Bamboo and beads in Abompe

Volunteers all around Ghana recently convened in various locations for regional VAC meetings. This was my first chance to run a meeting as a VAC (volunteer action committee) representative. Since the Greater Accra region only houses two volunteers, we have adopted those volunteers as honorary Eastern Regioners.

Due to budget restrictions, VAC meetings had to be held either at existing Peace Corps facilities (Accra, Kumasi, Kukurantumi or Tamale offices) or at the site of a volunteer. Thanks to the generosity of a fellow volunteer, we had our meeting in beautiful Abompe. I went to visit Abompe only a few days after arriving in Ghana. This site was one of the many stops made during my Vision Quest. To this day, I'm not sure if I've seen a nicer Peace Corps house. The fifteen volunteers in attendance all sat comfortably during our meeting and at the end of the night, only a few had to unfold mats for sleeping. Granted, many of the more seasoned volunteers are more comfortable sleeping 4 to a bed than when we first arrived but regardless, this place was nice. Her two showers, four beds and two fridges put my saggy mattress, outdoor bucket bath box and state of the art insta-mold kitchen to shame.

Before we got down to business, the volunteers split into two groups. The first group went on what our host warned would be a very taxing hike. The second group (my flip flops and I joined this group) would tour Abompe and see some of the current projects.

Abompe was recently selected to help promote a bamboo bicycle project. A world renowned bicycle designer has been making bamboo frames for competitive cyclists for a while and is now working on a way to expand the project while working towards providing affordable frames (some sell for several thousand dollars in the states). In addition to the main work site for the bamboo bikes, we visited several bauxite bead makers. Bauxite is the mineral that is used to produce aluminum. In Abompe, bauxite is also mined and used to produce beautiful beads. Many styles are made but the waist beads were the most impressive. A small stick with a pin at the end is used along with a bow (like how fire can be made) to create enough friction to bore a hole through the stone. I got to try my hands at this process and was pleased with my ability to bore one hole in a reasonably short time. I'm used to seeing jobs in Ghana that require long hours of intensive work for minimal reward but this ranks as one of the worst.

Our two groups met in the early evening, enjoyed stew and beer while airing our respective frustrations about life in the Peace Corps. As usual, some more tenured volunteers were frighteningly jaded while some newbies were still shell shocked and sporting incredibly lofty goals (I agree with this approach but know that not all of those goals will be met).

The meeting went well and I got to follow it up by winning a game of poker. I've really missed playing poker and definitely got my fix for now. It always helps when you win.

That'll be all for now.

Love to all
Ira