Last Wednesday was another great day at my internship. I went to a school near the office and taught adolescent reproductive health to a large group of students, mostly around 5th/6th grade age, and a few junior high kids. I remembered my high school health teacher passed around little slips of paper for us to write down questions anonymously if we were too embarassed to ask them aloud, so I tried that too. Only two questions were asked out loud, and I was AMAZED at the questions I got. There were probably 50 questions handed in! I was expecting all of the kids to laugh the whole time and be very immature, but instead they were engaged and curious. Sex and reproductive health is not discussed much here. Some of my American friends taking classes here about gender and reproduction and have been shocked at what people think and know (or don't know). So, it was very cool that I was able to answer so many questions. I had to do some research myself before giving my presentation, just to make sure I covered everything . . . but I didn't even realize some of the things I had left out until the questions came in, like explaining what happens during a miscarriage. And my favorite question -- "Please, Madam, what does a vagina DO?" -- which I had already covered, but evidently not well enough. :) Anyway, I didn't get to finish answering all of the questions, and some answers I was not 100% sure about, so I am going back at some point this week to wrap things up.
Then last weekend my program took us all to Kumasi. Kumasi is the heart of the Ashanti empire (which ruled Ghana prior to the slave trade and colonialism). It is famous for adinkra symbols (each has a different meaning and is found on fabric, wood carvings, and other things in Ghana) and kente cloth (woven, and made in unique patterns for important individuals such as chiefs and the President). AND . . . on Sunday there was a 2010 football (soccer) world cup qualifying match between Ghana and Benin in Kumasi, so we got to go! The game was INSANE!!!!!!! Absolutely insane!!!!! We showed up several hours early to get good seats, because even though everyone technically has a seat number, it's not really honored; your ticket only guarantees you a spot in your section. There were tons of large groups there that had brought drums, horns, other instruments, and everybody was dancing! For HOURS before, during, and after the game! Also, Ghanaians take body painting to the extreme - they don't just paint their chests. They wear speedos and paint their entire bodies! It was extremely exciting. For the second half of the game, I jumped right in the middle of one of the large masses of Ghanaians. There were about 5 guys in the front row coordinating everybody, so after a while my friends Ben, Liz, and I went up and helped teach some American line dances. (And let me tell you, watching about 200 excited Ghanaian soccer fans doing the Chicken Dance and the Macarena is probably one of the happiest moments of my life!) And, of course Ghana won (1-0, and that goal was scored in the first 30 seconds of the game)!
The hotel we stayed at was amazing . . . which actually kind of bothered me. The Black Stars (Ghana's national soccer team) stayed at the same hotel, if that is any kind of indication of just how nice a place it was. CIEE always puts us up in nice places that have air conditioning and swimming pools, but this place definitely topped any hotel I have ever been in - EVER, anywhere. Apparently Mr. Gyasi, my program director, had some connections and got us a deal so we weren't paying full price for the rooms (which, by the way, START at US $109 per night). But that's not the point. Back home, I would have been absolutely ecstatic that I was staying in the same hotel as really famous people . . . but here I was just uncomfortable with it for most of the weekend. I'm sure my room was even more than $109 because we were all in doubles, not singles (though we were sharing rooms). $109 (or more) is enough to cover me for several WEEKS here in Ghana - food, transportation, necessities, and even spending money. WEEKS. So two nights at that hotel is more than enough money for an entire month in Ghana. I really appreciate everything CIEE does for us, and it's definitely nice to have these trips spread out over the semester where I know 100% for certain that the shower won't stop running right after I shampoo my hair. But I also felt overwhelming guilt every time we pulled up to the hotel. I'd like to be able to tell myself that at least acknowledging what I have is the first step . . . but I know it's not enough. I know I had fun this weekend, and I also know I, an American college student, have memories from this weekend that most Ghanaians, and many Americans, will never have their entire lives.
Also, more excitement at the game . . . I was pickpocketed, but I got my wallet back!! I was standing with three of my friends, separated from the crowd, and waiting for others to catch up. I had been digging through my purse shifting things around since I had just bought some water and snacks. All of a sudden two guys walked right through the middle of our group and pushed against me (REALLY dumb on their part, because I knew immediately what was going on. Had I been walking through the middle of a crowd, I probably would have been caught unawares. But as I said, I was separated from crowded areas). Anyway, I thought I was being smart because I knew what was happening, so I watched the guy who was pushed up against me. I think his friend must have grabbed my wallet though, so I fell right into their diversion trap. But the second they stepped away, I looked in my purse, saw my wallet was gone, and turned around chasing after him yelling that the man's friend had just stolen my wallet (I hadn't seen his friend's face). Now, before everyone freaks out that I was running after a thief, let me say two things: 1) I would not have done this were I not at a crowded soccer match and 2) that is what you are supposed to do in Ghana. Stealing is HIGHLY frowned upon in Ghana - not just because it is morally wrong, but also because of the sense of community in which everybody is responsible for each other. It is acceptable - and expected - for people to reprimand and disciple other people's children. In the same way, when one person steals from another, Ghanaians feel personally responsible and embarassed by the thief's actions. So, as I anticipated (and as Mr. Gyasi had told us early on in the semester that this would happen), when I drew attention to the scene, immediately 10 Ghanaians swarmed over to ask what was going on. I'm not sure they ever figured out who the man's friend was, but somebody saw my wallet had been thrown on the ground, picked it up, and returned it to me. Yay for Ghanaian sense of community!
Other than that, the semester is beginning to wind down. I only have 3 weeks of lectures left, then 1 week of I'm-not-exactly-sure-what-happens (I have heard there are no classes, and I have heard there are classes and the professor preps you for the exam, so I don't know), and then 3 weeks of exams & travel time.
Also, I know everybody wants to see more pictures. Believe me, I'm TRYING! But not having my own computer really complicates things. Most of the free and cheap internet cafes here don't let you upload external content. I have gone a few times to ones where I pay, only to find my camera is not compatible with the computer. I am at one that will let me upload, so I'm going to try in just a few minutes to see if my camera will work.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Togo!
TOGO WAS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was just what I needed - a perfect vacation. You know, they tell you culture shock and study abroad will take you through a range of emotions - honeymoon, hate, humor, home. What they don't tell you is that all four of those can occur in the same day. They make it sound like you'll transition from one to the next over time! That has definitely not been my experience, and I think I had finally hit the point where everything was just frustratingly overwhelming. But I went to Lome (capital of Togo) for a few days and loved it! I'm sure if I were in Lome for the semester, I would find things equally frustrating there, but for the short time I was there I loved it much more than Accra.
Instead of regular taxis and tro-tros, everybody takes "taxi-motos," i.e. motorcycle taxis. You just hop on the back of one and zip around the city! Lome is much smaller than Accra anyway, but because there are hardly any cars, there's much less traffic/congestion, so you can get from one end of the city to the other in just a few minutes. I stayed at a hotel right on the Ghana/Togo border, and right on the beach. Literally. Cross the street and you're on the beach. My room was about $10 a night. A HOTEL ON THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BEACH I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE FOR $10 A NIGHT!!
I visited a couple of different markets and artist villages, got some cool souvenirs - decorations for my wall back home, etc. And except for accidentally buying 12 YARDS of the same fabric, I think I was pretty savvy with using my French to bargain! I did have a little bit of trouble using my French at times, because I'm used to France French, and African dialects are slightly different (pronunciation is often VERY different), but all in all I sort of surprised myself with how much I remember and was able to use. People could tell I had a different accent and would often ask "What language do you speak? English?" and every time I replied, "Oui, may je suis a Lome et je veux parler seulement en francais." (Yes, but I'm in Lome and I want to speak only in French.) So, unless there was an absolute language barrier and we couldn't communicate, I stuck to my French!
I also visited a voodoo fetish market, which wasn't nearly as excited as I had anticipated. I do have some interesting pictures of dried out chameleons, pig heads, mice, etc. And I took a day excursion to Togoville, on Lake Togo. This is sort of the Togo equivalent of the Cape Coast slave castles - voodoo practitioners were taken from here and sold as slaves in the Americas (hence why voodoo is present some in Jamaica and parts of the Caribbean). I refused to pay for a guide around Togoville, so I didn't learn as much as I could have, but I had already been spending a fair amount of money. Traveling solo isn't bad at all - it was nice having a few days with my thoughts to myself - but it is definitely more expensive than traveling with friends.
