Katie Goes to Ghana

2009-07-17T10:08:00.000-07:00

I am now finishing my 11^th week here in Ghana, which means I will be back home in Canada in 4 weeks from now. Honestly, I do not know where the time has gone! At the beginning of my time here everything seemed to go by so slowly that at times I felt I would never be going home. But now every day seems to pass faster than the previous day. Things are starting to blur together in my mind and I am kicking myself that I have not been writing more in my journal, or keeping up more regularly with my blog. I am sorry that this instalment of adventures and new experiences has taken me so long.

I do not even remember where I left you hanging in my stream of crazy stories, but I do believe the next big adventure was to the city of Kumasi.

Kumasi is the capital of the Ashanti region and has the reputation of being the cultural capital of Ghana. As always this trip was full of adventures (some which I would like to repeat, others…). The adventure began with a very exciting tro-tro ride. It is approximately a five hour journey from Nsawam to Kumasi. I had never really considered how dangerous the tro’s are here until Nick began to enthusiastically share stories of terrifying tro accidents with me. He definitely thought we were not going to make it to Kumasi. Thankfully though, we had a fairly tame tro driver. It always astounds me to see how some of the people here drive. They all drive as if they are part of NASCAR, and have absolutely no regard for the rules of the road. They pass when there is oncoming traffic and just barely manage to merge back into the correct lane before they get hit! The amount of almost car accidents I have seen here blows my mind. There was also a tremendous thunderstorm while we were driving (which did not make Nick feel any safer). The storms here are absolutely incredible! I love the raw power behind them. It was even more exciting because the window next to me did not fully close and the roof of the tro was leaking right above my head. It all made me laugh though which is good. I do not think you could survive here without a positive attitude and a sense of humour!

When we arrived in Kumasi we met up with some of the other Canadian volunteers we had gotten to know during orientation. It was so nice to see them again! It was also extremely nice to be able to talk to the girls about the school system in Ghana. They are working at a school in the Western region and are going through some of the same struggles I am having right now. It was sad to realize how far spread the problems are, but in a strange way nice to know I am not the only one going through these struggles.

On Saturday we went out to explore the city. It was a very cool place! We went to the cultural centre and were able to see all of the local crafts being made. It was so interesting to see the local artists making the pottery, carving the drums, weaving the Kinte clothe and creating beautiful paintings. It was very fascinating to spend time with the artists and learn more about their lives. I love how friendly people here are! I ended up leaving with a very beautiful traditional drum. I am not really sure how I am going to get it home, but I will cross that bridge when I come to it. After spending hours at the cultural centre we made our way across the city to the largest open air market in West Africa. It was absolute insanity! I had thought the markets in Accra were large before, but they cannot hold a candle to this market! It is a big sea of ‘organized’ chaos. I do not think I have ever been so turned around and lost before. I am thoroughly impressed that people can find there way around that market every day and know exactly where their respective stalls/booths are. I also do not think I have ever been grabbed at and pulled in all directions so many times. At one point when we were trying to find our way out of the market I got separated from everyone else and swept away in a sea of people. I must say that it was one of the most nerve racking experiences of my life. I had no idea where everyone else was, and could not stop to look for them because the current of people moving ensured you moved right along with them. I did not like to be totally separated from everyone I knew and at the same time have absolutely no idea how to get out of the market. At one point one lady grabbed onto my skirt, a man grabbed my arm and another person grabbed the drum on my back and they all started to pull me in different directions at the same time. My stress level was hitting peak highs =) I eventually found my way back to the group and we finally found out way out of the market maze. It was an absolutely chaotic at times, but it was definitely never boring.

When Nick and I arrived back in Fotobi/Obodan we both turned to each other, and almost in unison said, “It looks like home”. It is crazy how comfortable and at home I feel in the village now. It is strange that a place that is so different from anything you have ever known before can feel so normal and comfortable. It is also strange how close to people you can feel in such a short time. Nick is virtually the exact opposite person I am, yet we have become close friends during our time here. It is always interesting to talk to him about anything and everything really because we have such different views, values and opinions. This summer has definitely moulded me in many ways, and by discussing my opinions with someone who feels so differently I have really been pushed to critically re-evaluate what I believe and why. It has already been an amazing summer of personal growth, and it is not even finished.

FAWE, and in particular the school I am working at, are in a lot of financial trouble right now. The major funding source for the school was the Rockefeller foundation; however about a year ago they lost all of that funding when the foundation decided to switch its focus from education to the environment. As a result funds are very tight at the school. The teachers here had not been paid for four months! I know now why they sometimes come to school and sometimes don’t. It must be hard to show up everyday when you have not been paid for months. I cannot imagine what would happen back home if teachers had not been paid in that long! They definitely would not still be showing up to school that is for sure. A few days before midterm break the teachers decided enough was enough and threatened to not return after the break if they did not receive some payment. Some of the teachers barely had money left to buy food. It is amazing the dedication they show to the girls by continuing to work. FAWE was able to come up with one month’s salary for every one in two days. It makes us all a little suspicious that they were able to come up with the money so quickly, yet they had not paid the teachers in such a long time.

I am continuing to struggle with some aspects of school life here, particularly the punishment. It is so far from anything I have ever known before. Thankfully they do not use the cane here at my school (the other Canadian girls working in the Western region still have the cane at their school), but they have many other punishments that I find just as hard to witness. I know that it is not my place to pass judgement on a system; however I have noticed that at almost every level of society you will find people who were once abused by those in power now abusing those they have power over. It is a vicious cycle, and I am sad to say I do not see an end to it in the near future (I also do not know how they would be able to fully break the system). I have been able to talk to some of the teachers about the punishment here though because they have asked me what punishment we use in Canada. It always surprises them when I tell them how we run classes back in Canada. It is an interesting conversation. I am not sure if it will change anything, but it is always good to know that there are a diverse range of responses to different issues that arise in the classroom, and some do not include physical punishment or humiliation. I know that it is something that I will struggle with till the end, and I will probably continue to wrestle with it when I return home.

My next great adventure after Kumasi was during Midterm break for the school. I had 4 days off and decided to make the most of them by travelling to the North of Ghana to Mole National Park, and as always it was full of adventures. The first adventure in the trip was the bus to Tamale (a 12 -14 hour journey). We arrived at the station early to make sure we did not miss the 3 o’clock bus. However at 3:15 there was no bus in sight and the station was practically deserted…not a good feeling. When we asked at the desk we were told we were at the wrong station and that we had to go to the other side. I do not think we have ever run so fast in our lives. We were petrified to miss the bus because it would throw off the entire trip. I have never been so thankful for the fact that things do not run on time here in Ghana. The bus ended up being 2 hours late, not a very fun wait, but I was extremely grateful we did not miss it! It was an overnight bus which is apparently not very safe to take. I realized how unsafe it must really be when two armed cops came onto the bus to be security for the ride. It is one of the first times I have been excited to have cops with big guns around. Bus rides here are always exciting for a variety of reasons, but the overnight bus takes the prize for being the most exciting ride. Rode conditions are questionable at best (which results in the bus ride feeling more like a rollercoaster). They also feel the need to constantly be showing movies…Nigerian movies. I do not know if any one has ever had the unfortunate privilege of sitting through a Nigerian movie, but if it is an experience you can avoid I suggest you do. It is some of the worst acting I have ever seen before in my life, not to mention the most ridiculous special effects. Actually I may try to bring one home just to be able to share the experience with you. It would not be so bad if they just played it normally, but they feel the need to blast the volume (even throughout the night). At midnight they hauled us all off the bus to do a mechanical safety check of the bus (I am not really sure why this did not happen before we began our journey…). The bus also made a stop at 2:30 in the morning for people to get off the bus to buy food from women still selling bread and other such food stuffs by the side of the road. I have no idea why the women were still up, I have a feeling they wait all night for any busses that may come though in hopes of making some more money. It was much different from any bus ride I have ever been on in Canada that is for sure. But it was a great start to the adventure.

We made it into Tamale at 4:45 am on Sunday. Amelie and I decided it would be a good idea to take turns sleeping on the benches until 6. We then ventured to find a way to get to Mole National Park (about 5 hours from Tamale). The only bus that goes mole was not going to leave until 4 pm. We really did not want to wait for 10 hours. We decided to try and bargain down a taxi. What a crazy adventure within itself! Eventually we got a taxi to agree to take us to Mole and our next leg of the journey began. It was about 4 1/2 hour drive down one of the worst road I have yet to see in Ghana. By the time we made it to the park Am and I were completely covered head to toe in red dust! It was actually kind of disappointing when it washed off, I thought I had a really good tan =) After being dropped at the park gates we had a 2 km hike into the park. All in all, from the time we arrived at the bus station to the time we made it to the park was about 21-22 hours. Thankfully it was well worth the journey.

Not long after we arrived and had gone for a swim, we had our first encounter with warthogs and baboons! It was crazy to see them so close. The baboons are very cute and funny to watch, but can be very dangerous at the same time so you have to be careful. They try to break into the rooms to steal your things, and it is not uncommon for them to jump onto your table while you are eating and steal your food. Always very exciting! I went on a walking safari later that afternoon. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life! While walking around I was confused by something that I smelt. It seemed so familiar, yet I could not place what it was. Turns out it was a mixture of wild mint and age. I saw so many interesting plants, not to mention wildlife! There were so many different types of monkey’s and antelope running everywhere. And let me not forget the elephants! My guide was amazing and he was able to track down a little family of elephants. They were no more then 10-15 feet away from me. It is incredible how silent they are! You would think that they would make a lot of noise because they are so large, but if it was dark they could have walked by and I would have never known. We also walked through an area frequented by hyenas, but thankfully did not see any =) It was one of the most magnificent things I have ever experienced! One thing I did not anticipate was the intense Northern sun. I did not think it could be much stronger then the sun in the Eastern region, but I was sorely mistaken (literally I was sore from my sunburn).

We ended up crashing pretty early that night (not all that much to do once the sun goes down at Mole because you can no longer see the animals). It was good though because it meant we were up early to watch the animals play in the waterhole. We saw a whole herd of elephants go walking by, and I guess they forgot one because the next thing we saw was one lone elephant running like crazy to catch up blowing his horn? Trunk? I do not know how to describe it haha making a lot of noise anyways. It was a very cool thing to see. I love elephants. I wish I could bring a baby elephant home with me, but it would definitely be over the weight limit for baggage! =)

Later we went to a little mud hut village about 12 km from the park. They are trying to start an eco tourism program. It was really interesting to spend time in the village playing with the kids and seeing the different way of life there. It is constantly astounding how much diversity there is within Ghana. It is a small country, but it is one of the richest in terms of cultural diversity that I have ever seen before. We ended up going on a canoe safari down a river not to far from the village. It was another absolutely incredible experience. Unfortunately we did not see as many animals as some other people have in the past, but it was still very interesting! After the canoe safari it started to rain a little so we had to hurry to get back to the park. The only mode of transportation… a motorcycle! I went on my first ever motorcycle ride down a dirt road in Africa in the rain. It was one of the most terrifying and exhilarating experiences of my life. When we made it back to the park we sat and watched the storm roll in over the valley. Watching storms roll in is an amazing experience, and the thunder and lighting here is incredible! I am a sucker for a good thunderstorm.

The next morning our journey began at 3:30 am on a bus back to Tamale. It was quite an exciting bus ride. I really do not understand some of the systems they have here. I also do not understand why everyone always feels the need to yell about everything. There is no such thing as a normal conversation. People do not wait for other people to finish what they are saying before they start yelling. As a result it is a lot of people all trying to yell over each other. It is amazing that anything is able to get done!

We made it into Tamale at around 9 am and spent the day wandering the city. We caught the 4 pm over night bus back to Accra which was even more eventful then the night bus to Tamale. It is very interesting how a person’s true character comes out when they are tired. It is much harder to put on a false front, and weaknesses become excruciatingly clear. Unfortunately I was a little disappointed by what I saw in people I had counted to be close friends, but I guess that is part of life. We got back to Accra at 5:30 am. I went back to Amelie’s place for a while to wait until the sun came up a little more before beginning my next transit adventure to get back to my little village of Obodan - I had to catch 3 different tro’s. I caught the first one without any difficulty and it took me to circle station (one of the biggest tro stations in Accra). From there I had to find a tro going to Nsawam (the larger town near my village). Most people are very helpful in the station and they point you in the correct direction to find the tro you need. However I had an unfortunate run in with one very large young man who grabbed both my arms and would not let me go. I was trying to fight him off, but his grip was to strong. Not to long after, some other guys saw what was happening and came to my rescue. I do not understand what he though he would accomplish by grabbing me in a very open place. Anyways, the other guys got me away safely and I made it without a hitch back to Nsawam and then to Obodan. I did however learn a Twi phrase that will come in very handy here – jah meh – it means ‘leave me alone’. I do not know why guys seem to feel the need to grab me and try to pull me places I do not want to go here, but I am glad to know how to say leave me alone (and I am not scared to make a scene anymore). Usually Nick is with me and can intervene when I get grabbed, but last week when he had his back turned I was grabbed by 3 different guys and was starting to be pulled away before he heard what was happening. However I am learning how to make a scene very well if need be.

I am finding the gender attitudes here to be extremely tiring. I am always astounded by some men’s attitudes towards me and other women. When I was in the North I do not think I went past a village without seeing the women working away cooking and doing the wash while the men were all sitting under trees in the shade talking to one another. Men here are unwilling to help with the household work and expect the women to take care of everything they want. At the school I am really struggling with how some of the other male teachers interact with me. I do not mind helping them do different things (even if it is part of their job and not mine), however I cannot stand it when they are rude. They never ask me nicely to do things; it is usually barked out commands. I have begun to flat out tell them ‘I will help you, but I am not doing anything for you until you ask me nicely and treat me with some respect’. Some days it frustrates me to the point where I am close to tears. I do not like being treated like an object there to make their lives easier. I am a person who needs to be treated with the same amount of respect that I show them. It was especially tiring a few days ago when I was the only female teacher at the school. The male attitudes seemed to be especially overwhelming and hard to deal with that day. Hopefully they will get the point soon that they need to ask nicely for favours and treat me with respect. And hopefully, though I know it is a long shot, I hope that it might carry over into their interactions with all other women. I hope that it will at least influence how they interact with the next female volunteer who is coming to the school when I leave, and she will be here for a whole year. I hope she does not have to deal with the same things I dealt with because I do not think I could take a whole year of it!

This summer I have had to deal with a lot of male attention, some meant in respectful ways and others not as respectful. I have gotten used to laughing with the guys when they ask me to marry them, and usually everyone just has a good laugh at the end of it all. However last week I had an encounter with one of the teachers that left me extremely shook up and uncomfortable. I tried to brush it off, but I really could not get it out of my head. I told Nick about it later that night and he said “No wonder you are upset, that is what we call sexual harassment”. It was an extremely uncomfortable situation, and when I tried to talk to Anita about it the next day (to let her know I did not want to be left alone with this teacher) she blew me off and did not really believe me. I think that was even harder to deal with than the harassment. I have been doing my best to avoid that teacher, but every time I see him it throws me off again and makes me feel very uncomfortable. Needless to say I was not really on top of my game for a few days.

As I am writing this the most beautiful butterfly has come into the room and has decided to take up residence on my book. The butterflies here are absolutely magnificent. They are so graceful and colourful. It is amazing the diversity that can exist among one species. Though I suppose we have just as much diversity in the human race since we are all unique and special in our own ways. The butterfly has reminded me of one of the small mud houses I walk by everyday on my way to Nicks. The have the most stunning sunflowers growing up one of the walls. It is so peaceful and picture perfect that every time I walk by it puts a smile on my face and fills me with a sense of calm. Speaking of walks (each thought leads me to another haha), this week while walking to Nicks I have realized how much a part of Obodan/Fotobi I have become. I always greet everyone I meet when I am walking, but it is strange to realize that I actually know most of the people I greet now by name. This truly has become a home away from home for me. It is going to be hard to leave it behind despite how excited I am to see everyone back home.

