The currency has officially been changed. As of January 1, the Ghana Cedi is the official currency of Ghana. This change has been a gradual one but it still makes a big difference for farmers and market workers.
The change is as follows.
Cedi (old denominations)
Coins worth 50, 100, 200 and 500 cedis (10,000 cedis equal 1 Ghana Cedi)
Notes worth 1000, 2000, 5000, 10,000 and 20,000 cedis
Ghana Cedi
Coins (1, 5, 10, 20, 50 Ghana Pesewas)
Notes (1, 5, 10, 20, 50 Ghana Cedis)
It is very hard to find 1 pesewa coins so those items that used to cost 400 cedis will now be 5 pesewas. Those that were 1300 will likely be 15 pesewas etc.
As you can imagine, buying a television or refrigerator when the largest note is the equivalent of $2 is difficult. On the other hand, when you make a living my selling items that cost 300 cedis or 3 Ghana Pesewas, your daily life is drastically altered.
Thats all for now.
Love to all!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Recovery time
After my glorious start to 2008, I decided to spend a few recovery days at the Peace Corps office in Accra. Dehydration to the point of fainting takes its toll on the body!!
Yesterday, a former Peace Corps Volunteer arrived in Accra. He and I have been in contact since before I arrived in country. He offered some good advice before leaving the states and I thought I could return the favor by giving whatever travel advice might be applicable after 17 years away from Ghana.
I'll admit that it's a bit odd writing about the experience since this gracious host/guest also follows this blog.
A good thing about the past several days is that I've been pining to get back to my site. I have only been there for a month but this time away keeps me thinking about what work I can be doing in Bormase and how the Nartey family is doing. Eva and Raphael will return to school on Monday so I've missed some prime days at my new home.
On the other hand, I've enjoyed a very tourist view of Accra. A visit from a returned Peace Corps Volunteer has its advantages. There is a small give and take in that the guest understands the financial struggle that comes with volunteering but does not necessarily know how things are done in Ghana today. In exchange, we current volunteers get to live life as though we're not constrained my Peace Corps finances and our guest can buy a phone, get around Accra, find a nice place to stay and decent food without getting sucked into tourist traps all day. I must admit that it feels as though I'm getting the better end of the deal. I've taken hot showers, slept in an air conditioned room and eaten food that is served on a plate while in return I can only help with finding a place to buy a phone, where to rent a car, how the exchange rates work.
More than anything, I think it's been cool to hear stories from 17 years ago. Many things have changed completely and many are exactly the same. I still go to fetch my water, I still have no electricity, tro's are still uncomfortable and the roads are still in terrible condition. Over the past 17 years, the housing for some volunteers has changed by leaps and bounds. Some live with showers and flush toilets and 4 bedrooms. On top of trading volunteer stories, it's been great to hear stories from after Ghana. How do you re-acclamate? What do you do for work? So many questions and so many answers yet only a glimpse into what the next two years (and beyond) will hold.
This afternoon, we took a taxi to the mausoleum Dr. Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana's first president). Sculptures and other beautiful pieces of art surround the mausoleum but what was most interesting to me was contained in the one room museum. Some history on President Nkrumah's life is given and pictures blanket the walls. In a 10' x 10' space on one wall, Nkrumah is shown dancing with Queen Elizabeth, shaking hands with Khrushchev, sharing a car with JFK, sitting down with Fidel Castro and chatting with Mao. Talk about rubbing elbows with a variety of people. Only some of the pictures had dates but from what I gather, most were taken between 1958 and 1961. Nkrumah was responsible for the construction of the Volta Dam. This dam provides Ghana with a huge amount of electricity but also flooded millions of acres of fertile farmland. Much of the land was Krobo land. Construction of the dam was initially funded by Russia but was finished with American dollars. I'm still terribly naive in regards to Ghanaian history but this short touristy trip really opened my eyes. I'm looking forward to learning more about it.
Our cab driver next took us a few kilometers to a nice cliffside lunch place. My fellow volunteer, the returned volunteer and myself sat, chatted and ate for what was close to 4 hours. When we got back to the parking lot, our taxi driver was still sitting in his car. He was prepared to drive us back to our hotel in exchange for 50 Ghana Cedis. I didn't pay for the lunch or for the hotel so I was in no position to bargain for this taxi drivers services. Instead, I stood by while American business tactics and sheer principle drove down the price offered by a hard working Ghanaian who was clearly trying to take advantage of a relaxing day paid for by tourists.
I completely agreed with both parties. We did not ask the driver to stick around and wait for so long. He did not tell us that he would stick around and charge us for the time. We all thought that he would be there waiting for us and he thought that we would come from our lunch and provide a nice pay day without the 4.80/gallon gas prices that accompany a normal work day. On the other hand, the driver could really use the money and the Obruni can more than likely spare the money. Who's right and who's wrong?
Akwaaba Ghana!!
Yesterday, a former Peace Corps Volunteer arrived in Accra. He and I have been in contact since before I arrived in country. He offered some good advice before leaving the states and I thought I could return the favor by giving whatever travel advice might be applicable after 17 years away from Ghana.
I'll admit that it's a bit odd writing about the experience since this gracious host/guest also follows this blog.
A good thing about the past several days is that I've been pining to get back to my site. I have only been there for a month but this time away keeps me thinking about what work I can be doing in Bormase and how the Nartey family is doing. Eva and Raphael will return to school on Monday so I've missed some prime days at my new home.
