So I have to apologize for the delay in posting updates but you know what they say, no news is good news I guess. Things are going well here in Kpalimé. I’ve been here for about 2 months and am feeling more and more comfortable with my new community.

I’ve gotten a few questions recently about what I am doing work wise here. My first month was dedicated to decorating my house, getting a handle on my resources here in the community, meeting people, etc., etc. Now it’s time to get to work. The gift and curse about Peace Corps Togo is that we are allowed full reign over the projects we do and the people we work with. This is great for volunteers with an entrepreneurial spirit and an idea for how they can create lasting, sustainable change. However, for those volunteers that are looking for some guidance and things to fall into their lap, this can be quite a challenging work assignment. Luckily, I came here with a purpose, I mean I didn’t quit my job and leave beautiful Chicago for no reason! So I decided to dedicate this posting to the work I am doing here in Kpalimé.

Introducing aklala batik:

One of my projects while working here in Togo is to support the artisan community. In 2008 a volunteer discovered Chantal, a very talented artisan with a goal of using her craft to launch a social enterprise. Chantal does traditional West African batik work in Kpalimé and the volunteer prior to me helped her build a fashion line and connected her with Nest, a US based artisan community that provides microloans to women around the world to help grow their business. The thing that I love about Chantal most is that she is looking to bring up her community with her. Here in Togo, seamstresses are required to complete a certification process before becoming certified seamstresses. They mentor under a head seamstress as an apprentice for 2-3 years before completing the program and the cost for the program is substantial. Chantal’s goal is to open a workshop and employ orphans from the Kpalimé community that would otherwise not be able to afford the entry fees.

Since partnering with Peace Corps and Nest, Chantal has had huge success in building her business and is ready to take things to the next level. That’s where I come in. Chantal is in need of basic financial reporting, inventory control, quality control as well as basic computer literacy. She also needs support to launch her social enterprise. My goal is to have her workshop up and running before I finish my two years of service.

To learn more about Chantal and Nest visit the following websites:

http://www.aklala.com/

http://www.buildanest.com

Renewable Energy meets Microfinance:

Another project that I will be working on during my time here is with SunPower Afrique, a US based NGO specializing in renewable energy sources. SunPower Afrique was founded by a Kira, a Kiva Fellow who completed her service in Togo and after seeing the inefficiencies of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Togo (and throughout Africa in general) due to lack of reliable energy sources she founded SunPower Afrique. Kira and I met at the 2010 University of Chicago Microfinance Conference when I was still living in Chicago and it just so happened that I would be moving to Togo and had the type of background she was looking for to expand the mission of SunPower Afrique.

SunPower Afrique’s mission is two fold; empowering MFIs with reliable energy sources and empowering the clients of MFIs with reliable energy sources. Almost 70% of Togolese live without electricity and having lived without electricity for a portion of my time here, I can attest that productivity of businesses and people is greatly decreased when the work day ends when the sun goes down.

I will be working with SunPower Afrique on the ground with various initiatives including identifying and educating individual entrepreneurs and businesses (a great example would be Chantal at aklala batik) about renewable energy, contract writing, financial analysis, and consulting.

I’m going to need some coffee to get this all done….

Lastly, I have been partnered with Café Kuma, a coffee cooperative located in the mountains of Kpalimé that grows, harvests, roasts, grinds, and packages quality coffee that is distributed in many areas throughout the country. This project is what I consider a “legacy” Peace Corps relationship and they have been partnered with a Peace Corps volunteer since 2003. My first question when I arrived was “after 7 years why is this organization not able to sustain themselves without the support of a Peace Corps volunteer?” I quickly found out that there were a number of organizational issues, including issues with their distribution process, inefficiencies within their supply chain, and managerial conflicts. My director has charged me with the task of getting the organization both self sufficient and sustainable as I will probably be the last volunteer that will work with the organization.

Secondary Projects:

In addition to my 3 main projects I am also planning in conjuntion with volunteers within my region the first annual Women’s Health and Economic Forum. The goal of the event is to celebrate and empower women through holistic educational seminars highlighting the importance of physical and mental health, economic independence, and women’s rights. More to come on this.

