We can’t say that we don’t like the food in Benin. In fact, that is the problem; we like it too much! However, most of the foods are not very “figure friendly” due to their high contents of oil and carbohydrates. Most everything here is prepared in lots of palm oil and fried- everything! We also don’t have easy access to fresh vegetables so a salad is very hard to come by! So, we recently decided that it was high time to get motivated and begin an exercise program. Our two main original hesitations were a) the heat- who wants to exercise in the hot African sun? and b) people staring and thinking “What are those bizarre Yovos doing now?” We get enough attention as outsiders on a daily basis, we didn’t need one more reason for people to stare at us.
A few months after school started, Miranna began to notice students walking around in gym uniforms. After a little bit of investigation she discovered a “track” behind the school and learned that all the students have 3 hours of sports every week! I was quite surprised! So, maybe if we started sports too, it wouldn’t be that bizarre of a concept! Given the hot weather and Miranna’s teaching schedule, we decided that if we were going to exercise it was going to have to be at 6:30 in the morning. Most of you know, we are not morning people, so this was going to take some dedication!
On the first morning that we arrived at the track, a small gathering of children slowly began to arrive before their 7AM classes to observe our turns of the track. We smiled and waved and continued to run. Slowly word began to get out that “Madame” was doing sport in the morning and every morning we had a bit bigger of a crowd watching. One day, Miranna went by herself and was running her usual laps when all of the girls from one of her 6eme classes appeared on the track- in their Kacki uniforms. Their math teacher was late and they were concerned that she was running by herself. She assured them that she was OK, but they insisted on running with her. The girls got such a kick out of this- as did Miranna! This wasn’t the first and last time that this happened. Most times when we arrive at the track there is always a group of students who join us- either because of their concern that one of us is by ourselves or because it is a good opportunity for them to practice their English (and hang out with the coolest teacher in school!).
A few weeks later we were chatting with a student and asked her what she was doing on the weekend. She mentioned that on Saturday morning she would be doing sports, per usual. We kind of gave her a funny look and asked what she meant. She explained that “everybody” goes to the school on Saturday mornings to do sports. If this was the case, why hadn’t we heard anything about it up to this point? So, we told her that would be there Saturday morning to see for ourselves. On Saturday morning we showed up at 6:30 and begin, as usual, to run laps. Slowly, but surely, more and more students began to show up. By 7AM, the Director, other members of the school administration, the President of the Parent’s Association, a doctor from the Centre de Sante, and beaucoups of students were present at the track. Some students started to run with us, there were two soccer games, a volleyball game, a basket ball game, and a group doing aerobics all at the same time. We had such a blast paying with the kids and were happy to have found a Saturday morning activity. Yet, we were also shocked that we had been living in Lalo for almost three months and no one had yet mentioned this to us!
So, our decision to start on an exercise routine has been one of the best decisions I we have made since arriving in Lalo. Not only for the obvious fact, that it is good for our health, but more importantly it has allowed us to get to know students (in all the grade levels) on a more in depth basis. Even on days when it is so hard to drag ourselves out of bed at 6AM, once we are there and that unexpected student shows up by my side to run with us, we arrive back home feeling so happy that we made the decision to exercise that morning. What we used to view as an activity just to stay healthy has proven to be an activity in becoming more integrated and involved within Lalo.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Friday, December 25, 2009
Joyeux Noel
or..."Merry Christmas" from Benin!
Of course we are missing not being at home for Christmas, but we’re making do here! It doesn’t feel at all like the holiday season and Christmas music just doesn't have the same ring here: it isn't "beginning to look a lot like Christmas," it's never going to snow (even if we repeat "Let it Snow" a million times) so it won't be a "White Christmas," and we won't "be home for Christmas" (even if we wish we could be!)! However, we are having a great week.
We are spending this week of Christmas in Cotonou. We lucked out and got asked to house/dog sit for an American couple that lives here, so we are enjoying the luxuries of AC, satellite TV, and internet! Tuesday night we were invited to a reception at the Ambassador’s house- it was a lot of fun and the new ambassador and his wife are really nice! Last night we hosted a Xmas Eve dinner for the other volunteers that are also in town. The menu: chicken, sausage and apple stuffing, greenbean casserole, and mashed potatoes. For dessert: homemade eggnog and xmas cookies. It was so nice to be able to cook in a real kitchen!