On the other hand, I've enjoyed a very tourist view of Accra. A visit from a returned Peace Corps Volunteer has its advantages. There is a small give and take in that the guest understands the financial struggle that comes with volunteering but does not necessarily know how things are done in Ghana today. In exchange, we current volunteers get to live life as though we're not constrained my Peace Corps finances and our guest can buy a phone, get around Accra, find a nice place to stay and decent food without getting sucked into tourist traps all day. I must admit that it feels as though I'm getting the better end of the deal. I've taken hot showers, slept in an air conditioned room and eaten food that is served on a plate while in return I can only help with finding a place to buy a phone, where to rent a car, how the exchange rates work.
More than anything, I think it's been cool to hear stories from 17 years ago. Many things have changed completely and many are exactly the same. I still go to fetch my water, I still have no electricity, tro's are still uncomfortable and the roads are still in terrible condition. Over the past 17 years, the housing for some volunteers has changed by leaps and bounds. Some live with showers and flush toilets and 4 bedrooms. On top of trading volunteer stories, it's been great to hear stories from after Ghana. How do you re-acclamate? What do you do for work? So many questions and so many answers yet only a glimpse into what the next two years (and beyond) will hold.
This afternoon, we took a taxi to the mausoleum Dr. Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana's first president). Sculptures and other beautiful pieces of art surround the mausoleum but what was most interesting to me was contained in the one room museum. Some history on President Nkrumah's life is given and pictures blanket the walls. In a 10' x 10' space on one wall, Nkrumah is shown dancing with Queen Elizabeth, shaking hands with Khrushchev, sharing a car with JFK, sitting down with Fidel Castro and chatting with Mao. Talk about rubbing elbows with a variety of people. Only some of the pictures had dates but from what I gather, most were taken between 1958 and 1961. Nkrumah was responsible for the construction of the Volta Dam. This dam provides Ghana with a huge amount of electricity but also flooded millions of acres of fertile farmland. Much of the land was Krobo land. Construction of the dam was initially funded by Russia but was finished with American dollars. I'm still terribly naive in regards to Ghanaian history but this short touristy trip really opened my eyes. I'm looking forward to learning more about it.
Our cab driver next took us a few kilometers to a nice cliffside lunch place. My fellow volunteer, the returned volunteer and myself sat, chatted and ate for what was close to 4 hours. When we got back to the parking lot, our taxi driver was still sitting in his car. He was prepared to drive us back to our hotel in exchange for 50 Ghana Cedis. I didn't pay for the lunch or for the hotel so I was in no position to bargain for this taxi drivers services. Instead, I stood by while American business tactics and sheer principle drove down the price offered by a hard working Ghanaian who was clearly trying to take advantage of a relaxing day paid for by tourists.
I completely agreed with both parties. We did not ask the driver to stick around and wait for so long. He did not tell us that he would stick around and charge us for the time. We all thought that he would be there waiting for us and he thought that we would come from our lunch and provide a nice pay day without the 4.80/gallon gas prices that accompany a normal work day. On the other hand, the driver could really use the money and the Obruni can more than likely spare the money. Who's right and who's wrong?
Akwaaba Ghana!!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
An interesting end to the year
Through a little bit of networking, I had the opportunity to meet a former Peace Corps Volunteer who now works for an NGO in Accra. This woman was a PCV from 2004-2004 and has since worked at an NGO focused on safely placing war torn refugees in new homes.
A nice perk involved in this meeting is that we decided to meet while hanging out at the beach for New Years. What a nice business meeting right?
While many in the states are bundled up and hiding from the snow, I was body surfing in the Gulf of Guinea. With consistent waves of between 5 and 10 feet and NOBODY else in the water, I managed to get a lot of water time under my belt.
After playing in the water for a few hours, I joined a 4 vs 4 beach soccer game. I was the only american playing beach soccer and I'll admit that I held my own. I had to bow out gracefully after I developed and then opened a huge blister on my right foot. Of course I could have stopped playing when I felt the blister developing but how often can I play soccer on the beach in Ghana? I'd make the same decision again despite having to hobble around for the rest of the day.
At around 6, over a few beers, I took part in a long discussion about the upcoming Ghanaian election. This was the second conversation of this type and between the two talks, participants represented Liberia, Ghana, Canada, Sweden, The Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and America. Volunteer success stories and frustrations were also added to the mix. I found myself taking part when appropriate but also sitting back enjoying the fact that I was a part of the group.
A small group of PCV's went to dinner from here and had a nice class of wine with pizza/pasta dishes. At 8 (already past my bed time) I was exhausted and feeling a bit of Ghana Tummy coming on. I enjoyed a nap for an hour before going to see the live band. Still not feeling well, I went for another nap and decided to just sleep until 11:15 or so. I wasn't feeling very well but really wanted to ring in the New Year instead of sleeping through it.
I hobbled out to the main bar area at around 11:30, I walked down to the beach to check out the massive bonfire but still didn't feel very well. Some of my new friends were pulling me onto the dance floor to celebrate but I used my blister as an excuse (not well received by the drunken crowd) to sit down. I sat at the bar trying to lay low for the last 20 minutes of the year but decided that with the noise and cigarette smoke, the environment was too much. I stood up to go back to bed but felt a bit dizzy and went back to sit down. I sat for a minute, offered an explanatory "I'm not feeling well," face to my friend across the bar and...
