Jocelyn In Africa

I know..its been a long time!

2010-04-02T14:02:00.002-04:00

I'm sorry that it has been ages since I last posted on my blog. It seems that when I do get internet access, facebook seems to be easier to post pictures and updates but I decided to update on here for a bit. What amazes me is that I will be heading back to America in a little over 7 months. The time has flown and I have been pretty busy these last few months. Heres a little update on the goings on in Waragni, Togo.

Mondays: I still do babyweighing (CPC) and really enjoy it. The mothers are so sweet and its great to see a baby I saw at 3 days old, grow up over the course of time to a healthy little one year old. I have worked on a organizational system for the health cards and so far it has worked really well and the rest of the health staff has been keeping up with it.

Tuesdays: At the beginning of the year, PLAN Togo came to my village and set up a Jardin des Enfants (kindergarden) at one of the local elementrary schools. I started working there on Tuesday to help with curciculum building and basic numbers and letters. To say the least, its intense..there are about 55 kids between the ages of 1-5yo. Its fun but the organization needs a lot of work.

Wednesdays: The past year, Wednesday afternoons was taken up with two elementary school girls soccer practices. This past month I have started working with an adult literacy class that was started by the Social Affairs office in a village close to me. Its been really inspiring and I really love participating in this class. There are 23 women and 7 men in the class, all who have very little or no schooling. I love when some of the women are so excited about one of the activities that they call me over and beam a large smile.

Thursdays: In the morning I have a mothers club that I work with on income generating activities and other projects. These women are really awesome and we put on a big sketch for international womens day on forced marriage. They rock!

Im also working on a large project in my region called "Take your daughters to work". More info will follow on the process of the project and funding will be needed, so please keep your eyes out for an email.

I miss you all and am looking forward to seeing everyone in November!
Joc

Pictures from Australia!

2009-10-14T19:41:00.003-04:00

I have had an amazing time in Australia and am really sad to leave! Its going to be an interesting and I am guessing, difficult transition back to Togo and back to my village. I do really miss my kids and am looking forward to upcoming projects in my village...but having a taste of development will make it a little more challenging!
Since I have taken so many pictures, I have posted them on facebook. Here is the link to view the pictures (you dont have to sign up if your not on facebook!)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2038998&id=59802577&l=0f34d1cb2c

One year in Togo...check

2009-09-22T13:29:00.002-04:00

Isn't it amazing that a year can fly by so fast? I arrived in Togo a year ago, scared out of my mind, wondering what the hell I was doing here and excited at the same time to have a new adventure! Here I am now, living in a tiny three room house, surrounded by children and speaking French and Kabye. Its crazy how surreal life can be and how blessed I am to have this opportunity to grow as a person and to share part of my life with new friends.
This past week brought me back to Lome to welcome a new group of girls education volunteers to country. I was chosen as a volunteer trainer for this week to help introduce them to Togo and help them adjust to living in Africa. Its been a pretty draining experience but its great to feel like the "experienced" one and be throwing out advice like candy. I am heading up to the training site tomorrow with the group and leave Saturday for a few days of R&R. Next Wednesday I head to Ghana for my flight to AUSTRALIA!! I am ecstatic! I am looking forward to spending 14 days with my dear friend Daniella, in the land down under! I will have Internet and skype during that time as well, so communication will be great then. Pictures will also be posted!
I hope all is well in America or wherever you all! I miss and love you all!

Happy 31st birthday infected finger!

2009-07-20T14:07:00.003-04:00

Yep, sometime during my birthday the other day, I cut myself and i am now down in Lome with a pretty nasty infection on my finger. It hurts..a lot! I should be better tomorrow with antibiotics and some pain killers.

I had a really nice birthday though and thank you all who were able to call!! The Friday before my bday, I had just finished working at a camp for HIV/AIDS orphans (Camp Espoir) and then went up to my friends village with 4 of my friends. We played cards and had a few beers b/c we were all exhausted from a week running around with the kids. We made pizza in a dutch oven and Grant shared his mint double stuffed Oreos (which I would LOOOVEE here!). I left to go back to my village on Saturday after a really nice walk around my friends village. From there my finger got worse and I was told I needed to come down here. AC and good food for 48 hours...a nice post bday treat...minus gross finger!!

