December days…

            It’s hard to believe it is already December, 2008. It seems as if so much has happened since I last wrote at the beginning of October, yet at the same time, life has gone on as usual in Azove and here in Peace Corps Benin. I have to say I have definitely had my ups and downs these past few months – some really great times, but also some really stressful times.

My life here in general is really good for the most part, as I feel like I have a strong support system among Beninese and Peace Corps friends and families, and definitely stay busy, while enjoying the quiet and fun and million interesting moments. I continue to go to most “marche” (market days) which I have not gotten tired of, and eat the same combination of food – soy cheese, gumbo, onions, garlic, with some beans and rice, and yam pile thrown in there somewhere!

But it isn’t always easy; I often question what I am doing here, what I am really contributing, what impact I am really making. And I do get really tired of continually being called “yovo” (foreigner) and not being understood because I am different.  And believe it or not, it can often be trying to be away from home and my culture for more than two years. I realize by the time I come home finally, I will have been away for two and a half years (because I am planning on traveling for a few months after the completion of my service)! That IS a really long time. And I am realizing more and more how incredibly different Beninese and American culture is. And just coming to the understanding how important culture is in everything that humans do, and the important role it plays in our lives. Of course before coming to Peace Corps Benin, I felt like I had an understanding of the role of culture, but my extended time here has just really hammered that opinion into place. The role it plays in how we lead our lives, the choices we make, how we interact with people. There are many similarities that can be found and differences that can be bridged, but the cultural differences between Benin and the United States is truly astounding. That is something I have been thinking about often. And the overall significance of that is something I have yet to figure out quite yet.   

Anyway, I guess  I can give a little run down on some events in my life here, and projects I have been working on. It’s a little difficult, because it has been so long since I blogged, to talk about every day life, and as things are mostly so normal to me at the point in my service. This is my life. This is my home now.

However, these past few months included my birthday, which was really fun on many levels. Not only was I able to celebrate in Cotonou with my best Peace Corps friends and finally “go out on the town”, but I had a great party in Azove with my friends and neighbors. Jocelyne, the same friend who hosted my parents when they came, offered to hold the Azove party, and together on market day we  bought the goods and prepared a meal (well, mostly her and her apprentices from her seamstress business preparing) of beans and rice and fish and soy cheese for a little over 25 friends, neighbors, and kids. I definitely consider Jocelyne a close friend here, and it felt really good to just have another fun celebration with those I am close with in town. Several of my English colleague’s friends came, my neighbors, including Grand Soeur and her family (my neighbors this year in my concession), Papa and Mama Coovi, Jocelyne’s family, and a bunch of the kids I love and adore. Unfortunately Mama Flo Flo and her family could not make it, but I have seen her several times since then.

The “rentree” (beginning of school year) happened right at the beginning of October, and that has been a long road, with both its obstacles and improvements. This year, I have a much better school administration; I feel much more supported in both my primary work as a teacher, and the secondary projects that I undertake at school. It is the same director, but a new “censeur” (vice principal essentially), and a great “surveillant” (not sure what the exact equivalent is in English, but basically he is the head of discipline at the school and assists with many administrative activities).  Last year, we did not even have a surveillant, and the censeaur was not the super approachable type. And this is for a huge school. So that’s been really good. My classes, as usual, have been a challenge, but have gotten increasingly better towards December and the “devoirs” (exams) that we just had.  This year, I am teaching three different levels and four classes all together. Last year I taught two levels (5ieme and 6ieme), which is what most volunteers do. But I wanted to follow my students to the next year, and also was interested in teaching 6ieme (first year English, youngest kids in secondary school) again. Also, my school has a ton of new students this year, and thus is overloaded with 6ieme classes. So here I am, teaching 6ieme, 5ieme, AND 4ieme. It’s actually not too bad – little extra lesson planning than normal, but its fine. My 6ieme is going pretty well, and I am really enjoying my 4ieme class. My 4ieme class is most of my same students from one of my 5iemes from last year, and we have a really good rapport with each other. I also enjoy how I can use much more English with them. My 5iemes this year have given me tons of problems. It’s very strange, because these students were with me in 6ieme last year, and were my favorite classes. But like 5ieme from last year, something happens when they get a year older and they seem to turn into little talking devils. There are definitly a handful of kids that are really great and bright and respectful, but as a class, they can get so out of hand, its incredible, and nothing I did for a while seemed to help. I walked out of class several times so angry. The surveillant even came and talked to one of them, and my English colleagues did as well – no one is pleased with them. I think they have realized their faults and have gotten better, but it’s been a long, hard road with them.

