I have now been here a full 8 weeks (and 3 days?). Wow. Where has the time gone? I hear Seattle is cold and raining again, although you did have a few nice days, as well as San Francisco. It apparently is snowing in Montana and I am still sweating profusely each day. As you can see, I am back earlier than planed from my trip to northern Ghana. Originally my friends and I had planned to be gone for 10 days, this became 8 days and ended up being just 5 days. Why were our travels cut short? The main reason was due to the lack or organized transportation available in Ghana. For one thing, nothing and no one operates on an short of schedule. For practically any American, especially me (who is my father’s daughter) would be frustrated with the nonexistent need to be on time.
Here is the run down of my trip: Wednesday went according to plan. We boarded the STC “luxury” bus at 5 (well I guess we actually left about 5:40, so that was 40 minutes behind schedule but still pretty good according to Ghana) and were on our way. Luckily and very fortunately, the bus was fairly empty and my 4 travel companions and I were able to have our own set of seats each. To remind you my travel companions were Emily (Arkansas) Ross (Canada), Christina (Denmark) and Monica (Austria). After more than enough random stops on the way to buy things from various roadside vendors; things meaning a variety of crackers, water, juice, small dried fish if you so choose, yams etc, we finally arrived in Tamale a little after midnight. We were aggressively approached by many taxi drivers before we all of us even got off the bus and finally got to the first hotel we had gotten through to when we called from the bus. It was about one am when we finally settled into our room with two double beds, Ross had to sleep on the floor. All in all, not a bad first day, we were tired and the beds were firm but welcoming.
Early the next day we were off. We first had to argue with the hotel staff who tried to make us pay for two rooms after we were told on the phone that we only had to reserve one room. I think the hotel was virtually empty so the woman who owned the hotel was trying to get more money out of the obruni’s. By now we know when we are being taken advantage of and we politely told her no and paid the 17 cedis for the room. From there we headed to the bus station in Tamale to find out when we had to catch the bus to Larabunga, our next stop. We had a few hours to kill so we walked to the cultural center. There were many beautiful paintings and after much consideration I bought one oil painting. We also ate fried egg sandwiches on the side of the road for 40 pesewa each. We boarded the bus at 2:30 (though we of course didn’t depart until after 3) but first we met another friend at the bus station. Clara from Denmark had joined us since she could not leave on Wednesday. This time we were not taking an STC bus (similar to a greyhound), this time we had metro transit which is like a basic bus but will twice as many seats and this bus will not leave until each seat is full. Thankfully this ride was about 4 hours long, not 7 like the day before. We were forewarned about the overly bumpy road but still it was difficult to do much reading during those 4 hours.
The bus driver selected random radio stations (with the volume cranked high so you had no choice if you wanted to hear it or not), usually settling on various Ghanaian speaking stations but every once in while we would hear Celine Dion, Elton John or even the occasional backstreet boys song. I still smile thinking about riding a crowded, bumpy bus to northern Ghana singing to “I want it that way,” a popular boy band song from my middle school years.
We arrived at Larabunga (just 15 kilometers or so from Mole National Park) just before 6 I believe and we met one of the Salia brothers. Every guide book about Western Africa in the past 20 years has written fondly of the two identical Salia brother twins who run a guest house each. Much of northern Ghana is of the Muslim religion, as is significantly poorer than the lower half of the country. Thankfully however Mr. Salia’s savannah guest house was very homey. We stayed in little mud huts with grass roof’s and one double bed with mosquito net in each. There was a pit toilet and a place for bucket showers and a large area with a few picnic tables. The one thing missing (though I know the guest house was more authentic without it) was electricity. There was a generator used at night to provide few lights and a t.v. to watch movies at night for Mr. Salia’s children but no fans in the rooms. Therefore it was a bit difficult to sleep in the heat. We enjoyed delicious rice with vegetable stew and played cards before turning in for the night. We were up bright and early to a breakfast of bread with peanut butter and honey and were off to Mole National Park. We arrived at the hotel and tried to check in but learned that they would not know about any available rooms until noon. We found a place to store our backpacks and went to the canopy overlooking the waterhole where about 15 elephants were bathing themselves. This made all the crazy traveling well worth it. We sat and watched them and the random razorback hogs (or Pumba’s to our Disney generation) eating grass while enjoying an ice cold coke. Around 10:30 we gathered at the information lodge to sign up for a jeep safari tour. There were many other whites hanging around as well and I found myself quickly talking to others from the U.S., Canada, France, England and Holland. We joined with three other girls and the 9 of us went off with our guide in the land cruiser to find some more elephants. Our guide had a large (and very old) shot gun with him for protection, I know this is a good thing but it still made me a bit nervous while in the car. This did not stop me from getting a cool picture of me posing with the large weapon as the end of the tour.
After seeing a quite a few antelope and water buck we came across a large group of elephants eating in the bush. We were able to actually get out of the jeep and get closer, always with the guide between us and the elephants themselves. While in South Africa I was able to see a good amount of elephants but never on foot and I don’t believe we were this close either. Two hours later our safari was over and we were sweaty and in need of water. We thanked and paid the guides and went back to the hotel. We happily learned that there was a room available so we put our bags in the fairly nice, three bed plus three extra mattresses on the floor room (accompanied with a large fan!) and a shower, and changed into our swimsuits. The Mole Hotel was complete with a swimming pool overlooking the savannah! The rest of the day we ate lunch (salads and cheese burgers!) and swam. A large group of baboons came near to see if they could swipe any food and actually took off with some girl’s purse. She was able to get it back thankfully but it was quite funny.
Before dinner my group met one of the teachers at the nearby Mole government school and he offered to give us a tour. Being volunteer teachers ourselves, we are always curious to see what other schools look like and were happy for the opportunity. We had to walk a few kilometers though and it was in the middle of the day and was quite hot. This school building served mostly the children of the park employees but was pretty big and the classrooms were in good shape (compared to my school). On the way back from the school (which we really should not have walked to without a guide since it was located within the park itself) we encountered 6 large elephant right on the side of the road. We had to walk past them to get where we were going which was really incredible. I honestly was a bit nervous and kind of wished we had that large shotgun, just in case. We made it but I have the most amazing picture of myself standing just 25 feet from the large, beautiful beasts.
I met many more people from all over the world, travelers, volunteers and students (studying abroad at the University of Ghana in Accra). I so enjoy meeting new friends, and I now have many more contacts for my future travel plans. Friday night I actually enjoyed a round of drinking games with some new friends, all in all a lovely day.
Saturday we watched more elephant at the watering hole and ventured on a short walk then spent the afternoon poolside. After exchanging numbers with many of the new people I met, Mr. Salia picked us up and took us back to the guesthouse. While the Mole Hotel was nice, it was about 8 cedi per person to sleep and another 10 for meals where the guesthouse was just 3 cedi per night and about 6 for meals so it was clear that we should save money. Late Saturday afternoon we went on a walk in the village of Larabunga. Though this village’s economy needs tourism to survive, there is only one attraction drawing them here: the ancient Muslim mosque built in 1420. While we cannot actually go inside since we are not Muslim, we can pay 4 cedi for a detailed history of the mosque and the village. The children here actually look malnourished with large bellies and sunken eyes, yet they are smiling and happily grab our hands and walk with us throughout their home. We had back just before nightfall to eat some dinner (boiled yams and meat stew for me) and to join Salia’s children in watching Disney’s “Cars.” Saturday night was particularly HOT and it was very difficult to sleep. Emily and I actually joined Ross around 1 am to attempt to sleep outside under the stars on the few picnic benches.
