Back to Reality

“The only thing constant in life is change.” –Francois de la Rochefoucauld

Today I’m headed back to training after my post visit week. I had a great time exploring Kpalime and getting acquainted with my new home. In just three short weeks I’m going to be back there for good. Even though I was only in Kpalime for a week, I already miss the city, my house, my morning running loop, my neighbors, the Belgian restaurant, etc. During our nearly 4-hour road trip to Atakpame yesterday, I was listening to the Dave Matthews Band for a solid two hours. This brought back memories of my road trips across Washington State in August, heading back to school at WSU.

It’s strange to think how different my life is now than it was one year ago. In August 2011, I was headed back to WSU for the first time since December 2010, because I spent the spring semester studying in Paris. I had just finished my interview at the Peace Corps offices in Westlake Center in Seattle two weeks before, and was waiting to hear about my nomination. Life was predictable, returning to school and my work as a barista, making coffees for all those caffeine-addicted Washingtonians. I was setting up my “room with a view” of downtown Pullman, making trips to the Bookie, and getting excited for classes to start. What a difference a year can make.

In Togo I will also be taking long road trips, such as today, with one difference being four hours of constant potholes. I am still faced with questions about the unknown, but my future for the next two years also has some certainties. I will be living in Kpalime, teaching English, and working to promote gender equality in my community. These are definite, concrete descriptions, but who knows what challenges I will encounter in the process of trying to achieve these goals. I can imagine that teaching will be rewarding in the end, but from the experiences I’ve observed in my sister’s classroom, I know about the unexpected things that are bound to happen during class. Working to promote gender equality will also be challenging. I expect that it will be difficult to introduce new ideas into this established culture, and I won’t be able to change the attitudes of people overnight. I plan to stay focused on my school community by working with the students, forming school clubs that will promote gender equality, and encouraging young girls to stay in school and reach for the stars!

My last year of college was amazing, filled with some of the best times ever, but I'm guessing that these next two years may be the most rewarding two years of my life. I already feel that I’m going to personally grow and evolve a lot during my time working in Togo. Fun fact: Except for my hometown of Gig Harbor, I’ve noticed that all  the other cities I’ve lived in have started with a "P." Pullman, Paris, Kpalime (the K is silent). This is a good sign! My life has changed so much in the last year; I’m excited to see what the next year will bring. To all my friends at WSU: I miss you! Have a great school year and GO COUGS!!