My best African Christmas yet!!
Very little was different from any other day in Ghana. I woke up, ate breakfast, drank tea, checked my Moringa, collected eggs. At around 8am I joined the family for church. I was expecting a large crowd but when I showed up with Dorothy and Raphael, we doubled the size of the crowd. More people trickled in as the mass continued. There were roughly 25 by the end of the 2 hour (90% Dangme) mass.
I was officially introduced to the Catholic community at the end of mass. My supervisor (Emmanuel) explained that I will be planting Moringa and helping to teach local mothers about ways to fight malnutrition. At the end of the introduction, Emmanuel brought out a bottle of wine for the group to share. Since most alcohol in Ghana is served in small 1 ounce plastic bags, nobody had a bottle opener. Since I'm the American with the gadgets and tools (VERY handy Leatherman), I was expected to save the day. I managed to open a bottle of wine on Thanksgiving by using a broken cork screw, pliers and a butter knife. For Christmas, I used two nails to push the cork into the bottle. This would be very taboo if I were in America but alas, I'm in Ghana and saved the day. You can call me African holiday MacGyver!!
From church, we returned to the house and sat around while food was prepared. I helped a bit in the preparation of Christmas dinner. I placed the freshly plucked chicken atop the open flame. Did you know that you peel skin off the beak and feet before cooking? You probably didn't know that since most people in American don't include the feet or the head of the chicken in the meal. Now you know. I let the chicken sit on the flame until any remaining pin feathers could be removed. I also peeled the skin from the beak and feet (Kua enjoyed her Christmas gift). The skin looks like fresh snake skin. During the preparation, the cooking crew took a few breaks to chase chickens around the bush. A few neighbors dropped by with the hope of buying 3 fowls for their Christmas dinner. The first fowl was caught with relative ease but the second led at least 10 grown adults sprinting and diving around the bush. This was a refreshingly ridiculous feeling and my mere involvement earned me points with the other hunters.
For Christmas dinner, we enjoyed Fufu with garlic and soy bean soup. We usually have a soup that includes dried fish, pepper, onion and tomatoes. I like the other soups but this was a special treat. I ate at 3:30pm with Emmanuel (he was too tired to wait) and again at 5:30pm with the rest of the family. I was inducted into the ranks of proper Ghanaians by eating all of the bones that I found in my chicken pieces. For those of you who don't know of my finicky diet as a child, eating a jam other than Raspberry would have been too adventurous two decades ago. I'm getting better!!
All around, it didn't feel too much like Christmas but it was a nice day all around.
As far as work in Ghana goes:
I gave Ransord his first assignment. He is to write a 450 word essay about why Moringa is a useful crop. A 450 word essay is part of his October exam so I hope to correct a mock essay each week to help him practice his composition skills and rid himself of any basic mistakes that can be easily avoided.
Emmanuels cousin recently bought a computer from a local internet cafe. He has NEVER used a computer. He initially bought an insufficient number of pieces for the machine but we've since gotten the computer to work and I'll give him typing lessons each Wednesday. He (Daniel) is in his mid-forties and lives close to the Sekesua market so each week I'll kill two birds with one stone by helping Dorothy at her shop and helping Daniel learn to type. We use Mavis Beacon and one game involves the conveyor belt of a grocery store. In order to place each item into your shopping bag, you must type the appropriate price as it's listed on the screen. Seeing Pizza, Ice Cream, French Bread and frozen vegetables move across the screen may seem normal to most Mavis Beacon users but I don't think that Daniel has ever seen any of these items. In fact, I don't think he's ever set foot inside a grocery store.
My first 100 Moringa seeds only produced 18 sprouts. I was overzealous and overwatered. I replaced the remaining 82 seeds so I can get additional results/plants before my next data collecting session starts at the beginning of the New Year!!
I have scheduled meetings at 3 local schools on January 13th and 14th so new projects will start around then.
It is now officially the dry season. To prepare for any borehole breakages, we in the Nartey household have been making many trips to the borehole in order to fill a large cement water basin at the house. When I first arrived, I would carry a bucket (maybe 3 gallons) in each hand. I kept a good balance and didn't drench myself. I've since upgraded to big yellow plastic fuel containers (maybe 6 gallons). For two days I would carry one in each hand for 3 or 4 trips. This has been great exercise but by the end of the last trip, I had to stop and rest. The walk is long enough for it to be difficult and I'm totally spent by the end of each trip. I've since made a few trips with one of these cas containers on my head. The weight is easier to handle but I have to make twice as many trips and have a very hard time ducking the clothesline when the top of the barrel is near 9 feet off the ground and the clothesline is less than 7. I'm not sure which approach I prefer. Either way, the borehole is the place to be at around 4pm. It's been a great place to kick a ball around and joke with/get laughed at by my neighbors.
