Advertisement
Hi everyone,
The last 2 weeks have flown by so fast that I am having trouble remembering exactly what happened. Basically, I have been busy improving my French, learning the Eve language, and learning about small businesses and nonprofits in Togo. My days are pretty routine which helps them fly by: breakfast around 7:30, then clas from 8 to 12, then a break for lunch when I go home and hang out with the family, then class from 2:30 to about 5, then I usually play soccer or go the cafe before haeding home for dinner, a shower, and sleep. The weekends we have more free time so I try to go for a bike ride or spend more time with my family. But some interesting events occurred nontheless:
I had an outfit and an extra shirt made out of some pagnes, or cloths, that I bought. All in all the outfit cost about 4 dollars, took 2 days to make, and I was so impressed that I reommended my tailor to all the other Americans. I'm going to have another outfit made out of red white and blue fabric for the 4th.
I attended a voodoo ceremony the other night. I could here the drumming from my family compound, and when I asked a family mmber what it was, she said that some people go to church, and other people drum and dance. So I had two girls take me to watch, and it wasn't as bizarre as I expected: just drumming, dancing, and singing people of all ages. However, my sisters were very afriad and they warned me not to take a drink that was offered to me, probably just liquor. One told me that inside the room with the fetish hanging above the door a man slaughters a sheep, drinks the blood, and then bathes others in it. I saw him bathing people but it looked like water to me. Still, a ver inteesting experience and I was welcomed openly.
Soccer, or football, is a huge part of life here. We always get out of class for important World Cup games, like Ghana vs Brazil, and I play soccer a lot with neighborhood kids eithre in a dusty sandlot near the school or in a huge muddy field in the small village nearby our town. It's a great way to make friends, and I've never been in better shape!
Yesterday I received my post assignment! After training ends in late August, I will be posted in Elevagnon; about half way up the country on the Benin border. I will be the first SBD volunteer in the town, and I wil not have electrity or running water. No running water I am used to but I might need to buy a car battery to get some power. I will be working with PLAN, a Togolese NGO that does a little of everything, but especially works with market women on creating business plans. I will also have the opportunity to educate children about the perils of child trafficking, which is a huge issue in Togo and especially in this region. I was told that Lome is only a 4 hour bushtaxi ride away, so I am really excited. In a few weeks I get to visit the post and then I'll know much more, althought since I'm the first volunteer there I have a lot of work cut out for me to get situated.
That's about all the news for now. No weird foods, everything tastes wonderful. And I feel healthy and happy here, although of course there are lots of ups and downs. As they say in Eve, Miagadogo!!!!
Steve
Advertisement
Tot: 0.164s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 7; qc: 49; dbt: 0.112s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
shella B
non-member comment
Hellow fellow PCT
So I am taking advantage of a hella good internet connection at a bar for free, so I thought I would say hello. I am into my second week of training and loving it. My group rocks and Belize is amazing. Good luck with all I will keep up with your blog when I can. Peace