I think as Americans, we are severely deprived of honest depictions of other cultures. Our media has spent so many decades lumping Africa together as a big blob, and recently portraying all muslims as violent extremists, I can't even see someone on CNN saying the things Grumpy is saying without being accused of being a liar or misguided, or being accused of putting a politically correct spin on his experiences.

6/11/2014 12:50:37 PM

Nobody who has ever heard me talk about Nigerians would accuse me of being politically correct.

But the "Africa as a big blob" thing is a real problem. There are significant variations within Benin, a country that in size in population is comparable to good old NC.

6/11/2014 1:14:10 PM

Looking back at the first page of this thread is funny because I was dumb two years ago. Well, dumber. Take, for example, the list of things I thought I might be doing:

Quote :

"Teach in elementary and secondary schools and provide environmental education to youth groups and individuals outside school settings"

Ha. Unless you count my long-dead efforts at an enviro club, this is a no

Quote :

"Oversee organizational development of environmental groups"

I kind of helped develop my host organization. They're better at asking for money now. I mean that -- in the past, when they heard about a funding source they asked for $texas for all kinds of bullshit. Now they're realistic and accountable.

Quote :

"Promote sustainable use of land- or marine-based resources"

Negative

Quote :

"Develop and promote community-based ecotourism"

hahahaha

Quote :

"Teach soil conservation, forestry, and vegetable gardening practices"

No, no, and kind of, maybe.

6/14/2014 9:36:15 AM

Quote :

" There are significant variations within Benin, a country that in size in population is comparable to good old NC."

so what type of beninese barbecue is the best?

6/14/2014 12:08:14 PM

Haha. It may come as no surprise that the central dietary divide between the regions revolves around what variation of pate is the best.

Generic pate blanche (plain corn porridge) seemed to dominate Porto Novo. In my town, akassa (slightly fermented and absolutely revolting pate blanche) is by far the biggest one. Go a little further north to where my girlfriend works, and it's lafou. Lafou is made out of yams rather than corn meal but the end result is almost identical. Still, the city near her is fiercely proud of its thing and every year they have a large lafou fete.

Further north still you run into the igname pilee, which is also made out of yams but these are pounded (which is what "pilee" means). It is maybe slightlier tastier than pate blanche but benefits from coming with way better sauces, usually peanut-based rather than tomato-based.

Certain communities prefer pate rouge (spicy pate with some stuff cooked into it) or even pate noire, which routinely kills a few people a year because apparently the chemicals used to make it black can easily go wrong.

There's only one pate-like thing worth eating, though, and that's piron. Piron is courser and greasier, because it is made with animal (usually pork) fat and is almost always served with meat (again, usually pork).

Probably there are other kinds that I haven't run into. I'm actually not really well-traveled in the country. I've got a good handle on the coast and the southeast corner, but outside of that I know very little.

6/14/2014 3:12:02 PM

So first, a request. The kindle I was loaned is now back with its owner and I am way short on reading material. Anybody know a good and reliable way to get (free) books to read on my computer? I know this is piracy, I don't care. I promise I'll buy all of them for real when I'm in Americaland.

I have three specific interests here: "Headhunters on my Doorstep" by J Maarten Troost, and "Baby Boom" and "Holidays in Heck" by my spirit guide, PJ O'Rourke.

---

I've been in Cotonou since the World Cup started, and I've been surprised by the relative lack of interest. A lot of bars and restaurants are advertising special deals for the event but none of them are particularly crowded. I kind of expected everything to be a little crazier.

Friday night there were several games, including Cameroon v. Mexico. Cameroon is a fellow Francophone West African country, so I expected some interest. Not really. We went out that night. The first bar had the game projected on the wall and a painfully loud speaker system playing the commentary, but most of the tables were empty. This was a cheap bar, too, not one of the fancy expat places. I will say, however, that about fifteen guys were crowded around the entrance, trying to watch.

