In this interview, we hear from Janet Sebastian-Coleman. Janet is working as a Peace Corps Agriculture volunteer in Togo. What Janet shares gives us a better understanding of the work volunteers do. We learn about the challenges, rewards, and personal growth that happens from volunteering in a new place. Janet talks about living in a different country, working with local people, and dealing with surprise situations. Join us as we learn about Janet’s journey and see how volunteering with Peace Corps can change lives.
Volunteer Experience and Motivation
1. Can you tell us more about serving as an Agriculture volunteer in Togo
As an Agriculture Volunteer in Togo I have focused on the promotion of home gardening and nutrition education. I have also focused on climate change education and a, broadly speaking, scientific approach to agriculture. I work in the village’s middle school, with individual farmers, with groups of farmers, and with micro-finance groups. I’ll add the caveat that the goals of Peace Corps Togo’s agriculture program are wide ranging! Many of my fellow volunteers are doing quite different things from me.
I begin my days by tending to my home garden and taking care of other household chores. Twice a week I spend my afternoon at the middle school. I run an English club and an Agriculture club. During my first year of service, my agriculture club was a formal class. However, I found the need for quizzes and exams took away valuable time that we could use for practical learning in the school garden I established. So this year it is a much more hands-on education in agriculture, although I do take time in the classroom for topics like photosynthesis and soil health.
Currently, I am working closely with a neighborhood group to establish a community garden. This garden is part of my Peace Corps Community Partnership grant. I run regular nutrition health talks in neighborhood markets and with micro-finance groups. I always try to include a practical element in these talks, such as the distribution of seeds for nutrient-rich foods.
2. What motivated you to join the Peace Corps and choose Togo?
Joining the Peace Corps was always on my bucket list! I first heard about Peace Corps when I was a little kid. My uncle served in Turkey in the 1960s. I found his stories and photographs inspiring. I always dreamed of traveling the world. And, as I grew up, service became an core value in my life. My chances to travel reaffirmed my desire to travel more. And, by studying languages and history, each subsequent trip became more interesting.
I applied under “place me where I best fit” and I was chosen for Togo. I spent a year in Senegal between high school and university, so I suspect my previous experience in Francophone West Africa influenced where the Peace Corps placed me. Togo feels quite different than Senegal. But I do think I was prepared for certain realities of the climate, living situation, mix of languages, and broad culture by my experience in Senegal. Now that I am in Togo, I find it a fascinating place although I knew little about it before.
Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
3. Tell us more about your home situation
I have my own house that is on the village chief’s property. The chief and his wife are my host family, but it’s not as intense as living directly in someone’s home. My site is very rural: I spend a good portion of each day walking through fields and cashew orchards just to visit work partners.
My village does not have gridded electricity, although folks say electricity will come “soon”. When “soon” is anyone’s guess. But, gridded electricity is more and more common in Togo. I have a small solar panel on my roof that charges a battery (about the size of a car battery) and powers a light bulb in each of my rooms.
I also use a camping solar panel from REI to charge my battery packs. My water source is a borehole hand-pump well, which is quite clean compared to a hand-dug well or a stream. (Although, I still use the Peace Corps water filter for my drinking and cooking water). Fetching water is about a ten-minute round trip for filling up a ten-liter bucket.
I purchase my fresh food and some staples like beans and pasta at a weekly market about six or seven kilometers from my house. In the regional capital, there is a supermarket where I splurge on coffee, olive oil, and oatmeal. I cook myself breakfast and lunch and my host mom prepares me dinner. My host mom is an excellent cook and it’s great to be able to learn about Togolese home cooking from her!
But I also really appreciate the balance in being able to cook and eat what I want when I want for breakfast and lunch. I am vegetarian and have not run into many issues due to my diet. Fried tofu is a popular street food and there are many beans and pulses available.
4. Any memorable experiences or interactions you’ve had?
So many! I really enjoy the times I have spent sitting with my host mom as she cooks. The style of kitchen and the cooking skills are so different from American cuisine, its fascinating to watch. And of course nice to be fed after!
Last year, during the Kabye funeral season, my host family hosted a lot of their extended family. It was a big party every day even before we got to the actual ceremonies! (Kabye, the ethnic group that makes up the majority of my village, separate funerals from internments. When someone passes, it is the duty of their son-in-laws to host a funeral in the upcoming funeral season. Son-in-laws practically compete for who brought the most musicians, the most alcohol, the most food — and overall, who honored their mother- or father-in-law the most).
