Saturday, August 11, 2012
Post Peace Corps - First leg of West Africa trip
My village held an amazing going away ceremony for me. Probably two hundred people showed up. They bought me a beautiful outfit of the (expensive) traditional pagne to wear plus several other gifts. It was sad to leave; I broke a little during my speech, but overall it feels great to be done.
I'm traveling West Africa for the next five weeks. My boyfriend and I are traveling through Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Senegal, and Cape Verde.
We're currently in Cote d'Ivoire. Ghana was amazing; much more developed than Togo and people speak English, so that's nice. We still have a hard time communicating, though, because it's often more like pigeon English. We stayed in Accra before heading on to Cape Coast, which is beautiful. We tasted local beer and liquor and had some unforgettable seafood. After that, off to Akwida Beach where we stayed at a beach resort. It was cold the whole time, but we got to do some great hiking through a few nearby fishing villages and play soccer with some local kids. At the next stop, Axim, we stayed in an awesome beach resort with hot water and a breathtaking view. Still cold, so we hiked over the rocky shore and drank cocktails on the deck. Paradise.
Cote d'Ivoire. WAY more developed than Togo. Four lane highways (almost) pothole-free, skyscrapers, and a clean downtown area in Abidjan. However, the recent violence made Abidjan feel eerie and unwelcoming. All the street lights were busted, there were bars on all the windows, and even the Ivorians acted afraid of being mugged. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I didn't like it. We only stayed one day there before coming to Yamoussoukro, Cote d'Ivoire's capital. People here are wonderful, open, and helpful. We feel safe here, and people seem genuinely excited to have tourists! We toured the Basilique de Notre Dame de la Paix today and it was stunning. It felt weirdly out of place though - this magnificent Catholic basilica in the middle of West Africa.
Keep you posted as we continue through...
Sunday, July 15, 2012
14 July 2012
Last night, I sat on my porch after dinner drinking hot citronella tea with green papaya – a welcome gift from my neighbors. The wind was blowing and lightning was lighting up the sky as an ominous thunderstorm rolled in. All of my basins and buckets were set out to catch water as it flowed off the roof. I was relieved I wouldn’t be pulling water up from the well the next day to replenish my water supply. As the rain started tapping the tin roof, I thought that I will really miss this life.
I’ve been so busy trying to wrap up all of my projects, sell all of my stuff, take care of administrative stuff for Peace Corps, prepare for a 5 week trek around West Africa, not to mention say goodbye to everyone! I’m not sure when it’s going to hit me that my service is finished and my life in Togo is over. Maybe it will be when I leave village for the last time. Maybe it will be at my going away party. Maybe it will be today.
With only 2 weeks left in Pagala, I’ve been able to reflect a lot on my Peace Corps service. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I’ve done it! I think I could probably do anything now. The Peace Corps marketing people put it best when they say, “It’s the hardest job you’ll ever love.” I will never, ever forget my experience here, the people that impacted my life, the obstacles I overcame, the determination I saw in people’s faces. I think the weirdest part for me is that my life is about to change dramatically, while my neighbors will still be living in the same house, still pulling up water every morning from the well, still doing laundry by hand, still living the exact same lives. Everyone’s lives will go on without me. And I’ll be living a life of luxury – throwing my clothes into the washing machine, cooking elaborate meals on a real stove, watching TV whenever I want. I will say that living without for two years better make me appreciate what I have in America.
I was the one as COS conference who said I wasn’t at all nervous to go home. I knew I’d fall back into life easily. But the closer it gets, the more afraid I am of having a weird culture shock moment. Luckily, I know you guys won’t judge me for it! Another fear is that I’ll fall back into everything so easily, I’ll forget all about Togo, or at least forget the details.
I’m definitely keeping myself busy up until I leave, and that helps. This week, I’m in a prefectural capital called Sotouboua working with two other volunteers to run a week-long camp-like experience called “Amenons Nos Filles Au Travail,” or Take Our Daughters to Work. We have 20 middle school girls coming from all over the Centrale region to learn about the importance of staying in school, planning for the future, etc. I help run the project last year and am looking forward to running it again this year.
Last week, I was a counselor for Camp Joie (Camp Joy), a camp for handicapped Togolese children. It was incredible to see the girls go from being quiet and timid to being outgoing and confident. They were given a chance to share their stories, and their stories were so touching. These girls come from a culture where people encourage families to abandon or kill a handicapped child. Their stories were stories of pain but also of determination and perseverance and inspiration.
BIG NEWS!!!!! I got an email from Peace Corps about an NGO called Africa’s Tomorrow that sponsors girls going to college in the US for 4 years. I had a girl from Pagala apply – she’s amazing. First in her class and still finds time to participate in extracurriculars, help her mother at the market, and work at the Pagala library. Anyway, SHE WON!!!!!!!!!!!! She is one of only 3 girls on the whole continent of Africa who won this scholarship. Now the real work begins. She has to take an English language exam, get her passport, a visa, and get into college. Africa’s Tomorrow works with a university called Berea College, so Alice is applying there. I been running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to deal with all of the forms and essays and money. Anyway, you can help. Yes, you person reading this in America (or wherever). Africa’s Tomorrow will sponsor her tuition, school fees, books, housing, etc., but I need to help raise money to initial expenses like the English exam, passport, visa, plane flight, etc. To donate, or for more info click on any of the following links:
To see the students and info on Africa’s Tomorrow: http://africastomorrow.org/New_Students.html
To donate to Alice: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=N9WDH6AQ3FYQG
See the cause on facebook: http://www.causes.com/causes/787459-help-alice-adanou-get-to-college
Of course, all donations are tax deductible. Every little bit will help Alice get to college for fall 2013. She is such a deserving student and would never have this opportunity if it weren’t for your generous support. Thanks in advance for donating!
Monday, July 2, 2012
Getting ready TO GO
And to think I used to brag to people about how great I was about updating my blog!
I’m only one month away from finishing my service! Since last posting, here’s a quick rundown:
Safari in Benin: AWESOME! Saw lots of birds, antelope, buffalo, elephants, and even hyenas!
Close of Service Conference: Made it to the end, so Peace Corps got us a nice hotel for a couple of nights and we talked about readjusting back to life in America, how to find jobs, etc. It was nice, but the best part was getting to hang out with all the awesome people from my training class. We came in as 28 and we’re leaving as 25. A pretty great success rate for PC Togo.
Couch surfing: Hosted a girl in my village for 3 weeks who was a volunteer in Madagascar. We had fun drinking tchouk and palm wine, hanging out with village friends, and learning French. While she was here, I did a Men As Partners (MAP) training with 20 men from Pagala and all the awesome volunteers in my cluster. It was amazing to see the men’s attitudes change after only 3 days! They shared that they felt more ready to communicate with their wives, help around the house, and help raise their children. Highly successful project and a great way to end my service and my couch surfer’s visit!
Regional MAP Training: In addition to the Pagala MAP, I did another MAP conference in Sokodé for husbands of the women from the Women’s Conference in March. The men weren’t quite as awesome as the women. They were pretty “villageois” and didn’t really like what we were telling them about treating women fairly. But overall, I think they really enjoyed the conference and got a lot out of it. Petit à petit.
Camp Joie: A camp for handicapped children in Togo funded by you, friends and family from home. My boyfriend’s the national coordinator (and co-founder!). We had a training of trainers, and camp starts this week. Today in fact. But I’m stuck in Lomé with malaria.
Malaria: Well, I got it. I lost 5 pounds in a week. I’ve been in the PC Medical Unit for 5 days, and can finally go home tomorrow. Malaria is miserable. To all PCVs reading this – just take your prophylaxis!
Random ending note: Drivers in Togo put such weird bumper stickers on their cars. Example – Golden Child. It’s a little white baby in a diaper crawling, and under it, it says Golden Child. Why? Example 2 – STOP. Don’t Kiss Me. What does that even mean?
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
24 April 2012
24 April 2012
It has been such a long time since I updated my blog! Sorry friends.
I got back to Togo at the end of February and it’s been a whirlwind ever since. Coming back to Togo after being in the US was an extremely difficult adjustment for me. I did not come back ready to hit the ground running, but rather came back in a state of disbelief that I actually got myself back on the plane to West Africa. It took a while, but I’m happy to say I’m well adjusted and very happy to be back in Togo. I’m looking forward to finishing up my service and coming home in August.
Now highlights of my time in Togo since I’ve been back:
Women’s Wellness and Empowerment Conference (WWEC) in Sokodé. As a co-regional coordinator along with two other awesome girls, I got to watch one of the most memorable projects of my service unfold. We brought 18 women from the central region to a 3-day intensive training focusing on improving self esteem, physical and mental health, financial independence, and food security. The hotel, Hotel Central, is an extremely nice (by Togo standards) hotel where the women were treated to hot showers, air conditioners, and TV. Most of the women didn’t even know how to turn on the TV, much less change the channels and volume! It was truly the experience of a lifetime for these 18 wonderful women. We had delicious meals and the women bragged about getting fat. (This is a good thing in Togo!) Despite small problems, like women bringing their kids and complaining that they wanted their normal village meal of corn mush, the conference was a huge success! Things that stand out to me: Doing yoga each morning on the tennis court. A “beauty night” where we set up stations for the women to get facials, manicures, and pedicures. The candlelight ceremony the last night when the women spoke about their experiences throughout WWEC. One woman cried, another said that she never know black people and white people could live together and eat together at the same table, and every one said they couldn’t wait to get back to village and share everything they learned with the other women “chez elle.”
Seeing the women leave, singing, laughing, hugging; it was obvious that there was a tangible difference in their lives. It was more than just the sessions we presented. We touched their lives because we formed a community, a bond of sisterhood. All of the women from Pagala came back ready to work! They already taught their Mother’s Club about stress and how to cope with it. That’s the first in a series they want to do on self-confidence, women’s rights, and others. Two of the women work with an afterschool girls club where they want to introduce yoga. But it’s not just the work I see. I see their faces light up when we see each other in village. They give me hugs and I feel like, not only have they changed, but they have changed me.
I moved into a new house. I am SO much happier! I feel much safer in the new house. I’m in a compound with several families. Lots of kids and even more mangoes! There’s a giant mango tree in the yard with hundreds of mangoes ripening in warm sun. However, I learned that I can’t eat them because I have an allergic reaction to them! My face broke out in a rash, luckily it wasn’t too obvious and it healed quickly. Anyway, I totally love my neighbors and I’m a lot closer to everything I need in village.
I now have 13 Village Saving and Loans Associations (VSLAs)! We have over 250 people in the groups saving each week and taking loans monthly. We expect to save over 15 million CFA combined this year, which is $30,000. Not bad for a bunch of villagers in Africa, huh?
Tomorrow, I’m heading to Benin with my boyfriend to go on a safari! We’re so excited to finally get to see some wild animals in Africa. Two weeks from today is my official completion of service (COS) conference. It’s going to be held at a nice beach resort near Lome. Our administration’s way of saying thank you for two long years of service in Togo. After that, I plan on officially “COS-ing” at the end of July. It’s only 3 months away!
Friday, February 10, 2012
A few minor changes...
I landed in Dulles Airport in Washington DC on Wednesday, after over 24 hours of traveling and heard the greatest words: "Welcome back to the United States."
A few things I've noticed:
1. It's so clean! There is no trash anywhere and there are trashcans everywhere.
2. There are so many cars.
3. Everyone speaks English! It's a beautiful thing.
4. There is SO much water in the toilet bowl.
5. They clean your room and give you fresh, soft towels every day in hotels. I'm in heaven.
6. People love to talk about the GOP race.
7. Everyone is in a hurry.
8. Food is everywhere.
9. Washington DC is itching for springtime while I'm enjoying a lovely break from the heat.
10. Everything is electronic. Yesterday, a girl at GAP asked if I wanted by receipt emailed to me or printed. Seriously?
I feel really weird not having a phone. I'm also still on Togo time, so I keep waking up at 3 o'clock in the morning ready to start my day. I love this country!
