Pictures and more....

Two more of the children left the house yesterday. Sammy (7) and Elikim (13)...Mom's boys. It was a sad day again. The older boys try to be strong but poor Sammy just couldn't hold it in. Anyone that has ever seen a child cry and can do nothing about it knows how heartbreaking this is. To make matters worse we have finally learned what the rainy season is really like. We have enjoyed really nice weather the whole time we have been here with just a little sprinkle each day. However Thursday and Friday brought downpours most of the day. The weather matched our emotions, it is like God was crying too over these broken hearts.

As hard as it is to be here during this time and to see the children this way, I am grateful and thank God that we are here. We are able to give these kids a little distraction from all the changes that are occurring around them. Before Sammy and Elikim left yesterday we took all the children into town for ice cream (frozen chocolate milk or strawberry yogurt) and sodas. We had a great time and even obtained a few new children on the way! When we were buying the kids' ice cream from the ice cream man on the bike, four random kids gathered around and tried to integrate into the other kids. My mom has a bleeding heart so she bought them all ice cream as well and even bought one for this random lady that walked over and wanted in on the action. Good job Mom, now they think all Yevus are suckers! The random kids even followed us to the soda shop and sat at a table next to us just staring at our kids getting soda. So.....of course next thing you know Mom is ordering them sodas too. This didn't make our kids too happy, I think they were a little jealous or annoyed. After Elikim and Sammy left we were able to dry the tears quickly and return their smiles with good ol' bubbles! Even when the bubbles ran out the kids continued the fun and used the bubbles that spilled as soap! They soaped up their arms and heads and took impromptu baths!!! Very resourceful kids!

Tomorrow Mom will stay with the kids and I will travel to Accra with Peace (one of the girls that is 10 and is always the little hostess of the house). She will be going to live with a family there where her older sister (14) lives. I want to try to ease her concerns and mine over her departure and check out this family and house. It sounds like it could be a great place and opportunity for her. The couple is wealthy, have no children of their own, travel back and forth to the US often, and apparently live next to Kofi Annan. Um, I may see if they want to take me too!

Here are a few more pics:




We did a little shopping at the market earlier this week. My mom was just fascinated by the piles of charcoal and the way they sell it.








Here are some yummy peppers and tomatoes at the market!








This is the kitchen at the orphanage. Yes, it is outside!









Here we are getting the kids ice cream. Which of these kids don't belong???? I think we bought out all of this guy's ice cream!









The girls and me! We are enjoying nice cold bottled soda at the local drinking spot!









Here are our boys! My mom brought these posters for them to color and they loved it! The older boys in the back were all very meticulous in their coloring. They would take one marker out of their bag, use it, and then put it back in right away. Kind of reminded Mom of a small Jeff Johnson!







Here is sweet Sammy! His eyes and smile are irresistible! He's small but he holds his own with the big boys and is great on the drums!













Here's Elikim with a drawing he did for Mom (oh, I mean Mummy). See below for the close-up.


















Oh My! It is a drawing of her and says 'I Love you Mummy.' Seriously, I really wanted to know if he could fit on our suitcase.

It is something about the boys that really have gotten to my mom and me. I don't know if it is because we expect them to be so tough and uninterested (the 13 year olds in particular), so that when they are so loving like this it is shocking and adorable. My dear college friend Rita Pita has always said that she thinks little black boys (she is usually referring to babies though) are the cutest kids......there is something to this.

Sad Goodbyes

I knew before coming back to Ghana that this would not be just one big happy reunion...unfortunately. When we first planned this trip that is what we expected; however, several weeks prior to our trip I learned that there were some serious problems at the orphanage. A new foundation has been set up in the US to help these children here. I am so excited for this foundation and to be able to support it in the future. The Foundation's goal is to support the kids' eduation and send all of the children to boarding school. However, as this foundation is brand new it will take at least a year before there are enough funds to send these kids to the schools. In the meantime the children have to relocate from the orphanage. The landlord is selling the building where they currently reside and the selling price is too high for the building (in fact there just isn't enough money to buy a building at this time). There is also a lack of funds for the orphanage to find a new place at all, even to rent. So I am sad to say that the children are being sent back to their villages, to their guardians. Their guardians are usually aunts/uncles or grandparents. Sister Bernice will still be overseeing these children and trying to ensure that there schools fees are being paid and they are getting the food and clothes they need, but this is by no means a good solution to the problem. Sadly, my mom and I really don't know what to do....their need is so overwhelming. To make matters worse, the children have to go back to their villages now in order to get enrolled in school in time. When we first arrived I thought the children would be leaving the day that we left, but today we learned they need to go back sooner because of school enrollment. We just learned this today and the first child left this afternoon. Needless to say, it has been a devastating day. Tears from my mom, me, Sister Bernice, and the children. The children are all very sad and to see Sister Bernice break down (she is a very tough woman and is part of a culture that rarely shows sad emotions) was too much to bear.

