Bonsoir Finally

“Where you come from does matter --
but not nearly as much as where you are headed.”

― Jodi Picoult

Bonsoir tout le monde! Sorry for the delay, but I’ve been REALLY busy these last few weeks. I want you all to know that training is going well, and I love the volunteers I’m with. My days are usually packed! If you’ve been wondering what my life has been like so far, here is a typical weekday for me.

1. 5:20am go for a run (get called “Yovo” by every kid I see!)

2. Breakfast after my bucket shower

3. Two training sessions, each 2 hours long

4. 2.5 hour break for lunch and to relax

5. 3 more hours of training

6. Hang out with friends, go home, take another bucket shower

7. Dinner with my host mom (I usually hope for rice because it is safe and makes me feel at home)

8. Hang out at the bar my family runs, read, journal, do homework, listen to music, etc.

busy, busy, busy!

Because I am an English and Gender Education volunteer and will be an English teacher at a CEG(middle school), I am becoming certified TEFL International. The training is great, but I feel a little rushed. I hope that by the end I don’t feel inadequate to the other teachers in my school who have been teaching for years. TEFL International certification can be expensive, so I’m VERY thankful for the free education, especially because this could open up doors for me in the future.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I’ve survived my first mystery illness! I’ve never felt so sick in my life. It started one morning at 6am (vomiting and diarrhea), my fever spiked up to 102F, I joined the Peace Corps Level 10 Club*, and by 2pm I was sent to Lome to stay overnight at the Peace Corps Medical Unit because I got to a point when I wasn’t able to keep down any fluids, even just a few sips of water. I was finally able to keep down some water at about 5pm that day, after taking an amazing purple pill that settled my empty stomach enough for water. Nothing came up on the tests, so it must have been some type of stomach bug. I’m feeling a lot better now and hope it is a long time until I get sick again!

The day after this bout of illness was the day I found out my post! Ready? For the next two years I will be living in Kpalime! Kpalime (pronounced Pah-Lee-MAY) is the fourth largest city in Togo, with approximately 96,000 residents. It is located in the Plateaux region of Togo, which is known for being very mountainous. Kpalime is near the border with Ghana and is a big tourist destination in Togo. My host mom calls Kpalime “petit Paris” because it is beautiful and the most European city in Togo. I’m not kidding myself, living in Kpalime will be nothing like it was, living in Paris, but I’m happy that I will be living in a cultural center in Togo. I’ve heard that Kpalime is surrounded by mountains, it rains a lot, and the weather is milder than other places. Woo! So it’s the Seattle of Togo? Haha. Every post comes with its pros and cons, but I’m relieved to be living in a city that is used to white people and foreigners coming through, that is easily accessible, and where I will have electricity and running water. In addition to teaching at a private school, I’m looking forward to collaborating with other NGOs already established in the area to promote gender equality in Togo.

Well this blog seems to be going long, so I’ll try to wrap it up. Once I get an internet key I will be online much more often. I just wanted to let you all know I am happy and really enjoying myself. Aside from random people yelling  “Yovo!” (white person) when I pass by, the Togolese people are very friendly and smiley. I’ve been running like usual, reading, going on long bike rides, watching movies, spending fun nights with friends, hanging out with my three little sisters, and really enjoying my time here. I miss everyone back home, but I’m also very excited about the future, making a new home for myself in Kpalime, and bonding with my Peace Corps family here in Togo. Au revoir! Miagadogo!

*For Peace Corps, diarrhea is rated on a scale from 1-10. Level 10 is the point when it’s just brown liquid. Joining the Level 10 Club happens when the diarrhea is so uncontrollable that you poop your pants. Welcome to Africa :/