The second bar was playing it more quietly, thank God, but nobody paid any attention. By far the highlight of that event was the Michael Jackson impersonator. I've seen him once before and may have mentioned it on here...he dresses like heyday MJ and removes clothes until he's down to a leotard with an enormous bulge in the cockular region. He then proceeds to smack this area, hard, and thrust forward to flop it up in the air. Everybody thought it was hysterical. Oddly, he didn't even ask for money after. Just wandered away when the Michael Jackson music cut off.

---

Thursday night I went out with my girlfriend and the current Food Security Coordinator, who my girlfriend is about to replace. We went to see his apartment first of all, because she will inherit it too. It had a lot of rooms and a large kitchen but the layout was strange. Benin doesn't really have building codes or architects for most things, so a lot of buildings are designed by a dude whose qualifications are "kind of knows how to use a CAD program." My supervisor in village occasionally designs buildings in his spare time. I'm excited because my host organization is looking to spend the same on rent (about $200), so I'm about to get a big upgrade in terms of living space.

6/15/2014 9:31:07 AM

https://www.bookbub.com/ebook-deals/latest generally has a free book or two each day, though many of them are pretty bad. presumably you can read kindle books on a computer.

6/15/2014 7:19:15 PM

Someone ask me a question about Benin or Africa or whatever. It's raining and it's dark and I can't go outside. So I'm bored.

6/18/2014 3:51:55 PM

is liberia as fucked up as the vice guide implies?

6/18/2014 3:54:12 PM

if they caught you masturbating would they punish you?

6/18/2014 3:54:54 PM

Quote :

"is liberia as fucked up as the vice guide implies?"

Haven't read the guide or been to Liberia, but probably. Africa is ... whoo boy.

Quote :

"if they caught you masturbating would they punish you?"

There are three possibilities here:

1) They'd be confused. Believe it or not, masturbation is not that widely-known of a thing here. Or at least, the vast majority of people will deny knowledge of it. My guess is that if a dog has the sense to lick its own dick, most people can figure out how to flog the dolphin, but they pretend like it's a mystery.
2) As a man, they would mock me relentlessly. A "real man" should be able to get a woman to let him fuck her.
3) Were I a woman, they would be meaner. A woman masturbating is selfish. She should be sharing that with a man. Not that 98% of the men here would make even a cursory effort at getting a woman off.

6/18/2014 4:00:31 PM

I have run across a few blogs/youtube videos where they visit African countries to see charity work that they have contributed to or raised money for--things like wells being dug, or schools being built, etc.

Almost invariably, the village will come out to these white folks and put on some sort of singing/dancing exhibition which is always explained as their way of showing thanks. Curious if you think the people in the villages genuinely want to do the singing or if they feel obligated because these white people traveled all this way to see their charity at work.

6/18/2014 4:01:04 PM

how much Benin can Ben the Beninese be in if Beninese Ben could be in Benin?

6/18/2014 4:01:10 PM

Quote :

"Almost invariably, the village will come out to these white folks and put on some sort of singing/dancing exhibition which is always explained as their way of showing thanks. Curious if you think the people in the villages genuinely want to do"

Ha, excellent question. It's a mixed bag. Frankly it doesn't take a lot to get a West African dancing, and it takes even less to get them singing -- and in both cases, that goes double for the women. During the four tomato storage trainings I did, three of them did a little song-and-dance routine, no cameras present.

The bigger thing here, though, is the applause -- the "bonne" as they call it. There are a lot of elaborate ways to give applause, and different causes are always trying to come up with new ones that fit their particular interest. For example, the malaria awareness one has these steps:

1) Clap three times
2) Scratch your arm three times, making scratching noises
3) Clap three times
4) Repeat step two
5) Clap three times, but this time pantomime as though you were killing mosquitoes around you

6/18/2014 4:19:23 PM

is there Beninese nascar? I bet that be interesting considering how they drive normally

[Edited on June 18, 2014 at 4:26 PM. Reason : also what's the temperature there today?]

6/18/2014 4:26:13 PM

It's 9:30 PM, and 87.3 degrees if my thermometer is to be believed. No Beninese Nascar. To them it wouldn't even look like a sport. Here's it's all soccer, except the women are forced to play handball -- soccer except marginally more interesting.

