Thus far I've been settling in quite nicely and relaxing. It was a three day weekend here on the ship which means a good majority of the people went out of town. I couldn't find anyone who actually knew what the holiday was that we were celebrating on Friday, but according to Wikipedia, we were celebrating Assumption Day, which honors the virgin Mary’s ascent to heaven. In addition to unpacking, trying to sleep and getting things settled, a bunch of us went to the beach, or rather the "beach club." Yes that's right, this beach club is complete with ocean, pool and tennis court. Brings me back to my Malibu days! (Other than the constant slight stench of African body odor and the smelly water) ..... =)
Picturesque!
Haley, me and Jamie soaking up some African sun
Work starts tomorrow so I’m off to bed. In the meantime, here are some fun facts I’ve acquired from various sources – the CIA World Factbook, WHO and Wikipedia (so I don't think I can validate the authenticity of this last resource), but interesting nonetheless!
Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in Western Africa with a population of almost 8,500,000. Its capital is Porto Novo, but the seat of government is Cotonou (where we are docked). Benin is slightly smaller than Pennsylvania and the coastline measures 75 miles. In the north and the northwest of Benin the Reserve du W du Niger and Pendjari National Park attract tourists eager to see elephants, lions, antelopes, hippos, and monkeys.
About a third of the population lives below the international poverty line of US $1.25 per day. Natural resources include small offshore oil deposits, unexploited deposits of high quality marble limestone, and timber. Agricultural products include corn, sorghum, cassava, tapioca, yams, beans, rice, cotton, palm oil, cocoa, peanuts, poultry, and livestock.
Although trade unions in Benin represent up to 75% of the formal workforce, the large informal economy has been noted by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITCU) to contain ongoing problems, including a lack of women's wage equality, the use of child labour and the continuing issue of forced labour.
The population is young, with a life expectancy of 59 years. The average number of children born is 5.49 children born/woman (2009 est.) 148 children out of 1000 will die before the age of five. 31% of the children who don't die by the age of five are stunted in their growth due to lack of proper food supply.
Local languages are used as the languages of instruction in elementary schools, with French only introduced after several years. Education (2007): 48% of men are literate, and 23% of women are as well. The school life expectancy (primary to tertiary): Male: 9 years, Female: 6 years.
Several religions are practiced in Benin. Animism is widespread (50%), and its practices vary from one ethnic group to the other. Muslims account for 20% of the population and Christians for 30%. Many nominal Muslims and Christians continue to practice animistic traditions. Voodoo originated in Benin and was introduced to Brazil and the Caribbean Islands by African slaves taken from this particular area of the Slave Coast.
Several religions are practiced in Benin. Animism is widespread (50%), and its practices vary from one ethnic group to the other. Muslims account for 20% of the population and Christians for 30%. Many nominal Muslims and Christians continue to practice animistic traditions. Voodoo originated in Benin and was introduced to Brazil and the Caribbean Islands by African slaves taken from this particular area of the Slave Coast.
Benin's politics take place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, where the President of Benin is both head of state and head of government, within a multi-party system. The political system transitioned to democracy in 1991 after many previous years of political unrest.
Pretty interesting stuff!
interesting for sure. voodoo huh?
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