Troubles in Togo

 "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance." ~Derek Bok

This has been a very challenging week for both the United States, with the bombings in Boston, and Togo, with their strikes and demonstrations gone awry. Monday was a tough day for both countries. Here in Togo, a student protest up in the northern regional capitol of Dapaong turned ugly when a 12-year-old boy was killed by Togolese security forces. The boy, Ephrem Tsikplonou, was shot at a demonstration where students were seeking better working conditions for their teachers. There have also been large protests in southern Togo; thousands of students marched in the streets of Lome to demand better conditions for teachers. Togolese students are fighting for their education. 

Teachers have been on strike since last Thursday and the government has shut down all public and private schools in Togo since yesterday until further notice. For years, teachers in Togo have been demanding a salary increase and better work conditions, but these demands have not been answered.  "The education system in Togo has suffered from teacher shortages, lower educational quality in rural areas, and high repetition and dropout rates. Most of the schools in Togo have little in the way of equipment, no electricity, and the language spoken in the classroom is the second or even third language for most children. Despite these difficulties, literacy rates are among the highest in Africa." 
- The Huffington Post

I teach at a private school in Kpalime, so normally the strikes don't affect us. In my conversations with the teachers at my school it seems that a pattern has emerged in Togo with regard to teachers' strikes: 1) The teachers go on strike demanding a pay increase 2) The government negotiates and promises an increase 3) The teachers go back to work, believing that the government will do what they promised 4) The government ends up not giving the teachers the pay increase that they demanded 5) A few months later, the teachers demand a pay increase, go on strike, and the pattern starts all over again. 

This has been going on for years, but it seems like this time the teachers are finally sticking to their guns and not going back until they see results. This is just what I've been hearing from friends in Kpalime. Who knows? Maybe teachers will be back in school next week or maybe this will go on for weeks. I've come to learn the meaning of patience in Togo. Always expect the unexpected. You never really know what is going to happen so you just have to "roll with it."

World Wise Schools

“We live now in a global village and we are in one single family. 

It’s our responsibility to bring friendship and love from all different places 

around the world and to live together in peace.” - Jackie Chan, Actor

My students are very happy about receiving their letters

One project I have been running since last fall is organizing a Pen Pal program between my students here in Kpalime and my sister’s fifth grade class back in the United States. There are about 55 Togolese students participating with 60 American students. At my private school the class sizes are much smaller than in public school systems, so I have four classes here in Kpalime exchanging letters with two American classes at my sister's school.

I can’t speak to the reaction the American students have had toward our pen pal exchange, but my Togolese students are loving it! When I gave out the letters and pictures, mayhem broke out during the snack break. All the students were running around, comparing pen pals and gawking at the cool, funky pictures some of the students had drawn for them. They are very impressed with the appearance of the American students and like the idea of no school uniforms, haha. One of my students, Eric, came up to me asking why his pen pal had pink cheeks. I went on to explain how white people can get “rosy cheeks” sometimes in winter when they come inside from the cold, but I don’t think the point was really understood.

Although I arranged this exchange on my own with my sister, the Peace Corps encourages all volunteers to do similar exchanges. The Peace Corps’ Paul D. Coverdell World Wise Schools program works to match Peace Corps volunteers with schools in the United States. Not only is this a great opportunity for my students to come in contact with American students, but it is an opportunity for American students to learn about the people, geography, environment, and culture of a different part of the world. This is a project that I definitely plan on continuing throughout my service. 

If you would like more information about the program, or you are an educator who is interested in getting involved in an exchange with a current Peace Corps Volunteer, visit this website: http://wws.peacecorps.gov/wws/correspond/about.cfm

Fresh Starts, New Beginnings

"From the end spring new beginnings."
~Pliny the Elder

View from the front door of my new house

Wow, it has been a long time since I’ve posted on here. Sorry, I actually forgot I had a blog for a while there. It’s been a crazy month and now with school starting up again tomorrow, there’s no end soon. After returning from my travels up north, I came back to Kpalime, and about a week and a half later, I moved to a new house. At the old place there were too many security issues, so Peace Corps people in Lome decided it was time to relocate. I tried to ignore the problems for a while, but in the end I think the move was inevitable and I’m very happy with my new place. I’m still surprised how fast everything went. I packed up all my belongings in one day, and just two days later was hauling it all into a truck and unpacking in my new house. Moving was a little stressful, especially keeping it a secret from my neighbor, but now I am here and feeling at peace.

Just a couple days after the move, about 10 volunteers came to visit Kpalime over Spring Break. It was nice to finally have visitors! We went up into the mountains one day and toured a coffee producer's land. It was absolutely beautiful. The drive up, on the back of a moto, was a little scary, due to the conditions of the roads, but the scenery was gorgeous, like something out of a movie. We hit up some of the better restaurants in the area that I have been waiting to visit with  friends. I had a great time showing everyone around, and I can’t wait for more visitors!

