Nobody Said it Was Easy

The end of teaching. The first of the summer camps. Goodbyes. Hellos. Periods of transition are always difficult.

But I've been caught off guard.

I participated in my first Camp GLOW last week (Girls Leading Our World), and I was honored to have met so many capable and driven young students from all across the region. To have so much energy and ambition concentrated in one place, it was truly a spectacle. We quite literally NEVER stopped singing, so you know that I was content. :) We talked of health, sexual harassment, AIDS, and support networks. Of Moringa trees and Planet Earth. Hectic, exhausting, and one of the most touching weeks of my life.

But for every successful monument built there's always a shadow cast. I truly do not yet understand the Beninese manner of collaboration, compromise, and adherence to rules. As far as I can tell, anything goes, and things that were certain one day will be cast into doubt the next. The end of the school year is a time for relief for those who successfully pass onto the next grade. For those who repeat a year, however, it's a trying time. If they don't pass after the second year, they will be unable to return for a 3rd year. What this means is their schooling is over. But some professors lack a backbone, and tribalism still weighs heavily on people's decision-making processes.

I know I was warned about this, but when a girl is told she will pass into the next form one day, and she comes to school the next day to find all the scaffolding has crumbled...

God bless this country, but life really just straight up isn't fair sometimes.

Sorry for being cryptic. I don't know how better to describe this situation without making accusations that shouldn't be made. I have a heavy heart today, and am trying to keep busy.

No need to be concerned, but life can be frustrating here. Thank God I'm keeping (really) busy over the next couple months, and then I'll get to see the majority of you during my trip home in August. In the mean time, happy summer! And happy 4th of July! And, of course, congratulations to my mother for FINALLY reaching the end of her teaching. There's always plenty of kids over here that could use a dedicated educator like you!

Don't Slow Down

It's been a week of highs, lows, small successes, tomfoolery, bitter disappointments, and - in the midst of it all - a moment of complete clarity. This is what the culmination of a year of cultural integration and English instruction feels like. Cultural Days are school-initiated parties (of sorts) that are meant to unify the student body and celebrate the end of the school year. While the activities differ from school to school, student participation is surprisingly high across the country. My most persistent trouble-makers channeled some of their listless energy into some pretty impressive cultural dance routines, skits, soccer matches, and songs. It seems hard to believe, but some of my most timid girls have really amazing senses of humor outside of the classroom.

I am going to miss all of them. My heart breaks when I think of the many hurdles faced by my brightest girls in this country. But there are those who are able to receive good grades, diligently complete homework assignments, cook meals, wash clothes, get water from the well (about a half-mile away) several times a day, and still manage to sport a smile that can lift me up from my gloomiest moods. This is the power of the Beninese mindset. Fortitude of mind, attitude, and the refusal to let the adverse reality of their lives get them down. Some of those girls... they may be the people most deserving of my respect, if not awe.

Apparently a year in Benin has changed my perspective a bit. I can't wait to participate in the girls empowerment camp in Parakou next week. More details on that later.

I promise to post pictures next week. For now, I need to get back to post to teach my last class at CEG Kemon.

Some of you who'd previously received many letters may have noticed that they've tapered off a bit. Sorry! But I'm rarely alone anymore, and it's only getting busier, so know that you are always on my mind.

Happy Summer to everyone. Two months from today, I'll be setting foot on American soil.