Otherwise things are good. My large project of rebuilding the middle school has been stopped due to the fact that the government has come in and has started rebuilding it themselves. Its great that the kids will get a new school for the start of the new semester but it sort of put a damper on the thoughts of a 2 year long project for me. There are other opportunities in my village for other projects so I am not concerned. Things have been busy this "summer" with training and a week of Camp Espoir, welcoming the new group of volunteers to country, saying goodbye to volunteers who are leaving and getting ready for a big fete in village where they wrestle and eat dog! I am passing on all mentioned but will enjoy watching!

Its pretty amazing that time has flown by so fast and in September I will be hitting my year mark. CRAZY!! I miss you all!!

13.5 hours in a bush taxi

2009-06-14T17:31:00.002-04:00

I dont suggest it to anyone! It was a long trip but worth it to finalize my trip to Australia and help my friend Meg return to the US. Makes me very sad :( All is good otherwise!

Time keeps a rolling...and things keep a happening

2009-05-17T15:41:00.003-04:00

Hi friends and loved ones!

I am in Lome for a couple days for a meeting and to get a required flu shot that I nicely declined 6 months ago. The US gov decided that we now HAVE to have the flu shot b/c of the swine flu. Dude! There are a million pigs in my village...no swine flu here! HAHA!

Things are going well in village and I seem to be pretty busy most weekends with Peace Corps events and then soon Camp Espoir ("Hope" in french) . The camp is a week of fun for children effected or infected with HIV/AIDS. I also have a big project in the works by rebuilding the middle school in my village. More info to come later....

People have been asking what I do in village so here is a little rundown on my weekly activities!

Mondays: I help with baby weighing at my local tiny three room hospital. I organize the health cards and then recently have given "sensibilizations" to the women on nutrition and taking care of their babies. I have become a health volunteer!! My counterpart, a midwife, works with the women on keeping their babies at the right weight and can really set them straight if she sees that the kids are losing weight.

Tuesdays: I do laundry which can take some time since its all by hand!

Wednesdays: Girls EPP football practice (elementary school soccer) I just started this team a few weeks ago and the girls are amazing! I am going to be starting 2 other teams at the other EPPs so we will have some great girls football in village!

Thursdays: Red Cross Mothers club meeting which is a great group of women who have a savings group and I do activities with them that help them generate money for their families.

Those are the regular activities but things pop up and have some projects on the horizon....

Congrats to Kar and Aar on their soon to be new addition...a baby! To think that so many little ones will be giant when I get back home!

I have plans of going to Australia in October and am super excited about seeing another new place! I think of you all often and miss seeing everyones kind faces!!

So you want to send me a package part 2!

2009-04-02T08:40:00.003-04:00

Thanks so much to everyone for sending me packages over the last 7 months! I'm sorry if I haven't gotten to everyone to say "Thank you" but communication is sort of tricky here. Please know that EVERYTHING is greatly appreciated! (even the toilet paper from Katie!!) I decided to update my package list of things I would like or dream about! :

Twislers
Protein (canned chicken, shrimp, ect...no tuna please, I can get that here)
Bandannas
Seeds for my garden..veggies or flowers (please check to see about the heat tolerance)
A wall calender for 2009
MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat): you can find them at outdoor stores
DVD's (comedys, romance ect...)
New books (Thank you ahead of time for Twilight book 3 and 4, Stacy!!)
Magazines (Us Weekly, Time, People, Oprah ect..) Lis and Bev thanks so much for your magazines!!
Photos of home (Jenny and Kar...all the pics are on my wall!)
French children's books
** I would also really like Barack Obama's book "Dreams of my Father" in FRENCH. I would like to give it as a gift to my counterpart here in country.**
http://www.amazon.com/Reves-Mon-Pere-Dreams-Father/dp/0320079414
Drink mixes
T-shirts from places back home....and WHEN UNC wins the championship...I would love a t-shirt!!

