Ok, first I have to start by saying how unbelievably ecstatic I am about the turn out of the election! I could not be more happy...and my faith in the American voter has been restored...so thank God for that one!
Now that I got that off my chest...I have a crazy amount of things to talk about, so ....big breath....
The weather: The hamatan is really getting under way here now and the place is beginning to dry up. It hasnt rained at my house since my last blog, if you can believe that. Winds from the sahara have started blowing this I really actually like, but in not too long that wind is going to be picking up all the dust with it.
I've been reading a lot as usual and have a book that is the most fun book to read in the WORLD. Its funny, you can tell which books I've already read and which I havent by looking inside for splatters of bug blood. But anyways, it's called The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall. I'm not going to talk a whole lot about it, just that you HAVE to read it and that you could probably just go to B & N for a couple hours cause you won't be able to put it down anyways. Oh, and if you do....let me know what you think about the ending.
The hair: Yes, it did hurt for like 3 days after getting it done. But it was so completely worth it. I love not having to wash it all the time and it's so easy to manage into styles. But it has introduced something new to my bathing. I never thought before about washing behind my ears and neck because my hair always took care of that for me. But now I have to conscientious all the time about it.
So, I was having an ethical dilemma about whether or not to give money to beggers in my market town. All the other volunteers say not to because it's just going to encourage them asking white people more often, but I countinued to do it anyways. And I would get that guy that when I gave him coins he would ask for paper money, or that woman who begged everyone and didn't acknowledge if anyone gives to her and will ask you literally 5 seconds later if she has run into you again. So I started to wonder...maybe I should think about saying no. And then there was the little boy. He was so cute, and so obviously hungry. He asked for some money to buy some food, so I took him to a stand and got him a full meal (for only 20 cents!!) and he kept saying "Bareka, bareka" ("Thank you, thank you") and told me to lean down. Then he started whispering in my ear this long dialogue of prayer and blessing. And my heart just broke...right there in the parking lot. And I realized that one boy just made up my mind. Just like that. It is completely worthy to give, end of story.
On that same "makes your heart warm" stories: complete strangers here instantly become your best friends through sharing. It is taboo to eat ANYTHING here without saying "you're invited" to your neighbors (this means the people sitting next to you on the bus, or near you on a bench, etc.). And when I eat a meal with people from my town we all eat out of one big bowl. While it sounds less that completely sanitary, there's something about it. Some bonding goes on there.
Thanksgiving I fasted in protest of not having all the yummy foods from home.
I have tons more to say, but I'm down in the south (it rained yesterday here and we FREAKED out :) because Ghana is having their presidential election on the 7th and they want us here to "keep us safe" in case anything, God forbid, should happen. I mean, come on, this is Ghana...the most peaceful place I've ever been...but at any rate, all the other volunteers are here so the line to use the computer is growing by the minute. I'll catch you all the way up at an internet cafe soon. Ps. I'm very happy. I love you all and hope your holidays are ones to remember. Love, Di
Friday, December 5, 2008
Saturday, November 1, 2008
New happenings in Africa...
hello there! it's been quite a while since the last time i wrote so i have quite a bit to say....
first off, the shift button on this computer does not work very well, so if you're wondering why every letter is lower case, now you know.....such is life in ghana.
i have been living in ghana for almost 5 months now (can you believe that!), and i finally have truely adopted the "look". last week for a grueling 6 1/2 hours i sat on a very uncomfortable and rocky floor while 3 ladies braided my hair. they weaved black into mine in the traditional long braid look...so turns out me having short hair was quite short lived indeed. i really like it though, looks cool. it was quite the experience though, with EVERY single person walking by finding it necessary to stop and see somboma (my name....literal translation: mother of sombo) getting her hair done. besides looking cool, it seemed to somehow gain me some kind of respect amongst the elderly ladies in town...which is such a great thing because it's hard for me to really communicate with them (most of the elderly in ghana don't speak english) besides the general greetings.
so, last time i talked briefly about how they practice corporeal punishment here in school, and how it bothered me, but i didn't really see what i could do about it. well, the teacher who is the most severe when it comes to hitting the students was master on duty two weeks ago (every teacher has to be "master on duty" once each term, which basically means you come in early when the students arrive and make sure they are doing what they're supposed to be doing (cleaning the compound, etc.)...i'll be master on duty the week ending november 14th :0 ) so anyways, because he was in charge you can imagine that the beatings were much more frequent and harsh that week. so, in response, i would show up after assembly each day (so i would not be subjected to seeing the morning caning) and at the end of the day during afternoon assembly i would purposly wait until after the students finished with their songs and anthem (which is when master on duty comes in to say whatever he/she has to say) and then i would get on my bike and ride away. well, this definately got the point across, as passive as it may have been. this teacher then came up to me afterwards one day, while we were having our "meeting" (this is what we call it when us teachers go and have pito together after school), and asked me about why i didnt want to see him caning the students. i told him that i don't believe in violence and that there were many other ways that we can punish the students that will actually be beneficial, like making them weed the yards, or having them write an essay about what they did (trust me, they need the english writing practice!!!). he listened to what i had to say, and for the rest of the week i waited until the end of each afternoon assembly and did not see him cane one person! i know he was just doing it for me, but i was still happy. the caning still happens...on a daily basis...but most of the teachers do not do it in front of me anymore. and one of the teachers (one of my favorites) told me that when he is master on duty he will let me come and we will try some different methods of punishment and see if they work. so, we'll see what happens...
while on the subject of school...i have 2 stories for you.
1. apparently there were 3 of the girls (two in form 2 (which would be the equivalent of 7th grade), and one in form 3) that were all "seeing" the same guy. i don't know exactly what that involved as yes, some are already having sex (although, keep in mind that some of the girls at my junior high school are older than i am!), and some are not yet. At any rate, one of the girls in form 2 wrote on the bathroom wall that the other girls should leave him alone, cause he was her boyfriend. well, when the girl in form 3 saw this she was mad! unfortunately for the form 2 girls, she was also the girls prefect (a prefect is someone who is in charge of all the others...usually chosen by the teachers because they are responsible and usually bigger/older). so, this girl decided she wanted to punish the girl who wrote this as she felt the boy was her boyfriend, but since she didn't know which girls were the ones "seeing" this guy...she made the ENTIRE form 2 girls clean the latrines. trust me, these toilets are disgusting, and it was quite the punishment. i thought the entire situation was quite funny, as i can still remember those silly fights over boys back when i was that age. in case you're wondering, the teachers caught wind of what happened and punished the form 3 girl for unjustly punishing everyone else.
2. i am currently teaching the students about plant and animal cells, so i decided to draw a huge picture of the cells to hang on the walls of the classrooms (which definately sucked because i have 3 classes, which means 6 huge cells to draw and color). so i finished with the first 2 cells, and hung them up in one of the classrooms. all was well....until i showed up at school the next day to find that not only had the posters fallen from the wall but some damn goats had decided that that paper would be the most ideal place for them to urinate. so here were my beautifully colored (if i do say so myself :) drawing soaked in goat piss! lets just say for the other ones i used about a roll of tape each to ensure they stay put!
so, my favorite holiday was yesterday in the U.S. :( but i hope everyone at home had an awesome halloween! as for me, i didn't get to dress up, but i did do something special. turns out that on the 30th of october people of the upper west climb this mountain that is about 2 hours from sombo to pray. well, i decided to join the women from sombo that were going. turns out it was mostly my favorite women who were going anyways. what i didn't know was that "praying" on the mountain top really meant HUGE party on the mountain! that night, there were well over a thousand people dancing and having a good time up on the mountain...and the stars were out and it was so beautiful! at 3 am my friend and i went down the mountain and walked to her fathers house (seemingly quite far!) to sleep. and they’re not really “houses”…its more like rooms that all share a common outdoor courtyard. anyways, as soon as we entered her room we heard some noises and flashed the light and there were 3 huge rats scurrying around :( gross! but we slept there anyways cause we were super tired, and besides what else were we gonna do?!? then at 7 when i awoke i was told that I had OVER SLEPT! i was then given my breakfast of pito, beer, and Tzed (a local dish made from millet that was served with okra stew)….we from there hiked back to (and up) the mountain where the party had once again begun. there was a mass there (everyone in the upper west who is christian is catholic) but we were late so only saw the last 5 minutes of it (i was ok with this…especially since otherwise it would have been about 3 hours of listening to a priest speak a language that i understand little of). but overall, it was quite a fun trip and i really got to bond with some of the ladies in my village.
