You know you are in Benin when…

… instead of watching for cars on the main road, you watch for scooters, goats and chickens … cows are tied on top of taxis … you don’t need to set your alarm clock because the 5:15 a.m. call to prayer next door does a nice job … you frightened children because you are the first white person they have seen … you’re not sure what kind of meat you’re eating, but you are too afraid to ask … a malaria test is positive and the technician assumes you do not want to see a doctor … you go for days without Internet or phone service … you feel that it is a good day if you get more than one thing accomplished … x-rays cost $6 US (we have needed a few of these, but praise God, no serious breaks) … fast food is buying yam frits and bean cakes (made from a small lentil, soaked, whipped and fried) from a lady’s kettle off the side of the road … you can buy baguettes (long loaves of bread) on the side of the road, four for a dollar … you make homemade dog food because you cannot always find it in the market, and even if you do, it is $15 for a little imported bag … you see rain clouds building and quickly light your candles before the electricity goes out

Click for larger image

Click for larger image

Benin is a courageously developing country, with deep spiritual challenges. The southern part of Benin remains the home of voodoo and the northern part is predominately ‘Folk Islam.’ Benin ranks 134th out of the 169 countries listed on the Human Development Index scale. See:
http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/.

The average salary is $50 U.S. dollars a month. The economy is mainly based on agriculture. The Beninese are a peaceful hard-working people known for their hospitality and friendliness. Benin has a fairly politically stable democratic government. There are 42 different ethnic groups in this small country with about the same number of tribal dialects/languages. French is the national language.

Benin is located in West Africa on the Atlantic Ocean just West of Nigeria. The temperatures range from about 70 degrees (F) to about 110 degrees (F). The seasons are the rainy season and the dry season.