Cheese, Women's Day, Soccer
Trip Start
Jun 02, 2003
1
22
41
Trip End
Dec 31, 2006
N'Dali,
Benin
Monday, March 15, 2004
NOTE: To those of you who may have written me and not received a response, forgive me. I might very well have never received your letter or package. Letters, I thought, always made it through, but I have recently discovered that some letters have gotten lost in the abyss somewhere over the ocean
Brian on the Mountain
. Who knows? Maybe one of the lost packages is providing inspiration (or substituting as an imaginary friend) for some lost soul on a deserted island in the Atlantic. Let's hope they are just stuck in Cotonou waiting to get through immigration before they can be brought up to N'Dali. I spoke to the postman, and he said that there are places with similar names to N'Dali and Benin in Nigeria, Mauritania, and Sri Lanka. He said to be sure that people don't get confused, use the following address (there is one small change from the address I gave you before):Suzanne Kratzig
B.P. 30
N'Dali
République du Bénin
Afrique de l'Ouest
Thanks to all who have written and sent packages, anyway. I will imagine what you might have said or sent.
In other news, last Friday, I learned how to make the local cheese. With Amzat, a Terminale student/translator for me with the Peuhl, and Alice, a neighbor girl, I trekked over to the Peuhl camp once again to learn how to make wagassi
Kelley and Suzy on the Mountain
. One of the Peuhl woman (who is probably in her 60s, though age is undeterminable sometimes here, set off on foot at 5 a.m. to go buy the fresh milk we would need to make the cheese. She didn't return until 10:30 a.m. Had I known how long and how far she would have to walk, I would have arranged to learn elsewhere. The women here are so strong! She carried the large basin or milk back on top of her head, walking in flip-flops for who knows how far! Anyway, we hung out in the camp waiting for the milk to begin to curdle a bit as it cooked over the open fire. I helped one smiling woman pilé (use a mortel and pestle to pound or grind) millet, and I practiced the little amount of Fulfuldé that I have learned. Then, we watched as the old woman pounded up the stalk of a special plant and then massaged the plant oils into some of the milk, which she eventually added to the milk on the fire. The plant oils caused the milk to solidify into a mass that, after letting a lot of water drain out, became the cheese. Not that difficult of a process in the end and a very delicious product! I am wondering now what we might have in the States that could substitute for the plant. Geletin perhaps?
Happy Belated International Women's Day to all the females reading this! On Saturday, I went to Bembérécké to attend some of the Women's Day that Kelley and Jenny helped organize. I missed the big parade in the morning, but I was there for a lively soccer match between some school girls and some mamas (professional women) from the town. The mamas came decked out in sarongs and pants and played barefoot against the young girls. It was quite exciting and a funny game. After the game, we headed over to the school to hear some music and watch some of Kelley's students perform a theatre piece
Me on Mount Bembérécké
. On International Women's Day in N'Dali, I organized an essay contest for the younger girls in the CEG. The winners will get to attend the Girls Camp this summer.
All this talk about girls and soccer leads me to my next subject: the Girls' Soccer team in N'Dali. The team is in desparate need of shoes, so I have decided to put the plea out to you readers. Does anyone out there happen to know of a girls' soccer team who would like to donate their old soccer shoes? Or would anyone like to purchase a pair of new or used shoes to send to a girl here? I have all the sizes, so if you are interested, let me know, and I will email you a size.
Also, I am looking for a class or two of students who might like to have a Beninese pen pal. These could be French students who would like to practice their French or students from any class who are interested. Tons of students here have asked me to set up correspondances for them. Email me if you might know of a teacher or an administrator who might be interested. Ideally, the kids would be of junior high or high school age.
We are in the middle of exam week now. I am up to my neck in papers to grade (my LEAST favorite thing about teaching!), and my house is a dusty disaster. Much to do, yet a severe lack of energy. The hot season is upon us, and without air conditioning, I have become quite lethargic. The joy of spending out the wazoo to use the internet here in N'Dali is that there is a glorious ceiling fan in the room to keep me cool. AAAHHH....
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, though. Goodbye fan, for now, and goodbye readers for now....
