In 24 hours...

In 24 hours I'll be in a frantic state making sure I thought of everything... either that, or I'll just be hanging out with a few friends, drinking a glass of wine... or maybe I'll still be in bed. We'll see!!

Toronto:
Saturday Morning
Cloudy periods
Temp. -17°C
Feels Like -27°C

Cotonou:
Dimanche soir
Très nuageux.
Max: 30°C
Min: 24°C

Baby it's cold outside

The last week has just flown by. Today's Wednesday and I leave Saturday afternoon... all my time between now and then is packed with seeing people and buying last minute things...

Last week I got to do a few things. I visited a Kindergarten class in North Bay, just to get a feeling for being in a school... the teacher's globe said Dahomey instead of Benin, even though the name changed in 1975. The globe's older than I am. The kids were very sweet and very cute and very chatty - I'm eager to see how different the classroom situation is in Benin. I took the teacher's email address so that I can send the class pictures while I'm away. "Send pics of the animals," she said, "that's pretty much all they'll care to see."

I also had a few days of training with the organization I'll be working with. I feel a lot better about the trip - the org has great insurance and offers quite a few services. They're also just plain nice and I know they'll support me in my work, no matter what I need.

I was especially happy to have a nice long chat with Dr. Mark Wise (visit his website... tons of great information and he's really funny). I liked the way he asked me a lot of questions to challenge what I thought I knew about where I was going. "What do you know about malaria? What are the symptoms? What would you do if you were feeling really sick? What would you do if you were to get sexually assaulted? What would you do if you were feeling depressed?"

It was great because it's one thing to be afraid of disease or worry about being assaulted, it's another to have a plan to deal with it.

I got to talk to people in the organization who'd lived in that part of the world before about cultural differences, food, nightlife... but the one thing they did say is that they didn't want to tell me what kind of experience I should have - I'll figure it out on my own.

I had a little goodbye party and a friend was saying how "zen" I seemed. I think my brain is just shutting itself down so as not to get too excited or too nervous.

3 more sleeps til my plane takes off.

It's cold in Canada. Did you notice the BBC weather watcher for Cotonou, Benin in the right hand column of this blog? Toasty!

How many hours between Saturday and Sunday?

Summary:
Plane leaves Saturday, January 24 at 5pm from Pearson, and at 6am Paris time (midnight in Toronto) I land at Charles de Gaule (flying Air France). Then I wait around/sleep in the airport til 1:30pm and take another Air France plane to Cotonou to arrive at 8pm on Sunday, January 25th.

A 21 hour journey.

I'll be back in Toronto on Monday, June 15th at 1:15pm.


Details:
24 JAN 09 - SATURDAY
AIR AIR FRANCE
FLT:353 ECONOMY
MULTI MEALS
LV TORONTO ON
TIME: 16H55
(that's 4:55pm for the simple folk)
EQP: AIRBUS A340-300
DEPART: TERMINAL 3
07HR 25MIN

25 JAN 09 - SUNDAY
AR PARIS DE GAULLE
TIME: 06H20
NON-STOP
ARRIVE: AEROGARE 2 TERMINAL F
REF: 26MVHL
AIR AIR FRANCE
FLT:814 ECONOMY
MULTI MEALS

later that same day...

LV PARIS DE GAULLE
TIME: 13H35
EQP: AIRBUS A340-300
DEPART: AEROGARE 2 TERMINAL C
06HR 15MIN

AR COTONOU
19H50
NON-STOP
REF: 26MVHL

5 months later...

14 JUN 09 - SUNDAY
AIR AIR FRANCE
FLT:813
ECONOMY MEALS
LV COTONOU
TIME: 23H05
EQP: AIRBUS A340-300
06HR 05MIN

15 JUN 09 - MONDAY
AR PARIS DE GAULLE
TIME: 06H10
NON-STOP
ARRIVE: AEROGARE 2 TERMINAL C
AIR AIR FRANCE
FLT:358
ECONOMY MULTI MEALS

LV PARIS DE GAULLE
TIME: 10H50
EQP: BOEING 747 400
DEPART: AEROGARE 2 TERMINAL F
08HR 25MIN

AR TORONTO ON
TIME: 13H15
NON-STOP
ARRIVE: TERMINAL 3
REF: 26MVHL

I'M INVINCIBLE! (... and more Fun Facts!)

I must say, upon leaving the Travel Medicine Centre, I kind of felt invincible. Bring on the bugs, bring on the medical crisis... I CAN TAKE IT! (or don't - no, really, please don't.)

Vaccinations:

Yellow Fever, 27 November 2008, Dr. F. Philip Scappatura, valid 10 days after vaccination, 07 December 2008, valid for 10 years, 07 December 2018.

Meningococcal ACYW135

Vivaxim (HepA-Typhoid)

Tetanus-diphtheria (had it already, good for 10 years)

Hepatitis B (had it already)

Malaria... oh Malaria. The Malaria meds cost me over $900. I have to take a pill every day for 5 months, and for 2 weeks when I get back. I'm taking the most expensive kind, Malarone, because I'll be gone so long... and well, the cheaper kind... the kind you take once a week... side effects include suicidal ideation. yyyyya. No thanks.

