A Brief Update

Greetings everyone...

I'm heading back to post today after being gone for almost 2 weeks i think. It's the longest I've ever been away from post since I moved there and I must say that even though I'm dreading the heat, I am looking forward to being back home. That's something isn't it, looking forward to going home? So what have I been up to for the last few weeks? Well I the orignal reason I came down was because my friend decided that she was done with the PC bullshit and left for the states. It was really really hard to see her go, for selfish reasons that is. But I understand why she had to do it and have talked to her since and she is doing well. I must say though that it really is Peace Corps loss, she was one of the best health volunteers in my group volunteers.

After she left I had about four days till i had to be back in this end of the world anyway. and since it takes me forever and a day to get from my village to cotonou (the capital) i decided to just stay down here because by the time i got back up north i'd have to turn right back around come back down and let me tell you that is not a trip i'd want to make more than once. it's hell!!! close your eyes and imagine if you will a car, built to cary 5 people, two in the front and three in the back. Got the imagine in your head? Well, a car like that in Benin would have four people in the front seats and four to five in the back. Now imagine being in that car for like 4 hours till you get to the next city where you'll get in another taxi, just as full to continue on the next leg of your journey. That my friends is how travel is done here.

Anyway, I digress.... for about four days i hung around cotonou and helped with the GAD auction stuff. Which leads me to the what I've been up to for the last couple of days. Every year Peace Corps Benin has an All Volunteer Conference for obviously all the PC volunteers in Benin. We talk about various things, typical confrence crap really. The highlight is that the day after the confrence finishes up is what we call the GAD (Gender and development) dinner and auction. We all have to buy a ticket for about 20$ and that pays for our dinner before the dinner we have an auction with the proceeds going to the GAD grant funds. The auction was filled with amazing things, hand made stuff donated by craftsmen here, food and goodies sent from parents as well as various other items. Volunteers and ex-pats who come all can bid on this stuff and the money goes towards GAD. Throughout our service if you have project ideas that need some funding many volunteers go to GAD to funds. It's a bit more complicated than that, but that's the general idea anyway. Anyway, after the dinner and the auction there is a dance that this year went on till like 2ish in the morning i believe and because the hotel has a pool after the music wrapped up most of us dove in for a bit before heading to bed.

There is more to tell, but this post is already freakn long so i'll wrap it up for now and try to give a more detailed account later.

until next time