so i just finished a book called “the journey home” written by lee carroll. it is one of the kryon book series and i found it quite interesting and would add it as one of my recommendations. it is a very easy read and it goes along well with that book about the cayce readings (so miranda, when you are finished with that one perhaps pick up this one...also, after you read them send me an email, i'd like to know your thoughts:).
in response to a message about the hippo sanctuary that is nearby my village, i have no details as of yet. i haven't had a chance to visit it yet, but most definately will. supposedly during the wet season it is very unlikely that you will spot a hippo, but if you go during the dry season, which is approaching very rapidly, you will see many. speaking of, it hasn't rained here in about 2 weeks, hamatan is on its way (about mid-novemeber through february), and very soon my body is in for something it has never before experienced.
i want to finish this blog by thanking those who have sent packages and letters. you can not imagine the joy and excitement that comes along with recieving something from home, whether it is a letter, or a package of very yummy smelling bathing goods (that i use every day...thanks girls!), or a package with my favorite candy (much love to you to!! <3 ). The price of airmail here just went up from 40 cents to 1 dollar, so it is a bit more difficult for me to send home,...but i'll do my best. i am currently trying to save money for a trip i want to take around christmas time, however, so far i have not been very successful (i never have been a saver, i'm much better at spending :) in the future, if anyone plans to send a package there are a few things that i could use that i can not get here: First, stuff for school: 1) the big, colorful chalk 2) markers and more markers 2) crayons 4) perhaps colored pencils 5) stickers to put on the papers when they do well. Secondly, for me: 1) COFFEE!! mom sent me some and it was the most wonderful thing ever! but i have used it to completion....and am now back on the instant stuff we can buy here...which is like being used to riding in a limo, then being reduced to riding on the back of an old, dying mule. sorry horrible analogy...but i try not to make my brain work too much on saturdays :) of course this blog is so long it may be sunday before you finish reading it :)
ok, so that it all for now. except that i love you all, and you are in my thoughts constantly. i would love to hear from you and find out exactly how life is going on that side of the world...post a comment or send me a personal email if you get the chance. ok, peace and love.
Diana
p.s. i will post pictures of my new hair doo and of the "prayer" on the mountain next time i travel to a big city, which will probably be the beginning of december.
first off, the shift button on this computer does not work very well, so if you're wondering why every letter is lower case, now you know.....such is life in ghana.
i have been living in ghana for almost 5 months now (can you believe that!), and i finally have truely adopted the "look". last week for a grueling 6 1/2 hours i sat on a very uncomfortable and rocky floor while 3 ladies braided my hair. they weaved black into mine in the traditional long braid look...so turns out me having short hair was quite short lived indeed. i really like it though, looks cool. it was quite the experience though, with EVERY single person walking by finding it necessary to stop and see somboma (my name....literal translation: mother of sombo) getting her hair done. besides looking cool, it seemed to somehow gain me some kind of respect amongst the elderly ladies in town...which is such a great thing because it's hard for me to really communicate with them (most of the elderly in ghana don't speak english) besides the general greetings.
so, last time i talked briefly about how they practice corporeal punishment here in school, and how it bothered me, but i didn't really see what i could do about it. well, the teacher who is the most severe when it comes to hitting the students was master on duty two weeks ago (every teacher has to be "master on duty" once each term, which basically means you come in early when the students arrive and make sure they are doing what they're supposed to be doing (cleaning the compound, etc.)...i'll be master on duty the week ending november 14th :0 ) so anyways, because he was in charge you can imagine that the beatings were much more frequent and harsh that week. so, in response, i would show up after assembly each day (so i would not be subjected to seeing the morning caning) and at the end of the day during afternoon assembly i would purposly wait until after the students finished with their songs and anthem (which is when master on duty comes in to say whatever he/she has to say) and then i would get on my bike and ride away. well, this definately got the point across, as passive as it may have been. this teacher then came up to me afterwards one day, while we were having our "meeting" (this is what we call it when us teachers go and have pito together after school), and asked me about why i didnt want to see him caning the students. i told him that i don't believe in violence and that there were many other ways that we can punish the students that will actually be beneficial, like making them weed the yards, or having them write an essay about what they did (trust me, they need the english writing practice!!!). he listened to what i had to say, and for the rest of the week i waited until the end of each afternoon assembly and did not see him cane one person! i know he was just doing it for me, but i was still happy. the caning still happens...on a daily basis...but most of the teachers do not do it in front of me anymore. and one of the teachers (one of my favorites) told me that when he is master on duty he will let me come and we will try some different methods of punishment and see if they work. so, we'll see what happens...
while on the subject of school...i have 2 stories for you.
1. apparently there were 3 of the girls (two in form 2 (which would be the equivalent of 7th grade), and one in form 3) that were all "seeing" the same guy. i don't know exactly what that involved as yes, some are already having sex (although, keep in mind that some of the girls at my junior high school are older than i am!), and some are not yet. At any rate, one of the girls in form 2 wrote on the bathroom wall that the other girls should leave him alone, cause he was her boyfriend. well, when the girl in form 3 saw this she was mad! unfortunately for the form 2 girls, she was also the girls prefect (a prefect is someone who is in charge of all the others...usually chosen by the teachers because they are responsible and usually bigger/older). so, this girl decided she wanted to punish the girl who wrote this as she felt the boy was her boyfriend, but since she didn't know which girls were the ones "seeing" this guy...she made the ENTIRE form 2 girls clean the latrines. trust me, these toilets are disgusting, and it was quite the punishment. i thought the entire situation was quite funny, as i can still remember those silly fights over boys back when i was that age. in case you're wondering, the teachers caught wind of what happened and punished the form 3 girl for unjustly punishing everyone else.
2. i am currently teaching the students about plant and animal cells, so i decided to draw a huge picture of the cells to hang on the walls of the classrooms (which definately sucked because i have 3 classes, which means 6 huge cells to draw and color). so i finished with the first 2 cells, and hung them up in one of the classrooms. all was well....until i showed up at school the next day to find that not only had the posters fallen from the wall but some damn goats had decided that that paper would be the most ideal place for them to urinate. so here were my beautifully colored (if i do say so myself :) drawing soaked in goat piss! lets just say for the other ones i used about a roll of tape each to ensure they stay put!
so, my favorite holiday was yesterday in the U.S. :( but i hope everyone at home had an awesome halloween! as for me, i didn't get to dress up, but i did do something special. turns out that on the 30th of october people of the upper west climb this mountain that is about 2 hours from sombo to pray. well, i decided to join the women from sombo that were going. turns out it was mostly my favorite women who were going anyways. what i didn't know was that "praying" on the mountain top really meant HUGE party on the mountain! that night, there were well over a thousand people dancing and having a good time up on the mountain...and the stars were out and it was so beautiful! at 3 am my friend and i went down the mountain and walked to her fathers house (seemingly quite far!) to sleep. and they’re not really “houses”…its more like rooms that all share a common outdoor courtyard. anyways, as soon as we entered her room we heard some noises and flashed the light and there were 3 huge rats scurrying around :( gross! but we slept there anyways cause we were super tired, and besides what else were we gonna do?!? then at 7 when i awoke i was told that I had OVER SLEPT! i was then given my breakfast of pito, beer, and Tzed (a local dish made from millet that was served with okra stew)….we from there hiked back to (and up) the mountain where the party had once again begun. there was a mass there (everyone in the upper west who is christian is catholic) but we were late so only saw the last 5 minutes of it (i was ok with this…especially since otherwise it would have been about 3 hours of listening to a priest speak a language that i understand little of). but overall, it was quite a fun trip and i really got to bond with some of the ladies in my village.
so i just finished a book called “the journey home” written by lee carroll. it is one of the kryon book series and i found it quite interesting and would add it as one of my recommendations. it is a very easy read and it goes along well with that book about the cayce readings (so miranda, when you are finished with that one perhaps pick up this one...also, after you read them send me an email, i'd like to know your thoughts:).
