Language

As I am currently sitting at the buvette (an outdoor bar... literally, a little drink?) typing up an email to my boss in Cotonou, I am met with the usual yet humorous reaction to my laptop from the village locals. The proprietor of my house just came up. Here's a short blip of a typical conversation:

Proprietor: Ah-HAAAAnnnggg!!! Ouorou!!(my name in this village)
Me: hey, good evening.
Proprietor: That girl, is she in there (pointing to my computer)
Me: what girl?
Proprietor: the girl that was here the day before yesterday.
Me: there was no girl here the day before yesterday. (Maybe he's asking about one of the other volunteers in the area?)
Proprietor: the one that already left.
Me. the one that left a couple weeks ago? (referring to Anne, who just visited)
Proprietor: Ah-HAAAAAnnnnggg!!! she's in there?
Me: (confused, recalling previous conversations about how I use my computer to talk to friends and family, and maybe he thinks I'm currently talking to her?). No, she isn't in there...
....
Me: do you mean, are there pictures of her?
Proprietor: Ah-HAAAAAnnnggg!!!
Me: yeah there's pictures of her (beginning to pull up her facebook page)
Proprietor: Ah-HAAAAAnnnggg! (turning to leave, not interested in seeing said pictures)



The language barrier is really hard for volunteers when they first arrive here, even for those who have taken French classes. Eventually, after months of frustration and weird conversations, you eventually learn that it isn't your French skills that are lacking, but their communication skills. And that's the point when it stops being so frustrating and starts being kind of funny. There WILL be more. Stay tuned.

Update

I have recently updated the "List" part of my profile. Instead of the very outdated "Packing List" from 7 months ago, I have replaced it with a "Project List" where I will be keeping a running list of projects I have done, or that I am involved with. Indeed, it does not look like too much at the moment, but keep in mind that I was just a Trainee until September, and encouraged NOT to start working on side projects (so that I could focus more on integrating into the community) all the way up to mid-December. Most of these projects should not surprise anyone since I described them a couple blog posts ago. New additions are the Rabbit Farm, Girls Camp, and Map Project. I'll briefly describe them below, and will go more in depth in coming months as the projects develop:

What: Rabbit Farming
Who: Me, first with my neighbors as a control group who will later help me to spread it to the rest of the village
Where: a row of cages outside of my housing area, then an entire house/structure for them outside of Pelebina
When: within a few months, after I get price estimates, apply for funding, then receive said funding
How: Most of the work will come from making the structure, which I will need to draw up and have a carpenter make for me. It will be paid for by one of the various Peace Corps funding bodies, which will depend on the overall price once it is done being budgeted. Maintenance will begin with me and my neighbors, who will then spread the word to the rest of village if they deem it to be successful. At that point, a larger rabbit farming operation could commence.
Why: meat here is sparse, free-roaming, and too expensive for parents to give to their kids. A cheap and easy way to raise their own will mean a better diet and better overall health for everyone and reduce infant malnutrition, which is mainly caused by lack of protein.

What: Girls' Camp
Who: the 2 girls with the best grades from the main CEGs (High School equivalent) in the Donga region of Benin. The counselors are most of the volunteers of every sector here in the Donga.
When: One week during the summer, when they are out of school.
How: Project will be funded by Peace Corps and various Mayors Offices around the Donga. Two girls have been chosen from each school so that only one does not have to carry the burden of sharing what they learned when they return to their communities. The best students have been picked so that we may hold them to a higher standard of comprehension, new ideas, and maturity when addressing topics. Guest speakers of influential women in the community, along with selected volunteers, will teach them about how to succeed in education, birth control options, health, basic computer/internet skills, athletic, and team building exercises.
Why: The condition of gender equality here in Benin leaves a lot to be desired here in Benin. Whether looking at problems from a a business, education or health point of view, empowering women is an undeniable facet for development. Since most girls get pregnant in their teen years and drop out of school, and many women can't/don't space the births of their children because they are not allowed to abstain from their husbands.

What: World Map Project
Who: Me, other volunteers in my area who are available, students in my village
When: Starting in a day or two (when the white paint gets here).
How: I'm drawing a grid on the side of the school with chalk, and another grid on a picture of a map of the world. I will color code ever country and label them in French. In the top right corner will be a smaller map of the world that contains no country borders and is color coded and labeled only for each continent. Below the big map will be a list of every country alphabetically, as well as what continent it is on and what the official language(s) of that country.
Why: Talking with kids, adults, students, uneducated people, I see very consistently that nobody has a clue what the world even looks like. In fact, when shown an unlabeled map of Benin, MOST people have no idea where they are even in their own country (follow-up projects, of course, will be and Africa map and a Benin map). People are confused about the difference between China and Asia. Some think Brazil is in the United States. Some think the US is in Europe, while others think the US is the entire North AND South America. Some think Germany is not in Europe. Clearly there is a lot of confusion about world geography. By giving this community a resource and educating people about geography, it will open up discussions about other cultures and ideas that they have never heard of. The more new ideas they are open to listening to, the more prepared they will be to cope with the issues they have here in the Donga.