Also, yesterday was a great day at my internship! We went to a nearby village and went door to door doing HIV/AIDS education. I was a bit nervous about how we would be welcomed into the community, but everybody was very friendly, welcoming, and curious about the topic! Just my accident my group only met with women, and it was a great experience. Though a couple of the women had some knowledge about AIDS, none of them had ever seen a female condom before, and they all had lots of very insightful questions. I did a couple demonstrations of how to use the female condom, and I really felt like I was helping the women I was talking to. None of them spoke great English so my coworkers were translating my demo, but it was still a great feeling. Who knows what will happen after we're gone, but the women were very engaged and curious, and seemed thankful that we were willing to talk and answer all of their questions.
I think I am discovering an interest in community health. Prior to arriving in Ghana, I knew HIV/AIDS definitely is one of the biggest factors affecting African development. I hadn't thought as much about diseases such as malaria, typhoid, and other treatable diseases that are huge killers simply because people don't have access to hospitals and medicine. But being here has made me realize how many of the issues I care about - the environment, clean drinking water, poverty, child labor, international development, and others - are all interrelated around public health. I'm not really sure where I want to go with this, but I definitely plan to explore this interest more through classes and possibly internships when I am back home.
Instead of regular taxis and tro-tros, everybody takes "taxi-motos," i.e. motorcycle taxis. You just hop on the back of one and zip around the city! Lome is much smaller than Accra anyway, but because there are hardly any cars, there's much less traffic/congestion, so you can get from one end of the city to the other in just a few minutes. I stayed at a hotel right on the Ghana/Togo border, and right on the beach. Literally. Cross the street and you're on the beach. My room was about $10 a night. A HOTEL ON THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BEACH I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE FOR $10 A NIGHT!!
I visited a couple of different markets and artist villages, got some cool souvenirs - decorations for my wall back home, etc. And except for accidentally buying 12 YARDS of the same fabric, I think I was pretty savvy with using my French to bargain! I did have a little bit of trouble using my French at times, because I'm used to France French, and African dialects are slightly different (pronunciation is often VERY different), but all in all I sort of surprised myself with how much I remember and was able to use. People could tell I had a different accent and would often ask "What language do you speak? English?" and every time I replied, "Oui, may je suis a Lome et je veux parler seulement en francais." (Yes, but I'm in Lome and I want to speak only in French.) So, unless there was an absolute language barrier and we couldn't communicate, I stuck to my French!
I also visited a voodoo fetish market, which wasn't nearly as excited as I had anticipated. I do have some interesting pictures of dried out chameleons, pig heads, mice, etc. And I took a day excursion to Togoville, on Lake Togo. This is sort of the Togo equivalent of the Cape Coast slave castles - voodoo practitioners were taken from here and sold as slaves in the Americas (hence why voodoo is present some in Jamaica and parts of the Caribbean). I refused to pay for a guide around Togoville, so I didn't learn as much as I could have, but I had already been spending a fair amount of money. Traveling solo isn't bad at all - it was nice having a few days with my thoughts to myself - but it is definitely more expensive than traveling with friends.
Also, yesterday was a great day at my internship! We went to a nearby village and went door to door doing HIV/AIDS education. I was a bit nervous about how we would be welcomed into the community, but everybody was very friendly, welcoming, and curious about the topic! Just my accident my group only met with women, and it was a great experience. Though a couple of the women had some knowledge about AIDS, none of them had ever seen a female condom before, and they all had lots of very insightful questions. I did a couple demonstrations of how to use the female condom, and I really felt like I was helping the women I was talking to. None of them spoke great English so my coworkers were translating my demo, but it was still a great feeling. Who knows what will happen after we're gone, but the women were very engaged and curious, and seemed thankful that we were willing to talk and answer all of their questions.
I think I am discovering an interest in community health. Prior to arriving in Ghana, I knew HIV/AIDS definitely is one of the biggest factors affecting African development. I hadn't thought as much about diseases such as malaria, typhoid, and other treatable diseases that are huge killers simply because people don't have access to hospitals and medicine. But being here has made me realize how many of the issues I care about - the environment, clean drinking water, poverty, child labor, international development, and others - are all interrelated around public health. I'm not really sure where I want to go with this, but I definitely plan to explore this interest more through classes and possibly internships when I am back home.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Bawjiase
I spent the first half of this week at a village called Bawjiase near Cape Coast with my coworkers from my internship. It was definitely one of the coolest, and weirdest, things I've done since I've been here. We spent a couple days meeting with different representatives from the community to talk about various human rights issues they are facing, and we were helping them construct a set of bylaws to try to tackle their problems. We spent Monday discussing education and child labor, specifically in relation to female children. Tuesday we debriefed and began drafting some suggestions of laws to review with the community members. Wednesday we went over the laws again and started talking about domestic violence. The entire meeting was in Twi (about 6 hours a day), so I didn't have a clue what was going on until our debriefing sessions when everything was explained to me. I found out that after 10 minutes of discussing domestic violence, somebody pointed out that Ghana has a national law on the subject, so we should just look that up and use that. So, the other 5 hours and 50 minutes was apparently an opportunity for the people present to voice all of their concerns in general about the community. Which was really funny, because I realized that some things are the same everywhere, and being in a new culture or on a new continent doesn't necessarily change much.
Here's what I mean. Here's what some of the complaints/points raised were:
1. One man thought anybody on a bicycle after 6 pm should be arrested because there aren't street lights and it's dangerous/likely to cause accidents. Somebody else was upset about the "indiscriminate parking of vehicles" on the road and speeding, so speed bumps and rumble strips need to be installed.
2. Many people thought children shouldn't be allowed to attend funerals and wake-keepings (in Ghana they are overnight events several nights in a row). When kids go, they are too tired to go to school. So then somebody asked "Well what about 20-year-olds who are still in high school? They are adults so shouldn't have the same rules as kids, but then they would also be too tired for school." So one of the police officers pointed out that a law is a law, and if a ban were created then any school child regardless of age should have to adhere to the ban. Then another police officer said laws are designed to protect peoples' rights, not take them away or cause confusion, and we should all keep that in mind.
3. Other people complained aobut disturbing public peace/playing radios too loudly at night.
Anyway . . . I could imagine the exact same kinds of conversations happening at a community meeting in the States too, which is why I found it kind of funny. It was interesting to see how the same kinds of issues bother people everywhere.
Also, it was really great getting away for a few days with my coworkers. There were very challenging moments - and I actually burst into tears on the phone with my parents my first night there because of how I felt I was being treated. My coworkers kept serving food to me first, even when there wasn't enough for everybody, and they brought me bottled water while everybody else was drinking the purified tap water in plastic sachets (which I drink all the time). I kept trying to say I wanted to eat with everyone, and I drink the sachet water, but I still felt like I was getting special treatment. I really hate that. Whenever I ask for directions to find food/water here, people automatically point me to the nicest restaurant or hotel in the area, rather than the local food stand. It's very frustrating when people assume I need these things, when I'm actually happier doing as the Ghanaians do. There never was a great opportunity to really discuss all of this in detail with my coworkers, but I intend to at some point. I think by the end of the trip, though, I had made one friend. I was sharing a room with Salomey, and we got to talk several times and have plans to hang out in the next couple of weeks. She's always been very curious as to what life is like in the U.S., how school is different, what my family is like. We talked about all of those things and I learned a lot about her too. So, anyway, even though there were tough moments, I would say overall the trip ended on a great note.
Also, on an entirely unrelated note, I realized I don't think I ever said what classes I'm taking here. For the first 2 months I was enrolled in a Twi language class, but that has finished. I'm also taking a course in conjunction with my internship about development studies in West Africa, and Ghana in particular. Then I have two classes on campus: Human Rights in Africa and U.S. Foreign Policy Towards Africa. Classes are VERY different from back home. The on-campus classes have about 800 people in them. Professors read lecture notes the entire time, and everybody copies them down word for word in paragraph form. I did this for about 2 days until I realized the notes usually come directly out of my assigned readings. Except for development studies, I don't have any homework assignments (other than to read), and my entire grade will be based on the final exam I take at the end of the semester. I'm not too worried about them except for the fact that things are always confusing on campus, and it seems like us international students always get information about 6 weeks later than we're supposed to. (For instance, I'm apparently supposed to register for my exams online. I found this out last week. The deadline was February 6.) So while the exam itself shouldn't be difficult, figuring out when and where and how to take it may present a challenge. Oh well, I'm an expert at chaotic adventures by now!