I decided that after my great midterm adventure to Mole it would be a good idea to stay around the village for a weekend to relax. It was a great idea in theory, however despite my best intentions to have a relaxing weekend that is not the way it turned out in the end – it ended up being just as busy, if not more so than usual.

On Saturday I woke up ridiculously early to the sounds of roosters crowing (it should be illegal for them to make noise that early) and could not fall back asleep. So I decided to just get up. No one else was up yet so I sat outside under a tree, read a book and watched the animals. Not long after that, Naomi (the lady who cooks for the students) came by with her little daughter. I must have played with her for hours. She is so adorable! It always amazes me that she can stay amused with the same game of hide and seek/peek-a-boo for such a long time.

After play time I had to do laundry… I know it does not sound like a big deal, but it is truly a major undertaking. You have to wash everything by hand, and depending on how dirty things are it can take hours. Though on the plus side it is a great upper body work out =) Later I ran some errands in town (picked up my new African dresses) and then watched baby Grace so Julie could have some time to ‘relax’ (I say ‘relax’ because with 6 kids I do not think she can ever truly stop doing things). That evening I hiked up one of the hills/mountains that surround my little village. It was such an amazing view! I had never truly grasped how small Obodan is until I saw it from above. There is no way there are more than 100 people living here. It is so peaceful at the top, being able to see everything happening below in the valley. I was sad when it was time to come down. But the sadness did not last all that long because after coming down I was off to a party at the FAWE FM radio station. It was one of the most interesting parties of my life. I have been to parties where I am one of the only girls before, but this one took the prize for being the biggest sausage-fest that either Nick or I had ever seen! It was an interesting night, but it was never without laughter which is good. As always I was thankful that Nick was there to help me when I needed it.

On Sunday I decided to go to one of the Presbyterian churches in Nsawam. I wore a traditional Ghanaian outfit (the kappa and slet), which proved to be a great source of amusement to everyone I met. =) I left for church at 8:30 am, and I did not get back home until 3 pm… longest church service of my life! And I even ended up leaving a little bit early! However it was definitely an experience. Most of the service was in Twi (only 10 minutes at most was in English). It was definitely a lesson on being outside of my comfort zone, and really gave me an idea of how new immigrants must feel when they do not understand what is going on around them. After church I ended up going back into town to try and find some food for dinner. This proved to be more difficult than I had anticipated due to the fact that it was Sunday. Thankfully there were a few places open in the market and we were able to find enough food to get us through a dinner. We ended up making a homemade pasta sauce and some makeshift garlic bread. It was pretty much one of the most exciting meals I have had here. No fish and not to spicy…it was heavenly!

Later that week, Nick and I had to run a bunch of errands in Nsawam. However due to the fact that it is rainy season we quickly found ourselves caught in a torrential downpour! It was actually pretty funny, especially now that I am thinking back on it. Everyone else had taken shelter under the over hangs of buildings or inside little shops to wait out the storm. However, we decided that we were already wet so there was really no point in waiting for what could be hours for the rain to end. We just went about our business, running down the streets that by this point looked more like rivers. This provided endless entertainment for the Ghanaians who were watching us. It is nice to know we can bring joy into their days by being crazy Obruni’s haha While we were running through one of the market streets I heard “Hey, more Obruni’s”. I looked up, and much to surprise I saw other white people, but not just any white people, I saw Mennonites! Or at least I think they were Menno, the woman was wearing the traditional outfit, so I am pretty confident in my assumption. It felt like I was back at Grebel again =) On the way back to Nicks place we had a very exciting tro ride – at one point the tro mate went to slide the door closed (they do this after the car is already moving) and the entire door fell off! I thought for sure the mate was going to fall out with the door because he seemed determined to try and hold onto it. By the time we made it back to Nicks place we were absolutely drenched! I have never been able to wring that much water out of my clothes before haha I was also cold for the first time since leaving Canada! I actually ended up wearing a sweater. I never thought I would see the day when I would wear a sweater in Africa, but it happened that night.

After making it back to Nicks place we made a very…interesting dinner. His neighbour Julie sells chickens, and usually she will kill them and get the chicken all ready for you. However, last night Nick decided he wanted to kill the chicken. So for a while we were hanging out with Dinné (that is female version of the name dinner). Yes, Nick decided we needed to name the chicken. This turned out to be a big mistake because I then started to become attached to our dinner... It was definitely an experience! It gave a new meaning to fresh food! And I now know how to kill and prep a chicken, which I am hoping I never really have to do a lot of, but good to know I can just in case of an emergency situation haha. The two other Canadian volunteers who we had met up with in Kumasi came down to visit yesterday. It was really great to see them again. They were telling us about their placement and living arrangements. It sounds nightmarish! They are basically living in what they call a brothel (it is not really a brothel, but it is a guest house with several one hour rooms…) Anyways, I have never been so grateful for my little sleepy village of Obodan!

We were planning on going to Accra to see Obama when he came to Ghana, but unfortunately due to ‘weather concerns’ he was not doing a public speech in independence square. Rather he was going to be giving an invitation only speech at a convention centre. Due to the fact that my invitation would have been sent to Canada before being forwarded through the post here, I am forced to conclude that it was somehow lost in the mail. So unfortunately we did not see Obama speak in person, but the weekend was anything but a disappointment because we took the opportunity to travel to the Volta region and have a multitude of adventures there.

As always the tro ride was very exciting. I think I will stop telling you that, and you can just assume the rides are always exciting unless I tell you otherwise haha. The ride was a lot longer then we had anticipated. Due to the fact that Obama was arriving later that evening, Accra was in absolute gridlock! It took over two hours to get out of the city (something that should have taken 20 – 30 minutes at the most). When we made it to Volta it was dark and raining. We were dropped off at the side of the road near a main junction, and from there we had to make our way to the little village of Tafi Atome. This proved to be more difficult than we had anticipated. The usual mode of transportation in and out of the village is motorcycle taxis; however there were none to be found. It would have been a fairly miserable time waiting to find a way there, but people are so kind and welcoming here that it in the end it was a lot of fun. We ended up sitting and chatting with some of the nicest old women I have ever met before in my life until someone in the village with a car agreed to give us a ride.

The next morning I was the first to get up (ridiculously early because that is when it is best to see monkeys). I was amazed by how peaceful it was when I walked outside. You could hear the birds and monkey’s starting to wake up, and the sun was just starting to peak over the tops of the trees. It reminded me of early mornings at the cottage when everything is so still and serene. After everyone else decided to greet the day we went on a walk through the forest to see/play with the monkeys. The monkeys there are Mona monkeys and they are absolutely adorable! They even came and ate bananas right out of my hand! It was incredible. Though less incredible was the moment when a monkey was a little over zealous to get the banana and accidentally bit my hand instead, but it makes a cool story to tell. It will be an even better story if it ends up leaving a scar! How cool would it be to be able to say “yea, that’s just a scar from a monkey bight I got when I was living in Africa.” It would be pretty amazing!

After my great morning of monkey adventures we ventured to another village fairly near by that is on top of a mountain. It was such an interesting village, and nothing could compare to the view! From that village we hiked down the side of the mountain (it took a while because it was a very treacherous climb – very slippery, little rock slides, etc.). Eventually we arrived at the most breathtaking oasis of a waterfall I have ever seen before in my life! Honestly, this felt like I had found a little piece of paradise. Since it is such a secluded waterfall it is not a main tourist attraction, so we were the only ones there. There were also some caves behind the waterfall to explore. They were unbelievably dark, and I must admit I was a little worried that the bats would decide to fly out at me haha. We spent a lot of time swimming and exploring the caves before beginning our hike back up the mountain. It was a very intense hike up, but it went a lot faster than it did going down. It is opposite of what I would have thought, but it is a lot easier to go up the mountain than down.

Once we made it back to the mountain top village we were again faced with the dilemma of having no mode of transportation down. While we were waiting for a taxi to come we hid from some rain under the porch roof of the village square. It was a fun detour to our afternoon plans. We ended up talking with our guide and some other people in the village for close to an hour. Once the rain ended we made our way back down the winding mountain road to the main junction town, grabbed some food at the side of the road, and ended up sitting and talking with some of the village elders for a while. It was a really neat experience! They are so full of wisdom and proverbs, but also have the ability to make me convulse with laughter haha. After that we headed to another small village near by called Tafi Abuipe where they do the traditional kente weaving. It is so interesting to see the traditional crafts and ways of life here.

The next morning we were able to play with the monkeys some more. A monkey ended up holding onto my finger for a while. It was like it was trying to hold my hand…it was one of the coolest experiences of my life. I wish I could bring one home with me, but then he would miss all of his monkey friends, so I do not think it would be fair. We had to head back to Accra before coming back to the village, and we decided to stop at the mall to get some groceries that you can’t get anywhere else. I have not been into a mall in over two months, and I must say it was a huge reverse culture shock. It made me realize that coming home is not going to be a walk in the park, and it is going to be extremely overwhelming at first. I think it will actually be harder and more overwhelming than my culture shock was when I arrived in Ghana. But I will cross that bridge when I get to it. I know for sure though that I won’t be able to go to a mall for a while! It was almost sickening to see the abundance and wealth that was in the mall contrasted to what most people have here in Obodan. It is even harder to know that many people have even less than the people here do. I definitely have to do some more reflection on this because I am still working through so much.

This summer has been truly amazing. It has been filled with struggles and trials, but they have all pushed me in new ways, and have truly moulded me into the woman I want to be. I have come out of my shell here, and have grown in ways I never knew possible. Though at times this summer has made me wish I could be like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz – have the ability to click my heels and be home – I am so glad that I had the courage to come here this summer and see it through till the end. It has been a life changing summer and I would not trade my time here for anything.

June 16th - entering week 7

2009-06-16T07:45:00.000-07:00

I am now entering into my seventh week of being here. I am feeling so at home and at times cannot believe that in only eight weeks I will be back in Canada. At one time this thought would have made me so happy because I was feeling so homesick and out of my element (especially when I was sick!). But now the thought fills me with a very bitter sweet emotion. I miss everyone from home and I am very excited to go back and see family and friends, however in doing so I will be leaving behind new friends who have become a family to me over here. Life here is becoming very familiar and I am getting very used to the way things happen here. Things that used to throw me off so much no longer phase me. The frequent power outages here used to drive me up the wall, but now it just seems normal. The bugs are another thing that used to drive me crazy. They are everywhere here especially at night. Now I only really notice them when they go down my shirt… not an experience I like at all! When that happens I still freak out. I do not think I will be able to get to a point where I won’t freak out when that happens. But can you really blame me? I do not think anyone really wants to have a strange African bug crawling down their shirt =)

The rainy season has most definitely begun now, and we often get rain at some point everyday. The rain is always a welcome relief. It cools things down which makes me very happy, and it also makes the crops grow and ensures that the bore hole of water does not dry up. Yes, I now understand why that song Africa says “Bless the rains down in Africa”. The only time the rain is unfortunate is when you get caught in it, or trapped somewhere. When it rains here it does not joke around. It is torrential down pour like I have never seen before! I have had several days when I have been trapped in the school unable to make it back to my room. It does not sound that bad, however there is no bathroom at the school. When you have to pee but are stuck instead just listening to rain pouring down all around you… it is definitely not the most fun experience =) But I have learned to hold it like a champ haha! Last night I experienced my first Thunderstorm here in Ghana, and I must say the raw power behind it was magnificent! I am so grateful that I am not scared of storms because I think I would have had a heart attack otherwise. The thunder was so loud that it shook the building and whenever the lightning flashed it illuminated my entire room. It was an incredible storm (even though it kept me awake the entire night). I am constantly aware of Gods amazing creation and sheer power here. It is hard not to be when surrounded by such extraordinary nature and all of the religious slogans on vehicles and businesses. It is always a comforting reminder to rely on God when things get rough. There already have been some rough patches here and I am sure there will be some more, but I know that by relying on God I can get through anything.

A few weeks ago I traveled back to Accra and then to the Volta Region for the weekend. It was most definitely nothing but an adventure! Friday night we went out in Accra to several different places. One of them was an Irish Pub that they have. It was the most bizarre experience! It felt as though I had entered an alternate universe (or travelled all the way to Ireland!) There was no way we were in Ghana anymore. It was a very strange experience, though nice to be able to have some food that I recognized haha. We were out with some British Rugby coaches that Amelie has befriended in the city. They sure are crazy when they start drinking！ The night was nothing but boring that is for sure!

The next day we got onto a bus and headed out on what we thought would be a 2-3 hour journey to Volta. 6 1/2 hours later we arrived. Time here really doesn’t mean much and I am still getting used to that. It was a beautiful drive though! It was amazing to be able to see different areas of Ghana. I have now been to 4 out of the 10 regions in Ghana. I am hoping to make it to at least 6 of the regions by the time I head home. On Sunday we hiked through a crazy forest with a lot of different river crossings to get to the Wli waterfalls. It took about an hour and a half, and was a very educational trek. I ate cocoa. Not like the cocoa you get back home that tastes like chocolate. I ate the cocoa right out of the cocoa plant. It looks like a white seed in a way and you suck on it until you get the entire outside is off. However you do NOT want to bite it! The inside is a red centre that does not have a very pleasant taste to it. Nick tried biting it (he always does everything he is told not to!), and his facial expression was enough to ensure none of us followed his lead! There were also butterflies everywhere! They were some of the most beautiful butterflies I have ever seen before！ So colourful! I am most definitely going to miss the nature that I am constantly surrounded by here. I know we that we have nature back in Canada, but it is not quite the same. Once we made it to the falls we spent the majority of the day swimming and hanging out on the shore near by. It was one of the most spectacular sights and experiences. I wish you could have all been there to experience it, I am not sure if the pictures will do it justice. The rock face of the cliff next to the waterfall was absolutely covered in bats! It was a crazy sight to see! I do not think I have ever seen so many bats all congregated together in one place! It was nice to know that they were eating all of the mosquitoes though!

After spending the day at the falls we headed back to our guest house to relax. A day hiking and swimming in the sun sure does take a toll on your energy level! Not to mention the fact that I had only had about 3 hours a sleep each night for the past 2 weeks! I am not impressed with the fact that I have become an insomniac here! But I digress, after eating dinner we decided to pass the time playing cards. There was another guy (Tuen) at the guest house who was there alone so we invited him to join us. He was a very interesting guy from Holland who was just finishing his 4 month stay in Ghana. He taught us a new game called Farmers Bridge and we played late into the night. He shared some amusing stories about his time here and gave us a glimpse into village life in the North of Ghana. He lived with a family where the Father had two wives and 9 children. It is amazing the diversity that exists within one country!

Our journey back to Accra the next day was yet again full of adventures! I have never been so scared while riding a tro tro before! We had to take two different tro tros to get back to the city. The first tro we took was by far the most terrifying experience of my life! Not only did they pack it so full of people that someone was actually sitting on the roof, but the driver was a maniac! Think of everything that you should not do while driving and that is exactly what he did. I do not even know how fast he was going because the speedometer was broken… slightly disconcerting! He also would always pass on corners! You could not see if someone was coming the other way at all! Part way through the ride smoke started to come out of the engine… =S The driver did not stop, someone else sitting in the front seat simply pooped the dash board open and began to pour water onto the engine to cool it down. The floor was so hot that Amelie and I thought our flip flops were going the melt for sure. I have never been so grateful to arrive at my destination! The second tro was a lot more normal. We had more room the sardines in a can which was nice and the driving was relatively tame. Everything was going smoothly until we came to a police road block. Much to my dismay a police officer holding a very large gun leaned his head through the window and said “We want the white ladies”. It was definitely not what I wanted to hear! So needless to say Amelie and I were pulled out of the tro. We were then taken to an immigration officer who demanded to see our passports. (We currently do not have our passports because they are with the immigration office of Ghana getting out visas extended). They are not legally allowed to demand to see your passport once you are in the country; however he decided to hassle us anyways. We explained our situation to him, but he was still not willing to let us go. He wanted a bribe, but Amelie and I are unwilling to get into that game. We played dumb until he let us go. It all turned out fine in the end; however I was definitely petrified while it was happening! I do not like having huge guys with big guns half interrogating me on the side of the road in a foreign country… not exactly my cup of tea! But I suppose it increases my street cred so it is ok =) All is well that ends well right?

