Now that you know that Kua is doing well, I think it's appropriate that I update what I'm actually doing. After a few days with the trainees (I was scheduled to help facilitate a cross sector training session but ended up overseeing more than doing anything) and playing basketball for the first time in over a year (I made my first shot but air balled the second and many others terribly) I had just enough time to do some weeding before traveling north. Harmattan season has arrived and Northern Ghana is quickly approaching dry season. While the south of Ghana only suffers a few months without consistent rain, the three northern regions suffer through as many as five dry months each year.
Two days of travel brought me past stocked market towns and to the fast-drying north. I left Kumasi at 3am one day, left Tamale at 5am the following day and arrived in Kpendua around noon. After greeting cheifs, elders and other important people, I sat in on a Women's Group meeting and Cheri and I conducted an HIV/AIDS lesson for the local football team. 25 teen aged males gathered at the local clinic at 8pm for the lesson. We asked questions to gauge the general knowledge and later did our best to dispel rumors that HIV/AIDS is restricted to people living in big cities. As expected, the first few questions (after translation) were greeted with silence, the group warmed up to us and by the end, questions were flowing and several attendees were able to perform a proper condom demonstration only fifteen minutes after I made one of my own.
Yesterday (Sunday) morning, some local farmers gathered at Cheri's house at 8am for some farming techniques. I showed the group how to maximize space and efficiency during the dry season by using some urban farming techniques. As a group, we filled an empty 45 kilogram rice sack with soil and chicken manure with rocks stacked through the middle (water follows the path of the rocks and spreads more easily toward the bottom of the bag). We then cut holes around the outside of the bag and put seeds in each hole. As the seeds germinate, the seedlings will seek sunlight and grow out the side of the bag. While taking only four square feet of floor space, we were able to make space for nearly thirty seeds (pepper and onion). We also made a seedbed for other seeds in case the initial planting is not successful. The second lesson consisted of the preparation of manure tea (sounds appetizing right?). The group used chicken manure (I actually traveled through the country with at least 20 lbs. of chicken manure in my duffel bag) and wrapped it in fabric. The fabric was then suspended inside a bucket of water and covered with a clear sheet of plastic. The manure tea will sit for two weeks and after that time will have drawn nutrients from the manure and will be ready to spread on the farm.
Since I live in the fertile south, it's very difficult to convince farmers that there are more efficient ways to go about their daily work. When working in the north, where each and every farmer struggles to maintain a respectable farm, the lesson was received incredibly well. I fielded a series of questions and sent many farmers away happy with what onion seeds remained.
I'm having a hard time gaining traction at my own site and my time in Kpendua was very refreshing. I'll travel to Accra for Thanksgiving (at the Ambassador's house) and then return to Bormase fresh.
I trudged through a swamped Tamale market today (a political rally brought thousands of spectators and their motorbikes) and I'm really dragging now. I'll be up at 4:30am tomorrow and have a 15 hour bus ride to look forward to.
Love to all
Ira
Monday, November 24, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Updates all around
The first update is in regards to my last blog. To show you how far from intuitive the phonetics of Krobo are, please not that Mayim is actually spelled Ngmayem. Oops.
The adventures of Kua have continued and show no signs of slowing down. I went to Kukurantumi (the new training site) last Saturday for the trainer vs. trainee football match. I successfully left the house without rousing Kua but as I biked down the road, I realized that I had forgotten my cleats and would have to go back. I got back and was greeted by a very excited Kua. I asked Paul to hold her back while I biked away but as I looked back, I saw that the wily dog had given him the slip and was in hot pursuit. Since I was on a nice bicycle and was going 5K on a mostly downhill road, I decided I simply outrun the dog and she'd have to turn back. I sped my way down the road and after a few minutes, I saw no signs of her behind me. I arrived at the junction and dropped my bike at a friends house before walking the last 50 meters to the roadside. When I got to the road, I was met by a limping, out of breath Kua. I was shocked!! I was moving at a fairly fast pace and Kua is not only short legged but is also pregnant. That's right, despite the debacle that was my trip to Kumasi for a spaying, Kua is pregnant.
