'Tis The Season

It’s October and that means start of the holiday season! Yes, my holiday season starts with the sacrilegious Halloween. American holidays are not just an excuse for volunteers to get together and buy out a bar’s cheap beer supply. They’re also an opportunity for us to recreate the traditions we keep at home here in Benin, blah blah, cultural exchange, blahblah. Sure, let’s go with that.

Last year was the first time in my entire life that I did not dress up for Halloween. I have the kind of mother who made sure that no matter how young, I was partaking in the excitement. And I was a damn cute fat baby in a coconut bra and hula skirt (I kid you not. Thanks mom.). So this year I’ll be joining other volunteers in Cotonou (the big city) with a TBA costume. I’ll post pictures.

I’m not sure about Thanksgiving plans yet. Last year we paid a Beninese fortune for a turkey that was mutilated by a machete and deep-fried—skin, innards, and all. The idea of “meat” here is a little more all encompassing. “Cuts” have not yet made it to Benin. I think this year we’ll opt for a vegetarian spread. We depend on things sent from home like gravy packets, canned cranberries, and stuffing mix. And thankfully we can make mashed potatoes and green bean casserole with ingredients here. (Though no Thanksgiving, or any holiday for that matter, is complete without my grandma’s party mix. There’s a whole in my heart where that salty goodness used to be.)

Hanukkah will probably not be celebrated since there are a mere 3 Jewish Peace Corps volunteers, and what is Hanukkah without dreidels anyway. Which brings me to Christmas. The Beninese are already preparing for Christmas. There’s a hit song out right now called “His name is Papa Noel” which goes a little something like this:

“He’s called Papa Christmas
He’s called Papa money
He’s called Papa foreigner
He’s called Papa of gifts”

Makes me really want to participate in my village’s Christmas celebration. Also makes me resent the fact that we made Santa a white guy. Last year I had an intimate Christmas with a couple volunteers and a few morally questionable nuns in a remote village. This year the volunteers will be going en masse to Grand Popo (no, I do not know what or whom Popo is), the beach town in Benin. We’re aptly dubbing the week Grand Hoho. While other countries in West Africa are blessed with a gorgeous coastline and sandy beaches, most of Benin’s coastline is rocky, marred by trash, or already occupied by shanties. We are planning on buying out one of the hotels there, which we think has 6 rooms so most of us will have to opt for tents on the beach. Can’t wait to share details and post pictures!

A huge thanks to everyone who donated to my latrine project and/or forwarded the email to family, friends, and coworkers. I’ll take some pictures and update you all on the status of the project soon.