Blame It On Me

“I’m a little disappointed that I don’t have more interesting stories to tell. I didn’t really have any adventures.” ~ Me

So on Friday, I departed from Manigri with the help of my director who helped me catch the “Comfort Line” bus, which is actually really nice as it only stops a couple times as opposed to every town like the one I took on the way up to Bassila. As I got on the bus I heard, “Carly!” I looked up and wouldn’t you know it, there was another familiar looking yovo on the bus. It was a fellow stagiare, Kate. I was really happy to see a familiar face, and to now have a travel buddy as I thought that I was going to have to try to make it back to Lokossa by myself. Anyway, I take a seat in the back and Kate later moves back there with me, and we get to chatting for the rest of the bus ride--sharing post visit stories and other juicy gossip. Originally, she was just going to Boicohn, which was my plan, too, but I my director insisted that it would easier to catch a taxi down in Cotonou, so this is what me and Kate decided to do.

So, when we got to Cotonou, the bus makes three stops, and Kate talked to the gentleman next to us who advised us to wait until the last stop and then take a zemi to the taxi gare. Ok. So we wait and get off the bus and are immediately mobbed by two zems. We say that we’re going to the taxi gare, argue our prices and hop on. First strange thing that happens is that we start to head back into town, which I’m pretty sure isn’t the way, but I think oh well, I’ve been to Cotonou once, he must know where he’s going. Second strange thing that happens is that we don’t end up going to the taxi gare. He takes us to some random taxi on the side of the road, most likely his friend that he’s trying to give business. Again, it seems weird, but I figure that it’s at least a taxi, so I hop off and pay my zem-driver at which point the taxi driver immediately takes my backpack and starts to close the back hatch. This is when Kate runs up behind me from where her zem-driver pulled up and starts saying, “no no no.” She noticed something that I didn’t in that the taxi didn’t have an orange license plate (something that ALL registered taxis must have), so this is the third strange thing that happens. The drivers of the taxi get a little mad, but know that Kate is right and as they are arguing, one guy gets “his papers” to show Kate. Somewhat satisfied with at least seeing papers, Kate and I actually get in the back of the taxi. We both figure that if we are together it can’t be that bad. Then as we are sitting there waiting to take off, which is taking way too long, I notice strange thing number four. My door doesn’t open from the inside. We, of course, call over one of the driver’s and ask him about the door. He rolls down the window to show that I could get out that way. That was the finally straw for Kate, and she says that she wants to go, so we ask them to open the door, to which they refuse. Big strange thing number five. Say Kate is yelling at him to open the door and the guy is just standing there refusing to let us out, so I tell Kate to just get out on her side. She does and then we ask them to open the back hatch to let us get our bags out, that we don’t feel good inside there taxi and that we need a real taxi. They, of course, do not like this and starting yelling and definitely refusing to let us get our bags out. Number six .I don’t know enough French to help Kate out, who is doing all of the arguing, so I yell a few words in English, and then decided screw it, if they won’t let us get our bags, I’ll get them. So I go back inside the taxi and start pulling all of our luggage up and over the backseat. I gather it all up and Kate and I just start making as much distance between us and the taxi as possible. They come running after us trying to cause commotion, but we just keep walking. I was definitely a little scared at points, but I figured that we were together and that we were surrounded by other people in the daytime, so we were probably just fine, but it was a little intense. Kate and I kept saying that at least we will know better next time we have to travel through Cotonou, which is going to be pretty often. The conclusion of the story is that some random guy helped us catch a real taxi to Lokossa, and we crammed ourselves into that for a good two hour trip. Those taxi rides are by far the most uncomfortable mode of transportation.

So that was my little adventure. And that was a week ago now. Crazy how time flies.

The last week has been a little different, as we have started “model school.” I am teaching 6eme, which are all the kids who have never had any English ever. We have a class of about 55. They are cute, but can get really obnoxious and rowdy sometimes. And to be honest I don’t blame them, and is really hard to sit on uncomfortable benches for three hours and listen to repetition after repetition of these unfamiliar words. Model school is a good break from the norm, but it is definitely a little more stressful with lesson planning and teaching. Yesterday, our group took a trip down to Ouidah. It was a really somber trip as it was the location for all the slave trade in Benin, so we saw the fort where they kept all the slaves, we saw the market square where they sold all the slaves, we saw the point of no return where they boarded all the slaves onto the ships. All interesting, but all very heavy. On top of that, we found out that four more people are ETing (early termination). It’s really sad whenever somebody leaves let alone four at once. Anyway, time for me to shower before I get breakfast maybe do a little bit of laundry, then hopefully go to the cyber to post this. Basketball today at four! I’m excited. Maybe even some volleyball, too.

LOVE FROM LOKOSSA