The Ambassador has also opened his pool on Christmas Day for the American community, so we’ll be spending some quality time there today! Saturday we are going to attend a wedding with a friend from Lalo, who is going to a co-worker’s wedding here in Cotonou. That should be fun! Otherwise, we are relaxing and enjoying a break from the heat!
We wish everybody a very Merry Christmas back home!
No photos allowed at the Ambassador’s house, but us before we went to the reception.
Bon Appetite! Christmas dinner is ready!
Of course we are missing not being at home for Christmas, but we’re making do here! It doesn’t feel at all like the holiday season and Christmas music just doesn't have the same ring here: it isn't "beginning to look a lot like Christmas," it's never going to snow (even if we repeat "Let it Snow" a million times) so it won't be a "White Christmas," and we won't "be home for Christmas" (even if we wish we could be!)! However, we are having a great week.
We are spending this week of Christmas in Cotonou. We lucked out and got asked to house/dog sit for an American couple that lives here, so we are enjoying the luxuries of AC, satellite TV, and internet! Tuesday night we were invited to a reception at the Ambassador’s house- it was a lot of fun and the new ambassador and his wife are really nice! Last night we hosted a Xmas Eve dinner for the other volunteers that are also in town. The menu: chicken, sausage and apple stuffing, greenbean casserole, and mashed potatoes. For dessert: homemade eggnog and xmas cookies. It was so nice to be able to cook in a real kitchen!
The Ambassador has also opened his pool on Christmas Day for the American community, so we’ll be spending some quality time there today! Saturday we are going to attend a wedding with a friend from Lalo, who is going to a co-worker’s wedding here in Cotonou. That should be fun! Otherwise, we are relaxing and enjoying a break from the heat!
We wish everybody a very Merry Christmas back home!
No photos allowed at the Ambassador’s house, but us before we went to the reception.
Bon Appetite! Christmas dinner is ready!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
1st Three Months in Lalo
This week hits a milestone for us- we’ve officially been at “post”- or Lalo- now for 3 months. This means that we have been in Benin now for 5 months! It really has been flying by. So, we wanted to write an update about what has been going on in our lives since we have been official residents of Lalo.
Overall, life in Lalo is good! Our house is starting to feel like a home- especially with the addition of a kitty! We are starting to get in a groove with our schedule and work, we’ve pretty much figured out where we need to buy what we need, and we feel like we know a good amount of people in town. Our next hurdle is trying to learn the local language. Up to this point it has been difficult to pick up a lot because there are two languages spoken here in Lalo- Adja and Fon. We have a few of the greetings down in both, but we never know who is speaking what and/or which one to use- it is very confusing! We have chosen to study Fon, mostly because it is the predominate language in the center of town, but also because many people in Cotonou speak Fon, so we think it will be more helpful in the long run. After the holidays we will start with a tutor (an English teacher at Miranna’s school) and see what progress we can make!
For Miranna, the month of December has been a long exam process: writing and correcting exams for all of the English classes at her school, reviewing exam material with her students, proctoring exams (boring!!), grading exams (super time consuming), and finally handing back and reviewing the exams with the students. What a process- and she gets to do it again at the end of January (they have tri-mesters here)! The grading scale here is out of 20, not 100 like we are used to, so students have to get a 10/20 to pass. Most of Madame Miranna’s students did- on English anyway- but the grades ranged from 19.75/20 to 2/20 (it was not a hard exam!). This gives you an idea of the range of students in each of the classes. Are you curious what Miranna is teaching? Luckily, up to this point, it hasn’t been anything too complicated for the lowest-level classes (6eme): we have covered the verb “to be,” greetings, school vocabulary, question words, prepositions, days of the week, and numbers 1-100. After the holidays, she’ll be teaching time, possessive adjectives, and the verb “to have.” The 5eme class has been concentrating on reviewing verb tenses they learned last year and learning the simple past. This is not so easy because of all those irregular verbs (ate, spent, bought, etc)- that are only irregular in the affirmative, but not negative and interrogative forms! It's been a learning process for me, as well as the students!