A final note before signing off . . . I think I'm going to Togo next week! I have a sort of unofficial Spring Break. This past week I had "midterms" (sort of, in the classes that chose to have them) . . . and next week I have a "midsemester break" in some of my classes (even the ones that didn't have a midterm) . . . so I have 5 or 6 days with nothing to do, and thought I might just hop on over the border to Togo. Some of my friends have already gone and said it was frustrating not knowing French because you really need it to get around . . . so I'm excited I'll get to practice my French! I haven't had to use it much in the last 2 years so it'll be a good brush-up :)
Here's what I mean. Here's what some of the complaints/points raised were:
1. One man thought anybody on a bicycle after 6 pm should be arrested because there aren't street lights and it's dangerous/likely to cause accidents. Somebody else was upset about the "indiscriminate parking of vehicles" on the road and speeding, so speed bumps and rumble strips need to be installed.
2. Many people thought children shouldn't be allowed to attend funerals and wake-keepings (in Ghana they are overnight events several nights in a row). When kids go, they are too tired to go to school. So then somebody asked "Well what about 20-year-olds who are still in high school? They are adults so shouldn't have the same rules as kids, but then they would also be too tired for school." So one of the police officers pointed out that a law is a law, and if a ban were created then any school child regardless of age should have to adhere to the ban. Then another police officer said laws are designed to protect peoples' rights, not take them away or cause confusion, and we should all keep that in mind.
3. Other people complained aobut disturbing public peace/playing radios too loudly at night.
Anyway . . . I could imagine the exact same kinds of conversations happening at a community meeting in the States too, which is why I found it kind of funny. It was interesting to see how the same kinds of issues bother people everywhere.
Also, it was really great getting away for a few days with my coworkers. There were very challenging moments - and I actually burst into tears on the phone with my parents my first night there because of how I felt I was being treated. My coworkers kept serving food to me first, even when there wasn't enough for everybody, and they brought me bottled water while everybody else was drinking the purified tap water in plastic sachets (which I drink all the time). I kept trying to say I wanted to eat with everyone, and I drink the sachet water, but I still felt like I was getting special treatment. I really hate that. Whenever I ask for directions to find food/water here, people automatically point me to the nicest restaurant or hotel in the area, rather than the local food stand. It's very frustrating when people assume I need these things, when I'm actually happier doing as the Ghanaians do. There never was a great opportunity to really discuss all of this in detail with my coworkers, but I intend to at some point. I think by the end of the trip, though, I had made one friend. I was sharing a room with Salomey, and we got to talk several times and have plans to hang out in the next couple of weeks. She's always been very curious as to what life is like in the U.S., how school is different, what my family is like. We talked about all of those things and I learned a lot about her too. So, anyway, even though there were tough moments, I would say overall the trip ended on a great note.
Also, on an entirely unrelated note, I realized I don't think I ever said what classes I'm taking here. For the first 2 months I was enrolled in a Twi language class, but that has finished. I'm also taking a course in conjunction with my internship about development studies in West Africa, and Ghana in particular. Then I have two classes on campus: Human Rights in Africa and U.S. Foreign Policy Towards Africa. Classes are VERY different from back home. The on-campus classes have about 800 people in them. Professors read lecture notes the entire time, and everybody copies them down word for word in paragraph form. I did this for about 2 days until I realized the notes usually come directly out of my assigned readings. Except for development studies, I don't have any homework assignments (other than to read), and my entire grade will be based on the final exam I take at the end of the semester. I'm not too worried about them except for the fact that things are always confusing on campus, and it seems like us international students always get information about 6 weeks later than we're supposed to. (For instance, I'm apparently supposed to register for my exams online. I found this out last week. The deadline was February 6.) So while the exam itself shouldn't be difficult, figuring out when and where and how to take it may present a challenge. Oh well, I'm an expert at chaotic adventures by now!
A final note before signing off . . . I think I'm going to Togo next week! I have a sort of unofficial Spring Break. This past week I had "midterms" (sort of, in the classes that chose to have them) . . . and next week I have a "midsemester break" in some of my classes (even the ones that didn't have a midterm) . . . so I have 5 or 6 days with nothing to do, and thought I might just hop on over the border to Togo. Some of my friends have already gone and said it was frustrating not knowing French because you really need it to get around . . . so I'm excited I'll get to practice my French! I haven't had to use it much in the last 2 years so it'll be a good brush-up :)
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Mole National Park (slash probably the most ridiculous weekend of my life, ever)
This past weekend was probably one of the most fun/ridiculous/hilarious/confusing/exciting times I've ever had in my life. On Thursday I went up to Mole National Park in the northern part of the country. Greta, Kate, Clara, and I all signed up to go with the computer science department who had planned the trip. (Friday was Ghanaian Independence Day, so classes were cancelled. It would have been cool to stick around and see what happens on Independence Day here, but Mole is a 12-hour bus ride away, and I really wanted to go with a student group so I could meet more people and not have to worry about transportation there and back.) Anyway, we were supposed to meet at 3:30 Thursday afternoon so the bus could leave at 4:30. It actually left at almost 8:30 that night. The bus ride was INSANE. Probably 80% of the roads between Accra and Mole are unpaved, so it was a very bumpy ride. Also, apparently Ghanaians don't sleep on overnight bus trips. Instead they have very loud dance parties and watch soap operas all night (also very loud). And let me tell you . . . African soap operas are even worse than American soap operas. Basically people just yell at each other and smack each other a lot. I'm not sure there was an actual plot in any of them. But it was certainly an experience! And we finally arrived around 8:00 am on Friday at the park.
We took a walking safari into the park with a guide. (You're actually not allowed to enter the park unless you have an armed ranger with you, if that gives you any idea how close you actually can get to some of the animals!) I saw a few baboons, warthogs, and antelope. THEN I SAW ELEPHANTS!!!!!! MAYBE 40 FEET AWAY!!!!! Lots of them!!!! And baby ones!!!! It was very cool, and I got some AWESOME pictures. I'll try to get to a place that I can easily upload them by the end of this week.
Right after the tour, the bus was going to head back to Accra. My friend Molly and her roommate had also come on the trip and were planning to stay. I had thought about it but didn't want to go back by myself, so I had decided against it. But when I found out they too were staying, I opted to stick around as well. Molly and I both wanted to camp out rather than stay in the motel at the park, so we rented tents and headed for the campsite. THAT was an adventure. We've both been camping before, but neither one of us had a clue what we were doing as we've only been in groups. (The extent of my tent-pitching knowledge comes from having helped the Crowleys or Phelpses in the past . . . and really I was usually more of a firewood-gatherer than tent-pitcher.) So we struggled for a bit trying to get stakes into the ground, but then two other guys who were camping out came over to help. Alex from France and Ian from England. We never quite figured out Alex's story . . . it seems like he just kind of wandered around Burkina Faso for a while and then decided to come to Ghana. Ian has a Land Rover that he converted into a camper of sorts and he DROVE DOWN TO GHANA FROM ENGLAND!!!!!! Literally, he attached a tent to the roof of his car and installed a water purifier, refrigerator, and stove into the trunk and just took off for Africa. He's driven through all of west Africa and is going to the Ghanaian coast. When he gets there, he's taking a boat to South Africa and then going to drive around the southern part of the continent till he runs out of money. Later Friday night we also met four New Zealanders (Carrie, Richard, Greg, and Sandra) who have been traveling the world since September. SEPTEMBER!! OF LAST YEAR!!! Where people find the money to do these things, I don't know. I have now decided what I will do with the money if I ever win the lottery.
Friday afternoon Molly, her roommate (Jen), and her roommate's friends (Lu, Liu, and Wang) hung out by the pool at the park for a while. Baboons kept running around and trying to steal people's things, which was definitely entertaining to watch. Everybody did a pretty good job of fending off the baboons (one little Dutch boy did a great job chasing after one with a lawn chair) . . . but I have to be honest: despite my extraordinary rugby skills, if there were a showdown between me and a baboon, my money would be on the baboon. They're sneaky little things!
After the pool, we went to a nearby village called Larabanga where the oldest mud and stick mosque in Ghana is found. It wasn't all that exciting of an excursion, other than the fact that now I can say I've been there. I was actually probably more impressed with the huge baobab tree right next to the mosque. (Baobab trees are important in one of my favorite French books, Le Petit Prince, so it was cool to see one in real life.) Also there's a legend our tourguide was telling us about, but I couldn't quite understand it . . . I think the first imam of the mosque had been telling people before he died that he should be buried right next to the mosque and a tree would grow there. Well, sure enough, a baobab tree grew right where he was buried. Also, there were lots of cute little children running around and holding my hand. They were fascinated by my camera so I kept taking pictures of them and then showing them. So as I said, the mosque itself wasn't all the impressive but it was definitely a fun afternoon. That night Molly and I just chatted with people at the campsite (her roommate + friends stayed in the motel), and then we woke up at 6:00 the next morning to do another walking safari. We saw hardly anything on that safari - just a couple of antelope, so it made everything we had seen the day before that much more special. Even though it's a national park, it's apparently still very rare to see things!
