Close to three weeks has passed since I left Ho and arrived in Accra. Being spolied does not begin to explain my living situation. My "house" or more accurately resort (placed in Labone where all the big shots live) has glass windows, air conditioning, hot water, a washer and dryer, 24 security, and so on. I have been eating corn flakes for breakfast with MILK, yes milk. We have an essentially endless supply of Voltic waters (I drink sache waters occasionally to remain sane). We go out to dinner every night at two different restaurants that make us buffet style meals, always with salad. We went to Cape Coast/Elmina and stayed at a beach resort. We did limbo on the beach with a band playing high life music while drinking delicious palm wine. We went to Kumasi and stayed at a hotel where I would assume government officials would stay.
Through all of this, all I can think about is getting back to Ho to eat some street meat from the Nigerian vendor outside our house. I want to sit and eat rice outside and have a mid day beer. I want to sit and talk about life with Mama Susie. And, as much of a pain in the ass all you volunteers can be, I'll be happy to see you again.
I am glad that I took this course. It opened my eyes to the intra-country disparities present in the developing world. I am sitting here living like a King, while a few blocks away lives extreme poverty. I learned a great deal about Ghanaian education, always comparing this new knowledge as well as the school visits to what I have seen outside of Accra. This summer has opened my eyes further, and you have all played a role.
See those of you that have left back in the U.S.
See the rest of you back in Ho.
July 14, 2011
July 10, 2011
Running
I have found that one of the best ways to really get to see Ho is to try and go everywhere by foot. Walking has allowed me to place myself within my surroundings. And while walking has allowed me to place myself within the context of Ho, it is running that has allowed me to see how Ho is placed within Ghana.
It's about 230pm on a typical weekday in a bustling city. Ho has almost all the scents and sounds that accompany a small city, except with a Ghanaian flare. From our house I turn left onto the main road that runs into and out of Ho and I start running straight. I run by businesses and homes at first, but after about 10 minutes, the scene shifts. Open farms and small villages replace crowded roads and fruit stands. As I continue running, the mountains seem more clear and the land more vast than I realized. When you are running you can never catch up to the land, there is always more and it is always greater than you are. In this area beyond the city the traffic is much more sparse, with a single taxi or trotro only every couple minutes and only a few people walking. After about 30 minutes I reach a sign that I think reads "millenium centre" and what looks like a larger village. I turn around just before reaching it. For the next 30 minutes I imagine what is beyond that sign. I can't wait to go running again.
It's about 230pm on a typical weekday in a bustling city. Ho has almost all the scents and sounds that accompany a small city, except with a Ghanaian flare. From our house I turn left onto the main road that runs into and out of Ho and I start running straight. I run by businesses and homes at first, but after about 10 minutes, the scene shifts. Open farms and small villages replace crowded roads and fruit stands. As I continue running, the mountains seem more clear and the land more vast than I realized. When you are running you can never catch up to the land, there is always more and it is always greater than you are. In this area beyond the city the traffic is much more sparse, with a single taxi or trotro only every couple minutes and only a few people walking. After about 30 minutes I reach a sign that I think reads "millenium centre" and what looks like a larger village. I turn around just before reaching it. For the next 30 minutes I imagine what is beyond that sign. I can't wait to go running again.
Because I haven't been keeping up with my blogging quota, I'm now 4 weeks into my trip and don't know where to begin! So I'll just give snippets of the most memorable tidbits I've experienced thus far.
