bienvenue au togo

This week I spent a lot of time relaxing at ISH (international Student Hostel). Something I’m learning to do here, that I’ve been striving to do for so long, is to just spend quality time with people. That might sound strange, but at home the time I spend with my friends, more often than not, is scheduled in some how or rushed and hurried. If there is down time in my schedule I feel the need to fill it with another meeting or appointment and leave no time for relaxing with friends and just enjoying their company. I’m getting to know people so much better by just being with them – the unscheduled time can be so full of laughter and conversations that reveal so much. Hopefully I’m able to take that home with me and resist the urge to get swept back in to the rush that is life in Ames.

This last Thursday was such a blessing. I went to the orphanage for the afternoon for the first time in a week or so. I didn’t get to spend much time with the children because they were busy listening to talks on HIV/AIDS. But I did get to cut and sew with Kwami and Solomon and one of the volunteers from Canada. After a few hours there I made my way to the airport to meet up with the group from West Des Moines who was bringing my camera and cards! I found them without much trouble; they were so great and I’m excited for them as they get to spend the week in Ho. I was also so thankful they were able to bring my new camera (and lots of other goodies from my family) and I can begin to take pictures of my own!

Friday morning I took off for Togo. I was on my own as far as Aflao, then meeting up with a few others at the border. The trip down went great, but it ended up getting a little tricky when neither Natalie nor Jack were answering their phones. They hadn’t mentioned the place they were staying so I wasn’t really sure what my plan was going to be once I got in. The Lomé border was a little crazy and I had a scare with a “friendly” man trying to help me across. However, I was blessed, yet again, by the immigration officers who straightened things out with my “friend” and graciously agreed to look through stacks and stacks of entrance forms to find 3 white kids who had come across the border the day before. Somehow, he found them! I made my way to Hotel Tano and was so relieved to find my friends on the way!

We spent the weekend lying on the beach, eating, and dancing our way through Lomé. Togo is a French speaking country so I was able to use the limited amount of French I remembered from the last few semesters: It was so good to speak it again. I never thought I would miss the language but now I am so excited to return and continue studying. In Togo the preferred mode of transportation is motorbikes: you just hop on the back and off you go. I loved them. Possibly too much as I became a little too comfortable perched on the back with my arms outstretched. But hey, you only live once :). And the breeze in Togo is phenomenal. You wouldn’t think there would be a huge difference between the air in Ghana and Togo, but for some odd reason, there was constantly a refreshing breeze making the heat of the day just bareable and the evenings beautiful.

I loved being in Togo. There is a lot of Lebanese influence in the country, especially that area, and you can see that reflected in everything from the architecture to the food. I had heard the difference in the surrounding Francophone countries would be stark, and they were right; it had such a different feel than anywhere I have been in Ghana. It reminded me a lot of Arusha, Tanzania (no, not Francophone) with the artisan shops, cafés, and patisseries throughout the town. I’m excited to go back and see more of Lomé and venture farther North within the country.

For now, I am back in Legon for a while. Which will be a relief, both physically and to my pocketbook. There were so many of us ISEPer’s traveling the last few weeks that it was almost like a reunion coming home and hearing about everyone’s adventures. We are taking this week to enjoy each others company again and catch back up.

I hear the snow is beginning to clear up back home and this morning I received a letter from my Uncle Bob that was exactly what I needed. I’m beginning to feel very separated from home and it’s hard to continue to try to keep up with things and stay emotionally sane here – quite the balancing act. It’s so good to hear from friends and family though with updates of what is happening in their lives. Know I am thinking of all of you…

love