On Tuesday I went to the library to find all of the work that I had done to organize it completely undone! I felt like I wanted to cry! I was so close to having a break down that I had to leave and go make some lesson plans for English instead. I could not stay and see all of the work I had done gone. I am having a hard time organizing the library because I keep being told to make it like a library back home, but then whenever I make a suggestion or try to do something to take the library to the next level it gets rejected. It is frustrating when you have such a vision for a place and someone else keeps holding you back. I am hoping it gets better and we are all able to have pieces of what we want in the library, but in the end it is not my decision and I will organize it however they want it to be. I just worry that with their organization system they will be unable to keep the library in an organized manner. Fingers crossed we can find a way to do it their way, but at the same time ensure it can stay organized for years to come.

Tuesday night I went down to Nick’s place for dinner and I learned how to make Fufu. It is a traditional Ghanaian dish and it was so much fun to make! It is very labour intensive and is quite possibly one of the best upper body workouts I have ever had! I really enjoy hanging out at Nick and Bellas. It has become my nightly hang out place. They have a very nice front porch that we hang out on. They are close to the road so they can still see what is happening and feel connected with the world; however they are so surrounded by nature that you feel like you are in your own little world. I love the school, but it is nice to have some quiet time and not always have people running all around you. I have my special spot on the back porch of the school where I am able to go and take a few minutes for myself to rejuvenate. I am discovering that alone time is essential if you do not want to burn out!

Wednesday night I was back at Nicks (surprise) and his neighbour Julie came to visit with her little baby Grace who is 2 months old. Grace is the cutest thing of my life! Julie put Grace on my back and wrapped her up with a big piece of cloth (the traditional way to carry a baby here). I got to carry her around for almost an hour. It was such a cool experience! I love babies and being able to spend time with Grace really made my day! On Friday night I was able to hang out and play with Grace for hours! I am so thankful I am in the village and can have these experiences. I have a sneaking suspicion that I probably would not be doing things like this if I was in Accra. Julie informed me that I am not going home until I can tie Grace on my back by myself, and carry her while sweeping, cooking, washing and fetching water on my head! I will be truly Ghanaian by the end of it all. On Sunday night I was able to tie Grace to my back by myself! It was very exciting (and also a little scary! I was afraid to drop her!) =) Yesterday (Monday) I once again successfully tied Grace to my back and also carried her all the way from Fotobi to my village of Obodan on my back. Everyone in both villages thought it was the best thing since sliced bread (actually I have not seen sliced bread here before so maybe it was just the best thing haha). They had never seen a white lady carry a baby on her back before and the reactions I got were priceless! Grace is quickly becoming one of my new best friends here in Ghana. She is not much of a conversationalist but she is one of the best listeners I know =)

Bella is also teaching me to dance like a true African woman. We have had many sweet dance parties at their place and I am sure there are only more to come! It is a lot of fun and also a good work out! Not that I really need to lose any more weight right now, my pants have already become to big haha. But I am happy to report that this past weekend I ate more then I think I have eaten since coming to Ghana! I cooked with Nick for almost every meal and we were able to make some really good food that did not have sea food and was not super spicy! It was a very exciting thing in my life. This weekend I also had street meat off the side of the road in Nsawam. Nick and I discovered something that is like sausage on a stick and it is one of my new favourite things.

On Saturday I got my hair braided and I now look even more Ghanaian then before. It was a very long and painful 3 hours, however it was totally worth it. I now know why everyone here braided their hair. It is so much cooler (temperature wise) when it is braided!

On Sunday Nick and I headed to a village/town called Aburi which is about an hour away by tro tro. There are some breathtaking botanical gardens there that we went to visit. Aburi but be one of the coolest towns I have ever been to. It is on the top of a mountain and as a result the view is SPECTACULAR! Unfortunately it was so humid that the pictures probably will not turn out, but just close your eyes and imagine standing on top of a mountain and being able to see everything around you for hundreds of miles. Such a cool thing! We also discovered a lot of local artisans and spent some time hanging out with them. It is so nice to know the people who carve the items you buy！ I much prefer that to buying it from a vendor in the city.

It was a great weekend of hanging out in the village. I am feeling more and more at home here everyday. I am learning so much about the culture and traditions of Ghana, which is extremely interesting, though at times also frustrating. However there is no doubt in my mind that I am gaining a greater world understanding which is exactly why I came here this summer. I am having many experiences that I am not writing about, so you will have to wait and here more stories when I get home! It is so hard to believe that I will be back home in less then two months now. Time sure does fly!

Reflections after one month... adjusting to village life

2009-06-03T04:06:00.000-07:00

I have now been in Africa for a whole month! How crazy is that! Despite the fact that some days seem as though they will never end, time has just flown by! I find myself becoming sad that I only have 10 weeks left at the school! I also find myself overwhelmed by how much work there is to be done on the library in those weeks! I think there is more work then days left here… I hope I can get it all done before I leave, and if I can’t then I hope someone continues the work after I leave. One thing I have noticed about Ghana (and I am assuming it is the same in much of Africa) is that if something is half working they say oh that is good enough, it kind of works, there is no need to do any more work on it. It is an attitude that I am having a very hard time trying to come to terms with. I know that I am not here to change things. I am here for a short time and I will only get a small taste of this country and its very diverse and rich culture. But at the same time it is so frustrating to see systems in place that simply perpetuate a system that does not function smoothly or at the best level it could. I have also noticed that some of the best things about Ghana’s culture can cause some of their greatest weaknesses. For example – everyone here is like a big family. Everyone cares for everyone else. However this also means that rarely if ever will someone get fired. If you fire someone then who will be there to make sure no one fires you? This results in some people holding positions of power that they should not have; People in high positions that have lost the vision for the future and are not doing anything, but that are so controlling they do not allow their staff to do anything unless they have been given a direct instruction. It is extremely frustrating to recognize these issues and know that nothing will ever be done about them! Even Ghanaians have told me that they know these problems exist but it is useless to try to change the system. Change will never come if no one tries! Change has to start with one person! It only takes one spark to get a fire going… Oh well, it is something I will have to learn to deal with this summer.
Something else that I am adjusting too, or trying to adjust to, is the pace of village life. Everything seems to move so much slower here! No one is in a hurry to get things done, they will happen when they happen. Teachers come and go as they please, sometimes they go to the classes on time and sometimes they don’t, sometimes they come into work and sometimes they don’t… I am having a hard time grasping the concept of people wandering in and out of work as they please with no negative repercussions. Behaviour that would not be tolerated for even a day back home is the way of life here. Time seems to hold little or no significance in peoples lives. I had choir practice (more about the choir later) last night, and the director had stressed that rehearsal was to start at 6 pm sharp! 6 pm did not mean 6:15 or 6:30 or 7:00, but 6:00! I was a little frustrated with Elias (my friend in the choir with me) because he had said he would come get me at 5:30…by the time 6:00 rolled around he picked me up. In my mind all I could think of was great I am the new person in the choir and the only Obruni and I am going to be late to one of my first rehearsals! We made it there by 6:20, and it turned out we were some of the first people there! The director did not even show up until 7:15! Sometimes it is nice to know that time is so relaxed here and you do not always have to be stressed out about arriving somewhere at a specific time, but other times it is very frustrating to hurry to prepare for something that ends up being delayed for hours. Hopefully I will become more used to this relaxed form of time otherwise I will become very frustrated this summer! I just hope that I can get used to North American time again when I get home otherwise I will be in trouble come first semester!
Now I will tell you all more about choir. One of the teachers at the school who I have become friends with Eliasgoes to the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC) and he is part of the band that plays along with the choir there. I mentioned to him that I loved to sing and he invited me along to check out the choir. I have now been to 2 rehearsals and church on Sunday (church there is 4 hours long!). It is a very, very gospel choir as the name of the church might have given away. I have a lot of fun singing with them, but I did not enjoy church as much as I had hoped I would. I want to go to the Presbyterian Church before making a decision about which church to attend. So I may or may not stay in the choir, but it has given me a way to meet a lot more people in the community and build relationships I would have never had otherwise. It is experiences like this, the getting involved with the community that will make my summer unforgettable! It is all about the relationships.
Speaking of relationships, as you have probably read in some of my other blogs I am becoming great friends with Anita (the other teacher who lives with me at the school). This past weekend we had a huge heart to heart and now we feel more like sisters then just friends. I feel so blessed to have her in my life here! We can talk openly about everything and have confided a lot of life dreams and goals with each other. I feel like the level of relationship we have now should have taken years to form, but instead it has only taken us a few weeks. She is a lot of fun, and is a huge source of joy in my life. We are going to go get our hair braided together one day =
I am becoming much more comfortable in the village and it is finally beginning to feel like home! I am so thankful for this. I was having a very hard time with being homesick when I first moved from the big city of Accra to my little village of Obodan. It made it even worse when I got sick because no one likes to be sick and be so far from home. It was especially scary to me because the Doctors did not know what I was sick with! Having a mystery illness and being away from home is definitely the worst! But I am settling in very well now. Though at times a do feel a little envious of my friend Amelie who is living in the city and who is able to have a night life with other volunteers and people travelling through Ghana. Night life here consists of walking to Fotobi and playing cards… Not quite as exciting haha. But in the end I am glad that I am in a small village and am able to see what life is like for the majority of Ghanaians. I also am thankful that I am not just hanging out with other foreigners, otherwise you do not get to form close relationships with people from Ghana! You do not get as in touch with the culture, and in the end I do not think you really gain a greater world understanding. When I am bored here at night I just keep reminding myself that I did not come here to have a great night life or meet other foreigners. I came here to gain a greater world understanding in hopes of creating a more peaceful world. I believe that I am exactly where I am meant to be. I found last week while I was sick that I was beginning to almost wish away my time here. I just wanted to go home (a lot of this was due to the fact that I felt absolutely wretched!). But on Sunday at church between the Amens and then Halleluiahs the pastor talked about paying a price. He mentioned the story of Abraham and how God had a plan for his life and a plan to bless him. However first Abraham had to leave behind everything he knew. He had to leave his home and his possessions behind. He had to leave his ‘comfort zone’. However he was pushed from his comfort zone because God had a better plan for his life. God had a plan to bless him in the future, a plan to take him to a better place. Well it was definitely something I could relate to! I have most definitely been pushed outside my comfort zone in more ways then one, but I do believe that I have been brought to this village at this point in my life for a reason. There is a plan, and I need to be living in the present. I need to give myself fully to everything here for the time I have left, because before I know it I will be on a plane heading back home. There is so much for me to learn and experience here, I cannot waste any more time missing things back home. However I do have a request for all of you back home who have significant events happening before I come home… Can you please hold off on them until I get home? Thanks! (aka those with birthdays just delay turning a year older until I can be there ok? Haha)
I met the queen mother of the village the other day! It was very exciting! I was not really sure of the proper etiquette, but we had a very nice conversation and she is very kind! Apparently she had been at the clinic when I went there when I was sick, but I was to sick to know who she was. She had spoken to Bright about me and was very concerned for my health. It is cool to understand more about the systems here, to see more about the old ways of life (the chief system).
I am still having a hard time with the food here, but I am starting to make due. Anita is very understanding that the food is not agreeing with me. We usually have some sort of bread and egg combination for breakfast which is great. It is good to start the day off with food that I can actually eat! Lunch is always some sort of traditional food that the cook at the school makes. All of the food here is very spicy and oily… both things that do not sit very well in my stomach… However this weekend when I go to Accra I am going to get some peanut butter so at least I can get protein when all else fails! I will continue to eat the traditional food in hopes that my system will get used to it, but I do not know how likely that is. I do however absolutely LOVE the fruit that they have here! The pineapple is probably the most delicious pineapple I have ever tastedMy pants may not fit me by then end of the summer… I think I need to find a belt very soon in order to avoid having my pants fall off part way through teaching a class!
I have fallen in love with the cooks little daughter Mameesi! She is absolutely the most adorable child! She usually does not like white people apparently, but she has taken to me like a bee to honey! I spent most of Sunday morning playing with her, and when I had to leave to go to church she started to throw a fit and cried and cried and cried. After I left she came back to Anita’s room (where we had been hanging out) and sat outside her door waiting for me to come back for almost two hours! I could not believe it when Anita told me when I got back. It almost broke my heart! She is so cute and it is so nice to get to play with small children again! I love all of the girls at the high school, but it is not the same as being able to play with young children! There are young kids everywhere in the village, but I do not know them well enough to be able to fully play with them yet…hopefully one day soon I will!
I have taught some of the teachers here how to play crazy eights! It is a lot of fun, and it gives us a good way to pass time at night, especially when the power is out (which happens quite frequently here) - you never really know when you will have power or when it will go off. It makes life a constant guessing game! I definitely have a new appreciation for constant power supplies in North America! This summer is definitely showing me things that I used to take for granted at home that I am so thankful for.
We are starting to get more into the rainy season here, which means torrential downpours can come at anytime…yet another thing that makes life a constant guessing game! It is hard to make plans when you do not know what the state of the weather or power will be in an hour. However I am very grateful that this is the rainy season because when it does rain it cools things down to a bearable temperature. I did not realize how much heat can affect your state of mind!
Another thing I am learning to live very well with is bugs! There seem to be bugs everywhere here! (Especially at night when they get drawn to the lights.) I am ever so thankful that I have a bug net up around my bed! The other night I think someone left the door open to the teachers hallway at the school and our hallway was swarming with bugs! Bright went out and sprayed them, and a lot of them did fall to the floor dead, however when you walked down the hall you could hear them all crunching under your shoes – it has to be one of the grossest sounds I have ever heard! But I am getting a lot less jumpy around bugs. I still do not like them especially when they get into my room, but I am learning that there is not all that much I can do to stop them, and in the end there will be some of them around no matter what I do.
One thing that I am struggling with here is the attitude towards homosexuality. It is absolutely unacceptable here and people are very violently against it (I met a few people who said they would beat someone up if they found out they were homosexual). Some of my best friends back home are homosexual and this attitude makes me very sad. It is such a hateful attitude! I do not understand how you can hate someone so passionately and know nothing about them other then they are homosexual! One of the other Canadian volunteers who I have met here is having a very hard time with this attitude because he is unable to express who he truly is. He constantly has to keep his true person hidden. That must be very tiring! This morning I walked into the staff room to find the headmaster passionately expressing his views against homosexuality and from what I understood from the conversation he was kicking 2 girls out of the school because they were lesbians ( I am not sure about this part I have to ask Anita), but he was very hateful in his words. I do not understand how people here can be so religious and believe in Gods love so much but not accept those who Jesus would have eaten dinner with. He ate with those who the society shunned – he would eat with the homosexuals. Jesus calls us to love one another as ourselves. He does not say choose who you want to love, he says love everyone. You do not have to like everyone or agree with everyone, but you do have to love everyone. This hateful attitude will give me many problems this summer, I can tell already.
I have bought a traditional African dress and continue to fall in love with the culture here. I love the bright colours and the upbeat music! In choir we sang a song called Igwe by a group called Midnight Crew (I do not know if you can hear it if you youtube it, but it is worth a try, it will give you a taste of the music here!) I hope to get some more traditional clothes in the future (it may have to be sooner rather then later at the rate my clothes are becoming to big for me! =)
I am becoming more used to the changes in lifestyle here. It no longer seems so strange that when you go to the bathroom you then have to go next door and fill a bucket of water to poor it down the toilet bowl. I am getting more used to the fact that I have a different standard of cleanliness then most people here do, and am finding ways to cope with the differences (disinfectant spray, antibacterial hand soap, etc.) It no longer feels all that strange to see chickens, goats, sheep or cattle just wandering around. (Though this weekend I saw a sheep and a chicken get hit by a car – that was a little disturbing). The driving is still a little terrifying at times, but not quite as terrifying as it was when I first arrived. And I am becoming an expert at walking on the half paved half pot hole filled roads without spraining an ankle. =) I know that I will definitely miss the greenness of Obodan when it is finally time for me to leave. It is so breathtaking here. And I have found a place on the back porch of the school where I like to go to sit and think and take 10 minutes to rejuvenate throughout the day. The view is amazing and it is truly peaceful and serine.
Obodan is feeling more like home, I am really beginning to flourish here, and know that it will be very hard when it comes time for me to finally leave. Until then I am going to throw myself into all the possible different situations I can. I do not want to go home feeling as though I missed out on something here. I am going to spend the next 10 weeks being fully present with those here and soaking up everything I can.

