Abomey

First of all, happy birthday Mom and Cara!!!! Sorry that I didn't get that in an earlier post. My days are a little off like this keyboard!

Second, I have a way to post pictures now, thanks to Brad, our engineering professor: I just need to find a good time to do it. The slow connection speed means I need a time when there are not a lot of people on the system. Keep checking back because when I do get some on, I will add pics to my other posts.
Yesterday was a trip right up my mom's alley- a museum and a long ride through the Benin countryside. We drove to a place called Abomey visit there museum. It is basically a preserved village and history of the Dahomey people of which Abomey was the capital or where the king lived. We were led through the vast complex that made up the village, including the reception area, throne room, the king's living quarters, his bedroom, and where his 41 wives were killed to join him in death, amongst other things. We were led around by a guide who spoke Fon, and our Songhai Guide Augustine who practiced his English by translating for us. The buildings and history were pretty fascinating as it told not only the story of Abomey, but also of the Dahomey-Benin region.

Abomey was one of the places where Africans were sold into slavery by the king- he could trade captured men and women from conquered tribes to the French for weapons- 15 men or 21 women for one cannon. Abomey was quite a bit north, so the king conquered tribes South of them to have a gateway to the coast and trade. The area that made up the kingdom of Dahomey was really quite big.

The most upsetting part of the tour for me was not the sacrificial rooms, or any of that, it was the building that represented the French conquering the people of Dahomey. When they beat the king, they built a house for the French commander in the heart of the village literally: they placed it in the king's private quarters to show who was really in charge. It was just such an overwhelming and offensive act to me because it showed quite visually that the king no longer had power, not even in his own household.

Our visit there also brought another opportunity for bartering. It was fun to haggle and feel more comfortable about it, even though it is still strange to barter over prices that are so much lower the what we pay in America. However, these vendors were ready to wheel and deal. I definitely ended up buying more then I had planned on, but I have some good presents to bring home for the fam now. Although, I'm still working on your picture Blythe- no cameras in the museum.

The trip to and from Abomey took us through some beautiful country and a different side of Benin- the agricultural parts. This is clearly a fertile country for growing all sorts of crops. On the way home we got to experience some rain and potholes that make me want to never complain about Spokane roads again! Literally the rain was carving little ditches that we had to get across; and at one point the road was more of a river. I can't even imagine what the rainy season must be like, but I was thankful for my shoes.

Which reminds me, I finally got my bag and my shoes from the airport! I had some happy feet yesterday! The airport experiences have been good learning opportunities for me in Benin. They have given me a chance to practice my French which is really rusty, and get comfortable trying to work out how to say things to non-English speaking people with a bit of French and a lot of working around what I'm trying to say by using French, body language and a bit of charades. I won't admit this to my TESL teacher Mary in person because it's too fun to tease her, but her forcing me to work out the language barrier by myself has sped up my learning the French a bit and has been pretty fun.

OK friends, this is all of the French keyboard I can handle today, which has been even harder, since I'm using an American keyboard but it still uses all the same French key placements... I hope you are all well, and I look forward to seeing you on-line. Oh, and if there is anything you want to know about, post a question in the comments section, and I'll answer what I can!
Pia