Posts

Two Years and Counting... a Q&A sesh

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Hello everyone, Ag girlies: my fellow female ag volunteers As of June 12 th , I have officially been in Togo for two years! To celebrate, I want to do a Q&A format for this blog posts with a few questions a people have sent me. But first a little life update: I will be wrapping up my service at the end of August and then will be visiting home for the month of September. However, I couldn’t quite yet say goodbye to Togo, so I will be returning in October to extend my service for a third year. I will be living in a different region of the country, working on a farm that serves as a local nonprofit. I have assured my friends in my current community that I will come back to visit throughout the year. That puts me in Togo until at least October 2026. And then, well… who knows! Thanks for all your support over the last few years and enjoy reading my responses to some of your very thoughtful questions! Also, disclaimer: all thoughts and opinions in my blog are my own and do not ...
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Fashion! In Togo

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One aspect of life in Togo that never ceases to amuse me is Togolese fashion. As you walk through any town or village in Togo, you may become dizzy by the sheer number of colors and patterns moving about their daily lives. One of my favorite culture shocks in Togo is the clothing people choose to wear. In this blog, I would like to share about traditional clothing in Togo, some of the amazing outfits I've encountered, and how my fashion sense has changed since arriving in Togo (as if I ever had one in the states). Finally, I would like to shout out the best dressed in Togo (in my opinion at least). Volunteers in our pagne outfits West Africa is well known for its creative and vibrant fabrics. Called "pagne" in Togo, these fabrics can be found in nearly any market and come in every color and pattern imaginable, and then some patterns you yourself could never have dreamed up. These fabrics are bought by the yard and can greatly vary in quality and price (anywhere from 1,000...
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Tastes of Togo

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Making bean beignets No matter where you go, food plays a vital role in your everyday life. We need food to survive. Food has cultural significance; it brings people together. Food can serve as a form of art. It provides a livelihood for many people: from farmers, to chefs, to butchers, to nutritionists, etc. As an athlete, my view and relationship to food changed drastically. I viewed it more as a source of energy and a daily chore rather than something to enjoy and experiment with. During my time in Togo, my relationship with food has changed once again. So enjoy a food blogpost from someone who is far from a foodie, as I share my experience growing, harvesting, conserving, preparing, and eating food in Togo.  First and foremost, the food I eat on a daily basis here is nothing like the food I eat at home. One must search far and wide to find a pizza or burger, and when you do, manage your expectations to the Togolese interpretation of American cuisine. That being said, Togolese ...
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Time to party!!

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 Happy New Year and Happy Holidays to all! Smeins Family Christmas in Ghana This year, my entire family made the long trek to West Africa, and we were able to celebrate Christmas together in Ghana. We spent a week traveling along Ghana's beautiful coast; visiting the busy markets in Accra; learning about Ghana's history of slavery, colonialism, and independence; swimming at beautiful beaches; and exploring several parks. It was great to see my family again, and they got a glimpse of what life is like in West Africa. After saying goodbye to my family, I returned to Togo to celebrate the New Year with my community. My friends and neighbors were relieved to see I made it back in time for the festivities. And let me tell you, there's been a lot of festivities since the start of the new year... The end of December typically marks the end of the harvest season--a good enough reason alone to celebrate. Add religious and traditional holidays on top of that, as well as the start of ...
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Who runs the world? GIRLS! My observations and experiences with gender roles in Togo

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 Hello everyone, it's been a while... Anna and me in Morocco With a two-week trip to Morocco and returning to Togo at the beginning of harvest season, I have had little time to work on my blog. At the end of September, I met up with Anna, a close friend from college, as well as a former roommate and teammate. We had a great time exploring the beauty and diversity of Morocco as well as catching up and sharing about our adventures over the past year. When talking to Anna about my experiences in Togo and the people I had met, she noted my appreciation and admiration for the women I had befriended and worked with in Togo. I found myself explaining how while gender inequality and injustice certainly exists in Togo, it often takes on a different form than most Americans would imagine, and it does not mean that the women here have no freedom or autonomy. Anna encouraged me to dedicate a blog post to the women I have met in Togo, as well as discuss the gender roles and disparities I have o...
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Togo Transportation: The realities of getting from point A to point B

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"Life is a highway and I want to ride it alll night looong"... Broken down bush taxi Except in Togo. Definitely not in Togo.  Growing up in the Midwest where a family of five can justify a road trip to nearly anywhere in the US over hopping on a flight, driving was simply a part of everyday life. Learning to drive at 14 (maybe even a couple attempts at 13...), getting my first car at 16, and having access to a car at nearly any moment throughout my life was certainly a privilege I didn't fully appreciate until moving to Togo where transportation is long, messy, exhausting, and often dangerous. In this post, I would like to share the transportation situation in Togo and my experience traveling throughout Togo via public transportation. Unlike many places in the states, the average citizen in Togo does not own a motor vehicle. Motorcycles are far more common than cars, and here, they are operated like dirt bikes. They weave through narrow paths between homes, honking around...
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