#Blessed
I received my first letters from home today! Another trainee (AKA: PCT or stagaire) dropped them off while I was eating dinner with my family, and I couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the meal. There are few things more heartwarming or exciting than opening a letter from a loved one, and though I’m having a great week, I know someday soon I’ll need to read those words of encouragement.
I had been nervous about this week because my host brother was away all week taking final exams for entry to university. [At least I think that’s what he said.] He’s the best French speaker in my family, and he even knows some English. So I was nervous that I’d struggle to communicate with my mother and sisters this week. In the end, though, I think I had an easier time. Our French lessons intensified this week, and because my sisters speak slowly, I was able to get some more valuable practice with them. Plus I’m getting better at reading my family’s nonverbal clues with every passing day. And I’m even starting to bond with my 2-year old sister! [This in and of itself was a revelation to me. I don’t fancy myself a “kid person,” so it was a shock to find that I’m most comfortable with my youngest sibling. But when communication is a constant struggle, it’s such a relief to be able to babble nonsense to a child with no expectation of mutual understanding.]
Though the going is slow, I’ve been able to rack up some little wins this week:
Last week my sister asked me when I was going to start taking pictures (which is not a question I get to field often), so I’ve been breaking out the camera every couple of days to snap a few shots. I wasn’t expecting to get to start taking photos so quickly, but it’s been so nice to be able to escape to that happy place on occasion.
The three pange pieces I ordered last week came in this week, and they’re all gorgeous! (Pagne is colorful, wax-printed fabric that is incredibly popular in West Africa.)
I found out my mom is a Jehovah’s Witness, which honestly shocked me. She goes door to door evangelizing, and everything. I did not realize there were Jehovah’s Witnesses in Togo, and I’m so eager to learn more!
The diarrhea stopped.
Every night I sleep a little better. The music from the bar next door has become a soothing (if booming) lullaby, and I'm now able to fall back asleep right away every time a rooster, goat or crying child wakes me up.
Yesterday I helped my family shuck corn. (And by shuck I mean remove the kernels from the cob with our thumbs.) E kept giving me pieces she’d already started because she realized I sucked at it. Every day, though, my family lets me do a little more, and I’m so glad every time they let me help out or try something new.
Today I think I finally figured out a few of the endless Ewe greetings. Most of the members of our community are Ewe, and while many people greet us in French on our way to and from training sessions, others greet us in Ewe. Greeting people is incredibly important in most Togolese communities, so I’ve been trying really hard to pick up what I can of Ewe.
After a full day of nonstop language lessons on Tuesday, I was able to have a pretty fluid conversation with one of my host sisters about our experiences being children of divorce (en français).
I tried my first Fan Milk (Togolese ice creams sachets). The Choco tastes like a Fudgecicle, and it’s delicious.
Today we discovered that the training center has wifi. This was huge.
I know that I have difficult days ahead of me, but for now I’m doing my best to bask in gratitude and to count every blessing. Peace Corps is often described as a sacrifice, and in many ways it is. But in far more ways it is an opportunity and a gift that few have the ability to take advantage of. We have been training less than a month, and already we’ve learned so much (about language and culture, about development and Togo, about the work we’ll be doing and about ourselves). We’ve already begun building beautiful and meaningful relationships with each other, with Peace Corps staff and with our host families. And soon we will be working with our Togolese counterparts (our homologues) to create projects that allow us to learn and grow with our communities. #Blessed.
Quote of the Day: "Peace Corps March Madness: Half the bracket is guessing which teams are in it."