Last week, I took the week off from my usual placement at McColin's prep school to go teach in Saviefe Deme. On one of the days, there was no school so our group got to instead trek into the backwoods of Saviefe through the narrow pathways along the kasava, plantain, and cocoa fields. After crossing a stream and walking for a good half hour, we reached our first stop: an akpeteshie distillery. It consisted of a small hut beside two huge barrels of palm wine, which were emptied through a tube into the tank under the hut. Somehow, magically, this palm wine is then distilled into akpeteshie, its more alcoholic cousin. That stuff burns. Anyways, we had some fresh palm wine at this stop. After, we looked inside the two palm wine filled barrels and saw they were coated with a layer of bees that are irresistibly attracted to the sweet wine. I'm glad we drank the wine first and saw where it came from afterwards. Then we were on our way deeper into the backwoods, crossing the stream again at a different place. Eventually we got to the area where the palm trees are actually cut down to make the palm wine. The process of making palm wine involves various sharp tools, fire, what look like wooden reeds, and other things. I still don't know how they do it but essentially the tree is uprooted, laid on its side, and a square is cut into the trunk. A hole is bored through from the bottom of the square through to the bucket underneath for the wine to collect. Then the bundle of reeds is smoked in the fire, and shoved into the square in the tree. Then the wine-makers take hollow reeds and blow into the square, producing more and more smoke. Then they say the magic words and the wine drains out of the tree into the bucket. We were lucky enough to get to try the wine right out of the tree, and boy was it good. Eh vivi, as they'd say here. So. THAT was cool.
A couple weeks ago we went to Wli (pronounced Vlee) and climbed a mountain to the first waterfalls I'd ever seen in real life. Wowzers, who knew they were so amazing. After hiking for an hour and a half, we finally reached the falls. I couldn't believe how windy it was even 200 feet away from the falls. As soon as I could get my backpack off, I was into the pool of water making my way towards the falls. As we got closer to the rocks, I could barely see cause the wind and water was constantly in my eyes. Once we got to the rocks, completely drenched already, it was a challenge to not slip under the weight of the water pelting down on you. But I've never experienced anything even close to the feeling of sitting under a waterfall. The natural power of it is astounding. What a crazy time. Definitely one of the best experiences thus far in Ghana.
Walking down the busy streets of Ho everyday is something else. Street vendors pass every minute carrying food on their heads, or women along the road invite you to buy mangoes and pineapples. But there's always many unfamiliar foods you come across, and today I seized the opportunity to finally try some of them. There are these little things that look like balls of gingersnap cookie dough, and today I decided to get a couple. I was pleasantly surprised to taste groundnuts (peanuts), ginger, and some other spices. They were interesting and exciting in such a good way. I can't wait to get more adventurous over the next week and a half and try whatever else I dare to.
Until next time,
Brittany
My First Blog....
so, this is my first blog, and I've been in Ghana for 2 weeks. oops. that just means I have more to reflect upon. my first day was both exhausting and terrifying, after a much longer tro-tro ride than expected from the airport, and arriving at house full of strangers. but the friendliness of not only the other volunteers but also the Ghanaians made me feel at home very quickly. i already know that when i leave ghana, one of the things i will miss the most is the constant 'attention' from the ghanaians you pass on the street. even though they are really just acknowledging that i'm white, it is so cute when all the little kids chase you down the street yelling 'yavu, yavu!' (white person !) and everyone else just waves and smiles and asks 'how are you?' they really are friendly people. (maybe just because i'm white, but i'd like to think they are a universally friendly culture).
apparently my first week here was one of the most exciting, according to the other volunteers. within that week, i took 3 outreach trips with the clinic and the med students (here from virginia). 2 of those trips were into villages, and the third was to Accra (the capital city) to observe cataract surgeries ! what an amazing first week. the village trips are amazing to me, because we really get to travel and see different areas of Ghana. and the villages are so much different than Ho, the town we live in. the people in the village seem so grateful that we're there, and in the most simple terms, it really is rewarding to know that you're helping someone who needs it. and by visiting these villages, i'd like to say that my general outlook on life has been changed, or at least influenced. even though i expected it, the poverty is still shocking. even more shocking is how these people have nothing.. some children don't have shoes... and yet they still seem so HAPPY. it makes me wonder why i'm so materialistic, and so often get hung up on the little things in life, when clearly all these village children need are their friends and family.
