My Ghana Experience: 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!