Joyeux Noel...from West Africa!
Okay mes amis...
So I've been trying to find the time to sit down and write another story for about 2 weeks now and even though you'd think that now that Im in Togo, I'd have lots of free time on my hands, that just hasnt been the case for me, especially not this last month... BUT despite all thats going on, Im making the time to do this for you now... and I really have no excuses because for once, I have nothing to do, nowhere to go, and I have all the time in the world. At the moment, Im sitting here in this big, plush, extra comfortable bed right now, soaking up the cool breezes of the air conditioner, waiting for my breakfast to be delivered to me, and Im trying not to get too spoiled or too comfortable with my surroundings because I know these amenities will only be around for another day or so- and then reality will strike again. Yes, the only reason Im living luxuriously right now is becasue Im sitting in the sick room, in the medical unit, feeling much better, but wishing I could stay longer just so I can be reminded of what it means to be pampered by modernization- things like air condition, flushing toilets, warm showers, microwaves, computers with AOL IM, TVs and DVDs, refrigerators... not to mention the fact that there's peanut butter, cereal, cheese, cookies, tuna, chocolate, and ice cream here... WOW!!! Plus I have everything at my disposal whenever I want or need it... yes, these things are a HUGE deal in my world these days, and yes, Im seriously contemplating faking another illness just to be able to hold onto and enjoy the good life a little bit longer!
So, I know by now, youre all wondering how in the world did I end up in the sick room at the med unit? What happened? Qu'est-c'est passé? Right?
Well, dont worry, Im fine now, and we'll come to that in a second, but right now I wanted to backtrack to December 9 and bring you up to speed from there.
Thursday, December, 9, 2004... One of the most important days in my life so far- A day that for me symbolizes that dreams really do come true if you work hard and believe in yourself... December 9th was the day that I officially "swore in" as a Peace Corps volunteer! (WOOO HOOO!!!!) The memories of that day, and the 2 1/2 months leading up to it will certainly remain with me forever. Training was one of the hardest things Ive ever willingly put myself through... days are long and drawn out, and youre constantly bombarded with information, handouts, manuals, and charts, but the information presented is not difficult to grasp, its just that there's SO MUCH going on inside of you every single day during training. Youre becoming adjusted to life on another continent, (seemingly another planet compared to the lives we left behind), your body is in a constant state of shock- partly because of the stress and pressure that comes naturally when adapting to a new lifestyle, but also because the food is guaranteed to rip your stomach apart the at least the entire 4-6 weeks youre here, and because youre being injected with so many vaccinations day in and day out that you think your immune system is going to crash and burn at any given moment... And please, let's not forget that if you dont master the art of boiling and filtering water, youll get to know parasitic infections, like giarrdia and ameobas personally. My body has endured a lot of torture these past months, but so has my mental state as well. Youre paranoid about everything from insects, to water, to being exposed to HIV, being pickpocketed in the marché, or being ripped off in bush taxis (please ask me about the bush taxis later, thats an entirely different category of danger and paranoia and fear altogether!) Ive even come to expect hallucinations from time to time due to the malaria prophylaxis that we're required to take every week for the next two years. As if all that wasnt enough, every single day youre homesick and wondering whats going on in the lives of those you love and left behind; people are looking at you crazy because your broken French makes no sense to them, (especially not when you throw in the twang of a New Orleans accent to further complicate matters); youve got hundreds of kids following you screaming "YOVO YOVO YOVO!!!!" whenever you walk by; theres nothing you can do to prevent being hot and sticky, and sweaty and dusty all the time; youre learning how to deal with a whole new type of harassment and attention, and you find yourself concocting wierd stories of a make believe husband you left behind in the states (hoping that it helps deter men from proposing marriage every single day)... All that plus being face to face with poverty and despair...
