Monday, December 1, 2008

update on week 2

Hello all, here is another update for the first of December. Things have mostly been status quo, markets, food, participants, children’s chants and so on. I went to Cotonou this weekend and saw the town, the university, a bunch of Prosper’s friends and my first Voodun Priest, walking around and demanding money. I see such contrasts in Cotonou. On one side I was woken up by prayer calls in the morning and met a bunch of students playing cards under the sun and talking politics. At the same time we went to a few bar’s that could have convinced me I was back in Vancouver, minus the clientele. I also got my hair cut. After showing the barber which cut I would like off of a cart he proceeded to give the exact haircut as he gave everyone else. For 500 francs; however, I can’t really complain, and people here seem to like it even though I find it a little ridiculous.
Also worth noting was the trip on Friday. We went to the town hall of Kpomasse to determine which would be the last village to be part of my work project with the IAMD. Pretty much everything happened in Fon and thankfully Wilfried was there as my personal translator. The road down was the traditional Slave highway. It was along this path that many of the slaves heading to the Americas were taken. There was also a lady outside selling really nice fabric that I somewhat regret not buying. We wound up driving through Ouidah going both ways and thus could’ve debarked and gone to cotonou from there but on request of Edvige, the IAMP’s secretary, we left our bags in Allada. The interstate to Cotonou was ridiculous as always with 11 of us in a van heading down and deeking through motos, overcharged 16 wheelers, other cars, and the occasional cyclist or pedestrian. We got there in record time.
Other things to note… Oh right motorcyclist on his cellphone driving one handed through traffic.
I know this is not a whole lot but I will update again soon.

1 comment:

Hugh said...

we need photos of all of this - and surely of your new hair ut!!