Black Magic

2009-06-03T04:05:00.000-07:00

BLACK MAGIC
It is crazy how superstitious some people are over here! And it is not a religious thing, it is more of a cultural thing. People who are devout Christians who believe in God will also believe in something called Juju or black magic. I have heard about it from people in the village, girls at the school, Nick’s roommate and even read about it in the newspaper.
In the newspaper I was reading a story about students who skip school in order to spend their time in internet café’s cheating foreigners out of money. There are huge rings of scams going on. It is a large problem for the education system because of the poor attendance rates and dropping test scores. However not only do they skip school for this some of them also apparently use juju (spells and different rituals) to give them special powers and make them more successful in cheating people out of money. Some of the rituals include sleeping in coffins, not bathing, eating flies… They believe that if you bathe after you have used juju or while you are using it you will die. Sleeping in coffins will give you power and eating 15 flies 3 times a day will also give you certain powers.
Some of the students at the school have told me I should only take tro-tros and not taxis because some taxis have coffins in the trunk and one out of every 10 people the drive will die. They will just keel over and drop dead for no reason. Nicks roommate Bella is probably the most superstitious person I have yet to meet. She is so scared of juju, yet she is also very hard core Christian. It seems very strange to me that you can believe so fully in Gods power and love, yet at he same time believe so strongly in juju. She will not pick money up off the side of the road in case someone has put juju on it. Apparently people can put juju on money so that when you pick it up off the side of the road something bad will happen to you (you will turn into a yam, your manhood will fall off, etc.) I do not know what good this would do to someone else, so I am not sure why someone would put a spell on money to do that in the first place… It just blows my mind how strongly some people believe in these things. Nick told me a story about when his Dad worked in Africa as a colonial police officer – One day a man came into the police station ranting about how a witch put a spell on him and he was going to die in 2 days if they did not go and make her take the spell off of him. There was nothing the police could do for him, so the man left. 2 days later he dropped dead and the autopsy showed no sign of anything being wrong with the man. There was no cause of death. I think that when things supposedly happen because of black magic it is because people have psychologically made themselves so convinced of them. The human mind is a powerful thing and you have to be very careful what you choose to believe in!
This is a huge cultural difference that I have noticed and it continues to put me a little on edge. I was feeling very uncomfortable by it until I talked to Anita about it. She told me that so many people believe in it, but it is just silliness in her opinion. She holds the same view that I do in terms of the mind being a powerful tool and it is only when you believe in something so strongly that something will happen. It will definitely be an interesting summer here having people quote scripture to me in one breath and then in the next be telling me about juju and black magic! Life sure is different here!

Sick and a long way from home...

2009-06-03T04:03:00.000-07:00

Sick and a long way from home…
This past week has been quite the adventure! Even though I told myself I was not going to get sick in Africa I got very, very ill. Right after I had uploaded my last blog and I was still in Accra with Nick (who is all better now!) I began to violently throw up. Not a good thing at all. However being my stubborn self (and not liking to go to the doctor even when at home in Canada) I decided that I did not want to go to the hospital even though Nick insisted I go. However, right after I refused to go I received a phone call from Anita (the teacher who lives across the hall from me who has become like a sister) and she told me I was not allowed to leave Accra without seeing the Doctor. So whether I liked it or not I was off to the hospital. We went to the same hospital we had taken Nick to only a few short days before. It is a good thing we went because by the time we made it there I felt absolutely dreadful! After paying some money and waiting around for a while I got in to see a Doctor. It is very intimidating to be in a foreign country at a hospital in with a Doctor all by yourself… or at least I found it intimidating! The doctor and I both had a hard time understanding each other (the whole accent thing) and apparently I talk to fast, and he mumbled his words… it was an interesting experience. Long story short from the symptoms I was having he thought it may be Malaria so he sent me to do 2 blood tests and some other tests. I was intimidated enough just seeing a doctor… but now I had to go down a strange little hall way and wait to be stuck with needles (something I am very scared of even in Canada!). Nick is a great guy and I am glad he was around, but he does not get the whole moral support, "do you want me to go with you" thing. So I went of to have my tests done alone.
The area where the tests were done was behind a folding screen in the hallway. I must have looked absolutely terrified while sitting there because a very kind older doctor came by and comforted me assuring me everything will turn out fine. When it came to be my turn to have my blood taken the kind older doctor came back and did the test for me. I did not look at the needle and made it through the tests fine. However after having my blood taken my arm would not stop bleeding… it was a little disconcerting to say the least! No matter what they did for a while it just kept bleeding ( not sure why, I have never had that problem before!) Anyways, the tests came back negative for Malaria in the blood stream, however apparently it can hide in your liver and not show up on the tests. The doctor started me on anti malaria medication as a precaution. Man those drugs are strong!! They totally wipe you out! I thought I was feeling weak before because of the sickness, but every time after taking to drugs I felt like collapsing! You have to take them three times a day, every time I thought I was gaining some strength it was wiped out again!
Tuesday I was feeling even worse then I was on Monday. Nick insisted that I go with him to the clinic he had gone to when he first got Malaria because it had been such a good experience for him. Unfortunately I did not have as much success in my visit. The Doctor was great, he was very kind and knew exactly what questions to ask. He ordered me to have more tests done and to have a few injections. That was great, more needles! =S They could not find a room to put me in for the longest time, and eventually I wound up in the labour and delivery room. I have to say I am very grateful I do not have to have a baby in Africa! The clinic has no electricity or running water! They are all wired for power and they just need to be hooked up to the grid, however the government or the power company or someone will not hook them up to the grid. I have no idea why, but it is very frustrating for them!
The nurse who was giving me my injections was very nice, however she did not have a very steady hand. Part way though one of the injections I think she skewered the vein in my hand… my hand began to fill up with the liquid and became twice the size it should be! It was very painful! It felt like a car had just run over my hand! Eventually she stopped that injection and tried two other veins in that hand. She ended up missing both of those as well. In the end my right hand ended up looking like Frankenstein’s hand! Nick finally went to get the Doctor who came right away and successfully found a vein on my other hand. I did not know what I was going to do if they did not find a vein soon. I was seriously considering just trying to leave. I could not take it anymore! I just rested for about an hour while waiting for the saline solution to run into my body to re-hydrate me. It felt very strange to be in the labour and delivery room like that! Bright (one of the teachers from the school) also came down to the clinic to make sure that I was ok. I am so glad he did because he is able to speak Twi fluently which proved to be very helpful! After my crazy injection experience I was given even more medication to take. I looked like a serious drug addict for a while! I had to take more then 5 pills 3 times a day! That is a lot of pills!
I also had to go to Nsawam (the larger town near my village) to get some more tests done. Which, just my luck meant yet another blood test (another needle!). However I have to say I was learning to deal with needles like a champ and they were no longer fazing me… just making me a little nervous (it sounds bad, but a needle in Africa, even though I saw them take them out of the sterile packages, still made me a little nervous.)
Wednesday I thought I was finally getting a little better. I had been banned from working that week and told that I just needed to go and rest and get my strength back. I had slept all morning, and was finally feeling a little stronger. However in order to take my pills I had to eat food… and food here has been a bit of struggle for me. Everything I eat seems to make me want to throw it up again. I was able to get some rice and chicken stew into my system, but right after I finished the last bite I ended up throwing it all up again! Right when I thought I was getting better I ended up getting even sicker! It was very unfortunate! However I did rest the rest of the week and was able to regain my strength and recover my health.
I stayed in Obodan this weekend (mainly because Anita would not let me leave), but it turned out to be a very good idea because it allowed me to become more acclimatized to the weather and the food in the village. It is not that far from Accra, however the weather is different here, and the change I think is what took a toll on my system. It was a very scary experience to be so sick and be so far from home and those you love. However it definitely made me very humble and forced me to rely fully on those around me. I think it helped me to become closer to those I am living and working with. They are beginning to feel like a second family to me. Anita is the biggest sweetheart and I enjoy hanging out with her so much! She is already talking about how much she is going to miss me when I go home! I am here for another 2 1/2 months, but already she is thinking about how much she will miss me. It is nice to have a friend so close by all of the time. We are quickly becoming more like sisters then just friends, and I thank God that he blessed me so much by putting her in my life here!
It was not a pleasant experience being sick in Africa, and it is not something I want to repeat while I am here, but it opened me up to be more vulnerable and to rely fully on those around me. This experience pushed me from my comfort zone, and stretched me in new ways. And though it was unpleasant I feel that there must have been a reason behind it, some hidden lesson I learned. I do not know how yet, but I am sure this experience has shaped me to be a better person somehow =)

Life in Obodan - 3 weeks into the adventure

2009-05-25T01:42:00.000-07:00

Well I have now been away from home for 3 weeks. It feels like it has been a lot longer then that！It is almost as though I have not been in Canada forever, I feel as though I am forgetting what it is like at times. I forget what it is to smell the spring buds on the trees. I forget what the cold spring mornings feel like… in fact I just forget what it feels like to be cold! It is so ridiculously hot here! I actually cannot believe how people can survive in this heat! Especially those who are pregnant! I have a new admiration for pregnant ladies!

I was finally beginning to get settled into a routine and a rhythm in Accra. I had formed a mini family unit with the other volunteers I was living with, and I was finally beginning to feel comfortable in the city. I was getting the hang of the tro tro’s, I knew where the best places to get different things were. It was finally beginning to feel like home. However just as I left my friends and family in Canada to come to Ghana I then had to leave my new found friends and mini family unit to move to my new home in the little village of Obodan. I know I had told everyone I was living in Fotobi, and I really thought I was. Imagine my surprise when I get told that I am actually living in an even smaller village next door to Fotobi. I have to say it is probably the smallest village I have ever seen before. But it does make Fotobi seem like a booming metropolis =) And Fotobi is only a 15 minute walk down the road, so it is not to far to find some more people.

My first impressions of Obodan – The scenery is absolutely breath taking! There are huge hills/mountains covered in all different kinds of trees and plant life. It is green pretty much everywhere you look! Contrasted to the breathtaking scenery is the desperate poverty of the houses in the village. Mud walls and sheds made of branches. There are a few roads like the roads we have at home (well dirt country roads at home), but between houses and when you go up different lanes you can no longer really call them roads, they are more like treacherous lanes. If you are not careful you can easily twist an ankle in a pothole. I am scared to see the state of these lanes when the rainy season truly gets under way! Despite the poverty that seems especially intense in Fotobi and Obodan the people are some of the happiest and most welcoming people I have ever seen before in my life! It makes me wonder why we cannot be so happy and welcoming in Canada when we have been blessed with such abundance. Why are we so hesitant to share with those around us and help others in need when we have more then we need. People here will do whatever they can to welcome others, and help those around them, even when it means giving away their portion of food for the day. How did we loose this in Canada? It is truly disgraceful that we are so self centered and hoard so much when there are so many around us in need. And I am not just talking about those in other countries who are in need. Those in Canada, people in our own backyard so to speak, are living in poverty and going hungry. Over 15,000 Canadian families occasionally have nothing to eat. We should take a lesson from the Ghanaians who have so little financially, yet are abundant in community spirit.

Some other things that I have noticed in my first week of living in Obodan… Animals are everywhere! Honestly, I am not exaggerating when I say they wander freely wherever they want to go. Chickens, dogs, packs of goats and even sometimes cows just wandering throughout the town. It will be strange to go back home to Canada and not hear animals all the time, or to be able to cross the road without having to wait for the goats to cross first =) The stars here are also incredibly stunning! There are basically no street lights for miles around which makes it an ideal place to star gaze! Unfortunately I cannot see the big dipper, but it is really nice to know that the moon I see at night is the same moon that everyone back at home will be seeing later that evening. It is refreshing to remember that when feeling a little home sick far away from home. It is nice to have something that connects you back to those you love at home. If it were not for the mosquitoes I would be out every night stargazing!

While on the topic of mosquitoes, my friend Nick who is living in Fotobi (only a 20 minute walk from my place to his) managed to get malaria before being here for a full 2 weeks! Thursday I got a text message saying he has malaria. Thank you very much Nick, you know the way to worry me and get me stressed out! Thankfully he lives in the same house as a girl names Isabella who took very good care of him! She was the one who insisted he go to the clinic. Thank goodness she did because by the time he made it to the clinic he felt as though he had been hit by a bus! I am also very thankful that the health care system at the clinic was much faster the then one we have in Canada! Within 15 minutes of arriving a Doctor had Nick in a room hooked up to IV to re-hydrate him and was sticking him with all these needles. It was very epic! Nick said it was like watching ER except he was the patient. The doctor was shouting to nurses to bring IV’s stat and ordering others around to get vaccinations ready… it sounded very intense! After becoming a pin cushion for all the different needles and after laying there for a few hours trying to become re-hydrated Nick was sent back home to Fotobi. I walked down to see him after school on Thursday and could not believe how weak he looked! I had seen him the night before and he looked fine, infact he looked better then fine. Within less then 24 hours Malaria had wiped him of his strength. He could not even put his own shoes on when he was leaving the hospital. So I am now even more aware of the mosquitoes and a little nervous about them! I am very relieved that I have a bug net to sleep under! Hopefully that will help keep them at bay!

I was supposed to be living with a host family in Fotobi/Obodan, however it turns out that I am living at the school. They have a dorm area for girls who are boarding students, and they also have another area for three female teachers to live. So I have my own room and am only about a 1 minute walk to work. It can be really nice at times, but also a little trying sometimes because you never really get a change of scenery. There is a indoor bathroom which is very nice, though it is a little different from the ones at home. You have to go next door to the shower room to fill up a bucket of water to poor into the toilet afterwards because it doesn’t flush. It makes something that is so simple at home take so much longer and seem like so much more of an ordeal! There are also no lights in the washroom or the shower room, which makes going to the bathroom at night very exciting! It gets dark here about 6:20 or so… you can imagine the rest.