THEN the most epic adventure of a journey home began. There's only ONE bus that leaves the park for the nearest major city/transport hub (Tamale) . . . and it leaves at 4:00 am. We were actually awake then because people were moving around, but we had wanted to do another safari so we stayed for the morning and were going to figure something else out. Well that "something else" ended up being a LOT of somethings else that took about 20 hours (instead of 12). First, we had to take a car to Damangoe (21 km from the park), which the driver at the park had told us would be the perfect spot to catch a tro-tro to Tamale, or headed south so we could later pick up transport to Accra. Well that was not the case. Apparently we actually needed to go to Damangoe JUNCTION (another 56 km away). So, we had to get a taxi that charged us a ridiculous amount of money, but it was obvious after almost an hour that it really was our only option. The road between Damangoe and Damangoe Junction is unpaved. 56 km of unpaved road, with the 6 of us + the driver crammed into the cab, plus all of our bags. Also we had the windows open because of the heat, so we were getting FILTHY from all the dust flying around. About 30 minutes in, we got a flat tire (naturally)! BUT, thank goodness, the driver had the amazing foresight to get a new tire and put it in the trunk just before we left. He said he'd never had a flat on that road before and was surprised . . . and we started to think perhaps he had finally bought the tire because he knew he was charging us an arm and a leg to drive us. But, anyway, it was definitely funny as we all piled out of the car in the middle of nowhere. The entire rest of the way (another hour or so) we were all just praying we didn't get a second flat, because there was NO traffick on that road, and our phones didn't work so we couldn't have even called a friend of the driver to help us out. Luckily we made it to the junction finally. But THEN we realized that's not really a great place to catch a tro-tro either, because there were 6 of us, and almost any car/van/tro-tro/bus/anything that goes through only has 1 or 2 available seats, if any. So instead we took a tro-tro to Tamale (another hour and a half, AND this was out of the way as we had to go back on that exact same road later towards Accra). But finally, we got to Tamale, found a bus headed straight for Accra, bought tickets, grabbed food, and boarded. Around 4:00 this morning we got into Accra, then got a taxi back to campus by 4:30. It was certainly an adventure! It was definitely tiring, but Molly and I were laughing almost the whole time at just how ridiculous the situation was. And it was great fun meeting people all along the way from all over the world.
This was definitely a more tourist-y weekend for me, so I don't have as many thoughts on it as usual, but there were a few things I realized. While we were always smiling, it was still very frustrating at times knowing full well that we were being ripped off and paying way too much money for taxis. This happens a lot, as drivers (and anybody really) assume that white people have lots of money. While in relative terms this is generally true, it's certainly not always true, and it also doesn't mean that just because I HAVE money I should have to pay more than the going rate for a cab. So when several people kept promising they were helping us get to where we needed to be, and when we realized after paying that that wasn't the case, it was frustrating. And then I remembered . . . at least I'm fortunate enough that I can be ripped off from time to time. It sounds weird to say that, and I'm not sure how to explain it. I guess I'm just grateful of the things that I have, the opportunities I'm given, that I'm privileged enough to be able to travel to a national park for the weekend, and that I can afford to figure out complicated transportation home. The other thing I realized is that I need to be VERY careful who I travel with at the end of the semester. The chaos of that last 24 hours showed me how important it is to be with people who are able to laugh at the situation and stay relaxed. It wouldn't have been nearly as fun as it was if I was with people who got stressed out by the confusion. (I've actually surprised myself at how relaxed I've been here, as I'm usually fairly high strung and like to have everything planned out in advance.)
Now I should sign off after that insanely long post. But one more thing: I'm SO excited about this week. The place where I'm interning has been working with a community near Cape Coast. We're going back tomorrow through Wednesday to meet with them about child labor and domestic violence in the community. I have no idea what to expect, and I don't exactly know what I'll be doing, but I think it will be a great experience to interact with people in the village and learn from their stories.
We took a walking safari into the park with a guide. (You're actually not allowed to enter the park unless you have an armed ranger with you, if that gives you any idea how close you actually can get to some of the animals!) I saw a few baboons, warthogs, and antelope. THEN I SAW ELEPHANTS!!!!!! MAYBE 40 FEET AWAY!!!!! Lots of them!!!! And baby ones!!!! It was very cool, and I got some AWESOME pictures. I'll try to get to a place that I can easily upload them by the end of this week.
Right after the tour, the bus was going to head back to Accra. My friend Molly and her roommate had also come on the trip and were planning to stay. I had thought about it but didn't want to go back by myself, so I had decided against it. But when I found out they too were staying, I opted to stick around as well. Molly and I both wanted to camp out rather than stay in the motel at the park, so we rented tents and headed for the campsite. THAT was an adventure. We've both been camping before, but neither one of us had a clue what we were doing as we've only been in groups. (The extent of my tent-pitching knowledge comes from having helped the Crowleys or Phelpses in the past . . . and really I was usually more of a firewood-gatherer than tent-pitcher.) So we struggled for a bit trying to get stakes into the ground, but then two other guys who were camping out came over to help. Alex from France and Ian from England. We never quite figured out Alex's story . . . it seems like he just kind of wandered around Burkina Faso for a while and then decided to come to Ghana. Ian has a Land Rover that he converted into a camper of sorts and he DROVE DOWN TO GHANA FROM ENGLAND!!!!!! Literally, he attached a tent to the roof of his car and installed a water purifier, refrigerator, and stove into the trunk and just took off for Africa. He's driven through all of west Africa and is going to the Ghanaian coast. When he gets there, he's taking a boat to South Africa and then going to drive around the southern part of the continent till he runs out of money. Later Friday night we also met four New Zealanders (Carrie, Richard, Greg, and Sandra) who have been traveling the world since September. SEPTEMBER!! OF LAST YEAR!!! Where people find the money to do these things, I don't know. I have now decided what I will do with the money if I ever win the lottery.
Friday afternoon Molly, her roommate (Jen), and her roommate's friends (Lu, Liu, and Wang) hung out by the pool at the park for a while. Baboons kept running around and trying to steal people's things, which was definitely entertaining to watch. Everybody did a pretty good job of fending off the baboons (one little Dutch boy did a great job chasing after one with a lawn chair) . . . but I have to be honest: despite my extraordinary rugby skills, if there were a showdown between me and a baboon, my money would be on the baboon. They're sneaky little things!
After the pool, we went to a nearby village called Larabanga where the oldest mud and stick mosque in Ghana is found. It wasn't all that exciting of an excursion, other than the fact that now I can say I've been there. I was actually probably more impressed with the huge baobab tree right next to the mosque. (Baobab trees are important in one of my favorite French books, Le Petit Prince, so it was cool to see one in real life.) Also there's a legend our tourguide was telling us about, but I couldn't quite understand it . . . I think the first imam of the mosque had been telling people before he died that he should be buried right next to the mosque and a tree would grow there. Well, sure enough, a baobab tree grew right where he was buried. Also, there were lots of cute little children running around and holding my hand. They were fascinated by my camera so I kept taking pictures of them and then showing them. So as I said, the mosque itself wasn't all the impressive but it was definitely a fun afternoon. That night Molly and I just chatted with people at the campsite (her roommate + friends stayed in the motel), and then we woke up at 6:00 the next morning to do another walking safari. We saw hardly anything on that safari - just a couple of antelope, so it made everything we had seen the day before that much more special. Even though it's a national park, it's apparently still very rare to see things!
