We Blog The World

I have said good bye to my friends and colleagues in Sokode.  It was not easy, but they threw lots of parties for me.  Several going away events were thrown in my honor, 2 at schools I worked with and 2 others with friends and colleagues.  I did not cry at any of them, although [...]

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I just spent the week with the new group of volunteers who just arrived from America in June.  I quizzed them about new trends, music, and technology. It seems I’ve missed quite a bit – I even came up with a sample list of all the things that have happened or come out since I’ve been [...]

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So I’ll be back in America in just a few weeks.  I’m looking forward to burritos, peaches, and goat cheese.  But I’m also a bit concerned about being able to adapt.  I know it should be easy to be back in my own culture, but I’ve gotten used to a few things here.  For example, [...]

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All my Togolese friends are excited about the Obamas’ trip to Ghana.  They’ve been asking me for weeks if I will go to Ghana to see him.  They assume I have VIP tickets.  It’s hard to explain that I’m not that important to the American government, despite my exalted role as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
In [...]

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Camp Informatique was a success! It was so much fun. It really was amazing to see kids who on the first day couldn’t tell the monitor from the mouse go to typing up letters. [...]

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I am very much in denial that my Peace Corps service is finishing up.  The month of June will be packed.  I am a camp counselor for a week for “Camp Unite”, a camp focused on gender equality and healthy living skills.  The camp is for boy apprentices (studying to be mechanics or carpenters or [...]

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 If you grew up in America, you are probably quite good at something that most Togolese find baffling.  Probably your great-grandparents would have found it puzzling as well.  I’m talking about packaging.  Chip bags, ziplocks, candy cane wrappers, or even bottles of lotion and shampoo all count as unnatural forms of packaging.  Most of these [...]

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Every now and then I end up in uncomfortable situations with no escape or alternative. Often, my best solution it to imagine the same scene with Ben Stiller in my place. I pretend I’m watching the movie and laughing at his discomfort instead of experiencing it myself.
For example, last week I travelled in [...]

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After a couple relaxing days in a posh part of Accra, I’m off to a beach resort.
http://www.greenturtlelodge.com
I’ll be meeting some friends there.  And you thought I don’t have any fun here.

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I was sitting with two friends under a mango tree drinking tchouk (millet beer).  A middle aged man approached us in a manner both shy and sly.  “Bonsoir”, he said to each of us individually, studying our faces.  We responded in kind, waiting to see what was going to happen next.  “I have some parasutemal.” [...]

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