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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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for another drink. He had sent someone off for oranges to give us as a gift, so we had to wait some for those to arrive. Erika said “only a few” which meant about 20 instead of 50. The oranges in Benin don’t ripen to an orange like in the US. Most people just find a spot to suck the juices out.
On the car ride back to Aplahoué, Papa saw his sister riding along on a zemidjan, so we stopped to say hi. The zemi driver thought Erika and I were cute, so he asked us to marry him. She told him we already had husbands back in the States. He said he was going to marry me anyway. Erika teased him and said then he would be my second husband. Polygamy is common in Benin, but it’s always the husband who has more than one wife. The zemi thought being my second husband was pretty funny, but he still wanted to steal me from my first husband.
On our way through Lokossa, Erika stopped to get some veggies for a salad. Grandpa and I looked for some pretty fabric. Grandpa found some to make a bombah (traditional outfit) for him and for grandma. Erika and I found some material that she’ll use for a shirt and that I will have hemmed for a pagne. I am looking forward to the comfy skirt!
Since we were so full from lunch, we didn’t make any dinner. Erika and I stayed up and talked while Grandpa went to bed early. Erika showed me lots of the pictures that don’t make it to her blog.
Tuesday, September 12
The hairdresser came to the house to tress my hair today. It took four hours, and my head is pretty itchy from being stretched so tight. I think I like the way it looks, but it sure hurts my scalp. The next-door neighbor made lunch for us that day. Imelda’s mother made chicken, French fries, omelette, pate, and an onion/bell pepper sauce for the pate. That lunch was very yummy. She had made the pate with the juices from the chicken, so it was called pate rouge, and really very tasty. Erika had some pineapple for dessert. We gave them some of the gifts ...