Saturday, September 20, 2008
Life is fun sometimes
Can't post what I want to here due to administrative reasons. My latest email should say everything ;)
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Its been a long time...
So I'm just going to copy and paste my latest email update.
So its now Sunday the 7th and I've officially been in country for 3 months on the day. It doesn't feel like that long really, I guess Ive kind of just gotten used to things. My ability to write in English has decreased a bit, but I can think and kind of speak in French a lot more. I no longer find it weird to have to go to buy things to eat on a daily basis. I also no longer find it weird to see naked people all the time, that's kind of a normal thing. Im still without electricity which really doesn't affect me too much, I barely use my computer at home anyway. I like reading by lantern light, and also going to sleep at like 830 makes waking up with the chickens at 5ish not too bad. I've been talking to other volunteers who are having kind of the same problem as I: how to remember what sort of stories to tell to people back home. Most of the stuff here really doesn't strike me as different anymore!
I can walk down the road and see ~18 people crammed into a 5 seat car and think "I bet they can fit another person in". I can watch naked kids squat in the middle of the road and pee while not breaking their cadence of "ansai buhbye" which is the salutation that whities like myself get in my town. Ive grown used to not having meat…ever. Although Ive picked up some tinned stuff here in Sokode where Im currently at. I realize that I use a lot of city names in my emails but don't explain much, its kind of one of those things that doesn't seem like anything to me. Id say just google image search a map of Togo and check it out if you want to get a feel for the places, they only really list the big cities but that's about the only places I end up at for extended periods of time. Travelling is an experience in itself, and Ill take the time to write up about that some other time.
As for the continuation of life here: I spent the last few days travelling northward to visit my buddy Rayan in the northern part of the country, and then headed over to the city of Bassar for the yearly Yam party. Yea, we celebrate some cool stuff here. I got to see a lot of the people I haven't been able to since we all left Lome together 2 weeks ago. It was pretty fun, there were fire dancers who walked on flaming logs and the like, but mainly it was just nice to see people. I bought furniture from a volunteer who was leaving too so now I actually have things for the inside of my house! I picked up a bed and mattress, three tables, two chairs, two bookshelves and a fan for a really good price so Im pretty happy with that. They only difficult part is transporting all the stuff. I brought it halfway home to Sokode in a car yesterday, and have to make the rest of the trip today. It can be a pain to get a car to the place you actually want to go, then getting a car that also will haul stuff for you is even more exciting. Then you get to negotiate a price and try not to get ripped off. It's a pretty tiring process, and I expect to make it home today and just want to relax.
That's another thing Ive gotten used to over the past three months, the pace of life. I know Ive mentioned this before, but stuff here just doesn't get done quickly, or at all if its raining. Ive sent for an electrician in the morning, and he came 3 days later in the afternoon. That's just life here. Ive stopped trying to get a lot of stuff done in only one day. Im happy if I get a third of my laundry done in the morning, a decent bike ride in, and then have time to find lunch and other foodstuffs in a 6 hour period. Once I get actual electricity then things can be better for Ill have a fridge to store things in so food can last longer than one day. Plus im going to get a gas stove from a girl who left early if I can make it up to Kara to do it. That should make it easier to cook for myself! On a random side note: if you want to send me stuff, send spices and anything that is edible that is "just add water". Water is about the only thing available that can be found easily and readily. Also drink mixes, like the single serving Gatorade or crystal light type stuff.
I cant really think of too much else to add that is entertaining, im a little tired because of being a little sick as well as staying up til about 10 pm the last few nights and then being woken up early by a combination of a few things. Mainly having to use the bathroom (one of the signs of Giardia is having a big morning bowel movement…which for me is my alarm clock!) as well as Ramadan being in full swing now and the region that I live in is heavily Muslim. So I get woken up pretty early by calls to prayer. Plus food vendors aren't as prevalent due to the fasting. Its all good though, I get to get back to village today and relax so Im looking forward to that. Feel free to write back with questions for me and Ill write like a big response email with answers to everyone.
Hope life is great, school is fun, and work doesn't suck too bad for everyone!
~Marcus
PS If you know someone who wants to get emails from me feel free to forward them, Im at the max amount of autoforwarding by Gmail so I cant add anymore to the list. Ill work on this when I get a solid connection, but that could be a long way off.