That pretty much sum up the Peace Corps training experience, or the effects of it on your mind and body anyway, in a nutshell. Some days you feel so fragile and others you’re feeling unstoppable. Everyday is a roller coaster ride in and of itself, filled with EXTREME highs and lows. At one of my lowest points, I somehow managed to coin the phrase “I’M HAVING A MOMENT”, and now it’s quickly becoming the most popular line being heard in Togo!!! The people in training with you become your new family, and I’ve grown attached to many people here, but unfortunately, not everyone has decided to stay. Two people have already left to go back home, and the rumor is that the first three months in village is usually when a large portion of people “ET” (Peace Coprs jargon meaning Early Terminate, leaving before your 2 year commitment is complete). The road up until now has been very unstable and extremely rocky, but all in all, I know that being here is an accomplishment, and I know that I’m one of only a chosen few. I’ve been given an amazing opportunity to discover the world as well as many things about myself; and while I will be forced to face many fears, Ive learned that I do possess the strength to conquer and overcome them. I am being forced to grow and blossom, and I know that I will undoubtedbly leave here a changed person.
So on December 9th, as I was standing underneath the shaded trees at the Ambassador’s house, all of these thoughts were floating through my mind, along with the undeniable feelings of pride and achievement for having made it this far despite all the obstacles Ive encountered along the way. The feelings just could not be kept inside, and when the Ambassador asked us to raise our right hands to take our oath, the tears instantaneously started flowing. I proudly took my oath, said a silent prayer of thansgiving, and then promised myself that I would always do my best, try my hardest, stay positive, and see this through till the end... The actual “swear in” ceremony lasted about an hour. Every volunteer did a short speech in the local language of their village, and the Ambassador also congratulated us and offered advice on how to handle the challenges that are sure to lie ahead. After the ceremony, there was a reception for us, and later that night, all the newest PCVs went out clubbing in Lomé!!! I had SOOO much fun, it honestly felt like I was back at home “Doin it BIG” with my girl Shant or Reg and his boys, but of course, they were nowhere to be found, except for in my thoughts. It was still a great night, symbolic of new beginings and new experiences, so celebrating my new PCV status with new friends and my new PC Togo family was perfect just the way it was.
We spent a few days in Lomé after the ceremony to have time to do some shopping and explore the capital city, and I knew I had adjusted to life here in Togo when I caught myself thinking of Lomé as if it was New York City or London... That’s just crazy... and it’s such a sharp contrast from my thoughts on Lomé when I first stepped off that plane in September. Lomé really seems like heaven to me now though, there’s great restaurants, fabulous private beaches, a movie theater, traffic lights, ATMs, amazing bakeries, spas and salons, supermarkets, and even a knock off McDonald’s called Al Donald’s!!! WOW!!!! Lomé is quite a different world coming from Adéta (the village where our training was held), and compared to Datcha, Lomé really is heaven! I love my village, but I'm also glad that I'm only a few hours away from the capital in case I ever feel the need to escape, and it's always good to know that I can find some comfort in the aisles of Super Ramco (the grocery store) if I'm ever having an insatiable craving for ice cream!
On Sunday, it was time to say our goodbyes, and we all departed, some going back to Adéta for additional language training, and others going straight to their villages. When the opportunity to spend an extra week just focusing on language training was presented, I was all about it immediately, so I, along with 2 others, went back to Adéta for 6 days of intense, but tremendously beneficial French language training. (This now brings you up to speed, and we and we can start getting into how I happened to arrive here at the Med Unit.)
