August 16th email

Hey I haven't posted some of Sunny's emails, here's one from August 16th.

Hello dear!
....i am very limited to my computer use-this is the first time ive been to a city with access in a while and prob wont get another chance for the next couple weeks but will be very interested to find out as soon as I can communicate again!

Anything else new?I miss you!! I miss America! and good food-I'm hungry ALL the time here-though im having no problem keeping up the curves-all the food here is triple fat fried with this Palm oil stuff -seriously ALL the food-have yet to have just a fresh vegetable or anything that isnt dripping in grease-and my diet consists of 90% white starch-also triple fat fried. I'm gonna have a heartattack once im done with service here-either from the ridiculously fatty meals, or fromt eh multiple scares i get during the day. Currently, I'm scared shitless-to be frank. I'm fine-healthwise, and socially-have made some really great friends and am well rested (and well read-am devouring books by the day here since its not safe to go out at night and therefore there is Nothing else to do) but am experiencing alot of self doubt. there are definitly moments when it sucks-bad. there are good moments too-but its pretty hard sometimes. Theres the constant smell of feces everywhere-human feces to goat pellets, the constant wet from humidity that sticks to your clothes and bed (ive yet to go to sleep without my sheets being damp from the rainy days and nights), the other constant smell of rotting fruit and trash, and the nauseating smell of pollution when in the city-but I can deal with all that-within the last few weeks ive just kind of accepted the fact that I'm never going to be clean, that something will be crawling on me when im in the latrine and shower, and that i will gain a decent amount of weight here-its the bizarre happenings of the voodoo culture that get to me. And you know me, scaredy cat that I am-couldnt watch Are you Afraid of the Dark on Nickelodeon because of my relentless imagination and the things it would do to my sleep-so all this crazy voodoo stuff scares the beejeezus out of me at times. Take the constant chanting i hear every night until the wee hours of the morning-or the very strange stories i've heard from other volunteers of their experiences in village. One, from a volunteer in the north of Benin told me several unexplainable incidents he'd witnessed of a women found frozen in a lake for 3 weeks who was apparently killing a man who'd hit her "through her mind" and had to be enchanted and given several cows and some pigs before she would quite making him sick (through her mind powers or something), another story was of a man who tried to behead another man who had apparently put an anti killing curse on his pursuer-James the volunteer who was recounting this to me actually saw the guy with his head half off, saw it snap back on his head, and saw the man thought be be dead, come back to life unscathed. Eerie stuff to say the least. All I gotta say is its creeping me out man.
Im def gonna try to make it for Jacksons wedding-i need something upbeat to look forward to-only been here a few weeks and its already So emotionally and physically draining-words cant describe. I found out where my post is though! I'll be living in the Southeast of the country and I can literally bike to Nigeria if I wanted (which i wouldn't since we're not permitted due to to civil unrest in our neighboring country for the time being). Its also home to the Oro-a secret society based out of the animist religion that does god knows what-but women and non members are absolutely forbidden to see it-its actually going on now from August to Septmeber. unwanted people who see them are abducted and disappear-its espeically dangerous for a woman to see them or come in contact with them. go figure I would get placed in the one region of the country with a forbidden forest and a secret society that goes around terrorizing. But due to the apprently very grave and serious nature of the Oro, Peace Corps will evacuate me when im posted there next year so I don't have to lock myself in my room for a month and lay laterally like the rest of the women and non members are forced to do in the Plateau region on Pobe during the time of the Oro. Phew.

Other than that terrifying aspect of my soon to be "home"-my housing apparently will be somewhat modern-something i was a bit disappointed in as I was looking forward to living in a mud hut-but was ok with upon hearing what my work will be. I am going to be working for my Dream Job! An international non profit NGO called Project Bokonono has requested me to be their grassroots liason-based out of North Carolina and founded and funded by students at Wake Forest Im the "Go To "person who will research prospects for their funding of regional health needs-vulnerable populations like women, children, orphans, and health centers and hospitals. This is such a perfect match for me its unbelievable! So despite the crazy Oro rituals-at least I have this to make up for! The local language where i'll be at Post is Nagot (i started classes to learn it last week-its tonal like Chinese so depending on the way you say the same word it can mean like 8 different things-god-help-me) but will hopefully pick up enough before meeting with the town officials, mayor, chiefs, and king. My French exam last week tested me at an Intermediate-Low level-surprising to me since I started here at the very bottom-Novice Low level. Language is still a constant frustration-feeling mute, deaf,and dumb all at once-im working hard but French is sooo difficult sometimes-and Im hearing it and taking so many friggin French classes its starting to make my skin crawl. Nagot should be interesting-one of the ways you can respond to the morning greetings is apparently just be saying "hmmmmmmm!" or if someone was to ask how you slept at night you might respond "ohhhhhh"-not too terribly complex-until you get to the tonal aspect of it.

