With a refreshing Vision Quest behind me, I returned to Bormase ready to get some work done. Moringa had been drying in my new makeshift drying apparatus (I've slung a synthetic mesh across my veranda and have leave spread over the 25' x 4' surface). Gusting winds and a leaky roof have caused small portions to mold but after sorting through the mass of leaves, Stephen and I were ready to make our first batch of Moringa powder.
Stephen brought out a mortar and pestle (normally used for fufu or other starch meals) and after maybe thirty minutes of mixing and pounding, he and I (emphasis on the former) had a large ziplock back of bright green Moringa powder. In Accra, 50g of Moringa powder sells for 5 Ghana Cedis so we've produced a good amount.
On the second day of pounding Moringa (we produced another ziplock bag, making around a kilo in total) Stephen told me about an alternation that occurred while I was sleeping the night before. While drinking Akpeteshie, two brothers started to argue and then to fight. The younger brother (also the local football coach) was being beaten by his older brother (a member of the bead group) and threatened to get a knife or cutlass. Shortly after the fight was broken up, the younger brother went to his room and indeed returned with a cutlass. He chased his brother into the bush and hit him across the face with it. Patrick (he lives next door) heard the commotion and followed the pair into the bush. He found the brothers still quarreling and took the cutlass. Patrick then ran up the road in order to use the satellite phone where I live. Dorothy helped wrap the wound and when a car arrived from Sekesua, Patrick and Samuel rushed to the hospital for stitches. Samuel's life was saved but he has a gash from above his right eyebrow to near his chin.
I went to greet Samuel after he returned from the hospital and found him sitting with his brother and some friends. The brothers acted as though nothing had happened and for the sake of tradition, we all took a shot of Akpeteshie for Samuel's health (it was 7:30am).
Stephen and I discussed how this incident should be treated. He told me that it would be best if they could send the brother to jail for two days as a deterrent. It looks as though there will be no serious repercussions for the younger brother.
After a few days, everything in Bormase was back to normal. My chest was still sore from my football collision but aside from that, everything was great.
I attended the monthly baby weighing and cut more Moringa for harvest. On Tuesday, I traveled to Apimsu with Kua and she and I paid Casey what may be a last visit at his site. The 2006-2008 Omnibus is approaching their close of service and all who are not extending will leave by the end of November. Casey and I hung out with his neighbors and sat through a monster rain storm. In the morning, he sent me off with a great bag of goodies. I've "inherited" spices, a french press and many other great additions. Taking things from another volunteer causes a strange mix of emotions. Casey has been a great neighbor and was one of my trainers when I first arrived. He's not being replaced and once he and the rest of the group has left, I'll join the ranks of the "old Omnibus." On another note, my kitchen is greatly improved and I'm approaching the last year of service. Very strange indeed.
On Thursday, Dorothy and I joined a few other volunteers for the first day of an annual polio immunization drive. I brought along a bag full of sticker (inherited from Casey) and at the end of the day, 84 children aged 5 and under were going around having received a polio immunization, a Vitamin a supplement, a de-wormer and a fine sticker.
I traveled to Accra on Friday and missed the following two days of immunizations but learned that nearly 250 more local children received immunizations and other vital supplements. Though my help was far from vital the the program, it was really nice to get out and volunteer in new communities.
I've been in Accra since Friday. I met Cheri for a very fine dinner and have since been waiting to have a chest x-ray administered. Our PCMO suggested that I have an x-ray to be sure that nothing was out of place but I missed office hours of Friday and had to wait around until Monday morning. On Monday, I arrived at the clinic at 10am to learn the machine had spoiled and I'd have to come another time. I returned to the Peace Corps office and was referred to a different hospital on the other end of Accra. I arrived and learned that I'd need to register with the hospital ID and that the referral wasn't enough. My Peace Corps ID has also spoiled (apparently you still need to empty your pockets when doing wash by hand) and I had to return to the office for a new ID. I arrived in time for the weekly office-wide meeting and and waited through the meeting and lunch hour before being issued a new ID. At around 2pm, I returned to the clinic with my new ID and learned that the registration machine was spoiled and I'd have to return the next day. That night, I received a call from a fellow volunteer and learned that she was on her way to the airport and out of Ghana. This volunteer was suspected of breaking a rule and decided to terminate her service early. She'd been Accra for two days and received notice of her departure time a mere 5 hours before she was due to check in.
I said my good-byes and will do my best to help tie up remaining loose ends. I received a negative x-ray this morning and will know more in a week. At long last, it's time to get out of Accra and back to site. I'll visit the training site on Thursday for a Moringa presentation so the whirlwind is sure to continue.