On Sunday we had every intention of leaving further north to the city of Wa and then to the Hippo sanctuary but here is where any form of organized travel ended. We waited patiently in the town for the one metro bus to roll through and pick up people on their way to Wa and when it did, a good hour after we were told it would show, it was too crowded for even standing room. We were on a time crunch and really had to leave for Wa on Monday is we were going to make it at all. After waiting for another hour (and being told there would be a bus, and then being told there were no more buses today) we decided on a plan B. While we were deciding, Ross hoped on a motorbike that belonged to the teacher friend of ours from Friday. He and Monica actually hit it off and he had tagged along with our group every since. Ross had driven from Egypt to Italy on a motorcycle years ago and wanted to ride a bit here. I had been on a bike just once so I hopped on to go for a ride with him. Our short cruise was fun and went without any problems but while I was posing for a picture of myself on the bike I forgot about the painfully hot exhaust pipe and proceeded to burn the inside of my right calf. Since I am in Africa I worry about infection but I have more than enough antibacterial ointment and gaze so I should be just fine.
Plan B was to spend the morning checking out the nearby eco village then get a car to Damungo, an hour away, to try and catch a bus back home. The Moghori eco village is at the edge of Mole National Park and is quite the little community. We went on the hour walking tour of the village where we saw them preparing TZ (a traditional food like fufu), the children playing a traditional game in the group using small holes dug in the ground and small stones and saw the different types of mud houses. Many homes has shrines placed under small trees in their front “yards” which usually included a large, flat stone used to make animal sacrifices (yep!). We also met the village’s medicine man who showed us how he fixes things like menstrual cramps, headaches and broken bones as well as his large amount of Viagra to give to men “who can not go 5 times a day.” 5 times a day? Seriously? Wow.
After using the odorless eco toilet (something I loved), we headed off to Damungo. Mr. Salia was being an overly generous host and offered to drive us to the junction himself. We of course paid for the gas but were very grateful. We arrived at the junction at 12:15 (and were told the bus would leave around 1pm). To our surprise, the driver had actually decided to leave early and we had missed the only bus back to Kumasi! Just our luck (or lack there of). Again, thankfully, Mr. Salia was there and able to take us back to his guesthouse for one more night. Our final plan C was to take the 4am bus from Larabunga to Tamale. Sunday was also hot, and with lack of shade, we became a bit irritable but overall we simply relaxed, listened to my ipod speakers (something I am so very thankful for) and caught up on reading. I am now on my 6th book, which is ‘The Audacity of Hope’ by Mr. Barak Obama. More than once now a Ghanaian man has commented on my book and broke out with a huge smile saying, “I like Obama too.” Salia happily had a discussion about Obama and why he thinks he would be great for the next U.S. president. Ross from Canada is a Clinton fan himself and I very much enjoyed our little political debate while in Ghana. Salia was fortunate himself to have traveled to Europe (and his twin brother to the U.S.) many years ago. The two of them single-handedly started the nearby eco village, private school (with no school fees since the surrounding area is very impoverished) and worked on an NGO for the area. They are both very intelligent men. Sunday I spoke to both my dad in Seattle and mom (who is in Montana) at the moment. That is one thing I still find very interesting: I am in the savannah in northern Ghana with no electricity yet I can still get a perfectly clear signal on my cell phone to talk to loved ones from home. Aww the 20th century.
4am Monday morning we are up and waiting for the bus. We hear the 4am pray call at the close Muslim mosque. At 5am we board the bus in the pitch black dark and attempt to get some more sleep within our the small confines of our seats. We reach Tamale at 8am and by 9 are on another packed metro bus to Kumasi. We are with two Canadian ladies we met at Mole who are doing research for their masters at the university of Alberta. I have their numbers and plan on meeting them for dinner at some point next week. The road was again very bumpy. When I say bumpy, I mean literally flying off your seat! On the way we say two different buses (just like ours) on their sides. The drivers here don’t care about speed, even with a packed bus. Yes, I have started saying a little prayer upon boarding a new bus.
I finally arrived back at Columbus at 3pm yesterday and was greeted by many smiling faces of my children. It was nice to be back. After relaxing a bit, I did some reading with Mamaya (the 16 year old girl that needs a lot of help with her English), took a shower, cleaned my burn and went to sleep very early. I now feel rested and clean! I will be around this week and am off to Accra this Friday. I hope everyone had a great weekend and I wish you all a great week. I am off to check my post box to see if any packages have actually arrived!
Until next time,
Erin
lastly: a friend gave me a cd so I plan on uploading pictures at the school computer and will do my best to get some on a webshots website or something. Keep your fingers crossed!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Off to Mole National Park...
This will be short and sweet. I am off today to travel to northern Ghana. I will be back around the 24th but only for a two days to wash clothes and recharge, then I will head back down to the coast to lay on the beach before school starts again. I promise to write a blog about my travels before I head to the coast.
Since my last blog I have pretty much been hanging out around Columbus (the school). There are still the few kids that live at the orphanage and I had about 15 in my room for our Sunday movie night. This time we watched Disney’s “Brother Bear,” and “Lion King II.” I really enjoy Sunday nights now, and I know the kids do as well.
I hope all is well with everyone at home. I am off to meet up with Emily, Christina, Monica, and Ross (all names that mean nothing to you I know, but they are all other volunteers) to take a “luxury” bus from 5 PM to midnight to Tamale. We will stay here overnight and then head to the national park tomorrow. I hear there are an abundance of elephant in this park, so I plan on taking many many pictures.
Take care and I will write more soon.
-Afia Henewaa
Since my last blog I have pretty much been hanging out around Columbus (the school). There are still the few kids that live at the orphanage and I had about 15 in my room for our Sunday movie night. This time we watched Disney’s “Brother Bear,” and “Lion King II.” I really enjoy Sunday nights now, and I know the kids do as well.
I hope all is well with everyone at home. I am off to meet up with Emily, Christina, Monica, and Ross (all names that mean nothing to you I know, but they are all other volunteers) to take a “luxury” bus from 5 PM to midnight to Tamale. We will stay here overnight and then head to the national park tomorrow. I hear there are an abundance of elephant in this park, so I plan on taking many many pictures.
Take care and I will write more soon.
-Afia Henewaa
Off to Mole National Park...
This will be short and sweet. I am off today to travel to northern Ghana. I will be back around the 24th but only for a two days to wash clothes and recharge, then I will head back down to the coast to lay on the beach before school starts again. I promise to write a blog about my travels before I head to the coast.
Since my last blog I have pretty much been hanging out around Columbus (the school). There are still the few kids that live at the orphanage and I had about 15 in my room for our Sunday movie night. This time we watched Disney’s “Brother Bear,” and “Lion King II.” I really enjoy Sunday nights now, and I know the kids do as well.
