Forgot to mention...

I forgot to mention that I have skype as well and I will be on it.  My name is toddodess.  Look for me online and we can talk.

Internet Connection

I have great news!!!  I have successfully hooked up the internet in my house and will be able to be online whenever I need to be to check emails!  I love technology!

I've been busy thinking and writing this week...

If someone was to ask me 5 years ago...fuck it, a year ago, what would I be doing in a year, I would never have said lying under my mosquito net, sweating my ass off, living in the fifth poorest country (which I still do no believe is a true fact) as a Peace Corps Volunteer! A year ago people said I was a capitalist, a frat boy (well as fratty as one can be at GW), and most of all an America-loving college kid with his eyes set on working for the government in the defense/security sector; at least, that is what I thought of myself. Less than a year ago, the Peace Corps was nowhere on my radar as a possible career choice that I was willing to make. Less than a year ago, I loved my life of semi-luxury, living in my two bedroom, two story townhouse in the middle of DC on the GW campus with what seemed like endless funds (thank you credit cards, that later came bak to bite me in the ass).
 

Less than a year ago, when I began the application process, people said that saw a change occur with me: I became more open to other’s ideas, more open to helping people, calmer and more in control of my life. Without even noticing these changes in myself, I was subconsciously preparing myself for the two most difficult years any middle to upper class American can endure. Less than a year ago, my life looked as if I was about to make the choice between going into the private sector of defense/security/consulting with a relatively high salary for first-year recruits and taking the government’s “vow of poverty” to work in the public sector; nowhere did I perceive that I was going to literally take a “vow of (relative) poverty” and live in Benin.

The past couple of days, my life has come into full view for myself. I have noticed many things about myself that have changed within the short, 3 months that I have spent in-country. Riding along the gudron (highway-type road), praying for my life as the chauffeur sped about 100 miles per hour up the road doing slalom esses, dodging both canyon sized potholes and on-coming traffic, sometimes passing them on the wrong side of the road, or using the bush as a third lane, I began to think, “What the fuck have I gotten myself into? Why did I turn down three job offers that would provide me with relative security both physically and fiscally and accept a life where my physical security is in the hands of a random Beninese chauffeur that sometimes is too tired and/or drunk and should not be operating a car and my fiscal security rests in the hands of an incompetent woman that can never pay us on time? Why did I leave my life of being able to relax, drink, hang out with friends where I do not have to think to myself: is someone gonna jump me because I am white; is someone gonna think that by sitting/walking/talking to a Beninese girl that I am her husband; or is someone gonna come up and ask me for money based on the simple fact that I am white?” Who in the right mind would ever turn down the life of a middle class American for the life of a Beninese?

The things that changed in me during the last few months before leaving America, changed specifically to prepare myself to answer those questions. I became calmer and more controlled to allow myself to sit back and register everything that was going on around me. This is needed in Benin, in the Peace Corps as a whole, because without this, one would never be able to survive, both mentally and physically; one would never be able to control themselves to the extent needed to last the two years; one would not be able to stop themselves from striking out against the constant pestering. This is just one example.

The other changes that occurred within me allow me to do my job. The problem with these changes is that one must never lose sight of what they left, of their goal. The balance between becoming fully enthralled in their work here, becoming the most glorious Peace Corps Volunteer on paper, and never losing sight of the goal of why you are here, is incredibly difficult to maintain. The goal that I speak of is the imminent cross cultural exchange and the amelioration of a less fortunate society/enterprise. Every person that I meet can be bettered just by simply teaching them to fish (to use a trite saying), but it explains what is needed to help everyone here. Helping the people, not by literally teaching them to fish, but by teaching them the basic business sense that comes second nature, that is ingrained in nearly every American.

Onto my life...

Benin has been very good to me. I speak of living a life of relative poverty in comparison to the United States, but somehow I am able to be spoiled no matter where I go in this world, and no matter what I sign myself up for. The credit for my luxurious life, in relative terms to the average Beninese, can be given to Mr. Jacques Bio for giving me the best post in the world, that is both best suited for me and no one else in all of Benin (from my point of view) and possibly the closest to the American style of work. I have now been promoted to “manager” of the factory. Basically everything that I say goes, without being second guessed by anyone, not even the owner. Madame Zoe has given me free-reign to do whatever is necessary to build her factory into an international, exporting powerhouse in Benin. Our competitor has one advantage on us and that is the fact that they have foreign investment and a lot of it. Their capacity is about 150 times ours.

