Winds of Change

"The only way to make sense out of change is to

plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance."

~Alan Watts

Five months ago today I arrived in Togo. Wow, time has just flown by. I know I haven’t blogged in a while....very busy days in Kpalime. This is the last week of classes for the first trimester at school, so all my students are preparing for their exams next week, called the “compo.” These exams are not written by the teachers, but by the local education administrators of the Togolese government. I really hope my students do well.

I got some very sad news over the weekend. My dog, Lily, back home in Washington, passed away on Sunday. Lily was almost 17 years old. I know it was her time to go.....most dogs don’t even live that long, but it was still hard to hear the news. I was only six years old when we got Lily. She has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. When I was young, I talked to my dogs like they were people, like my best friends. Before I left in July, I made sure to say my final goodbyes, realizing that she wouldn’t make it to age 19, but it still didn’t make this Sunday's news any easier.

On a lighter note, the Harmattan season has officially begun. My school’s secretary, Nafi, explained to me that Harmattan lasts from mid-December to about the beginning of February. During this time winds blow from the Sahara desert south over West Africa to the ocean. This brings dry, dusty conditions to the northern parts of Western Sub Saharan Africa. In Kpalime the dust in the air is hardy noticeable. When you look up in the sky, it seems just a little bit fuzzier than normal, but it is still clear enough to see the stars at night. The only real difference I’ve noticed is an increase in the wind. It’s not intense or anything like the wind storms we get back home in the winter, though. The average high temperature in Kpalime is usually in the mid 90s every day with about 80% humidity. The breeze doesn’t change this too much during the day, but at night it is a little cooler. It’s been amusing to see my students wearing sweaters and sweatshirts, and listen to them complain about being COLD in the morning. 

So I have been thinking a lot about change these days, with the arrival of the Harmattan, my students facing school exams, and losing my dear Lily.

Life's about changing, good or bad, nothing ever stays the same...but life goes on.

Thanksgiving in Africa

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation

is not to utter words, but to live by them."  ~John F. Kennedy

Like so many other Americans, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love the fall weather, running the Turkey Trot in Gig Harbor with my family, watching the parade and dog show on TV while cooking and prepping the meal, and making delicious pies. I miss these traditions! This year, of course, was different for me, far away from friends and family. Thanksgiving was just like any other day here in Togo. I gave my students their English exam and had a meeting with my Girls Club.

At home my family is pretty relaxed about the holidays, and I LOVE that. We don’t follow  rigid expectations. Last year we had our Thanksgiving meal on Friday, not Thursday, and instead made sushi together on Thanksgiving. This year my mom told me they were having Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday so that everyone could be there. I love that they do this. It’s not the day that is the most important, it's being together with family, right?

A similar thing happened for me in Togo. On Saturday, while I was in Sotouboua visiting another volunteer, we had a small Thanksgiving dinner. Three other volunteers and I cooked our dinner and ate by candlelight on a balcony. Our meal was beautiful and delicious. We made chicken, stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed carrots, gravy, and cranberry sauce with fresh cranberries. It was amazing. I even made a pumpkin pie! I forgot how much I love pie. How is that possible? Well, I’ve been trying hard to forget foods that I love back home and can’t find here, pie is just one example.

Thanksgiving is different when you are away from home and family, but my celebration in Togo with my friends was no less special.  Living in Africa reminds me that there are so many things to be thankful for in life. I am thankful for being here in Togo, working with amazing people. I am thankful for my new American friends. I am thankful for my Togolese friends, the teachers at my school, my neighbors, and the people of Kpalime for welcoming me. I am thankful for my friends and family back home, and all the love and support they send me in the form of texts, letters, packages, phone calls, thoughts, and prayers. Thank you! I am thankful to my parents for raising me, being supportive of the decisions I’ve made, and putting me through school. A BIG thank you to you, Mom and Dad! I am thankful for every day that I have, every sunrise and every sunset. Life is so short and being here in Togo makes me incredibly thankful for my life and the opportunities that lie ahead.  

The Long and Winding Road

"A journey is like a marriage. The certain way to be wrong
is to think you control it."
- John Steinbeck

Last week I took my first adventure up north, traveling to the Centrale region to visit another volunteer living in Sotouboua. Transportation in Togo can be crazy long, and heading north from Kpalime is a hassle. The road to Atakpame is horrible, full of potholes, and it can take up to four hours to get there.