Thanks again for the cards, gifts and kind words. Its really means so much to me when I get mail!!

Pictures finally!!

2009-04-01T09:16:00.020-04:00

Hi everyone! It's picture time! Enjoy!

This is one of the 4 classrooms in the middle school in my village. There is an average of 70 students per classroom.

This is the main road in my village. There is also a small side road that goes to the chiefs house.

This is a picture from the Pagala Market on Saturdays (17k away from my village) where I get my mail and visit with other volunteers. This is just a tiny part of the market...it's pretty big!

Here are some of the girls that I do English tutoring with on Wednesdays. They were helping me harvest Moringa. Moringa is an amazing tree that has medicinal properties and high nutritional value. Peace Corps is very active in promoting it in communities.

This is the river in Pagala where many people wash clothes.

This is the library in my village which was set up by the previous volunteer. We are always in need of french books!

Sunset from my shower area at my house.

My latrine and part of my house. I have 3 small rooms and a small garden.

My gate and the view from my porch into my family's compound.

My porch!

My "living room".

My host brother and sister and two other girls that hang out at my house.

My neighbors, Sarafine and Simion. Super cute kids who can be a bit of a handful sometimes.

My favorite picture of Simion!! He loves to make faces!

3 months --check!!!

2009-03-22T12:09:00.002-04:00

hi everyone- just a quick note to update everyone on my life. im feeling much much better and health wise have been doing well for the past 2 months. things are rolling in village and i have some programs on the horizon which is fun. i also just got my new camera from the states so i will be posting pictures when i go down to lome in a couple weeks. i am heading to ghana with 2 other volunteers for a relaxing vacation and some american type food!! very exciting!! so more updates in a couple weeks as well as pics and maybe a video!! thanks to everyone for my packages, it is so wonderful to get gifts and to be updated on things going on in the states! love and miss u all! - joc

A little stop over in Lome

2009-02-05T13:56:00.002-05:00

So I have been sick for the past week...had some gross infected bug bites that turned into a fever which then turned into a cough. I have been down in Lome at the med unit for the past 24 hours. The chest xray and blood work came back ok with just the indication that I am allergic to the weather...yes, the weather. Right now its hot and dusty which I guess aggravates some allergies I never knew I had. I'm going to stay here another day and then head back to village on Saturday. The extra crazy thing is that I have lost 37 pounds. ( I mean I did have it to lose...BUT that's a lot for such a short period of time) I hope I can also get a good nights sleep tonight!

month one, check!!

2009-01-09T11:55:00.002-05:00

hi everyone, again excuse the weird typing style, french keyboards are pretty different!

i have just finished my first month at post which i think is a pretty good start. ive been healthy except for a upper respritory thing that knocked me out for a couple days, im feeling better now!

im getting my feel around village and have been working with the english club at the middle school and getting to know the mothers in the red cross mothers group. daily life is different each day and i have yet to get a routine down, which should hopefully get it self worked out in the next couple months. thank you all for all of the packages and letters, mail is such a treasure here! sorry this is short but my time is running out... i am here and trying to be as present as possible! i miss you all

So, you want to send me a package...

2008-12-11T07:53:00.002-05:00

-Peanut M&M's
-I saw that Wally Lamb has a new book out...i would love to read it...but make sure you post on my blog if you are going to send it, that way I don't get a ton of copies!
-T-shirts from where you live, or where I have lived or visited
-Anything packaged like cereal, goldfish, mac and cheese ect...
-Art supplies
-Stickers
-My father is sending me a portable dvd player, so any recent movies would be great!
-PICTURES!!!

or whatever you think I would like!

