Weekly Update: 11.26.10

Parakou!!  This week was our PSW, which stands for something official and means that all the 1st year TEFL volunteers got together for a week to talk/vent about teaching.  Parakou is in the middle of the country (the farthest north I've been yet), and traveling away from the south was really interesting/awesome.

 - Observations about Parakou/Being North of Oueme Plateau:  People are SO much nicer!  Or maybe just less agressive.  I could walk up to a zem and tell him where I wanted to go, and 9 times out of 10 he'd give me the right price the first time -- no arguing!  People didn't walk up to demand money as much, and there was ignam pilee, which is a delicious, delicious food that you should try.  Also, it was waaaay drier up there, so my hair actually dried in one day instead of the regular 3.  Very cool. 

 - Seeing the other TEFLers:  We had so much fun!  It was really good to see people, vent, tell stories, drink bad Beninese beer, and eat lots of food.  Especially helpful: knowing that bizarre, hilarious, and occasionally awful things happen to everyone.  Also nice to know that all of our schools are really resource-less, not just mine (actually, mine's pretty nice in comparison).  We visited a Parakou school, and were all marveling at the doors and nice chalkboards in the buildings... until my friend Katie said something like, "Whoa... they have walls..."  Lots of good stories about student mutinies, lessons gone hilariously wrong, and discipline tactics yet to work. I feel better... -ish.

 - Food stuff:  Because PC was paying the hotel to cater, I ate more protein this week than I normally eat in 2 weeks at post -- every lunch and dinner involved meat!  Lunch was always eggs!  And I got to eat wagashi, the cheese made by the nomadic Fulani people.  It's not exactly cheddar, but for a dairy-starved girl from Ohio, it was delicious.

 - New friend:  The first day of PSW, we checked in and all headed to a hilarious beer festival in Parakou (like Oktoberfest, but waaaay more Beninese).  While we were sitting there, I met a girl from Japan who's also a volunteer through their PC-like program.  We started talking, eventually exchanged numbers, and two days later she invited me and two friends over for sushi at her house in Parakou.  Sushi was delicious, she was fantastic to talk to, and it was really interesting to see how similar PC and the Japanese volunteer program are.  She got here 4 months ago (like us) and will be here for 2 years (like us) -- good contact.  I think she's going to be in Porto Novo soon, and I hope she calls me... I'd love to return the dinner.

 - Figured out Christmas Break plans:  I'm going giraffe watching in Niger with Bevin, Dione, Matt, and some other people (I don't know the entire group yet).  Yay!  That'll be all the way through Benin, plus a whole new country, plus freaking giraffes.  SO cool.  Gotta start saving/planning/filing for the visa.  : )

I know more happened, but I can't think of it right now... I'll maybe update more later, after I get back to post tomorrow.