I will also be a national coordinator for the 2nd Annual Peace Corps Artisan Trade Show. Many volunteers work with artisans throughout the country and last year they were all brought to the nation’s capital for a 2 day trade show. Last year’s event was a huge success for the artisans and we are looking to make the event even bigger this year. I’ve pitched the idea of having the artisans go through a “mini-MBA” program focusing on marketing, financing, business development, exporting, social entrepreneurship, etc. in conjunction with the trade show this year and this educational curriculum will be included for all participants.

That’s all for now. I plan on providing updates on successes and challenges of my work over the next 2 years.

September 13, 2010

Apologies on the lack of updates over this past month but a lot has transpired in these last few weeks. At the end of August I found out that I would be moving posts. This typically only happens because of health or security related issues but luckily I was having a great experience in my last village.

So here is the scoop… the post in Kpalimé had become vacant and because of my interest and background the Program Director for my program has allowed me to take over the site. What does this exactly mean?!? Well first off, Kpalimé is an awesome village. It is one of the biggest cities/ villages in Togo and is an absolutely gorgeous tropical escape with untouched rainforest, mountains, waterfalls, and butterfly tours. Kpalimé is located in the Plateaux region but only about 2 hours away from the capital and is known for their coffee growing, abundance of fruit and vegetables, as well as a large artisan community. This is about as close to “the city” as it gets here and even though I will miss the small village experience I was having in my original village, I’m excited for this new change of pace and work.

The move happened extremely quickly and I had about a day to prepare and say goodbye to my village. It was a little emotional as I could tell that my counterpart in the village was sad to see me go and concerned about the future development of the village.

When I arrived in Kpalimé I was happily surprised about my new living conditions. In my new house I have running water and electricity (Thank you Lord!) Inside there is a large living room and dining room area, guest room, my new yoga/ workout room, and a master bedroom. Outside there is a large veranda overlooking a garden covered in tropical plants. I couldn’t be happier!

Over this past week in the house I have been working hard to transform the house into a home. There were some major issues to take care of and I have been cleaning like crazy but now I’m feeling much more comfortable in the house.

Next post…. What I will be doing in Kpalimé. Stay tuned!

August 22, 2010

This past weekend I took a quick trip to the Plateaux Region to visit Kat, another Peace Corps health volunteer in Amou-Oblo. I set out early in the morning and caught a bush taxi for the first 2 hour leg of the trip. The taxi driver was a plump, jolly looking man and quickly kicked a passenger out of the front seat to offer me the coveted spot up front. I took a look over my left shoulder to survey the situation behind me. About 15 people with an equivalent amount of baggage and chickens bound by their feat on the floorboard were all squeezed into the 14 seat passenger van….yup…. everything looked normal. I gave the drive a slight nod and we were on our way.

About an hour into the ride we reached the outskirts of the Plateaux region. Ominous clouds covered the horizon and before I got a chance to roll up the window, buckets of water were pouring into the van. I turned around to see that streams of water were coming in from all directions; the rotting floorboard, door jams, and broken windows held together with ducktape were no match for this rainstorm. Trying not to panic, I glanced over to observe the car’s sturdiness and plan my exit strategy should this thing roll over. To my dismay, the steering column was held together with electrical tape, the speedometer was out of commission, the graveyard of a dashboard was overcome by electrical wires that looked like growing ivy vine, and a dirty dishrag served as a defroster. By the time I arrived in Amou-Oblo my jaw was sore from being clenched for 3 hours.

I arrived to Amou-Oblo in one piece and was amazed by the beauty around me. The village rests at the bottom of the plateau and when I woke up the next morning a beautiful layer of fog crept over the plateau, reminding me of back home in the bay area.

Kat has formed a women’s group who meet on a regular basis to exercise, discuss health, nutrition, women’s rights, and maternal health. I was in Amou-Oblo to do my first health sensibilisation on yoga with the group and when I arrived I was impressed that all of the women had a makeshift yoga mat and were decked out in workout gear. These women were serious! Even though my language skills did not allow me to teach the class to the level I would do back in the states, the women seemed interested in continuing to learn more and invited me back for another session in the future.

For the rest of the weekend Kat and I along with two other volunteers discussed the possibility of coordinating a Women’s Health and Economic Conference for the women in the region. More to come on this initiative.

