Notes on Hygiene, Part 1: Introduction

I’ve thought long and hard about writing this post, and I’ve decided that you will probably still love me afterward. Thus, hygiene.

*MOST IMPORTANT NOTE: I STILL SHOWER EVERY DAY. AND WEAR DEODORANT.*

So Beninese hygiene is different than American hygiene: We tend to think they’re dirty because there’s lots of body odor and significantly less deodorant. They tend to think we’re dirty because we shower only once a day and don’t sweep our houses as well as they do. That last part really does factor in as personal hygiene.


While I try to stay as America-clean as I can, it’s tough to be as scrubbed and primped as is normal when you have hot, indoor showers and unlimited access to mirrors. As much as I’d like to lie and say I’m a powder-fresh princess over here, some things have slid a little, and since I’m dedicated to being as disgustingly honest as I can be on this blog… here we go.