The Differences Between Universal and Universe

I’m feeling sick to my stomach as I write this. I think I ate too much pizza. For real though, I don’t know what it is, but I’m feeling a bit foul right now. Nothing a nap won’t fix, I tell myself desperately.

…

Dear reader, I regret to inform you that after I wrote that paragraph, I closed my computer and was rather sick for the whole evening. The next day, I was feeling equally under the weather, so I finally join you today on this fine Tuesday. A bit of oral rehydration salts and ibuprofen have done me well. I don’t get sick often, but when I do get sick, I go down hard.

This week is Congé de Détente (holiday of relaxation), a one-week break that separates the first semester of school from the second. I’m relieved to be on break, and I’m equally excited to come back to school for a fresh start and weeks focused on instruction rather than evaluation again. There’s also Congé de Pâques (Easter holiday), a two-week break coming up at the end of April. After that, there’s really only semester testing and then the school year rapidly comes to a close. I know once I go back to school, things will start moving very quickly towards the end of the school year. 

Day one of the new semester I’ll teach for my Teacher Performance Index (TPI) one-year evaluation. I’m not really worried, it’s just crazy to realize that I’ve been full-time teaching for nearly a year now. If you count student teaching (which I’m not sure I completely do considering how much I was a learner during that experience), it’s been over that.

Last week was a flurry of activity leading up to the break, all culminating on Culture Day on Thursday. Largely organized by my counterpart, who was one of two co-leads on the committee, the day was a spectacle of music, dance, and sports. It was really rewarding to watch students do what they love and to see other sides of them after the stress of the semester was finished.

After that, it was finally vacation! To celebrate, a few friends came down on Friday night to visit my home. I finally went into town to buy enough plates and bowls to secure my role as a hostess. It was an evening that extended late into the night as we thought of more jokes, more stories, more games.

The next day, we took a day trip to Grand Popo to see the beach, relax, and enjoy some great pizza. We decided to visit Villa Karro, a great Finnish-Beninese art collective. It was a joy to see cultural ideas that I’ve observed casually consolidated into a thoughtfully curated experience by people who live in and love it.

I was particularly struck by the main exhibit: Wêkê. Wêkêis a word in Fon that means “universe.” The exhibit goes on to explain that the masks in this collection and their diversity in appearance represent “the universal vision of tradition and spirituality… [and] the variety of ways in which each individual views these fundamental concepts.” While the exhibit was full of masks, that was the only thing that tied the exhibit together. Each mask triumphed in its individuality, in its own unique interpretation of culture, life, tradition, and spirituality. As the exhibit put it, “these masks remind us that tradition and spirituality are alive, constantly redefined and adapted to each individual’s inner world. Together, they form a plural universe where diversity, mystery, and the search for meaning coexist.” Although each mask is very different, they all exist in the same exhibit together, just as we, in our unique understandings and manifestations of tradition and spirituality, share the same stage (if all the world’s a stage…). In this sense, the search for meaning can be explored and defined meaningfully and individually, but must necessarily be far from stagnant for the collective. Each individual experience gives us our own colors, shapes, and understandings. I loved seeing that represented visually.

Another cultural detail I loved seeing represented was the importance of “même tissue” (même tish, same fabric). You’ve doubtless noticed that in some photos, I’m wearing the same fabric as my colleagues. This choice is not rooted in an aesthetic fashion decision: it represents connection, community, and commitment to one another in purpose and action. It’s a powerful visual reminder that on est ensemble (we are together)!

I’m feeling tired. I’m sitting with the after-effects of the normal school grind and living in a constant state of cultural exchange. It’s an interesting balance to define my own “mask” as I take in the diverse shapes of others. Sometimes I can’t understand at first. Sometimes I’m wildly inspired from the start. Either way, I move forward with respect and a willingness to learn, and the kindness of my community helps to fill in gaps that arise.

With love and unabashed hope,

Lena

The content of this blog post is mine alone and does not reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or the Benin Government.