Greetings from Cotonou

There is a line for the computer so I must make this quick:

It is impossible to describe Benin thus far since I have been enclosed in the 'learning compound' the last few days.  I start my homestay with a Beninese family in 2 days, and I anticipate the real cultural exchange will start then.  Pictures have been hard to come by, but I assure you that there will be posts within the next few weeks with more info and perhaps some delicous cultural tidbits.

Highlight of yesterday - ice cream!  That's right, Cotonou (a.k.a. the industrial juggernaut) is the pround owner of at least one ice creamery.  My next goal is to find an American Chinese restaurant, but I am not raising my hopes.

Cultural observation of the day - the Beninese love to greet people!  In America I walk by EVERYONE without even looking up, but here bonjours and bonsoirs and ca vas are thrown about like nobodies business.

Moosebird out.

Disconnecting in 3...2...1.......

Tomorrow the phone and computer are going offline.  Don't be surprised if I do not respond to calls; I will also be slow to respond to letters and e-mails for a while.  My goal is to update the blog at least once a month - it may be more or less depending on which area of Benin I end up working in.

The last minute packing is underway and tomorrow should prove both hectic and satisfying as I prepare for my early morning flight on Wednesday.  The tentative schedule is to spend 2 days in Philadelphia and then depart for Cotonou via Paris.  After two months of training and living with a host family in Cotonou, I will hopefully fulfill my French requirements and start my service project.

In case anyone is interested in communicating the old-fashioned way, I will be taking a pad and pen with me as well as envelopes.  I am not sure what postage is required to mail Benin, but I will post the mailing info on this blog when I find out more details.

Fare thee well, good Nebraskans and fellow Americans.  I hope to be a better person when next we meet.

- Matt

Shorn!

No one said that the Peace Corps was going to be easy - the first casualty of my service is the loss of my rain-catching-device that I kept on my head.

I lost a good 3 + inches of hair, which I believe accounts for about 75% of my physical strength.  I'd better start working out again!



Just for fun (and since I am experimenting with uploading pictures), here is a picture of a jungle creature I found in my house today:

I hope to get one more update out before I depart on the 14th.  Until then, moosebird away!

Packing Issues

For anyone who hasn't recently packed two years of their life into 80 pounds, let me assure you that such a task is somewhat daunting.  Some things I am still investigating:

- A water-shedding backpack
- A laptop (as in, should I bother taking one)
- Dress shoes (can you believe I am worrying about dress shoes?)
- A good wide brimmed hat
- A swiss army knife
- A high quality kitchen knife
- One miniature disco ball
- A machete (they say it is the only way to kill some of the insects)

Some of those items may not be on my list, but I will let you decide which ones are real and which ones I can only dream about taking.