Thursday, February 26, 2009

two weeks and change

2.26.09
on monday i will be leaving in two weeks and i've been here for about 8. while i definitely feel like it has been a tremendous and worthwhile experience i'm also very much ready to go. i got over my initial homesickness relatively easily but these emotions struck again last weekend. as i've told some of you i'm very much over being hot, sweaty and dirty all the time, done with being stared at, hissed at, touched etc because i'm white and i'm really ready for a change in the menu! it's not that i'm not having a good time - yesterday a group of the volunteers played rugby (touch not tackle - like flag football) against some school kids which was a lot of fun and i still am enjoying getting to know the locals and my fellow volunteers and of course am working hard to finish the orphanage so the kids can move in. but i'm at the point where i feel like i've achieved what i came here for and i'm ready to start the next chapter of my life. i've starting saying goodbye to friends who are going home and the next 2 weeks will have a lot of goodbyes as there is a mass exodous of volunteers. i know march 16th is right around the corner but i'd be perfectly content to wake up and have that day be here. i want to thank everyone for the texts, emails, cards, calls, packages, and facebook messages - your support and encouragement has made a world of difference and i cannot tell you how much i appreciate it! wishing everyone an early happy weekend...

Saturday, February 21, 2009

some pictures - finally!














here's a brief description of the pictures - sorry this isn't well organized but at least after 7 weeks i got some pics up :)
1. josh, dallas, me on the boat trip on volta river
2. caroline, natalie, josh, charlie and dalls in the pool
3. mud bricks!
4. inside the orphanage where i've been working
5. woman at the market (sorry this is sideways)
6. view from canopy walk at the rainforest
7. cape coast
8. men fishing at cape coast
9. eveline (my roommate), charlotte and i in the truck we hitched a free ride on
10. me in front of my house
11. worksite
12. my room

religion as a way of life

2.21.09
here in ghana the religious (christian) influence is vast and permeates every aspect of life. it's certainly a much different approach than i am used to and has given me lots to think about. church signs are more prevalant here than starbucks in seattle and the reach includes businesses as well. taxis and buses proudly display their beliefs with stickers covering their rear windows with saying like "yes, lord", "clap for jesus" and "finger of god" (i have no idea what that means). stores have names like "god first fashion shop" and "touch not my anointed (in god we trust) jonas motor parts". god is praised by the people here for everything from good weather, good health, fortune, or even the right card drawn in a game. for a nation of people with far reaching poverty, corruption, and trials & tribulations they are also very thankful and grateful as a nation. the focus seems to be on what is good and positive rather than the negative or what they are lacking. the pervasive belief here is that god will provide for them. from the discussions i've had with locals they find it impossible to comprehend life without god or church. these people put god first in their lives with a passion and fervor that i can only (somewhat) liken to a die hard sports fanatic. not believing in god or even not being christian (there us a minority muslim population here) is just unfathomable. coming from a much more secular society it's sometimes hard to comprehend how someone can believe that god wanted a team to win a football (soccer) match or a card game but it's been a fascinating part of the culture to explore!

Monday, February 16, 2009

a quick hello

2.16.09
as of today i have only 4 weeks left here in ghana, which sounds like a long time but given how quickly the last couple weeks have gone i can imagine it will be over before i blink! i have learned a lot about myself in the past 6 weeks and am amazed at what i can tolerate. i went from adjusting to life without electricity and running water to today at work having ants crawling all over me and in my clothes. my tolerance for being around people more often has increased and i'm better about keeping certain opinions to myself :). i am more comfortable now when i stick out in a crowd and confident in my abilities to navigate the crazy ghanaian public transportation system. i can bargain on prices and do my laundry by hand - and i think i can even get my socks cleaner than they get at home! however, i still miss home very much and am looking forward to mom's cookies, a cold glass of milk and my very comfortable bed amongst other things. i hope everyone has a great week!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

just past the halfway point!

