I returned to site Monday evening and within hours, I received a new mattress!!! I had previously arranged to buy my neighbor Casey's extra mattress but I had no idea how big the improvement would be. When picking up my old mattress, I could honestly feel my fingers through the thing. I can no longer feel every board as I sleep. I no longer have to position my body in such a way that my hip bone falls between two boards. When I stretch my legs, they hang off the end of the mattress and are not contorted atop a wooden bed frame. I may have been healthy already but I'm sure a good night sleep will help me stay that way.
As far as site goes, things are picking up. I made my first mini harvest of Moringa. There is a baby weighing tomorrow so I cut some Moringa to ensure that I'll be able to tell the mothers about dry and fresh leaves and the different ways to prepare each. Prior to the baby weighing, I will meet with the bead makers to discuss the success in Portugal and ask what they hope to accomplish moving forward. I still have some "American employee," in me that makes me nervous to return to "work" for fear that people will resent my absence and pile work on my immediately. In Bormase, people sincerely ask how I am feeling, they are honestly thankful that I am healthy and they are patient yet eager to begin work.
Love to all!!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
"Flexing"
It looks as though I'm heading back to site tomorrow. I will sit down with Cynthia tomorrow to make sure but I feel better every day and honestly I'm getting pretty tired of sitting around in Accra.
While writing my last entry, I forgot about two interesting tidbits from my last weekend in and around Bormase.
While riding in the tro between Odumase and Adukrom (between PTA meeting and farming with Travis), I started a conversation with a Scottish couple when they joined the car. They enjoyed finding another Obruni and we got to chatting about our respective projects. I saw that the husband was wearing a Scotland shirt and spoke with a strong accent so I asked if they were visiting from Scotland. The couple replied that they were visiting from Santa Ynez, just north of Santa Barbara. It turned out that the three of us were all going to Dawu, a tiny village between to small towns. It turns out that the couple came from a high school in Santa Ynez to visit a soccer clinic in Dawu. The high school at which they teach currently has 6 Ghanaian players, all of whom have been trained in the same small town. I told them that I once had aspirations to play at UCSB and they responded by telling me that a player recently graduated and is heading to UCSB on a scholarship. What a small world!! I later looked up the recruiting page for UCSB and this Ghanaian player is one of two recruits mentioned in a headline. Go Gauchos!!!
Another small story about a common Ghanaian misconception. Months ago, when a high school aged friend named Abraham helped clear land for the Moringa field, I jokingly offered to pay him 5 American dollars rather than 5 Ghana Cedis. I assumed that he would prefer the local currency but Abraham insisted that having American money would allow him to "flex" at school. He wanted to show off the fact that he could get American money. I explained to him that the conversion (at the time) wasn't exact and that I would have to add forty pesewas to make it completely even. Abraham was very happy with the transaction while I felt bad that he did so much work and might not be able to spend the money that he earned.
Last Monday, while Abraham and I were weeding the Cassava field, he brought up the 5 dollar bill. Instinctively I thought that he realized that he would have to have the money changed and that Foreign Exchange Bureaus offer lower conversion rates for smaller denominations. It turns out that while "flexing," at school, the 5 dollar bill attracted great attention. One of Abraham's teachers continued to make offers for the money and Abraham insisted that he wouldn't part with it for any less than 10 Ghana Cedis. Thinking that Abraham was naive, the teacher eagerly forked over twice the value of the American money and walked away thinking he had pulled the wool over Abraham's eyes. When the teacher realized that he had overpaid, he tried to get the money back but Abraham reminded him that the teacher was the aggressor and had no right to revoke the offer. The teacher and I both thought that Abraham was being foolish but he managed to double his earnings simply by "flexing."
Love to all!
While writing my last entry, I forgot about two interesting tidbits from my last weekend in and around Bormase.
While riding in the tro between Odumase and Adukrom (between PTA meeting and farming with Travis), I started a conversation with a Scottish couple when they joined the car. They enjoyed finding another Obruni and we got to chatting about our respective projects. I saw that the husband was wearing a Scotland shirt and spoke with a strong accent so I asked if they were visiting from Scotland. The couple replied that they were visiting from Santa Ynez, just north of Santa Barbara. It turned out that the three of us were all going to Dawu, a tiny village between to small towns. It turns out that the couple came from a high school in Santa Ynez to visit a soccer clinic in Dawu. The high school at which they teach currently has 6 Ghanaian players, all of whom have been trained in the same small town. I told them that I once had aspirations to play at UCSB and they responded by telling me that a player recently graduated and is heading to UCSB on a scholarship. What a small world!! I later looked up the recruiting page for UCSB and this Ghanaian player is one of two recruits mentioned in a headline. Go Gauchos!!!
