Le travail (the work)

Goals 2 and 3 – sharing life, hither and thither

1.    My Togolese pals: Adelaide, Philipina, Odette, Richella, Jasmine, Mutala, Lazar, Elizabeth, Simba, Alain, Hussein, Razak, Wren, Joseph, Susanah, Marie, Amina, Abiba, Anasse, Therese, Kouma, M. Mouru, Rabiou, and the countless others that I now know by name and by sight.  It’s lovely.

2.    My blog readers.  Thank you for sharing the ride with me.  I hope you are learning something.  I have no idea what you want to know, what you would find interesting, what you care about, etc..  (Kevin, your slew of questions were awesome.)  Please send questions otherwise I just babble on with my nonsense and about being hot.

Goal 1 – yeah, the other work

1.    Shadow Ashley – learned an awful lot about the Peace Corp’s volunteer’s possibility, hope, success, patience, determination, perseverance, and what good food can do for the soul

2.    My homologue, M.M.  Learning about the history of the business (a groupement).  I asked if we might create a seasonal calendar together.  With the assistance of Ashley (and her colleagues), we were admitted as participants in the 2^nd annual Peace Corps SED Artisanal Faire to be in Lome next month.  We have a lot to do to prepare in the next few weeks.  A start.  Another seven hour ride back and forth to Lome.  Woo hoo!  So looking forward to that.  Not.  Ok, really looking forward to the eat-fest I will have.

3.    My homologue, R.  Always helpful.  Always there.  Met a group of 12 women who are eagerly waiting to start a Village Savings and Loan Association.  (more on that at a later time)  I introduced myself speaking in Kotokoli and then spoke French, which was then translated into Kotokoli.  I am so impressed with these women.

4.    Want to work with my enseigner de francais (my French tutor) with his five high school English classes (with over 100 students in each class).  First lesson: my name is not “Anasera” or “Yovo”; spread the word.

5.    My homologue, D.  Will work with him and the students at his school.  Related to those pesky computers.

6.    Camp Informatique (June 2012) here in Sokode that will focus on using computers (ghastly machines, I imagine).

7.    May do a session on Domestic Violence at the Women’s Conference in March.

8.    Off to Pagala later this month (Oct.) for the week-long Peace Corps SED IST.  More training for me; technical training specifically.  I have no idea what that means.  We’ll be in class all day and fed very, very well.

So as you can see, I am working 24/7.

Hugs from home

Thanks again for all the hugs, in the form of letters, cards, pictures, news lines (um, so, so, so, so sad about Steve Jobs – I admired and respected that man so much), email, and packages. 

No need to send magazines.  I’d rather have food.

And thank you for sending me what’s on my wish list.