There are a few children that will remain with Sister Bernice because they have no one to return to or their situation is just too awful. There are three children that she will take with her when she leaves the orphanage. My mom and I were also very distressed to learn that Elolo would be sent back to his village as well. When Elolo was brought to the orphanage over two years ago they didn't think he would live. He was severly malnourished. He was being cared for by his blind grandmother that for some reason only took care of his sister and didn't feed him. The village chief took Elolo from her when he was told of the situation and brought him to Sister Bernice. We couldn't let him go back to this same environment. We have asked Sister Bernice if she could possibly keep him with her if we sponsored him. She has agreed and was actually overwhelmed with emotion when we asked this. She too had been very worried about sending him back and is so happy that we want to do this for him. She said she knows that one day we will come back and take him with us! Knowing the Elolo will be cared for well makes us feel a little better, but still I want all the children to be cared for right now. It is my hope that we will be able to help a couple more immediately and get them enrolled in boarding school this year. For now we will be saying goodbye to several more children tomorrow and then the rest this weekend. I only pray we our all strong enough for this.

Please say a prayer for these children and us.

Finally....some pictures!

Here we are with Sister Bernice of the orphanage! Does Sister Bernice's dress look familiar anyone? It is one of the dresses Mom brought from her closet to donate. Sister Bernice loves this dress!














Elolo loving on spider man. Mom does a great Spider Man song by the way...that Elolo now does as well. He also got a spider man t-shirt!
***Update: Thank you to Mary and Shayne for these donated items!***
















Mom with her handsome boys: Noble (13 just as of yesterday), Elikim (13 years old) and Sammy (7 years old). We had just given all the kids their own goodie bags which included these very cool and popular sunglasses! Don't be jealous Jeff, we have extra pairs!











Today we were invited to lunch by a former fellow teacher: Wonder. We ate lunch under this nice shade tree right outside his house. My mom is holding his five week old baby girl, Melody. Mom did well and was able to eat most of the food he served (yams, chicken, and a tomato gravy that was a bit too spicy for her), she also managed to eat with her right hand the whole time!!!! Success! We are going out for drinks with Wonder Friday night.

Hopefully some more pics tomorrow. It took FOREVER to load these pics tonight!

Celebrity Yevus

My Mom says she feels like a celebrity in Ghana! Since we are two yevus (white people) we do get a lot of stares and people that say 'hi' to us. The kids like to yell out yevu, yevu loudly from across the street to get our attention and a wave (a thumbs up or peace sign is always a hit). So needless to say my mom loves the attention. Three months of having people yell yavu at you definitely wears off that feeling. I have the tendency to ignore it, while she is stopping to shake hands and talk!

It is weird to come back to Ghana with someone that has never been. Even though it has been over a year and a half since I was here, it feels at times like I never left. Things here still feel so natural to me (of course they didn't originally, it took some time to get to that point). So sometimes I forget how weird or different things actually are here for my Mom. Though she is really taking in everything so well, that at times I feel like she has been here before too!

We are getting to spend a great amount of time with the children at the orphanage which is wonderful! The fact that we are staying there allows us to see the children in so many new ways. When we wake up they are there to give us hugs and are excited about the day, at night we have been privileged enough to enjoy the children's drumming, singing, and dancing performances, and we can even put Elolo to bed when he falls asleep in our lap. The kids have an amazing amount of energy all hours of the day, so Momma Carol and I are exhausted by the end of the day or have to take naps during the day!

We are down to our last week and plan to make everyday count with the children. I can't even bear to think about when we leave. =(

Mom Drank the Water!!!!!!!!

Today is the first day that the internet has been working and it is still super slow (sadly still no pics can be posted). I have been in the cafe for an hour now and have only checked two emails and logged onto this site!!!! One of the kids, Peace, is with my mom and me. A former volunteer set up email addresses for the kids and we are helping her check her email. Watching and helping her type an email is adorable!

