Tuesday, August 10, 2010, 8:11pm CST, 14:11 Beninese
So I'm sitting here during a presentation after watching a health video of self breast examinations that was very lengthy and thorough. Literally there was this attractive young woman feeling for breast cancer on herself for like 10 minutes while we all watched uncomfortably. It was super hilarious and awkward. I think that was the hardest I've giggled since I've been here.
We're getting ready to embark upon our technical visit and I am going with two other trainees to Lalo, a village in the south that is about 3 hours from here. I'll be with Charlie and Miranna, a married couple that have a pretty sweet blog that I've followed a bit for the last year. Reading their blog always made me a little jealous, so I tended to read the single people blogs more often. But Miranna was one of the volunteers who helped out in the beginning and was incredibly supportive and helpful when I was stressed out about needing to get in touch with Colt. I am happy to get out of Porto Novo and take a trip to see some of the country. I won't get to go all the way up to my Northern post, but it'll be good to see some of the country that I probably won't be that familiar with.
I lent out my book, Cunt, to a volunteer here named Josh after he let me read this awesome philosophy book called the Wisdom of Insecurity. He is pretty hilarious and will be posted as a SED (Small Enterprise Development) volunteer living pretty close to me, just north of Natitangou. I'll also be close to a TEFL-er, Magda, and a couple other health volunteers are just a bit south of me. The volunteer who had my host family last year , Doug, also lives in Djougou and apparently we both have sweet houses. I heard from a reputable source that my house is PINK. Internet, I hear, is pretty expensive to have in my house, though. And since there are a lot of cyber cafes near by, I might not end up paying the money for constant internet because it will end up being like a quarter of my monthly allowance...which is probably too much, but we'll see what my expenses are like after a few months of cooking for myself and doing basic household things. It would be nice to be able to save up a bit of money for a little vacation at some point.
It sounds like Colt is definitely coming for Christmas, which is wonderful because it gives me something definitive to focus on as a countdown. My dad is getting the ticket next month and while it's pretty expensive, it's still do-able. Anyone who can give a little something to this enterprise should send money to Colt! It's like Christmas for both of us and birthday for me all in one! Speaking of his trip, I am pretty sure we'll just be hanging out in Djougou, doing all the normal things I will normally be doing, but I also really want to do a couple sweet ass African things while he's here. I decided it would be a great time to go check out Pendjari, the National Park and see us some lions and giraffes as well as go visit the waterfalls south of Nati. But I want to keep it pretty relaxed so we can have lots of time together stress free. The ticket has not been purchased yet so I'm sort of still nervous, but I will have a great weight lifted once I have confirmation and can officially start planning this trip. But Dad assures me...it will happen before swear-in!
So, I need some good books. I need a book about yoga instruction and a book about Buddhism, Theravada or Zen would be best. I also really really REALLY need a BIOCHEMISTRY TEXT BOOK. DAD, this might be a task I assign to you. It is a large NEED. I have been feeling very intellectually lazy lately and the idea that I am not going to be LEARNING stuff soon, the idea that I am not going back to school in a couple weeks to expand my BRAIN, is actually causing me some distress. The stuff I'm learning now is NOT sciencey enough for me and I NEED some science stuff that is up my alley...and I chose BIOCHEMISTRY. DAD. HELP ME. Haha, Ok, got the point?? I. NEED. SOME. SCIENCE.
In other news, I am really craving some American food...or rather, Mexican food more specifically. The idea of an enchillada or chips and salsa or...QUESO...makes me weep and salivate simultaneously which is a very strange feeling. I want to get together with a few other people to do a taco night or just be able to cook for myself. I am intrigued by the food that my Maman makes for me, but I am really ready to take over that avenue of my life again. I miss the days when I'd just make up an enchillada casserole with ridiculous amounts of CHEESE and just drown in it..the hot, bubbling, delicious, cheesy creamy mmmmmmmmm cholesterol.....Seriously, though. The wagasi is awesome and I'm really glad I'll have it fresh up North. But damn I want me some CHEDDAR. And I also had an elaborate fantasy about a big glass of cold milk yesterday...which is odd since I don't actually even drink milk in the states. But, maybe the fantasy was cold soy milk. Which, incidentally, I can make myself here as well as tofu...both of which I will be making on a regular basis and storing in my FRIGO (that means FRIDGE! yes, my house is awesome).