August 18, 2010 This week the Baptist Church across from my house hosted a three-day women’s prayer convention for a number of churches in neighboring villages. I knew the three days would be interesting when I saw the first truckload of women ride up the street. I watched from my porch as women and children each carrying a small sack poured out of a minivan one by one reminiscent of the scene where an infinite amount of clowns step out of a VW Bug. They came in swarms and by nightfall the church had been turned into a carnival. As I stepped inside of the church the beat of the tam-tam rang loudly in my ear. A group of 5 women vigorously shook the equivalent of an Africa maraca and the party had begun. Children sucking on sugar cane ran wildly throughout the makeshift sanctuary unattended but knowing they were under surveillance. A circle had begun to form and the women danced joyfully. One step two step…. bend over at the waist…. butt in the air….. pause….resume….. one step two step….bend over at the waist…butt in the air….pause….resume. An anonymous hand reached trough the crowd and dragged me to the center. It was my turn to entertain them. To a loud applause and a few amens, I mimicked their dance….. one step two step…. bend over at the waist….butt in the air….pause….resume. I couldn’t act like I hadn’t done this before, it was not that foreign from the dances me and my girls do in the clubs throughout D.C., Baltimore, Philly, and Chicago. The women pick up the pace and soon the circle becomes one big swirl of color. Children tethered to their mother’s backs hold on for dear life and beads of sweat appear on our brow. Sing, Pray, Dance, Sing, Pray, Dance. When I finally take a break, I step outside to look up at the stars. They look like lumps of ice floating in a sea of blackness. Ice that I would love to place at the nape of my neck to relieve the heat. Once I’ve caught my breath, I return back into the mosh pit of women and children singing, praying, dancing.

August 12, 2010

Since arriving in village I have been putting my client development skills to work to identify enthusiastic counterparts throughout my village that I can partner with to carry out my work. Recently, I was introduced to a field agent that works with ICAT, a governmental organization that provides support for famers throughout the country. Djossou, the field agent is responsible for meeting with local farming associations to help them with management, implementation techniques, and overall training to increase the farmer’s harvest. Djossou has been kind enough to take me under his wing and now includes me in most of his meetings throughout the village, introduces me to Association Presidents, and serves as a trusted translator for me when working with Ewe speaking villagers

This week Djossou invited me to a two day seminar that was being hosted by ICAT and CARE International for the farmers within the Maritime region. The seminar covered topics including how to properly house livestock, proper nutrition, vaccinations, and how to keep livestock healthy. Having been in Togo for almost 3 months, I have come to expect that meeting start about 2 hours late, people sleep throughout the session, and the session facilitators have no agenda set up before the meeting. I was pleasantly surprised to see that ICAT defied all odds and actually started the session on time, had a clear agenda set, and writing materials were passed out to all participants. In total 27 farmers participated and 10 ICAT agents were there to provide their expertise.

I learned more about raising livestock in those two days then I could ever have wanted to learn. During the program, the farmers broke out into working groups based on the livestock they raise and did a best practices session. I made a number of contacts throughout the community and have been invited to participate in a number of association meetings going forward.

While I had no expectation of working with farmers when I came here, I think there is a great opportunity to help with management and financing. While these farmers are very knowledgeable about raising livestock and crops, many of them do not efficiently run their farm as a business.

The next week Djossou and I spent the whole day in the rice paddies where I learning harvesting techniques, visited milling houses where the rice is separated from the “envelope”, and visited individual farmers. One of the rice groupments that I have been invited to work with announced good news, since the last meeting 3 members of the group received a loan from a local microfinance organization of 500.000 CFA (equivalent of $1000) each to aid in the cultivation of rice. If those members pay back the loan in its entirety and on time, additional loans will be extended to all 14 members of the group. This is a great advancement as microfinance organizations are very leery of loaning funds to farmers in my region based on their past experiences working with such groups. This is a great example on group loaning techniques as the three members of the groupment will be supported and encouraged by the rest of the group to pay the loan back to ensure additional cash flow. This technique has been touted as one of the most successful loan programs in the microfinance space due to its emphasis on community dynamics and peer involvement.