I wake up sitting on the ground with a Canadian volunteer asking me if I was alright. Slightly confused, I said that I was OK but quickly realized that in the process of fainting, I had hit my face on the tiled bar, fallen to the ground and aggressively shat my pants. HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I know it sounds scary but since it's in the past, we might as well laugh about it. Stubborn as I am, I decided to sit in my crap filled board shorts (that's right, no underwear to keep it contained.) for the final five minutes of the year. What's funny is that I didn't feel the need to go to the bathroom before the incident yet I shat A LOT and the diarrhea running down my leg combined with the blood below my right eye made for quite a sight.
Smelly and embarrassed, I showered and retired for the night. For all of you out there, combining 3 hours of body surfing, an hour of soccer (all in the African sun, on the equator) with drinking a few beers after 9 months of sobriety is not a good idea. When you add the fact that I'm skin and bones and have low blood pressure to start with, I can completely understand why I fainted. Lesson learned.
How's that for a glorious induction into the "I shat my pants in Ghana," club?
Love you all!! I'm OK though embarrassed!!
A nice perk involved in this meeting is that we decided to meet while hanging out at the beach for New Years. What a nice business meeting right?
While many in the states are bundled up and hiding from the snow, I was body surfing in the Gulf of Guinea. With consistent waves of between 5 and 10 feet and NOBODY else in the water, I managed to get a lot of water time under my belt.
After playing in the water for a few hours, I joined a 4 vs 4 beach soccer game. I was the only american playing beach soccer and I'll admit that I held my own. I had to bow out gracefully after I developed and then opened a huge blister on my right foot. Of course I could have stopped playing when I felt the blister developing but how often can I play soccer on the beach in Ghana? I'd make the same decision again despite having to hobble around for the rest of the day.
At around 6, over a few beers, I took part in a long discussion about the upcoming Ghanaian election. This was the second conversation of this type and between the two talks, participants represented Liberia, Ghana, Canada, Sweden, The Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and America. Volunteer success stories and frustrations were also added to the mix. I found myself taking part when appropriate but also sitting back enjoying the fact that I was a part of the group.
A small group of PCV's went to dinner from here and had a nice class of wine with pizza/pasta dishes. At 8 (already past my bed time) I was exhausted and feeling a bit of Ghana Tummy coming on. I enjoyed a nap for an hour before going to see the live band. Still not feeling well, I went for another nap and decided to just sleep until 11:15 or so. I wasn't feeling very well but really wanted to ring in the New Year instead of sleeping through it.
I hobbled out to the main bar area at around 11:30, I walked down to the beach to check out the massive bonfire but still didn't feel very well. Some of my new friends were pulling me onto the dance floor to celebrate but I used my blister as an excuse (not well received by the drunken crowd) to sit down. I sat at the bar trying to lay low for the last 20 minutes of the year but decided that with the noise and cigarette smoke, the environment was too much. I stood up to go back to bed but felt a bit dizzy and went back to sit down. I sat for a minute, offered an explanatory "I'm not feeling well," face to my friend across the bar and...
I wake up sitting on the ground with a Canadian volunteer asking me if I was alright. Slightly confused, I said that I was OK but quickly realized that in the process of fainting, I had hit my face on the tiled bar, fallen to the ground and aggressively shat my pants. HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I know it sounds scary but since it's in the past, we might as well laugh about it. Stubborn as I am, I decided to sit in my crap filled board shorts (that's right, no underwear to keep it contained.) for the final five minutes of the year. What's funny is that I didn't feel the need to go to the bathroom before the incident yet I shat A LOT and the diarrhea running down my leg combined with the blood below my right eye made for quite a sight.
Smelly and embarrassed, I showered and retired for the night. For all of you out there, combining 3 hours of body surfing, an hour of soccer (all in the African sun, on the equator) with drinking a few beers after 9 months of sobriety is not a good idea. When you add the fact that I'm skin and bones and have low blood pressure to start with, I can completely understand why I fainted. Lesson learned.
How's that for a glorious induction into the "I shat my pants in Ghana," club?
Love you all!! I'm OK though embarrassed!!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Xmas in Ghana
My best African Christmas yet!!
Very little was different from any other day in Ghana. I woke up, ate breakfast, drank tea, checked my Moringa, collected eggs. At around 8am I joined the family for church. I was expecting a large crowd but when I showed up with Dorothy and Raphael, we doubled the size of the crowd. More people trickled in as the mass continued. There were roughly 25 by the end of the 2 hour (90% Dangme) mass.
I was officially introduced to the Catholic community at the end of mass. My supervisor (Emmanuel) explained that I will be planting Moringa and helping to teach local mothers about ways to fight malnutrition. At the end of the introduction, Emmanuel brought out a bottle of wine for the group to share. Since most alcohol in Ghana is served in small 1 ounce plastic bags, nobody had a bottle opener. Since I'm the American with the gadgets and tools (VERY handy Leatherman), I was expected to save the day. I managed to open a bottle of wine on Thanksgiving by using a broken cork screw, pliers and a butter knife. For Christmas, I used two nails to push the cork into the bottle. This would be very taboo if I were in America but alas, I'm in Ghana and saved the day. You can call me African holiday MacGyver!!
From church, we returned to the house and sat around while food was prepared. I helped a bit in the preparation of Christmas dinner. I placed the freshly plucked chicken atop the open flame. Did you know that you peel skin off the beak and feet before cooking? You probably didn't know that since most people in American don't include the feet or the head of the chicken in the meal. Now you know. I let the chicken sit on the flame until any remaining pin feathers could be removed. I also peeled the skin from the beak and feet (Kua enjoyed her Christmas gift). The skin looks like fresh snake skin. During the preparation, the cooking crew took a few breaks to chase chickens around the bush. A few neighbors dropped by with the hope of buying 3 fowls for their Christmas dinner. The first fowl was caught with relative ease but the second led at least 10 grown adults sprinting and diving around the bush. This was a refreshingly ridiculous feeling and my mere involvement earned me points with the other hunters.
