May Days

"The biggest lesson from Africa was that life's joys come mostly from 

relationships and friendships, not from material things. I saw time and again 

how much fun Africans had with their families and friends, 

and on the sports fields; they laughed all the time."  -Andrew Shue

Hurray for May!!! I’ve always loved the month of May, not just because of my birthday. At home in the rainy Pacific Northwest, May is always the month where we get a small taste of summer. Unfortunately, it’s followed by the “June gloom” rain where Mother Nature reminds us “not too fast, this is the Pacific Northwest after all.”

Usually at home I wish for a sunny birthday, but in Togo I was hoping for some rain....we didn’t get any. At one point I almost forgot it was my birthday since it was just like any other day. I taught my class, went to the market, visited with my neighbors, etc. I didn’t tell anyone it was my birthday. I did get a few packages that week, so thank you Mom, Grandma, and Auntie M! My Grandma sent me dark chocolate M&Ms, which were amazing! Is that a new invention or something because I don’t remember those? I shared the big bag with my neighbor kids, who loved them. I can’t describe the look on their faces, but just imagine what a kid’s face would look like the first time they eat chocolate....pure joy and amazement.

These kids are such sweethearts. I refer to them as my Little Rascals, about 15 neighbor kids. When I get home from school there are at least three or four who run up to me screaming “Emily! Emily! Emily!” It’s quite a warm welcome. Once a girl even ran out of her compound in her towel to greet me. She had just stepped out of the shower. I think it’s become a competition between them for who can spot me first on my way home. I’ve taught them how to high five and fist bump, which has sparked another competition. As I make my way into my compound, they all want to be the last one to high five me before I close the gate. All in all, it takes a while for me to make it into my house now, but I love the company and the feeling of belonging to my neighborhood. Kpalime is a large city of about 100,000 people, so the feeling of belonging is something I never really expected to happen. Fortunately, I was wrong. Happy May Days!