Life Lesson

"A hundred years from now, it will not matter what kind of car I drove,

what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in the bank...

but the world may be a better place because I made a difference

in the life of a child."   ~Forest Witcraft

This has been a pretty heartbreaking week at my school. Over the weekend one of our teachers was in an accident in Kpalime and died at the scene. My school is a primary and a middle school. The teacher who died was the director of the primary school. I may not have known this teacher very well on a personal level, but I always enjoyed his company. The last time I saw him was on Friday afternoon, while I was waiting for our English film program to start, (we watched Spiderman), and he was waiting for a meeting to start with the PTA committee. He was a very kind person and a wonderful teacher.

Yesterday I attended the funeral along with the teachers and students from our school. I was amazed at how many people were there. The funeral was held at his family home. There must have been about 200 people there, maybe a little more. The Togolese seem to have stronger connections to their acquaintances and neighbors than we do in America. They look after one another over here and communities are close, like a large family. At the funeral the casket was carried in by some students, and friends and family were given an opportunity to go into a small room where the casket was, to say goodbye. After a few words were said by close friends, the casket was put back into the taxi to head to the cemetery. I joined the crowd of students and many others, walking behind the taxi as it made its way to the cemetery, about two miles away. 

Witnessing the grief felt by everyone surrounding me was very hard. Women were sobbing, wailing, and crying out with sadness. People here are not afraid to show their emotions in public during times of sorrow. I tried to focus on remembering how happy he was the last time I saw him, his big smile, always making people laugh. It’s clear to me why so many attended his funeral. He made a positive difference in the lives of others. He was a kindred spirit, a great teacher, and a friend.

Aloha Cousins!

"Mele Kalikimaka"

I just returned from a short trip back to the United States to attend my sister’s wedding in Hawaii. I had an AMAZING time. When I first left for Togo, I told my family that I didn't think I would make it to the wedding, but along the way I changed my mind, with a little convincing from my parents. I am so thankful now that I did.

We had a wonderful week in Hawaii. My sister’s wedding was awesome. She got married at Paradise Cove on Oahu, and for the reception we all went to a luau. It was the best reception I’ve ever been to, probably because it didn’t feel like a wedding reception. It was more like a big party with awesome food and fun activities for everyone to enjoy. I’m usually not a huge fan of traditional weddings; they are so predictable, but this blew all other weddings away.

our little cabin by the beach

The rest of the week we spent exploring the island of Oahu. One thing I love about Oahu is the diversity of activities there are. If you want to enjoy the shopping and nightlife of a big city, you can visit Honolulu and Waikiki. There are also dozens of hikes on the island where you can explore rainforests or even the bamboo forests. If you like history, check out Pearl Harbor. And of course, there's the beautiful shoreline all around the island where you can swim, surf, or snorkel.

My favorite region of Oahu is the eastern side. It’s known as the windward side of the island and also gets the most rain, about 170 inches per year. The lush mountains, the beautiful sandy beaches, and the small town feel are what attract me to this area. My family spent Christmas day on this side of the island.

In the morning we made our way up to the Pali lookout in the mountains. It was dumping rain, but some of us decided to run out in the downpour and check it out anyway. We were absolutely SOAKED and probably looked like we were crazy, but we still had a great time. This is the site of a battle where Kamehameha and his men drove 400 warriers off the cliff to their death, 1000 feet below. Kamehameha then became King Kamehameha, the first king of the Hawaiian Islands.

Our first stop on the eastern coast was at the Byodo-In Japanese Temple at the Valley of the Temples. This temple was featured on an episode of LOST when Jin and Sun got married. All the scenes in LOST were filmed on Oahu, even the scenes set in Japan, California, or the Middle East. The temple was very peaceful and calm. It was built in the 1960s to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii. It is a half-size replica of the Byodo-In temple in Uji, Japan.

Making our way down the coast, we passed through President Obama’s hometown of Kailua. We even saw secret service on boats and his road blocked off. So cool!!

Our last stop on Christmas Day was to Lanikai beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. I’ve never seen anything like it. The fine, light sand and clear water made me feel like I was in Bora Bora. The beach is only .5 miles long and with no parking lot or amenities, it’s not crowded like some public beaches on the island. 

So after about 36 hours of traveling, I'm back in Togo. It was hard to say goodbye again to everyone, but I'm very happy that I went. It was the best Christmas EVER. 

Batik

“When women thrive, all of society benefits,

and succeeding generations are given a better start in life.”

~Kofi Annan

I recently had a handbag made for me and I love it so much I wanted to post it. I live about two minutes away from a woman named Chantal, who makes beautiful batik fabric and also sews clothes. My site mate, another Peace Corps Volunteer in the Small Enterprise Development program, works with Chantal on improving her business. I’m over at her house often. Her family is very welcoming and I love hanging out with them. Watching the batik process is one of my favorite things to do there. Everything is hand made; the patterns are not printed on, but each is hand stamped with hot wax to create the colorful patterns. 

First they stamp or paint plain white cotton with hot wax. Then, they put the cloth into a bath of dye. The fabric that is not stamped will turn to the color of the die, while the stamped fabric will stay lighter or white. To make the fabrics that have two colors. First you die the fabric one color. After it is dry you then stamp the fabric with a pattern. The parts stamped will stay that color. So, during the next bath of dye, only the parts of fabric that aren't stamped with wax will change color. It is much more complicated than just printing patterns onto fabric, but I think this process is part of what makes the fabric special. No yard of batik will be exactly the same as another.  

The Peace Corps works with women, encouraging them to stay in school and learn about running their own businesses, empowering them to succeed, because studies show that when women are successful, it benefits the rest of the community. Chantal's business, Aklala Batik du Togo, is an example of that success.

Here is a link to a blog about her work:   http://aklala.blogspot.com/   
Also check out Facebook - Aklala Batik du Togo