For Christmas dinner, we enjoyed Fufu with garlic and soy bean soup. We usually have a soup that includes dried fish, pepper, onion and tomatoes. I like the other soups but this was a special treat. I ate at 3:30pm with Emmanuel (he was too tired to wait) and again at 5:30pm with the rest of the family. I was inducted into the ranks of proper Ghanaians by eating all of the bones that I found in my chicken pieces. For those of you who don't know of my finicky diet as a child, eating a jam other than Raspberry would have been too adventurous two decades ago. I'm getting better!!
All around, it didn't feel too much like Christmas but it was a nice day all around.
As far as work in Ghana goes:
I gave Ransord his first assignment. He is to write a 450 word essay about why Moringa is a useful crop. A 450 word essay is part of his October exam so I hope to correct a mock essay each week to help him practice his composition skills and rid himself of any basic mistakes that can be easily avoided.
Emmanuels cousin recently bought a computer from a local internet cafe. He has NEVER used a computer. He initially bought an insufficient number of pieces for the machine but we've since gotten the computer to work and I'll give him typing lessons each Wednesday. He (Daniel) is in his mid-forties and lives close to the Sekesua market so each week I'll kill two birds with one stone by helping Dorothy at her shop and helping Daniel learn to type. We use Mavis Beacon and one game involves the conveyor belt of a grocery store. In order to place each item into your shopping bag, you must type the appropriate price as it's listed on the screen. Seeing Pizza, Ice Cream, French Bread and frozen vegetables move across the screen may seem normal to most Mavis Beacon users but I don't think that Daniel has ever seen any of these items. In fact, I don't think he's ever set foot inside a grocery store.
My first 100 Moringa seeds only produced 18 sprouts. I was overzealous and overwatered. I replaced the remaining 82 seeds so I can get additional results/plants before my next data collecting session starts at the beginning of the New Year!!
I have scheduled meetings at 3 local schools on January 13th and 14th so new projects will start around then.
It is now officially the dry season. To prepare for any borehole breakages, we in the Nartey household have been making many trips to the borehole in order to fill a large cement water basin at the house. When I first arrived, I would carry a bucket (maybe 3 gallons) in each hand. I kept a good balance and didn't drench myself. I've since upgraded to big yellow plastic fuel containers (maybe 6 gallons). For two days I would carry one in each hand for 3 or 4 trips. This has been great exercise but by the end of the last trip, I had to stop and rest. The walk is long enough for it to be difficult and I'm totally spent by the end of each trip. I've since made a few trips with one of these cas containers on my head. The weight is easier to handle but I have to make twice as many trips and have a very hard time ducking the clothesline when the top of the barrel is near 9 feet off the ground and the clothesline is less than 7. I'm not sure which approach I prefer. Either way, the borehole is the place to be at around 4pm. It's been a great place to kick a ball around and joke with/get laughed at by my neighbors.
Love to all. I hope this entry makes sense.
Very little was different from any other day in Ghana. I woke up, ate breakfast, drank tea, checked my Moringa, collected eggs. At around 8am I joined the family for church. I was expecting a large crowd but when I showed up with Dorothy and Raphael, we doubled the size of the crowd. More people trickled in as the mass continued. There were roughly 25 by the end of the 2 hour (90% Dangme) mass.
I was officially introduced to the Catholic community at the end of mass. My supervisor (Emmanuel) explained that I will be planting Moringa and helping to teach local mothers about ways to fight malnutrition. At the end of the introduction, Emmanuel brought out a bottle of wine for the group to share. Since most alcohol in Ghana is served in small 1 ounce plastic bags, nobody had a bottle opener. Since I'm the American with the gadgets and tools (VERY handy Leatherman), I was expected to save the day. I managed to open a bottle of wine on Thanksgiving by using a broken cork screw, pliers and a butter knife. For Christmas, I used two nails to push the cork into the bottle. This would be very taboo if I were in America but alas, I'm in Ghana and saved the day. You can call me African holiday MacGyver!!
From church, we returned to the house and sat around while food was prepared. I helped a bit in the preparation of Christmas dinner. I placed the freshly plucked chicken atop the open flame. Did you know that you peel skin off the beak and feet before cooking? You probably didn't know that since most people in American don't include the feet or the head of the chicken in the meal. Now you know. I let the chicken sit on the flame until any remaining pin feathers could be removed. I also peeled the skin from the beak and feet (Kua enjoyed her Christmas gift). The skin looks like fresh snake skin. During the preparation, the cooking crew took a few breaks to chase chickens around the bush. A few neighbors dropped by with the hope of buying 3 fowls for their Christmas dinner. The first fowl was caught with relative ease but the second led at least 10 grown adults sprinting and diving around the bush. This was a refreshingly ridiculous feeling and my mere involvement earned me points with the other hunters.
For Christmas dinner, we enjoyed Fufu with garlic and soy bean soup. We usually have a soup that includes dried fish, pepper, onion and tomatoes. I like the other soups but this was a special treat. I ate at 3:30pm with Emmanuel (he was too tired to wait) and again at 5:30pm with the rest of the family. I was inducted into the ranks of proper Ghanaians by eating all of the bones that I found in my chicken pieces. For those of you who don't know of my finicky diet as a child, eating a jam other than Raspberry would have been too adventurous two decades ago. I'm getting better!!
