Blogs from Athiémé, South, Benin, Africa - page 3

Harmattan has arrived. Harmattan is a wind that blows from the north, from the Sahara desert. The wind carries dust, and it’s the dust that blocks the sunlight and creates “winter” in equatorial West Africa. To me, Harmattan is as close to winter as I will get for some time still to come. I am colder than I was during the rainy season, and more regularly. I close all the doors and cover with a sheet every night. I sleep all the night through, no dripping sweat to awake me, and I get out of bed slowly, wearing two pagnes and socks, or pants if they’re clean, and heat my water for coffee and a warm bath. And I still shiver, until 10h or so, when the sun has sufficiently heated the porch to be warm ... read more

They have cut the electricity again! Just when I want to read email. So I sit in Lokossa, killing time at the public park. I killed time at my favorite coffee-flavored sweetened condensed milk stand as well, with an egg sandwich to perfect the breakfast, but all the death was attracting the wrong kind of business. About a week ago I organized an outing with As.P.E.L. and the women’s groups. There is a super-efficient center near Lokossa that produces vegetables, chickens, fish, and rice, an extension of the Centre Songhaï in Porto Novo that I have mentioned before. In hopes of encouraging the women to put their group efforts into gardening as well, we made a point to tour the expansive cabbage/carrot/spinach garden, but visited the other attractions as well. When our bus pulled up to ... read more

29 Septembre 2006 Vendredi List the positives first: 1) The internet worked, so I emailed and did travelblog easily and uninterrupted for two hours at the bureau, 2) I cashed the school money check for a student in Athieme, and 3) I bathed and ate once I finally made it home. My run this morning could be considered a positive as well. Only Willie and Melchior had arrived at the stadium by 8h, so the three of us talked and then left. I prepared myself for what I had planned to be a quick trip to Cotonou. I had the taxi ride from HELL. It would not have been from hell if I had not counted on doing so much all in one day. I left the house a little before 9h, Bubs escaping just before ... read more

Since I asked to publish their journals (yes, I asked), both of my visitors left their notebook at home Friday morning, leaving two days completely blank. That is not acceptable in my writing, so while eating a late lunch/early supper at Le Petit Four, I asked a few questions to fill in the holes. Saturday, 16 September 2006 16h00, Le Petit Four, Cotonou, Benin, West Africa Greta Kraus, Grandpa Stuart (a.k.a. Steve Stuart) Ebk: What did we do yesterday? Greta: Oh crap . Rode in a car all day, met people, went to the bank, went to another bank… Gpa: Only two hours in the car! It wasn’t all day. Greta: Well it seemed like all day. Gpa: Two hours. You should answer the questions accurately. This is an interview! Greta: I don’t care if she ... read more

I like sleeping until 7h. That’s about the time the bedroom starts getting warm, the neighbors play music, and I have to pee. After two months, I have returned to that practice, except for those mornings I get up earlier to run. It’s not that for those two months I slept until 8h, oh no; for two months I was on my bike by 6h15 to go to work with Florent and Patrice, the two others at As.P.E.L. with whom I conducted the project “Competition: Cleanest and Greenest City.” This was quite the project. I committed myself to be in Athieme every morning for eight straight weeks. I love Athieme, but I also like to get supplies in Cotonou or visit the beach… I was able to fit in a couple days of escape. The project ... read more