O has also been off/on)...this is why I am late on my update. I passed the FSOT. Now I will fill out some personal narratives and if all goes well I will be invited to Washington D.C. in October to finish the application process. Project Play really went well. 5 teams showed up and 8 coaches from all over the department. The skill level of the kids was surprisingly high. This weekend I am near the internet most of the time so I'll be responding to emails. It is still dusty and cooler in the Alibori...the dust made me a bit sick. I also helped paint a health center mural about a balanced diet.

A couple days ago the weather here in the Alibori really started acting strange. Temps reached upper the 90's...which is normal, the temps should have kept rising until we reached mid 100's. Then the wind picked up for two days and kicked up a lot of dust. Finally two days ago it actually RAINED for about 4-5 mins. Yesterday and today we had about 150m of visability...the dust was so thick in the air that you could taste it breathing. I caught one of the large lizards running aroung the workstation only to find out they have unproportionaly large teeth for such a small animal. He caught me in the thumb and left two long teeth marks.

I finally got the workstation computer operational again! It was been a couple weeks since we have had reliable internet up here in the north. The summer heat (chaleur) is coming and now the mercury never dips below 90 degrees. Even the water coming for the faucet is hot! It will keep climbing into the 100's until April/May. I plan to make strategic vacations to the south over the next couple months to minimize my exposure and heat rash. Currently chugging along on assisting Project Play to put on a soccer formation for C.E.G. students in a couple weeks (projectplayafrica.org). I received permission to us the stadium, got funding for a nearby team to travel for the match, and also helped organize a girl’s team to join in the activities. The end of service is fast approaching. Applications for upp0er level positions for PCVs have gone out and everyone is planning their next steps. The FSOT was interesting. My essay question asked for what I believed should be the U.S. policy position on illegal immigrants...I was luckier than those who got the question about the special appropriations committee! I am still harried right now by many admin issues but I will try and get a couple Mali photos up by the end of the week. Health update: My left hand is still bothering me. The docs decided to get me a CT scan but all doctors in Benin are on strike (and have been for 3 months)...we don't know when I will finally get the CT scan...maybe next week. This just means more trips to Cotonou, which I have been anxious to avoid. I have noticed that I have a higher sensitivity to the insane driving we all encounter here as PCVs.

Happy late-birthday to everyone who had February birthdays and my mother (her birthday was yesterday). I took the Foreign Service Officer Test a couple days ago and feel that I did pretty well on it. After returning to post I found out the the power regulator and fridge and computer and security lights were blown from a power surge...that is why I have been out of contact for a while. I will try and get photos of the Mali trip up as soon as a new computer gets up to the workstation.

Had a good trip to Mali. Am back in Benin and had to hit the ground running. When I got back to the WS I found that the power regulator had defaulted and a number of electrical devices in the WS were blown (including the refrigerator, a number of security lights, and the computer). Because of this my internet access will be very limited for the next month or more.

Two reps from the State Dept. visited some of us in Cotonou last week and we were able to pick their brains (for a short time) about the FSOT (Foreign Service Exam). It is being offered in Benin for the first time and I think I will take it. Apparently it does not count against you later in the selection process if you don't pass it the first time you take it OR if you do pass but you fail to follow up for later rounds of assessment (oral interviews in Washington). PC won't pay for the round trip but I think I'd like to take it just to see what it looks like. Being in Benin for 2 years really drops your current events IQ to basement levels. Also, I prob will have to go to grad school before seriously pursuing a state dept job since over 80% of the people who do end up selected have post grad degrees...it is the new college degree. Getting the amazing opportunity to breakfast with the Ambassador and Assistant Secritary of State before going off to Mali for vacation. Can't go north of Mopti due to Islamic beheadings so Timbuktu is out...lame. I wanted to see the dunes of the Sahara. Anti-HIV meds are also still lame.

