First rains of the season

I was told that the rainy season starts in mid to late March though there might be an early rain as early as February. It is now the end of February and we have had three straight days of serious rain!! I absolutely love the rain here. Thunder and lightning with pelting rain for a few hours with sun on either side. With these rains, it means that it's time to clear land for planting. 2 acres of overgrown bush have been designated as the land to be used for the Johnny Moringaseed project. It would take me the rest of my two years stay to clear this land on my own so a bit of the project funding will go to the hard working farmers who take the time to clear two acrews with cutlass in hand.

Some other updates:

The 450+ seeds that I've planted have produced just over 20 strong plants. The Moringa meeting in Accra a few weeks ago involved a presentation for an overpriced hand grinder (350 american dollars plus shipping). This presentation was givben by an American CEO with great intentions but little information on the African market (I think). The goal to directly effect 1.5 million Africans in 18 months is great but maybe a bit lofty. I hope that it works out but I can't see many Ghanaians shelling out a year and a half salary for a hand grinder when they can get a simliar effect with their bare hands. This presentation offered a better networking opportunity than anything. I look forward to contacting representatives from this US company to see if I offer some American views from Ghana. Who knows if they'll want any? I also managed to find a source of more viable Moringa seeds which is very exciting.

My proposal to bring GrassRoot Soccer to Ghana was received with legitimane concerns. I proposed a less expensive version to the other volunteers in the Eastern Region and got a better response. I have re-written the proposal as a pilot program and if funding comes through and the program goes well then GRS might be a more feasible plan for next year.

The first two Environment Club meetings went decently well. My plan was to let the students dictate a lot more than they're allowed to during a normal class. The 50 adolescent students weren't initally very participatory when the random large white man walked in and asked what they wanted to learn. Duh!! I should have expected some lag time. We have now had 2 meetings and have discussed rules, a name and some general subjects for future meetings. I made a presentation on how to go about starting a poultry rearing project and at the end of the meeting I let the club members look through the Newsweeks magazines that I've collected (PC gives all volunteers a subscription). Most students were excited to look at the cars and watches in the advertisements but some read the articles and asked great questions. Our third meeting will be tomorrow.

George W. Bush came to visit Ghana a week ago. 10 PCVs got to meet the president. The 10 volunteers represented 9 of Ghana's 10 regions, 9 states, various ethnic backgrounds and ranged in age from 24 to 50 something. One of my fellow Eastern Region volunteers sat next to Condoleeza Rice at lunch and said that the meeting was surprisingly lax. Ghanaians were understandably skeptical about the visit. Since he has left, 13 million dollars worth of supplies have been donated to help fight malaria, a proposal has been made to re-name a major road in Accra after the president and talks about what to do with the billion barrels of oil off shore have increased (I think that timing is coincidental but who knows?).

I think that is all for now.

Love to all!!

P.S.- Thank you to Will, Karen and Willie for your package!! I have apready taught several kids how to throw the Frisbeen and I look forward to enjoying the food and books!! Also, there is a large Moringa farm in Ft. Myers. Maybe you can check it out.

Beasts of Bormase

Since moving to my site, I've thoroughly enjoyed observing my surroundings. I moved here worried about mosquitos and snakes but hadn't thought of how many other animals/insects I would encounter.

I have had to train my eyes to actually follow butterflies as they pass me. I read in a guidebook that Ghana is known for having a beautiful array of butterflies. It took me a while to see one fly by and actually take the time to stop what I'm doing and look at what has flown by. I won't deny that monarchs are beautiful but some of the butterflies that float around my site are really stunning. Some are HUGE too.

