Life: Cest la vie

Hello everyone. I know I haven’t written in a long time, but I have my reasons. For one thing, I’ve just had trouble thinking of something to write about. Everything here just seams so normal to me anymore that I don’t know where to begin. That’s not to say that I’m 100% used to my life here. My other reason for not writing in a while is, well, I’ve kind of been a little down. I guess it’s homesickness, but it could be a multitude of things that have added up lately.
I’ll try not to write much about what’s getting me down, but you might be curious. Well, the biggest thing is the parasites. I managed to get a parasite somewhere along the way, and they have been my companions for about a month now… the parasites I mean. In fact, they found my body so inviting that they have multiplied a few (who knows how many) times, and so now I’ve got a nice, big round belly. I look pregnant. I feel disgustingly huge. To add to this, the Beninese think it’s great when people get fat, so the first thing everyone says is, “Oh Sarah! You’ve gotten fat!!” How comforting. To top it all off, my body wasn’t exactly prepared for all the company that’s moved in, so I’ve been having a good time in the bathroom every few days. It comes and goes. Luckily, the PC doctor recently came to visit, and he gave me some medicine to help my body quick the squatters out. Giardhia, who knew? Apparently I wasn’t cleaning my veggies well enough. Just in case the big belly’s not completely the parasites though, I have started running again.
Second thing that’s probably adding to my glumness is the lack of communication with people. That’s right; good ol’ homesickness. I miss being able to joke with people and talk about anything and not feel awkward, and to just talk to someone familiar. People here just don’t joke in the same way. My sense of humor is rendered useless here. Also, the phone systems seem to be less stable then usual lately, so I haven’t even been getting my occasional calls from the family. I do have local people I can talk to and confide in, but it’s the typical Beninese method of things… like I said, homesickness.
Homesickness is striking in other ways as well though. I miss real food. I miss hamburgers, Arby’s Marketfresh Corn Beef Reuben sandwich… meat in general for that matter… I also really miss chocolate. You just can’t find chocolate here. I can’t tell you how much I crave chocolate. I recently just got my Christmas presents (3 months after they were sent) and someone sent me a box of Godiva chocolates (Thank you Quincy!!!). I left these beautiful delicacies in the workstation refrigerator with my name on them so that no one would eat them and so they wouldn’t melt. I come back a week later only to find them all gone. That really pissed me off and bummed me out. I finally get chocolate and everyone else ate them.
Last, but not least, I’m starting to see the effects of my anti-malaria medicine. This medicine, Lariom, is so powerful that some people go crazy because of it. Other side effects are nightmares, insomnia, depression, paranoia, loss of hair, and other fun things. I’m starting to wonder if it’s time to switch to the less reliable alternative, Doxi-cyclean. I’ve definitely got some of the side effects… it’s disheartening to loose this much hair, and the nightmares usually involve me dying from something only possible in Africa… like snakes…

So, that’s all the stuff that’s I’ve managed to focus on that has made me miserable lately. I would like to state that in past tense though, because I realized today that I have so much to be happy about, and that it’s time to turn things around. It always helps when you realize you’re not quite in focus.
For one thing, I’m in this amazing country leading this completely different life. So what if there’s no chocolate… this is life as I’ve never known before! Yes, it’s sad sometimes. And, yes, it can even be painfully uncomfortable… but I’m not living the monotonous life that I would be back in the States!:
Every morning I get up, I go run, I shower and refill my water jugs, I prepare my breakfast, I read a little or prepare some cookies for all the neighboring kids (Africa is solely made up of children), and then I walk around distributing the cookies and talking with people or working a bit. In the evening I go to my buvette and drink my Coca-Cola and watch the news in French… and I understand it! I go home, prepare dinner and read or sleep. For work, some days I teach classes on business. Some days I have my business club. Other days I get together with people and help them learn to work computers. Lately, I’ve even been making things with some of the local women. I’m teaching one woman how to make cookies, cakes, and breads. She thinks she could sell them here, and I’m excited to help. Another woman and I are starting to make hammocks. If it works out it could become a huge source of income for her, as portable beds are in demand. Also, I’m working with a women’s group where I hope to start a micro-finance institution. They are perfectly set up for it, and I am so excited about it! I really hope it works out, because it would be a huge aid to these 15 women. How can I not be happy and excited with that life?!?! So things aren’t like home… I’ve just got to get over that.
Besides, the world around me is really beautiful. I realized that I also stopped taking pictures of things a month or two ago, and I have no idea why. Today I found two completely beautiful things to take pictures of, and I’m back to searching out the beauty I see. If only you guys could the countryside I run through every morning… the sun rising over the mountains, the wind in my face, the tata sombas scattered across the countryside (two story traditional mud fortresses unique to this local tribe), the old women with big piercings through their lips, the kids who wave at me as I run by… Like I said, it’s nice when you realize you’ve been out of focus for a while.
So, things can only get better from here. I’m getting in shape, I’m eating well, I’m making friends, and I’m doing my best to help out my community. Life is good.

I know this post has been fairly self-centered, but it’s nice to put my thoughts on a page. Thanks for putting up with it.

Sarah