in response to a message about the hippo sanctuary that is nearby my village, i have no details as of yet. i haven't had a chance to visit it yet, but most definately will. supposedly during the wet season it is very unlikely that you will spot a hippo, but if you go during the dry season, which is approaching very rapidly, you will see many. speaking of, it hasn't rained here in about 2 weeks, hamatan is on its way (about mid-novemeber through february), and very soon my body is in for something it has never before experienced.
i want to finish this blog by thanking those who have sent packages and letters. you can not imagine the joy and excitement that comes along with recieving something from home, whether it is a letter, or a package of very yummy smelling bathing goods (that i use every day...thanks girls!), or a package with my favorite candy (much love to you to!! <3 ). The price of airmail here just went up from 40 cents to 1 dollar, so it is a bit more difficult for me to send home,...but i'll do my best. i am currently trying to save money for a trip i want to take around christmas time, however, so far i have not been very successful (i never have been a saver, i'm much better at spending :) in the future, if anyone plans to send a package there are a few things that i could use that i can not get here: First, stuff for school: 1) the big, colorful chalk 2) markers and more markers 2) crayons 4) perhaps colored pencils 5) stickers to put on the papers when they do well. Secondly, for me: 1) COFFEE!! mom sent me some and it was the most wonderful thing ever! but i have used it to completion....and am now back on the instant stuff we can buy here...which is like being used to riding in a limo, then being reduced to riding on the back of an old, dying mule. sorry horrible analogy...but i try not to make my brain work too much on saturdays :) of course this blog is so long it may be sunday before you finish reading it :)
ok, so that it all for now. except that i love you all, and you are in my thoughts constantly. i would love to hear from you and find out exactly how life is going on that side of the world...post a comment or send me a personal email if you get the chance. ok, peace and love.
Diana
p.s. i will post pictures of my new hair doo and of the "prayer" on the mountain next time i travel to a big city, which will probably be the beginning of december.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
School has finally begun! Hooray!!
Greetings from Africa! I hope everyone at home is happy and doing well. Much has happened since I last blogged...
Well, school began, FINALLY! Turns out I really enjoy teaching...who'd of thought :) Its tough work, but I can already begin to feel the rewards that come with it. I teach about ten 70 minute periods a week, which I think is pretty much the perfect amount for a beginner. My students are so cute and I love them already. Some have very good English skills and have already adapted to my accent (they are super helpful at telling me when I need to re-phrase something or say it again), and then of course, there are many who I can barely get to say a word. And only God knows if they are understanding me or not. Thats where the "tough" part lies.
Also, there have been many days where my classes have been canceled (this has especially been the case this week: Wed class cancelled due to Catholic Mass, one class Thursday due to an HIV/AIDs course, and all classes Friday because the students were harvesting the beans and peanuts on the farms). But we will get through the syllabus eventually...although that may mean holding extra classes after hours :(
So I had my first class test (the equivalent of a quiz in US). The grades ranged from 100 % to 0%. The class average was a 47% in one class and 29% in another (the 3rd class is so far behind we haven't even covered enough to have a test). Not good!!! So, for a homework assignment I told them to go home and correct all of the questions they got wrong. Well, the next class I went around to check their homework and turns out that at least one-third of the class didn't do it. So, I gave them a speal about how it seems that the students that did their homework were the same students who did well on the test. Then I told them about how I'm not going to cane them (a form of corporeal punishment that is very frequently (like everyday!!) used here that involves using a branch from a tree to hit the children), and how I didn't believe in it, but that there would be punishment for not doing homework in my class. So, I told them they had to do the original homework, plus write "I will do my homework on time." 50 times. At this point one kid in the class raised his hand and said "Madam, please, could you just cane us instead?" I thought that was quite funny..and hopefully a sign that the punishment might actually work...we'll see...
So, I went to Tamale (the 3rd largest city in Ghana) for the weekend to meet up with some other volunteers. It was pretty awesome! There is this bar there that makes you feel like you've just entered an American bar (only more modern!). And we hung out there...watched to the 80's-early 90's rap videos that were blasting from the tv screen and drank literally THE BEST white russians I've ever had (and that used to be my drink...(before the vegan in me came out)). I'm pretty sure the secret ingredient was Ideal, which is a condensed milk they use here (I think you can see a can on the table in the pic of my homestay). We also spoiled ourselves by going out to an Indian restaurant and having real ice cream for dessert. Not a bad weekend. Except the last night...I stayed up all night trying to upload my pics onto this blog (plus I had to leave for the bus station at 4 am anyways and was afraid I'd oversleep), with very limited success...as you can see. Over the course of about 4 hours I was only able to get those 4 pictures uploaded due to some mysterious problem with the connection...bummer! But it looks like I'm having to go to Kumasi (the 2nd largest city in Ghana) at the end of this month for some official business, so I'm going to try again.
Another fun adventure...I just went to a festival Wednesday of this week...which was pretty cool. There was dancing, food, beer, and good conversation. I'll definately go again next year.
So...what is a normal day like for me? Wake up at 6 am and make breakfast (including REAL coffee..thanks mom :) and listen to BBC. Walk/ride bike to school by 730. Then sit and read for the vast majority of the day...with classes randomly intertwined. A lot of times the students whose teachers are not there (which is quite often, actually) come and ask me to teach them something. This turns out to be quite a difficult thing to do...totally wing it with no lesson plan and no idea what kinds of things the students know, or are supposed to be learning. So, some days I'm actually teaching quite a bit..it just depends. Then ~2pm school closes for the day. The other teachers and I usually go sit under some mango tree and drink some pito. Fun times...it's probably where most of my Degarre learning comes in. Then maybe bike ride or go and relax (read more) or go visit someone in the town...which usually results in more pito drinking :) Followed by dinner, possible lesson plan writing, bathing (yeah, I actually do that daily here..can you believe it!?! Of course, you never really quite sweating at any point throughout the day, so it's a bit more necessary than in the US) and more reading before bed by around 8 pm. So, yeah, pretty chill atmosphere most of the time...I like it...very low stress.
Speaking of reading...the new book "The Omnivore's Dilemma" is awesome! If you have any interest what-so-ever about where the food you're eating actually comes from...check out this book. He even explores the Organic industry and how "inorganic" it actually is. He's a really intriguing writer too...keeps you interested the whole time. Check it out!
Ok, I've written enough for now..and I'm sure you're all tired of reading at this point, so until next time. Love and miss ya...
Diana
Well, school began, FINALLY! Turns out I really enjoy teaching...who'd of thought :) Its tough work, but I can already begin to feel the rewards that come with it. I teach about ten 70 minute periods a week, which I think is pretty much the perfect amount for a beginner. My students are so cute and I love them already. Some have very good English skills and have already adapted to my accent (they are super helpful at telling me when I need to re-phrase something or say it again), and then of course, there are many who I can barely get to say a word. And only God knows if they are understanding me or not. Thats where the "tough" part lies.
Also, there have been many days where my classes have been canceled (this has especially been the case this week: Wed class cancelled due to Catholic Mass, one class Thursday due to an HIV/AIDs course, and all classes Friday because the students were harvesting the beans and peanuts on the farms). But we will get through the syllabus eventually...although that may mean holding extra classes after hours :(
So I had my first class test (the equivalent of a quiz in US). The grades ranged from 100 % to 0%. The class average was a 47% in one class and 29% in another (the 3rd class is so far behind we haven't even covered enough to have a test). Not good!!! So, for a homework assignment I told them to go home and correct all of the questions they got wrong. Well, the next class I went around to check their homework and turns out that at least one-third of the class didn't do it. So, I gave them a speal about how it seems that the students that did their homework were the same students who did well on the test. Then I told them about how I'm not going to cane them (a form of corporeal punishment that is very frequently (like everyday!!) used here that involves using a branch from a tree to hit the children), and how I didn't believe in it, but that there would be punishment for not doing homework in my class. So, I told them they had to do the original homework, plus write "I will do my homework on time." 50 times. At this point one kid in the class raised his hand and said "Madam, please, could you just cane us instead?" I thought that was quite funny..and hopefully a sign that the punishment might actually work...we'll see...
