Tomegbe to Akoumawou

Walking a quick one kilometer from my host family's compound to the Peace Corps training center and back might not initially seem like an eventful process, but each trip is encapsulated by the endless salutations and greetings among everyone on the street. Its no wonder that locals will be so late to meetings and events because they stop to discuss the latest status of each person's home, family, children, work, and journey.

 

In local custom, everyone greets each other at all times of the day and of course multiple times even for the same person. It is expected to say something to every passerby. One is immediately intrigued by the Togolese friendliness and hospitality as some will offer food as well.

 

Just this morning, I walked by a girl who was standing on her front doorstep, yet off the road. I didn't acknowledge her due to her distance from the road and the fact that she was already in another conversation. Assuming that she did not expect a greeting due to her position off the path, I neglected to give her a " bonjour" or "ndi" in local Ewe. After I passed, she yelled, "David! Il faut saluer!" or "You have to greet!" I guess there is no excuse for missing someone…

 

On the way toward the training center in Akoumawou, I am expected to greet each person going the opposite direction with "wezolo" or "welcome" in Ewe. Keep in mind that Tomegbe and Akoumawou are two entirely separate villages about 1 km apart. To top that, I even pass through another third village during that 15 minute walk. On the way back home, I'm expected to say " abakabalo" or "come back quickly" to those leaving the village. Each way in and out of Tomegbe, I'm greeted accordingly as well by the other villagers.

 

In addition to the greetings for the comings and goings, the kids and adults quiz my slowly developing Ewe skills. Although my vocabulary is limited to about 8 – 10 different phrases, they don't get tired of hearing me respond over and over again. The same people will quiz me at least four times in one day. Sometimes I get tired of answering the same questions roughly 20 – 25 times (estimate) during each 15 minute walk, but it also perks me up and satisfies me to know that the community is enjoying my presence. At the very least, they are benefiting from the amusement of my struggles attempting Ewe…

 

So, I conducted a survey of exactly how many salutations occur on a single journey.  The result was that I lost count at roughly 50-60 greetings! If someone is riding a bike or driving a car, they really miss the friendliness of the neighbors. I guess more reason to go on foot…

 

The greetings really have made me feel accepted into the community. As cheers of "yovo" or "white person" get replaced by "fofo" or "brother", it really means a lot deep-down.

A Successful Post Visit

Sorry for the long delay since the last blog entry, but there hasn't been good internet access. If you haven't heard from me, I'm doing well!

 

This past week, I've been checking out where I'll be living for the next two years. Kabou is a nice little town with a weekly market and paved road access to Kara and to Ghana. The villagers are very friendly like most Togolese and seem very happy to have a business volunteer in the town. Another volunteer, Katie, showed me around a little bit and even made calzones for lunch!

 

The people in Kabou are mostly of the Bassar ethnic group, but there are many others in the village. Because of its location on a connector road to Ghana and Benin, there are many others including Nigerians. The majority of the population are Muslim with several mosques, while there are also Catholic, Baptist, Assembly of God, and animist religions.

 

My counterpart organization, ACM Microfinance, is very motivated and can't wait for my return. They are a new branch that offers savings and loans services and tontine collection to its customers.

 

To open an account, a customer must have 5000 CFA or $10, which is quite a lot. Most of the town can't afford an account. Of the 5000 CFA, 1000 pays for the account notebooks, 1000 goes as a non-refundable fee to the bank, and 3000 is the minimum balance. The accounts earn interest of 2-4% annually and they can borrow up to triple their savings at a rate around 17%. The structure works well for many of the people in Kabou, but after a week it already seems like the better off people are the ones using the service.

 

My work will start by implementing a training aspect to their business. They banking side of their service is already in place, but they want to offer money management and business skills education to their branch in Kabou. We have discussed offering weekly seminars for banking customers and monthly sensibilizations for the entire community.

 

Aside from work at ACM, the provisieur of the lycee and the director of the CEG (junior high) have expressed interest in working with me. The school year will begin mid-September and hopefully I can get started sometime around then with some sort of club or teaching.

 

The first few months I'll be trying to get to know as many people as possible and assess what I can and should do as a volunteer. There are several groups already in place that I hope to visit such as the Taxi-Moto Syndicate, trade associations for carpenters, tailers, etc., and also women's and girls' groups.

 

Overall post visit was exciting and I'm looking forward to returning and seeing my new furniture. I ordered a bed for 18000 CFA ($36) and a table 17000 CFA ($34). They will be handmade by local carpenters and ready when I return at the end of August.

