Dear Friends and Family,

I am writing to you on a rainy morning. I slept late and when I woke I found that the light was as dim as dusk. Zorro and I were hardly half-way through our morning walk when the first drops began to fall. I turned us around and we jogged home. Zorro shook off rain in frustration whenever I slowed to a walk. (A belly full of coffee and breakfast is not the best companion to running). We got in before the downpour began.  I think the true rainy season (les grandes pluies) may be upon us now.

Despite nearly two years in Togo, I still struggle to predict the weather. Each time the rain slows, I think it may be my moment to gather the day’s supplies and head out to work. Then the drumming on the roof picks up pace and I’m left standing in my doorway, staring off at the grey sky. In the midst of my hemming and hawing, I remembered the pure creative energy I felt when I wrote “Rain Day” . The power of the rain was electrifying and reawakened my writing spirit. So, I am setting aside hemming and hawing, and letting the rain give me a chance to write to you all. 

I have been writing in new ways. Through my classroom partnership with Reach the World. I have been writing blog posts for an audience of fourth graders. The writing assignments are fun. I have written about food, traditions, and local animals. And, I have had the chance to video call with the students twice. Modern technology is a strange and wonderful thing. Somehow from my kitchen table in Togo I show up on a laptop screen in the Bronx. When the librarian sets the laptop down in front of the students, I am fully part of circle time.

I also had a chance to contribute an interview to WanderingTheWorld.com.  The website is a great resource for applicants and current volunteers. The website’s author, Jim, is on his third Peace Corps tour. Not only does he have his own wisdom to share, but he is good at connecting volunteers across different posts. I think as the website continues to grow it will also serve as a archive of the Peace Corps experience.

In village news, we inaugurated the new hospital on April 7th! Our first staff member, a nurse, was able to attend the inauguration. He’s in the process of moving himself and his family to the village. The midwife and birth attendant should be arriving soon. The land for this hospital was cleared during my site visit in July 2023. So its construction has kept pace alongside my service. You can look forward to a blog post with photos of the whole process. 

Our community garden work in Koukoude is in full swing now. On April 10th, we planted the first seeds in our plant nursery. In addition to daily watering, once a week the group gathers for a big work day. We have a compost pile to be turned and watered, more garden beds to be built, and weeding. Coming up this week, we will transplant a few seedlings. There are a few hiccups — the arrival of ants, for one — but it gives us a chance to learn together. Yesterday, with the middle school agriculture club we made neem leaf insecticide. A couple of Koukoude neighborhood folks joined to both learn the process and help me herd the teenagers. So, now I think we can do the same training with the gardening group. 

I visited Kpalimé again a couple of weeks ago. I was originally heading south to help Dhey with a project. Unfortunately the project was cancelled last minute, but since my bus ticket was already bought, I got to enjoy a little weekend trip. We visited the arts center and tried out the pottery wheel. It felt good to try throwing again. (And it was nice that the instructor knew when to take over so that everyone could come home with something nice looking.) Creating beautiful, balanced, and functional pottery is a real craft. 

It was nice to have an opportunity to explore Togo a little more. Heading North, I stopped chez Courtney to see her little village at last! The village is fairly close to Atakpame and tucked in at the base of a mountain. It was mango-collecting time, so our walk through her village was flanked by piles upon piles of yellow mangoes. A little further out from the center of her village is a beautiful waterfall. 

Unfortunately, while I was at Courtney’s house I was struck by a horrible stomach illness. It’s source was a horrible mystery. I asked other volunteers I had seen if they had felt ill and no one else had. Maybe someone had cursed me, I really don’t know.  I am very grateful I had a friend to take care of me though. After taking a lot of strong medicine, I was able to travel home. But the sickness left me weak and lethargic for a week after. I am regaining my strength and appetite now. I am hoping this is the last physical test I have to pass through during my Peace Corps service. 

Today marks two months left of my service. I was feeling pretty bitter and frustrated that I lost at least a week of precious time due to illness. My mind was also being pulled outside of Togo as I plan for moving to Virginia. There are plenty of logistics to figure out. Spending hundreds of dollars in a single swoop for deposits and flights when I make $375 a month here has been stressful. And, simply put, I am planning for a reality that does not feel real while I live in Togo. For a few days the thought that was spiraling endlessly in my head was “my life is about to be radically different and I cannot imagine it.” The logistics are beginning to fall into place now. Restarting my work on projects in village has brought me back to the present. As I’ve regained my energy, my sense of practicality (i.e. my ability to make a to-do list) has helped me snap out of the spiraling thoughts. That said, my swinging emotions during this planning period may have just been a little preview of the “reverse cultural shock” that will hit me in strange ways upon my return to the U.S. 

Two months left of service also means I have accomplished twenty-two months of service so far! A big accomplishment if I do say so myself! I plan to make the most of my last stretch. I hope to bring in some of that early-days energy so I can soak it all in before the end. 

Wishing everyone a happy spring (or rainy season),

Janet