Hi Ben,
I forgot to answer your question about tourists: Benin is not much of a tourist hot spot when I was there 7 years ago because they don't have a well developed tourist infrastructure. I think that is still true today. There are plenty of tourist sites to see however and there are a few toursits here and there but you won't see them very often. Most Westerners you will see are PCV's, friends and family visiting PCV's, people working for Intl. Development (aid) agencies, missionaries, and foreign government emmisaries ( embassy and consulate employees).

You will find Americans in great quantity at the American Recreation Center in Cotonou. This is actually an annex to the American Embassy. There they have a TV and video library, satellite TV, A/C , American Food, pool table, games, and a Swimming Pool! You pay a few dollars and you're in for the day. It will be your paradise and escape from Benin every time you go to Cotonou. I'm not sure I would have lasted two years in Benin without it!

Chris

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Replying to:

Hi Ben,
Be sure to look at the forum on my Fon is Fun website. The link is above. PC can't "make" you take antimalarial drugs. You're at post, and they're far away (sometimes very far away) in Cotonou so you can for the most part do what you want. If you don't take the drugs you will most likely get malaria. If you get it they will assume that you weren't taking the larium, and if you get it a few times they may send you back to the US. They let some people take Doxy if they have problems with Larium (Mefloquin) but the downside is you can't get too much sun exposure with Doxy and you have to take it every day. Mefloquine is only once a day.

More volunteers are posted in villages than cities. They ask you where you would like to be posted and they try to honor your request, but they can't always accomodate everyone. I think health volunteers are the ones most likely to be placed in small villages more so than volunteers in other programs.

Languages- You learn French first, then the local language depending where you are posted. I aswered a question about language recently in the forum and I have a page about local languages on this site. It is on the homepage and is "about Fon". Let me know if you have anymore questions and bonne chance!

Chris

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Replying to:

Hello:

Do you run into a lot of tourists in Benin?
Does the PC force you to take antimalarial drugs? Is it doccicycline (sp...) or larium or another drug? Is cerebral malaria common? Are health volunteers most likely placed in a rural village? What are the odds of being placed in a city (I dont want to be in a city)? Do you learn several languages? Thanks!!!

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