Bisous du Benin!

(written 14July2011)
As you can see from my other post- lots of new things have happened! It's really exciting, because it makes me feel like I have a new beginning. Everyone was so sweet to me on my return (naturally), and it's really good to be back. Everything about the weather right now, and the way my house smells, is exactly the way it was when I moved in last fall. I'm in the same place and same time. All the villagers are doing pretty much the same thing. But the way I view everything is different. It's an interesting, almost eerie feeling, because if you blink, it could seem like no time has passed at all.

The hardest thing about being back is going from being so busy to not. I've spent the last couple weeks in Penelan and Bassila, just quietly running errands, watching movies, and finding little jobs for myself. Before I went to America, I was at In-Services for Peace Corps for like a month and a half. I've gotten really used to seeing my friends, and having things to fill my day. I've had to sort of remind myself what village life is like, and it's been a bigger readjustment then I thought.

Matt got his job as boss of one of the workstations (in Kandi) so it's very odd to talk with him on the phone now. He's usually eating good food, hanging out with volunteers, and watching MythBusters on DVD (or some such wonderfulness). Shannon's been in Ghana all this week with her boyfriend who is visiting from America, and Heather's in England visiting her boyfriend there. All this has been pretty weird too, just cause I've gone from being surrounded by people to what just feels like.... stillness. But in a way it's been really good. I've been taking my time to refocus, and I'm really looking forward to doing some real work the next couple months. Coming up at the end of July, I'll be a counselor in a week-long Boy's Camp in Manigri (which is near Bassila). I've known about it since March, so I'm glad it's finally here, I think it's gonna be a lot of fun! And it'll be my first chance to get back in the swing of things (aka projects).

So for the last week- with lots of time on my hands- I've taken a piece of advice from the mind of great philosopher Morgan Spurlock, who shows us that just about anything can be done for 30 days. I've put together a list of things I'm always meaning to do:
work out
sketch
floss before bed
go outside and do something!
And I'm gonna do these things, every day, for 30 days. And see what sticks! So far, it's been a lot of fun. The part I'm most excited about is exercising, which I haven't regularly done since the last session of my college yoga/pilates class in December of 2007. I think I actually like crunches! (for now.)

No pain, no gain! Try something you've been putting off, just for thirty days- you might be surprised!

I love you all, and miss you dearly. I hope you all are having wonderful weeks, and I'll try to make my next update come a little swifter!
xoxo

(written 24March2011)

This is kind of a project heavy couple of posts- but I wanted to let you guys know about the other projects I'm lining up for the next couple months. So you have an idea what I'm doing!

PAPAS CLUB IN PENELAN
I talk about Boys and Girl's club all the time with my nice neighbor in Penelan, and he suggested- independently- that we start a Papa's Club. Which made me ecstatic, because that is an actual thing within Peace Corps health, and I've been thinking about approaching him with it for a while. It's basically a vehicle to encourage birth control use and fair treatment of women and children. Cool, huh?

BOYS CAMP
The boy's camp for our region is happening in July, and I'll be a counselor for it. Like most boy stuff- a lot of it is about learning to appreciate women, and how to be “a good husband”. But you also get to hang out with a bunch of kids, which is fun. I'm most likely taking over the planning of this camp next year.

COMPUTER LESSONS IN BASSILA
Shannon's girl's club is have internet and computer lessons and the cyber cafe in Bassila in April. I'm gonna be there for the week to hang out and help, and we've invited my nice neighbor to come too, because he's super interested. And lives in a village without electricity, so getting him near a computer would be adorable.

BIRTH CONTROL FORMATION
(fall 2011)
Shannon and I really want to do some birth control formations in Bassila, Pennesoulou and Penelan. There would be three formations in total. The first would just be a general information session about different kinds of birth control, the importance of birth control, etc. Ideally we would have married couples come to the event, and split them into two groups: male and female. Shannon works with a man in Bassila who does talks on birth control, and he could talk to the men, while we talk to the women with my homologue. The second formation is about training health workers to talk about birth control with others. And the third formation would be a training session for male community leaders. We are sort of unsure about how successful this is gonna be.... but we'll see. Peace Corps Washington has official taken family planning out of the health goals, because it's too hard. But that's dumb. It's important, screw them.

HEALTH BABY CONTEST
(fall 2011)
Starting next fall, I'm doing a six month “health baby contest” in Penelan. If you read “Nine Hills to Nammbmkdsookijaaa...” it's the same thing she did in her village. The contest would last six months, with a sensibilization on a different subject each month. For example, birth control, malaria, first aid, and the basics and importance of baby weighing. I would be available at the health center during marche days to help women with baby weighing. In order to win the contest, women must meet certain criteria, go to all the meetings, and weigh their baby X times per month. At the end of the six months there will be a fete and presents for the women who are the winners. Fun!

