While packing my things for an upcoming West African adventure, I thought that I'd pack up some of the things that I no longer need in Ghana. Since I'm heading back the the USA shortly after I return from tro'ing through the third world, I wanted to start clearing out those things that I won't want to travel with later.
This process was surprisingly emotional!! I won't be leaving for around six months but the process of packing bags and emptying my house really started getting to me. This isn't like leaving for college or even moving to Ghana for two years. When I leave here, I can guarantee that I'll never see or hear from many of my closest friends and neighbors. I definitely hope to come back to Ghana when I can but there's no telling what can happen in the time it takes for that hope to become a possibility. We'll see how it goes when the time comes.
As for now, Cheri and I have begun what will be a five country (six if Ghana counts) West African tour. The adventures began early when our scheduling continued to be delayed. Making a schedule while working in development is asking for trouble. We were going to leave in December but we were put on standfast during the election. We pushed the trip back to March but work got in the way. We finally purchased our five country Visa the week of my GMAT but between that time and now, we have each had projects funded, started and completed. When quality work can actually be completed, everything else must take a back seat.
Unfortunately, our Visas were single entry and lasted only 2 months. They expire only four days into our current itinerary. After some haggling and borderline begging, we were able to extend our Visas but not before paying half the original price.
We each rushed to get some last minute work done. We got proposals submitted so our time away can work for us and the waiting game won't seem quite so bad. We got to the tro station and were quickly ushered to a Kumasi tro by a very eager man. Cheri and I know to be wary of anyone who openly offers to help but I thought we could handle the situation.
We were rushed to a nearly full tro and assured that it was full and leaving ASAP. Of course it wasn't. Accustomed to waiting, we paid for our seats and sat. Twenty minutes later, the car was about full and the driver had a hard time starting the engine. Angry about being dooped and feeling impatient, I suggested that we bail on this car and take a "fast car." A fast car has air conditioning and doesn't make many stops along the way. We demanded our money back but naturally did not get our way immediately. Those seated in the car became insistant that we stay. The assured us that we would leave immediately. Of course they just didn't want us to cause further delay.
The mate and driver of the tro refused to give us money for our tickets since they were not the issuers of said ticket. We were told to give the ticket back so that they could sell it to the next passengers and get our money back. No money and no ticket in hand? No thanks!!! We made a bit of a scene but finally got our money back. We got into a nice air conditioned van, away from the tro full of hate that we had just created. If we're about to travel through some of the poorest countries in the world via public transport, we might as well get through familiar territory in comfort.
We're now in Kumasi, completing some last minute work in order to ensure max relaxation during our vacation. I promise to take pictures and to figure out why my camera won't upload them.
Love to all.
Also, thank you to Cheri's mom Jill for a wonderful visit, exceptional meals and great conversation.
Ira
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Krobo Drama
I mentioned recently that Lydie and Maku have moved home to their respective family homes. It seems that Lydie was stealing money and food from the house store. She would take rice, sardines and other food items to school and feed her friends at lunch.
Since Dorothy doesn't keep very detailed books, she did not know about the problem for what seems like quite a while. She noticed that the till would be low when Lydie and Maku were left at home but I guess she wasn't ready to accuse them of stealing. One day, she found that 65 Ghana Cedis had been taken and that a bag of new clothes was in the girls' room. Since then, I have not seen the girls. Bad news!!
When discussing the issue, Dorothy told me that whenever she's ready to complain about her problems, she thinks of them as a load of trash that she has to take the the dump. She knows that any time she would arrive at the dump, she would see plenty of her neighbors arriving at the same time, dumping much larger loads.
When at market last week, Dorothy heard of a woman who had fallen ill. When the woman went to her preferred juju man, he told her that he knew that she was keeping a secret and that should would not get better until she came clean. It turned out that the woman had been having affairs with many neighbors. Sh came clean to her husband and the husband quickly contacted the five men and demanded that they each pay 4,000 GHana Cedis (when telling the story, Dorothy used the old currency and said forty million which sounds better). As of the end of the day, only one man had been able to pay 200 Ghana Cedis. I told Dorothy that this punishment was far different than what would happen in the US. When infidelity comes to light, it isn't common for the offending party to stay with their husband/wife while the person they cheated with pays the family. Unfortunately, I honestly believe that there would be more infidelity in America if things worked this way. If your wife cheats on you with 5 men, you will make 20,000 dollars!!! Terrible but I'm sure people would take that opportunity every day.
