Moving on Up

Moving on Up
Originally uploaded by iamthepeanutbutt

I uploaded a bunch of pics so click here and check them out!

HAPPY BELATED THANKSGIVING

I hope that everyone had themselves an amazing Thanksgiving and ate lots of yummy food. I know that I did.
Joelle and I just got back from Accra Ghana...aka heaven. It really is the most amazing place on earth. They have huge several story buildings, and real paved roads, and cheese- like actual cheese. And they have over passes. I didn't know what to do with myself when I got there.
But it was a great time. We met up with two of our friends that have moved there and are living and working in Ghana now and it was great to see them again. And we spent lots of time in air conditioning and taking showers with hot running water and watching CNN. It was all around the perfect trip. I would post pictures but literally we didn't do anything worth taking pictures of so I have none to share. I plan to go back again soon (and frequently)so I shall take some pictures soon. I promise.
Other than that things are going well. I've been really busy traveling around and doing lots of Peace Corps things. We just finished a week long bike ride 144km in 4 days (AIDS Ride). It was really fun and I am actually becoming a biker which is fun. It def helped me with my confidence in French too standing up in front of hundreds of people in different villages talking about the ABC's of AIDS (Abstinance/Abstinence, Bonne Fidelite/Being Faithful, and Condoms--- crazy how it works in different languages like that huh?) But yeah it was great.
And I am down in Lome now for my mid-service medical exam which should be interesting to see what kind of fun things I have going on. I just recently got tumbu fly bites meaning that something laid eggs and then hatched in me. Pretty yummy huh?
And I am in Lome now until Friday and Wednesday is our 45th Anniversary of being in Togo. Fun fact for all of you - Togo is the longest running uninterupted Peace Corps program. Meaning that the second group of volunteers ever went to Togo and we haven't left yet! So we are celebrating with a big party and people from DC are coming. All the volunteers (well lots of them) are coming down here too so it should be fun. Ok well here are some pictures for you to enjoy and keep checking cause I will update again soon!
LOVE TP

Hello again one and all.
So I got a phone call the other day saying that I got a position being one of the national coordinators for Camp UNITE which was one of the camps I did last summer and that I had a meeting in Lome the next day (today) so here I am in Lome and I thought I should take advantage of this chance to use free internet.
So Melissa and I just bought some cheese and some sliced bread (sliced...its amazing) and doritos and orange juice and I'm sitting here pretending that I'm back in the US. Its great.
So like I said before we had stand fast for the elections so I spent 3 weeks in site and it was great. I've started training for AIDS ride which is a bike ride where 12 volunteers in each region bike around and teach people about AIDS prevention. Basically I get to do condom demonstrations infront of middle school kids. However middle school kids here are anywhere from 12-25. I'm super excted about and I think it will be really fun. I'll def take a lot of pictures and up load them for you all.
I also decided that I am going to go to Accra Ghana around Thanksgiving with my friend Joelle. I am SO excited. Ghana is commonly described as being "paved with gold" however one volunteer pointed out that it might be just as meaningful to say taht it is paved . After that we are celebrating the 45th anniversary of Peace Corps in Togo and its going to be a huge celebration with all the volunteers and some Peace Corps admin from DC. Super neat huh?
Basically things are going well just a big busy but I am really in good spirits.
And Megan (my sister) is coming and we are going to South Africa for christmas. I have so much to look forward too!!!!!!!


************ BIG NEWS *************
So I just got another new phone number because I couldn't get calls or texts from the states on my last phone but now I can get both!
the number is 0112289112964
So text! And I will respond!

