Togo I Go!

we've got an electronic version!

2012-01-25T10:31:00.001-05:00

Ann just signed us up for an electronic version. A new venture in publishing. The cheapest we could charge was $2.99 (sorry about that). We would love for a few people to buy a copy and give a positive review!!!

http://www.amazon.com/Gospel-According-Hunger-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B0071DLPXK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1327504391&sr=1-1

Hunger Games paper

2012-01-23T09:45:00.001-05:00

Here’s our draft of our paper.

Any corrections would be greatly welcomed.

Question...

2011-09-06T10:30:00.001-04:00

I've Moved!

2010-03-22T08:39:00.002-04:00

Hi all...if you've found this blog, come and check out my new one. Yep, I'm back in the States and still blogging. So come see what I'm up to!

Appalachian Appetites
www.appalachianappetites.com

Gone...

2010-01-23T07:31:00.002-05:00

But not goodbye forever.

As many of you have learned during the last week, Nathan and I have returned to the United States. While this may come as a sudden surprise for many of you, it was a decision that we gave much prayer and thought. We had a wonderful time in Togo - as I know you have discovered by following my blog - but the time to leave had come. Living in Togo was a struggle and a blessing at the same time. We left sad to leave all of our friends and our home. But we are ready for our next adventure in the United States. Here are a few pictures from our last weeks. We are so glad our parents were able to come and share our Togo experience. We have memories that will most definitely last a lifetime. So I'm signing off for now...Thanks as always for your love and support!

Second to last night in village...The students gave us a going away dinner and dance. As you can, the girls were very sad :-(

Yvetter, our host mother in the compound

Exploring Lome with our parents

New Years Day in village...we had a party!

Nathan and I dancing with villagers. They insisted on lifting us above their heads. Scary but wonderful!

Parents Visit

2010-01-08T05:02:00.002-05:00

Hi All! Nathan and I are currently in Lome. We just saw our parents off at the airport last night and they should all currently be en route. We had a wonderful time with them and think they had just as good a time with us! They were here for almost two weeks and were able to experience both Lome and the village. Similar to our other visitors, they really enjoyed being in Pessare. They ate local food everyday (fufu, fried yams, corn porridge, rice, goat, guinea fowl, chicken, and beer) and met many of our friends. The villagers were so happy to welcome them and even came by our house on New Years Day to dance for our parents. Plus our parents wore local clothing and enjoyed snapping lots of pictures of themselves. They rode motorcycles and went to the market. We took lots of long walks and even made blueberry muffins in my dutch oven (I think that was their favorite meal!). Because our parents were taking some many pictures (each couple took at least 350!) I neglected to take a lot. Here is the one picture I did take...just for proof that our parents were indeed in Togo! But I will make sure to get pictures of them in Togo up later. They promised to send me some ;-) Otherwise, all is well here. We are enjoying our time on the internet. We are heading back to village tomorrow and are excited to see Asher! He will be pleased that the "grandparents" are gone! Take care everyone!

Final Post Today

2009-12-25T06:10:00.004-05:00

Hope you enjoy all the pictures I've uploaded! Just scroll below to see the latest posts ;-)

Today is Christmas and I'm celebrating by spending time on the internet and sitting in AC. Could be seen as anti-climatic but I'm successfully going with the flow today and enjoyed my fermented corn paste with tomato sauce this morning. Nathan and I are going to a Muslim Lebanese restaurant for lunch. I'm hoping for falafal! And did I mention it is already 100 degrees?! I guess that's Christmas in Togo! Yay for the folks arriving tomorrow!

So this posting is about a walk I took last week. Yes, a walk. Every Tuesday, Nathan and I bike or take a motorcycle to Siou, a town 8k from Pessare. There is a market every Tuesday and we have Togolese friends there. We go, charge our phones (yes, there is electricity there!), and have cold Cokes. Well, last week, I decided to walk. Women from Pessare walk there and back every week to sell and buy goods. No one has a bike and a moto is $1.50 each way...I only make $8/day. Now, I know you are thinking...well, you are in Peace Corps and you are supposed to be doing what the locals do. But it is much harder than you think! Why walk in the hot sun when you can be there in 10 minutes on a moto?! Because they walk. So given my previous experience with Crop Walk (thanks Mom and Dad for making me do it every year!), I decided when in Rome, do as the Romans. (Again, harder than you think. Did I mention the corn paste I ate this morning?! You know that doesn't sound good. But I'm doing it!) So, I asked a friend, Alia, if I could walk with her. And she was more than pleased to have the company! I made a list of everything I needed the night before...hat, sunscreen, water bottle, eye drops (dusty season), ibuprofen, camera. I was pretty confident I could do it. I was just worried about the heat. (Markets here are in the afternoon...do not ask me why...I have no idea. Seems like a bad idea to me. Maybe because they have so many chores in the morning?) But Alia agreed to start walking at 9am...a bit early for her, but she knew I was concerned about the heat. It came easily be 100 degrees at 9am. So I got to our meeting tree at 9am and she was nowhere to be found. I decided to walk to her house and once there learned she had walked to my house. Around 10am, we finally met at the tree and started walking. I convinced myself to be calm, not worry about the heat, and start walking. It's not like I couldn't have called Nathan at any point and had a moto sent. But ultimately there was no need. I had a GREAT time! We talked, visited with children and other women walking (men don't usually go to market), and she stopped often for me to drink water. I offered them some of my water but they all refused. Maybe they are just built to stand the heat?! Anyway, an hour and a half later, we made it! And I was just sweaty and thirsty...not sick or hurt. Success, huh?! I am really glad I did it. Makes me appreciate all the hard work Togolese women do for their families. I am truly humbled. Ultimately, I walked to better understand their daily work...And I am thankful to have had the opportunity. I think there are more Crop Walks in my future!
(The crowd in front of me...I had to stop to get the picture, so I got a bit behind)

Alia! And yes, I wore a skirt and flip flops like her.

Some kids walking...And no, I didn't carry anything on my head!

Running Partner

2009-12-25T06:03:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I haven't been so good about running here. You'd think with all the time I have, it would be easy. But something about the immense heat keeps me in the shade ;-) However, Nathan runs everyday. And last week he found a new running buddy. Nathan runs fast and he tried to lose this guy just to see how hard this guy could go (not my approach to running...I'm not much for sports competition), but he kept up! Which is amazing given his shoes...Take a close look. One flip flop and one sneaker...on the WRONG feet. And this guy RUNS! Crazy huh?!! Nathan had a blast and they have future running dates! PS He's holding a soccer ball that was a recent gift from a friend! Thanks Yquem!

Garden Progress

2009-12-25T05:56:00.001-05:00

The garden outside our house is going well. We've eaten all the radishes and I've used dill, parsely, and basil in several dishes. Now for the tomatoes ;-)

World Map

2009-12-25T05:43:00.006-05:00

The grid.

Asher posing with the almost finished map.

A view from a distance...It is next to a Sinkaring statue, a festival that was held in Pessare in 2004. Here's what I found online....."Sinkaring (initiation and harvest ceremony of the Kabyés in the Binah region). Sinkaring would come from a couple of verbs "Sankuu" which means to wash hands, to purify and "Karuu" which means being ready to face the tests of life. Sinkaring which has its origin in LAMA-Tessi (a village close to Pessare). This is a test by which one subjects the Kabyé young person of Binah to endurance and with the force so he can defend his community. This is a test for the young people to allow their integration in the class of the adults. It is also a harvest festival because after the songs and the dances, tasting comes from the beans and the local drink, fruits of new harvests. It is rotary in canton and is celebrated each year 1st Saturday of December."

We are currently working on painting a world map at the middle school. The school has one map - a paper poster of Togo. There is no map of the world or even of Africa. Last year in English class I asked someone to point out Togo on an Africa map that I drew. The kid had no idea...and it wasn't just because of my bad drawing ;-) Thus I knew we had to rectify this someway and Peace Corps has a history of painting world maps. You can see some on the main highway throughout Togo. With some financial gifts from family and friends, we constructed the cement wall and purchased paint. Nathan and I painted it white and the 10th grade students along with the Math teaher drew a grid. Now they are busy painting it. By the time we return to village, it should be done! I think it looks quite great! And now when Togo plays soccer in another country the students will actually know where the country is! P.S. On the back of the wall will be a map of Africa...stay tuned!

Peer Educators

2009-12-25T05:40:00.002-05:00

I recently finished a peer educator training at the middle school for 40 students. They came to four sessions and at the end received a certificate. Here they are!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T13:25:00.002-05:00

Happy Holidays everyone! Nathan and I are in Lome awaiting our parents arrival on the 26th. Needless to say, we are very excited! A perfect Christmas present ;-) Hope everyone has a wonderful day...Much love! Ann

Cheerleaders

2009-12-01T11:29:00.003-05:00

And here are the girls cheering on the players! Not your usual American chants, huh?

Soccer Game

2009-12-01T10:57:00.003-05:00

Here is a recent middle school soccer game in Pessare. Check out the ball...It's from my sister!

Latest Food Finds

2009-12-01T10:48:00.002-05:00

These guinea fowl eggs were a gift from a friend. They are a bit smaller than a chicken's egg and I have found the yolks to be a brighter yellow. I love when we have eggs...So many more cooking options. I made fried rice the other night with scrambled eggs...yummy. This is fresh ginger from a neighbor's garden. I think the picture makes the garlic look like extra fingers on my hand ;-)

And of course hot peppers! I love the colors here!

PTA Meeting

2009-12-01T10:44:00.001-05:00

They were actually really excited to get their picture taken!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T03:33:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone!
We're back in Kara for the day…enjoying a hot Thanksgiving by the pool
;-) We came in this morning and are spending time on the internet
before heading to the pool and the restaurant for a cheeseburger.
Some of our friends are coming in this morning as well so we are
excited to spend the day with them.

We have been very busy in village with gardening and teaching. As for
the garden, we've had some problems with pests but Nathan is working
hard on natural pesticides (hot peppers and tobacco) and we hope to
have radishes in the next couple of weeks. Plus my cabbages are doing
well and they should be ready when our parents arrive in late
December.

I have been busy teaching at the middle school as the English teacher
has been away for a week and a half at a training. It is exhausting
to teach four classes a day! I tried to incorporate lots of creative
activities and the students seemed to enjoy the change in pace. Plus,
I led a couple of PTA meetings at the village schools concerning why
it is important to send girls to school. At the last meeting, I had
75 parents come! A record…plus I think they really enjoyed it. There
was lots of discussion about why girls have more domestic chores than
boys and thus less time to study. We made a list of all the daily
chores and the girls totaled 9 to the boys 4. The parents decided
they are too old to change their ways but they would try and more
equally distribute the chores between their children. The chief asked
if he could come by the house and have Nathan teach him how to do
laundry! I laughed so hard…but invited him over! We'll see ;-)

We are headed to Tsevie next week for the last week of training with
the trainees. They swear-in next Thursday. And I have a new dress!
I hope to post again to the blog as well as add video and pictures.
So check back in then! Hope all is well with everyone! XO

An example list of chores (I'm sure there are others!):
Girls:
Pull water from the well (2x/day)
Cook (3x/day)
Sweep (2x/day)
Wash dishes (3x/day)
Wash clothes (3x/week)
Buy goods at market (1x/week)
Sell goods at market (1x/week)
Harvest crops (daily if needed during the school year)
Take care of the younger children (daily)

Boys:
Sell animals at market (1x/week)
Take animals to pasture (1x/day)
Feed chickens (2x/day)
Plant crops (during the summer…not the school year)

Perspectives

2009-11-05T14:33:00.005-05:00

(that's me standing along with the other editors Chrissy and Jess who are sitting down)

Hi All,

I'm still in Lome and decided to check in with you all! All is going well here. I am exhausted and again, I can't say this enough, who knew it would be so hard to format a newsletter?! I need a good nights sleep! Here's the intro letter to our newsletter...

Hello everybody!
Welcome to our first issue of Perspectives. First of all, thanks to all who submitted an article. We have a lot of great things for you to read and enjoy. We would like to continue to improve Perspectives and better define its purpose. In addition to sharing gender-related projects, we hope to create a forum for dialogue about our experiences. We also want to provide a creative outlet. Be looking for the specific focus of our next issue through EMS (our mail system). However, in this issue you will find the following viewpoints:
· Work (projects volunteers are working on, such as a computer camp in this issue)
· Committee (update from the gender and development committee)
· Food (recipes! 3 Indian ones this time)
· Staff (an interview with a staff member...the Security Officer in this issue)
· Celestial (star charts!)
· Emotional and Creative (everything from poems to reflections to drawings)
We hope you enjoy. We welcome feedback and of course future submissions!