All is well despite the confusion.
Love you all
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Piedro and pasta
I wasn't really looking forward to Vision Quest. I felt similar to the way I felt last year preparing to leave for my own Vision Quest. Was I ready to sit with a total stranger for five days and struggle to make conversation and get through the day?
Last year was fine and this round easily matched last years fun and insight. I met Kevin (my Vision Quester) and Joshua (Travis' Vision Quester) at around 10am on Saturday morning. The three of us walked and chatted while working our way through back alleys and crowded streets. We met Travis at a out standard gas station/chop bar and sat over beers for a while. Kevin moved from San Bruno while Joshua moved from Tennessee. We shared stories of home, food, plans etc. before making a quick tour of Koforidua and beginning the journey to Bormase. Dorothy was traveling for a church retreat so the house was being run by Stephen, Raphael (home from school), Eva, Maku and Paul.
Shortly after arriving, the subject of filling time came up. Kevin took a stab and asked if I knew how to play Piedro. Perfect!!! Kevin and I taught Travis and Joshua to play and we were set. Over the next two days, we toured the farm, harvested a few yams and some cassava. We visited the Moringa farm, looked at Patrick's bead set-up, ate Ghanaian food and even managed a pancake breakfast. On Sunday afternoon, when Piedro was getting old and the we all felt a bit restless, my neighbor John came by to ask if we wanted to join the tro going to the football match.
The four of us piled into the last row of the tro and sat sweating while six or seven Ghanaians joined each additional row. One man sat on the floor behind out seat and when we finally started moving, he completed the surround sound chanting that filled the car for the entirety of the next 2 hours. I then joined pre-game chats while the other three Blefonos drew a crown while playing frisbee.
A few minutes into the game, I'd heard taunts and jokes from up and down the sidelines but had also played a crisp enough game to earn almost as many encouraging words. The style of play fell quickly into the standard kickball variety in which the ball spends as much time twenty feet in the air as it does on the ground. Maybe fifteen minutes into the game, a cross was blasted high into the air from the right wing. I never took my eyes off the ball and as I met the ball at the top of my leap, my head made great contact with the ball at what seemed to be the exact same time as some part of the keeper met my chest and my back greeted the dirt. I was standing again in time to see the ball fly over the crossbar. Looking to minimize the damage, I jogged into position for the goal kick as though unaffected by the contact. I felt alright within a few minutes and after an unwarranted penalty kick, an own goal, 70 minutes of football and a shanked volley at an open goal by yours truly we were ready to go.
To add gusto to the noisy and crowded tro, we added the sweat of fifteen footballers on the way back to Bormase. Passengers hung off of the back and sides of the tro as the boisterous bunch chanted as though returning from a World Cup victory. Banku and bucket baths rounded out the night and we woke up ready to move on.
Monday consisted of a trip to Asesewa and time with a volunteer on his way out. Casey met us for beers and offered the perspective of a volunteer after 2+ years of service with less than a month remaining. We ate rice and stew and were caught in a monster of a rainstorm before arriving at Travis' house in Dawu for dinner. Joshua shared his culinary expertise and made a fine pasta dish. With 8 years spent in various kitchens in and around Knoxville, Joshua was able to make a very fine meal over which the four of us drank wine and chatted as though we were old friends sharing dinner in America.
We ate more good meals, checked out Travis' projects and gradually ran out of energy as Vision Quest wound down. Travis and I parted ways with Kevin and Josh yesterday (Wednesday) morning after showing a wide spectrum of what Peace Corps Ghana can offer. In return, we got two reminders of how much energy and passion arrive in each trainee. We're no longer the new Omnibus Volunteers. The group that helped break us into Ghana will leave within the next month and we will follow only a year after that. We're coming to a new beginning in Ghana. One last cycle of seasons and harvests before we're off.
Love to all
Ira
Last year was fine and this round easily matched last years fun and insight. I met Kevin (my Vision Quester) and Joshua (Travis' Vision Quester) at around 10am on Saturday morning. The three of us walked and chatted while working our way through back alleys and crowded streets. We met Travis at a out standard gas station/chop bar and sat over beers for a while. Kevin moved from San Bruno while Joshua moved from Tennessee. We shared stories of home, food, plans etc. before making a quick tour of Koforidua and beginning the journey to Bormase. Dorothy was traveling for a church retreat so the house was being run by Stephen, Raphael (home from school), Eva, Maku and Paul.