So its now Sunday the 7th and I've officially been in country for 3 months on the day. It doesn't feel like that long really, I guess Ive kind of just gotten used to things. My ability to write in English has decreased a bit, but I can think and kind of speak in French a lot more. I no longer find it weird to have to go to buy things to eat on a daily basis. I also no longer find it weird to see naked people all the time, that's kind of a normal thing. Im still without electricity which really doesn't affect me too much, I barely use my computer at home anyway. I like reading by lantern light, and also going to sleep at like 830 makes waking up with the chickens at 5ish not too bad. I've been talking to other volunteers who are having kind of the same problem as I: how to remember what sort of stories to tell to people back home. Most of the stuff here really doesn't strike me as different anymore!
I can walk down the road and see ~18 people crammed into a 5 seat car and think "I bet they can fit another person in". I can watch naked kids squat in the middle of the road and pee while not breaking their cadence of "ansai buhbye" which is the salutation that whities like myself get in my town. Ive grown used to not having meat…ever. Although Ive picked up some tinned stuff here in Sokode where Im currently at. I realize that I use a lot of city names in my emails but don't explain much, its kind of one of those things that doesn't seem like anything to me. Id say just google image search a map of Togo and check it out if you want to get a feel for the places, they only really list the big cities but that's about the only places I end up at for extended periods of time. Travelling is an experience in itself, and Ill take the time to write up about that some other time.
As for the continuation of life here: I spent the last few days travelling northward to visit my buddy Rayan in the northern part of the country, and then headed over to the city of Bassar for the yearly Yam party. Yea, we celebrate some cool stuff here. I got to see a lot of the people I haven't been able to since we all left Lome together 2 weeks ago. It was pretty fun, there were fire dancers who walked on flaming logs and the like, but mainly it was just nice to see people. I bought furniture from a volunteer who was leaving too so now I actually have things for the inside of my house! I picked up a bed and mattress, three tables, two chairs, two bookshelves and a fan for a really good price so Im pretty happy with that. They only difficult part is transporting all the stuff. I brought it halfway home to Sokode in a car yesterday, and have to make the rest of the trip today. It can be a pain to get a car to the place you actually want to go, then getting a car that also will haul stuff for you is even more exciting. Then you get to negotiate a price and try not to get ripped off. It's a pretty tiring process, and I expect to make it home today and just want to relax.
That's another thing Ive gotten used to over the past three months, the pace of life. I know Ive mentioned this before, but stuff here just doesn't get done quickly, or at all if its raining. Ive sent for an electrician in the morning, and he came 3 days later in the afternoon. That's just life here. Ive stopped trying to get a lot of stuff done in only one day. Im happy if I get a third of my laundry done in the morning, a decent bike ride in, and then have time to find lunch and other foodstuffs in a 6 hour period. Once I get actual electricity then things can be better for Ill have a fridge to store things in so food can last longer than one day. Plus im going to get a gas stove from a girl who left early if I can make it up to Kara to do it. That should make it easier to cook for myself! On a random side note: if you want to send me stuff, send spices and anything that is edible that is "just add water". Water is about the only thing available that can be found easily and readily. Also drink mixes, like the single serving Gatorade or crystal light type stuff.
I cant really think of too much else to add that is entertaining, im a little tired because of being a little sick as well as staying up til about 10 pm the last few nights and then being woken up early by a combination of a few things. Mainly having to use the bathroom (one of the signs of Giardia is having a big morning bowel movement…which for me is my alarm clock!) as well as Ramadan being in full swing now and the region that I live in is heavily Muslim. So I get woken up pretty early by calls to prayer. Plus food vendors aren't as prevalent due to the fasting. Its all good though, I get to get back to village today and relax so Im looking forward to that. Feel free to write back with questions for me and Ill write like a big response email with answers to everyone.
Hope life is great, school is fun, and work doesn't suck too bad for everyone!
~Marcus
PS If you know someone who wants to get emails from me feel free to forward them, Im at the max amount of autoforwarding by Gmail so I cant add anymore to the list. Ill work on this when I get a solid connection, but that could be a long way off.
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