I thought it might be fun to describe the cast of characters who make up the dramedy that is my life here. I've already told you all about my neighbors, and that was enjoyable reading, n'est-ce pas? Okay, allons-y!
Bio - (pronounced like Bee-yo): He is probably in his early 40s but has a very world weary visage and is thin as a rail. I'm not sure what his actual title is (something like a nurse's assistant), but he is the main vaccine guy at our health center. Day in and day out he uses a cooler as a chair and gives shots to hundreds of screaming newborns and their moms. He speaks every language in this area: French, Bariba, Dendi, Peuhl, and Mokole. Anytime any of us need a translator, we always ask, "Ou est Bio?" Given his vast knowledge of local language, I hired him as my Bariba tutor, and together we went to Parakou for a week-long Peace Corps training. Teaching turned out not to be Bio's strong point, and so I had the painful task of firing him. Telling him was heartbreaking, especially because I knew he was grateful for the extra income, which would have amounted to an extra 6,000 cfa (or about $12) a month.. Still, though, he never is without a smile for me! He's a gem and has my back. When we go out to the bush villages, he finds me a Bio-approved zem (motorcycle taxi) and negotiates the price for me. Super nice.
Jonas - Somewhat short in stature though not in character, Jonas is the head nurse/"majeur" at the health center. Given that our health center has been without a doctor since my arrival in Kandi, he does most of the non-ob/gyn consultations. His usual uniform is a t-shirt and dress pants. I saw him wear tissue for the first time only last week. He has a very distinctive grin-and-raised-eyebrow expression whenever he sees me, which resembles both the Cheshire Cat and the Grinch. Jonas both giggles a lot and values what I'm trying to do at the health center, which makes him one of my favorite people in Kandi. Yay for Jonas!
Souley (Soolay) - I help Souley on Tuesdays and Fridays with vaccination paperwork in one of the old hospital buildings. Souley is a big old guy who sort of waddles around in his flipflops and is generally amiable but sometimes has some strong words for the apprentice nurses' aides. When he gets disgusted he is fond of asking, "Vraiment?", which is uttered in the tone of "are you serious?" And side note: "are you serious?" doesn't translate very well here. I say it all the time, but it's totally ineffective. Anyway, Souley knows me as 'Helene,' not Erin, but I just go with it. He sometimes sports one of those Old Navy t-shirts with the American flag that they make each year for the 4th of July. Somehow a truckload of the 2001 version ended up in Kandi along, apparently, with the Chicago Blackhawks jersey I saw in the market the other day. And a t-shirt advertising a plumbing company in Palatine, which I would have stolen off the man's back had he not been on a moto.
Diallo - Diallo is an administrator at the zone sanitaire, which is across from the hospital and is the equivalent of the county health department. They keep epidemiological statistics and do public health outreach, etc., and also collaborate with UNICEF and other NGOs. I don't really understand what Diallo does there, but he's friends with my Peace Corps supervisor, which I think partially explains why he takes an interest in my work. I alternately love and hate Diallo, depending on if he shows up to our meetings and how aggressively he hits on me. When we do have meetings, he always helps me out; if he doesn't know the answer to a question, he knows the person who does, so I'm very grateful to have him in my corner. Despite he protests of my fake husband and my own multiple refusals, Diallo likes to ask me to go out dancing with him at the Maison Blanche, our town's one and only nightclub. Like Jonas, he is a fan of the dress pants and t-shirt look. My favorite is the Greek Life 1992 shirt from an undetermined US college; he looks much sharper when he sports a boomba. Everyone around town knows his lime green blob of a sports car and its Togolese license plates, which seem vaguely shady.
Eric - Eric is my newest acquaintance, which is really, really funny because he's the guy at the health center responsible for following the cases of malnourished kids. Why did I only meet Eric last month? That's an excellent question! Eric is from the South; Cotonou, I believe. He sports a gold and silver necklace that reads, "love." This makes me vaguely suspicious. In going with the theme of no one other than Diallo actually getting my name right, he calls me "Lockey." He seems incredibly knowledgeable with regards to his work, so here's hoping our collaboration goes smoothly.
Everyone else is pretty much a tertiary character, which includes my colleagues at the social services center, my host organization. For the first six months in Kandi, I spent every afternoon there, but I never actually did anything. It was a lot of...sitting. Happily, I've branched out and have been able to better address the nutritional/health/whatever needs of the community via other groups. I do like them all, though, so I'll give them a quick shout-out: Bonjour Innocent, Salima, Djima, Cecile, et Immaculee! Okay, I'll sign off now. I have a radio show to write!
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