Another small story about a common Ghanaian misconception. Months ago, when a high school aged friend named Abraham helped clear land for the Moringa field, I jokingly offered to pay him 5 American dollars rather than 5 Ghana Cedis. I assumed that he would prefer the local currency but Abraham insisted that having American money would allow him to "flex" at school. He wanted to show off the fact that he could get American money. I explained to him that the conversion (at the time) wasn't exact and that I would have to add forty pesewas to make it completely even. Abraham was very happy with the transaction while I felt bad that he did so much work and might not be able to spend the money that he earned.
Last Monday, while Abraham and I were weeding the Cassava field, he brought up the 5 dollar bill. Instinctively I thought that he realized that he would have to have the money changed and that Foreign Exchange Bureaus offer lower conversion rates for smaller denominations. It turns out that while "flexing," at school, the 5 dollar bill attracted great attention. One of Abraham's teachers continued to make offers for the money and Abraham insisted that he wouldn't part with it for any less than 10 Ghana Cedis. Thinking that Abraham was naive, the teacher eagerly forked over twice the value of the American money and walked away thinking he had pulled the wool over Abraham's eyes. When the teacher realized that he had overpaid, he tried to get the money back but Abraham reminded him that the teacher was the aggressor and had no right to revoke the offer. The teacher and I both thought that Abraham was being foolish but he managed to double his earnings simply by "flexing."
Love to all!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Short notice
Only a few days after returning to Bormase, I learned that I had been named the new Eastern Region VAC representative and would be attending a 3 day conference in Accra 3 days later. After a month away from site I was leaving again for at least three days.
Before leaving for Accra, I enjoyed the unique experience of attending a PTA meeting at a Ghanaian Secondary School. I don't think I convinced anyone that I was a parent but I did my best to take accurate notes for Dorothy and Emmanuel. Raphael will soon take exams that should allow him to enter his third and final year in as a Secondary School student. Manya Krobo Secondary School (Makrosec) is one of the top schools in the region and is quite pricy as Ghanaian schools go. Given the price of the school, it was no surprise to find myself in a room full of "big men and big women." Many people who like to be heard in one room can lead to a lot of talking without much progress. There was much chatter about the outstanding tuition payments (total of 27,000 Ghana Cedis. A lot considering a one month summer school session costs 20 Ghana Cedis per student). Many recent graduates took the floor to lecture current students on the importance of an education. They were surprised by how hard it is to get a good job if you aren't accepted into University. The meeting was scheduled to start at 9am. I arrived at roughly 9:30 and was one of the first ten to arrive. By 2pm, the bickering had stopped and it was time to see Raph's school.
First, Raphael showed me his room. His bunk was one of 66 in the room. I counted 33 sets of bunk beds with no more than 3 or 4 feet between each set. This dorm room was one of three male dorm rooms on campus. I was introduced to many friends and got to see some of the facilities but due to the length of the meeting I wasn't able to stay long. I had to leave in time to help Travis transplant seedlings before he left for 3 weeks in Greece.
Back in Bormase the next day by noon, I ate, slept for two hours, ate, slept for two hours, ate dinner, bathed and went to sleep. I was sneezing a lot but didn't feel too bad. I thought I may just be tired from so much running around.
I arrived in Accra late Monday afternoon and was still quite lethargic. I joined a number of other VAC reps (including Cheri as the Northern Region rep) for a huge Lebanese buffet in honor of a birthday. After a wonderful dinner of kebabs, falafel, hummus, babaganoush and a wide selection of fresh fruit, the majority of our group went out on the town. Cheri and I called it a night as she was exhausted from a 12 hour travel day and I was still not 100%. A DVD player and air conditioning made for a relaxing night but by the time I went to sleep I was wheezing and couldn't take a full breath.
Tuesday was intended for a simple pre-vac meeting amongst volunteers and a nice BBQ at the Country Directors house. It was Ghanaian Republic Day so the medical unit was closed and I wasn't able to check with the PCMO (sadly, I think I've already had to explain this acronym) upon arrival at the office. After a few hours of coughing and wheezing, I was urged to call the PCMO on call and ask if I could be checked out. Cynthia arrived around fifteen minutes after the pre-vac meeting began and tests began.
