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Published: June 17th 2006
Sorry for the delay in posting a new entry. The computers in Togo are incredibly slow and we have to travel 45 minutes to get to a working internet cafe, so I may not be able to corespond as much as I had hoped, at leat until I finish training and swear in as a Peace Corps volunteers so that I can access the fast computers (and post some pictures).
The last few days have been full of excitement and adaptation and the entire group feels like e have been in Africa for weeks already. We left the dusty, crowded, and sweaty capital city of Lome for the small village of Adeta, loctaed near Kpalime, about a 2 hours drive on a good rad through lush tropical vegetation to the northeast of Lome. In Kpalime, we stopped in the market an dpicked up a few necessities: a bucket, scoop, and sponge to take baths; some toilet paper; and a pagne, or colorful cloth, to dry off with. Once in Adeta the 13 NRM volunteers left for an even smaller village to begin thir training, and the 12 remaining SBD volunteers, including myself, were treated to a parade through the vllage and a blessing from the chief. Everyone is very excited to have us here, and we all danced to the drumming and singing of our Togolese hosts. Next we met our host families, had some lunch, and left for our new homes.
My family is very nice and they have already taught me a lot about the Togolese way of life. I live with a young married couple; the mother is a hairdresser and her shop is very close to our home; the father fixes milling machines and he works in a village fairly far away so he only comes home for the weekends. They have two young daughters, Edith, 6, and Joyce, 2, who are very sweet and always keep me company. Edith speaks French very well and I read to her every day after lunch. There are also family members and friends constantly coming and going in and out of the compound so there are always lots of people to chat with and practice my French as well as Ewe, the local language here. The women cook outside over coals and do the laundry by hand in buckets, and we have lots of cats and chickens running around the yard as well as goats an lizards along the path from the main road. The compound is beautifully landscaped with a green lawn and I have my own locking bedroom with electirty that opens to the outside. The latrine is simple but very clean and I already feel comfortable here. Best of all, the food is wonderful: lots of colorful and spicy sauces with beef or chicken and hot peppers over rice, spaghetti; coucous, little sugary cakes; or fufu, which is a pasty starchy substance. We also had fried plaintains and I here a peanut sauce is on the way! I hope to learn to make as many of these dishes as possible. Oh, and by the way, we always eat with utenisils.
We also began our 11 weeks of training on Thursday with some French and Business classes. We have classes Monday through Saturday afternoon with a nice long break for lunch to go home and eat. We all have bikes, and I live very close to 2 volunteers so we meet up and bike together along the main road to the training facility, which is like a community center. The training is very laid back, individualized, and designed around “adult learning.” We will do a lot of field trips and the homestay is very important to practicing French, Ewe, and the local customs.
Overall, I feel healthy and energetic and I am excited for all the challenges of adapting to a new culture and language. But I have plenty of time so there is no rush. As they say here, petit a petit!
Steve
P.S. I have a cell phone hooked up and I will send it to those who are interested. However, my small stipend here does not begin to cover calls home so I ask that you call me with your own calling card. Cheap ones can be found at www.nobel.com. Oh; and excuse my typing, the French keyboards are a little different!
And Happy Birthday Greg!!!!!!
Happy Anniversay Mom & Dad!!!!!
Some random thoughts while I wait for this to load: I asked my family to feed me bush rat, or agouti, but as it is very expensive I might have to provide it myself to be cooked. I here it is delicious! There are beautiful lush hills all around us and I hear one of them contains some spectacular waterfalls! The Togo World Cup game was amazing, especially when Togo scored and Lome erupted in celebration, but unfortunately South Korea won. Finally, my family is Protestant and they are taking me to church tomorrow; God Bless!!!
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Nancy Foote
non-member comment
Pace of Life
Hi, Steve, Great to hear about your adventure to date. It sounds wonderful. Isn't is pleasant to be in a culture that seems to operate at a speed that feels like it's the one the human body was originally designed for? I am picturing in my mind you running through the bush after the bush rat to provide for the agouti for your host family. Makes a good image!! Continue to enjoy. Nancy