They Call Me Ajo!

Well it definitely took a while to get to a computer. The only reason why I can use one now is because I'm sick at the med unit here in Lome. So I guess now is a good time for an update, I'll water it down a bit since so much has happened in the past 2 1/2 weeks.

Well to start out I flew thousands of miles across the world to Lome, Togo. We waited patiently in a small unair conditioned room for our bags to be taken off the plane. When I finally saw my bag, the men who were helping wouldn't even let me get it myself. They quickly picked up my extremely heavy luggage and threw it on the cart to be taken to the hostel. I went through security and then hopped onto a Peace Corps van and headed over to Mamy's.

Mamy's is a very large hostel in Lome. It is a 3 story white building with many rooms. Two beds in each room were covered with mosquito nets and bedside tables. When I got there we ate dinner and I decided to unpack some things. When I opened my bag, I found that my superglue had exploded, but luckily it was in a ziploc bag. The only thing that got sticky was the battery charger. Even that little episode so early in the adventure made me feel slightly upset. I sat on the dirty floor and took all the stuff out to make sure nothing else was ruined.

I spent 3 days at Mamy's. We had small sessions on safety and health and spent time adjusting to this new place. When I first saw the city of Lome I was in shock. All the photos and videos on TV and online really exist, but it is even more extreme in real life. You can not understand what it is like to be here unless you live it. The people, the environment, heck even the smell is all foreign to you, and you are foreign to them...

So after the Mamy retreat we headed out to our training site. My host family consists of a mom (Pauline), 3 brothers Alphonse(28), Rogir (30's), Fabrice (6), and my sisters Chantal (31) and Bienvenue (5). They were all very welcoming and excited to meet me. The first question that they asked me was on what day I was born. I told them it was a Monday and so they announced my nickname was Ajo. Now whenever I meet someone I might not want knowing my real name, I announce "Je m'appelle Ajo!" and wave politely.

I get a lot of unwanted attention here in Togo, especially in the small village I am living in. I sometimes feel like I'm in a zoo when I walk to classes. People just stop and stare, and sometimes even point. Never in my ife have I ever wanted to blend in with the crowd, but here I wish I did sometimes. It's difficult to live your life with people watching your every move.

Don't get me wrong, I do love being here most of the time. I wake up at about 6am and get ready for the day. There is always breakfast waiting for me in the morning which is usually bread and jam with Milo. Milo is like Ovaltine or hot chocolate. I have it down to a science how much Milo, powdered milk and sugar to put in each cup for the best taste. I guess you could say I have some time on my hands.

After breakfast I either have french language classes at my house or I bike over to the tech house for technical or bike classes. For technical we learn about the education system here in Togo and activities and information about promoting the importance of education for girls. In bike class we learn how to repair our bikes and use them properly. Classes are usually about 2 hours each with a 2 hour break from 12-2pm. In that time I usually eat some lunch at home and rest a while. Work days are long here and it's very hot. It is very important to rest when you can.

A major struggle here is language. You find out quickly that 98% pf the time you will be with people who can not speak english or you are at school where they promote speaking only French if possible. When I'm with my host family it is very hard to communicate ideas when you are a lower level French speaker. I am getting better as days go on and it has become a habit to say "oui" instead of "yes." I love my shortwave radio at night because that is when BBC Africa is in English and it is nice to hear. It's the little things like language that we take for granted in our regular lives, that are so significant now.

Last weekend my big brother Rogir took me to Kpolime for some lunch with a bunch of Togolese friends. It made me smile when he introduced me as his "petite soeur" (little sister) to all of them. He is the best big brother I could ever ask for. I ate a huge salad he bought me and had the ever so popular Flag beer. It was a lot of fun even though they mostly spoke the local language and I couldn't understand all that they were saying.

Another hard thing to deal with here is sexual harrasment. It happens a lot, even to the local Togolese women. I had an incident where a group of men surrounded me, make inappropriate gestures. Eventually they left, but it left me scared and upset. I talked to one of the teachers at the tech house about it and felt better. After that incident I chopped off my hair and dressed a bit more conservative. Long hair here is considered very beautiful and for once I'd rather not be.

During all this time I have been sick and not sleeping very well. The malaria medication is the main culprit and so I was sent back to Lome to rest and make sure I am ok. The insect bites on my body gave me an allergic reaction as well which they gave me a type of steroid cream to calm down the inflammation. I really wanted to go back to my village today, but the nurse felt I should rest here one more day. She was very concerned about my skin and even asked if I wanted to go home. I really don't want to go home, even though I have had some really bad days. So I told her to give me a few days to think and I would let her know what I wanted to do. My gut is telling me to stay and learn to adapt because I'll be regretting going home now after only 3 weeks.

So I just wanted you all to know that I love and miss yuo very much. It is very hard to get on a computer when I'm in village so I don't know when the next entry will be written. I have sent letters to people, but it takes about 2-3 weeks. Stamps are expensive and I don't have a lot of money now.

Stephen-I sent you a letter yesterday.
Luke- I sent you a letter in with my mom's letter, you'll get it within the month.

I love all of you so much! I'l try to give people a call when I can. I have to go to Kpolime again to get some minutes. xoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxo

EDIT:
I have a roommate now at the med unit. She is from my trainee group, and she decided she didn't want to stay any longer. I asked the nurse if I could go back to village tomorrow, she didn't know, it depends on if there is a vehicle available.