To begin my journey, I headed out in the morning to the station near the Grand Marché. After I found a van and secured my seat, I went to the station cashier, where I paid for and received my ticket. I like that Kpalime has a cashier who handles this, because I know I’m not getting charged more by the driver, ripping me off because I’m a white person. We finally left Kpalime at 11:40am, after waiting in the station for almost three hours. The car was loaded up with 16 people squished inside and lots of cargo on top.

There are two options to get from Kpalime to Atakpame. You can go on the Lome-Atakpame route or you can go up to Adeta and cut across to the Route Nationale, a road that goes from the capital, Lome, all the way to Burkina Faso. My driver took the shortcut to the Route Nationale. This is a dirt road full of rocks. The car constantly vibrates and makes you feel like you are sitting in a massage chair, but not nearly as comfortable.

Along the way we got a flat tire, so we had to get out to change it. The driver and passengers told me, “C’est l’Afrique d’Ouest.” While I was waiting, a group of Togolese children in the fields chanted “yovo, yovo, yovo,” for a solid thirty minutes. Fun times. During our break, I finally noticed how dirty I had become from the dust and filth flying around and coming in the windows. I used Kleenex to wipe my face and arms and it was solid brown. Gross. I also noticed that my right arm had gotten sunburned while sitting in the passenger seat. Lesson learned for next time.

I didn't reach Sotouboua until 6:30pm. The last part of the trip was in the dark, which was a bit terrifying. Taxi drivers here are pretty crazy about passing and swerving to avoid potholes. There were a handful of times when I thought we were for sure going to hit the car coming towards us! I was very thankful that I arrived all in one piece, ALIVE, and it was SO nice to be reunited with friends....making all the hassles totally worth it.

Up in the Air

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost,
to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”
- Eleanor Roosevelt

What a day! This past Saturday was not like any other day here. I didn’t go on my weekly run up to the waterfalls. Instead, I just ran off the side of a mountain with a French man named Bruno and flew up in the sky with birds. It. Was. AWESOME!

I don't consider myself to be someone who has an extreme personality. I’ve never wanted to go skydiving or bungee jumping. Taking those kinds of risks simply doesn’t interest me. However, I like to try new things and I welcome new adventures. For example, during my vacation to Turkey in May I went hot air ballooning in the Cappadocia region....that was incredible.

When I heard about the paragliding near here, I just knew I had to do it. So on Saturday my site mate Gracie and I, along with Andy, another volunteer, traveled up to a village on the Danyi Plateau called N’Digbe. (I think that's how you spell it). The trip to the village reminded me of the drive up to Sunrise Park on Mt. Rainier. It wasn't nearly as long, but the switchbacks were steep and allowed for beautiful views of the landscape below.

The paragliding was out of this world! The experts we flew with are a couple from France. They have been in the area for about six years and also run a paragliding school in the south of France that they've owned for 20 years. They are in Togo only about 3-4 months out of the year. So we were very fortunate to catch them on their final week here.

I was the last to leap, so I had to wait a while, but this turned out for the best. The wind picked up a lot and we were able to go REALLY high up. High enough so that we could actually land at the same site that we took off from instead of the site at the base of the mountain, where my friends landed.

When I was up in the air, the reality of everything didn't register immediately. Then suddenly, I couldn't believe what I was doing. I saw a bird flying about 30 feet below me. That’s when it hit me. Wow!! Bruno told me we were going about 33km an hour. I have no idea what that translates to in mph, but apparently it’s fast. The fastest they can go is 35km per hour. I’m not sure how high we were, but he guessed that we were about 1,000 meters up in the sky. I got a little queasy towards the end, but I didn't get sick. (You can check out my flight on the video tab)

I always knew from the beginning that being a Peace Corps Volunteer would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but this little adventure went beyond all my expectations, giving me a bird's-eye view of my new country, new life in Africa. 

Stranger Danger

"Never underestimate the power of a woman."  ~Nellie McClung

School, lesson planning, club meetings. Busy days with not much time to write. I’m getting to know my students better and everyone in my neighborhood knows me. Whenever I walk to school people call out “Adzo!” (my name for being born on a Monday) or “Emily!” I only get “yovo”-ed by people from other neighborhoods now. So integration is going well, but there have been a few scary moments that definitely had me questioning my safety and what seems to be the acceptable behavior of men towards women here.

