And So It Begins...

August 13^th

Swear-in was this past Thursday, August 8^th. So, I’m now a real PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer) instead of a PCT (Peace Corps Trainee).

We had a ceremony at the Country Director’s house that included many Togolese officials, the U.S. ambassador, the entire Peace Corps Togo staff, our host families, and many of the old volunteers. Those of us who have been taking classes in local language got to give short speeches and we ended with taking an oath.

I guess I should cover the few important events leading up to the event:

We had our final language test. I needed to achieve intermediate-mid level French on the language test or else I’d have to stay for an additional week. Not sure how, but I got it!

I had to say goodbye to my wonderful host family. It was much harder than I could have ever imagined when first arriving in Davie. During my last night they had a small “fete” for me and my maman cooked my favorite meal for us to eat as a family. They also had a guy come over and take our “family portrait”. I took this opportunity to give them a small cadeau (gift) that I had brought with me from home. It was a ceramic Texas ornament with “Someone in Texas is Thinking of You” written on it. I told them it meant I would always remember them. They loved it, hugged me, and we spent the remainder of the evening dancing to Michael Jackson one last time. The next morning, I woke up to one of our goats screaming and when I went outside, my sister said that the goat had a present for me too. First thought, “Oh shit, they slaughtered the goat and are giving me meat to take with me.”… turns out, one was giving birth!! They had told me it’d be a few more weeks until she was ready! The goats here are miniature already, so miniature miniature goats are almost as cute as puppies. Even covered in blood and placenta.. After that interesting hour of my life, I met the other volunteers at the tech house and we were off to Lome.

We returned back to Amy’s Hotel, the place we stayed for our first three nights in Togo. We would spend the next couple days shopping and exploring Lome. I was able to buy a mattress, gas tank, and groceries (including an emergency bottle of wine) to take to post. We also found time to check out the beach and eat pizza and hamburgers! They weren’t exactly as I remembered them, but delicious all the same.

. . .

Now I’m back at post.

We had a slight issue during the evening of my arrival.

Driving up to Ketao (the city between Kara and my village) a large crowd of men carrying hoes and machetes had blocked off the road. When we reached the barrier, they picked up the road blocks and let the Peace Corps Vehicle through. My driver proceeded slowly while they pressed their faces to the windows and yelled at us. Once we were through the crowd, we could see that the city was being occupied by military and there were fires being put out. My driver pulled over and decided we should call the Peace Corps’ safety officer to determine how to proceed. They said they’d call us back, but in the meantime, to leave the city. So… we went directly back through the angry mob we passed at the entrance and parked a mile or so up the road. My driver got out of the car briefly to determine what was going on. There apparently was an ethnic battle between the Kabiye and the Kotikole muslims concerning which mosque they prayed at on the final day of Ramadan. After waiting it out for a bit, the person in touch with my driver called and said I needed to contact my homologue and determine how safe Kemerida was. After learning there was no threat there, the Peace Corps suggested he meet me and we continue through Ketao because they’d prefer if I made it to village that same day. It turned out that while we were passing time up the road, the mob had subsided and the city had become slightly more peaceful. We were able to meet my homologue and proceed with no further issues. When we arrived, my neighbors helped me unpack and set up my new mattress. Soon after, I was off to bed.

After surviving the first night, I’m now a few days in to my two years of service! And so far, things are really good!

For the first three months here, I have a lot of free time. I can’t go straight to work until I know the community and what their needs are. Therefore, I’m supposed to spend my days trying to integrate… and speak better French.

I try to get out of my house at least once a day. I visited the church on Sunday, have taken a couple walks around the village, and today am planning on going back to the Benin marche. I feel sort of useless, but I know it will all come in due time.

In the meantime, I have a lot of things to keep me busy:

I’ve started doing a more thorough job cleaning. Right now, my living room is completely in order and I’ve moved the table and chairs out of the spare room and into the front room to create a dining space. In the now empty room, I have only my grass yoga mat and mirrors. I plan to build a bookshelf and buy a comfy chair for this room as well. I also want to paint a mural on the wall eventually. I still have the kitchen and bedroom to go. I need to fix the armoire (wardrobe) I have so that I can finally unpack my suitcases. I’ve also talked with a carpenter about cutting the pieces I need to fix my bed.

I’ve started teaching myself guitar.

I’m almost finished with my 4^th book – The Brothers Karamazov. After Into the Wild, I conquered War and Peace, and quickly read through Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs.