Love to all. I hope this entry makes sense.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The dead and the deadly
Last Saturday, I attended my second Ghanaian funeral. I know that it's pretty clear that Ghana and the US are very different but there are certain aspects that hadn't even occurred to me. Embalming/beautifying dead bodies is one of those aspects.
I arrived in Odumase (an hour tro ride from my site) at 8:30am. I'm met on the roadside by Adolph (I have no idea how he's related to my host family but he is). Adolph ushers me around and takes me to see the bereaved family members and the casket. I shake 5 or 6 hands (always from right to left) before even noticing that there is an open casket in the room. It takes a few seconds of blatant staring to understand whether I'm looking at a real body or at a mannequin. The mand I'm looking at died after a month long illness at the age of 42. He died a month ago and I'm looking at what looks like a life-size wax figurine.
After leaving this room, I sit amongst Emmanuel's senior brother's sons. These 4 men are some of the burliest Ghanaians I've met to date and despite being at a funeral one immediately starts asking how I feel as a representative of George W. Bush. I answer with something along the lines of "I really like Ghana!!" and allow the conversation to drift elsewhere. Within a few minutes, the entire group of women from the room I've just left breaks out in bouts of convulsive wailing and sobbing as they walk around in circles. I'm not sure what specifically spawned the outburst but I find myself keeping a very straight face while all non-wailing members of the procession are staring at my very white self sitting in a sea of very black people wearing all black clothing.
The ceremony starts at around 9:30am with a live band (3 BIG drums, several trumpets, a trombone and a cymbal) playing while the casket is precariously brought down a short flight of stairs. A Baptist priest starts with a few readings and hymns. Every so often, a woman or two will make her way up to the front of the tented off courtyard in which we're sitting and circle the casket while loudly yelling (no clue what she's saying) and crying until they return to their respective seats.
Some very emotionally driven presentations and readings are given before the announcement is made that we'll proceed to the cemetery for the burial. At this time, the band starts up, the casket is loaded into the bed of a pickup and the 100 or so people in attendance start to walk down the road alongside the truck. People are singing, dancing, crying all around me yet I can't even hear myself think while music is blaring in my ear. We walk about a mile (around noon at this time. As you may have guessed, I'm drenched in sweat) before the casket is removed from the truck and we walk off the road and into the woods. I see a small sign that says "public cemetary" but otherwise would never guess that it's a burial site. As the music continues to roar, a drunken man begins to wrestle with some of the pallbearers. He seems to be trying to pull the casket from them but all I can hear is music. A few other men pull the drunkard from the casket before he can knock it onto the trash strewn soil beneath us. We finally come to a clearing and there is an open grave with a man standing inside. He has his pants rolled up to his knees and is standing bare foot with mud up to mid-shin. The pall bearers hand the casket down to this man as he negotiates the small space he has. They heave and haw until finally they're able to get the coffin into the muddy grave. The man then steps onto the casket and out of the grave, leaving a dripping footprint of mud on the top of the silver box. By this point, the music has stopped, the wailing is perfectly audible again and the drunkard is in a yelling/shoving match with another man (again I can't understand what they're saying). He then spikes a full water sachet onto the casket and calms down a bit. People randomly drop items into the grave as a man begins to speak (items include bits of cloth and even a saw (he was a carpenter)). At this point, Dorothy suggests that we should leave. We walk to the roadside, jump in a tro and after maybe a minute of loud pop music, I'm on the roadside watching a teenager hack open a coconut with a machete. I enjoy my snack, sit with Dorothy and friends for a few hours and then I'm back on the road to Bormase. Quite a whirlwind cultural experience I must say.
