A Bit of Culture

One of the best places to learn about the culture of Benin is the History Museum in the town of Ouidah, about 1 hour west of Cotonou. Ouidah was the center of the West African slave trade and thus a visit to the museum is very sobering. It is located inside an old Portuguese fort where thousands of slaves were held prior to being sent to the Americas.  At the museum you hear about the crocodile filled moat around the fort which prevented slaves from escaping and you see the small courtyard that housed hundreds of slaves at a time before they were forced to march to the coast to board the ships. Along the way from the museum to the coast you can see the "tree of forgetting." Slaves were forced to walk around it 7 times as a symbol of leaving their old life behind; they were instructed to forget everything about their previous life. After a 4 km walk to the coast you can see "The Gate of No Return," a monument built to commemorate all the West Africans captured as slaves.  

Although today they have a president, historically Benin was ruled by kings, many of whom profited from the slave trade. The quilt below shows each king, the years of their reign and an animal or other symbol which represents them.

My favorite part of my visit was learning about the Beninese pictorial proverbs. The well-known symbols are sometimes used to send messages. Below you can see an example of 6 embroidered proverbs with the explanation that goes with it.  

We don't count the toes of a person with only 9.

Not all truth needs to be said aloud. 

The hand that gives is always on top.

It is better to give than receive. 

Before acting, weigh the pros and cons. 

There are never two captains in the same boat. 

The fire of a pipe may go out, but the eternal light is never extinguished.

The reed bends but does not break. 

A snake attacks a frog, but a passerby arrives and the frog is saved. 

In case of danger, God will bring you a Savior. God does not forget anyone. 

There are many more pictorial proverbs!

Entrance to the Ouidah History Museum with friends Floor and David

Inside of the Portuguese Fort

Cannons: this photo is for you, Dad!

Visiting the Fort with my friends, the Barki Family!
Behind us is the courtyard where as many as 500 people spent days or even
months waiting for the ships that would take them to the Americas.

The Gate of No Return

Fabric Shopping in Benin

Imagine endless rows of brightly colored fabrics in shop after shop. The sheer number of different designs is overwhelming.  At first, they all look the same, loud colors and funky designs, but after awhile I start to get my bearings. Sorting through the stacks, I begin to find the patterns that I like. Of course I gravitate to the purples, but also bright yellows, turquoises, and pinks catch my eye. I'm surprised to find designs that include batteries, tires, and even vacuum cleaners. 

The myriad of designs says "patchwork" to me as I envision the quilt I could make with such a fun assortment of fabric; however, the fabric is sold in 6 and 12 yard sections only. 

My friend Jamie and I tried to convince one of the shop owners that he should try selling smaller lengths, but such an idea seemed incomprehensible to him. Here, both men and women wear entire outfits made with just one type of fabric.  At weddings and other celebrations, all the guests might wear outfits made out of the same fabric, thus it would not be abnormal for someone to order 100 yards of the same fabric. 

The fabric market is a key part of life in Benin and it is a common outing for those of us on the ship. There are many local tailors who sew custom made outfits at very affordable prices.  The longer the ship has been in Benin the more brightly colored African outfits you see being worn by fellow crew members. 

So many to choose from!

So much fabric!

 

The shops proudly display their fabrics outside beckoning you to come in.

This is the dress I got made.

Happy New Year's & My Plans for 2017-18

Photo Composition: Brian Blackburn

Happy 2017!

The new year always gets me reflecting on life and what God has been teaching me. 2016 was a year of growing in confidence and joy in who I am and in the life that I have. My big news is that I have decided to extend my commitment with Mercy Ships. So I will stay for a 3^rd year and travel with the ship to Cameroon. 

Living on the ship is a good fit for me; I love the community and the work that we do. Teaching and being head of high school keeps me very busy, but I still find time to get off the ship and explore the interesting places where I live.  I am especially grateful to live overseas and experience a widening of my perspective as I live and work with people from 35+ other nations. By staying for a third year I can provide leadership in the Academy in the upcoming transition. Our current principal will finish his service at the end of this school year. So next year we will have several new teachers as well as a brand new principal. With so much transition I can provide some continuity as head of junior high/high school. 

Since I am extending my commitment, I need to raise money for living expenses for an additional year. I currently have my expenses covered through the end of this school year, so any money that is donated now will be put toward my third year.  I will need to raise about $10-12,000. If you are interested in being a part of the ministry of Mercy Ships through supporting me, you can give online here.

I continued to be amazed by the generosity of the body of Christ around the world and God's provision for me financially.  It's weird working full-time with no salary of any kind. But I have everything I need. When I first considered volunteering with Mercy Ships the thought of raising support almost kept me from applying.  But this journey has only been a positive experience. Thank you to all of you who have been a part of that. And thank you in advance for those of you whose gifts will enable me to continue this work a little bit longer.