When chatting about this story with Patrick, I learned of a different, more unbelievable story that had been floating around Krobo land. A neighboring community has a weekly market day on Thursdays. The market site sits beside a river so many families travel to the market by canoe or boat. Apparently, the wife of a local fisherman had been using the market as a weekly opportunity to visit a mystery lover. The identity of the man was found out and friends of the husband told him what was going on. The guilty party turned out to be a friend of the husband. The husband tried to play the bigger man and visited the friend, telling him to put a stop to the affair. The very next week, the wife of this bigger man stuck to her weekly schedule and went to visit the friend of her husband. Trusting neither his wife nor his friend, the husband paid a visit to his own juju man during the week so as the story goes, the philandering man and her lover became stuck together during the act of copulation. I have seen this happen with dogs but have never even heard of such a thing happening with people.
Apparently, people heard of the unfortunate predicament and went to tell the husband. Unfazed, the man went to his friends house and demanded 1,000 Ghana Cedis payment. Without payment, he would not visit his juju man and have the curse reversed. The now former friend paid and the pair were released. As I sat, doubting the story but enjoying it nonetheless, a fellow audience member must have overheard my thoughts when he asked "what did they do about food?" They had been stuck for over 12 hours. "The man's penis became larger than my thigh" Patrick shared with undying sincerity. He said that naturally the pair were not worried about food.
Who need Jerry Springer?
On another, more serious and very appreciative note, my PCPP has been fully funded!!! The last time I checked, over 1100 dollars were needed. That was only 5 days ago!!! Thanks to everyone who contributed or who shared the link to the webpage. I will keep you all updated as the project continues.
Love to all!
Ira
Since Dorothy doesn't keep very detailed books, she did not know about the problem for what seems like quite a while. She noticed that the till would be low when Lydie and Maku were left at home but I guess she wasn't ready to accuse them of stealing. One day, she found that 65 Ghana Cedis had been taken and that a bag of new clothes was in the girls' room. Since then, I have not seen the girls. Bad news!!
When discussing the issue, Dorothy told me that whenever she's ready to complain about her problems, she thinks of them as a load of trash that she has to take the the dump. She knows that any time she would arrive at the dump, she would see plenty of her neighbors arriving at the same time, dumping much larger loads.
When at market last week, Dorothy heard of a woman who had fallen ill. When the woman went to her preferred juju man, he told her that he knew that she was keeping a secret and that should would not get better until she came clean. It turned out that the woman had been having affairs with many neighbors. Sh came clean to her husband and the husband quickly contacted the five men and demanded that they each pay 4,000 GHana Cedis (when telling the story, Dorothy used the old currency and said forty million which sounds better). As of the end of the day, only one man had been able to pay 200 Ghana Cedis. I told Dorothy that this punishment was far different than what would happen in the US. When infidelity comes to light, it isn't common for the offending party to stay with their husband/wife while the person they cheated with pays the family. Unfortunately, I honestly believe that there would be more infidelity in America if things worked this way. If your wife cheats on you with 5 men, you will make 20,000 dollars!!! Terrible but I'm sure people would take that opportunity every day.
When chatting about this story with Patrick, I learned of a different, more unbelievable story that had been floating around Krobo land. A neighboring community has a weekly market day on Thursdays. The market site sits beside a river so many families travel to the market by canoe or boat. Apparently, the wife of a local fisherman had been using the market as a weekly opportunity to visit a mystery lover. The identity of the man was found out and friends of the husband told him what was going on. The guilty party turned out to be a friend of the husband. The husband tried to play the bigger man and visited the friend, telling him to put a stop to the affair. The very next week, the wife of this bigger man stuck to her weekly schedule and went to visit the friend of her husband. Trusting neither his wife nor his friend, the husband paid a visit to his own juju man during the week so as the story goes, the philandering man and her lover became stuck together during the act of copulation. I have seen this happen with dogs but have never even heard of such a thing happening with people.
Apparently, people heard of the unfortunate predicament and went to tell the husband. Unfazed, the man went to his friends house and demanded 1,000 Ghana Cedis payment. Without payment, he would not visit his juju man and have the curse reversed. The now former friend paid and the pair were released. As I sat, doubting the story but enjoying it nonetheless, a fellow audience member must have overheard my thoughts when he asked "what did they do about food?" They had been stuck for over 12 hours. "The man's penis became larger than my thigh" Patrick shared with undying sincerity. He said that naturally the pair were not worried about food.
Who need Jerry Springer?
On another, more serious and very appreciative note, my PCPP has been fully funded!!! The last time I checked, over 1100 dollars were needed. That was only 5 days ago!!! Thanks to everyone who contributed or who shared the link to the webpage. I will keep you all updated as the project continues.
Love to all!
Ira
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
A small small police chase
On my way to Bormase from Accra, I was marveling at my luck regarding travel. I had just spent a few days getting work done on the office computers and I was tired and not looking forward to waiting around for tros. At each stop, I got one of the last remaining seats in the car that I needed and I was making great time.