To find out more about Africa's diseases, check out the World Health Organization's (WHO) website on Africa.

You can also check out the Country Profile specific to Benin. The data is all from 2000-2004 though. Actually, I much prefer the CIA's World Factbook.


Let's do some World Factbook comparing!! MORE FUN FACTS!

Canada vs. Benin

Canada - Area:
total: 9,984,670 sq km
land: 9,093,507 sq km
water: 891,163 sq km

Benin - Area:
total: 112,620 sq km (fits into Ontario 9.5 times)
land: 110,620 sq km
water: 2,000 sq km


Canada - Population: 33,212,696 (July 2008 est.)
Benin - Population: 8,532,547 (July 2008 est.)
est. stands for estimate, btw.


Canada - Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.3% (male 2,780,491/female 2,644,276)
15-64 years: 68.8% (male 11,547,354/female 11,300,639)
65 years and over: 14.9% (male 2,150,991/female 2,788,945) (2008 est.)

Benin - Age structure:
0-14 years: 45.5% (male 1,978,897/female 1,901,005)
15-64 years: 51.9% (male 2,195,667/female 2,236,458)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 91,213/female 129,307) (2008 est.)

HOLY MOLY HALF THE POPULATION IS UNDER THE AGE OF 15.


Canada - Median age:
total: 40.1 years
male: 39 years
female: 41.2 years (2008 est.)

Benin - Median age:
total: 17.1 years
male: 16.7 years
female: 17.6 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:
Canada: 1.57 children born/woman (2008 est.) vs 5.08 deaths/1,000 live births
Benin: 5.58 children born/woman (2008 est.) vs 66.2 deaths/1,000 live births

HIV/AIDS - adult (15-49) prevalence rate:
Canada: 0.3% (2003 est.)
Benin: 1.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Canada: 56,000 (2003 est.)
Benin: 68,000 (2003 est.)
(take into consideration that Benin has a quarter of Canada's population)

HIV/AIDS - deaths (in a calendar year):
Canada: 1,500 (2003 est.)
Benin: 5,800 (2003 est.)


Canada - Ethnic groups:
British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European 15%, Amerindian 2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed background 26%

Benin - Ethnic groups:
Fon and related 39.2%, Adja and related 15.2%, Yoruba and related 12.3%, Bariba and related 9.2%, Peulh and related 7%, Ottamari and related 6.1%, Yoa-Lokpa and related 4%, Dendi and related 2.5%, other 1.6% (includes Europeans), unspecified 2.9% (2002 census)


Canada - Religions:
Roman Catholic 42.6%, Protestant 23.3% (including United Church 9.5%, Anglican 6.8%, Baptist 2.4%, Lutheran 2%), other Christian 4.4%, Muslim 1.9%, other and unspecified 11.8%, none 16% (2001 census)

Benin - Religions:
Christian 42.8% (Catholic 27.1%, Celestial 5%, Methodist 3.2%, other Protestant 2.2%, other 5.3%), Muslim 24.4%, Vodoun 17.3%, other 15.5% (2002 census)


Canada - Languages:
English (official) 59.3%, French (official) 23.2%, other 17.5%

Benin - Languages:
French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)


Canada - Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.) GO TEAM CANADA!

Benin - Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 34.7%
male: 47.9%
female: 23.3% (2002 census) :sad face:


Canada - School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 17 years
male: 17 years
female: 17 years (2004)

Benin - School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 7 years
male: 9 years
female: 6 years (2001)


Education expenditures (or how much we spend on education):
Canada: 5.2% of GDP (2002)
Benin: 4.4% of GDP (2004)

but wait! let's compare GDPs:

Canada's GDP: $1.271 trillion (2007 est.)
Benin's GDP: $12 billion (2007 est.)

So, Canada spends about $66 092 000 000
And Benin spends about $528 000 000

Let's also compare by saying that the Ontario Government increased Grants for Student Needs (GSN) funding to school boards by more than $400 million in 2006-07 to $17.3 billion. (source)


Canada - Administrative divisions:
10 provinces and 3 territories*; Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories*, Nova Scotia, Nunavut*, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory*

Benin - Administrative divisions:
12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou


Telephones - main lines in use:
Canada: 21 million (2006)
Benin: 110,300 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
Canada: 18.749 million (2006)
Benin: 1.895 million (2007)

Telephone system:
Canada - general assessment: excellent service provided by modern technology.
Benin - general assessment: inadequate; fixed-line network characterized by aging, deteriorating equipment with fixed-line teledensity stuck at 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership is increasing.
-----------------

Alright, enough comparing. We all know Canada's awesome... and still - it's never enough.

Data... The first installment of FUN FACTS!

