Dad,

What are you, Andrea, and Matt doing for Christmas? Everyone seems pretty spread out. Is that the case? My mass email talks a bit about Christmas here.

So, I've been in Save for a week now (a month ago, I also spent a week here). I'm ready to start working, but I'm going to have to learn to be much more social. I just get so bored just sitting around and hanging out. I just don't have anything that interesting to say when that's all anyone does. It's not like we're talking about hobbies or work or anything much. Its just being. And I got the busy body genes from you. No one really has hobbies. And work is the same thing everyday. Change is definitely not on the forefront of everyone's minds. (I'm curious how the search for entrepreneurs is going to go. I think youd laugh at their definition of an entrepreneur. Throughout training, it was a small business owner. ie: hairdresser, mechanic, tailor, resale, etc. I have more to say about this later and am curious about your opinion.) So what do you talk about when you never really DO anything? I feel like an insanely dry person. But in the states, I had all week to build up interesting stories so I could hang out with friends on the weekends and we could all share and chat. Here, that's all we do. And I already tried sharing my observations on London's all-women's portrayal of Richard III, but no one was really interested. Kidding! Really, its that too! No art, minimal literature. Time will tell what in the world people sit around and talk about all day. I know with the women, it's each other.

Anyway, back to the entrepreneur thing. I touch on this in my mass email again but don't really get into it like I will with you. So read that one first and then this adds onto it. Beyond the socialistic mindset, there are the NGOs. Benin is crowded with NGOs and in my opinion; they're hindering Benin from economic development. Great in theory, questionable in practice. Here's the theory: These are organizations that get their funding from outside sources (ie: World Bank, relief organizations abroad, etc.) and have specific goals/projects in order to get the funding. So they exist to do a lot of the same things that Peace Corps Volunteers do: in the arenas of health, environment, business and education. They teach village women about how to keep their children healthy through correct nutrition and cleanliness. They encourage vaccinations. They talk about the importance of planting trees when you cut them down. They build wells. They give lectures on how to better manage a business. They offer savings and credit plans. They aid young girls in getting to school and give out scholarships. They start projects. They're doing things.

Here's the practice: And don't get me wrong, these organizations really are doing great things, but stick with me for the rest of my explanation. The same women who are teaching nutrition are eating pot and sauce everyday, sometimes three times a day (this is a corn flour and water concoction - not even corn - its maize, like chickenfeed - with a little bit of tomato, peppers and onions) with a little bit of protein and the occasional fruit for dessert. Maybe I could get a second opinion from a nutritionist (where's Heather for me here?), but this is not my definition of a healthy diet. What in the world are they teaching? I'm soon to figure this out. The cleanliness is important, and either three months is long enough to have lost my sense of cleanliness or they actually do a better job at this than my first impressions led me to believe. Encouraging vaccinations is wonderful. Yet, even in the larger cities, Polio is everywhere. Theres a prevention for this, people are voicing it and it's still everywhere. Ugghhhh! Environmental issues are a joke. I practically live in the big market of Save. Therefore, I live in a trash pile. Not exactly the glamorous right-in-the-marche housing I was spoiled with in France. There's no such thing as a city dump, people don't do compost piles, they use plastic bags for everything. What do I do with batteries? Then again, we're asking the same thing in the states. But think about it! You don't realize how much trash you go through until you have to seriously find something to do with each and every item. I'm so glad styrofoam isn't used much in this country or I would have already gone mad. Business: everyone is so micro-focused that this only encourages people to better do what they already know how to do. Where's the branching out? Ever heard of starting something new? No one thinks outside of the box. I think a quarter of the population of Azove is either a hairdresser or a tailor. How is teaching a hairdresser how to better manage her business or teaching her accounting going to do anything for the Beninese economy when they just don't need another hairdresser? Offering savings and credit plans are wonderful since most people are subject to such high ups and downs, this really does help (so I'm glad my host country counterpart is CLCAM, which is a savings and loan institution.) Here's the real stumper on the whole business sector (and of course I'm going off on this because this is the sector I'm working in): all the ambitious/more entrepreneurial minded people start ONGs instead of being involved in any real production. They have a guaranteed source of income and salary from the World Bank or at least someone who can afford to pay them. They start these warm-and-fuzzy, I-want-to-save-the-poor organizations so they can make money. And they do. I'm not saying in the least they don't want to help at the same time. Goodness, I'm a Peace Corps Volunteer. I'm doing exactly what they're doing. Live off the government and share information and know-how in return. So they are not making anything. They are not selling any product or service. They are not passing around the franc. They aren't increasing availability of healthier foods or increasing trade or helping with infrastructure needs. They're sucking in outside money and drowning Benin in a black hole. OK. Overexaggerated, I know.

See what Im saying? Im interested to see if you've experienced situations like this; have some stories to tell about your work in Nigeria or elsewhere and just your two cents on it.

So I've got a very belated Xmas present coming y'alls way. I'm working on organizing pictures so you can see more of what I've been doing. It's narrated, as if I was there explaining pics to you. But I can't get the cd burner to work for some reason, so I'll have to see when I can get to someone else's. Patience, patience, patience! Everything takes forever here.

So, talking for Christmas!! I'll be in Azove, so you can call me on Christmas day at 011.229.03.69.39 4:00pm my time which is 9:00am your time. I hope this time works alright. Im looking forward to it!

As for regular (bi-monthly?) calling; the phones in save don't work well at all. We can try to set up times to talk (I hear that during the week and during the day works the best), see where luck takes us and move from there.

I hope things are smoothing out from the shake up of Michelle and Todd. I get reshaken up every email I read about it. It doesn't seem real. How are you doing?

Hope to talk to you soon. Wish I was there to share the holidays with you. Love you, Sara