I’ve used my empty room for yoga and random dancing so far and plan to keep it up almost daily.

I’m experimenting with cooking. I’m still not as good as my host mom, but I’ll get there.

I study French. Not as much as I should, but hey, it’s only day 4! Before the end of stage, Mark installed Rosetta Stone on my laptop (Thanks again, Mark!). After I feel comfortable with my French level, I have Latin America Spanish, German, and Italian at my disposal. Although, I have to learn Kabiye too, so those may just be wishful thinking.

Besides a dirty house, the old volunteer left me a few things to keep me busy, including movies and books to study for the GRE (which I’ve learned you can take in Ghana!)

I’ve also been trying to start on my list of promised post cards and letters.  If you’d like to be included, shoot me an email: shea_flynn@utexas.edu. I’ll get it and send you one eventually.

Finally, it’s been just over 2 months here in Togo. Some of the random things I miss the most (besides family and friends because that’s to be expected):

-Mexican food (QUESOOOO)

-And not just queso. All cheese. All of it.

-Dominoes pizza

-Chai Tea Lattes (especially from Tazza Fresca)

-Good beer (particularly 512 IPA and drinking it at Spider House)

-My favorite pair of high-waisted shorts (or really just shorts in general)

-SWEET ICE TEA (emphasis on the ice)

-Whole Foods

-Juiceland (I would commit terrible crimes for a smoothie right now)

-Internet Radio (my iTunes has not be updated enough over the last 2 years...)

-Record Player (and spending an afternoon at a record store)

-Zilker Park

-Photography (more specifically having a good camera that I’m not afraid to take out in public)

-Town Lake trail (still working up the courage to run around alone in my village)

-Water that doesn’t taste like bleach

-Mostly just having options.. options for food, music, activities, people to spend time with, etc.

These were all things I expected to miss. What will be more interesting is to see how this changes and gets more specific as the months go by…

Well, that’s all I’ve got for now. I hope you don’t feel you’ve wasted your time learning how I am spending mine. I just felt that after reading about my first post visit experience, you all deserved an update to know that things are going well!

Also, I will be getting a new mailing address soon. Look for it as my next blog post! Other than that, I plan to blog again after my first full month at post.

Unless anything truly thrilling happens before that, talk to you all then!

Koumealo

Post Visit: "This is Africa"

July 27^th

This past week was our post visit – the first time you go to your village of service, see your house, and meet your work partners.

Originally, it was scheduled to be from the 20^th  to the 27^th, but because of the political elections on the 25^th, we only stayed through the 24^th. This was done as a precaution in case any unfortunate events were to take place on election day.

We left around 8am Saturday morning. In our Peace Corps vehicle was Malcom, Funmi, and I, along with our three homologues (work counterparts we met the day before). Malcom was the first to arrive in his village. There was a huge community gathering outside the school he would be working in with music and dancing. After he stepped out of the car, they dressed him in a traditional shirt and hat. Funmi was next and had a similar homecoming celebration. We dropped her off in her village’s market with an equally as overwhelming community gathering, complete with more traditional clothing, more music, and more dancing.  After our departure, we were finally headed to Kemerida, my village. It’s located in the Kara region just off the border of Benin. My homologue warned me that there was not a grand “fete” waiting for me because I was not the first volunteer in my village. I’m a replacement for the guy that left a week or so before. Instead, he told me they’d have a huge celebration once my “mission was complete”. Fine with me. I was happy to avoid all the awkward attention. Only downside is that there wouldn’t be an opportunity for me to showcase my dance skills as a way to break the ice like with the people of Davie…

The drive from Funmi’s village to mine took us through Kara, the regional capital. It is nestled into a cluster of mountains, one of the most beautiful parts I have seen of Togo thus far. I live about 30 minutes on the east side of it. Driving through this region as the sunset, made me very optimistic for my two years here. I had Radical Face’s “Welcome Home” playing in my mind as we got closer and closer to our destination.

We arrived at my compound shortly before 7pm, just as it was getting dark. I was greeted by my neighbors and a few of the healthcare workers in the village. They brought a batch of Tchuk (the local alcohol) as a traditional way to welcome me. We each drank a calabash(?) and then my neighbor brought out a bottle of Sodabe (a liquor popular in the South that’s similar to moonshine). He makes it and sells it himself. I tried to decline, but they said it was, again, a means of welcoming. I sucked it up and took a shot with everyone. We all hung out for a bit and I learned that my Kabiye name would be Koumealo. Like in Ewe, it just means I’m a female born on Friday.  From this point on, no one would let me refer to me as Shea. I was now Koumealo of Kemerida. Shortly after assuming my new identity, I was able to go inside and prepare to spend my first night in village.