The x-rays turned up negative on my wrist. The docs did not think the arm needed to be put under the machine. I think both were just pretty badly bruised. My seatmate also seems to have gotten away with just a few cuts and bruises. We are both on the anti-HIV medications, which don't exactly make you feel super. I don't need anything and I'll prob be here in the main office till next Tues/Weds to see a Washington official about a career path with the Foreign Service. Thanks for the love everyone, and I 'll see you guys when I see you.

Myself and 2 other PCVs were on our way down to Cotonou yesterday to participate in a VAC (volunteer action council) meeting. Since the other two were VAC reps and I'm a PCVL it was basically mandatory. We had left Parakou in the morning and had just past Dassa around 10 AM when the bus came around a S-curve to find 4-5 vehicles stopped in it road. The driver pumped the breaks a little, then entered the oncoming lane to see if he could just pass the stopped vehicles. What he saw was a semi truck coming right at us. The driver re-entered our lane and began pumping the breaks very quickly. It did not look like we ere going to stop in time to avoid a collision with the cars in front of us...this is when I started the quote that I used to the title of this posting. Right before we hit the line of cars the driver chose to test his luck in the on-coming lane again. The semi and bus met each other going around 30 MPH (each). I was sitting next to another PCV and we ducked. The impact was loud and glass ad rice was thrown everywhere (the window beside my seatmate had shattered and the semi was carrying a load of rice on it's flatbed. Once we stopped I got up off the floor (the impact had thrown my body through my seat belt) and observed a lot of chaos. Most off the seats on the bus had ripped out of the floor. After asking the PCV next to me if she was all right (she was but she was stuck under the collapsed seats) I started unbuckling people who where stacked on top of each other still in their seats. The third PCV, travelling with a friend who happened to be a RPCV, was in the back and asking if we were OK closer to the front. I said we were and she and the RPCV escaped out the window. There were a lot of serious head injuries around me. Normally what many Beninese passengers do when they heard a disturbance on the bus they poke their heads up in a facsimile of a meerkat...I think I referenced this in a n earlier blog post. This tome it was not a smart move for many passengers. My seat partner and myself were fairly well off (I suffered a seriously bruised right forearm and screwed up left wrist, my seatmate was not wearing her seat belt ...it was stuck in the seat when we left Parakou so we decided to leave it...and had hit her side hard, she also suffered abrasions to her ankles were the collapsing seats had trapped her feet) many people surrounding up were in very bad shape. Basically everyone in front of our row, the 5th, were done. You could hear a Japanese volunteer screaming in one of the front rows. She was trapped in the pile of seats and bodies. It took a while, and an axe, to free her. She could not walk and prob had something wrong with her knee but she was much luckier than those around her. After helping some people unpile themselves I decided we need to get out of the wreck in case another truck hits us or there is a fire (another bus had caught fire last year) so I made my way out our shattered window. The overturned semi next to us provided a nice ramp of rice sacks which made getting out of the wreck easier.

Unfortunately the woman in front of me ended up outside the window during the crash and was now half buried, upside down, in the rice sacks. We had to leave here there until we could get everyone out of the bus since digging her body out would have taken away our rice sack ramp. I called PC officials to inform them of the crash and our condition and them helped the other PCV (in serious blank faced, short answers shock) out of the bus. We met up with the other PCV and RPCV who had escaped the back and gathered under a tree away from the bus and semi.

