Getting ready...

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Tomorrow's the big day.

I have managed to get MORE stuff while in Montreal and have not made any progress what so ever in the economizing of space department. As I leave tomorrow morning, I will be spending tonight trying to figure out how: 1- I am going to fit everything into the backpack that I have, 2- how I am going to carry the backpack from the hotel to airport, 3- how I am going to manage to get it onto my back and through the city in Cotonou...

I arrived last Friday and started training first thing Saturday morning. The people that I am going with are pretty cool and all have different backgrounds etc. so it should be neat. We are all getting along great now, but it is questionable how long that will last....once we hit ridiculous humidity, culture shock, and have to fight over going to the better locations and living with the better families...

We have had training on HIV/AIDS, gender roles and empowerment, cultural awareness and communication, conflict management and health and safety and I now feel alot more comfortable about the whole scenario than I did before I arrived. We spoke with some Oxfam volunteers who recently returned from Benin (mum close your eyes) and 6 out of 10 were hospitalized for at least a two-week period with malaria (this is the reason that we are now stationed in cities and not in the villages). Should be interesting. The lady from the health centre said also the incidence of rabies in street dogs is really high so to be very careful of mangy looking animals.

I actually felt nautious while she was going over illnesses and what not, which is surprising considering how strong my stomach is normally.

Anyways, I have managed to spend a few nights with Rosie, Kyara and Tiffany, which was really nice and will be leaving my Montreal bags with Tiff to take home with her in the spring. It has been around -20C since I arrived and finally warmed to -11C today (will be -4 tomorrow as we leave, just like when I left Vancouver and it was all of a sudden 10C and sunny ;-).

I went out with the Benin "team" last night who have been out together a bunch this week, but I have been bailing to see the girls and try and finish my research proposal for Ghana. I managed to make up for lost time and had them all doing car-bombs by 8:30....How proud are you Erika and Ian?

I have attached some photos, but don't really have that much to say, other than ADIOS for real this time and I will be sure to let you know as soon as I land what it smells like, Inja. Though I have heard, mostly just gas. There are little motorbikes (Zemis) that drive around with gas vats strapped to the back (smuggled in from Nigeria) which are apparently rolling explosions waiting to happen. Though zemis are the most popular method of transport (and that suggested by Oxfam and YMCA), YCI guys (including me) aren't allowed on them and will have to stick to taxis (mum can breathe a sign of relief now).


Ok. That's all. Nothing earth shattering.
Love you.
Bye.

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Photos

Bronwen and Kyara
Kyara and I at Tiffany and Gino's. She was ridiculously cute, but also SO exhausting, I don't know how Rosie does it!!

Kyara
Jenny- are you dying a little on the inside??