Miranna and some of her students outside one of the classrooms.
Charlie is doing fine at work. He has still been going out into villages and helping with vaccination days. There’s another PC volunteer in a nearby town called Dogbo and she comes down to a nearby village close to Lalo. Together they do baby weightings and provide consultations to the mothers on how they should continue breastfeeding their child up to 6 months, when they can start weaning the babies, and what they can do to increase the nutritional value of the food given to them. He has also visited a few villages with the chef du village, where he works with groups of rice growers. He plans on organizing some educational sessions to talk about health issues. For example, learning proper hygiene practices or doing a cooking demonstration to illustrate how they can supplement meals with the leaves from a local tree called “moringa,” which grows very quickly in this part of the world. A big part of the work for both health and environment volunteers here is to encourage mothers to use the leaves in their cooking to provide a nutritional supplement for their children.
The dry season has begun because it is the beginning of the “harmatan.” It is a time when the dry Saharan dessert winds sweep over West Africa and actually make it cooler and less humid most everywhere in Benin- including Lalo. It actually makes for very pleasant evenings! Also, when we do laundry, the clothes dry in about a day which is awesome compared to when we first got here and it took several days due to the humidity! But, don’t get us wrong- it is still hot! We love our fan more and more everyday!
Boy on his way to school (this is the boy's uniform) cutting through a rice field.
Overall, life in Lalo is good! Our house is starting to feel like a home- especially with the addition of a kitty! We are starting to get in a groove with our schedule and work, we’ve pretty much figured out where we need to buy what we need, and we feel like we know a good amount of people in town. Our next hurdle is trying to learn the local language. Up to this point it has been difficult to pick up a lot because there are two languages spoken here in Lalo- Adja and Fon. We have a few of the greetings down in both, but we never know who is speaking what and/or which one to use- it is very confusing! We have chosen to study Fon, mostly because it is the predominate language in the center of town, but also because many people in Cotonou speak Fon, so we think it will be more helpful in the long run. After the holidays we will start with a tutor (an English teacher at Miranna’s school) and see what progress we can make!
For Miranna, the month of December has been a long exam process: writing and correcting exams for all of the English classes at her school, reviewing exam material with her students, proctoring exams (boring!!), grading exams (super time consuming), and finally handing back and reviewing the exams with the students. What a process- and she gets to do it again at the end of January (they have tri-mesters here)! The grading scale here is out of 20, not 100 like we are used to, so students have to get a 10/20 to pass. Most of Madame Miranna’s students did- on English anyway- but the grades ranged from 19.75/20 to 2/20 (it was not a hard exam!). This gives you an idea of the range of students in each of the classes. Are you curious what Miranna is teaching? Luckily, up to this point, it hasn’t been anything too complicated for the lowest-level classes (6eme): we have covered the verb “to be,” greetings, school vocabulary, question words, prepositions, days of the week, and numbers 1-100. After the holidays, she’ll be teaching time, possessive adjectives, and the verb “to have.” The 5eme class has been concentrating on reviewing verb tenses they learned last year and learning the simple past. This is not so easy because of all those irregular verbs (ate, spent, bought, etc)- that are only irregular in the affirmative, but not negative and interrogative forms! It's been a learning process for me, as well as the students!
Miranna and some of her students outside one of the classrooms.
Charlie is doing fine at work. He has still been going out into villages and helping with vaccination days. There’s another PC volunteer in a nearby town called Dogbo and she comes down to a nearby village close to Lalo. Together they do baby weightings and provide consultations to the mothers on how they should continue breastfeeding their child up to 6 months, when they can start weaning the babies, and what they can do to increase the nutritional value of the food given to them. He has also visited a few villages with the chef du village, where he works with groups of rice growers. He plans on organizing some educational sessions to talk about health issues. For example, learning proper hygiene practices or doing a cooking demonstration to illustrate how they can supplement meals with the leaves from a local tree called “moringa,” which grows very quickly in this part of the world. A big part of the work for both health and environment volunteers here is to encourage mothers to use the leaves in their cooking to provide a nutritional supplement for their children.