a week or so ago i sat in on a second level junior high social studies class. the topic of the lesson was how ghana cooperates with other nations. first, i should explain that this is a private school and that children start at various ages, so grade levels as we have them do not exist. kids from various ages are in the same class based on knowledge level. books are shared amongst the students and are passed out at the beginning and collected at the end of class. there seems to be no formal lesson plan and the teaching style here is much more laid back and informal (much like all of ghanaian culture). the teacher was very tangential and easily distracted off topic by the students and took 30 extra minutes to get though the reading. there were also several interruptions from other teachers, the school office collecting fees (those who didn't pay were sent home) and even the reverend (who owns the school). the teacher has only been teaching for 6 months and went to technical college for training. he was enthusiastic but seemed to lack the experience and training as to how to command the classroom. yesterday and today i sat in on school again - this time to proctor mock exams (end of level exams before the students move on to high school). like all things ghanaian, it didn't start on time. for each section the teacher was supposed to allot the students a certain amount of time which he only seemed t6o be sort of following. the students really didn't need us there as the teacher was in the room most of the time, but more than that i doubt any of these children would have cheated even if they had the chance. here in school you can get caned for simple infractions like being tardy so i don't imagine the punishment for cheating would be much fun! the first exam was social studies and the question topics covered very random bits of knowledge like the earth's rotation, who the permanent members of the UN are and specifics about various regions of ghana. in talking to another teacher he explained that despite ghana being a small country the children's knowledge outside of their region is quite limited. this i'm sure is due in no small part to the lack of TV, newspapers, etc. social studies serves to cover a broad range of information about ghana and how it functions in the global community - a seemingly tall order for a country where come of the standardized exams have glaring grammatical and spelling errors! the science exam was an equal hodgepodge, questions covered the function of incisor teeth, basic units of length and measure, and the systematic name for FeS. my overall impression of the school system here is one of disorganization and lack of structure. i do believe that the teachers and children want learning to take place to improve their lives and lift ghana into prosperity but as i am seeing with everything here progress is very slow and inconsistent!

a quick note about my weekend - i traveled to cape coast with a group of volunteers and saw the slave castle (fort) used as a holding cell before the slaves were sent to england. after that we camped in the rainforest (not much sleeping involved) in open air structures on dirty mattresses. more fun than it sounds i promise! we got early the next AM and did the canopy walk - no other tourists which was cool though we didn't see any wildlife (but we certainly heard a LOT). this weekend a bunch of us are heading to the volta lake (largest artificial lake in the world) to see the dam and hang out. i've decided to forgo my trip to togo in favor of something closer and cheaper - as well as giving me the chance to further explore Ghana!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

milestones

2.3.09
last saturday marked 4 weeks here, tomorrow is one month (to the day) that i arrived, and this upcoming weekend i am halfway done with my time here. wow, time is starting to fly! friday night was a wash - literally, as we had a 2 hour freak rainstorm, more like a torrential downpour! we were going to go have a drink at the club and charge our phones but instead sat on the porch, talked, and watched the rain. saturday was a lazy morning catching up on journaling and reading (i've finished 5 books!). in the afternoon some of the volunteers went to aburi to the wood carving market - originally the plan was also to go to the botannical garedens there but we had heard they weren't worth it so we skipped them. we had to wander around for a while and finally a couple of local boys (who happened to have family with shops there) showed us the way. it was quite interesting to see all the different carvings (masks, figurines, animnals, and lots of fertility objects!) and to talk to the artisans about their work. saturday night we watched a movie (the great debaters) at another volunteer's house and charged her phone - her family has a generator that they turn on a couple of nights a week. sunday a few of us went to church - that was quite an experience! we stayed for the first hour and a half, though it lasted 2 more, as it was time for us to have lunch. there was a lot of chanting, singing, clapping and out of tune music - the congregation is small but VERY spirited and energetic! it was a much less formal service than what i am used to with most of the people coming and going at their leisure (including the reverand!). yesterday afternoon was a lazy day as i slept very little sunday night and made a ton of mud bricks (as well as this morning). i was definitely wishing i was home watching the big game (and commericals of course) and eating good food - thanks to meg for taping it!!! on friday morning a group of us will travel to the kakum national park to see the rainforest and do a canopy walk. my roommate and i are then traveling down to cape coast to see the historical sites related to slave trade (this is where a lot of slave ships left from) and then we will return to the village monday evening. tonight a group is going into town for dinner to the "western restaurant" again, i plan to order a club sandwich and fries so i will be sure to update you on how it compares to home. i hope everyone has a great week - miss you all lots!!!!