 

Tonight we are in Kara to celebrate the arrival of new volunteers (my group) to the region. I've already received a great welcome from others in the Bassar cluster around Kabou who made me a Lemon Marangue Pie.. thank you Netta and Amy!

 

Tomorrow we'll head back to Agou and our host families to finish the last month of training. I better remember the bread for my host family :)

 

(It's custom to bring a loaf of bread when returning from a trip outside of town.)

 

By the way, I love phone calls! I don't have the best coverage in Agou, but when I'm back in Kabou I'll have full coverage...

Post Destination: Kabou

Once training is over, I'll be spending my two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in a small town called Kabou, located in the Kara region. I'm not sure exactly how long it will take me to get there from Agou, but it might be about 8-9 hours by bush taxi traveling north.

Kabou is located within the Bassar prefecture where they speak the indigenous language of Bassar. I've already started learning basic salutations from one of our language instructors from the area.

My work as a PCV will be very flexible, but I will be focused in microfinance and youth development. My counterparts are located at a freshly started microfinance institution and one is a professor at the local lycée.

We'll be making post visits the week of July 21 and I'll get a better feel of the area. I can't wait to see my new home!

The long awaited blog from Togo

I must apologize for not having written onto my blog already since leaving the United States. At this point, I've been in Togo for roughly one month and everything is going great! The people have been very friendly, Peace Corps Togo staff have been very helpful, and we are learning A LOT.

I'm currently living with a host family in a small village of about 100 people called Agou Tomegbe, which is one of many villages that comprise Agou. The area is about 90 minutes from the capital of Lomé.

My host family consists of Eugene (56/m), Abravi (21/f), Dovene (12/f), Apo (15/m), Cherite (6/f), Andre (45/m), among others in the compound. These are the people that I interact with the most. We have a very large compound for the average Togolese family with three main buildings of about 3 rooms each, a kitchen area, a well, and walls separating us from the dirt road running through town. In total, it seems that 3-4 families (in the American sense) are living here together. Another trainee, also named David, lives just nearby. Having the same names has caused a lot of humor and confusion for the Togolese.

Everyday, I wake up at about 5:30 or when the roosters make life in the morning too miserable to sleep. Then, I use a two foot long broom made from palm leaves to sweet the dirt from my floor and the steps leading into my part of the house. By this time it is about 6:00 and Abravi usually brings me some type of oatmeal, bread, fruit, or tea combination. It's pretty good and I always enjoy a peaceful breakfast in my sitting area. She prepares all my food for me and it is overall pretty darn good – a lot better than expected. It rotates around different recipes with yams, cassava, rice, beans, tomatoes, chicken, fish, and fruit (mangoes, bananas, pineapples, avocados, guava, apples, oranges). This assortment may be somewhat unique to this area of Togo due to the amount of rains and access to fruits here.

Time for my shower :) My shower is actually outdoors and I use a bucket of water and a cup to get myself wet, lather, and rinse. It is one of my favorite parts of the day because the air is quite cool in the morning and I have a great view of Mt. Agou while I'm showering. Sometimes I even use water heated up on the stove!

My water comes from one of many sources: (1) rain collected into buckets from gutters, (2) the well in the compound by means of a rope and bucket, (3) the town pump, or (4) from the “Marigot” or the local stream. To have safe drinking water, I run it through my handy Peace Corps filter and bleach it afterwards. Some prefer to boil water first, but I think it isn't necessary and a waste of time and effort.

Once I'm ready for training, I hop on my Peace Corps issued TREK mountain bike. This thing is awesome! Fellow volunteers and I have done most of our exploring via bike and it's a great way to get daily exercise. At the training center, we have sessions on French, local languages, technical or business training, safety and security information, and health sessions. We also have excursions to local businesses and other towns. Another trainee and I have already begun shadowing a local carpenter to see how is business operates. We've also visited a palm oil factory, a microfinance organization, and had a visit from a local savings group.

In our free time, we hang out together as trainees, but most of our time is spent at home with our families. Its fun seeing their reaction to a male helping in the kitchen or pounding fou-fou (a local dish). The kids are especially great as they follow us around, show us games, play cards, and help us practice French.

Depending on my internet access, I hope to add specific stories and more information soon. Please keep sending letters with news and photos from home. Its great to hear what's happening!

I'm going to Togo!

The time has finally arrived and I will be embarking this Wednesday on my journey to Togo as a Small Business Development Peace Corps Volunteer.

 

The first three months of my time in Togo, I will be located near the town of Kpalmé, which is located about 50 km northwest of the capital of Lom é.