I'm going to go eat a sandwich and try to upload some pics.
I love you all
Tami P

So I am borrowing my site mate’s computer right now and I figured that I should take advantage of this time to write a nice blog entry that I can post later.
We are currently in Stand Fast, which means that we can’t leave our sites because this Sunday there is going to be elections. It’s the parliamentary elections so everyone thinks it is going to happen with no problems. In the past for the presidential elections there was a lot of violence. Especially in the south where there is a lot of opposition to the current government. But now things seem better. There have been tons of k rallies over the past week (campaigning is only the two weeks before the election) and there are a lot of parties running. Which is great, right? I had a guy tell me the other day that this is the first time in Togo that people can express their different views. He said that in the past if people wore the colors of opposition parties they would be beat (and often were). So things are looking up. Go Togo! I guess we will see for sure come Sunday. There are lots of EU representatives here to make sure that things go smoothly. We as PCVs are required to stay out of politics all together so I won’t go into detail or anything about any of the parties but if you are interested check it out.
So I am spending my stand fast in my new gigantic house. I am getting furniture made that should be ready this week (less than the 6 months it took me to get my last furniture). Hopefully that will make my house feel homier. Don’t get me wrong I am not at all complaining about my house cause it is amazing. For one thing I have electricity (hence me using a computer in my house). And that means that I can charge my ipod and listen to music more than 4 hours a week. And I have a refrigerator so I buy lots of vegetables and keep them for more than a day and eat yummy salads and other delicious food every day. And I have running water, which makes everything so much easier. I don’t have to leave my house to go to the bathroom, which is great. Although thankfully I am not sick at all for the first time in months and months (knock on wood). Basically things are looking up.
I even have prospects for work, although right now everyone is working on campaign stuff so I just planning stuff that I will do later. But people actually approached me and said they wanted to work with me. Its great. This year is going to be totally different from the last, in a good way. My friend Rachel said that a friend of her who did Peace Corps described it as “the first year was the worst year of my life and the second year was the best” I can handle that. And I’ve started working out like for real, either jogging or biking an hour in the morning and doing some strength stuff chez moi. Basically I’m a whole new lady.
Only bummer lately is that I lost my cell phone. Which does suck, but a friend of a friend had an extra, nicer one so he gave me that…for free. For now I have a new number (2280841420) but after stand fast I’m going to go to Togo Cell and try to get my old number back. And talk to them about getting international texts because I can’t get them with this number either.
Well I’m going to get ready for bed, but I will post pictures of my house when I get my new furniture. I love you all!

So I have officially been in Togo for one year tonight and I spent it with some of my all time favorite humans.
Its been quite the year with lots of ups and too many downs but all and all I wouldnt change it for the world. I really have made some of the greatest friends and learned a TON about the world and about myself and I couldnt have done any of this without you friends and fam at home to support me so thank you.

I moved into a new house and it is beyond incredible - pictures to come - and I have a feeling that this next year is going to be incredible. So stay tuned cause things are going to get interesting now that I have the secret.

Tami in Togo- TAKE 2

So I have returned from my amazing adventure back to the states. And with shorter hair!
It was really hard to get on the plane and come back here (and to get on the plane leaving my family in Colorado) but it does feel like home here, which is nice. So ultimately its good to be back.
I want to start out by thanking everyone who was amazing and helped me through the harsh readjustment period back in the US, especially Karen for putting up with me for a week.
And I want to appologize a ton to everyone that I didn't get to see much or at all, and to those that I did not call. I was suprisingly busy and not having a cell phone really complicated things, that and the fact that I was really lazy and addicted to television. Especially the Hills. I love Lauren Conrad. Someone better keep me posted on what happens when she and Jason see Speidy out. Sigh. I miss the Hills already (and for those of you who were there don't worry I did have time to watch the eps I missed on line so I am all caught up with the Jen Bunny business ).

While home, under the advisement of my sister I watched the Secret and I have decided that I am going to change my attitude and be positive and then good things will happen for me. So be expecting some good news posts coming up. And now that I am moving sites my access to the internet will increase big time so just plan to hear from me more often in general.

Now I shall leave you with some photographs from my beautiful sister Jenny's wedding to my new brother Jason! (ps I have a functioning camera now so be expecting pictures too!)