One day I decided to walk into town to do some errands instead of biking like I usually do. On my way home a young man started following me. He wanted to know my name, asked where I was going, what I was doing, etc. I was polite, but brief, answering that I am a Peace Corps volunteer living in Kpalime. I don’t feel comfortable telling random strangers any details. After this short exchange, he continued to follow me. He was asking for my phone number, saying that he wanted to come and see my house, and really making me nervous. I told him in my most demanding voice to stop following me. I repeatedly stated, “That’s enough, leave me alone,” but he continued his pursuit, and the Togolese people passing by didn’t offer any help. Finally, about four minutes from my house, I decided to step into a small boutique where I often shop, and ask the owner for help. She seemed confused, but I explained that this man was following me and I needed help to make him leave me alone because he wouldn't listen to me. She proceeded to talk to the man, along with help from two other women. He ultimately left, heading back where he came from.

I have to say that the shop owner wasn’t as forceful as I wanted or expected her to be with him. She merely shrugged her shoulders and said “He didn’t mean any harm.” What!? So he just followed and heckled a yovo for several minutes just for fun? Great, that makes me feel much better. I don't think harassment is even a part of their vocabulary. Apparently, it is perfectly reasonable for some women here to tolerate this type of behavior from men.

Another incident happened to me last night. This one scared me a little more because it was at my house this time, and even my neighbor confided in me afterwards that she was a little shaken up. Vera and I have a very secure main door to get into our compound. It has three locks, including a deadbolt. When my friends come over they always call or holler over the gate and I know it’s them. So if someone is knocking on the compound door and I haven’t been called, I don’t answer it. Last night there was someone knocking. I didn’t answer, but a few minutes later Vera did. I heard them speaking in Ewe, so I just assumed it was a friend of hers. Then I heard a knock on my front door.

I opened the door to find a man standing on my porch. Vera was on her porch staring over at us. It was someone I had never seen before in my life. I asked him what he was doing. He said he was there to see me. I stated that I did not know him and had never seen him before. Vera then cuts in, asking him questions about how he knows me, why he is here, and what does he want. She was very aggressive and direct with him. It seems that he saw me today walking in the neighborhood. He told us he was from Lome and that he had a problem. When we asked him what his problem was, he gave no answer. Then Vera really opened up a can of whoop ass! She got very angry and kicked him out of the compound, slamming the door in his face. After that we had a long conversation about what had happened. Vera concluded that he was probably here to check out the house for anything to steal in the future. She said  robbers are active this time of year, before Christmas. I wasn’t so worried once we had the door locked, but Vera later went to get a male friend to stay the night in our compound. I like living with Vera and her little boy, but she made a valid point that we would be safer having a man or even a dog here.

These two events really made me understand the importance of integration within my community. If I hadn’t known the mama who ran the boutique, I probably wouldn’t have felt comfortable asking her for help. If I hadn’t become good friends and bonded with my neighbor, maybe she wouldn’t have stayed out on her porch to question the man knocking on my door. Yes, in both of these instances I was pretty shaken and freaked out by Togolese men, but thankfully, there were also some strong Togolese women around to help me. We girls have to stick together.

*** Shortly after this incident I did receive a visit from the head of Togo Peace Corps Security and the Regional Director of Peace Corps Security, who runs security for 7 countries in Africa, following up on what happened. It made me feel good to know that they were concerned and quickly came to check things out. Don’t worry people! I am safe and well.

Oh What a Beautiful Morning!

"All I know is that every time I go to Africa, I am shaken to my core." 

- Horst Koehler 

Yesterday was a great day! The director of my program, Madame Rose, visited me in Kpalime and I had so much fun. My site mate, Gracie, hit the nail on the head when she said “Madame Rose is like the Togolese Oprah!” It’s so true! It was wonderful to see her, show her my school, and introduce her to my students; they loved her. Talking with Madame Rose about my life in Kpalime, my work at the school, and future projects in the greater community has made me very motivated and excited about the opportunities here.

This morning I took a bike ride up into the mountains with my awesome friend, Gracie! I rolled out of bed at 4:45am so that we could get an early start and see the sunrise. Like usual here, we were not the only ones out on the road at 5:05am. There were several kids running on the same road we were on. They were all dressed in typical soccer uniforms, but they were missing running shoes, which any American would probably consider essential. Instead, they run in flip flops, sandals, loafers, vans, or anything else that works. Yet, they could probably outrun any American kid their age. Amazing.

The ride was not easy, and we had to stop and walk a lot. It was absolutely worth the effort, because the scenery was out of this world! I couldn't believe it, there aren't words to describe it. We passed a beautiful waterfall and took tons of pictures of the incredible views. At some points I felt like I was walking up “the green tunnel” at home. It took my breath away. While we were riding down the mountain back to Kpalime, Gracie said “Hey Em, We’re in Africa!” Yes. We. Are. 

