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

Here’s our draft of our paper.Any corrections would be greatly welcomed.

1st Annual Welcome Singers Picnic June 4th 5:00PM Nancy Weldon Gym Come meet and welcome our 2011 Junaluska Singers. There will be some new voices this year according to Director Dr Melodie Galloway joining those able to return for another year. The Singer Support Committee invite you all to come out for a fun opportunity to meet and greet this new group. We want to know them better and to have them know us and how glad we are that they are here. They truly are one of Lake Junaluska’s treasures. Many of you have expressed a desire to get to know the person behind the voice and now is your chance. This will be a very informal gathering. We hope you will join us. Please bring a salad, chips/snack, veggie plate, or dessert to share….enough for at least 8 folks. We will have grills and cooks to cook the hot dogs & burgers thanks to the generosity of Ernie Porter and others.. We shall furnish the rest. Thank you for all those who are willing to help financially and physically with this event. More information and sign-ups will be announced soon. Mark the date and we shall see you there. Contact me for more info: Diana Foederer 452-9164 soldonbeaches@charter.net Mary Skelton Office Manager Junaluska Associates PO Box 67 Lake Junaluska, NC 28745 828-454-6725 P Please consider the environment before printing.

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

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!

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!

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!

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!

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 ;-)

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!

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!

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

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

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

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!

They were actually really excited to get their picture taken!

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! XOAn 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)

(that's me standing along with my 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!

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!

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 ;-)

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.

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!

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 ;-)

Become an Expat

By Bob ShacochisAdapted 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.

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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

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?"

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... =)

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

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 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.

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!

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

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!

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!

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!

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.

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

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

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!

(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!