West African Adventures

     Since I have been in Togo, I've been on two overnight trips. They have been great ways to get to know fellow Mercy shippers. These two trips have also shown me more of Togo and her people. Over a week ago, I went to Lake Togo with four girls from the Mercy Ship and three local Togalese guides. We stayed in bungalows overlooking the lake. They were cute, but really basic. Each bungalow had a double bed, a shower, toilet, and fan. Thank goodness for the fan when there was no air conditioning! I slept on a mattress on the floor because I was coming down with a chest cold and the girls were concerned I might get them sick... I tried not to have hard feelings about that, especially since there was an ant colony that had taken up residence next to my mattress. As the ants gradually began to find their way onto my mattress, I decided that I was going to have to move my mattress to the other bungalow where there were less ants to be found!

Anyone that knows me, knows that I am deathly afraid of all things creepy and crawly. I had a difficult time falling asleep that night due to the knowledge that I was on the ground and there was a crack underneath the door wide enough for cockroaches, rats, and who knows what else! Well, after four am, I finally fell alseep, too tired to worry anymore. If anything crawled on me that night, I was not aware, which I guess is good enough for me. We had a fun time on this trip, hanging out by the lake, playing cards, frisbee, and singing. Our West African friends love to sing, so we sang! They love repetitive songs, which is fun for maybe the first 12 hours... After 24 hours, it begins to be, well shall we say, exhausting! By the end of the trip, I decided if I never sang again, it would be fine with me! They randomly would shout out, hallelujah, praise de Lord! Oh they were funny at times. One of them proposed marriage to one of the girls I was with; he told her that they were meant to be together. That night they built a campfire on the beach and we sang and danced around it. It was a memorable night for sure. 

Amy (a pretty cool kiwi) and I

Our group

Our leaky boat before taking off

The boat above was our ride across the lake to our bungalows. We also took one of these to Togoville, a small community on the lake that was originally founded by the Germans before WWI. The boat was fully loaded with our group and another French tourist group. As soon as we all were on board, I noticed several leaks in the boat. It took us almost one hour to cross the lake, and water was steadily trickling in at a good rate from several places. I was a bit worried, but the lake is shallow and I'm a good swimmer so I thought there's no need to worry. We made it safely, but the bottom of our boat was full of water by the end of the boatride. Its funny because I don't think the Africans even noticed.
     There are many random circumstances in which I find myself here in Togo. One such moment was when our group was trying to find accomodations when we first arrived to Lake Togo. We came to a hotel called the White House. It might have once been stately, as it was trying to mimic its more famous namesake. It had old white columns with paint peeling. There were pictures of Obama around the reception desk. The West Africans here all love Obama. Many times when locals find out where I'm from, they will excitedly say, "Obama"!!! I just have to laugh. While we were talking to the receptionist, a short, almost midget, Frenchman approached us. He spoke broken English and informed us he had worked in Vietnam after the war with other Americans after the war. He was a funny little man, red faced and round, but very friendly.
     My favorite memory from this trip was when we passed an elementary school and all the kids came running out to greet us. I think African children might possibly be the most beautiful children. We got to sing and play games with them. We asked permission from their principal first, and he said it was alright. All of the kids swarmed and surrounded me. They wanted to touch my blond hair. After I gave one high five to a little girl, they all wanted one. All of the sudden, I was giving high fives to fifty kids! I read a quote that I think is so true after my experience in West Africa so far. Franz Wisner said,

"The smiles of the children with nothing are just as big, if not bigger, than their affluent counterparts."