When first walking into my house, I was pleasantly surprised by how big it was. I have four rooms: a huge living area, small kitchen, bedroom, extra room, and small closet space to use as an indoor shower. It was also full of unpleasant surprises…

I won’t go into detail, but I’ll give a brief summary:

I had been in contact with the volunteer I was replacing prior to my arrival. He offered to sell me all the furniture and kitchen stuff in his house for 70 mil. I wasn’t able to see the condition everything was in, but it sounded like a pretty good deal to me. He did tell me the couch and bed were broken, but that he’d fix it before I came. He didn’t fix them. He’d also told me he didn’t clean it like he had wanted. I was okay with that. I can handle dirty living spaces. However, after exploring my house a little more, it was worse than I could have ever imagined. I ended up sleeping on an extra mattress with my mosquito net pulled over the couch and two chairs because I refused to touch the bed in the condition I found it. I tried to take a bucket shower in the space available inside, but the drain was so clogged there was still standing water (I hope it was water) from when he last used it. I decided to save my bucket of water and locate a new shower space in the morning. 

I could say more, but I’ll focus on some of the positives:

All the furniture is easily fixable, so I’ll just do it myself. Though it all needs to be cleaned, he left me some pretty sweet stuff. I don’t need to buy any more furniture or kitchen supplies for a while. I have a collection of books and health promotion materials to use. I have a small fridge that smells terrible, but just needs some bleach. Also, between repairs and cleaning, there are plenty of projects to keep me busy during my first few months at post.

After spending the night on a mattress in the living room, I woke up the next morning and got busy cleaning. I swept the entire house and started a pile of all the stuff I needed to throw out. After a couple hours, I took my bucket to look for the outdoor shower. I found it… with no door. My neighbor’s informed me that my spot was inside. Reluctantly, I returned in my house and rinsed off as quickly as possible in my foul-smelling indoor shower space. (I’d later find a second outdoor shower space behind my compound. Again, there was no door, but it was private enough that I’d risk it. I don’t plan on showering inside that little room anytime soon.)

I met my homologue, Ben, for lunch at his house. He had invited a few of the most important men from the village and told me it was good to network with them. I agreed and when I tried to introduce myself as Shea, my homologue quickly corrected me and said I had to go by Koumealo. They all started speaking to me in French very quickly and when it was obvious I didn’t really understand, they asked my homologue how I was going to work there if I didn’t even speak French. I was frustrated with myself and my language level, but even more so now that they now took to treating me like a child. I fell silent as we shared more Tchuk and they carried on in local language. I was anxious to get home to study so that I could avoid feeling this way in the future.

Instead, we then took a walk around the village and met up at a local bar where a political meeting was taking place for the upcoming elections. We were offered dog and I declined by just saying “Non, merci.” They offered it to me several more times and told me how delicious it was. Each time I refused and gradually got more and more uncomfortable. At the end of the meeting, they held up the remains of the dog and asked who wanted it. I don’t know if I’ve ever tried harder not to cry than in front of all these African men. Immediately after, my homologue took me home and I called my mom saying I wanted to leave. I just didn’t know how I could ever fit in and make a home for myself in a place where they drink around the clock and feast on dogs. After relaxing the rest of the day by just studying and reading, I chilled out and knew I wasn’t going to leave after one bad day. It was just overwhelming and I over reacted. It doesn’t help that my French isn’t strong enough yet to fully express my thoughts and be more assertive. I understand I will feel a lot more comfortable here as I gain confidence.

The second full day went a lot smoother and my spirits were lifted again. We visited the dispensaire (local clinic) in the morning and a lot of the village women seemed happy to see me. It made me excited about working with them in the future. We took another walk around the village so that I could meet the chief and the gen d’armes (police). We even walked to the border of Benin (3k down the road) and met the officials there so that I could go to the Benin market for the next two years without obtaining a Visa. On the way back from the border, we stopped at a house for (surprisingly) more Tchuck. There were puppies I played with and a woman told me she’d sell me one once I was back at post! (I’d thought previously about getting a dog here for some company, but I’m paranoid, for good reason, that someone will steal it and eat it…) I was home by lunch and again, spent the rest of the day reading and studying.

