august

Science Camp Tchifama took place the first week of August. We followed the same schedule as in the previous village, and we definitely benefited from the previous week’s trial run. APCD Rose came on the last day to observe and impart a few words of wisdom. She is such an incredible woman, and someone to whom these girls can relate. She, too, came from a small, out-of-the-way village where education was not exactly a priority for girls. And she is now the director of a Peace Corps program that she herself created. The Girls’ Education and Empowerment program is her baby, and Togo its birthplace. She talked to the girls about her own struggles and the importance of pursuing an education.

I was truly exhausted by the end. So it was the perfect time for a vacation, my first, starting with a visit from Mom, Dad and Kelsi. They flew into Accra and took a car to meet me at the Togolese border. They had assured me that they could easily make their way to Togo on their own. I felt very confident, until I told other volunteers about our plan. They were horrified that I was not going to pick them up. Admittedly, travel in West Africa is not quite like Western Europe. But I had no reason to be alarmed. They found a car at the airport that took them directly to the border. I met them there and helped them cross, a venture that involves redundant paperwork, repetitive questions first in English, then in French and slipping the guards a few CFA to expedite the process. We took a “taxi” to the hotel and checked in. The Bellevue is a gorgeous hotel in the Kodjaviakope quarter. I took my first hot shower in a year and promptly started weeping. I cannot remember the last time I felt so clean. It was incredible. We walked around Lomé, seeing the “sights” and stopped for a drink in the Grand Marché. Dinner at the hotel, next to the pool, was unforgettable. We had a little hiccup in the morning when the car I had called failed to show up. The Poste bus was leaving at 6h, so there was a bit of stressful scrambling to get to the Post Office in time. We made it just in time to slip the driver a few CFA to overlook our excess baggage weight and the fact that I was transporting a prohibited gas tank for my stove, and we were on our way. We got off in Langabou and rented a car to take us to Tchifama.

My family was so excited to meet… well, my family. We spent a few wonderful days in village, eating fufu and koliko (it was yam season), drinking tchouk at the marché, playing catch with the kids, riding motos (Dad and Kelsi), having panic attacks about people on motos (Mom)... I know they all wrote something with the intention of posting it here, so I will leave the details to them. Suffice it to say, it was the best part of my service so far, and I consider myself very lucky that they were able to make the long trip out here.

We wrapped up our time in Tchifama with lots of hugs and pictures. Then we embarked on an epic travel day, in a car from village, to Lomé, across the border, in a car to Accra, flew to Cairo, flew to Luxor. I think it was about 36 hours before we actually arrived. Egypt was incredible, but I guess that is not really relevant to my time in Togo, so back we go.