As has done a lot lately, I write less about Togo and about me.
2 weeks ago I've moved with two other volunteers on the village, not far from Kpalimé. The highest mountain in Togo, Mount Agou is, 987 meters and is surrounded several villages and sometimes even inhabited - together they form the Agou area. I live in Agou-Apegame and teach in a college sport that is in one of the neighboring villages, Agou-Gare. Actually, my work and should also have the move take place 2 weeks earlier, but at the last second (1 week before), the President of Togo decided to postpone the rentrée (school year) by 2 weeks back.
I teach nine different courses, the German 6th to 9 Steps equal, usually two hours a week sport and two 5ème (the 7th level accordingly) four hours a week in English. A class consists of an average 70 students, an age range of the cover up to 5 years, ie it is in a 5ème both 12, and 17 year old student, said in the higher classes, the range is further apart. There are two reasons: first, you can sit in his high school career as often as you like, on the other hand, some students start school until very late. However, I am teaching alone, but mostly for two, with another volunteer, and I am also very happy. Every Thursday overlap but 2 Sport 2 English lessons, so I must take up there alone and on another day to two 6 ème (6th level) are taught together, ie 140 students at once.
Overall, I feel so at 20 school hours that morning, 55 minutes, meet in the afternoon for one hour. Not so much because I really, according to German law, to fulfill a 40 hour week, finally I'm doing my civilian replacement and I am not a simple volunteer, like the others. Monsieur le President de Campagne wants me, I think, to work at least 30 hours to see, because even he knows that more is not really possible. To fill the last missing hours, we will help out at third still in kindergarten. With pre-and post-processing time but now my week is full of all right, maybe this will in a few Weeks less, because just for sport in each year of similar classes is possible and not every hour is a long time to prepare.
For English, this looks a bit different, especially since we must first of all be aware of the curriculum.
There are quite a good English book for French-speaking Africa, but only 2 student copies for us, "teacher", so we have to be enough for text working copies.
It may in the future, however, give some small changes at least for English, because there are actually 2 correct English teachers and we're still not sure whether the are busy or not. For sports, there is no teacher, so we are used here as volunteers to teach English but I would like to continue, but as long as there is a trained teacher who has priority, I will take away a job.
Over the course of teaching, education, and my other work I will write more next time if I have a few weeks behind me.
a difference between village and city, I could already tell from the people, they are not as pushy and talk to me much more on EWE as in French, as they among themselves EWE and more often speak their French is worse. In the family, but this is not so, the father speaks mostly French with the children.
The only thorn in the mosquitoes and flies, which gives it more here and what I like, especially to appear. This is not only are the notorious malaria mosquito, but especially small flies that are allegedly responsible for the many bold prints that make me look like a crumb cake. After a small mountain walk, I was so stung that I am anticipating running back, I was only from engravings, which itched a lot.
There have been other times
Last week there were two attacks on other volunteers of CDH, are thus a total of five girls involved. That these are probably always by the same duo, the Coup in dark secluded places with coups (machetes) armed jump out of the bush and take cameras, money, passports, mobile phones, etc. The last two months I've felt very safe here, as the Togolese have to be a very friendly attitude, but now is probably a bit more care offered again. Supposedly this is the first time that armed robberies take place in Kpalimé. As a boy I can feel a bit safer, but now we are coq à quatre neuf poulaits (4 boys, 9 girls), two of which live coques being showcased in the village so that all girls can not always be accompanied. But I also, when I was with friends at night Ameibo-way was always to accompany home. How it is developed now to be seen.
Apart from the mosquito attack in the mountains, I am one of the few, the still nothing serious happened.
The food
I have now seen a different cuisine and now trying to take the similarities to describe "the Togolese cuisine. About Taste is otherwise known to argue, so I do not even try this time to remain objective.
The food is almost exclusively prepared by the women, so by the mother or the daughters who cook for themselves with about 13 or 14 years, the family if the mother has such a solid job. Furthermore, there are many small cafes along the road into which you can sit down, food stalls and restaurants right.
usually used to cook Tonherd is used which is heated with coal and when it heats up only once, can be compared with gas stoves. had
My old family only one of these stoves, making the preparation of elaborate meals was more or less excluded, that is also sauces were rather rare.
There are several traditional dishes, I have met yet in Europe and some that are found here, too.
The most important staple foods are roots, yam and cassava, which has a certain resemblance to potatoes.
Fufu: The 1 National dish of boiled yam, cassava and plantains also sometimes made. For this, the ingredients in a wooden bucket pounded with large wooden sticks until a sticky paste (ground) is produced, which in the least can be compared with mashed potatoes. The pounding of the pulp, as I could find themselves damned exhausting. You eat the mush with a liquid sauce, usually with fish or sometimes chicken, but not with cutlery, but with his hands.
Fufu I like themselves very much and classic dishes from the best. However, it is probably due to the long cooking time served rare.
Coulico: Similar to Pommes frites to be agreed, that the roots, in disc form, deep fried in hot fat.
Cooked Yam: The simplest form of yam and therefore also the most boring. The roots have a very delicious taste of its own, with my tastes better than cassava yam.
Ragou is the most European version, because the cassava is served with a light Möhrensoße.
corn is another food that is used in many ways.
Godfather: The 2 National dish similar to the first of her style, the taste is very used to. Pâte consists of corn meal stirred, forming also a slurry that is eaten with the fingers. The slurry itself is tasteless, often very hot and astringent. The special is the sauce, which can of course also in various forms, the most used and also the least palatable, the "green-fish-slime sauce" is. It is a kind of algae that are mashed, well-hot peppers and fish. The fish is usually still the most delicious, apart from small sardines, have a look at constantly with her sad eyes to the rest of you can get used to many inevitably
Fried buffer.. Similar to potato pancakes are fried polenta in the pan
Other dishes.
Small beans are sprinkled with oil and manioc flour and can also stuff a lot.
rice is very common and since it is also grown here to see the Togolese it as an African dish.
spaghetti are everywhere and are always delicious, whether served with tomato sauce or an omelette.
came in my first family, my food very monotonous, as it always (mixed peppers, tomatoes, onions) with a main ingredient was Pimont, preferably Pâte. In the new family, there have been only super food, always portions with a sauce and overly large.
In the cafeterias on the road to eat simple food, cheap, like spaghetti or omelettes to suffer as a rule, without thereafter diarrhea - replacement for a small kebab and other fast food.
At the food stalls along the road I have not yet married, here there were spits of meat, pate, and more.
Twice I have been really fine food in restaurants. There's also steak, steaks, fries and other European cuisine, such as Mousse au Chocolat. Very rarely does it sometimes good to dig deep into their pockets and let it go to really good.
In Agou there is no Internet access, so that every time I go to Kpalimé need to check emails. Last weekend was, unfortunately, power failure, when I got to Internet did, so that this mail has once again delayed. To individual emails I will therefore not be able to respond so quickly. However, as I Lennart laptop available, I hope here to vortippen some mails and the opportunity to send in Kpalimé or can Lomé.
Finally my health: for once not so good. Most likely I have worms and a slight intestinal infection, which is why I take medication now. Mais ca va all and my schedule is like not too much affected. Probably everyone here anyway worms, both Togolese, and volunteers, only that one does not notice everything at some point, or get used to it.
Let's see what it looks like in 2 weeks.
So all the best,
Robert
0 comments:
Post a Comment