Miss you all
Joc

Get to know Jocelyn's village 101

2008-12-09T13:39:00.002-05:00

So people have been asking me about the village I will be living in for the next two year. The pictures that I posted are not of my village but another village that we visited during our training. My camera is broken so once I figure out that situation, I will get some pics of my village.
Here is some info for you:

Name: Waragni
Location: Pretty much the center for Togo. If you look at map of Togo, I am pretty much between Sokoude and Atakapeme.
Electricity?: Nope, but some people have generators which I can use
Running Water?: Heck no! I'm all about bucket showers now
Cell phone reception?: It's a little spotty in my village but my best reception in my house is in my latrine. Nope, not kidding!
Internet?: Nope, my best bet is in Atakapeme which is 2.5 hours away.
Food in village: My village is known for their enormous yams..yep, yams. I have to go 7k for bread, eggs and papier hygenic. I can get Laughing Cow cheese 17k away.
Mail: My mail spot is in Pagala which is 17k away. I can take a moto or get a car...but since there are only 3 cars in my village, I am pretty much always going to moto it.
Schools: There are 3 primary schools (called EPPs), 1 middle school (called CEG) and 1 high school (called Lycee). The Lycee is pretty small with only one girl graduating from it last year.

Those are the basics of Togo right now for me! Togo, Togo!

Online article about our swear-in

2008-12-07T13:42:00.002-05:00

http://fr.allafrica.com/stories/200812050166.html

just to let you know it's in French :)

The world is ruled by girls!!

2008-12-06T12:06:00.004-05:00

Congrats to Bethany and Matt on the birth of little Lea Louise!! Born on November 24th at 2:26pm!
AND
Congrats to Stacy and Billy on the birth of little Hailey Ann!!! Born on November 26th at 9:09am!
AND
Congrats to Jen and Scott on the birth of little Aniston Parker!! Born on November 19th!!

All three beautiful little girls and parents are doing well!!I can't wait to get pictures over the course of the years!! Tante (Aunt in French!) Jocelyn is very excited to have little ones to spoil!

Pictures!! Sorry there is no order...just some good pictures from my first 3 months!

2008-12-06T11:11:00.008-05:00

My host father's new restarunt in Agou! Guess who was one of the 4 to name it!! ME!! The name means: " The idea of Obama" in Ewe.

A life skills skit in Wassarabo, Togo : Region Centrale

A village savings and loan group not far from my village

Riding in a bush taxi during a field trip to northern Togo....oh the dust!! I'm the orange bandana in the middle!

Celebrating James's 21st birthday!!

Visiting a middle school in Wassarabo...i'm the one in the pink shirt!

The bandana crew!

One of the dances during our welcome fete in Agou

It's official!!

2008-12-06T06:34:00.003-05:00

I'm a Peace Corps Volunteer!! Swear in was just two days ago and I was all dressed up in my pagne dress, raised my right hand and took a oath at the US embassy. Pretty cool huh??? The question is, Jocelyn, shouldn't you be at your post right now? Well, since my French wasn't really at the right level, the PC wanted me to stay down in Lome for an extra week to brush up on my french. Not a bad deal huh? I get Internet, a shower and a fan for the next week. As well as some really good food...can you believe I ate Chinese food last night? Things are good though. Training is finished, which is nice but I sort of liked living in my little bubble of training. Now it time to step out and be real volunteers. Thank you all for letters and packages!! I was so excited when I came to Lome and saw that I had 4!! packages...thanks Lisa, Erin, Bev and Dad!!
So I am going to post some pictures when i have more time this week...prob tomorrow! My camera broke the first week but i have other pictures from other volunteers. I miss you all!!

my life so far in the far away land

2008-11-08T10:06:00.002-05:00

hi everyone!!

i miss all of you greatly and i hope my posting finds everyone healthy and happy!
this is my second time to access internet and with a french keyboard its a little challenging! i just finished my post visit for my village i will be living in for the next two years! its a small village called waragni which is locacted in almost the middle of the country! i had a nice time for my week there and even got my kabiye name : massaloo, which means born on saturday; the day i got to village. i am now in ataphame; my regional capital for a post visit party with other volunteers. we head back to our host families tomorrow and are there for about a month before swearing in as official volunteers!! i then go to waragni for two years!! its really blows my mind that it is really happening!! i am doing well but having some major challenges with learning french, but i know it will come soon enough!! i wrote out this great email on my friends computer but come to find out that a zipdrive wont work here. oh well, welcome to togo! i recently got a phone call from jess via skype and it only cost her three cents a min!! so no excuses for not contacting me!! and texts from skype work well too!! if you want to send me things: anything solar powered, i would love a solar charger btw!, i dont have electricty at my post, any food that i can just add water too, funny things, little creative things for kids in the village, updates from popular magazines... or anything to tell me you love me! ok down to a couple mins left on the internet. i love and miss you all!!!