The dry season has begun because it is the beginning of the “harmatan.” It is a time when the dry Saharan dessert winds sweep over West Africa and actually make it cooler and less humid most everywhere in Benin- including Lalo. It actually makes for very pleasant evenings! Also, when we do laundry, the clothes dry in about a day which is awesome compared to when we first got here and it took several days due to the humidity! But, don’t get us wrong- it is still hot! We love our fan more and more everyday!
Boy on his way to school (this is the boy's uniform) cutting through a rice field.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Ho Ho Ho
Santa made an early delivery to Lalo last week...
TOO Cute!
Needless to say, Miranna is tres content! She dosen't have a name yet- Charlie wants to have a naming contest with the local kids- we'll see what we come up with!
Another post coming later- so stay tuned!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Joyeuse Jour de Dinde
...or Happy Turkey Day!
Just incase you are worried that we are not getting our share of turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie, we are celebrating Thanksgivng here in Benin. Miranna has been in Parakou (a larger city in the middle of the country) with the other education volunteers in her group all week for a training. Charlie came up today to join us! Tomorrow (Thursday), after the training is done, we will be preparing a "traditional" feast...well, as traditional as we can make it here in Benin. There were a number of volunteers that killed the turkeys tonight- Miranna opted for preparing the stuffing. Even though there will be a number of substitutions of ingredients, the menu has al the traditiaonl dishes and I'm sure the meal will still be delicious!
We are well. We know many of you have sent us packages, but we have not yet been to Cotonou to check our mail. We will be able to do so in the next few weeks and we'll let you know when we get them. As they say here, "Merci en Avance!"
Just incase you are worried that we are not getting our share of turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie, we are celebrating Thanksgivng here in Benin. Miranna has been in Parakou (a larger city in the middle of the country) with the other education volunteers in her group all week for a training. Charlie came up today to join us! Tomorrow (Thursday), after the training is done, we will be preparing a "traditional" feast...well, as traditional as we can make it here in Benin. There were a number of volunteers that killed the turkeys tonight- Miranna opted for preparing the stuffing. Even though there will be a number of substitutions of ingredients, the menu has al the traditiaonl dishes and I'm sure the meal will still be delicious!
We are well. We know many of you have sent us packages, but we have not yet been to Cotonou to check our mail. We will be able to do so in the next few weeks and we'll let you know when we get them. As they say here, "Merci en Avance!"
Monday, November 16, 2009
Going Yaya for Boni
Two weeks ago it was announced at school that the President of Benin, Yayi Boni, was to visit Lalo. This was very exciting news- the president of the country was going to visit little ‘o Lalo?! While at first this was exciting, in the end it was a pain because academic life at school practically stopped because every day the President was going to arrive. The first few days all classes were cancelled because the students had to clean (let me note here that he was never even coming to the school directly, but the athletic field behind the school- so why everything had to be cleaned repeatedly is beyond me). The other days only half of the students showed up assuming there were no classes, there were constant interruptions by administrators coming into classes to make announcements “in case he arrives tomorrow”, and oh yeah- there was more cleaning. Everyday, we wondered, “is he coming tomorrow?”
Well he finally arrived this past Friday- two weeks after the original arrival date. So, of course all classes were cancelled because he was going to arrive at 9AM. (Side note: You might not think it is such a big deal that classes kept getting cancelled, but the problem is that many of these teachers literally began teaching classes 2 weeks ago- even though class supposedly started October 1st- because of numerous other issues in the education system here. So at this point, with only another month of school until exams before the Christmas break every class counts!!) He did not arrive until 3PM.
In the meantime, however, it was quite a site to see! There were more people in Lalo than we ever imagined possible! People were brought in from surrounding villages by the truckloads- literally! Imagine an open top 18 wheeler filled with people- because that’s what we saw! There were many different groups of women, artists, villagers, etc. all dressed in matching tissue, playing instruments, and singing. We walked around, talked with students, and took in the sites and sounds as folks danced and made use of the time while waiting.
