VAC & Other Things

It doesn't always feel like it – but I am up to lots of different things over here in Benin.

This week I was in Cotonou – the land of the bonne choses – for my first VAC meeting. VAC stands for Volunteer Advisory Committee, which is a committee made up of one volunteer from each region (I am the representative for the Oueme-Plateau) and we meet every three months with the PC administration to discuss ideas and concerns on both the volunteer side and the admin side. This gives everyone a chance to hear the concerns from the “other side” which we are often, as volunteers out in the field, very disconnected from. After the meeting we were invited to eat a really great dinner at the PC Benin Directors house – I didn't know about this perk before hand but I'm not complaining.

It is really great to get to meet with and hear the concerns of the volunteers from other regions in the country. It always amazes me how different every region is – especially considering the small size of Benin. Every region has a different terrain, different languages, different access to foods, of course the volunteers in the north also have a much different relationship with admin... and so on and so forth. Everyone has their own Peace Corps experience.

Being situated so close to the major cities I often forget that not all volunteers have fruits and vegetables.. or even beans!!! available to them year round. There are some parts of the country where water is scarce. There are other places where it isn't completely abnormal for an elephant to wander into the village. Even though the south is “humid and crowded” a year into being here I am definitely glad to be living in the South. I am able to eat well and have made wonderful friends who I wouldn't have gotten to know if I had been living elsewhere.

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Also this week, In an attempt to prepare ourselves for the inevitable departure of some of our favorite volunteers who will be leaving over the next month... we threw a Oueme-Plateau get together during the day on Saturday. Normally we just make “taco beans” because that is quick and easy. We were feeling adventurous however – so we had a lentil burger party and someone even made pasta salad!!

Lentil Burger's
(partially adapted from a recipe I found somewhere on the Internet)

1 cup uncooked red lentils
1 cup uncooked rice
1 cup carrots, grated
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 ½ cup uncooked oatmeal
1 Tbsp lemon & herb old bay
1 tsp salt

1. Cook lentils and rice in 4 cups of water, simmering over low heat until well cooked and all water is absorbed. Let the mixture cool.
2. Add remaining ingredients (in order listed) and mix well (you will probably need your hands for this!).
3. Shape into patties (you will definitely need your hands for this).
4. Cook in a frying pan over med-heat (using a small amount of oil) until both sides are nicely browned.

Here in Benin we served ate the patties on baguettes with ketchup.. feel free to eat yours on a burger bun.

Wash down with sodabe.

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News of the week? Thanks to my wonderful friends (who I can't believe are leaving me) I finally have a dinning table and a couch with cushions!! Not to mention a stacked spice cabinet. Love You All we will miss you terribly! Don't forget that if you decide you don't like America you can always come back to us here <3

Z