For us, here in Togo, we celebrated semi-German-style. That means we went to the church service on Christmas Eve and then opened presents in the evening. I wanted to celebrate on Christmas Day so that there would be a day between Sydney's birthday and Christmas, but Roger wanted a German Christmas. Oh well...
Anyway, we went to the Seaman's Mission for a joint German/French service. We didn't pay attention to the starting time so assumed it was at 6pm. We got there and no one else was there. On the door, as we walked in, we found out the reason, we were an hour early! (Honestly, who starts their Christmas Eve service at 7pm?) We decided to hang out at the "Chinese Wal-Mart" (you think Wal-Mart has cheap-Chinese-junk, you should see this) and at the only posh hotel in town. We bought a $4 bottle of water and hung out until just before 7. As Roger went to pay, he found out that there was a Christmas bazaar of sorts just outside so we went for a look. Of course, that meant we were late to the service (much more our style)--the last ones seated, and NOT under a fan. After sweating thru the service (it just isn't right to sweat thru the Christmas Eve service), we chatted to a few people and headed home. On the way, Roger complained about the car driving funny (it always drives funny, just sometimes it's funnier than others). About half way home, we heard a funny noise and Elena looked out to see a very flat tire. There was no place to stop so we had to keep going until we got to a filling station where it was safe to stop and change it. Of course there were dozens of onlookers and a few even offered to help. The tire was completely ruined by this point. Roger got it changed (glad I wasn't alone!) and at 9:30pm, we finally ate a rather overcooked Christmas dinner, which had been in the crockpot waaaaay too long. It still tasted ok and we had fun opening presents as well afterward.
Today, we have friends coming to eat dinner with us and play games, or watch a movie, or swim in the little pool, or just hang out.
Merry Christmas Y'all!!
The Stolls
Sunday, 25 December 2011
Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Trash Talk, the Saga Continues
Well, we finally talked to the head man at the trash company. He says that the mayor won't allow them to dump trash in the same place they were dumping it so apparently that affects why they come only once a week--most of the time. It doesn't really make a lot of sense to us. He said we must just buy bigger trash barrels to put outside so we have lots of space to hold trash while it sits out there waiting to be collected. It might not be a bad idea, but 2 things keep me from wanting to do this. 1.) The new barrels may very well sprout legs and go away, and 2.) is that the guys who pick up trash are REALLY rough and will destroy the barrels pretty quickly, I've no doubt. We'll see. We've talked to another man about collecting our trash starting in the new year. Maybe he'll be better.
Anyway, I wish you all a Merry Christmas. Can't wait until next year when we also get to celebrate in the US!!
Anyway, I wish you all a Merry Christmas. Can't wait until next year when we also get to celebrate in the US!!
Friday, 9 December 2011
Trash Talk
About 2 years ago, the officials who do that kind of thing, decided that there would be various new groups in charge of collecting trash and disposing of it. The big man of Etablissment Ame came to our house and told us that we, as “preferred customers”, would pay 4,000cfa per month (that's about $8) for them to come around twice a week to collect our trash. We realized right away that 4,000 was way more than others pay (“preferred” is just another way to say, “pay more”) so Roger negotiated and we got them down to 3,000cfa per month. No problem, right? They were to come by with their little mini tractor and high-sided trailer on Mondays and Thursdays. Apart from taking 2 months longer to get started than they said, it all went well for the first bit.
For the last year, at least, they wouldn't come at all for 2 weeks. Our trash sat outside the gate on the road all the time. It smelled, collected various trash from anyone else who wanted to add to it and was scrounged thru by anyone or anything who went by. The money collector was very prompt to come by on the first of the month and I finally got to where I would tell him what I thought of his ability to collect money each month, but not trash. One time I even told him I'd pay as soon as the trash was collected, since it had been there for 2 ½ weeks. The tractor came by within the same morning.
Then, I began calling them when the trash sat for longer than the allotted time. The man on the other end was always very patronizing and sometimes even this didn't get results very quickly. (If you want to REALLY get on my nerves, be patronizing to me!) Anyway, I got tired of spending my money to call them 4-5 times a month and decided to just let the trash sit.
Then our war entered a new phase (or whatever wars enter). At the end of October, our trash sat there nearly 2 weeks. The first of November came and the guy hadn't come by to collect his money—very irregular. I realized he was only coming when the trash had been collected. Sure enough, they picked the trash late on the 3rd and, like clockwork, there he was at 8am the next morning. I told him I knew he'd finally come that morning because the trash had finally been collected. He denied it until I said that I knew I was right. He just shrugged and gave a goofy smile. I said that since the trash was to be collected 2 times a week for 3000cfa, but was only collected, on average, once a week—half the service—I'd only pay half the money. You pay for the service you get, right? We argued a while and he said his boss would come that night. He never came—wasn't in town, apparently. Finally, just before then end of the month, we agreed to give him 2000cfa since they had collected trash just more than half the time. I called the boss and he hasn't come round, except once, late and we couldn't talk to him by then. I still haven't paid this month and don't plan to until the boss comes round and talks about it. If it's that big of a deal to him, surely he'll show up some day.
