Thanks for viewing

These were some of the nearest and dearest to me during my time in Zagnanado. They all saw me off the last morning I was there. They helped me load all my stuff in the car, and right before I drove off I asked them to wave goodbye to me so I could take this picture.

So there you have it, folks. It's just the tip of the iceburg, but at least it's something. I hope you liked what you saw.

French

I even learned a little French while I was over there. Here I am with my buddy, Archille. He absolutely loves cameras and so we were playing around with it one day and made this video. A quick, rough translation of what's being said:

Me: Hi. Here we are together. I'm with my friend, Archille. Do you want to say something?
Ar: thank you.

Me: what's something you like to eat?

Ar: I don't know!

Me: Yes you do. Do you like pate? Or acassa?

Ar: Acassa!

Me: What kind of sauce?

Ar: Spicey sauce....... and okra

Both: Okay. Okay.

Friends

I made great friends in Benin, both American and Beninese.

Sunday market

I loved to walk down to this market Sunday mornings. It was about a 10 minute walk to get there, but it turned into an hour and a half ordeal once you factored in the greetings with everyone I saw and of course the buying of whatever goods I found. Tomatoes and onions were my staple purchases, and when I was lucky a woman would have cabbage for me to buy.

Fete time

I can't leave out a picture of one of the many ceremonies I attended while over there! That would just be wrong. While each ceremony was sort of difficult to attend in their too long, too hot, too loud sort of way, they were also fascinating and enjoyable at the same time. Quite a cultural experience to say the least. This shot was taken at the Fete de la Population (a party for the common people, essentially....celebrating the population of Zagnanado). These two masked dancers were quite a sight.

DANI!

I was so lucky to have a visitor during my time in Benin. My best of friends, Dani, came over in January to spend 2 and a half weeks. Here we are visiting the waterfalls in northern Benin. This is just one of the many wonderful moments we shared while she was there. (A dip in the water ensued after the taking of this photograph. Such fun!)

Camp GLOW

Camp GLOW= Girls Leading Our World. In both years I participated, the weeks proved to be extremely rewarding. This is an opportunity that some of these girls may never have again. They met young women their own age from all over the southern part of Benin, they learned about children and women's rights, importance of education, study techniques, etc....and they had a lot of fun in the off-time by dancing, playing sports, and going on field trips. This picture is an end-of-the-week activity where each girl said one thing they learned from Camp GLOW then passed the ball of yarn to create a huge web.