Before departing for the day, Djossou treated me to a meal of fufu and sauce de chevre (goat) where I was served a huge lump of pounded yam (fufu=yummy) and goat (organ=not so yummy.) Usually I am good at finishing my plate out of respect but this time I had to take an L.

Sunday August 8, 2010 I have officially survived two nights at my post and man… I think they may have easily been the roughest two days of my life. I quickly realized that I am no longer in the comfortable bubble of luxury that I was in during training. The Peace Corps van dropped my off and unloaded my suitcases and a few home wares and drove off leaving me in a cloud of dust and sand. I had about 20 wide-eyed kids starting at me like I had just been dropped off by a spaceship but eager to help me move everything into the house. The first thing I noticed when I walked into my new home was a number of lizards and baseball sized spiders hanging around awaiting my arrival. After I gave them my respects, I sent them off to spider and lizard heaven then continued to get my house in order. The place was completely barren except for a kitchen table and a couch. With 6 hours of daylight remaining, I had to get moving. Task 1: Get some water. I recruited some of my neighborhood children to help me transport water back and forth from the cistern to my house. I carried all of the water on my head and was able to get a weeks worth of water back to my place without looking like I entered a wet t-shirt contest. Task accomplished. Task 2: Make the water drinkable. This requires boiling the water, filtering it, then adding a few drops of bleach. So I start to connect my gas stove, which took me about 30 minutes as I had no instructions. Then I started boiling and filtering. By the end of the night I had about 6 liters of water ready to go. Task accomplished. Task 3: Eat something. Luckily I had purchased some fresh fruits and vegetables before leaving Lomé and was all set to make a salad. This is much easier said than done. I first had to wash all of my dishes as they were covered with dirt and sand. I filled two basins with water, and got to washing. If anyone has ever washed dishes without running water you understand that this is not an easy task. Then I washed all of the fruit and left it in bleach water for about 15 minutes (this is how our Medical Officer suggest we wash fruit in to ensure we don’t get sick.) Long story short, by the time I ate it was about an hour and a half later and I had lost my appetite. However, I was thankful that I had a salad as my village no vegetables to make a salad except for tomatoes. Task accomplished. Finally the sun went down and I was left with a single flashlight and a huge spider and lizard infested house. So I decided to just go to bed. One problem, church service started at the Baptist church across from my house and that night was the first time that I wish the megaphone was never invented. The next morning I woke up and realized that it wasn’t that bad and that I made it through the first night. Day 2 was much easier and after the initial shock of the first two nights I think I have it down. One thing I have learned through all of this is the power of adaptability. This is the most foreign lifestyle that I have ever lived in but it isn’t impossible and if millions of people live like this all throughout the world (and many and much worse conditions) than I can do it too. I have a lot of work to do at my new home but I am looking forward to making it a comfortable refuge for myself after a long day of work. I’ll get some before and after pictures on the blog when the decorating is finished.

Today I took the oath of service and am officially a Peace Corps Volunteer in Togo. We have been preparing for swear-in for so long and it is hard to believe that tomorrow we will be in village. The swearing-in ceremony was wonderful. The Deputy Chief of Mission from the US Embassy, our Country Director, the Minister of Commerce of Togo and, Togolese officials, Peace Corps staff, and our host families all celebrated our successful completion of training at the country director’s house in Lomé. Each PCV was responsible for doing a short speech in local language. My speech was in Ewe and I am going to upload the speech to my facebook page as I can't get it on here.