Checking In

"We cannot hold a torch to light another's path without brightening our own."

- Ben Sweetland

Hi everyone! Just wanted to let you know that everything is going well in Kpalime! Time seems to be flying by here; I can't believe it's already the third week of classes. I'm having fun getting to know the students and staff members at my school. I am teaching one 5eme English class, which I think is the equivalent to 6th or 7th grade in the United States. These are two of my students, Kpante and Iros. Contrary to their expressions, they are two very nice boys; the Togolese never smile in photos.  I'm the only teacher in my school who is learning my students' first names. Usually teachers here only use students' last names, but that would be hard for me, because some have long and complicated last names. It wasn't easy at first.... I am horrible with names, but I've now finally learned them all by heart. I was quite nervous about teaching before the school year started, but I'm starting to feel more confident. My students are awesome, and teaching is getting easier and easier with each class. 

Cathedral of the Holy Spirit

“When the missionaries came to Africa , they had the Bible and we had the land.

They said "Let us pray." We closed our eyes. When we opened them,

we had the Bible and they had the land."

- Desmond Tutu

The religious people of Togo are 29% Christian, 20% Muslim, and 51% indigenous beliefs. This was back-to-church Sunday for me. I decided to attend mass for the first time here in Togo. Cathedrale Saint-Esprit is a large Roman Catholic church in Kpalime that I always see when I’m biking into town. It was built in 1913, when ‘Togoland’ was under German rule. With its traditional, tall steeple, you can easily see it from a distance.

Like everything else in Togo, I had no idea what to expect from Sunday Mass. When I studied abroad in Paris, I went to St. Sulpice to check out the service and hear the incredible organ playing. The mass was basically the same as any other I had attended. This time it was different….much more traditional. The service lasted two hours, with the first 30 minutes standing, complete with holy water showers and incense.

                                                                                                                                                                 
Apart from the incredible length of the service, I did enjoy it. Arriving a little early, we secured seats in one of the last pews, which created a perfect view of everything going on. I absolutely LOVED the singing. It was not like a gospel choir; they sang traditional Catholic hymns, but they were WONDERFUL. The church's interior style and decoration was beautiful. The first thing I noticed while walking in was that there was no typical Jesus nailed to the cross behind the altar, but instead, a happy-looking Jesus with his arms out, as if he was saying “Welcome, sit down, relax,” like a gracious host.

Sunday mornings are definitely a time for people-watching in Kpalime. People entering the church were all wearing their ‘Sunday best.’ Everyone decked out in their finest, sitting inside a beautiful church was a pretty stunning sight. I definitely stuck out like a sore thumb…..not just because I was the only white person, duh, but because I was wearing pants. Epic fail. I wasn’t trying to make a fashion statement, it’s just that I hate trying to get onto the back of a motorcycle in a skirt or dress. Every time I try, I feel like I’m going to end up flashing the world. Still, while living here in Kpalime, in what seems like a world away from home, it is comforting to find things to add to my routine that are even remotely familiar, so I think I will try to make this church a part of my weekly schedule. 

Tuning In

“It's not true I had nothing on, I had the radio on.”
Marilyn Monroe



My Sony World Band short wave radio is my new best friend. Every morning from about 6:30-7:30am, my neighbors in the compound behind me listen to French news radio. While I’m stretching after my morning run, I listen in and sometimes turn on my radio to the same station to follow along while I get ready for school.

To mix things up, last night I decided to finally crack open my radio’s handbook to figure out how to find other international radio stations. After lots of adjusting, I was finally able to hear news in English for the first time in three months!! YAY! Unfortunately, my handbook only had the channels listed for one station in each country, so I ended up listening to the Voice of America, and later, BBC.

Highlights from last night’s news:
• Anticipation and speculation about the televised debate for the U.S. presidential election.(so bummed that I can’t watch this!)
• Rioting in Tehran, Iran’s economic problems, and the rial plunging to record lows.
• The French government’s new anti-terrorism law, making terrorist attacks committed abroad punishable in France.
• The ongoing conflict in Syria and the mortar shelling on the border with Turkey.
• Conflict in Egypt over their new constitution and proposed restrictions on women’s rights.

I tend to get addicted to news stations. In America I think I watched MSNBC more than any other channel, spent more time on the Huffington Post than on Facebook, and at WSU I religiously picked up a free New York Times every morning on my way to class. I’ve completely devoured every news magazine my family has sent me. Yeah, I’m a nerdy news junkie.

