a typical day...

i don't know how to describe a typical day cause these days my life is anything but normal...i wake up at around 6.20 and hit snooze for about 10 mins...i was never a morning person...some mornings my bladder will wake me up at 5.00 which sucks cause its still dark and i have to climb put of my mosquito net, which can take a minute or two...after waking up i dig through my pile of already worn/not ready to wash yet clothes on my chair...if i find that i have woken up sweaty from a lovely night of malaria prophylaxis induced dreams then i take a shower...otherwise i get dressed...after about 10-15 mins of dressing while half asleep i get my bag ready with whatever materials i need for the day...i take my bag, my bike helmet, my bottle of boiled water and head downstairs to eat breakfast...i actually live in a fairly large house - a 3 floors cement building...on the first floor, a family rents that from my host family, my host family lives on the 2nd floor and i live on the 3rd which is a great set up...i have my privacy and yet i can hang out with the family anytime i want ...so breakfast consists of either porridge (tapioca, cornmeal, oats) with powdered milk and sugar, eggs with sautéed onions and tomatoes, or sometimes cereal...

at 7.30 i grab a snack usually bread with butter and jelly or fruit and head to the college de cocotier (school of many coconuts) where the rural community health and environmental action trainees meet everyday for language and technical training...it takes me about 20 mins to ride my bike to school (yes pc benin provides every volunteer and trainee with a bike) and hang out with others while i catch my breath before starting french class at 8.00...


considering i only have 2-3 hours a day of french, i'm a bit surprised that i've been able to pick it up s quickly...after class ends at 10.00, there is a 30 min break before our next class which is usually technical session on health...from 10.30 to 12.30 we learn about malnutrition and nutritional recuperation, how to conduct a baby weighing, pre and post natal care, gardening and village hygiene...at 12.30 we break for lunch which most people go home...even though we have 2 1/2 hours for lunch, i hated riding home and get sweaty all over again so i hang out at the school and find a nice lady to buy lunch from...(currently i am boycotting my lunch lady and on the hunt for a new one which i'll write about later)...a few others hang out during lunch and we just talk about nonsense to pass the time...if i didn't sleep well the night before i'll put harry potter audio books on my ipod and take a nap on the sand covered floor or wooden bench...apparently everything shuts down at this time...its like siesta in spain...love it...after lunch its back to more classes either french, tech, cross cultural, or bike maintenance...we work until 17.45 which is when my head wants to explode...at this time private tutoring begins for those who want to practice more...for the first week, i took advantage of tutoring but i have become lazy... i admit that it would be beneficial but i'd prefer to head to the local buvette (bar) down the road and my practice my french as i order a grand beninoise (large local made beer) from the lovely lady who works there...between 19.30 and 20.00 i get on my bike and ride home trying to avoid the sand pits as it grows dark...i never thought riding a bike through sand could be so difficult...


i arrive home all sweaty and immediately hop into the shower...although i have indoor plumbing, i do not have hot water...and why would i need it? - i'm living in west africa...i have truly come to appreciate and enjoy those cold showers...even on really hot days i still shiver every time i start my shower but about 2 mins in i'm lovin' it...my shower lasts about 5 min bt they are 5 glorious mins where i wash away all the sweat, sand, dirt, stress and some days urine (sometimes to end up pissing on yourself when you use a latrine - don't you judge me!)...afterwards i wrap myself in a sarong and sit out on the terrace under the gazebo and read a book, study french, write letters or blog entries, or practice my guitar until dinner...sometimes i'll hang out with my family and watch spanish soap operas dubbed in french...i'm hooked on "le femme de lorenzo" - the wife of lorenzo or "luz clarita" which has a theme song i can't get out of my head...i eat dinner at around 21.00when it comes to eating food, there exists a hierarchy: guest eat first and usually alone then the father, the mother, the children, then any adoptive children or domestiques (maids)...at first i felt uncomfortable with this but now it doesn't bother me...one time my host mom had to take me away from my soap opera so the rest of the family could begin eating...oops!...i'll usually hang with my family some more after dinner until around 22.00 when my eyes start to close on me...i head back upstairs, floss, brush and crawl back underneath my mosquito net...yet another sleepless night awaits with my malaria prophylaxis induced dreams to keep me company...