Last week, I was able to go on my first business trip. This was a business trip to basically intimidate the Nigerian that was sitting across the table from me. I believe that Madame Zoe brought me to this meeting to show that she has someone “competent” in business ethics and actually knows what is right and what is wrong. The Nigerian businessman is the typical Nigerian businessman, they give you as much of a bad vibe as a used car salesman gives you in the United States. You know, behind everything that he is saying and behind is stupid smile is a lie, you just need to know what to ask and you will get the right/true response. Needless to say, about an hour into the meeting I was able to have him double the amount of money he was paying us for our nuts, simply by asking him questions and presenting him with facts.

But I do believe I have found what I will be doing with my life once I am done with the Peace Corps, and it is either sales or it is running factories in third world countries. By the end of my two year stint, if I am not able to run a factory or know how to start one up (what I basically am doing now) then these two years are a waste. I’m sorry mother but Yes, that potentially means that I will be in Africa on business more often. I don’t know if I will want to live here afterwards, but we will see about that when the time comes and how much money people are willing to pay me.

In other news, I have just purchased and had the greatest invention of all time installed in my house today. I had a toilet put in today! It is amazing what a difference being able to actually sit down on something while pooping makes, compared to having to squat. You don’t have to worry about aiming or praying that you have pulled your pants far enough down or your legs are wide enough spread. It is glorious!!! It cost me all of $30 to have it actually made and installed in one day. Now this is not your ceramic thrones that you find in America, NO, this is a poured concrete, handmade comode with inlaid broken tiles on the seat. By the way, it ways about 500 lbs, cause I nearly gave myself a hernia trying to lift it by myself before I called my neighbors to come over and help. I am just waiting on the second greatest invention that will be ready in about 10 days, and this one is a table and chairs!!! I won’t have to use the floor as a desk, a chair, a table to eat on, nor a table to prepare my dinner. Lately, I have been using the lip of the well in my back yard as a seat to sit on and prepare my dinners in my hands. In 10 days, I will become a civilized person, cause then I will have a toilet, a bed, and a table!! Who ever knew that it would come to the fact that I was waiting on a carpenter to make me a table to become a normal human being. After that I may have a couch or possibly a cabinet for my food made, but who knows, I gotta relax and wait upon the glorious table/chairs.

Another amazing thing is that I am writing this lying in my bed about to go to bed and it is only 8PM, G-D I’m old! oh wait, no, I’m a volunteer. The average bed-time for us is about 9PM and we all wake up by 7AM naturally, from the lack of things to do to entertain us because it is just not smart nor safe for a white person to leave their house after the sun goes down in Africa. But now I resign myself to the words of Dostyevsky to lull me to sleep.

Hello from Savalou

Sorry it has been so long but I have not had internet access for a while now because I have been so busy with everything.  But I have great news...I am finally at post!  I moved in today (Sept 7).  My house is awesome (details below).  My neighbors are great, a lot of little children and two houses.  My house is a lot bigger then my first impressions.  But it is wierd, I am actually in my first house that I can call my own on my own, i.e., no roommates (minus my puppy).

I am so very excited about everything.  Also great news is that I am not the only white person in the area.  My counterpart is hosting a French girl/woman (my age) who is a Physics teacher.  She will be teaching at the school that my counterpart also owns.  So at least I have a friend.  She also speaks fluent English so we are helping each other perfect each others languages.
 

I will be working for a company called "Groupe Kake-5".  The company is called this because the group is comprised of 5 different companies: a hotel, the cashew business, a honey factory, a private primary school, and a private secondary school.  I will be specifically working with the cashews, but the honey kinda runs right along side it, even though the factory is in another city a couple hours away.  They primarily want me to work on digitizing all the information, maintaining work-flow/making the work flow process more efficient, and increasing the quality control to later export to America.

SAVALOU
Savalou is a beautiful city.  It will be the most beautiful place that I have ever lived in.  The city is built on and between three "mountains".  One of the "mountains" is actually a mountain while the other two are hills.  The city is built up the side of the biggest.  My house is in the valley.  The city of Savalou is gorgeous though.  It is basically a city built on a mountain in the jungle.  When I went to the top floor of a house I looked out and could not see anything
but green foliage dotted by little villages/buildings.  I am going to find out how to get to these villages and I think I am working in a few of the villages for my secondary project, which I will explain later.  The city is known for its voodoo.  They say that Savalou is
the "beating heart of voodoo" in Benin.  Everything in their life is directed by some voodoo power or something.  I love it, cause I will actually be able to understand the voodoo here.  As I was being driven around the city, you would see women just drop, start convulsing, then
jump up and start dancing.  Somehow random dudes show up out of nowhere and start playing drums and people surround them and watch. It was incredible to see.