We packed up and left Adéta for our villages on Saturday, December 18, feeling extremely conident out our French skills and anxious to get settled into our new homes and communities. We were all assured that our homologues knew that we were arriving in village on this day, and for me, this was extremely important because I had given my homologue after I left from post visit several weeks earlier so he could set up my furniture for me before my arrival. Of course, as always with Peace Corps, nothing ever goes according to plan, and when we arrived in my village, at my house, my homologue was nowhere to be found. Believe me when I say it was total CHAOS AND CONFUSION. Despite the fact that I had noplace to put my things, they began taking my belongings off of the top of the bush taxi and piling them in the yard. Kids from everywhere suddenly seemed to flood the compound as soon as they say the van pull up; one of my homologue's friends also shows up, and proceeds to tell me that my homologue is in Kpalimé, which is about 2 hours away- and to top all off, I had arranged for one of the Peace Corps administrators, Blandine, to come meet me in my village to pick up my passport and take it back to the office in Lomé with her. (I had forgotten the passport in one of my suitcases that I left behind after post visit, and she was doing me a huge favor by coming to pick it up from me, but of course, it was locked inside the house.) So now, my stuff is sitting outside in the dirt, kids are everywhere, my homologue is 2 hours away, I'm hot, tired, and growing irritated, people are shouting words back and forth about me which I don't understand, and Blandine is looking at me like I'm insane because of everything that's going on... Needless to say, it was already turning out to be a not so good day! Long story, semi-short: Blandine picked the lock to open my front gate, we moved my things inside my actual yard, instead of just having it sit inside the middle of the compound for everyone to look at and poke through, and since I was locked out of my place, looking silly, feeling like I would have a moment at any given minute, I asked Blandine if she would just drop me off in the nearest actual town, Atakpamé, so I could at least check my email while I was waiting for my homologue to arrive with my keys. I checked my email, indulged in my latest addiction, lait caille (similar to yogurt), and actually ran into a few other volunteers in the marché. It turned out to be a pretty decent afternoon, and it was just what I needed to regain my calm after my incident earlier that day. So, now, it's about 5:30 PM, the sun was going down and it was growing dark outside quickly. I found a taxi to take me back to my village, and this is when the action begins...
I got dropped off at the road leading to my homologue's house, and I had only taken a few steps when out of the clear blue, a piercingly, sharp pain shot through and gripped the heel of my left foot. For about the first 2 seconds, I stood there thinking I must've stepped on a very sharp piece of glass, but that thought quickly escaped my mind as my foot began to tingle and then completely lose sensation. I felt the pain becoming more intense and spreading, and within a matter of seconds, my foot was paralyzed and the feeling was travelling quickly throughout my entire leg. I never saw anything, but I didn't really have time to look. I somehow managed to hobble back to my homologue's house still not knowing exactly what happened, but certain now that whatever occured was serious and that I needed immediate medical attention. My homologue apparently was back in town, but not at home, so someone searched for him while I sat and waited, and completely broke down. I WAS A MESS!!! I tried be calm and wait patiently, but with every second that passed I felt increasingly worse. I started on a frantic search for a telephone cabine to call the PC Med Unit, but none of the phones were working in village and cell phone reception was also down. My homologue managed to work his way through the crowds of kids and appeared during the midst of my second break down after another unsuccessful attempt to reach the med unit. By this time, I could feel my heartbeat racing, and my fingertips were tingling and my lips were going numb! Terrible thoughts were racing through my mind as my homologue helped me out of the cabine and tells me that we're going to the missionary run hospital in my village. He puts me on the back of his moto (what they call motorcycle here), and we speed off to seek help. Fortunately, there was a working telephone line at the hospital, and I was finally able to reach the Peace Corps Medical Unit, and properly explain what happened to someone in ENGLISH. They determine I was either stung by a scorpion or bitten by a snake, and that I needed to be given anti venom serum ASAP. Im told repeadedly by the PC Med Office to make sure the needles are brand new, and to watch them open all the packages, so of course all I could think about after that was dirty needles, blood, and HIV. (AHHH!) I was taken to a room with three tiny beds, connected to an IV, and given the anit venom serum along with about 10 other medications for everything from allergies to inflammation and pain. After about 30 minutes the pain gradually began to subside, and I was actually able to pull myself together enough to joke with my homologue about the situation! According to him, he swears that both snakes and scoprions are so rare and uncommon in my village, but somehow, someway, I've managed to come in contact with both a snake (during post visit) and a scorpion now. What a welcome to village, huh? I ended up having to spend the night in the hospital, with my homologue by my side, repeating the words "Du Courage" all night! The next morning, I was feeling much better, but still had to come down to Lomé to make sure all was well. So, that's the story of my first actual day in village and how I ended up in the med unit! I should be able to leave out of here anytime now... Im still amazed by it all!!!
Ive been typing for a while, and I must let someone else use the computer now, but I will write another email message about my Christmas, 25th birthday, and New Year's here in Togo very soon...
I wish I had more time because I still have so much more to say, but just know that Im thinking about you all, and Im missing you very much right now! Merry Christmas!!!!
Peace and Love- Infinitely-
EricaPS- Sorry for the spelling and grammatical errors that are sure to exist in this email!!!