Outside the bus you could see the damage to the fronts of the truck and bus...they had also plowed into a building beside the road. After getting everyone situated and contacting the PC people with updated status (like I said, we were very lucky. The PCV and RPCV in the back had flow over a number of collapsing seats and got out of there with a few cuts and bruises...the people around them were strewn all over the ground with broken limbs and bloodied faces) and asking for a PC car to come get us I returned to the crash to try and help the villagers remove injured persons. I climbed the rice sacks and helped a guy remove a seat row by the window and then called to a guy standing eyes wide muttering in local language in the bus with a huge gash in his head. Helping him out the next guy they brought to the window was a overweight gentleman with a broke leg. I tried to help the villagers carrying him, but my wrist and arm injuries were causing me to do more harm than good. I decided to get out of the way of the abled bodied rescuers and check up on the PCVs again. We were all stressed out and displaying our personal ways of dealing with that stress. By this time law troops were on the scene directing traffic around the wreck and villagers were stopping cars to place the injured into so they could be transported to the closest hospital in Dassa. After the survivors were taken out of the bus I decided it was time to get our bags from underneath the bus. Everything was a mess down there but I was able to find our stuff after a couple trips. My passport and PC ID were in my to-do notebook in my helmet in the bus.

I re-entered and tried to find my stuff through all the carnage...which is the right word on account of the glass/blood/rice/seats/possessions strewn around the cabin. I found my helmet, visor, pen, various papers (including vacations forms for my planned trip to Mali) but not my notebooks or IDs. I decided that staying in the bus to continue searching was not worth it so I climbed out and gave my name to the head police officer in case anyone found them. All we could do then was wait for the PC car. The Japanese volunteer had been removed and one of the PCVs was taking care of her, helping her wash her cuts and acting ans an intermediary. The girl knew two PCVs in her town. A large group of PCVs emerged from a stopped bus (the law officials were stopping everyone at this time so that the injured could get rushed into cars) when they saw the accident. They had just left a large group training session in the south. We told them that everything was OK and suggested that they take middle/back seats in the bus for the future and always wear your seat belt. They left and we had to wait a few hours for the PC car to arrive. Once at the office we met with one of our doctors who assessed our conditions and drew blood for tests. I might have to get a couple things x-rayed and am taking the anti-HIV medications since I had come into contact with a lot of different people's blood helping them out of the bus. Like I said before, we were all very lucky. At the time of the accident there were 7 deaths and they could not find the body of the apprentice to the semi truck driver. In addition, 25 people were taken to the hospital for serious injuries. This means that only about 12 people walked away with minor injuries and four of those people were the R/PCVs...and most of those people were in the back. My seatmate and I were VERY lucky since not many people in front of our row made it out. I will blog again when I find out more about my wrist and arm.

Hello everyone. I have been busy with a lot of admin type work for the workstation. My new house is still on standby...and has been for a number of months. Most likely I will not see it finished. PSL 21 termination of service of service is getting closer and closer... 7-8 months now. There is a quarry near the workstation, so I myself went with another volunteer to check it out. It was pretty neat and we took some photos for the upcoming 'Men f the Alibori' calender. We will be selling it at our GAD (Girls and Development) auction to raise $ for GAD small projects. My cousin Kelli sent over a Wii with a couple games...it was very well received in the Alibori. It is still very difficult to find enviro work here, or work I want to be a part of. My town (despite being a commune head) is a place people try to escape on a regular basis...it's like the midwest USA...so there are not many ongoing programs or operational ONGs.

So I just hosted over 20 PSL 22ers in a work station that has a capacity of maybe 15. It was fun and loud and exciting and we survived! We celebrated a backyard cookout christmas...we cooked cheese burgers, deviled eggs, potato salad, and a slaw. Cookies were backed (ginger bread and ginger snaps) as well as 3 apple crisps. It was a fun, if hectic, time. I am glad a lot of the new stage made it up to see the Alibori. They were treated to nights that dropped into the 60's! This is very different from the mid 80's, high humidity of the south. A lot of people are hitting up the christmas safari and many have buddies/family over. Now I am trying to reset and get some more work for myself...frustrating. I think I mentioned the new generator last post.....if not: Our old generator was a 4.5 kW you might find at Home Depot, the new one is a mammoth 12.8 kW turbocharged industrial grade generator. I think if I run it at lower than 80% load then it will never reach operational temps and break seals/rings/ect. This seems as good a time as any to get the workstation an A/C unit!! For my next fantasy we will be installing a pool with decorative fountain.