I got to Odumase and saw that no car was there. I thought that my luck had run out when the first mate of the Sekesua tro saw me and had me join the last remaining seat. Sandwiched between to healthily fed Ghanaian women, I cranked up a Radiolab podcast on my ipod and was enjoying the ride.
After about five minutes, I head honking from a car behind ours and a great amount of commotion. Normally, any approaching car will honk as a way of notifying anyone near by. A driver hearing the honk will let the approaching car know if it is safe to pass or if a car is approaching in the opposite direction. This time, our driver sped up. I took out my one working headphone and could only pick up a few of the manically blabbered Krobo words that came from every direction.
One word that was unmistakable and ubiquitous in the chatter was "polisi." Then, while frequently looking out his window, the driver pulled off the main road and onto a small bush road going in the opposite direction. "Polisi" was quickly replaces with "Dasi!!," "Mini sane?" and "I kpa mo pee, dasi!!." Stop, Why?, I beg you to Stop!! came from all seats in the car as we sped over exposed roots and potholes. The driver kept looking behind him and then cut across compound courtyards and through bush paths before slowly pulling around a small house and sidling up close to one wall.
The clamor was quickly replaced with hushing and then silence. What the hell was going on?!?!?! The driver quickly got out of the car and disappeared. We sat in silence for several minutes before a police jeep pulled across the space in front of us and stopped next to our tro.
Yelling ensued and inquiries were made in regards to the location of the driver. Amused, the population of the community spent more time asking me where I was from and how I liked Ghana. Children waved and laughed while hollering "Blefono" whenever I was within earshot. I got great reactions when I spoke the most basic Krobo.
Within fifteen minutes, the driver had returned and we were on our way. I gathered that the driver had tried to duck the standard one Ghana Cedi bribe. Instead, I think that he and the mate paid a much heftier bribe and were allowed to move on.
In the end, I made great time on my journey home and I got to experience my first police chase. I love this place!!
Love to all,
Ira
I got to Odumase and saw that no car was there. I thought that my luck had run out when the first mate of the Sekesua tro saw me and had me join the last remaining seat. Sandwiched between to healthily fed Ghanaian women, I cranked up a Radiolab podcast on my ipod and was enjoying the ride.
After about five minutes, I head honking from a car behind ours and a great amount of commotion. Normally, any approaching car will honk as a way of notifying anyone near by. A driver hearing the honk will let the approaching car know if it is safe to pass or if a car is approaching in the opposite direction. This time, our driver sped up. I took out my one working headphone and could only pick up a few of the manically blabbered Krobo words that came from every direction.
One word that was unmistakable and ubiquitous in the chatter was "polisi." Then, while frequently looking out his window, the driver pulled off the main road and onto a small bush road going in the opposite direction. "Polisi" was quickly replaces with "Dasi!!," "Mini sane?" and "I kpa mo pee, dasi!!." Stop, Why?, I beg you to Stop!! came from all seats in the car as we sped over exposed roots and potholes. The driver kept looking behind him and then cut across compound courtyards and through bush paths before slowly pulling around a small house and sidling up close to one wall.
The clamor was quickly replaced with hushing and then silence. What the hell was going on?!?!?! The driver quickly got out of the car and disappeared. We sat in silence for several minutes before a police jeep pulled across the space in front of us and stopped next to our tro.
Yelling ensued and inquiries were made in regards to the location of the driver. Amused, the population of the community spent more time asking me where I was from and how I liked Ghana. Children waved and laughed while hollering "Blefono" whenever I was within earshot. I got great reactions when I spoke the most basic Krobo.
Within fifteen minutes, the driver had returned and we were on our way. I gathered that the driver had tried to duck the standard one Ghana Cedi bribe. Instead, I think that he and the mate paid a much heftier bribe and were allowed to move on.
In the end, I made great time on my journey home and I got to experience my first police chase. I love this place!!
Love to all,
Ira
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Checkers with chess pieces
While Dorothy was away at market yesterday, Eva and I were the only two in the house. Maku and Lydie have had disagreements with the parental units and have moved back to the homes of their respective bio-moms. More on that later.
As is usual for a Wednesday, a number of Bormase youths came by the house during Dorothy's absence. While David and Felix were hanging out, I thought that I'd break out the chess set that I had made (a former PCV lived amongst wood workers and had a set made). While Eva, David and Felix expressed interest in learning to play chess, all had given up by the time I explained the pawn, rook and knight. Instead of continuing to learn, we used the chess pieces to play checkers on the beautiful paper and sharpie drawn board that I made.
While playing, I thought of how appropriate a distinction I was seeing between chess and checkers. Chess clearly takes more understanding and planning than does checkers. However, both games can be played with more success as you learn to look ahead one, two or preferably many moves. I feel as though the difference is very similar to the approach of my neighbors in Bormase.
