Stay in touch with Annie
Six months down
Published on January 29, 2005 By Beninian Annie In Misc
Well, I am cheating a little bit and typing this update from the workstation and then am bringing a disk over to the Cyber Café. I just for some reason feel pressured to write down my thoughts and moments here in Benin into the thirty minutes I have at the café. So, yeah, I will write in my insomnia.

My life here is becoming routine and in some ways boring (to the outside world of wow…you mean you live in Africa). I feel like I have nothing new to tell, but not because there are not amazing things that are happening it is just the shock and awe of my life are just that – my life. I just had a conversation with Dad and he said, “you sound settled.” I guess that is just exactly it, but there are still times and days that things happen and I am like what in the world is going on. For example, I just went out tonight to get a salad and a coke with some other volunteers. There were three of us, so we found three taxi motos after we were eating. Well…it turns out that two of the taxi motos I had already ridden than very same day. Mind you Natitangou is not a small town. We also got a really good price, the equivalent of twenty cents, because I was like “You are my brother now, you need to give me the family price.”

It is just little things like this that bring such an amazing smile to my face. To be honest, I sometimes wonder how I can ever come back to the United States. However, that is the exact same thing I said when I graduated from DePauw. What do I do now?

Professionally, things are going quite well. Teaching I guess is genetic and I just kindof have a natural presence in the front of the class. Maybe it is my want and will to be “on.” You know, be the center of attention and be in charge of someone’s gaining of knowledge. The other week, I was walking through the market and I made eye contact with one of my students. She immediately smiled and it just reassured why I am here. Even if my kids have learned nothing or none of my projects continue after I leave, at least I have brought a smile to one person. I just guess that means something.

As I mentioned, my boss Maria came for my site visit. She was very complementarily and seemed to say keep it up instead of you should be doing this. She also seems to be on board with this project I am attempting at school. My school is in desperate need of a new school building and there is actually a really amazing scholarship program through the American Embassy. They of course in general favor Peace Corps Volunteers, so please cross your fingers. I am also helping the local library find books and I have an English club twice a week. Yes, I keep busy, but to be honest that probably comes as no surprise to anyone.

Alrighty, I guess I will bring this to a conclusion. Even though I am settled, it really could not b possible without all of you. Please keep the warm wishes flowing and I promise to quickly respond to letters. I should be in e-mail contact in the middle of February for our training workshop. This will be the first time seeing all my fellow volunteers from my training. Yeah, really looking forward to it. I also hopefully will be heading to Ghana right around Easter. Okay, enough procrastinating. Love you all and miss you!

PS: Dad, Badjoude is about 115 KM from Natty. It should take about 2 hours, but with the taxi pit stops it is 3 hours usually. I must have written something wrong. I am going to try to find a real map and send it.

Comments
on Jan 30, 2005
Annie, there is a wonderful old movie, probably from the late 1960s, called "Up the Down Staircase". It is essentially about a young, incredibly motivated teacher who gets a teaching job and sees all of her dreams going down in a sea of discipline problems, colleague attitudes, and unresponsiveness from students. The last day of class (the end of the movie, of course), she finds out that she has influenced one of her shyest and most withdrawn students in an incredibly remarkable way, and realizes that as a teacher even only one victory makes it all worth it. It is a wonderful, wonderful story about the trials and tribulations of teaching, and your little anecdote of the smile in the market reminded me of it. As a teacher, you have the tremendous potential for the influence of young minds, the most important job anyone in any society can have, and you sound perfectly poised for doing just that. I look forward so much to our family visit to your new home. In the meantime, bravo!
on Jan 30, 2005
Greetings from Indiana!

Glad to see you are doing so well!

Ok, I just really wanted to comment and say hello. so I guess I have done that now. I look forward to your next post.

oh yes, one question. My spring break is coming up and I was curious as to whether Benin was a big spring break hot spot for college students. : )
on Feb 07, 2005
Hey Annie!!! Sorry I haven't gotten in touch with you in forever. We did receive your letter, and the kids were very excited and interested. We are in the process of writing some letters back to you. I know you said you would have a different address, do you know it yet? Hopefully, I will have these letters sent this weekend! I'm soo glad you are loving teaching! I always knew you had it in you, a true leader! Well, tell your class we all said Hi! Let me know how things are going!