Sorry I haven't been posting for a while, I've been running here and there. Just got back from Cotonou and withdrew my WS operating $. They gave me all 10 mille bills (10.000 CFA) which are really hard to pass up here. I might have to go to the nearest bank (which is far) to change some out. Thanx was good. We killed a turkey and had a lot of good food to eat (thanks to many families back home sending tasty treats)). X-mas is coming up fast and I am going to have a lot of the new stage up here. I think we are doing a cheese burger and fries and deviled eggs cook out. Also a small gifts swap (under 3 mille). I am currently trying to save up for a b-day trip to Mali (dogun country). A lot of people are coming / leaving for the holidays. 2 Alibori PCVs are home for the holidays alone. Others have also headed out. Many parents / siblings / friends have come to visit with their PCVs over this x-mas break. This is not an underhanded invitation to any of my family...Benin is not a great tourist spot. For the same money you can have an awesome time in the Lesser Antilles, I would reccomend that. I lost in the semifinals for Fantasy Football...but I still did pretty well (unfortunately I had an off week and had to play Aaron Rodgers, QB GB). Hope everyone is enjoying nice weather and have nice trees this year.

The cat has been working out well. I have seen a marked decrease of the larger lizards, and I know he has been eating the 6-8 in variety ( I saw him catch 2 today). Sardinia also recruited a helper...one of our guards, Charles. I knew Charles has been giving the cat fired fish heads from his lunch but two days ago I witnessed something very funny. Charles passed by the open door of the work station with a stick up in the air, along the wall. Soon after he passed, the cat was seen stalking after him. Apparently, Charles knocks lizards down or scares them enough that they drop off the wall and the cat eats them. Talked a bit with some USAID guys. Discovered a couple days ago that Vanuatu is not going to be headed my way, so I'm looking for other things to do with myself when my final year of service is up.

I just got the last of the thanksgiving packages (french fried onions from Ryan). The Alibori have another turkey this year. A couple PCVs have his at their house fattening him up. It was touch an go there for a little while because the turkey hated the neighbor's roosters and would continually try to kill it...the stress was making him not eat. But now he is eating and looking good. He dies on friday. Tabaski (islamic holiday where everyone kills a ram) is coming but people here don't know exactly when. It could be thrus-sat. Locals say it is because the people in Mecca have to do something first, i don't know. I have been eating well recently....my new post has cooked chicken and fries at a nearby cafeteria and it is GOOD. Unfortunately chicken and fries cost 1,500 CFA and we get paid 3,000 CFA a day, making this a pricey luxury...but I'm glad to make some other sacrifices to be eating meat again. Favre is leading my fantasy team to another victory (along with sticky-icky-Ricky) but I hope he loses sooner or later...I have a bet against the Viks getting to the Super Bowl this year. I have stayed busy at the workstation and have made some visits to local classrooms to help the terminale (12th grade) students with their english. Still looking for environmental work.

It dropped below 80 degrees last night! The last few days have been classic harmattan weather. The winds have picked up and the dust limits visibility to maybe 1/2 mile. It looks a lot like a foggy day, but you can taste the grit as you breathe and your eyes dry out quickly. Power and water at the workstation have been intermittent these last weeks. We had no town power for 5 days and had to run on a generator at night for the security lights. Trying to get a Wii to the Alibori. Down to 5-5 in fantasy...if only I could stop running into opponents who average 20pnts from their WRs.