All around, it didn't feel too much like Christmas but it was a nice day all around.
As far as work in Ghana goes:
I gave Ransord his first assignment. He is to write a 450 word essay about why Moringa is a useful crop. A 450 word essay is part of his October exam so I hope to correct a mock essay each week to help him practice his composition skills and rid himself of any basic mistakes that can be easily avoided.
Emmanuels cousin recently bought a computer from a local internet cafe. He has NEVER used a computer. He initially bought an insufficient number of pieces for the machine but we've since gotten the computer to work and I'll give him typing lessons each Wednesday. He (Daniel) is in his mid-forties and lives close to the Sekesua market so each week I'll kill two birds with one stone by helping Dorothy at her shop and helping Daniel learn to type. We use Mavis Beacon and one game involves the conveyor belt of a grocery store. In order to place each item into your shopping bag, you must type the appropriate price as it's listed on the screen. Seeing Pizza, Ice Cream, French Bread and frozen vegetables move across the screen may seem normal to most Mavis Beacon users but I don't think that Daniel has ever seen any of these items. In fact, I don't think he's ever set foot inside a grocery store.
My first 100 Moringa seeds only produced 18 sprouts. I was overzealous and overwatered. I replaced the remaining 82 seeds so I can get additional results/plants before my next data collecting session starts at the beginning of the New Year!!
I have scheduled meetings at 3 local schools on January 13th and 14th so new projects will start around then.
It is now officially the dry season. To prepare for any borehole breakages, we in the Nartey household have been making many trips to the borehole in order to fill a large cement water basin at the house. When I first arrived, I would carry a bucket (maybe 3 gallons) in each hand. I kept a good balance and didn't drench myself. I've since upgraded to big yellow plastic fuel containers (maybe 6 gallons). For two days I would carry one in each hand for 3 or 4 trips. This has been great exercise but by the end of the last trip, I had to stop and rest. The walk is long enough for it to be difficult and I'm totally spent by the end of each trip. I've since made a few trips with one of these cas containers on my head. The weight is easier to handle but I have to make twice as many trips and have a very hard time ducking the clothesline when the top of the barrel is near 9 feet off the ground and the clothesline is less than 7. I'm not sure which approach I prefer. Either way, the borehole is the place to be at around 4pm. It's been a great place to kick a ball around and joke with/get laughed at by my neighbors.
Love to all. I hope this entry makes sense.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The dead and the deadly
Last Saturday, I attended my second Ghanaian funeral. I know that it's pretty clear that Ghana and the US are very different but there are certain aspects that hadn't even occurred to me. Embalming/beautifying dead bodies is one of those aspects.
I arrived in Odumase (an hour tro ride from my site) at 8:30am. I'm met on the roadside by Adolph (I have no idea how he's related to my host family but he is). Adolph ushers me around and takes me to see the bereaved family members and the casket. I shake 5 or 6 hands (always from right to left) before even noticing that there is an open casket in the room. It takes a few seconds of blatant staring to understand whether I'm looking at a real body or at a mannequin. The mand I'm looking at died after a month long illness at the age of 42. He died a month ago and I'm looking at what looks like a life-size wax figurine.
After leaving this room, I sit amongst Emmanuel's senior brother's sons. These 4 men are some of the burliest Ghanaians I've met to date and despite being at a funeral one immediately starts asking how I feel as a representative of George W. Bush. I answer with something along the lines of "I really like Ghana!!" and allow the conversation to drift elsewhere. Within a few minutes, the entire group of women from the room I've just left breaks out in bouts of convulsive wailing and sobbing as they walk around in circles. I'm not sure what specifically spawned the outburst but I find myself keeping a very straight face while all non-wailing members of the procession are staring at my very white self sitting in a sea of very black people wearing all black clothing.
The ceremony starts at around 9:30am with a live band (3 BIG drums, several trumpets, a trombone and a cymbal) playing while the casket is precariously brought down a short flight of stairs. A Baptist priest starts with a few readings and hymns. Every so often, a woman or two will make her way up to the front of the tented off courtyard in which we're sitting and circle the casket while loudly yelling (no clue what she's saying) and crying until they return to their respective seats.
Some very emotionally driven presentations and readings are given before the announcement is made that we'll proceed to the cemetery for the burial. At this time, the band starts up, the casket is loaded into the bed of a pickup and the 100 or so people in attendance start to walk down the road alongside the truck. People are singing, dancing, crying all around me yet I can't even hear myself think while music is blaring in my ear. We walk about a mile (around noon at this time. As you may have guessed, I'm drenched in sweat) before the casket is removed from the truck and we walk off the road and into the woods. I see a small sign that says "public cemetary" but otherwise would never guess that it's a burial site. As the music continues to roar, a drunken man begins to wrestle with some of the pallbearers. He seems to be trying to pull the casket from them but all I can hear is music. A few other men pull the drunkard from the casket before he can knock it onto the trash strewn soil beneath us. We finally come to a clearing and there is an open grave with a man standing inside. He has his pants rolled up to his knees and is standing bare foot with mud up to mid-shin. The pall bearers hand the casket down to this man as he negotiates the small space he has. They heave and haw until finally they're able to get the coffin into the muddy grave. The man then steps onto the casket and out of the grave, leaving a dripping footprint of mud on the top of the silver box. By this point, the music has stopped, the wailing is perfectly audible again and the drunkard is in a yelling/shoving match with another man (again I can't understand what they're saying). He then spikes a full water sachet onto the casket and calms down a bit. People randomly drop items into the grave as a man begins to speak (items include bits of cloth and even a saw (he was a carpenter)). At this point, Dorothy suggests that we should leave. We walk to the roadside, jump in a tro and after maybe a minute of loud pop music, I'm on the roadside watching a teenager hack open a coconut with a machete. I enjoy my snack, sit with Dorothy and friends for a few hours and then I'm back on the road to Bormase. Quite a whirlwind cultural experience I must say.
