Feet on Soil

Thusday, July 19
I'm sitting in historic Philadelphia, having survived two days of icebreakers, vaccinations (neither of which were as bad as I feared) information sessions, and preliminary clique-ification. My group is 59 predictably nice, friendly and interesting people, mostly just out of college...a few exceptions, but I hesitate to talk about individuals since our blogs are linked up like a bunch of non-swimmers clinging together in the ocean...

Sat, July 21
I'm now at PC Head Quarters in Cotonou. Last night we arrived sweaty and exhausted at the airport, having endured a mile-long trail of sweat and tears at the Philly airport when we were left at the wrong terminal. Then came about 20 hours of travel with only movies-on-demand and some really delicious french meals (salade avec pates de saumon, du pain frais, du bon cafe, yaourt, toblerone etc) to comfort us from our fatigue, sadness (other's, not mine) and stench (mine).

Leaving the airport we were greeted like celebrities by about ten current volunteers (Seth, you would have loved this scene), only to be driven to our compound where a couple dozen more were waiting to cheer us. Apparently fresh meat is exciting to those who have been in-country for a year.

Some of the info sessions are excruciatingly slow, but as new york slowly loosens its grip on me, and if I am smart and drink a bit less coffee, I think I will quickly slow down to the Beninese pace of life (we will see...)

All the Beninese training staff seem extremely nice (huge smiles!) and I am very excited to get down to the nitty-gritty of learning french etc. We will continue to stay at our base in Cotonou which is a quiet, removed, lush oasis in this somewhat dirty, energetic city, for another 4 nights, before we split up into our respective sectors for 9 weeks' training. TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) will be in Lokossa, about 15-20 of us, many of whom have already become my prototypical "friends". It's pretty amazing how fast you can meet and get to know 58 other like-minded (relatively) people...

Oh, on the plane from Paris, I sat with a Beninese man from Lyon who is visiting his family in where?--LOKOSSA!--so I got his number and we may have a chance to go out. I have met other frisbee-heads and even a few fellow crocheteers, not to mention a few guitarists, a flautist and a mandolin player with whom to pass some free time...although we haven't had a free minute to jam yet...


I got fitted with a nice shiny Trek mtn bike and helmet replete with tools, lights, etc, and I think I will take the chance to explore a bit of my region, wherever I happen to go (I think I will try to be in the South so I can plug into the Cotonou music scene, but posted in a smaller village without electricity...we'll see what they can do for me).


I was quite emotional the last day in Philly and on the plane, I almost cried once during a short promotional video the PC uses--it just cut to the heart of my intentions and hopes for this experience--and then again on the plane during this sweet French film with G Depardieu about an Algerian boy who is adopted for a time by a French couple from a xenophobic community (called Michou D'Auber)


Well, I gotta go get some shots for Typhoid and Meningitis, the second round of about 10 between my arm and the nurses here... Hope all is well with all of you, thanks to everybody for sending me off in a bubble of love, I will update probably from Lokossa where there is a cyber-cafe...

Peace, David