So, I went to Tamale (the 3rd largest city in Ghana) for the weekend to meet up with some other volunteers. It was pretty awesome! There is this bar there that makes you feel like you've just entered an American bar (only more modern!). And we hung out there...watched to the 80's-early 90's rap videos that were blasting from the tv screen and drank literally THE BEST white russians I've ever had (and that used to be my drink...(before the vegan in me came out)). I'm pretty sure the secret ingredient was Ideal, which is a condensed milk they use here (I think you can see a can on the table in the pic of my homestay). We also spoiled ourselves by going out to an Indian restaurant and having real ice cream for dessert. Not a bad weekend. Except the last night...I stayed up all night trying to upload my pics onto this blog (plus I had to leave for the bus station at 4 am anyways and was afraid I'd oversleep), with very limited success...as you can see. Over the course of about 4 hours I was only able to get those 4 pictures uploaded due to some mysterious problem with the connection...bummer! But it looks like I'm having to go to Kumasi (the 2nd largest city in Ghana) at the end of this month for some official business, so I'm going to try again.
Another fun adventure...I just went to a festival Wednesday of this week...which was pretty cool. There was dancing, food, beer, and good conversation. I'll definately go again next year.
So...what is a normal day like for me? Wake up at 6 am and make breakfast (including REAL coffee..thanks mom :) and listen to BBC. Walk/ride bike to school by 730. Then sit and read for the vast majority of the day...with classes randomly intertwined. A lot of times the students whose teachers are not there (which is quite often, actually) come and ask me to teach them something. This turns out to be quite a difficult thing to do...totally wing it with no lesson plan and no idea what kinds of things the students know, or are supposed to be learning. So, some days I'm actually teaching quite a bit..it just depends. Then ~2pm school closes for the day. The other teachers and I usually go sit under some mango tree and drink some pito. Fun times...it's probably where most of my Degarre learning comes in. Then maybe bike ride or go and relax (read more) or go visit someone in the town...which usually results in more pito drinking :) Followed by dinner, possible lesson plan writing, bathing (yeah, I actually do that daily here..can you believe it!?! Of course, you never really quite sweating at any point throughout the day, so it's a bit more necessary than in the US) and more reading before bed by around 8 pm. So, yeah, pretty chill atmosphere most of the time...I like it...very low stress.
Speaking of reading...the new book "The Omnivore's Dilemma" is awesome! If you have any interest what-so-ever about where the food you're eating actually comes from...check out this book. He even explores the Organic industry and how "inorganic" it actually is. He's a really intriguing writer too...keeps you interested the whole time. Check it out!
Ok, I've written enough for now..and I'm sure you're all tired of reading at this point, so until next time. Love and miss ya...
Diana
Saturday, September 20, 2008
New Address
Ok, so I finally have a new, supposedly very reliable, address:
Diana Boothe
Peace Corps Ghana
P.O. Box 523
Wa, Upper West
Ghana, West Africa
Diana Boothe
Peace Corps Ghana
P.O. Box 523
Wa, Upper West
Ghana, West Africa
Time to buckle down...
Hey all,
I hope all is well and happy in good ol' Atlanta. As for Ghana, things are just fine.
First, I want to say that unfortunately you will not be seeing any pictures today. I am seriously trying to get them from my camera to the computers here, but you wouldn't believe the difficulty I'm having with it! Today the reason was because my camera uses a high-speed USB, but the computer does not. Apparently they are not compatable. I had no idea that USBs had speeds associated with them! Learn something new everyday. So, next I will try the other computer cafe in Wa. Probably next weekend. If it doesn't work there, I will try when I travel (I am going to Tamale first weekend in October..and I have high hopes as it is a big city :) . Soon, my friends, soon.
So, I am just finishing up with my relaxing break before school starts. I've had a friend from Kukurantumi visit me on her way to a job interview in the Upper West. It was nice to have some company at my house (although I thought she was only staying one night and it turned into 4 and by the time she left, believe me, I was quite ready for some time alone). It was so funny too, because she doesn't speak Degarre (because she is from the south, she speaks Twi), and she kept saying to me "You won't believe how frustrating it is...I don't have any idea what anyone is saying" and I just laugh...and let her know that I'm sure I can relate.
Also, I've been hanging with some other volunteers on the weekends. It's fun to get to speak at the normal "American English" pace. Although sometimes we find ourselves slipping back into Ghanaian English when talking with one another.
So, school officially started last Tuesday. However, the first week is entirely devoted to the students cleaning the compound (ie. weeding, working on the school farm, sweeping the classrooms, etc.). So, basically we (the teachers) just sat around all week chatting or going around and having some pito :) I had so much down time, but was pretty much required to be there, so I have already written my lesson plans for the first 2 1/2 weeks of classes. If I can manage to stay on top of them like this, I think I will prevent much unnecessary stress throughout the term.
So, classes will start this Monday. I am excited! It's going to be quite interesting...these kids are coming straight from primary school, so there is a very good possibility that some can barely speak English...and I'm asking them to not only understand Ghanaian english, but then to be able to hear through my accent as well. We'll see how it goes..Wish me luck!
Other than school stuff, I've been riding my bike A LOT! I've been going to the nearby (5-10 kilometers away) villages to check them out. The otherday I found a river that some boys were swimming in...and I'm sure I'll put it to good use as soon as the weather gets really hot. I've been told that October is the month for swimming as the rains will have washed all of the pollution and snakes away. I don't have any idea how valid that statements is...you kinda have to take all advice here with a grain of salt. For example, you shouldn't eat pork because pigs lead us to water. Wow, I didn't know that....at any rate, I'm ok with them not eating pork :)
The language is coming along smoothly. I'm learning around 1-2 new phrases/words per day and this seems to be an ok pace for me. I can understand much more of what is being said now, which is nice when I'm sitting around with the ladies. At first I never knew if I should make eye contact or not because I had no idea what they were saying and I didn't know which facial expressions were appropriate. But I'm kinda used to it now, and have found an ability to be completely comfortable sitting with them silently. Sometimes I even fully understand the questions they ask me, but many times it takes me so long to formulate an answer in Degarre that they assume I don't understand. But these are very patient people, I am very lucky in that respect, and they are very helpful in guiding me through this learning journey.
Ok, my internet time is up. But I will soon write again (and hopefully upload pics...cross your fingers!) and let you know how classes went. I hope the US is treating everyone well, and I hope you are all eating delicious food and doing lots of laundry (my hands have tons of scabs from hand washing my clothes!). I love and miss you all.
Diana
I hope all is well and happy in good ol' Atlanta. As for Ghana, things are just fine.
First, I want to say that unfortunately you will not be seeing any pictures today. I am seriously trying to get them from my camera to the computers here, but you wouldn't believe the difficulty I'm having with it! Today the reason was because my camera uses a high-speed USB, but the computer does not. Apparently they are not compatable. I had no idea that USBs had speeds associated with them! Learn something new everyday. So, next I will try the other computer cafe in Wa. Probably next weekend. If it doesn't work there, I will try when I travel (I am going to Tamale first weekend in October..and I have high hopes as it is a big city :) . Soon, my friends, soon.
So, I am just finishing up with my relaxing break before school starts. I've had a friend from Kukurantumi visit me on her way to a job interview in the Upper West. It was nice to have some company at my house (although I thought she was only staying one night and it turned into 4 and by the time she left, believe me, I was quite ready for some time alone). It was so funny too, because she doesn't speak Degarre (because she is from the south, she speaks Twi), and she kept saying to me "You won't believe how frustrating it is...I don't have any idea what anyone is saying" and I just laugh...and let her know that I'm sure I can relate.
Also, I've been hanging with some other volunteers on the weekends. It's fun to get to speak at the normal "American English" pace. Although sometimes we find ourselves slipping back into Ghanaian English when talking with one another.
So, school officially started last Tuesday. However, the first week is entirely devoted to the students cleaning the compound (ie. weeding, working on the school farm, sweeping the classrooms, etc.). So, basically we (the teachers) just sat around all week chatting or going around and having some pito :) I had so much down time, but was pretty much required to be there, so I have already written my lesson plans for the first 2 1/2 weeks of classes. If I can manage to stay on top of them like this, I think I will prevent much unnecessary stress throughout the term.