       The people are extremely nice cause they have always had a good experience with white people who live in Savalou.  I am taking over a project that was started 5 years ago by another Peace Corps volunteer.  I am the third in the line that will be working on this project.

They love my predecessor so I am hoping to step right in and become their "son" and have them take care of me as they did the others (explained later).  My house is a small house but nice and plenty big for me and my dog (yes! I am buying a dog!).  It is in a concession
with 3 or 4 other houses.  A concession is a walled in area with many houses within a secured gate.  But the gate protecting my house is broken now and fallen over so it might as well be a row-house.  I havean outdoor shower in my backyard next to my shack of a kitchen.  I
have a latrine about 20 feet from my front door that will only be used during the day, otherwise it is a bucket at night if its poo or out my back door.  If you saw the size of the cockroaches here, you would absolutely understand why you stay away from latrines at night.  But
the latrine is not too bad, cause it actually has a tiled toilet for me to sit on; I just have to get a toilet seat to sit on.  In the house, the first room you enter is a room about 20ft x 11ft.  From the front door you look straight back through a hallway and out the back door to my backyard. On either side of the hallway are two rooms.  Both rooms are 8ft x 11ft.  The room on the left will be my bedroom and the right will be an office.

WORK
       My work is awesome.  I am so excited about working their.  The owner of my company is the wealthiest person in Savalou.  She basically runs the city.  She has a couple chauffeurs with nice cars, a house in most major city in Benin that I have access and use of, and she has a
vacation house in Paris that she is at right now with her husband. She allowed my predecessors to use all of her things whenever they wanted because they became part of the family.  If you come to visit you will be able to see all of this, trust me, Savalou is alone worth
it to visit me!

       I will be mainly working in the cashew factory.  I am trying to post pictures.  But my other projects with the company is introducing American standards to the factory, i.e., not hiring children to work in it, cleanliness, waste management, higher production, increased efficiency, increased output, and professional packaging.  I am also aiming to add product diversification to this since they only do buttered/salted cashews right now.  The problem is that there is basically no domestic market for cashews because they are too expensive for the poor Beninese.  I need to convince the people that it is healthier, tastes better, and just better then the devil (peanuts).  Peanuts are everywhere here.  The thing that amazes me is that there are no peanut groves/trees in Savalou but the city is famous for a dish called yam pilee avec sauce d'arrachide (mashed yams with peanut sauce).  It is fricken good.  But what is amazing is the
fact that there is a cashew factory in Savalou and not a single person uses them to cook with.  This will change.  My first project is creating little cards with a recipe for cashew sauce.  It is the same process as peanut sauce but tastes sooooo much better.  I am also
coaching the saleswoman on American salesmanship.  It has sort of worked already, but she doesn't use it every time she does a sale which is annoying.  I have convinced Madame Sounlin that I am a specialist in marketing and sales so I will be meeting with people, hopefully selling cashews to internal markets.  Right now, she only sends a few to local markets and the rest to Nigeria, but the Nigerian is under cutting the prices so I have to fix that.  That meetign will
be interesting, which will be in a week or so.  I am hopefully opening the markets in Ghana and Senegal.  I have decided that they are the best markets for cashews because they are the wealthiest places in the area, excluding Nigeria.  Nigeria will be tricky for me because I am
not allowed to go there, so I have to convince the distributors to come here to meet with me.

       My secondary project will be working with an artisan/farmer group.  I will be going out into the bush teaching small formations on accounting for illiterates, marketing, business administration and other things like that.  You may be thinking, "How are you qualified
for this since you have never had a single business class in your life?"  Well, I thought the same exact thing until I met my first Beninese businessmen.  Their business capability is equal to that of a 2nd grader.  The little girl selling lemonade on her driveway on a hot day has more business acumen than the average Beninese person.  So it will be like pulling teeth.  But I will enjoy it.  This secondary project will be what you call "My TRUE Peace Corps Experience."  This will include me teaching outside using chalk on the side of some
random building while a group of farmers sitting on the ground looking at me as if I actually know what I am talking about in French/Mahi. (I am learning Mahi, which is the local language of Savlou.  It is called the "Lazy man's Fon" because it is Fon minus a few syllables or a few syllables have been combined, making the language all that more difficult for me to learn, mind you its also written in another alphabet.)

       Other than that I am still alive and kicking.  I hope everyone is doing well and stays healthy.  Keep me up to date on all the happenings back in the States please!  Don't worry about the length cause I have nothing but time here!