I have a neighbour who lives across the hall from me. Her name is Anita and she is by far the biggest sweetheart! She has really taken me under her wing and done everything in her power to make me feel as at home as possible. She is doing her year of national service (in Ghana after you graduate University you have to do a mandatory year of national service – you get sent somewhere in the country and given a job for the year and are provided with small living allowances). She teaches life skills at the school and has been acting as the dorm Matron. She is in her early twenties and we have become good friends already. She also introduced me to all of the other teachers at the school. And by all of the teachers I mean the ones who teach full time. There are a bunch of teachers who only come in when their subject is being taught so it is easy to miss them if you teach at the same time or you are off doing something else. There is a large population of young teachers at the school though. There are 3 young guy teachers who live about a 5 minute walk from the school who Anita is very good friends with and they are starting to become very good friends of mine as well. I am beginning to form yet another little mini sub family. And thankfully this one I will not have to be torn apart from until I leave! I do not think I could go through being torn away another time! This first week in Obodan has been a week of hard adjustment, lack of sleep (it has been WAY to hot at night and I have no fan in my room!) and homesickness. However it is getting better as time goes on, and before I know it Obodan will feel like home.

Things in Ghana are very different from things in Canada. I am beginning to feel almost as if I went to another world instead of just around it. Not only are daily activities different, but also a lot of attitudes towards different things. The whole attitude that women cannot do anything for themselves is really starting to drive me crazy! This weekend we came back to Accra to visit with Amelie and to get Nick a place with AC for the weekend so he could just relax and recuperate from his bout of Malaria (I have decided that he is now Mosquito Man or Malaria Man). Friday night I went to meet Amelie so we could go and see a possible new place for her to live and then I could bring her back to the hotel (there is no way she would find it on her own). When I met up with her she was also with her friend Stephane (he also goes to University of Ottawa and is here volunteering for the summer) and his friend Eco who lives just down the road from his host family. Everything was fine until we were walking down the road to go to see Stephane’s house. Eco then decided I could not carry my own bag and that it is a mans duty to not only carry the bags but also to walk on the outside of the road in order to protect the woman. I am a very independent person, and I do not mind when guys help me to carry things, but I do mind when they do it because it is ‘a mans duty’ or ‘women cannot do it for themselves’. This is just one example of this attitude, but I have run into it many other times, and each time it gets harder to deal with.

Another attitude towards women that I am having an extremely hard time dealing with is that when women are raped it is their fault. No blame is given to the men here, it must have somehow been the woman’s fault. “It is because she wore that mini skirt” “It is her fault because she went to his house” “It is her fault she was out walking at night”. No matter what the situation is the women get blamed for it! Even when girls get raped in school by male teachers the girls often get expelled (if they become pregnant) and the teachers simply stay where they are or sometimes are suspended for a month and then transferred to another school. This is absolutely ridiculous! How does anyone expect anything to change if the women are going to always be blamed for everything? It is not the women’s fault that the men cannot control their sexual urges or their lust for power and control! I heard a very disturbing stat the other day – 50% of women’s first sexual experiences in Ghana are forced upon them. It is absolutely dumbfounding! Amelie is working at with Ghana’s National Education Campaign and told me about one meeting she attended when they were discussing a case of one girl who was raped by a teacher at her school, impregnated and then kicked out of school because she was pregnant. The teacher was no punished at all. The case itself infuriated me, but what made it even worse was the response of one of the men who works with the National Education Campaign. He went on and on and on about how it was clearly the girls fault and she deserved to be expelled because it was her fault she was raped in the first place. These attitudes towards women are extremely frustrating and will definitely be struggle for me this summer!

Another thing I am going to struggle with this summer is the different attitudes towards teaching and punishments in the schools. The education system in Ghana is a huge issue. On paper it may seem as though the system is doing well. On paper there is one teacher for every 35 students, but in reality there is often one teacher for every 100-200 students. On any given day 20% of teachers just do not show up to school to teach. Schools cannot work this way and students definitely struggle to get what they need to succeed in this broken system. There are also very few if any school inspections and when there are inspectors around they do not have a list of what they should be looking for. Many teachers here have also not been paid in over a year, and as a result they not only have to teach, but they have to do something else to gain income to feed themselves and their families. Punishments within the school are something that I have already started to struggle with. On Friday I was in the teacher’s room at the school working on a class plan when one of the students came in to hand an assignment to the other English teacher. I did not follow the conversation that followed because it was in Twi, however I knew that for some reason Giftie (the other teacher) was not happy. She then sent the student out to kneel on the ground (which was concrete). I had no idea what was going on, and did not know how to ask. Eventually I got up to courage and in the most respectful way I could I asked why the girl was kneeling on the ground outside. I was told she had brought her assignment late and this was her punishment. Giftie then asked “what else could I do, she has to be punished somehow.” I probably looked absolutely dumbfounded (because I was!) One of the other teachers asked me what punishments we have in Canada. The only things I could think of were losing marks if you hand in an assignment late, or getting detention if you misbehave, or if it is really bad you would have been sent to the principles office. But there was never a physical punishment! I know that I will not be able to physically punish students, and I am really going to have a hard time seeing other teachers do it.

Wow, so now that you know everything I am having a hard time with, I will share more about what I do at the school. I am teaching English which I think I am really going to enjoy doing. I taught my first class this past week (I was not supposed to teach the class but the other English teacher did not show up so it fell to me to teach). It went well and I had a lot of fun with the girls. I think they were a little taken aback at first because I was a lot more laid back then the other English teacher usually is. I tried to make class fun and always smiled and tried to get them to laugh. By the end of class there were only 3 or 4 students who were not smiling and laughing with me. I was also very upfront about the fact that they will probably have a hard time understanding me at times, and I will probably also have a hard time understanding them. So we will all have to be patient with each other and probably repeat things a lot of the time. I taught them about past tense and future time, and then gave them an assignment. All in all it went well and most of them seemed to understand everything. Those who did not do so well on the assignment were probably the ones who did not take notes when I told them to write certain things down… I guess something’s do not change even when you go to the other side of the world.

I am also the new secretary at the school and do a bunch of computer and administration work for them. It is not to exciting, but is needs to be done. However I do think that the headmaster thinks I have more computer skills then I really do because he asked me the other day to design a crazy schedule on the computer and I have no idea how to go about it! We will see how that goes next week.

I am also the new librarian. Ok, so one day I will be the librarian, I first have to build them a library. Currently they have a very small space that is just crammed full with books with no particular rhyme or reason to how it is done. They refer to it as a reading room and they want me to take it and transform it into a library with organized sections and a whole catalogue of what books they have. It is a huge project and I know it will keep me very busy for most of the summer. I am going to another senior secondary school that is more established sometime this week in order to see their library and the system they use to organize it. I am hoping that will give me some ideas, because I am feeling a little out of my league at the moment.

A funny story from Obodan; I was in the library on Friday trying to organize some of the books into subject sections. I looked up, and much to my surprise I saw a chicken! A chicken had wandered into my library. I was unsure what to do so I decided to leave it alone (as I said before chickens kind of just run wild around here). Next thing I knew the silly chicken started to try to peck at the walls of the library! (the walls are made of metal). The poor chicken was so stunned he started to stumble backwards; his whole body was probably vibrating. And then… the stupid chicken pooped on the floor of my library! It is absolutely hilarious to think back on, but I was so stunned at the time I did not know what to do with myself! I shooed it out of the library, but still could not believe that he had pooped on the floor! I knew at that moment that I was a long way of home!

It is very funny to go walking down the road in the village. All of the kids get so excited to see me. I thought that I was called Obruni a lot on Accra, but I think the kids of Obodan are giving the people of Accra a run for their money! I cannot walk down the road without being followed by kids who all want to touch my skin. I do not think Ｉhave ever felt so popular before in my whole life =)

I also find it very funny that Anita has a TV in her room at the school and sometimes when we are hanging out at night she will turn it on and shows like Friends and the Cosby Show. It is funny to be so far away from home in a little village in Africa and be able to watch Friends (granted it is a very fuzzy version, but it is still Friends). It is also very funny to be listening to the radio hearing some sweet African music and then to hear songs from back home. You cannot get away from North American culture even when you move to a village of 200 in Africa.

I am still getting settled into life in Obodan, but before I know it I am sure it will feel like home!

Akwaaba!

2009-05-07T03:59:00.000-07:00

Akwaaba is by far the phrase I have heard the most while being here in Ghana! It means welcome, and I have never felt more welcomed by a groups of people/country before! From the moment I stepped off the plane I was greeted with a sea of smile. This will forever be the lasting first impression I have of Ghana. I was met at the airport by a man named Fred who then took me on a crazy adventure to get to the guest house where I am living until the 18th. It was a very interesting introduction to the country. The driving here is absolutely crazy! I do not know if people actually realize that there are two sides of the road one for each direction for traffic! People drive where ever they want to and often just barely miss having huge collisions. Some roads are in fairly good conditions, however overall most of the roads are in a state of disrepair and more often then not you feel as though you are off roding. There are also people everywhere you look! always people hanging out by the sides of the road and when you are driving there are constantly people coming up to your window trying to sell you something. I am constantly blown away by the fact that the women here can carry anything and everything on their heads, and most of them do it while also balancing a baby on their back! I am in awe of the balance!

I was the first of the WUSC volunteers to arrive in Ghana so I was alone that night at the guest house. It was a very overwhelming feeling of loneliness that I was not expecting! I do not know why I had not prepared myself for i, I usually adjust very quickly to new situations and just figured I would be so busy that I would not really have time to over think things. This however was not the case. I was dropped off at the guest house at 7 and then left alone there. This gave me way to much time to think! I also was unsure about the proper etiquette of staying in a guest house. Was i supposed to just stay in my room? Should I wander outside and talk to people? I stayed in my room for a while, but eventually was so stir crazy for someone to talk to I went on an adventure to explore the compound. I ran into Ben the man who owns the guest house and ended up chatting to him for the longest time. He is the nicest man and the best comparrison I have for you to give you an idea of what he looks like and how he acts is Bill Cosby from the Cosby show. He is the nicest man! He gave me a Ghanaian name. I am now Akua Katie (because I was born on a Wednesday). He told me a lot about Ghana and made me feel very at home.

The next day I came to WUSC offices and met everyone who works there. Then Fred and I went out to go change some of my money and to buy me some food. It feels so strange to be the only white person anywhere here. Some of the little children who have never seen a white person before do not know if they should run away or towards me haha. Cries of 'Obruni' seem to follow wherever I go. It means white person. I have also learned how to say No, it is Dabbi. There are a few more phrases but I do not know how to spell them and do not want to butcher the Twi language so I will fill you in when I get the spellings for them.

After going out with Fred for the day I went back to the guest house and yet again had way to much time to simply sit and think. I ended up working myself up to the point where I felt sick and ended up curling up on my giant bed (honestly I have never seen a bigger bed in my whole life) and falling asleep. I think my body was just overtired and a little messed up from the long plane rides and time changes. I felt a little better when I woke up, however still felt lonely, anxious and as if I wanted to catch the next plane home. However after sitting down for a moment and weighing my options to either let my loneliness get me down or to buck up, put a smile on my face and put myself out there until I began to feel more at home. I chose the later option and am so grateful I did. Not long after this another girl arrived from Ottawa. Her name is Amelie and we immediately became friends! It is so nice to have someone who is going through the same adjustment period, and understands what you are feeling! We stayed up talking most of the night and both went to bed glad to know there was someone else in the same boat.

Yesterday we took an excursion out to see the village I will be living and working in. I met the director of FAWE and she was so kind and welcoming that I know I will be well cared for this summer. The journey out to Fotobi took about an hour from Accra, and at time the roads were so bad I felt as if the car was going to break =S There is a larger city/town close to my village (7 km) away I think. It is called Naswam and it is where I will be going to get any supplies I need while I am in Fotobi. When we were driving out there were to many animals walking down the sides of the road - goats, cows (which are mush different from the cows at home), chickens and so much more! We began to drive by a lot of shack like structures, houses made from scrap metal or tree branches, some that only had three walls instead of four. I was beginning to get a little worried about the living conditions that I would find myself in for the summer. I can rough it with the best of them, but I was not sure how it would work with a family and me in an area as big as half of my room at school and only three walls. However I kept reminding myself that it is all part of the adventure and if I did find myself in that situation I could make it work, and in Hindsight it is really only 3 and a half months of my life right? Just another adventure, just another part of the journey. As we got into Fotobi we stopped at the FAWE offices. I was able to meet a lot of the people who work there and get a feeling for what it is they do. I found out more about how the organization first began and how it has been transformed over the years in Ghana. It used to be located in the capital city (ACCRA) but was moved out to the country because they wanted to start a radio station and could only get a license if they moved the operation out into the country. The radio station is to promote education of girls, and the men who were doing the shows when I was there were extremely funny. I look forward to working with them and maybe even learning more about how a radio station works! In Ghana it is law that if you have an FM radio station you also have a security guard on duty 24 hours a day 7 days a week. This is due to the fact that if there were to ever be a political coup they do not want them to be able to capture a radio station as a means of communicating with others involved or as a way of gaining more support. I would have never thought about that, but it makes so much sense! At the offices they also have a huge library of resources pertaining to women and HIV/AIDS. Apparently many people in University who study these topics travel here to do their research. Julianna the director said that I would be welcome to use the resources anytime I would like, so I may be able to do some really interesting school work while here.

After we saw the FAWE offices we drove down the road for a while (maybe 5 minutes) to get to the school I am gong to be working at. It is an all girls Senior high school so most of the girls are anywhere from 13 - 17. There are 104 students enrolled right now. Right now the students are in the middle of their exams so they are just studying around the school. I met the headmaster and he gave me a tour around the school building. There are 4 classrooms and a room that they are turning into a library. I found out that on top of teaching English (which I may be doing by myself now...eeek!) I will also be organizing the library and creating a cataloguing system, etc. This will be very exciting since I have never before in my life taught English or organized a library. I have no idea what I am getting myself into, but I am sure it will all work out in the end. =) I met some of the senior girls who were studying in one of the classrooms. Here whenever a teacher or someone who is an elder or in a position of authority walks into the classroom they all stand up. They also have developed the skill of speaking in unison and it really threw me off at first. I was told later that they always do this and that it is a sign of respect. We have definitely lost a lot of the acts of showing respect in Canada (Western culture in general). When I was being introduced to the class they were told that I was from Canada and had just finished my second year of University. I was then asked how old I was - I was dreading this question! When they found out I was only 19 there was a lot of talking all at once. I think that some of the girls are probably 18 if not 19 themselves even though the majority are only 17. Still that is only two years younger then me and I can see why they would be a little shocked that I was so young. I wonder how they will react to me being a teacher? I really hope that I am working with a teacher who is already there and not having to come up with my own lesson plans! What do you teach in high school English? I do not know what to do with them! But, I will figure it out when I need to... I am sure it will all work out! =)

After seeing the school building itself I got to go and see the dormitories where the some of the girls live. There are also three rooms just for the teachers of the school. I found out that I am able to stay at the school. So no host family for me, however I am very excited for the chance to live with the girls! It will almost be like I am at camp again! I really hope that I am able to become friends with them and they do not see me as just being a teacher. But I will cross that bridge when it comes! I was also able to meet two ladies who cook for the school and was told that they would be able to help me get everything I need to cook this summer, or they would be able to make food for me. It is a huge relief to know that there are people around who will be able to help and give me some advice! Also the main cook has the cutest girl! I am very excited to get to know her this summer!

Behind the school there is the most breathtaking view! there are huge hills almost like mountains covered in beautiful trees and other crazy vegetation. I think there may also be a small community on the mountain, I think I saw some fields/gardens half way up the side. Who knows, I will figure out more when I move there. =)

I was also told that there is a local King/chief who lives close by who I will be taken to see when I move out to the village. How crazy is that? I am going to go meet a king!! There are also some of the worlds best botanical gardens not to far from where I will be, so I am sure at least one trip will be taken there!