I almost forgot to mention the TRUCKS! Cotton season is coming to a close in the next month or so. People will be out picking all the buds and piling them in huge mounds. Many, many trucks come from down south to transport the cotton from the fields and weighing stations to the factories in Kandi, Banikora, N'Dali, and Kahlale. They are all over the place and the drivers are not very careful / considerate. Since there are no sidewalks here, one must be very careful when you walk to town or go down the road to get something to eat. The winds have picked up and you can really start to see the dust in the air. I have imported Amy Van Goey's cat to help rid the Work Station of it's large lizard problem. He seems well adjusted to his temporary home and he has already had an impact on the lizards...I only wish his name was not Sardeenia (Amy thought is was a girl when she bought him)

The rainy season is coming to a close and the harmattan is starting. The air is getting drier (your sweat actually starts to evaporate off you) and dustier. And the nights cool down to the mid-70's...so that is cool. I was not in the Alibori for this last year so it is cool to see it firsthand. I emailed the CD in Vanuatu to see if PC was still involved with the Reef Check program over there and he said it was. But, he also said that the current PCV there who is in charge of the program might extend :( I'll keep everyone updated. Just spent some time with a Ivory Coast transplant and we talked about being foreigners in Benin.

I have been really busy for the past week going on post visits all over the Alibori...it is a big department. I can't even stay here long because I have to bug out to a nearby department to go banking (there is no bank in the Alibori which has benn causing problems since we switched to monthly pay periods in June). Happy Birthday to my Grandmother! What is everyone doing for Halloween? I have to run back here to meet up with an official form the Embassy (that busy). Hopefully many of you have already migrated to my facebook page to see all the neat photos of W.African life I saved off the Cotonou WS HDs. I will be putting an album up of some christoph herby's shots, he is a fellow Alibori PCV that has an awesome camera as wel as some photography classes (I think). I am above .500 in fantasy, so that is good. I have to go; I hope everyone is enjoying the weather change (even in the Alibori it is cool right now due to rains last night!)

I want to thank my family for the cranberries, cards, and other goodies necessary for the upcoming holiday preparations. I am still on the lookout for Kelli's package. I have been in the south for a while processing receipts and hope to make it back up to post at the beginning of next week. The operational money for Peace Corps was slow to get here (probably due to Columbus day).

Thanks for the ideas. There are very hot peppers in the Alibori (called piment) and I might just start cutting some up in a bowl of water and then sprinkling it on the plants. I know while cutting or washing the peppers your hands can burn and you don't want to touch sensitive areas. I was avoiding natural pesticides/animal deterrents due to the fact you have to re-apply fairly often. But I think the next try will include these measures. Also I will start making a Neem pesticide. I guess I'm going green.

I just did my first exchange of receipts, so I'll find out in three days if the government wants me for fraud. Also, 3-2 in FF...tied amongst others for 2nd place.

So I'm located in the Alibori...there is not much in terms of vegetation here, and the small amount that is here is seasonal. There are also large lizards...they routinely get over a foot long (nose to tail). This is apparently a horrible combination for fledgling gardens. Many of my plants sprouted, but within days I notice leaves missing and many times entire plants! I caught a couple lizards munching away and now the only survivors are 2 green bean plants. Anyone have any suggestions? I am currently hunting lizards with a blowgun but they just run away with the darts in their hides. I am also entertaining the idea of buying a cat or placing a screen tent over the developing plants until they are big enough to survive the lizard onslaught. I will try to get a picture of the lizards so you have an idea what I am dealing with. (NOTICE: I just went outside to get a picture of a lizard...I nearly caught one with my hands...when I noticed the 2 plants have dwindled to 1)

So I think I've survived the bumpy transitional period...we'll see after I write my first monthly review. I planted a victory garden with the seeds people have been sending me and a few rows have already started sprouting (I hope it is the jalapeno but I forget what veggies are planted where :(. A new PCV TEFL will be moving to my town so I'm going to drop by her house to make sure everything is set for move-in tomorrow. It is starting to get hot again now that the rains have tapered off. Eagerly awaiting the harmattan so the temps will drop...not looking forward to another chaleur.

So, I have a couple updates:

1: I found my IDs and bank card...sweet

2: I'm back on facebook, it should be easy to search me (a million bucks says I'm the only Michael Chadsey in Cotonou Benin

3: My first few days at work have been hectic and scary.

