I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas any more.” On August 28, 2010, Sarah and I stepped off the plane and arrived on American soil for the first time in over two years. After collecting our luggage, we went straight to the bathroom to clean ourselves up before leaving customs. Once we exited the doors, [...]

My village, Gomparou, was located in the region called Alibori, which is in northern Benin. More specifically, Gomparou is located in the commune of Banikoara. Since most Beninese people never travel outside of their immediate village or town, they are unfamiliar with the geography of Benin. However, everyone knew of Banikoara (“The Land of White [...]

For spring break, a few of my fellow TEFLeurs and I decided to take a REAL vacation. We wanted to play tourist and indulge ourselves in comfortable hotel accommodations (i.e. hot showers and AC) and lots of delicious food. Our trip got off to a rough start. We arrived at the airport for the 8:30 [...]

During the past two years, I read a total of 51 books. Going through the list, I can remember where I got the book from, who I gave it to afterwards, and what was going on in my life at the time. I remember Kendra suggesting I read The Red Tent while we were chatting [...]

During the first month at post, her bread nourished me for breakfast and dinner.  I went by her house every evening around 5pm to buy bread fresh out of the mud oven.  I usually walked back home with four loaves of bread.  I bought two and she gave me two for free. I met her [...]

During the recent COS (Close-of-Service) Conference, we filled out a worksheet called “What Have I Gained From My Experience?”  There was a list of statements describing various changes I may or may not have experienced during my time in the Peace Corps.  Here is a list of the statements to which I marked the “Yes” [...]

Peace Corps provides a living allowance of about 90,000-100,000F CFA per month.  The money can disappear fairly quickly when I travel and splurge on delicious meals such as a plate of fries with ½ chicken at La Fraîcheur in Parakou (2,000F) or Pad Thai at Bangkok Terrace in Cotonou (4,000F).  For the most part, it [...]

After three days of biking over 100 km to seven public secondary schools, three Host Country Nationals (HCNs) and 13 Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) raised awareness of HIV/AIDS (VIH/SIDA in French) in the Banikoara Commune. From February 4th to the 6th, we taught 321 girls, 327 boys and 20 teachers about HIV/AIDS.  The topics included [...]

Once upon a time, back in the United States, I went through a KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese phase in high school. It only lasted a few weeks, but I managed to disgust my brother so much that it prompted him to create the AIM screen name “ihatemacheese.” As I have mentioned before, there is not [...]

21. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer 22. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer 23. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer 24. River Town by Peter Hessler 25. What Every Body is Saying by Joe Navarro 26. Moderato Cantabile by Marguerite Duras 27. Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner 28. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini Currently reading: [...]