The ladies
Originally uploaded by iamthepeanutbutt

The Bride and Groom
Originally uploaded by iamthepeanutbutt

Hello again.
So like I said before a lot of things have happend in the past few weeks and I just found out the other day that I am going to be moving villages. Actually I will be moving from a village to a much bigger ville, where I will most likely have running water, electricity and a site mate. So it will def be a much different experience but I am really excited about it and I think it is just what I need.
I don't really want to go much into what happend here but I will be seeing most of you in the next few weeks so we can talk about it then.
Speaking of, I can not tell you how excited I am to be going home. It is just what I need, a little vacation back to see everyone I love. I wont have my cell phone when I get back but I will hopefully have my moms, and I will be staying with Karen in Maryland so you can always call her to get to me (hope thats ok Karen). Otherwise I will send out an email with my moms number on it when I get to town. I plan to eat lots of yummy food and spend lots of time catching up on the tv and movies that I have missed in the past year, and of course to just spend time with all of you and to see my sister get married!

Until then I will be in Lome spending way too much money on food and such. There is this great place here that shows movies on Tuesday night. Its 5$ and you get a small pizza and a small beer. Usually the movies are pretty new from the states but dubbed in French which kind of sucks but its still great to go to the movies. And not too expensive so its fun! Tomorrow I'll do some shopping for gifts so if you have any ideas of what you want might enjoy holler at me.

ok to be continued later :)

Hello again.



So there have been some big changes going on here in Togo and I PROMISE that I will tell you all about it later but for now I am still in the process of getting everything figured out. But while doing so I will be in Lome the capital for about a week which means lots of access to the internet so I figured I would not only post some fun blogs but also some pictures so check this out....
the new love of my liferight when I got him...when he was still a young man...this was at camp after he got an imprompu bath from Connor and Ben... I mean really is there anything in the world cuter than this photograph?

I am currently adding some pics to webshots mostly from camp but also just from whatever. These are from the camp that I did for kids affected or infected with AIDS. Most of the kids were orphans whose parents died of AIDS and most of them have no been tested so they don't know their status although there were a few that were confirmed HIV positive. It was one of the most fun weeks ever. We just danced and sang and played games all week long and it was a chance for these kids to actually be kids, which unforntunately does not happen too often. And naturally I fell in love wtih a few of the kids who were just amazing. I really do think that these camps are some of the most important work that peace corps does here.

Ok enough about that. Other things.... A new group of volunteers just swore in the other day so there is officially a new group! Its exciting but kind of weird because its the first change in people since I've been here. And the older group is all COSing now (closing of service...aka leaving). Two of my closest friends just left a while ago to get married. Thats right they met in the Peace Corps and are getting married in less than a month. Crazy.

Time to go return my hotel key and try to find a place to stay tonight. I'll be back

BONSOIR
I really dont have any time left but just wanted to remind you that I shall be returning to the good old U S of A in about 2 weeks... I will be in Maryland the night of the 31 and then Ill be in Colorado Aug 1-10 then again to MD Aug 10-14 so lets make big plans to do amazing things
I CAN NOT WAIT TO SEE YOU

ps I have gained a lot of weight...no need to comment when you see me... just go with it
LOVVVVEEEE
TP

Hello loved ones.
I know that it has been a while since I have writen, but things have been a bit tumultuous but I am staying postive and dealing the best that I can. I have some incredible friends here and they are helping me stay sane.
Quick summary of the big stuff - my baby boy Gash was hit by a car while I was at the med unit and killed. But since then a new puppy found me at the buvette and we fell in love. His name is Lloyd - as in Dobbler- and he looks like a hamster. My camera is broken otherwise I would post some pics but Ill try to get some from someone else. There has been a bunch of other stuff...both good and bad but no need to dwell right now. Im safe and surronded but great people and a pretty puppy and Ill be home in about a month so that is great.
hope things are well in your neck of the woods
LOVE
tp

HELLO AGAIN
I only have 18 min so I will just say hello and I love and miss you all.
Tonight we are having a small birthday party for myself and some other girls who have birthdays this week or last week and then I am heading down to Lome to pick up my parents from the airport. I have never been so excited to see anyone in my whole life. I will def update again after the visit.
Until then
LOVE YOU

