An African party and no power

Indi (Good Morning- well at least it is morning while I’m writing)!

Auntie turned 54 last Sunday and it was probably one of the best social events I’ve experienced since I’ve arrived! Auntie and her twin sister, from Accra, hosted an incredible party. They both actually worked really hard all day on their own birthday, but it was a blast and I finally got a chance to help in the kitchen and bond with auntie. From early morning until party time (5pm) they were in the kitchen cooking and preparing, because trying to cook for 30 plus people with only two gas stove burners is difficult. But auntie, her sister, our neighbor-Sister Nancy, and I cranked up some Ghanaian and gospel music, danced, sang and drank beer (that helped) all day while preparing. Auntie finally agreed to let me help with the cooking (I’ve been offering since I arrived-though I’ve been scared she would take me up on it). So I got to join them, sitting on these little stools (no backs and smaller than the chairs in a kindergarten classroom) and was in charge of chopping up vegetables. We (okay, they) made fried rice, salad, fried chicken, kabobs, banku, roasted fish, and of course hot pepper/tomato/onion sauce. The party itself was also a great time (though the preparing was really the best part), about 30 adults and tons of kids attended. We ate and then turned up the music again and had a real, African dance party. Luckily I have a little hint of my mom’s dancing skills, so they were rather impressed that a yavu could actually hold her own on the dance floor with them. The kids loved it, so I had a whole group of small children as my dance partners the whole night! Auntie knows how to throw a party; I was definitely hurting the next morning getting to the 6am bus for school (hangovers in Africa are about five times as bad as home due to the heat and lack of toilets =))!

School officially ended Friday! I was really excited at first, but then got sad this week. I’ve gotten to know some of my students well and really like them. I’m sad to say goodbye to them, but not to the part where I have to try to keep control of a 40-student classroom that is able to speak a language I don’t understand usually! The whole school had finals this week and the teachers were all assigned to monitor certain exams to prevent cheating. In the three exams I monitored, I caught four students with cheat sheets (I’m sure there were more and there was definitely some talking going on)!!! Cheating is bad enough, but when they aren’t even smart enough cheaters to successfully hide a cheat sheet, I have no sympathy! During one of the exams we had a large rain storm with heavy winds (heavy enough that I thought I was back in the tornado-plagued Midwest). I felt so bad for the kids because the classrooms are fully exposed to the outside, they don’t really have walls or windows and just a tin roof. Rain was blowing in from the sides, the roof started leaking in a few spots, and then the one light they have went out due to a power outage. So they were getting wet and as the dark clouds rolled in, the room became almost pitch black for about ten minutes and they couldn’t see their papers, but they were told to keep working! Oh, only in Africa! =)

Speaking of power outages, the rainy season is late in Ghana. That means Lake Volta water levels keep getting lower and that is how the area gets power. So this past week, the government announced and began more frequent light outs (power outages). Instead of the usual every five days having no electricity from 6pm to 6am, it has now changed to every three days (really every 2 ½), and it changes back and forth from being out at night between 6pm to 6am and being out during the day from 6am to 6pm! It is bad! We had our first light out during the day this week. I’m not sure which is worse, day or night light out. At night, it is completely dark except for a few lanterns and difficult to sleep due to the heat. But during the days, some businesses can’t operate, the temperature is really, really hot in the afternoons and there are no fans to provide the small amount of relief they usually offer. Does the human body really adapt to this type of prolonged heat throughout a lifetime? I just wonder how elderly Ghanaians are able to handle the extreme heat with no escape! Maybe this is part of the reason Ghanaian’s lifespan is only 57 years (ours is 77 and the only reason I know this is because I just taught it in class), well it is probably the heat combined with malaria, AIDS, and poor hygiene!

Finally, one of my random Ghanaian comments: the country and especially the Volta Region is predominately Christian and demonstrate this is some overt manners. For instance, the majority of store names have some type of Christian references, for example God’s Glory Fast Food or Jesus Saloon. Some of them are really funny, like the Fear the Lord Electrical Shop (if you saw the electrical supplies they sold you would be in fear). There is also a funny food stand called Clean Hands fast food (uh, thanks for clarifying). Besides stores, the taxis and tro-tros also have large stickers with Christian sayings across the back window, some examples: Love they neighbor, O’ Father, Amen, God’s Will, etc.

I’m traveling to the coast next week for a few days to visit an old slave fort and then some friends, so I should have something interesting to write soon and some more pics. A few of my latest pictures are below. Happy Easter if I don’t get to post before then!

Here is Auntie and her twin sister cooking for their big birthday party.

Here are the little fishies roasting! Besides the two stove burners, this miniature grill is often used to prepare meat.

This is one the views from the shortcut I take each
day from Auntie’s to town.