1:32pm CST, 19:32 Beninese time
I just finished watching awesome Bollywood music videos with my host sisters. Hindi movies and culture is surprisingly big here and I was very comforted by the dancing and singing; it's really familiar to me and makes me feel more at home. I know that's totally random, but definitely true. I also watched the three episodes of Scrubs that I have stored on the ipod. I don't think I've been more content in this country as when I was watching Turk and JD do the world's most giant doctor while snacking on sour patch kids under my mosquito net.
For dinner tonight I had myself a Beninese salad and I'm happy to report that they are growing on me. This one had lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, hash brown cubes (warm from being fried) and hard boiled eggs without the yolks (I totally have kept throwing out the middles and they've caught on that I usually skip that part!) all on top of macaroni pasta with a mustard viniagrette sauce. It was delicious especially since all I had for lunch was fried plaintains and some yellow Nigerian pate (which was awesome, just not particularly filling)
I still could really use some queso, though. I think I'm going to buy some wagasi and some vache qui rit triangles and try to melt them together. I have it on good authority, though, that wagasi doesn't melt. At least not if left out in the sun...but I'm wondering what would happen if I crumbled it up with the softer cheese and put it over a fire..? Probably I'd just get lumpy, gooey vache qui rit...but honestly, damn! I mean, I could add a little pimant, some tomatoes and onions all chopped up, a little cilantro (I hear it exists but have yet to view or smell it in anything) and a little lime (and I mean little as in tiny...the limes are like the size of a small kumquat here). I am thinking that could be pretty damn good queso. I'd also have to make my own chips with which to enjoy my concoction...but that's pretty straightforward in the COOKIN'N'BENIN cook book we all received a couple weeks ago. I am totally going to do this as soon as possible. The problem is that I don't have any pots and pans of my own right now...and I'm sort of liking that I don't have to do my own dishes yet. I mean, as much as I want to be cooking for myself, I am damn happy I don't have to spend multiple hours scrubbing my plates and pans yet. It already takes me three hours to do my laundry by hand!
On the subject of cheese, we totally learned yesterday how to make soja fromage (soy cheese). It's actually just tofu, but the fact that I can make it here is totally bomb. It is actually pretty straightforward. You buy plain soy beans in the market and then soak them overnight. In the morning you take 'em to the mill and get them ground up into this sticky paste stuff. You then take that paste and add water while straining it through a thin, mesh-like fabric. The liquid that comes out is essentially soy milk. The solid part that stays on top is the toxic shell pieces of the seed that you throw out. After that, you take the soy milk stuff and boil it for like 20 minutes. You can then drink it after it cools (add a little sugar and vanilla and fucking have vanilla SILK) or you can add an acid to make it curddle to make the tofu. You can use akassa water, which is basically acidic water that people use to make this fermented type of pate, or you can use water that has sat overnight with 20 lemons squeezed into it. It's also possible to use just straight vinegar, but that's more expensive. Anyway, you put that in the boiling soymilk and then collect the curddles that collect on top. You then squeeze out all the liquid in those curddles by pressing it out with huge blocks and stones while protected in plastic. After that, the curddles are boiled in seasoned water to add flavorings...good flavors I've had are salt, ginger, and pimant. The tofu/soy cheese can be stored for 2 days at room temperature or for 2 weeks in the FRIGO. Often people will fry the pieces and add them to sauces in place of meat. It's super firm tofu, too, which is awesome. I'm totally going to make tofu stir fry when Colt comes to visit haha. It's a great option for us vegetarians and is also full of so many nutrients that we, as health volunteers, can give demonstrations about how to make it and that will totally count as working. Score.
I keep wanting to go on a run, but the street outside my house is a busy one and I really just don't like everyone watching and laughing at me as I run by. I think if it was my permanent home I would just get used to it, but here I am just so exhausted all the time that running is just not high on my priority list. I do a lot of working out in my room, though. Yoga, especially. I tell ya, 20 sun salutations is some good cardio! I also use my 5 Liter water jug as a weight and do some situps and pushups while listening to Usher. I manage to get in a pretty decent little work out at least 4 times a week. C'est tres bon! I even burned some incense the other day and felt very much at peace, even though the pink mosque down the street was blaring the muezzin call over my Usher and Nicki Menaj collaboration. C'est la vie en Afrique.