So I've been trying to find the time to sit down and write another story for about 2 weeks now and even though you'd think that now that Im in Togo, I'd have lots of free time on my hands, that just hasnt been the case for me, especially not this last month... BUT despite all thats going on, Im making the time to do this for you now... and I really have no excuses because for once, I have nothing to do, nowhere to go, and I have all the time in the world. At the moment, Im sitting here in this big, plush, extra comfortable bed right now, soaking up the cool breezes of the air conditioner, waiting for my breakfast to be delivered to me, and Im trying not to get too spoiled or too comfortable with my surroundings because I know these amenities will only be around for another day or so- and then reality will strike again. Yes, the only reason Im living luxuriously right now is becasue Im sitting in the sick room, in the medical unit, feeling much better, but wishing I could stay longer just so I can be reminded of what it means to be pampered by modernization- things like air condition, flushing toilets, warm showers, microwaves, computers with AOL IM, TVs and DVDs, refrigerators... not to mention the fact that there's peanut butter, cereal, cheese, cookies, tuna, chocolate, and ice cream here... WOW!!! Plus I have everything at my disposal whenever I want or need it... yes, these things are a HUGE deal in my world these days, and yes, Im seriously contemplating faking another illness just to be able to hold onto and enjoy the good life a little bit longer!
So, I know by now, youre all wondering how in the world did I end up in the sick room at the med unit? What happened? Qu'est-c'est passé? Right?
Well, dont worry, Im fine now, and we'll come to that in a second, but right now I wanted to backtrack to December 9 and bring you up to speed from there.
Thursday, December, 9, 2004... One of the most important days in my life so far- A day that for me symbolizes that dreams really do come true if you work hard and believe in yourself... December 9th was the day that I officially "swore in" as a Peace Corps volunteer! (WOOO HOOO!!!!) The memories of that day, and the 2 1/2 months leading up to it will certainly remain with me forever. Training was one of the hardest things Ive ever willingly put myself through... days are long and drawn out, and youre constantly bombarded with information, handouts, manuals, and charts, but the information presented is not difficult to grasp, its just that there's SO MUCH going on inside of you every single day during training. Youre becoming adjusted to life on another continent, (seemingly another planet compared to the lives we left behind), your body is in a constant state of shock- partly because of the stress and pressure that comes naturally when adapting to a new lifestyle, but also because the food is guaranteed to rip your stomach apart the at least the entire 4-6 weeks youre here, and because youre being injected with so many vaccinations day in and day out that you think your immune system is going to crash and burn at any given moment... And please, let's not forget that if you dont master the art of boiling and filtering water, youll get to know parasitic infections, like giarrdia and ameobas personally. My body has endured a lot of torture these past months, but so has my mental state as well. Youre paranoid about everything from insects, to water, to being exposed to HIV, being pickpocketed in the marché, or being ripped off in bush taxis (please ask me about the bush taxis later, thats an entirely different category of danger and paranoia and fear altogether!) Ive even come to expect hallucinations from time to time due to the malaria prophylaxis that we're required to take every week for the next two years. As if all that wasnt enough, every single day youre homesick and wondering whats going on in the lives of those you love and left behind; people are looking at you crazy because your broken French makes no sense to them, (especially not when you throw in the twang of a New Orleans accent to further complicate matters); youve got hundreds of kids following you screaming "YOVO YOVO YOVO!!!!" whenever you walk by; theres nothing you can do to prevent being hot and sticky, and sweaty and dusty all the time; youre learning how to deal with a whole new type of harassment and attention, and you find yourself concocting wierd stories of a make believe husband you left behind in the states (hoping that it helps deter men from proposing marriage every single day)... All that plus being face to face with poverty and despair...
