Adjusting...
So I have been at post for about a month now and things are finally starting to feel normal. I moved all of my cooking stuff into this spare room across my compound, which I will be using as a kitchen until my brother finishes building my new kitchen. He said it should be finished in March.
Work has started picking up. I met with teachers at the local schools, stating my interest in starting peer educator groups. One of the schools already has a group but we are going to expand the group. The second school is a private Catholic school and there is only one class of students so I am going to just teach a class for all of them. The third school didn’t seem too interested so I am not sure I am going to work with them.
As far as my work with Red Cross, it went from having nothing to do to ten projects all in a week. The president of the group doesn’t really understand that I am not here to be their boss. I am just here to aid them in expanding the already existing organization. But he wants me to start all of these clubs, for women, for orphans, for men, for apprentices, etc. And on top of that train this whole new group of AIDS educators. It is all a little daunting but with time I will do something with all of these groups. For the moment, I am just going to concentrate on the women’s group. There is a woman in Red Cross named Natalie who already has a women group in place in the village so I am going to work with her. I don’t really like the president of the Red Cross so any work I can do without him, the better. He is just very pushy and wants me to do everything for him. But that is not what I am here for. We are supposed to be working together not me working for him.
He also has this project he wants to attach my name to that I am not too keen on. He is applying for funding through some sponsorship through Johns Hopkins that will build a building for the Red Cross group to be able to do Family Planning and HIV Education programs. I am all for him having this center. I think it is a great idea. However, since there is not even a clinic in my village, I think it is wiser to put my attention towards establishing a medical clinic in the village of Koka, which would also have space to do education programs. There already exists a building that a rich doctor built to have a clinic. There just isn’t any money at the money to get supplies. I don’t want to force me agenda on the community but having talked to other people in the community, they want a clinic more than an education center.
Yesterday was another festive day. It was a Togolese holiday called 13 Janvier. It was commemorating political independence in Togo. I didn’t really get a straight answer what that means, but there was a party just like any other fete with dancing and drinking. It was fun! I visited two of the village chief, both of which told me I was to marry them before I left Togo. Nothing unusual. My village is celebrating New Years on the 24th so there will be another fete coming up!!
It is funny how things I thought were so strange when I first got here are now seeming so normal. Like the fact that I see men all the time wearing womens clothing and they think nothing of it. Or the fact that children run around in just a pair of underware. Or that reguraly have to stop in the middle of the road to let a herd of pigs walk across. But things are just becoming my normal life here in Togo.
I received many letters and packages for Christmas. It was great to hear from all of you!!! Keep em coming. Letters at least!
Work has started picking up. I met with teachers at the local schools, stating my interest in starting peer educator groups. One of the schools already has a group but we are going to expand the group. The second school is a private Catholic school and there is only one class of students so I am going to just teach a class for all of them. The third school didn’t seem too interested so I am not sure I am going to work with them.
As far as my work with Red Cross, it went from having nothing to do to ten projects all in a week. The president of the group doesn’t really understand that I am not here to be their boss. I am just here to aid them in expanding the already existing organization. But he wants me to start all of these clubs, for women, for orphans, for men, for apprentices, etc. And on top of that train this whole new group of AIDS educators. It is all a little daunting but with time I will do something with all of these groups. For the moment, I am just going to concentrate on the women’s group. There is a woman in Red Cross named Natalie who already has a women group in place in the village so I am going to work with her. I don’t really like the president of the Red Cross so any work I can do without him, the better. He is just very pushy and wants me to do everything for him. But that is not what I am here for. We are supposed to be working together not me working for him.
He also has this project he wants to attach my name to that I am not too keen on. He is applying for funding through some sponsorship through Johns Hopkins that will build a building for the Red Cross group to be able to do Family Planning and HIV Education programs. I am all for him having this center. I think it is a great idea. However, since there is not even a clinic in my village, I think it is wiser to put my attention towards establishing a medical clinic in the village of Koka, which would also have space to do education programs. There already exists a building that a rich doctor built to have a clinic. There just isn’t any money at the money to get supplies. I don’t want to force me agenda on the community but having talked to other people in the community, they want a clinic more than an education center.
Yesterday was another festive day. It was a Togolese holiday called 13 Janvier. It was commemorating political independence in Togo. I didn’t really get a straight answer what that means, but there was a party just like any other fete with dancing and drinking. It was fun! I visited two of the village chief, both of which told me I was to marry them before I left Togo. Nothing unusual. My village is celebrating New Years on the 24th so there will be another fete coming up!!
It is funny how things I thought were so strange when I first got here are now seeming so normal. Like the fact that I see men all the time wearing womens clothing and they think nothing of it. Or the fact that children run around in just a pair of underware. Or that reguraly have to stop in the middle of the road to let a herd of pigs walk across. But things are just becoming my normal life here in Togo.
I received many letters and packages for Christmas. It was great to hear from all of you!!! Keep em coming. Letters at least!
posted by Alia at 7:04 AM
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