A bar watchi wei-tachi et wagasi waranka

I've been learning a lot of Dendi lately; the title is something I ordered for lunch today. Local language is not really necessary for me because I live in a big city where everyone speaks french, but I really enjoy learning it. Sofia and I (the German volunteer in Djougou who, who in highschool, spent a year abroad in Wichita freaking Kansas--damn it's a small world) are planning on taking Dendi lessons together. Whenever she and I hang out we speak this cool combination of french, english, quasi-german (i know a few phrases), and now some dendi. it's pretty trippy.

A good friend of mine from college is joining me in the Peace Corps world of West Africa and will be in Mali at the end of January. I know I was already getting ready to plan a Mali trip for next summer, so it works out pretty spectacularly. I'm glad someone from home will be able to commiserate now haha

So this is really just an update post...Thanksgiving is coming up and a lot of us are going to Nati. I am going to try to bake an apple pie. I am now officially helping my office here with learning english...at 7am three times a week, ugh. i have started getting ready for the med school application season as i have officially received my wellesley college admissions committee packet. I am considering adding like three more random Chicago schools since I really want to go to school there. Naturally, my top choice is Northwestern followed closely by the University of Chicago, but honestly I'd be pretty stoked to go to Rush or Loyola or where ever as long as it's in the Windy City, you know? Hmm, what else? Ah, I learned a new french phrase that perfectly sums up what i am supposed to be doing here: faire faire. It basically means that I am to make others do things, to facilitate behavior change, to help the Beninese help themselves. Faire faire.

I can't remember if I mentioned it, but last week was the Muslim holiday, Tabaski, or Eid ul-Adha, a three day holiday that commemorates Abraham’s (Ibrahim’s) submission to the command of Allah in sacrificing his son, Ishmael. The Koran describes Abraham in the following passage:"Surely Abraham was an example, obedient to Allah, by nature upright, and he was not of the polytheists. He was grateful for Our bounties. We chose him and guided him unto a right path. We gave him good in this world, and in the next he will most surely be among the righteous" (Koran 16:120-121). Before Abraham was able to sacrifice Ishmael, Allah intervened and communicated that his devotion was evident through his willingness to obey the word of Allah, thus his sacrifice fulfilled. Allah gave Abraham a ram to sacrifice instead. The people celebrate the holiday by attending mosque services and praying and then sacrificing insane numbers of goats. Some families save up for an entire year to buy a goat so that they can have a good Tabaski. I myself went to the nearest mosque and prayed with my friend, Affissa. She came by my house and we performed our ablutions, ritual washing of our faces, hands, and feet. We then went to the mosque where she handed me prayer beads and I pulled my headscarf over my hair so that my body was almost completely covered. The room I was in had only women and anyone under the age of 15 was definitely more preoccupied with me than their prayers...oops, haha. Afterward I went back to my house and ended up missing the goat slaughterings. Oh, darn, maybe next year. We ate good wagasi and yam pilée and drank cold cokes, though, and it was the life. Later, we met up with some friends at a buvette. The entire city was partying for three days straight, even at like midnight, when usually the city is quiet.

Well, that's that for now!

I actually have something super important to talk about, but it deserves it's own entry, so stay tuned for next time,

Elaina

On mango rains and speaking too soon

First off, I think someone must have read my mini rant and said to the boss "we'd better look into this Elaina chick. She could be trouble" because the ball is now rolling! I received an email from the placement office today asking me for my updated resume and romantic involvement questionnaire. The RI form was a lot more in depth than the original one I filled out at my interview, giving me three scenarios ranging from one where my partner asks me to stay at the last minute to constant loneliness and difficulties of communication with differing experiences. I read a couple paragraphs to Colt, but he decided that we've gone over it so often that he's probably the best Peace Corps partner out there and probably knows more about the PC process than anyone. So I decided to just fill it out quickly and send it off with my resume. I am confident in his love and in mine for him and am nothing but completely sure that we will get through this time together, no matter what sacrifices we will both have to make.

I also bought the book by RPCV Kris Holloway about her time of service in the late 80s/early 90s in Mali called "Monique and the Mango Rains: Two years with a midwife in Mali." I've only read the first chapter, but it reads a lot like many of the PCV blogs I frequent...but with better stylistic form. I think I'm going to try to write on this thing a little more entertainingly, try to tell a story with my experiences. There are certainly better blogs out there than others and I think the biggest difference has to do with how they choose to tell their stories. Some just list the day's events and give a basic play by play while others seem to infuse the same scenarios with humor and emotion. It is invariably the latter that continue to draw me in and I hope to maintain a similar level of good writing while actually a volunteer. So stop me if I get boring!