even though we have so much down time (after dinner the evening is yours), i still look forward to the weekends, where we get to go on excursions. my first weekend was so amazing. we drove into another town and rented mountain bikes, and after a bike/hike we ended up at such a beautiful waterfall ! some people climbed to the top, but i just sat and watched, in my own little world. it was so peaceful, and i could have sat there for hours just watching the water. sometimes i would forget where i was, and then i would look up and see a jungle of plants and vines, and remember, I'M IN AFRICA. this has already been such an incredible trip, and i'm excited to see what the next 2 weeks hold.
apparently my first week here was one of the most exciting, according to the other volunteers. within that week, i took 3 outreach trips with the clinic and the med students (here from virginia). 2 of those trips were into villages, and the third was to Accra (the capital city) to observe cataract surgeries ! what an amazing first week. the village trips are amazing to me, because we really get to travel and see different areas of Ghana. and the villages are so much different than Ho, the town we live in. the people in the village seem so grateful that we're there, and in the most simple terms, it really is rewarding to know that you're helping someone who needs it. and by visiting these villages, i'd like to say that my general outlook on life has been changed, or at least influenced. even though i expected it, the poverty is still shocking. even more shocking is how these people have nothing.. some children don't have shoes... and yet they still seem so HAPPY. it makes me wonder why i'm so materialistic, and so often get hung up on the little things in life, when clearly all these village children need are their friends and family.
even though we have so much down time (after dinner the evening is yours), i still look forward to the weekends, where we get to go on excursions. my first weekend was so amazing. we drove into another town and rented mountain bikes, and after a bike/hike we ended up at such a beautiful waterfall ! some people climbed to the top, but i just sat and watched, in my own little world. it was so peaceful, and i could have sat there for hours just watching the water. sometimes i would forget where i was, and then i would look up and see a jungle of plants and vines, and remember, I'M IN AFRICA. this has already been such an incredible trip, and i'm excited to see what the next 2 weeks hold.
July 6, 2011
Final Days
Yesterday I went to Deme for the last time with Jon, Andrew, and Nick. All the Deme teachers, who are infamous in our Volunteer house for their laziness and disinterest in actually teaching, seemed to be in a day long "meeting," that involved napping outside, so most of the classrooms were full of teacher-less students. Nick and I were assigned P4 (roughly equivalent to fourth grade).
I haven't done much formal teaching in the past (just a little tutoring), so I was excited to get my feet wet. I quickly learned that it's extremely difficult to teach almost every subject (possibly excluding math), without adequate materials. The small classroom, that held nine students, had three very old chalkboards, a box of chalk that never seemed to make any visible marks on the boards, two posters (one that explained the roles of the Executive, Judicial, and Legislative branches, and one that simply listed skin diseases: leprosy, scabies, fungus, eczema, chicken pox), and a pile of workbooks. A few of the students had pens, and one had a pencil. There was no paper, no crayons, no markers, no reading books.
The kids all wanted to start the day with "Creative Arts," so we all took out the Creative Arts workbooks, and Nick and I started going through them. Crocheting lessons, pottery lessons, crayon resist lessons. Nothing we could do without the materials. Finally Nick ripped out a bunch of pages from his journal, handed out one to each kid, and we all drew our favorite animals, taking turns with the pens. (After I drew an example elephant on the board, everyone just drew elephants). Then we tried to do math. The math workbooks contained such exciting lessons as: "Follow the pattern- 434, 433, 432, 431, ..." and "Count in multiples of ten from 0 to 80." I quickly abandoned the workbooks (for their sake and my own), and tried to teach fractions by drawing banku and mango on the board and "cutting" it into different numbered slices. That got us a little further, but the language barrier definitely created some problems (I'm still not sure they understand that 1/4 is bigger than 1/8, even though 8 is bigger than 4).