That evening, there was a political rally at the school across from my compound my homologue came by and told me I should attend. I declined because the Peace Corps advises us to avoid being associated with any political activities for security reasons. Instead, I moved a chair outside my door to read and watch from a far. I figured this way people in my community could see me out of my house without making assumptions about my political opinions. It turned out to be a great idea. People would wave to me as they were coming and going from the rally and a couple came over to meet me. One woman I met returned later, after the event had ended, with food for me to eat. I told her I’d eaten already, but as soon as I opened my screen door, she rushed in, shut the door behind her, sat on the floor with the plate and told me to eat. I was hesitant, but it was clear she wasn’t leaving until I put some food in my mouth. It was a plate of bean/pancake things that seemed okay, but with each bite, I just kept thinking, “Please don’t let this make me sick. Please don’t let this make me sick.” After I’d tried it and we awkwardly sat staring at each other for a while, I told her I was really tired. She understood and got up to leave. On her way out the door, she pressed he finger to her lips as a sign to be quiet and told me to be sure to lock my doors immediately and that I shouldn’t trust my neighbors. That’s always encouraging to hear… (However, I want to note that my neighbors are very nice people though and lived here with the previous volunteer. I don’t feel threatened by them in any way and just assumed this woman was just trying to be overprotective.) Happy to be alone again, I read until I fell asleep.

The next day, after lunch, my homologue and I made plans to walk to the Benin marche. Along the way, we stopped to “saluer” more people in the village. My homologue insisted that I greet people in Kabiye. I knew a few phrases already, but the dialect here turned out to be slightly different. He told me the ones I needed to know and the appropriate responses for things people may say to me. Each time I messed up, he would seem impatient and told me I needed to listen better. It was stressing me out and causing me to have more reservations about visiting the marche. Once we arrived, instead of looking around at the different booths, we went straight for the Tchuk huts. I wasn’t feeling well that morning and was already not in the best mood from the walk over, so I declined the offer of alcohol. It did not go over well. Since it’s supposed to be a way of welcoming, I apparently offended some people with my refusal. I tried to explain I wasn’t feeling well, but they didn’t seem to be phased by that reasoning. A man started yelling at me in French and told me I was being rude. We left that first Tchuk hut for another, and then another, and it was the same scenario at each. I felt similar to my first full day at post: incompetent and like I would never be accepted. At one of the last places we stopped, a man came over to me and started tapping me on the shoulder. He would ask me questions, I would answer politely, and then turn away. He would not leave, kept tapping me, and telling me that he loved me. I turned to my homologue, obviously upset, and told him I wanted to leave. I was heading to Kara that afternoon to meet up with other volunteers to stay the night there and leave early the following morning. I could not get out of there soon enough. He walked me back and told me he’d return on his moto in an hour to take me to Ketao and from there I could get a taxi to Kara. He asked me to explain what was wrong and, as best I could, I told that I don’t drink very much and was afraid I wouldn’t be accepted.  He told me I just need to be better at standing up for myself and to be patient.

During the moto ride, the sight of the mountains immediately improved my mood. Once we reached Ketao, I thanked my homologue for everything and waved down a taxi for Kara. I crammed into a car with 8 other people. As I took the spot of the guy getting out, he slammed the door, leaned down to the open window, and jokingly said, “This is Africa.”

During the 20 minute drive, practically sitting on the lap of the woman next to me while two other strangers held onto my belongings, I stuck my head out the window and reflected on all that happened the last couple days. I concluded that this was going to be hard, but not impossible. I also realized that most of the problems I encountered could be mitigated by being better at French. I was not going to let my post visit apply as a generalization for my next two years. I would finish training, and return in two weeks with an open mind. I got out of the taxi with weird yellow shit on my pants and an improved perspective.

I vented about my experience to the volunteers I met in Kara and enjoyed the rest of the night with them. We returned to Davie the next afternoon after a 7-hour bus ride. My host family rushed out and hugged me and told me how much they had missed me. I remembered how awkward I felt first coming to stay with them, and now it was actually like they were my family. It took over a month to get to this point with them, and I think Kemerida has that potential too. I just need to be patient.. and less stubborn. Rather than being offended that people refuse to know my real name, don’t understand my drinking habits, and insist that I start speaking Kabiye, I need to appreciate how much they are trying to accept me as one of their own. I know it’s still going to be very hard and that future frustrations are inevitable, but there’s a lot of room for it to get better over the next two years.