Well, I must have a stomach made of steel. I spent three months here and had very few problems with the food (no matter where I bought it from), water, etc. My Mom on the other hand, made it four days and then was out of commission for about 2 days! She gave us a little scare on Saturday with being very tired and other ailments, but she is back to herself today! Good thing, because I think Sister Bernice was about to force us to go to the hospital (don't worry, she was overreacting a bit)...my mom and I were both in agreement, a stay in a Ghanaian hospital was not something either of us wanted to experience!

Today we celebrated one of the kids' birthdays. Noble turned 13, so we had a cake made at the local bakery with his name on it and had a little party this afternoon. We even managed to find a few balloons to decorate the house. Noble was definitely a little embarrassed with all the attention and singing, but he loved it. I got a big hug from him tonight when I left the house thanking me. These kids don't normally get their birthdays celebrated. The kids have started something new since I was last here. When they thank us for something, not only do they do the usual hug and thank you, but they also say 'May God bless you richly.' We have been receiving this wish all week for such small things really. We brought them used cloths from Goodwill and for that they want God to bless us richly. It is a beautiful thing really. Humbling.

Besides hanging out with the kids, I have gotten to introduce my Mom to several friends and show her around Ho a bit. I think Ho is quite a shock to her. Even though she has seen my pictures and videos, she still kept thinking we were going to 'the bush.' Now that we have walked on the streets and taken a few taxis she says New York is the only city she has ever seen that is busier than Ho (she is exaggerating a bit here). It is quite a metropolis! We have visited Auntie (the lady I stayed with last time) several times. She invited us to dinner last night....Mom needed to rest more though, so I went and it was great to taste her wonderful cooking again. We also went out to dinner with the volunteer coordinators from DiVOG (Robert, Richard, and DJ) on Friday night and got to catch up. They keep encouraging my mom to go out dancing! I am discouraging this! =) We also went to visit one of my fellow teachers at his new house and got to meet his wife and new baby. I went to church on Sunday with Keldi one of the few Ghanaian girls around my age that reached out to be my friend (I attended church with her several times before). I definitely lost my endurance though for Ghanaian church....after 3 1/2 hours of singing, dancing, and preaching in the heat, I had to leave church. Keldi stayed for another 45 minutes after me and it was still going on when she left!!!! My mom and I picked out Ghanaian fabric and are having outfits made for us and can hopefully wear these to church next week. We also let the kids pick out their own fabrics and are getting church outfits made for them!

We are being treated wonderfully at the orphanage and eating way too much food! They are always worried we are hungry! We lucked out with an indoor toilet and running water! However. we are getting to enjoy bucket baths! It is a little rough in the morning when I have to poor that cold water down my back. The weather has been very pleasant....cooler than the time I was here before (God IS blessing me richly!!!). It is the end of Ghana's rainy season, so the rain is helping to keep things cool. Though it has gotten very hot a few days (hot enough that Mom had to buy a sweat rag), but the evenings are a nice relief.

Now for the highlight of the post, a Word From Carol:

I do not write as well as my daughter, so please bear with me. I am so very pleased and blessed to be here with her making all of these memories.

I have had a very good time and yes have been under the weather just a little bit the last few days, but please know that all is well now. I had a long talk with God and told him that I could not be sick anymore. So far.....so good.

I have been taking a lot of pictures to document my experiences. Just wait till I get back.
For my Ashley friends.....wait till you see the competition.

When was the last time you saw children spend an entire day outside playing, these kids amaze me with their imaginations. No video games, computers or television non stop, an interesting concept, don't you think!!!!

Miss you all!!!! Carol

Momma Carol/Mummy

The internet here in Ghana has been down the past two days and is still touchy, so this will have to be a quick one! Momma Carol was worried though that our friends back home would worry! The kids have taken to my Mom very quickly and are calling her Mummy, which she of course loves. She says they are her African grandchildren and has already started crying at the thought of having to leave them!

Sadly, several of the kids that were here last year are now gone, went back to siblings, guardians, etc. I am sad not to see them but I am hopeful they are in good, loving arms now. Several new children are here now and are stealing our hearts very quickly! We will have pics tomorrow hopefully. Right now the kids have gone off with some other volunteers to a pool at the hotel. I don't think these kids have ever been swimming before, but they have a kiddie pool, so they should be full of stories for us when they return.

