Welcome back!

It’s been a minute, as I have been recovering from an unexpected and very unwelcome Covid infection, and dealing with allergies from the Harmattan, and just generally getting back into the swing of things.

If you’re wondering what the Harmattan is, it’s sand from the Sahara that gets blown south from Trade Winds, causing mass particulate pollution from December-ish to I guess March. Sometimes it’s been ever so slightly cooler, but often really hazy, dry, dusty as all get out, and can cause seasonal like allergies in some people. In fact, the health unit initially thought my Covid had been simply harmattan related symptoms…I digress….

We did however get an early morning rain storm that had the dog shaking in his boots, but brought some life back into this place enough for me to get my Bugs Life-esque photo.

Let’s get back to catching up!

It’s a question I’ve always dreaded “What do you like to do? What are your hobbies?” and honestly, I generally have nothing to answer. Is that the new normal? Pre-March 2020, I was a dancing machine. I socially danced, performed, taught, and if I wasn’t working, eating, or sleeping, I was dancing. There really was no in-between. It was my stress relief, my only escape from anxiety, my fitness (because there’s nothing more fun than cardio in heels), ultimately my escape from my job that felt like it *needed* me for something at every turn. It brought me confidence, a circle of people that enjoyed the same thing, and likely, my only hobby. My dance shoes really were an extension of my legs. My head and feet bopped to different drums always but as we got deeper into the pandemic, they softened, and my Spotify year-end wrap up changed from Salsa and Bachata artists, to moody folk artists. I’m not mad anymore, just exhausted finding it harder to get back into the swing and fall back in love with it.

So when the studio and club shut down, H moved in, not *formally* (because he just kept delaying his flight), but also it just clicked and made sense. Cue the anxiety and feeling of self improvement that was seemingly called for during the pandemic.

I needed 1) to seem cooler than just the long distance girlfriend, but 2) I needed to seem like I had some real worth during a crazy pandemic as it seemed like everyone was shacking up and breaking up and zoom-dating and everything like that just caused my anxiety ridden, one-hobby lifestyle to freak out. So what did I do?

I bought a cook book and decided to up my game. And there’s the honest truth on how I trapped that gem.

Then came 15lbs that I hadn’t experienced since the Freshman15 in college.

But OH WELL because this body got me through a pandemic. Somehow, and still is. #GODBLESSIT

Coming to Togo was and still very much is an uphill climb. I felt like my new hobby of cooking and baking had just taken off, and then stopped short and jutted off the runway as I’ve had to acclimate to food here. I’ve had to branch out and talk to people (that I’m able to, ya know, English problems) and find some sense of normalcy. And what does this expat woman look forward to every so often?

*Trying new places to eat at

*Try new recipes that require more effort through baking or cooking

*Have brunch with other expat women at each others homes and just enjoy life while eating and talking, and more eating.

I’d argue that food is the keystone to community.

New additions to the Lomé community include:

Kyry Café: A bubble tea spot with a new location!! It’s super cool inside and the expansion of the menu is chefs kiss.

La Bruschetta: (bru-sketta, not bru-shhhcuetta) An Italian spot that opened in a new development…like where in the world do they get that burrata? I NEED THAT CONNECT.

Also damn to the iPhone edit glitch…Apple, do better.

Picasso: A SPOT THAT HAS TACOS, fire-y things, a really cool atmosphere, and good drinks.

And last but certainly not least, the staple: Tcha Tcha. Just check this vibe….

What have I been making? Lots of bread and doughs from scratch, amongst other things, here’s a small collection, but also, gotta wash the veggies beforehand, or feel the wrath later…

But most importantly, every so often I get together with other women here, that hail from all over the world. We bring dishes, share cultures, and community, even when things get a little desolate. I’m not sure I could make it here without them and these pockets of peace.

So as I try new hobbies, I’m curious:

What are yours? How have they changed through the pandemic? But even more intriguing, what things are you doing to find and/or create community in a new place?

To those in snow, enjoy it for me. I’ll do my best to enjoy the heat and my pool in the interim.

With love from Togo,

Carrie