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While walking with Raph (19 year old homestay brother) to various poultry group sites in Bormase, I strike up a conversation about snakes. I remember being so scared to come across snakes when I first arrived but recently I've been walking through the bush without any worries. I've asked Raph if he often sees snakes around the area. He tells me that he doesn't see them very often but that they're around. As I'm explaining how I was so scared when I arrived... I look to my right and see one foot of inch and a half thick black and yellow snake!! I stop my sentence, tell Raph and watch him run in circles looking for a stick with which to kill the snake. There were no sticks and the snake disappeared into the bush. I asked if it was a Black Mamba and Raph said yes. I Googled Black Mambas and I'm not convinced but either way, it was big and very close to my house. AAHHH!!! I guess I'm living in the African bush after all.
Love you guys.
I arrived in Odumase (an hour tro ride from my site) at 8:30am. I'm met on the roadside by Adolph (I have no idea how he's related to my host family but he is). Adolph ushers me around and takes me to see the bereaved family members and the casket. I shake 5 or 6 hands (always from right to left) before even noticing that there is an open casket in the room. It takes a few seconds of blatant staring to understand whether I'm looking at a real body or at a mannequin. The mand I'm looking at died after a month long illness at the age of 42. He died a month ago and I'm looking at what looks like a life-size wax figurine.
After leaving this room, I sit amongst Emmanuel's senior brother's sons. These 4 men are some of the burliest Ghanaians I've met to date and despite being at a funeral one immediately starts asking how I feel as a representative of George W. Bush. I answer with something along the lines of "I really like Ghana!!" and allow the conversation to drift elsewhere. Within a few minutes, the entire group of women from the room I've just left breaks out in bouts of convulsive wailing and sobbing as they walk around in circles. I'm not sure what specifically spawned the outburst but I find myself keeping a very straight face while all non-wailing members of the procession are staring at my very white self sitting in a sea of very black people wearing all black clothing.
The ceremony starts at around 9:30am with a live band (3 BIG drums, several trumpets, a trombone and a cymbal) playing while the casket is precariously brought down a short flight of stairs. A Baptist priest starts with a few readings and hymns. Every so often, a woman or two will make her way up to the front of the tented off courtyard in which we're sitting and circle the casket while loudly yelling (no clue what she's saying) and crying until they return to their respective seats.
Some very emotionally driven presentations and readings are given before the announcement is made that we'll proceed to the cemetery for the burial. At this time, the band starts up, the casket is loaded into the bed of a pickup and the 100 or so people in attendance start to walk down the road alongside the truck. People are singing, dancing, crying all around me yet I can't even hear myself think while music is blaring in my ear. We walk about a mile (around noon at this time. As you may have guessed, I'm drenched in sweat) before the casket is removed from the truck and we walk off the road and into the woods. I see a small sign that says "public cemetary" but otherwise would never guess that it's a burial site. As the music continues to roar, a drunken man begins to wrestle with some of the pallbearers. He seems to be trying to pull the casket from them but all I can hear is music. A few other men pull the drunkard from the casket before he can knock it onto the trash strewn soil beneath us. We finally come to a clearing and there is an open grave with a man standing inside. He has his pants rolled up to his knees and is standing bare foot with mud up to mid-shin. The pall bearers hand the casket down to this man as he negotiates the small space he has. They heave and haw until finally they're able to get the coffin into the muddy grave. The man then steps onto the casket and out of the grave, leaving a dripping footprint of mud on the top of the silver box. By this point, the music has stopped, the wailing is perfectly audible again and the drunkard is in a yelling/shoving match with another man (again I can't understand what they're saying). He then spikes a full water sachet onto the casket and calms down a bit. People randomly drop items into the grave as a man begins to speak (items include bits of cloth and even a saw (he was a carpenter)). At this point, Dorothy suggests that we should leave. We walk to the roadside, jump in a tro and after maybe a minute of loud pop music, I'm on the roadside watching a teenager hack open a coconut with a machete. I enjoy my snack, sit with Dorothy and friends for a few hours and then I'm back on the road to Bormase. Quite a whirlwind cultural experience I must say.
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While walking with Raph (19 year old homestay brother) to various poultry group sites in Bormase, I strike up a conversation about snakes. I remember being so scared to come across snakes when I first arrived but recently I've been walking through the bush without any worries. I've asked Raph if he often sees snakes around the area. He tells me that he doesn't see them very often but that they're around. As I'm explaining how I was so scared when I arrived... I look to my right and see one foot of inch and a half thick black and yellow snake!! I stop my sentence, tell Raph and watch him run in circles looking for a stick with which to kill the snake. There were no sticks and the snake disappeared into the bush. I asked if it was a Black Mamba and Raph said yes. I Googled Black Mambas and I'm not convinced but either way, it was big and very close to my house. AAHHH!!! I guess I'm living in the African bush after all.
Love you guys.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
10 minutes of internet left...
... so I'll be brief. I now have 10 Moringa sprouts. This plant is amazing. What was a tiny sprout on Monday is now a 6 inch plant with branches and over 20 leaves.
