Mes Petits Amis

"There are lives I can imagine without children, 

but none of them have the same laughter & noise." 

~ Brian Andreas 

My favorite thing to do during my free time in Togo is play with the neighbor kids, whom I refer to as my “Little Rascals.” This slideshow features all my new little friends. The first song is called “Miawo-ezon Lo-o.” This is the Ewe word for “welcome.” I am greeted with this whenever I arrive anywhere, like when I go to my favorite vegetable stand in the market or a local restaurant. People often say this to me when I’m walking down the street, because they assume that I have just arrived or am just visiting. The second song is called “Mola” and is played with a small thumb piano (kalimba), a common instrument in Africa. You can find them in most art shops in Kpalime.

When I first arrived at my new home, the little toddler in this video was afraid of me, like most babies here, because I’m white. Now whenever he sees me he shouts out “Eh ee ee,” trying to say my name. Just the other day, as I was leaving my house, he made his way over to give me a high-five and afterwards held onto my finger like he didn’t want me to leave. It was SO adorable...melted my heart.

I recently bought a soccer ball for the kids to play with, which has been a huge hit! They are crazy for soccer here. My family sent over one of our old jump ropes. I’ve tried to teach them how to jump rope, but they love playing with it in other ways. Sometimes they hold the rope up and see who can jump over it, sort of like the high jump in track. These kids are so creative and easily entertained. I recently received some crayons and coloring pages from home, so we’ll definitely be coloring a lot this summer too. My little friends here are such sweethearts. I was the youngest of four kids, growing up in my family, always hoping to be a big sister someday. Now it’s like I have ten younger siblings to laugh and play with! Life is good.