Back In The Saddle

It has been too long, I know! The truth is, there really hasn’t been that much going on since I got back from the States.

Seeing my family for Christmas was such a gift. Sarah, Kate and my dad met me at the airport, where they heard Azi, my 3-legged cat, before they saw me. I brought him home for a former volunteer and he actually made me miss my flight from Paris. The trip was a total nightmare, but obviously worth it. On the 23^rd, everyone descended on the house, including my sister and her fiancé, my aunt and 2 cousins, my grandparents and my best friend Deborah, who had the important responsibility of “bringing Hanukkah” with her. Christmas day brought the remaining cousins, aunts and uncles, rounding dinner out to 19 people. It was fantastic to see everyone, but I must admit I was pretty overwhelmed for the whole trip. Not to mention, I was FREEZING! The weather was in the 40s almost the whole time but I was uncontrollably cold the whole time. How will I ever readjust to New England winters??!

I got back to Togo on New Year’s Day and really didn’t experience any culture shock. The US really strikes me as stranger than Togo these days. What was extremely difficult was going back to being alone. Anna left on New Year’s to go home for a month, so I came back and found myself relatively lost without her. Luckily, in her absence I made some amazing new friendships with other volunteers, who lifted me up and helped me get through each day until I felt better. I worry about the day I get home and no longer have support from other PCVs. I have been reminded lately that as supportive as all my family and friends are, volunteers understand each other in ways that can’t be equaled. They are the only people who understand the loneliness, the frustration, the moments of clarity of purpose. This past month has reminded me what a unique bond we all share.

On the work front, the center is almost completely done! The painting is finished and the electricity installed. Now we are waiting on the bars for the doors and windows, and once those are installed, we should be ready to move in the furniture and open the doors. I’m really excited to see it all come together, and also have a few months to help make sure everything is running smoothly. My counterpart Michel and I have also started a weekly girls’ group at a local middle school, incorporating French spelling games with small lectures on self-confidence, risky behavior, HIV/AIDS prevention, etc. So far we’ve gotten a lukewarm reception, but hopefully as we gain their trust they’ll start engaging and asking more questions.

It is completely staggering to think that there are only 6 months left of my service. When I talk about work now, suddenly it’s necessary to plan and make sure things can be finished before I leave. Although 6 months is still a big chunk of time, I really feel like I’m on the home stretch, and after so many months of counting down, suddenly that seems scary to me. As for grad schools, I have been accepted to the Fletcher School at Tufts University and am still waiting to hear from American and George Washington. Their decisions should come down sometime in March, at which point I’ll also find out what sort of financial aid package Tufts can offer me. Therefore I feel a little in limbo. I don’t know what I’ll do for sure next year yet, and I can’t make any decisions until March. I like to be able to look ahead, so waiting is a difficult thing for me to do. Fingers crossed!

At the end of this month I’m headed up to Burkina Faso for its film festival in Ouagadougou with my friend Susan. I haven’t been up that far north yet, so I’m sure it will prove to be an adventure. And I hear Ouaga has bowling! Look for another blog post about it next month!