5/24/08 through 5/20/08

5/14/08 and 5/15/08

The last two days haven’t been particularly interesting. Mostly I have been pensive because many of my friends relationships (with people back home) are reaching their breaking points. Perhaps because we are nearing our one year mark and the prospect of having to endure another year of painful separation is too daunting for most. Anyway, I have been thinking a lot about it and been a little morose as a result.

Yesterday morning I went to see the Chief of Hygiene at the Hospital in Notse to speak with him about the shisto problem in my village. I guess the best I can hope for is to make the treatment available to those infected without requiring that each and every person go to Notse for a lab test.

Afterwards I did some shopping and ordered a kitten carrier to be made out of wrought iron for my bike. I hope it isn’t too heav.

Nori, one of the CHAP volunteers from my stage and a good friend that we hadn’t seen in a while surprised us for lunch. We spent several hours catching up before Gizmo (my kitten) and I headed back to Avassikpe. My PE class had been canceled because the students have exams this week.

Today, Thursday, we planted trees. “We” being me and five or six other people. I was annoyed by the low turnout. I worked in the field from 5:30 until 9:30 and then came home, neatened up the house, showered and made pâte in preparation for Jerome’s visit.

Our Ewe lesson was good but unremarkable and afterwards I brought the remaining pâte and sauce over to the dispensaire (for Lili and the new infirmier) and then I pushed corn off the cob and bruised my thumb with Tseviato’s older sister (Parfait’s mom, Kodjovi’s wife).

In the evening I took a walk around the village with the infirmier – I think his name is Emmanuel – watered my trees, showered and am writing and now I’m going to go to bed. Fascinating I know. I’m thrilled as well.

5/16/08

Today was rather boring and I am in a bit of a melancholy funk so I’m recounting the quick and dirty – planted trees in garden, filled big trash bucket with sand for kitten’s litter box, filled jar with water in case it doesn’t rain, neatened my house, showered, painted my toenails, ate lunch, went to Agbatitoe to teach my PE class, came home. I’m not sure if I’m PMS-ing or what, but all day I have been feeling out of sorts. So, in brief, that was my day.

5/17/08

And the funk continues. The good think about my funk for you all is that you have less to read. Today I prepared lesson plans to help my Peer Educators with their final projects – to teach one of the things we learned to a group of people of their choosing. That took me all morning.

I chatted with the Chef D’hygiene for a bit about our shisto problem and then chatted with the infirmier a bit before returning to the house to start studying for the GRE. Fun, fun.

I thought I’d study for a bit in my hammock, but the children invaded and I almost ended up beating them because they are disrespectful and badly behaved. The biggest mistake possible with the children here is to show that you are annoyed; they think it is hilarious which of course annoys you even more. “Don’t let it annoy you” needs to be my mantra.

In the afternoon the director of the EPP accompanied me out to the field to check on my trees. I decided that the ones we planted last Thursday were looking a little dry and so I watered them with the help of a young boy who works the cabine (public phone).

Jerome just called to inform me that his wife finally gave birth to a healthy baby girl. We have been expecting the baby since my parents visit.

5/18/08 through 5/19/08

Hm, can’t remember what I did on Sunday. All I know is that the funk still hangs overhead. It is lifting a bit now (Tuesday). Sunday I did laundry, went to church, studied for the GREs and wasted the afternoon tying strings to numbers for the vaccination day.

On Monday I woke up around 4:30 and got ready to leave for Notse. I didn’t start biking until around 6:00, though, what with making sure I had everything and boxing up my kitten.

Once in Notse I kitten-proofed Ashley’s house, went to the market to buy Gizmo some dried fish and check on his carrier. The young man is trying to make the wrought iron carrier pretty – I guess he took my comment about my kitten feeling like he was in prison to heart. Anyway, he is doing a nice job, but it will be more expensive than I anticipated.

I showered, made French toast, gave Effoh the corn his mom sent for him, closed up Ashley’s house, kissed my baby good-bye and went to catch a bush-taxi.

