Stay in touch with Annie
My long awaited post
Published on September 5, 2004 By Beninian Annie In Misc
Here it is, I know largely over due. It has been three weeks since I set foot on Benin soil. To be very vague - some things are getting easierand others a little bit harder.

For example, I have become a pro at using the pit latrine and taking bucket showers. I even did all of my laundry by hand today. Things are also becoming more clear in French. I can communicate with my family now and can talk down prices at the market.

As for things that have gotten harder - the future is the biggest thing. On Tuesday I will find out where my post is and from there start to specifically prepare for my next two years. I have been doing so well with not getting ahead of myself and taking things one day at a time. But, it gets harder and harder each and every day to wait. Instead, I just have to be patient until I can visit it in two weeks. AHHHH!!!! I guess it is a bit like going to open houses of your first apartment - only I don,t get any say as to where I visit. Well, I got one survey.

Other things that I have gotten hard are little conviences. I miss reality TV and eating Taco Bell. There are things easily gotten over, but when you add a frustrating day or hour they are intensified.

But, on the whole -- I am healthy, well supported, and holding my own here. In some ways I think my abilitty to laugh and make jokes has served me the best. I am quickly learning that a sense of humor is the thing shared by all PC volunteers.
It sounds stupid, but it is nice to feel like you belong somewhere and I think in the last week that feeling has come to the surface.

Alrighty, other funny moments and stories.

-- Went to the beach yesterday. Jumped on the waves, soaked in the sun. No swimming the currents are too strong.
-- My homestay father bought crabs home a few days ago. There was this rain storm and the door to the cage flew open. When I woke up, I went to the bathroom and began to slide my foot into my sandal. Only, a big ass crab was waiting. I look up to see my entire family running around the yard chasing crabs. I of course tried my best, but only cornered one.
-- A famous Benin muisician dies, and everyone in my family got matching t-shirts. It is a huge portrait of his face on the bag.
-- I bought my first African outfit. So cool! Pants and a top complete with a little linning of shoulder pads. Three more shirts zill be ready at the tailor Wednesday.
-- We are having a sticker contest for our zemijohns, so if you have any additions for mine, please send them! The PCT with the most after 3 months wins.
-- Finally, the PC Benin card game is Euchre! Random, I know, but way to represent Indiana.

Comments
on Sep 06, 2004
The reality show where they all go to an island is going to have a Peace Corps Volunteer(I think its an RPCV) and an FBI agent on the Vanatu program. I think its Sepember 9 or something. There could be more feds, but I did'nt have achance to look them all up.

Good Luck with the contest, but I'm not sure what to send.
on Sep 10, 2004
Annie: i'm all caught up. i've received and read the letter. thanks! and have read the latest entries. things sound good, but of course now you are onto something new... your posting. all will go well.

england is treating me well. it is a bit odd though. i will write you more about it.

make sure to keep checking your shoes, you never know what could be in them....

be in touch.
kr.
on Sep 10, 2004
Hi Grandma and Grandpa-

Well I've gone through more than a week of classes now and of college life. It's been really really fun so far. On Tuesday, Thursday I have two classes, Individual and Society and English from 9:30 to 12:30 and on Mon,Wed,Fri I have 3 classes,Western History, Astronomy, and General Arts from 8:50 to 11:50. My favorite class so far is Astronomy, because I know so little about it and the idea of how infinite the universe is just boggles the mind. History will also be fun because....well it's HISTORY, English is my only discussion class, and a well needed break from lecturing professors, Individual and Society is a general course covering all of the social sciences, I loved Sociology but hated Psychology last year, so it will be interesting how this class turns out, and my last class in World of the Arts, it is a big lecture class of 90 kids, but we are split into 2 groups, only going to class once a week, and meeting with a small group of 4 or 5 on another day, the third day we have off, most of the material we use is on-line, but similar to the english discusion class, it is a relief to change things up a bit.

We had a track meeting on Monday, and we have been doing workouts at 3 each day since then, switching between the weight room and running outside, I'm still really sore from the last time I worked out. It is really tough and much harder than any high school workout I have done, and the season hasn't even started yet, October 18th is the first official day of practice and the first meet isn't until January 15th. There is only one team, no Varsity, and only 55 guys make the team.

My roommate and I get along pretty well, and he starts classes when I finish,so we are not in the room a lot together. Last weekend he went home for the weekend, but I don't know if he will make a habit of it or not. He is also mentally challenged, I think. I answered the phone one day and someone from the Department for students with disabilities called, but we do get along and he's a cool guy.

I've been meeting a lot of people and it's easy to make friends around here. When I'm not doing homework or going to class, I'm usually playing watching a movie, playing poker, playing video games, just talking to people, or eating, playing basketball, playing risk, going to football games, going to the pool, almost anything.

I miss Arlington Heights and my friends, but I don't really miss Plymouth, but I think it helped me look forward to college and move on by being in Plymouth for two months. I talked to Mike, Dad, and my friend Bryan on the phone, it's nice to talk to them. Our football team won last weekend against 24th seed St. Norberts 41 to 9. They looked really good, it will be interesting to see how far they go this year.

Well I gotta go to dinner now, talk to you later.

Tom
on Sep 10, 2004
Hey Annie, I was starting a right a message but then i decided just to be sneaky and send you the message i sent the the grandparents, except i left the heading out, but i'll send you a new message, original message next time.

tom
on Sep 12, 2004
Tom,

You are a genious. I would have done the same thing. Expect an e mail soon.

Glad to hear you are meeting new friends. Study hard, take more discussion classes next semester, and keep working hard at track.

Love ya,
Annie


KR,

Can t wait for the letter and I will definately continue looking at my shoes.

Annie