Tuesday August 2, 2010 This past week has been a combination of fun and stress. Earlier in the week our group made a trip to Atakpamé, the regional capital of the Plateaux Region of Togo. In Atakpamé we met with Peace Corps Volunteers that are working in business, health, girls empowerment, and natural resource management. Atakpamé is a beautiful city, with rolling hills and beautiful hillside homes, it reminded me very much of the Oakland Hills of California. While there we met with local artisans, a Director of Social Services, checked out some Peace Corps Volunteer’s homes, and learned about a Take Your Daughter’s to Work Campaign that some of the volunteers did in village. This is of particular interest to me because growing up my father’s company held an annual take your daughter’s to work day and at a early age I was exposed to the business world through this specific event. Having a successful campaign for young girls is of great importance here in Togo as many girls are not afforded an opportunity to attend school and those that are have no concept of career pathing . Before coming to Togo, I envisioned my work to be focused on capital management, supply chain management, and business consulting. While I am extremely interested in working in those areas, I believe that there is so much opportunity to empower the women and girls here and expose them to sustainable, successful enterprises that will allow them to break the cycle of poverty. After our trip to Atakpamé it was all business as I had one week to pass my language requirement to swear in as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Today I found out that I passed the exam and now am speaking at the Intermediate- Mid Level!!!! I have also been taking local language classes in Ewe and will be speaking both Ewe and French in my village. Even though I am excited to go to post, I will truly miss my host family. They have been so supportive and so great to me while I have been in Togo. Each person has a different host family experience but mine has been extraordinary. On Thursday, my father and mother will accompany me to Lomé as I take the oath to become a Peace Corps volunteer. While these past two months have been filled with ups and downs I am so glad to have taken this opportunity and take the next step to becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer in Togo!

So as many of you know, I am crazy about yoga and before coming to Togo I completed a 200 hour yoga certification through Core Power Yoga in Chicago and officially became a certified yoga instructor. One of my goals in Togo was to not only keep up my own practice but have as many opportunities to teach Peace Corps Volunteers and locals more about yoga. At the beginning of training I started a weekly yoga class that has officially been named Yoges in Toges. It has been such a success and many of the Peace Corps Volunteers have used it as a much needed reprieve from our grueling training schedules. At our last session we invited some host family members and it was so great seeing the PCVs and Togolese doing yoga side by side.

That night I decided to do an experiment with my host family to see if they would like it. I did a mini session with my host father, host brothers, and host sister and it was hands down the best night I have had in Togo thus far. My host father got so into it and was holding each pose with intense concentration. I really didn’t need to do much education about the purpose and benefits of incorporating yoga into your daily life. He went on a long rant about how yoga was good for bring tranquility into your life, great for the heart, circulation, mind, etc, etc. He encouraged my brother to start up yoga once he attends college this fall and I have promised to give him some literature on different postures. In the capital city Lomé there is a Kundalini Yoga studio that I am dying to try out as soon as possible. I will let you know how it goes! For a good laugh check out the pictures on my facebook page!

So I thought I’d take a little time to talk about my host family, who are hands down the best host family in Peace Corps Togo. As I mentioned, my father is a doctor and my mother is a stay at home mom/ entrepreneur. Recently I uncovered a family secret….ok not that much of a secret but... my father has 2 wives and a total of 8 children! I have not met the other wife yet. After having some talks with my father about family planning and traditional African views on families and children he was shocked to hear thatA. I have no plans on getting married anytime soon (I was already scolded for not being married yet) andB. I do not plan on having more than 2 children let alone 8! After many conversations he sat my host brother and I down and we had a nice little pep talk about family planning, women’s rights, etc. etc. With all that said, my father is awesome, he has put 7 of his 8 children through college (the last one is still in primary school) and my host brother Joel just finished his BAC 2 (a requirement to attend university and much harder than most tests we take in the states for college prep) at the age of 17 and at the top of his class…. Which is unheard of. Ok so on to my favorite person in the family…. My host Mom! She is so awesome! Not only is she well educated (she speaks very good French and since most women do not receive adequate education in Togo, it is very hard to come by), so happy, laughing all the time, and cooks great. Every meal I literally have about 3-4 entrees (not so great for the waistline) and she cooks the best Togolese food I have had so far. I have such a strong connection with my family and it was definitely difficult to leave the house on the last day of training. Luckily, I only live about 12 miles from them and can visit as much as possible!Check out these photos:

