Year One

In one month it will be my 1 year anniversary in Togo. This week also  marks my first year of teaching. It's insane quantifying this experience; on one hand it feels like ions ago I got on the plane at JFK and,on the other hand, it feels like yesterday.
Whichever, the feeling right now is happiness (okay, and the relentless homesickness). I'm so happy to be here, to be getting work done, and to have gotten to this wonderful level of comfort in my village. When I get in a bushtaxi, I'm "heading home" and it's something that after months of learning foreign languages and 'trying to fit in' can't be taken for granted.
The school year is just about over in my village. Next week are exams, which are followed by national exams. Classes, officially, are over. The plan, however, is to hold weekly English club meetings with students throughout the summer months to keep their English going. Of course, this will be through enticing them with soccer and movies (whatever works, right?)
What have I learned after teaching 102 students with just a box of chalk? That I never gave my mom or uncle enough credit for the work of a teacher. There's really no word to sum up the year with 'my kids.' There were days I left so frustrated and wanting to cry, and other days, laughing all my way home from their jokes or inspired by their motivation. I learned working with teenagers is just as difficult as being one, but as long as you remember that, it gets easier.
Respect is a constant challenge in the classroom. On one hand, having a volunteer for a teacher is the craziest thing they just can't get over. I'm not just their first female teacher, but I'm also American, AND I talk and dress funny. Then there are my class rules. A Togolese class is incredibly different than an American classroom. Namely, when it comes to punishment. My students realized early on that I wasn't going to hit them for disobeying me, which instead of generating 'mutual respect' turned more into tyranny. "Put your shoes back on! Put Ousmane down! Stop drawing circles in chalk on your head!" Needless to say, saying in broken French these commands did little to stop them. Instead, like all volunteers, I invoked some creativity and wit, and a whole bunch of patience - and it's gotten better over the months.
While I'm still not quite sure how teachers create a calm, tranquil classroom, I'm hopeful the next school year will bring me a step closer. And their English will keep getting better and better.
It's my favorite thing walking around village and stopping for conversations with students and they tell me in English what they are up to and what they want to do.
Outside of teaching and clubs, my village and I have been busy building a latrine! We were so fortunate to receive a Water & Sanitation grant from the Peace Corps this past month. The village was incredibly appreciative and motivated to do their share. Thus, day after day villagers hauled sand, gravel, and water to the construction site (14 miles round trip! I only counted two people on motos, everyone else biked and walked). Once that transportation was completed, they dug a 6 by 4 foot hole at the construction site. And, mind you, this is peak hot season, so we're talking an average of 110 degrees. Now we are all anxiously waiting as the mason completes the construction.
A huge problem at our school is that until now we were latrine-less. So when students or teachers were sick or just had to go to the bathroom, the answer was to either use the open field next to the school, run across the field into the forest, or go home. Obviously, none of these are great solutions. Thus, the year ahead we look forward to better attendance rates and an overall more comfortable learning environment.
So in short, that's what's been going down in Togo! The next months ahead, are going to be filled with planting trees, painting murals, playing football, camps, and helping train the new volunteers arriving in June!
Thank you for all the encouragement, letters, and care packages. Some days it's inevitably hard to be so far from home but I'm reminded why I'm here every time someone shoots me a message or letter. The care packages are so appreciated, whether they are filled with snacks or things for me or school supplies or games for my students. Even though it's a pretty big world, it's cool for both me and my village to see how that doesn't alter its' compassion.

Where has the time gone?!

It's already February and my blog is seriously lacking. The silver lining is life here is getting busier and this place called Togo is feeling more and more like home.
Second semester started January 6th & I began my second round of teaching English to my Cinquieme class. Additionally, with a Togolese volunteer from an NGO, Plan Togo, we created a Gender class for each of the classes in the Middle School.
After the school bell rings (well, here it's a whistle) I'm keeping busy with a Girls' Club, English Club, and a Life Skills course with local apprentices.
The dream is to continue all of the above and more. Next weekend I'll be heading to a training with my counterpart to think about bigger projects, that'll hopefully take my mind off of the increasing heat and, more importantly, make an impact on education and gender equality in my village.
Work aside, the most notable experience of 2014 thus far was a few Thursdays ago.
On my way back from work I stopped to greet a 52 year old, seamstress in my village, Moulika. She asked if I was free that evening and wanted to go to an event- since both of our French is minimal, I said "sure" and didn't inquire about the specifics.
Que thirty minutes later, I'm in a bush taxi holding a live chicken on my way to what will be an all night beauty pageant, which names a contestant who will go on to compete for the Miss Togo title. And that began the whirlwind weekend with Moulika and her husband, Sonya, of celebrating what is now my new favorite holiday, Koudapaani.
The following day, Friday, was a giant feast and Saturday was filled with each village showcasing their tribal dance. The schedule: Fufu, dancing, more fufu, more dancing, etc.
Koudapaani celebrates the Tchokossi (also known as, Anufo) heritage in the Savanes region.
My village is primarily made up of the two tribes, Anufo and Gam-Gam. The Anufo are generally Muslim and the Gam-Gam tend to be Christian. However, there are several tribes in my village and at least a dozen languages I've come across so far. Other prominent religions are Lutheran, Baptist, and Animism.

For the moment I'm in the regional capitol relishing the joys of internet, electricity, and running water. Tomorrow I head back to Sagbiebou to check out how my kids do on their week of exams (fingers crossed!). But most of all, getting mentally prepared for the hot season looming around the corner.