Tuning in to the radio here is the best way to get instant updates on what’s going on in the world. It keeps me feeling connected, keeps me sane, and helps cut down on the loneliness. There is also occasionally some entertainment, with special, random stories like the one the BBC aired this morning about a new museum in Croatia that displays things left behind after romantic relationships have ended. Haha. Hey, when it’s all you’ve got, it’s better than nothing.
Hello out there…….

Keeping it Simple

"You will probably need this information

when you check me into the Betty Crocker Clinic."

~Cynthia Nixon

Okay, so I know I said I was going to try to break out of my shell in the cooking arena and try not to get stuck in a rut like I normally do. Well too late… I’m in the rut. Cooking and preparing food is not really fun like it can be back home. It is a chore. It’s not just a question of what I want to eat. (What I’m really craving is salmon, but that’s not going to happen). Instead, it’s more a question about little details like: Is the water clean? Are there bugs in my rice? Are there rocks in the beans or the rice? Are the vegetables clean? Have they been in the bleach water for 15 minutes? Do I have the right ingredients? If not, is it even possible to find them in Togo? Will this make me sick?

Then, of course, there is the bothersome task of doing the dishes. Normally I LOVE to do dishes….weird, but true. I actually don’t mind after-meal cleanup, mostly because I’m a neat freak and really can’t bring myself to leave a kitchen with a sink full of dirty dishes. I know they will just sit there and eventually make the room smell. It’s much easier to bite the bullet and just do the darn dishes! However, now dishwashing is another monster all together. With no kitchen sink, I wash them in a bucket, afterwards, dumping the gross, dirty water outside in my compound.

The hassle of cooking has created some weird eating habits for me, but anything that is easy and minimal means fewer dishes! For example, today I ate popcorn for breakfast and lunch. Last night I had a can of sardines for dinner. These are foods that are easy and safe. You can never be too sure here. Just yesterday I had surprise diarrhea attacks, which I’m sure were probably from the apple I ate for breakfast. I miss the fresh fruits and vegetables from the market back home, but here you can never completely trust that the produce you eat today won’t have you running to the nearest bathroom tomorrow. So I guess I am back in my rut….looking forward to some of those freeze-dried hiking meals my family is planning to mail to me….just add boiling water? Yes! I can do that.



Getting Creative

“….We need to sing with all the voices of the mountains,
We need to paint with all the colors of the wind…”

~Pocahontas

At the end of training my friend, Gracie, in collaboration with other volunteers, came up with superlatives for every new volunteer, such as “most likely to kill a chicken” and “most likely to become the most integrated.” My superlative was “most likely to be featured in Homes & Gardens Magazine.” Haha I’m not sure about that, but when I’m done getting my house together, I will make it a feature on Facebook.

Of course, the main focus of life here in Togo is always going to be my job with the Peace Corps. I know this will be very intense and time-consuming work. When I return home at the end of a busy day, I want to be able to decompress, feel safe, and relax. This is my first time ever to live completely on my own, and I’m really excited to make my house in Kpalime a place where I can truly feel at home.

I love that I get to be creative with my choices. I usually like things simple, no knick-knacks, minimalist style, white walls, neutrals, and earth tones. However, here in Africa we are surrounded by COLOR. Green trees. Red roads. Bright pagne clothing. It makes me want to break out and celebrate color. I’ve already done so by painting my walls light aqua, and yesterday I made and hung curtains….a sunshiny orange print. Hand-sewing

curtains is not a quick process; it took my entire afternoon to finish, but it was surprisingly enjoyable. Normally, I'm not someone who likes to do craft projects, but sewing these curtains was different, because I was making something that serves a purpose while improving the look of my house at the same time.

I’ve always admired my mom for her incredible sewing skills and patience. Making all  those Halloween costumes and clothes when I was younger must not have been easy. It’s difficult, but in the end you’ve created something for yourself that is entirely unique and only yours. I’ve already had several clothing items sewn for me here. Just yesterday my friend Gracie and I were joking about how strange it’s going to be back in the U.S. not to have the opportunity to buy fabric and have clothes made, all for under $15. Shopping in a mall and buying something that one hundred other people have already bought seems so weird now. We’ll have to enjoy this creative outlet while it lasts. 

Cooking for One

“This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes,

learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!”
― Julia Child, My Life in France

I’ve never considered myself to be a great cook. At home in the U.S. I can cook a few things well, like lemon squares, salmon, rice, and chicken tacos, but there’s not a whole lot of variety. I tend to be a very boring eater. For example, when I was studying abroad in Paris, I ate plain oatmeal, nothing added, every morning for breakfast. I get into a habit of eating the same thing over and over again.