Okay, there is only one computer working in this cafe and now a line has formed of Ghanaians and they are starting at me! Gotta go......

We Made It!

Hello All!

My mom and I are in Ghana in Ho, Volta Region! It has been a long journey to get here, we made it into town around noon today after running through the Minneapolis airport to make our flight to Amsterdam (we had an hour lay over, but about five minutes after getting off the St. Louis plane, our next flight was being paged as last call for boarding-we ran what felt to be a mile), facing a broken down tro tro, and fleeing a taxi that was feared to about catch on fire! =) We're safe and happy now! We are being welcomed and taken care of very wonderfully at the orphanage! Seeing the children again feels great. It has been a year and a half since I have been here and I was a little worried that they may not really remember me all that well. Not the case at all. Within the first few minutes, after hugs and greetings, even the smallest children wanted me to play one of our old games I showed them.....steal the noses off their faces! They are all so adorable and have already taken a liking to Momma Carol. Sister Bernice, the lady that runs the orphanage, has gone all out for us so that we feel at home and is treating us like royalty. It feels good to know that she is just as excited to see us and we are her. She is giving my Mom quite the ego boost, telling her that there is no way she is '60' and that she looks younger than Ghanaians younger than her! CJ is eating it up, you better believe it!

My mom is doing great and embracing Africa like the adventurous and crazy woman that she is. She has already eaten with her hands (even though she was given a fork...she still wanted to try it like the Ghanaians), visited the ladies' urinal (while our tro tro was being fixed, it was on the side of the highway and of course was fixed right after she got in the restroom...I thought we were going to get left behind), and drank the water from the bag. No surprise to anyone, she is talking to everybody and making friends! I think she is a little shocked (relieved is probably a better choice of words) though that we are not staying in 'the bush,' which is what she kept referring Ghana to before we got here!

We are going to head back to the orphanage and unpack our bags and figure out the best plan to spoil these kids with all the fun stuff we brought (thanks to the folks that gave stuff for us to bring as well)!

Pics, more updates, and a word from Carol later!

Alicia

Here I go again....back to Ghana!!!!!!

Well if you couldn't tell from my original blog and knowing me in general, I loved my time volunteering in Ghana. It was an incredible learning experience about our world, how lucking I am, and how loving and accepting people can be. I made some wonderful friends while I was there amongst my fellow teachers, the volunteer coordinators, other volunteers, and my favorite ladies selling items on the street. I was also touched deeply by the children at the SWODC orphanage and the lady that started it, Sister Bernice. Despite the hand they have been dealt in life, they have a great ability to love and desire to succeed.

While I was excited to return home last year (three months without AC was hard), leaving Ghana and those kids was honestly, devastating. It felt like a great loss and I when I first got home I think I experienced some strange form of grief. At that time, I had no idea when (if ever) I would get to return to see these amazing people again. But I am so unbelievably blessed to have the opportunity to once again go to Ghana. I am also so unbelievably blessed to have an amazing, adventurous mother that wants to share in this experience with me and will be going to Ghana as well. My mom and I have been through a lot together, but wow, this will really be a new experience for us! For those of you that know my mom, she is really energetic and strong.....but still this is a big stretch for her. So, I will be sure to try to capture her reactions to 'Africa' as much as possible, it will definitely be good for some laughs with the fam. But really, I am so proud of her and that she is willing and wants to do this with me.

Since I left Ghana, a number of things have been going on at the orphanage and I feel I am needed there more now than ever. The timing of this trip is turning out to be perfect because things are in a bit of disarry. In the past year and a half my mom and I have sponsored one of the children specifically, Elolo and have helped overall by sending items and gifts to all the kids. Elolo is the one I am sure I talked the most about before and dominates most of my pictures. He is six years old now, but is very small and behind for his age. He was very malnourished and neglected early in life which stunted his growth. To help get him caught up and able to start attending school, we paid for him to have a private tutor come to the orphanage four days a week. He was enrolled in kindergarten this past year and has been slowly improving. I am anxious to see for myself how he is faring.