            I have been doing a number of secondary activities this year with the students, just like I did last year, but with some major changes, building off what I learned and experienced from last year. The girl’s football team is a whole new ballgame. This year, my postmate Allison and I decided that we would not do the team unless we had “tryouts” and got a Beninese counterpart to help substantially with the team. I spent many occasions talking to the main physical education teacher about these tryouts, and we finally held them about a month ago. He was really great in informing a lot of girls from many different levels to come, so we got quite a showing of girls. Basically we had a big game day/tryouts, and Allison and I, along with the P.E. teacher, and the “coach” (a boy student in his last year of school) chose the girls. Unfortunately, it is really difficult to find a woman to help with these sorts of things. So I posted who had “made the team”, and the next week, most of the girls showed up, but definitely not all, and then additional ones that had not been selected. Apparently, it’s really difficult to have a selective team like that here, which is something I expected. Girls have too many obligations and just drop out – so basically, we are keeping it more flexible, with the girls we chose and other girls who just want to come. So hopefully it will be a team with talent and passion for the game! It’s great, because it seems like the P.E. coach, and hopefully the student coach, are really just going to take responsibility for it, with me really just as a supporter and observer. That gives me lots of hope that it will continue after I leave! And I have great uniforms and some cleats and other stuff that my parents brought to really give the girls the opportunity to play!

            Than there is the English club, which has a much different focus than it did last year. This year, myself, along with my English colleagues, are preparing for a “spelling bee” in January at my school. A handful of us TEFL volunteers have organized a National Spelling Bee ( in English of course) to take place sometime in May, with local, and regional “bees” before hand. My English colleagues are really, really excited about doing it, although they literally have no time in there teaching schedules to help out with a club (a lot of the teachers here teach about double the hours I do. Which is crazy insane because I am always completely exhausted from my 16 hours and lesson planning and teacher meetings, so I really do not know how they do it). Thus, every week I have been holding an English club where we play different games to prepare for the spelling contest, and really just develop vocabulary. It’s been really fun. I am also planning on continuing with our correspondence club, but there have been some problems with that because of the stupid Beninese postal system (grr). When we return from the holiday break, my colleagues and I will be during the bulk of the organization for the local spelling bee at my school.

            Finally, the biggest thing this month has been the really successful eye exams for students that after much pushing and prodding, finally came together.  I think I mentioned before that I had been going to meetings at the Lyons Club in the departmental town of Lakossa to try to organize eye exam screenings at my school. This was to determine prescriptions for glasses to be brought here from a Lyon’s club doctor in France. I did not hear anything for a long time, and honestly thought it would not happen. This project really demonstrated to me the important of patience! So, I finally received a call a few weeks ago from a doctor saying he could come that day for the screening!  I was able to delay it by a day, and work with my administration to make it happen, which amazed me as well. Everything just happens so last minute here! They were able to send a “communiqué” (announcement) around to the classes, and the students came in droves to the “depistage” (screenings). The doctors and their assistants, along with myself and the great assistance of my new postmate in Djakatomey Dennis, were able to hold four screenings for almost three hundred students. I have sent the prescriptions to France, and in January, a doctor from Lyon’s club in France will bring the necessary eyeglasses here (hopefully, of course, if all goes as planned!).  If all goes smoothly until the end, I will truly be proud of this health project and what it could do for the students. Of course, eyesight health is one of the main problems that seem to be ignored here, as there are so many other priorities before this. But many students have serious eye problems that affect their ability to learn.  And there were many students who were screened who had serious eye problems and need surgery and were told to talk to their families about operations. I am glad at  least the awareness is out their too about the importance of eye health.