400 chickens, 8 Grasscutters and 4 rabbits live in their respective enclosures at the Nartey house and aside from making noise, they seldom cause problems. I will admit that chickens are far more ruthless than I had ever imagined. I'm not sure if it's a lack of protein in their diet or what but if an egg is cracked to the point that even a slight amount of liquid escapes, any chicken within range will lunch and battle for any bit of yolk, membrane or shell they can get. These chickens also bully each other. When collecting eggs, I'll notice that some chickens have no leaves on or around their head. Even when laying an egg, other chickens will sit there and peck away at the head of their coopmate. I know almost nothing about the reason behind these attackes but they are ruthless. A few chickens have died since I've been here and one was partially eaten by its neighbors by the time it was found in the morning.

The two kittens at site are now old enough to play/fight with Kua and the goat Pusher. Pusher is still very skinny and playful but quite large enough to do serious damage to either kitten when he butts his head at a playful kitten. Pusher walks around with about 10 feet of rope tied to his neck. Normally he roams free but when it's time to comfine him, it's easier when the rope is already tied around his neck. Kua loves to play tug of war and pull on any rope that you dangle in front of her. Try to picture a puppy pulling at a rope while it's attached to the neck of a goat. The goat obviously gets annoyed when being pulled around by a dog so the back and forth battle can go on for a while. Very amusing.

Having been at site for nearly 3 months with more sweat problems than mosquito problems, I will occasionally sleep outiside my mosquito net in order to get some more fresh air. I have yet to have any run ins with mosquitos but two nights ago while in a dreamy state, I touched what felt like a creepy crawly on my head and found a 3 inch cockroach making its way from my pillow into my hair. I spiked the thing to the ground hard enough to kill it and fell asleep shortly thereafter. Malaria medecine gives some pretty vivid dreams so sometimes it's hard to know what is part of your dream and what is part of the actual African scenery in which I live (frogs, lizards, wasps are common in my room). I woke up a few weeks ago thinking that I was laying on a piece of glass. I rubbed my bed and found no glass so layed back down only to feel MORE glass! I turned on the light and found 5 large welts on my back a TINY ant on my sheet. This ant was maybe 2/3 the size of a flea but it sure packed a punch. I couldn't sleep for nearly an hour.

I have twice been present while Emmanuel has harvested honey. The first time, I stood within 5 feet of thousands of buzzing bees while wearing nothing but shorts and a t-shirt. I was assured that since it was night and I wasn't bothering them, I could observe without any problems. I made it through that first experience with no stings and no honey (we had to wait to harvest). On Tuesday, Emmanuel brought several honeycombs back to the house. He showed me how to extract honey from the combs and gave me some of the best tasting honey I've ever tasted. While discussing beekeeping and some other topics, I laid my hand on my lap and got my first sting. The tip of my middle finger is still swollen but it was well worth it!

Below are pictures from some of my food prep and shopping experiences here. No freezers full of boneless chicken breast here! (Go Niners!)

Busy week

This will be a quick one I think.

Ghana lost a heartbreaker to Cameroon 1-0. Ivory Coast was trounced by Egypt 4-1 so the final pairing of Ghana and Ivory Coast that everyone was hoping for ended up meeting for the consolation game where Ghana scored early, fell behind 2-1 and then put 3 quick goals in the back of the net over the last 20 minutes of the match. 3rd place was the best result since 1992 and the final goal was the 100th goal scored by Ghana in African Cup of Nations play.

I went to the final between Cameroon and Egypt last night. I hoped that the fact that Ghana was no longer playing would make tickets easier to come by. The day couldn't have gone much more smoothly. Lauren and I got tickets for just over face value, walked to the stadium, sat right behind the goal and got a nice dinner of American food. I ate the San Francisco sandwich. I think it was chicken, cheese and pickles. I am not sure why it's the San Francisco but it was GOOD!! Thanks again Lauren!!