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While walking with Raph (19 year old homestay brother) to various poultry group sites in Bormase, I strike up a conversation about snakes. I remember being so scared to come across snakes when I first arrived but recently I've been walking through the bush without any worries. I've asked Raph if he often sees snakes around the area. He tells me that he doesn't see them very often but that they're around. As I'm explaining how I was so scared when I arrived... I look to my right and see one foot of inch and a half thick black and yellow snake!! I stop my sentence, tell Raph and watch him run in circles looking for a stick with which to kill the snake. There were no sticks and the snake disappeared into the bush. I asked if it was a Black Mamba and Raph said yes. I Googled Black Mambas and I'm not convinced but either way, it was big and very close to my house. AAHHH!!! I guess I'm living in the African bush after all.
Love you guys.
I arrived in Odumase (an hour tro ride from my site) at 8:30am. I'm met on the roadside by Adolph (I have no idea how he's related to my host family but he is). Adolph ushers me around and takes me to see the bereaved family members and the casket. I shake 5 or 6 hands (always from right to left) before even noticing that there is an open casket in the room. It takes a few seconds of blatant staring to understand whether I'm looking at a real body or at a mannequin. The mand I'm looking at died after a month long illness at the age of 42. He died a month ago and I'm looking at what looks like a life-size wax figurine.
After leaving this room, I sit amongst Emmanuel's senior brother's sons. These 4 men are some of the burliest Ghanaians I've met to date and despite being at a funeral one immediately starts asking how I feel as a representative of George W. Bush. I answer with something along the lines of "I really like Ghana!!" and allow the conversation to drift elsewhere. Within a few minutes, the entire group of women from the room I've just left breaks out in bouts of convulsive wailing and sobbing as they walk around in circles. I'm not sure what specifically spawned the outburst but I find myself keeping a very straight face while all non-wailing members of the procession are staring at my very white self sitting in a sea of very black people wearing all black clothing.
The ceremony starts at around 9:30am with a live band (3 BIG drums, several trumpets, a trombone and a cymbal) playing while the casket is precariously brought down a short flight of stairs. A Baptist priest starts with a few readings and hymns. Every so often, a woman or two will make her way up to the front of the tented off courtyard in which we're sitting and circle the casket while loudly yelling (no clue what she's saying) and crying until they return to their respective seats.
Some very emotionally driven presentations and readings are given before the announcement is made that we'll proceed to the cemetery for the burial. At this time, the band starts up, the casket is loaded into the bed of a pickup and the 100 or so people in attendance start to walk down the road alongside the truck. People are singing, dancing, crying all around me yet I can't even hear myself think while music is blaring in my ear. We walk about a mile (around noon at this time. As you may have guessed, I'm drenched in sweat) before the casket is removed from the truck and we walk off the road and into the woods. I see a small sign that says "public cemetary" but otherwise would never guess that it's a burial site. As the music continues to roar, a drunken man begins to wrestle with some of the pallbearers. He seems to be trying to pull the casket from them but all I can hear is music. A few other men pull the drunkard from the casket before he can knock it onto the trash strewn soil beneath us. We finally come to a clearing and there is an open grave with a man standing inside. He has his pants rolled up to his knees and is standing bare foot with mud up to mid-shin. The pall bearers hand the casket down to this man as he negotiates the small space he has. They heave and haw until finally they're able to get the coffin into the muddy grave. The man then steps onto the casket and out of the grave, leaving a dripping footprint of mud on the top of the silver box. By this point, the music has stopped, the wailing is perfectly audible again and the drunkard is in a yelling/shoving match with another man (again I can't understand what they're saying). He then spikes a full water sachet onto the casket and calms down a bit. People randomly drop items into the grave as a man begins to speak (items include bits of cloth and even a saw (he was a carpenter)). At this point, Dorothy suggests that we should leave. We walk to the roadside, jump in a tro and after maybe a minute of loud pop music, I'm on the roadside watching a teenager hack open a coconut with a machete. I enjoy my snack, sit with Dorothy and friends for a few hours and then I'm back on the road to Bormase. Quite a whirlwind cultural experience I must say.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
While walking with Raph (19 year old homestay brother) to various poultry group sites in Bormase, I strike up a conversation about snakes. I remember being so scared to come across snakes when I first arrived but recently I've been walking through the bush without any worries. I've asked Raph if he often sees snakes around the area. He tells me that he doesn't see them very often but that they're around. As I'm explaining how I was so scared when I arrived... I look to my right and see one foot of inch and a half thick black and yellow snake!! I stop my sentence, tell Raph and watch him run in circles looking for a stick with which to kill the snake. There were no sticks and the snake disappeared into the bush. I asked if it was a Black Mamba and Raph said yes. I Googled Black Mambas and I'm not convinced but either way, it was big and very close to my house. AAHHH!!! I guess I'm living in the African bush after all.
