Je m’appelle Yovo

We’ve been in Cotonou for two days day now, and there is certainly one new word we all have down now – “yovo,” or foreigner. Whether we are taking our busses to another location, or walking down the street normally, everyone, men, women, children call out to us Yovo! I think the youngest one we got was maybe just 2 years old… It is not always a negative thing either. I mean, that little boy was incredibly adorable. He just kept waving to us and yelling yovo over and over again.

We’ve been meeting a lot of current volunteers, all of whom so far seem to really love their posts, and really love what they do. Granted they probably wouldn’t have volunteered to meet us new trainees or (“stagaires”) here in Cotonou if they were miserable in the Peace Corps, but still their enthusiasm for what they do really does make me feel much more confident in my decision. They all say their location is the best, whether they are in the north or south, urban or rural, which makes me less nervous about where I get placed. It seems work out for most, which is all I need to know. All the volunteers and other trainees I have met have been really cool and nice, and I think this will be a great 2 years… easy to say when you’re being pampered and living in a sort of hotel. Ciao!