Worth 1,000 Words: Hope
For me, when i think about the concept of hope the first thoughts that come to mind are the people that I met while i was in Benin. These pictures represent hope. When you look into the eyes of children,…
Observations: Benin
The Beninese people have no concept of personal space or personal comfort, as demonstrated by squeezing into taxi buses and cars with no complaint.
Things I won’t miss about living in rural Benin
Risking my life daily by riding on the back of motorcycles, sans helmet. Bugs. Bugs that bite. Bugs that just crawl. And bugs that interrupt my meals. Boredom. 90F (32C)+ days without air conditioning. Laying in the bed, 6 hours…
Have you ever…
...rode on the back of a motorcycle at 60km/h (37mph) down an unpaved road with no helmet? It feels like death coming at you at 100mph (160km/h).
Things that I am longing for
A few of the things that I have been missing since I have been in Benin. Manicures and pedicures. In London, I painted my nails fun colors every week and once spring and summer (read: eternal fall in London) I…
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…
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…