We got our stuff!

Oh happy day! Our cargo box from Vancouver was finally released from the docks of Lomé. It had left Vancouver two weeks late and then there was a backlog at this end, due to a new company taking over the unloading. And being French, they apparently wouldn't take bribes in lieue of owed duty. So stuff piled up.
But the school got all the stuff and delivered to our door. we have unloaded all sorts of goodies and used my swim goggles at the pool already tonight (we'[ve been swimming every second night since it is both refreshing and free). and only a 5 minute walk from home.
Finished making a big graphing test, so it's time for a break.

By the way, that first photo was at a waterfall near Kpalimé.

Fresh off the Boat

We (Julia and Dave) have been in Togo for what, three weeks now? Since August 17. And it is Sept. 13. More like a month! Time flies when you're having fun.

We're just enjoying a lazy Sunday, with French toast topped with fresh pineapple, papaya and finger bananas. And domestic stuff like working on my new compost box in the garden, which seems to be rotting down VERY quickly in this heat and humidity. I hope to share this idea with others in my new school since stinky wet garbage is even more of a problem here with all the ants and so on.

Almost every day has been action-packed since arriving and especially since school started 3 weeks ago. Yesterday I supervised the school climbing wall for 3 hours in the morning, walked the 5 minutes home and had a quick lunch. Then back to school to drive down to the beach to reconnoitre for a Coastal Cleanup next Saturday. There have been beach cleanups in Africa before, from South Africa all the way up the east coast, and even in Ghana to one side of us and Nigeria on the other. But never in Togo, at least not registered. So we will literally put Togo on the map (of the Ocean Conservancy who run the International Coastal Cleanup). In case it is of interest, river and lake cleanups also qualify and are done in huge numbers. http://www.coastalcleanup.org/, I think.

Tomorrow morning I start teaching ICT (computers) to Year 1 and 2 in the school (the British School of Lomé; http://www.bsl.tg/; old promotional video at http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=25836487 to see what it looks like).

That will be a challenge since I am neither a computer expert nor a small-child expert. In fact, I'm nervous about both of them. I think they are the most dangerous creations on the planet. And the computers are pretty scary too.

Just kidding, should be fine. Apparently half the period should be used by trying to get them to log in since they don't all know their letters and numbers, never mind where they are on a keyboard. Maybe we'll tackle touchtyping for the first term...