SOMEONE PLEASE SEND ME SOME MOVIES. I'm already bored and it's going to be so much worse during the first three months at post when I am not allowed to work!! AHHHH. Seriously, though, keep a list of sweet movies I need to see when I get back and every now and again, toss one in the mail for me or something.
HERE's some more stuff for my wish list...I'll add it to the side bar, too. All of these things are great birthday gift ideas (39 days until age 23!) Some of this stuff I only need once (like specific books...so y'all should coordinate with each other) but other things can just keep on coming for the whole two years (LUNA BARS HOW I LOVE THEE)
-movies (DVDs)
*Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse
*Inception
*Other new releases that you thought were awesome and I must see before 2012
-used magazines (COSMO, the Economist, etc when you're finished reading them)
-photos!
-Luna bars (lemon and dulce de leche)
-Taco seasoning
-Enchillada sauce (do they make powdered versions?)
-cheap non scented hygiene wipes
-Cheap non scented facial wipes
-splenda packets
-starbucks instant coffee packets with creamer in it
-vanilla extract
-baking powder
-nutmeg
-Biochemistry textbook (DAD as discussed)
-Yoga positions book
-Book on buddhism philosophy (especially something about western buddhism and living as a buddhist in western society)
-An American flag to hang in my house
-cheap, but cute picture frames for regular sized photos for my house
-Letters! tell me about your lives! I'll write back from AFRICA if I get a letter from you!
-Grateful dead bear stickers for my moto helmet (at least 3 inches tall)
-What to Expect When Your Expecting (hey, i have a lot of down time and it's never too early to be prepared for womanhood! It's also very applicable to a lot of the work I'll be doing hopefully)
-Where There is no Midwife (or something like that...Jeni bought it for me already I think, but I need someone to send it to me!)
-Ipod charger that plugs into the wall ( I KNOW I used to have one, but it seems to be lost, now)
-Colt, in a box, with some enchilladas
Saturday, August 14, 2010, 2:01pm CST, 20:01 Benin
Well, we returned last night from our awesome and simultaneously not so awesome four days with the Darrs in Lalo, Benin. First off, I'll start with the awesome. WE ATE SO WELL. We arrived Wednesday afternoon after a funfilled 4 hours on the road with a quasi suicidal/homicidal taxi driver (he literally reached out his window at one point and slapped some guy on a moto for driving badly!) and immediately we made our way through the town of 5000 to be greeted by good old American PB&J l'ananas style with a side of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies from Miranna. That first night we spent just a few minutes preparing CHILI. It was the Lalo Three Bean Moringa Chili after we added Moringa leaf powder (this freakishly healthy plant that has all the essential amino acids!). It was actually sort of cold outside since it had been sprinkling on and off all day and the warm, spicy chili really hit the spot. We nommed it with corn bread and some cold Beninoise beers and we all stuffed ourselves...or 'gavaged' ourselves as the Beninois are wont to do with small children sometimes.
For lunch the next day we stopped by a "restaurant" and had what is known as...cum. It is like pate blanche, but slightly fermented and reboiled and it has more of a bread like consistancy. It was actually freaking delicious and it was served with this spicy tomato sauce with fresh onions and a dark red pepper sauce. We used our hands (but only the right!) to scoop up the sauce with the cum and it was amazingly refreshing to have a plate of truly delicious Beninese food.
The second night was our MEXICAN FEISTA. YES, that's right. I HAD MY MEXICAN FOOD. We made flour tortilla chips that were almost as good as Omaha's California Tacos chips, used taco seasoned tofu (soy cheese) as a spicy sauce, had this awesome fresh pineapple salsa, and I made the bombest, most amazing guacamole that has ever been created by desperate individuals from fresh, organic avocados, onions, tomatoes, pimants, salt and limes. The only thing missing was the cheddar cheese, but frankly, that guac made up for it and those chips were fucking fantastic. I'll be recreating this delicacy Djougou style in the future. With all of that we added Monocos...beer with grenadine and sprite...and continued gavaging ourselves in the amazingness.