After a few hours, we decided to stake out our spot. We were with Miranna’s friend, Judith that works at the school, and the school director’s oldest son. Judith sweet talked us into a place under the sound/technical tent which was directly to the left of the main stage/tent. We stood there for a while, when the mayor of Lalo (whom we had not yet met) noticed us- being the only Yovos in Lalo, we weren’t hard to miss! He came over to the side tent, introduced himself and then asked if we’d like to sit with him at the front. Of course, we weren’t going to refuse! The good news: he led us to 3rd row seats directly behind the President’s seat- the bad news: we were instructed that we were not allowed to take any pictures. You’ll see below we snuck one.
Well his helicopter finally swooped in around 3PM. That’s right- helicopter. In a town where not everyone has electricity or running water (like us), the president comes in, hovers around with the helicopter and lands in a nearby corn field. This is quite a site to see for many who haven’t even left their village, or seen an airplane, let alone a helicopter; it nearly caused a stampede as people rushed to follow it around and see where it would land. He made a round to greet the crowds, sat down and we proceeded to listen to local representatives of the ministries and artisan groups speak for over an hour. Finally, Boni got up to speak- for 5 minutes! And then he was gone! In the end, it was a very anti-climatic day. We sat in the heat (luckily, not directly in the sun!) for 5 hours waiting for his arrival. By the time he left it was 5PM- we were hot, hungry, thirsty, tired, and annoyed! We went home, showered, ate, and took a 4 hour nap! But, the people love him. Apparently he’s done a lot of good for the country, but we are still trying to find out what and how exactly he’s benefitted Benin. He did note how well agriculture was doing in Lalo given how he had just landed in the corn field. Oh, and the helicopter was pretty cool.
Miranna (wow- do I stand out in a crowd here?!), friend Judith, and lots of women from Lalo in matching tissue at the entrance to the school. The sign says “The population of the commune of Lalo welcomes his Excellence the President Yayi Boni to Lalo.”
Our view of Boni- just two rows away- but you could barely see him from his surrounding entourage.
Two weeks ago it was announced at school that the President of Benin, Yayi Boni, was to visit Lalo. This was very exciting news- the president of the country was going to visit little ‘o Lalo?! While at first this was exciting, in the end it was a pain because academic life at school practically stopped because every day the President was going to arrive. The first few days all classes were cancelled because the students had to clean (let me note here that he was never even coming to the school directly, but the athletic field behind the school- so why everything had to be cleaned repeatedly is beyond me). The other days only half of the students showed up assuming there were no classes, there were constant interruptions by administrators coming into classes to make announcements “in case he arrives tomorrow”, and oh yeah- there was more cleaning. Everyday, we wondered, “is he coming tomorrow?”
Well he finally arrived this past Friday- two weeks after the original arrival date. So, of course all classes were cancelled because he was going to arrive at 9AM. (Side note: You might not think it is such a big deal that classes kept getting cancelled, but the problem is that many of these teachers literally began teaching classes 2 weeks ago- even though class supposedly started October 1st- because of numerous other issues in the education system here. So at this point, with only another month of school until exams before the Christmas break every class counts!!) He did not arrive until 3PM.
In the meantime, however, it was quite a site to see! There were more people in Lalo than we ever imagined possible! People were brought in from surrounding villages by the truckloads- literally! Imagine an open top 18 wheeler filled with people- because that’s what we saw! There were many different groups of women, artists, villagers, etc. all dressed in matching tissue, playing instruments, and singing. We walked around, talked with students, and took in the sites and sounds as folks danced and made use of the time while waiting.
After a few hours, we decided to stake out our spot. We were with Miranna’s friend, Judith that works at the school, and the school director’s oldest son. Judith sweet talked us into a place under the sound/technical tent which was directly to the left of the main stage/tent. We stood there for a while, when the mayor of Lalo (whom we had not yet met) noticed us- being the only Yovos in Lalo, we weren’t hard to miss! He came over to the side tent, introduced himself and then asked if we’d like to sit with him at the front. Of course, we weren’t going to refuse! The good news: he led us to 3rd row seats directly behind the President’s seat- the bad news: we were instructed that we were not allowed to take any pictures. You’ll see below we snuck one.