THEN the most epic adventure of a journey home began. There's only ONE bus that leaves the park for the nearest major city/transport hub (Tamale) . . . and it leaves at 4:00 am. We were actually awake then because people were moving around, but we had wanted to do another safari so we stayed for the morning and were going to figure something else out. Well that "something else" ended up being a LOT of somethings else that took about 20 hours (instead of 12). First, we had to take a car to Damangoe (21 km from the park), which the driver at the park had told us would be the perfect spot to catch a tro-tro to Tamale, or headed south so we could later pick up transport to Accra. Well that was not the case. Apparently we actually needed to go to Damangoe JUNCTION (another 56 km away). So, we had to get a taxi that charged us a ridiculous amount of money, but it was obvious after almost an hour that it really was our only option. The road between Damangoe and Damangoe Junction is unpaved. 56 km of unpaved road, with the 6 of us + the driver crammed into the cab, plus all of our bags. Also we had the windows open because of the heat, so we were getting FILTHY from all the dust flying around. About 30 minutes in, we got a flat tire (naturally)! BUT, thank goodness, the driver had the amazing foresight to get a new tire and put it in the trunk just before we left. He said he'd never had a flat on that road before and was surprised . . . and we started to think perhaps he had finally bought the tire because he knew he was charging us an arm and a leg to drive us. But, anyway, it was definitely funny as we all piled out of the car in the middle of nowhere. The entire rest of the way (another hour or so) we were all just praying we didn't get a second flat, because there was NO traffick on that road, and our phones didn't work so we couldn't have even called a friend of the driver to help us out. Luckily we made it to the junction finally. But THEN we realized that's not really a great place to catch a tro-tro either, because there were 6 of us, and almost any car/van/tro-tro/bus/anything that goes through only has 1 or 2 available seats, if any. So instead we took a tro-tro to Tamale (another hour and a half, AND this was out of the way as we had to go back on that exact same road later towards Accra). But finally, we got to Tamale, found a bus headed straight for Accra, bought tickets, grabbed food, and boarded. Around 4:00 this morning we got into Accra, then got a taxi back to campus by 4:30. It was certainly an adventure! It was definitely tiring, but Molly and I were laughing almost the whole time at just how ridiculous the situation was. And it was great fun meeting people all along the way from all over the world.
This was definitely a more tourist-y weekend for me, so I don't have as many thoughts on it as usual, but there were a few things I realized. While we were always smiling, it was still very frustrating at times knowing full well that we were being ripped off and paying way too much money for taxis. This happens a lot, as drivers (and anybody really) assume that white people have lots of money. While in relative terms this is generally true, it's certainly not always true, and it also doesn't mean that just because I HAVE money I should have to pay more than the going rate for a cab. So when several people kept promising they were helping us get to where we needed to be, and when we realized after paying that that wasn't the case, it was frustrating. And then I remembered . . . at least I'm fortunate enough that I can be ripped off from time to time. It sounds weird to say that, and I'm not sure how to explain it. I guess I'm just grateful of the things that I have, the opportunities I'm given, that I'm privileged enough to be able to travel to a national park for the weekend, and that I can afford to figure out complicated transportation home. The other thing I realized is that I need to be VERY careful who I travel with at the end of the semester. The chaos of that last 24 hours showed me how important it is to be with people who are able to laugh at the situation and stay relaxed. It wouldn't have been nearly as fun as it was if I was with people who got stressed out by the confusion. (I've actually surprised myself at how relaxed I've been here, as I'm usually fairly high strung and like to have everything planned out in advance.)
Now I should sign off after that insanely long post. But one more thing: I'm SO excited about this week. The place where I'm interning has been working with a community near Cape Coast. We're going back tomorrow through Wednesday to meet with them about child labor and domestic violence in the community. I have no idea what to expect, and I don't exactly know what I'll be doing, but I think it will be a great experience to interact with people in the village and learn from their stories.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Ash Wednesday and other thoughts
I've been thinking a little more about that conversation I had with Esther, so a few more quick thoughts on that. I think what really bothered me was seeing how other people perceive Americans, and not knowing how to address it. I want to figure out how to use my time here to represent my country in a positive way.
The Ash Wednesday service last week pretty much epitomized my experience in this country thus far: the electricity went out, and I was confused about 95% of the time (since I went to a Catholic service). But, it was probably the first time I was grateful for the power outage - it meant the service was in candlelight! I thought it was the perfect way to reflect at the beginning of Lent. I've never been a huge fan of giving anything up, but I do like to use the season as a time to think extra hard about what's really important in my life and what I want to improve upon. Thinking back on Jesus' life, and being in a country where I am often without the comforts I am accustomed to at home, makes it impossible not to think about sacrifice, and what I'm willing to do or give up so that someone else may benefit. So, all in all it was nice for once to not have electricity!
I've realized how many things I take for granted at home (milk & milk products, the concept of being able to order pizza/wings at midnight and have them delivered to my door, and others) . . . but I'm also beginning to wonder what things I am taking for granted here that I will miss back home. The other day on the way to my internship, the tro I was on got a flat tire. Amazingly enough, it happened right across the street from a tire stand. Literally, there was a man just sitting there selling a pile of tires. In less than 15 minutes, the mate & driver had jacked up the van (with us all sitting in it!), changed the tire, and got back in the tro to continue on. Most people in the states have a spare tire in their car so that scenario wouldn't be unheard of, but I remembered the time my dad was driving me halfway to my grandparents' house in Florida when we got TWO flat tires. We had to sit and wait in a truck weigh station for several hours until AAA came. It's just kind of funny . . . I figured I'd miss food and friends here when I go back home, but it's just now occurring to me that there might be things I will miss here because of convenience.
Yesterday I went back to the bead factory and wood carving village I had gone to several weeks ago with CIEE. But this time, my friends and I got ourselves there and back on tros. On the way home I realized how much I'm finally settling in to life here. A few weeks ago, every time I went somewhere I would get anxious or frustrated trying to figure things out. I wasn't ever sure how long it would take, and sometimes even if I knew where I was supposed to be going I had a hard time communicating that to a tro mate or taxi driver. But yesterday my friends and I got to and from two different places, made no mistakes, and none of us were even worried about doing it. It hadn't even occurred to me that I might not be able to figure it out or get there eventually, even if it was confusing. I definitely had to take one day at a time to get through the frustrations and challenges of every day. But now I make plans ahead of time, and certain things have become so routine I don't even think about them anymore. So, it was kind of a nice feeling when I realized how quickly I've been able to get to a point of truly feeling comfortable here.
In other happy news, I have my RA job back for next year!!!! I don't have my specific floor placement yet, but I know I'm going to be in Anderson Hall again, which was my first choice. I'll have Erin as my boss again, and apparently most of the staff is going to be returners that I knew from last semester, and some who I hear are great from this semester. I don't have the official list yet, but I'm definitely excited to be working with the people I know of so far. Yay!!
The Ash Wednesday service last week pretty much epitomized my experience in this country thus far: the electricity went out, and I was confused about 95% of the time (since I went to a Catholic service). But, it was probably the first time I was grateful for the power outage - it meant the service was in candlelight! I thought it was the perfect way to reflect at the beginning of Lent. I've never been a huge fan of giving anything up, but I do like to use the season as a time to think extra hard about what's really important in my life and what I want to improve upon. Thinking back on Jesus' life, and being in a country where I am often without the comforts I am accustomed to at home, makes it impossible not to think about sacrifice, and what I'm willing to do or give up so that someone else may benefit. So, all in all it was nice for once to not have electricity!
I've realized how many things I take for granted at home (milk & milk products, the concept of being able to order pizza/wings at midnight and have them delivered to my door, and others) . . . but I'm also beginning to wonder what things I am taking for granted here that I will miss back home. The other day on the way to my internship, the tro I was on got a flat tire. Amazingly enough, it happened right across the street from a tire stand. Literally, there was a man just sitting there selling a pile of tires. In less than 15 minutes, the mate & driver had jacked up the van (with us all sitting in it!), changed the tire, and got back in the tro to continue on. Most people in the states have a spare tire in their car so that scenario wouldn't be unheard of, but I remembered the time my dad was driving me halfway to my grandparents' house in Florida when we got TWO flat tires. We had to sit and wait in a truck weigh station for several hours until AAA came. It's just kind of funny . . . I figured I'd miss food and friends here when I go back home, but it's just now occurring to me that there might be things I will miss here because of convenience.
Yesterday I went back to the bead factory and wood carving village I had gone to several weeks ago with CIEE. But this time, my friends and I got ourselves there and back on tros. On the way home I realized how much I'm finally settling in to life here. A few weeks ago, every time I went somewhere I would get anxious or frustrated trying to figure things out. I wasn't ever sure how long it would take, and sometimes even if I knew where I was supposed to be going I had a hard time communicating that to a tro mate or taxi driver. But yesterday my friends and I got to and from two different places, made no mistakes, and none of us were even worried about doing it. It hadn't even occurred to me that I might not be able to figure it out or get there eventually, even if it was confusing. I definitely had to take one day at a time to get through the frustrations and challenges of every day. But now I make plans ahead of time, and certain things have become so routine I don't even think about them anymore. So, it was kind of a nice feeling when I realized how quickly I've been able to get to a point of truly feeling comfortable here.