As you can see, we are having lots of fun with the articles. Tomorrow it's off to the printer (ie the copy machine in the PC office where double-sided copies must be fed manually...yuck). Hope all the volunteers enjoy reading it. And hope you have a good night...Sleep well! I'm off to bed!

Back in Lome...

2009-11-04T08:18:00.003-05:00

Hi All!
I hope this post finds everyone well! I am in Lome for the week working on a GEE newsletter. I arrived yesterday and will be here until Saturday. I'm enjoying the AC though the work is much harder than I thought...who knew Publisher could be so difficult?! But we are pushing on and hope to be done by Friday! Keep your fingers crossed!

On Saturday, I'll meet Nathan in Kara where we'll spend the night. All of the new volunteers who are posted in the Kara region will be there for the evening. We plan on eating lots of guinea fowl, fried yams, and local salad. And maybe a beer ;-) It should be a fun evening!

I am busy at post conducting PTA meetings (APE - Association de Parents des Eleves) in order to better inform them about the GEE program. The teacher who went with me to the science training this summer is helping me lead them and translate everything into Kabiye. So far the parents have been very interested and receptive. I probably should have done this when I first arrived at post, but, hey, better late than never, right? Plus I have a woman make local beer for everyone afterwards...you've gotta get parents to the meeting somehow! hehe Think they could try this at your local school? Better attendance?!

I am also doing a Peer Educator Training. I have forty girls and boys at the middle school who are doing the training. I am the trainer, along with the four students who went to Camp UNITE this summer. We have four afternoon sessions, in which the students will learn about HIV/AIDS, self confidence, good communication, and gender equity. We're going to sing and play games as well. Plus they will all receive school supplies upon completion. We are one week in and will have another session this next Wednesday. So far I think they are enjoying it!

And of course, as you can see from the pictures, below I am staying busy cooking and gardening. Be sure to check out all the pics! I'm sorry I can't write more...Publisher is calling! Until the next time, take care. Miss and love!

More Cooking...

2009-11-04T07:35:00.002-05:00

I'm still experimenting...Here's the latest creations!

Chocolate fudge for our friend Winah's 2nd birthday!

Spaghetti with garlic bread and homemade ricotta cheese.

A closeup of my cheese...yep, that's right...HOMEMADE!

Blueberry muffins! Thanks Aunt MC for the dried blueberries ;-)

Girls Garden

2009-11-04T05:58:00.002-05:00

Nathan has started a girls garden to help girls raise money for their school fees. They are planting cabbage, onions, tomatoes, and hot peppers. Here are a few pics of the work in progress...

All the girls by the well!

Nathan watering my cabbage - yep, I have a small section in the garden.

Nathan helping his friend Jermaine put up posts around the garden.

Home Garden

2009-11-04T05:48:00.002-05:00

As I have mentioned in other posts, Nathan and I now have an "urban" garden outside our house. Here is Nathan...

Along with our planted tomatoes, radishes, and moringa trees!

Puppies!

2009-11-04T05:13:00.002-05:00

Our next door neighbor's dog, J'adore, had four puppies two months ago. They recently came over for a bath and a bowl of milk ;-)

Expat

2009-10-30T05:02:00.001-04:00

Become an Expat
By Bob Shacochis

Adapted for my blog ;-)
-------------------------------------------------------

When are you going to get out of school?

And I don't mean finish the degree, get a job, a life. I mean turn
your life upside down, expose it, raw, to the muddle. "Put out," as
the New Testament (Luke 5:4) would have it, "into deep water." A
headline in the New York Times on gardening delivers the same marching
orders: IF A PLANT'S ROOTS ARE TOO TIGHT, REPOT. Go amongst strangers
in strange lands. Learn to say clearly in an unpronounceable
language, "Please, I very much need a toilet. A doctor. Change for a
500,000 note. I very much need a friend."

If you want to know a man, the proverb goes, travel with him. If you
want to know yourself, travel alone. If you want to know your own
home, your own country, go make a home in another country (not Canada,
England, or most of Western Europe). Stop at a crossroads where the
light is surreal, nothing is familiar, the air smells like a nameless
spice, and the vibes are just plain alien, and stay long enough to
truly be there. Become an expat, a victim of self-inflicted exile for
a year or two.

Sink into an otherness that reflects a reverse image of yourself,
wherein lies your identity or lack of one. Teach English in Japan,
aquaculture in the South Pacific, accounting in Brazil. Join the
Peace Corps, work in the oil fields of Saudi Arabia, set up a fishing
camp on the beach of Uruguay, become a foreign correspondent, study
architecture in Istanbul.

And here's the point: Amid the fun, the risk, the discomfort, the
seduction in a fog of miscommunication, the servants and thieves, the
food, the disease, your new friends and enemies, the grand dance
between romance and disillusionment, you'll find out a few things you
thought you knew but didn't.

You'll learn to engage the world, not fear it, or at least not to be
paralyzed by your fear of it. You'll find out to your surprise, how
American you are – 100 percent, and you can never be anything but –
and that is worth knowing. You'll discover that going native is
self-deluding, a type of perversion. Whatever gender or race you are,
you'll find out how much you are eternally hated and conditionally
loved and thoroughly envied, based on the evidence of your passport.

You'll find out what you need to know to be an honest citizen of your
own country, patriotic or not, partisan or nonpartisan, active or
passive. And you'll understand in your survivor's heart that it's
best not to worry too much about making the world better. Worry about
not making it worse.

And of course...

2009-10-04T04:36:00.001-04:00

Asher! Here's his latest glamour shot ;-)

Soccer Balls

2009-10-04T04:23:00.003-04:00

Sarah and Brad brought with them soccer balls and pumps for the Pessare schools. When classes started last week, I went and distributed the balls. The kids were soooo excited! Thank you so much Sarah and Brad and everyone who contributed to the purchase. They will be well used and appreciated. And as the elementary school principal said "We're going to the finals this year!" Go Togo!

Here is the elementary boys team captain along with the girls captain. Don't they look excited? hehe

Here are the elementary kids lining up for announcements. They need to stay equal spaced or someone might bother someone else ;-)

Here is the middle school director with two teachers holding up the new balls for the students.

Here are all the middle school students listening to announcements and seeing the balls!

Training

2009-10-04T04:11:00.004-04:00

Hi All!
Nathan and I are in Lome after finishing a week at the training site in Tsevie (a town in the southern part of Togo about an hour north of Lome). It is a different site than where we trained last year with the main difference being that it is large, with a long busy street full of motos and vendors. I think I would be overwhelmed as a new trainee by the size, but as I told them, enjoy the electricity and plentiful ice cream while you can! Village life awaits!

There are 20 new GEE volunteers and it was great to meet them all. This week we discussed teaching English in schools – something I know a little about ;-) Nathan was with 14 new NRM volunteers and they discussed gardening – something I’m learning a little about! As for training, we visited two schools and had several information/teaching sessions on the realities of schools in Togo and the problems that face schools. Everyone was really attentive and seemed excited about GEE. It was exciting to be around fresh enthusiasm! I am excited to see them again when they come to our village in late November. Nathan and I are hosting them for a day during their three-day field trip. They’ll get to see everything we’re doing. Plus I know they village will be pleased to host them. Stay tuned.

As for back in village, Nathan and I have started composting and began our “urban” garden. “Urban” in this case means in a dirt patch outside our front door and not out in the fields. I am planting two moringa saplings, hot peppers, carrots, dill, and parsley. Plus, later this month I am beginning my big garden. I had definitely romantized how easy gardening would be, but am busy reading the book How to Grow More Vegetables and am learning how much work awaits me. I have to actually build soil mounds? And measure spacing between seeds? Draw water from a well? Water the plants evenly with a heavy metal watering can? And water twice a day?! Yikes. But I’m sticking with it. And I plan to plant cantaloupe, watermelon, yellow squash, and cucumbers. Maybe our parents will get to taste some when they come in December?

All of this is in addition to Nathan’s gardening plans with village school girls…but I’ll let him keep you updated on that! I’ll tell him to put something on his blog soon ;-)

The other update for me is that Togolese schools are back in session. I attended several times two weeks ago (before training) to help organize students into classrooms and go over textbook and notebook requirements. I am not teaching my own class this year due to being out of village several times this fall for training in Tsevie. Plus I would like to concentrate more on doing “girls” related activities. That being said, I’m sure I’ll be a substitute teacher often enough and plan on doing group review sessions before big tests.

After two nights in Lome we are going to the PC retreat/training center in Pagala (mid-country). We’ll be there for three days for mid-service training. We are to come with one accomplishment and one challenge we’ve had to share with the group. I am secretly hoping they’ll throw us a big party for making it a year! ;-)

Thanks to my father’s encouragement, I now have a list of what I’ve learned and accomplished this past year…thanks Dad for the motivation!

French
To ride a motorcycle
To confidently ride my bike
To eat with my hands (politely)
To cook new meals using mostly ingredients from scratch
To teach in a formal school setting
To be ok without the internet (you really won’t die!)
Made new friends – Togolese and American
Having a dog (and loving it!)
To work in and with a new culture
To spend 24/7 with my husband (and yes, loving it!)
To appreciate cold drinks and AC
Gained lots of time to read, think, and dream
To live without running water and electricity (again, you won’t die)
To appreciate my friends and family back home!

Check out the pictures I've already posted...more to come! Tonight we’re planning on trying a new Chinese restaurant by the PC office…I’m hoping they’ll be something tasty on the menu I recognize. As always, thanks for all your love and support. Hugs to everyone!

Gender Equity

2009-10-03T13:51:00.003-04:00

The first day of school in Pessare entailed cleaning! Here is a video of boys and girls sweeping the school yard. Notice the boys who are sweeping...this is a great example of gender equity!

Baby Goats

2009-10-03T13:46:00.003-04:00

Here are the newest additions to our household ;-)

This is Judith, a girl who lives in our compound. Look how small the goats are compared to her!

Mexican Night

2009-10-03T13:39:00.002-04:00

Nathan and I hosted a Mexican food night at our house a couple of weeks ago. I made homemade tortillas, beans, rice, and even cheese sauce! We invited neighbors to come and they actually ended up loving it. Several mentioned that they were nervous to come and eat, but were glad they did! We had fun!

Sarah's Pictures

2009-09-14T16:10:00.001-04:00

Sarah's Pictures

2009-09-14T16:08:00.001-04:00

Sarah's Pictures

2009-09-14T15:59:00.001-04:00

A view of the road and the green fields around it; the soccer fied that the children use; a view of a group of boys relaxing on a rock before they saw me and got up to dance; women carrying tchouk, the millet beer, on their heads to the weekly market; the classroom in which Sister teaches; people getting ready for the market

Sarah's Pictures

2009-09-14T15:50:00.001-04:00

A couple pictures from Pierre and Rachel's wedding... notice the decorated church and the colorfully dressed women... here's a look from a child at the wedding that summarizes the way most children looked at us, as if to say, "Should I be curious or just scared?"

Sarah's Pictures

2009-09-14T15:45:00.001-04:00

Brad and Sarah's Trip to Togo!

2009-09-14T15:24:00.001-04:00

Hello All!

I'm sorry that it's taken me this long to post about Brad's and my trip to Togo last month! School started back a few weeks ago so I'm finally getting back into a routine here in DC. Brad and I had an amazing trip to see Sister and Nathan last month, and it's definitely one that we'll never forget. We left DC August 11 and arrived back in that States on the 21st, our trips to and from each taking about 24 hours. We flew from Baltimore to NY to Casablanca, Morocco to Lome, Togo, and the reverse back again. So our first cultural experience was in Morocco, where we hung out for 10 hours in an airport that seemed to be in the middle of a desert. It was interesting just to see how many men and women were wearing turbans and veils and how odd we looked in our t-shirts and uncovered heads (although I did change into a long skirt in NY).

As soon as we arrived in Lome around midnight, our Togolese experience began in its own unique way. While we were filling out our entry forms, a nice young man volunteered to help me, which I didn't realize would cost us $5 afterwards. Then, as we were waiting in line to have our passports checked, I was surprised to see how many people were allowed to cut in line, one man actually handing the guard cash while we were standing at the counter. And then when our luggage was being checked, they discovered our 15 soccer balls that we had brought with us, thanks to lots of generous donations. One man said that he would like to have one to play with, and Brad and I were so tired and surprised that we let him have one. Finally, we got to see Nathan and Sister, who laughed at our naivety and told us that our new phrase would now be "No."