A few months ago, I was confused as to why so many male dogs were lingering around the house. I've had female dogs in the past but I've obviously never lived among so many stray dogs. I thought that maybe the spaying would keep Kua from conceiving but wouldn't keep male dogs from chasing after her. Each time I'd return from time away from site, I'd find at least one dog following Kua everywhere she went. I chased and shooed them away and after some time I figured that the dogs had gotten tired of being chased. Wrong again! The deed had been done. A few weeks ago, Kua's milk glands started growing noticeably and it seems that she's now only a month or so away from delivery. I was initially annoyed but now realize that I'll have 2 months with puppies running around my house. I spoke about the prospect of puppies with Stephen and he let me know that one of the cats is also pregnant. The Bormase family continues to grow.
And I digress. Rather than biking 5k uphill with Kua, I decided to travel with her to the football match. She was tired enough to be less of a hassle but as you can imagine, a white man carrying a dog in his arms (I don't let her walk around on unknown busy streets) gets some funny looks.
This years training group couldn't hold a candle to ours and the match was a lopsided 7-3. The highlight was having a chief play goalkeeper for our team. Nana, the nephew of the Ashanti King and the chief of Anamasi, fearlessly defended the net for the last 15 minutes of our match. Only a penalty kick got past him.
Kua laid lazily on the sideline and limped behind me after the match. After a thorough inspection, I saw that she had worn holes into the padding of her paws. She was so anxious to follow me on my bicycle that she wore holes in her paws.
The trip home was interesting. Kua and I arrived at the junction in the middle of the day (it's HOT this time of year) and she limped slowly behind me. Each time we found the slightest bit of shade, I would stop and allow her to burrow in the cool soil and pant away for a few minutes. The trip took over an hour but was nice. I can't overwork the pregnant Kua.
P.S. Between my time in Kumasi and my return to Bormase, I developed a series of blisters on my left elbow. The first day, I had a curling red line with one blister. On the second day, I had no fewer than five blisters along the line. I thought that it may be a worm so I ate pawpaw seeds (local de-wormer) and also took a proper de-wormer but saw no signs of improvement. I've since applied a warm compress and the blisters have gone away. I'll send pictures to the medical office to be sure it's nothing that will come pack but it sure was ugly!!
Love to all.
Ira
The adventures of Kua have continued and show no signs of slowing down. I went to Kukurantumi (the new training site) last Saturday for the trainer vs. trainee football match. I successfully left the house without rousing Kua but as I biked down the road, I realized that I had forgotten my cleats and would have to go back. I got back and was greeted by a very excited Kua. I asked Paul to hold her back while I biked away but as I looked back, I saw that the wily dog had given him the slip and was in hot pursuit. Since I was on a nice bicycle and was going 5K on a mostly downhill road, I decided I simply outrun the dog and she'd have to turn back. I sped my way down the road and after a few minutes, I saw no signs of her behind me. I arrived at the junction and dropped my bike at a friends house before walking the last 50 meters to the roadside. When I got to the road, I was met by a limping, out of breath Kua. I was shocked!! I was moving at a fairly fast pace and Kua is not only short legged but is also pregnant. That's right, despite the debacle that was my trip to Kumasi for a spaying, Kua is pregnant.
A few months ago, I was confused as to why so many male dogs were lingering around the house. I've had female dogs in the past but I've obviously never lived among so many stray dogs. I thought that maybe the spaying would keep Kua from conceiving but wouldn't keep male dogs from chasing after her. Each time I'd return from time away from site, I'd find at least one dog following Kua everywhere she went. I chased and shooed them away and after some time I figured that the dogs had gotten tired of being chased. Wrong again! The deed had been done. A few weeks ago, Kua's milk glands started growing noticeably and it seems that she's now only a month or so away from delivery. I was initially annoyed but now realize that I'll have 2 months with puppies running around my house. I spoke about the prospect of puppies with Stephen and he let me know that one of the cats is also pregnant. The Bormase family continues to grow.
