So the first thing that I’ve had to come to terms with here in Togo is that internet access is not great. On the one hand, it’s not so hard to come by in Lome (the capital city) and is relatively accessible in the big cities (including the city that ill be living next to once i finish training....but more on that later). On the other hand: in the town where we’re doing our Peace Corps training, (about an hour north of Lome), internet is nonexistent. The closest place with any type of internet is Kpalime, a city about 20 kms north, which is where I am now.
With that in mind, please send me real snail mail. I would love, love to get letters from you all and promise to write back. The Peace Corps life is lovely, but I miss you all.
As for how life is going here in Togo…..well, to be honest, I’m not even sure where to begin. We’ve been here now for 4 weeks, and have been kept busy, busy, busy with Peace Corps training. Until we swear-in as official volunteers in December and move to our individual villages, all of us live with families and spend all day, everyday, learning the ins and outs of how to be an effective volunteer in Togo.
My day begins, on average, at about 4:30 am, when I wake up to the sounds of my host mother sweeping the courtyard in the center of our family compound. There are about 10 people who live in our family compound (most of whom are somehow related to one another) and most of them don’t get up that early, so I usually fall back asleep until about 5:45. Then a bucket shower and breakfast before leaving for the Peace Corps training site (which we call our tech house). I live about fifteen minutes away from the tech house (less on the days that I ride my bike), and I really love the walk to and from my compound. The town is right at the base of Mt. Agou, which apparently is the largest mountain in West Africa (a few people here have told me that, but I’m not sure if thats really true) and my family compound is perched on this little hill that has the most beautiful views of the mountain.
Our days our spent in classes from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, with a lunch break from noon to 2:30pm. Evenings are usually uneventful: it gets dark here by 6:15pm and the nightlife here is not exactly happening (although, interestingly enough, my family owns the one and only nightclub in town. Wish I had the time to post about that…). I occasionally meet up with volunteers at the local buvette (bar), but I usually just help my host mother prepare dinner (help is a dramatic overstatement, actually. More like sit and watch her cook and try not to say anything too stupid), hang out with the plethora of people who live in my compound, do my French homework, read, and get to bed by 9:30pm.
Suffice to say, it’s a really different lifestyle than either college or camp, but I’m getting used to it day by day. The next big thing that I have to look forward to is in two weeks, when we go spend a week visiting our post villages. I found out this week that my home for the next two years is going to be a tiny little village in the centrale region of togo (pretty much right smack in the middle of the country). I don't know that much about it yet, other than that its very small (about 600 people total), mostly Muslim, and is very excited about working with a Peace Corps volunteer on the specific issue of girls education. The village itself is apparently pretty rural, but its only about 20 kilometers outside of Sokode. which is Togo's second biggest city. Ill probably have to go to Sokode weekly to buy groceries and there's apparently fast internet there, so once I get to post i'll probably be able to check email much more often!
I miss you all very much and and am so sorry I can't reply to all of your many wonderful emails! But I promise all of you snail mail letters if you send me your addresses!