And this is the little bridge that crosses the stream along the way.

This is one of the roadside food stands, run by Rose who makes fabulous red red.

More pictures

Here is an example of one of the food stand/shacks that I described in the last post. This one is smaller than most, since it isn’t even a room.

This is one of the normal size fast food places…By His Grace

Becky Bruno just sent a fun package with coloring books, crayons, some toys and glitter for the kids at the orphanage. Here they are with one of their glitter creations and glitter all over them! Sometimes it is more fun to put it on yourself, than on paper!

Here is one of the ladies selling produce at the market

Street food and stuff

One of the many great things about Ghana is all the fun food available along the streets. At least every 100 feet there is a vendor selling something to eat and other random items. The most common food items available along the street are bananas, oranges (they squeeze and drink the juice straight from the orange versus peeling and eating-less messy and very refreshing), roasted plantains and yams, mangos, pineapples, nuts, fresh baked bread, and yummy round pieces of fried dough. Then there are also these random little stands that offer meals, such as my favorite fried plantains and beans (called red-red), fried yams and fish, rice and salad, or the more traditional fufu and banku dishes (these mash potatoes-looking, doughy substances that you scoop up stew or sauce with and eat with your fingers-definitely not my favorite). The places that sell meals range from a few sit down restaurants with servers and menus to very small shed-like structures that serve as the kitchen and then you either take your food with you or there is usually a bench outside where you can sit and eat. This is Ghana’s version of fast food. And even more common are the women with just tables set up that serve the food they make in big pots and bring to the roadside to sell. The prices range also with meals at a sit-down restaurant costing around $3 to the fast food that depending on what you get costs less than a dollar usually, and then the ladies along the roadside are the cheapest with meals that cost maybe 50 cents.

My doctor did advise against eating food from the street, but this really is one of the best parts. So far, knock on wood, I haven’t been too sick here (I’m sure I’m jinxing myself right now). I’m really good about avoiding the water and I’m picky about what I do eat from the street (no mystery meat on a stick for me, thank you). But there is a serious lack of refrigeration, so I think it is amazing that I’ve done so well so far! Mayonnaise is supposed to be refrigerated after opening, right?

Also, men (yes, it is always men) ride around on bikes selling ‘ice cream,’ which is really frozen chocolate milk or strawberry yogurt and popsicles. It is like the ice cream truck, but with bicycle horns instead of the catchy music and no chocolate dipped cones. =(

Ghanaian currency is cedis (pronounced seedys); they are paper bills and coins and one US dollar equals 9,000 cedis. The smallest paper bill is 1,000 cedis….so 11 or 12 cents and the largest paper bill that I have seen at least is 20,000 cedis ($2.20).

Hey, does anyone have an inside contact with Dick’s or Johnny Mac’s Sporting Goods? I just emailed them proposals asking for donated recreational equipment (like soccer balls, basketballs, and dart boards, etc) for a HIV/AIDS clinic and recreational support center that we’re trying to establish in town. Thought is was worth a shot to ask.

I’m getting a little better at the local language (it is about time, it has been 2 months), though I’m still fairly bad at it. But I’ve made friends with a few of the women street vendors that I pass daily and they are helping me learn some new words.

I’ve received some really nice emails from people lately! Thank you for thinking about me and checking out the blog to see what is happening in this part of Ghana! In Ewe, Acbecacacaca (Thank you so much)!

TV!!!!!

I traveled this weekend to a town called Kpando, about an hour from mine, to visit some of the other volunteers. Ghana is really a beautiful country! The ride there was a little scary but incredibly scenic. It was scary due to my increasing claustrophobia while riding in the tro-tro’s here or in the back end of covered pick up trucks. Either way, the maximum of people are squeezed in and my morbid thoughts turn to where in the hell are the emergency exits if needed (mostly there is one way in and out). In addition the drivers here are insane! But luckily, the scenery was so beautiful I was distracted from my fear of death (maybe I being a little overdramatic), as the tro-tro climbed up one of the mountain and the whole valley below and Lake Volta were visible.

While in Kpando I visited this great place where pottery is made and sold by local women. They had a huge storeroom full of beautiful pieces that were really inexpensive compared to pottery back home. For example a large serving bowl with cool African etchings for less than $5! Unfortunately (actually fortunately) I couldn’t really buy anything for fear it would all break on the way home.

So not to get into politics here and not to make anyone mad, but wow a lot of people have some bad impressions of our country do to our current international affairs (though there are many that think positively about the US). Everyone has been really nice to me personally, but I have had to get into some debates about the US much more than I’d like with people from all over.