So, classes will start this Monday. I am excited! It's going to be quite interesting...these kids are coming straight from primary school, so there is a very good possibility that some can barely speak English...and I'm asking them to not only understand Ghanaian english, but then to be able to hear through my accent as well. We'll see how it goes..Wish me luck!
Other than school stuff, I've been riding my bike A LOT! I've been going to the nearby (5-10 kilometers away) villages to check them out. The otherday I found a river that some boys were swimming in...and I'm sure I'll put it to good use as soon as the weather gets really hot. I've been told that October is the month for swimming as the rains will have washed all of the pollution and snakes away. I don't have any idea how valid that statements is...you kinda have to take all advice here with a grain of salt. For example, you shouldn't eat pork because pigs lead us to water. Wow, I didn't know that....at any rate, I'm ok with them not eating pork :)
The language is coming along smoothly. I'm learning around 1-2 new phrases/words per day and this seems to be an ok pace for me. I can understand much more of what is being said now, which is nice when I'm sitting around with the ladies. At first I never knew if I should make eye contact or not because I had no idea what they were saying and I didn't know which facial expressions were appropriate. But I'm kinda used to it now, and have found an ability to be completely comfortable sitting with them silently. Sometimes I even fully understand the questions they ask me, but many times it takes me so long to formulate an answer in Degarre that they assume I don't understand. But these are very patient people, I am very lucky in that respect, and they are very helpful in guiding me through this learning journey.
Ok, my internet time is up. But I will soon write again (and hopefully upload pics...cross your fingers!) and let you know how classes went. I hope the US is treating everyone well, and I hope you are all eating delicious food and doing lots of laundry (my hands have tons of scabs from hand washing my clothes!). I love and miss you all.
Diana
Thursday, September 11, 2008
It's been awhile...
Hey everyone! Sorry I know I've been neglecting my blogging responsibilities lately. There has been so much work to do on my house...but I am finally feeling settled in and at home... and with 4 days to spare before school! The first week was somehow rough at my new place because there still were no lights. So, basically, I was going to sleep by like 730 (how lame am I), and waking up around 5 am. This schedule just couldn't possibly be maintained, so I spent 4 of the longest hours of my life at the electric company pleading and begging them to give me lights. (I don't know if I mentioned it before, but the volunteer who lived at my house before me ran up a crazy huge electricity bill and left country without paying it! Thanks a lot!) Anyways, it was worth my time..because now I have power and I can charge my electronics, play my ipod, and SEE! It's almost like I'm in the US... :)
So, the down-time before school starts has been abundant. I've been doing a lot of cleaning...it takes me around 4 hours to do the laundry so I never want to hear anyone complain about putting their clothes in a washing machine again!! And reading...Currently I'm reading this book called "Many Mansions, the Edgar Cayce Story on Reincarnation" by Gina Cerminara. It is one of the most amazing books I've read...and I want to personally recommend that everyone go to the bookstore and grab a copy ASAP. Mom and Pat...I think you'd both really enjoy it..and after you're done mom, give it to Mema..you'll understand why after you read it.
Today I am in Wa getting 2 of the most important items for me over the course of the next 2 years: gas and a bike. If I have to cook on the coal pot (with charcoal) one more time...I swear I'll just resort to an all raw diet (which could easily be quite fatal here considering how unadjusted my stomach is to the "bugs" here). And the bike is just essential for peace of mind. There are the most beautiful grasslands outside my house (miranda..I promise next time I'll bring my camera and upload pics! sorry!) and I can't wait to go and explore them.
So, I had some "small boys" come to my house yesterday and help clear all the weeds that decided to grow where my garden will be. So, next on the list is to get some seeds and bird poop...and soon I'll have my very own veggies to eat.
Ok, well, I'm gonna leave it here for today. But now that I know where this internet cafe is, and I'm not running around crazily trying to buy things for my house, I'll be able to come and write more. You can probably expect a new post at least every 2 weeks... once a week if you're super lucky :) Alright, I miss you all, and will have tons of new exciting things to tell you next time seeing as how school will have started and my life won't be quite so boring. Ok, love you, Di.
So, the down-time before school starts has been abundant. I've been doing a lot of cleaning...it takes me around 4 hours to do the laundry so I never want to hear anyone complain about putting their clothes in a washing machine again!! And reading...Currently I'm reading this book called "Many Mansions, the Edgar Cayce Story on Reincarnation" by Gina Cerminara. It is one of the most amazing books I've read...and I want to personally recommend that everyone go to the bookstore and grab a copy ASAP. Mom and Pat...I think you'd both really enjoy it..and after you're done mom, give it to Mema..you'll understand why after you read it.
Today I am in Wa getting 2 of the most important items for me over the course of the next 2 years: gas and a bike. If I have to cook on the coal pot (with charcoal) one more time...I swear I'll just resort to an all raw diet (which could easily be quite fatal here considering how unadjusted my stomach is to the "bugs" here). And the bike is just essential for peace of mind. There are the most beautiful grasslands outside my house (miranda..I promise next time I'll bring my camera and upload pics! sorry!) and I can't wait to go and explore them.
So, I had some "small boys" come to my house yesterday and help clear all the weeds that decided to grow where my garden will be. So, next on the list is to get some seeds and bird poop...and soon I'll have my very own veggies to eat.
Ok, well, I'm gonna leave it here for today. But now that I know where this internet cafe is, and I'm not running around crazily trying to buy things for my house, I'll be able to come and write more. You can probably expect a new post at least every 2 weeks... once a week if you're super lucky :) Alright, I miss you all, and will have tons of new exciting things to tell you next time seeing as how school will have started and my life won't be quite so boring. Ok, love you, Di.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Have finally seen my new home!!
Hey all. How's A-town? So... I finally got to go and visit my new home in the Upper West. It was unbelievable! The trip is a very hard and long one, it takes about 12 hours from Kukurantumi (where I stay now). As you may guess, we are not riding on a nice, comfy US bus with bathrooms in the back and tvs in the front. These buses are pretty small, and the seats are less than cozy. They fill them with so many people, you can barely move to scratch your leg. Also, the further north you travel, the worse the roads get. So, for a vast part of the trip you travel on an unpaved road, full of potholes and uneven parts, and very, very, very dusty! The north is very dry so while you get to enjoy the fact that you're not constantly coming home with mud all over your shoes/legs (which is the case in Kukurantumi), you have to endure the crazy dust. I'm sure there will be more blogs on this as it is the rainy season now, and I'm sure I can't even imagine what the dry season will bring. Anyways, back to the trip. So, despite the long and bumpiness, the scenery along the ride was so beautiful. I keep forgetting to bring my camera along with me when I use the computer, but I will get those pics up soon...I swear. And mom, I can't wait for you to get to see this stuff first hand next august. So, finally, around 1 am I arrived at my site. I can probably say with confidence that the people of the Upper West in Ghana are the most chill people I've ever come into contact with. The entire atmosphere is so completely relaxed...a bit like heaven :) It is in sharp contrast to my life here in Ktumi, where everyone is constantly yelling at the white person wanting me to give them all my attention, and constantly inquiring about what my name is and where I'm going. That gets old very quickly and this week-long trip was the best medicine I could have asked for. The country director here says that the happiest volunteers are "those teaching art for the deaf, and those living in the upper west". I can't speak for the first part, but I definately understand the latter. So, all of the schools are out right now...I make it sound like there are a lot...but there's only 2 primary schools and 1 Junior HS. So, all of the teachers basically are just hanging out, chatting and drinking Daa (pee-to) which is the local alcoholic drink. Not sure if I mentioned it before, but Daa is made from fermented millet and is quite delicious. You have to be careful though, cause since it is locally made (by everyone woman in the town, it seems), you can never tell how strong a particular batch may be; it can sneak up on you if you're not careful. So, the town is very small, and everyone pretty much knows everyone else (kinda like cheers :) and they are all extremely welcoming. I feel like there is much promise and that I'll really be able to make some impact on the children here. So, the main "city" is about 15 miles away, so not too far. I went there a couple of times during site visit and met with some of the volunteers who have been living there for a year. They all seem very cool. Oh, I forgot to mention i have a roommate. She is a JICA volunteer from Japan. She's been in Sombo 2 years as a nurse, and has one more year of service. I was super excited at first cause I figured she'd be able to teach me Degarre (the local language), but unfortunately, she hasn't learned any. I think I may already know more