The orphanage has had some difficulties with its current property and will have to relocate this November. A new location still has not been found. Due to a lack of finances and the impending move, where these children will end up is still unknown. Another volunteer that has also been deeply involved with the orphanage has just set up a foundation with her husband to help support the education of the children. The thought right now is that given all the other troubles and the poor public education system, that it may be best for the children to go to a boarding school in town. This will ensure they are getting the best education possible and that they are fully supported. There will be more to come on this after my mom and I get there and can assess things on our own. The foundation, which I am very excited is now up and running, is called Hopkins Foundation. It can be found at http://www.hopkinsfoundation.org/. I met Josephine and her husband when I was there earlier and they are amazing people with big hearts. They have been helping these kids on there own for the past two years.

My mom and I will be staying at the orphanage with Sister Bernice so that we can spend as much time with the kids as possible. Our suitcases are full of gifts for the kids and friends! We plan to spoil these kids for the two weeks we're there. Above all we want them to know that they are loved. I also plan to visit the school where I taught and have lots of friends to see. And of course, while I am not staying with Auntie this time, I do hope that my mom will get to try out her cooking! I actually miss some of the food there and eating with my hands! =)

We arrive in Ghana's capitol, Accra, on Monday Aug 19 and will travel to Ho in the Volta Region the next morning. I will hopefully have the first post up on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Heading home soon!

This is most likely my last update on the blog as I leave Ghana next Wednesday, April 18. I will arrive home on Thursday evening. My traveling last week was nice though I would have loved to of seen even more of Ghana. I traveled along the coastal area only, but I did tour the old slave fort in Cape Coast. I have a few pictures below. The main thing I took away from this tour was the drastic contrast between the horror of the dark, cramped slave dungeons below ground and the beautiful white washed wall-fort above ground and glistening ocean surrounding it. The dungeons are everything you would imagine, but the stories that go along with them are the hardest part. There is a pic below that says ‘Door of No Return,’ this is the last door the slaves went through before boarding the ships that took them across the Atlantic and this is the area they usually last saw family members. A few years back, in a symbolic gesture the remains of two Africans that were taken as slaves to America were brought back to the fort and taken back through the door. So now on the other side of the door (the ocean side) there is the sign ‘Door of Return.’ This is a good place to mention that most Ghanaians are very proud of their heritage and are able to trace their ancestors back for many, many generations. Ghana also still has a tribal system, so Ghanaians relate to their tribe and their native language is from their tribe or their region. So this all makes keeping track of your family lineage easier. But sadly, the descendants of Ghanaians captured as slaves are often unable to even track their ancestors back to Ghana, let alone their tribe. The Cape Coast Fort which was controlled by several different European countries through the years also traded sugar, gold, and cocoa. The related trade stories obviously aren’t has horrible as the slave trading, but nevertheless, lets just say that Ghanaians (okay, Africans) have a long history of outsiders coming in a screwing them over!

I also traveled on to a beautiful eco-lodge that my two British, past volunteer friends are managing. It was a crazy, fun, and relaxing time. Also, I am finally getting somewhat comfortable with tro tros. I missed my town and region while gone. Outside of the Volta Region, Ghanaians speak a different native language. Instead of Ewe, they speak Twi. So as a white person, I was no longer Yavu, but Obruni. I found that I actually missed my Ewe people…..at least when they yell out at me on the street, I know what they are saying!

Nothing too exciting for Easter, they mainly only have church on Sunday and then Monday is also a holiday and they have picnics at all the various churches.




Cape coast Castle/fort







The entrance of the tunnel leading to the slave dungeon.






One of the six dungeons. That one window served as their only light.










This is the view from the fort.

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!

The mountain hike

I survived the mountain hike (in case you were worried)! Here are some pictures from the trip. The whole trip took over four hours! I wasn't able to get to the town as early as I hoped, so it was very hot and I saw no monkeys...sad. But it was amazing regardless. I went with a guide and he was hard to keep up with given he does this hike on a daily basis. There were about five areas where ropes were needed in order to climb up the steep rocks (see the pic below). It was one of the most physically challenging things I have done in a long time and halfway up I thought I wouldn't make it to the top. But I kept going and it was beautiful and a cool experience!





This is the view from town
(this is when I began to think I was crazy)!










View from the start of the trail. We went to
the very top peak.









This is one of the rope climbing areas,
this was about 2 1/2 hours into the trip and
I was at the bottom questioning my ability to
make it up this one, but I did!










Here I am at the top, very tired
and sweaty! The village below
is from where I took the first pic.










The trail on the way up was filled with lots of banana trees!

More church, my offenses, and Angelina Jolie (ha, no I didn't see her)

I've added some more pictures below this post to convey what Ghana looks like, more of the kids, and some showing what the schools look like! Tomorrow, I am taking my first official sightseeing trip! It is just to a place less than ½ an hour from my home, but it is one of the mountains in Volta Region (these are really just large, large hills) where there is guided hiking to the top of the mountain and the possibility of seeing some monkeys in the forest! Wish me luck, the hike ranges between 2-4 hours roundtrip and I am going to try to get there early in the morning so I don’t pass out from heat exhaustion!!! =)

I haven’t been back to the kids' church, but I do keep getting invited to attend church with other people. One man that I always seem to run into on the street has been trying to get me to attend the Church of Latter Day Saints (the Mormon church) and I keep putting him off. But finally last week, I felt bad turning down his offer because he was very helpful in getting me a ride to a nearby town when I was completely confused at the tro tro (bus) station. So I agreed to meet him at his church last Sunday. One problem though, I thought I knew where the church was, I didn’t. I asked three people on the street for directions and they all pointed to the same church. So I entered this one church thinking I would see my friend and a bunch of the white Mormon missionaries that I always see around town, but no, it wasn’t the right church, it was a Catholic church. Of course, I didn’t realize this until after I entered the church and then felt bad getting up to leave, so I stayed. Plus I’m use to a Catholic service….uh, normally, this one was entirely in Ewe and probably about halfway through when I entered the church. I was expecting some kneeling, standing, sitting, etc but for the two hours I sat there I heard what I think was a sermon and then an hour of a song lesson (after an hour, I still couldn’t sing the song)! I eventually couldn’t handle it anymore and just got up and left and of course, everyone stared! One cool thing, all the women wore these beautiful white veils over there hair during the mass…kind of like nuns, but with such gorgeous material, it made me want to have one too! I don’t know if it was offensive that I wasn’t wearing one, but that couldn’t have been any more offensive than the fact that I didn’t realize I was suppose to remove my shoes at the door or that I sat on what I think was the side of church for boys only! Oops!

I started taking my orphan friends out on the weekends. It is hard at the orphanage during the week to give all of them the individual attention that they are craving since there are so many of them. So, I take three of them at a time on Saturdays and walk into town, look around at the market, and buy them each an ice cream and soda. You would think I was buying them something amazing, they love it. But of course, choosing which three get to go each week causes a little chaos, but I try to be random and make them pick numbers and assure them that everyone will get to go eventually. The vendors at the market get a kick out of seeing a yevu with so many little Ghanaian children and like to ask me if they’re mine. Maybe they think I am Angelina Jolie…you know without the tall, supermodel looks and a hot male companion, named Brad!

I also have made friends with a fun young British couple from London who also volunteer with DiVOG; they have been here 5 months. They live in a village in the Volta region working on building an IT center. They are married, quit their jobs, sold most of their things (I believe) to come to Ghana and volunteer, travel, and maybe go on to South America, which of course I think is very inspiring and is very adventurous to do especially as a couple! They are going to be ending their volunteer time in the next month or so and then heading to Ghana’s coast to manage an eco-lodge (that has sea turtles!) for several months. So, they have invited me to come down and visit the place; I am very excited to see the lodge and beach! I think all the volunteers get fun, random questions about our homes from the Ghanaians, but Maria and David asked me their own fun questions about my living in the US, such as, do I know any famous people and how many have I’ve seen? Yep, we have tons of them in the Midwest, don’t we? (Sorry David and Maria if you are reading this, it was just too cute not to share!).

Ghana will be celebrating 50 years of independence on March 6, so hopefully I be able to share some of their celebrations with you soon!

I have had a few people ask about things that they could send to be helpful, honestly, the kids at the orphanage need a lot. Storybooks for ages maybe 12 and below would be great, and workbooks to help them with all forms of math and practicing writing their English (their spelling is really bad) are also needed. I have an address directly to the orphanage and some shipping info that I will post next time if anyone is interested. Thank you to everyone that already donated stuff before I left; the kids have been devouring the coloring books (thank you Kathy!), crayons, and pencils. I bought some kids books from Goodwill before I left, but they really do need more.

Hope everyone is doing well! Miss you!

Pics of Ho

Here are few pics around town. So last Sunday, the street by my house was really quiet and not a lot of people were around, so I got these first two shots of what the stores and really what the town itself looks like. These little shacks line the street with people selling things, the only difference is there are usually lots of people...the shops are closed since it was a Sunday.