And I digress. Rather than biking 5k uphill with Kua, I decided to travel with her to the football match. She was tired enough to be less of a hassle but as you can imagine, a white man carrying a dog in his arms (I don't let her walk around on unknown busy streets) gets some funny looks.
This years training group couldn't hold a candle to ours and the match was a lopsided 7-3. The highlight was having a chief play goalkeeper for our team. Nana, the nephew of the Ashanti King and the chief of Anamasi, fearlessly defended the net for the last 15 minutes of our match. Only a penalty kick got past him.
Kua laid lazily on the sideline and limped behind me after the match. After a thorough inspection, I saw that she had worn holes into the padding of her paws. She was so anxious to follow me on my bicycle that she wore holes in her paws.
The trip home was interesting. Kua and I arrived at the junction in the middle of the day (it's HOT this time of year) and she limped slowly behind me. Each time we found the slightest bit of shade, I would stop and allow her to burrow in the cool soil and pant away for a few minutes. The trip took over an hour but was nice. I can't overwork the pregnant Kua.
P.S. Between my time in Kumasi and my return to Bormase, I developed a series of blisters on my left elbow. The first day, I had a curling red line with one blister. On the second day, I had no fewer than five blisters along the line. I thought that it may be a worm so I ate pawpaw seeds (local de-wormer) and also took a proper de-wormer but saw no signs of improvement. I've since applied a warm compress and the blisters have gone away. I'll send pictures to the medical office to be sure it's nothing that will come pack but it sure was ugly!!
Love to all.
Ira
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Mayim and more
As you all know, the world has changed since I last posted. I'll let the pundits comment on the political changes while I do my best to catch you up to speed on the happenings of my life in Ghana.
Blake and I led a one hour session on Moringa at training. We spoke to about 45 new trainees and at least a dozen Ghanaian Peace Corps trainers about all aspects of Moringa. Aside from a loose outline, I pretty much winged the presentation and I feel that it went very well. A number of great questions were asked and I was reminded again of how much I've actually learned while in Ghana. Questions such as "How do we plant the seed?" shocked me at first but also made me realize that despite my title as an Agro-Forestry Volunteer, I really didn't have much experience planting anything before I arrived. The new group seems great and will definitely be a good addition to Peace Corps Ghana. After 5 week, they have not had anyone leave. I wonder if it's that they all really like it or if they're worried to be the first person to go. In our group, it took only 36 hours or so for somebody to leave and the stigma was gone almost immediately. We shall see.
I went straight from the training site to Cape Coast to meet up with Cheri and two of her friends from America. I saw Elmina Castle (I didn't see it with my Dad) and though the tour wasn't as thorough or interesting, it was still shocking to think that 12 million slaves had walked through the same grounds and 8 million of them were shipped away alive. Aside from the 12 million that actually arrived at Elmina (it started out as a trade hub for gold and other minerals) countless more died during the southern trek. Some walked for as many as 8 months before arriving at the coast. The numbers are astonishing and the cells are frighteningly small. At Cape Coast Castle, 200 men were held in a single room for 3 months before being shipped off. A mark on the wall (as high as my knee) shows how high the feces, vomit and urine would get before the slaves were moved. Men literally wasted away in their own filth below a ceiling that served as the floor on which other men attended church services. Simply amazing.
After Cheri's friends left, she and I went back to Bormase for some farming and relaxation. She and I helped the family harvest Cassava. We helped Paul and Tekuor (pronounced like Techwoah) on four round trips from farm. The four of us loaded sacks and baskets with the heavy tubers and walked the 400+ meter bush path with the loads on our head. 11 year old Paul (he looks maybe 8) easily matched me with the load he carried.
Cheri also helped me weed my Moringa farm. The Caterpillar rope (that's the name of the evil weeds that dominate my farm) has been completely cleared from half of the farm and I'm motivated to finish the job when I return.