I spoke with the country director about setting up a site in the North and he's all for it. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to leave my site (we're not really supposed to) during the first 3 months but since it's related to data collection, it'll be alright.
I'll be meeting with the headmaster of the local Junior Secondary School tomorrow morning. I biked there yesterday, it's a 5K bike ride and half of it is uphill and full of potholes. I was drenched when I showed up and I expect to be that way each time I visit.
I'm going to a funeral on Saturday. I think I've been to 4 funerals in the States and this is already my second in Ghana. There are actually funeral seasons in Ghana. People like to celebrate the life of the deceased so it sometimes takes as long as a year to save up for the celebration. For a country that has a hard time getting by financially, I can't say that saving for a funeral is the best way to get ahead but what could be a better reason?
I've had a few meetings with the local poultry group. This group has been going for almost 4 years now. After an initial loan, members have had the opportunity to pay off the loan and receive a new shipment of "layers." My host family has almost 400 birds now while most other groups are still working to pay off the initial 40. The opportunity is there but the drive/strategy is lacking in most cases. I'll see if I can help at all with that.
A better idea of my living situation. I'm in the bush!! Have you seen "Blood Diamond?" If so, try to think of the end of the movie. The hills look like that. I'm not sure if that helps but it's the best I can do before I post photos. Most of the people I live with speak English quite well. My Krobo (the specific dialect of Dangme) is getting better but whenever I exhibit some knowledge, the person I'm speaking with rattles on and I pick up only a few words.
Out of time. Love you guys!! Thanks to whomever gave the Giants update. Aaron Rowand!! Go Warriors too!!
I spoke with the country director about setting up a site in the North and he's all for it. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to leave my site (we're not really supposed to) during the first 3 months but since it's related to data collection, it'll be alright.
I'll be meeting with the headmaster of the local Junior Secondary School tomorrow morning. I biked there yesterday, it's a 5K bike ride and half of it is uphill and full of potholes. I was drenched when I showed up and I expect to be that way each time I visit.
I'm going to a funeral on Saturday. I think I've been to 4 funerals in the States and this is already my second in Ghana. There are actually funeral seasons in Ghana. People like to celebrate the life of the deceased so it sometimes takes as long as a year to save up for the celebration. For a country that has a hard time getting by financially, I can't say that saving for a funeral is the best way to get ahead but what could be a better reason?
I've had a few meetings with the local poultry group. This group has been going for almost 4 years now. After an initial loan, members have had the opportunity to pay off the loan and receive a new shipment of "layers." My host family has almost 400 birds now while most other groups are still working to pay off the initial 40. The opportunity is there but the drive/strategy is lacking in most cases. I'll see if I can help at all with that.
A better idea of my living situation. I'm in the bush!! Have you seen "Blood Diamond?" If so, try to think of the end of the movie. The hills look like that. I'm not sure if that helps but it's the best I can do before I post photos. Most of the people I live with speak English quite well. My Krobo (the specific dialect of Dangme) is getting better but whenever I exhibit some knowledge, the person I'm speaking with rattles on and I pick up only a few words.
Out of time. Love you guys!! Thanks to whomever gave the Giants update. Aaron Rowand!! Go Warriors too!!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Civilization fix
I'm back on the internet before my Thursday Koforidua visit. I came to Accra yesterday with Casey (my closest neighbor/the other member of Johnny Moringaseed). I haven't been to Accra since I first arrived in country. I' filled with mixed emotions as I write. It's amazing to look around this city and feel as though I'm seeing it through a new pair of eyes. When I first arrived, I couldn't believe how clearly African Accra is. Less than 3 months later, I can't believe how clearly American it is. Last night, I ate a cheeseburger and french fries for dinner. I went with some friends to an American style bar and had a glass of nice wine and smoked a cuban cigar (both paid for by ex pats from around the globe).
A rough chronological description of my trip across the world within Ghana:
5:30am- wake up to Kua making her signature noises. When she yawns, she makes a sound much like a human might make when having a good morning stretch and yawn.
6am- check, water and weed my 100 poly bags (50 store bought black bags and 50 recycled water sachets) to find that 2 have sprouted!! How exciting!! It's been one week and there is already some growth.
7am- After reading small (some Ghanaian English for you. To read a little bit) sit down for tea and biscuits with Dorothy and Stephen. Trade several dozen high fives with Atta (the female half of the pair of twins. In only one week she's gone from crying at the site of me to smiling and high fiving. YES!!)
8am- Collect 145 eggs from the chicken coops behind my house. These coops are built out of wood and bamboo. Each holds maybe 200 chickens. On one side of each coop, there are hinged doors that open into the laying area (I'll explain better when I know more). The 8am collection is incredibly hectic. While carrying a small plastic basket in one hand, I'm pushing chickens off of their eggs in order to collect the eggs 3 at a time while pushing back the daredevil chickens as they try to escape. I've already sweat through my shirt. After collecting, I put the eggs in crates (each holds 30 eggs) and record the number in the daily log.
9am- after reading small, collect 72 eggs.
10am- Casey has called to let me know that we're going to Accra today instead of tomorrow. Collect 45 eggs.
11am- Collect 20 eggs. Check on my poly bags again. Clearly nothing new has happened since 6am but it's fun to see that there are two sprouts!!
11-12- Eat lunch (boiled plantains and a stew/sauce of peppers and fish), discuss a shopping list with Dorothy. Bike 5 kilometers to the junction to wait for a tro.