Shortly after arriving, the subject of filling time came up. Kevin took a stab and asked if I knew how to play Piedro. Perfect!!! Kevin and I taught Travis and Joshua to play and we were set. Over the next two days, we toured the farm, harvested a few yams and some cassava. We visited the Moringa farm, looked at Patrick's bead set-up, ate Ghanaian food and even managed a pancake breakfast. On Sunday afternoon, when Piedro was getting old and the we all felt a bit restless, my neighbor John came by to ask if we wanted to join the tro going to the football match.
The four of us piled into the last row of the tro and sat sweating while six or seven Ghanaians joined each additional row. One man sat on the floor behind out seat and when we finally started moving, he completed the surround sound chanting that filled the car for the entirety of the next 2 hours. I then joined pre-game chats while the other three Blefonos drew a crown while playing frisbee.
A few minutes into the game, I'd heard taunts and jokes from up and down the sidelines but had also played a crisp enough game to earn almost as many encouraging words. The style of play fell quickly into the standard kickball variety in which the ball spends as much time twenty feet in the air as it does on the ground. Maybe fifteen minutes into the game, a cross was blasted high into the air from the right wing. I never took my eyes off the ball and as I met the ball at the top of my leap, my head made great contact with the ball at what seemed to be the exact same time as some part of the keeper met my chest and my back greeted the dirt. I was standing again in time to see the ball fly over the crossbar. Looking to minimize the damage, I jogged into position for the goal kick as though unaffected by the contact. I felt alright within a few minutes and after an unwarranted penalty kick, an own goal, 70 minutes of football and a shanked volley at an open goal by yours truly we were ready to go.
To add gusto to the noisy and crowded tro, we added the sweat of fifteen footballers on the way back to Bormase. Passengers hung off of the back and sides of the tro as the boisterous bunch chanted as though returning from a World Cup victory. Banku and bucket baths rounded out the night and we woke up ready to move on.
Monday consisted of a trip to Asesewa and time with a volunteer on his way out. Casey met us for beers and offered the perspective of a volunteer after 2+ years of service with less than a month remaining. We ate rice and stew and were caught in a monster of a rainstorm before arriving at Travis' house in Dawu for dinner. Joshua shared his culinary expertise and made a fine pasta dish. With 8 years spent in various kitchens in and around Knoxville, Joshua was able to make a very fine meal over which the four of us drank wine and chatted as though we were old friends sharing dinner in America.
We ate more good meals, checked out Travis' projects and gradually ran out of energy as Vision Quest wound down. Travis and I parted ways with Kevin and Josh yesterday (Wednesday) morning after showing a wide spectrum of what Peace Corps Ghana can offer. In return, we got two reminders of how much energy and passion arrive in each trainee. We're no longer the new Omnibus Volunteers. The group that helped break us into Ghana will leave within the next month and we will follow only a year after that. We're coming to a new beginning in Ghana. One last cycle of seasons and harvests before we're off.
Love to all
Ira
Thursday, October 2, 2008
New Omnibus
While working on the Moringa Manual (a group write up following the conference in Burkina Faso) in Accra, I got a chance to join some of my fellow volunteers in greeting the new group of omnibus volunteers as they entered Ghana with wide eyes, masses of luggage and incredibly clean clothes.
I only spent limited time with the new volunteers but their arrival made me think more of some of my own concerns when I first arrived.
In a blog entry I wrote before leaving America, I wrote regarding my concerns with Ghana's currency re-denomination, the 2008 election and the discovery of oil off of the Gulf of Guinea.
With a year under my belt, I can now give a better look at these three issues.
As the dollar fell further and further behind other major currencies, it gained a great deal on the Ghana Cedi. When I arrived, one dollar could get you around 94 Ghana Pesewas or .94 Ghana Cedis. 18% inflation has helped that exchange rate change to a point at which one dollar will now fetch one Ghana Cedi and fifteen Pesewas or 1.15 Ghana Cedis. Unfortunately, we Peace Corps Volunteers are still paid 206 Ghana Cedis per month. We were given a "cost of living survey," and an opportunity to get a raise based on the results but unfortunately we fell 3 surveys short of the requisite 75 percent of volunteers.
Items that used to cost 300 cedis (now 3 pesewas) immediately increased to 5 pesewas in order to eliminate the hassle of 1 pesewa coins. This price increase happened all across the board and combined with the food crisis has made food hard to afford. Another difficulty is that banks and ATM machines give 10 Ghana Cedi notes. Most volunteers live in communities in which 10 Ghana Cedis is a small fortune and getting change is next to impossible. For now, the currency exchange has eliminated some very dirty notes from circulation but has also made financial transactions more complicated. It's not uncommon to buy an item that costs 25 pesewas with a one Ghana Cedi note only to find that the merchant can't make change. Can you imagine giving a dollar for an item that cost a quarter and not having change available? It's an odd situation.