Life is good right now. I don't think I need a PC blogging hiatus; I constantly underestimate my ability to be patient. Even now with first official contact having been made, I'm not too stressed. I definitely have senioritis pretty bad. I have two major papers to write, a huge biology project, two more exams, and a final exam all to complete before my work here is finished and I graduate. I can't believe it was four years ago that I was getting ready to leave Kansas and finish high school. It seems like only yesterday and yet so long ago. I honestly don't feel too much different as a person, although I know that I've expanded my intellectual capacity to dwell on intangible issues in the world. The beauty of a liberal arts education I think, is the ability to confidently use in a sentence things like heteronormativity and white privilege while discussing molecular genetics at a competent level. Anyway, I am definitely starting to view myself as an alum of this great institution. Which makes it difficult to actually get my work done. =D

I am running a lot these days as the Boston Marathon is coming up in exactly 1 week and I am getting prepared! I'm getting excited, too. If anyone is inclined to help fund my run, I am collecting donations for Boston Children's Hospital and you can donate at:

https://howtohelp.childrenshospital.org/bostonmarathon/pfp/Default.asp?ID=ME0064

Thanks for your support!

Anyway, that's all for now. I hope my placement officer gets back to me soon. I'd like to know when I'm being officially reviewed. But yay! Things are moving along. FINALLY! haha

Elaina

On the woes of knowing too much

It's official-->someone has gotten a Mali invite from the health extension peeps. It's been announced on PC wiki and the future PCVs facebook group. Some guy knows he's going to Mali beginning on July 1st. Well, geez. I am going to send in my CPR certificate update tonight to the placement office and hopefully I will know soon.

Knowing that they are clearly giving out invitations from my program nomination is just completely nerve wracking and does not encourage me to try and fight my growing case of the unrelated to RAS syndrome, senioritis.

I think what I am going to do here is take a deep breath. Do it with me, my fellow applicants. In.........and out......sigh.

As long as it's Africa, I will be happy with my invitation, whenever it shall arrive. Happiness all around!

And, I thought I'd leave you with the words that I am officially getting tattooed on my body next week. (it will be healed in plenty of time for the Peace Corps):

let the future say of our generation that we sent forth mighty currents of hope, and that we worked together to heal the world.

E

*edit* I just found out Ashleigh has received contact with her placement officer! That seems to be the first step in getting the invite...the first contact, fishing out the details of the invite to come...the request for updated resume, romantic involvement forms, etc....please, oh peace corps placement gods, shine your love on me this week. I have also just sent in my CPR certification card copies to the placement office, so hopefully I'll hear SOMETHING soon **

On Jungles (or, I'm Back!)

I've been trying to stay away, but I actually think that was doing more harm than good. I just love y'all so much! I've added some artwork and set up a 'tags' section. The revamp of the look has given me some additional motivation...as has catching up on my favorite West African and fellow applicant blogs. I'll probably get on here in a couple days and do my top 5 fears, with a nod to Ashleigh's PC affair.

I've been checking out PC journals again and I actually decided to go on some recon missions to discover when Benin and Mali PCVs had actually received their invitations. My information gathering has lead me to the following conclusions:

--Benin volunteers in 2008 and 2009 were generally invited in the last week of March. I am seeing a few March 28th and 30ths out there. (so that's like 3 days!)

--Benin staging dates appear to be later July, like the 21st in Philly.

--Mali volunteers in 2008 and 2009 seem to be invited a bit later, more like mid April. Dates were less tangible. Those Mali volunteers don't seem to be as up on it with the blogosphere. I'm sure that has something to do with being in the desert haha.

--Mali staging dates are actually before the Benin ones, more like July 6th or 7th. Also in Philadelphia.

So it looks like Benin people know earlier and leave later than the Mali folks. Since I am wanting to do several things upon my return in 2012 (get an apartment, get weddinged, start medical school), an earlier departure might be best. But dang, I am really quite in love with Benin. To me, it seems like the epitome of West Africa--jungles and heat with great rain storms and desert in the North. Mali also seems great, but more poverty-stricken perhaps with more...dust. I don't know. Benin gets me closer to that romantic idea of African jungles that I fell in love with when I was 15. I'm sure those ideas will be challenged where ever I end up, and that whether I end up in Mali or Benin, or some unknown country I have yet even considered, the Peace Corps will be a monumental part of my life.

E