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The Summary:
Stuart finally has blue lips. He is the only one of the Kansas family that has been in the West African coastal waters for two hours or more. Three of the remaining four stayed for an hour or so. The fifth waded in until a man cleaned out his sinuses without forewarning. Ew; she went back to her book.

Bonne Fete

Erika Kraus
2007-01-23 13:22:42

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lunch with the priests, then dinner with As.P.E.L. and all of the NGO’s associates residing in the same village. Dinner in this village, at Toulassihoue, is a true taste of life as a celebrity, and true tasting in general: black-eyed peas, akassa and fish, la pate rouge and rabbit, and peanuts to snack on. There is a reason people wear pagnes; it can be re-adjusted after a meal.

Another day to visit Abomey, the ancient kingdom of Dahomey. Translator indeed. Serious souvenir shopping, then home again, home again. A minor visit to the hospital in Lokossa the next day for the rich man and his dis-ease; Dad found his gout medication.

And then to Ghana to re-discover English and hot water showers. To drink to Athiémé and working ATM machines; to the future of Benin and the quality of beer in West Africa. To drink to life and all the loved ones that fit inside.
The four visiting Kansans left, full of basketball, bombahs, la pate and sauce and belly laughs and fresh bread. FanMilk goes down easy, as does quality sodabe, and the knowledge that life is lived as well as one knows how to live it, in Benin just as in Kansas.

A Few More Details:
Thus the holidays with my family began:
5h45- A phone call to room 303 at the Blue Royal Hotel in Accra, Ghana, to inform me the driver had arrived.
“Sir, we agreed yesterday that we would leave at 8h.”
“ Ees Africa time, c’est comme ça.”
“But usually Africa time brings people two hours later than scheduled, not earlier…”
In a sleepy and astonished stupor, I woke up my sister, brother, mother and father to get ready to go to Benin. Two and a quarter hours early is Africa time? Crazy.
At 22h, after a grand total of 14 hours of travel, the Kraus’ arrived in Athiémé. The Nigerian car headed to Lagos hauled us fairly well to Comé, where we waited (and waited) for the Athiémé chauffeur to come pick us up. We had been delayed at the Ghana/Togo ...