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It's been ages since I last wrote - and now we're no longer less than halfway through 2012 and halfway through my stay here, but almost halfway through 2012 and over halfway through my time here! Time does definitely fly here, don't know why but it seems to more than ever. Or perhaps I'm just getting old...


Doesn't matter if you're black or white... Groceries are still just as interesting!!

So the last thing I told you all was that Togo was being graced with the Presence - and so it was! Mummy came to pay us all a visit over here and I'm not sure if she finished by being more or less worried for me than before she came... It was a pretty exciting 6 days, as got to see Mama's village which I haven't up until now, as well as the market there which is fantastic. A real typical market, everything crowded up together and such smells, sights and sounds as to make your eyes water - either from nausea or delight! (In Mummy's case I'm not sure it wasn't nausea...) But we had a lovely 6 days, and I am very grateful that she was able to come out. She also took back to England with her a stack of things to help lighten the load in the summer - what else are mothers for?! Plus a stack of photos and videos if anyone wants to pop round for tea and a viewing - advance warning required though.

At the CACIT office

Apart from that, life goes on pretty much as usual, or unusual, here. CACIT is very interesting, though frustrating at times in terms of normal Togolese lack of organisation or real direction but you get used to dealing with it. I miss school a little because it was more familiar that this is plus I only worked mornings! But this will be familiar all too soon - 2 months and a week or so left and then that's it... Unfortunately, it's a bit delicate to talk about work too much on here because it's an NGO so isn't officially liked, and is technically officially disliked so will pipe down a little on that! Suffice it to say that it's Human Rights, so as the knowledge of personal rights and duties here is minimal among the majority our work isn't disappearing anywhere fast. Next time I'm going to give you a lesson on food here because although it's obviously an integral part (and even more so than just from necessity here) of day to day life, I find it very hard to actually describe so consequently needs a bit of thought! I had the same problem when trying to describe our diet to the children at school... Not sure if I'm already told you this story, but they were asking me if certain things grew in England and I was saying no, not naturally, so they asked me if the first time I'd eaten a mango was in Togo... Of course I had to say no and explain that they were imported into England. This then provoked a flurry of questions as to this, and that, and this - and by the end of the class, if anyone asked about anything new, they got the immediate response 'importé, importé'!!

My children started their real BEPC today and I've been having nightmares for them! I've spoken a little about the conditions in which they're expected to succeed, and my heart will be in my mouth until their results day which is fortunately soon. Sadly I can't see them this Thursday, but as soon as I know anything I'll be sure to let you all know too. Please cross your fingers for them - even across the sea it will help!

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