From May 5 - May 21, I went home to the States for a brief vacation! I had a blast but unfortunately lost my camera during the trip, so I can't post any pictures from the trip or from the several weeks in Togo just prior to leaving. However, a few days after arriving back in Togo, my Dad came for a 10-day visit. Thanks to the use of his camera, I've been able to post some pictures from his trip.
Dad's first day in Togo; a picture of us in front of the Peace Corps headquarters in Lome.
Taking a nap at the hotel, exhausted from the long trip and the heat.
Fabiola and me at the Grand Marche in Lome. This is my last picture with Fabiola before she ended her service this past week :(
On the way to Notse with some other volunteers for a Peace Corps organized festival advertising the benefits of the Moringa tree to local Togolese (Dad's first bush taxi ride)
Arriving at the hotel in Notse.
Setting up the charcoal at my booth for my presentation on the transformation of Moringa seeds into oil.
Grinding the Moringa seeds
Kids' Corner
Unloading Moringa trees to sell
Moringa advertisement poster
Moringa parade
Explaining oil transformation to interested Togolese
me and Dad!
Teaching the Togolese how to play musical chairs
Our audience
View of the marche from Dad's and my hotel room in Notse
Breakfast of bouillie the morning we left Notse
Gas station - bush taxi style
Walking to the Atakpame Peace Corps transit house with some other volunteers on the way back to village
Hanging out/Talking on the phone at the transit house
Dad and the little friends he made on the way to the Atakpame marche
Stocking up on vegetables - because I can't get them in village!
street food lunch
Dad's first moto-taxi ride in Togo - the last leg of the trip before we finally got to my village
nap time at my house
On the way to visit Danielle (that's me on the moto up ahead)
Chez Danielle
Touring Elavagnon (Danielle and Dad)
Now that rainy season is starting, Danielle and I wanted to try planting a vegetable garden. Dad helped plant.
Dad drawing water from the well
Dad and his favorite part of my village: the pigs
Visiting the school where I teach during the school year
The mill outside my house
Cooking and eating dinner - courtesy of the self-timer feature (The sign on my wall in the above picture is the sign Danielle made and put up for my arrival back in Togo - it was really sweet)
Dad's first taste of Tchouk (the local beer)
We went to the fields to show Dad what that's like. On the way we crossed paths with some Fulani cows being herded off to the market to be sold.
At the fields
Helping my host family plant peanuts
We stopped by one of my village neighbor's houses on the way back from the fields because he wanted to show off the skin he had kept from an alligator he caught
Dad watching pigs eat scraps I threw in the bushes
Playing with American toys!!
Laundry time
Thursday baby weighing
I still love holding babies!
Dad's first day in Togo; a picture of us in front of the Peace Corps headquarters in Lome.
Taking a nap at the hotel, exhausted from the long trip and the heat.
Fabiola and me at the Grand Marche in Lome. This is my last picture with Fabiola before she ended her service this past week :(
On the way to Notse with some other volunteers for a Peace Corps organized festival advertising the benefits of the Moringa tree to local Togolese (Dad's first bush taxi ride)
Arriving at the hotel in Notse.
Setting up the charcoal at my booth for my presentation on the transformation of Moringa seeds into oil.
Grinding the Moringa seeds
Kids' Corner
Unloading Moringa trees to sell
Moringa advertisement poster
Moringa parade
Explaining oil transformation to interested Togolese
me and Dad!
Teaching the Togolese how to play musical chairs 
Our audience
View of the marche from Dad's and my hotel room in Notse
Breakfast of bouillie the morning we left Notse
Gas station - bush taxi style
Walking to the Atakpame Peace Corps transit house with some other volunteers on the way back to village
Hanging out/Talking on the phone at the transit house
Dad and the little friends he made on the way to the Atakpame marche
Stocking up on vegetables - because I can't get them in village!
street food lunch
Dad's first moto-taxi ride in Togo - the last leg of the trip before we finally got to my village
nap time at my house
On the way to visit Danielle (that's me on the moto up ahead)
Chez Danielle
Touring Elavagnon (Danielle and Dad)
Now that rainy season is starting, Danielle and I wanted to try planting a vegetable garden. Dad helped plant.
Dad drawing water from the well
Dad and his favorite part of my village: the pigs
Visiting the school where I teach during the school year
The mill outside my house
Cooking and eating dinner - courtesy of the self-timer feature (The sign on my wall in the above picture is the sign Danielle made and put up for my arrival back in Togo - it was really sweet)
Dad's first taste of Tchouk (the local beer)
We went to the fields to show Dad what that's like. On the way we crossed paths with some Fulani cows being herded off to the market to be sold.
At the fields
Helping my host family plant peanuts 
We stopped by one of my village neighbor's houses on the way back from the fields because he wanted to show off the skin he had kept from an alligator he caught 
Dad watching pigs eat scraps I threw in the bushes
Playing with American toys!!
Laundry time
Thursday baby weighing
I still love holding babies!
5 comments:
This is so awesome, you and Dad are so cute! Especially Dad and the pigs!
Great pictures! I'm sure you and your dad had a great time. We were so happy we were able to see you in Boston. Keep on working and serving. "Inasmuch as you have done it to the least of these brethren, you have done it onto Me." Love from G and G Jacobsen
Great photos, especially the baby weighing on the meat scale!. I just returned from visiting Ashley in W. Virginia. She delivered a healthy girl, but the weighing process was slightly different there!
So good to visit with you in SLC, and confirm that you really are relatively safe -- more importantly, that you are actively engaged in such good work
Kristina
Great photos. Looks like you gave your dad full exposure to the culture and your everyday life! He speaks very warmly of his visit so I know you both had a great time.
Looks like a great experience and one that will mould you and that you'll remember all your life.
Steve (Belmont)
Fun to see photos of Wesley & daughter. Togo is a lot different than Japan!
Post a Comment