I am back at site! Monday was quite a long day. My first time getting from Cotonou all the way back home. I made some mistakes. For example, I left for the transportation district at 11:30 when my bus was meant to leave at noon. I didn’t double-check my bus research and the first bus station that I went to did not in fact go to my home. I scrambled to find the right bus, and with the help of a kind gentleman in a blue polo and khaki shorts, I did! But not quite in time, as though the bus was still at the station, it was booked quite full.
My head hung in defeat. It was quite the rush to get to that point, but no luck. Time to look for a taxi, then. What WAS fortunate was that blue polo man happened to make his money by finding people taxis, so (for a fee of 2k… I was definitely overcharged for an unnecessary service, but I was stressed and overwhelmed) I got to sit in some shade for 45 minutes while he hailed taxi after taxi. Finally, after running up and down the street the entire duration, blue polo man succeeded and even nabbed me the front seat. I empirically overpaid but after a lot of overstimulation, I was at least on my way home.
Until the taxi broke down just before we got to the halfway point in the Zou department. The driver hailed another car for me, and so I crammed into the back row, the fourth person in three seats. I turned up my music. I think I even leaned my head against the window, gazing out wistfully at the greenery. It wasn’t too long before I saw the hills of the Collines Department (haha hills and collines are the same word this is like saying chai tea) and knew I was home.
I called my director (the principal of my school) and told him that I was back. He stopped by my house to say hello and express how glad he was that I had returned in health. The director did a lot for me when I fell, so I brought him some bread from Cotonou, which is a common gesture of appreciation and familiarity in Benin. He’s thanked me many times for this moment, so I’m very glad that I did it. I sent a message to my counterpart and she swiftly responded “WE thank God. I will see you soon.”
Fortunately, the carpenter didn’t stop working on my furniture even though I was gone. My bed, bookshelf, clothing hanger, kitchen shelf, and dresser were all waiting for me! Keep tuned for a future house tour video where I show things off. I paid quite a large chunk of money for my furniture, but it is well-crafted and will improve my quality of life.
One thing about ordering furniture is that I kept using the word “immeuble” during the furniture ordering process, which translates not to “furniture,” but to the word “building.” Fortunately through the power of context, no one made me any buildings, but I was embarrassed when I realized my mistake.
La pre-rentree is in full swing! Everyone is getting ready for back to school. Students comes to clean out classrooms, parents come to enroll their students and pay fees, teachers come for meetings, and administration puts together the schedule. Scheduling is a work in progress, though. Even as I write this on Sunday night when school starts on Tuesday (as Monday is the formal start date but is a Muslim holiday), I don’t yet know what grades I’ll be working with or what days and times I’ll regularly be teaching. I’m learning to go with the flow here. But, to quote a tiktok, it would be nice to know when the flow starts.
I spent a lot of time practicing French and getting basics down in Fon, my local language. I read a lot. I set up my hammock next to a creek in an area dappled with shade and sunlight. I’m still working on Americanah. I made light conversation with some kids who were interested in my hammock. We bonded over the fact that French is our second language. These kids learned Fon first, and I learned English first. One kid felt that I was too close to the edge of the creek. In English, he declared “this is not good!” He continued in French, “you’re going to fall into the water.” It took a moment, but I assured him of the security of my hammock and all was well.
On Friday, my friend Henry came into town to do some shopping. We wandered up and down the streets of the old part of town when I realized that we were close to the royal palace. The royal palace is quite impressive, even just from the outside, so I took us up to the gates. One of the king’s attendants noticed us and invited us inside, and the next thing we knew we were getting a guided tour of the palace and got to (for me, for the second time) meet the king of Savalou.
My site is rather large, so I’ve been feeling a bit lonely and unsure about the best way to get to know people. It’s different for many of my friends who live in villages. Henry told me he has already gotten most of his town to call him by his name, but I usually get called “yovo,” which is a Fon word for foreigner. I don’t mind it, but I’ve come to realize that I’ll have to explain myself to a LOT of people considering I’m living in a small city. I have a really big piece of pie, proverbially speaking, and I think it’ll take a moment to settle in and find my niche. I’m giving myself grace. I’m trying hard to get to know people, and it’ll happen. School starts soon, and I think that will help a lot!
It’s been good to stand on my own two feet and find my way around. I’m looking forward to finding my rhythm and routine in the near future.
With Love,
Lena
The content of this blog post is mine alone and does not reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or the Benin Government.
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