I had no fever but was clearly short of breath and had a high pitched whine in my lungs when listened to through a stethoscope. When told to blow into a tube to test my lung strength, I consistently reached 320 when 640 should have been my normal score (not quite sure what the numbers represent). I was given claritin, several puffs of an inhaler and two treatments of albuterol (a medicinal mist used to reduce bronchial swelling) but showed no improvement in lung strength.
At 2pm, Cynthia left for lunch and I rejoined the pre-vac meeting with a scheduled follow up with Cynthia scheduled for 4pm. The pre-vac meeting ended as I sat down, leaving me pretty much clueless regarding the agenda for the following day but with my energy level as low as it was, I wasn't too worried. I was just hoping to gain enough strength do be able to enjoy chili, bocce ball and ping pong at Bob's house.
By 4pm, I was clearly developing a fever as I sat bundled up in the computer room with a scarf wrapped around my head while others complained that the AC wasn't high enough. Cynthia found that I had a fever of just over 100 degrees and my lung strength was diminishing. Since it was a holiday and no clinics were open, we were off to the hospital!!! I was as shocked as anyone when I had to tell my fellow volunteers that I was headed to the hospital rather than the feast at Bob's house.
Cynthia and I arrived at the hospital at around 5pm and after a few tests, I was clearly getting worse. My pulse was 100 when I arrived but up to 118 within the first hour. I was breathing at three times the normal rate and my blood oxygen level was at 93 percent (99-100 is normal, below 90 is extremely bad). After a chest X-ray and a bit of miscommunication, Cynthia and I sat in the ER waiting for blood to be drawn and for the X-ray to be read. Apparently I was supposed to have had blood drawn immediately after my X-ray so no staff knew that I was waiting. The fifteen minute wait felt like an eternity as I constantly shifted from sitting to laying down, trying to find a position in which I could breathe. No matter how much I shifted, I couldn't catch my breath and I was actually getting scared.
A doctor, a nurse and a nurse's assistant arrived and fumbled around to get things in order. I was given an oxygen feed which brought my blood oxygen content up to 95 percent but none of the staff were aware that I hadn't had blood drawn and upon finding out, they were ready to send me back across the hospital for blood work. The doctor eventually decided that it was OK if they did the blood work where we were and I watched as a small vial was balanced below the needle in my arm in order to catch enough blood to test. When my doctor left with my blood sample, the nurse and nurse's assistant struggled to assemble an albuterol mask that neither had ever seen. I did my best not to lose faith as the round peg in round hole contraption was finally figured out.
My oxygen feed was removed and a mask was put over my mouth for another albuterol treatment. Within minutes, I was able to take deep breaths and felt infinitely better. During my second albuterol treatment, Cheri arrived with a tupperware full of chili, only to find me with an oxygen mask, an IV and an oxygen monitor attached to my body.
After the second treatment, the X-ray and blood results arrived. The X-ray showed nothing but the blood results showed a VERY high white blood cell count. It was decided that I had pneumonia and I was given a strong antibiotic drip.
I was out of the hospital by 8:30pm with a box of antibiotics and was able to breathe relatively. I was able to attend the VAC meeting the following day but wasn't especially active in conversation.
A follow up X-ray is scheduled for tomorrow. Apparently, pneumonia isn't visible on X-ray until 2-3 days after the initial signs of illness.
For now, I'm eating as well as possible, watching movies and getting a great ab workout from all the coughing I'm doing. Cheri has been nice enough to stick around and help take care of me but she's had terrible allergies so we're quite a pair. We ventured out to get food last night while she was groggy from heavy allergy meds and I got winded with anything more than a snails pace.
Today I feel much better and will make updates when necessary.
I brought in New Years with poop in my pants and blood on my face. The 4th of July will involve recovery from pneumonia. Can't wait for Thanksgiving and Christmas!!!!
Love to all.
