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.