That pretty much sum up the Peace Corps training experience, or the effects of it on your mind and body anyway, in a nutshell. Some days you feel so fragile and others you’re feeling unstoppable. Everyday is a roller coaster ride in and of itself, filled with EXTREME highs and lows. At one of my lowest points, I somehow managed to coin the phrase “I’M HAVING A MOMENT”, and now it’s quickly becoming the most popular line being heard in Togo!!! The people in training with you become your new family, and I’ve grown attached to many people here, but unfortunately, not everyone has decided to stay. Two people have already left to go back home, and the rumor is that the first three months in village is usually when a large portion of people “ET” (Peace Coprs jargon meaning Early Terminate, leaving before your 2 year commitment is complete). The road up until now has been very unstable and extremely rocky, but all in all, I know that being here is an accomplishment, and I know that I’m one of only a chosen few. I’ve been given an amazing opportunity to discover the world as well as many things about myself; and while I will be forced to face many fears, Ive learned that I do possess the strength to conquer and overcome them. I am being forced to grow and blossom, and I know that I will undoubtedbly leave here a changed person.
So on December 9th, as I was standing underneath the shaded trees at the Ambassador’s house, all of these thoughts were floating through my mind, along with the undeniable feelings of pride and achievement for having made it this far despite all the obstacles Ive encountered along the way. The feelings just could not be kept inside, and when the Ambassador asked us to raise our right hands to take our oath, the tears instantaneously started flowing. I proudly took my oath, said a silent prayer of thansgiving, and then promised myself that I would always do my best, try my hardest, stay positive, and see this through till the end... The actual “swear in” ceremony lasted about an hour. Every volunteer did a short speech in the local language of their village, and the Ambassador also congratulated us and offered advice on how to handle the challenges that are sure to lie ahead. After the ceremony, there was a reception for us, and later that night, all the newest PCVs went out clubbing in Lomé!!! I had SOOO much fun, it honestly felt like I was back at home “Doin it BIG” with my girl Shant or Reg and his boys, but of course, they were nowhere to be found, except for in my thoughts. It was still a great night, symbolic of new beginings and new experiences, so celebrating my new PCV status with new friends and my new PC Togo family was perfect just the way it was.
We spent a few days in Lomé after the ceremony to have time to do some shopping and explore the capital city, and I knew I had adjusted to life here in Togo when I caught myself thinking of Lomé as if it was New York City or London... That’s just crazy... and it’s such a sharp contrast from my thoughts on Lomé when I first stepped off that plane in September. Lomé really seems like heaven to me now though, there’s great restaurants, fabulous private beaches, a movie theater, traffic lights, ATMs, amazing bakeries, spas and salons, supermarkets, and even a knock off McDonald’s called Al Donald’s!!! WOW!!!! Lomé is quite a different world coming from Adéta (the village where our training was held), and compared to Datcha, Lomé really is heaven! I love my village, but I'm also glad that I'm only a few hours away from the capital in case I ever feel the need to escape, and it's always good to know that I can find some comfort in the aisles of Super Ramco (the grocery store) if I'm ever having an insatiable craving for ice cream!
On Sunday, it was time to say our goodbyes, and we all departed, some going back to Adéta for additional language training, and others going straight to their villages. When the opportunity to spend an extra week just focusing on language training was presented, I was all about it immediately, so I, along with 2 others, went back to Adéta for 6 days of intense, but tremendously beneficial French language training. (This now brings you up to speed, and we and we can start getting into how I happened to arrive here at the Med Unit.)
We packed up and left Adéta for our villages on Saturday, December 18, feeling extremely conident out our French skills and anxious to get settled into our new homes and communities. We were all assured that our homologues knew that we were arriving in village on this day, and for me, this was extremely important because I had given my homologue after I left from post visit several weeks earlier so he could set up my furniture for me before my arrival. Of course, as always with Peace Corps, nothing ever goes according to plan, and when we arrived in my village, at my house, my homologue was nowhere to be found. Believe me when I say it was total CHAOS AND CONFUSION. Despite the fact that I had noplace to put my things, they began taking my belongings off of the top of the bush taxi and piling them in the yard. Kids from everywhere suddenly seemed to flood the compound as soon as they say the van pull up; one of my homologue's friends also shows up, and proceeds to tell me that my homologue is in Kpalimé, which is about 2 hours away- and to top all off, I had arranged for one of the Peace Corps administrators, Blandine, to come meet me in my village to pick up my passport and take it back to the office in Lomé with her. (I had forgotten the passport in one of my suitcases that I left behind after post visit, and she was doing me a huge favor by coming to pick it up from me, but of course, it was locked inside the house.) So now, my stuff is sitting outside in the dirt, kids are everywhere, my homologue is 2 hours away, I'm hot, tired, and growing irritated, people are shouting words back and forth about me which I don't understand, and Blandine is looking at me like I'm insane because of everything that's going on... Needless to say, it was already turning out to be a not so good day! Long story, semi-short: Blandine picked the lock to open my front gate, we moved my things inside my actual yard, instead of just having it sit inside the middle of the compound for everyone to look at and poke through, and since I was locked out of my place, looking silly, feeling like I would have a moment at any given minute, I asked Blandine if she would just drop me off in the nearest actual town, Atakpamé, so I could at least check my email while I was waiting for my homologue to arrive with my keys. I checked my email, indulged in my latest addiction, lait caille (similar to yogurt), and actually ran into a few other volunteers in the marché. It turned out to be a pretty decent afternoon, and it was just what I needed to regain my calm after my incident earlier that day. So, now, it's about 5:30 PM, the sun was going down and it was growing dark outside quickly. I found a taxi to take me back to my village, and this is when the action begins...