Chantal's boys in their matching outfits for Easter

I almost forgot, Happy Easter everyone!! Easter here is quite a celebration. Every holiday includes bold new pagne outfits, new hair weaves, and lots of dancing, drinking, and singing. I never really thought of Easter as a party, but it sure is one here in Togo. This marked my fifth Easter in a row away from home, so when I was asked about what my family does for Easter in the United States, it took me a while to remember. I tried to explain the Easter Bunny a few times, but in the end I think people just thought I was crazy. While at a friend’s house yesterday, another volunteer and I showed the kids how to dye eggs with an egg dyeing kit sent from America. I also showed them how to blow the egg out of its shell, which they thought was pretty funny.

After a whirlwind week and a half, I’m finally settling down in my new place and getting prepared for the last trimester of the school year.... looking forward to summer and all the projects coming along with it. 

Women Hold Up Half The Sky

 "It is impossible to realize our goals while discriminating against 

half the human race. As study after study has taught us, there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women."  ~Kofi Annan

I’m back! It feels like I’ve been away from Kpalime for a long time. The last two weeks were spent traveling up north. First, I attended my final In-Service Training with fellow volunteers. This time every volunteer also brought along one of their work partners from their town. I brought my school director with me, and I think he had a great time. It was so much fun to reconnect with friends again and hear how everyone is doing.

After the IST was over, I stayed in Pagala at the Peace Corps center for Contact Volunteer training. Contact Volunteers are usually near large cities or the regional capitals, and we essentially are a link between the Peace Corps Security staff in Lome and the volunteers in our area. For example, as a Contact Volunteer I notify PCVs in my area about any security issues or things to watch out for, like the recent travel ban placed on Burkina Faso, our neighbor to the north. During times when there are serious security concerns throughout the whole country, sometimes volunteers need to consolidate. There are several consolidation points in Togo, I think about nine. Each Contact Volunteer plays an important role when this happens. All volunteers in their area or “cluster” join them at their house and await further instructions. Fortunately, Peace Corps Togo has never had to consolidate in all of its 50 years. The worst it has ever gotten to is the Standfast level, which means volunteers have to stay in their village and pack a bag just in case they need to consolidate.

After this training, I left Pagala and headed north into the Kara region, to the regional capital of Kara, for the National Women's Wellness and Empowerment Conference. The journey north was pretty crazy. I was sitting in the back row on a bench that wasn't bolted down to the car. So whenever we hit a large bump, the whole bench would slide forward and Alex and I would have to sit up and push the bench back. Ha! This made for an interesting ride and lightened the mood. Traveling up a mountain in Kara, I think I saw about five 18-wheelers turned over on their side, and on my return trip I saw four more on the same road. One of the semi trucks was carrying oil, which seemed to run all the way down the mountain. As we were descending, we watched people alongside the road trying to collect the oil using sponges and squeezing out the oil into containers. 

Working at this conference was one of the best experiences I have had so far in Togo. There were about 35 women from all over the country there. Peace Corps volunteers and counterparts gave presentations on many issues, such as nutrition, self-confidence, reproductive health, family planning, stress, food security, income generating activities, etc. I presented on two subjects: public speaking and financial planning. This was a fun week, filled with lots of activities, such as a Spa Party where we gave the women manicures, pedicures, facials, and massages. We also started every morning with a little exercise, and  introduced the women to yoga and Zumba. They loved it. My favorite was International Women's Day. All the women and volunteers participated in a march through Kara, singing and dancing. Then the women, themselves, presented to women from the neighborhood on a variety of topics, providing information they had acquired during the conference. It was wonderful to see all they had learned and to watch them present with such confidence and pride. It was an incredible week, and I was pretty bummed when it was over. 

On the return trip home I stayed at the Peace Corps' house in Atakpame for one night, where I borrowed lots of books for my down time. For the last leg of my trip back, I took the miserable, yet beautiful, direct road to Kpalime. I think it's possibly the worst road in the country, 3.5 hours of potholes. On top of that, in traditional Togo fashion, I was jammed in the back row of a five-person car with three other people and there were four people in the front, two sharing the driver's seat and two sharing the passenger's seat. So there were eight people riding in a five-person car. This is completely normal here. Usually the taxi drivers won't want to leave the city until the car is completely full like this. Finally, journey's end, here I am, ready to grade my students’ end-of-trimester exams. These are exams written by the government, so I’m expecting poor results, but maybe I will be pleasantly surprised. Back to the routine of my life here in Kpalime.

Showtime!