On October 30, Stephen, Lydie, Maku, Eva, Tekuor, Paul, Cheri and I traveled to Krobo mountain for Mayim, an annual Krobo festival. The first Krobo people to live in Ghana moved from Nigeria and settled on Krobo mountain in the late 1800s. Every year, Krobos from around the area climb the mountain and celebrate their ancestry. The crowd was very young and excited. Compared to the festivals in Cheri's village, the feel was completely different. Up north, traditional clothing is worn and since her village is nearly 100% Muslim, there is no alcohol present. At Mayim, people wore provocative clothing and were drinking heavily.
Our Bormase group met up with some of Stephen's friends and started our hike. It was scorching hot and the mountain was steep but not terribly strenuous. We hung out with at least a hundred other Ghanaians at the peak and relaxed while enjoying the day. We sat for at hour or two before hiking back down. As usual, I heard greetings of "Obruni," and "Blefono," the whole way down. Being able to respond with somewhat witty replies in each language really diffused the situation and lightened the mood. I'm not very strong in Krobo and I'm quite weak in Twi but any response works when I'm expected to be completely clueless.
Once we all reached the bottom, we met at a central location before breaking off in small groups to join the huge crowd for some dancing and celebration. At one point, Cheri and I decided to go into the heart of the crowd so that we could get a true sense of the celebration. Up to that point, we had been a bit reserved for fear of having our pockets picked. To avoid such a situation, I took my wallet and camera from my pockets and put them in my backpack. I gave the backpack to Paul with the idea that he'd stay with the group and protect my items. When Cheri and I got to the middle of the crowd, we turned to find Paul only a few paces behind us with my bag slung across his chest. Recognizing the danger of the situation, we immediately started back to our central meeting point. On the way, several groups of Ghanaians stepped in front of us to engage Obrunis in dancing. No more than twenty feet from the rest of our group, a woman started shouting and pointing at a commotion nearby. When I got closer, I saw that Paul was holding my backpack but had had the small pocket ripped open by a thief. My personal items were strewn on the ground and I could see random items in various hands. I pushed and grabbed and even ripped the shirt of a man while retrieving my camera. The melee didn't allow me time to think so I have no idea whether I was scuffling with friends of foes. I guess a 6'3" blond guy in a sea of sub six foot Ghanaians serves as a beacon of hope for thieves.
In the end, my wallet and a small white first aid kit (must have looked nice) were gone and the thief got away. While taking stock of my items, we realized that Stephen and Tekuor (she's 11 or 12) had left the group. It was getting dark and we had no way to figure out where they were. In the end, we decided to walk to the roadside and hope that they'd have a similar idea. We came across Tekuor in the company of a pair of helpful strangers and found Stephen at the roadside. A potentially disastrous situation resulted in only a lost wallet and money. Nothing irreparably damaged.
Since then, Obama has been elected president and I can't think of a thing to complain about.
Love to all.
Blake and I led a one hour session on Moringa at training. We spoke to about 45 new trainees and at least a dozen Ghanaian Peace Corps trainers about all aspects of Moringa. Aside from a loose outline, I pretty much winged the presentation and I feel that it went very well. A number of great questions were asked and I was reminded again of how much I've actually learned while in Ghana. Questions such as "How do we plant the seed?" shocked me at first but also made me realize that despite my title as an Agro-Forestry Volunteer, I really didn't have much experience planting anything before I arrived. The new group seems great and will definitely be a good addition to Peace Corps Ghana. After 5 week, they have not had anyone leave. I wonder if it's that they all really like it or if they're worried to be the first person to go. In our group, it took only 36 hours or so for somebody to leave and the stigma was gone almost immediately. We shall see.
