Im' sitting in an internet cafe in Kpalime, the closest big town to our village, and half our group is in tears cause we're all talking to home for the first time in a week. It has been pretty difficult, but on the upside I walk to my training in the morning and realize that Im going to lessons in a village in Africa, which is pretty damn cool. We're in the foothills of the largest mountain in Togo, Mt Agou, which makes for a pretty paradise-like area, if it werent for the malarial mosquitos, the latrine (read: a hole in the ground with a box on top), the huge spiders, the amoebas and the parasites...
My host family is really nice. I have a little buliding in the compound to myself. Families here are large and live in buildings surrounding a central courtyard. So my family lives around the courtyard. I have a mom, a dad, 4 siblings, and then another couple who have 2 kids. At any one time there are about 10 kids running around my compond chasing after me and yelling "yovo!" (which means white person) and waving at me. Sometimes they are the only things that make my day a little better. I'm learning french really quickly, which is good. I like the language and I'm actually learning a little Ewe as well, the local language.
My host family is nice and cooks good stuff that I can eat, and theres a light in my latrine, which is REALLY exciting because it means no cockroaches so far!!!! We have no cell reception and no internet in my village but today was our afternoon off so we all came to Kpalime (the largest close town) to get calls from home. We're all a mess now cause we talked to parents, etc. which is really hard when you're homesick. My village is small but I have electricity in my rooms (very exciting). Since we cant drink the water here,everything seems to revolve around getting water, filtering water, brushing teeth with filtered water, staying hydrated....Ive never thought about water so much in my life. Im exhausted partly because Im trying to stay healthy, partly cause Im physically tired, but mostly cause I'm emotionally and mentally exhausted. I have to speak french with my host family, and I'm learning phrases in the local language, Ewe, at the same time.