"Movies are like magic tricks." ~ Jeff Bridges

One of my favorite school programs that I have started is Film Fridays. Every other week at our school we show an American film using a projector and a white sheet. Every movie is viewed in English with French subtitles. This gives the students an opportunity to hear American English and learn about American culture. Usually about 30-40 students show up for our afternoon cinema. It's great to hear the students repeat what was said in the movie to themselves in English. This definitely adds a little more fun to the often difficult process of learning a new language.

 

So far the students’ favorites are Spiderman and Jumanji. I love seeing their reactions to the films. They don’t hide their feelings, making noisy comments with lots of "ooohs" and "aaahs" throughout the movie. Jumanji got some very funny responses from my students. Seeing African animals in a movie that was set in the United States was just fascinating to them. I don’t think they understood that the animals on film were added with special effects. It is so fun to watch them watching these movies. Good times for all and a very Happy Friday!

21 Questions

"My formula for living is quite simple. 

I get up in the morning and I go to bed at night. 

In between, I occupy myself as best I can."

~Cary Grant 

I have so many people ask me questions about my life here in Kpalime. Here are a few answers for my friends back home. I miss you!

Do you live in a mud hut?

Haha No, I don’t live in a mud hut. I live in a two-bedroom, one-bathroom house that is part of a compound with two other homes. We have a tall wall with a locked entry that separates us from the street and other neighbors.

Do you have electricity and running water?

Yes!! I am very lucky that I live in Kpalime, the fourth largest city in Togo, which has these amenities. The electricity is not always reliable; it shuts off for a couple of hours now and then. Inside the house my only water sources are my shower and a tiny little bathroom sink that you can barely wash a mug in. I get the bulk of my water for doing dishes, laundry and filling my water filter from a spigot outside.

How do you access the internet?

I access the internet with my Togocell internet key, which is a USB stick that contains a sim card. The sim card works just like a phone sim card. When I plug in the key to my computer I can get internet access anywhere there is good Togocell reception. Unlimited access for 30 days costs 15,000cfa, equivalent to 30USD.

How's the weather?

In Kpalime it is hot and humid. The southern part of Togo is very humid and it gets drier and drier as you head north. We are now in the hot season, and the combination of heat and humidity is not fun. I depend on my fan and I wake up every morning sweaty. The rainy season will begin in April and continue on until October.

How do you wash your clothes?

Ugh, this is my least favorite chore. I will never, ever again take for granted the wonderful machines we have back home that do the work for us. I usually do laundry once a week. I put my clothes into a big bucket. Then I mix in powder detergent, add a bucket full of water, mix up the water and clothes, and let the clothes soak for about an hour. The next thing I do is scrub the clothes, focusing on the stinky/dirty areas. Then I rinse the clothes twice, using two other buckets. Finally, I hang my clothes up on the lines and wait. Since it’s so hot here it doesn’t take too long to dry.

How do you cook your food?

Most volunteers cook using a gas stovetop. I have a gas tank that sits on the ground and is attached to a portable stovetop on my counter with a tube. Most Togolese people cook using charcoal stoves that are made out of clay.

What kinds of food do you eat?

I eat a lot of sardines, eggs, and beans. In Kpalime there are many vegetables and fruits too. Bananas are plentiful here. I also like to go to the market to buy cucumbers, green beans, and avocadoes. The only tricky thing is buying lettuce; unless you plan on eating it in the next four or five hours, it’s not a good idea because it wilts pretty fast in the heat.

What’s the strangest food you have eaten?

So far I have avoided some of the local delicacies, like dog, cat, snake, etc. I haven’t been very adventurous in that area, for obvious health reasons. Frankly, I’m not embarrassed to refuse something weird if it means preventing me from having lots of diarrhea. I think that pate is pretty strange to me and its variations. Pate is this white glob of carbs that you dip in a sauce. It’s made from corn flour and water, boiled and stirred into a thick, mashed potato consistency.  

What is a typical monthly living allowance?

Every month volunteers receive 140,000cfa (280USD). This is transferred to our Togo bank accounts that we set up during our training period. My bank is called EcoBank. Kpalime’s bank has an ATM machine, so that’s how I get my money.

What can you buy for one U.S. dollar?

For $1 you can honestly buy quite a bit. 1USD is roughly equivalent to 500cfa. Here are some examples of what you can buy for 500cfa: 5 eggs, 5 avocadoes, one (very large) beer, 1.5 liter water bottle, a hamburger, 10 large beignets, 5 servings of beans, and much more.

Have you been sick?

I was sick once during my training in Tsevie, which I mentioned in a previous blog. I have not suffered any illness since my arrival to Kpalime, besides a couple of really bad colds, which I think were due to traveling.

Are there clothing restrictions?