It isn't that I didn't get that much training...I'm sure Kelly did tell me everything I need to know. It was just that it was already a month ago when I did the 2 days of shadowing...watching and doing are different things entirely! Already I have been setting up post visits, arranging for gas bottles to be shuttled, getting the plumber and electrician to call me back, picking up packages at the post, buying supplies for the guards, paying the guards...did I mention I do this all in French? I really need to brush up on my phone French...when I can't see a person's lips it makes it harder for me to understand. It will all work out in the end, and I'm glad I was chosen for this job because at least I'm DOING SOMETHING! The new PCVs are now all in their posts. I told them to chill/readjust this week (their first time being without Americans in-country) and we will arrange post visits next week...I'm bringing candy.

I have had a very busy past couple weeks. First: not last Friday or the Friday before that, but the Friday before that I lived through my first earthquake. I was sleeping in Cotonou (the quake hit around 4 AM) when I heard a rumbling. I first thought a bomb was going off at the gate to the Bureau but then as the sound continued I thought it was a low airplane or dump truck outside. Afterwards for a few seconds it felt like the room was wobbling. Only the next morning were we informed that we had experienced an earthquake. After that I headed to Porto Novo to help train the new stagieres. I spent two weeks helping with and instructing the technical sessions. Yesterday we swore-in 50 new PCVs. 11 of whom are new Environment volunteers... unfortunately none of them will be coming up to the Alibori. My region will be getting 4 volunteers after one ETed last week. I am now fully fledged as a PCVL and am going to spend the next week just reviewing manuals and old monthly reports before I go on my first post visits so that I don't screw up an expense reimbursement or fail to pay the guards correctly.

Recent News:

I might have lost my PC ID and copies of my no-fee passport as well as my African bank ATM...maybe.

I am 1-1 in fantasy football due to the fact that the Steelers can't seem to run the Bears into the ground.

I inherited 5 'scholarship girls' in my new post. The scholarship girls program encourages girls to succeed in school by providing tutoring and paying for school fees and basic supplies for selected girls. My 5 girls are in terminale...equivalent to our 12th grade.

I tore two large holes in my feet playig touch football with the new PCVs ( it was RCH/EA Vs. SED/TEFL... aka REACH vs. DEF SLECT)

Hope everyone had a great September

I am stuck in Cotonou for a couple weeks between now (as I do some banking stuff for PCVL) and when I have my mid-service medical exam (next week) and as I work weeks 8 and 9 of stage (starts the 13th ends the 26th). This means I am away from my post for a month and effectively eating through my living allowance. Every PCV eats their allowance, since we don't pay for houseing but only pay travel and food....but when you are down south the opportunity to buy things that are not rice and beans is just too much to bear. For instance, last night I went to a Thai restaurant...it was awesome. This afternoon I ate a ham, chicken, and cheese sandwich (I had to eat two since they were very thin)...also awesome. Of course this greater diversity of better foods in the big city comes at a cost. Back in my post I would spend 1500 CFA a day on food (rice, beans, pasta, or local cheese called wagashi), today I spent 1800 CFA on my lunch. This is why volunteers posted in the one big city in this country are paid 75% more than all the other volunteers. If you'll excuse me I am now going to spend the next two weeks eating spaghetti and omelet from the local cafeteria in order to save enough money to pay for my Thai food last night.

I know you guys like the animal pictures, so here are a couple more. One is of a huge dung beetle that flew into my forehead while I was walking outside a buddies house. They are big, heavy, and fly very fast...it drew blood. The other picture is of a type of burrowing turtle here, much like those gopher turtles in FL. I also am uploading a video of the beetle...and to celebrate my moving out of my old post: every day I was at post I marked the bedroom door with a chalk mark...this was my door when I moved out.