Food gavage session number 3 took place for lunch the next day. We did this insane American breakfast feast with hashbrowns (headed up by moi), scrambled eggs with a bit of the soja cheese, fresh pineapples, freshly squeezed orange juice created by hand from one of the trainees, drop biscuits done dutch oven style with jelly, avec ketchup and there was even gravy for the biscuit eating non vegetarians present. That night we went over to Charlie's homologue's place for traditional Beninese cooking and in true Beninese fashion didn't actually eat dinner until nearly midnight! We had pate rouge and sauce de legumes with soja cheese and chicken. They kept all meat separate, too, which was nice. I watched one young kid defeather and gut the chicken while we discussed the names of the internal organs in French and English. It was pretty awesome. The pate rouge was amazing, probably my favorite form of pate. With the meal (eaten and prepared communally with the right hand) we all had some shots of sodabe (SODA-BEE). It is quite simply, moonshine. It tastes like most hard liquors...disgusting, but is rumored to be super bad for you...if you imbibe too frequently, it is possible to go blind...or so the rumors go. I did a half shot (NOT an AFRICAN half shot...which is really just a full shot filled to the brim so it's dripping over haha) and was pretty out of it for a while. It was a good night...
UNTIL... (Commencing the not so awesome part of this tech visit) we were all robbed. During the party time at Charlie's homologue's, someone swipped the key to the Darr's house and must have snuck over there while we were all busy cooking and talking outside. It was dark and later when we were looking for the key, it wasn't where we'd left it. After spending a while searching with lanterns and torches, Miranna found it in a totally random, hidden spot as if someone had dropped it surrepticiously. When we arrived at the house, we found missing things: a camera, an ipod, a clock, and for me...30,000cfa had been taken out of my wallet which was in my backpack. Well, naturally we all sort of freaked and told the homologue and he rounded up his people and no one knew anything. After a frustrating few hours (it was basically 3 am by the time we ended up going to sleep), we headed back and decided to go to the gendarmes in the morning. Ce matin, we told the police about it, called the peace corps, filed a report, and then returned back to the house to find one of the homologue's kids there with the stuff that he had found for us that morning from one or two of the older teenage boys from the party. No names were given, but the camera and ipod and clock were returned...along with 3,000cfa of mine. That's really it, at this point. They're trying to figure out who did it (apparently the gendarmes have 3 of the guys at the station now and to get the rest of my money back because at least 25,000cfa is still missing.
So I have a lot of thoughts about this. One, it's always wrong to steal things and in this culture especially it is seen as really low. I'm sad because I'm worried about the relationship now between the Darrs and their town, although they called and said that everyone knew about it and were really sorry about it. It sucks because the way they see people could be different now; they'll worry about locking their door and where the key is, whereas before it was just something they had to do. More than the things and money stolen, there has been a loss of comfort and of community. I would gladly give up that money to have them feel secure and connected with their village again, but at the same time I am really frustrated that everyone got back their stuff, but me! I'm not surprised though...they probably went out and bought several rounds of Sodebe in Dogbo with that money. Whatever. I'll either get it back or I won't, but either way I've definitely experienced a quintessential Peace Corps event and I know I'll be guarding my Djougou house key closer than perhaps I would have otherwise. TIA, man. TIA.
Sunday, August 15th , 6:03am CST, 12:03 Benin
My camera has also been decently working, so I think I'll wait before officially asking for a new one. I took lots of pictures during tech visit and got a lot of the mural we painted at Charlie's health center. I headed up the main picture of a woman breast feeding her baby and we added in french a message that said it is important to breast feed exclusively until the baby is 6 months old. It looks really good and I'll try to post some pictures of the visit soon. I think my picture plans are just to get some up on the blog when I can and then make facebook albums whenever I'm in a workstation and can take as much time as necessary to upload them.
I am so hungry right now and I have to wait until my family makes me lunch! I am SO READY to have my own house and cook my own food. Tech visit really just solidified that desire. I just feel like such a child now. I go to school, have my meals prepared for me, ask for permission to go out and speak as if I were twelve years old, I am starting to feel like I actually am! Akon is having a concert in Cotonou next week and the tickets are like $10, but none of the trainees are allowed to go because we'll be there after dark, but the volunteers who've been here for a year are totally going and getting a hotel room afterward. I am wicked jealous. But, I guess that's life as a twelve year old for ya.
Our language re-evaluation is on Friday, so this week I'll be studying French like mad to try and score high enough to not have to stress out anymore. If I can get intermediate high I can start learning a local language, but I doubt I'm at that point quite yet. Honestly I feel like I can follow a conversation better, but that I need a lot of work still in order to effectively express myself.
Well, Sunday is laundry day, so I'd better start thinking about that. UGH.
E
