12/13/2008
I’ve hit a writer’s block, not for lack of material but rather how to express it. Shall I discuss the wonders of the Moringa tree? Or perhaps, why I’ve begun to hate fowl? Would you like me to capture the beauties of dusk in my village? May I rant upon the atrocities of bureaucracy or the futilities of modern-day development work? Would you mind terribly if I gloat about how I have the best latrine in Peace Corps Togo? Do you want to hear how I went to my village market yesterday and within 30 seconds of entering was harassed about buying some woman baby clothes or some man saying, “blah blah marriage blah blah” (those are the days that put me in a nasty mood!)? Are you interested in the massive brush fire I witnessed last night from my courtyard and how I visited the snowy ruins today? May I expound on poverty and what that means exactly because there seems to be a discrepancy?
Every time I try to begin, I end up scratching out my remarks in disgust, in embarrassment. Maybe it has something to do with my fear of committing these words to digital permanency, but whatever ails me and retards my ability to express myself, I will try to do better in the future. It is part of my job.
I am no writer.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Alternative Preoccupations
12/8/2008
Much has happened in these last two months since I’ve been back. Busy, busy, busy. Despite all the opportunities to share my tasty tidbits and juicy African anecdotes, my desire to write has only waned.
My most startling observation is my feelings in relation to home, America. My first year here was plagued by the desire of home, enticing familiarity. I felt as though I kept looking back, over my shoulder and across the world. Whereas now, I am, at least, facing forward and seeing my world with more appreciative eyes, no longer blurred with tears of homesickness. Two years, believe it or not, probably not if you‘re a new volunteer, goes quite fast and I was fearful that it would be over before I could rid myself of preoccupations and enjoy it. So presently, I am not particularly interested in returning physically or mentally back to America, which is why I haven’t written in so long. My apologies; I am still alive and well... for the most part.
October was AIDS Ride. A national event, but divided regionally, volunteers pumped lactic acid through their thighs and sweated heaping spoonfuls of salt all across Togo in an effort to educate the more rural villages about everything HIV and AIDS. It was a relief to come back and have a project waiting for me, especially one in which I was with a group of fellow volunteers and friends and all that was required of me was to pedal my little bike and show people how to put on a condom. I am quite skilled at the condom demonstration now.
I opted to skip Halloween this year. It’s very easy to bypass American holidays here. I felt obligated to feel sad about not celebrating All Hollow’s Eve, but I wasn’t. I chose to go to Lome to watch the election coverage instead. Nothing against Halloween, but watching Barack Obama give his acceptance speech as the first black president of the United States while I am sitting in Togo, West Africa… well, there’s no contest. It was quite possibly one of the best moments of my life, definitely the most historic. I still can’t really wrap my head around it.
I don’t think I have ever mentioned that I am the Chair of the 2008-2009 Gender and Development (GAD) Committee for Peace Corps Togo??? This is not prestigious; it is simply a position that I have filled. Every Peace Corps country has a GAD or Women in Development Committee. The idea is to promote and support gender-related projects. So currently, we fund the Karren Waid Scholarship Program, which sends qualifying Togolese girls to school beginning from middle school up to university, and we fund Leve-Toi Jeune Fille quarterly magazine. I wanted to start a small project fund for volunteers, so that I could recycle the money we earn from fundraising back to volunteers’ projects. All of our fundraising here is through Volunteers, so when the Administration told us in September that they were cancelling our biggest fundraiser, the All Volunteer Conference, our jaws dropped. Our second biggest fundraiser, Tour Du Togo, is a bike ride for volunteers from Cinkase (northern most city in Togo) to Lome (southern most city in Togo) was also postponed by the Administration for “security reasons” and it looks like it too will be canceled if we cannot find a compromise soon. Needless to say this year’s GAD Committee received a fundraising debacle on our laps, and I have spent the last month traveling to Lome, to Dapaong (other end of the country), to Atakpame (other end of the country) and then back to Lome, trying to get a handle on how we are going to move forward and support our current projects let alone any new ones. I will be honest; I would rather be in my village working with my Girl’s Club, Study Skills Club and prepping for my Moringa training session than dealing with politics and bureaucracy. But, my innate sense of responsibility kicks in and I do what needs to be done or what I think needs to be done.