After visiting the school we needed to head back into Accra, however instead of having a driver we decided to use the transit system. We caught a taxi from the offices into Naswam. Although I do not think it was really a taxi, more like a bus car type thing... part way to the village a random man hopped into the back seat next to me. It really took me aback! I was not expecting it at all! it was very funny! He kept trying to guess what my Ghanaian name would be and was convinced I would have been born on a Sunday or Monday. Both Kereen (a woman who works for WUSC in Ghana) and this man were shocked when I said "No, my name is Akua Katie". They were so excited that I knew what my Ghanaian name was! After that the man became fascinated with my white skin and he kept rubbing my arm and then rubbing his as if comparing our skin. Then he kept rubbing my arm... I think he was trying to see if the white would rub off. It was very funny! He was so amazed I wonder if I was one of the first white people he has ever seen...

One thing that I did notice as we were driving back to Naswam was the drastic poverty that exists. We drove by a garbage dump at the side of the rode and there were people there searching through it for whatever they could salvage. It almost broke my heart. Fred told me later that Ghana is a very peaceful country, the only problem with it is the extreme poverty. I am not sure why there is such abject poverty, but I am determined to come to understand the situation more fully while I am living amongst it this summer! It is hard to see such poverty and neglect in a world that has so much! There are such imbalances and I do not know how we have become so self centered in the world that we either do not see the suffering around us or we choose to ignore it. I am not trying to claim that I have the answers to 'fix' the world, but I do know that we cannot continue to go on living as we are, simply focusing on ourselves and turning a blind eye to the suffering of our fellow human beings. They have a proverb in Ghana - "every human life is worth more then gold" We have moved to far away from this way of life. We need to remember that at the centre of everyone we are human. Despite all of our physical or ideological differences we are all human and as such we are more precious then gold. When we learn to treat everyone as if they are more important then gold the world will be a much happier, equal and peaceful place!

When we arrived in Naswam we hopped into a trotro (van like buses that do not have scheduled stops, people jump in and out as they want to and just hand there money to someone near the front of the vehicle. The one we took back to Accra city centre had 21 people in it at one point. These vans were not made for 21 people! I have never been so packed into a vehicle before! Especially not on such a hot day!! After we made it to the city centre we hopped onto another tro tro to take us to the Haatso pare of town where the WUSC offices and our guest house are located. I am having a very hard time trying to understand the tro tro system, though I know I have to learn it so I can get back to the city for some weekends! I am hoping that Nick is good with directions though so that there will be two of us figuring it out together!

Once we made it back to Haatso Amelie, Fred and myself went on another great adventure to the Medina section of the city. Here we bought cell phones and then went wandering into the market. This market takes the prize for being the largest market I have ever seen in my whole life! It was so full of the most random and interesting things! I am pretty sure that you could get anything you could ever need at this market! Fred took us to meet his Aunt who sells Cassava in the market. It was very nice to meet more of his family and explore more of what the city is truly like. If Fred had not been there with us I do not think we would have been able to find our way out! There are so many back alleyways and twists and turns! It is truly a remarkable place, and as always everyone was very welcoming. Ghana is by far the most hospitable place I have ever been to! After Amelie saw the food in the market - a lot of sea food and meat just sitting out in the sun she has decided to become a vegetarian for the summer. However we quickly realized that vegetarianism is unheard of in Ghana and most people think you are very strange if you do not eat meat. Meat is usually involved in every meal in some way or another. Good luck with that this summer Amelie!

Last night Amelie and I were finally able to sleep through the night! Every night that I have been here so far there has been a stupid rooster who is determined to wake me up at least every 30 minutes! I thought it was kind of funny the first night, but after that I was not amused. I was sleep deprived and it was making it hard to be upbeat and happy when placed into new situations that pushed me in certain ways. Thankfully last night the rooster did not make an appearance and then only thing that woke me up was my alarm this morning.

I have moved rooms to share one with Amelie because Nick is coming tonight and needs a room. Today we have discovered that we also have a third roommate - a little lizard that we have decided to name Kwakum (because we found him on Wednesday night and in Ghana if you are a male and born on a Wednesday you are called Kwakum). He is very cute... and we hope he has a large appetite for bugs! Another thing that I have noticed about Ghana is that they are a very religious culture. Everywhere you look there are verses from the bible or some other religious expression or reminder. Amelie and I are also rooming with Jesus. Across from the bed on the wall above the bathroom door is a large picture of Jesus. So I actually have 3 roommates now - Amelie, Kwakum and Jesus. I hope we do not gain any more roommates otherwise we will not fit into the room!

When Amelie and I were walking to offices this morning we thought we were going to die of heat! Not only was it super hot it was also super humid! When we checked the temperature it turned out to be 42 degrees with the humidity! How crazy is that?!?! 42 degrees!! We were basically melting! We decided that this was as good of a time as any to go on an excursion by ourselves so that we could feel a little more independent. We walked to the bank, then to the money exchange place. After that we took our lives in our hands running across the road to go to the little stand where Fred had taken me before to get food. The lady recognized me and was very patient with us while we were trying to order. However she did look at Amelie as if she had two heads when she said she did not want any chicken with hers. After getting our food we wandered across the street to buy some credits for our new phones. The men who were helping us at the stand were so kind! They explained everything to us. Phones here are much different from phones at home! But now we have cellphones that have credit and work to call internationally. It is also only 15 cents a minute! crazy! It is so nice to know that home is only a phone call away!

While we were out on our excursion this afternoon the sky began to get extremely dark. Even though ti was only 1 in the afternoon it looked as if it were dusk. On our way home we got stuck in our first Ghana thunderstorm, and to top it off we got lost! So Amelie and I were running around in the torrential down pour trying to find out way home to our guest house. It turns out we had walked to far back down the road and had missed our street completely! Thankfully some very nice Ghanaian men who were carpenters let us take shelter under their shops overhang until the rain slowed down a little. By the time we made it back to the guest house I was sompletelydrenched from head to toe and was covered in red mud fom the roads. However it was an adventure that neither Amelie or I will foget!

Today walking around Amelie and I have both never felt so looked at in our entire lives. Everywhere we went we were followed by cat calls and blatent stares. I am so grateful that Amelie is here with be though so I am not walking alone. I think that eventualy I will be ok walking by myself in the city, but not for a few more days. Though I am starting to pick up some of the local Twi language which does make me feel a little more comfortable.

These past few days have been quiet the adventure! I am excited to see what the future holds and what new adventures tomorrow will bring! I am very quickly falling in love with this new culture I am in the middle of, and have a feeling that despite how hard it is adjusting to this new culture it will be even harder to leave it come August.

Bubye for now! (that is how you say good bye in Ghana!)

Oh, and in the spirit of spring in Canada (the season to begin cutting the grass) be thankful for your lawnmowers! Here they cut grass by hand with machetties!

Things are not always as they appear to be...

2009-04-09T19:09:00.000-07:00

Things are not always as they appear to be. This is a very important thing to remember in all we do in life, but it will be crucial to remember as I along with my fellow Beyond Border students make our way around the world this summer. Keeping an open mind about situations we find ourselves in is vital to getting all that we can from our times away.

Try this illusion.

If your eyes follow the rotating pink dots, the dots will remain only one colour, pink.

How ever if you stare at the black "+" in the centre the dot turns to green.

This illustrates the fact that we do not always see what we think we see.

This summer we will be put into situations we have never been in before. We will be pushed and stretched in unimaginable ways. Ways that will make us frustrated and uncomfortable. However it is when we feel frustrated that we know we are growing.

Throughout the summer it is vital that we keep our minds open. That we are receptive to the different cultures we find ourselves a part of. There are likely going to be things that we will disagree about, things that are so strange and foreign to us that we simply cannot come to terms with it no matter how hard we try. For me there is one situation I know I will have a problem with... caning. I personally am not a violent person. I believe in dialogue and working issues out with words. However this is not the belief shared by many education institutions in Ghana. Caning is a fairly main stream punishment and some people who have been through the Beyond Borders program in Ghana have come home with stories of their struggles with this issue. I know that if faced with this in my placement I will be very frustrated, and most likely a little outraged. However, I do realize that I am not going to Ghana to change how things are. I am going in order to gain a greater world understanding, build personal relationships and be immersed in a different culture. There will be struggles and frustrations, however I do believe that they will come with new understandings and a greater learning experience.

Throughout all of our experiences this summer it is crucial that we realize that things are not always as we see them to be. We need to be very careful to hold our judgments and be open to new situations and experiences. We are not going to change those we interact with this summer, but rather we will be changed and transformed by the things we see and are taught this summer. This does not mean we will agree with everything we see this summer, but it does mean we must ensure we do not pre judge and situations. We must remain open and receptive to different opinions and experiences. This is the surest way to be transformed by our experiences this summer. Always remember that we do not always see the entire picture, and things can (and often are) very different from what we think we see.

The Supremacy of Fools

2009-04-08T21:48:00.000-07:00

A poem by Roy Foster to jog your thought, I know it sure got my mind rolling!

THE SUPREMACY OF FOOLS

As corporations

And the military/industrial complex

Ruminate over

The profit potential,

The war-mongering capability,

Of transgenic species

Demanding the silent

Collaboration

Of viruses and sheep,

There are no tears

For the supremacy of fools.

But there are those

Among the ancient,

the illiterate,

The forest dwellers

The hunters, the gatherers

With more than a day's march

To the nearest telephone

To the closest uplink

Whose imaginations

Render trees and genes

Sacred.

Whose personal information

Is recorded only in the memory

Of relatives

Living and Dead;

The elegance of sapience.

But we are those

Whoese eyes divide

Whose minds diverge

To avoid the holy.

With hearts devoid

Of mystery.

We succumb as one

To the shorn meaning

Revealed in the entrails

Of some careless machine

Savagely flung across this

Futile landscape

Of unacknowledged ignorance

In which angels

Fear to tread.

We succumb as one

To the astonishingly meager

Rations of the enlightenment;

To the thin, sorrowful harvest

Of indulgence

That cannot satisfy

Or survive

The supremacy of fools.

There an Africa shaped hole in all of us.

2009-04-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

This semester I took a class called Doing Development that impacted me in ways I am still discovering. It has given me a new insight and perspective on international development (both past and present). It has fostered a greater world understanding within me, and has caused me to deeply reflect and ponder many new concepts. One night in class we were handed an article entitled Healing the Africa in Us by Ben Okri. This article stopped me in my tracks. The way Okri writes simply makes so much sense! It caused me to question my views, values and ideas of Africa (a good thing before heading over to Ghana for 3 1/2 months). However, the article did not just cause me to question, it also increased my excitement for my placement this summer. Now more then ever I believe that going to Africa is a vital step in creating a different world.

"There is a realm inside every human being that is Africa. We all have an Africa within us. And so, when the Africa outside is sick with troubles, the Africa inside us makes us ill with neuroses." Part of the reason there are so many issues plaguing the world today is because of the problems facing Africa. "We have to heal the Africa outside us if the human race is going to be at peace again in a new dynamic way." The world today is facing many crises. We live in a troubled time, and one reason for this is the immense amount of suffering and the multitude of troubles facing Africa at the moment. These troubles are directly related to the suffering of the world. Problems facing Africa effect everyones lives. They can effect health, sleep, anxiety, and unknown suffering; it is very possible to suffer without recognizing it.

"We have to heal the Africa within each of us. We have to rediscover the true Africa." Africa is an absolutely wonderful continent. We need to trade in our prepositions about Africa, which are for the most part misconceptions. Misconceptions that have been bequeathed to future generations. Africa was not seen for its beautiful, kind and caring nature. For the most part Africa was seen from a view point of greed. It was viewed with the question "What can I get out of it"

"The world should now begin to see the light, to see its brightness, its brilliance, its beauty." Africa has been waiting for centuries for people to come and discover what it truly is. However, there can be no true understanding without love. "We have to learn to love the Africa within us." "There is no true seeing seeing without love. We have to learn to love the Africa in us if humanity is going to begin to to know true happiness on this earth." We need to discover the Africa that is within each one of us. It is sunshine, and vibrance. It is spiritual. Africa is not the dark and forbearing place that most people in the West make it out to be. Africa fosters a culture of hope, perseverance, loyalty and love.

Until we find and heal the Africa inside us there is little if any hope for creating a world of total understanding and peace. "We love the America in us. We love the Europe in us. The Asia in us we are beginning to respect. Only the Africa in us is left unloved, unseen, unappreciated. The first step toward the regeneration of humanity is making whole again all these great continents within us. We are the sum total of humanity. Every individual is all of humanity. It is Africa's turn to smile... then humanity can begin to think of the universe."

Dare to Dream of Something Different

2009-04-08T14:22:00.000-07:00

The world we live in is less then ideal to say the least. We live in a world of hate, fear, and violence. We live at a time in which a small minority of rich people are able to continuously grow wealthy on the exploitation of many. The gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow at a rapid rate. In the world today medical epidemics run ramped. Millions of people in Africa are dying from malaria, typhoid, yellow fever, and AIDS. how can the world let this happen? With all of the medical technology and advancements of our 'modern' world it should be impossible for so many to be left to simply die. What kind of world do we live in where it is worth more to a drug company to give a white man an erection than cure a black man of AIDS? How can we put a measure on human life like this? How can so much discrimination still be alive and thriving in our world? We live in a world where many are forced to go hungry. How is it that the world can produce such an abundance of food yet so many are left without? We live in a world where some women are unable to walk outside alone without being in danger, a world where girls simply walking to school have been attacked with battery acid. We live in a world where it is "honorable" to kill a daughter/sister/wife/cousin who has brought 'shame' to the family or has been 'promiscuous' in some way (this includes refusing to enter into a forced marriage). There are little if any consequences for the killers of these women. In fact if the killer is actually prosecuted it is rare for them to receive more then a 3 month sentence. We live in a world of great connectedness, yet so many are forgotten and pushed to the margins. Over 3 billion people (almost half of the worlds population) live on less then $2.50 a day. Even in Canada 1 in every 6 children are poor. How is this possible in a country that supposedly has such great social assistance? How do we fail to see the needs of those in out own communities? In Canada 57,000 families occasionally have nothing to eat. This should not be happening in a country of such abundance. It is so twisted that we over consume at an alarming rate while others around us have nothing.

It is impossible to deny that the world we live in is a bleak place. Disappointment and discouragement lies around every corner. However, we have two choices. We can choose to lie down and accept the way the world is, accept the disparities and injustices as just a fact of life... OR We can Dare to Dream of Something Different! If we cannot imagine a different world then we cannot work towards creating change. Change is not something that one person will implement, rather it is something that must be created by a collective group of people working together, sharing visions and supporting each other in action. It must be the 'oppressed' coming together to overcome their oppression. It is like it says in the Pedagogy of The Oppressed, oppressors cannot 'liberate' anyone. Liberation and change must come from a collective effort.

So go ahead, dream of something different. I am not joking! Close your eyes and think of what you wish the world could look like. Is there a particular color, sounds, taste, or smell? O recently spent a significant amount of time reflecting on this and simply imagining what I wish the world could look like. I am going to try to explain the vision I held with you. When I first closed my eyes I saw green. Green in my mind represents sustainability, a renewal of our connectivity with nature. A harmony of balance found in sustainable growth and a re-found respect for the nature around us. It represents the idea that we inherit the earth from our parents, it is a gift, yet at the same time we are borrowing it from out children. It is our responsibility to leave the earth the same, if not a little better then we found it. Next I heard the sound of water rushing in a nearby stream. Fresh, pure, clean water. In my mind this represents everyone having equal access to resources. No one should hold a monopoly on natural resources that are vital to human existence (such as water). Not long after, I heard children laughing. there is something so precious and beautiful about the laugh of a child. Certain things need to be in place in order for a child to laugh fully and freely. A child needs to feel safe and secure. They need to be provided for (not sick and hungry). In my mind, hearing children laughing fully and freely represents a world where the innocence of children is respected and protected. There are no child soldiers or children being trafficked; no exploitation of child labor. In my vision there is also no distinction of race. It is not that people are not of different ethnicities and races, however it simply does not matter. Everyone is human and due to this fact everyone should be treated in the same manner. Among the older population there is a diverse range of conversations taking place. However, throughout all of these conversations there is a common theme; respect. No matter how different people's opinions are there are no raised voices, no one dominating the conversation, no one speaking in a patronizing tone. There is a strong sense of community. A sense of caring, compassion and love the infects everyones actions.