We stayed in a small, relatively bare hotel in Lome for a couple nights and got to visit the Peace Corps bureau and meet several volunteers there. We then boarded a greyhound kind of bus early one morning, in which the four of us sat on the back row, me next to a woman who got good use out of the little plastic bags she had brought along. We stopped a couple times on the way, but were very pleased to finally leave the bus about 10 hours later. A taxi driver who is friends with Sister and Nathan was already waiting for us when we got off the bus, and he drove us the remaining 30 minutes or so to Passare, the village in which they live. After getting out of the car and walking while the taxi struggled over the deep ridges of the mud road and then continuing on in the car, we finally arrived in Passare and were instantly aware of the beauty that everyone's been talking about.

We met the family who lives in the buildings that form a courtyard with Nathan and Sister's house and then collapsed in our temporary home. Sister and Nathan have done a really wonderful job at making their house a lovely home. They've acquired colorful, comfortable cots and pillows for their bedroom and living room area and seem to have a good bit of storage space in chests, baskets, and shelves. They have a little gas stove that they've enjoyed with a big gas tank beside it and a big jug on the floor where they keep their well water. There's also an open-air area attached to the house for bathing and a little latrine beside that. One of Sister's students gets paid to bring them a few big buckets of water every day, which is used for surprisingly refreshing sponge baths and washing clothes.

So, to save you a bit of reading and repetition, here are just a few more notes on our trip:

While it was nice to have convenience stores and restaurants in Lome, Brad and I, like other visitors, found village life to be much more enjoyable. We went near the end of the rainy season, and the whole countryside was lush and green, with mountains rising in the distance and palm trees dotting the agricultural landscape. People are more traditional in their dress and behaviors in the village, and while we felt quite out of place with our pale skin and lack of French skills, villagers were extremely gracious and welcoming to us. Not only were we allowed to attend a wedding and reception, but we were also invited to two homes to eat meals and were greeted by multiple friends just stopping by the house to meet us. Brad and I also just enjoyed the slowness of life in Passare. While the roosters ensured that we awoke by 6, there was no hurry to go anywhere, and we spent lots of time enjoying Sister's cooking, Nathan's stories, reading, napping, and taking walks. Soon after the sun set, so did we.
It was clear to Brad and me that the villagers appreciate Nathan and Sister just as much as they enjoy the villagers. The girls in the village just glowed whenever Sister described their micro-enterprise projects or mentioned that they were her students at the middle school. The men couldn't get enough of Nathan's jokes and clearly enjoyed spending time with him as he sat in the tchouk-drinking circles with them. It made Brad's and my visit much more enjoyable knowing that even though we were awkward Americans, Sister and Nathan were our hosts and therefore people in the village were happy to meet us. It's a truly different way of life, and they've really made Passare their home.
The most exciting story to tell about our trip is the journey we took with Sister back to Lome. We each rode on the back of a different motorcycle for about 30 minutes before we got to the town where we would board a bush taxi to Lome. The taxi was a 15-passenger van, and we began by waiting for the driver and assistant to tie everyone's luggage onto the the top of the van. Brad got to sit in the passenger seat because of his height, while Sister and I sat next to each other in one of the backseats. We were continuously entertained by the mother and 1-year-old who sat beside me, the mother nursing her daughter about every 15 minutes (for 10 hours). Oh, and there was the live chicken they had brought with them who sat at our feet in a bag. Originally, there were about 15 of us in the van. However, within the first hour or so of travelling down the road, we accumulated literally 15 more people. Sister showed me how to grip onto the seat infront of me so she wouldn't be pushed off the seat, and she was responsible for buying our food whenever we stopped on the side of the road and purchased snacks from women through our window (we'd just pass things up to Brad at the front). Negatives: the body odor that sat infront of your nose every time the van stopped and having to sit for 10 hours. Positives that redeemed the trip: the wind blowing right on us from the window, the humor of the little girl sitting halfway in my lap and throwing her snacks at us, and the quality bonding time that I got to spend with my sister =) .

Basically, Brad and I had a wonderful trip to Togo! It was definitely a learning experience, as we met different kinds of people, places, and ways of life. It's so easy to get wrapped up with life here in the Washington, thinking about where to eat next, which movies to rent, who to e-mail and what to get done by the end of the day. I'm thankful that we were able to be reminded that we're small people in a big world. I'm even more thankful that Nathan and Sister, who are faced every day with their experiences both here and there, let us see a little bit of what their life is like in Togo! I know they have many more stories to come... =)

Magazine Articles

2009-09-06T12:31:00.002-04:00

I recently read Oprah and National Geographic magazines and two articles jumped out at me...Thought I'd share them with you!

1) Oprah - Sept 2009
Talks about a new book, "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide" by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn who stress that "the key to economic progress in the world lies in unleashing women's potential." They offer two things to do to make a difference in women's lives: Support a women's business ("producing income she can use to feed her children and send them to school") and Keep a girl in school ("a girl who gets an education will have fewer children, earn more money, and be able to help her younger siblings"). We're working on both of those here...Not to toot our own horn, trust me I have many days where I don't feel like we do much, but it is nice to receive affirmation and support to keep doing projects here. So thanks for all your encouragement from back home!

2) National Geographic Adventure, Aug-Sept 2009
They have an article entitled "Grid Crashes: America's power supply is primed for an end of days blackout." Found it really funny, because in case any of you missed the memo, our village is OFF the grid already. But lucky for us, and you'll be glad to know, we are succesfully following the "How to Survive" guide...Check it out:
1 - Map the location of water sources (Got it - stream behind house, river 1/4 mile down the dirt path, 3 water pumps within a mile)
2 - Set buckets out to collect rainwater (Got it - 4 out at all times...though Nathan uses it to do laundry and wash dishes!)
3 - Boil or use bleach to treat water (Got it - Covered that the first day in Country and luckily we can filter as well!)
4 - Stock cheap canned goods (Got it - beans, peas, beans, and beans)
5 - Keep cash on hand (hmm...credit cards? what are those?!)
6 - Keep candles and batteries (Got it - but they forgot matches!)
7 - When dire, catch small animals to eat as a good source of protein (Got it - BUSHRAT!)

So I know you all are glad we're surviving. If the grid does crash in the US, call us! We got you covered! XOXO

Travel Story - #2

2009-09-06T07:34:00.002-04:00

Hi All!
We're back in Kara and on our way to Tsevie, the new training site for
volunteers. Nathan and I will be there for a week attending a
training on how to train the new volunteers. We're excited to do
something different for a week, but I already miss Asher ;-) He's at
Rachel's for the week. It's been rainy rainy here. I've included a
story I wrote last week. While this story is unique it is a good
glimpse of travel here. This morning, we drove through 50 cows (with
large horns!) on motorcycles. While I enjoy motorcycles and do find
them a great chance to watch the landscape and enjoy the beauty of
Togo, there are other times that I am on the motorcycle and wonder
"Where am I? What am I doing here?!!" You will understand better
after reading this....Enjoy!

----------------------------------------

Two days after Sarah and Brad departed in August, I left Lome for
village. All was going smoothly and according to plan, and I arrived
late afternoon in Niamtougou. If I have not mentioned it before (or
you forgot!), Niamtougou is a small town located on the national
"highway," about 20k from village. It is where Nathan and I pick up
our weekly mail. I got off the taxi in Niamtougou and began to look
for a motorcycle (we call them "motos") to take me to Pessare. This
should have been easy except the sky was grey and rain was on its way.
As much as I have tried over the last months to predict Togolese
weather, it is often impossible. Weather changes quickly and if you
plan for rain, it inevitably is hot and sunny. The opposite is true
when you plan for warm, clear days. Still, I was anxious to get back
to Nathan and Asher, so asked around for someone to drive me. There
are no cars and even if there was one, it wouldn't make it down the
road during rainy season. The first two drivers, or zeds, refused.
They were too nervous about the weather. In my mind, I was thinking,
"Come on, let's go quickly; we may get there before the rain comes!"
The third zed finally agreed and we left. I had on my rain jacket and
helmet (the zed had on just a t-shirt and baseball cap) and was
wearing my backpack. I had a large plastic bag with dog food for
Asher, sitting on the moto in front of the driver. Not five minutes
into the drive, it started raining. We persevered but quickly the
rain descended harder. I asked the zed if he wanted to stop, but he
said no, we were already wet, so we should just continue. The
difficulty soon proved not to be the rain, but that the ground was
already saturated and the dirt road quickly became, literally, a
river. We kept moving and at one point entered a deep gully (it was
impossible at times to tell how deep the water was) and the moto
stopped. I jumped off and waded to the side. The zed pushed the moto
out of the gully and discovered water had entered the exhaust pipe
(and maybe the engine? I think the motor flooded, but my French
vocabulary does not extend to auto parts so I couldn't have an
intellectual conversation with the zed about the problem.) At this
point sheets of rain were descending and there were only palm trees to
stand under. It goes without saying that I was completely soaked! (I
would have taken a picture, but that would have been stupid…wet
camera?!) I was taking deep breaths, saying prayers, and trying to
problem-solve rationally. The zed kept saying the moto would start
again soon but I knew better. I took off my helmet (my head soaked
now) and searched for my phone to call Nathan. He answered and
cheerfully asked where I was. I answered in a panicked,
hyperventilating voice, "I'm standing in the middles of a field, in
the pouring rain, beside a broken-down moto." (He later told me he
thought I said I was dying…hmm…not exactly…but…) Nathan immediately
said he's send another zed, but I was concerned the zed wouldn't be
able to make it. Nathan said no worries; he would call one and call
me back. In the meantime, I had seen a broken down car a ¼ mile back
and decided to walk towards it so I could get out of the rain. I told
the zed I was leaving, who looked at me like I was crazy. I grabbed
the dog food and started off. Within a moment, I was wading through
water pass my calves. I continued to take deep breaths and say
prayers. I arrived at the car and the man inside quickly let me in.
I apologized that I was wet but that was probably quite obvious and
beside the point. He was out of gas and was waiting on a zed to bring
him more. We introduced ourselves and I couldn't help but laugh; to
me the situation was unbelievable. He looked at me like I was crazy
(the second man of the day), but started laughing as well. Nathan
called back, said our zed-friend, Julian, was on his way and gave me a
pep talk: "This happens all the time to volunteers…Just think how
strong you are…Stay positive…You're almost home." In my mind, I was
thinking "Ok great. I'm stuck here all night. Or how long would it
take to walk 12k? Would I get home before dark? Or maybe I can sleep
in the car. Or maybe I can find a hut nearby and ask in my
non-existent Losso (the local language in the nearby village Konfaga)
to sleep on the floor. Maybe I can give them my bananas and guavas in
exchange?! Ok breathe in…breathe out." The original zed now arrived
at the car and has abandoned the moto. After about 20 minutes, Julian
arrived, from another direction, having attempted to avoid the most
washed out parts of the road. The rain has now slowed, and I paid the
original zed and thanked him for trying. I hopped on the back of
Julian's moto and off we went (albeit slowly). Night was quickly
falling and I was hoping we'd reach the house before dark. No such
luck. We went about 10k successfully, but arrived at a bridge that
had been overtaken by water. Julian and I decided I should hop off
and walk across while he waded the moto across. After a couple of
minutes, success! I hopped back on…only to jump off again a minute
later. The sandy road in front of us had disappeared, large rocks
were protruding, and huge potholes have been left. Not to mention the
fast flow of water all around us. I hop off again and start walking
all while Julian yelled at me "Go slowly! Slowly!" And then, I lost
my flip-flop. It started floating down the road, and I again started
laughing. Could this get any crazier? And did I mention that my
flip-flop is black rubber and it was dark outside? But Julian
actually jumped off the moto and went after it. And found it…and I'm
still laughing. We continued on like this for another ½ mile until
Julian decided it is safe for me to get back on. With his faint
headlight we continued the rest of the way to the house. Nathan was
on the "road" (now you know why it needs to be in quotes!) looking for
us. We gave Julian big hugs, thanked him a thousand times, paid him
extra, and encouraged him to get home safely. I collapsed on the
floor of the house. Nathan pasta sauce cooking and was boiling water
for a hot bucket bath. I can't say I ever completely relaxed that
night, but I was grateful to be home. I am not sure what I would have
done differently but I am thankful for a calm and clear-thinking
husband and our friend Julian who came to help and got me home safely.
Sometimes I think I learn more about myself in experiences like these
than in the "work" I am here to complete. But maybe an overall lesson
for life in Africa is that life is seldom easy, but it's possible to
see the positive (laughing!) and come out stronger on the other side.
Or as the Togolese often say "Today is today."