A few things I've noticed:
1. It's so clean! There is no trash anywhere and there are trashcans everywhere.
2. There are so many cars.
3. Everyone speaks English! It's a beautiful thing.
4. There is SO much water in the toilet bowl.
5. They clean your room and give you fresh, soft towels every day in hotels. I'm in heaven.
6. People love to talk about the GOP race.
7. Everyone is in a hurry.
8. Food is everywhere.
9. Washington DC is itching for springtime while I'm enjoying a lovely break from the heat.
10. Everything is electronic. Yesterday, a girl at GAP asked if I wanted by receipt emailed to me or printed. Seriously?
I feel really weird not having a phone. I'm also still on Togo time, so I keep waking up at 3 o'clock in the morning ready to start my day. I love this country!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
14 January 2012
The school strikes are still going strong. Teachers are refusing to go to school until the government meets their demands. Their demand being to get paid fairly. Unfortunately, the corruption in this country is overwhelmingly prevalent, and many people think that the strike isn’t going to work.
In other Togo news, the price of gas in Nigeria went up and the Togolese black market gas vendors buy all of their gas from Benin, who buys from Nigeria. So, Togo gas went from being 500F (about $1) per liter to 1200F (about $2.50) per liter over the course of a week. Needless to say, there are gas shortages everywhere, the price to travel by moto has doubled, and travel prices by car are changing every day. It’s a crazy (and expensive) time to be in Togo!
A few days ago, I was reading the book The Zanzibar Chest about a Reuters correspondent in East Africa in the 1990s. It was really sad reading about the famine in Somalia and the genocide in Rwanda. I thought of my Togolese brothers and sisters and imagine how heart-wrenching it would be if disaster stuck here. Anyway, I couldn’t stay in my house and be sad all day so I went on a walk and ran a few errands. I walked over a friend’s house who is a wood sculptor. He lives across the “street” from the village chief who recently passed away, and I noticed people gathering at the chief’s old gazebo. The artist friend told me they were having a traditional dance to honor the chief – the women from the nearby village of Adelé came to show their skills. We sat under the gazebo in the late afternoon and I watched the women dance like only Africans can. Some were dressed as men and I laughed as they imitated the men trying to dance with women and act cool. They brought out tons of locally brewed beer (tchouk) and gin (sodabe), and as the orange sun set over the distant mountains and the drums beat to an African rhythm and the women sang, danced, and kicked up dust, I thought that I could imagine no other life for myself than this.
It’s been tough to start a lot of projects in village knowing that I’ll be leaving for the whole month of February. Plus, I’ve been traveling to Sokode trying to deal with the Tribunal so that we can finally put to rest the investigation of the stolen money. I have to go again next week and I hope it will be the last time. I found a new house in Pagala. It’s next door to several families and I think I’ll feel much safer there than in my current isolated house. Peace Corps is coming up to look at the house next week and if everything goes well, I hope to move in when I get back from the US.
I’m really excited about the Women’s Conference coming up in March. We plan to give 20 women from the Centrale region a weekend that they’ll never forget. We’re putting them up in a nice hotel with hot showers and air conditioner, and doing things like yoga, meditation, aerobics, art, journaling, diversity activities, and other things that they’re going to think are totally off the wall! For most of the women, it will be their first time ever experiencing a nice hotel and fellowship with other women without the responsibilities of cooking, cleaning, and watching kids. I really think it’s going to change their lives. We’ll also we talking about self confidence, sex, menopause, financial independence, gardening, nutrition, etc. Check out the WWEC website HERE.
This morning on my way into Sokode on a moto, my moto driver stopped and asked me to get off the moto and walk a little bit. We were on a dirt path in the middle of nowhere. So I got off and he just drove away. I start walking. Fifteen minutes later, I finally see him and he’s with another moto driver. We said that I could take this guy since the original guy’s moto was broken. Togo! So, I hopped on this guy’s moto and we start trekking to Sokode when all of the sudden the moto driver started pointing at something and saying, “wow, look, look, look!” I saw two wild monkeys jump out of a tree and run across the road before jumping into the tree on the other side of the road. It’s the first time I’ve seen wild monkeys in Togo, although I’d heard that they exist. It was really cool.
Three more weeks until vacation!
In other Togo news, the price of gas in Nigeria went up and the Togolese black market gas vendors buy all of their gas from Benin, who buys from Nigeria. So, Togo gas went from being 500F (about $1) per liter to 1200F (about $2.50) per liter over the course of a week. Needless to say, there are gas shortages everywhere, the price to travel by moto has doubled, and travel prices by car are changing every day. It’s a crazy (and expensive) time to be in Togo!
A few days ago, I was reading the book The Zanzibar Chest about a Reuters correspondent in East Africa in the 1990s. It was really sad reading about the famine in Somalia and the genocide in Rwanda. I thought of my Togolese brothers and sisters and imagine how heart-wrenching it would be if disaster stuck here. Anyway, I couldn’t stay in my house and be sad all day so I went on a walk and ran a few errands. I walked over a friend’s house who is a wood sculptor. He lives across the “street” from the village chief who recently passed away, and I noticed people gathering at the chief’s old gazebo. The artist friend told me they were having a traditional dance to honor the chief – the women from the nearby village of Adelé came to show their skills. We sat under the gazebo in the late afternoon and I watched the women dance like only Africans can. Some were dressed as men and I laughed as they imitated the men trying to dance with women and act cool. They brought out tons of locally brewed beer (tchouk) and gin (sodabe), and as the orange sun set over the distant mountains and the drums beat to an African rhythm and the women sang, danced, and kicked up dust, I thought that I could imagine no other life for myself than this.
It’s been tough to start a lot of projects in village knowing that I’ll be leaving for the whole month of February. Plus, I’ve been traveling to Sokode trying to deal with the Tribunal so that we can finally put to rest the investigation of the stolen money. I have to go again next week and I hope it will be the last time. I found a new house in Pagala. It’s next door to several families and I think I’ll feel much safer there than in my current isolated house. Peace Corps is coming up to look at the house next week and if everything goes well, I hope to move in when I get back from the US.
I’m really excited about the Women’s Conference coming up in March. We plan to give 20 women from the Centrale region a weekend that they’ll never forget. We’re putting them up in a nice hotel with hot showers and air conditioner, and doing things like yoga, meditation, aerobics, art, journaling, diversity activities, and other things that they’re going to think are totally off the wall! For most of the women, it will be their first time ever experiencing a nice hotel and fellowship with other women without the responsibilities of cooking, cleaning, and watching kids. I really think it’s going to change their lives. We’ll also we talking about self confidence, sex, menopause, financial independence, gardening, nutrition, etc. Check out the WWEC website HERE.
This morning on my way into Sokode on a moto, my moto driver stopped and asked me to get off the moto and walk a little bit. We were on a dirt path in the middle of nowhere. So I got off and he just drove away. I start walking. Fifteen minutes later, I finally see him and he’s with another moto driver. We said that I could take this guy since the original guy’s moto was broken. Togo! So, I hopped on this guy’s moto and we start trekking to Sokode when all of the sudden the moto driver started pointing at something and saying, “wow, look, look, look!” I saw two wild monkeys jump out of a tree and run across the road before jumping into the tree on the other side of the road. It’s the first time I’ve seen wild monkeys in Togo, although I’d heard that they exist. It was really cool.
Three more weeks until vacation!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
3 January 2012
The holidays always make it hard to find time to write. My holiday season this year was much more laid back than last year and probably much more laid back than any of you in the US! I spent Christmas in Pagala with my boyfriend and we spent New Year’s in Lome lounging at the beach and pool.
However, it wouldn’t be Togo without some little surprises and adventures along the way! After I decided to roast a duck for Christmas dinner, I set out the market to buy one. Knowing that no one would sell me a duck at a good price since I’m white, I gave Djobo money to buy one for me. All the ducks were too expensive, but at the last minute we found a duck for 3500F ($7). The duck was in pretty bad shape though. Apparently, he kept trying to fly away so his owner ripped out the feathers on his wings and he was bleeding everywhere. I carried him by his feet on a moto home, and I still have blood on my front door from the duck flapping his wings. The worst part of it all was that I had his blood all over me too! It was splattered all over my hands, feet, dress, face… I almost had a meltdown. But instead of melting down I just took a bucket bath, scrubbed my skin until it hurt, and changed clothes. I gave the duck some water and made a little pool for him to swim, although we seemed too traumatized to move. Needless to say, I wanted no part in killing this duck and briefly entertained the idea of keeping him as a pet.
However, Christmas dinner needed to be made and if I can’t kill an animal for its meat, I probably shouldn’t be eating meat at all. Being here has made me amazed at our complete disconnect between a living animal and eating meat in the US. Meat is in a clean, pretty package, while the animal is some abstract concept we sometimes feel guilty about. Anyway, I called Djobo and he did the deed (killed the duck), plucked his feathers, and cleaned out the organs. We gave him the head, feet, and organs because they eat all of that here. I felt a little guilty admitting to Djobo that we weren’t going to eat that part since nothing goes to waste here. We dressed the duck, rigged up a makeshift oven, and roasted it for 3 ½ hours, adding a deliciously spicy honey-orange glaze near the end. For all the trauma the duck caused me, he still ended up being the perfect centerpiece at our Christmas dinner.
Fast forward to Lome, where we ate cheeseburgers for breakfast, lay by the US Ambassador’s pool, and drank wine from a bottle (not a box!). The night before New Year’s Eve, we hadn’t slept at all due to the infestation of mosquitoes in our hotel room. So, when it was time to ring in the New Year, we were both already asleep. The next morning when we woke up, we decided to do our own little countdown for California’s New Year, which was 8AM in Togo.
January is promising to be a busy month, which is great considering I’m looking forward to my visit home in February. I have lots of new projects starting and lots of old projects continuing. I miss you all and can’t wait to see you in a little over a month!
However, it wouldn’t be Togo without some little surprises and adventures along the way! After I decided to roast a duck for Christmas dinner, I set out the market to buy one. Knowing that no one would sell me a duck at a good price since I’m white, I gave Djobo money to buy one for me. All the ducks were too expensive, but at the last minute we found a duck for 3500F ($7). The duck was in pretty bad shape though. Apparently, he kept trying to fly away so his owner ripped out the feathers on his wings and he was bleeding everywhere. I carried him by his feet on a moto home, and I still have blood on my front door from the duck flapping his wings. The worst part of it all was that I had his blood all over me too! It was splattered all over my hands, feet, dress, face… I almost had a meltdown. But instead of melting down I just took a bucket bath, scrubbed my skin until it hurt, and changed clothes. I gave the duck some water and made a little pool for him to swim, although we seemed too traumatized to move. Needless to say, I wanted no part in killing this duck and briefly entertained the idea of keeping him as a pet.
However, Christmas dinner needed to be made and if I can’t kill an animal for its meat, I probably shouldn’t be eating meat at all. Being here has made me amazed at our complete disconnect between a living animal and eating meat in the US. Meat is in a clean, pretty package, while the animal is some abstract concept we sometimes feel guilty about. Anyway, I called Djobo and he did the deed (killed the duck), plucked his feathers, and cleaned out the organs. We gave him the head, feet, and organs because they eat all of that here. I felt a little guilty admitting to Djobo that we weren’t going to eat that part since nothing goes to waste here. We dressed the duck, rigged up a makeshift oven, and roasted it for 3 ½ hours, adding a deliciously spicy honey-orange glaze near the end. For all the trauma the duck caused me, he still ended up being the perfect centerpiece at our Christmas dinner.
