The pre-departure pep talk

Plane tickets, check. Vaccinations, check. Sunscreen, check. Way to assuage the fears of family and friends who worry I might drop off the edge of the Atlantic into the African abyss never to be seen again...check! This is for you! (and for me too, of course. A chance to let you in on my world en mass, in hopes I might catch a glimpse of yours once in a while.). However, if months pass between posts do not fret, it probably means I'm having a good time. You can bet if I'm struck down with some tropical bug I'll be bored and blogging away. Less is more. (I know, you're not encouraged, but trust me on this one).

Thank you so much to everyone who is helping me along my journey eastward from Bellingham to NYC, and thanks to all the rest who are taking an interest in my travels. I can guarantee that as exuberant as my travel babble may become, I will be missing you all the while.

About Togo

Togo is the radiant sliver of red in the picture at right. Better known neighbors include Ghana (to the West), Benin (to the East), Burkina Faso (to the North), and the Atlantic Ocean. It sounds very similar to, but is in fact quite far from, the tropical pacific island nation of Tonga (be careful when sending me any mail! The USPS still hasn't got this straight). It is hot and humid, especially on the coast where I will be living in the capital city of Lome. The official language is French, but this is typically a second language spoken in addition to a local language, for my particular region the primary langue maternelle being Ewe (pronounced Eh-vay). If you want some cold hard stats, the CIA fact book will not dissapoint.

Togo is perhaps best known for being lesser-known, off-the-beaten-path, so slim it could almost slip through the cracks of say regional internet infrastructure or the pages of your geography textbook. Other highlights include heart-warming hospitality, feasts of fu-fu, vibrant fabrics, tireless drumming and dancing, and mystical voodoo ceremonies. Simply put: their smiles far outshine their GDP. (More than I can say for France.)

I am set to arrive in Lome October 18th where I will live with a local family.

About My Project

I will be working with a local nongovernmental organization called Young Volunteers for the Environment (Jeunes Volontaires pour l'Environnement) as well as the University of Lome's new program in Women, Water and the Environment to look at the use of solar water pasteurization as a means of improving health, reducing use of environmentally harmful fuels (wood and charcoal), and in the process empowering women as advocates for the sustainable use of natural resources.

On the title: "Yovo" I'm told is the Togolese term for a foreigner (as in, really obvious foreigner, as in white) and, I am told, will become my new name whether I like it or not. (Including an accompanying song which will carry me through the streets Yovo yovo, bon soir, ca va bien merci...) I have heard it said that "there are no foreign lands, only the traveler who is foreign." So these are a few words from a foreigner. Simple as that.