I’m sure I’ll have more interesting stories than this to come. After all, “This is Africa.”

Best,

Koumealo

Settling In

Tuesday, July 9th

Tomorrow marks exactly one month in Africa.

Although I still have a lot to learn, I feel like I’m finally starting to adjust to my new life here. Though I could do it more eloquently, I’ve chosen to just list out some of the things I’m experiencing here:

Our dog, Milo, is now my best friend. It only took a couple of chicken bones to win his affection.

People have stopped shouting ‘YOVO!’ (foreigner) at me when I walk around the village. I have actually made a few friends that I see and chat with consistently.

I have discovered the abundance of avocados, mangoes, and pineapple here. When I leave my host family to live alone for two years, these will make up the majority of my diet. I’m picking up a few recipes from my host mom, but I’ll be dependent on these quick fixes when I don’t feel like spending an hour with my charcoal stove.

My digestive system is functioning properly once again.

I love when it rains! I have a tin roof over my room and retreating inside of it is the only time the noise here gets drowned out. From 4am until 10pm, there’s shouting, drums, roosters, babies crying, motos honking, and radios and televisions blaring. I have to admit, it’s much less peaceful here than I had imagined. And yes, my house right now has electricity. Although this may sound very exciting, it only adds to the consistent sound. I’m having to adjust the majority of the expectations I had coming here.

I’ve finished one book: Into the Wild. Cliché, I know. My “big” sent it to me in the mail a few days ago and I couldn’t put it down. Now, onto War and Peace. That one should also only take me a couple of days…

I have a mountain bike to ride around on. Along with my previous knowledge of how to change a tire, I can also fix/replace a chain, grease brake and derailleur cables, and change break pads. All of which I learned how to do in French.

I’ve had roaches and spiders on my face. Wasps have been stuck in my hair. And flies orbit my head nonstop.

We visited the Marché last week to practice bargaining in French. I was able to buy a pagne and had it made into a traditional dress. One of many more to come. I also bought a grass mat to use for yoga since I failed to pack one.

Here, it’s custom to say hi to EVERYONE you see on the street. Every single person. If you don’t say “Bonjour”, “Bonsoir”, or “Waezolo”, you are thought to be extremely rude. Even if you see that person four times that day, you better say hi every time. I’m struggling with this. I’m used to keeping to myself with my headphones in as per habit of walking around campus.

In addition to the dance moves I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve discovered some other past times to share with my siblings and the neighborhood kids: juggling, rock-paper-scissors tournaments, and hangman. There’s also my consistent use of pictionary and charades to make up for my lack of language. My brother taught me a hopping game where you try to push the other over and I showed him yoga poses.

Although I’m far from fluent, my French has improved dramatically. We have language classes up to 5 hours a day and one-on-one tutoring twice a week. After mastering a certain level of French, I will be able to move onto Kabie – my local language for my new post.

Right, new post.

I have been assigned my village of service for two years starting in August. I will be in Keremida in the Kara region of Togo. It is just off the border of Benin. My focus will be on family planning and child nutrition. I’ll have a post later on dedicated to the details once I know more.

Along with my location, I’ve learned a bit about my living situation. The Peace Corps has started placing volunteers in compounds for safety reasons. This means I will have my own building, but fenced in with other buildings occupied by other people. From what I’ve been told, I know this includes a vendor and his family and a priest. I will also have electricity here, but no cell service. My village is 30 minutes from Kara, my regional capital, so I can go there whenever I need to restock on stuff and use the internet.

As I’m sure anyone could imagine, there are some days that I’m really excited to be here, and there are others where I miss my family and friends more than anything. The people are what have made it so enjoyable thus far. Spending time and having fun with my family, my teachers, and the neighborhoods kids without great verbal communication gives me confidence that I will continue to feel more at home here as my language skills develop. Also, some of the health sessions we’ve had have really made me look forward to my future work. This past week we gave a practice session to a group of teenage girls about HIV/AIDS prevention and family planning. It was so rewarding to feel you were making an impact and empowering them to take responsibility for their bodies and their health. There are also parts I’m really nervous about. Togo has a patriarchal society and there will be many times my guidance and skills will not be accepted because of that fact. I know that will be one of my greatest challenges.

