We're going to Materi

Trip Start Sep 22, 2003
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Trip End Dec 13, 2005


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Flag of Benin  ,
Sunday, October 26, 2003

Hey everyone! We learned on Friday that our post will be Materi. Its a community up in the northwest, close to the animal park and the borders of Togo and Burkina Faso. The closest big city is Natitingou. Rebecca will be replacing another health volunteer, and Jason will be starting an environment program. We're very excited about it because its just what we asked for. Its not a very small community, but its spread out. We're told the market is pretty spectacular because people from Burkina Faso, Togo and the rural outskirts of Materi come in, including some Fulani, or the nomadic people that inhabit the North. We've heard great things about the area from other volunteers who live there now. We get to go there next week for the whole week and learn about what we'll be doing there. We also have a 2 day seminar with our supervisors before we leave for the site this Thurs and Fri. Its approximately 380 miles, or 10 hours from Cotonou, but theres a workstation in Natitingou where we can stay the night while traveling and visit with other volunteers. We'll be able to fill you in more on it once we return from our live in week, and we may not be able to write an entry next weekend since we're leaving Sat.

This week, Rebecca got to plant her garden plot. She planted cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, and lots of Moringa trees (see last entry on explanation of this). Jasons group learned about composting and began work on the green space/park area. French classes are going well. In cross culture class we had a traditional healer/ voodoo preist visit and perform a ceremony in which he killed a chicken without a knife. Theorhetically he used his powers to transfer the evil spirits from one person in our class into the soul of the chicken, and this killed it. But we're a little skeptical. It was pretty amazing. The chicken just flipped flopped on the floor and was dead. We also had a session to learn about local games (card games and chlidrens games) where some llocals came and taught us. The teenage girls grabbed Rebecca and some other girls and we were doing this clapping jumping game similar to hopscotch and jumprope with singing. It was fun but required a lot of rhythm; I'll have to practice with my sisters. Yesterday we went to Segbohae (Jasons training village) so Rebecca could meet his lunch time family and see everything there. We went on a bike ride along the lake that lines the village. It was a beatiful sunny day with big puffy clouds over the lake. For those who are wondering what the weather is like, its very hot, upper 90s, but usually a nice breeze. It rains every few days for about an hour or two very heavily. Our post will have drier weather, but it will be hotter during the day. The temps lower more during the night though (74 degrees).

Well, again thanks for the emails and we'll keep you updated!

Rebecca and Jason
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