Hello everyone! It has been too long since , my last post. Internet is hard to come by. ill try to update you the best i can.


Well here I am. In Benin, now what?



Currently, I'm living with a lovely family in Dogbo while I learn french and the customs of the country. I'm learning french slowly which makes for some very frustrating and funny moments. my host family is very patient with me which is encouraging.



my family is made up of my "ma ma" (who is actually the same age as me) my "pa pa," and three "sisters" ages 15, 10, and 5. My sisters are actually relatives of my host parents; I'm not quite sure how though. host patents are expecting their first child in January. very exciting! too bad I wont be there.

As for food, they feed me traditional food. That means I eat a lot of pot. What is that you ask.... well its boiled flour that makes a dough life substance. Then you use the dough to pick up different kinds of sauces. The sauce is usually made out of some kind of legume and oil. Lots of oil, everything has oil(you weren't kidding Anne!). The major food groups here are starch, and oil. My family served me a salad one night for dinner, which made me supper excited. The Salad is like nothing you will find in the states it consisted of lettuce, carrot and potato bits, hard boiled eggs and spaghetti. Dripping with oil and mayonnaise. My favorite dish so far is beans and gari with a side of pima. Gari is a root type substance and pima is spicy peppers. Yum!



Currently, I have just returned from my post visit. During training you have a few days that you go to visit the town you will be living in for the next two years. The purpose is to see your house and make sure it is ok, visit your job, and start to become comfortable with the community.

I have been posted in a medium, sized town named Djougou. My job is to work with an NGO teaching about HIV/AIDES, nutrition, and whatever else I can think of. Sounds pretty straight forward right? haha..


What a trip it has been! To get north you have to take a bus from Cotonou. To get to the bus you have to take a Zemi. That's where my story starts. We (a fellow PCT and I, as well as one of our teachers) left the hotel with ample time to get to the bus station only to find out that the bus had left early! So our teacher yells at us to stay on the Zemi. Next thing we know we are involved in a high speed Zemi chase trying to stop the bus... at 7 in the morning. All some people need to wake up is a cup of coffee. We eventually caught up to the bus, pulled them over and got on board. Thus starts the trip.

Once we got to Djougou, I got off the bus and they left me. My supervisor was there to help out. Only I cant speak french and he doesn't speak English. Throughout the course of the next 2 days I found out I don't have a house to live in (miscommunication) and my NGO isn't open yet. Luckily, I did get to talk with a PCV that lives in town and he gave me lots of insight for projects. I'm very excited to get there and start! All I have to do is keep working on the french.

Well I should get going, but before I do let me say thank you for all of the emails and letters. You guys are incredible!! I'm not sure what I would do with out you all! It has been just the encouragement I've needed to know that I have so many of you praying for me. I miss you all!!

Much love!
Em

p.s. best of luck with the start of classes!! I'll be praying for all of you.