Checking In

"We cannot hold a torch to light another's path without brightening our own."

- Ben Sweetland

Hi everyone! Just wanted to let you know that everything is going well in Kpalime! Time seems to be flying by here; I can't believe it's already the third week of classes. I'm having fun getting to know the students and staff members at my school. I am teaching one 5eme English class, which I think is the equivalent to 6th or 7th grade in the United States. These are two of my students, Kpante and Iros. Contrary to their expressions, they are two very nice boys; the Togolese never smile in photos.  I'm the only teacher in my school who is learning my students' first names. Usually teachers here only use students' last names, but that would be hard for me, because some have long and complicated last names. It wasn't easy at first.... I am horrible with names, but I've now finally learned them all by heart. I was quite nervous about teaching before the school year started, but I'm starting to feel more confident. My students are awesome, and teaching is getting easier and easier with each class. 

Cathedral of the Holy Spirit

“When the missionaries came to Africa , they had the Bible and we had the land.

They said "Let us pray." We closed our eyes. When we opened them,

we had the Bible and they had the land."

- Desmond Tutu

The religious people of Togo are 29% Christian, 20% Muslim, and 51% indigenous beliefs. This was back-to-church Sunday for me. I decided to attend mass for the first time here in Togo. Cathedrale Saint-Esprit is a large Roman Catholic church in Kpalime that I always see when I’m biking into town. It was built in 1913, when ‘Togoland’ was under German rule. With its traditional, tall steeple, you can easily see it from a distance.

Like everything else in Togo, I had no idea what to expect from Sunday Mass. When I studied abroad in Paris, I went to St. Sulpice to check out the service and hear the incredible organ playing. The mass was basically the same as any other I had attended. This time it was different….much more traditional. The service lasted two hours, with the first 30 minutes standing, complete with holy water showers and incense.

                                                                                                                                                                 
Apart from the incredible length of the service, I did enjoy it. Arriving a little early, we secured seats in one of the last pews, which created a perfect view of everything going on. I absolutely LOVED the singing. It was not like a gospel choir; they sang traditional Catholic hymns, but they were WONDERFUL. The church's interior style and decoration was beautiful. The first thing I noticed while walking in was that there was no typical Jesus nailed to the cross behind the altar, but instead, a happy-looking Jesus with his arms out, as if he was saying “Welcome, sit down, relax,” like a gracious host.

Sunday mornings are definitely a time for people-watching in Kpalime. People entering the church were all wearing their ‘Sunday best.’ Everyone decked out in their finest, sitting inside a beautiful church was a pretty stunning sight. I definitely stuck out like a sore thumb…..not just because I was the only white person, duh, but because I was wearing pants. Epic fail. I wasn’t trying to make a fashion statement, it’s just that I hate trying to get onto the back of a motorcycle in a skirt or dress. Every time I try, I feel like I’m going to end up flashing the world. Still, while living here in Kpalime, in what seems like a world away from home, it is comforting to find things to add to my routine that are even remotely familiar, so I think I will try to make this church a part of my weekly schedule. 

Tuning In

“It's not true I had nothing on, I had the radio on.”
Marilyn Monroe



My Sony World Band short wave radio is my new best friend. Every morning from about 6:30-7:30am, my neighbors in the compound behind me listen to French news radio. While I’m stretching after my morning run, I listen in and sometimes turn on my radio to the same station to follow along while I get ready for school.

To mix things up, last night I decided to finally crack open my radio’s handbook to figure out how to find other international radio stations. After lots of adjusting, I was finally able to hear news in English for the first time in three months!! YAY! Unfortunately, my handbook only had the channels listed for one station in each country, so I ended up listening to the Voice of America, and later, BBC.

Highlights from last night’s news:
• Anticipation and speculation about the televised debate for the U.S. presidential election.(so bummed that I can’t watch this!)
• Rioting in Tehran, Iran’s economic problems, and the rial plunging to record lows.
• The French government’s new anti-terrorism law, making terrorist attacks committed abroad punishable in France.
• The ongoing conflict in Syria and the mortar shelling on the border with Turkey.
• Conflict in Egypt over their new constitution and proposed restrictions on women’s rights.

I tend to get addicted to news stations. In America I think I watched MSNBC more than any other channel, spent more time on the Huffington Post than on Facebook, and at WSU I religiously picked up a free New York Times every morning on my way to class. I’ve completely devoured every news magazine my family has sent me. Yeah, I’m a nerdy news junkie.

Tuning in to the radio here is the best way to get instant updates on what’s going on in the world. It keeps me feeling connected, keeps me sane, and helps cut down on the loneliness. There is also occasionally some entertainment, with special, random stories like the one the BBC aired this morning about a new museum in Croatia that displays things left behind after romantic relationships have ended. Haha. Hey, when it’s all you’ve got, it’s better than nothing.
Hello out there…….

Keeping it Simple

"You will probably need this information

when you check me into the Betty Crocker Clinic."

~Cynthia Nixon

Okay, so I know I said I was going to try to break out of my shell in the cooking arena and try not to get stuck in a rut like I normally do. Well too late… I’m in the rut. Cooking and preparing food is not really fun like it can be back home. It is a chore. It’s not just a question of what I want to eat. (What I’m really craving is salmon, but that’s not going to happen). Instead, it’s more a question about little details like: Is the water clean? Are there bugs in my rice? Are there rocks in the beans or the rice? Are the vegetables clean? Have they been in the bleach water for 15 minutes? Do I have the right ingredients? If not, is it even possible to find them in Togo? Will this make me sick?

Then, of course, there is the bothersome task of doing the dishes. Normally I LOVE to do dishes….weird, but true. I actually don’t mind after-meal cleanup, mostly because I’m a neat freak and really can’t bring myself to leave a kitchen with a sink full of dirty dishes. I know they will just sit there and eventually make the room smell. It’s much easier to bite the bullet and just do the darn dishes! However, now dishwashing is another monster all together. With no kitchen sink, I wash them in a bucket, afterwards, dumping the gross, dirty water outside in my compound.

The hassle of cooking has created some weird eating habits for me, but anything that is easy and minimal means fewer dishes! For example, today I ate popcorn for breakfast and lunch. Last night I had a can of sardines for dinner. These are foods that are easy and safe. You can never be too sure here. Just yesterday I had surprise diarrhea attacks, which I’m sure were probably from the apple I ate for breakfast. I miss the fresh fruits and vegetables from the market back home, but here you can never completely trust that the produce you eat today won’t have you running to the nearest bathroom tomorrow. So I guess I am back in my rut….looking forward to some of those freeze-dried hiking meals my family is planning to mail to me….just add boiling water? Yes! I can do that.