Photos have been updated

That is all.

Cheers!

Dog Days of Chaleur

We are in the long, hot dry season, and it is turning out to be everything that we were promised: hot, steamy, humid, and hot. When we sit in our concrete house with tin roof we feel like we are sitting in an oven (with electricity and running water). It feels like South Florida without the ocean breeze.

I try to do my important stuff in the morning before it gets too hot. After riding the 5-7 km to work or into town in the middle of the day makes me sweat so much that my fingers pucker up like I just spent too much time in the bathtub (if I had one). We try to run a few times a week but if we sleep too late (every time), we have to wait until it’s almost dark and the heat is down to bearable levels.

Beninese people do not sweat. Maybe it’s just because I’m new in town, but my hyperactive sweat glands were never much of a problem until I moved here to the near-tropics. Fortunately we have a bar a stone’s throw away from our house with a breezy second story, plenty of music, and cold drinks. Beers are only a dollar!

Other than the oppressive heat and humidity, things are going well. I’m starting to work on a website for my park, and Heather has been running around like mad applying for grants and organizing a girl’s camp for this summer and our marathon team for September. Our mamá down the road sells ice and cold bisap (a sweet, sugary, dark-purple hibiscus drink; think: Kool-Aid).

Thank you all for the care packages, love, prayers, and support. It’s almost rainy season again! Yay!

Cheers.

Sponsor Us For The Marathon!

As most of you know, Craig and I, along with 2 other PCVs, are planning on running a marathon in Ghana in September as a team to raise money for Camp GLOWs in Benin.  Camp GLOW is a girls’ camp that Peace Corps does every summer vacation that focuses on empowering girls to stay in school, promotes self esteem, teaches them about reproductive health, staying healthy, sexual harassment, and gives them the opportunity to speak with other successful women from the community.  It is a great camp with a lot of positive feedback in respect to supporting and encouraging girls and is one of the most memorable parts of most volunteers’ service in the Peace Corps.  Craig and I are putting on a Camp GLOW in Bohicon, the first one here, this summer vacation.

We will not be asking our family and friends to donate towards Camp GLOW, unless you want to of course, given the fact that the economy has affected many people we know.  Instead, we are asking for our friends and family to cover our fees and costs to participate in the marathon.  We do not want any of the money that we raise for Camp GLOW to go towards our costs, so we are asking for your sponsorships to cover those fees.  These sponsorships will not be tax-deductible since they are not going towards Camp GLOW, but if you did want to donate towards Camp GLOW, which IS tax-deductible, we will have information on how you can do that soon.  

Every member of our team of four will be petitioning their family and friends as well to sponsor us as a team.  Our team costs to take part in the marathon are:

--Team Registration Fee                                    $130                                   

     *Must be paid by April 30^th

--Visas for Togo                                                100,000cfa  (about $200)

     *by July 31^st 

--Visas for Ghana                                                60,000cfa  (about $120)

     *by July 31^st

--Transportation Costs                                       120,000cfa  (about $240)

    *Cotonou to Accra, round trip

    *by September 1^st            

--Lodging Costs                                                120,000cfa  (about $240)

    *10,000cfa fee each to stay in

      PC office in Ghana for 3 nights

    *by September 1^st

Total                                                                        $930

Again, this is for our entire team, so Craig and I will be responsible coming up with about half of that.  The most important amount that we need now is our registration fee.  This fee goes up if not paid by April 30^th, which obviously increases our costs.  If our closest family and friends, or about 10 people, all pitch in $50, then our costs are easily covered.  As soon as all of the costs are met, we will post a blog immediately to inform everyone to avoid additional sponsorships.

If you are interested in sponsoring us, you can mail a check to Craig’s parents, the Wiricks, and they can deposit it into our account for us.  Send us an email or a message on Facebook for their address.  

Thank you for all of your support: emotional, mental, and financial!  We are lucky to have every one of you in our lives. 

Jasmine Revolutions

As most of you have probably seen on the news, North Africa and parts of the Middle East are in the midst of revolutions.  I am not sure what is being reported over there, but I have gotten several comments that those crazy “Islamic radicals” are the ones responsible for all the chaos.  This blog is to clear up any confusion regarding the revolutions that are happening in (sort of) our part of the world. 

A couple months ago, a young, unemployed, and economically frustrated man in Tunisia set himself on fire to end his life in protest of the lack of economic opportunities and years of hopelessness in Tunisia.  That brought a lot of attention to the economic problems that the majority of the population suffered from and sparked the first revolution in Tunisia.  These first protestors, most of whom had a lot in common with the young man who set himself on fire, went out into the streets to call for the current dictatorship to step down and make room for democracy so they can have a voice. 

These bold acts inspired Egypt, who suffers from similar issues, to take to the streets and call for their dictatorship to step down in the name of democracy as well.  These protestors were of the same or similar demographic as the protestors in Tunisia.  From there, it has snowballed and this contagious idea of revolt has spread like the flu to the entire North African region (Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya) and several parts of the Middle East (Bahrain, Yemen, and Iran) and people are trying to get the idea to catch in parts of China. 

The two major forces driving these “Jasmine” revolutions that these countries have in common is the lack of economic opportunity among the majority of the population, particularly with recently graduated college students who are more forthcoming with their grievances, in addition to a non-democratic form of government responsible for these causes of distress.  It is not the “radicals of Islam” who are causing or encouraging the protestors to take to the streets, causing all of this “chaos”; it is the desire of the people to make a better life for themselves. 

Some of the leaders have reluctantly respected their wishes and have, or are planning on, stepping down, such as Egypt and Tunisia.  Others have taken violent means to put down the protestors, such as in Libya.  Their leader has used fighter jets, among other things, to unsuccessfully silence the population and many have lost their lives for wanting a voice and a better life for themselves and their family. 

The United States has always been a proponent of democracy and has done their damndest to spread democracy to places such as these, who are now pulling for democracy as I write this.  Hopefully, this blog will clear up any confusion that “Islamic extremists” are the perpetrators of these revolutions.  Just because the protesters happen to live in a predominantly Muslim country doesn’t mean they are extremists.  They are people, just like us, who deserve a better life and are fighting for it.  As Americans who get the luxury of a vote, I encourage you to support them.  After all, we have been in their position before; we also once had a revolution that brought democracy and gave us a voice.