In other happy news, I have my RA job back for next year!!!! I don't have my specific floor placement yet, but I know I'm going to be in Anderson Hall again, which was my first choice. I'll have Erin as my boss again, and apparently most of the staff is going to be returners that I knew from last semester, and some who I hear are great from this semester. I don't have the official list yet, but I'm definitely excited to be working with the people I know of so far. Yay!!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
This past weekend was amazing! On Saturday I went back to Aburi Gardens with my friend Ben. This time we went hiking and biking on a 16k path through the area. We started out pretty much literally mountain biking uphill, and 5 minutes in I was wondering how on earth I was going to survive the next 3 hours. We were biking over rocks, tree branches, etc. on a somewhat nonexistent path! Eventually we made it to easier pathways and roads, though, and the challenge became just doing a lot of uphill pedaling. I felt a bit odd because our guide, William, was taking us through villages, and I thought we may have been biking through people's back yards, but I also got to see lots of people. There were tons of children running around yelling "oburuni! oburuni!" I was a bit slower than Ben and William, so Ben stopped a few times to let kids ride his bike.
Eventually we made it to a sort of open clearing at the top of a mountain and the view was breathtaking! We left our bikes and hiked about 10 minutes to Obosomase Falls (named for the village we were near). It was SO hot so we got in the water for a few minutes to cool off, but eventually we made our way back to the bike rental shop. I was exhausted afterwards, and I'm not sure I have it in me to do that too often, but it was definitely a fun day and I may go back if I find myself without anything to do on some Saturday.
On Sunday I went to church with Sarah and our friends Kofi and Michael. They go to a megachurch, which I would never go to back home. But here, all things considered, it was manageable and I could see myself going back. (By manageable I mean the sermon was just over an hour and the whole service was ONLY 3 hours.) I don't have a clue what the sermon was about because had trouble understanding the pastor, but oh well! I've been asking friends about Ash Wednesday services, but so far it seems only Catholics observe it here, so I may just go to a Catholic mass tonight with some friends but not take communion.
Yesterday was another somewhat awkward day at my internship. My coworkers were practicing presentations on various topics that they are going to be teaching in schools this afternoon. One girl, Esther, was giving her presentation about rape, and there were some very evident cultural differences how rape is taught and discussed in Ghana versus the United States. The first thing that bothered me was when Esther said one of the "causes" of rape is a woman dressing promiscuously. She could tell I was uncomfortable so she asked what I was thinking. I tried to explain that I feel like that reasoning puts some fault on the woman, and I don't believe rape is ever the survivor's fault. She and others in the office tried to then explain to me how in America it's more accepted for women to dress a certain way, so it's not a big deal for a man to see a woman dressed that way. In Ghana, however, apparently it's not normal and therefore men are unable to control their emotions if they see provocatively dressed women. So since men can't control their urges, women should dress conservatively to avoid rape. Esther kept trying to explain this to me, and I kept saying I disagreed. She said she would have my boss (who had left for the day) explain it to me so I could understand. I said I understood, but that I just had a different opinion about it since we are taught differently in the U.S. I wasn't trying to change anybody's mind about it, so I said it was OK if we had different opinions but I wouldn't be comfortable teaching that topic myself. We also talked about males being raped. Officially, most of my coworkers seemed to agree that it would theretically be possible for a male to be raped, but it wasn't discussed with much seriousness as though it were a very real possibility. So that bothered me a little bit too, but I felt like I had pushed the other point enough, and we kind of changed topics anyway.
The other thing that got awkward was discussing race relations with Esther during lunch (man, she and I certainly had a lot of different opinions on Monday!) The conversation started because she was asking how Americans perceive Africans, which is something I get asked a lot here actually. Before I could really answer, she told me white people always think Africans are like monkeys living in trees, and that the only Western media about Africa shows wars/conflict and people dying of starvation. I said that some people definitely don't have a positive view of Africa, and that much of the media is bad, but that not everybody has that view. As Esther kept talking, though, her words grew increasingly critical of whites as a whole and she referred to white people as "cheats" who come into Ghana, steal natural resources cheaply, and then sell them back to Ghanaians as expensive finished products. This is very true-in my development studies class we have talked in particular about developed nations taking rubber, then reselling finished tires at ridiculous prices back to Ghana. But I don't think ALL white people are bad or that ONLY white people do these things. Esther also said "You're OK. You're fine. I know you and you're nice, but other whites are all just cheats."
This is a fairly sensitive subject, and I've only really been mulling over it for the last 48 hours, but I'll try my best to communicate my thoughts. First of all, Esther's words reminded me exactly of what people in America say today. I don't really hear it said about African Americans anymore, but I definitely hear it about the gay community and Muslims or people of Middle Eastern descent. People say that all the time when they learn that one of their close friends is gay, for example. Why is it OK for your friend to be gay, but not anybody else? And how is it possible that I'm the ONLY halfway decent white person on the planet? I'm trying very hard to put Esther's opinion into context. Yes, white people have historically done lots of very very awful things to pretty much every group. And yes, we are still doing horrible things. And yes, white people probably need to be brought down a few notches and told that we're not all wonderful all the time. But I also thought it was fairly inappropriate for one of my coworkers to be saying these things to me. I would find it entirely inappropriate for a white person in America to say something to anybody else about their race, and I think it's equally inappropriate for her to say to me that I'm OK but my people are bad.
This is why I came to Ghana. I want to hear different perspectives, I want to see how the rest of the world views America, I want to be uncomfortable and challenged. I think what I'm struggling with here is the same thing I talked about in my thoughts on visiting Cape Coast Castle. How much do I have to own up to what my ancestors have done, how much do I do myself without even realizing it, and how much is it OK to maybe say "yes, bad things have happened, but I'm trying to make them better today, so stop making me feel guilty about things that I wasn't personally involved with?" I'm really glad that I had that conversation with Esther. I'm not sure I dealt with it very well, though, because I just kept repeating that not ALL white people are bad. Over and over and over again. I hope that we can continue to have these conversations, and that by the end of another couples months here Esther will maybe realize there are other white people who aren't "cheats." But I'm not sure I've figured out yet how to communicate that.
Eventually we made it to a sort of open clearing at the top of a mountain and the view was breathtaking! We left our bikes and hiked about 10 minutes to Obosomase Falls (named for the village we were near). It was SO hot so we got in the water for a few minutes to cool off, but eventually we made our way back to the bike rental shop. I was exhausted afterwards, and I'm not sure I have it in me to do that too often, but it was definitely a fun day and I may go back if I find myself without anything to do on some Saturday.
On Sunday I went to church with Sarah and our friends Kofi and Michael. They go to a megachurch, which I would never go to back home. But here, all things considered, it was manageable and I could see myself going back. (By manageable I mean the sermon was just over an hour and the whole service was ONLY 3 hours.) I don't have a clue what the sermon was about because had trouble understanding the pastor, but oh well! I've been asking friends about Ash Wednesday services, but so far it seems only Catholics observe it here, so I may just go to a Catholic mass tonight with some friends but not take communion.
Yesterday was another somewhat awkward day at my internship. My coworkers were practicing presentations on various topics that they are going to be teaching in schools this afternoon. One girl, Esther, was giving her presentation about rape, and there were some very evident cultural differences how rape is taught and discussed in Ghana versus the United States. The first thing that bothered me was when Esther said one of the "causes" of rape is a woman dressing promiscuously. She could tell I was uncomfortable so she asked what I was thinking. I tried to explain that I feel like that reasoning puts some fault on the woman, and I don't believe rape is ever the survivor's fault. She and others in the office tried to then explain to me how in America it's more accepted for women to dress a certain way, so it's not a big deal for a man to see a woman dressed that way. In Ghana, however, apparently it's not normal and therefore men are unable to control their emotions if they see provocatively dressed women. So since men can't control their urges, women should dress conservatively to avoid rape. Esther kept trying to explain this to me, and I kept saying I disagreed. She said she would have my boss (who had left for the day) explain it to me so I could understand. I said I understood, but that I just had a different opinion about it since we are taught differently in the U.S. I wasn't trying to change anybody's mind about it, so I said it was OK if we had different opinions but I wouldn't be comfortable teaching that topic myself. We also talked about males being raped. Officially, most of my coworkers seemed to agree that it would theretically be possible for a male to be raped, but it wasn't discussed with much seriousness as though it were a very real possibility. So that bothered me a little bit too, but I felt like I had pushed the other point enough, and we kind of changed topics anyway.
The other thing that got awkward was discussing race relations with Esther during lunch (man, she and I certainly had a lot of different opinions on Monday!) The conversation started because she was asking how Americans perceive Africans, which is something I get asked a lot here actually. Before I could really answer, she told me white people always think Africans are like monkeys living in trees, and that the only Western media about Africa shows wars/conflict and people dying of starvation. I said that some people definitely don't have a positive view of Africa, and that much of the media is bad, but that not everybody has that view. As Esther kept talking, though, her words grew increasingly critical of whites as a whole and she referred to white people as "cheats" who come into Ghana, steal natural resources cheaply, and then sell them back to Ghanaians as expensive finished products. This is very true-in my development studies class we have talked in particular about developed nations taking rubber, then reselling finished tires at ridiculous prices back to Ghana. But I don't think ALL white people are bad or that ONLY white people do these things. Esther also said "You're OK. You're fine. I know you and you're nice, but other whites are all just cheats."
