Lesson 2: I am so not the Peace Corp type (I say this with the utmost respect for the Peace Corp…I wish I was this hardcore).
We stayed in Samoos Guest House for 12 Cedi a night and I cried inside when I saw the rooms. The people I travelled with are amazing and they work and live in a village in Sierra Leone doing NGO work (the village means no inside plumbing and generator electricity one a week), so this Guest House was a step up from their normal accommodations. Details of the room: no toilet paper, cold running water, a fan bolted to the ceiling, bed with a mattress cover and pillows (no sheets or towels), vanity, and chair. I am sure you all are thinking…Shelley is being a bit dramatic; it does not sound that bad. Well, I say to you hear the rest of the story before you pass judgment!!!
At around 10 PM after I had been heavily medicated for malaria and was about to doze off, the electricity goes out. This is normal for Africa so I did not think much of it until 1AM when I woke up in a cold sweat. The fan was not on, which meant the electricity had not come back on…WHAT!!!! 6AM rolls around and still no electricity and no running water. See…I told you too wait before passing judgment. I gather up enough energy to walk downstairs and see when the power and water will be in working order.
In regards to power I was told that they ran out and the owner went out to buy some more…yeah I know…I am confused also. Does that mean he did not pay the bill or he went to buy a generator? The next order of business was running water and she said she would take care of it. About 5 minutes later there is a knock on my door and there she is with a bucket of water!!!!! I politely asked her what this was for and she told me the water in the pipes didn’t come up in the mornings (I was on the third floor). Needless to say I packed my bags and hopped on the first bus back home.
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2 comments:
Hello, I am trying to suss out our reason for being in Togo. I suspect you are in the Peace Corps, however not clear. I have spend more than six months in Togo and I love the country from Kpalime to Atakapame to Lome, they all have their spirits. I see you are a black girl and this make me proud and happy, especially if you are in Peace Corps. I am white man, however no matter what I do, hard to be be truly good example to follow in Africa, there is a divide that is difficult to separate. Please take the time to understand all the good of West Africa, the people are great, however of course the can be annoying as are all countries.
Enjoy the place, and be an adult, hard to be sometimes when we are confused.
Thanks from Andy of HoboTraveler.com Travel Blog and Hotels
Note, if you are ever in Atakpame for a few days, I would like to say hello to a special friend. I will now try to follow by RSS feed.
Hello Andy,
Sorry it so long for me to respond. I am not with Peace Corp, just came here to teach at a local school for a year. I have been to Kpalime twice and I really like it. I am really trying to keep my tolerance and patience levels high. Let me know when you are in Lome again and we can go grab a bite to eat or something. Have fun traveling.
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