Fast forward to Lome, where we ate cheeseburgers for breakfast, lay by the US Ambassador’s pool, and drank wine from a bottle (not a box!). The night before New Year’s Eve, we hadn’t slept at all due to the infestation of mosquitoes in our hotel room. So, when it was time to ring in the New Year, we were both already asleep. The next morning when we woke up, we decided to do our own little countdown for California’s New Year, which was 8AM in Togo.
January is promising to be a busy month, which is great considering I’m looking forward to my visit home in February. I have lots of new projects starting and lots of old projects continuing. I miss you all and can’t wait to see you in a little over a month!
9 December 2011
What a day! I woke up in Pagala, went to a Village Savings and Loans meeting, and on a whim, decided to come to my regional capital, Sokode, for the day to get some computer work done and buy vegetables and supplies for income generating activities I’m doing with women in my village.
I’ve been super paranoid about traveling lately because there have been several bad accidents along the grande route. The bus of the Togolese soccer team flipped and exploded, killing 6 people. I also witnessed the wreckage of a mangled car that several friends of mine had been in the day before it crashed. I saw a car sitting in the middle of the road completely engulfed in the biggest fire I’ve ever seen. The roads are terrible, the cars are old and unsafe, and the drivers swerve all over the road avoiding potholes and passing overloaded semis. So, on my to Sokode, my driver thinks he can pass two trucks moving slowly down the road. He starts to pass and the second semi decides to pass the first one. (Our national road in a two-lane highway riddled with giant potholes; it isn’t even paved in some parts.) My driver sees the semi coming, but his brakes are so bad we just weren’t slowing down fast enough. Luckily, the brakes kicked in and our tires squealed as we narrowly missed an accident.
When we got to Sokode, my boyfriend and I put our bags down in the Peace Corps workstation (a little room inside an NGO building) and left to go run errands in the city. He hopped on motos and asked them to take us up to the bank which smack dab in the center of Sokode. As we’re getting closer, I notice that traffic is really backed up. There is one 18-wheeler after the other completely stopped in the middle of the road. Our motos are flying past the trucks and I start seeing burning piles of something here and there. I look ahead to see what looked like a war zone – burning tires and smoke everywhere, a giant crowd of people, the road straight ahead blocked off. As our motos approached, we were swarmed with people yelling at us to get off the motos. I tried to pay my moto driver and some man grabbed my hand, trying to pry the money from the fingers while everyone is yelling at me and pushing me. They’re telling me to just not pay and get out; they led me to the sidewalk where I met up with my boyfriend whom I’d lost in the crowd. They keep urging us to leave but we were trying to get to the bank. As we walk toward the bank, we see that it’s closed … along with every other store along the street. We walked a safe distance away and watched as the protesters lit more tires on fire and blocked traffic on all sides with rocks and burning logs. We asked a fellow bystander what was going on and they said the students were protesting.
This deserves a little bit of background. School in Togo normally starts in September, but this year, it didn’t start until October and university didn’t start until mid-November. Why? The teachers were on strike. They aren’t getting paid. The government is withholding money from the schools and they have no supplies. At the high school in my village, they were turning students away because classes were already too full. My English teacher told me that instead of having three seconde classes of 90 students each, they combined it into two classes of 135 each so that they only have to pay him to teach two classes, not three. As you can imagine, teaching to a class of 135 students is nearly impossible. There is not even money to buy chalk. After school started, the union brought their demand to the government and gave them a certain period of time in which to respond. They didn’t respond and so this past week, the teachers all throughout Togo went on strike again for two days. Now the students are getting involved. They pay an expensive fee to attend school and their teachers aren’t showing up. The students have decided to show the government that their behavior is unacceptable my creating mayhem in regional capitals throughout the country.
Back to the action. Here come the police. They are slowly driving a police truck filled with police armed with rifles. There are also several armed police walking behind the police car as they prepare for their first attack. I jumped as the first shot rang out. I watched shells flying through the air landing in the crowds and busting opened with tear gas. The crowd quickly dispersed, but as soon as the tear gas blew away, they were back and this time armed with rocks and sticks. As the police approached again, the students attacked the car with their rudimentary weapons. The police fled, only to recalculate their attack from a different position. This time, the police trucks came in from two directions, again firing tear gas into the crowds. Bystanders, including us, were turning away from the action, trying to get away from the burning in our eyes and throats as the gas blew our direction. Women were encouraging the protesters, dancing in the streets, some women were running with their babies’ eyes covered in attempt to protect them. After a couple more rounds of rock throwing versus tear gas, the protestors finally called it a day and my boyfriend and I walked to a nearby cafeteria to get a cold Coke and discuss the day’s events.
This protest is just getting started and I’m very interested to see how the government responds if the strikes and riots continue into January. I can only imagine them getting worse; I just hope I don’t get stuck in the middle of the chaos next time.
I’ve been super paranoid about traveling lately because there have been several bad accidents along the grande route. The bus of the Togolese soccer team flipped and exploded, killing 6 people. I also witnessed the wreckage of a mangled car that several friends of mine had been in the day before it crashed. I saw a car sitting in the middle of the road completely engulfed in the biggest fire I’ve ever seen. The roads are terrible, the cars are old and unsafe, and the drivers swerve all over the road avoiding potholes and passing overloaded semis. So, on my to Sokode, my driver thinks he can pass two trucks moving slowly down the road. He starts to pass and the second semi decides to pass the first one. (Our national road in a two-lane highway riddled with giant potholes; it isn’t even paved in some parts.) My driver sees the semi coming, but his brakes are so bad we just weren’t slowing down fast enough. Luckily, the brakes kicked in and our tires squealed as we narrowly missed an accident.
When we got to Sokode, my boyfriend and I put our bags down in the Peace Corps workstation (a little room inside an NGO building) and left to go run errands in the city. He hopped on motos and asked them to take us up to the bank which smack dab in the center of Sokode. As we’re getting closer, I notice that traffic is really backed up. There is one 18-wheeler after the other completely stopped in the middle of the road. Our motos are flying past the trucks and I start seeing burning piles of something here and there. I look ahead to see what looked like a war zone – burning tires and smoke everywhere, a giant crowd of people, the road straight ahead blocked off. As our motos approached, we were swarmed with people yelling at us to get off the motos. I tried to pay my moto driver and some man grabbed my hand, trying to pry the money from the fingers while everyone is yelling at me and pushing me. They’re telling me to just not pay and get out; they led me to the sidewalk where I met up with my boyfriend whom I’d lost in the crowd. They keep urging us to leave but we were trying to get to the bank. As we walk toward the bank, we see that it’s closed … along with every other store along the street. We walked a safe distance away and watched as the protesters lit more tires on fire and blocked traffic on all sides with rocks and burning logs. We asked a fellow bystander what was going on and they said the students were protesting.
This deserves a little bit of background. School in Togo normally starts in September, but this year, it didn’t start until October and university didn’t start until mid-November. Why? The teachers were on strike. They aren’t getting paid. The government is withholding money from the schools and they have no supplies. At the high school in my village, they were turning students away because classes were already too full. My English teacher told me that instead of having three seconde classes of 90 students each, they combined it into two classes of 135 each so that they only have to pay him to teach two classes, not three. As you can imagine, teaching to a class of 135 students is nearly impossible. There is not even money to buy chalk. After school started, the union brought their demand to the government and gave them a certain period of time in which to respond. They didn’t respond and so this past week, the teachers all throughout Togo went on strike again for two days. Now the students are getting involved. They pay an expensive fee to attend school and their teachers aren’t showing up. The students have decided to show the government that their behavior is unacceptable my creating mayhem in regional capitals throughout the country.
Back to the action. Here come the police. They are slowly driving a police truck filled with police armed with rifles. There are also several armed police walking behind the police car as they prepare for their first attack. I jumped as the first shot rang out. I watched shells flying through the air landing in the crowds and busting opened with tear gas. The crowd quickly dispersed, but as soon as the tear gas blew away, they were back and this time armed with rocks and sticks. As the police approached again, the students attacked the car with their rudimentary weapons. The police fled, only to recalculate their attack from a different position. This time, the police trucks came in from two directions, again firing tear gas into the crowds. Bystanders, including us, were turning away from the action, trying to get away from the burning in our eyes and throats as the gas blew our direction. Women were encouraging the protesters, dancing in the streets, some women were running with their babies’ eyes covered in attempt to protect them. After a couple more rounds of rock throwing versus tear gas, the protestors finally called it a day and my boyfriend and I walked to a nearby cafeteria to get a cold Coke and discuss the day’s events.
This protest is just getting started and I’m very interested to see how the government responds if the strikes and riots continue into January. I can only imagine them getting worse; I just hope I don’t get stuck in the middle of the chaos next time.
26 November 2011
Still nothing turning up in the case of the missing money from my latrine project. I’ve started noticing that a lot of volunteers have things and money stolen from their homes, and I’ve learned to be more careful. We are just walking targets it seems.
For my birthday, I travelled down to a girlfriend’s house in the Plateaux region. Another volunteer was running a training for the local agents santé communitaire (ASCs). We followed the training, ate lots of beans and gari (my favorite Togolese meal), and drank lots of boxed wine. The next day, my boyfriend came down to surprise me! I was so shocked because the village I was in was six hours away from his house! He brought me a camera as a gift, since mine was broken and then stolen. Finally, I can take some pictures! We had a delicious Mexican dinner with nacho cheese dip from America. The next morning, we all hopped in a car to go down to Lome. My boyfriend left because he had work in village.
In Lome, I was teaching a session on marketing at the 2nd Annual Artist Trade Show. One of the organizers found us all housing with ex-pats. I stayed with a guy who is in charge of giving American visas to Togolese people. His house was so nice! I took a long, hot shower and slept on a soft mattress in the air conditioner. After that, it was back to Togo where all of the artisans were late to the trade show and my morning marketing session got pushed back to the afternoon.
Education des Patrons pour l’Amelioration de leur Travail (EPAT) ended up being a two-day training that I taught myself in French (gulp!). I really enjoyed myself, and I think the artisans got a lot out of it. We played games to learn accounting and analyzed realistic scenarios to learn how to do a SWOT analysis. Since Togolese people love to sing and dance, we sang, danced, and clapped our way through our business skills training. At the end of it all, everyone got a cold juice, a chicken brochette, and a certificate of participation. I took some great pictures with my new camera!
For Thanksgiving, several of us got together, killed some turkeys, brought instant stuffing from America and feasted! We stayed at a cool hotel and enjoyed each other’s company. It’s rare that that many volunteers are gathered together in one place, so it made it really special. This was my second Thanksgiving in Africa. Next year, I can’t wait to spend the holiday season with my real family!
December 1 is World AIDS Day and I held an event with my Peer Educators groups. There are 60 kids in the group, and they were split into teams of 6. The idea was to have an “information fair,” where people in the market could pass by each stand learning what HIV/AIDS is, how to prevent it, what to do if you contract it, etc. However, everyone was about an hour late, the materials I requested for the project didn’t come through, and I left in a tearful fit, telling them to call me if anyone bothered to show up. I came back after I had a Fanta and calmed down, determined to make it work. Everyone has projects in their service that don’t go as planned, or fail, and this was mine. Each group ended up presenting their themes to a mostly drunk crowd and giving out a few condoms. I was really glad when it was over.
The past few days have been spent in village, chilling out after my two big events. I’ve been on a cooking and cleaning spree. Djobo and I cleaned my house from top to bottom, getting rid of the ever-present spider webs, wiping down everything in sight with multipurpose cleaner, and bleaching the concrete floors. After that, I started cooking and just couldn’t stop. I pickled okra, canned tomatoes, made ricotta, and attempted yogurt (it turned into sour milk). I made homemade granola, stewed okra and tomatoes, made banana jam, and baked about 20 English muffins.