What an eventful week! I just returned from living a week in the bush (or at least as close to the bush that I am willing to live in!) As part of my training I spent a week in the village that I will be calling home while in Togo. Unfortunately, I cannot list the name of the village for security purposes but I can say that I am the closest volunteer to the capital city Lomé (only 10 miles away) and am fairly close to the Ghanaian border. My village is medium sized, with about 20,000 people and is known for their agriculture production, specifically rice. On the morning of July 10th, my 25th birthday, I set out for post with my luggage, a packed lunch of plantains and chicken from my host mom, and a glistening bottle of champagne that was a celebratory gift from the other Peace Corps Trainees. We took a lone bright red dirt path riddled with pot holes to the edge of what looked like a forest. After looking a little more closely, I noticed that we were actually driving through rice paddies and all I could see for miles was deep, lush vegetation. I was in pure bliss taking in the new topography. Once arriving at my home I couldn’t help but laugh because my house is painted pink and green, definitely a fitting home for an AKA! I have 4 rooms, but as expected no running water or electricity. However, my house is equipped with a bucket flush toilet (equivalent to gold here in Togo), a mango tree, two orange trees, and pineapples growing in the back. My house is bordered by maize stalks and I am conveniently located next to a Baptist church that starts choir practice at 4:30 am on Saturday morning. Most of the week I just tried to figure out how to live as efficiently and effectively as possible. Simple tasks like getting water, cooking, and grocery shopping are ridiculously complicated and required me to pay much homage to those living in developing countries because life is anything but easy here. The rest of the week was all business. Meetings with village chiefs, being introduced to church congregations, visiting orphanages, sitting in on workshops for local NGOs…. (Playing volleyball at the US embassy with the Marines)…. All business. It was a great introduction to village life. One of the most rewarding experiences was collaborating with a government lead agriculture consulting organization that works with associations (groupments) of farmers to help them tackle anything from supply chain management issues to enhancing quality of harvests. Early that morning I biked deep into the rice paddies, being sure to look out for poisonous snakes, irrigation ditches, and little children along the path. Finally I arrived at a small alcove with a few benches where a group of 14 men and women met to discuss some of their difficulties and solutions. In my first meeting with the group I was able to identify a financing and supply chain management need and have been asked to come back and do some consulting work for the group. Yea my first client!!! One of the most exhilarating and frustrating thing about being in village is transportation. Due to the seclusion and location of my village it takes a ridiculous amount of time to get places. Even though I am only 10 miles from the capital it can take upwards of 2 hours to get from village to a location in Lomé because I have to take a moto to a taxi to another taxi. So far I have had the pleasure of riding in a bush taxi meant for 14 people but stuffed with 24 as well as almost being bucked off the back of a moto in the rain. Gotta love it!

The days and nights are flying by. Even though it has only been 3 weeks I fell like I have lived here for years. The temperature has dropped to a cool and breezy 90 degrees which is a much needed reprieve. In the morning I get up around 5 am to go jogging for a few miles before the sun rises. On my way, women balance buckets of water and pounds of firewood on their heads swaying to and fro gracefully. I can barely place my foot in front of the other without stumbling over a rock but they seems to have the path memorized. Family life is progressing without a hitch. My family has embraced me as one of their own and find any possible reason to bring up my African lineage. My father is convinced that I am his long lost niece and that my ancestors were from Togo…. I guess it’s not too far fetched of an idea. He calls me Ms. California because I only eat 2 plates of food instead of 3 or 4 so he says that I must be on a “regime” (diet) lol! I have also become very popular on my side of town and now all of the kids know my name and they do not hesitate to scream out ASHALAY!!! At the top of their lungs. Every morning and everynight I am greated by 40 children and their parents who get so much pleasure from shouting my name, touching my hands, giving me hugs, and hearng me say “good morning” back. This is how Beyoncé must feel everyday! I haven’t decided if I like it but it sure beats being called YOVO! My French is getting much better. I am able to follow conversations and respond accordingly. One negative aspect of this is that I feel like my English is quickly diminishing. Since I am getting used to talking at such a basic level in French I am starting to talk that way in English. Even writing this blog entry has proven difficult as I am having trouble expressing myself as I would normally. I guess that’s what happens when you take 4 hours of French a day and only speak French at home. Next week I start local language classes and will be learning to speak Ewe! I’m so excited but a little nervous as well. I get to the internet café about twice a week so send me emails and pictures, I’d love to hear from you!