actually. So, I guess it's up to me. But, she is very nice, and she has already completely furnished the house...which was so much nicer than I could of ever imagined. We have couches and a table with chairs in the living room, a couch and desk in my bedroom, a stove (with oven!) and a fridge and running water. We don't however have electricity (I think we're the only ones in the town) and so therefore only have a hot fridge. Our house has the potential for electricity but it seems that the last 2 volunteers at my house never paid their bill, so there is a 300 cedi debt. I'm gonna talk to the chief when I move in though and see if he'll overlook the debt as long as we pay. There is also a fenced in backyard with a place for my garden...which makes me happy. A few funny things that happened during site visit: I was waiting for the bus when this guy from my town came up to me and starting asking me to marry him. I was joking around with him, and then I said No, I'm sorry in Degarre which is "N Scien". Well the dialect in Sombo is different from that of my language teacher so they say I'm sorry differently...they do however have a saying "N sayen" which means that you are agreeing with the person! So, it seems I was engaged for a couple of minutes before someone explained it to me. Also, on the bus ride home there was this "watering truck" which drives down the road spraying water on the roads to minimize dust. Our bus driver decided to pass one of these spur of the moment on the way home which resulted in gallons of water shooting in all the bus windows. Us americans thought it was absolutely hilarious, the Ghanaians thought it less so. Oh and also one night I met up with some of the volunteers in Wa around 6 pm. What I didn't know was that the last tro going back to Sombo left Wa at 4 or 5. So, basically I was stranded. Everyone up there rides a motorbike, and since we are permitted to do so, I was stuck begging for rides as they passed (don't worry, this is a very safe and common practice for everyone). I ended up catching a ride back on this huge logging semi. It was quite the experience....live and learn...I won't be staying late in Wa again. So, yeah, I just need to stick out training for 2 more weeks and I'm a free woman! It's almost mean of them to allow us to go to our house, have alone time, get to cook our own food and do what we want, when we want to, only to have to come back to training. But such is life. So, I'm just trying to enjoy these last days I'm spending with fellow Americans, and trying to tolerate being someones "young daughter who cant cook, or iron" again. Ok, well, my computer time is up. I'll try and get on and post those pics next Thursday. Oh, and Hope...congrats on finishing school...I'm super proud of you! And Brit thx for completing the list, I hope you enjoyed it. Plus, one of the other volunteers had like 6 frisbees sent to him so he was kind enough to give one to me. So, by the end of my service Sombo should have an ultimate team that could rival anyone of them in the US:) OK, I love and miss you all. TTYS.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Still haven't gotten sick...:)
Hey all...how's A-town? The raining season seems to be slowing down here, now it rains about once every 2 or so days instead of everyday. This seems nice now, but once I move to my site in the upperwest I will dread it. Since I rely on water from a borehole, and since the boreholes dry up, I'm going to have to learn to be resourceful real quick. Guess I'm gonna have to learn to bathe using the water sachets :)
The other weekend we all went to this place called Bote Falls. Mom--when you come here, this is a must! Anyways, it was seriously the most incredible sight I've ever seen. There were 2 waterfalls that are straight out of a movie. I really wanted to swim, but they sent 3 trainers along with us, I think exactly for this reason, plus it was somehow cold down by the water. Afterwards we went on this hour-long hike that had parts that were practically straight uphill. And it all ended at this HUGE rock called Umbrella Rock that overlooks what looks like all of Ghana. So beautiful. Unfortunately my camera is currently out of commission due to a leaky water bottle that was in my purse :() However, I made sure everyone else took many photos and I'm about to set up a new website that all the other trainees can use to post their pics. As soon as I know the site...I'll let you know.
There is also some huge festival going on in the town we're staying in. For the past week there has been a huge influx of people coming from all over to see this thing. There have been people walking the streets at 9 am with beers in their hand...kinda reminds me of Panama City in highschool....no, but it is quite interesting. Today is the actual festival so I'm even a little nervous to see what it will be like.
Other than these highlights, my days have pretty much been filled with training. I get up at about 5 or 6 (or whenever the sweeping my mother is doing outside my bedroom wakes me up...sometimes 430) and have language lessons by 8. They are going really well, I'm learning Degarre, "Ansomal, fo gar be son?", and I really enjoy it. There are 3 other trainees in my group and we are all about at the same level, so it makes it easy and enjoyable. They will also be my closest neighbors once we move so it is nice that we get to know each other so well now. After language they find some ways for us to fill our days; our only day off is Sunday. There are many technical sessions where they attempt to make teachers out of us, along with sessions about the culture. Plus we have personal projects that we were assigned to do, and my group is going to try and hold a "career fair" next week for the youth of the community that are not in school. It is either going to be completely hit or miss. But its all just a learning experience so that we dont screw up too badly once we actually get to our site.
Oh, I almost forgot, I had to bring out the old soccer skills from highschool last week, we played trainees vs. trainers. All week they kept talking about how awesome they were and how they were gonna completely slaughter us, at we totally whooped their asses! It was awesome. And what seems like the entire village came to watch. There were people everywhere on the sidelines, but I guess we're pretty used to people staring at us by now anyways. It was pretty cool though, it was like we had consessions and everything because all the women came with their various foods and drink for sale on their heads. And I've even found "soy-a" kabobs here. They are quite tasty...just very chewy tofu and onion covered with pepe (the local seasoning they put on everything, I mean EVERYTHING, that is made from peppers and can be quite hot). They're really good, in fact, my homestay mother is busy making some right now (it is a 48 hour process!). A girls gotta get her protein!
Oh, did I mention before that I ran into Jeremy Davis from highschool?? Crazy! We were waiting on this PCV coming down from somewhere up north to talk to us in Twi, and give us some tips on how he became fluent, and he was running late. I said to a friend, "Oh, this guy better be very cute if we're going to have to stick around for so long waiting on him." And he finally showed up, and out from the car comes Jeremy. It was so weird! So I talked with him, and hes been in the peace corps for the last 2 years, and is actually about to come home...I think in about 2 weeks. It's kinda surreal you know, to see someone from back home here...but I always knew it was a small world. In fact, something else wierd, you know my friend Jimmy that I used to hang with all the time before he moved to Portland? Well, looks like he was the chemistry TA for one of my good friends here. So, there you go....a little piece of home no matter where you go.
Ok, I better go for now, as always, I love hearing from you...thanks for writing. I love you all, and hope everything is going your way :)
Love, Di
The other weekend we all went to this place called Bote Falls. Mom--when you come here, this is a must! Anyways, it was seriously the most incredible sight I've ever seen. There were 2 waterfalls that are straight out of a movie. I really wanted to swim, but they sent 3 trainers along with us, I think exactly for this reason, plus it was somehow cold down by the water. Afterwards we went on this hour-long hike that had parts that were practically straight uphill. And it all ended at this HUGE rock called Umbrella Rock that overlooks what looks like all of Ghana. So beautiful. Unfortunately my camera is currently out of commission due to a leaky water bottle that was in my purse :() However, I made sure everyone else took many photos and I'm about to set up a new website that all the other trainees can use to post their pics. As soon as I know the site...I'll let you know.
There is also some huge festival going on in the town we're staying in. For the past week there has been a huge influx of people coming from all over to see this thing. There have been people walking the streets at 9 am with beers in their hand...kinda reminds me of Panama City in highschool....no, but it is quite interesting. Today is the actual festival so I'm even a little nervous to see what it will be like.
Other than these highlights, my days have pretty much been filled with training. I get up at about 5 or 6 (or whenever the sweeping my mother is doing outside my bedroom wakes me up...sometimes 430) and have language lessons by 8. They are going really well, I'm learning Degarre, "Ansomal, fo gar be son?", and I really enjoy it. There are 3 other trainees in my group and we are all about at the same level, so it makes it easy and enjoyable. They will also be my closest neighbors once we move so it is nice that we get to know each other so well now. After language they find some ways for us to fill our days; our only day off is Sunday. There are many technical sessions where they attempt to make teachers out of us, along with sessions about the culture. Plus we have personal projects that we were assigned to do, and my group is going to try and hold a "career fair" next week for the youth of the community that are not in school. It is either going to be completely hit or miss. But its all just a learning experience so that we dont screw up too badly once we actually get to our site.