Before leaving for Accra, I enjoyed the unique experience of attending a PTA meeting at a Ghanaian Secondary School. I don't think I convinced anyone that I was a parent but I did my best to take accurate notes for Dorothy and Emmanuel. Raphael will soon take exams that should allow him to enter his third and final year in as a Secondary School student. Manya Krobo Secondary School (Makrosec) is one of the top schools in the region and is quite pricy as Ghanaian schools go. Given the price of the school, it was no surprise to find myself in a room full of "big men and big women." Many people who like to be heard in one room can lead to a lot of talking without much progress. There was much chatter about the outstanding tuition payments (total of 27,000 Ghana Cedis. A lot considering a one month summer school session costs 20 Ghana Cedis per student). Many recent graduates took the floor to lecture current students on the importance of an education. They were surprised by how hard it is to get a good job if you aren't accepted into University. The meeting was scheduled to start at 9am. I arrived at roughly 9:30 and was one of the first ten to arrive. By 2pm, the bickering had stopped and it was time to see Raph's school.
First, Raphael showed me his room. His bunk was one of 66 in the room. I counted 33 sets of bunk beds with no more than 3 or 4 feet between each set. This dorm room was one of three male dorm rooms on campus. I was introduced to many friends and got to see some of the facilities but due to the length of the meeting I wasn't able to stay long. I had to leave in time to help Travis transplant seedlings before he left for 3 weeks in Greece.
Back in Bormase the next day by noon, I ate, slept for two hours, ate, slept for two hours, ate dinner, bathed and went to sleep. I was sneezing a lot but didn't feel too bad. I thought I may just be tired from so much running around.
I arrived in Accra late Monday afternoon and was still quite lethargic. I joined a number of other VAC reps (including Cheri as the Northern Region rep) for a huge Lebanese buffet in honor of a birthday. After a wonderful dinner of kebabs, falafel, hummus, babaganoush and a wide selection of fresh fruit, the majority of our group went out on the town. Cheri and I called it a night as she was exhausted from a 12 hour travel day and I was still not 100%. A DVD player and air conditioning made for a relaxing night but by the time I went to sleep I was wheezing and couldn't take a full breath.
Tuesday was intended for a simple pre-vac meeting amongst volunteers and a nice BBQ at the Country Directors house. It was Ghanaian Republic Day so the medical unit was closed and I wasn't able to check with the PCMO (sadly, I think I've already had to explain this acronym) upon arrival at the office. After a few hours of coughing and wheezing, I was urged to call the PCMO on call and ask if I could be checked out. Cynthia arrived around fifteen minutes after the pre-vac meeting began and tests began.
I had no fever but was clearly short of breath and had a high pitched whine in my lungs when listened to through a stethoscope. When told to blow into a tube to test my lung strength, I consistently reached 320 when 640 should have been my normal score (not quite sure what the numbers represent). I was given claritin, several puffs of an inhaler and two treatments of albuterol (a medicinal mist used to reduce bronchial swelling) but showed no improvement in lung strength.
At 2pm, Cynthia left for lunch and I rejoined the pre-vac meeting with a scheduled follow up with Cynthia scheduled for 4pm. The pre-vac meeting ended as I sat down, leaving me pretty much clueless regarding the agenda for the following day but with my energy level as low as it was, I wasn't too worried. I was just hoping to gain enough strength do be able to enjoy chili, bocce ball and ping pong at Bob's house.
By 4pm, I was clearly developing a fever as I sat bundled up in the computer room with a scarf wrapped around my head while others complained that the AC wasn't high enough. Cynthia found that I had a fever of just over 100 degrees and my lung strength was diminishing. Since it was a holiday and no clinics were open, we were off to the hospital!!! I was as shocked as anyone when I had to tell my fellow volunteers that I was headed to the hospital rather than the feast at Bob's house.
Cynthia and I arrived at the hospital at around 5pm and after a few tests, I was clearly getting worse. My pulse was 100 when I arrived but up to 118 within the first hour. I was breathing at three times the normal rate and my blood oxygen level was at 93 percent (99-100 is normal, below 90 is extremely bad). After a chest X-ray and a bit of miscommunication, Cynthia and I sat in the ER waiting for blood to be drawn and for the X-ray to be read. Apparently I was supposed to have had blood drawn immediately after my X-ray so no staff knew that I was waiting. The fifteen minute wait felt like an eternity as I constantly shifted from sitting to laying down, trying to find a position in which I could breathe. No matter how much I shifted, I couldn't catch my breath and I was actually getting scared.
