1 Auôt, 2012

I’ve been living in Togo for about three weeks now. So far things haven’t been too difficult to adjust to and not much has happened that I didn’t anticipate. But I just got my first shock: my post. I know I had been told countless times already not to put too much weight or anticipation into receiving a certain site, but I made the rookie mistake and did just that. I expected a placement in the Maritime region, at the site near one of the main phosphate mines in Togo, or in the extreme north in the Savannes region where I hear gold mines abound. I did not expect to be placed in the far east of the Kara region (the zone just south of Savannes) in the large village of Sola (Pop. ~6000), right near the border with Benin.

            But that is where I’ll be living for the next two years! I am both excited and terrified, just as I’ve felt through most of this journey thus far and as I’m sure I’ll feel continuously for the foreseeable future. So first lets explore the excited part of my dichotomous emotional life at this moment. Sola is located in one of the more mountainous regions of Togo and is supposed to be exceptionally beautiful. I am already well aware of how beneficial mountain vistas are for my mental health and serenity, so this is certainly a blessing. While I haven’t seen photos of my house, I’m told it has a large terrace, which may be the perfect location to welcome guests and watch the sunset over the mountains.

            I’m also posted in a strong cluster of fellow volunteers, with two EAFS located each about 30km away and one SED (small enterprise and development) located in Pagouda, the closest large town, which is a mere 20km away. These distances make my site one of the more remote, but its still only and hour-ish bike ride to one of my cohorts. And apparently I’ll be biking A LOT because moto/bush taxi transportation to my site is more limited than to most.

            While my site isn’t new for Peace Corps, it is new for my program and the last volunteer, a CHAP (community health and AIDS prevention) worker, left in 2001. So it will likely seem like I’m forging new ground, which is mostly an exhilarating thought. But this also means I might encounter people who have never heard of Peace Corps and forging work connections may be slightly more difficult than for a hf;r’’gtd                            d [[[‘’’’’\\]                9999999999999999999[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[

‘ (sorry, my two little host sisters came in and started playing with my computer for a minute)

anyway, as I was saying… somethings may be slightly harder than if I was in a replacement site. But overall, I think it will be a great placement and I’m stoked to get a taste of my life to come when I go to post visit in two weeks!