I hope all is well with everyone at home. I am off to meet up with Emily, Christina, Monica, and Ross (all names that mean nothing to you I know, but they are all other volunteers) to take a “luxury” bus from 5 PM to midnight to Tamale. We will stay here overnight and then head to the national park tomorrow. I hear there are an abundance of elephant in this park, so I plan on taking many many pictures.
Take care and I will write more soon.
-Afia Henewaa
Since my last blog I have pretty much been hanging out around Columbus (the school). There are still the few kids that live at the orphanage and I had about 15 in my room for our Sunday movie night. This time we watched Disney’s “Brother Bear,” and “Lion King II.” I really enjoy Sunday nights now, and I know the kids do as well.
I hope all is well with everyone at home. I am off to meet up with Emily, Christina, Monica, and Ross (all names that mean nothing to you I know, but they are all other volunteers) to take a “luxury” bus from 5 PM to midnight to Tamale. We will stay here overnight and then head to the national park tomorrow. I hear there are an abundance of elephant in this park, so I plan on taking many many pictures.
Take care and I will write more soon.
-Afia Henewaa
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Break Time
Today is Thursday April 10th. The school break has started and I officially have just about a month off. What will I do? I’m really not too sure. Today I am taking it easy. I woke up early and went on a long run with Naomi and her friend Joyce. We ended up at her Uncle’s house. He is fairly well off and therefore he has a few gym machines. I showed Naomi how to use them to strengthen her shoulders and legs and how to do the chest press. Mostly we did crunches. I am doing my best to stay in shape. I then attempted to do some washing. I must look pretty silly while I wash clothes because people are always snickering at me, in a friendly way of course. Suddenly I have two or three of the older girls showing me how to properly do it and before I know it they have washed all my clothes. I do not do this on purpose, I promise!
While most government schools vacated today, private schools are still in session until next week. Emily (my friend from Arkansas) works at a private school/orphanage so she is working until Wednesday. When she is done the two of us, plus Christina, Clara (Denmark) and Monica (Germany) will be heading North for a week to visit Mole National Park, the Hippo Sanctuary and the Crocodile Estuary. I would also like to make it back down to the coast to lay on the beach at some point.
I will also be decorating the school over the break. I have bought maps of Africa for each classroom as well as posters of numbers, the ABC’s and various animals for the younger classrooms. Starting in May I will be working with the vocational school girls to teach them about health and sex education. Like I said before, I only know what I have been taught myself and therefore would love any feedback on how to accurately teach these girls. I will be doing some research when I can but it is difficult to do at the internet cafés. I would like to discuss puberty, menstruation, some nutrition (although I am fully aware that there will need to be some modifications from nutrition taught in the States), and then of course safe sex.
I also plan on doing more individual work with kids in classes 3, 4 and 5 to improve reading and writing skills. With one on one work, I believe I will be able to see a difference in at least a few of these children.
On Monday the school had their science exams and my class 4 kids surprised me. Most of them did better than I thought they would, which made me realize that I need to have more faith in my kids. Of course there were still quite a few who needed to have the questions read and re-read and then explained before they choose the right answer but I was proud of them. I then did an English lesson with class four to help prepare them for the next days exam. It seemed to take forever for them to calm down but eventually they did listen to me. I left school that day thinking I had done something right. That feeling went away and was replaced by frustration during the English exam on Tuesday. Not only is the exam very poorly written but the students had a lot of trouble choosing the correct answers. Clearly, I have a lot of work to do when they return for third term. After lunch on Tuesday I hung out with class 3. I had them write letters to “Madame” Catherine (the girl from England who was here at Columbus when I arrived but finished her two months and went home in the beginning of March). They did a good job and drew some beautiful pictures for her. I told them I will mail them to her soon.
English was the last exam and yesterday the teachers were simply putting together their classes report cards (and therefore had nothing for the kids to do). I decided to do an art project with class 4. I am always trying to add posters and color to the classrooms so I had each student draw two animals and color them in with colored pencil. After making sure they wrote both the type of animal and their name, I collected the paper to make into a collage. After art with class 4 I asked class 5 if they would like to do Art or go play football. They choose football. Off we went to the “field” for an hour of running around, kicking the ball…and sweating like crazy.
I am really feeling as though I am getting the hang of it here and am truly feeling a connection to these kids. Of course it is hard not to want to do more. I am working with my coordinators and with Naomi (because Father Columbus does not speak English well) to figure out exactly how much it costs to sponsor a child to come to the Columbus prep school and orphanage. Currently the “orphanage” needs a lot of work. There is not room for more than 15 or so kids to actually sleep here and not one has an actual bed. The school more aims to help orphaned children come to the school free of cost. Remember that in Ghana an orphan usually means just the father is dead and therefore they most likely have a place to call home but are without the money to pay school fees. I am trying to get an exact number to sponsor one child. This would include school fees, a uniform, transportation, lunch and some minor school supplies. While I am not sure of the exact number, I am sure it is around $75 per year. Obviously in order to try to start this sponsor program I would need to make it very professional and business like. Before I leave however I would like to get everything in order to get a sponsor program in line. If people start to sponsor these children then the money Columbus (the pastor) is personally spending on those children that need aid can be spent on the school building and be put towards the purchase of a new school bus. Today is April 12, 2008. I have a little over 4 months to get this started. Let me know if you have any suggestions.
Let’s see: my baby sister is still extremely small but she has one healthy set of lungs, I can say that. I bought an outfit for an infant on the street and plan on giving it to Georgina, my host mother, at little Yaw’s naming ceremony. Naomi, my host sister, and I continue to grow closer. She is a big Celine Dion fan and the two of us watched “Titanic” in my room the other night. Someday I would love to help her come visit me in the states. Until then she is trying to go to a nearby university to become a nurse. At first she wanted to go into business but her father (Pastor Columbus) told her no, without giving much of a reason. Again I am thankful to be allowed to make up my own mind and to pursue the type of education I am interested in. Although Naomi now claims she would like to go to nursing school, it was the only option her father gave to her.
