Mon Voyage En Afrique: Decisions Are Made & Lives Are Changed

Dear Readers,

I have made a decision regarding the laptop that was kindly donated to my fundraiser and my decision is to give it to my professor rather than to the orphanage. I have contacted the generous individual who donated the computer to see if that was okay with them and they said that it was up to me and that I am here and can make the best judgement. The reasons for my decision are the following: 1. There are 50+ children at the orphanage who are all more or less the ages from 5 to 10 who would not and could not share one computer equally. I know that it would not be used to its full potential and that it could very well become the head boy or the directors personal computer or just be placed inside the orphanage collecting dust. 2. I know that my professor would use the computer to its full potential. He is a professor after all and it would help him with his lessons, his work in general and he can teach his students and his children how to use the computer. So for these two, very good, reasons I have given the professor the computer. One could not imagine the look on his face when I presented it to him. His jaw dropped and he was speechless. It was one of the many amazing moments I've had here in Benin. He kept saying "this is MY computer!? this is MY computer!?" He said he did not know how to thank me and that this was the most generous thing anyone has ever given him. I know that if I hadn't given him the computer it would be extremely difficult for him to ever obtain one because of the miserable salaries teachers are paid here. He told me that he cannot afford any luxuries and that his income equals his expenses every month. The fact that I was able to help him out and give him something that he could truly benefit from made me incredibly happy, and I wanted to share his and my happiness and gratitude with the person who donated the computer. Thank you so much. I gave the computer to the professor early this week because I wanted there to be time available so that I could help him with any inquiries. He barely knew anything on Saturday and now, Friday, he is a pro. He has tens of documents already typed up, he has downloaded course work for his students, he has uploaded pictures and videos from his camera, he has discovered that he can watch movies on it, and soon we will go to the cybercafe together so that I can help him set up his email and learn how to use the world wide web. Already I have seen that I have made the right decision and I am so happy that I waited on giving away the computer so that I could give it to the right person, and I think that I have.

After paying for all of the things I managed to bring over from Dubai, there was a leftover sum of about $200 that I have exchanged into Beninoise Franks and have given to the director of the orphanage so that he can buy necessities like wood for cooking, medicine, and food. That amount of money can go a long way here and I have built a relationship of trust with the director for I have seen how he treats the children, how he cares for them, and that he truly does love them and I feel assured that the money is in good hands. He was extremely grateful and immediately gathered all the children around to tell them that I worked on raising money in Dubai for the orphanage in Benin and that I have brought over 100,000 franks for them along with the other goods that I gave in the beginning. All the children ran up to me, bowed their heads slightly and yelled "Merci Tata Emma!" I don't think the children will ever fully know how much they mean to me.

I have been drawing the children and my goal is to draw every single one before I leave so that I can look back and remember their faces and reminisce on the time we spent together. A few have asked me to draw a picture for them to keep and I have done that too. One day I was talking to one boy, Rudolph, who in the beginning was very shy and did not talk. One day we were sitting alone and his silence broke and he started asking me so many questions about Dubai and my family and what is it like in America. I tried to paint him a picture as best as I could with my far from perfect French, but he seemed to understand all the same. The next day when I arrived and the children greeted me, Rudolph came and held my hand for a few seconds and then walked back with the rest of the children. It was an easily missable gesture that lasted for a matter of seconds, but it was with that gesture that I knew that we had formed a connection.

Yesterday the director of the orphanage's wife brought me a pajno, which is the traditional dress and shirt worn by the ladies in Benin. It was so kind of her, she later took me to get it tailored and at the tailors she asked me if I have visited the museum in Ouidah yet. I answered no and she said well I must take you. The museum was very interesting. It is small but manages to cover the vast history of Benin, and specifically Ouidah. Although the town is so small, the history is rich. The museum has displays and artifacts pertaining to the devastating history of the slave trade. The museum holds actual shackles that slaves had to wear around their necks, wrists, and ankles while they were transported sometimes for months by foot to the ships. The first slaves to arrive to the ships where the most unfortunate because they sometimes had to wait in the ships for months before they even started the two month journey to the Americas. So many slaves died of hunger, infections, and abuse before they even started the journey across the sea. They said that about 1/3 of slaves did not make it on the harsh journey. Men were tied down to floor boards one on top of the other where barely two inches above them lied another man. The museum had pictures of the slave boats and paintings of white and black rulers pointing down to the African slaves. I think the slave trade is by far one of the most horrific events to happen in world history. It is unfathomable to me how inhumane people can be towards others because of their greed for power and money.

The museum also had a lot of information on the traditional voodoo beliefs. I find the beliefs and customs very interesting. During the tour, the directors wife, a devout evangelist christian, kept making remarks about how the voodoo beliefs are nonsense and how there is one God and that they don't recognize Him so their beliefs are foolish and illegitimate. I find it quite sad to think about how before all the condescending European and American conquistadors and missionaries came and enforced their beliefs on the people here, Voodooism was the only religion. Now people whose ancestors were all at one point voodoo believers look down upon their own people the same way foreigners did when they came to Africa and changed century old beliefs to suit their liking by forcing their own beliefs on people whose beliefs differed from theirs. For me religion is a personal matter. If one is religious or not it is their business and their business alone. I find it wrong to look down on people because they have different beliefs and I find it wrong to ever say someone else's beliefs are wrong when we can never really know for sure whose beliefs are right. For people here religion offers hope and that is an essential thing for humanity in general. Especially those who are less fortunate or who have a tough lot in life. (I'm not talking about less fortunate people in an economic sense, but rather, people who have had a tragedy in their lives like losing a child or battling abuse, which are, coincidentally, both common in the 11th poorest country in the world.)

The rest of my week has been fine. I went to Cotonou with Brownie on Wednesday and did some shopping at Le Centre De L'Artisans. It has beautiful Beninoise artwork, clothing, etc. and of course I had to buy gifts and souvenirs of my trip, not that I'll ever need a physical object to remember what I have seen, experienced, and learned here. Everything is in my heart and in my mind, for what I have learned here has really resonated within me and shaped my entire persona. I've realized a sad truth and that is that most of the people that I know would benefit so much from a trip like this and yet the people who would benefit the most are the least likely to ever pursue something like this. This trip is definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life.

I will leave you with this quote that being here has taught me:

"Don't just look, observe. Don't just swallow, taste. Don't just sleep, dream. Don't just think, feel. Don't just exist, live."

A bientôt! ♥