what is going on now

2008-10-11T12:40:00.000-04:00

hi everyone you will have to disregard spelling errors since i am on a french style keyboard. things are good here so far. i have been living with my host family for almost 3 weeks now. i have three siblings; 2 younger brothers and a sister. im safe and have a cell phone 0012289861851 i love phone calls...skype is one of the best for calling..have to go but miss you all

I'm here!

2008-09-22T16:01:00.002-04:00

I'm here and safe in Togo!! It's an incredible place filled with wonderful people and colors!! This is quick due to the fact I am on a friends laptop with limited battery! We are going through training and leave on wednesday for our host family and to start french lessons. More updates later!!
Love you all!

The adventure is starting!

2008-09-19T11:35:00.002-04:00

So this will be my last blog from the US! I got my yellow fever vaccination and started my malaria pill..so far no side effects. Cross your fingers for me! I am sooo ready to be in Togo and start to get settled in to my new life. I will try to post as much as I can when I am there...don't worry if you don't hear from me...I'm safe! I will miss you all!!! :)

In philly!

2008-09-18T11:46:00.002-04:00

I'm here..doing all of the orientation stuff..looking forward to leaving tomorrow..not looking forward to the shots and pills tomorrow!! More to come...have to leave for lunch

This is it kids!

2008-09-16T15:27:00.002-04:00

This is my last post from NC since I leave for Philly tomorrow morning. Orientation starts at 2pm until around 5:30pm on Friday. After that we board the big airplane to the small country of Togo. Of course, there's a 5 hour stopover in Paris (nope, can't leave the airport! BOO!) We arrive in Togo around 5:30pm on Saturday night...so we are talking about a 24 hour trip! Tylenol PM here I come!
This whole process so far has been emotional, exciting, frustrating and of course scary. Can't even imagine what it is going to be like when I get there! Thank you all for your wonderful words of wisdom, kind heartfelt thoughts and many many loving hugs. My phone will be on up untill I leave for Africa, so feel free to give me one last call to say au revoir!! I have no clue how often I will be able to update this blog but I hope to get to at least once a week or once every two weeks.
Salut tout le monde!
A bientôt mon amis!!

Did Jocelyn cry?

2008-09-14T19:19:00.002-04:00

Unmm that's the understatement of the year! I was a blubbering fool on Friday night at my going away party in Wilmington. Alcohol and saying goodbye to dear dear friends is never quite an amazing combo. I was given an extraordinary book that my friends complied with pictures and heartfelt notes which just sent me over the edge. I love it so much and got the pages laminated so it wont wear away in the hot Togo sun. I ADORE you all..words can't express how thankful I am for all of the life lasting friendships.
The countdown is 3 days to Philly....gulp! I am vowing no more trips to Target or REI!

The start of some very meaningful goodbyes

2008-09-11T23:02:00.002-04:00

I have made some incredible friends during my two years in Wilmington and now is the time to say goodbye to many of them. Some are very new friends, who came into my life for certain reasons and others I have known for many, many years who have taught me powerful things about myself. Each shared moment is treasured and held in my heart...always.

Au revoirs and music

2008-09-10T10:46:00.009-04:00

I thought I would post some pictures from some events this past week in Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill. Last night I got to see my brothers band (Rongo Rongo) perform in Carrboro which was a pretty fun evening! I was VERY impressed! It was pretty funny as well to see these boys all grown up, since I use to babysit for some of them back in the day! ( the pictures aren't that great, sorry!)

This past weekend I got to hang out with Marrin and the girls for a night out in Raleigh! Then Sunday got to have bunch with the Mehler clan and Trish and Lila (David of course was working!)

Now off to ILM for some other final goodbyes!!