Well his helicopter finally swooped in around 3PM. That’s right- helicopter. In a town where not everyone has electricity or running water (like us), the president comes in, hovers around with the helicopter and lands in a nearby corn field. This is quite a site to see for many who haven’t even left their village, or seen an airplane, let alone a helicopter; it nearly caused a stampede as people rushed to follow it around and see where it would land. He made a round to greet the crowds, sat down and we proceeded to listen to local representatives of the ministries and artisan groups speak for over an hour. Finally, Boni got up to speak- for 5 minutes! And then he was gone! In the end, it was a very anti-climatic day. We sat in the heat (luckily, not directly in the sun!) for 5 hours waiting for his arrival. By the time he left it was 5PM- we were hot, hungry, thirsty, tired, and annoyed! We went home, showered, ate, and took a 4 hour nap! But, the people love him. Apparently he’s done a lot of good for the country, but we are still trying to find out what and how exactly he’s benefitted Benin. He did note how well agriculture was doing in Lalo given how he had just landed in the corn field. Oh, and the helicopter was pretty cool.
Miranna (wow- do I stand out in a crowd here?!), friend Judith, and lots of women from Lalo in matching tissue at the entrance to the school. The sign says “The population of the commune of Lalo welcomes his Excellence the President Yayi Boni to Lalo.”
Our view of Boni- just two rows away- but you could barely see him from his surrounding entourage.
Two girls selected to greet Boni. One girl is holding a cup of water- it is a Beninese custom to offer water to visitors. The other girl is holding flowers.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
A Few Good Questions
Our good friend, Matt, called us last week. (Matt, thanks for calling- it was great to hear from you!) He asked us a few questions that we thought other people might be thinking as well, so we decided to expand upon them on the blog.
Do you experience racism?
Well yes- but not in a negative way. In Benin, the word “Yovo” means “white person or foreigner.” We are constantly called “Yovo”- which would be like walking down the street in the US and having someone call you by your race- like “black” or “white.” But I should also preface this by saying that here everybody is referred to by their title or job. For example, you call the carpenter “Carpenter” or the school director “Director,” etc. Names are not so important here- pretty much everyone is often referred to as “brother” or “sister” even if they are not brother or sister. This is a very bizarre concept for us coming from a society where there is such an emphasis on individualism. Can you imagine just calling your teachers “teacher” and not “Mr. and/or Mrs. So and So”? It has taken some getting used to, but now being referred to as “Madame”, “Monsieur,” “Teacher,” or “Yovo” is normal and by the end of the two years, we might even forget our own names (c said he still might call m yovo)!
When kids see us here they start singing a song:
Yovo, Yovo bon soir
Ca va bien, Merci!
This is left over from Colonial times where the colonialists taught the Beninese children this song. The children would sing the song for the Colonialists and then they would be given treats and candy. They are not singing it to get gifts, but just because that is what they have been taught to do when they see a white person. They are not singing it to be malicious, but usually because they are super excited to see us- someone so different from them! Also what’s interesting is that often times the kids actually don’t even know French and our merely singing the song just to sing it to us not even knowing what they are saying- most obvious when they sing the song first thing in the morning saying bon soir “good evening” and not bon jour “good morning.”
So yes, the name “Yovo” does get old, as we would prefer Madame or Monsieur. However, we have been assured many times over by friends here that it does not carry a negative connotation. While we hate to be constantly referred to by our race, in Benin “Yovo” is a prestigious term because they see “Yovos” as the superior race, who are more intelligent and have more money. Even though they are not only referring to Americans- but basically everybody not from West Africa- we hate to be thought of in this manner. We have expressed that we don’t see ourselves in that way and our friends and colleagues that see us everyday don’t use the term “Yovo” we’ve just come to accept that there is no way we can change the mentality and history behind this word in the two years that we are here (or for the 40 years that Peace Corps has been here, as a matter of fact!). So, yes, by US terms, the fact that we are called by our skin color everyday- that is racism. But, in Benin- c’est la vie!