ART CLUB
This is a pipe dream. I don't know if it will happen.

MURALS
(summer 2011)
If I get an art club going, they can help with this, but if not than I will get the girl's club to help. I want to make murals of the world, africa, benin, donga, and penelan inside the classrooms at the elementary school in Penelan. I'm gonna do it over the summer, when there are fewer children running around making a mess.
I would also like to do some murals on the walls in the health center. But I'm gonna let Reine pick what that's all about, cause I'm sure she's got an opinion on the subject.

Still ongoing and admin:
GIRL'S CLUB IN PENESSOULOU
Same old, same old.

TRAININGS IN COTONOU
In May, I have three different trainings happening in Cotonou, so I'm pretty much spending the entire month down south. The first is for trainers of the new stage coming in July, the second is just a health in-service, and the last is a food security workshop that I requested to go to. Although...I'm not entirely sure what that is... so... I'll keep you posted.

NEW STAGE
Is coming in July! I don't know when I'm going to be down south helping out, but I'm already getting really excited to meet the new kids!

Unrelated:
GARDEN
I'm trying to get a little garden built outside my house. Mel sent me some seeds, and I'm getting pumped. I found some old flowerpots at the penessoulou dump, and I'm cleaning them out so I can have some flowers in my house. Joy!
Nice neighbor already took some carrot and bean seeds of mine and planted them in his garden a couple months ago. He does all the work, and I get vegetables. Doesn't that seem a little off to you? The carrots are ready, and we've been eating some here and there. Today I'm gonna make him some carrot cake! His hot son sold some of the carrots when I was out of town, and I think he got in trouble. When I was talking to him yesterday, he tried to give me mille franc ($2) for the carrots he sold. It was absolutely ridiculous!! I obviously refused. I try to tell them that they did the work, they can do whatever they want with the veggies. But it's a hard sell.

RABBITS
I'm also trying to get a rabbit huch built (everything's so complicated) so I can raise some yummy rabbits! If they're too cute I might need to get nice neighbor to kill them for me.

(written 24March2011)

Hello all! I have been absolutely awful about writing blog posts because I've been traveling a lot and have been suuuuuper busy the last monthish, so I figured I should just fill you all in on what I've been doing!

For the last month or so I've been planning (with Shannon) for a Journee des Filles (a girl's day) which is going to happen April 2nd in Bassila. It's basically a mini-conference for the girl's clubs in our region. Ten girls from each of the five nearest clubs will be coming- and we'll have eight volunteers acting as counselors. The purpose of the day is to make a mini-girl's camp. We have a weeklong girl's camp every year during the summer, but only two girls from each school can come. So this is to benefit the girls who won't have the opportunity to make it.

At the day, we're gonna have two different midwives come and speak about health, periods, pregnancy, and birth control. There will be a career panal made up of important women in the community. There will be skits from each club- currently the Bassila girl's are learning Bad Romance. I'm trying to upload the video to my facebook- it's super cute! We'll have a environmental conservation lecture, tree planting at the high school in Bassila, and a screening of Planet Earth (in French). We're serving lunch, we've made T-shirts. Am I forgetting anything? So... it's been a lot of work to put it together. I've been spending my time applying for grants, creating the schedule, putting together the manual each girl is going to get on the day and talking to the volunteers who are coming. But that doesn't include the travel. I've been to Parakou three times to resolve issues with our t-shirt order, and to meet with one of the NGOs there. I'm going again this weekend to pick up our shirts which are finally ready! I was in Nati to borrow the Planet Earth DVDs from another volunteer. And for the last week, I've been in Bassila with Shannon, handing out invitations to the midwives and the career panal, requesting sound systems and projectors from the mayor, arranging the taxis to pick up the girls in the different towns, reserving the high school and basketball court, and bargaining with the restaurant who is providing the food. Next week I'll be back again confirming everything before the big day. Busy right!!?

I'm really excited for the day to finally come! It could be really awesome, but it could also be a disaster, which is kind of half the fun. Everyone I've been inviting and requesting things from have all said yes. But often in Beninese culture, a yes doesn't actually mean that you'll show up. So I have no real way of gauging what's gonna happen. Exciting! It has been feeling REALLY good to be actively doing something, and to be keeping myself busy. I've been having a lot of fun putting it together, and I'll let you all know how it goes!

P.S. If you like this project- most of our day is being funded by GAD grants from Peace Corps Benin! It's not to late to donate to our GAD fundraiser in April if you so desire! (Check out the blog post before this one for more info.)

Also- new pictures are up on Facebook! Enjoy!