Before I go I wanted to take this time to describe some of the traditional Ghanaian foods. While I have tried just about everything once, I thankfully have the choice of rice with just about every meal. Like I have said before…I am not a fan of the fish here. While I have grown to love fish at home, I know that I am quite picky as to how it is prepared. I promise I do try and do pick at it but the tilapia is so small and practically the whole fish is put into the stew, bones, fins and head in all. I am thankful when the fish is intact so I can simply eat around it. Anyhow…we have banku, fufu, kenkey, plantain and yams. I prefer the yams to be fried (and they have no real taste anyway). I also prefer the plantain to be fried as well. Plantain is strange. It looks like large, green banana’s but taste similar to potatoes. To make fufu: Plantain and cassava (starch)…peeled, cut and boiled. Once they reach your preferred texture, pour out leftover water and wait for the contents to dry. Put the cassava in the mortar and use pistal (very large wooden stick) to pound the cassava. This process takes a long time. Once you again reach the desired texture, you are finished. You eat fufu traditionally with your hands (right hand only! Using your left hand for just about anything is a sign of disrespect) and with soup. Soup is generally prepared with fish or chicken meat, the broth being the most important ingredient. Peppers are added to everything here and if I were a true Ghanaian, I would be able to eat spicy foods. For banku: you must buy the corn blend in the market as it must be done with a large grinding machine. After buying the powdered corn you add water in small amounts, kneading the mixture together. Then you set the mixture aside until the next day. The next day you add cassava, also in a blended form and mix in water. While on the fire you use something called a driving stick to stir. This process again takes awhile as you must “drive it” well and continuously add water and reach boiling point. Banku is eaten with stew. Stew usually consists of okra, tomatoes, pepper, meats and or fish, garden eggs (a type of vegetable)…everything is cut and mixed into a sauce pan. Add water and boil for 5 minutes. In another sauce pan boil palm oil, add ground onions and green pepper then add everything together and again, eat with your right hand. Just so you know I have tried eating with my hand but am usually given a spoon, and I am grateful for that. I prefer fufu or banku any day. Kenkey on the other hand is not my favorite by any means. I’m not even sure what it is about Kenkey because it too is made with corn but for some reason is takes extremely sour to me and I can never eat much of it. Oh…one last thing. With any of these traditional meals, you generally do not chew, but swallow your “bite” whole. When I said I cannot do that, I was laughed at. One other meal that I don’t mind is red red. Not too sure why it is called red red but basically the meal consists of fried plantain and beans, soaked in oil. When I am not eating these traditional meals, I am given white rice with anymore of stew (and I can probably count the number of times I have eaten fufu, banku and kenkey). For breakfast I have oatmeal, rice porridge, wheat porridge or fried eat sandwich. I also have bought my own jam, peanut butter, cheese and milk. So there you go, in case any of you were wondering exactly what I am eating on a daily basis. With that said…I would appreciate luna bars or any other power bars. Thank you.
Just one more thing:
There was a problem at the post office and after much struggle, we had to change our post box number. They have assured me many many times that if I am to receive mail to my old address it will be forwarded. I will be asking the post office about my mail frequently. With that said, here is my new address:
Erin Williams
KS 14340
Adum
Kumasi, Ghana
While most government schools vacated today, private schools are still in session until next week. Emily (my friend from Arkansas) works at a private school/orphanage so she is working until Wednesday. When she is done the two of us, plus Christina, Clara (Denmark) and Monica (Germany) will be heading North for a week to visit Mole National Park, the Hippo Sanctuary and the Crocodile Estuary. I would also like to make it back down to the coast to lay on the beach at some point.
I will also be decorating the school over the break. I have bought maps of Africa for each classroom as well as posters of numbers, the ABC’s and various animals for the younger classrooms. Starting in May I will be working with the vocational school girls to teach them about health and sex education. Like I said before, I only know what I have been taught myself and therefore would love any feedback on how to accurately teach these girls. I will be doing some research when I can but it is difficult to do at the internet cafés. I would like to discuss puberty, menstruation, some nutrition (although I am fully aware that there will need to be some modifications from nutrition taught in the States), and then of course safe sex.
I also plan on doing more individual work with kids in classes 3, 4 and 5 to improve reading and writing skills. With one on one work, I believe I will be able to see a difference in at least a few of these children.
On Monday the school had their science exams and my class 4 kids surprised me. Most of them did better than I thought they would, which made me realize that I need to have more faith in my kids. Of course there were still quite a few who needed to have the questions read and re-read and then explained before they choose the right answer but I was proud of them. I then did an English lesson with class four to help prepare them for the next days exam. It seemed to take forever for them to calm down but eventually they did listen to me. I left school that day thinking I had done something right. That feeling went away and was replaced by frustration during the English exam on Tuesday. Not only is the exam very poorly written but the students had a lot of trouble choosing the correct answers. Clearly, I have a lot of work to do when they return for third term. After lunch on Tuesday I hung out with class 3. I had them write letters to “Madame” Catherine (the girl from England who was here at Columbus when I arrived but finished her two months and went home in the beginning of March). They did a good job and drew some beautiful pictures for her. I told them I will mail them to her soon.
English was the last exam and yesterday the teachers were simply putting together their classes report cards (and therefore had nothing for the kids to do). I decided to do an art project with class 4. I am always trying to add posters and color to the classrooms so I had each student draw two animals and color them in with colored pencil. After making sure they wrote both the type of animal and their name, I collected the paper to make into a collage. After art with class 4 I asked class 5 if they would like to do Art or go play football. They choose football. Off we went to the “field” for an hour of running around, kicking the ball…and sweating like crazy.
I am really feeling as though I am getting the hang of it here and am truly feeling a connection to these kids. Of course it is hard not to want to do more. I am working with my coordinators and with Naomi (because Father Columbus does not speak English well) to figure out exactly how much it costs to sponsor a child to come to the Columbus prep school and orphanage. Currently the “orphanage” needs a lot of work. There is not room for more than 15 or so kids to actually sleep here and not one has an actual bed. The school more aims to help orphaned children come to the school free of cost. Remember that in Ghana an orphan usually means just the father is dead and therefore they most likely have a place to call home but are without the money to pay school fees. I am trying to get an exact number to sponsor one child. This would include school fees, a uniform, transportation, lunch and some minor school supplies. While I am not sure of the exact number, I am sure it is around $75 per year. Obviously in order to try to start this sponsor program I would need to make it very professional and business like. Before I leave however I would like to get everything in order to get a sponsor program in line. If people start to sponsor these children then the money Columbus (the pastor) is personally spending on those children that need aid can be spent on the school building and be put towards the purchase of a new school bus. Today is April 12, 2008. I have a little over 4 months to get this started. Let me know if you have any suggestions.
Let’s see: my baby sister is still extremely small but she has one healthy set of lungs, I can say that. I bought an outfit for an infant on the street and plan on giving it to Georgina, my host mother, at little Yaw’s naming ceremony. Naomi, my host sister, and I continue to grow closer. She is a big Celine Dion fan and the two of us watched “Titanic” in my room the other night. Someday I would love to help her come visit me in the states. Until then she is trying to go to a nearby university to become a nurse. At first she wanted to go into business but her father (Pastor Columbus) told her no, without giving much of a reason. Again I am thankful to be allowed to make up my own mind and to pursue the type of education I am interested in. Although Naomi now claims she would like to go to nursing school, it was the only option her father gave to her.