Another thing has happened here this week. Previously a typical evening in the house in which I live would consist of most of us hanging out on the front porch: auntie preparing things to sell; the kids playing, cleaning, or doing homework; me reading or hanging out; and some of the neighbors hanging out chatting. It is quite nice. But now over the past week, this has all sadly changed! Now everyone (except me) sits inside in the previously unused living room, not talking or interacting, just starting like zombies. Have you guessed the culprit? A television!!!! AHHH! Auntie got a television in the house (I told you, it is like the Ritz) and now it dominates most things (plus they turn the volume up as loud as my Grandma J’s TV)! Oh it is so sad, but how interesting for me to watch the effects of TV and see this drastic transition! I can’t blame them, because that is exactly what I would be doing at home too! But, I refuse to watch it here though, I can’t I’m Africa, it is just too weird! Plus, I’ve really enjoyed getting into the habit of reading and hanging outside with friends in the evenings. I have seen some glimpses of their shows though and the acting reminds me of that daytime soap opera, Passions…..but even worse! I have actually watched the West African Idol show just because it is so crazy that American Idol has expanded this far. Some of the people on the show are really talented, but there is an African version of Ryan Seacrest and all the judges replicate ours.

I have only four weeks left until I return home. Sad and excited all at the same time. I have a lot of work that I want to complete here in the next month with the HIV project. The school session is over for the most part next week, so I will have some more time during the week to spend with the HIV NGO and of course with my kids at the orphanage!

The celebration and more random things

First off, today is my brother’s birthday (so wish him a happy birthday if you haven’t already)! Happy Birthday Jeff!

The 50 year celebration was interesting. The big celebrations were in the capitol but in Ho they had some activities at a park/stadium area. The day’s events…marching! It was a competition between the schools in the area to see who had the best marching skills, and then there was also some marching by some police and army officials. Tons of people turned out to watch. Uh, the only I can say is I like fireworks better!

Things are becoming so normal and everyday to me now that I am forgetting the things that seemed so strange and different when I first arrived, but I’m going to try. So here are some more random things about Ghana!

Trash: I don’t think I put this info on here yet. There is no real trash system in place, everyone just throws there trash on the street or into the open sewers that line the roads. They have ‘street cleaners’ (people) who come around and clean up the main streets every once in a while. So surprisingly the streets really don’t get that gross. The trash that is actually collected in some bin or in a waste pile by a stream is burned! Gross, the smell of burning trash is something I won’t miss! I have gotten around the ‘littering’ dilemma by carrying all my trash in my bag and bringing it home at night. The trash collected at our house is taken to one of the few town dumpsters I’ve seen.

Drinking water: I only tried drinking the water here once (a weird, didn't want to offend the village chief scenario) and didn’t have any major problems, but I’m not chancing it. So I drink ‘pure water,' water that has been filtered and treated. They have bottled water, but the water used the most often (because it is the most common to find and really cheap) is in a bag! It is a little plastic bag that holds 500mL (see the pic below), I’ve heard these are common in Mexico too. It helps cut down on the volume of litter, but the empty bags are everywhere! One pure water costs pennies.

African clothes: Many people (especially women) still wear clothes made with the traditional African cloth and style. The women’s clothes are quite beautiful, I’ll have to get more pictures of these types of outfits. The men wear anything usually but some wear shirts made from the cloth and occasionally I’ll see a man (usually older) with just the cloth wrapped around him…kind of like a toga. Even if women don’t wear the traditional clothes they usually wear skirts or dresses, though I have seen a number of pants. Every once in a while I’ll see a group of young girls that dress very western, but to the extreme, like they’ve seen one too many Jay Z videos! They really stand out here among all the other women.

White people image: So this is the part I really dislike, many of the people I have encountered assume all white people are rich! Relatively speaking, anyone from a developed country is rich compared to a number of people here, but not to the level they are assuming. It is like all white people are Bill Gates or own five cars. I feel the impression intensifies when I tell people where I’m from…which honestly I only do if asked. As a volunteer this really bothers me because no one really gets the fact that I have no income, just expenses for three months and that maybe I really don’t have a lot of money. I feel guilty not being able to give people money when they ask.

USA: I’m sure many people have an opinion or an idea of the US. Here, it is usually that it is a paradise country where all your dreams come true. I guess this has been a thought that has been true throughout recent history and I’m sure that is what my own ancestors thought……aaaahhh, the American Dream. We have a great country, with amazing opportunities for everyone, don’t get me wrong but the hard work and struggles that take place to achieve those dreams don’t seem as obvious to folks here. For example, people seem shocked to hear that the US has poor people or even worse homeless people! I don’t really see any homeless people in Ho; everyone just kind of helps each other even though no one really has a lot of anything.