There are days when I feel I’m going to burst with the love I have for Togo and for my work. There are days that I want to kill the little kids who yell “yovo, yovo” at me. But every single day is an adventure, and that’s exactly how I want my life to be.
For my birthday, I travelled down to a girlfriend’s house in the Plateaux region. Another volunteer was running a training for the local agents santé communitaire (ASCs). We followed the training, ate lots of beans and gari (my favorite Togolese meal), and drank lots of boxed wine. The next day, my boyfriend came down to surprise me! I was so shocked because the village I was in was six hours away from his house! He brought me a camera as a gift, since mine was broken and then stolen. Finally, I can take some pictures! We had a delicious Mexican dinner with nacho cheese dip from America. The next morning, we all hopped in a car to go down to Lome. My boyfriend left because he had work in village.
In Lome, I was teaching a session on marketing at the 2nd Annual Artist Trade Show. One of the organizers found us all housing with ex-pats. I stayed with a guy who is in charge of giving American visas to Togolese people. His house was so nice! I took a long, hot shower and slept on a soft mattress in the air conditioner. After that, it was back to Togo where all of the artisans were late to the trade show and my morning marketing session got pushed back to the afternoon.
Education des Patrons pour l’Amelioration de leur Travail (EPAT) ended up being a two-day training that I taught myself in French (gulp!). I really enjoyed myself, and I think the artisans got a lot out of it. We played games to learn accounting and analyzed realistic scenarios to learn how to do a SWOT analysis. Since Togolese people love to sing and dance, we sang, danced, and clapped our way through our business skills training. At the end of it all, everyone got a cold juice, a chicken brochette, and a certificate of participation. I took some great pictures with my new camera!
For Thanksgiving, several of us got together, killed some turkeys, brought instant stuffing from America and feasted! We stayed at a cool hotel and enjoyed each other’s company. It’s rare that that many volunteers are gathered together in one place, so it made it really special. This was my second Thanksgiving in Africa. Next year, I can’t wait to spend the holiday season with my real family!
December 1 is World AIDS Day and I held an event with my Peer Educators groups. There are 60 kids in the group, and they were split into teams of 6. The idea was to have an “information fair,” where people in the market could pass by each stand learning what HIV/AIDS is, how to prevent it, what to do if you contract it, etc. However, everyone was about an hour late, the materials I requested for the project didn’t come through, and I left in a tearful fit, telling them to call me if anyone bothered to show up. I came back after I had a Fanta and calmed down, determined to make it work. Everyone has projects in their service that don’t go as planned, or fail, and this was mine. Each group ended up presenting their themes to a mostly drunk crowd and giving out a few condoms. I was really glad when it was over.
The past few days have been spent in village, chilling out after my two big events. I’ve been on a cooking and cleaning spree. Djobo and I cleaned my house from top to bottom, getting rid of the ever-present spider webs, wiping down everything in sight with multipurpose cleaner, and bleaching the concrete floors. After that, I started cooking and just couldn’t stop. I pickled okra, canned tomatoes, made ricotta, and attempted yogurt (it turned into sour milk). I made homemade granola, stewed okra and tomatoes, made banana jam, and baked about 20 English muffins.
There are days when I feel I’m going to burst with the love I have for Togo and for my work. There are days that I want to kill the little kids who yell “yovo, yovo” at me. But every single day is an adventure, and that’s exactly how I want my life to be.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
11 November 2011
In case you haven’t heard, I had a bunch of money stolen from my house. It was the money for the latrines I planned to build in Pagala. Not all of the money was stolen, but about a fourth of it was – 350,000FCFA, or the equivalent of about $700. However, in Togo, that could be a few years wages so it’s more like someone stealing tens of thousands of dollars in the US. Either way, it’s a really big deal here in Pagala.
There is a kid who used to work for me – bringing me water from the pump, doing my laundry, etc. – who admitted to stealing some of the money. But only 30,000FCFA. I think he took it all, but we have no way to tell. This is a kid who’s leg I bandaged when he had a cut and who I walked to school the first day. Needless to say, it’s been rough emotionally and mentally. You think going through an investigation in the US is hard, try doing it in a country where you don’t understand the system and don’t have a perfect grasp on the language.
After a week of investigating, the local police, the gendarms, brought the child, his mother, and I to Blitta (our prefectural capital) today to see the judge. I was a little nervous, so Djobo came over this morning before we went. I was so hungry and just about to make breakfast when he showed up at my door, so I just made enough for both of and we had our American breakfast together! An omelet with Laughing Cow cheese (doesn’t have to be refrigerated, oh yea!) and grits. He said he liked it but who knows? After that, the gendarms showed up to my house to say I was late. They jokingly gave me grief about being late, saying that I’m getting too used to being on African time and that it’s going to cause problems for me when I go back to the States.
Djobo brought me to Blitta on his moto which is a little old and overheated 5 times on the dusty, dirt road to Blitta. After waiting outside for 45 minutes, we were called into a small office to meet the judge. We explained our case, but basically got nowhere and the judge told the gendarms to continue their search in Pagala for the thief. Things are moving slowly, mais c’est Togo, non?
After the judge encounter, Djobo and I rode around on his moto greeting his friends and colleagues and then the Peace Corps volunteer in Blitta who Djobo knows well (and, of course, so do I). The volunteer told us about a woman who makes delicious bread right near his house, so Djobo and I set off in search of her. We found her house, but only her little girl was there. She told us that her mom went to the market already. So, off we went to the market. After asking around, we discovered the woman’s name, but she had not yet arrived at the market. It was like 1 oclock in the afternoon at this point, so Djobo and I went into a little cafeteria near the market to eat foufou with armadillo meat. It’s actually really delicious. After lunch and funny conversation, we found the bread lady and bought some bread before heading back to Pagala.
We took Djobo’s moto back, and when we were about 5K outside of Pagala, we stopped at his brother’s house and picked a bunch of grapefruits. Djobo took two and I have the rest. I’ve been really into making fresh juice lately and have discovered that 3 grapefruits make enough for one serving. It doesn’t get any fresher than picking them off the tree and hand squeezing juice the same day!
I’m really going to miss Togo one day.
There is a kid who used to work for me – bringing me water from the pump, doing my laundry, etc. – who admitted to stealing some of the money. But only 30,000FCFA. I think he took it all, but we have no way to tell. This is a kid who’s leg I bandaged when he had a cut and who I walked to school the first day. Needless to say, it’s been rough emotionally and mentally. You think going through an investigation in the US is hard, try doing it in a country where you don’t understand the system and don’t have a perfect grasp on the language.
After a week of investigating, the local police, the gendarms, brought the child, his mother, and I to Blitta (our prefectural capital) today to see the judge. I was a little nervous, so Djobo came over this morning before we went. I was so hungry and just about to make breakfast when he showed up at my door, so I just made enough for both of and we had our American breakfast together! An omelet with Laughing Cow cheese (doesn’t have to be refrigerated, oh yea!) and grits. He said he liked it but who knows? After that, the gendarms showed up to my house to say I was late. They jokingly gave me grief about being late, saying that I’m getting too used to being on African time and that it’s going to cause problems for me when I go back to the States.
Djobo brought me to Blitta on his moto which is a little old and overheated 5 times on the dusty, dirt road to Blitta. After waiting outside for 45 minutes, we were called into a small office to meet the judge. We explained our case, but basically got nowhere and the judge told the gendarms to continue their search in Pagala for the thief. Things are moving slowly, mais c’est Togo, non?
After the judge encounter, Djobo and I rode around on his moto greeting his friends and colleagues and then the Peace Corps volunteer in Blitta who Djobo knows well (and, of course, so do I). The volunteer told us about a woman who makes delicious bread right near his house, so Djobo and I set off in search of her. We found her house, but only her little girl was there. She told us that her mom went to the market already. So, off we went to the market. After asking around, we discovered the woman’s name, but she had not yet arrived at the market. It was like 1 oclock in the afternoon at this point, so Djobo and I went into a little cafeteria near the market to eat foufou with armadillo meat. It’s actually really delicious. After lunch and funny conversation, we found the bread lady and bought some bread before heading back to Pagala.
We took Djobo’s moto back, and when we were about 5K outside of Pagala, we stopped at his brother’s house and picked a bunch of grapefruits. Djobo took two and I have the rest. I’ve been really into making fresh juice lately and have discovered that 3 grapefruits make enough for one serving. It doesn’t get any fresher than picking them off the tree and hand squeezing juice the same day!
I’m really going to miss Togo one day.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
9 November 2011
This morning, I woke up to the sound of a goat “baahhhh-ing” continuously outside of my window. Another day in Togo as the sun streams warmly in through my open windows. I made a breakfast of yam hashbrowns and tea and suddenly felt inspired to write a blog.
Sunday, November 6, was a grand fete in Pagala called Tabaski. I started the day with a 20K bike ride home from a friend’s village. I left at 6am to avoid the heat, got home, showered and dressed in my Tabaski outfit – a ridiculous ruffled pagne complet with a gaudy veil that has Togo written all over it. As I was walking out of my house, I watched cars of people drive by packed full of adults and children singing. One car stopped and asked if I was going to the prayer and told me to hop in! We made the short drive to the village-wide prayer, people getting in or climbing on top of our old, bush taxi bus all the way there. I’d never seen so many people in one place – cars, vans, motorcycles, and too many people to count! I met my counterpart, Djobo, who was wearing a heavy, purple complet that belong to his grandfather, the chief of one of the largest prefectures in Togo, along with a checkered scarf and aviators. He looked like a cool dude. We separated into men and women and did a short prayer, as the sun was unbearably strong. Afterwards, I met back up with Djobo and we went to his house to party.
When we arrived, I greeted his two wives, who were thrilled to see me. I sat down and pretty much did nothing since they refused to let me help prepare the feast with them – probably for the best, as I’m useless in a Togolese kitchen. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Djobo’s next door neighbors running around wildly through their garden, the dad carrying a huge tree branch. I had no idea what was going on, but it seemed ok as they were all smiling and laughing. Then Djobo said, “Il faut arreter la poule,” or you must stop the chicken. At that moment, the terrified chicken busted out of the garden, running straight towards me! Well, I just couldn’t let him get away, so I jumped up from my seat and happily joined in the chase. We finally cornered him against a building and the tree branch swung out to pin him against the wall as one of kids grabbed him. We all cheered and they returned to their house to feast.
Since it was a big party and Djobo’s family was generously feeding me all day, I decided to bring gifts for everyone. For the kids, I brought a box of fortune cookies. They were a huge hit, but they didn’t really get the point. They just wanted the cookies and threw all of their fortunes on the ground. Oh well, they were all in English anyway. The box that they came in, however, became a coveted toy. The kids used it to fill with dirt and dump on other kids.
Soon, it was time for the slaughter of our meat for the day, a small goat. All of the kids gathered around as Djobo dug a small hole in the ground and laid the goat on its side, neck over the hole. In one sharp movement, he slit the goat’s throat and with a gurgling gasp the goat’s blood poured in spurts into the hole before he died seconds later. I could watch that, but I chose to abstain from watching the skinning and butchering of the goat I knew I’d have to eat that afternoon.
We ate. Fati and Djamila, Djobo’s wives, brought us fried sweet potatoes with fried chicken (slaughtered earlier that morning) and a spicy red sauce. It was so delicious and I was stuffed. Little did I know, that was merely an appetizer. When we finished, they brought us foufou, pounded yams, with sesame sauce and more fried chicken. I wasn’t even hungry, but I ate because it would be rude to refuse their hospitality. I fell into something of a food coma, and the family set up a place for me to nap under the mango tree. With a full belly, a slight breeze, and kids running around dumping sand on each other’s heads, I fell asleep thinking about the beauty of living in Africa.
