So I'm just finishing up my post visit to Penelan!! I'm at the Natitangou workstation right now, spending the night, and then I'm gonna head back down to Porto-Novo tomorrow with a group of other stagiers! Booo, I don't want to go back to host-family!
Soooo- my post visit was awesome. My village is super small (just one road) and it's off the main highway so it's nice and quiet. It's actually EXACTLY what I wanted- no electricity, no running water, super small; I'm shocked that I was placed in such an ideal spot. My villagers speak two local languages: Anï and Kokokoli, so I need to learn a little of both! Which is a bit daunting, but I've got some basic salutations down already. My house is adjacent to that of another family, and we share the same yard. My whole village is crawling with goats and chickens and ducks and there are two giant bull-cow type things that hang out behind my house. Which I find absolutely endearing. I saw all sorts of tiny baby yellow ducklings. It was great. The whole village is basically built on top of corn fields- which I realized rather belatedly means that it will be a giant corn maze come fall. Which is super cool! You can pretty much see the jungle from my house- and when I first got there I was thinking about how much boredom awaited me until I remembered that at any time I desire I could hypothetically ride my bike into the African jungle.
So during post visit you spend a lot of time saluating important people- chiefs, supervisors, kings, and co-coworkers. I met everyone at my health center and got to hang out there and at my soon to be house! It was fun to plan all the stuff I'm going to buy- but it made me a little restless to begin shopping. My house is two smallish rooms, and then I have a small little cement backyard sort of thing that has a shower area and a toilet coming off of it. I think it's gonna juuuuust fit all my stuff. In a good way. I like small.
I spent the three days at my homologes house, she is such a sweet woman. One day it rained like all get out, and she HEATED the water for my bucket bath. Nicest thing anyone's ever done. I also offhandedly mentioned how much I liked peanuts and was glad there there was so much peanut sauce in Penelan, so she gave a jar filled with peanuts. And it took me three conversations to figure out it was a gift. She wouldn't accept any money for all the meals she made me when I was there. It kind of makes me feel bad how nice everyone in village is to me. They say that they've prayed for me to come. They all know my name instantly and just welcome me with open arms. I want to tell them that I'm really an imposter who doesn't speak French or really know that much about health. I love the elders in my village (what a surprise). They are the nicest of all- don't speak any French, but are just the gentlest, most loving people. So I would really like to learn more local language and get in with them. I'm a little nervous because on the surface, this village really has their act together. Their health center is the nicest one I've seen- it's as good as my dad's in Porto-Novo- and I can't quite figure out what their problems are, because there isn't really bad malnutrition, which is a big problem most places. We shall see!
I'm going to be working also (I'm assuming) in the bigger town right next to me, Pennessoulou, and in another town that's down the road from mine and is smaller than mine is. It's called Nioro (Nero- as in Captain).
So basically I can't wait to move in and finally reclaim my schedule and my space. I know it's gonna be prrrreetty hard though- getting used to slowing things down, and getting used to not seeing my friends. I'm planning out furniture-buying and things like that. My homologues friend who lives in Pennessoulou and who I'm already fairly tight with went to the carpenters and did all the negotiating for me- he's going to get the furniture delivered to his house and I can pick it up on my move in day. So nice. I worry that they think I'm being a bitch when I don't really talk. But I picture myself as a slightly confused Swedish girl. If you were in the US and you saw a slightly confused Swedish girl you would think- oh I bet she's trying to learn English and is really quite sweet. Those Swedes. That makes me feel better.
I'm at the Nati workstation, as I've said, and it's a little piece of America. It's just a house, with a nice big kitchen, and a big library, and tons of DVDs. You can download movies off the server, and there's wireless. It's really wonderful, I'll take some pictures. I'm gonna be up here every other weekend to do banking, shopping, and pick up my mail- it's about a 2 hour bus ride from my village. So I'm excited for those little trips- cause it's like an little American vacation.
I'm a little sleepy, maybe I'll find a good movie to watch!
