Life moves pretty fast...

Bonjour everyone! For this blog I continued writing about different aspects of Benin. Hope you all like it!

RANDOM THOUGHTS

As I sit here writing this blog, in the comfort of one of my local buvettes (bar/restaurant), I start to think about all the small pleasures in life. Before coming to Benin, daily comforts such as taking a hot shower or going to the gym or even sitting down in a nice air conditioned room, were things that I never thought about or appreciated because they were always there. Since being in Benin I have found small pleasures in new aspects of life. Currently my top ones are taking a cold shower in the middle of a hot day, sitting down at a buvette to have a cold drink, and the daily running-jump hugs I get from my neighbor kids when I get home from work. Now don’t get me wrong a hot shower, the gym and air conditioning are all super nice aspects of life, but I realized that no matter where I am, there will always be some small aspect of life that will put a smile on my face. After writing this, I'm realizing its not about WHAT puts a smile on my face it's about WHO.

CLOTHING IN BENIN

One of my favorite parts about the culture here in Benin is the clothing. Now you are probably wondering what the difference is between what Beninese people wear and what Americans wear. Well the clothing here in Benin is made out of a fabric that is locally called tissu. These tissus are all designed with bold patterns and bright colors. People mix and match the fabrics, and for some reason it always looks good, even if it doesn’t match. Let me take you though the process of having an outfit made here in Benin. First step is to go to the market to pick your tissu. Now this can be overwhelming sometimes because there are hundreds of designs to choose from. After searching though piles and piles of tissu, you will eventually fall in love with one or maybe two patterns. Next step is to buy the tissu. The tissus range from inexpressive to very expensive depending on the quality. Don’t forget to “discuter le prix” (discuss the price) because shopping works on a bargaining system here. After a little bit of bargaining, you will agree on a price and be able to buy the tissue. Now it’s time to go home and think about what you want to make out of that tissu. There are a few things that you can choose from. Women normally get dresses or bombas (shirt with a wrap skirt) made, and men normally go for a classic shirt and pants look. After choosing what you want, you need to think about all the different styles. Let’s just say it’s a lot to think about, but honestly so fun to come up with different designs. Next step is to take your tissu to your favorite “couturière”(seamstress) or “tailleur” (tailor) who will make you the perfect outfit. Before sending you on your way they need to take your measurements because the clothes are tailored to your exact size. There is no small, medium or large option, it’s made just for you! Normally it takes within a week to make the clothes (with adjustments), and then you are all set! Throughout the past year my “couturière” (seamstress) has become one of my best friends here in Benin. I love visiting with her and chatting. It’s such a personal experience to have your clothes made, and the experience really builds the foundation for friendship.

WEATHER IN BENIN

Benin has two different seasons: dry and rainy. Currently we are ending rainy season and heading into dry season. I can’t figure out which one I like more. On one hand you have rainy season with crazy intense storms that are so loud you can barely hear yourself think. A benefit to this is that it is much cooler outside. Also when it rains you can put out buckets to catch water, and the volunteers like to call this “free water” which is honestly one of the best things because this means you don’t need to go fetch water for a day or two. Sometimes the rain gets in the way of doing activities and it can really destroy the dirt roads, but it causes everything to grow and the farms are more productive. So that’s the rainy season. On the other hand you have the dry season. This is the time of heat and sun. For everyone who lives in Arizona and just read that statement thinking "a little heat that’s not that big of a deal”. Normally I would agree, but here you have the added humidity which in my opinion is worse. The hours of 2pm to 5pm are miserable, but the mornings and evenings are very pleasant. It’s definitely normal to take a mid day nap because the heat can really suck out all your energy. That’s pretty much everything interesting about the dry season. During certain parts of the year, Benin experiences something called Harmaton. Harmaton is when super strong winds blow sand down from the Sahara (northern part of the continent). Everything gets really dusty during this time, and sometimes there is a fog that develops. Don’t ask me why this happens because I have no idea. That seems to cover my brief explanation on the weather in Benin.

LIFE UPDATES

1. I had my mid service training, so that officially means there is about one year left in my service. To be honest I was at a really low point for about 3 weeks leading up to this training, but as of now I am feeling much better. It was a bit of a mid service crisis. Anyways the training was super fun. We spent some extra time in the city to relax and bow off some steam. I feel really excited for this next year, but everyone keeps telling me its going to go fast so I better make the most of it.

2. All the volunteers celebrated Benin's Independence Day in Cotonou (city). There was a Angelique Kidjo concert next to the Amazon statue in celebration of independence day. Deirdre (another volunteer) and I somehow got into the concert. One of the funniest and greatest moments of my life. I'll tell the story next blog.

3. I participated in co-facilitating camp GLOW (girls leading our world). We talked about reproductive health, menstrual health, sexual health, mental health and more. It was such an amazing experience, and the girls learned some really important information to improve their lives.

4. I supported another volunteer with her 3 day menstrual health camp. We talked about menstrual hygiene, menstrual cycles, and reproductive health. She had lots of activities for the girls, and we even made reusable pads!

5. My community partner and I are in the final steps of creating our first Care Group! It’s a group for mother leaders in the community to come and learn important information that they can then spread throughout the village.

6. Bena continues to be a chicken chaser, but we are working on that. Besides that she is the best dog!