Events were spread over three days, starting with an art exhibition at the American Cultural Center. Of course, being a division of the State Department’s Public Diplomacy Section, the place was guarded as fortress and no cameras were allowed past the metal detectors (nothing, I mean nothing, says “welcome” to foreign nationals looking to learn about the United States like multiple layers of metal detectors and background checks, but I digress).
Day two’s event was an exhibition of service, showing off each of the sectors and the highlighting of a handful of key projects installed by volunteers. Here are the Small Enterprise Development and Rural Community Health boards:
Oh, and there was a standing dinner (probably the only party in the whole of the country that didn’t involve rented chairs). Want to see chaos? Host an open buffet for fresh-out-of-the-village Peace Corps volunteers.
Day three was the big one – swear in of the new volunteers. The highlight was the Steve Myers produced 10 minute video detailing the Peace Corps in Benin past and present. Hopefully I will be able to link the YouTube video soon.
Here's us instead listening to the speeches.
Here is the post-oath group photo with the Africa regional director Henry McCoy.
And there was a cake.
Odd moment though. At one point someone was giving a toast which included the phrase “to 40 great years and to 40 more,” a phrase which sent shivers down the spines of many volunteers. Evidently, we’re hoping for and expecting at least 40 more years of grinding poverty, inadequate health care and information, environmental degradation and technological ignorance that will necessitate the continued presence of the Peace Corps. Cheers?
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