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.