Nathan's Dinner

2009-08-20T03:41:00.002-04:00

Nathan was lucky to find fresh green beans and tomatoes in a friend's village garden. And the friend was nice enough to give us some! Nathan made dinner one night for us all...corned beef, tomatoes, and green beans. It was tasty...and I really enjoyed having the fresh veggies.

More Wedding Pics

2009-08-20T03:33:00.003-04:00

Pierre and Rachel kneeling for communion during the ceremony.

Sarah, Brad, and I with a friend from village. It's after the ceremony and we're outside the church. Asher attended the wedding as well! This was NOT planned and Nathan and I felt like embarrassed parents. We tried to no avail to get him to leave. So we just let him be and he stayed calm. Rachel was actually excited to hear he had been there. I guess he is part of the family!

Pierre and Rachel's Wedding

2009-08-20T03:01:00.003-04:00

Here's a video of the processional into the church...fun, huh?

Cooking Experiment

2009-08-20T02:53:00.003-04:00

Sarah is baking...biscuits! This is the first time I've tried a Dutch oven. I was nervous but it turned out great! Maybe Sarah was my goodluck charm ;-)Our Dutch oven. The tin foil pans sat on top of the empty tomato paste cans to cook the biscuits.The final product. They were YUMMY!

Coming and Leaving

2009-08-20T02:47:00.002-04:00

Well, our third set of visitors have come and are soon to be leaving.
Sarah and Brad have spent the last few days in village and we're
currently in Lome. Their flight leaves tonight. We had a long car
ride yesterday but ended it with Lebanese hamburgers..it even came
with an egg on top! Afterwards, we took showers and went to bed! I
am up earlier than them this morning so am catching up on my email.

As for Sarah and Brad, they have been great sports - eating foufou,
using our latrine, constantly reapplying bug spray, riding
motorcycles, and tolerating Asher's hesitant feelings of having guests
in the house. They got a taste of market - and the local beer - and
were guests at Pierre and Rachel's wedding (pics to come!). They
happily wore Togolese clothes and hiked through puddles and mud to the
reception. Most importantly, we had a great time together. I learned
I am more like my sister than I thought possible - we like to nap,
don't put too much emphasis on cleanliness and organization, and love
to bake (pictures of our "experiment" coming..). Plus Brad and Nathan
realized they too have much in common - love to hike and camp, will
eat large quantities of whatever food is served, and a desire for
future log cabins and vegetable gardens of their own. Everyone felt
relaxed (lots of book reading!) and had fun teasing each other (lots
of time for talking!). I'll be sad to see them go, but am glad they
were able to share this experience with us. They are two more people
who will now understand why chocolate and mac and cheese are such
prized commodities!

As for the "work" front, I have been chosen to be a trainer for the
incoming GEE volunteers. I wrote a letter of interest to the director
and was chosen as 1 out of 5 trainers. I will have a week of training
myself and then will ultimately spend a week with the trainees (who
arrive the 3rd week in Sept). I will lead sessions and be generally
helpful (ie explaining how to buy stamps, encouraging their French
learning, and buying them ice cream - Remember when I was in training
and had no money?! It's almost be a year!). Nathan is hoping to be
picked as a trainer for NRM and will hear next week. Keep your
fingers crossed!

Well, signing off again. We're going to the big Lome market today to
look for Brad a Togolese soccer jersey...I'm also going to buy some
dog food! Maybe pizza for dinner tonight?! Look for a posting from
Sarah soon - and pictures! Thanks as always for the love, support,
and prayers!

Camp Songs

2009-08-12T12:21:00.003-04:00

We walked through town where camp is to invite locals to come and view the skits the boys wrote and performed. We paraded through the streets singing and chanting. And actually got quite a few people to come back to camp for the show. It was lots of fun!

Science Camp

2009-08-12T12:14:00.002-04:00

Making bleach with electricity! Takara, the teacher from Pessare, is standing behind the man leaning down...He has a blue shirt on. My program director, Rose.

Camp Kitchen

2009-08-12T12:09:00.003-04:00

Making "pate" or corn paste for dinner...Look like a camp kitchen in America?! Plucking chickens! Yummy!

Camp Activities

2009-08-12T12:02:00.002-04:00

Challenge - They had to get their "boat" across the "water" using teamwork! I taught them how to make lotion from soap and oil!

Staying Busy

2009-08-11T05:46:00.002-04:00

Hi All!
Nathan and I are in Kara for the night. We leave for Lome tomorrow to
pick up Brad and Sarah at the airport. We're excited for their
arrival! They will be here for a little over a week, and we'll spend
time in Lome, Pessare, and Kara. It will be a whirlwind but we're
excited to show them around and they are quite excited to come. Plus
they are bringing some Starbucks treats (they both work
there!)….yummy!

I have been very busy over the last two weeks. Peace Corps Togo has a
retreat center, Pagala, in the middle of the country. It is a typical
American retreat center…dorms, meeting spaces, a gym, a cafeteria,
basketball court, etc. They often hold trainings there throughout the
year. I went during the last week in July for a Science Training. As
I've mentioned before, I went with the science teacher at the
elementary school in village. His name is Takara, he's about 30, is
married and has two young children. He is very motivated and has
already worked some with Nathan. He came and had a great time. We
talked about why girls aren't encouraged in science, what careers are
available to women in science in Togo (many in medicine), and how to
help girls with science in our villages. There was a big debate about
whether to make science super practical for girls because they will
most likely be using science in the home (example - how to make bleach
since they use it for so many household chores) or to encourage girls
to learn for the sake of learning. I think girls should learn science
because they should be knowledgeable citizens of the world! But I'll
try to keep in practical in my future plans in village as well…did you
know you can make soap from cooking ashes and oil?? Takara and I are
planning on doing a girls' science club, most likely at the elementary
school, but possibly at the middle school as well. We learned science
experiments during the training to do in clubs. As many of you know,
I definitely don't lean towards science, but I have been blessed with
a wonderful education and know more than elementary school girls in
Togo ;-) So I am hoping I won't make too much of a fool of myself
leading talks on science topics. I'll keep you updated!

After Science Training, I remained at Pagala and began training to be
a camp counselor. Camp here is very American, as volunteers are the
people creating it and running it! Just think of a camp you've been
to in the US and transport it in your mind to Togo….Voila! Camp UNITE!
Children come from all over the country to have fun, eat yummy food,
socialize, and learn how to be better people and make better
decisions. We are uniting a diversified Togo (over 50 languages) for
the development of the whole country. Kids love it! For many it's
the first time out of village. Also it's the first time to meet other
kids from different ethnic groups. French is the only language
allowed at camp…You have to do the "chicken dance" if you're caught
speaking another language! They also learn skills to take back to
village. Most likely there is a PC Volunteer in their community, so
they'll continue to work with the volunteer on village projects, such
as an AIDS awareness campaign or a gender equity presentation.

So after a few days of training, the boy students arrived! I was a
counselor for that week as other volunteers will be counselors of girl
students' week. Joel and Deepo came from Pessare. I was so excited
for them and they loved it! We played soccer, learned new songs,
talked about the importance of overcoming obstacles to have a healthy
and successful life…and ended it all with a candlelight ceremony and a
huge bonfire (unfortunately no s'mores!). I plan on working with them
back in Pessare – maybe some community meetings/talks on gender
equity?! As always, I'll keep you updated…

Exciting news…Pierre and Rachel are getting married! They were
married many years ago through a traditional service, but on Saturday
will have their Catholic ceremony. There is a mass at 9am and then a
party afterwards. So Sarah and Brad will be attending a wedding! My
guess is that it will be somewhat western, but we'll see…we'll take
lots of pictures. Plus I need to figure out what Sarah and Brad will
wear ;-)

So we are staying in Kara for the night and are going to enjoy some
rest in the AC! We'll be in touch over the next few days as we'll be
in and out of internet access. Look for pictures possibly tomorrow!
Hope all is well with you all! Thanks for all the support and email
us some time to let us know how you are! Love!

Cup of Tea

2009-07-17T11:12:00.002-04:00

Miriah and I enjoying tea in village one afternoon. The guys brought us flowers from their walk ;-)

Asher!

2009-07-17T09:28:00.002-04:00

Nap time!
Asher's new toy and collar..Thanks Jenny!

He's getting BIG!

Inspiration Walls

2009-07-17T09:19:00.003-04:00

Our inspiration walls of pictures. They make our days brigher ;-) Nathan's has lots of outdoor activities.

Mine has pictures of family, comics, and inspirational quotes and pictures!

This comic is in honor of Nathan...he's getting a bit tired of beans and rice ;-)

New House

2009-07-17T09:06:00.001-04:00

Living Room with our laundry drying (it was raining that day!)

Gas Stove with Asher underneath

Bikes and Storage

Beach Days

2009-07-17T09:01:00.003-04:00

(FYI, I wrote the first part of this post two days ago…)

We’re not in Kara ;-) But in Lome…at the beach! We have just had a wonderful visit with Brian and Miriah in village, and we are ending their trip in Togo with a couple of days at a beachside resort in Lome. We arrived today in time for a quick dip in the ocean and pool followed by hot showers before dinner. I had wonderful chicken kebabs for dinner with sautéed potatoes and green beans. I also saved room for chocolate mousse ;-) Now I am sitting in AC and watching CNN. I know…life is hard!

(After I wrote the above, we continued to enjoy yummy food, including fresh caught fish. We enjoyed more time in the ocean and pool and got lots of reading in! We are now at the Peace Corps office. Brian and Miriah leave tonight.)

Brian and Miriah, friends from Boston, arrived last week and spent six days with us in village. They say they had a good time, and I’m hoping Miriah will post her thoughts to the blog soon. It was very renewing for us to have visitors….Sometimes I forget how beautiful Pessare is and how kind everyone in village is to us until we have visitors and see everything through their fresh eyes. We had dinner with several different families and spent time at Sunday market and in Kara. I feel renewed reenergized for the work to come over the next several weeks. Additionally, it was fun to hang out with another American couple…we had lots of time to chat and play cards ;-) Plus Miriah enjoys cooking like me, so we made bean burgers one night followed by bananas foster.

Thanks Brian and Miriah for coming! We had an amazing time with you. Hope you are home safe and sound. Thanks for everything.

Nathan and I are back to village tomorrow, and I will be there for a week. Afterwards, I head to the Peace Corps’ training center with an elementary school teacher from Pessare. We are going to a teacher training to learn how to motivate girls in science. Not sure what to expect, but maybe a girls science club in Pessare will be in the works soon?!

Afterwards, I am a camp counselor at Camp UNITE. I will be there for a week. And then….my sister and Brad arrive! I will be staying very busy and am looking forward to it. It always helps to have lots of activities to help the time pass…especially when lacking CNN in village ;-)

The weather has turned rainy and we often have rain up to five times a week. The temperatures have cooled off considerably! Asher is well and staying with Rachel and Pierre for the couple of days we’re down in Lome. Otherwise, we are fine. Hope everyone else is doing well. Send us an email and let us know what you’re up too!
Miss everyone lots!
Love!

Our Favorite Recipe

2009-06-25T07:37:00.001-04:00

Ok, folks, I know the following recipe is not healthy - who knows how many preservatives, additives, and salts there are! But we have little to work with - trust me - and I have spent countless hours trying to think of possible dinners. However my repertoire is growing. And this one is quite tasty and a comfort after a long day. So here comes one of our new "old standbys." If you visit, I'll make it for you!

Mexican Couscous with Chicken

(I am taking liberties with title, as you will soon see!)

Ingredients

1 cup water

1 cup dry couscous

1 small can of tomato paste

1 small can of condensed milk

1 can of chicken hot dogs, water drained

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 packet of Taco seasoning

1 large onion

2 habanero peppers

2 cloves of garlic

2 medium tomatoes, soaked first in bleach

Mrs. Dash "extra spicy" seasoning

1 wheel of VQR (non-refrigerated Laughing Cow cheese)

Procedure

1. Boil the water in a pot and add the tomato paste and half a packet of Taco seasoning. Bring back to a boil and add the couscous. Stir. Turn off the heat and cover.