Before I go I wanted to take this time to describe some of the traditional Ghanaian foods. While I have tried just about everything once, I thankfully have the choice of rice with just about every meal. Like I have said before…I am not a fan of the fish here. While I have grown to love fish at home, I know that I am quite picky as to how it is prepared. I promise I do try and do pick at it but the tilapia is so small and practically the whole fish is put into the stew, bones, fins and head in all. I am thankful when the fish is intact so I can simply eat around it. Anyhow…we have banku, fufu, kenkey, plantain and yams. I prefer the yams to be fried (and they have no real taste anyway). I also prefer the plantain to be fried as well. Plantain is strange. It looks like large, green banana’s but taste similar to potatoes. To make fufu: Plantain and cassava (starch)…peeled, cut and boiled. Once they reach your preferred texture, pour out leftover water and wait for the contents to dry. Put the cassava in the mortar and use pistal (very large wooden stick) to pound the cassava. This process takes a long time. Once you again reach the desired texture, you are finished. You eat fufu traditionally with your hands (right hand only! Using your left hand for just about anything is a sign of disrespect) and with soup. Soup is generally prepared with fish or chicken meat, the broth being the most important ingredient. Peppers are added to everything here and if I were a true Ghanaian, I would be able to eat spicy foods. For banku: you must buy the corn blend in the market as it must be done with a large grinding machine. After buying the powdered corn you add water in small amounts, kneading the mixture together. Then you set the mixture aside until the next day. The next day you add cassava, also in a blended form and mix in water. While on the fire you use something called a driving stick to stir. This process again takes awhile as you must “drive it” well and continuously add water and reach boiling point. Banku is eaten with stew. Stew usually consists of okra, tomatoes, pepper, meats and or fish, garden eggs (a type of vegetable)…everything is cut and mixed into a sauce pan. Add water and boil for 5 minutes. In another sauce pan boil palm oil, add ground onions and green pepper then add everything together and again, eat with your right hand. Just so you know I have tried eating with my hand but am usually given a spoon, and I am grateful for that. I prefer fufu or banku any day. Kenkey on the other hand is not my favorite by any means. I’m not even sure what it is about Kenkey because it too is made with corn but for some reason is takes extremely sour to me and I can never eat much of it. Oh…one last thing. With any of these traditional meals, you generally do not chew, but swallow your “bite” whole. When I said I cannot do that, I was laughed at. One other meal that I don’t mind is red red. Not too sure why it is called red red but basically the meal consists of fried plantain and beans, soaked in oil. When I am not eating these traditional meals, I am given white rice with anymore of stew (and I can probably count the number of times I have eaten fufu, banku and kenkey). For breakfast I have oatmeal, rice porridge, wheat porridge or fried eat sandwich. I also have bought my own jam, peanut butter, cheese and milk. So there you go, in case any of you were wondering exactly what I am eating on a daily basis. With that said…I would appreciate luna bars or any other power bars. Thank you.
Just one more thing:
There was a problem at the post office and after much struggle, we had to change our post box number. They have assured me many many times that if I am to receive mail to my old address it will be forwarded. I will be asking the post office about my mail frequently. With that said, here is my new address:
Erin Williams
KS 14340
Adum
Kumasi, Ghana
Monday, April 7, 2008
6 weeks down...
Week 6…can you believe it because I surely can not. It seems like just yesterday when I came down with pneumonia and had to postpone my travels (yet again). I am once again using the school computers (after hours) to conduct my blog. Today is Wednesday April 2, 2008. I plan on writing my blog throughout the week and posting it this weekend.
The third day of exams is complete and I couldn't feel more helpless. These government tests only confuse the majority of my classes with difficult or strange word usage (often grammatically incorrect according to the English language) and does not adequately test the knowledge of the students (in my opinion). Mostly I have been working with class 4, as usual, trying my best to help without giving any actual answers. I refuse to stand by and do nothing when a few of the kids wouldn’t understand what to do even if I told them the answers. On Monday the entire school (excluding the large nursery school class) took the exam for their Ghanaian language (Twi). It pained me to see that many of the kids barely got 50%. Clearly the students need help in writing Twi, although there are signs up in each classroom stating “Speak English.” It is just as important, if not more so, for the kids to know how to read and write Twi as it is for them to learn English. During exam week(s), there is only one exam per day and the rest of the day is used for studying or preparation for the next day. On Monday I took 8 children out of the classroom, after lunch, to work on Math. I had seen the upcoming Math exam and knew that many of them would have not a clue on at least ten of the questions. We went over values of numbers based on the placement and the difference between even and odd numbers. On the test the students had to be able to solve for t or any other variable and that was defiantly a challenge. I am not giving credit to some of the students however. There are a handful to truly do understand what is going on or at least they comprehend what I am explaining to them the first or second time. I can name each of these 6 or 10 (out of 28) however so that is not a huge accomplishment.
On Tuesday the exam given was citizenship. The types of questions were about the Ghana flag and symbols that represent Ghana (after I went around to practically every student to explain what a symbol is) and questions about what is means to be a good citizen. I think each question was explained in their notes but most of these kids have a class 2 or 1 reading level so they can copy things from the chalkboard but can they later go home and study? Oh and this is interesting: on the question asking the students to identify another name for a type of money and the answers offered were A) culture, B) currency and C) cedi, all but maybe 5 answered cedi. The children have no concept of geography or that Ghana is just one of a number of countries located in the continent of Africa and therefore would have no concept of any currency other than the Ghana cedi. I pointed this out to Bismark (the class 4 teacher) and he did his best to clarify but I’m not sure he was able to get the point across. Each day I have tried to offer help during the exams but most of the time I feel I am only confusing the student more or just frustrating myself. There is only so much I can do since so many must learn to read before they can comprehend how to correctly answer the question. For example, the exam had questions using the word except. An example: “All are true except,” which of course means one should choose the answer that does not work with the statement. This is tough to understand and tough to explain and many children did not get these questions correct.
Now for today: Wednesday was the math exam. School starts at 9:15 but the exams are not given until 11. I had over an hour to try and get some more math concepts in their heads. I grabbed 10 kids and we went to another area in the school building. I gave them each a test that I created earlier with 5 questions (all very similar to questions on the test). After having to fully explain (multiple times) the difference between even and odd numbers and then explaining what “a number multiplied by itself is 36. what is that number?” really means, about half were able to answer my questions without much hesitation. The others had to simply try their best. In addition there were many word problem questions in which the children had to decide how they should best answer the question (usually with multiplication or division) and that was a very difficult task. I remember becoming confused and often getting word problems wrong when I was their age as well. I did my best to break down each question so that they understand. What I found even more frustrating is watching the teacher, Bismark, working out the problems on the test for himself and I had to correct him on many occasions.
We also got into a small argument in the beginning of the test when I saw that he would allow the students to use their multiplication tables for the test. While I know that many would be even more lost without the guidance of these tables, how are they ever supposed to learn when they are allowed to cheat. Every time I take kids out to work with them more individually, I always take away their times tables. They get angry with me but they are also understanding how they find the answer without cheating. Bismark tells me that the US and Ghana are different and that the kids are just allowed to use the tables, “it’s just the way it is.” I then challenged him and asked him to tell me what 6 x 7 was without using a times table. He said he could not do it on the spot. I responded that if he was not allowed to use times tables when he was in school then he could figure it out in his head. I want to guide and help these kids so badly but it is so hard when I try to explain the question many different ways and all I get are blank stares. Regardless, I tell myself that I am helping and me being here is rewarding for both me and for the kids. I just hope by the time I leave I feel as though I have really taught them something.
