here I go again...

Hello again…
I have discovered a new system: I found the flash drive that I thought I had surely lost so I am using one of the school computers to type out my blog, will then upload it onto my flash drive and will be able to quickly upload the document online. This will hopefully help me keep my blog organized AND without (many) spelling or grammatical errors.
With that said, please let me know if I am unclear about certain topics and if you need clarification on people. I must remember that everyone is very far away and things such as the names of those I am living with here in Ghana are hard to keep straight. One thing I want to clarify for sure: my host father is named Columbus Appiah. He is the pastor (bishop/prophet) and the founder/owner of the school in which I teach. The school is named “Columbus preparatory school and orphanage.” So when I write Columbus, I am usually referring to the school, not my host father.

Before I forget, I now have a Ghana post box and would love a letter or any form of mail (hint). I have no idea how long it takes to actually receive mail but I am curious. In that case here is my mail information:
Erin Williams
Ks 13664
Kumasi, Ghana

To me, this address seems all to simple for Africa but I was told as long as people remember to write Ks before the box number, there should be no problems. With that said, I am also working on getting post cards out myself and am also curious as to how long it takes to deliver mail from Ghana to the US. We shall see.
I know I finished the last blog very abruptly, this is because I was being “picked up” by Martina and Klara and they arrived at the internet café a bit earlier than planned. Therefore, I still have much to say (as always). Saturday night I went into Kumasi to check the internet (something I have been doing every few days) and to meet Emily. I can hardly believe it took 3 weeks to finally meet her but it happened and we had a great time. Emily is the only other American from the ICYE volunteers and is the one I have been speaking with (on the phone) since October. We were supposed to live together but plans changed and we now live 1.5 hours away which makes it difficult to see each other during the week. Right away we began to chat, it was so wonderful to talk to another American. I could speak “Erin,” as my friends say (very quickly), and there were no language barriers. Emily lives with 4 other volunteers, all from different organizations. Sam, 18, is another American, from Rhode Island, an older Canadian man, a girl from Austria and a girl from Denmark. I very much enjoyed hearing American slang from both Emily and Sam. Though we did point out that all three of us are from different parts of the US. The three of us plus another two people from my organization met at Vic Baboo’s for dinner. This is one of the nicer restaurants in Kumasi with a large menu of both Western and Ghanaian food, and an even larger cocktail list. I ended up staying with Emily and Sam at their place that night. They work at a different school and orphanage called Fotech. Again, this is the place I was meant to be at first. But other than the fact that I do not get to see Emily often, I really feel at home at Columbus.
I stayed with Emily and the rest of the volunteers she lives with Saturday night and we sat outside to talk and eat lunch the next day. Then I was off to make the 1.5 hour trip home but this turned into a 3 hour trip home. The tro tro I took made it about 25 minutes before one of the tires busted. All 12 or so people piled out, a few women had babies attached to their backs. We were on the side of the road and I had no clue as to where we were but it was around 1 pm and I was fine. Everyone told the “obruni” to get out of the sun so I don’t burn and once I did so, everyone continued to simply stare at me. I pulled out my book and started to read. One man decided it was his duty to make sure I was comfortable and also wanted to ask question after question about the US and about my life, the first question of course being “are you married?” This is a typical question asked by both men and women. I say I am too young, although 22 to Ghanaians is plenty old enough to get married. After they understand that I am not married many will then ask if I would like to marry them. I say no, but thank you for asking and everyone starring at me begins to laugh. I’m glad I can provide so much entertainment. A little over an hour later a taxi appears with a new tire we are finally on our way. I did get through the first 30 pages of my book however.

This was another short week for school. Today is the beginning of Easter holiday and school is out Thursday through Monday. Half of ICYE is going to Cape Coast today and I plan on joining them tomorrow with the other half. Cape Coast is obviously at the coast of Ghana and is about 4 hours away from Kumasi. I hear the beaches are lovely (or most of them anyway) and there are many nice, yet cheap, places to stay. School starts again on Tuesday but with just 3 more weeks before the end of second term. The kids will have to take their second term exams (which is why the kids needed to pay the printing fee, something I talked about in the last blog) and then have a 3 week break from school. I had no idea there were this many school breaks in Ghana.

Overall I am feeling really good about my work at the school. I do get quite frustrated sometimes, mostly because I want to be helping everyone, but I feel like I am making a difference. On both Monday and Tuesday I had to teach an entire class because the teachers had prior engagements. This was tough but we managed to get some math work done and I had each child in class 5 reading one of the many books Isabella had bought before she left. (Isabella is the volunteer from Norway who was teaching at Columbus for 5 weeks before leaving last week. She did raise $400 to spend on school supplies however). Because April is a short month for school, I am pushing back my sex-ed class until May. I would like to work with the vocational school girls and the girls in class 5 to discuss not only sex health but menstruation, living a healthy lifestyle and puberty. I would like to find some resources before beginning this class however so I am glad I am waiting until May.
Like I have said before, I mostly work with classes 3, 4 and 5 but I will occasionally walk into the younger classes and see what they are doing. The kids erupt with the phrase “obruni, obruni” and proceed to climb all over me. I know that this simple interaction is very important to the development of these children. When one of the younger ones are crying it is my natural instinct to go to that child and give him/her a huge hug, wipe away their tears and ask why they are crying. Usually they were just “beat” by the teacher or fell down and are simply looking for some attention. Many look surprised by my reaction, almost to say “what are you doing?” but almost immediately they calm down, take a big breath and then smile. I love that I can provide this bit of comfort when it appears that no one else will.

A few other small tidbits about my daily life before I let you go: it is now rainy season in Ghana (and will be for the next 3 months I believe). This does not mean it is at all cold but it is wet. The rain will come out of nowhere and it will pour for anywhere between 10 minutes and an hour before it let’s up. Usually the rain is accompanied by crazy lightening (like nothing I have seen before) and booming thunder. At first these storms spooked me just a bit but I am becoming used to them. When it pours there are a few leaks I have discovered in the room but nothing too bad…no leak onto the bed or anything. I have noticed some new “friends” coming into my room when it rains however and they are NOT welcome. Dad, you will be proud of me-I killed a HUGE brown spider all by myself and did not even scream! But now I am worried they are everywhere. I am very thankful for my large mosquito net covering my entire bed. I also have either one or more mice living in the large wardrobe at the foot of the bed. I do not use this wardrobe but I hear them at night chewing on the wood and can see little mouse droppings all over the inside of the wardrobe. I have tried many times to cover the various holes with duct tape but that does not seem to work. I really don’t want to set a trap but they are starting to get on my nerves! I am also proud to say that I am sticking to a workout routine. No I have not yet ventured out to try going for a run (it is too hot anyhow) but I have been doing crunches morning and night as well as other various exercises. I’m not sure if they are working but I refuse to let my daily dose of rice and bread take over my body! Either way I feel as though I am sweating off 5 pounds a day by just sitting in the heat. I’ll let you be the judge when I return home in late August.
Alright I guess I have gone on long enough for this blog. As always, please send emails and comments about life back home and I wish you all well.
Love,
Erin
(or Afia Henewaa) or my new name, given to me by my host father (who speaks little English)…U.S.A. (which he likes to say very loudly and every time I see him).