As in America, an election is fast approaching in Ghana. The NDC and the NPP are still mixed in a tight contest. About a month ago, violence broke out around Tamale in the Northern Region. It was reported that an NPP kiosk was burned to the ground. In retaliation, over 20 homes in a predominantly NDC village were burned and a few people were killed. It was also reported that individuals were "stock piling weapons," in Tamale and waiting for the end of Ramadan before acting. Ramadan has come and gone with not news about violence but for safety purposes, all volunteers will be consolidated for a few days before and after the election. It's hard to get a true read on what will happen with the election. There's no news ticker to follow and no straw poll to check. News is more transparently biased than it is in the US so we'll just have to wait and see. As far as the American elections go, I sent in my absentee ballot for the US election yesterday. I was worried that it wouldn't arrive in time but I feel as though I've done my part in a VERY important election.
The discovery of oil has proved to be twice as large as was anticipated a year ago. Roughly 1.6 billion barrels of oil sit off the coast of Ghana. While speculation has been intense, it has been decided that drilling won't begin until 2010. I'll be gone but fear that Ghana may go down the same road as other oil rich African countries. Many Ghanaians are excited about the prospect of affordable gas and an influx of cash but I'm not sure how well it would be handled.
In other news, I have a Vision Quester coming to Bormase on Saturday. One of the new Environment volunteers will stay with me for 5 days as a way to see how a volunteer really lives. It should be interesting.
Love to all
I only spent limited time with the new volunteers but their arrival made me think more of some of my own concerns when I first arrived.
In a blog entry I wrote before leaving America, I wrote regarding my concerns with Ghana's currency re-denomination, the 2008 election and the discovery of oil off of the Gulf of Guinea.
With a year under my belt, I can now give a better look at these three issues.
As the dollar fell further and further behind other major currencies, it gained a great deal on the Ghana Cedi. When I arrived, one dollar could get you around 94 Ghana Pesewas or .94 Ghana Cedis. 18% inflation has helped that exchange rate change to a point at which one dollar will now fetch one Ghana Cedi and fifteen Pesewas or 1.15 Ghana Cedis. Unfortunately, we Peace Corps Volunteers are still paid 206 Ghana Cedis per month. We were given a "cost of living survey," and an opportunity to get a raise based on the results but unfortunately we fell 3 surveys short of the requisite 75 percent of volunteers.
Items that used to cost 300 cedis (now 3 pesewas) immediately increased to 5 pesewas in order to eliminate the hassle of 1 pesewa coins. This price increase happened all across the board and combined with the food crisis has made food hard to afford. Another difficulty is that banks and ATM machines give 10 Ghana Cedi notes. Most volunteers live in communities in which 10 Ghana Cedis is a small fortune and getting change is next to impossible. For now, the currency exchange has eliminated some very dirty notes from circulation but has also made financial transactions more complicated. It's not uncommon to buy an item that costs 25 pesewas with a one Ghana Cedi note only to find that the merchant can't make change. Can you imagine giving a dollar for an item that cost a quarter and not having change available? It's an odd situation.
As in America, an election is fast approaching in Ghana. The NDC and the NPP are still mixed in a tight contest. About a month ago, violence broke out around Tamale in the Northern Region. It was reported that an NPP kiosk was burned to the ground. In retaliation, over 20 homes in a predominantly NDC village were burned and a few people were killed. It was also reported that individuals were "stock piling weapons," in Tamale and waiting for the end of Ramadan before acting. Ramadan has come and gone with not news about violence but for safety purposes, all volunteers will be consolidated for a few days before and after the election. It's hard to get a true read on what will happen with the election. There's no news ticker to follow and no straw poll to check. News is more transparently biased than it is in the US so we'll just have to wait and see. As far as the American elections go, I sent in my absentee ballot for the US election yesterday. I was worried that it wouldn't arrive in time but I feel as though I've done my part in a VERY important election.
The discovery of oil has proved to be twice as large as was anticipated a year ago. Roughly 1.6 billion barrels of oil sit off the coast of Ghana. While speculation has been intense, it has been decided that drilling won't begin until 2010. I'll be gone but fear that Ghana may go down the same road as other oil rich African countries. Many Ghanaians are excited about the prospect of affordable gas and an influx of cash but I'm not sure how well it would be handled.
In other news, I have a Vision Quester coming to Bormase on Saturday. One of the new Environment volunteers will stay with me for 5 days as a way to see how a volunteer really lives. It should be interesting.
Love to all
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