Suddenly it is Saturday. I had meant to type a bit of my blog each day this week but like I have told friends, the days go by very quickly here. I will be in my room, getting ready for bed around 11 pm and I will be wondering what exactly I did all day. Anyhow, on Thursday the kids had their I.C.T. exam (computer technology). While there are 5 working computers at the school, the computer teacher, Grace, usually does nothing all day. You can find her sitting in front of the computers usually watching Celin Dion music videos. While I have complained about her before, she is a skilled typist and for some reason the headmaster is not convinced she isn’t doing her job. Regardless, I tried to quickly teach classes 4 and 5 some basic computer skills before completing their test about caring for ICT tools, the functions of the mouse, monitor and system unit etc. Many of the students were unfamiliar with any computer vocabulary and therefore had trouble understanding the questions. Again, how productive is this exam really? On Friday class 4 and 5 had a break from exams and I took both classes to the “field” to play football (soccer). The field is quite uneven and difficult to play soccer but we manage. A fun (very large) game of boys verses girls ensues. Usually I bring the kids to P.E. in my school clothes (usually a skirt and sandals) but today I was dressed in shorts and my running shoes and I was a big hit as I played for the girls team. These kids are talented!
What else happened this past week? Well last Sunday I had a bunch of kids in my room to color and to watch some movies. I have some great pictures of them spread out on the floor watching “Aristocrats.” I think tomorrow I will invite them in for “The Lion King,” since the kids will not stop asking if they can come to my room again. I am stern and say “if you keep asking, there will not be a next time.” To this they respond “yes, Madame” but then I find them asking a few hours later. Oh well. Tuesday night I was invited my Columbus (my host father) to the FM radio studio with him. I was not too keen on this idea but I dragged Naomi (host sister) with me. Once there I as told to go “on air” to explain what I am doing and that I love working at Columbus but the kids do need help. The studio was quite nice and also air conditioned! Wednesday morning Naomi and I woke up at 6 am and went for a half hour jog. The sun was just coming up (although it was quite light outside) and it wasn’t too warm yet. I am going to try to make this a twice a week routine. Thursday evening I helped Naomi prepare dinner and I brought my ipod and ipod speakers outside for us to listen to. Before I know it I have ten kids around me and we are having a full dance party to various popular hip hop artists. This lasted about an hour and it was quite entertaining, especially when Emmanuel (a boy from class 5) requested some Michael Jackson and broke out with the moon walk. I love spending time with these children.
Last night Emily, U.S. and Jeanette, Denmark, (two girls from my organization working at different projects) met me in Kumasi for dinner and then they came back to my place for the night. We had bought popcorn and chocolate cookies and decided enjoyed the fact that I have access to a dvd player. The three of us watched “Romeo and Juliet” and ate junk food all night, what else could I want for a Friday night?
Alright, I guess this blog has gone on long enough. I promised some of the boys I would go join them for a game of football, even though it is 100 degrees outside and it is the middle of the day. Have a great next week everyone!
-Erin
I meant to send this yesterday but the internet café near my place was “out of order” or something. Football on Saturday was fun but I think I lasted all of 30 minutes before needing to go inside with a fear of heat stroke. Today was the science exam. Tomorrow I am working on English and then the English exam is on Wednesday. Cross your fingers and hope for the best!
The third day of exams is complete and I couldn't feel more helpless. These government tests only confuse the majority of my classes with difficult or strange word usage (often grammatically incorrect according to the English language) and does not adequately test the knowledge of the students (in my opinion). Mostly I have been working with class 4, as usual, trying my best to help without giving any actual answers. I refuse to stand by and do nothing when a few of the kids wouldn’t understand what to do even if I told them the answers. On Monday the entire school (excluding the large nursery school class) took the exam for their Ghanaian language (Twi). It pained me to see that many of the kids barely got 50%. Clearly the students need help in writing Twi, although there are signs up in each classroom stating “Speak English.” It is just as important, if not more so, for the kids to know how to read and write Twi as it is for them to learn English. During exam week(s), there is only one exam per day and the rest of the day is used for studying or preparation for the next day. On Monday I took 8 children out of the classroom, after lunch, to work on Math. I had seen the upcoming Math exam and knew that many of them would have not a clue on at least ten of the questions. We went over values of numbers based on the placement and the difference between even and odd numbers. On the test the students had to be able to solve for t or any other variable and that was defiantly a challenge. I am not giving credit to some of the students however. There are a handful to truly do understand what is going on or at least they comprehend what I am explaining to them the first or second time. I can name each of these 6 or 10 (out of 28) however so that is not a huge accomplishment.
On Tuesday the exam given was citizenship. The types of questions were about the Ghana flag and symbols that represent Ghana (after I went around to practically every student to explain what a symbol is) and questions about what is means to be a good citizen. I think each question was explained in their notes but most of these kids have a class 2 or 1 reading level so they can copy things from the chalkboard but can they later go home and study? Oh and this is interesting: on the question asking the students to identify another name for a type of money and the answers offered were A) culture, B) currency and C) cedi, all but maybe 5 answered cedi. The children have no concept of geography or that Ghana is just one of a number of countries located in the continent of Africa and therefore would have no concept of any currency other than the Ghana cedi. I pointed this out to Bismark (the class 4 teacher) and he did his best to clarify but I’m not sure he was able to get the point across. Each day I have tried to offer help during the exams but most of the time I feel I am only confusing the student more or just frustrating myself. There is only so much I can do since so many must learn to read before they can comprehend how to correctly answer the question. For example, the exam had questions using the word except. An example: “All are true except,” which of course means one should choose the answer that does not work with the statement. This is tough to understand and tough to explain and many children did not get these questions correct.
Now for today: Wednesday was the math exam. School starts at 9:15 but the exams are not given until 11. I had over an hour to try and get some more math concepts in their heads. I grabbed 10 kids and we went to another area in the school building. I gave them each a test that I created earlier with 5 questions (all very similar to questions on the test). After having to fully explain (multiple times) the difference between even and odd numbers and then explaining what “a number multiplied by itself is 36. what is that number?” really means, about half were able to answer my questions without much hesitation. The others had to simply try their best. In addition there were many word problem questions in which the children had to decide how they should best answer the question (usually with multiplication or division) and that was a very difficult task. I remember becoming confused and often getting word problems wrong when I was their age as well. I did my best to break down each question so that they understand. What I found even more frustrating is watching the teacher, Bismark, working out the problems on the test for himself and I had to correct him on many occasions.
We also got into a small argument in the beginning of the test when I saw that he would allow the students to use their multiplication tables for the test. While I know that many would be even more lost without the guidance of these tables, how are they ever supposed to learn when they are allowed to cheat. Every time I take kids out to work with them more individually, I always take away their times tables. They get angry with me but they are also understanding how they find the answer without cheating. Bismark tells me that the US and Ghana are different and that the kids are just allowed to use the tables, “it’s just the way it is.” I then challenged him and asked him to tell me what 6 x 7 was without using a times table. He said he could not do it on the spot. I responded that if he was not allowed to use times tables when he was in school then he could figure it out in his head. I want to guide and help these kids so badly but it is so hard when I try to explain the question many different ways and all I get are blank stares. Regardless, I tell myself that I am helping and me being here is rewarding for both me and for the kids. I just hope by the time I leave I feel as though I have really taught them something.
