3 months later...
So much for this blog idea -- it's hard to load the blogger page on a lot of computers here so I haven't been able to update it as much as I'd like (i.e. more than once).
In any event, I've been at my post now for almost 3 months and things are starting to fall into place. We're always told how long it takes to adjust and to get started with work, meeting people, etc. and that's definitely been true. So I finally feel like I actually live here, for better or worse depending on how I'm feeling in any particular moment.
My adjustment was complicated with some health woes, including a badly sprained ankle that kept me at home for almost two weeks and two colds within the first month I was here, one of which I thought was bronchitis. Turns out I was only coughing up all the dust I'd inhaled from the harmattan wind that blows in from the Sahara, carrying dust from the desert and also stirring up all the dust from the unpaved roads here. The winds are finally abating after about 2 months, which is sort of like the Togolese winter -- it's actually coolish at night (high 50s at the coldest) and not that hot (mid 80s) during the day.
As part of my main work assignment, I've been going on a lot of trips with the NGO I'm assigned to work with to distribute school supplies provided under the US embassy scholarship fund the NGO helps administer. There's another trip on Tuesday and I'll finally be bringing my camera because these events are really interesting. The whole community often turns up and the employees of the NGO and the board of directors give a lot of inspirational (I hope -- I don't know enough of the local language to swear to this) speeches on the importance of girls' education and related topics. And then tons of kids turn up to see the white lady, since they don't see white people too often. At several of the schools there were literally almost 100 kids encircling me just to stare and smile, kind of like checking out the animals at the zoo. Kids here are exceptionally cute on the whole, tho, so it's kind of fun while at the same time surreal.
I've just started or will soon start several projects with this NGO, including a series of visits with the scholarship recipients and their families at their homes to make sure they're using the school supplies we've given them for studying and not other reasons. I've also started English classes with scholarship recipients here in Sokodé, which was an idea I was not initially enthused about but has turned out to be really fun. School here is really rigid, a lot of rote memorization, and in general girls are not encouraged to participate and the atmosphere overall is more disciplinary and controlled than participatory and supportive. So the purpose of the class is more to build confidence in a small class setting rather than just to teach English. I was initially against the idea of using English here since I want to really perfect my French but I've really liked the classes; the girls so far have been really fun and excited once they got beyond their initial shyness.
Another project I've started is to (try to) advise a women's agricultural collective on how to improve their sheep raising and vegetable growing operation. This should be interesting since I know nothing about either business or farming, in addition to the fact that only one of the women involved speaks French. So this whole project will necessitate lots of education on economics, agriculture, animal husbandry and speaking the local language, Cotokoli. I'm not sure what I can do for them but at least I can seek some help and try, and it should be a learning experience (hopefully not for them in the stupidity of Americans....)
I've been studying how to use my thumb drive so I will try to post photos the next time I update the blog, technology here (and my techophobia) permitting....
In any event, I've been at my post now for almost 3 months and things are starting to fall into place. We're always told how long it takes to adjust and to get started with work, meeting people, etc. and that's definitely been true. So I finally feel like I actually live here, for better or worse depending on how I'm feeling in any particular moment.
My adjustment was complicated with some health woes, including a badly sprained ankle that kept me at home for almost two weeks and two colds within the first month I was here, one of which I thought was bronchitis. Turns out I was only coughing up all the dust I'd inhaled from the harmattan wind that blows in from the Sahara, carrying dust from the desert and also stirring up all the dust from the unpaved roads here. The winds are finally abating after about 2 months, which is sort of like the Togolese winter -- it's actually coolish at night (high 50s at the coldest) and not that hot (mid 80s) during the day.
As part of my main work assignment, I've been going on a lot of trips with the NGO I'm assigned to work with to distribute school supplies provided under the US embassy scholarship fund the NGO helps administer. There's another trip on Tuesday and I'll finally be bringing my camera because these events are really interesting. The whole community often turns up and the employees of the NGO and the board of directors give a lot of inspirational (I hope -- I don't know enough of the local language to swear to this) speeches on the importance of girls' education and related topics. And then tons of kids turn up to see the white lady, since they don't see white people too often. At several of the schools there were literally almost 100 kids encircling me just to stare and smile, kind of like checking out the animals at the zoo. Kids here are exceptionally cute on the whole, tho, so it's kind of fun while at the same time surreal.
I've just started or will soon start several projects with this NGO, including a series of visits with the scholarship recipients and their families at their homes to make sure they're using the school supplies we've given them for studying and not other reasons. I've also started English classes with scholarship recipients here in Sokodé, which was an idea I was not initially enthused about but has turned out to be really fun. School here is really rigid, a lot of rote memorization, and in general girls are not encouraged to participate and the atmosphere overall is more disciplinary and controlled than participatory and supportive. So the purpose of the class is more to build confidence in a small class setting rather than just to teach English. I was initially against the idea of using English here since I want to really perfect my French but I've really liked the classes; the girls so far have been really fun and excited once they got beyond their initial shyness.
Another project I've started is to (try to) advise a women's agricultural collective on how to improve their sheep raising and vegetable growing operation. This should be interesting since I know nothing about either business or farming, in addition to the fact that only one of the women involved speaks French. So this whole project will necessitate lots of education on economics, agriculture, animal husbandry and speaking the local language, Cotokoli. I'm not sure what I can do for them but at least I can seek some help and try, and it should be a learning experience (hopefully not for them in the stupidity of Americans....)
I've been studying how to use my thumb drive so I will try to post photos the next time I update the blog, technology here (and my techophobia) permitting....
posted by Rachel @ 6:41 AM
1 Comments:
At 7:59 PM,
Lara said…
I'm glad to hear your work is coming together. The English classes sound quite interesting in terms of interacting with the girls. And, hey, reading up on economics and agriculture shouldn't be too hard with all your free time, right? Kidding, kidding.
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