Surprises and Challenges
5. What has surprised you most about challenges in Togo?
This is perhaps true for many Peace Corps experiences, but many things do not necessarily become clearer with time. The longer you are here, the more complex things seem. I have found that Togolese like to have an answer for every question, but there is no guarantee that the answer is what Americans would consider the “whole truth.” The answers to questions I asked in the early days do not fully line up with what I later experienced or learned. My solution to this is to take everything with a grain of salt and never stop asking questions!
6. What challenges did you face while working on Agriculture projects?
First Year is Learning
Agriculture is a challenging sector, especially when you only have two years in your host community. Agriculture in Togo is fundamentally different than in the U.S. There is very little mechanization and no animal traction. Every row of corn was hoed by hand. (The physical strength of folks here is impressive!). So, most AG volunteers spend their first year simply trying to figure out what is going on and decide on what projects they should pursue.
Working with subsistence farmers also requires building trust: an experiment with a new technique is never purely experimental when people need to eat. Lastly, most improvements to Agriculture require some kind of financial investment. If folks have any kind of wealth here, they tend to be “cash-poor, land-rich”. There is a general wariness of paying for something without being sure it will work.
Leaning on my Pre-Peace Corps Knowledge
Every Agriculture volunteer approaches these challenges differently. I found our Pre-Service Training pretty lacking in developing the technical skills and agriculture knowledge I needed for many projects. So, I leaned into my knowledge and skills from my pre-Peace Corps days. I built trust by working alongside farmers (helping out with weeding, shucking corn together, etc.) and by showing my own capacity to work (there is a general impression that foreigners, particularly white foreigners, are incapable of physical labor).
Building Trust by Example
For me, this meant spending time with cooperatives on their work days and building my own home garden right in front of my house. Since I have always been more of a cook and gardener, I focused on nutrition and gardening rather than trying to intervene in staple crop production.
Finally, throughout my service, I have tried to understand how much liquid cash people have and what kinds of things they are willing to invest in. I have not figured it all out. But what I have understood has informed how I talk to people about investing in agriculture improvements.
7. Could you share some of the secondary projects you have been involved?
I run English clubs at the local middle school. I have one for each grade level (sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth grade). The clubs are a fun addition to my work! It’s lower stakes than some of my other work. My main goal is to encourage the kids to have fun with foreign languages. School in Togo is focused on memorization and having exactly the correct answer rather than creativity and experimentation. So it’s nice to provide a space where kids can learn in new ways.
Recently, I brought materials and set up a little “market” at the teacher’s desk. Arguing over prices at the market is something students watch their parents do all the time, so it was fun for them to play-act which let them speak English a little more freely than they often do.
In a less formal way, I have a steady stream of children who visit my house so they can draw or color. I am an artist myself, so we have fun passing a little chalkboard back and forth copying each other’s drawings. Some students stop by to practice English as well.
Advice and Support
8. What advice would you give to someone considering serving as an Agriculture volunteer in Togo?
It is challenging but rewarding! (Maybe that can be said for all of Peace Corps?) You will need to take initiative of your own learning and work. I think success here is rooted in building trusting relationships. You will need to commit to those relationships and not fall through on the trust. Once you have built a rapport, your host community will love you and want you to stay forever.
9. How has the Peace Corps training helped you during your service?
Peace Corps training, especially Pre-Service Training (PST), gave me a wide overview of the conditions I would be living in and the sorts of projects available. I think the best way to get a lot out of these trainings is to take good notes on the topics that interest you and get the contact information for any people who might be helpful. Most of my learning took place at site and through following up on ideas that interested me.
I did some studying on agriculture and gardening before I arrived and I think that benefited me. Peace Corps trainers are knowledgeable but since most of them are local they may not know what is new or unfamiliar about Togolese agriculture compared to the United States.
During Pre-Service Training, I would advise everyone to pester the Language and Culture Facilitators (LCFs) with questions! Later, at site, you’ll find people may struggle to answer your “how” or “why” questions about Togolese culture or society. The LCFs are trained to do exactly that. My LCF for learning Kabye (a local language) also helped me learn the grammatical structure and basic writing system for Kabye in a way that I think my in-village tutor alone would not have been able to.
For later trainings, IST and MST, volunteers bring counterparts to the training. I would reflect on who you want to bring. Some of us had our villages choose our partners for us, which can work, but sometimes is not the best choice.