A doctor, a nurse and a nurse's assistant arrived and fumbled around to get things in order. I was given an oxygen feed which brought my blood oxygen content up to 95 percent but none of the staff were aware that I hadn't had blood drawn and upon finding out, they were ready to send me back across the hospital for blood work. The doctor eventually decided that it was OK if they did the blood work where we were and I watched as a small vial was balanced below the needle in my arm in order to catch enough blood to test. When my doctor left with my blood sample, the nurse and nurse's assistant struggled to assemble an albuterol mask that neither had ever seen. I did my best not to lose faith as the round peg in round hole contraption was finally figured out.
My oxygen feed was removed and a mask was put over my mouth for another albuterol treatment. Within minutes, I was able to take deep breaths and felt infinitely better. During my second albuterol treatment, Cheri arrived with a tupperware full of chili, only to find me with an oxygen mask, an IV and an oxygen monitor attached to my body.
After the second treatment, the X-ray and blood results arrived. The X-ray showed nothing but the blood results showed a VERY high white blood cell count. It was decided that I had pneumonia and I was given a strong antibiotic drip.
I was out of the hospital by 8:30pm with a box of antibiotics and was able to breathe relatively. I was able to attend the VAC meeting the following day but wasn't especially active in conversation.
A follow up X-ray is scheduled for tomorrow. Apparently, pneumonia isn't visible on X-ray until 2-3 days after the initial signs of illness.
For now, I'm eating as well as possible, watching movies and getting a great ab workout from all the coughing I'm doing. Cheri has been nice enough to stick around and help take care of me but she's had terrible allergies so we're quite a pair. We ventured out to get food last night while she was groggy from heavy allergy meds and I got winded with anything more than a snails pace.
Today I feel much better and will make updates when necessary.
I brought in New Years with poop in my pants and blood on my face. The 4th of July will involve recovery from pneumonia. Can't wait for Thanksgiving and Christmas!!!!
Love to all.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
How does one prepare for nothing?
I've spent a full month living it up. I've eaten well. I've seen loved ones. I've stayed clean! I've even gotten to engage several people in deep, meaningful conversations. The last 4 days of this month weren't quite as nice since I was recovering from what may or may not have been malaria (nurse said yes, blood test said no) but the time alone allowed me a chance to get back in my Ghana mindset.
Having lived in Ghana for roughly nine months, I feel as though I've got a pretty good hang on what it's like to live in the bush of Bormase. However, in that time I've never learned how to go BACK to the bush of Bormase after time spent with first world comforts. At first I was nervous that I would go back and not be 100% healthy so I stayed an extra day for safety sake. Next, I wondered if I would anybody would be as excited about new project ideas as I am. Would people resent the fact that I was gone for so long? Would I have a diverse ecosystem enclosed in my locked bedroom? So many things that I'd put out of my head for the past month were rushing back to me.
Three hours in the tro from Accra to Bormase did not bother me. My legs were crammed into the seat in front of me but apparently I haven't lost the ability to ignore mild physical discomfort for hours on end. Upon arrival at home in Bormase, I was greeted with a hug from Dorothy and leaping muddy paw prints from Kua. My room smells like mildew but any bugs either fled immediately or were eaten during the first visit from Fogg (the cat). An exciting note is that my Moringa field is flourishing. Some trees are as tall as I am. I can't help but smile every time I visit the field that was overgrown with weeds not 4 months ago.
A dinner of fried plantains and beans (red red)offered a nice welcome back to Ghanaian cuisine and smile filled greetings from many make me feel at home.
I didn't quite remember the number of empty hours that are possible in the busy. Yesterday was my first full day in Bormase. Still recovering from travels and illness, I cleaned a bit but mostly read. American snacks and a new book from my Aunt Jan Jan helped me get back into a nice reading routine. Tomorrow, I will meet with some bead makers and discuss how to move forward with sales and what to do with profits.
It's nice to be back but it's odd to have forgotten what it's like to have no elecricity, no running water and no stores. I'll be used to it again in no time but I'm truly amazed at how quickly I got used to the first world in so many ways.
Love to all
Ira
Having lived in Ghana for roughly nine months, I feel as though I've got a pretty good hang on what it's like to live in the bush of Bormase. However, in that time I've never learned how to go BACK to the bush of Bormase after time spent with first world comforts. At first I was nervous that I would go back and not be 100% healthy so I stayed an extra day for safety sake. Next, I wondered if I would anybody would be as excited about new project ideas as I am. Would people resent the fact that I was gone for so long? Would I have a diverse ecosystem enclosed in my locked bedroom? So many things that I'd put out of my head for the past month were rushing back to me.