6/18/2014 4:34:27 PM

Today involved some Africa stress. The school where I did the spelling bee is having their annual "Cultural Days," a 2 or 3 day end-of-the-school-year party with tents, speakers, performances, and food, all of which probably cost enough to buy books for every kid in the school. It's kind of infuriating, not least because it started out as a time to celebrate traditional local culture but is now mostly a chance for the kids to play loud rap music and do dances that would get you kicked out of an American high school. Also there's beer. Given to the students. The youngest of whom are in the equivalent of 6th grade.

Well, I had to be at this thing because we were going to hand out certificates and prizes for the spelling bee. I was told to show up at 10:00 AM "precisely," which I figured meant 10:45 if I was lucky. By 11:45 my head was killing me, because all Beninese parties revolve around three or four stacks of giant, ancient speakers playing at a volume beyond what they can play well, so you get booming and heavily distorted sound. Meanwhile there is a DJ, who at four to five second intervals will abruptly interrupt the music to shout something incomprehensible into the microphone. I wanted to go home. They talked me into staying (subjecting me, in the process, to a breakdancing routine) until we could give out the prizes...which we never did. They cut us off because they were two hours behind schedule, and our thing was less important than breakdancing. But before that point, the teacher who set up the spelling bee gave a speech. I am going to present the English translation because it's kinda funny and gives you a very good idea about how every African speech goes (and bear in mind that everybody at an event wants to give a speech).

"Your excellency Mr. director of DDESFTPRIJ [I don't know what this stands for] of the Oueme Plateau region. Your excellencies the mayors of the commune of Adja Ouere and the commune of Pobe. Excellency Mr. Principal of the school. Excellencies the Misters President of the executive bureau of the PTA of the schools in Ikpinle, Pobe, and Onigbolo. Excellency the chief controller of the competition Mr. Ian Booth. Chief examiner of the competition Mr. P---. Mr. Secretary general of the English Club Association Mr. G---. Dear members of the English Club Association, dear colleagues, distinguished invitees, dear students, ladies and gentlemen here assembled -- be welcome!

[that's the intro. Every speaker has to give a similar one. Bear in mind we're talking about a certificate thing at a middle school party and not a constitutional convention or something]

In life, we celebrate several types of events like births, marriages, and deaths. And at last, we here celebrate the end of the school year. After the rain is beautiful weather.

Today, it is not an unfortunate event that reuintes us here, but more a big party. It is the days of recreation, the days of culture of our establishment. Excellency Mr. Principal, we appreciate at we note the manner of your guidance. May God bless you. Excellence Mr. Vice-Principal, we appreciate and note equally the manner in which you have used the French language perfectly and fluently in the speech you gave us. [I, too, am grateful that a vice principal can speak the national fucking language] We appreciate your leadership equally. May God grant fivefold to your efforts. To all present here, we wish you a good party.

Long live the Beninese school!

Long live ---- High School!

I thank you.

Bye-bye. [this was said in English]"

Then another guy came up and read through the English Club Association charter, which is too boring to think about, let alone type.

---

So I get back from this waste of time, head hurting, hungry, dehydrated, and find a note on my door from Noel, the safety and security coordinator for PC Benin. He's a Beninese guy. Mostly his job involves inspecting houses to make sure they're suitable for incoming PCVs, but he's also the guy to contact when the shit hits the fan -- rapes, muggings, civil unrest, what have you. I've never had to deal with him much.

The note:

Hi Ian, Noel and Mike [the regional supervisor in charge of the Noel guys throughout west africa] stopped by to say hello and check our your house. Please, call when you're back. Thanks Noel.

PS We took your dog cause we're hungry...YUMMY!

---

The dog was fine, obviously, but this was still stressful because my house was not really suitable for inspection. There's the usual stuff -- I'm a slob when left to my own devices, so the house is dirty. But I've also long since tossed my mosquito net because it doesn't do a lick of good and mice had babies in it. Getting caught without a mosquito net is kind of grave for a PCV. Because I've been saving them to give as gifts, there are a LOT of liquor bottles around my house. (People will like them as gifts, bottles get put to a lot of uses and never just get thrown out). It looks like a flophouse operated by somebody who is actively trying to drink himself to death.

