How to Make a Togolese Kid Love You
July 6, 2009
Thank you so much for everyone who helped donate soccer balls. The Hoffman Estates United Soccer Club donated about 50 soccer balls that my Dad sent to me. My mom held a small fundraiser at the school where she works, Link School in Elk Grove Village, to pay for shipping them to Africa. I have since distributed them to about 25 Peace Corps volunteers in Togo. The volunteers are now planning various activities and making lots of new friends. The CEG girls soccer team I play with in my village now has a new ball and doesn’t have to play with an old volleyball anymore. Thanks again!
Soyez les Bienvenue au Togo!
July 26, 2009 (Happy Birthday Dad!)
Calling home once a week always leaves me feeling frustrated. Besides the French that is now sprinkled into my everyday vocabulary making English difficult for me, I get the feeling that the family may never really understand what my life is like here. The third goal of Peace Corps is the cultural exchange between volunteers and the family and friends they leave behind in the states. So I was ecstatic when a friend decided to embrace the challenge and come visit.
I spent the weeks prior to her arrival telling everyone in my village about how my “sister” was coming all the way from America. I worked hard to get my garden and compost looking good. After a long awaited reunion, we spent a few days catching up and enjoying beers on the beach in Lomé.
I was most excited to show her village life. Which she embraced fully; we even found ways to combat the lack of alcohol. I was nervous to have someone outside of Peace Corps see what kind of work I’m doing here. Mostly because some days my days are filled with reading, napping, and cooking. But I kept her busy. She met all my friends in village, learned a little kotokoli, played with the kids- including the 4 year old I plan on bringing home. We went to the Community Clinic and helped the Midwife conduct exams on expectant mothers. We dressed in my best complets and walked the 7km to my market. We hiked the mountain next to my house. We ate with my neighbors and enjoyed traditional Togolese dishes. But by far the coolest thing we were able to do was participate in a soccer game with the CEG girls. All 30 girls showed up the played and we had over 75 people cheering us on from the sidelines. It was really empowering to know that before I came these girls didn’t have the opportunity to play because no one was encouraging them to do so. I was so glad my friend was there to witness it with me. She even scored a penalty shot.
We spent the end of her trip traveling a bit around Togo. We went to the Tatas, the tourist destination in Togo. They are primitive 2-story mud huts and we got to sleep on the roof. Then we visited my host mom and gifted her a guinea fowl that I brought 150km because no trip to Africa would be complete without traveling over 2 days with livestock.
Thanks again for coming to visit girl. Having you here really validated the work I am doing. I hope you had as much fun as I did.
All dressed up to go to the market
July 6, 2009
Thank you so much for everyone who helped donate soccer balls. The Hoffman Estates United Soccer Club donated about 50 soccer balls that my Dad sent to me. My mom held a small fundraiser at the school where she works, Link School in Elk Grove Village, to pay for shipping them to Africa. I have since distributed them to about 25 Peace Corps volunteers in Togo. The volunteers are now planning various activities and making lots of new friends. The CEG girls soccer team I play with in my village now has a new ball and doesn’t have to play with an old volleyball anymore. Thanks again!
Soyez les Bienvenue au Togo!
July 26, 2009 (Happy Birthday Dad!)
Calling home once a week always leaves me feeling frustrated. Besides the French that is now sprinkled into my everyday vocabulary making English difficult for me, I get the feeling that the family may never really understand what my life is like here. The third goal of Peace Corps is the cultural exchange between volunteers and the family and friends they leave behind in the states. So I was ecstatic when a friend decided to embrace the challenge and come visit.
I spent the weeks prior to her arrival telling everyone in my village about how my “sister” was coming all the way from America. I worked hard to get my garden and compost looking good. After a long awaited reunion, we spent a few days catching up and enjoying beers on the beach in Lomé.
I was most excited to show her village life. Which she embraced fully; we even found ways to combat the lack of alcohol. I was nervous to have someone outside of Peace Corps see what kind of work I’m doing here. Mostly because some days my days are filled with reading, napping, and cooking. But I kept her busy. She met all my friends in village, learned a little kotokoli, played with the kids- including the 4 year old I plan on bringing home. We went to the Community Clinic and helped the Midwife conduct exams on expectant mothers. We dressed in my best complets and walked the 7km to my market. We hiked the mountain next to my house. We ate with my neighbors and enjoyed traditional Togolese dishes. But by far the coolest thing we were able to do was participate in a soccer game with the CEG girls. All 30 girls showed up the played and we had over 75 people cheering us on from the sidelines. It was really empowering to know that before I came these girls didn’t have the opportunity to play because no one was encouraging them to do so. I was so glad my friend was there to witness it with me. She even scored a penalty shot.
We spent the end of her trip traveling a bit around Togo. We went to the Tatas, the tourist destination in Togo. They are primitive 2-story mud huts and we got to sleep on the roof. Then we visited my host mom and gifted her a guinea fowl that I brought 150km because no trip to Africa would be complete without traveling over 2 days with livestock.
Thanks again for coming to visit girl. Having you here really validated the work I am doing. I hope you had as much fun as I did.
All dressed up to go to the market
The Tatas
With Billie Jean
Hiking Mt Agou
Evela, a Togolese Wrestling Fête
July 29, 2009
The smaller the village, the bigger the fête. Or so the Peace Corps Togo saying goes. I love village fêtes, it is an opportunity to dance, eat, dress-up, and immerse myself in culture. And I really love fêtes that aren’t in my village because then I get to start drinking at 9am. So I jumped at the chance to go to Evela, a wrestling fête for the Kaybé ethnic group.
It’s a coming of age passage once a year when teenage boys eat dog for strength and wrestle eachother. There’s also a large sum of sodabé consumed. A few hours in the morning were dedicated to wrestling and declaring a winner. But after repos, it was time to get down and dance. What seemed like the entire village packed into a small compound and we moved to the beat of the tum-tum. To encourage good dancing, some women went around and shook baby powder onto certain people. I’m still trying to work that smell out of my clothes from that day.
No doubt about it, the Togolese may work hard, but they definitely party harder.
Camp Unite
August 8, 2009
It’s funded and run by Americans, but there were still times during Camp Unite when I thought “only in Togo.” I spent the last week as a camp counselor for the boys students camp. All of the campers were nominated by Peace Corps volunteers for their motivation and work in their respected communities.
The week was full of challenges, difficulties, and fun. My French was tested all week as this was the most language I’ve had in my service. I gave a presentation on HIV/AIDS to 50 adolescent boys. I stood up for all women when a Togolese counselor told the boys that if girls dress sexy they are asking to be sexually harassed and/or raped. (And I won). But many things came easily, playing basketball with the kids and getting in front of everyone and singing “Koffi Mapulo.” One night we had a talent show and my cabin performed 2 traditional dances and a song that one of the guys made up- a song about abstinence, only in Togo. We had seminar everyday in small groups to discuss the topics of the camp- self confidence, good communication, gender equality, and family planning. It was so amazing to work with these students who are such assets to their villages.
On the last day after our team challenge the boys all really came together and each one of them said how the camp has changed their lives and what they are going to bring back home. For most of these kids it’s the best week of their lives and not just because they eat so well. That afternoon we promenaded into town singing and dancing. After an award presentation and candle-lit ceremony, there was a bonfire. By Saturday morning everyone’s legs hurt from dancing and no one had a voice from singing too much.
The boys get a taste of pregnancy, for about 2 hours.
Working through a team challenge
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