Pictures from February - March

A sensibilization I did on how to make enriched porridge in a village of 400 people 7 km outside of my village



A typical classroom if there's no cement available



Those darn mice...



Michelle's and my Valentine's Day cake



"Piler"-ing rice (straight from the field) to separate it from its hull



Separating the rice from its chaff



This day I came home and my host family was making bat for dinner. Not kidding. This one was killed with a slingshot - and it was pregnant.



My middle school peer educators' first sensibilization! I was so proud of them.



Cows coming home from the field. These are the ones I'm kind of afraid of. When they roam free, they'll occasionally run from the fields across the road in the morning when I'm running and I have a secret fear of getting trampled.



Munchkins! (My host mom's apprentices' kids)



First big storm of the season (yes it flooded my house)



I had to get a shot of my host mom with that bag on her head because this is how the Togolese ladies protect their hair from the rain and it cracks me up every time.




Aftermath: thatch roof destroyed from the wind




Calm after the storm (shot taken by my well)




This is the cot I sleep on on the unbearably hot nights; I had it made for the equivalent of 5 dollars, and my battery-powered fan from Momma literally saved my life this season




The Family Planning campaign I worked really hard to organize in my village. Ultimately we inserted IUDs and implants in 56 women for free! That many fewer unplanned pregnancies this year!!




A talk I gave on Adolescence and Puberty for Michelle's apprentices in her village



Togo Election Day, March 4, 2010: Michelle and I hung low together. This is me trying to find BBC on the radio to hear what's going on downtown



A Saturday morning run with Michelle's apprentices



A bouillie (porridge) lady. Breakfast!




How you roast a goat




A mother pig in my village gave birth to an "elephant" according to my villagers. They had difficulty believing me when I told them that it was just a deformed piglet and wasn't actually a real elephant.




Ragu! (yams in palm oil sauce with spices) yum



World Women's Day 2010 - the parade



The World Women's Day skit my women organized. The day went so much better than last year! (refer to last year's entry)



(above) Me and my actresses, (below) the backside of my World Women's Day pagne dress which everyone was supposed to have made this year but for some reason didn't




A cute village I biked out to for a meeting.





My second FARN (refer to the November '09 entry for information about it). My boss, Tchao (far left), came to see a day of it and took pictures.
Hazards of diarrhea demo and how to make a rehydration drink




Serving food (Clarisse was trying not to smile for some reason)




Cuties



I love this shot of Clarisse cooking



FARN Group picture




Make way for ducklings Togo-style



At At Michelle's house right after a visit to the post office


These next pictures are for you, Momma, so you can see how excited I was to get your package!



Happy Easter!