I love you all. I'm thinking of you all the time. Please have a wonderful day!
P.S. THE STARS IN MY VILLAGE ARE INCREDIBLE!
Soooo- my post visit was awesome. My village is super small (just one road) and it's off the main highway so it's nice and quiet. It's actually EXACTLY what I wanted- no electricity, no running water, super small; I'm shocked that I was placed in such an ideal spot. My villagers speak two local languages: Anï and Kokokoli, so I need to learn a little of both! Which is a bit daunting, but I've got some basic salutations down already. My house is adjacent to that of another family, and we share the same yard. My whole village is crawling with goats and chickens and ducks and there are two giant bull-cow type things that hang out behind my house. Which I find absolutely endearing. I saw all sorts of tiny baby yellow ducklings. It was great. The whole village is basically built on top of corn fields- which I realized rather belatedly means that it will be a giant corn maze come fall. Which is super cool! You can pretty much see the jungle from my house- and when I first got there I was thinking about how much boredom awaited me until I remembered that at any time I desire I could hypothetically ride my bike into the African jungle.
So during post visit you spend a lot of time saluating important people- chiefs, supervisors, kings, and co-coworkers. I met everyone at my health center and got to hang out there and at my soon to be house! It was fun to plan all the stuff I'm going to buy- but it made me a little restless to begin shopping. My house is two smallish rooms, and then I have a small little cement backyard sort of thing that has a shower area and a toilet coming off of it. I think it's gonna juuuuust fit all my stuff. In a good way. I like small.
I spent the three days at my homologes house, she is such a sweet woman. One day it rained like all get out, and she HEATED the water for my bucket bath. Nicest thing anyone's ever done. I also offhandedly mentioned how much I liked peanuts and was glad there there was so much peanut sauce in Penelan, so she gave a jar filled with peanuts. And it took me three conversations to figure out it was a gift. She wouldn't accept any money for all the meals she made me when I was there. It kind of makes me feel bad how nice everyone in village is to me. They say that they've prayed for me to come. They all know my name instantly and just welcome me with open arms. I want to tell them that I'm really an imposter who doesn't speak French or really know that much about health. I love the elders in my village (what a surprise). They are the nicest of all- don't speak any French, but are just the gentlest, most loving people. So I would really like to learn more local language and get in with them. I'm a little nervous because on the surface, this village really has their act together. Their health center is the nicest one I've seen- it's as good as my dad's in Porto-Novo- and I can't quite figure out what their problems are, because there isn't really bad malnutrition, which is a big problem most places. We shall see!
I'm going to be working also (I'm assuming) in the bigger town right next to me, Pennessoulou, and in another town that's down the road from mine and is smaller than mine is. It's called Nioro (Nero- as in Captain).
So basically I can't wait to move in and finally reclaim my schedule and my space. I know it's gonna be prrrreetty hard though- getting used to slowing things down, and getting used to not seeing my friends. I'm planning out furniture-buying and things like that. My homologues friend who lives in Pennessoulou and who I'm already fairly tight with went to the carpenters and did all the negotiating for me- he's going to get the furniture delivered to his house and I can pick it up on my move in day. So nice. I worry that they think I'm being a bitch when I don't really talk. But I picture myself as a slightly confused Swedish girl. If you were in the US and you saw a slightly confused Swedish girl you would think- oh I bet she's trying to learn English and is really quite sweet. Those Swedes. That makes me feel better.
I'm at the Nati workstation, as I've said, and it's a little piece of America. It's just a house, with a nice big kitchen, and a big library, and tons of DVDs. You can download movies off the server, and there's wireless. It's really wonderful, I'll take some pictures. I'm gonna be up here every other weekend to do banking, shopping, and pick up my mail- it's about a 2 hour bus ride from my village. So I'm excited for those little trips- cause it's like an little American vacation.
I'm a little sleepy, maybe I'll find a good movie to watch!
I love you all. I'm thinking of you all the time. Please have a wonderful day!
P.S. THE STARS IN MY VILLAGE ARE INCREDIBLE!
