First update from Cotonou

The plane that would take me to Belgium

Bonjour from Cotonou! What an amazing adventure this has been already. I can’t wait to update you all on some of my highlights. But first, I wanted to let you know that I will be sending out email notifications when I update my blog. If you would like to receive those notifications, feel free to shoot me a short email at kapitchford@gmail.com to be added to my email list. If you got an email regarding this post, then you are on my list (The emails themselves will not contain the update, it will just be a reminder to check my blog)

It has barely been a week since I left the US, and already, I have been bowled over countless times by God’s goodness, faithfulness, and providence. I see him giving me my daily bread’s worth of comfort during a time of relative emotional chaos, and I’m so thankful for the people with whom he has brought me into contact. Here are some details of my experience so far. Feast your eyes, curious cats!

Bon appetit!

My journey to Cotonou involved 3 flights: from Minneapolis to Newark, then to Brussels, and finally to Cotonou. I had a longer layover in Brussels, and used the time to find myself a truly Belgian breakfast.

Admittedly, it was not fresh, but I wouldn’t forgive myself if I passed through Belgium without getting a waffle, no matter how stiff and processed it may be. Another silly tidbit: While I was waiting at the Brussels airport, a voice speaking in accented English gave an announcement over the loud speaker that ended with, “…Please find yourself at Gate 5 immediately.” I laughed to myself at the thought of a crowd of travelers gathering at the same gate to have simultaneous existential crises.

On my flight to Cotonou, I was totally captivated as we passed over the Sahara Desert. I only opened my window for short periods of time to look out, because my window in the plane was facing west—the sunlight coming in made my seat quite warm, and I thought the light would probably disturb my sleeping neighbors. At one point, the person in the seat in front of me noticed me staring at the desert, and we talked about how cool it looked. I told him I had never seen a desert like that in my life, and he was astonished. We started to talk, and he told me that he lived in Belgium, but he was from Cotonou, and he was going to visit his family for 3 weeks. He was happy to talk to me about all the things he loves about Cotonou, which was fun to hear. He was really excited that I was going to be there for a while, and wished me a good stay.

When I passed through customs in Cotonou, I was relieved that nobody asked to search my bags. I went outside and found two of my co-workers, Carole and Olivier, waiting outside with a sign that read “Wycliffe Benin”. Olivier drove us to the house where I am staying for the first month or so. Carole introduced me to my family, and helped me to bring my things to my room, a very comfortable space where there was a bed already made, a desk, and a bathroom. Here’s a picture!

The shade is my friend :)

Isn’t it lovely J Saturday morning, the roosters in the backyard set a new record by crowing somewhere between 3-4am, but you get used to that after a few nights here. I sleep pretty comfortably by now. On the right is a picture of what I see from the door to my room.

I have been in Cotonou for almost a week, and it has been going well. Right now I’m living with a host family. The father, Nestor, is the president of Wycliffe Benin. The mother, Martine, stays at home and takes care of the house and their four daughters (and now me, it seems). The daughters’ names are Sejes (sounds kind of like “say yes”, but you pronounce the “J” lightly. She is 16 years old), Lowi (18), Milda (20), and Justine (30). Martine has been spoiling me with wonderful Beninese food this whole time, but try not to be too jealous. J Despite all of my efforts to research the culture in Cotonou before my arrival, I’m prettymuch as helpless as a toddler. Thankfully, my host family is so welcoming, and they make sure that I am comfortable speaking up when I need something or have a question, which doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it helps so much that they are so reassuring and understanding. For example, on my second night here, I returned to my room to find a spider the size of a small mouse on my bathroom wall. I’m not trying to be dramatic here, I’m trying to accurately describe the size of the spider. I know my parents will chuckle inwardly when they read that, because they know how much I dislike spiders. I came back to the living room, short of breath, and asked my host family what I should do. Two of the sisters were happy to come and take a look. When we came to my room, the little guy had re-hidden itself behind the bathroom mirror. My brave sisters, without even donning so much as a hazmat suit, went in to take care of it. All is well now J

I like spending time with my host family. I like to sit and talk and listen to my host sisters in the back yard while they do the dishes, and they’ve let me help out a few times. At night, it is pleasant to sit inside and watch TV with them. Most things I’ve seen on TV here are in French, so I can follow along if I pay attention. My host family speaks French and Fon to each other. Fon is a language not at all similar to French, but I’ve been picking up a few useful phrases from my host sisters and co-workers.

Since I’ve been in Cotonou (which is admittedly not a long time, so if you’re trying to use this blog post as a research source, you should stop reading immediately), it seems that marriage is a topic that is brought up frequently in everyday conversation. People are curious about marriage customs in the US, and it is interesting to learn about the significance that it holds in Beninese culture and compare the similarities. On Saturday afternoon, I had the opportunity to go to a wedding with the family of Daniel, the director of Wycliffe Benin. What fun!  Perhaps I will have more time to describe that experience in a later post. Afterwards, there was a banquet on the top floor of a tall building in town. We ate some delicious food on a balcony that overlooked the rest of the city as well as the ocean. It was an amazing view!

Obviously, adjusting to this new place will be a process. Here’s how I’ve come to describe it: there are two kinds of “fun” involved in change. There is the adventurous kind of fun that comes with being in an entirely new place and a new living situation, like taking a camping trip to remove yourself from your everyday surroundings. Then there is the fun of becoming familiar with a place and being independent, like when a person finally feels at home on their college campus, knows where to go to get the things they need, knows where they can have fun with friends, and feels like they can finally let their guard down. I am without a doubt still experiencing the first kind of fun, taking in all of the new sights, sounds, smells, bug species, and ways of doing things. The idea of ever feeling familiar and at ease in this city feels like a figment of my imagination at best, and I know that it will take a while for me to feel more at home. But it helps to give my worries to God in prayer and let him remind me that I am here for a reason. I am very thankful for my co-workers who are diligent about asking how I am doing, and reassure me that I can be honest with them. I have been to the Wycliffe office twice this week, and it is already a place I feel good coming back to. I feel thankful to finally have a grip on how internet access works here, for a welcoming family, for ceiling fans, for cold water, and for God's sovereignty over this whole crazy adventure. Allelujah!

I would appreciate your continued prayers for courage and energy as I continue to meet many, many new people, and as I learn what it means to be a humble asset to those around me. Please pray especially for time spent with my family and co-workers, that God would strengthen and deepen those relationships. Pray also for Wycliffe as they are in a month dedicated to literacy and translation, and are doing a lot to raise awareness among the churches in Cotonou on the work that they are doing. Pray that the various project that they carry out would come to fruition in accordance with God's will and timing :)