As my mom emails me to let me know she had been sick, but was feeling better and was making it back to school, it seemed the typical story in the states. People get sick. People get better. It makes sense that way. Well not always.

Within two days, I get news of two more unfortunate cases. A child and a young man both taken before their time. But this time, it wasn't the distance friend of a colleague who was in a car wreck or the funeral party I attended for the brother of my Papa who was well aged. No. The first, Prudence. He's the drinking buddy and best friend of a volunteer, Jim, just north of me. He also has a house in Save so I got to know him. Always so welcoming and willing to show us around, he even dealt with Jim's hopeless Irish French. Then, he got an infection on his leg. Two days later he was dead.

And the second is my closest girlfriend, Estelle. She's got a bubbly four and a half year old that would come over, play with my cute stuffed lion that would otherwise remain lonely, sitting on the shelve and braid its hair. She'd put it on her back, wrapping a pagne (2 meters of material) around him so he didn't fall, just like the big mamas do with their children. Although it was in Mena, she would just talk and talk to me, mimicking the market women, like I understood every word. Then she got sick. The next day, she was dead. We'll never even know what from.

So now as my doctor found pre-cancerous cells on my cervix and sent me to South Africa to get rid of them, I've returned happy and healthy, except for the overwhelming guilt and grief that accompany the news. Ever looked at the death rate, life expectancy or other statistics of a country? I don't even need to. I can feel it with each passing day. Realistically, I hear about twice a week about someone's friend or family member that has passed away. There's the reality of the frailty of human life. I've never thought much about death and it never really bothered me. I realize now that was because I always assumed it would come at the right time; after a full life. Statistically, I'm sure that assumption holds for most Americans. So as my pre-cancerous cells will never have the chance to progress with the cream of the crop medical care we have access to, Charlemagne's sister is dealing with a similar problem, much more developed and without a good doctor to turn to. It doesn't look good. Please keep her in your thoughts.

I guess that's why I'm here. I'm no doctor, but if people make more money through better managed businesses, they'll at least have the option to spend that on available health care. Rationalizations just to try and make sense of it all? Yes, I know, but anyone want to offer a better explanation or solution?

There are some wonderful things Americans and other first world nations are doing. For example, in November, the Mercy Ship is coming into Cotonou that docks for several days bringing doctors who will perform surgery to fix clef lips or remove tumors or other standard surgery's that normally, the people would never have access to. It's just not enough though.

On a lighter note, here's an update on life and travels. Since my trip to Ghana, I came back to Save and stayed busy teaching a former student to become a teacher for the accounting course. He then taught a group of eight the accounting course for small businesses as I supervised, and made sure to have a big party at the end where I made cake, we had drinks, radio interviews and photographers to capture the handing out of certificates. I was also giving computer classes at the local cyber cafe and working to perfect the marketing course I wrote.

Two of the new trainees came to Save to see what volunteer life was like, which was really fun getting to play hostess for a couple of days. Then we all headed together to Azove, back to where I worked the training for a couple of weeks. It was good timing. Since the trainees had been there for a month, they were settled into Beninese living and not so anxious as I'm sure they were that first week. So I got to visit all the host families, hang out a ton with Americans, answer a lot of questions, act at translator and teach several technical courses.

Then it was off to South Africa. I was really anxious getting on the plane as there was a big plane crash in Cotonou about eight months ago where most of the occupants died. But the take off was smooth and I then spent about an hour in The Congo, which is the most I'll probably ever see of that country. Now for SA! I arrive in the airport terminal. Air conditioning (and it was even cold outside!), restaurants, glimmering shops and tax-free perfume and liquor stores. I felt like I was arriving in the states! And I had plenty of time to soak it up and soak in the freezing weather (with my reef flip flops and t-shirt as I own no warm clothes) because Peace Corps has logistics problems and didn't pick me up for over four hours. Around midnight, I arrive at the adorable bed and breakfast where volunteers always stay when they are medically evacuated. I'm talking beautiful lamps, carpet, lace curtains, chocolate on my cushy pillow and enveloping comforter. Just wonderful. There were several volunteers from Cameroon there as there was a large car accident involving fourteen volunteers. One mormon girl, Christine, is still in a coma. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. The others had surgeries with screws and plates and all sorts of things, but with a year, the miraculous body will heal itself and they will survive.

Medically for me, as I said, they performed minor surgery to ‘scrape off’ the abnormal cells in hopes that they won't return and multiply. Technically, the doctors were amazing and I was very aware of their competency. I had hardly any recover time and feel great now. Again, we are all really lucky to have such preventative medicines and health care. I've always known I was blessed, it's just never been so thrown in my face.

The next day - who could have guessed the perfect timing - Gaylon Alfano flew into South Africa to begin his two-year service as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Congratulations! I'm so excited for you. So I was able to welcome the group of 32 SA volunteers and 34 Swaziland (country land-locked by SA) volunteers at the airport. Despite the emotional week, it was so great to see you, Gaylon. And thanks so much for bringing the camera. He'll be working in a very socially trying area (struggling out of apartheid) to counter the growing AIDS rate in South Africa (I want to say around 35% of the population have AIDS.)