Also I’ve never traveled abroad so this experience, interacting with Ghanaians and the other volunteers from Europe mainly, is really teaching me about the US. I had no idea how closely other countries follow our politics, watch our movies, or listen to our music….it is really weird!

Oh yeah, the other thing they have: West African Idol! Okay, globalization has gone too far!

Pure water.

This is just one of the businesses run by carrying it on your head. This lady walks around town offering convenient pedicures and manicures wherever, whenever!

And of course, I couldn't get through a post, without a wonderful picture of the beautiful kids at the orphanage. They just got done having a little party for the 50 year celebration. The other yevu in the pic is Emily, one of the Danish volunteers with my group. She came by to hang out with the kids while she was in town.

50 years of independence......

Well, it has been a strange week full of lots of emotions and ups and downs. There has been an overwhelming amount of sadness and death this past week, but then happiness too. Last week I went to the hospital with the HIV project to see one of the little girls I’m responsible for visiting. She was there for about one week due to some nasty sores that developed in her mouth and prevented her from eating. She is only five and it was hard to watch her in pain while they forced her to eat. Another little girl with AIDS that I visited my first week here died two weeks ago (I think I mentioned that already, she was ten and it was a huge shock). Well, her grandmother, who had been caring for her, came in to the HIV office this past Friday while I was the only one there at the time. So I talked with her and just let her cry; it was horribly sad and yes of course I cried! She had been buying the normal anti-retroviral medicine plus an expensive herbal medicine for the girl and really thought that this would be the cure. That visit really hit me hard, then on top of that, one of the little boys that lives at my house just lost his mother. She had breast cancer and that is why he has been staying with us, he was just told last night. People here don’t always show sad emotions as quickly as I’m use to and little boys are especially expected just to be tough, so it was heart breaking to see him cry and just look so vulnerable. The lady was a good friend of aunties as well, so it was a sad day around here.

The HIV project has been hard, for the above examples, but also because there is a serious lack of funding for the group and yet so many things they need. They only have 2 staff members and I think neither of them really get paid very often or much at all. They have over 60 clients in the area (people with HIV/AIDS) that they visit and try to support . The majority of these people don’t have enough money to buy the treatment drugs, proper nutritious food, and see the doctor when necessary. I think I mentioned the family that has three HIV positive members, they have to pick one to focus all the resources on and the other two go without medical attention and treatment. There also is a lot of educational and awareness work to be done due to unsafe practices and a great amount of HIV-related stigma that causes suffering for people living with AIDS. Besides trying to help identify some potential funding agencies and writing some proposals, I have also just started looking into starting a project with the group to create a sustainable source of money. Many of the group’s clients have great craft skills, making clothes, jewelry and kente cloth (the traditional African cloth), so we are looking into setting up a website to sell these items and trying to link up with some of the fair trade organizations (like Plowsharing in St. Louis) that sell these types of items from developing countries around the world. Who knows if this will work out, but it is worth a shot, any amount of money coming to these people can help.

I took my third group of kids from the orphanage out this Saturday. I discovered they have a fairly decent library near the orphanage, so I got a membership and took the kids there to check out a book for the week. I was surprised by how much they liked it; we actually sat there for nearly an hour while they read books and then found one to take. There is a picture below of the group I took out with me. The little one is Elolo, the boy I mentioned before who is four but looks maybe two from severe undernourishment in the past. For part of our walk I carried him like a real African woman….on my back secured by a piece of cloth wrapped around us. I’ll have to get a picture of that sometime. We got lots of looks; the locals really got a kick out of it….a yevu carrying a baby on her back! I get the same looks when they see me doing my wash, well looks and offers to help because I apparently still don’t do it right (washing by hand is challenging)!

Again, March 6 is Ghana’s independence day….50 years of freedom! Some of my students asked this week about the ‘age’ of the US and thought it was so cool that the US gained their independence from Britain too, just like Ghana did 50 years ago. I only teach Monday this week and then have the rest off for the holiday!!! On Tuesday I am taking some of the kids to the celebration festival in town. I don’t think there will be any fireworks here, but lots of marching and hopefully some fun music!

Here are some random pics!

I eat a lot of tomato based stews and sauces, this is how they make them. Smashing the tomatoes with a stone!

Here's a close-up shot!

This is an area by my house, it is along a short cut path I take into town. Kind of looks like paradise, huh? Too bad I had to cut out the large heap of trash in the lower left hand corner!!!!!!

The kids I took into town this past Saturday! We're at a place near the market enjoying some drinks. Their bottles say Guinness, but don't worry, it is a non-alcoholic malt energy drink that people here love!

This is one of the girls doing her wash (aka laundry), most people stand like this and bend over to do it! Yikes! I always find a seat somewhere, but still I don't look this graceful when doing mine!