| BB:
Bière Benin, the Togolese beer. There's none better. |
| Calabash:
A hollowed out, dried out half gourd used as a bowl. |
| Frigo:
A kerosene powered refrigerator that efficiently fills your house with black smoke. |
 | Fufu: A starchy,
dough-like mass of pounded African yam (which is nothing like a sweet potato)
that tastes delicious... once you acquire a taste for it. Lama
Kara: A small city in northern Togo, unless you were stationed in Dapango,
in which case it's a small city in southern Togo. |
| RPCV:
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer |
"Snap"
Handshake: Starts like a handshake, ends with the two handshakers snapping
each other's fingers. |
“Yovo,
Yovo, bonsoir... Ça va bien? Merci!”: This is a frequently heard
traditional Togolese greeting. (Rough translation: Greetings, oh visitor from
a far-off land. Welcome to our humble nation of efficient public transportation
and pristine beaches.) |
| Oh? Comment?!:
The Togolese are a very expressive people and great listeners. Always showing
their interest in what you have to say, they comment with sounds and gestures.
They vary from clucking (I agree), to tisking ("that's too bad" "what
a shame") to one hand (palm up) in the palm of the other ("I am sorry"
or "please, pretty please."). My favorite one is "Oh? Comment?"--literally,
"Oh? How?" Emphasis is on the "Oh!" Sing the "Oh,"
and then say "commmmment" as slow as you can. It means something like
"no way?! how could he/she do that? how could that happen?! The nerve of
that person!" |
| Oh? Vraiment?--literally
"Oh? Really?"--a slight variation of "Oh Comment?" which means
"I can't believe that happened." Or, "Hmmph." The difference
between them seems to be that "Oh? Comment?" is usually asking for more
details (like, "No way...but tell me more.") and "Oh Vraiment"
is kind of a closing statement on something, like there is nothing left to say,
like "Dang." |
| Serieux:
I have learned that if someone is not serious or "serieux" it is just
about the worst thing you can say about them, as in "Lui, il n'est pas serieux."
It is the equavalent of saying someone is uncooth, irresponsible, undependable,
poorly raised/educated, a loser, or a joker. Sometimes, it means something similar
to "oh comment?" , and can be offered in sympathetic reply during a
conversation. For ex., "she did not show up today." "oh? elle n'est
pas serieux." A third way I have heard it used is in comic relief. For ex.
"he drank too much palm wine and was dancing around with his animals,"
and you reply, "il n'est pas serieux." |
| Bandit
(ban-DEE, emphasis on dee): Alternately means someone is a con-man, a taxi
driver, a corrupt politician, or an incorrigible child. |