The clock is ticking down...

2008-09-09T12:13:00.002-04:00

I am at almost a week before I leave for Philly. I am feeling pretty good and getting more and more excited thinking about my silly adventure. I feel like I have bought most of the things I need but Andrea told me to get rid of some of my clothes and pack food!! I might need to do some food shopping!! I bought some Luna bars yesterday but I might need to look into other things.
I am heading to Wilmington on Thursday for a going away party on Friday. Super sad about that since I miss my friends there already!! It will be a good time no less! To be continued...

All the new things that are happening or I am buying!

2008-09-05T12:27:00.003-04:00

Who would of expected that joining the Peace Corps would be expensive! I just bought a $200 piece of luggage (which was recommend!) and downloaded a TON of things on my ipod. Thanks so much to Aunt Jackie and Uncle Wayne for my 80g ipod! I put on 3 movies, 3 seasons of Morgan Supurlock's 30 days TV show, tons of French learning stuff and over 3,000 songs! I think I will be set for the next two years.
I just got my schedule for orientation in Philly and in Lome. Super excited to see it but also nervous about the French language placement test..I know it will be OK but still puts me on edge a bit.

Veronica: I got your comment and would love to chat! I had a hard time trying to comment on your blog so go ahead and email me at baxterized@gmail.com

Getting my life in order...sort of

2008-09-03T15:07:00.001-04:00

The countdown is at exactly 2 weeks before I head to Philly. I have moved out of Wilmington, said good-bye to alot of friends already and am preparing to ship myself off to a far away land. That's all I have to say right now...

Your kidding!

2008-08-27T10:04:00.003-04:00

I leave in 3 weeks!
What??? No, way...I mean it has only been a year since I applied! Yeah, I'm freaking out a little but I know this is going to be a great experience. Life changing no less!

Taking a deep breath!

2008-08-22T15:34:00.002-04:00

This letter was sent to my father and I, so I thought I would pass it along so everyone understands the mail and phone situations!

Dear Families,

Greetings from the Togo Desk in Washington, D.C. It is with great pleasure that we welcome your family member to the Togo training program. Over the years we have received many questions from Volunteers and family members alike regarding travel plans, sending money, relaying messages and mail, etc. As we are unable to involve ourselves in the personal arrangements of Volunteers, we would like to offer you advice and assistance in advance by providing specific examples of situations and how we suggest they be handled.

1. Irregular Communication. (Please see #3 for the mailing address to Peace Corps' office in Lomé the capital of Togo). The mail service in Togo is not as efficient as the U.S. Postal Service. Thus, it is important to be patient. It can take from three to four weeks for mail coming from Togo to arrive in the United States via the Togolese mail system. From a Volunteer’s post, mail might take up to one to two months to reach the United States depending upon how far the Volunteer is from the capital city, Lomé. Sometimes mail is hand carried to the States by a traveler and mailed through the U.S. postal system. This leg of the trip can take another several weeks as it is also dependent on the frequency of travelers to the U.S.

We suggest that in your first letters, you ask your Volunteer family member to give an estimate of how long it takes for him or her to receive your letters and then try to establish a predictable pattern of how often you will write to each other. Also try numbering your letters so that the Volunteer knows if he or she missed one. Postcards should be sent in envelopes--otherwise they may be found on the wall of the local post office.

Peace Corps Togo has established “The Lomé Limo” which runs up and down the country monthly, delivers mail, medical supplies, and sometimes volunteers or staff to central sites along the national road.

Volunteers often enjoy telling their “war” stories when they write home. Letters might describe recent illnesses, lack of good food, isolation, etc. While the subject matter is often good reading material, it is often misinterpreted on the home front. Please do not assume that if your family member gets sick that he or she has not been attended to. The city of Lomé has medical and dental facilities, and there is a Peace Corps Medical Officer there as well. Most Volunteers can reach Lomé in less than one day’s time. Many Volunteers also have access to a telephone so that they can call our Medical Office. In the event of a serious illness the Volunteer is sent to Lomé and is cared for by our Medical Unit. If the Volunteer requires medical care that is not available in Togo, he/she will be medically evacuated to South Africa or to the United States. Fortunately, such circumstances are very rare.

