Hello from Togo!

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay, internet is slow and hard to come by in Togo! Quick update: things are going great! I am here living with a Togolese family and attending training classes (french, technical, health, security, etc) everyday. I take bucket showers and wash my clothes by hand which is way harder than you might think, so I gladly accept the help of my sisters (there are six in my family)

Technical classes have been great; we learn all about how to grow crops like manioc, sweet yams, peanuts, corn, and other vegetables. Next week we will learn how to make improved cook stoves and about solar drying! It is hot here, but cools off nicely at night.

Food here is great; fresh, but very starch heavy. My first meal was pasta with rice; tofu (soja here) with tomato sauce. And a lot of it. When I think I have eaten all I possibly can, my mother and sisters say, but you hardly ate! The fruit is divine; pineapple, oranges and bananas are delicious. Two Togolese dishes are called pot and foufou. Pot is corn flour, mixed zith water to a mashed potato consistency, served with okra and fish sauce or spicy (pimont) sauce, a tasty treat! Foufou is the same consistency and usually sesrved with peanut sauce, but foufou is made with manioc or yams. The women pound the boiled manioc or yams until it sticks together.

I hope all is well in the states! That is all for now, thanks for reading and until next time!