My Time in Togo as a Peace Corps Volunteer

"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...

 While projects are only the fraction of our work as a Peace Corps volunteer, I have learned a lot and gained many new friendships through my work in my community. As a result, I wanted to dedicate a few posts to some of the projects I am working on in my community. These projects are ongoing, and the process is often messy and far from perfect, but I feel that I and my community have gained a lot from these projects, even if it's not always in the way we initially imagined. In this post, I will be highlighting my soil project in my community. We started discussing this project last January and started the process in February. So as you can see things take a while to implement here... especially when the projects are dependent on the seasons. Side note: this story was also submitted to the Peace Corps as a report of some of my work at site. I thought I might as well share with all of you as well. Within the first six months in my community, I had the opportunity to spend a consider...

 This week, my cohort and I reached one full year into our service.  Walking to the field with my friend For me, this milestone passed as a typical day in Togo: a random stranger helping me hail a taxi off the side of the highway; sharing snacks with the driver and passengers I rode with for over two hours; buying fried tofu and boiled peanuts on the street for lunch; and enjoying an evening at my local market making rounds eating, drinking, and talking with vendors and friends. Not too shabby for my 365th day, but certainly nothing too out of the ordinary.  As I have reached a year into my service and 15 months in Togo, I have reflected on my time here so far--all that I have learned, challenges I have overcome, new skills I have acquired, and new friendships I have formed. I have also begun to consider the time I have left here and all the things I want to achieve with my community, as well as the steps beyond Peace Corps (though it's too early to say anything...). A co...