If for some reason your communication pattern is broken and you do not hear from your family member for at least one month, you should contact the Office of Special Services (OSS) at Peace Corps in Washington at 1-800-424-8580, extension 1470 (or direct: 202-692-1470). The OSS will then call the Peace Corps Director in Lomé, and ask her to check up on the Volunteer. Also, in the case of an emergency at home (death in the family, sudden illness, etc.), please do not hesitate to call OSS immediately, so that the Volunteer can be informed by a member of Peace Corps/Togo staff.

2. Telephone Calls. The telephone system in Togo has fairly reliable service to the United States. In the interior of the country, where most of our Volunteers are located, the system is less reliable. Most Volunteers have access to a telephone in or nearby their site.

When dialing direct to Togo from the U.S., dial 011 (the international access code) + 228 (the country code) + the number. Volunteers generally set up phone calls with people in the U.S. in advance, and have the distant party call them, which is much less expensive than calling the U.S. from Togo. Many volunteers decide to purchase cellphones once they arrive in Togo, but they may not always have regular reception at their site.

The Togo Desk in Washington, D.C. usually calls the Peace Corps office in Lomé at least once a week. However, these calls are reserved for business only and we cannot relay personal messages over the phone. If you have an urgent message, however, and have exhausted your other means (regarding travel plans, etc.), you can call the Desk, and the message will be relayed.

3. Sending Packages. Parents and Volunteers like to send and receive care packages through the mail. Unfortunately, sending packages can be a frustrating experience for all involved due the high incidence of theft and heavy customs taxes. You may want to send inexpensive items through the mail, but there is no guarantee that these items will arrive. We do not recommend, however, that costly items be sent through the mail. Even though many Volunteers sometimes choose to get local post office boxes, you may always use the following address to send letters and/or packages to your family member:

John Doe, PCV

Corps de la Paix

B.P. 3194

Lomé, Togo

West Africa

It is recommended that packages be sent in padded envelopes if possible, as boxes tend to be taxed more frequently. Packages can be sent via surface mail (2-3 weeks arrival time) or by ship (4-6 months). The difference in cost can be a factor in deciding which method to utilize. For lightweight but important items (e.g. airline tickets), DHL (an express mail service) does operate in Lomé, but costs are very expensive. If you choose to send items through DHL, you must address the package to the Country Director, s/c Corps de la Paix, 48 Rue de Rossignols, Quartier Kodjoviakopé, Lomé, Togo. The telephone number for the Peace Corps office in Togo is (228) 221-0614, should DHL need this information. If you send the item to the Country Director, no liability can be assumed. For more information about DHL, please call their toll free number, 1-800-CALL-DHL, or visit their web site at www.dhl.com. Please be aware that there is a customs fee for all DHL packages sent to Volunteers. For each DHL package, the Volunteer will be taxed 10,000 CFA (roughly US$20).

Sending airplane tickets and/or cash is not recommended. Certain airlines will allow you to buy a prepaid ticket in the States; they will telex their Lomé office to have the ticket ready. Unfortunately, this system is not always reliable. Many airlines (e.g., KLM, Air France, Ghana Airways, Air Togo) fly into Lomé or Accra, but each has its own policy on pre-paid tickets. Please call the airline of your choice for more information. You could also send tickets via DHL as mentioned previously. However, Peace Corps will assume no liability in the event of a lost/stolen airline ticket.

Trying to send cash or airline tickets is very risky and is discouraged. If your Volunteer family member requests money from you, it is his/her responsibility to arrange receipt of it. Some Volunteers use Western Union, which has an office in Lomé. Volunteers will also be aware of people visiting the States and can request that they call his/her family when they arrive in the States should airline tickets need to be sent back to Togo.