This is a fairly sensitive subject, and I've only really been mulling over it for the last 48 hours, but I'll try my best to communicate my thoughts. First of all, Esther's words reminded me exactly of what people in America say today. I don't really hear it said about African Americans anymore, but I definitely hear it about the gay community and Muslims or people of Middle Eastern descent. People say that all the time when they learn that one of their close friends is gay, for example. Why is it OK for your friend to be gay, but not anybody else? And how is it possible that I'm the ONLY halfway decent white person on the planet? I'm trying very hard to put Esther's opinion into context. Yes, white people have historically done lots of very very awful things to pretty much every group. And yes, we are still doing horrible things. And yes, white people probably need to be brought down a few notches and told that we're not all wonderful all the time. But I also thought it was fairly inappropriate for one of my coworkers to be saying these things to me. I would find it entirely inappropriate for a white person in America to say something to anybody else about their race, and I think it's equally inappropriate for her to say to me that I'm OK but my people are bad.
This is why I came to Ghana. I want to hear different perspectives, I want to see how the rest of the world views America, I want to be uncomfortable and challenged. I think what I'm struggling with here is the same thing I talked about in my thoughts on visiting Cape Coast Castle. How much do I have to own up to what my ancestors have done, how much do I do myself without even realizing it, and how much is it OK to maybe say "yes, bad things have happened, but I'm trying to make them better today, so stop making me feel guilty about things that I wasn't personally involved with?" I'm really glad that I had that conversation with Esther. I'm not sure I dealt with it very well, though, because I just kept repeating that not ALL white people are bad. Over and over and over again. I hope that we can continue to have these conversations, and that by the end of another couples months here Esther will maybe realize there are other white people who aren't "cheats." But I'm not sure I've figured out yet how to communicate that.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Vals Day, Plays, Rugby, and PICTURES!!!!
Last Saturday was "Vals Day!" I was FINALLY able to open the secret package wrapped in red tissue paper in my suitcase that said "Do not open till Valentine's Day." (And let me tell you, it took every ounce of self control I had not to open it early!) It turned out to be a bag of Valentine-colored m&ms, which also made me the most popular person of the week. I always thought it was funny at school how excited people get when I share the goodies in my care packages . . . well magnify that times a hundred when you've been in a country for 6 weeks where m&ms would cost $15 a bag. :)
On Saturday, I went on an adventure to Osu with my friends Greta and Clara. I buy a lot of clothes from Revive, a fair trade store close to my house in Ohio. I have a dress and a skirt made by Global Mamas, a women's fair trade business based here in Ghana. I brought them along with me. Several weeks ago while in Osu (neighborhood outside of Accra), I saw signs for Global Mamas. So we tro-tro'd out to Osu with the mission of finding the actual store. We treated ourselves to a Valentine's Day lunch at an Italian place, then started looking around for Global Mamas. It only took about an hour and a half of wandering up and down the same street, asking multiple people who gave us incorrect directions, and being nearly ready to give up before we finally found it.
On Saturday, I went on an adventure to Osu with my friends Greta and Clara. I buy a lot of clothes from Revive, a fair trade store close to my house in Ohio. I have a dress and a skirt made by Global Mamas, a women's fair trade business based here in Ghana. I brought them along with me. Several weeks ago while in Osu (neighborhood outside of Accra), I saw signs for Global Mamas. So we tro-tro'd out to Osu with the mission of finding the actual store. We treated ourselves to a Valentine's Day lunch at an Italian place, then started looking around for Global Mamas. It only took about an hour and a half of wandering up and down the same street, asking multiple people who gave us incorrect directions, and being nearly ready to give up before we finally found it.
[Cultural side note . . . I have noticed that people in Ghana like to give directions or answer questions, even when they have absolutely no idea what the real answer is. It took some time for me to figure this out. I finally asked one of my friends about it, and his explanation was that Ghanaians just want to help, so they'd rather give an incorrect answer than be unable to provide any answer at all. It's very nice and hospitable, but sometimes I'd just rather have them tell me "I don't know" than let me wander around confused for 20 minutes from bad directions! Now that I am aware of this, however, it's been a little easier to detect whether or not somebody actually seems to know what they're talking about.]
Anyway, we eventually found Global Mamas. I walked in, introduced myself to two women working, and told them I had bought my dress in the U.S. I was definitely more excited about the encounter than they were, but they were still happy. I bought a skirt! Just as in the US, fair trade clothes are more expensive than other clothes. But it was still reasonably priced, and it felt great to be able to actually see that the place I've been buying ethically made apparel for several years REALLY DOES pay fair wages to workers in developing nations.
On a totally unrelated note . . . things were CRAZY around my building complex last week. Apparently every dorm on campus has a "week," but this was the first year Pent ever did Pent Week. For four days there were tents set up everywhere selling food, clothes, jewelery . . . and there was an awful DJ blasting the same music on loop (about a 2 hour mix). But it was also exciting to see everybody's Pent pride for a few days.
On Sunday evening I went to see the production Run for Your Wife, a comedy about a taxi driver who has two wives (neither one knows about the other). Theater is a BIG deal on campus here. It seems like almost every weekend there's a different show. This weekend is Diary of a Mad Black Woman, next weekend is The Vagina Monologues, in 3 weeks is Beauty and the Beast, sometime in April is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and I'm sure there are more I haven't even seen advertised yet. I was really impressed with the performance last weekend so I'm looking forward to seeing lots more while I'm here.
Wednesday morning Sarah and I finally made it to rugby practice. On the other side of campus. At 5:00 in the morning. [Now, Dad . . . before you start that oh-too-familiar spiel of "See, you can get up early if there's something you really want to do" . . . let me just point out that it was in fact the FOURTH day I had set an alarm the night before with the intent of going to practice.] Practice was INTENSE. There is not a women's team here, so we practice with the men. Our coach plays for the Ghanaian National Team. Practice is four days a week, for FOUR HOURS each. Oh, and did I mention that the phrase "water break" is apparently nonexistent in this country. I was really excited about playing here because it's an easy way to meet other students on campus . . . but I'm not so sure how long I'm going to last with this! Since there's not a women's league, I'm pretty sure I won't be able to play in matches . . . and I don't think I'm intrinsically motivated enough to continue this waking-up-at-4:30am-to-jog-to-the-other-side-of-campus business. We'll see!
On a final note . . . PICTURES ARE UP!!!! And titled and captioned!!!! I'm still trying to figure out how to put a couple pictures directly into these entries, but that will be a project for another day. For now I'll just give you the link here: http://community.webshots.com/album/570040922Wrugrn
On Sunday evening I went to see the production Run for Your Wife, a comedy about a taxi driver who has two wives (neither one knows about the other). Theater is a BIG deal on campus here. It seems like almost every weekend there's a different show. This weekend is Diary of a Mad Black Woman, next weekend is The Vagina Monologues, in 3 weeks is Beauty and the Beast, sometime in April is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and I'm sure there are more I haven't even seen advertised yet. I was really impressed with the performance last weekend so I'm looking forward to seeing lots more while I'm here.
Wednesday morning Sarah and I finally made it to rugby practice. On the other side of campus. At 5:00 in the morning. [Now, Dad . . . before you start that oh-too-familiar spiel of "See, you can get up early if there's something you really want to do" . . . let me just point out that it was in fact the FOURTH day I had set an alarm the night before with the intent of going to practice.] Practice was INTENSE. There is not a women's team here, so we practice with the men. Our coach plays for the Ghanaian National Team. Practice is four days a week, for FOUR HOURS each. Oh, and did I mention that the phrase "water break" is apparently nonexistent in this country. I was really excited about playing here because it's an easy way to meet other students on campus . . . but I'm not so sure how long I'm going to last with this! Since there's not a women's league, I'm pretty sure I won't be able to play in matches . . . and I don't think I'm intrinsically motivated enough to continue this waking-up-at-4:30am-to-jog-to-the-other-side-of-campus business. We'll see!
On a final note . . . PICTURES ARE UP!!!! And titled and captioned!!!! I'm still trying to figure out how to put a couple pictures directly into these entries, but that will be a project for another day. For now I'll just give you the link here: http://community.webshots.com/album/570040922Wrugrn
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Cape Coast Castle
This past weekend I went to Cape Coast Castle, one of the main castles that was used to keep slaves before sending them on to the Americas. My tour guide wasn't great. He cracked a few jokes (inappropriate, much?) and he didn't give many details beyond what each room was, but it was still an interesting experience and I was affected by several things I saw.