On a lighter note, I have rescheduled my soccer tournament for the first weekend in February. I just need to make sure I have enough volunteers who want to play…
I am also excited to report my new found motivation for my second year here. I have all kinds of ideas for new projects and I have already started some of them. So wish me luck.
Happy holidays.
Much has happened in these last two months since I’ve been back. Busy, busy, busy. Despite all the opportunities to share my tasty tidbits and juicy African anecdotes, my desire to write has only waned.
My most startling observation is my feelings in relation to home, America. My first year here was plagued by the desire of home, enticing familiarity. I felt as though I kept looking back, over my shoulder and across the world. Whereas now, I am, at least, facing forward and seeing my world with more appreciative eyes, no longer blurred with tears of homesickness. Two years, believe it or not, probably not if you‘re a new volunteer, goes quite fast and I was fearful that it would be over before I could rid myself of preoccupations and enjoy it. So presently, I am not particularly interested in returning physically or mentally back to America, which is why I haven’t written in so long. My apologies; I am still alive and well... for the most part.
October was AIDS Ride. A national event, but divided regionally, volunteers pumped lactic acid through their thighs and sweated heaping spoonfuls of salt all across Togo in an effort to educate the more rural villages about everything HIV and AIDS. It was a relief to come back and have a project waiting for me, especially one in which I was with a group of fellow volunteers and friends and all that was required of me was to pedal my little bike and show people how to put on a condom. I am quite skilled at the condom demonstration now.
I opted to skip Halloween this year. It’s very easy to bypass American holidays here. I felt obligated to feel sad about not celebrating All Hollow’s Eve, but I wasn’t. I chose to go to Lome to watch the election coverage instead. Nothing against Halloween, but watching Barack Obama give his acceptance speech as the first black president of the United States while I am sitting in Togo, West Africa… well, there’s no contest. It was quite possibly one of the best moments of my life, definitely the most historic. I still can’t really wrap my head around it.
I don’t think I have ever mentioned that I am the Chair of the 2008-2009 Gender and Development (GAD) Committee for Peace Corps Togo??? This is not prestigious; it is simply a position that I have filled. Every Peace Corps country has a GAD or Women in Development Committee. The idea is to promote and support gender-related projects. So currently, we fund the Karren Waid Scholarship Program, which sends qualifying Togolese girls to school beginning from middle school up to university, and we fund Leve-Toi Jeune Fille quarterly magazine. I wanted to start a small project fund for volunteers, so that I could recycle the money we earn from fundraising back to volunteers’ projects. All of our fundraising here is through Volunteers, so when the Administration told us in September that they were cancelling our biggest fundraiser, the All Volunteer Conference, our jaws dropped. Our second biggest fundraiser, Tour Du Togo, is a bike ride for volunteers from Cinkase (northern most city in Togo) to Lome (southern most city in Togo) was also postponed by the Administration for “security reasons” and it looks like it too will be canceled if we cannot find a compromise soon. Needless to say this year’s GAD Committee received a fundraising debacle on our laps, and I have spent the last month traveling to Lome, to Dapaong (other end of the country), to Atakpame (other end of the country) and then back to Lome, trying to get a handle on how we are going to move forward and support our current projects let alone any new ones. I will be honest; I would rather be in my village working with my Girl’s Club, Study Skills Club and prepping for my Moringa training session than dealing with politics and bureaucracy. But, my innate sense of responsibility kicks in and I do what needs to be done or what I think needs to be done.
On a lighter note, I have rescheduled my soccer tournament for the first weekend in February. I just need to make sure I have enough volunteers who want to play…
I am also excited to report my new found motivation for my second year here. I have all kinds of ideas for new projects and I have already started some of them. So wish me luck.
Happy holidays.
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