            On another health note, this year I have been really involved in this Project Amour and Vie team that I am working with in the village of Kissamey, a village near Azove.  As I explained earlier, the Project Amour and Vie team are made up of two peer educators, a community counselor, and a Peace Corps Volunteer, and is a collaborative project with the organization PSI (Population Services International), an American social marketing NGO in Cotonou. Project Amour and Vie focuses on AIDS/HIV, malaria, diarrhea, hygiene, etc.  There are seven of these teams in Benin currently. I feel that this work is really important because although the cases of AIDS are fortunately relatively low in Benin, the Couffo region, where I live, has the highest percentage of cases. There are also just educational problems in general, so there is a lack of a lot of health awareness. On November 1, our team had our “lancement” (launch) of the project. We worked on this in collaboration with the “mairie” (mayor), and invited many different “groupements” (women and men collectives), and “ateliers” (essentially this comprises tailors and seamstresses, and hair dressers, and the like) that we aimed to work with to join in the launch. It took a lot of work and patience, but I have to say I am extremely proud of the Peer Educators from Kissamey on pulling off a great lancement. They did skits, explained the project, and we had many important community members there.             Since then, we have been conducting both “enquetes” (basically an analysis of what the groupements and ateliers know about certain health subjects), and actually doing lots of “sensibilizations” ( the actual health demonstrations and discussions with the groups) concerning AIDS/HIV, malaria, diarrhea prevention, etc. For the most part, the Kissamey team is really motivated and has been doing a pretty good job. My role is only to really give support, and feedback on the sessions. The sessions are almost always totally held in local language (Adja, of course), but I comment on what I can ascertain from what is going on J. The point, like all Peace Corps projects, is for the Peer Educators to continue after we leave, so being a member of the team is a fine line between letting them make all the choices, find the groups, and providing helpful and necessary feedback.

            Just to keep you all abreast on other projects, I have also started with a collaborative project with the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) in Cotonou. Several months ago, after our All-Volunteer Conference in May, I began talking to an American who worked at the UNHCR about needs she thought Peace Corps Volunteers could provide for the refugees in Benin. Thus, we now have commenced an  English teaching project involving four volunteers (myself, Allison, Rima, and  Lauren) are involved in. Every Saturday morning, one of us four switches off teaching English to refugees at the UNHCR community center in Cotonou. So far, it seems to be a really great success, and I am truly overwhelmed at how many people come. I thought maybe 20 or so would sign up, but the first day we were overwhelmed with close to 60, and from what I have been told, that number has grown substantially. We even had split up the time into one hour for beginning and the next for intermediate, because the room was full to capacity. The refugees range from many different countries such as Togo, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, with the majority of them are from Togo. It’s also a really different style of teaching than TEFL volunteers are used to, as the refugees are all adult learners. It is a really affirming project and it seems that the refugees are taking a lot from it.

            Finally, as co-coordinator of Camp GLOW (Girls Leading our World), the Southern Benin girls camp next summer, I am happy to report that the funding we applied for from an NGO has almost for sure been approved (their have been some hiccups, but I think we can count on it). That is a relief, and we are in the process of planning for the camp even this early. GAD (Gender and Development) committee stuff is going well, with lots of projects to read and approve for funding, with the one main worry about how to raise funds for next year with the main fundraiser cut due to Peace Corps budget cuts. But it seems like the passion and drive of a handful of Peace Corps volunteers will make other fundraisers happen and the GAD fund will hopefully stay alive for years to come!

            So life goes on, and I am ready for my vacation. In about a week, I am traveling to Mali with some Peace Corps friends to explore Dougon country and the famous mosque in Djenne for Christmas and New Years. Also, one of my best friends, Annie, is visiting my post in January for several weeks, which is really exciting, as well.

           

 

Update on the postal service situation. I have not received several packages family and friends have sent. I do not know if this is a fluke or not, but I feel that I can not rely on the postal system as of now. So that’s a bummer. But I still love email!

 

I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday season!

 

Peace and love,

 

Jordan