Placing restrictions on what I wear out in public makes life easier for me, to avoid harassment. As a white woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, I do what I can to avert attention. I don’t wear sleeveless tops often, and I never wear anything above the knee in public. In general people here don’t wear clothes that expose their knees. With tops, sleeveless is okay, but spaghetti straps are not.

What language do your neighbors speak?

Since I live relatively in the south of Togo, where the major ethnic group is the Ewe people, most of my neighbors speak Ewe. I know a little Ewe, like how to say hello, goodbye, and to introduce myself. For everything else I use French, and I never have a problem. Growing up in Kpalime, a child’s first language is Ewe, their second is French, and their third is English, starting in middle school.

How often do you leave Kpalime?

To get from Kpalime to Lome costs 2,000cfa (4USD) and takes about 2 hours. I teach 5 days a week, so I don’t travel much. I don’t travel to Lome often, because things in Lome are expensive and except for foreign cuisine in restaurants, there isn’t much in Lome that I can’t find in Kpalime. I don’t travel north very often because the road that connects me to the Route Nationale is probably one of the worst roads in Togo and it can take 4 hours to get there.

Do you get lots of mosquito bites?

I don’t. For safety reasons, I don’t go out a lot at night and with my window screens and bed net I seem to be pretty safe. I also brought lots of bug repellants with me (thanks Mom) so that when I am out at dusk, I can be protected.

What "creatures" have you encountered?
Thankfully I don’t have a bat problem in my house, although I do hear them outside at night sometimes in the mango tree. I saw a small garden snake on my neighbor’s porch last month and her friend killed it with a machete, but it wasn’t much to freak out about. The one thing I have encountered is spiders, which are huge and can jump! Yeah, so that’s pretty terrifying. I usually don’t want to get close, so I drive them out my front door with my broom.

What do you miss the most from home?
My family! We are a very close family. I tell them everything, so the first couple of months were hard for me, but thank God for the internet. Since it’s the hot season right now, I miss the Seattle rain. I miss not having to be SO worried about my health, like not having to filter water, bleach all vegetables, and take malaria pills.

Do you have time off for travel?

Yes, over my two years of service I have 48 days for travel outside of Togo. I recently used some days to go to Hawaii for my sister’s wedding and I’m planning some trips for the future.

How far away are other volunteers?

I am fortunate to have a site mate in Kpalime who only lives about a 30-minute walk away from me. My two nearest volunteer friends outside of the city are both about an hour moto ride away. There are only four volunteers in my area of western Plateau. 

How do you spend your down time?

I keep myself busy with school and planning projects. I spend every morning at my school until lunch. In my down time I read, play lots of Sudoku, listen to the radio, watch movies or TV shows on my computer and do yoga. I am also a neat freak, so I spend time organizing and cleaning.

What projects are you working on?

Currently I teach English five days a week, run weekly Girls Club meetings, English Club meetings, and English Movie Fridays at our school. I’m also planning on starting a Boys Club.  I am working my way towards two large projects for the future: I will be involved in planning a two-year English Access program at our school in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy.  I also have plans in the works to create a library for our school.  

Harmattan and Football

"Some people believe football is a matter of life and death...

it is much, much more important than that."

~Bill Shankly

Oh how the harmattan winds have been blowing! I’ve been pretty busy lately with work; so sorry that this update is a little delayed. Teaching is going very well. I’m now teaching every day of the week, which I’m really excited about. My favorite part of my day is when I walk into the classroom and get welcomed with “Good morning Miss Emily!” by my 17 awesome students.

Since the last time I blogged I think the most exciting thing that’s been happening is Togo’s amazing run in the 2013 African Cup of Nations. Les Eperviers (the Sparrow Hawks) are in the quarterfinals and playing Burkina Faso this evening. I’m sure I will hear plenty of screaming and shouts tonight as the match goes on. I can already hear people in the streets blowing vuvuzelas. People here get CRAZY after a Togo win. The parties in the street will last for hours. During the match, after every Togo goal the spectators instantly rush out of their homes, into the street to celebrate the goal with neighbors who are as excited as they are. This soccer, or "football" match is the Togo equivalent of the Super Bowl, which will be on tonight in the United States. I have to admit I’ve never really been that into watching soccer, but when in Rome…do as the Romans do. So while I’m in Togo, I will strive to become a fan. Allez les Eperviers!

This past week the harmattan winds have really settled in. They are bringing down the humidity to the point where I actually am reaching for my blanket at night, which NEVER happens. I usually sweat through the nights and wake up sweating before I even start my morning run. Also, the dust brought by the wind is pretty annoying, but thank goodness I have sunglasses. I don’t know how everyone here survives without them. It’s pretty weird to look up and not be able to see the mountains behind my house. The dust in the air has completely blocked the view. The picture below was taken in September, during the rainy season, where you can clearly see the mountains. The picture above was taken today at the same spot in my neighborhood, no mountains in sight.