Practical Tips and Language Learning
10. Anything that you packed or didn’t pack that you’d like to tell future Togo volunteers?
Almost anything you can need you can find in Togo! But some things that would be nice to have (and are higher quality in the U.S.) are a good supply of your favorite deodorant, preferred shampoo, skin care products, lots of underwear, a sturdy pair of pants, work boots if you plan on going to the farm, several power banks, and several charging chords for all your devices. I brought a camping solar panel to charge my devices which is nice, but cheaper alternatives are available here.
Clothing
T-shirts and other used clothes are almost literally a dime a dozen in markets. Your clothes will get worn out from hand washing but there’s no need to pack an abundance if you can find the equivalent here. Peace Corps will advise you not to bring jewelry or favorite clothes. Airing on the side of caution may be a good idea, but personally, I like having items (like my rings and earrings) that make me feel like myself.
Household
It was common advice to bring a non-stick pan and a good kitchen knife. That is no longer necessary! You will have a big move-in allowance and the Peace Corps will take you to a supermarket in Lomé where you can buy whatever kitchen supplies you would like. Save room in your suitcase for your hobbies. I have enjoyed using the art materials I brought from home. I have not seen the same high quality available here. My Kindle is a constant companion and the few paperbacks I brought have been nice to trade amongst other volunteers.
Best Advice
The best advice I received, but did not follow as much as I should have, is to avoid being an aspirational packer. Do not use up lots of space for hobbies you might develop, or things you might like. Have you read a novel since high school English class? No? Then why are you packing Tolstoy and Dickens? Peace Corps may be a great time to rediscover old favorites, but you will be busier with living life than you may imagine!
Case in point for me: I brought two pairs of sneakers (I hardly ever wear sneakers and I have never enjoyed running) and had to have my parents ship me my Blundstone boots, which I wore nearly every day of my life up until Peace Corps and are useful for the farm. I have no idea why I choose not one, but two, pairs of sneakers over them in the first place.
11. How has learning the language been?
Togo has an abundance of languages. As a result, it is a forgiving and welcoming environment to learn new languages in. Nearly everyone is spending part of their time speaking in a second language. Most often, the second language people are using is French because its a shared language across the country. But smaller ethnic groups will often also know Kabye in the North or Ewe in the South because those languages are so dominant. Everyone is working together to make sure they are understood, so it’s a nice environment to take language risks in. Also, the greeting culture means you will be having small, basic conversations with people all day long.
If you can learn some basic French before arriving, you’ll be able to start learning local languages sooner. I would suggest downloading DuoLingo or Rossetta Stone and at least trying out a little bit. That said, the LCFs do a great job during PST!
Education volunteers probably need to use the most formal French, followed in close second by Health volunteers because they both work in institutions where French is the primary language. Local languages really help you connect with your communities regardless of your sector. Even if all you ever learn are greetings and bartering at the market, locals will love you for it (and claim you speak the whole language).
Peace Corps will reimburse you for two hours of tutoring a week. I would encourage everyone to study with a tutor. Local languages are often tonal which is tricky if you have never had a background in it.
Social Identity during Service
12. In what ways do you think being a woman has shaped your approach?
Some aspects of social life in Togo are divided by gender, but it is not as strictly divided as my experience in Senegal was. Women tend to be quieter in town meetings but there are not overt restrictions on their speech. Because of this quietness, I think organizations that do fly-by development or charity projects may miss out on learning about women’s issues or desires.
The Peace Corps’ greatest advantage for development work, in my opinion, is our sustained presence in a community. So, I made sure to form relationships with women as well as men. I think being a female volunteer gave me an advantage in forming those relationships. I have gained a richer understanding of my community needs through this approach.
13. What challenges have you faced as a woman during your Peace Corps service?
I believe all volunteers go through some kind of challenge in regards to gender, especially in regards to cultural differences in displays of masculinity or femininity. One of my major concerns before beginning service was how I would be treated as a female volunteer. I have had very few attempts by my community to constrain me due to my gender. No one is expecting me to behave exactly as a Togolese (or Kabye) woman. Other women in my cohort have similar experiences of existing in a kind of third-gender category. I think some of my male volunteers have suffered more taunts of not being “man enough” than I have experienced over questions of my womanhood.
Although my behavior is not constrained by community norms of womanhood, I have experienced more harassment here than I have anywhere else. The majority of this harassment is sexual harassment. Jokes surrounding marriage are pretty common throughout West Africa. Sometimes these do feel like a joke. For example, if a three-year-old boy is staring wide-eyed at me, his mom and aunties will joke around and call him my “husband”.
In contrast, drunk men in a market yelling about how they want to marry me (which is often just a thinly veiled euphemism for sex) do not feel like a joke to me. I have had a range of experiences between these two ends of the spectrum. I find either joking or mocking back often works to ease or end a situation. But when something goes too far, a firm and assertive “no” actually works here in a way that it sometimes does not in the U.S.