Suddenly it is Saturday. I had meant to type a bit of my blog each day this week but like I have told friends, the days go by very quickly here. I will be in my room, getting ready for bed around 11 pm and I will be wondering what exactly I did all day. Anyhow, on Thursday the kids had their I.C.T. exam (computer technology). While there are 5 working computers at the school, the computer teacher, Grace, usually does nothing all day. You can find her sitting in front of the computers usually watching Celin Dion music videos. While I have complained about her before, she is a skilled typist and for some reason the headmaster is not convinced she isn’t doing her job. Regardless, I tried to quickly teach classes 4 and 5 some basic computer skills before completing their test about caring for ICT tools, the functions of the mouse, monitor and system unit etc. Many of the students were unfamiliar with any computer vocabulary and therefore had trouble understanding the questions. Again, how productive is this exam really? On Friday class 4 and 5 had a break from exams and I took both classes to the “field” to play football (soccer). The field is quite uneven and difficult to play soccer but we manage. A fun (very large) game of boys verses girls ensues. Usually I bring the kids to P.E. in my school clothes (usually a skirt and sandals) but today I was dressed in shorts and my running shoes and I was a big hit as I played for the girls team. These kids are talented!
What else happened this past week? Well last Sunday I had a bunch of kids in my room to color and to watch some movies. I have some great pictures of them spread out on the floor watching “Aristocrats.” I think tomorrow I will invite them in for “The Lion King,” since the kids will not stop asking if they can come to my room again. I am stern and say “if you keep asking, there will not be a next time.” To this they respond “yes, Madame” but then I find them asking a few hours later. Oh well. Tuesday night I was invited my Columbus (my host father) to the FM radio studio with him. I was not too keen on this idea but I dragged Naomi (host sister) with me. Once there I as told to go “on air” to explain what I am doing and that I love working at Columbus but the kids do need help. The studio was quite nice and also air conditioned! Wednesday morning Naomi and I woke up at 6 am and went for a half hour jog. The sun was just coming up (although it was quite light outside) and it wasn’t too warm yet. I am going to try to make this a twice a week routine. Thursday evening I helped Naomi prepare dinner and I brought my ipod and ipod speakers outside for us to listen to. Before I know it I have ten kids around me and we are having a full dance party to various popular hip hop artists. This lasted about an hour and it was quite entertaining, especially when Emmanuel (a boy from class 5) requested some Michael Jackson and broke out with the moon walk. I love spending time with these children.
Last night Emily, U.S. and Jeanette, Denmark, (two girls from my organization working at different projects) met me in Kumasi for dinner and then they came back to my place for the night. We had bought popcorn and chocolate cookies and decided enjoyed the fact that I have access to a dvd player. The three of us watched “Romeo and Juliet” and ate junk food all night, what else could I want for a Friday night?
Alright, I guess this blog has gone on long enough. I promised some of the boys I would go join them for a game of football, even though it is 100 degrees outside and it is the middle of the day. Have a great next week everyone!
-Erin
I meant to send this yesterday but the internet café near my place was “out of order” or something. Football on Saturday was fun but I think I lasted all of 30 minutes before needing to go inside with a fear of heat stroke. Today was the science exam. Tomorrow I am working on English and then the English exam is on Wednesday. Cross your fingers and hope for the best!
Friday, March 28, 2008
I'm a 'big sister!'
Hello All…
Wow…a whole week has gone by since my last blog! I had one busy week however.
First things first: I have a new baby sister. To clarify, I have a new baby host sister, and my host mother, Georgina was mistaken when she told me she was just 7 months pregnant. She had a baby girl late last Thursday night and although I believe she is a few weeks early, she is healthy. Apparently she will not get her actual name for another 3 months (in which a naming ceremony will take place) but for now she is called “baby” or “ya” (one of the names given to girls born on Thursdays). Little Patrick, my host brother, doesn’t really know how to take the idea of another baby in the house. I saw him walk past her crib and he a face, said “baby…go” meaning ‘go away.’ He says ‘go away’ all the time.
On Friday I packed my back pack and headed to Kumasi to meet with three other volunteers, one from Sweden (and from my organization) and two from Denmark (whom I met through Emily-from my organization). The 4 of us found a tro tro headed to Cape Coast and proceeded on a 4 hour, sweaty, crowded, fairly uncomfortable ride. Once we arrived we found our hotel/guest house, dropped off our luggage and headed straight for the beach. I had no idea how much I missed the ocean! It was great to lay on the sand and hear the rolling waves. I was in Cape Coast until Monday afternoon and the whole weekend consisted mostly of laying on the beach, eating pizza, pasta and greek salads, sharing drinks with other travelers and volunteers and meeting many new friends. Each night we hung out at the Oasis Beach Resort where there was a lovely outside restaurant and bar (and club at night). And each day I met people from all over Europe, New York, various other countries in Africa, people just passing through and many Ghanaians from Cape Coast. On Saturday my group (plus another Danish girl and a girl from Germany who joined us) traveled one hour west to Kakum National Park. While we saw no animals at this park, it was a beautiful rainforest with many trees and vegetation. We paid 7 Cedis for an hour long nature walk/hike and the canopy walk. I loved being outdoors and being active (although I the heat was a lot to take in). For those that know me well, you know that I have a fear of heights and was therefore quite worried about the canopy walk. I did not let my fear get the best of me though and I conquered the canopy walk. This was amazing and beautiful-the picture will explain themselves. We learned all about various plant species on the nature walk and our guide should us a tree that is used to produce Viagra. He then went on to explain what Viagra is used for “to make the man strong and to please the woman. If you use Viagra, the wife will be happy and will cook a big meal for the man.” How interesting.
On Saturday night we attended a wonderful performance at the (very) old Cape Coast Castle. We watched African Footprint International, an African drum and dance group that have traveled to Europe and most recently Denmark, and a Danish youth choir to create one interesting night of cultural diversity. The choir sang in Danish, which of course I do not understand, but it was still beautiful to listen to and the African Footprint drummers played along with electric guitars. After the choir was finished the dancers took the stage and performed. Saturday night I also met a family from Seattle, Washington! Well they lived just outside of Seattle and moved to Canada many years ago but still, it was really nice to talk about Pike Place Market and the Space Needle. The parents and two daughters (17 and 20) and the elder brother have been traveling the world for the past 3 years (started in Hong Kong) and were currently working their way through Africa. The third son, recently out of the military, joined his family for a month or so but heads back to the PNW soon. It was great to meet new friends! Email addresses were exchanged and I hope to stay in touch. In addition to new friends, I have a nice tan coming along!
It is Friday and lunch just ended. Each Friday the kids head to the church after lunch to be blessed by the Pastor and the school concludes early. I am sitting in the computer “room” typing to save precious time on the internet later today. Children love to watch me type saying I am so fast. Starting next Monday all classes, excluding the nursery school, will be taking 2nd term exams. I read the topics that will be included on the tests for classes 3, 4 and 5 and realized that about half of each class will be passing these tests. I’m not sure what “passing” is or what happens to those students that perform poorly but I have spoken with the teachers and started taking the few students who are really behind out of class one by one. Until the exams start (and will go on all next week) the teachers are just refreshing the kids minds and going over all the topics from the term. Many of the kids will do just fine but I am going to do my best to help them before and during the exams. After the exams I am going to try to do an art project or game of ‘football’ with each class to make sure they are also having fun. Then April 10th starts break between the terms and lasts 21 days! I have three weeks and have no idea what I will be doing. There are many volunteers going to the big national park up north and I want to join them but that will not take a full 3 weeks. We will see.