After repose, or rest time, from 12-2:30pm, we all got up and Djobo made a special treat. He prepared something he called “pure tea.” It’s very strong tea, mixed with sugar, and drank like a shot of expresso. He said it helps with digestion. I think I had three or four of them, which explains why I couldn’t fall asleep that night. While he was preparing tea, Djobo also started up the generator and played music so that everyone from his house and the surrounding houses could come to dance. They dance the traditional dances, along with some not-so-traditional dancing, along with some funny dance moves. Soon after everyone, including the kids, had their shots of tea and danced, Djobo and I went next door where we are starting a new village savings group. The group chose the board, contributed money for all of the start-up materials, and chose an association name.
We returned back to the house where Fati and Djamila had prepared rice and pasta with goat and a spicy, oily dark red sauce. I still wasn’t hungry, but Djobo insisted I eat. He especially insisted that I eat lots of meat. Meat is a rare delicacy, so putting the image of the slaughter out of my mind, I ate, thankful for my warm, African family.
It was finally getting dark and I wanted to get home so that I could shower while there was still a little light outside. Well, Djobo had something else in mind. He walked with me to find a moto that could drive me home, but said we should at least get a drink first. So, we walked to the famous “Bar le Plasir” where the fete was going strong. I’ve never seen this bar so packed and there were even two white people! Djobo and I each got a beer, which is rare for him – he drinks only a couple of times per year. There was a DJ spinning African tunes and I saw some of the most incredible and creative dancing I’d ever witnessed. It was so much fun and on the way out, the white couple called me over. The woman pointed to herself and said “Espanol,” and I responded by pointing to myself and saying, “American.” She said, “Francais, petit, petit.” We laughed and they invited me to visit them in a nearby village where they run a marble extraction company. I said, “buenos tardes,” and they corrected me by saying, “buenos noches.” It’s been a long time since I’ve had Spanish, but I got this crazy notion in my head that I want to start studying it again.
Well, I’ve finished my morning tea and I need to start cleaning my house, certainly not a favorite pastime. I don’t know how, but every morning there are new spider webs everywhere – shower, latrine, kitchen, etc. Housework is never done. Merci beaucoup for all of your support from back home; I look forward to seeing you all in a few months! Au Revoir!
Sunday, November 6, was a grand fete in Pagala called Tabaski. I started the day with a 20K bike ride home from a friend’s village. I left at 6am to avoid the heat, got home, showered and dressed in my Tabaski outfit – a ridiculous ruffled pagne complet with a gaudy veil that has Togo written all over it. As I was walking out of my house, I watched cars of people drive by packed full of adults and children singing. One car stopped and asked if I was going to the prayer and told me to hop in! We made the short drive to the village-wide prayer, people getting in or climbing on top of our old, bush taxi bus all the way there. I’d never seen so many people in one place – cars, vans, motorcycles, and too many people to count! I met my counterpart, Djobo, who was wearing a heavy, purple complet that belong to his grandfather, the chief of one of the largest prefectures in Togo, along with a checkered scarf and aviators. He looked like a cool dude. We separated into men and women and did a short prayer, as the sun was unbearably strong. Afterwards, I met back up with Djobo and we went to his house to party.
When we arrived, I greeted his two wives, who were thrilled to see me. I sat down and pretty much did nothing since they refused to let me help prepare the feast with them – probably for the best, as I’m useless in a Togolese kitchen. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Djobo’s next door neighbors running around wildly through their garden, the dad carrying a huge tree branch. I had no idea what was going on, but it seemed ok as they were all smiling and laughing. Then Djobo said, “Il faut arreter la poule,” or you must stop the chicken. At that moment, the terrified chicken busted out of the garden, running straight towards me! Well, I just couldn’t let him get away, so I jumped up from my seat and happily joined in the chase. We finally cornered him against a building and the tree branch swung out to pin him against the wall as one of kids grabbed him. We all cheered and they returned to their house to feast.
Since it was a big party and Djobo’s family was generously feeding me all day, I decided to bring gifts for everyone. For the kids, I brought a box of fortune cookies. They were a huge hit, but they didn’t really get the point. They just wanted the cookies and threw all of their fortunes on the ground. Oh well, they were all in English anyway. The box that they came in, however, became a coveted toy. The kids used it to fill with dirt and dump on other kids.
Soon, it was time for the slaughter of our meat for the day, a small goat. All of the kids gathered around as Djobo dug a small hole in the ground and laid the goat on its side, neck over the hole. In one sharp movement, he slit the goat’s throat and with a gurgling gasp the goat’s blood poured in spurts into the hole before he died seconds later. I could watch that, but I chose to abstain from watching the skinning and butchering of the goat I knew I’d have to eat that afternoon.
We ate. Fati and Djamila, Djobo’s wives, brought us fried sweet potatoes with fried chicken (slaughtered earlier that morning) and a spicy red sauce. It was so delicious and I was stuffed. Little did I know, that was merely an appetizer. When we finished, they brought us foufou, pounded yams, with sesame sauce and more fried chicken. I wasn’t even hungry, but I ate because it would be rude to refuse their hospitality. I fell into something of a food coma, and the family set up a place for me to nap under the mango tree. With a full belly, a slight breeze, and kids running around dumping sand on each other’s heads, I fell asleep thinking about the beauty of living in Africa.
After repose, or rest time, from 12-2:30pm, we all got up and Djobo made a special treat. He prepared something he called “pure tea.” It’s very strong tea, mixed with sugar, and drank like a shot of expresso. He said it helps with digestion. I think I had three or four of them, which explains why I couldn’t fall asleep that night. While he was preparing tea, Djobo also started up the generator and played music so that everyone from his house and the surrounding houses could come to dance. They dance the traditional dances, along with some not-so-traditional dancing, along with some funny dance moves. Soon after everyone, including the kids, had their shots of tea and danced, Djobo and I went next door where we are starting a new village savings group. The group chose the board, contributed money for all of the start-up materials, and chose an association name.
We returned back to the house where Fati and Djamila had prepared rice and pasta with goat and a spicy, oily dark red sauce. I still wasn’t hungry, but Djobo insisted I eat. He especially insisted that I eat lots of meat. Meat is a rare delicacy, so putting the image of the slaughter out of my mind, I ate, thankful for my warm, African family.
It was finally getting dark and I wanted to get home so that I could shower while there was still a little light outside. Well, Djobo had something else in mind. He walked with me to find a moto that could drive me home, but said we should at least get a drink first. So, we walked to the famous “Bar le Plasir” where the fete was going strong. I’ve never seen this bar so packed and there were even two white people! Djobo and I each got a beer, which is rare for him – he drinks only a couple of times per year. There was a DJ spinning African tunes and I saw some of the most incredible and creative dancing I’d ever witnessed. It was so much fun and on the way out, the white couple called me over. The woman pointed to herself and said “Espanol,” and I responded by pointing to myself and saying, “American.” She said, “Francais, petit, petit.” We laughed and they invited me to visit them in a nearby village where they run a marble extraction company. I said, “buenos tardes,” and they corrected me by saying, “buenos noches.” It’s been a long time since I’ve had Spanish, but I got this crazy notion in my head that I want to start studying it again.
Well, I’ve finished my morning tea and I need to start cleaning my house, certainly not a favorite pastime. I don’t know how, but every morning there are new spider webs everywhere – shower, latrine, kitchen, etc. Housework is never done. Merci beaucoup for all of your support from back home; I look forward to seeing you all in a few months! Au Revoir!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
30 October 2011
Happy Halloween!
We threw a Halloween party in Tchamba and welcomed new girls education and food security volunteers to our region at the same time. My boyfriend and I dressed as Fulani, an exotic-looking nomadic tribe. Our costumes were a big hit, although we didn't win the grand prize - a box of Ghiradelli brownie mix. We also held an epic dance off that the Togolese people enjoyed ... or at least found interesting.
Last week was In Service Training (IST) for the new health and business volunteers and I helped out, facilitating sessions on village savings groups, working with artisans, and organizing business training workshops. Other projects in Pagala are going well, although I'm struggling with my latrine project. Next week, I'm meeting with the Assistant Hygiene in Pagala, along with Djobo and the mason building the latrines. I'm hoping we can figure out a better plan of action moving forward.
EPAT, the business training, should be starting soon. It's taken on a completely different format than I'd envisioned, but I'm learning to be flexible. We often have to work around the harvest schedule since everyone, even people with office jobs, is a farmer.
Rainy season is on its way out and the Harmattan winds are on their in! Tabaski, a big Muslim holiday, is coming up along with the funeral for my village chief who passed away in November of last year. I once asked what they do with the bodies while they're waiting to save enough money for the funeral. Apparently, they often freeze them. I thought that was a joke, but, well, it's not!
Yesterday, several volunteers aand I traveled to Tchamba in a car. The car had five spots, but there were seven of us - the driver, two in the front seat, and four in the back seat. As we were loading up the car, the drivers were tying up three muttons to put in the trunk. When he saw me looking at them, he simply said, "le fete," referring of course to Tabaski. The Centrale region is the most Muslim region of Togo. Anyway, once we slowwwwly got moving (the car had a terrible accelerator and even worse brakes that may have worked better when the car was first made in the 80s), one of the muttons managed to get himself untied and walked around in the back of the car the whole time. One of the newer volunteer was completely freaking out, but I guess I've just gotten used to the way things are in Africa, because I saw nothing abnormal about the situation.
Every morning when I wake up, I think, "I'm going to America in February!" I can't wait to see all of you and I'm working on an itinerary planned by the hour. It's making me remember all of the fun things to do in the States! Unfortunately, we'll be flying out of Africa on the 6th, missing the 2012 Superbowl on the 5th. Man.
We threw a Halloween party in Tchamba and welcomed new girls education and food security volunteers to our region at the same time. My boyfriend and I dressed as Fulani, an exotic-looking nomadic tribe. Our costumes were a big hit, although we didn't win the grand prize - a box of Ghiradelli brownie mix. We also held an epic dance off that the Togolese people enjoyed ... or at least found interesting.
Last week was In Service Training (IST) for the new health and business volunteers and I helped out, facilitating sessions on village savings groups, working with artisans, and organizing business training workshops. Other projects in Pagala are going well, although I'm struggling with my latrine project. Next week, I'm meeting with the Assistant Hygiene in Pagala, along with Djobo and the mason building the latrines. I'm hoping we can figure out a better plan of action moving forward.
EPAT, the business training, should be starting soon. It's taken on a completely different format than I'd envisioned, but I'm learning to be flexible. We often have to work around the harvest schedule since everyone, even people with office jobs, is a farmer.
Rainy season is on its way out and the Harmattan winds are on their in! Tabaski, a big Muslim holiday, is coming up along with the funeral for my village chief who passed away in November of last year. I once asked what they do with the bodies while they're waiting to save enough money for the funeral. Apparently, they often freeze them. I thought that was a joke, but, well, it's not!
Yesterday, several volunteers aand I traveled to Tchamba in a car. The car had five spots, but there were seven of us - the driver, two in the front seat, and four in the back seat. As we were loading up the car, the drivers were tying up three muttons to put in the trunk. When he saw me looking at them, he simply said, "le fete," referring of course to Tabaski. The Centrale region is the most Muslim region of Togo. Anyway, once we slowwwwly got moving (the car had a terrible accelerator and even worse brakes that may have worked better when the car was first made in the 80s), one of the muttons managed to get himself untied and walked around in the back of the car the whole time. One of the newer volunteer was completely freaking out, but I guess I've just gotten used to the way things are in Africa, because I saw nothing abnormal about the situation.