It was a trying week, mainly due to lacking logistics on Peace Corps side: no ride from the airport, moved twice to different hotels cause they didn't book it for me leaving me 3k from other volunteers with no transport or phone, no warning that I was going to have surgery until the driver came to pick me up (so much for not eating after midnight!), and not five minutes before leaving to spend the weekend at the training site with Gaylon and the other trainees, they changed their minds and told me I couldn't go. (And later, on the Benin side, they didn't pick me up at the airport - again.) Needless to say, I was frustrated. And emotionally exhausted. So I left and spent an amazing three days seeing just a glimpse of South Africa.

Pretoria is the capital with Johannesburg—the gold capital of the world—being SA’s largest city and just an hour away. The airport is just in the middle of the two. I stayed in Pretoria. Towering trees, all paved roads, grocery stores, shining cars, malls, good food, the works. It’s beautiful, but I wanted to see the ‘real’ South Africa. So I headed dead east about four hours just before reaching Kruger Park (safaris, the big 5, etc.) I stayed the night at Nelspruit, met the part owner and she gave me a ride up to Sabie. I made it just in time to jump in on a canyoning trip that the backpacker's inn was hosting. A group of five women with our guide headed for Mac Mac Falls. Sabie is known for its seven glorious waterfalls. Just north are eye candy rock formations, erosion-caused photogenic potholes, and a breathtaking landscape called the Panorama Trail. With one weekend to spare, I started with the first waterfall.

Starting off at the lookout point, we saw below about 150 feet, steep cliffs on either side of the falls, a small waterhole catching the sprays and the resulting creek flowing through the canyon. We hiked around the top of the cliffs, looking directly across from us to the other side was, I kid you not, the grazing ground for the herd that killed Mufasa in the Lion King. Green grassy fields as far as you could see and just at the edge of the cliff, trees starting bursting from their roots (tons of ferns) and leading the way down into the gorge occupied by the creek. We hiked down through these trees until we reached an old gold mine. It was really creepy walking into the short, narrow, long, dark cave venturing into the earth's crust. So we didn't make it very far. The entrance was completely covered by ferns accompanied by a trinkling waterfall just begging for us to follow into the swimming hole below. So one by one, we took our first chilling jump off the cliff as our guide directed us into the deep section as to avoid sharp boulders hidden underwater. The water was freezing, but a bit refreshing and I couldn't help but think of swimming laps with Amy and Cole at Barton Springs. Making our way out of the swimming hole began our hike in the creek hopping on multicolored rocks covered in mold and algae. Either side of the fifteen-foot path steeply led up the cliff through the trees and back to the grazing ground. Thirty minutes or so and the small rocks turned into overpowering boulders. This was more fun as we could jump from one to the next, avoiding the chilly water altogether until we came upon another cliff. Over a fallen tree trunk and a boulder wedged between each side of the cliff, we could see the earth split even deeper. We hiked into the trees and made our way down, grabbing onto tree trunks and roots as not to slip. Once we reached the bottom, I felt why this place is called Pixie Falls. They say it would be just the place a dwarf or fairies would live. I agree. Deep black stone walls began ten feet apart and 'V'ed into a point where a tiny waterfall ran onto our heads, relaxing our souls and then moved on seeping back into the stone earth. After a break to warm up in the sunshine, we trekked out again, heading back to our starting point. Only this time, it was from the gorge instead of our original bird's eye view. We came upon a clear opening scattered with skipping rocks drowned by the waterhole. And directly ahead stood Mac Mac Falls. As a group, we swam towards the right-hand side of the waterfall. Then swimming backwards as to face away from the falls while swimming away from the rock, we made it to a shelf just below the falls. The power of the water was tremendous. We were wearing helmets or else I bet it would have really hurt. We climbed up the rocks just enough to be completely immersed in its showers. I've never been underneath a waterfall before! It's just exhilarating. And finally we swam back and made our way back up the steep cliff by climbing up rocks and tree trunks until we reached the lookout point and headed home. This was all about four hours.

The rest of my weekend in Sabie was spent hiking around on my own, spending a lot of time in this adorable second hand book shop where I picked up South African books by Sarah Gertrude Millin, eating fresh vegetables (broccoli!), and meeting some great people. After some confusion and missing a ride back to Pretoria, I found myself stuck in Sabie with a plane to catch early the next morning. The employees at the backpacker's inn and a British girl, Jane, that I met were all amazing and really helped me out by landing a ride at 2am to arrive just in time to say goodbye to the Cameroonians and head to the airport at 6am. Back to Benin it is!

So here I am now, back in Save after wondering around for almost a month and trying to get settled back in. But not too cozy cause the trainees already finish November 2 and then I'm taking two more weeks of vacation and heading for Mali!

Just a tip: If people are looking to travel and do something a bit farther left field than Europe, but not wanting the discomfort of some more difficult routes, I'd really suggest South Africa. I didn't see a ton, but I saw enough to realize that with the end of apartheid really taking effect and SA opening up more to the rest of the world, it's on the verge of a tourism bubble, if you will. There's amazing things to see (natural beauty, outdoor activities, all the big safari animals, Cape Town, etc.) and do. Then the prices are cheap by American standards. It's not the insanely expensive safaris of east Africa, but you still get the same package. And people speak English.

Anyway, I always, always love hearing from everyone. Thanks for all your support, your letters, emails and packages. I appreciate every thought. Please take care and keep in touch. Love y'all,

Sara Ellyn :)