I’m living on my own for the first time here in Togo. I’ve never had to do all the cooking, cleaning, and housework before. If I ever had a problem at home, I had people to turn to. Especially when cooking, my mom and dad are the best cooks I know, and can always fix my disasters in the kitchen. Since I’m a rather inexperienced cook, I was really happy when we received the “Whopper” in training. The “Whopper” is the Peace Corps Togo cookbook. It’s a compilation of recipes from former volunteers. It shows us how to make meals that we like with ingredients available in Togo. There are sections on snacks, breakfast, sauces, desserts, meals from Africa, etc.

Knowing that I tend to get into boring eating habits, I’m going to try to mix things up every once in a while. This morning I used the “Whopper” for the first time to make myself brunch. I cooked the Dream Meal Beans.

I knew I would like this recipe because I love tomatoes, onions, and beans. To make it, I halved the ingredients since I’m only cooking for one, but I still used 1 onion because I LOVE onions. I didn’t have the spices, so I just chopped up 1 piment pepper and put it in with the onions and pepper to sauté. Vegetables here are MUCH smaller than in the U.S. The tomatoes, green peppers, and onions are all tiny compared to the ones you would find in Safeway, for example. The cans of tomato paste are a lot smaller as well, only 70grams. Piment is an incredibly popular pepper in Togo. If I was going to make this in the U.S. I would just substitute with any hot pepper, like a jalapeño, and make sure to take the seeds out.

I encountered only a couple of problems, but they were stupid mistakes. One, I nearly burnt my beans because I didn’t add enough water. Two, I touched my eye after chopping the piment and couldn’t open my eye for about ten minutes because it burned so bad. I understand now why it’s called pepper spray. Who needs Mace in Togo? Just carry around some chopped piment and you’ll be safe. Other than that, it was a pretty successful and delicious brunch. Bon appétit! 

The Rains Down in Africa

~Whoever has only one garment does not wash it when it rains. ~

African Proverb

Of course, on the day I finally decide to do my laundry, Mother Nature brings a torrential downpour to town. Kpalime is perhaps 'the Seattle of Togo,' but the rain here is different than back at home. In Kpalime it doesn’t rain all day, but when it does rain, it pours! In Puget Sound it’s more of a continuous rain that can last all day long. Growing up, there were times when I hated the rain, like when it would mess with our spring tennis season. Nevertheless, I’ve come to love the rain, and I always enjoy falling asleep to the sound of the rain on my roof. The last few days we have received some serious rain in Kpalime, knocking out my power and making so much noise that it's hard to hear everything else around me.

The other day I went to the market with my site mate, Gracie, another volunteer here in Kpalime. Out of the blue, it started to pour, so we quickly took cover under a little roadside stand with about five other Togolese people. It was raining so hard we could barely hear each other. While waiting for it to slow down, all I could think about was the laundry I had done that morning, which I had left hanging to dry. Finally, when the rain lightened up a little, Gracie and I decided to catch motos home. Let me just say that there is nothing like a rainy, muddy ride on the back of a moto while there is thunder and lightning all around you. Yikes. When I got back to my house, I was completely shocked to see that my amazing, kind neighbor, Vera, had taken down my dry laundry and put it in a bucket on my front porch. What an awesome surprise!

When I was younger, my mom and I would sit out on our front porch during lightning storms; they fascinated me. It was so much fun! However, now that I’m living all alone, I have to admit that getting woken up by the crack of lightning and rain crashing down on my tin roof really freaks me out. On the flip side, the rain and the mountains are what keep Kpalime so green and beautiful. The storms might make me a little frightened at night sometimes and get my shoes muddy during my morning runs, but the view of the mountains and forest from my house makes up for it ten fold.

In other news, I’ve learned that school won’t be starting for another couple of weeks because of salary negotiations between teachers and the government. This means I have two more weeks to get settled at home and integrate into my community before my teaching schedule starts. 

Settling In

“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”

Confucius

These last few days have felt pretty weird. I’m slowly adjusting to living in Kpalime. Today I went for a run in the morning, bought some bouille for breakfast at the end of my street, and listened to French radio while I ate at home. The first few months at post volunteers are supposed to focus on integration into their community, making friends, and creating a home for themselves in-country. In Kpalime, Togo’s fourth largest city, I expect it to be difficult to integrate myself. The residents in Kpalime are used to seeing white people around, so I won’t be a novelty here like I would be in a village of only 700 people. I’m not complaining, because there are A LOT of perks living in a big city; I have power, running water, and access to a huge market, a bank, cyber cafes, post office, etc.