Today, I dropped by the Ghana AIDS Commission for an impromptu meeting. I'm working on a proposal to bring Grassroot Soccer to Ghana. Check out the program if you haven't heard about it. Grassroot Soccer is well established in Zambia and South Africa but hasn't made it to West Africa yet. I dressed in my most professional duds (polo, slacks and flip flops) and showed up having sweat through the front of my gray polo Peace Corps polo. Talk about making a good first impression. It was a very informal meeting. I basically wanted to introduce myself so when I have a proposal to submit, they know who I am. I've been working on my first PC proposal most of the day today and will present it on Wednesday.

Tomorrow I am going to a presentation in Accra. An American NGO is presenting a hand grinder for dry Moringa leaf processing. I don't know much more but it should be a good way to meet more people who are focused on Moringa. If time permits, I'll meet the heads of Heifer International Ghana with Emmanuel.

My APCD is visiting my site on Thursday so I'll get an idea of how I'm doing as a PCV. I have seen him a few times in Accra but it will be nice to be able to show hime what's going on.

My first environment club meeting is this coming Friday. I have nothing planned but will finally get to sit down with the kids and see what they want to learn. If they give me a hard time, I'll have to get in their pick up soccer matches. Nothing like schooling 12 year olds to show 'em who's boss!!

Saturday I have a meeting with a youth group in Sekesua. I again have no idea what it will entail but it will end my busy week!!

Love to all!!

Go Black Stars!!

It's odd that four days later, I still don't know who won the Super Bowl!! Now that I'm online, I can check any minute but I've been far more excited about the African Cup of Nations.

On January 28, several fellow volunteers and I attended the Ghana vs. Morocco match in Accra. This match was the third of three first round matches and Ghana simply needed to manage a draw in order to advance as the winner of Group A. With two beautiful goals in the first half, Ghana advanced with ease. Tickets in the "cheap" seats cost 4 Ghana Cedis ($4) though relatively hard to come by. In theory it was possible for any of the general public to attend the game and there was a incredible energy in the stadium!!


Super Bowl Sunday also happened to be the day on which the Ghana Black Stars would take on the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the Quarterfinals. Ghana had not beaten Nigeria in 16 years so despite a mediocre performance in group play, the Nigerian squad offered a serious test. As I was back at site with no electicity, I decided to walk the 5K to Sekesua in order to watch the match in someones back yard. There were maybe 60-70 fans of all ages glued to the small television for the 5pm kickoff. The blefono factor apparently trumps the excitement of the epic match for some as several children stood staring at me as the whistle blew.

Ghana dominated the first half but a questionable call gave the Super Eagles a penalty kick to take a 1-0 lead. The lead remained 1-0 after 45 minutes and with only 3 minutes of injury time added, the feel of the fans was that of doubt and frustration. A set play provided Ghana with one last chance in the first half. The ball was lofted from the left wing toward the penalty spot towards a striker who fought with a defender who was draped over his back. At the last moment, Michael Essien came out of nowhere to place a perfectly headed shot off the inside of the left post. The keeper had no chance to react and the game was tied 1-1 at the end of the first half.

The Black Stars continued to dominate through the second half but with 20 minute remaining, captain John Mensah (known as "Last Killer" and "The Rock of Gibralter,") took down a Nigerian striker just outside the box to earn himelf a red card. The Black Stars brought in two new strikers and put Essien back in defense for a final push. With only five minutes remaining, Junior Agogo finished a perfectly placed cross and gave Ghana the win! The place went WILD!!! People were literally falling over themselves as they ran around the yard in celebration. I can't remember a Super Bowl Sunday with as much emotion as this.

Ghana will play Cameroon in the Semi-finals tonight. The winner will take on the victor of the Egypt vs. Ivory Coast ( I can't get the french spelling right) match.

Other things of note. The cute twins have been away from site for over a month. They are visiting the father in Odumase. The Moringa project is going relatively well. Not many of the seeds are germinating and those that do don't always survive the heat. Another unexpected pest has been a fat frog whom I can't keep away. It seems that my seed bed is the only cool damp place around so a number of frogs take refuge in the soil and kick seeds around as they bury themselves.

That's all for now.

Love you all!!