4. E-mail. There is fairly reliable e-mail service in Togo with cyber cafes in most large towns. Connections can be very slow and time consuming as well as costly. E-mail, however, may become the preferred method of communication between you and your family member in Togo. Not all Volunteers have access to e-mail on a daily basis but they should be able to read and send messages at least once a month. As with other means of communication, do not be alarmed if you do not receive daily or weekly messages. Unless in Lomé at the office, Volunteers have to pay for internet time at cyber cafes and this can be a slow or expensive process depending on the connection at the café.

We hope this information is helpful to you during the time your family member is serving as

a Peace Corps Volunteer in Togo. We understand how frustrating it is to communicate with your family member overseas and we appreciate your using this information as a guideline

Planes, Trains and Automobiles in New England

2008-08-22T15:13:00.008-04:00

I am about to end my week in New England. Baxter has settled in nicely with Arev and Tara and continues to want to make friends with Leidra, even though she is still geting used to the idea of having him in her house. All will be well and they will be best buddies soon enough!

I was in Boston for a few days spending time with my family which was nice but also sad. Saying goodbyes are hard!
I also got to have dinner with Anna, my grad school buddy, which was super nice!! ATPY homies are the best!!

Updates are coming fast since I just booked my flight to Philly for my training in the US. I offically leave on Sept 19th at 6:30pm for Paris and then a direct flight to Lome, the capital of Togo!!

New Contact Information

2008-08-08T21:33:00.000-04:00

Jocelyn Friedman
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 3194
Lome, Togo
West Africa

Letters take 2-5 weeks to arrive; packages a bit longer. Make sure you send mail by airmail and it is under 5lbs. Don't insure it...They say it's not worth it!
(Thanks for letting me borrow this Ann!)

Email: baxterized@gmail.com

Seattle/ Portland Pictures!

2008-08-07T14:04:00.000-04:00

I am home from my adventures out west! I had a great time filled with wonderful memories with amazing friends!! Here are some highlights:

Kyacking in Seattle!
Drinks after Kyacking

Jess and I stopped at some waterfalls on the way to Portland...so cool!

Rose Garden in Portland..always stopping to smell the roses!

The pizza that we waited for 2 hours to get! It was the best in Portland!!

California Pictures!

2008-07-31T14:02:00.001-04:00

I am new at the whole picture posting thing...so, here is my go at it!

It was great to see Ben again after 4 years!

With the beautiful bride..and a drink of course!

AMAZING! MAZEL TOV!~

A very unexpected BCI reunion!! It was so much fun!!

Dani and I got our hair done for Dre's wedding!!

Here are Dani and I all decked out for Shabbat..

only in LA is there a young professionals Shabbat that starts at 9pm!

I loved getting to see Jules and her new little lady, Ella!

I really wanted to see Joel but he's super busy becoming a Rabbi, so I understand!

Travel Plans

2008-07-22T12:17:00.000-04:00

I'm very excited because I leave Thursday morning (6am..ugh!) for California for Dre's wedding and to see Dani! YEAH!! After about 5 days in Sol Cal, I am heading to Seattle for almost a week to spend time with Jess. We are heading for a little jaunt to Vancouver for a couple days which should be a good time. What happens in Canada, stays in Canada!

I am also in the process of selling some of my furniture...I have a futon, full sized bed, small wardrobe, really cool room divider and other misc things to sell....let me know if you are interested!

See you on the west coast!

Updated News

2008-07-18T12:14:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my new blog!

I will be using this to stay in touch while I am in Togo and also to update for the next couple months before I leave. Glup....less then 2 months now!!

First off, THANK YOU COREY! for putting together is awesome blog for me! I am blessed to have you for a friend for 16 years and its a super great birthday present!

OK, details...
My Peace Corps volunteer services officially starts on September 17th. I will be traveling to Philly for 3 days to do orientation stuff and then head off to Togo on September 19th. I don't really know my travel route yet but I have been told that it could be Philly to Italy to Togo...but who knows at this point. The Peace Corps sort of leaves a lot of things up in the air! My visa and passport information are in and I will get everything when I arrive in Philly. Well, that's all that I know right now...updates will follow as soon I as find out more info.

Thank you all for sweet birthday messages today! 30 is a huge year and I know that it will bring on amazing adventures!