Reading Africa's Future, Africa's Challenge - Early Childhood Care and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Fun fact: (ok, not so fun)

About 96 of every 1,000 children born in SSA in 2005 did not reach their first birthday. Another 163 of every 1,000 children will not reach their fifth birthday. These figures are twice the world averages.

I did the math twice, and that basically means that 25% of kids born in Sub-Saharan Africa don't live to see their 5th birthday. 1 out of 4, if you will.

Good times, good times.
Sigh... and I'm only on page 14.

God sometimes you just don't come through...

I believe that every society is exactly the same. There are lazy people, extraordinary people, gossipy people, mean people, nice people, smart people, stupid people, violent people, passive people, proactive people, etc. in every society.

But there's something about tribal people, be it African, Aboriginal (Australian or Canadian), or South American that gives the impression that they just don't care to better themselves. They live, they die. They don't explore, they survive. They don't really evolve, they just improve, again, for survival's sake. I'm not saying this is actually how it is, just that that's the impression I have.

I had an interesting discussion with my brother over Christmas about the African "blahs". I won't go into how my brother feels about the situation, since I can't remember his point of view, only that I didn't agree. Are they really indifferent? Or is it just that the indifferent people have been in power, using the money they make through warfare to keep up with the Joneses in bling and not in societal structures...? I'm ill-equipped to theorize.

I read this great article on my friend Andrew's blog. Andrew's in Liberia, a few countries over (west) from Benin, working in orphanages. The article talks about how Christian organizations are bringing a sense of hope and self-respect and self-awareness to these people... for better? or for worse?

Oh big-G. Where would we be without you baby?

I thought this article was à propos... so many people, when I told them I was going to volunteer abroad, said, "You're not working with a Christian organization, are you?"

I'm not, but for the record, I'm totally bringing Jesus with me. He's got my back.


As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God
Missionaries, not aid money, are the solution to Africa's biggest problem - the crushing passivity of the people's mindset
by Matthew Parris

Read the whole article on The Times Online

Before Christmas I returned, after 45 years, to the country that as a boy I knew as Nyasaland. Today it's Malawi, and The Times Christmas Appeal includes a small British charity working there. Pump Aid helps rural communities to install a simple pump, letting people keep their village wells sealed and clean. I went to see this work.

It inspired me, renewing my flagging faith in development charities. But travelling in Malawi refreshed another belief, too: one I've been trying to banish all my life, but an observation I've been unable to avoid since my African childhood. It confounds my ideological beliefs, stubbornly refuses to fit my world view, and has embarrassed my growing belief that there is no God.

Now a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people's hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.

<...>

Those who want Africa to walk tall amid 21st-century global competition must not kid themselves that providing the material means or even the knowhow that accompanies what we call development will make the change. A whole belief system must first be supplanted.

And I'm afraid it has to be supplanted by another. Removing Christian evangelism from the African equation may leave the continent at the mercy of a malign fusion of Nike, the witch doctor, the mobile phone and the machete. END

While I agree that "a whole belief system must be supplanted," I'm not sure I agree it has to be supplanted by Christianity or religiosity as we know it. I know we are all connected as a human race and as a planetary organism... we call the energy within us and around us "God"... but what if we gave it a different name? What if this energy wasn't there to riddle us with guilt or pity towards those who haven't yet "found God" and instead worked to make us realize that we are all the same?

Bah - what do I know. If Africa enlightens, I'll report back.


Blog title is from Tori Amos' God: crazy video... oh Tori.

Home Sweet Home

Got an email from Bénin today, letting me know that they found an apartment for me in Cotonou.

Il y a un ventilo au plafond, il y a un climatiseur, un lit, des fauteuils, une salle de bain, une television, une petite table et deux chaises et une cuisine... La chambre coute 100000 le mois. Le propriétaire de la maison va placer une cuisinière et un réfrigérateur dans ta maison.

What more could I ask? A ceiling fan, an air conditionner, a bed, some sofas, a bathroom, a TV, a little table with 2 chairs, and a kitchen, all for the low-low price of 100,000 South African Francs ($250cdn) a month! Plus, the owner has agreed to buy me a little fridge and a stove before I get there. BEER FRIDGE!! ;)

I still have no idea where this place is within Cotonou, or what kind of building it is, but I'm pacing my questions so as not to overwhelm these poor souls.

They're paying first and last month's rent, so at the very worst, I'll be stuck with this place for 2 months. The peeps there seem really, really nice though, and I very much doubt they'd put me in an apartment that isn't kosher.

I'm in North Bay now until the 14th. I better get some work done! I slept in til 11am this morning!! It's so nice and quiet here. Taking full advantage of sleeping in peace and quiet, eating deliciously rich food and enjoying the cold before I leave.

I want to get started on my reading now, but before I run off, I wanted to share the last line of the email about my apartment (from a lady I'll be working with):

Nous sommes pressés de te voir très bientot et de vivre ensemble une expérience extraordinaire. A bientot. (We are eager to see you soon and to live together an extraordinary experience. See you soon.)

:humbled: