I was told that the rainy season starts in mid to late March though there might be an early rain as early as February. It is now the end of February and we have had three straight days of serious rain!! I absolutely love the rain here. Thunder and lightning with pelting rain for a few hours with sun on either side. With these rains, it means that it's time to clear land for planting. 2 acres of overgrown bush have been designated as the land to be used for the Johnny Moringaseed project. It would take me the rest of my two years stay to clear this land on my own so a bit of the project funding will go to the hard working farmers who take the time to clear two acrews with cutlass in hand.
Some other updates:
The 450+ seeds that I've planted have produced just over 20 strong plants. The Moringa meeting in Accra a few weeks ago involved a presentation for an overpriced hand grinder (350 american dollars plus shipping). This presentation was givben by an American CEO with great intentions but little information on the African market (I think). The goal to directly effect 1.5 million Africans in 18 months is great but maybe a bit lofty. I hope that it works out but I can't see many Ghanaians shelling out a year and a half salary for a hand grinder when they can get a simliar effect with their bare hands. This presentation offered a better networking opportunity than anything. I look forward to contacting representatives from this US company to see if I offer some American views from Ghana. Who knows if they'll want any? I also managed to find a source of more viable Moringa seeds which is very exciting.
My proposal to bring GrassRoot Soccer to Ghana was received with legitimane concerns. I proposed a less expensive version to the other volunteers in the Eastern Region and got a better response. I have re-written the proposal as a pilot program and if funding comes through and the program goes well then GRS might be a more feasible plan for next year.
The first two Environment Club meetings went decently well. My plan was to let the students dictate a lot more than they're allowed to during a normal class. The 50 adolescent students weren't initally very participatory when the random large white man walked in and asked what they wanted to learn. Duh!! I should have expected some lag time. We have now had 2 meetings and have discussed rules, a name and some general subjects for future meetings. I made a presentation on how to go about starting a poultry rearing project and at the end of the meeting I let the club members look through the Newsweeks magazines that I've collected (PC gives all volunteers a subscription). Most students were excited to look at the cars and watches in the advertisements but some read the articles and asked great questions. Our third meeting will be tomorrow.
George W. Bush came to visit Ghana a week ago. 10 PCVs got to meet the president. The 10 volunteers represented 9 of Ghana's 10 regions, 9 states, various ethnic backgrounds and ranged in age from 24 to 50 something. One of my fellow Eastern Region volunteers sat next to Condoleeza Rice at lunch and said that the meeting was surprisingly lax. Ghanaians were understandably skeptical about the visit. Since he has left, 13 million dollars worth of supplies have been donated to help fight malaria, a proposal has been made to re-name a major road in Accra after the president and talks about what to do with the billion barrels of oil off shore have increased (I think that timing is coincidental but who knows?).
I think that is all for now.
Love to all!!
P.S.- Thank you to Will, Karen and Willie for your package!! I have apready taught several kids how to throw the Frisbeen and I look forward to enjoying the food and books!! Also, there is a large Moringa farm in Ft. Myers. Maybe you can check it out.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Beasts of Bormase
Since moving to my site, I've thoroughly enjoyed observing my surroundings. I moved here worried about mosquitos and snakes but hadn't thought of how many other animals/insects I would encounter.
I have had to train my eyes to actually follow butterflies as they pass me. I read in a guidebook that Ghana is known for having a beautiful array of butterflies. It took me a while to see one fly by and actually take the time to stop what I'm doing and look at what has flown by. I won't deny that monarchs are beautiful but some of the butterflies that float around my site are really stunning. Some are HUGE too.
400 chickens, 8 Grasscutters and 4 rabbits live in their respective enclosures at the Nartey house and aside from making noise, they seldom cause problems. I will admit that chickens are far more ruthless than I had ever imagined. I'm not sure if it's a lack of protein in their diet or what but if an egg is cracked to the point that even a slight amount of liquid escapes, any chicken within range will lunch and battle for any bit of yolk, membrane or shell they can get. These chickens also bully each other. When collecting eggs, I'll notice that some chickens have no leaves on or around their head. Even when laying an egg, other chickens will sit there and peck away at the head of their coopmate. I know almost nothing about the reason behind these attackes but they are ruthless. A few chickens have died since I've been here and one was partially eaten by its neighbors by the time it was found in the morning.
The two kittens at site are now old enough to play/fight with Kua and the goat Pusher. Pusher is still very skinny and playful but quite large enough to do serious damage to either kitten when he butts his head at a playful kitten. Pusher walks around with about 10 feet of rope tied to his neck. Normally he roams free but when it's time to comfine him, it's easier when the rope is already tied around his neck. Kua loves to play tug of war and pull on any rope that you dangle in front of her. Try to picture a puppy pulling at a rope while it's attached to the neck of a goat. The goat obviously gets annoyed when being pulled around by a dog so the back and forth battle can go on for a while. Very amusing.
Having been at site for nearly 3 months with more sweat problems than mosquito problems, I will occasionally sleep outiside my mosquito net in order to get some more fresh air. I have yet to have any run ins with mosquitos but two nights ago while in a dreamy state, I touched what felt like a creepy crawly on my head and found a 3 inch cockroach making its way from my pillow into my hair. I spiked the thing to the ground hard enough to kill it and fell asleep shortly thereafter. Malaria medecine gives some pretty vivid dreams so sometimes it's hard to know what is part of your dream and what is part of the actual African scenery in which I live (frogs, lizards, wasps are common in my room). I woke up a few weeks ago thinking that I was laying on a piece of glass. I rubbed my bed and found no glass so layed back down only to feel MORE glass! I turned on the light and found 5 large welts on my back a TINY ant on my sheet. This ant was maybe 2/3 the size of a flea but it sure packed a punch. I couldn't sleep for nearly an hour.
I have twice been present while Emmanuel has harvested honey. The first time, I stood within 5 feet of thousands of buzzing bees while wearing nothing but shorts and a t-shirt. I was assured that since it was night and I wasn't bothering them, I could observe without any problems. I made it through that first experience with no stings and no honey (we had to wait to harvest). On Tuesday, Emmanuel brought several honeycombs back to the house. He showed me how to extract honey from the combs and gave me some of the best tasting honey I've ever tasted. While discussing beekeeping and some other topics, I laid my hand on my lap and got my first sting. The tip of my middle finger is still swollen but it was well worth it!
Below are pictures from some of my food prep and shopping experiences here. No freezers full of boneless chicken breast here! (Go Niners!)
Monday, February 11, 2008
Busy week
This will be a quick one I think.
Ghana lost a heartbreaker to Cameroon 1-0. Ivory Coast was trounced by Egypt 4-1 so the final pairing of Ghana and Ivory Coast that everyone was hoping for ended up meeting for the consolation game where Ghana scored early, fell behind 2-1 and then put 3 quick goals in the back of the net over the last 20 minutes of the match. 3rd place was the best result since 1992 and the final goal was the 100th goal scored by Ghana in African Cup of Nations play.
I went to the final between Cameroon and Egypt last night. I hoped that the fact that Ghana was no longer playing would make tickets easier to come by. The day couldn't have gone much more smoothly. Lauren and I got tickets for just over face value, walked to the stadium, sat right behind the goal and got a nice dinner of American food. I ate the San Francisco sandwich. I think it was chicken, cheese and pickles. I am not sure why it's the San Francisco but it was GOOD!! Thanks again Lauren!!
Today, I dropped by the Ghana AIDS Commission for an impromptu meeting. I'm working on a proposal to bring Grassroot Soccer to Ghana. Check out the program if you haven't heard about it. Grassroot Soccer is well established in Zambia and South Africa but hasn't made it to West Africa yet. I dressed in my most professional duds (polo, slacks and flip flops) and showed up having sweat through the front of my gray polo Peace Corps polo. Talk about making a good first impression. It was a very informal meeting. I basically wanted to introduce myself so when I have a proposal to submit, they know who I am. I've been working on my first PC proposal most of the day today and will present it on Wednesday.
Tomorrow I am going to a presentation in Accra. An American NGO is presenting a hand grinder for dry Moringa leaf processing. I don't know much more but it should be a good way to meet more people who are focused on Moringa. If time permits, I'll meet the heads of Heifer International Ghana with Emmanuel.
My APCD is visiting my site on Thursday so I'll get an idea of how I'm doing as a PCV. I have seen him a few times in Accra but it will be nice to be able to show hime what's going on.
My first environment club meeting is this coming Friday. I have nothing planned but will finally get to sit down with the kids and see what they want to learn. If they give me a hard time, I'll have to get in their pick up soccer matches. Nothing like schooling 12 year olds to show 'em who's boss!!
Saturday I have a meeting with a youth group in Sekesua. I again have no idea what it will entail but it will end my busy week!!
Love to all!!
Ghana lost a heartbreaker to Cameroon 1-0. Ivory Coast was trounced by Egypt 4-1 so the final pairing of Ghana and Ivory Coast that everyone was hoping for ended up meeting for the consolation game where Ghana scored early, fell behind 2-1 and then put 3 quick goals in the back of the net over the last 20 minutes of the match. 3rd place was the best result since 1992 and the final goal was the 100th goal scored by Ghana in African Cup of Nations play.
I went to the final between Cameroon and Egypt last night. I hoped that the fact that Ghana was no longer playing would make tickets easier to come by. The day couldn't have gone much more smoothly. Lauren and I got tickets for just over face value, walked to the stadium, sat right behind the goal and got a nice dinner of American food. I ate the San Francisco sandwich. I think it was chicken, cheese and pickles. I am not sure why it's the San Francisco but it was GOOD!! Thanks again Lauren!!
Today, I dropped by the Ghana AIDS Commission for an impromptu meeting. I'm working on a proposal to bring Grassroot Soccer to Ghana. Check out the program if you haven't heard about it. Grassroot Soccer is well established in Zambia and South Africa but hasn't made it to West Africa yet. I dressed in my most professional duds (polo, slacks and flip flops) and showed up having sweat through the front of my gray polo Peace Corps polo. Talk about making a good first impression. It was a very informal meeting. I basically wanted to introduce myself so when I have a proposal to submit, they know who I am. I've been working on my first PC proposal most of the day today and will present it on Wednesday.
Tomorrow I am going to a presentation in Accra. An American NGO is presenting a hand grinder for dry Moringa leaf processing. I don't know much more but it should be a good way to meet more people who are focused on Moringa. If time permits, I'll meet the heads of Heifer International Ghana with Emmanuel.
My APCD is visiting my site on Thursday so I'll get an idea of how I'm doing as a PCV. I have seen him a few times in Accra but it will be nice to be able to show hime what's going on.
My first environment club meeting is this coming Friday. I have nothing planned but will finally get to sit down with the kids and see what they want to learn. If they give me a hard time, I'll have to get in their pick up soccer matches. Nothing like schooling 12 year olds to show 'em who's boss!!
Saturday I have a meeting with a youth group in Sekesua. I again have no idea what it will entail but it will end my busy week!!
Love to all!!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Go Black Stars!!
It's odd that four days later, I still don't know who won the Super Bowl!! Now that I'm online, I can check any minute but I've been far more excited about the African Cup of Nations.
On January 28, several fellow volunteers and I attended the Ghana vs. Morocco match in Accra. This match was the third of three first round matches and Ghana simply needed to manage a draw in order to advance as the winner of Group A. With two beautiful goals in the first half, Ghana advanced with ease. Tickets in the "cheap" seats cost 4 Ghana Cedis ($4) though relatively hard to come by. In theory it was possible for any of the general public to attend the game and there was a incredible energy in the stadium!!
Super Bowl Sunday also happened to be the day on which the Ghana Black Stars would take on the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the Quarterfinals. Ghana had not beaten Nigeria in 16 years so despite a mediocre performance in group play, the Nigerian squad offered a serious test. As I was back at site with no electicity, I decided to walk the 5K to Sekesua in order to watch the match in someones back yard. There were maybe 60-70 fans of all ages glued to the small television for the 5pm kickoff. The blefono factor apparently trumps the excitement of the epic match for some as several children stood staring at me as the whistle blew.
Ghana dominated the first half but a questionable call gave the Super Eagles a penalty kick to take a 1-0 lead. The lead remained 1-0 after 45 minutes and with only 3 minutes of injury time added, the feel of the fans was that of doubt and frustration. A set play provided Ghana with one last chance in the first half. The ball was lofted from the left wing toward the penalty spot towards a striker who fought with a defender who was draped over his back. At the last moment, Michael Essien came out of nowhere to place a perfectly headed shot off the inside of the left post. The keeper had no chance to react and the game was tied 1-1 at the end of the first half.
The Black Stars continued to dominate through the second half but with 20 minute remaining, captain John Mensah (known as "Last Killer" and "The Rock of Gibralter,") took down a Nigerian striker just outside the box to earn himelf a red card. The Black Stars brought in two new strikers and put Essien back in defense for a final push. With only five minutes remaining, Junior Agogo finished a perfectly placed cross and gave Ghana the win! The place went WILD!!! People were literally falling over themselves as they ran around the yard in celebration. I can't remember a Super Bowl Sunday with as much emotion as this.
Ghana will play Cameroon in the Semi-finals tonight. The winner will take on the victor of the Egypt vs. Ivory Coast ( I can't get the french spelling right) match.
Other things of note. The cute twins have been away from site for over a month. They are visiting the father in Odumase. The Moringa project is going relatively well. Not many of the seeds are germinating and those that do don't always survive the heat. Another unexpected pest has been a fat frog whom I can't keep away. It seems that my seed bed is the only cool damp place around so a number of frogs take refuge in the soil and kick seeds around as they bury themselves.
That's all for now.
Love you all!!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Same country, different world
As I may have mentioned previously, Ghana is the size of the state of Oregon. It's not an especially large country but with roughly 22 million people and over 75 different languages, Ghana can provide a WIDE variety of experiences in a relatively small area.
A bit more than a week ago, I took a short trip to Accra to meet up with an SI alum. Lauren is the older sister of my fathers current student. The friend of a friend of a friend meet-ups aren't always great but when in Ghana, such a person is like family. It was so nice to be able to share an American style meal, discuss San Francisco, St. Ignatius and other common interests. Chatting with somebody who's relatively new to Ghana also re-opens my eyes to those things that I've begun to take for granted. "God is Great Fast Food," is a bland version of what you'll see on restaurants around Ghana. "Still To No The Answer Man," is far from the most garbled attempt at an insightful statement that one might see plastered across the back windscreen of a taxi cab. After only 4 months in country, I'm barely notice these things. I remember looking around in awe at what now seem like the most normal occurences. Lauren, thanks again for lunch and for opening my eyes again to the great things that are around me every day.
From Accra, I boarded a crowded tro headed north. After 3 of the 4 scheduled travel hours had passed, some part of the tro began to drag on the "highway." All 20 passengers piled out onto the roadside as the sun was beginning to set and the first raindrops in almost 2 months began to fall. I've heard horror stories from other PCV's regarding tro troubles and I was preparing to endure my first when within 10 minutes of breaking down, a luxury bus pulled over to pick us up. This STC bus is like a Greyhound with air conditioning and AWFUL Ghanaian film/soap operas playing on small televisions. I'll take bad Ghanaian TV over waiting in the rain on the roadside any day.
One more full day of travel, a night at the Peace Corps office and I was ready to visit a new world. In preparation, Cheri and I purchased some basic provisions and some traditional girts for her village elders. She and I shared the experience of selecting which live chicken (a gift for the assemblyman of Kpendua) might be best. After choosing a beautiful and very large rooster, we boarded the lorry. In the north, tros are called lorries and instead of carrying 20 passengers, they carry 50-60 passengers inside and another 20-30 passengers on top. We enjoyed the 2+ hour ride with bags on laps, Ghanaian butts, babies and breasts in our faces and a live chicken between my feet. We took the trip in stride and arrived in Kpendua ready for anything.
In Ghana, the farther north you travel, the more "tribal" things become. As a stranger (they prefer this term to guest or friend) in Kpendua, it is important to visit and officially greet all important elders. When greeting, the more important the individual, the lower you bow while shaking hands. When greeting a chief, you get into a deep squat and slowly clap your hands while answering several standard greetings. Most responses to Dagbani (local Dagomba language) greetings are "Na," so despite my lack of knowledge, I was able to wing it pretty well. Most Ghanaians can squat with their heels on the ground for hours upon hours. I on the other hand found myself in a deep squat with my weight on my toes and my muscles on the verge of failure on many occasions. Luckily, greetings went well and both chiefs received my cola nut gifts graciously. Cola nuts are about the size of a walnut. They are red (white cola nuts can be offered during sacrifices), smooth and less round than a walnut but comparable in size. The taste is incredibly bitter and these traditional gifts suck the moisture from your mouth faster than you can imagine.
Kpendua has the look and feel that I imagined when learning that I'd be serving in Ghana. Houses are round and have straw roofs. Chiefs wear traditional clothing and daily routine comes to a halt 5 times each day for muslim prayer.
After greeting chiefs, elders, the assemblyman and other important people. Cheri and I returned to her home having been gifted one watermelon, one duck, one fish and a dozen large yams!! This is so drastically different from my site, it's amazing.
While in Kpendua, I experienced many things for the first time. I helped with Guinea Worm surveillance (look this up for more details. Ghana is one of 4 countries that still has Guinea Worm. Kpendua has no current cases but shares a dam with a neighboring village that has recently announced 7 new cases.) Cheri is a Water and Sanitation volunteer so she was the expert, I just followed around while we checked the quality of filters.
I ate my first bush rat (like a city rat but larger. The head and tail are given to the children as a treat so I'm not sure what part(s) I ate. I helped pluck a duck while it was still warm. I helped hand out fried meat to children the morning after fire festival (I'll get to this). These children came around much like trick or treaters but instead of offering candy, you give meat or money. I travelled in a cargo lorry with 3 cows, 5 goats and at least 50 people.
Back to fire festival:
9 days after the first new moon of the calendar year, the Dagomba people celebrate Fire Festival. According to oral tradition, a prophet once disappeared during the first new moon of the new year and 9 days later, while searching with large torches, the prophet was found (this is the best I can do with the language barrier). People run around with huge flaming bundles of dried grass, cutlasses (machetes) and shotguns. This celebration is seen as the first opportunity to rid your body of juju magic (similar to voodoo) so people cover their bodies with white powder, wave fire, wield knives and shoot guns into the air. When arriving in Kpendua, I wasn't clear on all of these details and expected fewer knives and guns and much more organization. The evening went roughly as follows: We met at the assemblymans house for dinner (fried chicken, fried duck, t-zed (it's short for another name. Maize flour stirred into a goopy porridge) and soup). From dinner, we collected our sticks for burning and walked as a group over to the chiefs palace to begin the festivities. Within 10 seconds of arriving at the chiefs palace, we were dancing in a circle with over one hundred Ghanaians, many of whom were covered in white dust and waving guns and knives!!!! The dancing circle dispersed as some brush was set on fire. We stepped over flaming patches of grass as we lit our own sticks and with a camera in one hand, a 6 foot torch in the other hand and adrenaline pulsing through our bodies, Cheri and I walked through town amongst hundreds of elated Dagombas of all ages.
After maybe 30 minutes (felt like 30 seconds) of dodging embers, taking photos and jumping at the sound of random shotgun blasts, we arrived at a tree, threw our torches and returned to the chiefs palace. Countless patches of grass remained ablaze as wild singing and dancing erupted. Traditional songs and dances continued for hours until it was announced that the "warriors," would return from a neighboring town with drums for a performance. We waited at the assemblymans house and munched on fried duck as the adrenaline drained and midnight approached. Growing tired and impatient, we returned to the chiefs palace to inquire about a timeframe. We learned that the warriors had played too hard in the previous village and had split the skin on every drum. While I would have loved to see the warrior dance, I was completely drained and ready to call it a night. Not what I expected, the Fire Festival was unbelievable!!
This entry is LONG so I'll speed it up a bit. A few days after Fire Festival, Cheri and I left Kpendua in style. I got the back seat and was able to extend my tired legs atop a heated, vibrating leather ottoman while Cheri reclined and napped in her open air seat. In actuality, I sat on an oil drum with my legs across the back of a live cow and Cheri was contorted (still napping) atop several sacks of maize.
Today, we'll see Tunisia play Senegal and South Africa play Angola in the African Cup of Nations!! I'm tired but willing to power through for what will be another experience within an experience.
Love to all!!
(One of these days, maybe I'll proofread one of my entries. So far, I write until it's time to stop and I post what I've written. I hope you can follow.)
A bit more than a week ago, I took a short trip to Accra to meet up with an SI alum. Lauren is the older sister of my fathers current student. The friend of a friend of a friend meet-ups aren't always great but when in Ghana, such a person is like family. It was so nice to be able to share an American style meal, discuss San Francisco, St. Ignatius and other common interests. Chatting with somebody who's relatively new to Ghana also re-opens my eyes to those things that I've begun to take for granted. "God is Great Fast Food," is a bland version of what you'll see on restaurants around Ghana. "Still To No The Answer Man," is far from the most garbled attempt at an insightful statement that one might see plastered across the back windscreen of a taxi cab. After only 4 months in country, I'm barely notice these things. I remember looking around in awe at what now seem like the most normal occurences. Lauren, thanks again for lunch and for opening my eyes again to the great things that are around me every day.
From Accra, I boarded a crowded tro headed north. After 3 of the 4 scheduled travel hours had passed, some part of the tro began to drag on the "highway." All 20 passengers piled out onto the roadside as the sun was beginning to set and the first raindrops in almost 2 months began to fall. I've heard horror stories from other PCV's regarding tro troubles and I was preparing to endure my first when within 10 minutes of breaking down, a luxury bus pulled over to pick us up. This STC bus is like a Greyhound with air conditioning and AWFUL Ghanaian film/soap operas playing on small televisions. I'll take bad Ghanaian TV over waiting in the rain on the roadside any day.
One more full day of travel, a night at the Peace Corps office and I was ready to visit a new world. In preparation, Cheri and I purchased some basic provisions and some traditional girts for her village elders. She and I shared the experience of selecting which live chicken (a gift for the assemblyman of Kpendua) might be best. After choosing a beautiful and very large rooster, we boarded the lorry. In the north, tros are called lorries and instead of carrying 20 passengers, they carry 50-60 passengers inside and another 20-30 passengers on top. We enjoyed the 2+ hour ride with bags on laps, Ghanaian butts, babies and breasts in our faces and a live chicken between my feet. We took the trip in stride and arrived in Kpendua ready for anything.
In Ghana, the farther north you travel, the more "tribal" things become. As a stranger (they prefer this term to guest or friend) in Kpendua, it is important to visit and officially greet all important elders. When greeting, the more important the individual, the lower you bow while shaking hands. When greeting a chief, you get into a deep squat and slowly clap your hands while answering several standard greetings. Most responses to Dagbani (local Dagomba language) greetings are "Na," so despite my lack of knowledge, I was able to wing it pretty well. Most Ghanaians can squat with their heels on the ground for hours upon hours. I on the other hand found myself in a deep squat with my weight on my toes and my muscles on the verge of failure on many occasions. Luckily, greetings went well and both chiefs received my cola nut gifts graciously. Cola nuts are about the size of a walnut. They are red (white cola nuts can be offered during sacrifices), smooth and less round than a walnut but comparable in size. The taste is incredibly bitter and these traditional gifts suck the moisture from your mouth faster than you can imagine.
Kpendua has the look and feel that I imagined when learning that I'd be serving in Ghana. Houses are round and have straw roofs. Chiefs wear traditional clothing and daily routine comes to a halt 5 times each day for muslim prayer.
After greeting chiefs, elders, the assemblyman and other important people. Cheri and I returned to her home having been gifted one watermelon, one duck, one fish and a dozen large yams!! This is so drastically different from my site, it's amazing.
While in Kpendua, I experienced many things for the first time. I helped with Guinea Worm surveillance (look this up for more details. Ghana is one of 4 countries that still has Guinea Worm. Kpendua has no current cases but shares a dam with a neighboring village that has recently announced 7 new cases.) Cheri is a Water and Sanitation volunteer so she was the expert, I just followed around while we checked the quality of filters.
I ate my first bush rat (like a city rat but larger. The head and tail are given to the children as a treat so I'm not sure what part(s) I ate. I helped pluck a duck while it was still warm. I helped hand out fried meat to children the morning after fire festival (I'll get to this). These children came around much like trick or treaters but instead of offering candy, you give meat or money. I travelled in a cargo lorry with 3 cows, 5 goats and at least 50 people.
Back to fire festival:
9 days after the first new moon of the calendar year, the Dagomba people celebrate Fire Festival. According to oral tradition, a prophet once disappeared during the first new moon of the new year and 9 days later, while searching with large torches, the prophet was found (this is the best I can do with the language barrier). People run around with huge flaming bundles of dried grass, cutlasses (machetes) and shotguns. This celebration is seen as the first opportunity to rid your body of juju magic (similar to voodoo) so people cover their bodies with white powder, wave fire, wield knives and shoot guns into the air. When arriving in Kpendua, I wasn't clear on all of these details and expected fewer knives and guns and much more organization. The evening went roughly as follows: We met at the assemblymans house for dinner (fried chicken, fried duck, t-zed (it's short for another name. Maize flour stirred into a goopy porridge) and soup). From dinner, we collected our sticks for burning and walked as a group over to the chiefs palace to begin the festivities. Within 10 seconds of arriving at the chiefs palace, we were dancing in a circle with over one hundred Ghanaians, many of whom were covered in white dust and waving guns and knives!!!! The dancing circle dispersed as some brush was set on fire. We stepped over flaming patches of grass as we lit our own sticks and with a camera in one hand, a 6 foot torch in the other hand and adrenaline pulsing through our bodies, Cheri and I walked through town amongst hundreds of elated Dagombas of all ages.
After maybe 30 minutes (felt like 30 seconds) of dodging embers, taking photos and jumping at the sound of random shotgun blasts, we arrived at a tree, threw our torches and returned to the chiefs palace. Countless patches of grass remained ablaze as wild singing and dancing erupted. Traditional songs and dances continued for hours until it was announced that the "warriors," would return from a neighboring town with drums for a performance. We waited at the assemblymans house and munched on fried duck as the adrenaline drained and midnight approached. Growing tired and impatient, we returned to the chiefs palace to inquire about a timeframe. We learned that the warriors had played too hard in the previous village and had split the skin on every drum. While I would have loved to see the warrior dance, I was completely drained and ready to call it a night. Not what I expected, the Fire Festival was unbelievable!!
This entry is LONG so I'll speed it up a bit. A few days after Fire Festival, Cheri and I left Kpendua in style. I got the back seat and was able to extend my tired legs atop a heated, vibrating leather ottoman while Cheri reclined and napped in her open air seat. In actuality, I sat on an oil drum with my legs across the back of a live cow and Cheri was contorted (still napping) atop several sacks of maize.
Today, we'll see Tunisia play Senegal and South Africa play Angola in the African Cup of Nations!! I'm tired but willing to power through for what will be another experience within an experience.
Love to all!!
(One of these days, maybe I'll proofread one of my entries. So far, I write until it's time to stop and I post what I've written. I hope you can follow.)
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Unplanned day number 2
While eating my Sunday morning breakfast, Emmanuel suggested that I attend church with Dorothy. Rather than going church a few hundred yards from the house, we would go to one in a neighboring town. I got ready in a hurry and on my way out the door I learned a valuable lesson. "When you live in a mud house, don't slam doors!" My door wasn't closing so I added a little umph and took down a huge chunk of my wall in the process. Nobody in the family paid any notice so the day continued.
Dorothy and I took a short cab ride to Sekesua and walked the remaining half mile to church. We joined the other two people in the church and sat for a while as others trickled in. I sat through 2 hours of mass (naturally didn't understand much) and at the end I was brought up the the front of the church so Dorothy could introduce me further. I didn't understand the introduction so I stood in front of 50 or so strangers as looked and laughed as jokes were told.
Somewhat worn out by the long mass, I was ready to head home and do some laundry or other work around the house. Instead, I learned that we would be walking 5 miles in the middle of the afternoon to a funeral. I walked with the Christian Mothers group for almost an hour and a half!! I felt like such a wuss. I was tired of walking and the women around me were all 50-70+ years old. To top it off, we were going to the funeral of a woman who made this walk every Wednesday with her market goods and every Sunday in order to attend church.
Long story short, we walked an hour plus in each direction in order to sit at the funeral for an hour in total. I was beat. I'm kinda beat now too. I'll add pictures soon.
Dorothy and I took a short cab ride to Sekesua and walked the remaining half mile to church. We joined the other two people in the church and sat for a while as others trickled in. I sat through 2 hours of mass (naturally didn't understand much) and at the end I was brought up the the front of the church so Dorothy could introduce me further. I didn't understand the introduction so I stood in front of 50 or so strangers as looked and laughed as jokes were told.
Somewhat worn out by the long mass, I was ready to head home and do some laundry or other work around the house. Instead, I learned that we would be walking 5 miles in the middle of the afternoon to a funeral. I walked with the Christian Mothers group for almost an hour and a half!! I felt like such a wuss. I was tired of walking and the women around me were all 50-70+ years old. To top it off, we were going to the funeral of a woman who made this walk every Wednesday with her market goods and every Sunday in order to attend church.
Long story short, we walked an hour plus in each direction in order to sit at the funeral for an hour in total. I was beat. I'm kinda beat now too. I'll add pictures soon.
Monday, January 14, 2008
No need for a schedule
In a given week, I know that I will attend the Sekesua market on Wednesday, the Koforidua market on Thursday and possibly a church service on Sunday. Aside from that, I normally wake up with no definite plan.
Saturday and Sunday of this past week fit my "see what happens," approach quite well.
On Saturday morning, I had tea and a groundnut paste (peanut butter) and honey sandwich for breakfast. I collected eggs at 7 and again at 8. At perhaps 8:30, Emmanuel asked me if I would like to walk to greet the chief. When I moved to Bormase, I was told that my neighbor Patrick was the "acting chief," so I didn't expect to make any formal greetings.
Emmanuel and I meandered through the back yards of our neighbors, greeting along the way. Our circuitous route took us past a newborn baby (a few hours old at most), across a bridge (I wasn't comfortable wandering there on my own) and into the homes of 3 chiefs. One chief was not home but the other two were friendly and very unofficial. Emmanuel spoke to each chief at length about my "mission," while in Ghana. It's customary to announce your mission whenever visiting a chief. My Dangme skills are good enough to follow the path of a conversation while listening but I was only able to share a few words.
These chiefs were not in official garb and sitting on sacred stools atop sacred platforms as are many other chiefs throughout Ghana. One chief was wearing a black sweatshirt with pink puffy Christmas gifts all over it. The other chief was nearly completely toothless and sitting around the house in shorts and a t-shirt. Both were extremely friendly and excited to hear that I was willing to help out! When there is no phone or internet in a community, it takes some motivation to get the word around town. Many people in my community are not especially motivated so it was great to get this initial meeting taken care of.
On the walk back home, Emmanuel introduced me to a member of the District Assembly. The man was standing on the roadside waiting for a taxi. Had I been by myself, I would have walked past and greeted him but instead, I have planned a meeting for early next month.
I arrived home around noon, helped the "small girls," prepare lunch. We traded math lessons for Dangme lessons and laughed throughout the process. I ate lunch and rode my bike to Sekesua to give Daniel his second typing lesson. We missed each other on Wednesday so I showed up unannounced. He's come a long way in three weeks!! We spent maybe an hour going through some tutorials. My main suggestion was to keep his hands on the "home keys" so he doesn't lose his place every time he types a Q or a B. It seems like a small suggestion but he was very happy and his words per minute jumped from 2 to 4. I'm excited to see where he is in a year!
The bikeride back to Bormase was very nice. Listening to my ipod while taking in the scenery and waving to children as they run to the roadside makes me smile every time!!
As I arrived at home (2:30pm?) I saw Emmanuel sitting out front with two men. It turns out that he was anjoying an impromptu meeting with the local Agricultural Extension Officers. Another contact was made and my day was coming to a close.
I made/burned some popcorn for the family, went to fetch water and on the way to the borehole, I ran into Ransford as he was walking from Sekesua. Ransford and I sat down and looked over his first assignment. It's so odd to be teaching a man who's a only a few years my junior. We looked over his essay for a while, I gave him some vocabulary words to study and we looked through a prep book so he could practice the "composition summary," section. This part was tough!! We'll have our work cut our for us.
As Ransford and I studied, Stephen sidled up and listened for a while. He has recently taken interest in the study sessions and turned in his first assignment the next day.
For having no plans, this was a successful day. Sunday was very different and I'll write about that soon.
Saturday and Sunday of this past week fit my "see what happens," approach quite well.
On Saturday morning, I had tea and a groundnut paste (peanut butter) and honey sandwich for breakfast. I collected eggs at 7 and again at 8. At perhaps 8:30, Emmanuel asked me if I would like to walk to greet the chief. When I moved to Bormase, I was told that my neighbor Patrick was the "acting chief," so I didn't expect to make any formal greetings.
Emmanuel and I meandered through the back yards of our neighbors, greeting along the way. Our circuitous route took us past a newborn baby (a few hours old at most), across a bridge (I wasn't comfortable wandering there on my own) and into the homes of 3 chiefs. One chief was not home but the other two were friendly and very unofficial. Emmanuel spoke to each chief at length about my "mission," while in Ghana. It's customary to announce your mission whenever visiting a chief. My Dangme skills are good enough to follow the path of a conversation while listening but I was only able to share a few words.
These chiefs were not in official garb and sitting on sacred stools atop sacred platforms as are many other chiefs throughout Ghana. One chief was wearing a black sweatshirt with pink puffy Christmas gifts all over it. The other chief was nearly completely toothless and sitting around the house in shorts and a t-shirt. Both were extremely friendly and excited to hear that I was willing to help out! When there is no phone or internet in a community, it takes some motivation to get the word around town. Many people in my community are not especially motivated so it was great to get this initial meeting taken care of.
On the walk back home, Emmanuel introduced me to a member of the District Assembly. The man was standing on the roadside waiting for a taxi. Had I been by myself, I would have walked past and greeted him but instead, I have planned a meeting for early next month.
I arrived home around noon, helped the "small girls," prepare lunch. We traded math lessons for Dangme lessons and laughed throughout the process. I ate lunch and rode my bike to Sekesua to give Daniel his second typing lesson. We missed each other on Wednesday so I showed up unannounced. He's come a long way in three weeks!! We spent maybe an hour going through some tutorials. My main suggestion was to keep his hands on the "home keys" so he doesn't lose his place every time he types a Q or a B. It seems like a small suggestion but he was very happy and his words per minute jumped from 2 to 4. I'm excited to see where he is in a year!
The bikeride back to Bormase was very nice. Listening to my ipod while taking in the scenery and waving to children as they run to the roadside makes me smile every time!!
As I arrived at home (2:30pm?) I saw Emmanuel sitting out front with two men. It turns out that he was anjoying an impromptu meeting with the local Agricultural Extension Officers. Another contact was made and my day was coming to a close.
I made/burned some popcorn for the family, went to fetch water and on the way to the borehole, I ran into Ransford as he was walking from Sekesua. Ransford and I sat down and looked over his first assignment. It's so odd to be teaching a man who's a only a few years my junior. We looked over his essay for a while, I gave him some vocabulary words to study and we looked through a prep book so he could practice the "composition summary," section. This part was tough!! We'll have our work cut our for us.
As Ransford and I studied, Stephen sidled up and listened for a while. He has recently taken interest in the study sessions and turned in his first assignment the next day.
For having no plans, this was a successful day. Sunday was very different and I'll write about that soon.
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