In my imagined world everyone would care about the well being of others as much as their own well-being. In order to create a more hospitable, loving and caring world we need to begin to care about others more. We need to be more conscious about how our actions effect those around us. The phrases survival of the fittest and every man for himself need to disappear from our vocabulary. Until we truly learn what it is to live out the golden rule in all our actions there will continue to be hate, fear and violence in our world. We need to move beyond our individualistic society and learn to operate as a whole. We need to recognize and address the needs of those in our communities. And we need to STOP OVER-CONSUMING!!

Change is possible, but first we must dare to dream of something different!

What would you do differently if you could do it all again?

2009-03-18T13:55:00.000-07:00

Life is something that moves quickly, you get into a routine and it just goes. Time starts to go by more quickly with every passing year. This is just the way things are, and it is a rare thing that we stop and reflect on life, about what we truly want to do until it is to late. This weekend I heard the song Live like you were dying by Tim McGraw on the radio and it got me thinking about reflecting on life, especially before it is to late. I do not want to go through life stuck in the rut of a routine, not taking time to "smell the roses". All to often in life taking time out of our busy days seems like such an imposition. We do not take time to stay connected, we dash from place to place without really enjoying what we are doing, we are always dwelling on the past or worrying about the future (we rarely take time to be fully in the present moment).

This past week I have been reflecting on different aspects of my life, and critically reflecting if my life as it is right now is what I would want it to be if I were to die tomorrow. It is silly to put things off until tomorrow because we never know how many tomorrows we have, or how many tomorrows those we love have. I have decided that some things need to change in my life. School will still be a priority in my life, however its position of importance will no longer make me miss out on other things life has to offer. I want to experience all of the different things that life has to offer. I do not want to realize in 20 years that all I did in university was keep my head in my books. In 20 years I will most likely not remember the paper that is due in two weeks that I have yet to begin, I am much more likely to remember the relationships that I have with people. I have realized that the world will not fall apart if I do not check my email every 30 minutes. I do not always need to have my cell phone on me. People in the past survived without cell phones and instant communication, why do we feel so disconnected and isolated now if we do not have these things? We have heard from health providers that one glass of wine a day is good for your health. Is it really the wine that is good for you? or is it the fact that you have taken that time out of your day to sit down and have a glass of wine, maybe while chatting with a friend. I do not think that it is the wine that helps, it is the slowing down and taking the time to connect and form good interpersonal relationships.

I have realized that there is no knowing what will happen in the future, this year alone 4 people who I live with at school have lost a parent, and multiple others have been diagnosed with cancer or other very serious diseases. You never know how many days you have left with people, or how many days you yourself have left. I have decided to make everyday count. I do not want to go to bed leaving things undone, leaving things unsaid. I do not want to have any regrets later. This is not to say that I will not make mistakes in life and possibly regret something that I did, but I do not want to leave something unsaid or undone and always be left wondering "what if". Sometimes it is the small things that can make all of the difference in a persons day. One smile can truly change someone's life.

So stop putting things off, waiting until you have life under control, because by the time you feel things are under control it may be to late. Start living your life today. Dream like you will live forever and live like you will die tomorrow. Put yourself out there. Get dirty, experience everything. But most important build and foster relationships with those around you. Become involved with the community, and cherish every moment!

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER - By Erma Bombeck (written after she found out she was dying of cancer)

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over for dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.

I would have never bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, 'Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.' There would be more 'I love you's' More 'I'm sorry's.'

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute, look at it and really see it... live it and never give it back. STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!!!

Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what. Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us.

Never ending divisions... is there still hope?

2009-03-16T07:21:00.000-07:00

"The world has been created for everyone's use, but you few rich are trying to keep it for yourselves. For not merely the possession of the earth, but the very sky, the air, and the sea are claimed for the use of the rich few... The earth belongs to all, not just to the rich."

This is a very interesting quote that I came across this weekend while I was at home. When do you think it was written? It most definitely sounds like something we would hear said today in a time when many people have decided to work towards "ending global poverty", in a time when many are becoming more involved in social activism. It makes sense that this would be said now in a time were the division between the rich and the poor simply continues to grow and has become a vast divide. Venture a guess, when do you think the above quote was written?

Ambrose of Milan wrote these powerful words in De Nabuthe 3 (Early History of Greed) which was written between 340-97. When I first read the quote I immediately thought it was a recent quote. When I found out when it was actually written I felt very shaken inside. This was written so long ago, yet it seems to be the same situation today. Has anything really changed? Or has the problem gotten worse? There is no denying the fact in the past 50 years the gap has grown. How do we maintain hope in a seemingly hopeless situation where no apparent change has happened in over 1500 years?

I think that Mother Theresa said it best when she said "You cannot do large things, only small things with love." Despite the fact that things do not appear to have changed on a large scale does not mean we should not still try to change the world for the better. However perhaps our methods of changing the world are to grandiose, to ambitious. Have we lost the humanity in development work? Have we become to caught up in the statistics, to caught up in the large numbers to remember that helping one person does indeed change the world for the better. By helping one person you have indeed made a difference, you made the world of difference to the person you helped.

It is like the starfish story by Loren Eisley (one of my favorite stories to this day).

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, her asked, "What are you doing?" The youth replied, "Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and tide is going out. If I don't throw them back, they'll die." "Son," the man said, "don't you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can't make a difference!" After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw is back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said... "I made a difference for that one."

It is extremely disappointing to realize that a problem we have been trying to work towards correcting for such a long time has not been fixed, but it is important to realize that a difference made in an individual life is extremely important too. A difference made in one persons life can begin a chain of events of people helping people. It is like in the movie Pay it Forward. By helping individuals through acts of love and kindness a young boy was able to begin a chain reaction of people helping other people. This is the kind of thing that makes a difference, it impacts individuals, creates community and fosters a sense of humanization and belonging. When we help others through random act of kindness and with love in out hearts then it is a selfless act that can lead the betterment of the world. We run into problems when we start to help people with strings attached, with conditions. Helping people with strings attached is just another form of control. It is one more thing strengthening the gap.

We need to learn that we cannot do large things, only small things with love! Love is the one things that has the power to reverse to disastrous direction our world is heading in. Love for one another and the world around us is the most powerful unifying force that recognizes humanity and looks for similarities to link us together rather then differences to separate us.

Don't do nothing because you can't do everything. Do something. Anything.

- Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

You may think that your actions are meaningless and that they won't help, but that is no excuse, you must still act.

- Gandhi

Social Justice Leprosy

2009-03-10T17:01:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been thinking a lot about social justice issues. I have been challenged in my classes and in different areas of my personal life, but lately it has become clear to me that I, like so many others in the world, suffer from something I have decided to call social justice leprosy. It is something that no one likes to admit, it is something that we try to keep close to us, something hidden inside. No one likes to admit that they do not feel bad for those who are less fortunate. No one wants to admit that they have feelings of anger in their heart, or even the feeling that they could hurt someone who is weaker then them. I really liked that this point was discussed during the lecture at St Jerome's on Friday night. It is so refreshing to realize how real Jean Vanier is. He is totally open and honest about what he feels inside, even when it is scary. After the lecture I began to reflect upon feelings that I have. Feelings that do not match my strong belief in social justice and helping others. I realize that I have become totally desensitized to the world around me. The statistic of people having to live on less then a dollar a day no longer fazes me. The number of people dying everyday from AIDS is indeed sad and disheartening, but the numbers are not pushing me into immediate action... why not? How can I be so passive in a world where so many things are going wrong? Where there are so many people in need, so many who are left weak and vulnerable without any support? I have come to the conclusion that I am suffering from social justice leprosy.

At this point you are probably asking yourself, "what is social justice leprosy?" If you have never heard of it before that is probably because I just came up with it. To be able to explain it you first must understand what leprosy is. If you have ever been to church you probably know it as a disease that was well known back in biblical times. Those who had it were shunned and seen as unclean. The disease caused people to become disfigured with large parts of skin rotting and even falling off. However, leprosy is not a skin disease, it is actually a disease of the nervous system. When you have leprosy you simply are unable to feel a lot of things. You get a small cut, cannot feel it and before you know it it has become infected. A small "innocent" little cut can quickly turn into an infected and dangerous injury. In this same way social justice leprosy comes when we no longer feel the pain of the world around us. We have turned our backs on the needs of others in a way. We have stopped being impacted. We do not feel when the weak and vulnerable are neglected in society, we no longer notice when they are pushed to the margins. By not noticing these "cuts" in society we allow them to grow, to increase and to engulf more people. Social justice leprosy causes a numbness to the pain of the word and those around us. It insulates us into our comfortable little secluded world and allows us to stay there. However, I have decided I do not want to stay there. I do not want to be numb anymore! I do not want to be passive. I want to be stirred up on the inside, I want to be angry and I want to be pushed to action. I no longer want to have social justice leprosy. It is going to hurt when the disease goes away. My protective layer will disappear. By curing my social justice leprosy I will feel the pain of the world.

Well now that I have decided to work towards a cure to my social justice leprosy, how do I actually do this? I am not sure of a direct treatment program, no doctor specializes in this area. However, I do know that volunteering at the working center is having a large impact on this. People are no longer just statistics. Working at St. Johns kitchen I have been able to meet and connect with people who have been marginalized by society in our own backyard. This summer when in Ghana I hope to have a multitude of new experiences that will also move me towards shedding my social justice leprosy and will push me towards action. I want to meet the people who are at the other end of the statistic. I no longer want to see numbers/faceless masses when I hear of people who are suffering. I want to see people I know, people that I have come to consider friends, people I truly care about. I do not want to be numb to the pain and suffering of others. It will be uncomfortable, it will push me and it will hurt, but I want to work towards curing this unfortunate disease that all to many people suffer from.

Strong values... help or hinderance?

2009-02-28T17:30:00.001-08:00

I have always been a person with strong values and ideas. One of my values is that of equality and women's rights. Growing up my Dad travelled a lot for work, as a result it was often just my Mom at home. My Mom is an amazingly strong woman. She has taught me many life lessons, but one of the most important lessons she taught me was that I could do anything I wanted to. She taught me to be independent and stand on my own two feet. She (and some others) have shown me that I do not have to conform to societies gender stereotypes. I have always been supported in all I have done in life. I was supported and loved as a child when I chose to be a tom boy for a very long time (some joked that I was the son my parents never had). I did not have to wear dresses, stay quiet and always be on my best behaviour. In fact I was encourage to try new things, get dirty and have fun. I have never been told that as a woman I need to stay at home and take care of a family when I grow up. I was never raised to think that the kitchen is where a woman belongs. I am extremely grateful for all of the support and freedom I was given while growing up (and still today). As a result of my upbringing I have a very strong belief in equality between all people on earth (especially equality between genders).

Last night as I was walking home from a party I had a very interesting/personally frustrating and infuriating conversation with a boy from my residence. (For the sake of this entry I will call the boy Jack.) It was very cold outside and I did not have gloves on, and as a result my hand was getting very cold from holding my water bottle. Jack was wearing gloves and offered to carry it for me so I would be able to put my hands into my pockets. I was very grateful for this and took him up on his offer. As we continued to walk home my feet began to hurt due to the fact i was wearing 3 inch heel boots. As we approached the door of our building I said "Thanks for carrying my water bottle for me. I can take it back now." I thought this was a logical suggestion since we had basically reached our destination, but apparently not. I was told "Men are supposed to carry things for women, women are not as strong as men." This statement through me for a loop. I really did not know how to respond to this. Such blatant sexism is relatively foreign to me. We continued up the stairs in silence because I did not know what to say. When we got through the door I was very quick to say "Wait a minute, I want to take my heels off before we climb 4 flights of stairs. My feet are really sore." The response I received to this was even more off putting then the previous comment "Why do you have to take them off? Your feet shouldn't hurt. Women should naturally be able to walk in heels, just like they should naturally be able to cook and clean. It is just what women do." Again I was caught off guard and did not know how to respond at first. All I managed to get out before we went our separate ways was "You have got to be kidding, I cannot believe you actually said that."

This experience made me feel irritated and belittled. However I reflected on it the rest of the night and all of today. It made me realize again how strong my values and life views are. It also made me think about going away to Ghana this summer. I am going to live in a country where women are not seen as equal, where women do not have the same privileges and opportunities as men. I knew this before, but I had never really spent a lot of time reflecting on it. The reality of my future situation this summer suddenly hit me, hard. What if in Fotobi I experience discrimination based on my gender? How will I react if I am told that I should not be doing something because I am a girl?

My reflections brought me back to class last semester and our discussion about pushing our beliefs and values onto others. I know that it is not good or helpful to push foreign values onto others. It is egocentric of me to assume my way of life is better then others, and it would be obnoxious to tell others how to live when I am a guest in their village. It would be like going to someone's house and telling them that their way of decorating is not right and they should decorate more like you. I am very respectful of other peoples opinions, but I honestly do not know what I would do if I was told to stay behind/inside because I am a girl. I have a feeling that I will have an earlier curfew due to the fact that I am a girl, and I will adjust to this and deal with it, but it will be strange and foreign to me. This is yet another way that this summer will push me and challenge me. It will expose me to new ways of life and and different ways of viewing the world. I hope that this summer will expand my understanding of different world views an culture.

Moral of my story, I have very strong views and values and this summer is really going to challenge me. I am going to struggle with the different status that women hold in Africa. It will be hard for me to hold my tongue in situations where women are being put down or belittled. This summer will be a challenge in more way then one, but I strongly believe that it will help me grow as a person and expand my world views.

Be the change you want to see

2009-02-11T06:57:00.000-08:00

I was sent this video not to long ago and it has really stuck with me.

I believe that everyone has the responsibility to create the type of world they want to see. The excuse of "I am only one person, I cannot make a difference." needs to end. If everyone in the world says that then nothing will ever change, and we will indeed become a lost generation.

Envision the world you want to live in, and work towards the creation of that environment everyday in all you do. We can change the world if we work together to be the change we want to see.

Why do I want to go away?

2009-02-10T15:45:00.000-08:00

Recently I have been reflecting on a lot of things in life. My values, morals, beliefs, and dreams (just to name a few). I am a very strong willed and independent person, and consequently I have many strong opinions and ideas on certain issues. In many areas of my life I set limits and made decisions long ago and have stuck to those without spending much time exploring why I made those decisions. Second year of University has brought with it a multitude of new experiences and challenges. It has pushed me to critically examine my core beliefs, and to grow as a person.

In keeping with the spirit of self examination and reflection I have recently been thinking a lot about why I want to go away this summer.

Here are some of the thoughts and reflections I have had.

A wise man once said "Peace cannot be kept by force, it can only be achieved by understanding." (Albert Einstein). I think that this is very profound and true. I want to go away this summer to have new experiences, learn new things and most importantly work towards understanding the world around me.

I have led a very privileged and sheltered life in suburban Canada. I have travelled many places in the world, but it has mainly been for tourist purposes. I have not had as many opportunities to live and learn with people from around the world as I would like to. This summer I want to encounter and understand more cultures, I want to participate and share in the joys and sorrows of everyday life, and to experience different traditions. I want to build and foster new relationships.