We ended the day with reading, which they do out of their science workbooks. The page they were on was titled "skin diseases" (the poster suddenly made sense), and each paragraph was about a different type of skin disease they could get. Everyone took out their books except one boy. I asked him where his was and he said he didn't have it, so I gave him mine to use for the lesson. The rest of the class immediately jumped up in dissent, shouting "No! No! Do not give him book. He can't read!" It's no wonder the poor kid can't read. He's never given a book! Not sure how they ever expected him to learn. Of course I gave him mine anyway and told him just to try following along while the other kids took turns reading about peeling skin infections and boils and fungi (I kid you not, I had to spend five minutes listening to a little ten year old try to sound out "anti-fungal cream." It was simultaneously hilarious and incredibly frustrating. They have absolutely no comprehension of what they're reading). When it got to his turn, I asked the boy if he wanted to give it a try, and he surprised me with an enthusiastic "yes!" It took him ten times longer than the rest of the students (and he only got through the sentences by sounding out the few letters he knew, and his friend whispering the rest of the words to him), but he clearly wanted to know how to read. I'm sad to think about how he will get lost in the system. Students simply repeat grades until they pass out and move on, but each grade teaches essentially the same things, and it's incredibly easy to slip through the cracks and move on before you're ready (the first three questions of the final exam, which we saw one of the teachers preparing, were: "1. Design a bumper sticker that says 'God is great,' " "2. Which of the following did God create?" and "3. How many times a day do you pray?" If they've had these exams before, I'm sure they're not exactly motivated to learn about government systems and grammar rules). There also isn't an expectation of success in school, and no motivation to study or do well. Whether the teachers are jaded from years of frustration with the system, or simply don't care much about teaching (it's sort of a status symbol to be a teacher, and the pay is comparatively very good), they are not doing a good job of inspiring their students or setting any example of where a good education can get you. Although that leads to the next question of what CAN a good education really get you here, and is it simply better to live the life of their parents who spend their days on the farms, but (at least from what I've seen in the past month), seem relatively happy (especially compared to the stressed-out, tax-paying, tv-buying American). But that's a conversation for another day.
Ultimately, I was really glad to get a little experience teaching, and despite the many frustrations of the day, really enjoyed working with the kids. With a little patience and creativity, learning can go on anywhere, even a paperless, teacherless classroom.
Today is my last full day here, so I'm spending most of it saying the important goodbyes. I'll really miss everyone I worked with from Bankas' clinic, most noteworthy Livingston, Kindom, Salome, and Innocent. Not to mention our artist friend (Yao), our contact in Deme (Charles), the seamstress next door (Praise), the shop lady down the street who supplied us with endless amounts of bread, coke, and biscuits (Fida), and of course, all the other volunteers at Ghana Act. Thirty days came and went, and somehow in that short time, I discovered and carved out a home here. I will miss it greatly.
Until next time,
Anna
I haven't done much formal teaching in the past (just a little tutoring), so I was excited to get my feet wet. I quickly learned that it's extremely difficult to teach almost every subject (possibly excluding math), without adequate materials. The small classroom, that held nine students, had three very old chalkboards, a box of chalk that never seemed to make any visible marks on the boards, two posters (one that explained the roles of the Executive, Judicial, and Legislative branches, and one that simply listed skin diseases: leprosy, scabies, fungus, eczema, chicken pox), and a pile of workbooks. A few of the students had pens, and one had a pencil. There was no paper, no crayons, no markers, no reading books.
The kids all wanted to start the day with "Creative Arts," so we all took out the Creative Arts workbooks, and Nick and I started going through them. Crocheting lessons, pottery lessons, crayon resist lessons. Nothing we could do without the materials. Finally Nick ripped out a bunch of pages from his journal, handed out one to each kid, and we all drew our favorite animals, taking turns with the pens. (After I drew an example elephant on the board, everyone just drew elephants). Then we tried to do math. The math workbooks contained such exciting lessons as: "Follow the pattern- 434, 433, 432, 431, ..." and "Count in multiples of ten from 0 to 80." I quickly abandoned the workbooks (for their sake and my own), and tried to teach fractions by drawing banku and mango on the board and "cutting" it into different numbered slices. That got us a little further, but the language barrier definitely created some problems (I'm still not sure they understand that 1/4 is bigger than 1/8, even though 8 is bigger than 4).
