...And Back to Benin (Updates: 1.12)

• First of all, jet lag.  It's not fun.  Also, it's hot.  Mmmm, sweat, I forgot what you smelled like.
  
  
• Playing Santa Claus. K, so one of the things I was most dreading (seriously, this caused no small amount of stress) was the people-asking-me-for-gifts thing.  I did bring gifts for people I'm close to or work with -- it'd be supremely culturally inappropriate to not do so --  but I didn't and couldn't buy gifts for everyone.
  
  I gave the ones I had as quickly as I could so I wouldn't have to hear "What'd you bring me?" and "Where's my gift??"  There were still quite a few people who searched me out to ask for their present, one of whom sent his mistress to demand his gift from me, but in general, people were pretty chill.  Only one showed up at my house, and almost everyone laughed it off if I said I brought them "good health" instead of a cadeau.  On the flip side, those people that I did bring gifts to were SO excited and thrilled to get presents, especially if there were photos involved.  Beninese people LOVE photos.
  
  So.  I think we're done with that.  Sigh of relief, and moving on.
  
  
• Say My Name, Say My Name. While trying to think of gifts for all of my bajillion neighbors, I stumbled upon my old CD case from 8th grade.  Obviously, I raided it.  Now, my construction worker neighbors and founder-of-a-private-school-head-honcho neighbor have been singing falsetto gibberish to Destiny's Child "Survivor" and the Charlie's Angels soundtrack for about a week.  Win!
  
  
• My two favorite compliments from the past week (hahahhaha): 
• "You have gotten fat!  You must have been drinking lots of your mother's milk!" -- GbloGblo  
• "My, you have changed in only 12 days! You are so fat now, and your skin has lost its color!  So, so fat!" -- GbloGblo's husband
  
  
• Nigerian Gas Prices Skyrocket, Everyone Freaks Out. Nigeria's government removed the subsidies on gasoline a week or so ago, freeing up something like $7.3 billion a year in government spending.  (If that money manages to actually go to something good, like education or health improvements, that would be great for the country.  It remains to be seen, though.)  A liter of gas was at 65 naira, and as of January 2nd, it was at 130 or 140 naira.  More info here.
  
  Since most of Benin's gas comes illegally from Nigeria, the price change is having a huge effect on everything here.  Transport costs are now way more expensive (sometimes close to double the earlier price), and anything imported (loooooots of things) is pricier too. Lines to get gas are four hours long, and everyone running a taxi or a zem is really on edge.  In Nigeria, there are riots in different parts of the country, and two of the three unions of Nigerian oil workers are now on strike.
  
  We're waiting it out.  I'm totally safe, and all we have to deal with right now are higher transportation costs and people telling us, "You know, gas is really expensive right now! The price is higher now!" all the time.
  
• Tuesday: National Voodoo Day!  Post to follow. :)