This is so unreal!

Wow where to begin? It has been about a month and a half since I last wrote and so much has happened (naturally, given my situation). I have been living life as a PCV in Wassarabo, my village, and it is slowly but surely beginning to feel like ‘home’.

I have been adopted by my neighbors and call them Mama and Papa. They are fantastic and take great care of me. The community is very welcoming and super friendly. Everyone calls me by my village name, Djamila, the Arabic word for beauty. It is a lot nicer than being called ‘Anasarah’, aka white person, constantly shouted at me wherever I go.

So far, I have spent a lot of time observing classes and trying to become familiar with the Togolese school system. The students are fantastic and so enthusiastic. They always have a smile on their face despite their situation and are so eager to learn. They ask me the funniest questions and laugh when I make French mistakes. Being with the students and at the school really makes me happy.

My house is slowly becoming furnished and becoming my own. There is only one wood worker in town and he runs on ‘African Time’ (always an hour/day or two late). I have a bed and a table and my chairs are supposed to be finished sometime this coming week. I spend most of my time on my porch reading or studying French. I have the most beautiful view of the sunset each night. The sun appears in the western sky as a large, perfect glowing orange sphere. It’s like no other sunset I have ever seen and brings a peace to my heart that I can’t describe.

As for food, I have been eating most meals with my host family. I eat traditional African dishes that consist of a starchy, jello-mold type dish dipped in sauce and eaten with your hands. Yes, I eat with my hands! It’s like being a little kid again. When we eat Pâte, a cornmeal paste, it’s often too hot for my fingers so my Mama will pull off pieces for me. It feels so wonderful to be welcomed to eat with people, to share the same big dish. It’s an unspoken form of acceptance and it makes me feel great.

I have had some really ‘WOW, I live in Africa’ moments and I will briefly try to describe them, although there is no way words can express the feelings I’ve had:

The first really amazing experience was the Muslim holiday of La Tabaski starting December 19th. It was a big, crazy, week long fête in my village. I got dressed up in traditional clothing and went to watch the big Islamic prayer on the morning of day one. After the prayer, the villagers sacrificed goats to symbolize the story of Abraham and his sons. It was all a bit overwhelming but an incredible thing to experience. I was fed very well, enjoyed the cultural exchange and just tried to take it all in.

Day two was the traditional visit with the village Chief to pray for health and good fortune for the upcoming year. I found myself seated next to the Chief on his porch, in my traditional Togolese cloths and headdress with about forty men and the Imam. It was surreal. I felt so honored but uncomfortable at the same time. All of the other women were seated outside. I haven’t done much to deserve the honor and would have been more comfortable seated with the women but I just sat and tried to absorb my surroundings. They were speaking in the local language when all of a sudden I heard Djamila thrown into the mix. My Togolese counterpart came over and translated into French that they were praying for me. They prayed for my long life, good health, for Wassarabo to become my second America and for us to work hand in hand for the better of the village! Wow I know! I was moved to tears and I just had to pinch myself to make it feel real. This is my life!

After the prayer the villagers cut up the goat meat from the previous day and distribute it to all the poor people in the village who otherwise couldn’t afford it. It brought about intense feeling of generosity and really made me appreciate all my blessings. Days three, four, and five were filled with great music and dancing! I loved this part. The women were dressed to the nines and men were drumming away! It was such a great thing to be a part of and as an honored guest I really felt special!

Then before I knew it, it was Christmas time and I was happy to spend it with friends from training. I think everyone should spend at least one holiday away from home because it really makes you appreciate what it means to be with family! It was tough being away from home but this is the life I have chosen for myself and I will make the best of the challenges it brings.

Happy 2008! 2007 was a life-changing year for me and it was nice to take the New Year holiday to look back and reflect on the challenges, firsts and dreams come true, i.e. becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer. It is also a great time to look forward to the next two years and all the WOW moments to come.

Living in Togo is crazy, like nothing I could have imagined, read about, or prepared myself for. I have found myself in some crazy circumstances. For example: walking 12km through the bush with a bag of corn on my head to a village market with my host mom, being stared at and almost hyperventilating, fitting 20 people in a 15 passenger van because we all know that’s safe and of course economical, being totally uncomfortable, and being lost in translation. I have also adopted some roommates chez moi. I have mice, cockroaches and oh yeah scorpions all living in my house with me. It’s truly an adventure and I can honestly say there’s never a dull moment!

I am looking forward to what the next two years will bring and only hope I can impact the lives of the Togolese in the way they have already impacted mine. I will be starting my Girls Club in the next few weeks and really look forward to building relationships with these young, radiant girls. Their lives are by no means easy and I am blown away by their strength, physically, mentally and emotionally.

Thank you to all of you who have written and sent packages! It is absolutely indescribable and means the world to me. I know that this situation is tough but “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”. I am here for a purpose and I plan on doing my best, trying my hardest and giving it my all! I hope all is well in your lives and that you know that I think of you all often and appreciate all of the support!

Till next time…

P.S. Many people have been asking me what they can send in a care package. I don’t ‘need’ anything but anything with a little thought behind it is great. Here are some fun ideas:
- Snacks like trail mix, almonds, raisons and granola
- Instant anything like pudding, drink mix, oatmeal
- Candy, M&M’s because they melt in your mouth, not in your hand
- Magazines or books you think are worth sharing
- Stationary (and if you send this you can count on getting a letter from me!)
- Toiletries like toothpaste and deodorant
- New Music, mixed cd’s, I have a friend with a laptop so I can update my iPod