I'm up north in Parakou for a girl's empowerment camp, called Camp GLOW, this week. Thirteen volunteers brought between 2 and 4 girls to the city for a week of sessions and outings. Most of the girls are between 10 and 13 years old. Many have never left their little villages and have no idea what life is like after 3e (similar to 8th grade in the US). At GLOW, they go to the university, a radio and television station, listen to talks, watch films, eat really well, and meet other girls from all over the country.
We came up on Sunday, got the girls settled in and did some ice-breaking activities. The next day there were several sessions including some really interesting talks from some independent professional women.
On Tuesday we took a short trip to an agricultural center about 15k outside of Parakou. A couple other volunteers and I made the trip by bicycle just to get some exercise. I noticed I was getting a bit of a headache, I thought it was just from the sun (although the sky had been threatening rain all morning). I paid no mind and made the ride home.
Back at the workstation I started to feel a bit ill and really tired. Within an hour I had massive headache, I thought it was a migraine. So I laid down and watched some TV on my laptop. An hour later I had the chills, and my head seemed to be splitting open. I checked my temperature a round 9pm and it was at 102.4. I knew I had malaria, the palu. Through the night things kept getting worse but I slept as well as I could waiting for the sun to come.
In the morning I woke up feeling a bit better. This is normal for malaria, as it usually bursts the blood cells at night and the symptoms intensify. I spent the day resting and made a call to the doctors. They told me to wait to see if thing got worse in the evening. If so, I was to do a blood test and call the doctor back. They would send a local doctor to the house to run the test and give me medicine.
I spent the day waiting but it never got too bad. My fever stayed marginal and I just felt a little weak. I made it through another night and today I feel pretty good. If I do well tonight I should be fine. I'm looking forward to beating this little bout with the Palu, and chalking it up to another trial of my time here in Benin and getting back to the camp.
The down time how I finally got to put this blog together.
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2 years in Benin, West Africa's Collines
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed here in no way reflect those of the U.S. Govenment nor Peace Corps.
The Author
- M. Banbury
- After a first career in part-time, M.Banbury is currently serving in Peace Corps Benin as a TEFL volunteer. These are the writings, rants, observations, critiques, and affairs of a sane man struggling to remain so in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Glossary
- APCD- a PCV's boss. They are the heads of the various PC divisions.
- Cyber- (see bear)- internet cafe.
- Glazoue (glaz way)- my own heaven, 12k from Ouedeme, I can use the email and eat a croissant.
- H.C.N.- Host Country National or local.
- Igname (yam)- tuber grown throughout West Africa, a dietary cornerstone.
- Igname Pile (yam peelaye)- pounded igname dish, think mashed potatoes, served with either sesame or peanut sauce.
- Marche- (marsh ay)- market, of the open air variety.
- Ouedeme (Way dai mai)- home sweethome, all the well water I can drink and no annoying electricity. Situated in the department of the Collines. Largely an agricultural village.
- Palu (paloo)- Malaria.
- Pate (pot)- comes in three flavors: white (medium gross), black (extra gross), and red (almost palatable). No, its not so bad, some is even really tasty with the right sauce. Red and white are corn-based and the black is made from igname.
- PCV- Peace Corps Volunteer
- Snot Sauce- a gumbo-based sauce often combined with a palmoil based sauce and served with pate (see entry).
- Villageois (villazhwah)- durrogatory term used to imply the inferior quality in a person, place, thing, or idea.
- Yovo- white person. Often sung, chanted, or screamed at white people usually combined with a demand for a gift.
- Zemidjan (Zem ee jon) or Zem- a moped/motorcycle taxi common to West Africa.
5 comments:
Hi Bouke,
I hope you are feeling better. Malaria/Paru is a scary word for me to hear when it comes to you. Did you have bloodwork done? If not it might be a good thing to do. At least you will know if you have it or not. This is my first blog. I really don't know what I'm doing. I hope you get this. I will call you Sunday am. Love mom xoxox
Hey, did you miss some of your pills? Or did you forego a net at night? You know Bill Gates's foundation supplies nets- spending one of every three dollars spent to fight malaria. The charitable giving of Americans is far, far beyond comprehension of other cultures. Think about it, and be proud of this fact. And don't mess with the mostique!
Ton Pere
I didn't miss a dose. Occasionally I take it a bit late if I sleep in and forget. Even if I don't miss or am not late the drugs aren't perfect. Under certain circumstances malaria can beat the drugs.
The sad thing about giving away bed nets is that they then carry no value and what little they do have is enough to get people to sell them. Also even when they keep the nets they don't use them. Changing behavior is the most difficult part of development work. People refuse to change behavior patterns. Its really heartbreaking.
Is changing behavior what the PC is all about? The human element- it is the same in any situation- the person who changes behavior is the person who adds value on a human level.
Imagine how hard it was for Christ or the Buhdist guy to change the behaviors they encountered.
But on a more approachable level, those who lead, change behavior. That is REAL change, Bobby.
Changing behavior is what development is all about. A society that can't manage staying healthy can't be productive and can't compete in the global market. A society in which men and women aren't offered somewhat equal opportunities, will also not reah their maximum production potential. So development is really more about building society than building schools.
The problem is that it can't be done by foreigners, change is a choice. Development should be centeredon making it easier to make the right choices and offering capacity building resources for those who choose to move forward.
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