My Life in Benin: The New Normal

As with anything in life you have to adjust to new surroundings, that means many things that before my have been strange become normal. Below I have listed some of these things.

1. Dial-up internet: I remember in 7th grade when AOL (America Online) first launched and we all chatted using dial-up internet. It was slow and sometimes my sister would pick up the phone and disrupt my connection. But back then I could spend hours online. Since the development of DSL and wi-fi, I am so used to always being connected, using multiple websites at the same time, downloading, streaming, etc, all of the things that everyone reading this right now takes for granted. So imagine my dismay when I found out that the city that I live in has NO DSL, at all, in the entire city. The first time that I used dial-up at the office I almost died. It took 10 minutes just to open and to log-in my email. Replying to an email took nearly five minutes, just to open the new window. Needless to say, I gave up. I think in two weeks I have checked my email only five times. Anyone who knows me, knows that is nearly impossible. On the positive side, my internet addiction is non-existent at this point. Cold turkey is the way to go. I will be sending some messages by pigeon as I am sure that will get to you first.
2. Bugs: There are bugs EVERYWHERE. Ugh. I have well over 30 mosquito bites on my body at any given time. Ants enjoy all of my meals with me. I used to throw away food that had an ant on it, now I just pick it off. I am sure that Keondra is familiar with this from her experience in Fiji. In my room I do not tolerate bugs, so we bought bug spray and covered every inch of the room. Anytime I spot a bug which has only been once since the fumigation we completely go overboard in order to send a warning to the other bugs. Needless to say, we will probably go through one can of bug spray every two weeks.
3. Motos: The best way to travel around is by moto. Everyday I take a moto to work and to travel to villages to inspect the homes of the children. While I absolutely loved the use of scooters in Italy, the use of motos here is completely different for several reasons. Firstly, the potholes. There are only two paved roads in the entire city and they are full of potholes. The dirt roads often are uneven and have large potholes as well. When riding back from the village a few days ago, I was almost sure that I was going to die. Secondly, the dust/dirt. If I ever forget my glasses, I have to ride with my eyes closed, otherwise I will end up with bloodshot red eyes, like Amadou, one of our coworkers whose glasses were too small for all of the driving that he does. Anna, the president, gave him some new sunglasses. One day the Italian came back from his visits in the village and he was completely covered in dirt. I added a picture below.
4. Monotony: Rural African life is very simple. So everyday we eat the same breakfast, go to work, come back and eat the same lunch, take a nap, work a bit, chill a bit, then eat the same dinner at the same time. We try to change it up a bit and read some novels, play Phase 10 or Uno, study French or listen to music, but I have gotten used to the monotony and don’t mind it as much as I thought I would.
5. Hand washing laundry: We have only done our laundry one time, but hand washing is the norm here, and it is definitely not that easy. Especially when there is only one outdoor access point for the water and it is nowhere near the line for hanging the clothes.
6. Not understanding whats going on around me: The first part of my trip I was surrounded by Italians, most of whom only spoke Italian. The language spoken by people in country is French and the local language which is Fon. I understand very little Italian so I was not privy to jokes at the dinner table or during the long drives through the countryside. I have been studying French for a few months, not as much as I should’ve been so I have to always go to the Italian for a translation. He is great with languages, and French is no different, so he speaks his fourth language fluently at work and at home, while I struggle to patch together the few words that I know. Everyday I understand more, but the thick African accents make it difficult for me to determine if it is French or Fon flowing out of their lips.
7. Black Outs: Without fail, every single day at some point we lose electricity. It may be for five minutes, it may be for 30, but one thing you can bet is that it will happen.
8. Cold showers: Hmph. I think this is the worst norm for me to adjust to. I am used to taking showers so hot that others cannot stand to use the same temperature, now it pains me to stand under the cold shower. If you happen to visit me here, please bring a water heater. 🙂

I am sure that I have missed a few things, probably because they have become so normal.