Hello all my dearest friends!

I want to do a little bit of a fund-raising plug to you all for an upcoming Peace Corps event here in Benin.

One of the main ways (and pretty much the quickest and simplest way) that we as volunteers get funding for our projects in country is through a pool of money called the GAD fund. There is a volunteer run committee that oversees the dispersal of the grants, and they also manage our scholarship fund for girls. Here is a little blurb about what GAD is.

“GAD-Benin (Gender and Development) was created by Peace Corps Volunteers to encourage and empower Beninese girls and women through the education of women, men, and children. GAD-Benin works with members of the Beninese community to develop sustainable programs that motivate, educate and inspire Beninese girls and women to actualize their full potential, thereby developing the capacity of their communities and country. Further, to educate and involve men to inspire equality on all levels of society.”

This year, I'm going to be using money from the GAD grants to paint maps in my elementary school, pay for art supplies and guest speakers for my girls' club, plan a day long health camp for all the girl's clubs in our region, and help start up a community garden in Penessoulou. It is the most accessible and reliable source of money for us, and is integral to most volunteers' projects.

Each year in Benin there is a charity dinner and auction, set up by volunteers and attended by volunteers to raise money for this fund. People auction off their talents, like coming to your house to paint a mural, or sometimes people just bring back things from America. There is a talent show, a date auction, and we donate all sorts of fun things out of pocket that are all auctioned off to benefit our GAD fund.

My post mate Heather and I will be auctioning off a two-day getaway that we're going to plan, cook for and host at our workstation in Natitangou. It'll be a delicious dinner, followed by an all expense paid trip for four lucky winners to the nearby waterfalls. We're really excited about planning it, and looking forward to seeing how much we can raise!

Now that I've attempted to give you the Cliff Notes version of the program (I'm sorry if this is confusing!), this is where you come in. GAD is an official part of Peace Corps. And Peace Corps, as a government agency, is not legally allowed to fundraise. In years past, volunteers have perfected a loophole. Money “donated” from America to in-country volunteers, which is then spent at GAD dinner, goes straight to GAD grants without being directly linked to Peace Corps. If you are interested in getting involved with Peace Corps Benin, and helping fund our awesome projects here, this is the way to do it!!

The GAD dinner this year will be the last weekend in April. If you would like to donate and help us out, you can send your delightful checks to my house in California, or send it to me direct through Paypal. My mom will be rounding up the check donations at the beginning of April, and putting them into my American bank account, which I can access at ATMs over here. I will then lavishly spend all the money at our auction, making it possible for more Peace Corps magic.

I realize that this is probably really confusing, and sounds a little like a Nigerian scam. So please email me your questions (that I will try to reply to within two or three weeks!). And please know in advance, we all appreciate your support over here, monetary or otherwise. I am thinking of you all and sending my love.

Yours,
xoxo
Shelly

Send checks to:
Shelly Mussett c/o GAD
6292 Tracel Dr.
San Jose, CA 95129

or paypal it to:
mussett333@gmail.com

(written 11jan2011)

Our inservice was just for the health and environmental sectors, which turned out to be awesome. We all got to see old friends that we haven't seen since stage, and it was really cool to hear what people are working on. We all stayed in a hotel together at Songhai, for a whole week. The food was incredible. They catered our lunches and breakfasts, and we had chicken and fries and fish and spaghetti, and tuna salad, and all sorts of magical things. The very last day, we got a “pizza salad”, which is a salad.. topped with mini mushroom pizzas. It was amazing. We also found this new restaurant in Porto-Novo, called le President, which gave me by far the best meal I have had in Benin. I had rabbit and fries. And the rabbit actually had a dry-rub on it. I was delicious in a way I can't even describe. So yay food!

The inservice itself was totally lame. Because it was like stage part 2. Classes about things we'd already learned. And the homologue were there for most of the week. The sessions were geared towards them. And we spent a lot of time sitting and zoning out. I will spare you details.

The last day I was at the inservice, me and my friends Alison and Julia went to see a Christian Celeste visionary. Christian Celeste is a weird offshoot of Christianity that exists here, that I frankly know nothing about. But if you go to one of their temples (there was one around the corner from Songhai) they will do a reading for you for free. You meditate on a topic, and they “see” a vision of you, and then explain it to you. It's pretty cool. Our lady was the nicest as can be. Here's what my vision is (fairly directly translated):

I am standing in the middle of a river, and the wind is blowing the water up around me, and I begin to be afraid. But these two (or maybe it was three) angels come down and take my hand. And they tell me not to be afraid because “this river is your country, and it cannot swallow you.”
Then I'm in this garden. And the garden is beautiful, there are flowers everywhere. I'm standing with my friend, and I'm holding a bunch of roses. My friend is also my fiance. When we are a couple, people will say, “Oh it's not serious”. And I will get discouraged, and it will cause me and my friend to fight. But I have to have patience, these people will go away, and we will be together forever and ever.
Also. I shouldn't be worried about succeeding in my village. It is already written on my palm that I will do good here. I will build a castle for my village. (Chateau can also be translated as a water type building- so it could be translated as a castle, latrine, or pump.)
She also said that if people offer me to smoke, I shouldn't because it's bad for my health. And also that I should not be outside in the deep night (midnight).