Anyone can see that if you plant maize or cassava when the rain starts, it will grow and eventually you can harvest and earn money. Very few people in the village take a step back, think of what ELSE they can do and how a different approach might benefit them more. The benefit might not be immediate but it may be far greater than that of charging straight ahead and doing what you know will work.
While playing checkers, it was very common for my competitors to get a piece to the other end and have it 'kinged' without using it again for several moves. Rather than gaining this distinct advantage and taking advantage of it, David and Felix would leave the piece at my end of the board and start again with a new piece, working towards a new goal altogether.
Unfortunately, the school system teaches students to memorize and regurgitate information in order to ensure the necessary 39 percent passing grade. There is no incentive for thinking creatively or taking a different approach. It's not uncommon to ask a student a question only to hear them recite a definition verbatim until they forget a single word. Once there is a roadblock, they stop. The memorized definition does not quickly change to an ad lib definition, it just stops.
Akwaaba Ghana.
More next time, I'm short on time.
Love to all and thanks to all who have contributed to my PCPP!
Ira
As is usual for a Wednesday, a number of Bormase youths came by the house during Dorothy's absence. While David and Felix were hanging out, I thought that I'd break out the chess set that I had made (a former PCV lived amongst wood workers and had a set made). While Eva, David and Felix expressed interest in learning to play chess, all had given up by the time I explained the pawn, rook and knight. Instead of continuing to learn, we used the chess pieces to play checkers on the beautiful paper and sharpie drawn board that I made.
While playing, I thought of how appropriate a distinction I was seeing between chess and checkers. Chess clearly takes more understanding and planning than does checkers. However, both games can be played with more success as you learn to look ahead one, two or preferably many moves. I feel as though the difference is very similar to the approach of my neighbors in Bormase.
Anyone can see that if you plant maize or cassava when the rain starts, it will grow and eventually you can harvest and earn money. Very few people in the village take a step back, think of what ELSE they can do and how a different approach might benefit them more. The benefit might not be immediate but it may be far greater than that of charging straight ahead and doing what you know will work.
While playing checkers, it was very common for my competitors to get a piece to the other end and have it 'kinged' without using it again for several moves. Rather than gaining this distinct advantage and taking advantage of it, David and Felix would leave the piece at my end of the board and start again with a new piece, working towards a new goal altogether.
Unfortunately, the school system teaches students to memorize and regurgitate information in order to ensure the necessary 39 percent passing grade. There is no incentive for thinking creatively or taking a different approach. It's not uncommon to ask a student a question only to hear them recite a definition verbatim until they forget a single word. Once there is a roadblock, they stop. The memorized definition does not quickly change to an ad lib definition, it just stops.
Akwaaba Ghana.
More next time, I'm short on time.
Love to all and thanks to all who have contributed to my PCPP!
Ira
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Moringa Status
This topic will deserve many more posts as the months roll along but for now I'll only give a brief update.
Those same trees that are pictured in previous posts are now bushy and almost out of control. I harvested my first batch of leaves this past week and I'm not sure how I'll be able to stay on top of everything. I only have one room for leaf drying and that room is the only one in my home that has any serious air flow. I spent the other day laying on a mat beneath my drying moringa leaves. I love the smell but as the leaves dry, small pieces of debris fall through the net onto my sweaty self.
The problem of having too much Moringa to harvest is a good one to have but I'm still not too sure what I'll do. For this first harvest, I simply trimmed the tallest and bushiest trees. There wasn't much of a noticeable difference until I tried to spread the leaves across my makeshift drying net. I'll make it work. One of my closest neighbors now has 6 months off before starting High School so maybe I can work out a wholesale price for leaf powder and he can use any profits towards his education. That's my first thought. It seems as though I'll have plenty of time during which to think of how to distribute the incoming product.
All for now.
Love to all,
Ira
Those same trees that are pictured in previous posts are now bushy and almost out of control. I harvested my first batch of leaves this past week and I'm not sure how I'll be able to stay on top of everything. I only have one room for leaf drying and that room is the only one in my home that has any serious air flow. I spent the other day laying on a mat beneath my drying moringa leaves. I love the smell but as the leaves dry, small pieces of debris fall through the net onto my sweaty self.
The problem of having too much Moringa to harvest is a good one to have but I'm still not too sure what I'll do. For this first harvest, I simply trimmed the tallest and bushiest trees. There wasn't much of a noticeable difference until I tried to spread the leaves across my makeshift drying net. I'll make it work. One of my closest neighbors now has 6 months off before starting High School so maybe I can work out a wholesale price for leaf powder and he can use any profits towards his education. That's my first thought. It seems as though I'll have plenty of time during which to think of how to distribute the incoming product.
All for now.
Love to all,
Ira
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