I know I probably wrote earlier how amazing the Sahel changes face. It feels like false advertising when the new stagiers come visit within the next month...it is soo green! This is not the reality. October is the end of rains here, until june/july. Everything gets brown and orange. It is really amazing that anything survives till the next rainy season...all the grasses spread their seed and grow dormant, mango and neem trees stop growing (but the mangos develop during dry season and are not ready to eat until the rains start...its called the mango rains). Right now the corn and cotton are growing quickly and the grasses are growing high on the side of the roads...all this fades away just as quickly as it appeared, about 1-2 months.

Here is an old picture of me (taken by Big E's far too attractive GF) since everyone is clamoring for one. Things are going slowly here and I am just writing up my aid proposal and finishing up budgets. Last night was rowdy at my post. Apparently the neighbor behind me had his house broken into and a couple bags of fertilizer went missing. This morning it all boiled over when the perpetrator was caught and another man, who was previously fingered for the crime, decided to go after someone with a machete. My porch served as one of the cool-down areas and I tried to look too busy to care. Stopped by the missionary's place last night for some mexican food...very , very good. On the subject of food: If anyone is sending a package between now and the end of October could you please send dried cranberries and french fried onions...we are assembling things for thanksgiving dinner, and with the mail status here we have to plan way ahead :) Still excited to head down and help out the new training class, but that isn't for a couple weeks still. Hope my sister has a great time starting law school (next week?) and has a good b-day...my brain is atrophying here in W. Africa.

These were the only two photos I could find of some Fulani with coins in their hair. These are both little girls so they have small coins, and not very many. These photos were taken during the planning and implementation of the bike tour north of my village....in my region the women arrange the coins in their hair like two pig tails that thrust from above the ear, slightly different from the forehead positioning like in these photos. I also want to update everyone about my current work. I am looking into getting a grant together to build a poultry house in my town. There is no such facility within many, many kilometers so I think it would be a good thing. Also, the farmer I would be helping with this project has continually shown himself to be a good worker and more than willing to put the things he learns into action...good indicators for someone looking to receive US aid moneys.

Everything is progressing up here in the Alibori. Everyone is complaining that the rains are not coming like they normally do..la pluie, c'a fait mal. Cotton and corn growers have planted their fields. I have been collecting some colonial period coins as souvenirs (instead of what most PCVs collect like fabric or a bongo drum). The Belgium coins are dated mid-1800's and the Austrian Taler is dated 1780 (but that can be misleading since the same dies were used for an extended period but I like to think of it as that old). Traveling herdsmen, and ethnic group called the Pheule or Foulani use these coins and other trinkets for ornamentation. I will try to put up a picture of a Foulani woman wearing the coins, but this is hard since the Pheule women are really very, very shy of cameras. I think I have a little girl wearing some in some of my old photos. The nomads put these expensive silver coins in their hair as a way of showing off wealth and to keep tabs of it. An ancient nomad, without reading/writing skills or a permanent address, can't really have use of a bank account...so they keep their wealth close to them: Women have jewelry and the men have cattle or goats. Other news: the incoming stage got in a couple days ago...so everyone is excited and busy with that. I go down in a little over a month to train the environment kids during their final two weeks. We also got a new Country Director here in Benin, she was the CD from Togo and she has worked in Benin before so everything should be ok.

Good news and bad news: I ended up not going to Ghana, but a really cool supermarket / Big K-mart type store opened in Cotonou! It has trampolines, power tools, and granny smith apples!! Very exciting. I was busy the last couple days helping another Alibori PCV work up a budget for lining a boulevard with trees. He plans to use a PCPP to fund it. The HCN initially proposing the project was asking for over 3 million CFA (almost $7,000)...we dropped that dramatically. I am heading back to post tomorrow to help transplant the 1000 Moringa trees I seeded a little bit ago. Also I am including a scan of my new business card...yeah that's right , I'm official (some places on the card had to be edited to be placed on this website and still adhere to the security restrictions).

I hope everyone blew up a small part of America for me on the fourth! I celebrated by being a judge at a PC 'Beer n' Beans' competition. I have been involved in a summer english camp for the past week. The kids really enjoyed a probability session I did with them that involved picking poker chips from a bag. There are a number of other PCVs at this camp and the HCN support we have received has been really good so far. I hope everyone is doing well back home. I might be going to Ghana in the upcoming weeks.

Here is a short clip of what the rains are like as they whip thru the Alibori. And another clip of the girls across my courtyard playing in the rain and collecting rainwater off the roof with basins to be used in the cooking/cleaning.

Fathers day and the longest day of the year coincide tomarrow. I am posting a couple pictures of Girraffes that a couple TEFL PCVs visited in Niger. Hopefully I will be able to see them in the future. Also, there has been some shake-ups in our home office. The training manager and Country Director have left the Bureau. These new developments come a couple months after our SED associate country director was let go. We'll see how everything settles out with some time.

Just came back up from the south for my PCVL/PSN training. It seems like it should be an interesting, if somewhat stressful job. I also heard it might mean I'll be reclassified at my GS level...Kyle says GS-11, but I doubt that. On the way back up I encountered a large group of termites flying around for their nocturnal breeding period after the recent rains. There were thousands of LARGE termites flying around on four wings...attracted to the lights of the workstation. On the ground many big-headed sentry termites were herding the male termites (after beating off their wings) into the nest entry near the workstation door. I tried to grab one of the sentry bug's heads but he caught me with his mandibles and my finger bled fairly freely. But the flight of termites was short lived. An hour later most of the fliers had beaten off their wings and entered the subterranean nest and by morning wings littered the ground like dry, fall leaves. I have pictures that I will put up (along with the mosque photos) when i have the time. I also have to wish my father a happy fathers day coming up here. I am anxious to get back to post and see how my growers association got along without me being there.

The rains are coming to the Alibori! And with the rains a return to slightly more tolerable temperatures. The rains come very quickly up here, and so far only at night. The wind can guest up to 30 mph ( a couple villagers lost their roofs) and the rain comes down hard. The standard roofing in Benin is either tin or thatched. My tin roof sounds like a snare drum and it is impossible to sleep. Because the rains are starting to come people are starting to ready their fields. Corn and peanuts are being planted. Whole families gathered around 50 kilo sack of peanuts, shelling them so that they can be planted. Rainy season is for large crops only, no gardens...tomatoes have not been seen in my village for a couple weeks, neither has lettuce or fresh hot peppers. I started a Morigna growers association to try and stay busy...the Beninese Red Cross thing so far has not materialized. We have 46 gardeners and lots of seeds to start a tree nursery. Be they end of rainy season the Moringa trees should be good for transplant. I went to the top of a very tall mosque tower with my buddy Elliot. We measured it out to 27 meters but the guys building it said it was 31. I will put a photo up by the end of the day.

Myself and some fellow PCVs were treated to a wonderful dinner last nite. The menu was as follows:

Amuse Bouche

-An array Proscuitto-wrapped tropical fruits topped with a lemon mint creme freche

-Mint Julip

Soupe

-Cauliflower Veloute, garnished with fresh rock crab and parsley ghee

Poisson

-Salt-baked Giant Red Carp dressed in Beurre Blanc served over Mediterranean Salad

- 2007 Jean Balmont Loire Valley Chardonnay

Pause

-Lemon Sorbet

Viande

-Roquefort-topped Filet Mignon in a Bordeaux Demi-glace served over Julianed Dichon and Carrots

-2006 Marquis de Valbois Bordeaux

Salade

-Seared Giant Prawn served over Green Salad dressed in a Champagne Vinaigrette

-Comte Paulin Demi-Sec

Dessert

-Decadent Chocolate Baked Alaska

-Vermouth Digestif

Cheese Board and Cappuccino to follow

The PCVs who put on this wonderful night for us are well regarded in the PC Benin community as being serious foodies...and they did a wonderful job. I still miss hot wings tho. I have a meeting monday with some Beninese Red Cross people to try and flesh out my plans for school formations.