Approaching 6 years in Benin, I decided to leave. I spent the last few hours before my flight day drinking la Beninoise at a Rasta bar with Willy.
The slogan for la Beninoise is “Plus qu’une bière, notre bière” (more than a beer, our beer). Slightly modified, it captures how I was feeling during my first sip. “More than a country, my country”.
But that feeling is at best mawkish and at worst presumptuous. Integration is the raison d’être of a Peace Corps volunteer, but there is a limit to what is permitted or appropriate. That limit is found somewhere in the answer to the question: How is my cultural fluidity – feeling at home in Benin – anything more than a function of my privilege as a white American?
On my last sip, I was ready to leave, maybe not my country, but a country with many incredible people and one incredible beer.
Amarachi
May 23, 2017It was great to meet you in Benin, Mark. I’m a little sad you’re leaving but I wish you all the best in your new location and future endeavor.
Seun Bamgboye
May 26, 2017OMG???? I read how you hosted Amaka on travelwithapen and was coming to find you to host me too as I am planning a road trip to Ghana, through Benin and Togo… I read how nice you were to her and honestly couldn’t picture myself with another host… Awwww??? I’m so hurt I won’t even lie. But not to be selfish and be just about myself, I really wish you the best in your next destination and future travels. I really wish we could have met tho but probably another time, in another country.
Sannylet
December 14, 2018Nice posts! 🙂
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Sanny