I’m slowly accepting that my college life in Austin is part of the past now. I think back on all the memories I have and am overcome with immense appreciation, joy, and also sadness. It was an incredible chapter of my life and a very very hard one to close. I will awkwardly take this opportunity to thank anyone reading this that was a part of it. Love you and miss you all.

I look forward to the day that I am that happy here.

This will be my last past for several weeks. In the next one, I’ll be able to tell you more about my post and future work. I get to visit it in two weeks!

Here’s to the next chapter!

Shea

Girl's Got Moves

Sunday, June 16^th

First off, I got my luggage back!! It was filled with tiny insects, but that’s beside the point – all of my things are back in my possession!! The clothes would have been replaceable, but I am very relieved to have my sketchbook, incense, Aladdin lamp, and Christmas candles.

Now that that’s been announced, on to the more exciting news:

I met my host family today!

I was really nervous because my French is proving to be pretty atrocious and all I can say in Ewe is “what is your name?”, “my name is…”, “good morning”, and “welcome”. I was afraid the lack of communication would put my host family at more of a disadvantage for getting to know me.

Not the case.

Our vans were welcomed into the village with our families lining the streets and clapping for us. Immediately following, we were walked inside and shown to where a group was playing music and dancing. They would grab certain volunteers and pull them into the middle to dance.

It was discovered shortly, that I dance in a way satisfactory to people here in Togo.

Everyone was cheering and laughing. Throughout the remainder of the afternoon, people would come up to me and say “Dansez tres bien!”

When I was introduced to my host mom and dad, they too complimented my moves. I then learned I had a host brother and sister who were also amused. When the band started the music, they would take me to the middle to dance again.

After the celebration, we each left with our individual families. The home I’m staying in is actually separated into several small buildings surrounded by a tall fence. I have my own little building, stocked with a mosquito net and water filter. My mama and papa have a building, as well as my brother and sister. There’s also a building for cooking and the shower. In the middle of the courtyard is a straw hut to hang out under. We have a dog named Milo that took and immediate disliking to me, along with any other living being that walks into the courtyard.

They are working so hard to make me feel at home. They cooked for me and won’t let me carry anything. They also encourage me to leave my shoes on, although each of them takes theirs off before going inside.

Another notable experience for the day: my first bucket bath. I wrapped myself in my shower pagne, which is a vibrant, patterned cloth here in Africa that you can make clothes from and, apparently, dry off with. I took my bucket, filled it with well water, and proceeded to the outdoor, closed in shower area. Using a bowl with a handle, you pour one scoop over your head. You then soap up all at once, and use the remaining water to rinse off. During my bucket bath, I could look up at the open sky and see the stars. I think I could definitely get used to this. I returned to my little house rewrapped in my pagne and continued to dry off with the regular towel I brought.

After freshening up, I hung out with my family. Though still struggling a bit with the language barrier, my brother and sister and I decided to share music and dances with each other.

I taught them how to Dougie.

And learned that even in Togo, they love Michael Jackson.

We each took turns demonstrating our best movies and could not stop laughing. I’m being reminded that you don’t need language to enjoy the company of others. I’m also being reminded that I’m a white girl from south Texas because every dance move of mine they mimic looks ridiculous. I’m looking forward to bringing a little somethin somethin back to the states.

Tomorrow, I will begin my official CHAP training. I’ll give you all an update soon.

Thanks for reading.

Keep dancing,

Shea

Ups and Downs

I’m going to start posting the times that I write these because there will be occasions where I won’t be able to post it until days, or even weeks, later.

Friday, June 14^th

I’ve been in the Peace Corps for about 4 days now. 1 full day in Togo.

Some things have gone exceptionally well. Some… not so well.

Per usual, we will start with the below average occurrences first:

Half of my luggage did not arrive with us in Togo.

The malaria pills are not my favorite - as in they make me light-headed and shaky.

I got locked inside my own room at the hostel we are staying at. Twice.

Babies are very prevalent here in Togo. I don’t like babies.

I was strongly cautioned to not wear my contacts because there have been rare occasions of eye amoebas.

I almost got ran over by a moto. I literally had to jump out of the way.

Upsides:

Five other volunteers also have luggage missing, so a report was filed and hopefully they will be here by Sunday.

I only have to take these malaria pills for 12 more days before I switch to a different one. We start off on these because they are effective immediately while the others take more time.  Being instantly protected from malaria is well worth the less than pleasant side effects.