Ok I would first like to apologize for having such a negative last message. Yes I do miss all those things a ton but they will alaways be there in the states and I will always have that to go back to and I recognize that and I really do appreciate the time that I have here.
For example I just spent a few days training to be a camp counselor which I will do next week and I am leading a bunk with one of my best friends and we get to sing and dance and she and I are teaching art classes every day and doing crafts instead of sports and it is going to be super fun and Ill get to practice my french and make new friends and all that good stuff. Then soon Mom and Dad will be here and the new stage of like 30 friends (although I hear that they are almost all girls again...story of my life eh...but I gave up on that whole finding your soul mate in the Peace Corps nonsense long ago - I've always got Gash). So that rules. In conclusion I am a happy person so dont you fret. However that doesn't mean that I wouldn't still appreciate letters and/or packages from you

Not much else is new. My plan is to take tons of pics when the rents arrive and I shall post those badboys soon.
In conclusion I love you all.

Lets make a list shall we....
Things I miss from the good old U.S. of A. (in no particular order)
* my family
* my friends
* real cheese
* air conditioning
* the english language
* being clean
* being able to just walk down the street and not have people yell out racial slurs at you or ask you for money
* being able to talk to people on the phone
* having friends with in 15 km
* being able to drive wherever i wanted to go or atleast knowing that i could get to my destination in less than 24 hours
* not having everyone think that i am totally and utterly incapable of doing anything and everything but at the same time expecting me to fix all there problems quickly
* being respected
* yellow starbursts
* john cusack movies
* going to shows...god i miss good music not to mention live music
* reliable electricity
* not having constant gi issues
* always knowing where the next toilet will be
* constant access to toilet paper
* knowing what the heck is going on
* going to the movies
* vh1
* being able to actually give money to the homeless on the streets without fear of being attacked by people begging for your money
* pizza
* salads and yummy vegetables
* having more than one type of food at a time...like side dishes and appetizers and salad and desert
* dance parties in hburg
* walking at purcell with my favorites
* snuggling all day in bed watching movies
* adventures with lg to nyc or baltimore or anywhere
* hugs
* feeling even remotely attractive
* jeans
* the city...any city
* privacy
* el charros, the little grill, taste of thai etc
* those mexican garden salads from california tortilla
* heck i even miss olney md
mostly though i miss you guys, soon enough ill be back and who knows maybe in a few years ill be missing fufu and yams and oil and grease and french and all the amazingly cute little kids
until then i miss the usa

I have returned to the world of the wide web. Im in Sokode for a few days before I go to training to be a camp counselor for a week. Thats right for the first time I finally get to be a camp counselor for girl apprentices. Im super excited - and wishing that I could figure out how to use punctuation on these crazy french keyboards. Any how I will be at training for a few days and then be sticking around for the camp next week! After that MOM AND DAD ARE COMING
So basically I am super excited. And I will be going home sooner than later, and should be keeping pretty busy until then.
I just did a big training for 14 students to make them peer educators so that I will have some people to work with who actually speak the local language. And maybe they can be my friends too considering I will be spending 3 weeks uninterupted in village when we go on stand fast in the middle of june and my two other friends stopped being my friend when I told them that I have a fiance back in the states...you know Lloyd Dobbler my fiance.
Sigh...At least I have Gash and I have started taking him out on runs in the morning. I am determined not to leave Togo bigger than I was when I got here. Its wierd to think that people can go to Africa and gain weight but I assure its easy to do.
Ok enough about that...not much else is new with me since I last wrote. Im about to head out to the marche and try to find some yeast so that I can make some pizza for mu cluster mate Chris and I tonight.
And if there is still electricity then I am going to take advantage of it to watch some more movies! I just watched blood diamond and bable. I miss films. But I really liked them. We were all laughing at the part in Blood Diamond when Leo says something to the effect of Peace Corps types only stick around long enough to realize that they cant do anything. Sigh...sometimes that feels very true. It also struck me that I cant think of a single film about Africa that has a good message or is an uplifting story...unless you count Hotel Rwanda but even though Paul R was pretty fantastic its not exactly a heart warming story. I still think its really important for people to see the films about the problems in Africa because too often its not in the main stream media. Its crazy to see the difference in the news that I get from BBC World every day - which Im addicted too by the way and the news that I hear about from the US
Sigh ok well its off to try to find some pizza goods
Call write email send letters and love any time
LOVE YOU ALL

above is fufu the standard togolese meal...its basically these really big white yams with hair on them that they peel, boil and pound into this mashed potatoe like substance and serve with a sauce and eat with our hands. Apparently there is a restaurant in DC that sell it if anyone is really interested. I actually enjoy it quite a bit, but it totally depends on the sauce. To the right is a quick pic from one of the waterfalls that we all went to durring training. But I just hiked to another one in Badou and it was the most beautiful thing ever. If I can get pics on here I will and you can see for yourself. In fact one day I'll actually post some good pics that are worth while. Perhaps back in the states.

Why the heck not right?

So its 6:28 and I signed up for one of the two computer in the bureau in the capital for a few hours before our meeting this morning, and I'm sitting here on a computer with an english keyboard and internet in an air conditioned room. Sometimes its hard to remember that I'm in Togo. But then again all I have to do is walk outside into the ridiculous heat and the thousands of people screaming yovo and asking for money. Sigh. Togo.
Its weird how different the culture is here. I can honestly say that coming in here I was struggling against defining myself as a feminist but after just 7 months here I can say with all certainty that I am indeed a proud feminist. There are a lot of things here that I see and experience that really make me angry and I had to stop and think about that for a long time, but I finally realized that I think its a good thing to be angry. It makes me really want to do something for girls empowerment, but it is hard when I am not even respected as a person just because I am female. Sigh. I don't want to get negative so we will leave this subject for now.
Sometimes I wonder what I am going to do when I get back to the states, even in Sept for the few weeks that I'm there. Its going to be crazy having everyone understand my language and being able to speak english all the time. And to not have people tell me that I'm fat all the time. Yest I am aware that I gained a few pounds here but people just love to tell you that you are grossiring which basically means getting large. But they use it as a compliment. I use it as my motivation to lose some weight. So when I get back to my house I shall begin my work out plan. But this is the stuff that I eat, this and pasta and rice. Nothing but carbs. Sigh. Oh well. There are much more important things than how I look here. (aka above)
I am definitely learning a lot about myself which is incredible and I am really thankful for.
And Mom and Dad are coming to visit very soon which is super super exciting. They will be here June 10-17 and on June 17 we have stand fast meaning they are putting us on alert because of the up coming elections here. Hopefully it will all be really good stuff coming from it because right now they have a one party government and almost all of the intneration organizations pulled out and refuse to come back in until they have a multi party gov and they think that these elections will do that. That will be terrific so I'm hopeful. And I'll be home before you know it so stay available in the begining of September. Please.
Ok I am planning a 6 day formation for the day after I get back to site so I should probably go figure out what I am doing there but until the next time I love you all and I hope that everything is fantastic.

And I just realize that I haven't really ever writen about the work that I am doing so maybe I'll do that next post!
Miss and Love

To the left is a few women and children from my village at one the cultural week picnic. To the right is a pic of me and my little beauty on Casey (my neighbor)'s hammock with her dog all taking a little nap. This is the work I do in Togo. And below is a bunch of us at Christmas in Kara in Susie's house....its Connor Melissa Rhiannon Sunny in the top then Dun myself Susie and Fan!

This is the most beautiful dog in the world, my puppy Wagash aka Gash. Its not my favorite picture of him but its all that I have on this particular computer. This is only a few days after I got him so hes still very little and his ears are down. Isn't he perfect?

Back in action. I figure while I have access to American keyboards and constant (or semi constant) electricity I should write as much as I can. Not too much new stuff to report. Its 6:27am and I am just getting ready to head out of Kara and make my journey down to Sokode which is my (Central) regional capital and I thought that I would take this opportunity to explain the glory that is traveling in Togo since most of you will never be able to know first hand.
So, there are two main modes of transportation. The first and most commonly used by the Togolese, is motos aka motorcycles or vespas. There is always a constant flow of motos down just about every street and every night I am shocked and thankful when I have successfully not been hit by a moto while walking through village that day. Being that there are so many motos who are constantly soliciting to take you anywhere you might want to go, one could easily hop a moto and go a short distance in an even shorter period of time. However, for liability and safety reasons PCV are not allowed to take motos unless they are given special permission and wear a gigantic safety helmet. I for example can take a moto from Koussountou to Kaboli which is where Casey lives and where I get my mail – 14 k from my house or to Tchamba which is where my other neighbor Silas lives which is 30 k away. But I do what I can to not take them because they scare me and are expensive (1,000 CFA to get to Kaboli vs. 400 CFA in a car). However, my puppy and I take them when we travel together because it’s a million times easier and faster, considering you can take a moto at any time of the day, where as bush taxis usually leave once a day…and by no means at a set time. You may be asking yourself “what is a bush taxi?” Excellent question- Bush taxis are the pride and joy of Togo. Bush taxis are basically really run down white vans of all varieties (and occasionally blue vans). They range from high quality - having a few holes in the interior to lower quality - complete and udder pieces of junk with no windows and doors that close with a wire. Almost all of these fine pieces of equipment require a push start which makes the ride that much more enjoyable. Especially when you have to stop ever few minutes…but we will get to that later.
So you show up at the station usually some time early in the morning and tell the secretary that you want to go wherever and they take your bag and put it on the top of the bush taxi, where it will rest among a huge pile of other belongings, including several live animals such as goats and sheep (the chickens usually stay in the car itself) and more often than not passengers themselves, mostly the chauffeur apprentices. Now when I say huge pile I hope that you visualize a pile of stuff at least half of the height of the van itself and at times higher than that, all supported by a net rope. And then you wait. There are four different types of cars you can take, being a 5 placer standard car, 9 placer van, 12 placer van or 15 placer van. Now one might assume that calling these cars by the number of places would mean that that is the number of passengers for each car. Not the case. A 5 placer will not leave without at least 6 passengers plus the driver (thus making it really a 7 placer). A 12 placer holds at least a minimum of 15 people, not including babies or small children who sit on laps and are not counted as places in the car. Now the Togolese have learned that they can make more money the more people they have in the car so I have been in a 9 placer that had 17 people (and my dog) in the car and 2 on top of the car. So once at the station you really just wait around until the car fills up. Which could be quickly and some days is….or there could not be enough people wanting to go where you are going that day so the car just doesn’t leave and you get there the next day (hopefully). And there are the occasional times that you show up at 8 for a car that usually leaves around 3pm and the car has already filled and left, so you get to wait until the next day to go back home. Now after hours of waiting at the station the car is “full” so you hop in, and usually being that I am white I get to sit in the front seat which is by far more comfortable than squishing in the back because usually there are only 2 passengers and the driver up front, although again I have been one of 5 people (including the driver) and my dog in the front seat which is a bit of a tight squeeze. The front seat is one of the few things that although I feel guilty taking understanding that it is exclusively because of the color of my skin, I still take advantage of because it is really pretty damn miserable sitting in the back with all those people squished together and hot and sweaty and having to get out of the car every time someone else needs to get out. But again I’m jumping ahead of myself, we will get there later. Now that everyone is in the car sweaty and gross, its time to get some gas. Now, you might be asking yourself couldn’t someone have filled the car up with gas during the hours of waiting that just occurred. Good question. I asked that question to a driver once myself and he told me that “it would waste gas to go to the gas station and then drive back to the station and then leave”. Fair enough. Although to be realistic most gas stations are within a 30 second walk from the station, and are not so much gas stations as men sitting around with bottles full of gas, who could easily walk the bottles over to the car and pour them in. But who am I to judge the system that has worked for so long in this country. I have never driven a bush taxi therefore have no right speaking about how to run things.
Ok so we are all gassed up, and ready to go. With a great push from some kind souls in the near by area the car heads out and you begin your journey to your final destination (or more often than not to the destination that will take you to your next destination because most cars don’t go everywhere that you would want to go. For example I get to take a car/moto to Tchamba to catch a car to Sokode to catch another car from Kara and then hopefully catch a taxi from the station to Susie’s house). If you are lucky the driver will have a car nice enough to include a sound system with a working tape player and all, so you can rock out to some good old fashion Togolese rap, or more likely Ivorian rap. And if you are really lucky occasionally some Ghanaian reggae so it’s in English! Now that you are all settled in the car and feeling excited for the journey ahead, the car will inevitably come to a stop. This could be for one of many reasons. The most common is that once on the road the chauffeur has stopped to pick up some more passengers. Why these people are able to just sit at their houses until a car drives by and then raise their hand for it to stop, while I have just spent 3 hours sitting a station reading and waiting I am never really clear, but the great entrepreneurial minds of these chauffeurs reminds them that the more people they have in the car the more money they make so they stop and in comes some new friends. So everyone re adjusts to allow these new passengers to come in. At times the car will just slow down enough so that people can run along side and grab a hold and climb their way to the roof and ride that way, but that is usually just with the young boys. Now, you’re off again, and the dirt is pouring in through the window leaving you covered in a fine layer of dust (especially during harmiton where everything is especially dusty, and then there is the added adventure during rainy season which I have yet to experience but have heard great things about). With a great push you continue on your way and right when the car starts picking up speed again, you stop. This time maybe because you have reached a gendarmes station so the apprentices will hop out of the car (or off the roof) and pay the gendarmes their little fee (unofficially of course), and in return the gendarme will take down the rope that is tied across the street thus forcing all vehicles to stop. And again you are off! Now this process of stops will continue adding new members to your traveling team, and paying the gendarmes their fee, and once you start becoming nearer to your destination there will inevitably be many of your team members who need to get out and leave the car early, because so few are actually going to the final destination. So now you can include stops to let people off. And of course, on those long journeys how could you assume that people could go the whole way without having to use the bathroom. So there are plenty of stops along the way for the passengers (and the driver) to take some potty breaks along the side of the road. And this is not taking into account the fact that almost every journey is plagued with at least one small break down along the way, usually just a flat tire. And on the occasion that you are fortunate enough to get a Muslim driver (which is often in my area) you may have the honor of stopping for the call to prayer several times throughout your journey.
Now you may have an understanding of why it takes about two hours to go 65 k from my village to Sokode, and that is on a newly paved really nice road. When traveling on dirt roads the adventures are tripled. And you may also understand why I am hoping to increase my ability to ride bicycles long distances – like up to 65k. Because I figure although it might take me about 4-5 hours to bike there, that’s about the same amount of time as I would spend waiting at the station and then traveling there by car. So one of my Peace Corps goals is to bike from Koussountou to Sokode. I’ll let you know if it ever happens.
So I shall now begin my walk to the station in Kara to catch my car down to Sokode. Have a great day and I’ll talk to you later!

p.s. sorry this is so long. I guess I got a little carried away! I would however like to commend anyone who has actually finished reading this. Or perhaps I should worry that you have too much time on your hands like I do.

Hello my friends
I am in Atakpame and the internet is really great so I thought I would update real quick. I have another huge long update that I typed in Kara that I will update later because I hear this computer tends to give viruses to thumb drives but be expecting to hear more from me.
Things are going well and I am having fun visiting friends all over Togo. Tomorrow Im going to Badou to see my friend Bonnie and we are going to hike these waterfalls that are supposed to be great and beautiful so Ill take lots of pics and hopefully send some next update in an email because its easier comme ca. Anyways I miss you and love you all
email me if you get a chance
LOVE

So I have been trying to update this silly little thing for months and months now but everything keeps not working for me, so I’m sitting in a maison in Kara typing on an American keyboard and saving this junk on my jump disk and then I shall update when I am able to actually use the internet. So in theory this shall be a legit update.

HELLO ALL!
I have officially been in Togo for 231 days now (that’s right I have a lot of free time so I have figured this all out...576 days to go). I am madly in love with my dog. He is absolutely perfect and I wish that you could all see him and hug him. He’s a great snuggler too, which is great except that it’s about 12354 degrees here now. But rainy season is coming, and with it cooler weather and the fact that I wont have to go to the well every day to get water. Many things to look forward to.
In the mean time I am incredibly thankful for a small battery operated fan that my neighbor Casey gave me. About 50% of my income is going towards batteries (considering the batteries here last for about 4 hours max). But I’m not complaining. And work is SLOWLY starting to pick up. I have an English Club and a girls soccer team and in a few weeks I’m going to forming some peer educators so I will have some kids that I can work with when I want to get stuff done. If there is one thing that I am learning here its patients…and to appreciate alone time. I’m def becoming a good reader, especially now that I have my hammock. I just re read all of the Harry Potter’s which I was going to try to hold off on until July so that I could read 7 right after but the temptation was too strong. C’est la vie. I’m about to start reading my first French book (ok so its really just Me Talk Pretty One Day in French by David Sedaris…but it counts n’est pas?)….In case you couldn’t tell my French still needs some help but we are trying. And if you have any good book recommendations let me know. I’m always interested in new books.
Oh and my house was recently painted and I just got some furniture (that I ordered in December) but it means that for the first time since last May I am no longer living out of a suitcase. YAY! And it means that I actually have something resembling a home now. I have a fence up and I sewed myself some curtains and I put up lots of pics and I’m in the process of getting some nice authentic African art work for the walls so it doesn’t look like a 9 year old lives here. Basically its like a whole new place. When I first came I had a mattress on the floor and was eating out of a box of food on the ground. My house was basically a cement box with windows and a straw mat ceiling. But now…its got blue walls and I have two tables, 4 chairs, a bed, an armoire and a guarde manger aka a cabninet for my food. And I have rugs on the floor and everything. One day you’ll see pictures.
We had a big fete in my village the other week and at the end everyone was dancing so I chose to dance with a bunch of little kids because they don’t judge the fact that you don’t have any rhythm and in the process made about 20 friends all under the age of 5. Granted none of them speak French but then again neither do I.
For now I am on a mini tourney of Togo, and I am proud to announce that today was the first time that I have been in a bush taxi that has broken down…but it was just a flat tire and it was fixed quickly so it doesn’t really count. I’m in Kara for a few days with my Susie “helping” her out the best I can with a teacher’s formation and then I’ll head down to Atakpame and then Lome. A few weeks ago we had an all volunteer conference and I signed up for some committee’s. I am proud to be the new co-training of trainers-er for the Gender and Development committee, and I’m helping to plan our next training session and I’m in charge of the girls bike tourney for next year for the Central region. So basically I’m getting busy again which rules because as those of you who knew me in college know I enjoy being busy. So I’ll be traveling the country going to meetings for my many new found appointments.
Lets see….what else is new. My PCV neighbor just had a traditional voodoo wedding ceremony in her village with another PCV. It was really interesting. They had to sacrifice a goat and drink a lot of different alcohols and stuff. I have some pictures. Speaking of pictures I sent my parents some discs with some pics on them so hopefully they can get those up on a website or something so we can share. I can try to add some up here too on my blog but no one knows if the internet with cooperate with that.
I’ll be near the internet for a few days (two weeks?) so if you have anything that you want me to write about holler and I’ll try to update. And e-mail. And call. And send letters. I promise I will always write back.
I miss and love you.
AND
I’LL BE BACK IN THE US ON AUGUST 31 IN MARYLAND THEN COLORADO SO SAVE THE DATE AND WE MUST REUNITE AND CELEBRATE!

ps im going to try to email out some pics so check it

HELLO FRIENDS AND FAMILY!
So I am in Sokode for the weekend and I am using the internet at my friends house. Thats right I live in a village with no electricity at all and he has internet in his house... but he is always willing to share so I can't complain.
Things have been pretty good so far. I am just over the month and a half mark in Koussountou. I haven't done too much work yet which has been frustrating but I did go the bike tournee and biked 100k in 5 days...I'm trying to bike as much as I can to combat that weight gain. But I have lots of ideas for work to do in the schools. We are working on an English club which should be good since I actually speak english!
Somewhere out there my bff Susie posted some pics of us here in Togo. I'll try to find the link for you...or if you have seen it please post it in a comment so we can share with everyone.
Not too much to announce...although I did just get a dog today. Her name is Wagash (the local cheese) but I'm going to call her Gash. Shes really cute and I'm glad to have her so I now actually have a friend in village. I'll send pictures one day.
I miss and love everyone
Call write or email anytime...I'll be back on a computer for valentines day
LOVE
Tami P