What else to tell you-oh yes-may want to send an email or blog this-for sending packages, or mail in general, it is much more likely to get here if it is sent in one of the padded envelopes, and drawing some religious symbols on them is prob a good idea too in order to keep people from stealing whats in inside or opening them (like a cross, or some other Christian, Muslim, or voodoo religious icon). Boxes very rarely get here-and Make sure its sent via Airmail!! I've written numerous letters to you and forgot to write Airmail-so you prob won't get them within this decade-arrgh. what else-oh yes besides writing Cotonou, Benin, its good to write West Africa underneath and also in French "Ouest de Afrique"-I think thats how you spell it.

Host family situation is going ok-though Im going to be SOO excited to finally get my independence back when I get to Post at the end of September (that is, if I make it to Swear in-which is wear i am offically accepted and promoted into being a peace Corp Volunteer). But yeah, homewise, i didnt get breakfast for the first 3 weeks, and upon how hearing how much they were getting paid to house me(ALOT)i finally got the nerve to voice my hunger pains and food request. Our house decor is also interesting-big nudy beach towels of topless women in thongs riding a bycicle, hair blowing in the wind-very Daytona or Myrtly beach-esque-are the framed. besides that and some voodoo paraphanelia, a giant brontesaurus that sits on top of the mantle are the only decor. Don't ask-I have no idea either. Meals at home otherwise are fine-really friggin weird, but fine. Heaping piles of greasy spaghetti, rice, beans, manioc, and mystery meat make up most of my meals- i never ask what the meat is-the answers in the past have made my stomach turn so i just shut up and eat now. God I would give anything for some normal food though-Applebees, waffle house, anything-my standards for food have gotten really low-anything cleanly prepared and even slightly nutritious would be worth gold to me right now.

Days here don't go by without something strange and bizarre happening-of these (sorry if Im randomly rambling, just want to make sure I update you fully and am trying to get it all out before I forget and before I go back to my internetless town for another month or two). Of these are:
-killing my first dinner--initially excited to learn a knew cooking method my excitement quickly ceased upon realizing how blunt the knife id be killiing my rooster with was-there are voodoo rituals of giving the "coq" 3 drinks of water before slitting his throat, and then after all the mess is made, and his feathers are plucked and his body dismembered, his foot has to be shoved into his head out of his mouth before being cooked with ALL his other parts and ultimately put on my plate to eat.yummm. my French isn't good enough to understand their explanations for the rituals,so once I again i cant explain.
-daily and nightly marraige proposals-generally responded to with humor-whihc seems to be the only way I can respond to any of the bizarre things that happen to me. Theres the karma sutra man who likes to follow me around on his zemi (motorcycle) and wears an explicitly sexual karma sutra badge-equally interesting is the man who likes to hang out at the latrine I go to every morning and chant at me-mostly I respond to these proposals with some equally humoring retort about accepting only if he agrees to the current price im marked at which can be anywhere between 3 to 6 hundred cows-depending on my mood. Telling them that reverse polygamy is accepting in American culture and that I already have four husbands but he can be my fifth that does the laundry usually scares them away enough to escape off to class in time.
-Gardening-the health sector (my division of work) is learning how to subsistance farm-we all got our own plots and planted cucumbers, lettuce, tomatotes, and Moringa-got some nice callouses on my hands from that

gotta hurry now-but check out
www.projectbokonon.org and www.uniteforsight.org to see who and what I'll be working for.
I love you and wish I could write more! Sorry so random-will write again asap!!!