We ended the day with reading, which they do out of their science workbooks. The page they were on was titled "skin diseases" (the poster suddenly made sense), and each paragraph was about a different type of skin disease they could get. Everyone took out their books except one boy. I asked him where his was and he said he didn't have it, so I gave him mine to use for the lesson. The rest of the class immediately jumped up in dissent, shouting "No! No! Do not give him book. He can't read!" It's no wonder the poor kid can't read. He's never given a book! Not sure how they ever expected him to learn. Of course I gave him mine anyway and told him just to try following along while the other kids took turns reading about peeling skin infections and boils and fungi (I kid you not, I had to spend five minutes listening to a little ten year old try to sound out "anti-fungal cream." It was simultaneously hilarious and incredibly frustrating. They have absolutely no comprehension of what they're reading). When it got to his turn, I asked the boy if he wanted to give it a try, and he surprised me with an enthusiastic "yes!" It took him ten times longer than the rest of the students (and he only got through the sentences by sounding out the few letters he knew, and his friend whispering the rest of the words to him), but he clearly wanted to know how to read. I'm sad to think about how he will get lost in the system. Students simply repeat grades until they pass out and move on, but each grade teaches essentially the same things, and it's incredibly easy to slip through the cracks and move on before you're ready (the first three questions of the final exam, which we saw one of the teachers preparing, were: "1. Design a bumper sticker that says 'God is great,' " "2. Which of the following did God create?" and "3. How many times a day do you pray?" If they've had these exams before, I'm sure they're not exactly motivated to learn about government systems and grammar rules). There also isn't an expectation of success in school, and no motivation to study or do well. Whether the teachers are jaded from years of frustration with the system, or simply don't care much about teaching (it's sort of a status symbol to be a teacher, and the pay is comparatively very good), they are not doing a good job of inspiring their students or setting any example of where a good education can get you. Although that leads to the next question of what CAN a good education really get you here, and is it simply better to live the life of their parents who spend their days on the farms, but (at least from what I've seen in the past month), seem relatively happy (especially compared to the stressed-out, tax-paying, tv-buying American). But that's a conversation for another day.
Ultimately, I was really glad to get a little experience teaching, and despite the many frustrations of the day, really enjoyed working with the kids. With a little patience and creativity, learning can go on anywhere, even a paperless, teacherless classroom.
Today is my last full day here, so I'm spending most of it saying the important goodbyes. I'll really miss everyone I worked with from Bankas' clinic, most noteworthy Livingston, Kindom, Salome, and Innocent. Not to mention our artist friend (Yao), our contact in Deme (Charles), the seamstress next door (Praise), the shop lady down the street who supplied us with endless amounts of bread, coke, and biscuits (Fida), and of course, all the other volunteers at Ghana Act. Thirty days came and went, and somehow in that short time, I discovered and carved out a home here. I will miss it greatly.
Until next time,
Anna
July 5, 2011
Outdoor Adventures
This past weekend we went to a botanical garden then went mountain biking. We biked for about 4 miles to a waterfall. Since we went to a waterfall last weekend, I was more excited for the mountain biking than the waterfall. To my surprise though, the waterfall ended up being just as awesome as the bike ride. This waterfall was different because it was smaller and we were able to climb it. Once we climbed the slippery/steep waterfall, there was a stream we walked along for a while. It was the most peaceful thing I have ever seen. It looked like it was out of a movie. The stream winded through a bunch of caves and more mini waterfalls and pools. It was so great. I wanted to stay there for the rest of the night.
After a trip to the safari, going through the rain forest, swimming in waterfalls, and hiking mountains here in Ghana, I've realized how much of an outdoorsy person I am. Maybe it's just Ghana but I have been having a blast adventuring through the beautiful sites this country has to offer. I wish I had more time to take more trips!
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