2. Dice the onion, garlic, and peppers and place half in a saute pan. Add half the oil and saute until tender.

3. Chop the hot dogs and add to the pan. Saute.

4. Add Mrs. Dash to taste to the hot dog mixture and turn the burner down to low.

5. Uncover the couscous and fluff with a fork. Add to the hot dog mixture and stir. Cover and keep on low heat.

6. Add the remaining onions, garlic, and peppers along with the other half of oil to the now-empty couscous pan. Saute until tender.

7. Add the VQR and stir until melted.

8. Add the milk slowly, stirring constantly.

9. Add the other half of the taco seasoning. Mix well and let thicken for 5 minutes over low heat.

10. Pour cheese sauce over couscous and hot dogs.

11. Top with diced tomatoes and enjoy!

Some Changes

2009-06-25T06:27:00.001-04:00

You guessed it! We're back in Kara...doing the usual ;-) However back in village, it's been quite unusual. We moved houses (same village) last Saturday. The transition went smoothly though had the hassles of any move - lots of packing and cleaning of the old house and cleaning and unpacking of the new house. We have three rooms plus a latrine and shower area. It's already decorated and organized, and I hope to post pictures next month. I'm getting used to having constant people around, which you can guess has its pros and cons. But it is exciting to be in the "center" of village and made going to market last Sunday fun and easy. Asher is a bit confused, but there are many more dogs here for him to play with. He did go to Beepo's today while we're in Kara! Rachel is kind to dogsit. Like many teenagers he's trying to exert independence but has overprotective parents. He's the only dog in village not allowed to run free. That may change soon, now that he is neutered. He was neutered at our old house last week, and I found the whole experience to be a bit traumatizing. I won't write details, but maybe Nathan will on his blog?! Asher has forgiven us and is healing well, but I am newly thankful for vets in the US who don't let owners watch surgical procedures ;-)

I have four girls doing my Vacation Enterprise project. They received $10 each last week. Their first payment of $1.50 is due Sunday. They are selling lots of diverse things including sugar, corn porridge, batteries, tomato paste cans, fried peanut sticks, and local beer. I bought corn porridge from Adalene yesterday and it was quite good! I am keeping my fingers crossed that all works out well - and their school fees for next year will be payed in ten weeks!

I am still working on the local cookbook and with our coming computer, will be able to pick up the pace. Continue to stay tuned.

In addition to our excitement that Brian and Miriah arrive in two weeks, my sister, Sarah, and her boyfriend, Brad, are coming in August. We'll need a long rest in September.

Upcoming Activities:

1) Attending a teacher training in July with a local elementary school teacher. We are going to learn how to encourage girls enthusiasm for science in the classroom. The teacher is super excited and we may be working a lot together this next year.

2) Working as a camp counselor for a Peace Corps camp. Each volunteer sends two boy students and two girl students for a week-long camp at PC's local retreat center. In addition to fun and games, and lots of good food, there will be daily educational sessions - everything from HIV/AIDS prevention to good decision making to conflict management. Joel is one of the Pessare boys attending. He is beyond excited and if you ask him how many days until camp, he knows exactly. This will be the first time he's left the Kara area and is excited to have electricity! I'm a bit nervous for him as this is his first time away from home. But past counselors and campers say it is an experience of a lifetime, and I am excited to be there to facilitate it!

Happy 4th of July to everyone! Nathan and I celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary July 1. We're off to Cocobeach for two nights to celebrate ;-) Much love to all!

Goodbye Meg

2009-06-16T03:03:00.001-04:00

Hi All!

I find myself in Lome for two days to say goodbye to my best friend in Togo, Meg. Sadly, Meg is very sick with malaria and has been medically seperated from the Peace Corps. She is flying out tonight and will return to her family in Chicago. I am super sad because she is such an enthusiastic volunteer and such a supportive friend. We have so many good memories together! I have been crying but am trying to stay positive for her. She is very tired and sick and needs to go home. I also know her mother is anxiously awaiting her! I helped her pack up her house yesterday which was very sad. All the villagers were confused and crying. It is not much closure for anyone. Last night I stayed with her in the PC medical unit and today will help her do last minute things around Lome (close her bank account, do an exit interview, etc.). Tonight we'll go to the airport and tomorrow I'll head back to village. I hope everyone is doing well in America! Meg, have some pizza for me! Much love!

More Pictures....

2009-06-15T16:24:00.001-04:00

Find more pictures from Brandon's trip here...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/danzenfool

Visiting Ann and Nathan

2009-06-05T12:19:00.001-04:00

Hi Everyone. This is Brandon. I just returned from visiting Ann and Nathan. I promised Ann that I'd post to report on my experience and perhaps to give you a fresh perspective since Ann has been in Togo for a while now and is no longer surprised by so many of the things that surprised me.

All in all, I had a fantastic trip. It was so special to see Ann and Nathan in their new home and to experience a little taste of what their life is like in Africa. Before I arrived, I didn't really know what to expect, per se, save for the fact that I had read Ann's blog and was terrified of death by cobra or scorpion during my visit. Luckily, no such event came to pass. Indeed, I never even saw either one.

While we're on the topic of unpleasant critters, I'd also read on Ann's blog about the time she ate termites. I feared that this might be on the docket for me seeing as Ann still complains about the soba noodles that she ate when she visited me in Japan. Luckily, though, Ann was not so cruel as to force termites on me and – in fact – I really enjoyed the food. There doesn't seem to be a wide variety of food in Pessare (Ann's village) and it doesn't seem to be overly nourishing, so I can see that cooking/eating could become tiresome/dull. But, for me, the visitor, it was great. It was made even better by the fact that we had dinner with three different families during my visit. The families displayed so much hospitality and kindness. To think that they took the time and money to have us over when they all have large families of their own to feed and care for. It meant so much. I've included a photo of Ann's student making fufu (mushed yams) for us.

Ann and I also had wachee (rice and beans) and porridge made my some ladies who serve their food at the village middle school. The best wachee I had in country was in Ann's village (made by Arriette). Here's a photo of me with the wachee/porridge ladies. I also included a photo of Ann and Arriette. I was forever amazed by the size and weight of the loads that the villagers could carry on their heads. Small children could carry loads that I couldn't even manage in my arms. And, that's not to mention that I can't even balance a book on my head!

By far the most overwhelming and unexpected part of the trip was the heat. I grew up in the South and figured I knew a little something about hot places. But North Carolina heat has nothing on Togo heat, even on the hottest days in August. I got off the chilly Air France plane and felt as though I'd been hit by a tidal wave of hot, humid air. Whew! Luckily, Ann showed me the ropes…stay in the shade, bathe often, nap in the afternoon…and so I got along just fine. I suppose if you're there for long enough, your body must adjust. For me, the visitor, it was HOT!!!

Well, I don't want to write a novel, so I'll wrap it up. Ann and Nathan have a beautiful house (hut compound). They seem to be surrounded by a welcoming and loving community. Their village, Pessare, is really beautiful. On the moto ride from Niamtougou to village the scenery was breathtaking and it was made even better by the Togolese children who waved and smiled as we passed by. Indeed, the moto ride reminded me of why people fall in love with Africa. The rural part, the part that surrounds Ann on all sides, that is what will stick with me.

Thanks Ann and Nathan for being wonderful hosts!

Day of Travel

2009-06-05T07:36:00.001-04:00

It was 4:45AM, 85 degrees, and my alarm was going off. Unfortunately the electricity had yet to turn on, so I crawled from under my mosquito net with my headlamp shining. I rushed to shower (cold), brush my teeth (with bottled water), and dress (not forgetting bug spray and my daily vitamin) and was out the door at 5:15AM. The sun was up. I was on my way to the bus station to catch a bus from Lome to Kara. However it was a holiday, so there were very few cars on the road. I walked 30 minutes, sweating, with my two bags, before I found a taxi. After a twenty minute ride and $4 later, I was there. I checked my one larger backpack and waited patiently beside the bus. Togolese usually travel in 15-person passenger vans, but if you can afford it ($9), the once daily "Greyhound" bus is preferable. You have to buy your ticket a day in advance and be there an hour early or they may re-sell your spot. There is AC (more like air circulation than any coolness), and it is clean.

7AM arrived, and I hopped on the board, sitting in my assigned seat...next to a mother with a 2-year old. He behaved at first, and I was patient and understanding when he accidentally kicked me and threw his half-eaten banana in my lap. The ride is 7 hours and has two stops. Between the stops they blare loud, West African rap music and put a VHS in so we can watch French sitcoms. I try and read and listen to my iPod.

The first stop (after 3 hours...hope you haven't had to go to the bathroom) is for food. We have 10 minutes to buy dried, smoked fish and big loves of sugar bread. Women carry baskets of the food on their heads and you bargain for a fair price. Luckily, there is also ice cream! A man rides a sing-speed beach cruiser with a cooler attached to the front. He sells small .25 cent plastic packages of vanilla and chocolate ice cream. It's made in Ghana, completely safe to eat, and delicious! By the way, if you need to go to the bathroom, you can squat right there and go. A few minutes later, we're off again. The child next to me wants my ice cream and has a tantrum. After 10 minutes of screaming, a cookie calms him down.

Our next stop is 2 hours later. This time it's on the side of a forested road there's no food. Everyone quickly jumps off and runs into the woods to do their business. I haven't been drinking much water, exactly because of this, but opt to take advantage of the stop. I will spare you details, but you quickly lose all sense of privacy.

We continue on our way, hot, cramped, and ready to be in Kara. About 45 miles from Kara there is a large mountain with one long winding road. It is currently being paved. It is almost impossible to pass other cars, but that doesn't stop drivers from trying. As we inch along I see a man ahead in the middle of the road waving his arms, presumably telling us to stop. But there is nowhere to go, as we are on a steep, narrow incline. We move along and see a tractor-trailer broken down in the middle of the road. We decide to pass. Given the situation, it is not surprising, but still scary, that we read-end the truck and come face-to-face with a van. The driver turns the wheel abruptly and we find ourselves halfway in a shallow ditch, leaning up against the mountain. Everyone immediately stands and rushes off the slanted bus. I am taking deep breaths and ignoring the tears that want to come. We stand in a patch of shade under a tree and watch the driver attempt to salvage the situation. He slowly reverses down the mountain, with the smashed bumper, until he is back on the road and in control. He pulls up beside us and we all get in. Not once does he apologize or explain and not once does anyone yell or complain. I have a feeling this is more common than I first thought. I call Nathan, take more deep breaths, and count the minutes until we are safely in Kara.

We do arrive safe and sound, and I collect my baggage. I am off to the taxi stand, during mid-afternoon sun and nap-time, to find a car to our mail point, Niamtougou. Luckily, this time, I only have to wait 45 minutes for a car to fill up. Drivers will not leave until they have at least 6 passengers in a 4-door sedan. Today I find myself in the backseat with three other women and four children. Three men are in the front, including the driver. I have paid $1.25 for the ride. There are no windows and the front windshield is severely cracked. There are also no side-view or rear-view mirrosrs. The speedometer and the gas gauge do not work. This car has not passed inspection in the US for the last twenty years. After a push from two men to get us moving we quickly drive the twenty miles. We arrive uneventfully and I again grab my bag and head off for the third and final stage of my trip.

I walk to the motorcycle stand and find a familiar face. We have three men who are our preferred moto drivers. I find our friend, Rasta, the only man I've seen in Togo with dreads. I ask him to take me to Pessare, pay my $4 and off we go. It is twelve miles and takes thirty min. I wear my helmt and ignore the broken gauges and mirrors. The road is sandy and rocky and a moto is the only vehicle available to make the trip at a moment's notice. (Don't worry, Mom, we can rent a car to make the trip when you come - no motos!) Moto rides are one of my favorite things in Togo. There is uninterrupted silence and the landscape is beautiful. It is when I think, "Wow, I am in Africa!"

I get home exhausted and dirty. But luckily Nathan an Asher are there to greet me with hugs and kisses. I take a cold bucket shower, drink luke-warm water, and think, yep, this is Africa!

Laundry

2009-05-30T10:00:00.002-04:00

As Nathan says...Who needs a washer and dryer, when you have a husband?!! ;-)

Me in Action

2009-05-30T09:48:00.003-04:00

So on Monday I did a session with elementary-age girls in village on sanitation. My volunteer friend Brittany came to help, and Brandon got to see "Girls Education" in action! We taught them about the necessity to wash their hands before cooking or everyone in the family might get diarrhea. And if everyone does get sick then how to prepare an oral rehydration solution (salt and sugar added to water). We also taught them how to make lotion from soap (soap, oil, and water) as an income generating activity (they can sell little packets in market). It took 2 hours and the girls seemed to really enjoy it. It was also good French practice...I still get nervous speaking in French in front of lots of people, but I think it went well! Here's me talking...