Every morning when I wake up, I think, "I'm going to America in February!" I can't wait to see all of you and I'm working on an itinerary planned by the hour. It's making me remember all of the fun things to do in the States! Unfortunately, we'll be flying out of Africa on the 6th, missing the 2012 Superbowl on the 5th. Man.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
28 September 2011
You wouldn’t believe the African sky. A blue clear sky to can change into an ominous gray raincloud in minutes. On clear nights, I watch shooting stars and gaze at the unbelievable clarity of the milky way. The sunsets light up the sky in salmon hues flecked with violet. But the thing I will never forget about the African sky is its vastness. Maybe it’s because there are no tall buildings to block in the sky, maybe it’s the flat terrain, but either way, the sky goes on forever. It’s always changing and always startlingly dramatic.
We finally got a workstation in Sokode! It’s a little office with a computer, internet, and (the best part) a printer! It will be a place I use often to work and charge my electronics.
This evening, another volunteer’s parents came to Atakpame and made us an amazing Indian dinner. It was a really nice and delicious treat for all of us.
All new volunteers have to shadow older volunteers in their first three months. My shadowee is coming to visit next week and I look forward it. I hope she learns a lot from the visit, although I’m nervous that she’ll be bored because I don’t have much planned for those days.
I decided to come visit America in February! I’m looking forward to being home for a couple of weeks, but I still have many months before that happens.
It’s funny how much can change in one year. People pass away, they get pregnant, they divorce, they get engaged, they move, they get dogs, they graduate, they get jobs, they get laid off, they get deployed. The world remains in the wake of hurricanes, earthquakes, military operations, economic downturns, presidential elections, revolutions, and royal weddings. Bands release new CDs, new movies come out, technology advances. And advances. It’s a strange feeling to see my life as I knew it going on when I’m so far removed from it.
As I write this, it’s about 2:30 in the morning. I plan on trying to leave Atakpame at 4:00 in order to get back to Pagala before a 6:30 meeting. I drank a Coca-Cola this evening and the caffeine is still powering me along! I try to do as much work as I can while I can use electricity, so I think I’m just going to power through until morning. Until la prochaine fois, bon nuit et au revoir!
PS - Here is the link I didn't put in the last post about Djobo going to Tanzania.
www.arushasavingsgroupssummit.org/
We finally got a workstation in Sokode! It’s a little office with a computer, internet, and (the best part) a printer! It will be a place I use often to work and charge my electronics.
This evening, another volunteer’s parents came to Atakpame and made us an amazing Indian dinner. It was a really nice and delicious treat for all of us.
All new volunteers have to shadow older volunteers in their first three months. My shadowee is coming to visit next week and I look forward it. I hope she learns a lot from the visit, although I’m nervous that she’ll be bored because I don’t have much planned for those days.
I decided to come visit America in February! I’m looking forward to being home for a couple of weeks, but I still have many months before that happens.
It’s funny how much can change in one year. People pass away, they get pregnant, they divorce, they get engaged, they move, they get dogs, they graduate, they get jobs, they get laid off, they get deployed. The world remains in the wake of hurricanes, earthquakes, military operations, economic downturns, presidential elections, revolutions, and royal weddings. Bands release new CDs, new movies come out, technology advances. And advances. It’s a strange feeling to see my life as I knew it going on when I’m so far removed from it.
As I write this, it’s about 2:30 in the morning. I plan on trying to leave Atakpame at 4:00 in order to get back to Pagala before a 6:30 meeting. I drank a Coca-Cola this evening and the caffeine is still powering me along! I try to do as much work as I can while I can use electricity, so I think I’m just going to power through until morning. Until la prochaine fois, bon nuit et au revoir!
PS - Here is the link I didn't put in the last post about Djobo going to Tanzania.
www.arushasavingsgroupssummit.org/
Thursday, September 22, 2011
12 September 2011
So I have big news: Djobo is going to Arusha, Tanzania for an international savings groups summit! He received a scholarship covering the $350 registration fee, his flight, housing, meals, etc. from the MasterCard Foundation of Canada. You can read more information about the summit HERE.
Other than that, projects are picking up and heating up! I have a big wad of cash sitting in my bedroom waiting to begin my latrine project, but have to wait until Djobo comes back from Tanzania to start.
I’m working on a project called Education des Patrons pour l’Amelioration de leur Travail (EPAT) because Togolese people love long, drawn out names with acronyms. I’ve talked about in previous posts, but it’s a six part series on basic business skills – SWOT analysis/feasibility study; strategic planning; marketing; accounting; financing options for business expansion; and technology. The artisans pay a small fee (about $1) to participate in all 6 classes. This helps me the cover cost of photocopies, transportation for teachers, certificates, and a celebration party. Certificates are a really important part of Togolese culture. Instead of resumes, they have a book full of all the certificates they received through completing specific work or trainings.
I’m hoping to start a Women’s Health Club in Pagala. The idea started when I volunteer told me about her idea to teach village women about nutrition and give them cooking classes/recipes on cooking 6 fully balanced meals. From there, I want to teach them about sexual health, importance of an active lifestyle (we’ll do running/pilates together), hygiene, gender equality, volunteerism, malaria, importance of going to the hospital NOT a traditional healer, diarrhea, and options in the fields like natural pesticides and composting.
Organization is underway for the 2012 Centrale Region Women’s Wellness and Empowerment Conference! It was done last year by an amazing team of PCVs in the Plateaux Region and they are expanding it to be nationwide this year. Two other girls and I are organizing it for our region and can’t wait to get the conference underway. It will be March 15-18 in Sokode. The subjects we definitely want to touch on include family planning, budgeting, nutrition, etc. More information to come!
As always, continuing the work with my Village Savings and Loans groups. I currently have 7 groups and just met with 2-4 possible new groups! I’m also going to pick up my work with the microfinance, URCLEC, because I haven’t been there much lately. School is starting back October 3, and along with that comes Peer Educators, English Club, and possibly a couple of new girls’ clubs.
As I said, staying busy! Just got back from Ghana with my boyfriend. We had an amazing time eating all kinds of food we haven’t had in a year! We ate Thai, Chinese, Italian, Sushi, Indian, and even KFC fried chicken. We discovered a cool little bar right on the ocean, got dressed up for happy hour cocktails, and went to the mall. It felt like real life.
I’ll leave you with a Togo story: It’s been pretty chilly lately since it’s rainy season, so I like to heat up shower before my bucket showers. I hadn’t washed my hair in a couple of days so I filled up my bucket to the brim in preparation for a long, warm “shower.” Earlier that day, I had bombed my latrine with insecticide because of this awful cockroach problem I’d been dealing with. As I dipped my hair into my bucket I hear the cat outside the shower door getting a little frisky. I figured he was just playing with a lizard as usual. He wasn’t. He was batting around a huge, flying cockroach who scurried right into my shower to escape John Galt’s killer claws. I flipped out a little, pulled myself together, ran out of the shower naked, grabbed my broom and repeatedly slammed it down on the cockroach until I was sure it was dead. I swept it away and continued my peaceful shower. I’ve come so far!
Other than that, projects are picking up and heating up! I have a big wad of cash sitting in my bedroom waiting to begin my latrine project, but have to wait until Djobo comes back from Tanzania to start.
I’m working on a project called Education des Patrons pour l’Amelioration de leur Travail (EPAT) because Togolese people love long, drawn out names with acronyms. I’ve talked about in previous posts, but it’s a six part series on basic business skills – SWOT analysis/feasibility study; strategic planning; marketing; accounting; financing options for business expansion; and technology. The artisans pay a small fee (about $1) to participate in all 6 classes. This helps me the cover cost of photocopies, transportation for teachers, certificates, and a celebration party. Certificates are a really important part of Togolese culture. Instead of resumes, they have a book full of all the certificates they received through completing specific work or trainings.
I’m hoping to start a Women’s Health Club in Pagala. The idea started when I volunteer told me about her idea to teach village women about nutrition and give them cooking classes/recipes on cooking 6 fully balanced meals. From there, I want to teach them about sexual health, importance of an active lifestyle (we’ll do running/pilates together), hygiene, gender equality, volunteerism, malaria, importance of going to the hospital NOT a traditional healer, diarrhea, and options in the fields like natural pesticides and composting.
Organization is underway for the 2012 Centrale Region Women’s Wellness and Empowerment Conference! It was done last year by an amazing team of PCVs in the Plateaux Region and they are expanding it to be nationwide this year. Two other girls and I are organizing it for our region and can’t wait to get the conference underway. It will be March 15-18 in Sokode. The subjects we definitely want to touch on include family planning, budgeting, nutrition, etc. More information to come!
As always, continuing the work with my Village Savings and Loans groups. I currently have 7 groups and just met with 2-4 possible new groups! I’m also going to pick up my work with the microfinance, URCLEC, because I haven’t been there much lately. School is starting back October 3, and along with that comes Peer Educators, English Club, and possibly a couple of new girls’ clubs.
As I said, staying busy! Just got back from Ghana with my boyfriend. We had an amazing time eating all kinds of food we haven’t had in a year! We ate Thai, Chinese, Italian, Sushi, Indian, and even KFC fried chicken. We discovered a cool little bar right on the ocean, got dressed up for happy hour cocktails, and went to the mall. It felt like real life.
I’ll leave you with a Togo story: It’s been pretty chilly lately since it’s rainy season, so I like to heat up shower before my bucket showers. I hadn’t washed my hair in a couple of days so I filled up my bucket to the brim in preparation for a long, warm “shower.” Earlier that day, I had bombed my latrine with insecticide because of this awful cockroach problem I’d been dealing with. As I dipped my hair into my bucket I hear the cat outside the shower door getting a little frisky. I figured he was just playing with a lizard as usual. He wasn’t. He was batting around a huge, flying cockroach who scurried right into my shower to escape John Galt’s killer claws. I flipped out a little, pulled myself together, ran out of the shower naked, grabbed my broom and repeatedly slammed it down on the cockroach until I was sure it was dead. I swept it away and continued my peaceful shower. I’ve come so far!
Friday, August 26, 2011
26 August 2011
Take Our Daughters to Work Week was a success for the most part. My favorite moments included: the girls seeing computers for the first time and playing games to learn to use the mouse and keyboard. The girls visiting the hospital and my 2 girls from Pagala telling me that they want to become doctors. My session on feasibility studies and AGRs which I did by myself in French! Playing games and singing songs with the girls. Listening to a song the girls made up for us on the last day – it brought tears to my eyes.
Unfortunately, I’ve been fighting a cold for two weeks now. I think it’s finally starting to go away. This week, the week after Take Our Daughters to Work, I have been too lethargic to do a whole lot. I’ve read two awesome books though – Empire Falls and A Thousand Splendid Suns.
Next week is our Mid-Service Conference in Pagala and after that, I’m heading down to Atakpame for a few days and then to Accra, Ghana with Lyle to celebrate making it a year in Togo! I’m really looking forward to a break before starting my big latrine project, closing out the Take Our Daughters to Work project, and starting the 6-six business skills series. Volunteers always say their second year is better and infinitely more productive that their first, and I’m already finding that to be true.
Unfortunately, I’ve been fighting a cold for two weeks now. I think it’s finally starting to go away. This week, the week after Take Our Daughters to Work, I have been too lethargic to do a whole lot. I’ve read two awesome books though – Empire Falls and A Thousand Splendid Suns.
Next week is our Mid-Service Conference in Pagala and after that, I’m heading down to Atakpame for a few days and then to Accra, Ghana with Lyle to celebrate making it a year in Togo! I’m really looking forward to a break before starting my big latrine project, closing out the Take Our Daughters to Work project, and starting the 6-six business skills series. Volunteers always say their second year is better and infinitely more productive that their first, and I’m already finding that to be true.
Friday, August 12, 2011
11 August 2011
I realized that I don’t have a ton of continuity between my blog posts. To update you on all the things I already talked about:
Post Visit party was awesome, lots of delicious food and dancing at Plasir’s, Pagala’s famous bar. The soccer tournament went well, I actually played … and then couldn’t move for two days afterwards because I was so sore. The volunteer team lost in the first round 4-8, but that’s better than last year’s volunteer team who lost 1-8. Pagala’s Togolese team won the tournament and the “grand prix” of 10,000 francs! That’s about $25. Everything else I mentioned from earlier posts went well, even though halfway through pommade de neem, I was convinced it was going to be a huge failure. It wasn’t.
