Benin On My Mind: October 18th Email

Friday, October 26, 2007

October 18th Email

Hello all!
just wanted to write you all a quick hello! Am in Cotonou for the day doing some administrative work and lavishing in the oppurtunity to use an American computer and keyboard at the Peace Corps Bureau! How are all of you?? I miss yall tons, and wonder on a daily basis-what all of my people are up to these days? I feel awful for keeping up such poor correspondence- making it to a city that has computer capabilities is very very rare as it costs both time and money that i lack here, but garunteeing a stable supply of electricity to keep the few working computers in country up and running is even harder to come by- so i promise i will try to email when i can.
lots to fill you up but im sure ill forget something along the way. As of now Im finally all moved and (almost) settled into my permanent residence, a village which is about an hour north of the capital Porto Novo-its in the southeast of Benin, within bike riding distance to Nigeria-which would normally be exciting as i could hop borders, but as of now is limiting my freedoms since civil tensions in the neighboring country are creating security issues for foreigners i.e. Americans-but im staying safe-just not able to leave my house at night, which starts at 7 pm- so nights are long and somewhat boring for me-that is when im not busy trying to learn how to cook (very difficult to do without an oven, microwave, steady supply of water, guaranteed electricity and all the other nice little machineries and kitchen gadgets were all so accustomed to at home), cutting my hair (yes-chopped off about 8 inches-about shoulder length now), reading, or going on bug and rodent killing sprees in my house. Ive begun working with a local NGO-theyve put me to work putting together projects to give children who have been orphaned by AIDS clothes, getting kids school supplies that are otherwise unaffordable, putting together a Womens Awareness festival for the rural areas of my village, and producing nutrient enriched foods and ingredients to give to people in the town and surrounding area. Im learning the local language Nagot, a little better now-and was given a name by my community-Ireti, means "hope". Others things ive done since I moved in at the end of September- met the village king, threw my first house party-successfully cooking my first meal in Benin and hosting 11 other Peace Corps volunteers from the region, had my house broken into (not harmed, nothing stolen though), was peed on by a goat strapped to the roof of a "Bush taxi" i was riding in with 13 other ppl in a 5 seater car, made National and public TV attending various local and national ceremonies, was involved in a high speed car chase by the police (apparently my taxi driver thought it was okay to evade the law-not a fun experience considering the police's readiness to arm and fire at disobedient civilians), and am learning how to stay sane on a schedule that begins with roosters crowing relentlessly from 5 in the morning on, to rerouting my walk to work from the herd of cattle that comes by my house twice daily, to trying to live off a diet consisting solely of tomatoes, onions, oil, white bread, white rice, beans, eggs, couscous and cheese, and trying not to drive myself crazy with all the silence that envelops me as soon as i go home for the evening. So far life here proves to be absolutely nothing like id ever imagined or expected. My experiences-and there have been a vast array of them-are unbelievable, in both good and bad ways-but the experiences ive had here are by far the most adventurous, laughable, humbling, and risky things ive ever done. Im definitely meeting some of my greatest fears head on-like living by myself and dealing with real "live" ghost/spiritual enigmas-and taking on some overwhelming challenges-like asserting myself in a male dominated society, and addressing community rural health problems in a culture that leads people to believe that illness is a cause of bad curses and witchcraft and not of simple behavior and habit changing-all of which are both terrifying and gratifying.

So on to you all- how are you??? Im Starved for updates on everyone! Today is the first day ive got to check my mail in a month and though i havent had a chance to open any of it i saw several letters from you all-thank you SOOO much! you have no idea how nice it is to get mail-it feels like christmas! I hope you all are doing wonderful! Keep me updated and let me know what is going on in your busy lives! I miss you all and think of you often!!

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Sunny in Benin in Brief

Where: Pobé (pronounced Po-Bay)- a town an hour North of
the capital Porto Novo in
the Southeast of Benin close to the Nigeria border
Job Title: Rural Community Health Advisor
Work: Working as both the primary grassroots liason
field researcher for an International
NGO (Non Governmental Organization) called
Project Bokonon (http://www.projectbokonon.org/)
and at the local NGO GABF (Group d’action
pour l’Amour du Bien-etre Familial)-both
organizations works to improve the health,
hygiene, and sanitation of the community of
Pobé and surrounding villages.
Peace Corps objectives in Benin:
To improve poor nutrition, sanitation and hygiene, high
infant mortality rates, limited access to education and health care, and a lack of economic opportunity in order to combat poverty in the country. Also to encourage cross cultural exchange of information and dialogue between the people of Benin and the United States in an effort to open communication of cultural awareness and opportunities between the two nations.
Main Objectives as a Rural Community Health Advisor:
1) Promotion of prenatal and infant nutrition
2) Prevention of HIV/AIDS
3) Rural health education (prevention of avoidable but fatal diseases like malaria and dysentery)