I went straight from the training site to Cape Coast to meet up with Cheri and two of her friends from America. I saw Elmina Castle (I didn't see it with my Dad) and though the tour wasn't as thorough or interesting, it was still shocking to think that 12 million slaves had walked through the same grounds and 8 million of them were shipped away alive. Aside from the 12 million that actually arrived at Elmina (it started out as a trade hub for gold and other minerals) countless more died during the southern trek. Some walked for as many as 8 months before arriving at the coast. The numbers are astonishing and the cells are frighteningly small. At Cape Coast Castle, 200 men were held in a single room for 3 months before being shipped off. A mark on the wall (as high as my knee) shows how high the feces, vomit and urine would get before the slaves were moved. Men literally wasted away in their own filth below a ceiling that served as the floor on which other men attended church services. Simply amazing.
After Cheri's friends left, she and I went back to Bormase for some farming and relaxation. She and I helped the family harvest Cassava. We helped Paul and Tekuor (pronounced like Techwoah) on four round trips from farm. The four of us loaded sacks and baskets with the heavy tubers and walked the 400+ meter bush path with the loads on our head. 11 year old Paul (he looks maybe 8) easily matched me with the load he carried.
Cheri also helped me weed my Moringa farm. The Caterpillar rope (that's the name of the evil weeds that dominate my farm) has been completely cleared from half of the farm and I'm motivated to finish the job when I return.
On October 30, Stephen, Lydie, Maku, Eva, Tekuor, Paul, Cheri and I traveled to Krobo mountain for Mayim, an annual Krobo festival. The first Krobo people to live in Ghana moved from Nigeria and settled on Krobo mountain in the late 1800s. Every year, Krobos from around the area climb the mountain and celebrate their ancestry. The crowd was very young and excited. Compared to the festivals in Cheri's village, the feel was completely different. Up north, traditional clothing is worn and since her village is nearly 100% Muslim, there is no alcohol present. At Mayim, people wore provocative clothing and were drinking heavily.
Our Bormase group met up with some of Stephen's friends and started our hike. It was scorching hot and the mountain was steep but not terribly strenuous. We hung out with at least a hundred other Ghanaians at the peak and relaxed while enjoying the day. We sat for at hour or two before hiking back down. As usual, I heard greetings of "Obruni," and "Blefono," the whole way down. Being able to respond with somewhat witty replies in each language really diffused the situation and lightened the mood. I'm not very strong in Krobo and I'm quite weak in Twi but any response works when I'm expected to be completely clueless.
Once we all reached the bottom, we met at a central location before breaking off in small groups to join the huge crowd for some dancing and celebration. At one point, Cheri and I decided to go into the heart of the crowd so that we could get a true sense of the celebration. Up to that point, we had been a bit reserved for fear of having our pockets picked. To avoid such a situation, I took my wallet and camera from my pockets and put them in my backpack. I gave the backpack to Paul with the idea that he'd stay with the group and protect my items. When Cheri and I got to the middle of the crowd, we turned to find Paul only a few paces behind us with my bag slung across his chest. Recognizing the danger of the situation, we immediately started back to our central meeting point. On the way, several groups of Ghanaians stepped in front of us to engage Obrunis in dancing. No more than twenty feet from the rest of our group, a woman started shouting and pointing at a commotion nearby. When I got closer, I saw that Paul was holding my backpack but had had the small pocket ripped open by a thief. My personal items were strewn on the ground and I could see random items in various hands. I pushed and grabbed and even ripped the shirt of a man while retrieving my camera. The melee didn't allow me time to think so I have no idea whether I was scuffling with friends of foes. I guess a 6'3" blond guy in a sea of sub six foot Ghanaians serves as a beacon of hope for thieves.
In the end, my wallet and a small white first aid kit (must have looked nice) were gone and the thief got away. While taking stock of my items, we realized that Stephen and Tekuor (she's 11 or 12) had left the group. It was getting dark and we had no way to figure out where they were. In the end, we decided to walk to the roadside and hope that they'd have a similar idea. We came across Tekuor in the company of a pair of helpful strangers and found Stephen at the roadside. A potentially disastrous situation resulted in only a lost wallet and money. Nothing irreparably damaged.
Since then, Obama has been elected president and I can't think of a thing to complain about.
Love to all.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Coming soon
I'm watching what appears to be a great election unfold. I'll compose a new entry soon.
Love to all
Love to all
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