Next week is Take Our Daughters to Work week in my region. Two other girls and I are organizing it along with three incredible Togolese counterparts. It’s for girls aged 13-15 to come to a big city (Sotoboua), meet successful Togolese women, learn general lifeskills, and gain encouragement to stay in school. I’m getting really excited about it!
Next week is also camp Joie, the camp for handicapped children, in Pagala. I’m really bummed I won’t be here. I read some of the letters the kids wrote, and they sound awesome. I hope the camp will really change their lives.
The library the volunteer before me built is having major cashflow issues. I’m trying to figure out what to do about this without just giving them a bunch of money. Unfortunately, giving them money (or rather, stuff like a photocopy machine and solar panel) is seeming like the only viable/sustainable option right now.
My next big project idea is a six-week business skills series for artisans in my canton (like seamstresses, carpenters, mechanics, masons, and hairdressers). I plan to do questionnaires beforehand and individual follow-up after the series. I also want it to be completely self-funded (this is the most exciting part to me!). We’ll see if people go for it or not. People don’t like to pay for things like this and they’re used to an NGO culture who pays them to go to things like this. On vera!
I can’t believe I’m finally down to less than a year. It’s still a really long time, but one of my best volunteer friends and I realized that if we have one thing per month to look forward to, then that’s only 12 more things. Totally doable.
Post Visit party was awesome, lots of delicious food and dancing at Plasir’s, Pagala’s famous bar. The soccer tournament went well, I actually played … and then couldn’t move for two days afterwards because I was so sore. The volunteer team lost in the first round 4-8, but that’s better than last year’s volunteer team who lost 1-8. Pagala’s Togolese team won the tournament and the “grand prix” of 10,000 francs! That’s about $25. Everything else I mentioned from earlier posts went well, even though halfway through pommade de neem, I was convinced it was going to be a huge failure. It wasn’t.
Next week is Take Our Daughters to Work week in my region. Two other girls and I are organizing it along with three incredible Togolese counterparts. It’s for girls aged 13-15 to come to a big city (Sotoboua), meet successful Togolese women, learn general lifeskills, and gain encouragement to stay in school. I’m getting really excited about it!
Next week is also camp Joie, the camp for handicapped children, in Pagala. I’m really bummed I won’t be here. I read some of the letters the kids wrote, and they sound awesome. I hope the camp will really change their lives.
The library the volunteer before me built is having major cashflow issues. I’m trying to figure out what to do about this without just giving them a bunch of money. Unfortunately, giving them money (or rather, stuff like a photocopy machine and solar panel) is seeming like the only viable/sustainable option right now.
My next big project idea is a six-week business skills series for artisans in my canton (like seamstresses, carpenters, mechanics, masons, and hairdressers). I plan to do questionnaires beforehand and individual follow-up after the series. I also want it to be completely self-funded (this is the most exciting part to me!). We’ll see if people go for it or not. People don’t like to pay for things like this and they’re used to an NGO culture who pays them to go to things like this. On vera!
I can’t believe I’m finally down to less than a year. It’s still a really long time, but one of my best volunteer friends and I realized that if we have one thing per month to look forward to, then that’s only 12 more things. Totally doable.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
2 August 2011
Typical Day in Togo … Take Today for Example
6am : The sun is shining in my windows. I want to sleep but the sun is too bright and I really have to go pee (even though I hate my latrine, especially first thing in the morning).
7am: Finally out of bed, making breakfast – an egg sandwich with spreadable cheese (Laughing Cow) , mayonnaise, and some spices. If this sounds gross, move to Togo. You’ll be surprised how your tastes change.
7:30am: eating breakfast, while working on a SPA (Small Project Assistance) proposal for “Amenons Nos Filles au Travail” (or Take Our Daughters to Work).
8:00am: doing dishes and cleaning up the house to leave for the day. Also, making a list of things to do. Leave for my seamstress’ shop, take a back road with my bike and get covered in mud from the knees down on my way there. On the way, a woman calls out to me from her house to come wash my feet and shoes at her house.
8:30am: arrive at my first “to do” of the day, my seamstress. I pay her a little bit of money each month to teach me how to sew. She isn’t there and neither are her apprentices, her shop is closed. I call her and she says she is in her field and she’ll be there tomorrow. I explain that I’m too busy to work with her this month, but hope to continue next month.
8:45am: Arrive at the one place to photocopy things in Pagala and they’re closed. There are two phone numbers on the sign. I try both and both neither work. I vow to make these photocopies tomorrow. Receive a call from my boss letting me know that a new volunteer will be shadowing me in the next few months.
9:00am: look for the president of a women’s farming group. I received some moringa seeds she wanted and wanted to set a meeting with her group to figure out the next step. I asked around her neighborhood and no one knew where she lived. Sigh, another set-back.
9:15: Go to ICAT, the agriculture leader in Pagala, to meet with a guy about a workshop on STIs and HIV/AIDS that he wants to do in our canton. He gave me a really inflated budget (typical Togolese) so we discussed how we can cut off about 2/3 of it.
10:30: pretty tired, return to my house to chill and talk to Lyle on the phone for a bit. Feed the dog (I’m dog-sitting or another volunteer) and start soaking beans for my dinner later that night.
11:30: Go to the Pagala training center where Camp Scientifilles (girls science camp) is going on and watch them discuss Ecology and watched a biogas demonstration where a volunteer showed how to make gas from pig manure.
12:30: eat lunch at the center with other volunteers, then go get a drink at a bar across the street before sessions start again.
3:00: go to a Village Savings and Loan group. No one is there so I walk to a local beer stand and find the members drinking there. I remind them that the meeting started 10 minutes ago, but they convince me to have a drink first.
3:30: a little tipsy, we restart our Savings and Loan group from the year before. We had just finished in June. They changed the pay-in to be more than the year before so everyone is saving a little more now. Before I left, they gave me a tshirt and headscarf they made for the club and we planned on having a little party around the 15th of August. Buy “l’huile rouge” or red oil, a locally made oil, from the club president to have with my beans tonight.
4:30: Stop by the shop of a handicapped tailor to let him know that three of the kids he nominated were selected for Camp Joie (or Camp Joy, a new camp for the outcast handicapped youth of Togo). I gave him letters to give to the kids and met a guy who gave me a Kabye name, Sika.
4:45: stopped by the post office to send two letters and received two letters from America!
5:00: stopped at a woman’s house to buy bread for tomorrow’s breakfast; she makes it fresh everyday, but I can only buy a little bit at a time because with no preservatives, it goes bad in 2-3 days.
5:15: return home, put my bike inside and walk to my neighbor’s house. She sells tchouk, the locally brewed beer, every Tuesday. She was out of fermented, so I drank the sugary non-fermented, tchouk. While drinking, I read my letters from America and had a conversation with some guy about sewing and selling clothes in America and corn-based ethanol to power cars. He was shocked that we would use corn for anything other than eating.
5:45: finally home for the day. Start boiling water for my bucket shower and start boiling my beans for dinner. Watch the nightly descent of the bats from the neighbor’s roof into the dusk. Take my shower. I may not have every mentioned how much spider webs are a part of my daily life. They are everywhere and I run into them daily. It’s annoying, but I don’t freak out anymore.
6:45: smell something burning and realize that it’s my beans. I manage to salvage the beans that aren’t touching the pot and add some gari (dried and ground cassava) and red oil with fried onions for dinner. Save half of the beans for a meal tomorrow.
7:00: receive a message from one of the science camp organizers asking if I can bring sewing needles over. I’m already in my pajamas, but call up a moto driver I know to come to my house and bring her the needles.
7:40: writing this blog post while a bug continuously flied into my computer screen. I must have flicked it away 10 times by now but it keeps coming back. Reflect on the days events and thank my lucky stars that no matter how many times I tell people I’m fasting with them for Ramadan, I don’t actually have to. Although, I am making a point to only eat in my house for the next month and not eat in public.
7:45: if this bug comes one more time, I’m going to freak out. Going to read and go to bed!
PS - Friday makes my one year anniversary at post!
6am : The sun is shining in my windows. I want to sleep but the sun is too bright and I really have to go pee (even though I hate my latrine, especially first thing in the morning).
7am: Finally out of bed, making breakfast – an egg sandwich with spreadable cheese (Laughing Cow) , mayonnaise, and some spices. If this sounds gross, move to Togo. You’ll be surprised how your tastes change.
7:30am: eating breakfast, while working on a SPA (Small Project Assistance) proposal for “Amenons Nos Filles au Travail” (or Take Our Daughters to Work).
8:00am: doing dishes and cleaning up the house to leave for the day. Also, making a list of things to do. Leave for my seamstress’ shop, take a back road with my bike and get covered in mud from the knees down on my way there. On the way, a woman calls out to me from her house to come wash my feet and shoes at her house.
8:30am: arrive at my first “to do” of the day, my seamstress. I pay her a little bit of money each month to teach me how to sew. She isn’t there and neither are her apprentices, her shop is closed. I call her and she says she is in her field and she’ll be there tomorrow. I explain that I’m too busy to work with her this month, but hope to continue next month.
8:45am: Arrive at the one place to photocopy things in Pagala and they’re closed. There are two phone numbers on the sign. I try both and both neither work. I vow to make these photocopies tomorrow. Receive a call from my boss letting me know that a new volunteer will be shadowing me in the next few months.
9:00am: look for the president of a women’s farming group. I received some moringa seeds she wanted and wanted to set a meeting with her group to figure out the next step. I asked around her neighborhood and no one knew where she lived. Sigh, another set-back.
9:15: Go to ICAT, the agriculture leader in Pagala, to meet with a guy about a workshop on STIs and HIV/AIDS that he wants to do in our canton. He gave me a really inflated budget (typical Togolese) so we discussed how we can cut off about 2/3 of it.
10:30: pretty tired, return to my house to chill and talk to Lyle on the phone for a bit. Feed the dog (I’m dog-sitting or another volunteer) and start soaking beans for my dinner later that night.
11:30: Go to the Pagala training center where Camp Scientifilles (girls science camp) is going on and watch them discuss Ecology and watched a biogas demonstration where a volunteer showed how to make gas from pig manure.
12:30: eat lunch at the center with other volunteers, then go get a drink at a bar across the street before sessions start again.
3:00: go to a Village Savings and Loan group. No one is there so I walk to a local beer stand and find the members drinking there. I remind them that the meeting started 10 minutes ago, but they convince me to have a drink first.
3:30: a little tipsy, we restart our Savings and Loan group from the year before. We had just finished in June. They changed the pay-in to be more than the year before so everyone is saving a little more now. Before I left, they gave me a tshirt and headscarf they made for the club and we planned on having a little party around the 15th of August. Buy “l’huile rouge” or red oil, a locally made oil, from the club president to have with my beans tonight.
4:30: Stop by the shop of a handicapped tailor to let him know that three of the kids he nominated were selected for Camp Joie (or Camp Joy, a new camp for the outcast handicapped youth of Togo). I gave him letters to give to the kids and met a guy who gave me a Kabye name, Sika.
4:45: stopped by the post office to send two letters and received two letters from America!
5:00: stopped at a woman’s house to buy bread for tomorrow’s breakfast; she makes it fresh everyday, but I can only buy a little bit at a time because with no preservatives, it goes bad in 2-3 days.
5:15: return home, put my bike inside and walk to my neighbor’s house. She sells tchouk, the locally brewed beer, every Tuesday. She was out of fermented, so I drank the sugary non-fermented, tchouk. While drinking, I read my letters from America and had a conversation with some guy about sewing and selling clothes in America and corn-based ethanol to power cars. He was shocked that we would use corn for anything other than eating.