 

At this point, I only know that my living situation will be with a host family. I'm sure they will be heart-warming people and very hospitable, especially according to previous volunteers and those who have previously traveled to Africa.

 

Whenever I have internet, I will try and post recent updates on this blog and hopefully some photos.

 

Next time I write, I will be in Togo!!

capital campaign underway

 
Tonight the University kicked off the Capital Campaign to raise a ridiculous amount of funds for the endowment. The evening even had a spectacular display of fireworks. Why doesn't UVA do this every semester?

Picture: This was one of my 250 or so photographs during the evening. More can be found on Flickr. 

rebuilding year....

 
I apologize to those who have complained that I canceled my blog, but actually it was just not online. This is my first entry since being at the World Cup in June. Now, I'm back at UVA and enjoying 4th year although its much harder and busier than life in Dortmund.

About the picture: I took this on the sideline of the UVA-Wyoming Game. I know its the band, but our football team doesn't deserve to be in the photo. UVa Football is officially having a rebuilding year now that we have seen two losses to less than mediocre teams. Hopefully they will show something good next week against UNC...

I will try to update this more often now that my internet connection is up to speed. 

after day 2 - big day for the CONCACAF

After the arrival of Greg, an old Winchester soccer teammate and friend, along with two of his college friends, we were able to truly enjoy the World Cup spirit. At the time of their arrival, the England match
against Paraguay had already begun, but we were able to catch the end of it downtown.

At Friedensplatz in downtown Dortmund, the World Cup Fan Fest has been set up with a very big TV for fans to view all games of the tournament. If time allows it, I will be trying to see as many as possible down
there. So far in the tournament, I have seen most of every single game too!

The three newcomers were thrown directly into the crowds of Swedish fans as they prepared for their Group B match against Trinidad and Tobago here in Dortmund. The yellow crowds greatly outnumbered any other group, although there were some Trinidad and Tobago fans later.

After eating ice cream dowtown, we headed to watch part of the match at Friendensplatz before going to the Stadium/Westfallenhallen to see the rest of the match. On the way, we met an anxious T/T fan, whose plane was delayed two hours. She asked for the score and we assured her that it was 0-0 at halftime. She was relieved a little before running off to the stadium.

The Sweeds were obviously dissapointed following a tie game. Heads down and their faces in their hands. The game was obviously dominated by the Swedish, but despite being a man down, the Trinidad and Tobago team showed a strong defence and a relentless effort to deny the Swedish strikers of a go-ahead goal. What a showing for the CONCACAF region!
With a strong T&T side, maybe a little more respect will comee from our North American division. I guess we'll have to see how Mexico performs
today against Iran and the United States tomorrow against the Czech Republic.

Before the Argentina-Ivory Coast match at Friedensplatz, the three American visitors were able to rightfully enjoy Germany with a Donor Kabap from Star Donor, only the best in Dortmund. Highly satisfied, we complemented our dinner with some gelato ice cream.

At halftime of Saturday's final match, the sleep was a bit too much for the newarrivees. We headed back to my apartment and settled in for the night, while watching the rest of the match on my TV.

Today we are heading to Cologne for another Fan Fest and to see the Portugal and Angolan fans partying around the world-class Cathedral.

ecuadorian guests and a german victory

Just after the first day of the World Cup here in Germany, the Germans are full of life wearing jerseys, facepaint, scarves, etc in a show of nationalistic pride that I had not further scene during my time here in Dortmund.

Last night, I got together with some local Germans and other international students at the university dining hall to see the game on the big screen.  Every goal was met with a great applause from both Germans and internationals alike.

Before the game, I remembered that I had a Costa Rican jersey at home, but I decided it wasn't the best idea to wear that around due to my lack of connections with the country. Although two goals were scored and some doubt was cast upon the team, we were able to celebrate the 3 points in the group late into the night at a local student summerfest party!

For the second game between Poland and Ecuador, my hopes were completely split. On one hand, I have been hanging out with Polish people here in Dortmund for quite some time and I have even traveled around the country a little bit.  However, on Thursday evening, I received couchsurfing visitors from England and Ecuador excited and ready to see Ecuador's chances in the cup and not really expecting too much into further rounds. I hung out with them most of Friday and I think the Ecuadorian spirit rubbed off on me a little bit because I found myself excited each time that Ecuador scored a goal.

After the Poland-Ecuador match, my Polish friends in Dortmund were obviously stunned, upset, and fearful of the next game against Germany. With their faces in their hands and their mouths open in awe, I couldn't help but feel their pain.