Love you guys.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
10 minutes of internet left...
... so I'll be brief. I now have 10 Moringa sprouts. This plant is amazing. What was a tiny sprout on Monday is now a 6 inch plant with branches and over 20 leaves.
I spoke with the country director about setting up a site in the North and he's all for it. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to leave my site (we're not really supposed to) during the first 3 months but since it's related to data collection, it'll be alright.
I'll be meeting with the headmaster of the local Junior Secondary School tomorrow morning. I biked there yesterday, it's a 5K bike ride and half of it is uphill and full of potholes. I was drenched when I showed up and I expect to be that way each time I visit.
I'm going to a funeral on Saturday. I think I've been to 4 funerals in the States and this is already my second in Ghana. There are actually funeral seasons in Ghana. People like to celebrate the life of the deceased so it sometimes takes as long as a year to save up for the celebration. For a country that has a hard time getting by financially, I can't say that saving for a funeral is the best way to get ahead but what could be a better reason?
I've had a few meetings with the local poultry group. This group has been going for almost 4 years now. After an initial loan, members have had the opportunity to pay off the loan and receive a new shipment of "layers." My host family has almost 400 birds now while most other groups are still working to pay off the initial 40. The opportunity is there but the drive/strategy is lacking in most cases. I'll see if I can help at all with that.
A better idea of my living situation. I'm in the bush!! Have you seen "Blood Diamond?" If so, try to think of the end of the movie. The hills look like that. I'm not sure if that helps but it's the best I can do before I post photos. Most of the people I live with speak English quite well. My Krobo (the specific dialect of Dangme) is getting better but whenever I exhibit some knowledge, the person I'm speaking with rattles on and I pick up only a few words.
Out of time. Love you guys!! Thanks to whomever gave the Giants update. Aaron Rowand!! Go Warriors too!!
I spoke with the country director about setting up a site in the North and he's all for it. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to leave my site (we're not really supposed to) during the first 3 months but since it's related to data collection, it'll be alright.
I'll be meeting with the headmaster of the local Junior Secondary School tomorrow morning. I biked there yesterday, it's a 5K bike ride and half of it is uphill and full of potholes. I was drenched when I showed up and I expect to be that way each time I visit.
I'm going to a funeral on Saturday. I think I've been to 4 funerals in the States and this is already my second in Ghana. There are actually funeral seasons in Ghana. People like to celebrate the life of the deceased so it sometimes takes as long as a year to save up for the celebration. For a country that has a hard time getting by financially, I can't say that saving for a funeral is the best way to get ahead but what could be a better reason?
I've had a few meetings with the local poultry group. This group has been going for almost 4 years now. After an initial loan, members have had the opportunity to pay off the loan and receive a new shipment of "layers." My host family has almost 400 birds now while most other groups are still working to pay off the initial 40. The opportunity is there but the drive/strategy is lacking in most cases. I'll see if I can help at all with that.
A better idea of my living situation. I'm in the bush!! Have you seen "Blood Diamond?" If so, try to think of the end of the movie. The hills look like that. I'm not sure if that helps but it's the best I can do before I post photos. Most of the people I live with speak English quite well. My Krobo (the specific dialect of Dangme) is getting better but whenever I exhibit some knowledge, the person I'm speaking with rattles on and I pick up only a few words.
Out of time. Love you guys!! Thanks to whomever gave the Giants update. Aaron Rowand!! Go Warriors too!!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Civilization fix
I'm back on the internet before my Thursday Koforidua visit. I came to Accra yesterday with Casey (my closest neighbor/the other member of Johnny Moringaseed). I haven't been to Accra since I first arrived in country. I' filled with mixed emotions as I write. It's amazing to look around this city and feel as though I'm seeing it through a new pair of eyes. When I first arrived, I couldn't believe how clearly African Accra is. Less than 3 months later, I can't believe how clearly American it is. Last night, I ate a cheeseburger and french fries for dinner. I went with some friends to an American style bar and had a glass of nice wine and smoked a cuban cigar (both paid for by ex pats from around the globe).
A rough chronological description of my trip across the world within Ghana:
5:30am- wake up to Kua making her signature noises. When she yawns, she makes a sound much like a human might make when having a good morning stretch and yawn.
