Shaved Head and other things

So guys, I know its been awhile but just try finding a decent internet connection in Togo and youll understand.
Life is hard but not impossible here and the longer Im here the easier it is. Im sorry I havent had much contact but stamps are expensive and even if I go to buy them good luck managing to get to the post office when its actually open and not a holiday. But in a month Ill get to swear in and be a PCV and both my email and mailing should be more regular. I will also be purchasing a phone so that should be cool.

So life in Togo, where to start? Its hard to describe, its just so foreign. My host family is pretty nice and I have this host cousin I absolutely adore. Her name is Rosa and she is as cute as a button. She got really sick and I took her to the doctor which was an experience. Even with special treatment it wasnt very fun and I wonder how mothers here do it, if they can even afford it. I paid to deworm, deparasite, cough medicine, and malaria medicine which all in all ended up close to 8000 cfa which is about 16 us dollars. Here thats really expensive. The thing is shell just get worms again and parasites because all the children pick stuff up off the ground and put it in their mouths where chicken poop and goat poop are in abundance as they are allowed free reign. They also go around barefoot even though they have shoes; they just dont wear them a lot of times. But my cousins are all really cute and Rosa is doing much better. Theres also her brother Christian and another cousin Kekelly who thinks my name is a tout alheure, please excuse the spelling i do not know how to write french.

The french is coming along but its hard, part of the problem is everyone doesnt speak french thus i cant always practice. But one way or another ill find a way to muddle through; ill have to.
Im just now finishing up post visit, my post is Guerin Kouka and im thrilled with it. Im going to be working on this forced marriage project which is a problem that effects about 70 percent of the girls in the Dankpen prefecture and also on child trafficking. Im also working on AIDS education along with other stuff. Its looking like my very first project will be helping to improve some showers because right now the water and urine from showers just run off into the street so were going to try and construct them so they go down to the ground through a filtration system of rocks which is way more sanitary. Not knowing the language is intimidating but my Togolese counterparts all seem very motivated and hard working so im very pleased.

Also my house is kickass. Unlike many volunteers I have no imediate neighbors; so no families to be loud and keep me up at night. Therefore I have tons of privacy which is awesomeness. All in all im happy and cant wait till december when I get to move in.

Also I buzzed my hair off. Im not completely bald as i wanted to avoid sunburn but its buzzed pretty close. Its awesome and its an increadibly freeing experience that i highly recommend. Also as it turns out I have a pretty nicely shaped head. I cant post pictures now but will in December. Write me letters