Once I arrived in Lome, I calmed down and stepped off the airplane at the tiny airport that was smaller than the Ottawa bus station. The air smelled like gasoline and was humid and warm. The sky was dark then at 8:30 pm; I was told that the sun sets at 6 pm sharp everyday. The days are more or less 12 hours long all year round. Apparently, I caught the tail end of the small rainy season--though it hasn't rained yet. The other two crossroaders, Chantal and Mitra met me at the other end of customs which I got through fairly quickly given the chaotic crowd.
So, now it's been three days. Ever since I stepped off the plane, the anxiety, fears, and panic have dissappeared. The sights and sounds of Lome have been thrilling and so wonderful. The people here are incredibly warm and welcoming so far. I dropped my hat at a market without noticing, left and returned two hours later, when one of the merchants called out to Simplice, one of the NGO directors here, and told him that he had my hat. The Togolese sense of humour is very sarcastic and teasing, which made me feel right at home. The people here joke (well, sometimes they are serious, I'm told) with constant proposals of marriage. I've already had three, one of them from a mother on behalf of her son, a grown man standing next to her~~it was very sweet!
The time here runs slower, and people have the habit of taking a siesta. The roads, with exception of the few paved "goudronnes", are made up of a beautiful red sand. Instead of squirrels, there are tons of harmless lizard, and many of chickens. The people here kiss on the cheeks to greet (from the French customs?), and if it is an especially warm welcome, there are four kisses~~all starting on the right cheek, not the left!
Yesterday I met my host maman, Felicite and my boss, Guy, director of VivreMieux, the NGO I will be working for, and Rudy, a co~worker. My host mother is an instructor for kindergarden teachers. She trains them to be teachers and is a formidable lady with short hair and a very sincere smile. From our conversations so far, she seems totally open minded and cool. She explained that the things she valued most in life are transparency and the relationships between people. I was a bit worried being asked about my religious beliefs because people here are either christian, muslim, or animist (primarily), and might not take anything else (i.e. not religious) well; furthermore, my host papa is a pastor. I explained that I did belive in a greater entity than myself but that I didn't subscribe to any religion, albeit I respect all religions for the important basic morality they support. She accepted my response readily and asked if this meant that I could not go to church. I explained, that, yes, I could go to church. She said, in a very neutral way, "ok, that is good because my husband is a pastor". I think that went well.
Rudy is a better speaker of English than French because his wife is from Ghana, so we've established that he'll be my I'm-too-tired-to-speak-french-today friend and translator at work. I look forward to working with him, he seems like a very solid, good guy. Guy, my boss, is such a quintessential visionary. He's got greying hair, very tall, speaks very slowly and very eloquently, with wise words mixed with teasing jokes. Only one day with this man, I'm already in awe of him. Along with founding and running Vivre Mieux, he also works full time as the UNDP's Global Fund Director for the plateaux region in Togo and acts as a doctor (in a medical assistant capacity) for people in Kpalime.
I leave for Kpalime with my host mom and dad today. Apparently my three host sisters eagerly await my arrival. At 8, 10, and 14, the three girls will be fun, I hope.
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