Bean Pancakes

2009-05-30T09:34:00.002-04:00

Other recipe from me! I made these pancakes (made with bean flour) with a woman in village. They are cooked over a wood stove and topped with red palm oil and red powdered hot peppers! Yummy!

On the griddle!

Pounding the hot peppers!

The finished product...And you have to eat it with your hands!

Family Portraits

2009-05-30T09:25:00.003-04:00

We are often asked to take pictures for families, as there is no other camera in village, besides mine and Nathans. Here are a few of the recent pictures I've taken. I hope to have them developed here in country (yes, it is possible) and give the families a copy to keep. I know they will forever treasure them, as they are such a rarity!

Benoit Jose Koudina - 1 week old

Pierre and Rachel's children: Joel, Arnold, Maggie, Kevine, and Reine; they are all dressed in matching outfits for their late grandfathers funeral.

Koulu and Jesslyn and their four children. They put on their finest for the picture and were quite pleased!

Brandon and I!

2009-05-30T09:14:00.003-04:00

Having Cokes in the nearby town Siou with a friend, Christine.

At the pool in Kara!

Bye Bye Brandon

2009-05-30T06:30:00.001-04:00

Hello All!
Brandon and I find ourselves in Lome, a capital that is busy, hot, and rainy! We arrived yesterday and enjoyed a nice evening of wood-fired pizza, wine, and creme brulee. After a sweaty night of sleep, we are on her last day here. It is overcast and drizzling. Her flight leaves this evening, and I will drop her at the airport. Before that we are heading to the Grand Marche (large market) for some exploring as well as grab some more local food. Not as good as last night, but Brandon has surprisingly enjoyed Togolese food. She has found the heat surprisingly hot and the transportation surprisingly bad. But overall I think she's had a good time...And ready to return home! I'm proud of her for venturing over here. We'll wait and see her post...But I hope she says she enjoyed her time while still finding the adventure demanding at times ;-) She confessed today she thought there would be a plethora of croissants since Togo was a French colony...sadly no :-( But we have wonderful people who make really good pounded yams! Stay tuned for her post...

I will be in Lome until Monday completing my quarterly report. I will attempt to upload pictures to the blog later today so check in later. Nathan reports that all is fine in village...little rain there and everyone is in the fields! Our latrine is being built and we still hope to move by mid-June. We should be in village much of June and are looking forward to our next visitors, Brian and Miriah!

Hope everyone is well! Much love!

First Recipe for Cookbook!

2009-05-28T13:34:00.002-04:00

Here's my first entry for the Togolese Cookbook...from a fellow volunteer! See what you think ;-)

Viandes d’Sésame (cuisine Béninoise)

1 ½ cups sesame (makes approx 15)
1 small can tomato paste
1 egg
1 Maggi cube (chicken bouillon)
3T corn flour Spices :{ mixture} ground garlic, ground ginger, cayenne, blk. pepper, salt
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 ½ cups H2O
1 onion -chopped
4 green hot peppers
Vegetables and Meat can be added according to preference: {normally served with cabbage and carrots - Carrots, onion, hot peppers, green pepper, cabbage, green beans, chicken, fish, and beef

1. Mix the spices in a small bowl to form a sauce with a bit of water added
2. Grind the sesame to form a paste (water should be added in the process)
3. Reserve a small portion of the sesame paste and set aside. With remaining mixture, stir in one egg, 3 T corn flour and a pinch of salt till paste thickens
4. Boil water in a medium sized pan, add Maggi cube and a portion of the spice mixture to make a broth
5. Drop spoonfuls of the sesame mixture into the boiling water and heat until the balls float to the top –remove from heat and set aside
6. In a separate saucepan, mix can of tomato paste, oil, onion and heat (if possible add a small amount of diluted potassium-brown-)when in Togo
7. Slowly stir in sesame balls and the broth, reserving a portion of the broth aside. Add the remaining spice mixture and sesame paste and stir until boiling. (remaining broth can be added if needed) Add vegetables and pre-cooked meat if desired.
8. Simmer until vegetables are tender.
9. Serve over rice, polenta (pâté), or my favorite Fufu (pounded yams).

New Pictures

2009-05-22T16:42:00.001-04:00

Take a look on Nathan's blog for some new pictures http://togoguineamali.blogspot.com

I will have a huge update posted next week so stay tuned.

A Typical Day in Village

2009-05-22T04:40:00.001-04:00

A look into our daily routine...

5:15AM - Wake up; the sun is shining and Asher is wide awake running around and whining

5:30AM - Take Asher for a short walk and disassemble the bed (we set up a mattress with a mosquito net every night outside in the middle of the courtyard - way too hot to sleep inside!)

6:00AM - Boil water for hot tea and drink (I have mine black and Nathan has his with sugar and powdered milk)

6:15AM - Nathan goes to pump water and bring it back to the house. When full, the containers are too heavy for me to carry!

6:30AM - Feed Asher milk and a hard boiled egg (we don't have much dry dog food and it is expensive!). Beepo, his brother, comes over for milk as well! I usually add a Luna bar to my breakfast, and Nathan makes a shake with Ovaltine, powdered milk, sugar, and water.

7:00AM - I read a book for fun or prepare my lesson for school. Nathan is usually playing with Asher or sweeping the compound (he likes to clean!).

8:00 - 11:00AM - I am typically at school. It takes me 15 to bike there. I usually buy a bowl of corn porridge from a local woman as a mid-morning snack (I buy .05 cents worth)!
Nathan visits different gardens, takes Asher to visit neighbors, and/or talks and works with his counterparts, Pierre and Koulu.

Noon - Lunch! It is often very light due to the heat...Neither of us have much appetite and it is too hot to stand over the gas stove in the hut. Sometimes I buy rice and beans with tomato sauce from a neighbor (we order .25 cents worth!) or we make popcorn. Asher eats some dry dog food and a can of sardines. We also have a Propel or Gatorade.

1:00 - 3:00PM - Nap time. I read, do Sudoku, and sleep. Nathan reads and listens to his iPod. Asher is zonked for the whole time - he is an African dog and knows that midday is time to sleep!

3:30PM - Take a cool bucket bath

4:00PM - I go to French tutoring at the English teacher's house. It takes me 10 min to bike there. Nathan goes to Kabye tutoring at an elderly gentleman's house in village. Takes him 10 to bike too. Asher sometimes goes with us when we feel like walking!

5:30PM - Both back at the house. Nathan takes Asher for a 30 min walk. I start dinner...All of this in the impending darkness.

6:00PM - Dark. We eat dinner and listen to the BBC on the radio. Asher has a little more dog food and a couple of bites of human food.

7:00PM - I bathe with warm water - I leave a bucket in the sun all day ;-) Nathan washes the dishes and we set up the bed.

7:30PM - I get in bed to read.

8:00PM - Nathan bathes and then gets in bed to read. Asher is fast asleep! Night, night.

Still Hot ;-)

2009-05-21T05:17:00.001-04:00

Hi All!
I find I begin most of the posts the same...yep, we're back in Kara And, yes, had breakfast (cafe au lait - instant Nescafe with sweetened condensed milk - and crusty bread smeared with mayonnaise), went to the bank, and went grocery shopping (bought canned mean and beans...as well as, surprise...Pringles!) As I write this I wonder how I have lost weight?!

All volunteers have their bi-annual report due next week so I will start that on Excel following this post. Our friends Brian and Miriah are coming to visit in July and bringing a computer for us with them. I am looking forward to getting some tryping done at home - especially for reports - before coming to the internet cafe. And, yes, no electricity in village, but we can charge it once a week in our market town.

Our big news is that we are moving houses. This is not our decision, but one we are OK with and when we are feeling positive, find ourselves excited about. There have been security concerns about our current house's location as we are outside the center of village and don't live within another family's compound. If we were to yell, no one would hear us. Thus, it was the PC's decision to move us. We are going to a smaller house, but just as nice - square, cement, three rooms, new latrine. We will also be living in a family's compound. The mom's name is Yvette. The house is across from the market and next door to the local dry-goods store. We are excited about the locatioin but a bit sad to be leaving Rachel and kids. We are also a bit overwhelmed with the whole moving process. But we will make a point to still see the family often, and Nathan has located a 4x4 truck in another town to help us move furniture. We should be moved by mid-June so look for pictures in July. And send positive thoughts our way ;-)

Otherwise, for work-related news, teaching has now ended, and exams are next week. I am looking forward to the break and change in routine, but will miss the kids. My summer project to help school girls start small businesses to pay for school is off to a slow start. I have 5 girls who are interested; I was hoping for 10. But I am excited to work with them and hope we'll have a good time and learn a lot together. Also, next week I am doing a health information session at the elementary school with my volunteer friend Brittany. She's a health volunteer and we're going to talk to the girls about the importance of sanitation around the house. We have lots of posters and hands-on demonstrations so should be fun.

Plus, Brandon arrives this weekend! It should be a whirlwind adventure - one that I can fill you in on next week when I'm at a computer in Lome. Plus look for Brandon's post; she's already agreed! Pictures will be up next week including ones of my latest cooking lesson, Nathan teaching at the elementary school, and doing things in village with Brandon! Stay tuned!

Oh, and last night...Nathan killed another scorpion and a mouse :-( Yuck! Nathan may post a picture soon for you on his blog...check it out!

As always, thanks for all your love, support, and prayers. We miss you all dearly and I long for the comforts of Americas. But we're here and chugging along...please continue to keep in touch! Much love!

One more thing...

2009-04-28T11:54:00.001-04:00

"Things That Can Kill You Around the House"
Nathan has been keeping a tally on the poisonous animals he's been killing. Check it out!

Cobras - 3
Scorpians - 12

Hmm...I'll keep you updated...Here's hoping for the best!

Cool Rains

2009-04-28T07:29:00.001-04:00

Hi Everyone!

Per usual, Nathan and I find ourselves back in Kara at the end of the month. We've already done some banking and grocery shopping and are staying the night (hot showers and AC!). April has seemed to have flown by and in only 3 short weeks our first visitor arrives...Brandon! Brandon and I first met as freshman roommates at Duke and remain great friends still today. She'll be in Fance on vacation and is "hopping" down to Togo for a week. We're looking forward to sharing the country and its people with her...and I need to give her payback for making me eat weird seafood and cold soba noodles in Japan for a week ;-) I'm hoping she'll take lots of pictures and do a guest blog post (hint hint) to give you all a fresh perspective. Sometimes I think things become so "ordinary" to me that I forget how unusual or interesting it might be to you. So stay tuned!

School is ending in May and the rains are beginning to arrive. Everyone in village is heading to the fields. Nathan has a few gardening projects underway and I am going to do "Summer Vacation Enterprise" with girls at the middle school. School fees are $5/year but that is extremely hard to come by for many girls, in addition to notebooks, pens and uniforms. I am working with a local micro-finance institution to loan the girls $10 to start a small business. They will pay back the loan in addition to saving money for school fees and supplies. They would usually not have access to the money because one usually has to save with an institution before taking a loan. In this case, I will be their insurance. The employees are being very helpful and are very excited to be a part of the program. I am grateful for their resources and energy. The first meeting with the girls is May 13th, so look for an update next month...how many girls, what small businesses, etc.

Other exciting news...Rachel had her baby! Benoit Jose, a boy, was born at 3am on April 16th. He has a head full of hair and is quite adorable. I visit him everyday and have taken multiple pictures of him for her. She is back to being a full-time mom so there isn't much time for a lot of fuss, so Nathan andI enjoy being the ones to remind her how special he is :-)

Nathan led a wonderful information session at the local elementary school about the importance of planting tees. He spoke energetically in French using lots of visuals while his counterpart translated it into Kabye. The 100 kids were enthralled! They also planted 8 mango trees. I took lots of pictures so hopefully they'll be posted next month when I go to Lome with Brandon.

One great story to leave you with...One Friday night Nathan and I had just finished eating dinner when we heard some kids outside. We called out to them and asked what they were doing in the dark. They replied they were catching insects. I thought, "Cool...like fireflies in a jar." I opened the door to see and asked what kind of bugs. They showed me little ant-like bodies with large wings...not fireflies. I was confused..."Why?" "Well to eat of course!" "OHHH!' I squealed! I thought this was the best thing ever and went outside to follow. I could not stop laughing and squealing as they caught them. The kids thought my enthusiasm was amusing ;-) And the next day...A kid knocks on the door with a bowl of fried termites! Nathan dug right in...I had one. Not much taste. He wanted to give us more but we politely refused. What a great experience!

