Obama

Jen and Jeremiah

Everyone in Togo knows who Obama is.  They are curious and excited that a black man is President of the United States.  They are aware that his father was African.   It is a source of pride for them.  Almost every teenage girl has a shirt that has ‘Obama’s Girl’ printed on it.


My niece Jennifer lives in Washington D.C.   She sent me hundreds of Obama pins.  I dole them out to visitors.  Everyone wants one.  Even my Togolese Peace Corps Trainers have asked me for them.  Many people, children and adults alike, come to my door just to get an Obama Pin.  It’s a rare occasion that I walk through the village now and don’t see three or four people wearing one.

The kids in my village have begun to bring me bouquets of flowers so that they can get the coveted cadou (gift).  There must be some sort of gathering of children nearby today because I swear I had at least thirty kids show up this morning, in groups of five or six.  They knock on my door, hand me my flowers, and say…O-bama, O-bama. 

Ha!  Obama should be so lucky to be this popular in America!

I think I just heard my brother groan and roll his eyes (smile) 


Thanks Jen!