12-12:15- Sit and drink a cold Coca Cola (SO GOOD!!) while talking to Maku (market woman at the Sekesua junction market. Chat with a man about my work with the Peace Corps as he tells me in detail about the volunteer that taught him science while he was a Secondary School student in 1969.
12:15-1pm- Travel east to Asesewa to meet Casey at his local market. Continue the conversation with the nice man from the junction.
1-1:30- Buy 6000 cabbage, 4000 onion and 5000 tomatoes (that's how you order what you want) from various market women. Ordering and haggling is done in Dangme which is exciting for me as well as the market women who like to see that the Blefono (Obruni in Damgme) can speak the language.
1:30-3- Text other volunteers to check on their mental/physical status. It's odd to go from constant contact to no cell phone reception. Run various errands with Casey as he prepares to leave site for the last time before going to Seattle for a month.
3-6- travel by tro West to Odumase, travel Southeast to Accra. Make a pit stop at the Sekesua Junction to drop off groceries (in my new eco-friendly chico bag) with Maku.
6-7- catch up with the other volunteers at the office. Find interesting books to take from the communal book room. Find some spices in the free box!! This is great since I now have great spices to add to my food while also sad because they're likely left by somebody who went home early.
7-12- travel with some more tenured volunteers into town for burgers followed by an American style bar (Duncans) followed by a swanky American style bar (Monsoons). Monsoons has black and white photos ranging from Humphrey Bogart to Bob Marley to the Beatles. Chat and schmooze with ex pats. The most interesting ex pat is a man named Heta. He's from New Zealand, has been working in Ghana for 5 years as an engineer at a gold mine. We chat about how he spent his 20's working at a ski resort in California and how he is impressed by my decision to join the Peace Corps. This leads to my 25 Ghana Cedi (roughly my weekly pay) Cuban cigar!! Peanuts to him and such a treat for me!!
I feel as though I'm leaving out so much detail but I'll answer questions in my next blog.
I'll likely update more on Thursday. Love you all!!
A rough chronological description of my trip across the world within Ghana:
5:30am- wake up to Kua making her signature noises. When she yawns, she makes a sound much like a human might make when having a good morning stretch and yawn.
6am- check, water and weed my 100 poly bags (50 store bought black bags and 50 recycled water sachets) to find that 2 have sprouted!! How exciting!! It's been one week and there is already some growth.
7am- After reading small (some Ghanaian English for you. To read a little bit) sit down for tea and biscuits with Dorothy and Stephen. Trade several dozen high fives with Atta (the female half of the pair of twins. In only one week she's gone from crying at the site of me to smiling and high fiving. YES!!)
8am- Collect 145 eggs from the chicken coops behind my house. These coops are built out of wood and bamboo. Each holds maybe 200 chickens. On one side of each coop, there are hinged doors that open into the laying area (I'll explain better when I know more). The 8am collection is incredibly hectic. While carrying a small plastic basket in one hand, I'm pushing chickens off of their eggs in order to collect the eggs 3 at a time while pushing back the daredevil chickens as they try to escape. I've already sweat through my shirt. After collecting, I put the eggs in crates (each holds 30 eggs) and record the number in the daily log.
9am- after reading small, collect 72 eggs.
10am- Casey has called to let me know that we're going to Accra today instead of tomorrow. Collect 45 eggs.
11am- Collect 20 eggs. Check on my poly bags again. Clearly nothing new has happened since 6am but it's fun to see that there are two sprouts!!
11-12- Eat lunch (boiled plantains and a stew/sauce of peppers and fish), discuss a shopping list with Dorothy. Bike 5 kilometers to the junction to wait for a tro.
12-12:15- Sit and drink a cold Coca Cola (SO GOOD!!) while talking to Maku (market woman at the Sekesua junction market. Chat with a man about my work with the Peace Corps as he tells me in detail about the volunteer that taught him science while he was a Secondary School student in 1969.
12:15-1pm- Travel east to Asesewa to meet Casey at his local market. Continue the conversation with the nice man from the junction.
1-1:30- Buy 6000 cabbage, 4000 onion and 5000 tomatoes (that's how you order what you want) from various market women. Ordering and haggling is done in Dangme which is exciting for me as well as the market women who like to see that the Blefono (Obruni in Damgme) can speak the language.
1:30-3- Text other volunteers to check on their mental/physical status. It's odd to go from constant contact to no cell phone reception. Run various errands with Casey as he prepares to leave site for the last time before going to Seattle for a month.
3-6- travel by tro West to Odumase, travel Southeast to Accra. Make a pit stop at the Sekesua Junction to drop off groceries (in my new eco-friendly chico bag) with Maku.
6-7- catch up with the other volunteers at the office. Find interesting books to take from the communal book room. Find some spices in the free box!! This is great since I now have great spices to add to my food while also sad because they're likely left by somebody who went home early.
7-12- travel with some more tenured volunteers into town for burgers followed by an American style bar (Duncans) followed by a swanky American style bar (Monsoons). Monsoons has black and white photos ranging from Humphrey Bogart to Bob Marley to the Beatles. Chat and schmooze with ex pats. The most interesting ex pat is a man named Heta. He's from New Zealand, has been working in Ghana for 5 years as an engineer at a gold mine. We chat about how he spent his 20's working at a ski resort in California and how he is impressed by my decision to join the Peace Corps. This leads to my 25 Ghana Cedi (roughly my weekly pay) Cuban cigar!! Peanuts to him and such a treat for me!!
I feel as though I'm leaving out so much detail but I'll answer questions in my next blog.
I'll likely update more on Thursday. Love you all!!
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