I biked 30 miles on Sunday...Monday I was wiped! That's enough cardio for me for a while! This week I am making fried bean cakes with a woman in village and taking my best friend, Jesslyn, for her first ever COKE! Thanks for all the wonderful birthday wishes! We had nice birthdays and are thankful for all your love and support!

A couple more things...

1) Cell phone

We have 1980s Nokias..no lie. Be patient if you call. There is no call waiting or voice mail. If it rings and we don't answer, we just didn't hear. Try again. If you hear a French recording, it means the phone is off. Try another time. People have had lots of luck with Skype. We don't have a Skype account but put our number in and it's only 17cents/min. Less than $1 for a 5 min phone call! We can also receive texts from Skype but not from most phones. We cannot text to Skype. Let me know if you'd like our number!

2) My fabulous Sister Sarah is raising money to send soccer balls to kids in our village. Check her out on Facebook to find out more! Thanks Sis!

Leaving Lome

2009-04-09T02:28:00.001-04:00

Just a quick note as I head out of Lome this morning. Yesterday, I sucessfully bought dog food for Asher as well as birthday treats for Nathan including hot sauce and Oreos! It was amazing to see yesterday all of the things you can buy in Lome...If I was an ex-pat here (ie making LOTS of money) I could truly live a quasi-American life. I went to three different grocery stores yesterday and saw Special K cereal, Uncle Ben's Rice, Ritz crackers, and Nestle chocolate chips. Crazy! While I was looking at everything, and realizing we don't have money to buy American food three times the price as it is sold for in the US, I was kind of glad to have chosen a simpler life here. Special K is just not part of my Togolese life...hello, milk?!! Where am I getting that?! Not to mention no refridgerator. And I am happy about that. Life for the moment seems better simplier. I don't need so much choice and temptation! So I am back to village to enjoy beans and rice...and solitude and stars. I'm looking forward to it!

But before I let myself off that easily, I should confess to an amazing dinner last night. I went out for the bachelorette party which was lots of fun. Twelve girls went and we had a nice time talking and relaxing. We went to a restaurant owned by a very nice French couple who have a home set in a beautiful garden setting. They also happen to have a restaurant that is pricey for me, but had wonderful food. I had a glass of red wine and the most amazing pizza. It was on thin, crunchy crust cooked in a wood stove...and had tons of cheese and hunks of fresh pineapple. It was SO GOOD! I don't know if it is because I've been out of the States for awhile or if it really was that good...but it was a perfect way to start my birthday!

So I am signing off...Hope everyone has a good rest of the week. Thanks again for all the emails and bday wishes! And Happy Easter! XO

And to leave...

2009-04-08T03:00:00.003-04:00

You on a good note...CARAMEL POPCORN...I've come quite good at making it, if you ask me ;-) Here's a pic of it! As well as a picture of one of Nathan's "tapas"...this is cheese with roasted red peppers and mangoes...It was quite good as well!

Also, thanks for all the food magazines people have sent. I get sad because I can't make it all but I've found surprisingly many recipes that I can use here (ie Easter lunch!)...I'll keep taking pics and will keep you updated!

Nathan's Post...

2009-04-08T02:55:00.003-04:00

For some reason can't seem to get this on his blog...I will keep trying but in the meantime this is what he says:

Well, March has come and gone and April finds me sweating out the lovely days of hot season's final push. We had our "Mango Rains" and everyday kids are off to some distant field to "acquire" buckets full of the yellow gold...

Our dog Asher is doing well, still getting bigger, but a bit of a wimp when it comes to going out to pee in the dark.

Work has been an up and down experience as of late: 1) We have lost a large portion of the rabbits at the center due to a small infection outbreak 2) built several new mudstoves 3) Met with two garden groups; one male and one female...I'm hoping to establish a positive and productive working relationship with both groups 4) Kabiye language lessons are still running over me like a bulldozer, but it does give a good excuse to drink Tchouk and laugh with Albert my teacher 5) I was named to VAC (Volunteer Advisory Committee), giving me the opportunity to represent my region of Togo in quarterly meetings with our Country Director and program directors. In classic Togo irony, I was made meeting secretary at the last meeting, yet we A. don't have a computer here B. don't have electricity but need to have typed notes out to everyone in a week! 6) built solar dyers for fruit/veggies...will let you know how it goes!

My wife and I will be celebrating birthdays in a few days...my 4th time getting older on the continent! Maybe as a big present, Mother Nature will make it snow!

I hope everyone is well in the States. Thanks for all the letters, emails, phone calls, and care packages, all of which brightens us up when we are having a tough day.

Current literary wish list: The Complete Works of John Muir

Local Recipe

2009-04-08T02:48:00.004-04:00

Here is African Couscous...it looks like couscous but is made from the skin of yams...yep, tastes just as good as it sounds...hehe But I had fun making it! Here's the improved cook stove where we made it!

New Roof

2009-04-08T02:45:00.002-04:00

We have a new roof on our bedroom hut. The other was old, so Pierre decided to change the straw. Luckily, I missed the whole production but Nathan had 40 men over and it took them 2 hours to remove the old one and replace it. We served them local beer and they were more than glad to help! Nothing like community ;-)

ME! - Just because you asked!

2009-04-08T02:37:00.004-04:00

Here I am in a garden in Meg's village. I'm planting my own lettuce!

Having a girls night with my friend Brittany...nothing like a head lamp, two camping mugs, and boxed wine! Makes for a relaxing and fun evening ;-)

Nathan's New HAIR

2009-04-08T02:32:00.004-04:00

Yes, he shaved it! And I really like it ;-) (Plus Asher is growing!)

Solar Dryer

2009-04-08T02:27:00.002-04:00

Nathan's newest contribution to village. He's constructed two and has been drying mangoes, tomatoes, and okra. The women so far love it!

Lome

2009-04-08T02:18:00.002-04:00

Hi Everyone! I am in Lome for the day...here for a meeting that starts in a couple of hours. It is amazing how my inner clock has changed so much since being here...I'm exhausted by 8pm (well, that's not new!) but am up by 5:30am ready to go. It's 6:15 here and I'm already on the computer at the Lome Peace Corps Office. We'll see if I need an afternoon nap - again, nothing new! Today I am planning on going to the grocery store to buy Asher dog food. We're going to try to get some more vitamins into him...and just to give him a little variety from local village food. Also, I am planning on a couple of good meals and tonight, believe it or not, is a bachelorette party for a volunteer. She is leaving the country soon, but lots of girls are here and we're going to celebrate. Not sure what the plans are, but I think I'll tag along ;-) I leave Lome tomorrow morning and go to my friend Meg's village. I'll spend two nights there and leave back for village on Saturday (my birthday!). Her village is having a big party so I'm going to celebrate with them - Ironically, Meg has no idea why there is a party, but hey - that's life when you don't comprehend the language! We just go with the flow. And we're dying Easter eggs ;-) Nathan and I are planning on going to the Catholic church in village for Easter on Sunday. And I'm making Easter lunch...mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, pan-fried Spam (we found a chicken version), and deviled eggs. I'm actually really excited...so I hope to find all the ingredients in Kara on Saturday. It'll just be the two of us, but I hope to make it nice. And I'm trying to figure out a birthday present for Nathan...maybe a soccer jersey?! No real plans for my bday...maybe I'll treat myself to something in Lome this afternoon! Ok, so I'm going to post pictures now to give you all a few more updates on our life. Again, thanks for all the love and support...and birthday wishes and cards and packages! It means so much to us! THANK YOU! All our love.

Back in Kara!

2009-03-28T07:48:00.001-04:00

Hi All!

Hope this post finds everyone well. Nathan and I are back in Kara for the day. We came in this morning, withdrew money from the bank, and went food shopping. Now we're on the computer for a little bit before grabbing lunch on the way back to village. All is fine here. Missing American food as always but am currently munching on Pringles. This month Nathan and I will start cooking more for ourselves (can we say rice and beans?!) since Rachel's new baby is due in April! We are super excited! She of course doesn't know the gender or the due date, but just went to her last check-up. When contractions start, she'll walk 3 miles to the local health clinic. I was astounded and she looked at me, like, "What else would I do?!!" Maybe by the next post I'll have pictures! I've already bought a gender-neutral baby outfit ;-)

Otherwise, Nathan and I are both back from In-Service Training and had good times. It was nice to see friends from training and share experiences - good and bad - and we were a good source of support for each other. I have more new ideas for projects at post including summer camp in village (think Vacation Bible School). I am thinking of doing it with girls at the elementary school for a week this summer, including art, drama, life skills (self-confidence, good decision making), and recreation. I'll recruit local women to help me and maybe serve drinks and snacks. I'm excited so I'll keep you updated.

Asher is doing well and spending the day with his brother, Beepo. Nathan has taught the two of them to "sit." Reine tells them to "set" and can't understand why they don't. We're trying to teach her the right pronunciation ;-)

Another exciting, non work-related project is that I'm contributing to a Togolese recipe book another volunteer is compiling. Women here pass recipes and cooking skills orally. We are going to try and record them and share with new communities (other volunteers, other Togolese, and people in the US). I have gone to three different cooking lessons and watched my friend, Jesslyn, cook. I wrote the recipes and took pictures. I want many more recipes, so I plan to ask different women around the community if can come and learn from them. I think it will be a good way to get to know women in the community better. I love food and cooking and feel excited about the activity. And the women are excited that I want to learn from them - and after we eat together!

One fun side note - there are now products available at Whole Foods from a cooperative here in Togo. The brand is Alaffia and from what I know it is shea butter lotions and soaps. I know two PC volunteers who work with the women about 2 hours south of our village. According to Whole Foods, Alaffia is "nourishing, moisturizing products made from local ingredients by a women's cooperative in Togo, West Africa. Ten percent of sales go back to community projects." Cool, huh?! Women in our village sell shea butter and I have been buying it recently to use as lotion. It looks like small pats of butter and doesn't smell wonderful, but my skin is very smooth. I told other women in the village what I was doing and they of course already do the same! So if you go to Whole Foods anytime soon, check it out! If I get a chance to visit the coop, I'll get pics for you!

On April 7, I am going down to Lome for a committee meeting. I have been nominated to be on the Peace Corps Gender and Development Committee and the next meeting is April 8. Not sure what it entails so I'll have to tell you next post. But I'll be back on email then. Shoot me an email and tell me what's going on! I'll have more to post and hopefully I'll get pictures up as well. Please tell everyone hi and keep us in your thoughts and prayers. This is birthday month for the two of us, as well as Easter, and I'm a little sad not to be with all of you enjoying birthday cake and Easter ham :-) But know that we are happy, miss you tons, and love you even more!

Back to Village

2009-03-04T03:43:00.001-05:00

Thanks for all the emails! It's so great to come into Kara and hear from you all! Glad everyone is doing well. We're checking email briefly this morning and then heading back to village. We had a nice evening of AC, hot showers, and clean sheets! I even had Pringles and a Snickers bar for dinner ;-) It's a hard life here in Togo! hehe We'll buy vegetables on our way out of town. There are hardly any vegetables in village. Nathan has planted tomatoes but they will be the only tomatoes in village. Crazy, huh? Sometimes we have onions in market. Nathan is trying to talk to everyone he can..."Plant vegetables!" I hope to buy cabbage, carrots, a cucumber, onions, and green peppers. Oh, and I saw some good-looking pineapples. Maybe salad one night this week?! And I might leave out the sardines and mayonnaise! Otherwise, I'll be back to teaching the rest of this week. I'm looking forward to our normal routine and seeing Asher! Please keep in touch! Miss you all tons!

Maggie, Kevine, and Reine

2009-03-03T14:45:00.001-05:00

Here are neighbors! They came over to have their toenails painted.
So I made them pose for a pic! They aren't used to having their pic
taken so it was difficult to get them to smile. But they were very
pleased with the pic!

Rabbits

2009-03-03T10:13:00.001-05:00

Here's the rabbit house and the cage Nathan built.

Inside the bedroom

2009-03-03T10:12:00.001-05:00

So updates on decorating...

Improved Cookstove

2009-03-03T10:10:00.001-05:00

Nathan and his homologue, Koulu, building a stove at Koulu's house!
That's the stove I cooked rice porridge on!

Me!