As I near the end of my service, I appreciate the opportunity living in another culture gives to reflecting on gender. And although I wouldn’t wish harassment on anyone (much less myself!) I do think learning to deal with it, and learning to deal with constant attention in general, is one of the aspects of service that has toughened me up the most.
14. Advice for Aspiring Female Volunteers
I would encourage women to join the Peace Corps and be true to themselves throughout service! I know there are some horror stories out there that may deter some women from applying. But honestly, there are horror stories of what can happen to women in the U.S. as well, unfortunately. Be prepared and aware, but do not be fearful.
Like some other aspects of service, harassment can become a tiring aspect of daily life. So remember to take vacations and to commiserate with other volunteers. Whenever you can, cultivate maternal or paternal relationships with elders at your site. They will protect you and guide you.
It may sound cheesy, but girls in our host communities are inspired by the very presence of women volunteers. During my first few months of teaching, I had a group of girls shadow me on my walk home. They would nervously build up the collective courage to send one of the girls forward to ask if she could help me carry my bag home (a sign of respect to teachers and elders here). I am the only female teacher at the secondary school.
It’s a rare thing in many cultures for a woman to leave home and her connections to pursue a career, especially a career in a foreign country. Our presence allows girls and women to see that there is a wide range of lifestyles available to women.
Impact of Media and Final Thoughts
15. How do you think your blog contributes to your overall mission as a Peace Corps volunteer?
Writing my blog (janetgoesplacesseesthings.com) has been a great aspect of my service! It links my host community and my multiple home communities together. Sometimes calling family or friends from back home can be overwhelming because they can ask questions like,“how’s it all going over there?” That question is so vast! Where to begin?! When I write consistently, my people can ask more specific questions and I have already been processing the story of my experience.
I have gone through periods where I use Instagram (@janetgoesplacesseesthings) a lot. It was nice to share daily successes and track progress through Instagram stories. I would share the sprouts that came up in my garden, the first tomatoes I harvested, and the like. I think it helped normalize my experience with friends back home — I showed up for my job every day just like them! I enjoyed making monthly summary posts of my Peace Corps journey as well.
But, the format of Instagram is so fast-paced that I have found it draining. I always got sucked into scrolling (especially doom scrolling the news) which left me feeling disconnected from my life in Togo. So, for now, I am focused just on the blog. I’ve left behind Instagram at least until the end of my service. Once I’m back in the U.S. I think I will sort through my photos and share more on Instagram.
“Janet Goes Places, Sees Things“
Currently chasing lifelong dreams across the globe. I’ve lived in places like Connecticut, Paris, Senegal, and Togo—and traveled across three (maybe 3.5) continents. My path includes a Global Citizen Year in Senegal, a BA in History from Reed College, and teaching in Martinique. I now serve in Togo as an Agriculture Volunteer with the Peace Corps. Read more HERE!
16. Any last comments you’d like to pass on to future Togo volunteers?
Togo is a very complex place in a very small area! Togo, North to South, is about as long a distance as Portland, Maine to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. But only 100 miles wide at its widest point. Considering that we cannot go north of Kara (due to Sahel security concerns), the distance from Kara to Lomé (the capital) is shorter than the distance from Portland, Maine to New York City.
Although anyone from New England (like myself) can crack a lot of jokes about the difference (particularly in driving techniques) between Bostonians, Nutmeg-ers, those folks up in New Hampshire, Maine lobstermen, etc., etc., the differences do not feel as sharp as those in Togo. You can talk about a general New England-ness.
When I descend out of the mountains of the North, I feel like I am embarking on a grand voyage. When I am in the Kpalime or Lome area, I feel like I am in a foreign country. I struggle to figure out how exactly these regional puzzle pieces fit together culturally, socially, or politically. Of course, the reality of colonial history and living in a post-colonial world is that none of these puzzle pieces were pre-destined. They developed from numerous historical factors and power dynamics.
So, to any future volunteers, be prepared that your experience will be particular to your host village and the folks living there! The experience of your fellow volunteers may differ greatly from your own. All of which gives you plenty to discover!
What are you waiting for? Opportunities like this don’t come often. If you have a passion for service and an adventurous spirit like Janet’s, apply to the Peace Corps today. Expand your horizons, push your limits, and create positive impact as a volunteer. You never know how serving as a Peace Corps volunteer could change your life.
The content of this post does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or Togo Government.
