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Late Thursday night, I read the journal Greta had been keeping of her stay in Benin. I was delighted to find an objective writing-eye with personality… so I kept it and am publishing it for all to read. I am doing the same with Grandpa’s too, but not with my own. I am the author, I get to choose.

Reading their Journals, by Greta

Erika Kraus
2006-10-07 13:47:14

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they invited us along to the nearby museum. Since the four of us didn’t speak any French, and our very nice chauffeur and very nice tour guide didn’t speak any English, it made for a very confusing museum tour.
We had dinner that night with Jacy and her parents at a restaurant. It was a two-room building with one light per room. There
were three tables at about knee height and benches on either side at a regular height. It was like using a coffee table as a dinner table. The tables each sat about eight people. Since there are very rarely any public restrooms, or any private restrooms for that matter, hand washing supplies were at the table. A pitcher of water, some cups for drinking, and a bowl of soap. Erika trusts herself to only eat with one hand (no utensils) so she can pour water onto her own hand. Grandpa and I needed help washing both of our hands though, as did Jacy’s parents.
We ordered yam pile. Erika and Jacy love it very much and even crave it. They say it tastes best in the North. It is boiled yams, unlike any US yam, that are mashed to a pulp in a very large mortar. The mortar is so big that three or four girls work around it with pestles. They have such great rhythm that it sounds very quick, but the girls aren’t too over worked. It’s served with a sauce next to it, that is really very spicy (at least to me). The yam pilé has a
thick consistency with a plain, doughy color. It’s shaped into a ball and served in its own bowl. Erika had her sauce with a special wagasi cheese that is made in the north. Grandpa and I had guinea fowl. You take a few fingers full, a pinch, of the yam pile and dip it in the sauce with your clean hand. Grandpa liked the pilé, and ate quite a bit. The sauce really added a lot of flavor. I, however, found the consistency to be too doughy for my liking. I thought I ate quite a bit though.
Wednesday, September 6
We had breakfast there at the hotel. I took a swim in the cute pool there, and ...