I panicked, I cleaned up, I faked the mosquito net, and of course all panic waspointless because the visit lasted about three minutes and mostly involved asking me if I felt safe in my house.

It's been kind of a day.

6/19/2014 5:55:36 PM

There were two funny moments, before I forget, both involving talk about doo doo.

One of the performers for an acting troupe at the school introduced himself and his character and said that he hoped their skit would make us "rier, crier, meme peut-etre chier." That is to say, "laugh, cry, maybe even shit."

Later I was at a cafe and one of my friends' kids comes up. He's maybe five, I like him, especially now that he speaks a little French. He looks into my backpack and pulls out a roll of toilet paper.

Kid: "Papier?"

Me: "Oui."

Kid: "Il faut faire caca avec ca."

(Translation: "Paper?" "Yes." "It is necessary to poop with this.")

It was funny because first it's a funny thing to say, and second because most people here don't use TP...

6/19/2014 6:00:50 PM

In about 12 hours we're going to hit two years since I got on the plane and left behind North Carolina, my family, pine trees, and all of the other finer things in life, so I'm possibly a bit emotional. Most other people have either gone home to visit family, had their family visit them in Africa, or both. I've not been able to go home for lack of money, which is one reason I'm extending for a full year rather than a few months -- they'll pay for my flight back for a month. My parents haven't come here because they're not rolling in money, my dad's already done the whole "Africa" thing, and my mom is torn on whether she's more afraid of airplanes or the Dark Continent itself.

Of course that's when I left NC. After that there was a day in Philadelphia and another day on planes and in Brussels, so it won't be until Thursday that I can say "two years in Africa." On that front I'm kind of proud. Even among the handful who haven't gone to America, most have visited Europe at least, or if they're really poor, Ghana.

Not me. I haven't been out of Benin in two years, minus 30 minutes spent standing across the border in Burkina Faso just to say I did. Even that happened in March. Of 2013.

There is a great, if at times subtle, competition between volunteers to see who is roughing it more, who is more isolated, and so on. The great thing is that everybody gets to win in some category. I have electricity, yeah, but I haven't seen a face from home in 728 days. Meanwhile I haven't really left Benin, but my girlfriend has to eat akassa and tomato sauce every goddamn day of her life. (She's left Benin three times -- for France, Ghana/Togo, and Tanzania)

---

I don't think I mentioned earlier, but somebody mailed me bacon. And somebody else mailed me sausage. I am pumped, not only because these things are delicious but because I cannot be compelled to share them with my Jewish girlfriend (sharing being how half of my food normally disappears)

6/23/2014 5:54:26 PM

congrats man. also, how the hell did bacon and sausage make it there in one piece?

6/23/2014 7:42:40 PM

Normally I'm pretty good at finding ebooks, but of the three you listed, I was only able to find the first one. It's in epub format, so I don't know if you can read it or not, I assume there are some programs you can download. Anyway, Here's a link if you're still looking for it.

https://copy.com/8PHkooTI1rNf

6/23/2014 8:54:27 PM

Thanks Nacho. I can actually call off the search because a buddy of mine just outright bought the other two.

The bacon was precooked (and another portion came as sealed, real baconbits, which travel well). The sausage was summer sausage type things, fine until you open the package.

6/24/2014 4:59:27 AM

Today started off fine, but early on I made a mistake that sent me into a really dark place.

The mice in my house have become an issue again, and I discovered two enclaves today: in a light fixture, where five adolescent mice had to be murdered with a machete, and in a box of tiny presents for locals, from whence all the mice escaped.

Well, I thought, the box has to go. I look in the contents. There are a lot of crayons. Meanwhile there are an unusually large number of children living in the three homes adjacent to my own (meaning: a dozen children), so I go hand out crayons. The kids are excited. This was my mistake.

