Monday, November 2, 2009

Happy Halloween



Kristin as a zem and me as a maman!

So Saturday was my second and last Halloween in Benin! I woke up in the morning and headed to one of the orphanages in Dogbo to start 'Lifeskills' activities with the boys there. Since they are in school we can only do it on weekends and there is always so much stuff and travel going on on weekends that it has been hard to coordinate. But anyways, I thought it started out great, and then halfway through working with them I was sure that they were bored to tears. But then when we were figuring out when I would come again they were all really excited and asked that I come back in 2 weeks.

After work in the morning, the fete-ing began! No one in Benin knows or has heard of Halloween so for the second year in a row, most neighbors thought we were pretty insane. But we still had a lot of fun anyway. Dennis came to Dogbo early to cook chili and we had our quarterly VAC meeting for volunteers in the Mono Kouffo regions. Afterwards we all ate and hung out for the night with a lot of fun costumes. I was a marche maman with my tacky gold earrings and necklace and fake baby--he didn't make a peep the whooooole night...just the way I like 'em. He was named Dieu Donnait (God Gives, more or less) by Michelle.

The next morning everyone came over to my place where angelina, michelle and I had been whipping up yummy cinnamon rolls! Kristin and DEnnis swooped in to make yummy pancakes and we all gorged ourselves before calling it a day.

I don't think I've ever sweat so much on Halloween before in my life--even last year...though granted, this might have been cause i had a fever--but I just kept telling myself that I will be enjoying the fall foliage and a warm cup of tea next year on Halloween. Whoo hoo! Enjoy the pics!


Miranna, the gym rat...scandalous outfit for benin, which is funny, when I consider what the girls at Holy Cross usually wore, or didn't wear on Halloween...oh, america



Dennis as...I don't think we ever really figured out what he was...a billboard for "seeing the world? sure, why not.



80's gal Angelina and moi, the maman



Nathaniel as a mechanic fixing charlie the zem driver's bike

2 comments:

Maman et Papa said...

I wish you would change the rate - say one event in ten months. So the next one you may be at home and not so far where we cannot see or talk to you.
So - dear daughter - ENOUGH!!!!!

Mice, bugs etc - let the cat or your foot take care of them.

Love you!!!
Dad

Aunt Nancy said...

You look especially beautiful in these picture. I think I like your tacky gold earrings!
Aunt Nancy xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx