ETHOS Togo Immersion hosted by hasheman137.

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Topic: Return

We Survived!

 I am now comfortably back in my room; a little bit chilly in fact. Birds are chirping outside which I heard every morning in Togo, but that's about the only similarity. 

 The flights back were long. I watched Kung Fu Panda, Iron Man, and about half of Narnia on the planes back. We ate as many peanuts and free drinks as we could on the plane :) From Lome to Paris (the better flight in my opinion) it took about 6.5 hours. Then from Lome we flew to Cincinnati which took 9.5 hours. Our layover in Paris was about 5 hours giving our trip a grand total of 21 hours.

 My family was waiting in the airport with a sign for ted and me! can you believe it! Haha. They had had a sign for my sister when she came back from a year in France so my sis was CERTAIN to have a sign for me. It was great seeing my sister! I hadn't seen her in over a year because she didn't come back from France until about a week AFTER I left for Togo. So that was very exciting. But the sign wasn't embarassing. Ted and I had more than well enough embarassed ourselves.

Our last full day in Kara, before our descent to Lome, the Marianist brothers had a small going away party for us. They gave ted and I a polo shirt of the Marianist community and also the best gift of the trip...a complete chief's outfit: A traditional Chief "shirt" and "pants". I dont really know how to describe it, but the pictures will be going up very soon. The clothes were HUGE! but as we later extrapolated, they were sort of susposed to be extra big to show our chiefhood. There was also a matching hat for each of us. 

 We wore our traditional outfits the day of our departure and throughout the 21 hour journey. We received all kinds of reactions good and bad and just plain gawking! But, its not like we weren't used to the attention coming from a predominantly black culture being white people. Maybe subconsciously we did it to continue getting this attention as long as possible. If so, it worked! The best comment was in the Cincinnati airport going through customs. The customs officer, with a southern (redneck) accent asked as I handed him my passport, "so what's with the git up?" "oh it's the traditional wear of chiefs in Togo" I explained. "Why wuld you wear it here?"
"I just wanted to bring back a little of the Togolese culture with me"
"what wure you doing over there in Togolee?"
"we were with a school engineering program to establish a long term engineering program for our students"
"what school is that?"
"University of Dayton"
"And they let you wear that?"
"Yea"
"hmm. looks like I might have to stop giving to the church..hrmm"

I wasn't sure what to say, because it sure didn't come off as a joke. But then there were others who would come up to us and say "GREAT outfit!" and the lady in the Charles De Gaulle airport who was working behind a glass  window who stood up, waved frantically and gave us a HUGE grin as we rode the moving walkway (on the other side of the airport). 

 When we got back in Cincinnati my family drove us to meet up with Ted's grandparents and sister in Dayton. We went to Longhorns Steakhouse. I ordered a 22 oz porterhouse (wish I could say I ate it all haha but I didn't). Been eating ever since. It's not that we didn't eat in Togo, we ate three times a day, but the diet was so high carb that it was difficult to sustain energy or stay full for a very long time. So we were eager to dive into the beef and chicken society that we had left. 

Speaking of which, it's time for breakfast :) maybe I'll have some chicken! or at least some eggs.. 

Adventures

We have arrived in Lome. There is only 3 days left until our flight home. Today we spent recuperating from the long drive and spending time with the Brothers here in Lome. And when I say a long drive, it was. I think you'll find it interesting.

 

We woke up Sunday morning at 5:30. The night before we hadn't gotten much sleep because we spent time with several of our friends that night as closure and due to packing. Saturday we had gone to the LKL station to pick up a bus ticket, but as we found out you had to pick those up at least one day in advance or they booked up. It was booked up. I paid for our buddy to take a ZED (taxi-moto) to the Rakietta station and see if there was room there. All full. These two buses go directly from Lome to Kara and back each day, one time a day. If you don't take this, its a Mini Bus for you. Well, our buddy Abalo talked to the lady that Saturday and she agreed that if we were to come before 6 in the morning Sunday and there were two places open that we could have them. In fact 4 people hadn't confirmed their seats so we were hopeful. Well, when we arrived at 6 am sunday morning, there were indeed 3 places still open, but 2 people were going to be joining the bus from a nearby village. so that left one seat. It was to be a mini bus for us. We hopped across the street and paid 7,200 FCFA for the minibus and loaded all our bags on. Us and only about 12 other people. Wow, I thought, this is going to be a decent ride. Plus the ceiling was much higher than our last mini bus so this time i wouldnt have to crane my neck to fit in the bus. My knees bumped the seat in front of me but i could deal with that. When i say "seat" in front of me you have to imagine a completely gutted out van, the original seats put back in but all the interior still gutted, then makeshift benches added where ever there is possible space to add them. On top of the van is everyone's luggage. I think i have photos on my site of mini buses like this. So anyway, we all pile in. there are two peace corps chicks along for the ride too, so naturally, Abalo, Dido, Bro. Frederick and Franscica (all who had come to see us off) were cracking jokes about us sharing a bus with our 'cousins'. All in good humor :) So we took off and about 5km down the road we stop for gas. Soon two more people are loading their bags on top and climbing in. The bus doesnt take off. 4 more people do the same. about an hour later, we finally hit the road. People were mad and the chauffeur got an earful. Not 15 min down the road we stop and pick up some more. This continues until the people on the bus refuse to accept anyone else.  We numbered 22 including the driver. Oh yea, we had heard before that a bridge or a few were out along Route National (the road from Lome to Kara) so we knew we were going to have to detour a little. Our "detouring a little" turned into a 12+ car ride. We arrived in Kara after 22:00. We had left around 8 am. Today on the news they were talking about the bridges. I guess there 11 bridges in Togo and 4 of them (all along Route National) were broken. All broke within the same week. I have been trying to discover the dates when they broke or a reason behind them breaking, but all anyone knows is that there was a lot of water and the bridges were built in 1973 and not verified since. To me it just seems strange that bridges would hold up that long only to break in the same week. Each bridge is subject to slightly varying levels of traffic, slightly different weather, different amounts of water underneath, different lengths, different tensions...and what of the other bridges? why only the ones along Route National? It seem however, that I am the only one with these questions. Regardless, this is a crisis because an ordinarily 4-5 hour trip to or from Kara or Lome now takes on the order of 10-13 hours. On this new route, we did get to pass these (from what I could pick up) man-made waterfalls. There was a dam not too far away and holes were made in the dam to create these waterfalls which powered turbines below and supplied electricity to surrounding areas. But gossip and the French/Kabiere talk on the bus made it difficult to decipher what was really going on....a sub theme of this trip :) [what's going on?]   

 

Other notable experiences:

 

- On saturday we ate dog meat with the english professor and his friend. There is a lot of history behind dog meat. In animist beliefs if gives the person who eats it great Force.  In the past, men only ate this for 3 years of their life. Ages 20-23. Only after Les Evalas (initiation for boys) would they begin to eat dog meat. They would eat it throughout the years they participated in Les Evalas. Now, it is common and "even women eat it". At one point I asked what part of the dog is this (because it was hairy) and M. Tokehaso smiled and said 'the skin'. A little chewy but not bad.

 

- went on a safari trip. Also with M. Tokehaso. No lions and no elephants sorry. But lots of zebra, water buffalo, what looked like gazelle, and other animals I didn't know the name of. Lots of birds too. Talk about off roading...the path we took was wild--the kind of terrain that MIGHT justify the Hummers that so many Americans buy (sorry if that includes you).

 

- Saw the plane crash of the previous president. Not just the site, but the plane is still there in the same state as when it crashed (minus the bodies). There was a big monument too and some documentary stuff but the guys we went with were wary to go and ask if we could all go see it for fear of arousing suspicion.

 

- Phone calls are about 25 cents a min here and everyone "beeps" you so you have to call them back. Thus we are  burning through a lot of credit with phone calls. Darn Togo telecom and their monopoly on the telecommunication industry. Government run.   

 

- Went to several tailors and had a couple pairs of pants made.

 

- Ted and I made a steak and potato-like stew in hopes of treating the brothers to american cuisine, but the steak was not lean at all and turned out impossibly chewy.  

 

- Akpema is the initiation ceremony for girls. We went with the dean and assistant dean of the school of Technology and Sciences of University of Kara. It is very cultural and very traditional and very public, and it's best left un-described.

 

- A new Bishop was ordinated, which we got to see. The president was there and pretty much all of Kara.

 

- In the market a guy tried to sell me shoes for 14,000 FCFA when a normal price is from 3,000 to 5,000 FCFA.

 

- WE COMPLETED OUR STOVE. The completion of the stove project was a success but the stove wasn't 100% a success. It boiled water and cooked peanuts, but was not nearly as efficient as intended to be. I will include a detailed section on the stove soon.

 

- My friend Dido started teaching me Kabiere (the local language). I can now read it, but I have no idea what I'm reading. I know probably about 20 words and their plurals. Im going to learn the numbers next. Here's my favorite phrase: "Sukuli labo huluu eya esa chamiere" it translates to: children who go to school, their eyes are opened to the world. Dido is amazing and wants to be an electrical engineer. All the more shame that there is not an engineering program here in Togo :/ With continued ETHOS participation however; there will be.

 

- I no longer wear sunscreen or bug spray and I am drinking the water regularly. I would say I am accustomed to Togolese life.

 

 

To answer some questions people have asked:

 

 "how is he adjusting to the new lifestyle"

I would say im fully acclimated. The past three days i have been drinking water from the tap and not been getting sick :) I havent gotten sick once this trip (besides diaherea).

 

and "what's been his best experience"

as you can imagine there isnt one but a question demands an answer so I would say walking out to the edge of town, me ted and our two friends. The sun was setting and the sky was lit up and all colorful. people were on the streets and it was just really peaceful. I was Africa at its fullest. dont ask me why, but it was. When other people ask me this i prob wont try to explain it, i'll prob say something like oh, the safari trip or seeing girls dance around naked or all the friends i made.

 

and "does he miss his family alot"

of course i miss them, but ive traveled a lot so homesickness doesnt have such a conscious effect on me.

 

and "how does he sleep at night" -

under a mosquito net with a pillow that is rock hard. but otherwise comfortably.

Adventures

We have arrived in Lome. There is only 3 days left until our flight home. Today we spent recuperating from the long drive and spending time with the Brothers here in Lome. And when I say a long drive, it was. I think you'll find it interesting.

 

We woke up Sunday morning at 5:30. The night before we hadn't gotten much sleep because we spent time with several of our friends that night as closure and due to packing. Saturday we had gone to the LKL station to pick up a bus ticket, but as we found out you had to pick those up at least one day in advance or they booked up. It was booked up. I paid for our buddy to take a ZED (taxi-moto) to the Rakietta station and see if there was room there. All full. These two buses go directly from Lome to Kara and back each day, one time a day. If you don't take this, its a Mini Bus for you. Well, our buddy Abalo talked to the lady that Saturday and she agreed that if we were to come before 6 in the morning Sunday and there were two places open that we could have them. In fact 4 people hadn't confirmed their seats so we were hopeful. Well, when we arrived at 6 am sunday morning, there were indeed 3 places still open, but 2 people were going to be joining the bus from a nearby village. so that left one seat. It was to be a mini bus for us. We hopped across the street and paid 7,200 FCFA for the minibus and loaded all our bags on. Us and only about 12 other people. Wow, I thought, this is going to be a decent ride. Plus the ceiling was much higher than our last mini bus so this time i wouldnt have to crane my neck to fit in the bus. My knees bumped the seat in front of me but i could deal with that. When i say "seat" in front of me you have to imagine a completely gutted out van, the original seats put back in but all the interior still gutted, then makeshift benches added where ever there is possible space to add them. On top of the van is everyone's luggage. I think i have photos on my site of mini buses like this. So anyway, we all pile in. there are two peace corps chicks along for the ride too, so naturally, Abalo, Dido, Bro. Frederick and Franscica (all who had come to see us off) were cracking jokes about us sharing a bus with our 'cousins'. All in good humor :) So we took off and about 5km down the road we stop for gas. Soon two more people are loading their bags on top and climbing in. The bus doesnt take off. 4 more people do the same. about an hour later, we finally hit the road. People were mad and the chauffeur got an earful. Not 15 min down the road we stop and pick up some more. This continues until the people on the bus refuse to accept anyone else.  We numbered 22 including the driver. Oh yea, we had heard before that a bridge or a few were out along Route National (the road from Lome to Kara) so we knew we were going to have to detour a little. Our "detouring a little" turned into a 12+ car ride. We arrived in Kara after 22:00. We had left around 8 am. Today on the news they were talking about the bridges. I guess there 11 bridges in Togo and 4 of them (all along Route National) were broken. All broke within the same week. I have been trying to discover the dates when they broke or a reason behind them breaking, but all anyone knows is that there was a lot of water and the bridges were built in 1973 and not verified since. To me it just seems strange that bridges would hold up that long only to break in the same week. Each bridge is subject to slightly varying levels of traffic, slightly different weather, different amounts of water underneath, different lengths, different tensions...and what of the other bridges? why only the ones along Route National? It seem however, that I am the only one with these questions. Regardless, this is a crisis because an ordinarily 4-5 hour trip to or from Kara or Lome now takes on the order of 10-13 hours. On this new route, we did get to pass these (from what I could pick up) man-made waterfalls. There was a dam not too far away and holes were made in the dam to create these waterfalls which powered turbines below and supplied electricity to surrounding areas. But gossip and the French/Kabiere talk on the bus made it difficult to decipher what was really going on....a sub theme of this trip :) [what's going on?]   

 

Other notable experiences:

 

- On saturday we ate dog meat with the english professor and his friend. There is a lot of history behind dog meat. In animist beliefs if gives the person who eats it great Force.  In the past, men only ate this for 3 years of their life. Ages 20-23. Only after Les Evalas (initiation for boys) would they begin to eat dog meat. They would eat it throughout the years they participated in Les Evalas. Now, it is common and "even women eat it". At one point I asked what part of the dog is this (because it was hairy) and M. Tokehaso smiled and said 'the skin'. A little chewy but not bad.

 

- went on a safari trip. Also with M. Tokehaso. No lions and no elephants sorry. But lots of zebra, water buffalo, what looked like gazelle, and other animals I didn't know the name of. Lots of birds too. Talk about off roading...the path we took was wild--the kind of terrain that MIGHT justify the Hummers that so many Americans buy (sorry if that includes you).

 

- Saw the plane crash of the previous president. Not just the site, but the plane is still there in the same state as when it crashed (minus the bodies). There was a big monument too and some documentary stuff but the guys we went with were wary to go and ask if we could all go see it for fear of arousing suspicion.

 

- Phone calls are about 25 cents a min here and everyone "beeps" you so you have to call them back. Thus we are  burning through a lot of credit with phone calls. Darn Togo telecom and their monopoly on the telecommunication industry. Government run.   

 

- Went to several tailors and had a couple pairs of pants made.

 

- Ted and I made a steak and potato-like stew in hopes of treating the brothers to american cuisine, but the steak was not lean at all and turned out impossibly chewy.  

 

- Akpema is the initiation ceremony for girls. We went with the dean and assistant dean of the school of Technology and Sciences of University of Kara. It is very cultural and very traditional and very public, and it's best left un-described.

 

- A new Bishop was ordinated, which we got to see. The president was there and pretty much all of Kara.

 

- In the market a guy tried to sell me shoes for 14,000 FCFA when a normal price is from 3,000 to 5,000 FCFA.

 

- WE COMPLETED OUR STOVE. The completion of the stove project was a success but the stove wasn't 100% a success. It boiled water and cooked peanuts, but was not nearly as efficient as intended to be. I will include a detailed section on the stove soon.

 

- My friend Dido started teaching me Kabiere (the local language). I can now read it, but I have no idea what I'm reading. I know probably about 20 words and their plurals. Im going to learn the numbers next. Here's my favorite phrase: "Sukuli labo huluu eya esa chamiere" it translates to: children who go to school, their eyes are opened to the world. Dido is amazing and wants to be an electrical engineer. All the more shame that there is not an engineering program here in Togo :/ With continued ETHOS participation however; there will be.

 

- I no longer wear sunscreen or bug spray and I am drinking the water regularly. I would say I am accustomed to Togolese life.

 

 

To answer some questions people have asked:

 

 "how is he adjusting to the new lifestyle"

I would say im fully acclimated. The past three days i have been drinking water from the tap and not been getting sick :) I havent gotten sick once this trip (besides diaherea).

 

and "what's been his best experience"

as you can imagine there isnt one but a question demands an answer so I would say walking out to the edge of town, me ted and our two friends. The sun was setting and the sky was lit up and all colorful. people were on the streets and it was just really peaceful. I was Africa at its fullest. dont ask me why, but it was. When other people ask me this i prob wont try to explain it, i'll prob say something like oh, the safari trip or seeing girls dance around naked or all the friends i made.

 

and "does he miss his family alot"

of course i miss them, but ive traveled a lot so homesickness doesnt have such a conscious effect on me.

 

and "how does he sleep at night" -

under a mosquito net with a pillow that is rock hard. but otherwise comfortably.

Schedule

For the next couple days:

Today

Afternoon: find place to make brick mould. talk to guy that we saw welding out side Chaminade.

Wednesday:

Morning: Les Evalas at Chaminade. Finish transferring then email French journals.

Afternoon: Meeting with Marie from S.O.S. the orphanage

Thursday

Morning: Les Evalas with the Valerie and her friends in village called Pya. This is the president's home village and he will be there because it is the finals.

Afternoon: Leave for Guerin-Kouka to meet with Daniel from the Peace Corps to look at and reserach well building methods. Also to assess current problems with water retrieval and pump mechanisms.

Friday

Afternoon: return to Kara

Saturday

Morning: Leave for Bro. Frederick's home village to see Les Evalas

Adebaier
Topic: Immersion

Thank goodess Bro. Sylvain forgot his camera otherwise you'd all probably hav some pictures of me and Ted dancing Togolese style!!

This morning was the culmination of a week of preparation. The house is full of brothers and fathers of the Marianist community. Many from Lomé, others from nearby villages, others from Sotouboua, and still others from Ghana and Cote D'Ivoire. Three Noviciates were inaugerated into the Marianist community this morning. There was mass of about 300 people, then a big celebration for everyone. The brothers fed everyone!

In addition to this Kara was already a buzz for two other reasons. Les Evalas starts Monday. Les Evalas is the boys form of initiation. Guys around the ages of 20 - 26 wrestle in traditional form. Boys of all ages stage their own wrestling matches throughout as well, but unofficially. On Thursday the President will be in his home village of Pya (Pee-yuh) to watch the finals. We are going to see this as well as go see Les Evalas on other days throughout the week as well. So add this hype to the hype here at Chaminade and then throw in the fact that THE soccer player of Togo was in Kara yesterday playing in a match between two local teams.

His name is Adebaier(sp?) (Ah-day-bye-eur). Last time we were in Lomé I saw his house and it is huge and fancy. There's not a person here who doesn't know him. Ted and I went to the "stadium" yesterday just after the match started. IT WAS PACKED. Hardly even standing room. So our only option if we wanted to see what was going on, was to join the people who cwere balancing atop the 20 foot wall. We walked all around looking not only for a spot for two on the wall, but a way to climb up it. Finally we found a way and climbed up. It took a while to figure out how to balance on the narrow wall. The locals though it was pretty funny but were were just trying not to fall. The wall was about 7 inches thick, so standing, only about half my foot fit on it. We got  decent enough view though and were able to catch the two goals of the game. One was by Adebaier after a hand-ball penalty in the 18 yard box. The crowd, whether for one team or the other, went wild. It ended 1 to 1.

So the past week has been very busy and exciting...and troublesome. It seems flashdrives and hard disks are not compatable here, so all of my documents on my computer cannot be transfered to this computer. Its a headache. Especially because I have several friends who are asking me for my american music but I have no way of getting it to them. Ill keep playing around when i have time, but in the mean time I am rewriting some things like my french journal :/

But all in all, things are going well. ted and I have bought Sawdust, and we have clay and we have the price of cement. So our next step is to get the mixer and hire our friend to make the mould. Since Evalas is this coming week and many of our friends will be gone we may have to wait to build the stove for a couple days. We have recruited several students/friends to help us. We also have our design nearly all sorted out.

FINALLY!
Mood:  smelly
Topic: Immersion

This is the first time I've been able to log into my blog for a while. The internet connection is not hard line and is satellite so if a page has video(s) or a lot of content it fails to load. But either way I need to make this quick because it will start railing again soon and you konw what that means....

 Life in Kara is going well. It has been raining the past three days with 20-30 minute non-rain periods a couple times a day. This means the generator has been raunning almost non stop. We've been managing to stay pretty dry except for sunday after attending mass that we were invited to by a local friend Fransisca. We left on our bikes and it started raining. Ted almost got hit by a motorcycle crossing the road (a lot easier than you might imagine) then we sought shelter in Fransisca's friend's cabine before the heavy rain came crashing down.

Speaking of ted and motorcycles, he actually did get hit yesterday! He wasnt hurt and the bike only ended up costing 3 dollars (1,500 FCFAs) to fix. We came up to a round-a-bout and the traffic lights were out (because the electricity was out...) and we stopped because the cross traffic was coming strong. There were several others nearby who were stopped as well waiting for a chance to cross. SCREEEECH BOOM I look over and Ted is half on the ground and there's a motorcycle practically on top of his bike. The guy on the motorcycle stopped and we exchanged some words, but he was nice and made sure Theo was all right before I told him he could drive off. It wasnt until we started riding again that we noticed Teds back tire rim  was warped. We took it too our buddy who sold us the bikes just up the road and now its just a good story to tell. But, I should note, ted has had some really bad luck through out this trip when it comes to riding. He got a bad gash in his leg from the bike, his bike parts fall off at random times, and when we went to get our tires filled with air mine filled fine but his exploaded! Dont worry though...C'est l'Afrique.

 Every day there are stories like this (except less dangerous) and Ted and I created a list of things that would have been useful to know before coming.

Our perspectives are changing too. But thats a blog for another time.

 Some notable events:

We worked in the corn fields in Sotouboua from 8-Noon and walked away burned, sweatiest weve ever been in our lives, backs hurting, and 4 or 5 blisters each. The hired workers said we worked like champions though. We were given the kiddie hoes to use... Chook, the local drink was supplied to us once about 1 1/2 hour in. Its strong and still fermenting, but they drink it like water here and in fact if they had brought out water we wouldnt have been able to drink it...although honestly we probably would have.

Water is an issue. Ted and I sometimes drink it, but we generally feel the effects later (diaherrea). When available we drink the bottled water. It really isnt a big an issue, but its just always there in the back of your mind. If you're just conscientious of your habits, it is not difficult to avoid getting sick. It just takes certain precautions that if not habitual, are easy to forget...brushing teeth with bottled water, asking before a meal what youre eating and where its from...etc.

 Well...it's beginning to rain so I want to publish this post while I still have the chance!

A bientot! Thanks for all the support! If my computer ever works again there will be a lot of pictures going up! So stay tuned!

 

This morning I went to the market, and I think I have established a method of negotiating and calculating the maximum amount I am willing to pay for something:

 

Rule 1: The first price you hear is never the price you pay. 

Rule 2: You have to engage the person in conversation rather than just spit out numbers and prices.

Rule 3: Never let your eyes linger on one item too long. It is best to watch the vendor and let yourself look at other things that you are not interested in. This way you do not seem too keen on buying the item that you want to buy.

 Rule 4: Remind them that he has competition. For example tell him that the price he is offering is even more expensive than in the United States. Or tell him that the guy around the corner was even offering it for less. 

Rule 5: Try to find things wrong with the product. Tell them you do your own laundry and that specific material is hard to wash. Tell him there is a button missing or that the colors aren't the best. I think a lot of people reading this might find this immoral but let me assure you there is always something wrong with the product and it is expected that you point it out and expected that they will try to avoid it.

Rule 6: Round the price to the nearest 10 and divide by 5. for example if something is 15,000 FCFA then round to 20,000/5=5,000. Even this is too high. The pair of jeans I got today were initially 7,500 FCFA. Round to 10,000/5=2,000FCFA. I ended up paying 3,000 for them (about $6.50). 

 Rule 7: When the negotiating has stopped, demand 500 FCFAs lower. He will say no. Hesitate for a minute that tell him you will leave if he does not drop the last 500 FCFAs. He will tell you to leave then.

Rule 8: Leave.

It is as you are leaving that he will either call you back or you will decide how much you really wanted to buy that item. If you want the item and he doesn't call you back, then stand there thinking about it for a minute then return and buy is. 

Rule 9: You can be happy and laugh a little, but don't be overjoyed when you make the purchase. No one feels good about losing a negotiation.

 

So that is my very rough sketch of how to get, if not a good price, a normal price that would have been offered to you in the first place if you were Togolese.

The negotiating is why I love the market :) 

Mood:  lazy
Topic: Immersion

Wow.

a lot has happened, I will share: 

After arriving in Kara, I think it's safe to say we all had grand ideas despite habitually reassuring each other that we came with completely open minds. The first morning, Ted and I got up at 5am and ran. We have not run since. 

We worked diligently on converting an ODOT site assessment form into an ETHOS site assessment form. This would become the basis of our work here in Togo as well as serve as a guideline on how to effectively assess future ETHOS sites. We are not only paving the way here in Togo, but also for the ETHOS program to grow through means of a systematic guide to assessing new sites.

That night, the brothers included us in their annual dinner to celebrate the end of a good school year and the commencement of their 'vacation season’—A symbolic, one last get-together. We ate at the House of Congress. Each plate was about 4,000 FCFAs a piece not including drinks. Approx 450 FCFAs = $1 (This was an expensive meal).

In the subsequent days we took a few tours of Kara and the surrounding area. We met Leopold who is friends with Father Hugo and owns “Gallarie D’Art”. We met a couple other small shop owners and friends of the brothers. We met all the brothers and the priests. We met many of the sisters and Théo the cook. We met others as well. Bro. Max used his very persuasive influence to give us an inside peek at Kara. He smooth talked the guards at the gate into granting us access to Radio Kara (see video + pics); he helped us discover AED, the Peace Corps AIDs center in Kara. We went to the Brewery where all the variety of beers and sucre drinks are made—Fanta, Fanta Pamplamouse, Awooyo, Flag, Eku, Guiness, Castelle. We stopped at a local business called “Group of Young Welders”. We met a young guy working there who Teddy and I would later befriend. After all the touring was done, we had an official meeting with the brothers. We discussed everyone’s roles, everyone’s calendars, the founding of this new collaborative relationship and general subject matter over cold bottled coke and the faint murmur of a “futbol match” on the television in the background.

Down to business. We picked up a cell phone from a “Togo Cellulaire” booth, of which there are many, many. Two bikes as well. Teddy and I felt a sort of independence. With our new cell phone and the brothers’ eyes over my shoulders, I called and set up meetings with different contacts. Some were expecting us, but for many, our story had to be recounted…why we are here, what we are seeking, why it benefits them. Biking around Kara became Teddy and my new thing.

He likes to go fast haha. Real fast. Me, I prefer a leisurely pace. So we trade off and on. But the bikes really helped us get to know the town quickly. Maroc’s, the German owned supermarket (the prefix “super” not really applicable), the post office, the bank, the Young Welder’s place of business, the bridge, the river, the stadium (walled in soccer field), were opened up to us.

Brother Moses also took us on a bike ride. We rode West. We saw the president’s father’s house. We saw the village of well-diggers. We met his deceased brother’s family. We met Mary, his good friend at S.O.S (see video + pics). S.O.S is an orphanage and we promised her we’d come back. And we did, of course with some little gifts and candy and kids songs I had burned onto a CD.

At the post office, Malcolm and I bought some stamps for collecting. He bought more than I did, and several of the post office employees thought we were crazy. Buying so many and not even going to use them?! Our interaction with proprietors and upper managers and generally with everyone we meet is done in back rooms or their office. It is much more personal than in the states. In the States I have encountered, many times, difficulty trying to access figures of authority in organizations. That is one great thing I have come to appreciate about Togo. They don’t bury you in layers. You don’t have to battle your way through mounds of bureaucracy. The US would do well to relearn this. I think of Mr. Sam Walton as I write this.

We also met with M. Baba of University of Kara. This was the single biggest linguistic challenge up to this point. I felt the pressure of the professional atmosphere and the translation process was very sequential. Malcolm would talk. I would translate. M. Baba would respond. I would translate. Then the process would start over. Sometimes it would reverse. Sometimes I would be working the process forwards and backwards at the same time. This was the first of many sessions as a translator to come.

We met with M. Ayia of the Agricultural Company. President Kadafe’s visit to Kara made traveling much more difficult as there were many roadblocks and increased security. All this time we worked on refining our Site Assessment document when not out meeting and corresponding with Universities, NGOs and local businesses.

On our second Sunday, we hiked up the nearby mountains. They call them mountains but they’re really just BIG hills. There we met with a Yovo named Essesoloman. This is a name given to him by the villagers which means “God’s Love” in the local language of Kabiere. I have picked up some greetings and passing phrases in Kabiere. He is a linguist whose aim is to simplify the written form of Kabiere. We met with him to pry a little bit of wisdom from his 20+ years experience of living here. Also, to find out if he knew of any organizations working on projects similar to our intended. In the village we also attended mass. It was exactly what I had hoped it would be. Mass started late because the priest had finished his sermon in the valley late due to a few unexpected baptisms. But he walked up the mountain in his white cassock in no time and after recovering his breath a little, it began. Teddy, Malcolm, me, and Eric a Marianist novice and our leader sat in the back row surrounded in front and on the sides by children twisted in their seats to look at the Yovos. Wide eyed and mouths agape, a few of the more courageous came up to us, shook our hands in the traditional Togolese manner then said “BYE-BYE”…eager to show off their English skill. Song and dance and celebration were the themes of the next 3 hours.

I had to cancel our rendez-vous with Bouoti, a first year student who we’d made friends with because after descending we were tired and were more than happy to indulge in the Togolese/European “repos” after lunch time—the equivalent of South America’s “siestas”. We met up with him and his friend two days later though. Together we took to the market to haggle over soccer balls. I ended up getting one for 3,500 FCFAs. 

Bro. Moses took us one day to Cocedri, the Marianist run NGO in Sotouboua. This was our second visit. Moses’ sister in law and her two kids Constantine and Jeremy went with us. Here we were explained the business. The simple yet revolutionary idea behind it is Autonomy. I don’t believe this can be found in any other Togolese owned and operated organization in Togo. I am very impressed b their accomplishments, vision and goals. I am sure collaboration can be set up between UD Ethos and Cocedri. In fact, as I write this I am in Lome to see Malcolm off and when Théo and I return to Kara, we are going to stop in Sotouboua at Cocedri for a few days to explore further what projects are available and what kind of engineering students it would take to tackle these projects.

Having gotten contact information of Peace Corps volunteers from Brownie Lee in Lome we contacted them and arranged to have lunch at Maroc’s. That day we also got in touch with a local business that sells solar powered lamps. Played a little soccer in the evening and went out that night with two Peace Corps girls as our guides. Again on Thursday we met with M. Baba and he took us to meet with the Vice President of the university. I brought many gifts courtesy of so many of YOU that wherever we go, I am able to hand out a little something or another. The young kids especially like these things. And I think they benefit the most.

 

This is plenty to read for the time being, and I want to post this before the internet goes out again. So I leave it at…

 

….to be continued.

Time flies...and so too does Malcolm
Topic: Immersion
Internet is working for the first time in 5 days but only in a couple minute bursts, so I will copy what I wrote in Word and paste it here.

Kara
Mood:  chillin'
Now Playing: Earth Wind and Fire

Whoo Hoo!

 We made it to Kara. The drive was approx. 5 1/2 hours but the road condition was considerably better than the other roads we had experienced. This road and the main road in Lome are just fine, it was only when you deviate from these main roads that the roads become more like a Motocross XGAMES ramp park.

 We left about 7am yesterday in Bro. Max's 4x4 land rover. Leaving Lome was a neat experience. It was a saturday and saturday morning are when many Togolese "faire du sport" or exercise. There were lots of people running in the streets and some large groups running together for exercise. In addition to this was the regular beehive of traffic. Cars going every which way, often directly at us to avoid pot holes only to veer back into their own "lane" before colliding. I have to say I am used to this. You pretty much have to after the first day (Momma, one minute driving in traffic here and you'd never feel the need grab the safety rail in the passenger seat when you drive with me!) There are many downed trucks laden with goods coming or going (see pictures). But once we were essentially out of the big Capital city of Lome, traffic lightened and we could cruise off and on at about 100km/hr  (60 mph). Honking at other drivers here is not an act of aggression like in the state, it is an essential form of communication. It can mean anything from "heads up" to "stay in your lane" to "move out of the way" but is rarely interpreted as a mean.

 

We traveled throgh several towns and villages but didn't stop until we got to Sotouboua. There we stopped at another Marianist house where they farmed a great deal of crops (vegetables, corn, mangos...) There was an engineer there who we will connect with again and possibly set up some projects with. Ted and I will be staying with them for several days in the near future and hopefully setting up some kind of micro-irrigation experimental system. There were lots of lizards basking in the hot sun. They would scurry away as soon as you came close. When we left, they gave us some fresh mango upon my request. They tasted amazing. I started eating on in the car after sanitizing it. 

 

We continued on from there and made our way to Kara. We are about to go to Mass right now with the Marianist brothers so I will write about Kara later. 

ARRIVAL
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Arrival

Well; weve arrived safe and sound as the saying goes. Two flights totaling about 13 has landed me in Lome, Togo. I will not type long becuase it is hot and very humid, the keyboard is french so i keep mistyping, im tired, and we are sharing the computer.

We were delayed in Cinci due to tornado warning but caught our flight in Paris on time. We arrived in Lome about 6pm (-1GMT) and it was already dark. We drove to the marianst house and if you know me you know i like to drive in tight situations, but ive never seen driving like the 10 min drive to the house lol. Motos weaving in and out, no paint on the roads, cars going around each other in no organized manner. It like everything so far was very exciting.

We will stay here in the capital for 2 days and visit the US embassy, visit Nadia's parents, and meeting with the guy whos in charge of all peace corps activity in Togo. Then we will travel 5 hours north to Kara.

I will try to provide more names of people as i learn them better. Many use american names and i dont know their actual native names-but in time.

I sent out my first newsletter before i left. if you did not get it and would like a copy or added to the list, please let me know.

Ill fill you in more when i get to Kara

Chat Box

Well, I just added a chat box, and it shows up when I click "PREVIEW" but then does not show up when I go to the Main Blog Page !?!

SO, on the right hand side →

under "My Other Sites"

Click Say HI in Chat :)

 

Even if I'm not on, it'd be great if you'd write a quick little something to ME! =]

Also you can add comments to any of my blog entries ↓

 

-Ali 

Togolese Night
Mood:  incredulous

Tomorrow, Monday, Memorial Day, I am having a "Togolese Night" at my house.

Ouboti, Nadia, Emmanuel, Abraham, Bro. Phil, Ted & Family and Me & Family will be there. 

We're going to have a camp fire, cook outside sing some songs, play a little volleyball possibly®...

Check for pictures!

 

---

9 Days!  

RSS Feed - Suscribe for your own convenience
Mood:  not sure
Topic: Preparations

For sake of convenience, SUBSCRIBE TO MY RSS FEED

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Introduction
Mood:  cheeky
Now Playing: Watching a documentary on Ben & Jerry's
Topic: Preparations

Hey,

I will blog here, but I think I will also keep a separate journal...the link is on my "UNDER CONSTRUCTION" web site. The blog will be much more informal and may be anywhere from one word to a full page to a single picture, quote or emoticon haha. 

I'll try to keep it entertaining and refrain from posting for the sake of posting...afterall, I'm not going ther to keep a blog..but for other reasons ;)

 

ENJOI

 

*and yes everything misspelled in here is intentional--like I said...informal =]