How much do things cost there?
The easy answer: a lot cheaper than in the US! Things in Cotonou and Porto Novo (the 2 largest cities) are, of course, more expensive. But, here are a few examples of costs here in Lalo:
Lunch (rice, beans, fish) for 2 and 2 cokes in a buvette: $2
beer: $1
8 oranges: .25 cents
bunch of bananas: .25 cents
½ dozen eggs: $1
baguette: .30 cents
pile of tomatoes: .50 cents
Charlie’s haircut: $1
water (refilled every other day, about 30 gallons): .40 cents
That is about all we spend our money on in Lalo. So, our day to day expenses are next to nothing which is nice! While you are loathing how much you just paid for that fruit you bought or the lunch you ate out today- just remember the difference in how much money you are making at the same time!
Please send us questions that you may be wondering about our life here- others might be thinking the same thing!
Do you experience racism?
Well yes- but not in a negative way. In Benin, the word “Yovo” means “white person or foreigner.” We are constantly called “Yovo”- which would be like walking down the street in the US and having someone call you by your race- like “black” or “white.” But I should also preface this by saying that here everybody is referred to by their title or job. For example, you call the carpenter “Carpenter” or the school director “Director,” etc. Names are not so important here- pretty much everyone is often referred to as “brother” or “sister” even if they are not brother or sister. This is a very bizarre concept for us coming from a society where there is such an emphasis on individualism. Can you imagine just calling your teachers “teacher” and not “Mr. and/or Mrs. So and So”? It has taken some getting used to, but now being referred to as “Madame”, “Monsieur,” “Teacher,” or “Yovo” is normal and by the end of the two years, we might even forget our own names (c said he still might call m yovo)!
When kids see us here they start singing a song:
Yovo, Yovo bon soir
Ca va bien, Merci!
This is left over from Colonial times where the colonialists taught the Beninese children this song. The children would sing the song for the Colonialists and then they would be given treats and candy. They are not singing it to get gifts, but just because that is what they have been taught to do when they see a white person. They are not singing it to be malicious, but usually because they are super excited to see us- someone so different from them! Also what’s interesting is that often times the kids actually don’t even know French and our merely singing the song just to sing it to us not even knowing what they are saying- most obvious when they sing the song first thing in the morning saying bon soir “good evening” and not bon jour “good morning.”
So yes, the name “Yovo” does get old, as we would prefer Madame or Monsieur. However, we have been assured many times over by friends here that it does not carry a negative connotation. While we hate to be constantly referred to by our race, in Benin “Yovo” is a prestigious term because they see “Yovos” as the superior race, who are more intelligent and have more money. Even though they are not only referring to Americans- but basically everybody not from West Africa- we hate to be thought of in this manner. We have expressed that we don’t see ourselves in that way and our friends and colleagues that see us everyday don’t use the term “Yovo” we’ve just come to accept that there is no way we can change the mentality and history behind this word in the two years that we are here (or for the 40 years that Peace Corps has been here, as a matter of fact!). So, yes, by US terms, the fact that we are called by our skin color everyday- that is racism. But, in Benin- c’est la vie!
How much do things cost there?
The easy answer: a lot cheaper than in the US! Things in Cotonou and Porto Novo (the 2 largest cities) are, of course, more expensive. But, here are a few examples of costs here in Lalo:
Lunch (rice, beans, fish) for 2 and 2 cokes in a buvette: $2
beer: $1
8 oranges: .25 cents
bunch of bananas: .25 cents
½ dozen eggs: $1
baguette: .30 cents
pile of tomatoes: .50 cents
Charlie’s haircut: $1
water (refilled every other day, about 30 gallons): .40 cents
That is about all we spend our money on in Lalo. So, our day to day expenses are next to nothing which is nice! While you are loathing how much you just paid for that fruit you bought or the lunch you ate out today- just remember the difference in how much money you are making at the same time!
Please send us questions that you may be wondering about our life here- others might be thinking the same thing!
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