I got dropped off at the road leading to my homologue's house, and I had only taken a few steps when out of the clear blue, a piercingly, sharp pain shot through and gripped the heel of my left foot. For about the first 2 seconds, I stood there thinking I must've stepped on a very sharp piece of glass, but that thought quickly escaped my mind as my foot began to tingle and then completely lose sensation. I felt the pain becoming more intense and spreading, and within a matter of seconds, my foot was paralyzed and the feeling was travelling quickly throughout my entire leg. I never saw anything, but I didn't really have time to look. I somehow managed to hobble back to my homologue's house still not knowing exactly what happened, but certain now that whatever occured was serious and that I needed immediate medical attention. My homologue apparently was back in town, but not at home, so someone searched for him while I sat and waited, and completely broke down. I WAS A MESS!!! I tried be calm and wait patiently, but with every second that passed I felt increasingly worse. I started on a frantic search for a telephone cabine to call the PC Med Unit, but none of the phones were working in village and cell phone reception was also down. My homologue managed to work his way through the crowds of kids and appeared during the midst of my second break down after another unsuccessful attempt to reach the med unit. By this time, I could feel my heartbeat racing, and my fingertips were tingling and my lips were going numb! Terrible thoughts were racing through my mind as my homologue helped me out of the cabine and tells me that we're going to the missionary run hospital in my village. He puts me on the back of his moto (what they call motorcycle here), and we speed off to seek help. Fortunately, there was a working telephone line at the hospital, and I was finally able to reach the Peace Corps Medical Unit, and properly explain what happened to someone in ENGLISH. They determine I was either stung by a scorpion or bitten by a snake, and that I needed to be given anti venom serum ASAP. Im told repeadedly by the PC Med Office to make sure the needles are brand new, and to watch them open all the packages, so of course all I could think about after that was dirty needles, blood, and HIV. (AHHH!) I was taken to a room with three tiny beds, connected to an IV, and given the anit venom serum along with about 10 other medications for everything from allergies to inflammation and pain. After about 30 minutes the pain gradually began to subside, and I was actually able to pull myself together enough to joke with my homologue about the situation! According to him, he swears that both snakes and scoprions are so rare and uncommon in my village, but somehow, someway, I've managed to come in contact with both a snake (during post visit) and a scorpion now. What a welcome to village, huh? I ended up having to spend the night in the hospital, with my homologue by my side, repeating the words "Du Courage" all night! The next morning, I was feeling much better, but still had to come down to Lomé to make sure all was well. So, that's the story of my first actual day in village and how I ended up in the med unit! I should be able to leave out of here anytime now... Im still amazed by it all!!!
Ive been typing for a while, and I must let someone else use the computer now, but I will write another email message about my Christmas, 25th birthday, and New Year's here in Togo very soon...
I wish I had more time because I still have so much more to say, but just know that Im thinking about you all, and Im missing you very much right now! Merry Christmas!!!!
Peace and Love- Infinitely-
EricaPS- Sorry for the spelling and grammatical errors that are sure to exist in this email!!!
posted by peacecorpsjourneywoman @ 1:11 PM
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