6am- check, water and weed my 100 poly bags (50 store bought black bags and 50 recycled water sachets) to find that 2 have sprouted!! How exciting!! It's been one week and there is already some growth.
7am- After reading small (some Ghanaian English for you. To read a little bit) sit down for tea and biscuits with Dorothy and Stephen. Trade several dozen high fives with Atta (the female half of the pair of twins. In only one week she's gone from crying at the site of me to smiling and high fiving. YES!!)
8am- Collect 145 eggs from the chicken coops behind my house. These coops are built out of wood and bamboo. Each holds maybe 200 chickens. On one side of each coop, there are hinged doors that open into the laying area (I'll explain better when I know more). The 8am collection is incredibly hectic. While carrying a small plastic basket in one hand, I'm pushing chickens off of their eggs in order to collect the eggs 3 at a time while pushing back the daredevil chickens as they try to escape. I've already sweat through my shirt. After collecting, I put the eggs in crates (each holds 30 eggs) and record the number in the daily log.
9am- after reading small, collect 72 eggs.
10am- Casey has called to let me know that we're going to Accra today instead of tomorrow. Collect 45 eggs.
11am- Collect 20 eggs. Check on my poly bags again. Clearly nothing new has happened since 6am but it's fun to see that there are two sprouts!!
11-12- Eat lunch (boiled plantains and a stew/sauce of peppers and fish), discuss a shopping list with Dorothy. Bike 5 kilometers to the junction to wait for a tro.
12-12:15- Sit and drink a cold Coca Cola (SO GOOD!!) while talking to Maku (market woman at the Sekesua junction market. Chat with a man about my work with the Peace Corps as he tells me in detail about the volunteer that taught him science while he was a Secondary School student in 1969.
12:15-1pm- Travel east to Asesewa to meet Casey at his local market. Continue the conversation with the nice man from the junction.
1-1:30- Buy 6000 cabbage, 4000 onion and 5000 tomatoes (that's how you order what you want) from various market women. Ordering and haggling is done in Dangme which is exciting for me as well as the market women who like to see that the Blefono (Obruni in Damgme) can speak the language.
1:30-3- Text other volunteers to check on their mental/physical status. It's odd to go from constant contact to no cell phone reception. Run various errands with Casey as he prepares to leave site for the last time before going to Seattle for a month.
3-6- travel by tro West to Odumase, travel Southeast to Accra. Make a pit stop at the Sekesua Junction to drop off groceries (in my new eco-friendly chico bag) with Maku.
6-7- catch up with the other volunteers at the office. Find interesting books to take from the communal book room. Find some spices in the free box!! This is great since I now have great spices to add to my food while also sad because they're likely left by somebody who went home early.
7-12- travel with some more tenured volunteers into town for burgers followed by an American style bar (Duncans) followed by a swanky American style bar (Monsoons). Monsoons has black and white photos ranging from Humphrey Bogart to Bob Marley to the Beatles. Chat and schmooze with ex pats. The most interesting ex pat is a man named Heta. He's from New Zealand, has been working in Ghana for 5 years as an engineer at a gold mine. We chat about how he spent his 20's working at a ski resort in California and how he is impressed by my decision to join the Peace Corps. This leads to my 25 Ghana Cedi (roughly my weekly pay) Cuban cigar!! Peanuts to him and such a treat for me!!
I feel as though I'm leaving out so much detail but I'll answer questions in my next blog.
I'll likely update more on Thursday. Love you all!!
A rough chronological description of my trip across the world within Ghana:
5:30am- wake up to Kua making her signature noises. When she yawns, she makes a sound much like a human might make when having a good morning stretch and yawn.
6am- check, water and weed my 100 poly bags (50 store bought black bags and 50 recycled water sachets) to find that 2 have sprouted!! How exciting!! It's been one week and there is already some growth.
7am- After reading small (some Ghanaian English for you. To read a little bit) sit down for tea and biscuits with Dorothy and Stephen. Trade several dozen high fives with Atta (the female half of the pair of twins. In only one week she's gone from crying at the site of me to smiling and high fiving. YES!!)
8am- Collect 145 eggs from the chicken coops behind my house. These coops are built out of wood and bamboo. Each holds maybe 200 chickens. On one side of each coop, there are hinged doors that open into the laying area (I'll explain better when I know more). The 8am collection is incredibly hectic. While carrying a small plastic basket in one hand, I'm pushing chickens off of their eggs in order to collect the eggs 3 at a time while pushing back the daredevil chickens as they try to escape. I've already sweat through my shirt. After collecting, I put the eggs in crates (each holds 30 eggs) and record the number in the daily log.