This Month in Benin

As October comes to a close, here is a glimpse into life in Benin and what I have been up to.

There is a large outdoor produce market within walking distance of the ship. My favorite thing to buy is pineapple! 

This is a typical street view of Contonou - it is a bustling city with lots of cars, zemijans (motocycle taxis), and people everywhere. 

Benin - the place where nothing is too big to carry on your head. 

                                                                                          

I have gotten out of the city a few times to enjoy a little bit of nature. Unlike Madagascar, the beaches here are not generally considered safe, so it is harder to find places to spend time outside.  There is a portion of beach in a town called Grand Popo about 2 hours from the ship (almost to Togo) where we were able to visit. 

Beach at Grand Popo

Yay for trees!

             Some fishermen off in the distance             

There is also a restaurant with a dock on a lake where you can swim and kayak. That is my favorite place so far and I hope to go back sometime soon.

It's a 10 min boat ride to get there.

There were donkeys so of course I had to pet them!

Meanwhile, on the ship, we still have routine fire drills (every other week) which involve sitting on the dock (in whatever bit of shade you can find) while the fire fighting team practices their drills. Fortunately, these drills happen after school gets out, which means the fire drill becomes a nice afternoon reading break. 




On Friday afternoons, you can find the Academy staff celebrating Frappuccino Friday in the cafe on board. Behind us on the wall, you can see the portraits of our fistula patients from Madagascar.

My absentee ballot finally came in the mail and I was able to vote! One of my students gave me this awesome henna tattoo. 

Living on the ship means having to say good-bye. Some people come for as little as 2 weeks, while others are here for years. This month I said good-bye to my friend Penelope. She has been on the ship for 5 years! I can't imagine how hard it must be to leave this community after so long! From left to right, this is Heather from Canada, Penelope from South Africa, Jenelle from Seattle, and me.  I can always count on these gals to stay up late doing a puzzle or play a board game! 

This year on the ship has a very different feel. It is much harder to get off the ship because we are not allowed to walk through the port. Last year I could hop on my bike and be in town in less than 10 minutes. Going into town here means waiting for a bus to shuttle you the short distance to the port gate. The cost of living is also much higher here, which means most of us stay on the ship much more than last year.  The upside of this is increased community on the ship and time to develop other hobbies.

I have been taking time to pursue art, something I used to do back home, but didn't do much of last year on the ship.  I decided I wanted to teach myself hand lettering. After watching 3 YouTube tutorials, I went crazy practicing and I surprised myself with what I was able to accomplish. It reminds me that I'm not too old to learn something new and makes me wonder what else I might like to learn. 

 

Lines from my current favorite song, No Longer Slaves

And of course, school keeps me very busy as well.  In addition to teaching, we have been quite busy planning a 2 1/2 day retreat for our junior high/high school students. The retreat was on of the highlights of last school year and I can't wait for this year's retreat. It provides a wonderful opportunity to get away from the ship with our students, for team building, and drawing near to God. 

Teaching 5 different math classes challenges me constantly, but it has also been a gift. I can see the connections between courses and how the topics build on each other from year to year in a way that I didn't before. It is very satisfying to know I am preparing students to be successful in future math courses. 

My treasure-map-distance-formula-geometry-lesson still lives on even on a ship in Benin.  Ironically, dressing up as a pirate is even more fun when you live on a ship.

The crew is thinking hard during the Academy Open House this year. 

I love getting people engaged in math. Academy Open House 

And here is my favorite view from the ship.  This is from the pool deck at night when the cranes on the dock across from us are all lit up. This is where I go for introvert time. The weather is balmy and hot, but the cool ocean breeze makes it comfortable. It's the perfect way to end a day on the Africa Mercy. 

The Lake Village of Ganvie

In the midst of the hospital opening and the daily comings and goings of school and life on the ship, I was able to visit Ganvie, a stilt village on Lake Nokoue, a large lake north of Cotonou. "Village" is actually misleading, this city of over 30,000 people is constructed entirely on stilts in the lake, several kilometers from shore.   Here the only mode of transportation is by boat.  The men are primarily fishermen and the women take the fish to shore each day to sell.

According to our guide, a native of Ganvie, the village began 300 years ago in the 1700s.  At that time, the powerful and numerous Fon tribe sought to conquer other smaller tribes for the Portuguese in an agreement to keep their own people out of slavery. The Tofinu people, in a clever move to protect themselves, built homes in the middle of a lake, knowing that religious practices of the Fon forbade them from pursuing an enemy on water.

Market Day

Typical Ganvie Home

A pirogue with a sheet of plastic as a makeshift sail

It took about 30 minutes to get to the village by boat. And our boat had a motor!

 

A beautiful and peaceful way to see more of Benin