Happy Anniversary to me!

(Originally written on Friday, October 2, 2009)

I can't believe we're in the month of October. This means that I have travelled through bits and pieces of four calendar months in Benin… four calendar months, but today is my ten-week anniversary here. Ten weeks! I don't think that sounds like a very monumental anniversary, but that's okay; it is.

The month of October also means that you can reeeeally start getting excited about autumn- aka my favorite season. So please, enjoy it more for the both of us. I will see no autumn here and I didn't realize how much I love seasons. I mean, I did know this and thoroughly enjoyed them when I lived through them for the past however many years of life I've known about seasons. But truly, there now exists a much deeper appreciation in my soul for the changing seasons (along with a lot of other things… a LOT of other things). So really breathe in the crisp and chilled fall air, pause a moment longer to delight in the distinct aroma of the season, enjoy the light jacket weather, have fun watching the leaves turn colors then dance to the ground (following which you should make them crunch under your step), and go pick some pumpkins (oh, and apples… and some other gourds for a nice little collection)! Also, around Halloween-time, eat a sweet treat for me! Haha. No, that's all right, I'd rather you do all that other stuff if you're not one for sweets. Let me know if you want my recommendations though!

Today I spent the day (after an hour-long bike ride that commenced before 9am- mm-hmm, that's right, before 9am… on my bicycle… without a destination… just for pleasure… haha) with my “Post-Mate.” I'm super glad to have a Post-Mate who, as it turns out, is only about 5-10 minutes away by zem. The term could apply to folks who live an hour or more away from each other, but I am so glad that it's not the case for me. An hour away doesn't much feel like my Post, I'm sure. Anyhoo, we spent the day walking around town and went to the marché (and I bought apples and potatoes and bread and eggs and a pineapple! Woo!) and we went to the “supermarché” as well. And, mostly, “supermarchés” here are fairly small, what we (er, at least some of us) would refer to as a “grocery store.” Anyway, supermarchés are sometimes referred to by other Volunteers as “Yovo” stores because of the items that can be found there that aren't available in a traditional market. I dig the market, it's cool, it works… but I also enjoy the “luxuries” at the supermarket. Today I splurged on dish towels and raisins. When I went to one last week in Porto Novo, I bought a doormat with leaves on it because they reminded me of autumn and I figured that would be the closest I'd get. It's in my room now and I love it. Soon I'm going to get a broom with a handle attached. Watch out now! (Here, women sweep every day, but bent at the waist using stiff bristle-type “brooms.” It's pretty necessary to sweep a whole lot because it's so dusty here, but I'm not a fan of what this feels like on the lower back. I know, I'm a huge snob.)

So we had a good day and ate some avocado sandwiches for lunch, which are supposedly the best in our area! It was my first one at all since I've been in Benin, and I really enjoyed it- probably because I was pretty hungry. I hear it's a great time to try new things to eat ;o)

Well, I'll leave it at that and hope to post soon. Right now I'm sitting on three blog posts just ready to be read! I'll figure the whole Internet thing out, too.

Thanks to all and love to you from Benin!