The new president swore in yesterday afternoon and everything remained calm. I hope it stays that way. There's word that we may be off standfast as early as tomorrow which would be great.
Thursday, May 05, 2005
Good morning, it's thursday here in Togo and it's also a holiday (assumption day or something like that). it's also 5/5/05 which I thought was kind of cool. And cinco de Mayo! I'll have to get a beer or two or three...
Things here in togo are still calm. The new president swore in yesterday afternoon and everything remained calm. I hope it stays that way. There's word that we may be off standfast as early as tomorrow which would be great. I really feel like getting out of Lomé, even if it's just for one night. It's not that I don't like it her but when you're not allowed to leave, it kind of makes you want to leave as soon as you can. So maybe I'll go visit some friends who live in Tabligbo, about 1 1/2 hours from here. I hear there are hippos nearby...
Yesterday with the Red Cross we took a tour of the city visiting with HIV widows to see how they've been affected by the recent political events. Some were doing well, others not so well. One even had her little stand where she sells things destroyed. Pretty heartbreaking...
It was interesting to go out and see other neighborhoods that I had never been to. I even got to go to Bé, which is were most of the action took place these past couple weeks, and it shows. Lots of burnt out vehicles, trenches dug into the sand, paved roads torn up... I was also told that it was much emptier than usual. Last I heard 18,500 people had left Togo for Benin and Ghana. My neighbors left the other day too, except for the dad. It's kin of quiet in our compound now, without the kids running around. they'll be back in a week or two though.
So I really noticed how poor this country was yesterday while I was driving around. Not that I didn't know it was poor before but I guess when you just drive by these places it doesn't really register. But getting out of the car, walking around, talking to people, going into their homes, made it all very real. It's hard to describe but for example: we visited this one home which sits right next to a 'lagoon' which is pretty much just a big cesspool. There was open sewage all around, garbage literally everywhere. The house where this widow lived had bare concrete walls and a tin roof. She was sitting on two dirty cushions on the bare floor with nothing but a sheet around her. Now I've seen poor places in the US, but this was a whole new level. It's amazing to me that people can actually live here. It makes my neighborhood, which would probably be considered a slum by US standards, look really nice. So this was all a very eye opening experience for me. It's hadr to really register all of it, but I hope that I can do just a little bit while I'm here to improve it. Even if it's just seeing it and becoming aware of it, I guess that's something.
Sooooo, besides all that, things are good. The cats are becoming a little less crazy, my potted plants are flourishing although i've given up on the sunflowers.
