Hello everyone! Well this blog is going to be a little bit of business and then a little bit of pleasure. I’ll begin with the business.

So another volunteer, Andrew Quinton, and I are planning a computer camp for high school students in our region, Central. Camp Informatique will be three days for the boys and three days for the girls and is set to take place in early June. This will be the third year for this camp, and the last two years were very successful. The importance of teaching these students proper computer skills cannot be stressed enough. Most students never have access to a computer, and then those that are lucky enough to go to university have to struggle to quickly learn these necessary skills. So the camp is designed to take the top high school students (therefore the most likely to continue to university) and teach them basic computer techniques like word processing and how to navigate the internet.

The reason I am going into detail about this is because we are currently in the process of trying to fund the camp. The community of the Central region has generously funded 25% of the camp. Andrew and I are now looking for the rest of the funding. As Peace Corps volunteers, we are not allowed to just get money from wherever we want to use for projects. There is a system called Peace Corps Partnerships that allows us to make a project proposal (complete with objectives, outcomes, and a detailed budget) and then put this proposal on the internet to try to raise money. Once our funding goal is met, the donations are cut off. So, our proposal went online yesterday!

I actually hate asking people for money, and would be horrified to think that anyone I know would feel an obligation to donate money. I just want to let everyone know that this is what I am doing, and if you want to make a contribution to Camp Informatique, we would love you forever. Please, though, do not feel obligated. I will love you forever even if you don’t have any money you want to give me. Seriously. So, here is the link to our project. If you like what you see, the instructions are all there. Also, it is tax deductible.

https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=693-348

So now for the pleasure! I just got back from my first vacation in almost seven months! Three of my friends and I went to Grand Popo, Benin for two days of rest and relaxation. We went down to Lome two days early in order to get our tourist visas, and to do some work in the Peace Corps Bureau. Being in Lome for the first time since swearing in was really nice. My main priority was to eat all the good food I had been deprived of for the last four months, and let’s just say…mission accomplished. We also went and swam at the Ambassador’s pool which was like heaven. I haven’t seen a pool in ages and it was seriously the happiest I had been in a while.

So then on Friday, we set out for Benin. To get to the border, we took a cab for about an hour to the border town of Hilakondji. From there, we had to walk across the border control area (which took some time…a little chaotic but not too bad), and switch to another cab. After some heated arguments with the cab drivers about prices, we headed to Grand Popo.

*As a side note, drivers will never tell you the right price at first, ESPECIALLY if you are white and presumed to be a tourist who has tons of money. Unlucky for them, time in Togo as volunteers with no money has taught us how to easily argue our way to the correct price.*

We arrived at our hotel, Awale Plage, after a short time. Let me just say, walking into that beach resort was like stepping out of my current life and into a completely different place. There were nice trees and landscaping, no trash crunching under my feet, the sound of the ocean, friendly people willing to help me, and beautiful pool just waiting to be swam in. We immediately sat down to eat a delicious lunch and hang out by the pool. So that night we went to the outskirst of the town and ate dinner at a little cafeteria by the beach which was really nice.
The next day, we went into the town center to walk around and see the sights. Grand Popo is a sleepy little town with not much going on. The crumbling colonial buildings had long been abandoned but still held some of their charm. We had a lovely morning talking with some of the local people, eating pizza, and just looking around. Then we went back to the hotel to relax and swim for the afternoon. Jacqui and I had a good laugh when a group of about ten men showed up to the pool and convinced the pool boy to let them swim in their underwear( I know what you are thinking, “tight white briefs are going to become see-through in the pool” and you are correct). Also I use the term “swim” loosely considering I don’t think any of them knew how to swim. That being said, the array of dives I saw kept me laughing for about an hour.

That night we went to what I would say was the nicest hotel in Grand Popo for dinner which was delicious. We all got dressed up which was really fun as we don’t have too many occasions for that as volunteers in Togo. It was by far the best meal I have eaten in a while. I had grilled lamb with garlic and mushroom sauce, sauteed potatoes, and chocolate mousse for dessert.

So, after two nights, we came back to reality in Togo. It was nice to get home after traveling. I would definitely go back to Grand Popo for a relaxing vacation. Now, it’s back to work. As I mentioned in my last post, work is pretty busy with all these summer camps I am planning. I hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of spring, and gearing up for summer in Texas! Have a margarita for me!