My first goal is to get my house together. Right now it is empty except for a table, two chairs, a bed, and mattress. I am replacing another volunteer at her post, but I couldn't afford the price she set for all her furniture, so she sold most of it before I arrived. This is okay though, because when I walked into the empty house, I smiled, and my mind started racing with all the possibilities. I’ve never lived on my own before. All my life I’ve either been living at home or in a dorm. Finally, I get the chance to decorate, paint, and create my own space!

First order of business was painting the main room of the house, which acts as a kitchen/dining room/living room. I’ve never painted before, and since labor here is pretty cheap, I hired a guy to come and paint the room for me. He arrived at 7am, finished two coats by 11am, and it only cost ten USD.  Because this is colorful Africa, I decided to go with a shade that I probably would never use in the states: light aqua. I love it! What a difference painting a room can make!  I already feel more at home. Slowly, over the next couple of months, I will continue to add extras like more furniture, pictures/maps on the walls, and make curtains, building my nest for the next two years. 

Sometimes I start to feel really stressed about everything like my job, all the stuff I need to buy for my house, teaching English, organizing clubs, integration with the community, Peace Corps’ household surveys, missing home, getting sick..... I just have to remind myself that I am here for two years, things take time, and I’m not going to accomplish all my goals in the first month.....so far, so good.

Oui Nous Pouvons! (Yes We Can!)

“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics

is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”

~ Plato ~

All my friends back home know how passionate I am about politics. WSU Political Science classes, the daily, free New York Times newspapers, The Daily Show, and MSNBC are some of the things I miss the most here. Not being in the U.S. for this election is killing me! I would love to be working on campaigns and waiving signs for Obama, but I know my work here is also important and valuable, so I’m not too bummed.

Moto driver who took me to the internet cafe today.

I’ve been addicted to MSNBC for years, but being in Togo means that, sadly, I can’t get my daily fix of Chris Matthews and Rachel Maddow. I miss hearing the opinions of “How Fine” (Howard Fineman), Ezra Klein, and the smooth talking Eugene Robinson! Anyone who is a Facebook friend of mine knows how much I love The Daily Show. I used to go to the WSU Rec Center at 6am every morning because I knew that was the time The Daily Show would be replaying from the night before. Watching Jon Stewart tear into Mitt Romney and the Republicans, while working out, would make me laugh out loud, sometimes warranting some weird looks from others!

Arriving in Togo, I wasn’t sure what the Togolese would think about America or our politics. It didn’t take long to figure out that the everyone LOVES Obama. Obama products are everywhere...Obama t-shirts, Obama towels, Obama bowls... I’m still on the lookout for Obama pagne. One night at my host family’s house, the French news was on and the newscasters were talking about Michelle Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention. I didn’t hear her speech, but it sounds like she hit it out of the park. Then the coverage changed to talking about the Republicans, Mitt Romney, and his V.P. candidate. My host family seemed to be thoroughly confused, and didn’t understand why anyone would choose not to vote for Obama.

All the Togolese I've met LOVE Obama. If you just say “Obama!” you will bring a smile to anyone’s face. How amazing is that! Think about it, would “Romney!” receive the same reaction from people half way across the world? I think not. Obama is special. I’m hoping that the rest of America realizes this before Nov. 6, otherwise we are in for a rough ride. The world thought we were idiots for re-electing Bush, I thought we were too. I can only imagine what they will think of us if we don’t hold on tight to Obama, and let someone like Romney take over. Ugh.

More Goodbyes

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

~ A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

 

On September 14^th it was officially time to leave training and move to our posts. The last week leading up to this felt weird, knowing that we wouldn't be seeing each other until our In Service Training in November. Earlier in the week we had a little party with the host families at our training center. Each program performed a little American skit in French. EGE did field day. We played egg toss, wheelbarrow race, and tug-of-war. The host families loved it! The other programs did skits about Halloween and the Super Bowl, complete with a half-time show, including a Lady Gaga dance performance.

On another night, as part of our last hurrah together, EGE did a “last supper.” We made a delicious dinner, which included black bean burgers, chicken, rice, crepes, and a big batch of sangria. It was a very special meal and I will never forget the fun we had preparing it all. We’ve really become a tight-knit group over the last two months; sitting together and enjoying our small feast felt like eating with family.