I realize this is a pitiful battle to fight. Afterall, what is $6 a month? However, I get tired of being taken advantage of. When we arrive at the market, prices usually go up. That's just the way it is. Fine, I argue prices just like the rest of them, but these people wouldn't argue properly. They didn't “play by the rules” and used the fact that they are the only business doing this in our area to get more money out of us. I seriously doubt I'll win the battle. Only if the contract actually says they come 2 times a week—which I think it does—will I have any grounds. Oh well, I just chose to fight this time and we'll see how it turns out. I'll let you know.
For the last year, at least, they wouldn't come at all for 2 weeks. Our trash sat outside the gate on the road all the time. It smelled, collected various trash from anyone else who wanted to add to it and was scrounged thru by anyone or anything who went by. The money collector was very prompt to come by on the first of the month and I finally got to where I would tell him what I thought of his ability to collect money each month, but not trash. One time I even told him I'd pay as soon as the trash was collected, since it had been there for 2 ½ weeks. The tractor came by within the same morning.
Then, I began calling them when the trash sat for longer than the allotted time. The man on the other end was always very patronizing and sometimes even this didn't get results very quickly. (If you want to REALLY get on my nerves, be patronizing to me!) Anyway, I got tired of spending my money to call them 4-5 times a month and decided to just let the trash sit.
Then our war entered a new phase (or whatever wars enter). At the end of October, our trash sat there nearly 2 weeks. The first of November came and the guy hadn't come by to collect his money—very irregular. I realized he was only coming when the trash had been collected. Sure enough, they picked the trash late on the 3rd and, like clockwork, there he was at 8am the next morning. I told him I knew he'd finally come that morning because the trash had finally been collected. He denied it until I said that I knew I was right. He just shrugged and gave a goofy smile. I said that since the trash was to be collected 2 times a week for 3000cfa, but was only collected, on average, once a week—half the service—I'd only pay half the money. You pay for the service you get, right? We argued a while and he said his boss would come that night. He never came—wasn't in town, apparently. Finally, just before then end of the month, we agreed to give him 2000cfa since they had collected trash just more than half the time. I called the boss and he hasn't come round, except once, late and we couldn't talk to him by then. I still haven't paid this month and don't plan to until the boss comes round and talks about it. If it's that big of a deal to him, surely he'll show up some day.
I realize this is a pitiful battle to fight. Afterall, what is $6 a month? However, I get tired of being taken advantage of. When we arrive at the market, prices usually go up. That's just the way it is. Fine, I argue prices just like the rest of them, but these people wouldn't argue properly. They didn't “play by the rules” and used the fact that they are the only business doing this in our area to get more money out of us. I seriously doubt I'll win the battle. Only if the contract actually says they come 2 times a week—which I think it does—will I have any grounds. Oh well, I just chose to fight this time and we'll see how it turns out. I'll let you know.
Friday, 2 December 2011
What's in the Bottle
That was a cheap way to try and get comments on a blog post and I thank Jennifer and Rebecca for commenting. To the rest of you who I know wanted to comment, but just didn't get the time, I'll go ahead and tell what you might find in used bottles here in Togo.
Around here, people buy empty bottles that have screw on lids so they can use them for various things. You can buy roasted peanuts, sugared peanuts, roasted coconut, cookie things, whatever little snack-type things fit into a whiskey bottle. Also, people buy gasoline and sell it in these bottles on the side of the road. Personally, I'd be afraid to use them, not knowing exactly how much is gasoline and how much is something else. You could buy kerosene as well. The plastic ones are typically used to sell homemade liquid soap. Sometimes, people sell juices in them as well, or maybe even stronger than juice. I have personally not tasted them so cannot say for sure what exactly they hold. Maybe Saharabecks has some other known uses of the bottles we sell to little girls like the one who periodically comes to our door.
Next week, I'll post about my ongoing battle with the people who collect (sometimes) our trash. Watch this space. (I always wanted to say that.)
Around here, people buy empty bottles that have screw on lids so they can use them for various things. You can buy roasted peanuts, sugared peanuts, roasted coconut, cookie things, whatever little snack-type things fit into a whiskey bottle. Also, people buy gasoline and sell it in these bottles on the side of the road. Personally, I'd be afraid to use them, not knowing exactly how much is gasoline and how much is something else. You could buy kerosene as well. The plastic ones are typically used to sell homemade liquid soap. Sometimes, people sell juices in them as well, or maybe even stronger than juice. I have personally not tasted them so cannot say for sure what exactly they hold. Maybe Saharabecks has some other known uses of the bottles we sell to little girls like the one who periodically comes to our door.
Next week, I'll post about my ongoing battle with the people who collect (sometimes) our trash. Watch this space. (I always wanted to say that.)
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