Oh, I almost forgot, I had to bring out the old soccer skills from highschool last week, we played trainees vs. trainers. All week they kept talking about how awesome they were and how they were gonna completely slaughter us, at we totally whooped their asses! It was awesome. And what seems like the entire village came to watch. There were people everywhere on the sidelines, but I guess we're pretty used to people staring at us by now anyways. It was pretty cool though, it was like we had consessions and everything because all the women came with their various foods and drink for sale on their heads. And I've even found "soy-a" kabobs here. They are quite tasty...just very chewy tofu and onion covered with pepe (the local seasoning they put on everything, I mean EVERYTHING, that is made from peppers and can be quite hot). They're really good, in fact, my homestay mother is busy making some right now (it is a 48 hour process!). A girls gotta get her protein!
Oh, did I mention before that I ran into Jeremy Davis from highschool?? Crazy! We were waiting on this PCV coming down from somewhere up north to talk to us in Twi, and give us some tips on how he became fluent, and he was running late. I said to a friend, "Oh, this guy better be very cute if we're going to have to stick around for so long waiting on him." And he finally showed up, and out from the car comes Jeremy. It was so weird! So I talked with him, and hes been in the peace corps for the last 2 years, and is actually about to come home...I think in about 2 weeks. It's kinda surreal you know, to see someone from back home here...but I always knew it was a small world. In fact, something else wierd, you know my friend Jimmy that I used to hang with all the time before he moved to Portland? Well, looks like he was the chemistry TA for one of my good friends here. So, there you go....a little piece of home no matter where you go.
Ok, I better go for now, as always, I love hearing from you...thanks for writing. I love you all, and hope everything is going your way :)
Love, Di
Monday, July 7, 2008
Hey everyone!! Sorry it took me so very long to write...they are keeping us crazily busy! I don't even know where to begin:
I moved in with my home-stay family a little over 2 weeks ago. It is my mother, father, 22 yr. old sister, my 21 yr. old brother (who I swear looks exactly like a cute version of Chris Rock!), my 16 yr. old brother and my 14 yr. old brother. We definately have a full house :) I have my own room though, with plenty of room to lounge (if I ever actually get the time to lounge). My fam is all very nice, but they worry A LOT about my well-being. "Are you sure you ate enough?" "What time will you be home?" "Where are you going?" I had no idea that for the first 2 months living in Ghana I would be 14 again. But I know they are only doing it out of concern, so it's ok. Plus my mother is such an amazing cook, I have to let the small things go. Seriously, the food is very good, foreign, but good. I have even grown to cherish fu-fu. I think my all time favorite is rice balls (exactly like they sound) and ground-nut soup (ground-nuts are just peanuts :) Oh, and my entire family has read "A light in the Attic" that I brought, and regularly come in my room to listen to Bob Marley on my ipod.
I began teaching last week, and will finish up this Friday. At first it was a bit stressful b/c I'm teaching to the youngest group of students. It is equivalent to 6th and 7th grade in the US, except they are actually a huge range of ages. I'd say the youngest is probably around 7 and the oldest is probably 16. And they are all at very different skill levels. The first 2 classes I taught did not go over very smoothly at all. I couldn't understand why they were all just staring at me when I asked a question, despite how easy it may be. For example "What color is the grass?" No response!! I don't know if you've ever experienced this, but it is no fun. I really wanted to run out of the room! But I later learned that they actually had no idea what the hell I was saying. Since then, I feel like I can say that I've pretty much mastered the Ghanaian English (or Ghanish for short). And I've also learned how to use examples that they understand, like for the food chain...the grass is eaten by a grass-cutter, and a grass-cutter is eaten by humans (by the way, none of you should ever hope to eat grass-cutters (they're like guinea pigs), but it's quite common here). So, in a nutshell, my classes are going very well now. I actually feel like I'm teaching these kids some practical stuff, and I'm doing my best to make it as fun as possible.
Speaking of fun, you know I have not been entirely consumed by just work here. That would just be too unlike me. So, for the 4th of July, we gathered every American in sight, and went to a "spot" (since there really are no bars here, thats what they call the places you can go to drink beer/gin and get some food.) Basically we just drank a bunch of beer and played cards all night. I must say that by all night, I mean until like 730 pm. It gets dark so very early here, like 6 or 630 so even though it is early, when you're walking down pitch black streets with no street lamps it feels like it's 2 am. Plus we are waking up at about 5 am, whether you actually need to get up or not, so by 10 pm everyone is completely exhausted. They actually have fire works here, but we couldnt find any in time for the forth..but we still had fun. Then on Saturday, they taught us some Ghanaian dances that we're going to perform at our swearing in ceremony in August. So, afterwards we went to another spot and this time made this crazy concoction (sp?) consisting of whisky, fan ice (this is like crazy sweet vanilla ice cream) and coke. It was actually quite good, and put us all in the mood for some African dancing. So, all night we had the spot put reggae music on and we dance. Then yesterday, we all got together for a game of ultimate frisbee. It was like 10 obrunis (white man) and about a village and a half of kids. At some point we had to part from the kids so that we could get a real game in. It was a blast, and I really needed the exercise b/c although I'm walking at least 3 miles a day, I haven't really had a chance to get my heart rate up. Unfortunately my frisbee somehow got broken in half while the kids were playing with it. It's still a mystery to me.
So, yeah, things overall are well. I'm trying to balance being serious, and teaching, with still finding time to relax and relieve stress. It looks like I only have 3 more minutes before this internet kickes me off, so I will have to get back to a computer very soon. I have many pictures I want to upload, and I still have many emails to respond to. So, don't worry, I will write again soon......Thanks for all your posts, I love hearing from you all. I love you. -D
I moved in with my home-stay family a little over 2 weeks ago. It is my mother, father, 22 yr. old sister, my 21 yr. old brother (who I swear looks exactly like a cute version of Chris Rock!), my 16 yr. old brother and my 14 yr. old brother. We definately have a full house :) I have my own room though, with plenty of room to lounge (if I ever actually get the time to lounge). My fam is all very nice, but they worry A LOT about my well-being. "Are you sure you ate enough?" "What time will you be home?" "Where are you going?" I had no idea that for the first 2 months living in Ghana I would be 14 again. But I know they are only doing it out of concern, so it's ok. Plus my mother is such an amazing cook, I have to let the small things go. Seriously, the food is very good, foreign, but good. I have even grown to cherish fu-fu. I think my all time favorite is rice balls (exactly like they sound) and ground-nut soup (ground-nuts are just peanuts :) Oh, and my entire family has read "A light in the Attic" that I brought, and regularly come in my room to listen to Bob Marley on my ipod.
I began teaching last week, and will finish up this Friday. At first it was a bit stressful b/c I'm teaching to the youngest group of students. It is equivalent to 6th and 7th grade in the US, except they are actually a huge range of ages. I'd say the youngest is probably around 7 and the oldest is probably 16. And they are all at very different skill levels. The first 2 classes I taught did not go over very smoothly at all. I couldn't understand why they were all just staring at me when I asked a question, despite how easy it may be. For example "What color is the grass?" No response!! I don't know if you've ever experienced this, but it is no fun. I really wanted to run out of the room! But I later learned that they actually had no idea what the hell I was saying. Since then, I feel like I can say that I've pretty much mastered the Ghanaian English (or Ghanish for short). And I've also learned how to use examples that they understand, like for the food chain...the grass is eaten by a grass-cutter, and a grass-cutter is eaten by humans (by the way, none of you should ever hope to eat grass-cutters (they're like guinea pigs), but it's quite common here). So, in a nutshell, my classes are going very well now. I actually feel like I'm teaching these kids some practical stuff, and I'm doing my best to make it as fun as possible.