Three hours in the tro from Accra to Bormase did not bother me. My legs were crammed into the seat in front of me but apparently I haven't lost the ability to ignore mild physical discomfort for hours on end. Upon arrival at home in Bormase, I was greeted with a hug from Dorothy and leaping muddy paw prints from Kua. My room smells like mildew but any bugs either fled immediately or were eaten during the first visit from Fogg (the cat). An exciting note is that my Moringa field is flourishing. Some trees are as tall as I am. I can't help but smile every time I visit the field that was overgrown with weeds not 4 months ago.
A dinner of fried plantains and beans (red red)offered a nice welcome back to Ghanaian cuisine and smile filled greetings from many make me feel at home.
I didn't quite remember the number of empty hours that are possible in the busy. Yesterday was my first full day in Bormase. Still recovering from travels and illness, I cleaned a bit but mostly read. American snacks and a new book from my Aunt Jan Jan helped me get back into a nice reading routine. Tomorrow, I will meet with some bead makers and discuss how to move forward with sales and what to do with profits.
It's nice to be back but it's odd to have forgotten what it's like to have no elecricity, no running water and no stores. I'll be used to it again in no time but I'm truly amazed at how quickly I got used to the first world in so many ways.
Love to all
Ira
Friday, June 20, 2008
The fun never stops.
36 hours after landing in Accra, I was off again on a journey north. 9 hours last Friday brought me to Tamale for a chance meeting with Cheri, Cheri's mom and several other PCVs. Early the next morning, with a full car, the journey continued with another 9 hours via Bolgatonga and Ouagadougu on the way to northern Burkina Faso and a town called Ouahigouya via Tampuy.
Talk about blind leading the blind!! Once over the border, we were in Francophone West Africa in a car full of non-French speakers and no clue where we were going. Giddy about the opportunity, we were all chuckling as directions were translated from French to Morey (sp?) (a dialect shared between Northern Ghana and much of Burkina Faso) to Ghanaian English. Roughly every 3 blocks, we would pull over, one of our Ghanaian leaders would struggle with French greetings before asking for Tampion followed by Wageyuga. Most onlookers responded with blank stares or a stream of French but when we finally got directions, they were translated as "Go small and turn left at the disting." Hmmmm. How small and which disting?
Eventually we made it to the Burkina Faso Sub-Regional Moringa Conference where we met volunteers, counterparts and APCDs from Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin and Niger. We were the only group with no French speakers so the three day conference (not to mention food orders etc.) were aided by translators.
As a group we discussed everything from Moringa history to respective counties experience to a cooking demonstration implemented by the Niger group. Many new friends and a great mass of data later and we were on our way back south with the goal of producing a comprehensive West African Moringa Guide by September.
I woke up several times during the last night in Burkina with a decently high fever. I assumed it was due to so much travel and slept it off on 9 hour ride to Tamale. I was greeted by Cheri in Tamale and had a fever and the chills. Some hours later, I felt great and had no fever. This morning, the fever was back up to nearly 102 and I slept/shivered my way 9 more hours to Accra with a raging headache(private cars cut the trip by a day at least. I just had blood drawn and was given Coartem to treat what might be Malaria. I guess Bormase will have to wait a few more days.
I can't wait to see the village, my dog and my trees but I'll have to wait for lab results until tomorrow afternoon and will likely return to site on Sunday.
What I have feels better than the flu and worse than a cold. I have the rare opportunity to bundle up in Ghana!! I will keep you all updated.
Love to all
Ira
Talk about blind leading the blind!! Once over the border, we were in Francophone West Africa in a car full of non-French speakers and no clue where we were going. Giddy about the opportunity, we were all chuckling as directions were translated from French to Morey (sp?) (a dialect shared between Northern Ghana and much of Burkina Faso) to Ghanaian English. Roughly every 3 blocks, we would pull over, one of our Ghanaian leaders would struggle with French greetings before asking for Tampion followed by Wageyuga. Most onlookers responded with blank stares or a stream of French but when we finally got directions, they were translated as "Go small and turn left at the disting." Hmmmm. How small and which disting?
Eventually we made it to the Burkina Faso Sub-Regional Moringa Conference where we met volunteers, counterparts and APCDs from Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin and Niger. We were the only group with no French speakers so the three day conference (not to mention food orders etc.) were aided by translators.
