Conclusion

So I wasn’t as good at this blog thing as I thought I was going to be but that probably has to do with the serious lack of reliable internet & electricity… 

I still am hesitant to write about my experiences because I feel like I lack the ability to do it justice.  But I’m gonna try anyway and hopefully answer the repetitive questions you’re all asking :)

How was Africa? Well, I was in Togo; not the whole continent of Africa. (Togo is a small Francophone country in West Africa between Ghana and Benin).  No, I didn’t know where it was located either before I was chosen to go there so don’t feel bad.  And Togo was great.  This is a very broad question that I’m not sure how to answer.  I’d prefer more specific questions.

What’d you eat?  I ate a lot of pâte which is just pure starch.  It’s made with flour and corn.  I had fufu during yam seasons (it’s pounded yams) or sometimes it was made with manioc.  The important part here is the sauce though- my favorite was “snot sauce” (okra).  Its great mixed with other leaves such as adema (sp?), gboma or baobab.  There’s also peanut sauce, tomato sauce, etc.  Those are the two main staple meals but there’s also rice, pasta and couscous.

Did you learn cool languages?  Yes.  I am surprised how much French I learned and started to like (after over a year) and I can say key phrases in Ewe and have brief conversations in Akposso.

I thought you were gonna stay a third year, what happened? I got malaria twice and while my village, friends and work were/are important to me, my health is more important.  Peace Corps administration made this decision for me and it is something that I’m still coming to terms with.

What kind of work did you do?  I literally worked with every population possible: children, adults, elderly, men, women, differently-abled, etc.  I focused on gender equity a lot, especially my very last project called Men as Partners.  My favorite national project was the Women’s Wellness and Empowerment Conference (WWEC) which I’ve written about a few times before so I’ll spare you the repetition.  My favorite village project was Vacation Enterprise.  I trained five counterparts and 25 students on entrepreneurship, money management, self-confidence, etc. and gave out microloans to the students with the best feasibility studies.  These young girls literally multiplied their profits exponentially.  I’m so proud of them.  The best was Hamida who started with 5,000 francs and sold bouillie (a type of porridge) and made over 30,000 francs.

Was it hard?  Yes.  But it was also really rewarding.  The successes were pure ecstasy but the difficult times were really challenging.

What was hard?  It was hard being the only white person living in a small, rural, West African village.  I was seen as rich.  But as a woman I was also seen as “made to be married and have kids”.  Aside from personal challenges, it was hard to see the potential of so many women (and men) be ignored due to cultural values.  It was also challenging to respect these cultural values sometimes because the last thing I wanted to do was impose my western beliefs- but when a young girl is being forced into marriage or worse, it’s hard to just sit by and not react.

Will you go back?  One day. I’m collecting donations to the “Send Jes back to Togo fund”.

What will you miss the most?  A lot of things.  Specific people the most.  My host dad and mom. My siblings Abla and Eric. Hamida. My cat. My best friend Maman Akpo. Parry, the best counterpart ever. My boss, Rose… I could go on forever.  Aside from people I will miss the pace of life.  I will miss funerals!  Funerals are such a big party to dance and drink and celebrate the person’s life. 

What are you doing next?  I just got back from visiting six European countries with Moe and I’m going to RELAX and reintegrate to American culture.  But let’s be honest, we all know I can’t hold still and have to be productive so I will probably start the job search soon.  I will go anywhere as long as the job tickles my fancy.  Suggestions?

When can we hang out? Any time, really! Where do you want to take me to eat?

I LOVE talking about my experience and I apologize in advance for starting too many sentences with “this one time in Togo” or “that reminds me of Togo…” – just tell me you’re sick of it. Seriously.

I appreciate questions a lot. The more specific the better. 

Also, my number is the same. Call me :) and send me your numbers so I can send you all inappropriate/obnoxious text messages because I'm overexcited that it will be FREE.

Which reminds me... This one time in Togo people say "it's free" sometimes instead of "you're welcome."  For example:
(Me to boutique owner): Thank you  (because I was really excited he actually had change when I paid)
(Boutique owner to me): C'est gratuit.  (Except for nothing was free... I paid for all of it and didn't bargain at all)

And with that: "Etchay yooo"  (The pronunciation/misspelled way to say "see ya later" in Akposso)