5:45: finally home for the day. Start boiling water for my bucket shower and start boiling my beans for dinner. Watch the nightly descent of the bats from the neighbor’s roof into the dusk. Take my shower. I may not have every mentioned how much spider webs are a part of my daily life. They are everywhere and I run into them daily. It’s annoying, but I don’t freak out anymore.
6:45: smell something burning and realize that it’s my beans. I manage to salvage the beans that aren’t touching the pot and add some gari (dried and ground cassava) and red oil with fried onions for dinner. Save half of the beans for a meal tomorrow.
7:00: receive a message from one of the science camp organizers asking if I can bring sewing needles over. I’m already in my pajamas, but call up a moto driver I know to come to my house and bring her the needles.
7:40: writing this blog post while a bug continuously flied into my computer screen. I must have flicked it away 10 times by now but it keeps coming back. Reflect on the days events and thank my lucky stars that no matter how many times I tell people I’m fasting with them for Ramadan, I don’t actually have to. Although, I am making a point to only eat in my house for the next month and not eat in public.
7:45: if this bug comes one more time, I’m going to freak out. Going to read and go to bed!
PS - Friday makes my one year anniversary at post!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
12 July 2011
Well, things are heating up! Not literally, the weather is actually cooling off because of raining season. But work is getting busy.
July 4th went well, but we didn’t play games. Unless you count Settlers of Catan.
Now preparing for things ahead. This week: met with a groupment to discuss growing moringa. A groupment is a group, usually comprised of women, who combine their money to buy land, crops, fertilizer, etc; grow and work together in the fields; and split the profits. Moringa is a hardy tree originally from India which Peace Corps pushes as a great alternative to multi-vitamins. The leaves are full of vitamins and, when dried and ground into a powder, can be added to food to save the lives of malnourished children and add a much-needed vitamin boost to the typical Togolese diet. The groupment and I are going to start teaching Pagala about the benefits of moringa and they are going to plant a few trees to try out. Next year, if all goes well, they want to plant a whole field of moringa and sell the leaves and the powder in the market.
My apprentice club is going well. We went from 7 girls too shy to talk to about 50 apprentices from all trades who are lively and motivated. We’ve talked about everything from their apprentice exam to condoms to marketing. I look forward to going every week and they have come so far already!
My club des meres (Mother’s Club) and I are going to be making pommade de neem on Thursday morning and preparing for our first Nettoyage du Village. Pommade de neem is a lotion people can use to prevent mosquito bites which is really important right now during rainy season and malaria season. Nettoyage du Village is going to be a village clean-up every Sunday after the Saturday market. Pagala’s market is the 5th largest market in Togo (not bad for a little village without electricity, huh?) and after the people come, they leave behind a huge mess! The club des meres and I are going out to the market, armed with brooms to clean the market and burn the trash. This is also in preparation for our big celebration the next day – African Women’s Day!
Friday is Pagala cluster’s traditional welcome party to welcome our newest cluster member – Lauren! Saturday is our regional post visit party and I spent the morning planning our somewhat American menu.
Sunday is a soccer tournament to promote clean water. The volunteers have a team and we’re playing against a team from Pagala, Waragni, and Tchere-bou. We’ll be bringing in the other village teams in bush taxis and motos, serving them lunch, and promoting water purification, hand-washing, and using pump water instead of river water. After a big party, it will be interesting to see how the volunteer team fairs, ha.
I’ll try to keep updating on the reg. Only 13 more months!
July 4th went well, but we didn’t play games. Unless you count Settlers of Catan.
Now preparing for things ahead. This week: met with a groupment to discuss growing moringa. A groupment is a group, usually comprised of women, who combine their money to buy land, crops, fertilizer, etc; grow and work together in the fields; and split the profits. Moringa is a hardy tree originally from India which Peace Corps pushes as a great alternative to multi-vitamins. The leaves are full of vitamins and, when dried and ground into a powder, can be added to food to save the lives of malnourished children and add a much-needed vitamin boost to the typical Togolese diet. The groupment and I are going to start teaching Pagala about the benefits of moringa and they are going to plant a few trees to try out. Next year, if all goes well, they want to plant a whole field of moringa and sell the leaves and the powder in the market.
My apprentice club is going well. We went from 7 girls too shy to talk to about 50 apprentices from all trades who are lively and motivated. We’ve talked about everything from their apprentice exam to condoms to marketing. I look forward to going every week and they have come so far already!
My club des meres (Mother’s Club) and I are going to be making pommade de neem on Thursday morning and preparing for our first Nettoyage du Village. Pommade de neem is a lotion people can use to prevent mosquito bites which is really important right now during rainy season and malaria season. Nettoyage du Village is going to be a village clean-up every Sunday after the Saturday market. Pagala’s market is the 5th largest market in Togo (not bad for a little village without electricity, huh?) and after the people come, they leave behind a huge mess! The club des meres and I are going out to the market, armed with brooms to clean the market and burn the trash. This is also in preparation for our big celebration the next day – African Women’s Day!
Friday is Pagala cluster’s traditional welcome party to welcome our newest cluster member – Lauren! Saturday is our regional post visit party and I spent the morning planning our somewhat American menu.
Sunday is a soccer tournament to promote clean water. The volunteers have a team and we’re playing against a team from Pagala, Waragni, and Tchere-bou. We’ll be bringing in the other village teams in bush taxis and motos, serving them lunch, and promoting water purification, hand-washing, and using pump water instead of river water. After a big party, it will be interesting to see how the volunteer team fairs, ha.
I’ll try to keep updating on the reg. Only 13 more months!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
2 July 2011
2 July 2011
So I’m sorry that I’ve fallen off the face of the Earth. Actually, I was in Switzerland which is a much more connected place than Togo, but was too busy eating cheese and drinking fabulous wine to post on my Peace Corps blog.
So training went well. On June 3rd, I welcomed 23 clean, bright-eyed Americans to the Lome Airport. They were so excited to be here and full of questions! Me and two other trainers hung out with the new trainees for a few days in Lome and taught them about how to filter our water, the importance of taking malaria medicine, and how to use a latrine. I then went up to Tsevie with them where they met their host families and began the first leg of their service in Togo – training. They definitely started freaking out after the first couple nights and the training manager took me aside to say, “go get them drinks and talk it out!” Everyone is still here and I think they’re getting the hang of things.
After my week of training, it was off to Switzerland with my boyfriend and his family. We stayed in a beautiful chalet in a village called Leysin. We had a view of the Alps and the city and were a two minute walk from a bakery, so we had fresh breads and pastries every morning! We also ate a lot of traditional Swiss meals such as raclette and fondu. We visited lots of friends and lots of friends visited us! We also hiked around Leysin, explored Gruyere, and swam in Lake Geneva. Overall, a perfect, and much needed, vacation.
Welcome back to Togo where taxi drivers try to overcharge you and people yell “yovo” when you walk by. Did I miss this? Not really. It’s been a tough adjustment back, but luckily, I have several projects going on so I’m keeping busy.
We stayed in Lome for a day to help us adjust back and then went to Atakpame for a couple of days to see other volunteers. A few times, I almost had breakdowns.
Example 1 – went to a “nice” restaurant for brunch for a volunteer’s birthday. We were so excited to get pizza and the waiter tells us there’s no ham. Ok, no big deal, cheese pizza is great too! Oh wait, there’s no cheese? There’s no beef? What do you have? Rice, spaghetti, and cous cous. Breakdown number one.
Example 2 – make it back to Pagala and have a girl do all of my laundry. She hangs it all on the line and leaves. A few hours later ... CRASH!! The entire clothing line fell down and all of my wet, clean clothes went right into the dirt. Breakdown number two.
I’m keeping Cousteau, my boyfriend’s dog, for a few weeks and he’s so much fun! I miss having a dog, so I’m looking into getting another volunteer’s dog when he finishes his service in November/December.
Upcoming events:
July 4th, duh! Always the hostess, I just couldn’t let July 4th pass without at least a little party. So we’re grilling out hot dogs with the traditional sides of pasta salad, potato salad, etc. And for dessert, brownies and s’mores! We’re also going to do some American games, so I’ll take pictures.
July 16th – post visit party. The new volunteers are visiting their posts for a week, so we throw them a little party every year to welcome them to the region. The Centralers voted that Pagala was hosting this year, so we’re going all out. Roasting a pig in the ground and having a good ol’ Southern barbeque.
July 24th – training, again. I’ll be heading back to Tsevie to spend another week with the trainees before they swear-in and become real volunteers!
One of the only things that made coming back to Togo bearable was having packages and letters waiting for me at the post office. Thanks you guys, I could never make it here without you!
So I’m sorry that I’ve fallen off the face of the Earth. Actually, I was in Switzerland which is a much more connected place than Togo, but was too busy eating cheese and drinking fabulous wine to post on my Peace Corps blog.
So training went well. On June 3rd, I welcomed 23 clean, bright-eyed Americans to the Lome Airport. They were so excited to be here and full of questions! Me and two other trainers hung out with the new trainees for a few days in Lome and taught them about how to filter our water, the importance of taking malaria medicine, and how to use a latrine. I then went up to Tsevie with them where they met their host families and began the first leg of their service in Togo – training. They definitely started freaking out after the first couple nights and the training manager took me aside to say, “go get them drinks and talk it out!” Everyone is still here and I think they’re getting the hang of things.
After my week of training, it was off to Switzerland with my boyfriend and his family. We stayed in a beautiful chalet in a village called Leysin. We had a view of the Alps and the city and were a two minute walk from a bakery, so we had fresh breads and pastries every morning! We also ate a lot of traditional Swiss meals such as raclette and fondu. We visited lots of friends and lots of friends visited us! We also hiked around Leysin, explored Gruyere, and swam in Lake Geneva. Overall, a perfect, and much needed, vacation.
Welcome back to Togo where taxi drivers try to overcharge you and people yell “yovo” when you walk by. Did I miss this? Not really. It’s been a tough adjustment back, but luckily, I have several projects going on so I’m keeping busy.
We stayed in Lome for a day to help us adjust back and then went to Atakpame for a couple of days to see other volunteers. A few times, I almost had breakdowns.
Example 1 – went to a “nice” restaurant for brunch for a volunteer’s birthday. We were so excited to get pizza and the waiter tells us there’s no ham. Ok, no big deal, cheese pizza is great too! Oh wait, there’s no cheese? There’s no beef? What do you have? Rice, spaghetti, and cous cous. Breakdown number one.
Example 2 – make it back to Pagala and have a girl do all of my laundry. She hangs it all on the line and leaves. A few hours later ... CRASH!! The entire clothing line fell down and all of my wet, clean clothes went right into the dirt. Breakdown number two.
I’m keeping Cousteau, my boyfriend’s dog, for a few weeks and he’s so much fun! I miss having a dog, so I’m looking into getting another volunteer’s dog when he finishes his service in November/December.
Upcoming events:
July 4th, duh! Always the hostess, I just couldn’t let July 4th pass without at least a little party. So we’re grilling out hot dogs with the traditional sides of pasta salad, potato salad, etc. And for dessert, brownies and s’mores! We’re also going to do some American games, so I’ll take pictures.
July 16th – post visit party. The new volunteers are visiting their posts for a week, so we throw them a little party every year to welcome them to the region. The Centralers voted that Pagala was hosting this year, so we’re going all out. Roasting a pig in the ground and having a good ol’ Southern barbeque.
July 24th – training, again. I’ll be heading back to Tsevie to spend another week with the trainees before they swear-in and become real volunteers!
One of the only things that made coming back to Togo bearable was having packages and letters waiting for me at the post office. Thanks you guys, I could never make it here without you!
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