Getting back to my whole idea about understanding being the way to foster peace, I have had a few more insights/ideas on the subject. I believe that in our world today we all to often trap ourselves into a very small and egocentric world view because we simply cannot move beyond stereotyping, polarizing rhetoric and defensive behavior. We are so quick to place ourselves on a pedestal, and are even quicker to put down our "enemies" or the "other". Why do we feel threatened by other peoples differences? Why can we not recognize our commonalities and at the same time celebrate our differences that make us unique? People in the world spend to much time being suspicious of each others behavior and motivation. We need to learn to respect and value one another. I think that working towards understanding one another is a step in the right direction for world relations and peace.

I think that as a world community we need to create contexts where people can relate and interact in ways that facilitate an increased understanding of the beliefs, values, and fears that are held by "others" and of ourselves. Many conflicts in the world are caused by differing values, world-views, identities and beliefs. By working towards a world of greater understanding I feel we will be working toward a more cohesive and unified global community. I am not saying that it will solve all of the worlds problems. There will still be fighting, there will still be disagreements, but the way we approach resolutions to these conflicts will be completely transformed. No longer are your opponents simply the "other", they are people who have different opinions, values, beliefs, fears and dreams. They are humans. By fostering understanding we are fighting against dehumanization.

I want to go away this summer and be part of this greater world understanding. I want to broaden my world view, have new experiences, and be in fellowship with others. I want to gain a greater understanding of issues plaguing the world today. I want to realize how daily life differs everywhere you go, yet how there are so many delightful similarities. This summer I want to be humbled.

I hope that this summer will be the beginning of many experiences that will expose me to the differences in the world and foster a greater understanding of world diversity. Ghana this summer will be a totally different and powerful experience that I hope will be a "duct tape experience" - an experience that will leave its mark on me =). All I know for sure is that I will be more changed by this experience then the people I meet while I am away. I am not naive enough to believe that I will "save the world" or make a huge difference in Fotobi, but I have a strong feeling that my life will forever be impacted by this experience and the greater world understanding that it will bring.

FAWE... what is it exactly?

2009-02-09T15:38:00.000-08:00

This past week has been an interesting time of ajustment and exploration for me. As I mentioned in my last blog post, my placement was unexpectantly switched. I now am working with an NGO called FAWE (Forum for African Women Educationalists). I will be teaching English at a hish school and doing extracuricular activities with the students. I am very excited for this new opporunity and do believe that it will be an absolutely wonderful and transformational experience. I wanted to know more about FAWE and its mission, values and practices. In one of my courses on international development we needed to write an overview on an NGO, and I had been doing so much research on FAWE already, I figured that it would be a very logical thing to make it my report subject. This is an overview of FAWE.

FAWE (Forum for African Women Educationalists) is an NGO designed to support girls and women to acquire education for development. Five ministers of education founded FAWE in 1992 in order to promote female education in the sub-Saharan region of Africa. The organization has proved over the past 17 years that the lives of African women can be drastically transformed if there is a strong, committed group articulating their concerns. FAWE reminds educational authorities, governments and other stakeholders of their responsibilities to work towards gender parity in the educational system. FAWE recognizes that education is a fundamental human right and is dedicated to working towards gender impartiality and equality in education across Africa. The organization is made up of 35 National Chapters across sub-Saharan Africa. This large network of chapters has enabled FAWE to create a large network of partners in education all across the continent. These partners allow FAWE to promote female education at all levels of society.

FAWE VISION: FAWE’s vision is that gender disparities in education will be significantly reduced and more girls will have access to schooling, complete their studies and perform well at all levels.

MISSION: FAWE’s mission is to work, together with its partners, to create positive societal attitudes, policies and practices that promote equity for girls in terms of access, retention, performance and education quality, through influencing the transformation of education systems in Africa.

GOAL: FAWE’s goal is to increase access and retention as well as improve the quality of education for all girls within the school system and for women in universities.[1]

FAWE uses a four-level plan in order to transform female education and achieve gender impartiality and equality in education across Africa. The first level is Policy Advocacy – influencing the government and other partners to critically examine current educational policies and adopt strategies to achieve greater participation of girls in education. The second level is Community Advocacy – building public awareness (at a grass roots level) of the social and economic value of female education. This new awareness influences the way people think about female education, and causes them to work together to support a common agenda. The third level is Demonstrative Interventions – creating models to demonstrate that certain conditions can be created that are more conducive to girls’ enrollment, continuation and successful completion of the education system. The fourth, and last level is Replication and Mainstreaming – prompting governments to adopt and universalize innovative techniques that have been proven to have a positive impact on girls’ education.

There are many different programs that FAWE has pioneered and spread throughout Africa that have significantly improved the quality of education that females receive. One of these programs is the Bursary program FAWE offers. One of the largest obstructions to female education in Africa is poverty. If African families cannot afford to send all of their children to school then males become the priority. Bursaries from FAWE enable intelligent girls from poor families to receive an education. In 2007, approximately 46, 000 females from 27 countries were beneficiaries of FAWE bursaries. Another FAWE program that produces dramatic results is Tuseme (Let Us Speak Out). Many African cultures dictate that women should be seen and not heard, submissive and unquestioning. This makes participation in the classroom very difficult for females and can have a very detrimental effect on their performances on National Examinations. Tuseme encourages girls to empower themselves so they will voice their concerns. It also supports and assists them to overcome gender-based constraints. This program encourages girls to identify problems that affect them, work to understand these problems more thoroughly, articulate the problems and then take action to solve them. The Tuseme model has been adopted by the ministry of education in 14 countries and has been implemented in over 300 schools. Other influential FAWE programs include: SMT (Science, Math & Technology), HIV/AIDs program, Gender-Responsive Pedagogy and Centers of Excellence.

FAWE requires human, financial and material resources to continue their programs. These resources come from a variety of sources at the regional, national and global levels. National Chapters receive funding from membership donations, development partners, ministries of education and communities. In 2002 FAWE created an endowment fund in order to ensure the organizations long-term financial sustainability. The FAWE budget is currently unavailable due to reconstruction of their website.

As an organization FAWE has many strengths as well as a few weaknesses.

STRENGHTS: FAWE operates on a large scale, but it has many partners across sub-Saharan Africa. This allows for small grassroots movements to take place, for personal transformations to take place. Whenever one girl succeeds in the education system it can change the attitudes of a multitude of citizens and inspire countless others to pursue an education. FAWEs 4 step plan for education transformation is also a large asset to the organization because it affects change at different levels of society (influencing both personal narratives, micro narratives, and macro narratives).

WEAKNESS: FAWE relies on the generosity of others for the majority of their funding, which could present problems if this funding base was to disappear.

I think that FAWE is doing wonderful work in sub-Saharan Africa. They are providing women with the resources and skills to empower themselves. Gender equality brings with it benefits at all levels of society. When women are educated they are able to play a role in government and can influence the direction of society.

[1] I took these three statements directly from the FAWE website (http://www.fawe.org/). I did not feel it appropriate to change the wording on these things. Accessed on January 31^st. All information in this overview is from this website.

I am very excited to work closely with this organization this summer. I strongly believe that education is a universal human right, and through education a more peaceful, just and equal world can be realized.

An Unexpected Change

2009-01-25T19:58:00.000-08:00

It is strange how you can get an idea into your head and become so set on it, so focused on that particular vision. In December when I found out about my placement at Theatre for a Change in Accra, Ghana, that is exactly what I did. I became completely 100% focused on that particular placement. I became so excited that every day I needed to find out something new about Ghana or Theatre for a Change, I was thirsty for any new piece of information I could get my hands on. However, Thursday morning my idea of what to expect this summer was shattered. I received and email informing me that Theatre for a Change has 5 interns from the UK coming during the summer, and as a result they do not have a need for me to go. Immediately I had that sinking feeling in my stomach, you know the feeling I am talking about. That feeling of extreme disappointment where the bottom of your stomach drops out, and you feel a little light headed and dizzy. If you have ever had a moment of disappointment in life, then you know exactly what i am talking about. I had a few brief moments of disappointment, mixed with fear and anxiety over what I would be doing/where I would now be this this summer. I allowed myself five minutes to feel panicked, stressed and upset about this unexpected turn of events before shaking some sense into myself. What is the point of becoming upset over a change that I had no control over? What is the point of worrying about what the future will hold when yet again I have no control over it? I believe that this summer we will all experience a loss of control wherever we end up. A sense of unpredictability and lack of stability that we are not used to in our North American lives. We will all have to learn to give up the control we so desire to have and simply take life as it comes at us. It is useless to sweat the things you cannot control. So after my five minutes of self indulged freak out panic time, I pulled myself together. I believe that all things happen for a reason. If Theatre for a Change was no longer going to happen then there must be a reason for it. Maybe there was something better for me somewhere in the world.

Friday morning I received an email from WUSC informing me that the field office in Ghana had 4 possible placements for me. The are all in the same village and through the same organization, but they are all different in there own respect. Instead of working with Theatre for a Change this summer, I will not be working with an organization called FAWE (Forum for African Women Educationalists). I will be stationed in a small rural village called Fotobi which it 35 km from Accra, 7 km from Nsawam (where there are many hospitals in case I have the privilege to increase my broken bone count), and 5 km from Pokrom where there is a clinic. I have not received word back on exactly which position I will hold this summer, but I am hoping to be a Project Assistant/English Teacher at a High School. This position will allow me to work closely with African women to address a number of issues which they feel are important, form wonderful relationships and really learn about the culture and traditions of Ghana. I am so excited for this new opportunity and I look forward to sharing more information about it as I once again search to find every piece of information related to what my summer will bring.

This sudden change in placement has given me a taste for the lack of control I will experience this summer. This change has also showed me that things happen for a reason, and just because one door closes does not mean another will not be opened. I believe that this placement is better suited for me then my previous placement and I am very excited for the new path it will take me on, and the adventure it will be this summer.

Ghana Basics

2009-01-20T15:31:00.000-08:00

It seems that since I was told about my placement in Ghana I have caught the Ghana bug. However, not only do I seem to have caught it, but my family and many friends have too. I have been reading many interesting and wonderful things about Ghana and more specifically Accra, the capital city (where I will be living and working). In order to spread the Ghana bug around even more I am going to share with you some of the interesting things I have learned.

Ghana is one of the most densely populated countries in West Africa with a total population of 23 million. The capital city of Ghana is Accra. This city has a population of 1.5 million with approximately 2 million people living in the surrounding metropolitan area.

The official language of Ghana is English, but there are at least 75 local languages and dialects. The most widely spoken language is Twi. When you leave the major cities it is not uncommon to speak one language in a village and then travel 20 minutes down the road and find that the next village speaks an entirely different language.

Ghana is a relatively stable and prosperous country compared to the countries which surround it and has earned the nickname "Africa for beginners". I am not all to sure about how prosperous the country truly is though. In one of my classes that I am taking this term we are learning about structural adjustment programs and the truly devastating effect that they have had on many African countries and specifically in Ghana. These programs have not only caused wide spread poverty, they have also caused a rise in domestic violence against women. I do not know as much about these adjustment programs as I would like to and in the near future I will be looking into the topic in more detail.

Ghana has a diverse mix of people and cultures. This diverse combination of people mix together to create a cohesive whole. There is an interesting mix of traditional and modern culture - it is not uncommon to see people in traditional clothing texting on cell phones or see men dressed in business suits who are taking offerings to tribal chiefs.

Ghana has hundreds of kilometers of coast land that has beautiful beaches, ruined European forts and small fishing villages. The old European forts provide a haunting reminder of the countries importance as a holding station for African slaves.

Within Gahna, as in all other countries, certain cities and regions are renowned for different things. Accra is the commercial and cultural motor of the country. Kumasi is famous for its crafts. The Volta region (to the east) has a lot of forests crawling up mountains along the Togo border. The the North of the country people are able to see many unique animals up close and personal.

Ghana has a climate that reflects its location near the equator. It is hot all year round with seasonal rains. The rainy seasons are from Aril - June and September - October. The dry seasons are November - March and July - August. The maximum temperature is around 30 degrees. This temperature only fluctuates a few degrees throughout the year. There is always high humidity - about 80% humidity throughout the majority of the year. The tourist season is from June - August because this coincides with the North American summer holidays.

Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in the country. Boxing is a close second for the favorite sport. Cricket, golf and basketball are also popular.

Just like there is a diversity in the culture found within Ghana, there is also a diversity in the religious composition of the country. Churches of every denomination can be found in Ghana. Christianity was first introduced by European missionaries who were also the first educators in the country. This created a link between religion and education that lasts to this day. 70% of Ghana is Christian (concentrated in the South of the country), 15% are Muslim (majority to the North), and the rest of the people practice traditional beliefs. Despite the fact that a lot of people choose to follow Islam or Christianity, most people will retain their traditional beliefs alongside their other beliefs. This gives rise to an interesting mix of beliefs.

Food and drinks are very important in Ghana. A typical meal consists of a starch staple (rice, fufu - mashed plantain or yam, kenkey or banku - fermented maize meal) and it is eaten with a sauce or a stew. Other menu regulars include fried rice with chicken or vegetables, jollof rice, bean stew with meat of fish, and fried plantains. Meat is usually chicken, goat or beef. Grass cutter (a large rodent) is another popular type of meat. Fish (usually dried or smoked) is a common component to meals - especially in the South because of Ghana's wonderful coast line. Breakfast is usually iced kenkey - a type of liquid porridge made from fermented maize - served with a hunk of bread. Another common breakfast is bread and an omelet. the bread in Ghana is usually soft and white. Different varieties include sugar bread (very soft and sickly sweet), tea bread (less sweet), milk bread (rich), and cinnamon bread.

Cheapest food is usually sold in stalls on the street. You can get a variety of cuisines in restaurants. Most restaurants have a variety of Ghanian and western foods. Service is generally very slow wherever you go to eat.

Cold water in Ghana is sold almost anywhere in plastic sachets or plastic bags. The water in the plastic sachets is called pure water and has been filtered. The water in the plastic bags is simply called ice water and is just ordinary water that has not been filtered. It is a good idea to ensure that you drink pure water when you are in Ghana in order to lower the risk of becoming sick.

In terms of dangers and annoyances, Accra does not have much crime and is generally a safe place. It is good to always beware of pickpockets like you should in any other major city in the world. In Accra one of the most dangerous things you can do is cross the street. Cars, taxis and tro-tros tend to drive as if they are in race cars. It is also important to beware of potholes in the road when you step off of a curb. If you are not careful you can easily twist your ankle!

This summer I will be in Ghana for two holidays - Africa Day (May 25th) and Republic Day (July 1st).

Women are generally ok to travel by themselves in Ghana. There are so many female volunteers, workers, and students in the country that it is not uncommon to see foreign women traveling alone or in groups. Women in Ghana are less likely to receive aggressive cat calls, but are more likely to be chatted up by young men who have friendly intentions but who are slow to respond to the subtle signs that their attention is unwanted.

I hope that these little fun facts about Ghana have caught your interest as they did mine! I will keep you posted as I learn more about Ghana and my placement there this summer.

Hello Everyone!

2009-01-13T20:11:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

My name is Katie and I am currently in my second year of a Peace and Conflict Studies degree at the University of Waterloo. This year I am also participating in a program called Beyond Borders through St. Jerome's University. In May I will be leaving for Ghana where I will be living in the capital city of Accra (right on the coast). In Accra I will be working with a program called Theatre for a change. It is a program that uses participatory programs to lower HIV/AIDS transmission rates, promote Gender and Sexual rights awareness and lower the poverty rate. I am extremely excited for this experience and cannot wait for May to come. However, before I can go away there are still many things to do. This Blog will be a record of my stories and reflection throughout my time leading up to going away, as well as all my new experiences this summer. I have never kept a blog before, but I feel it will be a very good tool for reflection and also a good way to share my experiences with you. I hope you enjoy!