After an uneventful ride to Lome I walked to the U.S. Embassy. I was early and so I sat down to eat a sandwich of beans and avocado. As I was sitting there, a young man and young woman approached me wanting to speak English (and then Spanish) and “be my friend.” They were part of a group of people protesting outside the U.S. Embassy. Apparently they all entered the Visa Lottery and all won (I don’t understand how so many people from one tiny country can win the lotto). They invariably spent lots of money only to have the Embassy personnel refuse them their GreenCard without really explaining why. And so everyday these people come and protest with signs like “don’t leave us here to die.” A little dramatic, but I can see how they would be annoyed. I spoke with them for a little while and then went to the embassy to speak with a consular officer about eventual visas for Jorge. He has a visitor’s visa, but I am looking into getting him an immigrant visa (Greencard). The woman I spoke with was young and very nice, unfortunately, though, any way I swing it, it is complicated. After the Embassy I went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and good news from a man (I don’t know if he has the authority to promise me this) but he said that Jorge can get a visa at the airport and that he can write a letter so that it isn’t a problem for him to board the plane without a Togo visa. He also said that he can write a letter to see if they can give him an extended visa right at the airport. Otherwise, the visa would be for seven days, which I could get extended for one month and then three months and then a year and then three years and then five years and so on. That is very good news – I got the guy’s card because he is my new best friend if he can make it easy for Jorge to stay in Togo for a long period of time.

I then walked around the market, tried to go to the bank (but was ten minutes late), and walked back to Kodjoviecope to get a room at Mamys (aka the brothel). The evening, I spent chatting with Jorge in a refreshingly not crowded Peace Corps lounge.

I didn’t sleep well because I have too many things swirling around in my head. This morning (Tuesday) I walked to the office of Royal Air Maroc to check out prices to Italy. Jorge’s mom want him to visit her in Italy before coming to Togo which is great news for me because it means that I only have to pay for the Italy-Togo leg of his trip. I am also excited because I am going to see if I can afford to meet him in Italy and then we would stop in Morocco on our way back to Togo (Royal Air Maroc makes it easy for you to stop for up to two weeks in Morocco no matter where you’re flying). We are considering spending Christmas in Italy with his mom (about twenty days total in Italy) and then ten days or so in Morocco. That would be exciting. The ticket is about $1,500. Hm. We will see. I can’t get excited yet, but the wheels in my head are turning (My plan would be to leave Togo on the 10th of December, fly to Milan (Jorge plans to leave Uruguay November 30th so he would have some alone time with his mom before I crash the party), tour Italy with Jorge, spend Christmas with his mom and leave for Morocco on the 26th. Travel around Morocco until January 6th and then fly to Lome. Mom and Dad, are you interested in a trip to Morocco?

After speaking with the airline and going to the bank, I took a taxi to the Ghanaian Embassy to apply for a multiple entry visa and dropped 60,000 cFA (approx. $150 – ouch). Now I am doing some administrative things in the bureau and going to enjoy free high speed internet. I am heading back to Notse tomorrow after picking up my passport hopefully with a two-year visa to Ghana in it.

Oh, I forgot my very sad news (I’m trying to not dwell on it) – I can’t go to the Moringa conference. My APCD wrote me an email and for some reason it isn’t possible for me to pay my own way because of the way the conference is set up. Man, I wish they’d be organized enough to get their information straight to begin with. Oh well, Ashley will go and when she comes back, she’ll tell me all about it.

Now I’m going to go in search of some sort of cheap food because I am starving. And then I am going to chat with Jorge and research gradschools. Go ahead, ask me if I know what I want to study - ?? – no, not really, just checking out my options. =0)

Did y’all know that I am meeting my Dad in Ghana for a week from the 2nd through the 8th of June? I am super excited about that. Also, one of my close friends from high school is getting married on Saturday (May 24th) – I am really bummed that I am going to miss it, but have already asked my Dad to bring me lots of photos, so I will get to see pictures even before the blessed couple is back from their honeymoon.