As a group we discussed everything from Moringa history to respective counties experience to a cooking demonstration implemented by the Niger group. Many new friends and a great mass of data later and we were on our way back south with the goal of producing a comprehensive West African Moringa Guide by September.
I woke up several times during the last night in Burkina with a decently high fever. I assumed it was due to so much travel and slept it off on 9 hour ride to Tamale. I was greeted by Cheri in Tamale and had a fever and the chills. Some hours later, I felt great and had no fever. This morning, the fever was back up to nearly 102 and I slept/shivered my way 9 more hours to Accra with a raging headache(private cars cut the trip by a day at least. I just had blood drawn and was given Coartem to treat what might be Malaria. I guess Bormase will have to wait a few more days.
I can't wait to see the village, my dog and my trees but I'll have to wait for lab results until tomorrow afternoon and will likely return to site on Sunday.
What I have feels better than the flu and worse than a cold. I have the rare opportunity to bundle up in Ghana!! I will keep you all updated.
Love to all
Ira
Thursday, June 12, 2008
A beer and a bratwurst
Two weeks in Portugal included museums, live music, sailing, swimming, surfing, relaxing, bonding with my mom and of course EATING!! What better way to end such a great vacation than a layover in Frankfurt from 11:15pm until 11:15am. I slept in spurts on wooden benches and across lines of chairs but didn't manage more than 4 hours of sleep. Plenty of wandering and a little reading filled the time. With no more than an hour left in Frankfurt, I sat down for a beer and a bratwurst (the official weigh in comes tomorrow morning). I asked the gentleman next to me if he knew the price of a beer and we got to chatting.
He asked where I was headed and I told him that I was returning to Peace Corps service in Ghana. He admitted that he was going about as far from Peace Corps service as one can imagine. He was heading to Baghdad as a consultant. We talked about the status of the war(s) in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as other issues. He told me about the satellite intelligence regarding WMD's and how his friends could see trucks leaving Iraq towards Syria as US trucks approached. He talked about how the fighting in Afghanistan remains more intense than the fighting in Iraq due to the terrain. Since US forces can't use tanks and armored vehicles in the mountainous terrain, more Al Qaeda choose to fight there, where they can actually get at the Americans.
The burly Army soldier was very open and honest about his experience and his views on the situation. He is headed to Baghdad for 3 more months as a consultant but told me how he kept dreaming of just calling and saying he wouldn't go.
Though this topic is neither related to Ghana nor Portugal, I thought it was touching enough to share. After 12 hours of mindless wandering, I came upon another wandering American in the same physical place but in a polar opposite position in his life.
Safely in Ghana,
Love to all
Ira
He asked where I was headed and I told him that I was returning to Peace Corps service in Ghana. He admitted that he was going about as far from Peace Corps service as one can imagine. He was heading to Baghdad as a consultant. We talked about the status of the war(s) in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as other issues. He told me about the satellite intelligence regarding WMD's and how his friends could see trucks leaving Iraq towards Syria as US trucks approached. He talked about how the fighting in Afghanistan remains more intense than the fighting in Iraq due to the terrain. Since US forces can't use tanks and armored vehicles in the mountainous terrain, more Al Qaeda choose to fight there, where they can actually get at the Americans.
The burly Army soldier was very open and honest about his experience and his views on the situation. He is headed to Baghdad for 3 more months as a consultant but told me how he kept dreaming of just calling and saying he wouldn't go.
Though this topic is neither related to Ghana nor Portugal, I thought it was touching enough to share. After 12 hours of mindless wandering, I came upon another wandering American in the same physical place but in a polar opposite position in his life.
Safely in Ghana,
Love to all
Ira
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
In French
This entry zonùt reqlly be in French but I q, zriting it on q French keyboqrd: Sure I could tqke the ti,e to leqrn the nez keyboqrd but this zqy you cqn prqctice decoding ,y nez lqnguqge: I leqve Portugql to,orroz qnd zill qrrive in Ghqnq the follozing dqy in the eqrly evening: ?y ,o, left this ,orning: Rqther thqn continue typing on this keyboqrd; I zill qdd so,e pictures fro, the trip you cqn hqve q decent ideq: I zill zrite q proper updqte zhen I q, bqck in Ghqnq:
Love to qll
Love to qll
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