Materi, Benin Travel Blogs

This is Africa
Nov 10, 2003

... speak Biali, so we'll have to see if we can find someone who can teach us this laanguage during the rest of training. Materi is a little spread out, but there are lots of grassy areas, but also spots of trees, mostly eucalyptus, which is grown for ...

One Month to go!!!
Oct 11, 2005

... took time to go do some things that we've been meaning to do ever since we got to post. Right on the outskirts of Materi there is a "mountain/hill" that we've been talking about climbing with our friend Dassibou for a long time. Well finally one day we set ...

Pictures
May 24, 2005

Here are some new pictures

Welcome to the CHALOR (hot season in french)
Feb 27, 2004

... besides the heat everything else is going pretty well in Materi. Rebecca just finished this months "Tour de baby weighing" around materi. Every month there are certain villages way out in the bush that her and her work partner go visit and weigh babies ...

Moringa Madness
Jun 13, 2005

... in spite of the fact I had written to and received an oral approval from the state superintendent. Apparently the guy in Matéri had just been to Nati and talked with his supervisor (who is actually somewhere in between the county and State superintendents ...

What we're working on...
Feb 7, 2005

... that's all for now. We will be busy for a while but may find some time to write and update you on our lives in little ol' Matéri. Keep the emails coming and we'll try to respond to as many as we can, if not we hope the travel log will suffice. Until next ...

Leaving Materi for the last time
Nov 16, 2005

... drinks and took pictures. Then, surprisingly, the mayor decided to make a speech in which he thanked us for our time in Materi and our contributions. Then Rebecca's supervisor spoke and again thanked us for our work. It was nice to here that our time ...

The Great Mousecapade Continues
Jan 9, 2004

... we had a little Christmas party/gift opening session in the lounge and it was lots of fun. So heres the update from Matéri: The evening we returned from Nati, we visitedd the missionaries who live in our village and they offeredd us one of their kittens ...

Work, weather and running
Mar 6, 2005

... of what to do. Womens Day is an international affair (it's even in the US, so plan your parties now) and in Matéri all the important local authorities and aid organizations are invited, as well as all the women's groups presidents and members. There are ...

If a Beninoise were going to America...
Jun 21, 2004

Here are the things he should know first: 1. you can be arrested for public exposure if you decide to urinate right outside of the (non bush) taxi and / or poo. 2. the throaty clicks you use to mean 'whatever' or 'that is soooo wrong' or 'can you ...

so this is what 111 degrees in the shade is like
Apr 2, 2004

Hi everyone We're down in the big city of Cotonou for a few days taking care of some work issues and doing some shopping. It's the first time we've been down here since swear in ceremony, and it's a little different after living in such a remote place ...

Things we've been up to
Feb 6, 2004

... farm and maybe influence other people too. Besides gardening I have had several meetings with groups of men all over Materi county. During these encounters we talk about trees, crops, water (or lack thereof), animal husbandry, bee-keeping, rabbits, and ...

Pictures from africa
Jun 12, 2004

Hey everybody, Here is a link to our second set of pictures. There's a lot and we aren't finished updating all the titles and captions but we'd thought we'd get this out to you all as soon as we could. Enjoy!!! A travel update will come soon. Love ...

Time spent in Materi
Aug 27, 2004

... their numerous quetions. We did this 3 times. Now these villagers will go back to their smaller villages outside of Materi and teach everyone. Hopefully these small village efforts will keep the disease from spreading through Benin as it has in many ...

June is Plant a Tree Month
Jun 19, 2004

... and they would buy them or get seeds. We hope that these trees flourish and Moringa will some day be plentiful in Materi. Also, he helped a government worker plant trees along the road and at another primary school. Everyone was happy to see him out ...

Update from Benin
Jan 18, 2004

... We based this decision off of last time on our return; we had to wait 6 hours for a taxi to fill up going back into Matéri. In Benin, when you take a taxi it's not like in the States where you're the only person in the car. Unless you want to pay extra, ...

News and updates
Jul 2, 2005

... but we'll be sure to celebrate while they're there. We are now definitely in the rainy/planting/growing season. Matéri has changed from a dusty brown and rusty red terrain to a thousand shades of fresh green sprouting up everywhere. Most everyone has ...

Bike tour Benin
May 9, 2004

... miles to Cobli, where there is an English teacher and another health volunteer. The ride had scenery similar to that around Materi, savannah with hills/small mountains in the distance. The hills are beginning to be greener from the recent rains that have ...

In Service Training
May 26, 2004

... we had not seen since initial training in December. There's not much else to say right now. We're anxious to get back to Materi. In June, Jan and Eric (Jasons mom and brother) will be meeting us in France for our first vacation. We're very excited ...

Jason's Dad and Stepmom's big adventure
May 24, 2005

... in a tropical forested hotel we left the next morning for Matéri. And to give you an idea of travel in Benin we left around 8am and didn't get to Matéri until sunset that evening. Soon after we left we stopped at a town we like to call the Fruit Capital of ...

Back from village
Jan 4, 2009 (19 photos)

... rice, which allowed people to eat more last year when the harvest wasn't good.  Also, he shipped up cement to Materi and probably other villages making it cheaper to buy and therefore more people have added on to their houses.  The electricity ...