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I would have to say that my local language is probably the coolest in
all of Benin. You can carry on a whole conversation with only saying
"mmm" or "ooo" and bowing to show respect. Anyway, I went down to
Porto Novo for the independence day fete and 50th anniversary of
independence. There were a ton of people in town, lots of cool
clothes and hats. There was a uniform fabric so that whomever wanted
to wear the same tissue [fabric, dress] could go buy that and match about half the
people celebrating. There was a parade, some motos did some tricks,
people in weird costumes, but that was about it. Oh yeah, there
were also fireworks, but many of them went off on the ground instead
of in the air. I visited my host family and they took me to
another fete, then we went back to eat some good salad and pate rouge!
Delicious.
After that, I started training the new volunteers. They have a 9-week
training program in Porto Novo and so I worked weeks 3 and 4. The
first week we talked about nutrition and they also received their post
announcements, a really exciting day. My region is getting 5
new volunteers and they all seemed pretty cool. During the weekend,
another trainer and I went to visit a trainee and his host family
where there was a funeral party. We were given a shot of local
liquor, then beer, then we danced for a long time, and then we were
given the spiciest food of my life. That was a memorable night. We
danced until 2:30 and then went home to sleep in. The next day
was another fete at a host family's church. Pretty much, Porto Novo
is just a big party town. Every weekend there are constant parties,
but that sounds a little better than it is. A party is basically just
a bunch of plastic chairs brought out, beer, local liquor, a bunch of
people trying to get the free food, and music, with the occasional
man yelling into a microphone too loud you can't really hear
what he is saying. The 4th week of training, we made enriched
porridge and soy cheese (tofu) which was really good. Now, I'm on my
way back to post to see what damage the mouse has done to my house.
Now I begin my search for a new cat aka Le Tigre deux. (See post below)
More good news! Just found out the Akon will be in Benin on 8/28 so I think I will make a trip south. It's a 12 hr trip for just one way but how often is Akon here???? That's it for
now!
[Akon is a Senegalese-American R&B singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. He is known as one of the most successful and versatile R&B singers of the 21st century, grossing over 30 million dollars a year according to Forbes.]
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