Each day I have worked one on one with children in classes 3, 4 and 5. Yesterday I took Jennifer Owusu, class 4, out and we worked on Math. I quickly realized that she have no concept of what multiplication means so we stepped back and worked on addition and subtraction. Even this was quite difficult for her. Jennifer is the girl who I believe to be dyslexic, at least with her numbers. She and I wrote out numbers 1 through 20 and I made her say each one. She gets confused easily when I go out of order but I want her to be able to read the numbers without the repetition on counting 1, 2, 3 and so on. I would really like to see progress in her before I leave in August.
Yesterday Naomi, my host sister, and I went to Tafo (a 15 minute tro tro ride away) to pick up my dress. Last week she and I went to buy the cloth for my dress (5 Ghana cedi’s for 3 yards of African print) and I was fitted. We went back to Tafo to try on the dress. There are many styles to choose from, I choose a longer dress with a slight front slit (so I can actually walk) and an off the shoulders top. To get the dress made cost just 5 cedis so in total I paid $10 for a dress specially made for me. I promise to get pictures up as soon as possible.
Alright I guess that is all for today. I am headed into town to spend some time on the internet and then will be meeting friends for dinner. Have a great weekend!
***I promise I am trying to get pictures up here. I keep trying to upload them but either the files are too big or the connection is too slow. I'll keep working on it.
Wow…a whole week has gone by since my last blog! I had one busy week however.
First things first: I have a new baby sister. To clarify, I have a new baby host sister, and my host mother, Georgina was mistaken when she told me she was just 7 months pregnant. She had a baby girl late last Thursday night and although I believe she is a few weeks early, she is healthy. Apparently she will not get her actual name for another 3 months (in which a naming ceremony will take place) but for now she is called “baby” or “ya” (one of the names given to girls born on Thursdays). Little Patrick, my host brother, doesn’t really know how to take the idea of another baby in the house. I saw him walk past her crib and he a face, said “baby…go” meaning ‘go away.’ He says ‘go away’ all the time.
On Friday I packed my back pack and headed to Kumasi to meet with three other volunteers, one from Sweden (and from my organization) and two from Denmark (whom I met through Emily-from my organization). The 4 of us found a tro tro headed to Cape Coast and proceeded on a 4 hour, sweaty, crowded, fairly uncomfortable ride. Once we arrived we found our hotel/guest house, dropped off our luggage and headed straight for the beach. I had no idea how much I missed the ocean! It was great to lay on the sand and hear the rolling waves. I was in Cape Coast until Monday afternoon and the whole weekend consisted mostly of laying on the beach, eating pizza, pasta and greek salads, sharing drinks with other travelers and volunteers and meeting many new friends. Each night we hung out at the Oasis Beach Resort where there was a lovely outside restaurant and bar (and club at night). And each day I met people from all over Europe, New York, various other countries in Africa, people just passing through and many Ghanaians from Cape Coast. On Saturday my group (plus another Danish girl and a girl from Germany who joined us) traveled one hour west to Kakum National Park. While we saw no animals at this park, it was a beautiful rainforest with many trees and vegetation. We paid 7 Cedis for an hour long nature walk/hike and the canopy walk. I loved being outdoors and being active (although I the heat was a lot to take in). For those that know me well, you know that I have a fear of heights and was therefore quite worried about the canopy walk. I did not let my fear get the best of me though and I conquered the canopy walk. This was amazing and beautiful-the picture will explain themselves. We learned all about various plant species on the nature walk and our guide should us a tree that is used to produce Viagra. He then went on to explain what Viagra is used for “to make the man strong and to please the woman. If you use Viagra, the wife will be happy and will cook a big meal for the man.” How interesting.
On Saturday night we attended a wonderful performance at the (very) old Cape Coast Castle. We watched African Footprint International, an African drum and dance group that have traveled to Europe and most recently Denmark, and a Danish youth choir to create one interesting night of cultural diversity. The choir sang in Danish, which of course I do not understand, but it was still beautiful to listen to and the African Footprint drummers played along with electric guitars. After the choir was finished the dancers took the stage and performed. Saturday night I also met a family from Seattle, Washington! Well they lived just outside of Seattle and moved to Canada many years ago but still, it was really nice to talk about Pike Place Market and the Space Needle. The parents and two daughters (17 and 20) and the elder brother have been traveling the world for the past 3 years (started in Hong Kong) and were currently working their way through Africa. The third son, recently out of the military, joined his family for a month or so but heads back to the PNW soon. It was great to meet new friends! Email addresses were exchanged and I hope to stay in touch. In addition to new friends, I have a nice tan coming along!
It is Friday and lunch just ended. Each Friday the kids head to the church after lunch to be blessed by the Pastor and the school concludes early. I am sitting in the computer “room” typing to save precious time on the internet later today. Children love to watch me type saying I am so fast. Starting next Monday all classes, excluding the nursery school, will be taking 2nd term exams. I read the topics that will be included on the tests for classes 3, 4 and 5 and realized that about half of each class will be passing these tests. I’m not sure what “passing” is or what happens to those students that perform poorly but I have spoken with the teachers and started taking the few students who are really behind out of class one by one. Until the exams start (and will go on all next week) the teachers are just refreshing the kids minds and going over all the topics from the term. Many of the kids will do just fine but I am going to do my best to help them before and during the exams. After the exams I am going to try to do an art project or game of ‘football’ with each class to make sure they are also having fun. Then April 10th starts break between the terms and lasts 21 days! I have three weeks and have no idea what I will be doing. There are many volunteers going to the big national park up north and I want to join them but that will not take a full 3 weeks. We will see.
Each day I have worked one on one with children in classes 3, 4 and 5. Yesterday I took Jennifer Owusu, class 4, out and we worked on Math. I quickly realized that she have no concept of what multiplication means so we stepped back and worked on addition and subtraction. Even this was quite difficult for her. Jennifer is the girl who I believe to be dyslexic, at least with her numbers. She and I wrote out numbers 1 through 20 and I made her say each one. She gets confused easily when I go out of order but I want her to be able to read the numbers without the repetition on counting 1, 2, 3 and so on. I would really like to see progress in her before I leave in August.
Yesterday Naomi, my host sister, and I went to Tafo (a 15 minute tro tro ride away) to pick up my dress. Last week she and I went to buy the cloth for my dress (5 Ghana cedi’s for 3 yards of African print) and I was fitted. We went back to Tafo to try on the dress. There are many styles to choose from, I choose a longer dress with a slight front slit (so I can actually walk) and an off the shoulders top. To get the dress made cost just 5 cedis so in total I paid $10 for a dress specially made for me. I promise to get pictures up as soon as possible.
Alright I guess that is all for today. I am headed into town to spend some time on the internet and then will be meeting friends for dinner. Have a great weekend!
***I promise I am trying to get pictures up here. I keep trying to upload them but either the files are too big or the connection is too slow. I'll keep working on it.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
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).
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).
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