Bumps in the Road

"It's not just songs and glamour. It's sweat, blood, 

broken toes, and mistakes...It's life." ~Mary J. Blige

Illness in the Peace Corps is very common, and frankly, I expected to get sick like most volunteers do with Giardia, amoebas, or even malaria. When my mom calls me or emails me she doesn’t ask “How are you feeling” or “Have you been sick?” She asks me “How are your toes?” It seems that my feet, specifically my toes, have not been agreeing with my life in Togo.

The first sign of problems came last September, when my feet were getting cut up by my running shoes every day. Sore toes, bleeding heels, so I decided to switch to different shoes, but this just resulted in both big toenails turning purple and blue. About one month later one of them fell off, and a few months after that I lost the other one. In December the right toe became infected, which led to a course of antibiotics. In March that same toe became infected again. Then just a few weeks ago, a third infection! This time even after antibiotics, it was still red and sore.... diagnosis was that my brand new toenail was growing back ingrown. This brings me to today, one of my WORST visits to a doctor.

Don't get me wrong, Peace Corps Medical Officers are amazing at what they do. They take care of the volunteers so well. This is the best medical care I’ve ever had in my life. I mean, how many people have a doctor who knows all about their medical history and who is available 24/7, only a phone call away, whenever you need to talk to them? Today I left super early in the morning to travel down to Lome to get the ingrown section of my new toenail removed. I know a few family members who’ve had this done, so I thought it would be no big deal. Last summer I had to have my whole foot numbed to remove about 30 sea urchin spines from the bottom (my souvenir from traveling in Turkey). Compared to that, I thought this would be easy.

The moment the shot of anesthesia hit my blood stream, I was ready to hurl. Thankfully, I didn’t have any breakfast today, because I just felt awful, closed my eyes and kept thinking “Emily, don’t throw up, don’t throw up, don’t throw up.” Then my ears started ringing and I couldn’t hear anything, so I thought I was going to pass out. They waved something in front of my nose, which made the nausea stop. The toe is pretty hard to inject, so about halfway through the syringe just exploded and the anesthetic flew everywhere. While the doctor had to go get another one, the needle end was stuck in my toe, just chillin there. As the doctor was cutting down my toenail to the root she said “This is too easy, the whole nail is dead.” So she decided to remove the entire toenail. Unfortunately, since the anesthesia was administered on the left, ingrown side of the nail, I was able to feel the pain of the right side getting pulled out.

Now here I am, 10 months in Togo, back to square one, with no toenail again. I have to remind myself to look on the bright side. With the wide array of possible diseases and illnesses in Africa, I will be LUCKY if my toenails are my only problem, and overall, I’m very grateful to have the PCMOs. They are like our little guardian angels, guiding us through all the bumps in the road, on this incredible life adventure.

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!

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!