A

I have officially survived my first week in Togo! It feels like I have been here for months as the days are jam packed with stuff to do, places to go, and people to meet. I spent the first three days in Lomé, the capital city where I learned basic survival skills such as how to use a latrine, how to filter water, and the importance of taking my prophylaxis to keep me from getting deathly ill with malaria. After Lomé we arrived in Tsevie where we met our host families. The set up was like a 5th grade dance where the families sat on one side of the room and the volunteers sat on the other glaring at each other. One at a time each volunteer stood up and announced their name. When it was my turn I stammered…. "Je m’appelle Ashley" and my host family jumped up and screamed with joy. I met my mother and father in the middle of the room and we hugged and laughed. My father picked me up in his car and we drove to his house only to be greeted by more people. Everyone was so excited to meet me and the all took turns saying “Bonne Arrive Ashley!!” My family has been wonderful so far. My father is an anesthesiologist at the University but also has 4 rooms in our house that are reserved for patients. My mom is a stay at home mom but operates a popsicle (la glace) business out of our house. She employs 2 women that make the popsicles and another 4 people that sell them in the village. I also have two brothers 16 and 12 and a cousin that is 18 that lives with us. The family is so patient with me and my novice level French and they have been taking such great care of me. When I first envisioned the accommodations we would have as volunteers I envisioned a mud hut with two rooms. Our house is not at all what I imagined to say the least. I am living in a beautiful two story home with many rooms. There is an inner compound/ courtyard that is surround by the rest of the house. I have two rooms that are off to the side that provide some seclusion and privacy. We also have a maize farm, a few coconut tress, and some legumes. Oh and did I mention electricity! What a surprise! Every night we have watched the Coupe Du Monde (World Cup) and despite my allegiance to American football I have had an awesome time watching the games and shouting GOAL!!!! with my family. The community has embraced me as well. Most of the people, especially children yell out YOVO! YOVO! (white person) when they see the Peace Corps volunteers walking by. I have taken my time to introduce myself to a lot of the people in my area so most of them call me by name. My father says that since I am African (or café au lait like his friends call me) he won’t let them call me Yovo. Lastly, training is going very well. We are in training 6 days a week and learning so much. Everyday we have french lesson and lessons on the history of Togo, commercial enterprises in the country, economic development and so on. I am extremely excited to finish this part up and get to work in my village. Oh and for those that can, I finally got a cell phone and can receive calls and texts. My number is country code (228)- 731-8648. A bientot!

I have officially left the country and am spending the next few hours in Paris. On Wednesday our training group met in Washington, DC to prepare for the trip. There are a total of 29 volunteers that are working in either business, information technology, or health services.

We completed some basic training, got more immunizations (6 down, another 5 to go I think) and are headed to Lomé, Togo.

So as you probably know by now, I have left the country, my job, friends and family and will be going to West Africa. Over the past month I have received a barrage of questions about what I will be doing and why I decided to pursue this opportunity. I thought I’d take a few minutes to address the FAQs:Where are you going and what are you doing? I have accepted an opportunity as a Peace Corps Volunteer…. yes, I said volunteer and will be serving in Togo for 27 months. I will be a Small Business Advisor in the Small Enterprise Development Program. My job will be focused primarily on microfinance infrastructure work as well as providing skill based education for entrepreneurs to help them build their businesses. The details of my job are still vague and will depend on the needs of the community I will be living in but I will share more details once I complete training.Togo??? Where is that?Togo is a francophone country located in West Africa and the capital city is Lomé. The country is bordered by Ghana to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Benin to the East. The country has a very diverse array of languages, religions, and influences. Google it.What made you want to do this?For the past two years I have been searching for an opportunity to leverage my business and finance background as well as my degree in international finance. I have always been interested in the dynamics of international business and have cultivated an interest in microfinance and social entrepreneurship work. Honestly, my first impression of the Peace Corps was that young college graduates go to the Peace Corps to teach english all around the world. I was surprised to learn that they have programs that cater to people that have extensive experience in business or finance to support countries address economic development needs. I ultimately applied and was accepted into the program. The volunteer aspect and length of the program were extremely important as I wanted to devout all of my time and energy to this venture as well as see sustainable, long term results from our collaborative efforts. Are you nervous, scared, etc?No, not really.Are you crazy?!?!No.I'll be using this blog to communicate my experiences and life in Togo. I hope you enjoy and please stay in touch as well!