Being 60 in Togo!

The group of Peace Corps Volunteers I’m with are really quite fun, and bright. They are all really nice to me. Which may sound silly to say…I mean why wouldn’t they be nice to me? Being sixty, I am not entirely “one of the gang” per se…but they include me in everything, and I don’t detect any patronizing attitudes. I do think I find them looking at me sometimes…and wonder what they are thinking. Maybe they are thinking…if she can do it, I can sure as hell do it. Or maybe they are thinking…my God how old is that woman??!!?? Who knows what they are thinking. As nice and fun as they all are, other than three or four who are in their early thirties, the majority of them are in there very early twenties. I enjoy them all, but I do feel a void. I very much miss having someone my age to talk and laugh with..in English. The Peace Corps nurse-practioner, Paula, is American and she is close to my age. She has promised to spend time with me once I move to Tchekpo (my post) I’m not that far from where she and her husband reside… Lome. Also, the Togolese training manager, Blandene is close to my age, and she said she will be visiting me a lot. I think they both know that I need some comraderie with someone my age. Blandene and Paula are both very cool and quite funny, so I’m looking forward to spending time with both of them, once I get settled in.

I’m also looking forward to spending time with the other volunteers. At the 4th of July party I met a half dozen volunteers who live in villages in my region (Mari-time) They have all been here for a year and have a year to go. They told me they get together often, and they gave me a lot of tips on how to get around the region, and promised that we all visit each other on a somewhat regular basis. There are a few volunteers in my group that I’ve anointed… favorites. They will be posted in various places around Togo..not at all near me, but I’ve promised to make trips to visit them. Dillon is one of my very favorites. He is twenty-five and from Texas. He is hilarious and has a dead-pan sense of humor. His post is as far north as you can go in Togo. He will be twelve hours away via bush taxi. It’s supposed to be a fascinating region though with some beautiful caves, and it’s right on the Ghana border. So…I’ll be visiting Dillon at some point, and he’ll show me the caves and we’ll take a side-trip to Ghana…where I here they have a McDonalds!!!! And movie theatres!!! Oh yes..I’ll be visiting Dillon.