2009-03-03T10:09:00.003-05:00

Kevine drew my portrait ;-) Don't you like my hair?!

Village Kids

2009-03-03T10:09:00.001-05:00

They let me take a candid shot...

Nathan and Asher sleeping

2009-03-03T10:08:00.001-05:00

Asher

2009-03-03T10:06:00.001-05:00

Isn't he a cutie?!

Update!

2009-03-03T09:18:00.001-05:00

Hi All!

Hope this finds everyone well! Nathan and I are in Kara for the night and have already had cold Cokes! For my birthday (yes, not for another month! but we won't be back for a night until after April) we are staying in a nice hotel and it's only $18/night. Yep, that's right...cheap huh?! And we get TV, AC, and a hot shower. I am a happy girl!

Weather is still hot, with hotter weather on its way. We've been sleeping outside in our courtyard. Nathan sets up the mattress each night and we hang a mosquito net around it (it also keeps out mice and bats and termites). It probably goes down to 70 degrees at night and we love it! Asher sleeps on the mat beside us!

I am staying busy with school and am still really enjoying it. The students are used to very cut and dry lessons, so I've had fun introducing creative activities. Thanks Mom and Ganny for all the construction paper and markers!

Plus, I've still been cooking. I've cooked Togolese food with my friends Adele (corn porridge and peanut sauce) and Jessyln (rice porridge and peanut sauce) and I have shared American recipes with them, including popcorn, sugared peanuts cooked over a fire, and spaghetti sauce. Everything has been received enthusiastically!

Asher is well and we've left him overnight with Pierre and Rachel. He'll have fun playing with his brother,Beepo,but I miss him already ;-)

Next week Nathan goes to In-Service Training at a retreat center in the South of Togo. I will go the week after. I'm looking forward to learning new skills and also seeing friends from Stage. Plus the PC will be cooking all our food - yummy! Remember, Thanksgiving?!! Same cooks!

There is a volunteer 20k away and we've hit it off great! She is 23 and a health volunteer who arrived 3 months before me. She lives in a town and has electricity! I biked there last week and spent the night. Great girls night complete with No-Bake Jello Cheesecake! Plus I'm super proud of myself for biking...My quads are looking good ;-)

Thanks again for all of the wonderful care packages. I cannot write enough about how they lift my spirits. I have been a bit homesick this month but am still happy to be here and am learning something new everyday. Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers! I'll try and get pictues up before the day is out...Much love!

Club Espoir

2009-01-31T10:31:00.001-05:00

Well, I just got back from my first day with Club Espoir and it went very well. It was fun to be with so many kids, having so much fun playing games. There were approximately 50 kids there. They have been identified by an international AIDS NGO as needing extra attention. Either they and/or their parent(s) have AIDS – we're not told which. Not only did we play games, but they met with doctors and psychosocial counselors. The kids were in wonderful moods, played well together, and loved talking to us. We played "hot yam" (yes, hot potato but with a real yam), wheelbarrow races, soccer, and lots of singing and dancing. They then split up by grade level to meet with us about basic information about AIDS. Next month, we'll talk about basic hygiene. We then fed them rice porridge with tofu and goat. They loved it ;-) One of the greatest things about club is that local high school students help run it. Peace Corps is the main fundraiser, but the students really took charge and were great with the kids. It was nice just to be a helping hand and not the main organizer. It was a nice day of relaxing and playing – something I needed!

The main funding source of Club Espoir was recently decided that funds are not available for the Club. The current volunteer in charge of the Club has set up a website through Peace Corps Partnership to receive funds. The money goes towards supplies, food, and transportation for all the children. Check out the website. Please don't feel obligated to give, just something I thought I'd throw out there. Don't worry – this probably won't be the last time you're directed to a website to give money for our Peace Corps projects ;-) It might be a nice way for you to be a part of our projects over here. (Did someone say cows?!!) Stay tuned!

https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=693-327

I'll be here in Kara for the night. Already had Pringles and fresh pineapple today! Probably off to dinner in a little while with other volunteers. And back to village tomorrow…I'm excited to see Nathan and Asher ;-)

Much love to everyone!

Keep in touch!

Salad

2009-01-30T10:15:00.001-05:00

I was introduced to salad – yes, salad – last week in Togo. The middle school where I work recently planted lettuce and it is the first lettuce I've seen in Pessare thus far. Nathan and I went to lunch at a women's house last week and had a wonderful salad. I immediately bought lettuce from the middle school and made it for the entire family (Nathan, Pierre, Rachel, et al). Everyone loved it and said it was a party! I am going next week to Nathan's other homologues house to make it for them – he's only had salad once in his life and his wife has no idea how to make it. I'm going to teach them! I'm so excited to have something I can teach – especially about food! I often feel inadequate when it comes to making food here – I still haven't made foufou yet. Now I have something to share ;-) Here's the recipe:

Grand Togolese Salad

Romaine lettuce

Tomatoes

Purple onions

1 can sardines

Vinegar

Oil

Salt

Mayonnaise

Cooked spaghetti

Cooked and sliced yams

Hard-boiled eggs

1. Pick lettuce, onions, and tomatoes from the middle school garden

2. Wash all lettuce and vegetables thoroughly

3. Cut and mix lettuce and vegetables

4. Add spaghetti and yams

5. Make dressing by combining vinegar, oil, salt, and sardines (inc. oil)

6. Pour dressing over salad and mix

7. Add mayo and mix

8. Top with sliced eggs

9. Enjoy!

Update!

2009-01-30T10:13:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone!

I find myself in Kara once again. I hope everyone is well. I am here for Club Espoir – a club that meets once per month for children affected by AIDS. The children have AIDS or their parents do. The children come for four hours on a Saturday morning and it is a chance for them to relax and have a good time. We feed them twice and they see a doctor one-on-one. Plus there are lots of games! This is my first time participating and it is tomorrow morning. I'm looking forward to it! I'll have to let you know how it goes.

Nathan is staying in village since he was so recently in Lome. He is going to work in the garden and keep busy with Asher. Asher is doing well and getting bigger by the day. He no longer cries when we leave him and he is responding to his name. He loves to go to Pierre's house and play with his brother, Beepo. They love to dig in the dirt and chase the chickens. We're bathing him every other day. He sleeps in the house with us – he shivers every night because it gets so cold (70 degrees) – in the dirty laundry basket. Nathan takes him for a walk every night around 5pm around the fields. I have become efficient in buying smoked fish heads and cutting out the spine before giving them to Asher – it's his favorite treat! He also eats boiled eggs, foufou with spicy sauce, tofu, and popcorn. He refuses oatmeal and peanuts. Little by little we're figuring the food out – and hoping he'll become less picky. We do feel like parents now – maybe this is good practice?! Nathan is the disciplinarian and I am the spoiler - something we probably need to negotiate on before having kids! Nathan is already upset that Asher doesn't run to him first! Hopefully they'll get some good quality bonding time this weekend!

English teaching has been going well. I am still figuring out what they know and what I just assume they know. The other day I drew a map of Africa on flip chart and took it to class. I asked a boy to come up and point to Togo – he couldn't! No, even with the country drawn and labeled, he had no idea where it was in Africa. There are no maps at the school, so I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. There is a Peace Corps project called World Maps in which volunteers can paint maps on the side of school buildings. It costs about $100 for all the paint and supplies. We have a handbook complete with how to chart it out on a wall. You may be hearing more about this later – sounds like something we definitely need to do! Maybe this summer after the rains?!

I did a special lesson on Obama the day of the election in English class. The children loved it!

I took lots of pictures and maps of the US and Africa (Kenya!). We talked about slavery and the Civil Rights Movement and how important it is that African Americans have equal rights with white Americans. I showed them a picture of Obama's grandmother in Kenya out in the fields wearing clothes their grandmother wears. They really identified with the story. They sat in awe and were truly inspired. It was an amazing class. They were not thinking of what Obama can do for them – not at all. They were thinking – Wow, I can dream big too! One of their kids could one day be the President of the US!

Girls club is moving slowly. It was cancelled for two weeks because of a school-wide soccer tournament. This past week no one came. It was started by the last volunteer and has fizzled a bit. I am taking a respite from it and meeting next week with the club officers. We are going to talk about a good day, a good hour, and what exactly they'd be interested in learning (health, small commerce, gender equity, family life, self confidence, etc.). I want to start again – fresh and strong!

While Nathan was in Lome, I went to a village festival called Habiye. It is an initiation of men into traditional manhood. Pierre's sons are not participating, because the Catholic church condones it. The boys paint themselves entirely with mud and dance around the village with drums. They also eat raw (and sometime live) snakes and frogs. They rake machetes across their bodies and walk with bowls of fire on their heads. I'm sure the initiation involves more about the Kabiye culture – I just don't know what. It was on top of a nearby mountain and the scenery was beautiful – it was worth going just for that! No pictures because Nathan had the camera in Lome. But we'll be sure to go again next year – Nathan is sorry he missed it.

Random Thought:

I recently read the book "Mango Elephants in the Sun" by Susana Herrera. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon in the 1990s. She has a conversation with her village about life in America – both the positives and the negatives. She told them about washing machines, grocery stores, and hot showers, along with drug abuse, domestic violence, and homelessness. There is no concept of homelessness in Cameroon or Togo. Everyone lives with someone, as families are so connected and large. People often call someone their "sister" or "brother" when there is no blood connection. People take care of people. The villagers were astounded when Susana told them about homelessness in America. Here are two quotes:

"I think your country shouldn't kill chickens for people until the homeless have a home."

"And no one should have a machine that washes dishes until everyone has a place to sleep."

It obviously stood out to me because of my previous work in Boston. I know the issues are complicated but the moral of the story for me is that in some ways people here are much richer than Americans!

Nathan is currently working on:

planting a garden by an old well that includes tomatoes, onions, and hot peppers
planting 1000 trees by the end of February
building a solar dryer for excess fruit
building improved cook stoves for village women (less wood, quicker cooking time)
working with rabbits - 2 are to have babies this weekend!
making his wife "village margaritas" – he is trying to keep me sane ;-)

I have still been biking and can feel the muscles in my legs everyday. They are tired today! I taught school this morning and on my way back to the house, before leaving for Kara, I was so excited just thinking – Yay, no biking tomorrow! I'm enjoying the brief respite. I went to the "grocery store" earlier and had a cold coke. I'm off for an ice cream soon! Much love to everyone!! I will try to get to emails! xo

Nathan's pictures

2009-01-18T18:13:00.001-05:00

This is Sally, Ann’s mom. I talked to Ann this afternoon and she told me of new pictures on Nathan’s blog. I checked them out, and they are good—especially the pictures of Ann and Nathan’s new puppy Asher. So do pull up Nathan’s blog (look over to the right hand side of this page) and see the pictures for yourself.

Nathan is in Lome until Wednesday receiving a series of rabies shots! Pierre and Rachel’s puppy bit Nathan, and although no one thinks that the puppy has rabies, it is Peace Corps policy that anyone who receives an animal bite must get the shots. While in Lome, Nathan will definitely be checking e-mail, so do send him an e-mail (which he can download and share with Ann) at nbduncan@gmail.com.

Ann and Nathan will miss being in the U.S. for Tuesday’s Inauguration. Nathan is hoping to catch the Inauguration on a TV in Lome. Ann, meanwhile, has her English class on Tuesday. She is going to share pictures of Obama with the class and talk with them about Tuesday’s events.

Welcome Ceremony

2008-12-31T05:06:00.000-05:00

When we visited post a couple of months ago, they gave a lunch and
dance for us. Here are the girls dancing! They are all dressed as
twins - in honor of Nathan and I!

Village

2008-12-31T05:04:00.001-05:00

These are pictures of fields around our house! We're walking back
from a ceremony where 3 chiefs were inagurated.

Local Dance

2008-12-31T05:03:00.001-05:00

Nathan went to a festival with his homologue and took these pics!

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T04:00:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone,
I hope everyone enjoys a happy new year. I just posted a ton of pictures so look through all the posts and enjoy! I gorged myself yesterday on ice cream, a hamburger and french fries, a whole container of Pringles, and two Fantas...my stomach is not happy with me! But my spirit is high! We will spend today and one more night in Kara. Not sure what our plans will be to bring in the new year. I hope I can just stay awake until midnight. We leave tomorrow morning for post. I will be back at email by the end of the month. Sorry not sooner. But keep the letters and emails coming!
Love!

Nathan and Pierre

2008-12-31T03:55:00.001-05:00

P.S. The beard disappeared yesterday!