Saying our goodbyes on the morning we left was so hard. My host sisters, Adzovi and Yayra, showed up at the tech house wearing the tie-dye t-shirts I gave them as gifts. It was not easy to leave them. They are the younger sisters I never had, and I couldn’t help but get a little emotional when it was time to say goodbye. I hope I will have a chance to visit these sweet girls again in the future. Leaving training was sad, but I think we are all ready for the next step and for our work in Togo to really begin. The next two years are going to go so fast; I can’t believe it’s almost October already. Time seems to be flying by.

New Neighbors

 “Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family.
Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.”
–Jane Howard

When I returned to my host family after being in Lome for a couple of days, I discovered that a new family had moved into one of the rooms in the compound. There are seven rooms in the compound. When I first arrived, my host mother told me that she grew up here. Her father had four wives, and with them fathered 24 children. At first I thought I had heard her wrong, but no, no, she assured me that there were 24 and they all lived in this compound. Throughout my time here some of these siblings and half-siblings have stopped by to introduce themselves and say hello. It was sometimes hard to tell if these visitors were, in fact, her half-siblings or if she was simply introducing them as brothers and sisters, using terms of endearment. The concept of family is different here, and it’s been a little confusing to distinguish between exactly who are relatives and who are close friends.

The new family of four moved into the room two doors down from me. One obvious thing that is apparent here, and will probably make going back to the U.S. a little jarring, is the reality that people really don’t need much. In Togo a family of four is perfectly capable of living in one bedroom. It is hard for me to imagine myself growing up in one room with all my siblings and parents.

I quickly became fond of the two new little kids, Majua, 5 and Espoir, 2. Little Espoir is absolutely adorable. Espoir means “hope” in French. One morning I gave the two of them some extra oatmeal; my host mom always cooks too much and at every meal I end up giving food to the children. I’ve never fed a baby before, but I’ve seen people do that thing where they pretend the spoon is an airplane or a bee flying towards the baby’s mouth. I tried it out and everyone loved it. Little Espoir, who is hard to make laugh or smile, giggled every time!

This probably sounds trivial, but as someone who doesn’t have a lot of experience around babies, this was the highlight of my week! I’m going to miss these new neighbors when I leave, and I will always remember how perfectly happy and content they were in their tiny home. True joy in life isn't found in material things, but from the people who surround you.

50th Anniversary Peace Corps Togo

“When President Kennedy founded the Peace Corps in 1961, he saw it as a bold experiment in public service that would unite our nation’s highest ideals with a pragmatic approach to bettering the lives of ordinary people around the world. He also saw it as an investment in our own future, in an increasingly interdependent world. In the years since, it’s paid off many times over.” –William Clinton

Last night I was officially sworn in as a Peace Corps volunteer! It was awesome! This year our group of Peace Corps Trainees was a special one, because it is Peace Corps’ 50^th Anniversary in Togo. Volunteers first came to Togo in 1962 and have been working in Togo ever since, without any breaks. To mark such a special event, our swear-in ceremony was at the Palais de Congres in Lome, the capital of Togo. Usually the ceremony is either at the U.S. Ambassador’s house or the Peace Corps Country Director’s house. There were a lot of people attending the ceremony; current volunteers, all Peace Corps in-country staff members, members from all of our host-families, U.S. diplomats from the Embassy, and reporters with news cameras. There were also a few special guests, including a top Ministry official of Togo, the U.S. Ambassador to Togo, the first Peace Corps Togo volunteer from back in 1962, and the Peace Corps Regional Director, Dick Day, who flew in from D.C. just for this special occasion.

In the middle of the great speeches by these V.I.P.s, there was a part when all the new volunteers went on stage and, using local languages of Togo, introduced themselves and said which town they will be volunteering in. For my part, I spoke in Ewe, the popular local language of southern Togo and Ghana. “nkonye enye Emily Brown. Mawodo le Kpalime. Akpe na mi. Nunyuie wola fe ta meyi na to oo.” My name is Emily Brown. I will work in Kpalime. The last two sentences roughly translate into “thank you” and to a Togolese proverb meaning “One will never forget the work of the people who work to do good here.” I was a little nervous, but from the cheers and laughs I received at the end of my proverb, I knew that everyone understood what I said.

After the ceremony was over, a few of us were interviewed in French by a television news station. I was a bit nervous, but I think I spoke well, and I had fun with the reporter and cameraman doing the little interview. After the ceremony was over, we had a party at our hotel with all the current volunteers. It was great to meet these members of our Peace Corps Togo family and enjoy a night with American music and dancing. This was a special day and a landmark in my life that I will never forget.