Joining Peace Corp I had no idea what to expect. I had no idea how difficult it would be living in another country without close friends and family. The first 2 months was the hardest. I was going through a long, intense training and living with a host family. I truly felt alone. Don't get me wrong, I had a wonderful host family, great trainers, and awesome volunteers going through the same difficulties as myself. However, as nice as everyone was, I was still meeting these people for the first time and feeling like no one really understood me. I must say, I had a new appreciation for family and real friends. Anyway, my first 3 months weren't completely bad. I formed a special bond with many of my fellow volunteers and has been introduced to a whole new culture. I learned how to pound fufu, traditional dances, how to speak French (though that's still a work in progress), how to greet in my local language of Bassar, how to pee outside without showing your business, how to eat rice with my hands (I'm working on doing that gracefully) and many others.
So after 2 months of training, I have moved into my house and have now been here for almost 3 months. I must admit the months have passed by. Settling in have been an interesting experience as well. I had two months where I was never alone and constantly busy with work, then one day I'm by myself. I replaced another volunteer so moving in was easy. I didn't have to buy furniture which was a blessing. Buying furniture in Togo is no easy process. You have to explain what exactly you want built to your carpenter (in french), pray that you get it like you wanted it AND on time, then figure out how you're going to transport it. It's a hassle. Needless to say, I spend a lot of time reading and watching movies. Also, I got a dog, Monte, which was such a great idea. I was always too busy in the states to have a dog so I'm so happy that I finally have time to take care of one.
Okay, so I just came back from a week long of in-service training (IST) in Pagala which is located in the central region of Togo. Oh, I forgot to mention where I live. I'm in the Kara region which is Northern Togo, in a small town called Kabou. Togo is a very small country (about the size of West Virginia), however, because the roads are so bad it takes a long time to travel to other villages/towns. It took around 5 hours to get from Kabou to Pagala. Anyway, training was good. Productive. It was nice seeing other volunteers and hearing about their experiences thus far, and having free food. However, by the end of the week I was more than ready to leave. I never liked camping growing up and Pagala is like summer camp. Bunk beds, shared bathrooms, crappy living space, and bugs, bugs, bugs. Right after Pagala, I had to go to Kara (regional capital) for a post party. I had to greet the new trainees (which feels weird since I still feel like I just got here). So I'm happy to finally be back to Kabou. I missed Kabou, Monte, and just having my own space. First night in, I popped some benedryl and slept for hours. Felt good :-). Hopefully, I don't have any unscheduled visitors today. Tomorrow I will put my game face on.
Anyway, that's a brief recap of my experience thus far. Hopefully I won't get lazy with this blog thing.
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| Swearing-in ceremony to become official Peace Corps volunteers |
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| At the Peace Corp office in Lome |
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| On my way to meet my host family for the first time |
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| My village, Kabou |
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| Nearby village, Sara |
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| Dancing with our host families |
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| Kids in my village...love posing for pics |
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| Monte...my beloved dog |
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| Great view near my house |
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| During training at my host family house |
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| Neighborhood kids near my host family...these kids were a riot |
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| Me at my house in Kabou |
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| Obviously I have a lot of time on my hands |
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| fete d'igname - yam festival...awesome dancing and food |
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| Women dancing at fete d'igname |