I got out of my room..

I have begun to find myself more attracted to Togolese babies. I have yet to hear one cry and when they are tied to their mothers’ backs with just their feet hanging out, I get all warm and fuzzy inside.

The Peace Corps has an excellent medical staff here in Togo and our health and safety is their number one priority. Although I’m stubborn about my contact lenses, I appreciate their strong concerns. It’s a relief to know that no matter what happens, I will be well tended to health wise.

The motos in Lome are always going to scare me.  This occurrence was just a reminder to be more cautious than usual. There’s no pedestrian “right of way” here. Also, I’ll most likely be stationed in a small village and the risk of being run over by anything other than a herd of goats will be minimized.

And naturally, there’s more good than bad.

I’m learning more about the CHAP program that I will be working under for my two years. I will have opportunities to work in a local clinic, teach health education at the village’s secondary school, and get to travel occasionally with local health organizations. I’ll let y’all know more about my actually duties as a hear more, but all of these options are very exciting.

I already really enjoy the company of everyone in my “stage”. I guess the Peace Corps attracts a certain kind of person and I am not disappointed. I can’t wait to get to know everyone and serve with them over the next two years.

The food is amazing.

I’ll never feel comfortable buying anything in the United States again because it is so cheap here!

That’s all for now. This is starting off harder than I had anticipated. I honestly expected the struggles to come after being alone in my own village. However, every negative experience has been countered with far more positive ones. I think that’s going to become an ongoing theme with my Peace Corps service. The bad is inevitable, but the good is what makes you stick it out.

Also, I meet my host family for my two months of training in a couple days! A post to come on that soon.

Shea

Packing List

Luggage

     Osprey Transporter 60L

     Large rolling suitcase

     Osprey Sirrus 24L Daypack

     Cross body purse

Clothes

    Skirts (4)           

    Dress (1)

    Blouses (1)

    Misc. Cotton Tees (6) and Sleeveless Tops (6)

    Comfy T-shirts (3)

    Pants/capris (3)

    Jeans (1)

    Shorts – basketball length (2)

    Capri length workout pants (3)

    Spandex shorts (4) - to wear under skirts while biking

    Underwire Bras (3)/ Underwear (~30)/ Sports Bras (7)

    Socks (6 pairs)

    Rain jacket

    Light cardigan

    Denim button up

Electronics

      Laptop

      iPod

      Old iPhone – iPod back up

      Earbuds (3 pairs)

      Portable speakers

      Fugi Digital Camera + memory card

      1 Terabyte external hard drive

      Flash drives (4x8gb)

      Voltaic Cell 10W Solar Charger     

      Cases and Charging Cables for Everything

Shoes

      Chacos

      Birkenstocks

      Pale pink flats

      Nice gold sandals

      Brooks trail running shoes

Toiletries

      Shampoo & Conditioner

      Body wash

      Toothpaste (4)

      Deodorant (8 full size, 2 travel size)

      Toothbrush (4)

      Face Wipes (~200)

      Face Wash (2 tubes)

      Face Lotion (3 tubes)

      Wet Ones (~400)

      Sunscreen (3 tubes) - Will receive more when I get there

      Mosquito repellant (4) - I hope I will receive more when I get there..

      Vitamins

      Razors (6)

      3 Month prescription of meds I'm currently on

              PC doesn't start providing meds until post-training

      2 pairs of prescription glasses

      2 year supply of contact lenses

      Bobby Pins

      Pony Holders

      Bandanas and headbands

      Washclothes/loofahs (3)

      Camping towel

        

 Miscellaneous

       Pillow

       Watch

       Minimal Jewelry

       Flat bed sheet

       Sleeping bag liner

       Tupperware

       Ziploc bags

       Knives (2)

       Non stick pan

       Swiss army knife

       Sewing kit

       Spices

       Tea 

       Photos from home

       Office stuff (Pens, stapler, tape, etc)

       Spiral notebooks

       Construction paper

       Crayons - kids projects

       Guitar (extra strings, picks, books, poster)

       Books

            War and Peace

            Brothers Karamazov

            365 Tao

            Light on Yoga

            The Essential Rumi

       Incense lamp

             Incense bricks from seven different trees from the foothills of the Rockies 

       Candles

             Fall festival and cinnamon (for the holidays) 

             Tropical coconut

       Sunglasses

            Cheap (3 pairs)

            Nice (2 pair)

      Hammock

      15 lb resistance band

      2 water bottles

      Head lamp

      Flashlight

      Juggling balls

      Hacky Sack

      Seeds for gardening

      Sketchbook and pencils

      Watercolors

      Baseball cap

      Wide brim sun hat

      Calendar



I will also be getting a bike and helmet in Africa to get around. 

