If I ever travel to Cote d’Ivoire, I’m sure I’ll be shocked to discover that it isn’t a living, breathing replica of Benin. Nine Hills to Nambonkaha is ...
The fact of the matter is, when my three friends and I decided to get scarification we knew very little about it except that another volunteer had been to this same healer and hadn’t suffered a debilitating infection. Good enough for me! Bring on the razorblades!
The cardinal rule of traveling in Benin is: never be in a hurry. Surrender to the journey and try to enjoy it as much as possible because fretting about how lon...
On my way to Takon from Cotonou last week a woman entered our taxi with two small children (1 and 3 years old perhaps) near Abomey-Calavi and headed toward a to...
A faint “ko ko ko” roused me from my slumber at 3:45 a.m. one October morning, not yet one month after I had arrived at my post. I turned over in bed, and d...
Lately I have been dreaming of rain. In these dry months, that nevertheless somehow manage to feel humid, my eyes blur as I stare into the interminable haze and...
Rachel Leeds has been living in Benin for just over one and a half years. She has a cat she sometimes calls Luna, sometimes calls Bucket, and sometimes calls Crack Cat. Her general policy is: let yourself be carried by the kindness of strangers until you find yourself. Indulge curiosity. Spread knowledge and passion, in as much as you can. She is a Peace Corps health volunteer.
