Bye Benin
Ok, so I know I said I was staying here until the end of March but plans have changed.....again. I will be leaving Benin next Friday. Yup, Friday March 18, 2011 I will be on my way back to Europe,…
A Weekend in Dassa
So this weekend, the Italian is in town to visit me and say goodbye to our co-workers. Friday night we headed to Amadou's house just before dusk and played with his super cute four year old daughter Fatima who speaks…
Standing My Ground
Everyday I take Zems, which are motorcycle taxis, to the same locations. These include the office where I work, the restaurant where I eat lunch, the pharmacy, the "supermarket" (it is super small and I don't think really qualifies as…
Ramblings on Democracy
What's the difference between a dictator that does no harm and a democratically elected leader that does no good? I am very happy for countries to be moving towards democracy if that is the will of the people, but I…
Change is Constant
As I was packing the last of my things Sunday, in preparation for our move to Cotonou on Monday, I received a call from Italy from the president of the NGO I'm working for. She asked me to stay in…
It’s Rainy Season :-(
So the awesome thing about Benin is that when it is the dry season, it will never rain, unlike Detroit and NYC where you never know if it will be a rainy week or a dry week. The not so…
Sorry for the silence
I haven't blogged in a while because we had a visitor. A friend of ours from LSE who is currently working in Senegal came to visit so we were moving all over the country, showing her the best that Benin…
“Vous avez aloko?”
Six days a week the Italian and I eat lunch at Maquis La Marmite Africaine. You can find maquis all over Benin. They are restaurants with pre-made food and simple dining accommodations. One of our co-workers introduced us to this…
There is Enough Money in the World
Today while searching for Benin's position on the global list of countries by GDP (PPP), it is #133 according to the IMF, I came across a January 28th Vanity Fair article that made me throw up in my mouth just…
What I Learned From a Beninese Nun
So here in Dassa-Zoume, Benin there at not many vegetables, which explains the high level of malnutrition among the population. When we do actually add vegetables to the pasta that we eat everyday, we add onions or tomatoes, or both.…