I would like to give a special thanks for all the gifts and support I received from my friends and family that contributed to the completion of this list. I'd have shown up to Africa either very empty handed or with a maxed out credit card I wouldn't be able to pay off from abroad. You all have made me feel very loved.

Three Inches Too Short

No. There is not a height requirement to serve in the Peace Corps.

Pretty sure "you must be x inches tall to ride this ride" is unheard of in Togo.

This blog post refers to how hard it has been to shop for clothing that meets the dress code I will have to adhere to while serving as PCV in Africa.

Here's an idea:

No shorts. The only exception is if it's appropriate to run and you can then wear knee-length basketball shorts.
No thin strap tank tops, spaghetti straps, halters, etc.
Pants are only appropriate in less traditional communities.
Skirts and dresses are preferred, but must cover the knees.

Other tips include:
Don't wear white because it gets dirty too easily.
Don't wear black because it gets too hot.
Anything you buy should be relatively durable because it's going to wear out quickly. It's not like you have a washer/dryer with a delicate setting... or a washer/dryer period.

I can't speak for most volunteers, but I grew up in southwest Texas. I live in shorts and thin strap tank tops. With the exception of one or two weeks out of the entire year where it gets below 80 degrees, my choice articles of clothing are pretty consistent.

Now, imagine going to live in a new place with a similar weather situation (hot and humid) and having to change everything about the clothes you wear to typically deal with said weather situation. Picture it being 110 degrees outside and all you want to do is strut around in a bikini and run through a sprinkler. Instead you have to dress very conservatively and don't have the option to retreat to a clean pool or air conditioned oasis. That's right, no air conditioning... or cold water... or refrigerated foods.

I've accepted this. I've also predicted I'm going to drop 20 pounds in water weight from sweating so much.

After getting over giving up shorts and tank tops for over two years, I was ready to create my packing list. I evaluated the items of clothing in my closet to determine everything I would need to purchase. Unfortunately, every skirt or dress I previously owned was about three inches too short. They barely hit the top of my knees. I realized I didn't own a single item of clothing I could take with me except for a pair of running tights. Really looking forward to breaking those out when the temperature gets below 90..

So the new reality was that I was going to have to buy pretty much everything. I spent several days wandering around camping stores, athletic stores, and boutique type stores with hardly any luck. Every dress I found that met the length requirements usually had holes cut out of it or spaghetti straps. Every long skirt I found was designed for that new trend thing of short in the front long in the back. They were also all made of materials I wouldn't waste money on to hand wash and hang dry in the middle of Africa.

I told my mom I was considering going to maternity stores because those are usually conservative, right? I determined, though, that everything probably wouldn't fit me in.. certain areas. I also didn't want to take the risk of being approached or congratulated on my new, nonexistent conception.

I did find some pants that I decided could work, but realized that now, I was three inches too short. I stepped on all of them and they got caught in my shoes. If there's a store with 5'2" people in mind, please let me know! shea_flynn@utexas.edu

At the end of several shopping ventures.. I had a couple pants and skirts that needed to be hemmed, one dress, and fingers and toes tightly crossed that I could find more stuff online.

Tops were relatively easy. I got a few sleeveless tops from REI (I learned there's a difference in sleeveless shirts and tank tops. Who knew?). I was going to purchase some neon colored shirts online because I figured they'd be a great pick me up for when I'm depressed. However, I quickly recalled the warnings I've received about  the inevitable surplus of unwanted attention. I decided I don't need to turn myself into a neon advertisement to highlight that I'm an American. I'll be a billboard enough on my own as it is.

After a lot of trial and error, I finally packed my bags. Well, it's the weekend before I leave and I'm still packing my bags.. but essentially I've bought all that I'm going to while still here in the United States. I know I will have forgotten something, but I'll deal with it when I get there.

If you're curious about what I ended up with, I will post it on a separate blog. It's a great read. Truly riveting.

Cheers to having clothes made overseas that accommodate my lack of inches,

-Shea