So all and all, good news right!

We spent a couple days in Cotonou after the inservice, which meant more good food at expensive restaurants, a trip to Mango (the one normal clothing store in the entire country) financed by my parents, and a trip to a hotel SPA. Which was totally legit. There were four of us who went, a couple people got pedicures and haircuts, but I got my legs waxed! Best decision ever. It was so nice to just have a girl's day out, and pretend we were in Europe for just a day.

(written 11jan2011)

So after all these adventures, being back in village has been both good and bad. It's always hard to go back to not seeing Americans after a nice trip, but it's good to be home in my own house, with access to all my clothes. And things like tweezers and nail polish remover. My first day back in village, the whole town was celebrating a whipping fete! This is a fete that happens in different villages throughout the winter season. It's a coming of age celebration, where a bunch of teenage boys get together and whip the crap out of eachother while everybody watches. They make three lines on their chests... which symbolizes....something. It was really interesting, especially because I missed the big regional one that happened in a neighboring town a couple months ago, and I thought I wouldn't get a chance to see it. But low and behold, surprise, it's happening in my village, and I only have to walk twenty feet to get to it! The celebration actually ended up going on for two days. There was really more dancing and weird posing than actual whipping, but you can't have it all can you!

That same night Reine had all the health center workers and their families over at her house for dinner to celebrate the new year. Which was delicious (she's the best Beninese cook I know). It was really sweet to see everybody again. Atticus has grown up so much just in the couple weeks I was gone, and standing, he comes up to my knees! As usual, all my village friends are gracious as all get out. They welcomed me back. They taught me new words in local language. They fed Atticus under the table. The next day they brought me food. They helped me clean my house. They walked around with me in village. They asked about my trip.
It's lovely to be home. But as always, also hard.

This week I'm working on getting girl's club up and running again now that winter break is over. Heather and I have roughly planned out our whole semester, and I've been spending time in Bassila helping Shannon get her stuff off the ground. There are these two seminar type things coming up for girl's and boy's camp this month, so I'll be on the road again starting this weekend. So I'm trying to keep busy and get back in the swing of things.

My goal for the next two months: learn local language!

P.S. Reine is definitely pregnant. I was still confused up until about a week ago when I realized that she had gotten giant. But still? Who is the baby daddy!?

Thank you all so much for your holiday letters, packages, phone calls and well wishes. I miss you all so much, but I want you to know I can feel the love over here, and I appreciate it!! I hope you had a lovely holidays season filled with the best things: family, friends and food! My thoughts are with you. Happy New Year everyone!

(written 11jan2011)

So for Christmas I went up to Malanville to hang out with Matt and a bunch of girls who were passing through on their way to Niger for vacation. Malanville is way way in the north of Benin, and it was really cool to see other parts of the country! We went up via the highway that is on the eastern side of the country, which I've never been on, because my village, Basilla, Djougou and Nati are all on the western highway. Does that make sense? I got to visit both of the workstations in Parakou and Kandi, so I have officially been to all the workstations in our country. It was so lovely to travel, because not only did I get to see fabulous friends I don't usually have a chance to visit, but I actually began to feel like I was in Africa again. When you spend all your time in your one little area, it becomes so normal that all the excitement is like totally drained from it. And I felt like it was impossible to travel up north just because of the distance and the roads, but it really wasn't as bad as I thought, and I'm looking forward to spending more time exploring Benin!

For Christmas Eve we all went to a hotel in Matt's village that had a POOL, and the most bomb-diggity steak with green beans, and chocolate crepes. We stuffed ourselves silly and went swimming. It was absolutely lovely. For dinner we made beef tacos with salsa that was heavenly. For Christmas day, we all exchanged presents (Secret Santa), and went to the marche in Malanville, which is beautiful, and really interesting because it sells products that come from Niger, Nigeria and Burkina, because M-ville is such a central hub for all those countries. I really like M-ville as a whole. It's kinda big, but it still has a small town feel to it. You can find all sorts of yummy treats like yogurt and beignets within walking distance of Matt's house. I realize that most of these blog posts are food oriented. But getting out of village and eating real food is pretty much the highlight of any trip.