9am- after reading small, collect 72 eggs.
10am- Casey has called to let me know that we're going to Accra today instead of tomorrow. Collect 45 eggs.
11am- Collect 20 eggs. Check on my poly bags again. Clearly nothing new has happened since 6am but it's fun to see that there are two sprouts!!
11-12- Eat lunch (boiled plantains and a stew/sauce of peppers and fish), discuss a shopping list with Dorothy. Bike 5 kilometers to the junction to wait for a tro.
12-12:15- Sit and drink a cold Coca Cola (SO GOOD!!) while talking to Maku (market woman at the Sekesua junction market. Chat with a man about my work with the Peace Corps as he tells me in detail about the volunteer that taught him science while he was a Secondary School student in 1969.
12:15-1pm- Travel east to Asesewa to meet Casey at his local market. Continue the conversation with the nice man from the junction.
1-1:30- Buy 6000 cabbage, 4000 onion and 5000 tomatoes (that's how you order what you want) from various market women. Ordering and haggling is done in Dangme which is exciting for me as well as the market women who like to see that the Blefono (Obruni in Damgme) can speak the language.
1:30-3- Text other volunteers to check on their mental/physical status. It's odd to go from constant contact to no cell phone reception. Run various errands with Casey as he prepares to leave site for the last time before going to Seattle for a month.
3-6- travel by tro West to Odumase, travel Southeast to Accra. Make a pit stop at the Sekesua Junction to drop off groceries (in my new eco-friendly chico bag) with Maku.
6-7- catch up with the other volunteers at the office. Find interesting books to take from the communal book room. Find some spices in the free box!! This is great since I now have great spices to add to my food while also sad because they're likely left by somebody who went home early.
7-12- travel with some more tenured volunteers into town for burgers followed by an American style bar (Duncans) followed by a swanky American style bar (Monsoons). Monsoons has black and white photos ranging from Humphrey Bogart to Bob Marley to the Beatles. Chat and schmooze with ex pats. The most interesting ex pat is a man named Heta. He's from New Zealand, has been working in Ghana for 5 years as an engineer at a gold mine. We chat about how he spent his 20's working at a ski resort in California and how he is impressed by my decision to join the Peace Corps. This leads to my 25 Ghana Cedi (roughly my weekly pay) Cuban cigar!! Peanuts to him and such a treat for me!!
I feel as though I'm leaving out so much detail but I'll answer questions in my next blog.
I'll likely update more on Thursday. Love you all!!
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Going it solo
Now that we've all sworn in as official Peace Corps Volunteers, we're on our own. I don't have electricity, running water or cell phone reception so I'll have to come to Koforidua to access any modern technology.
I finally arrived at site last Saturday. It's taking some getting used to it but I can see the potential for change. It's hard to differentiate needs from wants from feasible projects. As for now, I'll update what I'm planning.
I planted 100 Moringa seeds right after I got to site. Even if this is only a small percentage of what I'll plant over my time at site, it will give me something to do and will give a tangible marker of my time at site.
I collect eggs several times each day with my counterpart Stephen. While collecting eggs a few days ago, I actually saw an egg come out of a chicken. What a painful life!! Laying an egg every day seems like miserable work!!
Stephen took me to visit a local primary school. There are 100 students and 4 teachers. When I went to visit, 2 of the teachers were sitting out front. I'll have to figure out when/how often I will be able to teach there.
Yesterday, I sat with Dorothy (Stephen's mother) at her market stand. We were at the Sekesua market all day. It's weird to think that sitting at a market and greeting people is a very effective approach to my work. For now, the most important thing for me to do is to be seen. I must show that I'll be around and that I'm integrated in the community and understand what people need/want. Toward the end of the day, I sat and chatted with a guy named Ransford. He's and Stephen are friends and each of them recently finished Secondary School. Ransford received high enough scores to attend University but didn't do well enough in English or Biology to study medicine. I'm hoping to be able to help Stephen and Ransford study for their October exams.