Speaking of fun, you know I have not been entirely consumed by just work here. That would just be too unlike me. So, for the 4th of July, we gathered every American in sight, and went to a "spot" (since there really are no bars here, thats what they call the places you can go to drink beer/gin and get some food.) Basically we just drank a bunch of beer and played cards all night. I must say that by all night, I mean until like 730 pm. It gets dark so very early here, like 6 or 630 so even though it is early, when you're walking down pitch black streets with no street lamps it feels like it's 2 am. Plus we are waking up at about 5 am, whether you actually need to get up or not, so by 10 pm everyone is completely exhausted. They actually have fire works here, but we couldnt find any in time for the forth..but we still had fun. Then on Saturday, they taught us some Ghanaian dances that we're going to perform at our swearing in ceremony in August. So, afterwards we went to another spot and this time made this crazy concoction (sp?) consisting of whisky, fan ice (this is like crazy sweet vanilla ice cream) and coke. It was actually quite good, and put us all in the mood for some African dancing. So, all night we had the spot put reggae music on and we dance. Then yesterday, we all got together for a game of ultimate frisbee. It was like 10 obrunis (white man) and about a village and a half of kids. At some point we had to part from the kids so that we could get a real game in. It was a blast, and I really needed the exercise b/c although I'm walking at least 3 miles a day, I haven't really had a chance to get my heart rate up. Unfortunately my frisbee somehow got broken in half while the kids were playing with it. It's still a mystery to me.
So, yeah, things overall are well. I'm trying to balance being serious, and teaching, with still finding time to relax and relieve stress. It looks like I only have 3 more minutes before this internet kickes me off, so I will have to get back to a computer very soon. I have many pictures I want to upload, and I still have many emails to respond to. So, don't worry, I will write again soon......Thanks for all your posts, I love hearing from you all. I love you. -D
Sunday, June 15, 2008
So far, so good
Hey guys! Well, I've arrived safely in the lovely place known as Ghana. I spent the first four nights staying at some Women's Center in Greater Accra with all of the other trainees. For the most part, it was a good time. Some of the highlights: the weather is unbelievably perfect (it's the rainy season right now so it's cooler and more windy than Atlanta), the people are very easy to get along with...this includes other trainees and Ghanians, we drink water out of a plastic bag, which sounds weird, but I actually quite enjoy for some reason, we got to attend a party at the ambassadors house that involved a live band, great food, and beer/wine, oh, and the buses play a song by mozart when backing up instead of beeping. Some of the yucky stuff: I have had several lovely shots in the arm (and many more to come), there are many, many spiders...Karyn you'd love that..., and I'm sure I've eaten meat at several occasions so far (they kept saying it was vegetarian but I later found out that if it comes from a can, they don't consider it meat :(). Overall tho, the cons don't even compare to the pros of living here.
On Friday we went to the city in groups of 3 and walked around for about 5 hours. It was quite the experience. I attempted to have conversations with the locals, but considering they had only taught us a couple of sentences they all went like this "Good morning, how are you?" "I am fine, how are you?" "I also am fine." And then the native women would crack up laughing. It was fun and I had a very good time, and I also bought my first 2-yd (cloth to make clothes out of). I've taken many pictures, but unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera to this internet cafe so I'll post them later.
Yesterday I went on my vision quest, which is when you go and stay with a current volunteer for a couple of days. She lives in Tema, about 1 hour east of Accra on the coast. She has been cooking for me, and the food is really good...granted anything is better than the rice and fried chicken they were serving us every day for the past week. I still have not tried fu fu, one of the staples of Ghana, but I will soon. Today we walked about 20 minutes from her house and sat at the beach. It was so beautiful! I borrowed her camera so I could show you guys. It is a little overwhelming here though because they don't speak Twi (which is what I know a little of), and instead they speak ga. This happens to be the only place in the world that speaks ga, so you can see how useful it would be to become fluent. In fact, the volunteer I'm staying with says there is a good chance that she is the only white person in the world that speaks it. They all keep trying to talk to me, and I have no idea what is going on. Hopefully Twi will be the language at the site they place me at.
Oh, by the way, there have been showers at every place I've stayed so far...however they are insanely cold. You have to hold your breath the first time you go under the water every time. Also, a lot of the volunteers (including the one I'm staying with) have running water and electricity! Some even have internet access at their house!
So on Tuesday I will travel again and a few short days after I will know where my site is, and I will also be moving in with a home-stay. It will be very interesting to move in with a family that I have never met, and that I really can't communcate with. Some of the volunteers (hopefully not me) will be being trained in the language they will need once they get to their site, but their home-stay family will speak something completely different. In this case, you just kinda nod and smile all the time :)
Ok, well, I'm gonna leave it here. Next Sunday I should have off and I will do my best to travel to an internet cafe and post a new blog. Until then...I send my love, and I hope everyone is doing well. I would love for you to post something and let me know for sure. Ok, love you all,
Diana
On Friday we went to the city in groups of 3 and walked around for about 5 hours. It was quite the experience. I attempted to have conversations with the locals, but considering they had only taught us a couple of sentences they all went like this "Good morning, how are you?" "I am fine, how are you?" "I also am fine." And then the native women would crack up laughing. It was fun and I had a very good time, and I also bought my first 2-yd (cloth to make clothes out of). I've taken many pictures, but unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera to this internet cafe so I'll post them later.
Yesterday I went on my vision quest, which is when you go and stay with a current volunteer for a couple of days. She lives in Tema, about 1 hour east of Accra on the coast. She has been cooking for me, and the food is really good...granted anything is better than the rice and fried chicken they were serving us every day for the past week. I still have not tried fu fu, one of the staples of Ghana, but I will soon. Today we walked about 20 minutes from her house and sat at the beach. It was so beautiful! I borrowed her camera so I could show you guys. It is a little overwhelming here though because they don't speak Twi (which is what I know a little of), and instead they speak ga. This happens to be the only place in the world that speaks ga, so you can see how useful it would be to become fluent. In fact, the volunteer I'm staying with says there is a good chance that she is the only white person in the world that speaks it. They all keep trying to talk to me, and I have no idea what is going on. Hopefully Twi will be the language at the site they place me at.
Oh, by the way, there have been showers at every place I've stayed so far...however they are insanely cold. You have to hold your breath the first time you go under the water every time. Also, a lot of the volunteers (including the one I'm staying with) have running water and electricity! Some even have internet access at their house!
So on Tuesday I will travel again and a few short days after I will know where my site is, and I will also be moving in with a home-stay. It will be very interesting to move in with a family that I have never met, and that I really can't communcate with. Some of the volunteers (hopefully not me) will be being trained in the language they will need once they get to their site, but their home-stay family will speak something completely different. In this case, you just kinda nod and smile all the time :)
Ok, well, I'm gonna leave it here. Next Sunday I should have off and I will do my best to travel to an internet cafe and post a new blog. Until then...I send my love, and I hope everyone is doing well. I would love for you to post something and let me know for sure. Ok, love you all,
Diana
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Final night in the states
Well, tonight is the official last night I will sleep in the good ol' US of A. My staging event here in Philly has been quite fun and exciting. I seemed to have lucked out with the people in my group (or perhaps every PC group is full of great people), everyone is quite nice, and I've definately enjoyed myself. Tomorrow after getting shots, we board a bus to Newark and you know the rest. I am unbelievably excited, which I think is inevitable after talking about Ghana for the last two days straight, and I want you all to know that I am doing well. This is the last time I will have computer access for awhile, but I'll write as soon as I do. I love you all, and miss you.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Final Goodbye :)
Alright guys...the time has come. I will miss you all dearly and look forward to hearing how all of y'all are doing. As soon as I have some pics and computer access, I will let you guys know how life is in Ghana. LOVE YOU!!
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This is me at the Amsterdam airport after far too many hours without sleep! I didn't realize quite how scary I look in the picture until I posted it...but I think it's funny.
This was one of the first meals I ate with my homestay family. I soon figured out that it was not customary for Ghanaians to eat together like this (they were just doing it as a sort of introduction to the family) and I ended up eating most of the meals over the next 10 weeks alone, which I was totally ok with. It also is not customary to talk while eating in Ghana (due to the abundant amount of spices used in the food, they are afraid they will choke if they try and talk while eating) so eating alone is virtually the same experience anyways.
Here is a pic of me and the girls at a spot. Check out the gigantic beers they serve here (for only 1 Ghana Cedi too!).
I took this picture while riding in a car on the way to Bote Waterfalls. At first I was like "shoot I think I accidently got those people that we were passing in the photo", but once I saw it I thought it was a really cool pic.
This is Kukurantumi, the town where I had training. It is right before the daily rain...
A kiss for you!