I'm the worst blogger ever

Hello All!
Here is an entry that I wrote back in February but haven't had a chance to post since...sorry! I'll post something more recent soon!
Lots of Love,
Naima



16 February 2009
The fabled harmattan has come and gone, and once again the breeze floating across my porch at night is a warm one. It is 11 p.m., and the thermometer on my alarm clock now reads just over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. I must admit that this New Englander was rather underwhelmed by the promised fraicheur of the Beninese dry season. A few mornings where I am comfortable wearing a fleece jacket is not exactly what I call winter. Plus, the cooler weather lasted less than a month. It’s February -- shouldn’t there be a few inches of snow on the ground right now?
I must apologize yet again for the length of time between entries. Much has happened since I last wrote (which is part of the reason it has been so long since I last wrote): Christmas and New Year’s, Mom’s visit, the second devoirs and end of the first semester of school, President Obama’s Inauguration, a birth, a baptism, and a wedding.
I spent the holidays with Jessica and Melissa in Bassila. We had stockings (I sewed mine myself from a scrap of my Peace Corps bedsheet! I could scarcely believe my own resourcefulness haha), shortbread cookies, and even a miniature Christmas tree. On Christmas day, we feasted with the German linguists living in Bassila and sang Christmas carols ‘til late in the evening. I certainly missed spending Christmas at home with my family, but like my Beninese Thanksgiving, my Beninese Christmas was both so pleasant and so dissimilar from the Christmas I am used to that I could hardly be homesick or depressed. It was a unique but very Merry Christmas!
Shortly thereafter I made my way south to meet Mom in Cotonou. I was elated to see her, as well as so proud of her for making it here all by herself (and with four giant suitcases, no less!). We spent just one day in Cotonou, where we purchased a big mattress and mom rode her first zemi-jahn, before making our way north. We celebrated New Year’s Eve in Natitingou with a nice dinner and a visit to the PC workstation, where mom got to meet a bunch of my fellow PCVs and distribute the gifts she obligingly carted from other Peace Corps parents to their sons and daughters, and where I stayed out far too late fete-ing with other volunteers.
On New Year’s Day we headed to Park Pendjari for a three-day safari. The safari was wild and a lot of fun, if a bit exhausting. We only saw one lion (we got a great photo so it counts!), but we saw tons of hippos, several varieties of deer/antelope, crocodiles, monkeys, buffalo, and, best of all, elephants. In one rather comical (at least in hindsight) incident, Mom and I were seated atop the roof of the 4x4 when an elephant began advancing toward the car. Mom and I were ecstatic – what a photo opportunity! – but became annoyed as our guide quickly started up the engine and continued driving forward. We banged on the roof signaling him to stop, but to our dismay he kept going. At that moment, we realized that the elephant was not just coming to say hello, but was instead charging our vehicle! We had gotten a little too close to her and her baby, and we were lucky our guide was more animal-savvy than his camera-toting tourists. On our way back from the safari, we made stops to swim at the Tanagou waterfalls and to tour the Tata Sombas in Boukoumbe – both very worthwhile sights. We emerged from the safari tired and coated in reddish dust, but satisfied.
The next day mom and I returned to my village. It was wonderful to be able to show her what my life is like here. She was a trooper: she pulled water, did laundry by hand, learned how to ecraser tomatoes and piler yams, and even made me curtains while I did schoolwork. I took her to the market, introduced her to my friends in village, and fed her all of my favorite Beninese food. Best of all, she came to class with me a few days to watch me teach. She helped me demonstrate Simon Says with classroom commands and prepositions of place for my younger students, helped me make musical instrument flashcards, and took photos of all my classes. It was fun!
We rounded off the trip with a few days at the luxurious Hotel du Lac in Cotonou, home to a large pool, air-conditioning, and free wireless internet. We also visited my host family in Porto Novo, who were incredibly welcoming and excited to meet my mother. They had even commissioned a ceremonial Boubou to send home to my Dad – I can’t wait to see photos of him wearing it!
After Mom’s departure, I had to hustle back up north for school. The few weeks that followed were a whirlwind of classes and make-up classes due to the impending Devoirs (finals). My classes were still a bit behind due to my prolonged absence in November, so we had a lot of work to do. I started an after-school English club and our basketball team finally started practices, so my usually free Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings are now totally booked, and I spent a few weekends working on a Peace Corps Partnership Proposal with my post-mates in Bassila and Djougou for a girls’ camp this summer. It felt good to get so much accomplished, but it’s been a bit exhausting!
It’s also been an exciting few months for my friends in Penessoulou. My director and his wife had their third daughter, Joyce Nina, in January, and my closest neighbors were married and baptized their baby, Maldiath, in February. The Congres de Penessoulou begins next week when all of the sons and daughters of Penessoulou will return to visit and feter.
I, on the other hand, have had several near disasters this month, most of which were my fault: I nearly burned down my house a few weeks ago (the wind blew the curtain in my kitchen window into my stove…I’m really lucky that my house is made of cement!); my dog chewed through some supplies in my medical kit (he hasn’t eaten anything else, just dangerous poisons!); I found mice entering my house through my shower drain (I have since closed it and caught two of them in traps, but I’m sure there are more lurking somewhere); and I had my second bout of mild food poisoning (I think as a result of drinking juice au village). One thing’s for sure: life in Benin is never dull!
February vacation begins tomorrow, so I will travel to Sirarou to visit my friend Katie for a few days before we head down to Porto Novo for our TEFL In-Service Training. I’m excited to see the other TEFL volunteers and to experience the delightful conveniences and luxuries of the south (ice cream! air conditioning! pineapples!), but I’m very much not looking forward to traveling. It’s such a hassle here!