Yay for three-day weekends!! On Friday, Hannah spent the day with some friends in a fishing village 2 hours away. Shortly after getting out of the car and walking up the road to the lake, we were excitedly greeted by children that wanted to walk with us "Yovos" and hold our hands. The girl in the blue dress did not leave my side the entire time. The guides had to firmly tell the girls to stay behind when we got in the boat :)
At Lake Aheme all seven of us and three guides piled into a boat and sailed the lake for a couple of hours. We learned the fishing techniques of the local fishermen. One of our guides would empty the puddling water out of the boat with an old metal plate from time to time :)
After our lesson, we each got a chance at casting the net out!! It was quite the experience! Nobody caught anything, but
we had a blast!
Afterwards we hung out at the secluded and peaceful shoreline to eat our lunch. 
For equivalent to twenty cents each, one boy climbed up a coconut tree and cut open a coconut with a small machete for each of us. The fresh coconut milk was refreshing and delicious after being under the hot sun for a couple of hours. Needless to say we had a great time! I enjoyed getting off ship, visiting a new place/village, and experiencing more of the culture.
On Saturday, we celebrated Independence Day at the home of the U.S Ambassador here in Benin with 85 other crew members, U.S citizens of course, and Peace Corps volunteers/Embassy staff. There we ate family picnic/potluck style complete with red/white/blue decor and plastic utensils, baked beans, BBQ chicken, and potato salad. The Embassy staff had even planted and grown corn months ago so that they could serve corn-on-the-cob for the celebration! What a treat! :) Tim and I think the background music was picked by the local staff because Michael Jackson songs were among the selection played :) I have no pictures of the event as cameras were not allowed for the protection of the staff and the Embassy.
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2 comments:
Wow, the US Embassy and the Ambassador!!! What connections you must have : ) I wish I could be at a BBQ in an exotic location next 4th of July. Hey, I can dream, right! We have some more news. Nothing as far as the house, please keep praying. Can't wait to chat soon~
What great memories you are creating! I think it's fabulous that you are getting out and enjoying real village life, then to top it off with Americanism infused into the country. What a contrast. By the way, I can imagine that Yavo means white people or American? Could you explain a little? What is the origin if you know? In Australia, we are referred to as Yanks, but that's self-explanatory. Love reading your stories!
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