When I returned home to my apartment early Saturday morning, I discussed with Pablo (Ecuadorian couchsurfer) his experiences at the Ecuador-Poland game. He was still livid with excitement as he had seen friends and celebrities from Ecuador that he had not seen in about two years.

He said after the match, the Polish were great sportsmen and congratulated the Ecuador team and fans on the victory. He said he traded away his Ecuadorian scarf for a Polish hat and all the other fans were joining the fun during the exchange.

When I woke up this morning, I found an Ecuadorian welcome bag for me as a reminder of their visit and a small token of appreciate for letting them stay. In basically about one day of hanging out, I must say that Lucy and Pablo were great guests, warm people, and I hope to see them again!

Now its time for day two.... Greg, a friend from Winchester is arriving this afternoon with some other Americans and we have three games to see today!

eurotrip 2006

After 8 days of European traveling its good to relax back in my room, but it was one awesome time. Check out photos here.

The trip began last Friday (3.3.2006) when Tom and Mike arrived from the US here in Duesseldorf. They got back to Dortmund just in time for the German dining hall, which Tom says was his best meal of the trip - Potatoes, Beef, and Vegetables... This is making me hungry writing this!

That afternoon we managed to see Dortmund's privately owned castle (see past blog) before we enjoyed seeing VfL Bochum against Kickers Offenbach with a friend Pavil from Poland. Drinking beer in the trains and seeing crazy soccer fans was a good way to start experiencing German culture.

The next morning we met Bart in Cologne in front of the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world. We checked out Cologne quickly and then set off to pick up Sarah from the airport. The only problem - Sarah never came out of customs... Where the heck was she?

We looked all around, but she was nowhere. Finally we got a call and she wouldn't be arriving until 11:00 pm that night, so we had to waste 9 hours. The rest of the day we came back to Dortmund, relaxed, ate some Dönor Kabab, checked out the city, hung out with some people at the bar and then brought an arrival crew on the hooligan ridden train to pick up Sarah.

Sunday morning we were off to Amsterdam. Just a quick 2.5 hour car ride with Bart and we made it. It must be one of the coolest cities I've seen with canals going all over the place.. Be careful not to fall in because it was COLD outside with the wind!

Monday we rode with Bart to Ghent, Belgium and we quickly walked through the city and grabed some dinner before heading off to a club of Barts. (www.carre.be) They were holding a 15 year anniversary so we enjoyed a modeling show and a newly renovated place. Bart dropped 400 euros on the night backing up his high rolling reputation!! Definitely one great birthday experience!

Tuesday we slept in late after the long night and then were able to check out the castle in Ghent and later the Monastery. It was a relaxing day and an early evening to catch up on some sleep. Wednesday morning, we would be heading to Paris and Bart would have to go to work.

After a few hours in the train from Ghent to Brussels and from Brussels to Paris, we met up with Gregor, a friend from Dortmund, and went to his house were we stayed for the night in Paris. That afternoon and evening we had the most efficient tour of Paris possible! I think we saw everything including the Louvre, Mona Lisa, Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concord, Monmartre, le Sacre-Coeur, Notre Dame and the City Hall among others.

Thursday morning, Tom and I went to pick up our rental car, a VW Golf 5. The car was nice but the Parisian driving was awesome! Flying through the small streets and going around the traffic circles is what driving should always be about. After packing up the car, we headed to Versailles and checked out Louis XIV's palace before going to the Loire Valley in the afternoon. On the way, Tom decided to wake up from a nap and puke out the passenger window, covering the entire side of the car in his vomit - It was a horrendous site that I dont think can ever leave my memory.

For the record - Tom was not drunk, but he got sick because he didn't wear a warm enough clothes and we got wet in the rain. At first he blamed a Dönor Kabab, but that must be false because they taste so good. The poor guy ended up missing our time with Philippe in Chambord, but managed to nurse himself back to good enough health for castle day.

I must say that before visiting our host at Chateau Chambord, Tom Mike and Sarah were very skeptical of the couchsurfing.com idea, although now they can't complain anymore! Our host Philippe dined us with catered food and gave us free entry into the castle the next day along with a few hours of good chatting. His house is right next to the castle since he was appointed general manager two years ago by the French President!

Friday was Castle Day. We started with Chambord and then went to Cheverny, Chenenceau, and Amboise. On the way back, we stopped at Chartres to see the Cathedral although Tom, Mike, and Sarah had had enough so they stayed in the car. We then drove back to Paris to Charles de Gaulle and got ready for our plane ride back to Cologne on Saturday morning. All travel home went smoothly and now its back to the daily routine of Dortmund...