I'll be going to Accra on Monday and will drop off bank account numbers. Once again, I'm in charge of information that is far too important. I collected bank account numbers for over 40 new volunteers and without that information, the Peace Corps can't pay any of us!! I'll also follow up with my APCD (Sammie D.) regarding the food sharing program. I'm hoping to have certificates printed and distributed by Christmas but that might be too soon.
A few notes of differences in life:
I hear Christmas songs on the radio all day!! I suppose it's the same in some parts of America but it's so strange to hear "dashing through the snow," when I'm walking along dust covered roads and dripping sweat.
"Free Range Chickens," will never be the same. In Ghana, to free range is to take a shit wherever you want. Many people squat on the side of the road whenever nature calls. Not surprisingly, people also allow chickens to roam the streets free. It's not uncommon for these chickens to eat what is left on the roadside by their owners. Free Range Chickens in Ghana are NO GOOD!!
The perception of money is SO different. I tried to explain earning potential and the cost of living in the United States. When a haircut costs the equivalent of 50 cents and an hour long taxi ride costs a dollar, explaining how earning 3,000 dollars per month is insufficient in many major cities isn't well understood.
Babies react to me in a completely new way. I like to think that I'm good with children and that they react well to me. In Ghana, the typical reaction is complete bewilderment. Before deciding whether I'm a nice person, babies and infants must decide "WHAT IS THAT?" It's amusing at this point and after a week at site, the twins are smiling and giving high fives instead of crying and running away. Success!!
Love you all!! Please let me know if you have any specific questions. I have a hard time recognizing differences until I receive specific questions. Please let me know if you have any.
I finally arrived at site last Saturday. It's taking some getting used to it but I can see the potential for change. It's hard to differentiate needs from wants from feasible projects. As for now, I'll update what I'm planning.
I planted 100 Moringa seeds right after I got to site. Even if this is only a small percentage of what I'll plant over my time at site, it will give me something to do and will give a tangible marker of my time at site.
I collect eggs several times each day with my counterpart Stephen. While collecting eggs a few days ago, I actually saw an egg come out of a chicken. What a painful life!! Laying an egg every day seems like miserable work!!
Stephen took me to visit a local primary school. There are 100 students and 4 teachers. When I went to visit, 2 of the teachers were sitting out front. I'll have to figure out when/how often I will be able to teach there.
Yesterday, I sat with Dorothy (Stephen's mother) at her market stand. We were at the Sekesua market all day. It's weird to think that sitting at a market and greeting people is a very effective approach to my work. For now, the most important thing for me to do is to be seen. I must show that I'll be around and that I'm integrated in the community and understand what people need/want. Toward the end of the day, I sat and chatted with a guy named Ransford. He's and Stephen are friends and each of them recently finished Secondary School. Ransford received high enough scores to attend University but didn't do well enough in English or Biology to study medicine. I'm hoping to be able to help Stephen and Ransford study for their October exams.
I'll be going to Accra on Monday and will drop off bank account numbers. Once again, I'm in charge of information that is far too important. I collected bank account numbers for over 40 new volunteers and without that information, the Peace Corps can't pay any of us!! I'll also follow up with my APCD (Sammie D.) regarding the food sharing program. I'm hoping to have certificates printed and distributed by Christmas but that might be too soon.
A few notes of differences in life:
I hear Christmas songs on the radio all day!! I suppose it's the same in some parts of America but it's so strange to hear "dashing through the snow," when I'm walking along dust covered roads and dripping sweat.
"Free Range Chickens," will never be the same. In Ghana, to free range is to take a shit wherever you want. Many people squat on the side of the road whenever nature calls. Not surprisingly, people also allow chickens to roam the streets free. It's not uncommon for these chickens to eat what is left on the roadside by their owners. Free Range Chickens in Ghana are NO GOOD!!
The perception of money is SO different. I tried to explain earning potential and the cost of living in the United States. When a haircut costs the equivalent of 50 cents and an hour long taxi ride costs a dollar, explaining how earning 3,000 dollars per month is insufficient in many major cities isn't well understood.
Babies react to me in a completely new way. I like to think that I'm good with children and that they react well to me. In Ghana, the typical reaction is complete bewilderment. Before deciding whether I'm a nice person, babies and infants must decide "WHAT IS THAT?" It's amusing at this point and after a week at site, the twins are smiling and giving high fives instead of crying and running away. Success!!
Love you all!! Please let me know if you have any specific questions. I have a hard time recognizing differences until I receive specific questions. Please let me know if you have any.
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