EXPERIENCING MORE OF THE BENINESE LIFE

Rachelle took Abby and I shopping one day [yes, girls love to shop, even here in Benin!] and it was quite the experience. The market we went to was like one giant value village, except things were not organized and hung nicely. Also, instead of one big store it was many tiny shops – most shops were about the size of a closet. The word that comes to mind when I think of that market is ‘chaos.’ As you walk from place to place you have to push yourself through crowds of people, at the same time being careful not to get run over by motor-bikes. People will also be grabbing your arms and telling you to come and look at their shop. And yes, I probably got a little more attention than most people because I was the only white person there but I saw people grabbing Rachelle’s arms as well! Oh, and did I mention that if you want to try something on, you go to the back of the “shop” and stand behind a curtain to change. The only thing is that there is no room to move behind the current because you are pressed up against the wall. This was quite the exhausting adventure – but I’m glad I was able to experience it!

Another fun Beninese [well African really] thing I did was getting my hair braided! When I think of this experience the word that comes to mind is ‘pain.’ I have never been in such an extended state of pain – pain that included my entire body! It took 11.5 hours to braid my hair – and there was anywhere from 1-3 girls working on it at all times. Getting your hair braided is painful because they PUSH VERY HARD at the beginning of each new braid as they attach the extensions and then they PULL VERY HARD as they braid the strand. My scalp is still bruised in some places from the pushing and pulling. Abby was getting her hair done beside me so I watched how they were doing it – it freaked me out when I saw her scalp being pulled away from her head as the girls were braiding. I honestly thought at times that they were going to pull my hair right out! [I think they definitely pulled some of it out!] Okay, so that’s the pain my head was enduring.

The entire 11 hours I was sitting on a very hard, very wooden chair. At first it did not seem that bad but after 1.5 hours it feels like the most uncomfortable thing ever. My body is beginning to hurt just thinking about it! So this wooden chair made your bottom hurt like no other. Then your back and shoulders and neck start to hurt from sitting in the same position for so long, coupled with the lack of support from the very hard, very wooden chair. Your legs, feet and arms start to ache from the lack of activity and the lack of blood-flow. The pain encompassing your entire body changes from a sharp pain to a constant throbbing after about 3 hours. At about the 3 hour mark the numbness comes, except the numbness turns into an ache so deep in your bones all your mind registers is the discomfort and pain. One of the things that kept me going was thinking about our motor-taxi ride home because the seat of the motor-bike was going to feel like a cloud compared to the chair!

That night and the following day it was SO painful every time a braid moved on my head. The ladies at the shop did such a good job so the braids were very tight against my scalp – but this unfortunately causes more pain when they move. Add this to my already sore scalp from all the pushing and pulling, and well, you get one painfully sore head! I spent that night and the entire next day wondering why I had done this to myself! However, now that I am at the point where it no longer hurts and I can actually enjoy my hair – I love it and I am SO glad I got it done! What this experience has given me, besides beautiful African hair, is a greater appreciation for all African women!!

Jamie decided to get his hair braided too once he saw how AWESOME Abby and I looked!!! haha - just kidding!!

Here we are with the finished product! SO worth the pain :)
[Notice how we are all starting to look alike?? Haha! We call it 'the Jamie smile'!!]