An hour later kids are knocking on my door. They have found a friend living down the block and brought them here. They explain that this new kid requires two packs of crayons, ostensibly because they have a sibling, but really because the neighbor kid is going to appropriate 1.5 of the 2 packs as a finders fee. I tell them to fuck off.

Later I'm outside reading. The neighbor girl who often sexually harasses me said, "I heard you gave the kids something earlier. And for me?" This phrase -- "et pour moi?" -- is, to me, the most offensive thing in the Beninese lexicon. Doesn't matter if you gave gifts to their kids, their siblings, what have you...all they care about is that they get theirs.

I mutter angrily and go inside. Normally this signals my mood. But this bitch retaliates by leading the children in a rousing chorus on my porch, which terrifies my dog and makes me wonder what the penalty would be for poisoning a bunch of African children.

Meanwhile another issue is going on. I need to print permission slips for two girls to go to this dumb camp. My boss, thanks to me, has a printer. I call him and say, "You home?" No, he responds, but he'll be back soon and he'll call me then. Finally the sun is going down. I call him and say, "Let's just wait until tomorrow." No no, he says, he's at the house, he just forgot to call me.

The problem is, idiomatically speaking Beninese French doesn't distinguish between "My ass is in my house right now" and "I will return to my house at some point in the relatively near future." So I show up, he ain't there. By the time he figures this out, twenty minutes have passed. Ten minutes later he arrives, only to find that he forgot his key. I could have murdered him. The upshot is that I have to ride home on my bike, on a market day (insane traffic), at night, in the rain, with my computer.

My boss, who is actually more attuned to American moods than almost any other Beninese, says, "So...I guess just come to my house at 7 AM tomorrow?"

I glare at him. I'm not fundamentally opposed to the time, just angry.

He says, "Uh...no. 9 AM. 9 AM is better for you. Yeah, let's do that."

Then I came home and, sadly, my bike handle hit my pocket, jingling the change in there. Out runs the bitch from earlier. "Your pocket is rich!" she said. "Can you give me some?" I said no. Then she had each of the dozen kids come up and bang on my door and ask the same thing.

Long story short, I'm drunk now.

6/24/2014 6:08:14 PM

*thumbs up* justinh524 likes this.

6/24/2014 7:11:58 PM

Why not going to China. They need help too.

6/24/2014 8:41:16 PM

There is a Peace Corps China; my understanding is that the Chinese government will only allow high level English teachers to volunteer there.

6/25/2014 6:06:41 AM

I'm in Cotonou trying to rectify a minor crisis. The woman I'm going to be working for during my third year is...well, she's kind of a flake. And she's the person who will be paying for my housing. For months, she's been saying, "We've got a guy who specializes in finding housing, don't worry, we've got a budget for your rent, no worries, we've got it."

Then three days ago she calls me and says, "Yeah, I've got a question about this Peace Corps paperwork I'm filling out. They want to know about your housing...have you found any?"

I sputtered. "I...you guys said you were looking."

"Oh, so Peace Corps is finding you a house."

Total incredulity. "No. Peace Corps will not lift a finger to find me a house."

I think we got it worked out, but I'm in the city to verify it anyway. And here's the kicker: this isn't a Beninese comprehension thing. The woman is Canadian.

---

Peace Corps is changing a long-held policy now by allowing people to select which countries they are willing to go to. In the past, you could put forward a preference, and PC could ignore it. Now you get three choices, and if you pick a specific place for each spot you will either go to one of those countries or you will never be a volunteer.

If you pick a specific country, odds are it will take longer for you to get accepted, especially if you pick a "sexy" country that everybody wants. If you put "no preference" down for one of the slots, you'll get picked faster but you'll likely get put where they need you rather than where you want.

I'm worried about what this means for Benin. Benin is not a sexy PC country. Ghana is better known and has more amenities and success stories. Ditto Senegal. If you want West Africa, you're liable to pick both of them first. And most people don't want West Africa. We may be looking to get nothing but people with no preference, and not even so many of them.

But I've recently been informed of something revelatory. PC Benin is unusual in that it has two "real" doctors. Our docs are incompetent, but they've got papers saying they're doctors. This means that Benin is considered to be an excellent dumping ground for volunteers with health and -- here's the kicker -- mental problems. So our administrators are always admonishing us for being sadder, crazier, and drunker than other West African countries, when it turns out we're one of the only West African countries where Peace Corps can put sad, crazy drunks.

6/29/2014 2:57:03 PM

Wait, why is Peace Corps in the business of selecting people with significant health or mental problems requiring anything approaching regular medical attention? I was under the impression that PC had enough people applying that it had the luxury of being fairly selective.

6/29/2014 4:35:03 PM

I suppose it depends on your definition of a "significant" health problem. Some of it I get; we have a handful of PCVs with, say, asthma, who are otherwise extremely well-qualified. But we also have two PCVs who qualify as "morbidly obese," presenting logistical as well as health problems which I'm not sure any amount of competence can surmount.

As for mental stuff, I don't know how severe we're talking. I was briefly (like, two weeks) on anti-anxiety meds until I got a job, at which point it became obvious that my anxiety was a result of unemployment and poverty rather than an innate chemical issue. So maybe I'm one of the crazy people shuffled here. But the serious stuff I know about among PCVs is all unknown to the doctors and therefore didn't play a role in their placement (and probably would have precluded them being accepted)

6/29/2014 6:09:43 PM

so what are your lasting contributions after these two years? Some rabbits and a hole to shit in? Surely I'm missing something.

6/29/2014 9:06:08 PM

Also this thread.

6/29/2014 10:52:52 PM

Quote :

"so what are your lasting contributions after these two years? Some rabbits and a hole to shit in? Surely I'm missing something."

Sigh...

There are ten holes to shit in, first of all, in a village that previously had zero. The only option was open defecation, which contributes massively to the problem of diarrheal diseases. Diarrheal diseases kill babies, keep kids out of school, and limit the ability of adults to work. How much will these latrines help? It's hard to say. It'll be for the next couple of volunteers to keep tabs with the health center and see if there's any long-term change.

The rabbits are already fast on their way to giving birth to the first generation of self-sufficient moneymaking delicious goodness, which over time can equip five young people with a source of income limited only by their ambition. A rabbit generates about $6 in profit. There probably six rabbits to a litter and they can produce a litter every three months. 6 rabbits per litter x 2 mama rabbits x 4 litter a year x $6 a rabbit = $288 a year. That's almost an entire year's income for these kids by itself, and if they invest just a tiny portion of that into buying a couple more breeders it can get much higher. Basically I got full-time income at part-time work for five people.

I know of at least one woman who has used the information in our tomato training to start a business of canning tomatoes, and one other who has been giving the training to other women in her community so they can use the technique in their homes.

I've helped my neighbor -- a smart young teacher who wants to go back to school for English -- improve his language skills through regular one-on-one tutoring sessions.

We've planted a few dozen trees.

There are now dozens more Beninese people who understand that the US is not part of Europe, and likewise that all white people are not from a place called "Whitepeopleland" where they all speak French or German.

That's what springs to mind. And of course it's all probably bullshit. Every single one of my contributions could collapse at any moment.

6/30/2014 2:51:15 AM

Today I was in the "Death Seat" in the taxi coming back to post. That is, I was in the front passenger seat, but I was not the person closest to the window (two people being crammed into said seat). All Beninese cars have manual transmissions so first problem is, I'm constantly getting whacked in the balls by the driver as he shifts gears. Second problem, my left leg was so asleep when we reached my destination that it was legit paralyzed. I swung my legs out of the car, tried to stand up, and promptly faceplanted into the sidewalk (such as it is) because my limbs did not work at all.

7/2/2014 6:05:51 PM

impromptu stanky leg

7/2/2014 6:14:29 PM

I don't know what that means

7/2/2014 6:38:15 PM

When are you coming home? I think you've earned it.

7/2/2014 6:49:24 PM

Should be back from roughly November 20 - January 2 2015, at which point I will return to Benin until October 2015. Then, who knows? I was kind of offered a job in Ghana the other day but I don't think I'd take it.

7/2/2014 6:50:51 PM

I thought I had it rough in Japan.

I would have folded in Benin in like a week.

Good read as always.

7/2/2014 9:17:20 PM

^^^^

7/2/2014 10:05:24 PM

OK, I'll definitely spend the $3 and two hours it would take for me to watch that video. Sure thing.

The new kids arrived a week ago. At least one has already quit and another is in the process of quitting. Kids these days...

Oh, and also, every single fucking one of the new kids got a free tablet. Google donated a bunch of them or something, though apparently not to me.

7/3/2014 7:48:40 AM

Do the quitters get to keep theirs?

[Edited on July 3, 2014 at 8:07 AM. Reason : otherwise yoink]

7/3/2014 8:06:48 AM

Quote :

"OK, I'll definitely spend the $3 and two hours it would take for me to watch that video"

Ha I posted that knowing you probably wouldn't be able to watch it

7/3/2014 11:18:38 AM

yeah just take all the quitters tablets

7/3/2014 11:32:14 AM

I don't drink a lot of things out of plastic bottles here, but I've been saving them for a long time, more than a year. My former neighbor always used to ask me for them, so I figured that I'd find someone else with a use for them. After two years I should have known better.

I noticed that there was a large concentration of village mamas outside my building last week, so I decided to bring my garbage bag full of bottles out. Surely one of them would be interested...yeah, "one" of them. I didn't even make it to the gate before the twelve year old girl who does most of the work around here ran up and said, "What is that? Are those jugs?"

"Well, not exactly, they're bottles..." but she didn't care. She had burst out of the gate and was shrieking in Goun, something to the effect of "This cracker is getting rid of perfectly good bottles!"

The chief mama, who does not speak French, saw me and got eyes like I had pulled up in a Rolls Royce. Then she bellows, in English, "GIVE TO ME!"

I had to tread lightly here. Can't just give all the bottles to big mama or all the other mamas will get jealous and possibly have witches put curses on me (this happens with regularity to volunteers). But I also have to acknowledge that big mama is the boss. So I indicate, through her francophone daughter, that I intended the bottles to be shared amongst those who wanted them.

What I hadn't expected was that EVERYONE, from 4 year old boy to ancient grandma would want a piece of the action. I knew the bottles had uses but I didn't know there's be a goddamn feeding frenzy. People clapped and sang. They took pictures of me. They insisted that we should have a party for me. It was, frankly, embarrassing. Garbage made their day.

I found out later that a plastic half-liter bottle sells for 100 CFA in the market, which is enough to buy a small meal. If I'd taken the initiative and sold the lot I probably would have made 5,000, which is enough to do a round trip to Cotonou, buy 9 large beers, or buy the material and labor for a pair of high quality, tailor-made pants.

--

In other news, the first of the rabbits has given birth! My project can no longer fall into the category of "abysmal failure." At worst it can end up a "near-total failure."

7/9/2014 5:15:59 AM

i'm moving to benin and bringing all my plastic bottles.

PROFIT.

wait.

7/9/2014 8:31:40 AM

Yeah, you won't pay for a flight, but any NCSU recycling can would make a Beninese village shit itself with joy. And then, probably, destroy the local economy by flooding it with bottles.

7/9/2014 3:08:12 PM

I recently noticed Djimon Hounsou is from Benin. Is he popular there?

7/9/2014 3:21:37 PM

I also only recently found out, though that's a fairly common last name here. And no, he isn't popular. I haven't seen any indicator that people know who he is. To the extent that actors are known, they're from Nigerian soap operas and movies, AKA Nollywood.

7/9/2014 3:25:37 PM

Sounds like there needs to be a Gladiator viewing party in Benin.

7/9/2014 4:16:21 PM

true. at least they'd like the action. "Blood Diamond" would just enrage people by making them wonder why Benin doesn't have any diamonds.

7/9/2014 4:46:52 PM