Basics of Benin

(From “The Bradt Travel Guide” by Stuart Butlerm and “The West African edition of the Lonely Planet”)
What: Republic of Benin
*Currently a newly democratic nation after 20 years of Marxist Dictatorship
*Renown for being the birthplace of Voodoo and also recognized as the Slave Coast as it was a major contributor to slave trade to Brazil, the Carribean and Haiti (where many of their African descendents originated from Benin)
*A southern coastal plain with flat lagoons, thick vegetation, and temperatures soaring to 45˚C and higher
*Classified by the United Nations as one of the world’s least developed and poorest countries
Where: In Sub Saharan West Africa along the Ivory Coast, bordered by Togo on the
west, Nigeria on the East, and Burkina Faso and Niger to the North
Size: 112,622 sq km-or roughly the size of Pennsylvania
Climate: Wet Tropical with strong monsoons between April-October, and high
temperatures and humidity all year long
Economy: mainly Subsistence Agriculture with main exports of cotton and palm oil
Average GDP: $1,100 per capita (stat from 2003)
Population: over 7.4 million (with the rural population exceeding urban figures)
Life Expectancy: 53 years old
Language: French (official language), Fon, Yoruba, and other tribal languages (Nagot is
the local language spoken in Pobé)
Religion: Highly religious and diverse, about 30% is Christian, 20% is Muslim, and the
remaining 50% practices traditional religions like voodoo (aka Vodun) and animism.
*In reality, whether Christian or Muslim or full fledged Vodun, aspects and rituals of voodoo are practiced by most in country regardless of religious affiliation.
Social Diversity: 20 different tribal groups comprise the culturally diverse state of Benin.
*Tribes are patrilineal, and are headed by Kings and Princes.
*Traditions are still observed regarding these authority figures and it is customary and expected to bow, kneel, or even get into a full lateral position (kind of like a push up) upon meeting or greeting royalty.
*Tribes can be differentiated by the language they speak or the scarification (designed scars on the face, arms and or body made with the use of a razor and ink) they are ordained with.
*Typical families have an average of 5 to 6 children, are patriarchal, and mostly polygamous.
Wildlife: Lions, leopards, cheetahs, jackals, hyenas, badgers, mongooses, baboons, green monkeys, antelope, African elephant, African buffalo, warthogs, aardvarks, pangolin, Nile crocodile, python, chameleon, viper, spitting cobra, black mamba, turtles, geckos and lizards
*Though this vast array of wildlife can be found in Benin, it is mostly concentrated in the North in the national parks. In the more developed areas in the South nearer to the coast, fish, lizards, geckos, snails, frogs, turtles, snakes, goats, sheep, pigs, and cattle rule the land.

Beninese History in Brief:
Originally ruled by the an expansion of different Kingdoms, the Dahomeyan empires began dabbling with Portuguese, French, British, and later Dutch trade beginning in the 17th century and ending with the infamous exploitation of slaves traded to the Americas. Millions of slaves were captured and sold by both the Dahomeyan Kings and European slave traders out of the coastal cities of Ouidah, Grand Popo, and Porto Novo in Benin. The 19th century marked the beginning of French colonization of the Dahomeyan kingdom and this period of social and political change would last for 70 years. When Dahomey (the former name for Benin under French Colonization) became an independent state in 1960, a series of political instability and civil unrest followed suit, resulting in 4 military coups, 9 changes of government, and 5 changes to the constitution. Dahomey became one of the most politically volatile nations in the region. The result was a 20 year dictatorship by Marxist Colonel Mathieu Kerekou. After almost two decades of corruption, human rights abuses, and a failing economy, the first free and multiparty elections were held in 1991. 2006 marked the end of Kerekou’s 33 years of political leadership and Benin is now a Democratic Republic under the leadership of democratically elected president Boni Yayi.

Fast Facts of Voodoo
*Practiced in West Africa dating back at least 4,000 years ago
*Birthplace: Benin; the Voodoo that is heard about in the States was brought from the Caribbean, South America, and Haiti, and originated from slaves from Benin’s Dahomeyan empire during the slave trade
* Voodoo big wigs I’ve come across-Charlitans (traditional healers), sorcerers, witches, Revenans (spirits of ancestors that have inhibited ornately decorated costumed live bodies), and fetishes (objects ranging from wooden carvings of men or children, to monkey skulls, to bones and weavings of hair, that embody and hold a spirits power and life)

About me

Hey-My name is Sunny & welcome to my Benin blog-those of you who know me know im not computer savvy enough to start this thing up on my own, but my amazing friend Lizzie very graciously volunteered to create this blog to help me keep in touch w/ all of you while I'm overseas. Ill be writing her (when I can) and she will post my letters/news on this site so that those of you who would otherwise be in touch with me via cell or in person can maintain a somewhat connected relationship with me while I'm gone. I'm still fairly uniformed of my communication abilities once I'm in country but according to other international volunteer friends-this seems to be the way to go.

(A little about me if you didn't already know) Graduated this past May from Queens University of Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina inInternational Studies in Developing Countries with a Double Concentration in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese For the past 4 years i've also been a nanny, a Spanish night class teacher, sales girl, international volunteer teaching English, and an Intern at a local non profit NGO for cross cultural learning-so naturally im interested in going to Africa to live in a mudhut and hang with the jungle rats. So why am I doing this-seriously? Insatiable appetite for adventure and challenge-call it wanderlust or just a reaction to extreme suburban boredom. That and an ever growing sense of duty and compassion for the developing world-an admittedly inconvenient passion-but mine nonetheless. Travel and cultural immersion has always been a huge part of my life-its taken me from South Korea to South Georgia-with intermittent residences,mission trips, and vacations to Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Mexico, England, Germany, Spain, Italy, Chile, Japan, and China-and now Benin with the hopes of exploring more of my newest fascination-the African continent.

Ultimately I'm hoping this experience will relieve me of some of my impatience to get involved with some of the issues that have been so heavy in my heart for so long-and give me some added experience to pursue a career in International Humanitarian Aid. Its been exhausting preparing for my leave-and despite varying waves of anxiety about whats to come and sadness about parting from all of you who I love and will miss terribly-I know without a doubt that this is the very best thing for me at this time in my life. I will be keeping in close touch with all of you through this site-and email and air mail hopefully as well!

Disclaimer: The views & words on this blog reflect only the thoughts & opinions of Sunny Alley (via Lizzie Humma) & not those of the Peace Corp. or the United States Government.

Benin On My Mind