The dungeons would hold between 600 and 1,000 people, for anywhere between 2 weeks and 6 months. They were very very tiny rooms, and slaves were forced to sleep on the rock floor, maybe with a mat. There was a think track through the middle of the room that would carry urine out to the sea, and there were boxes in the corner for other waste. If the boxes filled up, one had no choice but to go along the edges of the room. When the castle was first excavated years ago, the excrement was piled up about 2 feet around the dungeons. There was either no sunlight, or maybe a VERY tiny window to let in minimal light. Men and women were separated in different dungeons, and were reunited at the end of a tunnel running from the dungeons to "the door of no return." The door opens about 15 feet from the water, and it was where the slaves were brought aboard the ships.
The first thing that struck me was the church that was in the castle, literally right above the male dungeons. I just couldn't believe people could worship and praise God in that place, knowing full well everything that was happening just beneath them. The next thing that really hit me was how out of place the castle seemed to be with the rest of its surroundings. Not that a slave castle should really belong anywhere . . . but the ocean is so bright blue and beautiful, and there are palm trees everywhere. I can't help but think of how the slaves probably never even got to think about that, and even if they did they certainly could not have enjoyed the view.
The last thing that has stuck with me is that the only thing separating me from the slave trade is time. It could easily have been me, my friends, and my family that were trading slaves, making chains, using cotton, eating sugar, voting down legislation to abolish the trade . . . anything. I'd like to tell myself that I would still have been the voice of dissention calling for peace and justice, but the reality is I can't. Chances are, I wouldn't have. The only reason I'm able to speak out against injustice today is because I've been able to learn from history and the mistakes of others. I also wonder what things are occurring in the world that I am a part of--either actively or passively.
At the beginning of the tour, we saw a plaque inscribed into the building that reads: In everlasting memory of the anguish of our ancestors. May those who died rest in peace; may those who return find their roots; may humanity never again perpetrate such injustice against humanity. We, the living, vow to uphold this. Indeed, I hope that I am doing my part to uphold this promise that no human should suffer like that again.
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The rest of the weekend was not nearly so solemn. On Sunday morning we went to Kakum National Park, one of the only places in Ghana that still has natural rainforest which has not been destroyed. We did a canopy walk 40m in the air on thin wooden suspension bridges. (Dad, the walk was definitely not your thing!) I didn't get to see any animals, but the view was absolutely breathtaking. It also rained a bit! Barely . . . really, it was about 3 sprinkled drops . . . but it was something! And afterall we were in the rainforest, so it was fitting. For lunch we went to Hans Cottage, a cool restaurant on top of a lake with crocodiles. They mostly stayed underwater but I got to see a few.
Also good news! PICTURES WILL BE AVAILABLE VERY SHORTLY!!!!!! I succeeded in uploading a few this morning to an external site. I'll try to get the link in here soon once I finish uploading them and adding captions. Apparently there's some way to put pictures directly on here but I haven't figured it out yet. We shall see. Very very soon, though, I promise you will have photographic evidence that I am alive and well and loving every minute here!
The dungeons would hold between 600 and 1,000 people, for anywhere between 2 weeks and 6 months. They were very very tiny rooms, and slaves were forced to sleep on the rock floor, maybe with a mat. There was a think track through the middle of the room that would carry urine out to the sea, and there were boxes in the corner for other waste. If the boxes filled up, one had no choice but to go along the edges of the room. When the castle was first excavated years ago, the excrement was piled up about 2 feet around the dungeons. There was either no sunlight, or maybe a VERY tiny window to let in minimal light. Men and women were separated in different dungeons, and were reunited at the end of a tunnel running from the dungeons to "the door of no return." The door opens about 15 feet from the water, and it was where the slaves were brought aboard the ships.
The first thing that struck me was the church that was in the castle, literally right above the male dungeons. I just couldn't believe people could worship and praise God in that place, knowing full well everything that was happening just beneath them. The next thing that really hit me was how out of place the castle seemed to be with the rest of its surroundings. Not that a slave castle should really belong anywhere . . . but the ocean is so bright blue and beautiful, and there are palm trees everywhere. I can't help but think of how the slaves probably never even got to think about that, and even if they did they certainly could not have enjoyed the view.
The last thing that has stuck with me is that the only thing separating me from the slave trade is time. It could easily have been me, my friends, and my family that were trading slaves, making chains, using cotton, eating sugar, voting down legislation to abolish the trade . . . anything. I'd like to tell myself that I would still have been the voice of dissention calling for peace and justice, but the reality is I can't. Chances are, I wouldn't have. The only reason I'm able to speak out against injustice today is because I've been able to learn from history and the mistakes of others. I also wonder what things are occurring in the world that I am a part of--either actively or passively.
At the beginning of the tour, we saw a plaque inscribed into the building that reads: In everlasting memory of the anguish of our ancestors. May those who died rest in peace; may those who return find their roots; may humanity never again perpetrate such injustice against humanity. We, the living, vow to uphold this. Indeed, I hope that I am doing my part to uphold this promise that no human should suffer like that again.
---------------------------------------
The rest of the weekend was not nearly so solemn. On Sunday morning we went to Kakum National Park, one of the only places in Ghana that still has natural rainforest which has not been destroyed. We did a canopy walk 40m in the air on thin wooden suspension bridges. (Dad, the walk was definitely not your thing!) I didn't get to see any animals, but the view was absolutely breathtaking. It also rained a bit! Barely . . . really, it was about 3 sprinkled drops . . . but it was something! And afterall we were in the rainforest, so it was fitting. For lunch we went to Hans Cottage, a cool restaurant on top of a lake with crocodiles. They mostly stayed underwater but I got to see a few.
Also good news! PICTURES WILL BE AVAILABLE VERY SHORTLY!!!!!! I succeeded in uploading a few this morning to an external site. I'll try to get the link in here soon once I finish uploading them and adding captions. Apparently there's some way to put pictures directly on here but I haven't figured it out yet. We shall see. Very very soon, though, I promise you will have photographic evidence that I am alive and well and loving every minute here!
Friday, February 6, 2009
My Internship, and other things
Today marks FOUR WEEKS since my arrival in Ghana. It does NOT at all seem like I have been here that long. The time is just flying by. I still have a little over 3 months, but I can already tell I won't be ready to leave by then.
I started my internship this week! I met my boss last week but Monday was my first official day. I'm working at an NGO in Adenta (about 15-25 minutes from campus depending on traffic, so very manageable). The NGO is called Intervention Forum and does work on a variety of projects mostly in Adenta, but also the greater Accra area. They focus primarily on community health issues, particularly HIV/AIDS education and environmental and sanitation issues. It seems to me they try to work on pretty much any problem they witness in the community though, and have dealt with things in the past such as TB and other infectious diseases, rape, women's skills training and empowerment, child trafficking, and child labor. It's a VERY cool organization for me to be working with.
The office is small; my boss Nora is the director, and there are two other women who work there daily but are volunteers. Another woman comes in only on Fridays to volunteer. Additionally, there are 5 other University of Ghana students who are doing some sort of experiential learning/service as part of their degree, but they just started this week as well.
On Monday Nora went over HIV/AIDS education training with us and had us take a test just to make sure everybody was on the same page and we understand the issues. We'll be going to various schools and community groups to teach the information, so she needed to know we are well versed in the material. Ghana has about a 3% HIV prevalence rate, which for Africa is relatively low but is still considered a high rate overall. I was both impressed and surprised by what was (and was not) covered in the material. Ghana is an extremely extremely extremely Christian country (I will talk about this in another post because I have quite a lot to say about it). I was surprised that in some ways the material seemed to be very comprehensive. It is based on the ABC program: Abstinence, Be faithful, Condom use. I didn't really know what to expect, but I guess I just assumed that since much of the US is still teaching abstinence only, that might be the emphasis of the programs here. Everything was covered in terms of spreading HIV through blood transfusions, sharing needles, sharing razors; high risk behaviors; other STI's; proper male and female condom use. As I said, however, I was also a little bothered by some things that weren't included. Not once in the session, nor in any of the materials I was given, was there any mention of different kinds of sex (oral, anal), or different kinds of relationships (heterosexual, homosexual). I'm not entirely comfortable going into school classes or community groups and teaching HIV and other STI prevention without covering some of this information that can still be at-risk behavior. As I said, I realize much of this is not covered in programs even in the US, but Shaker always had very comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education, so I guess that's just what I'm used to and think is important. I figure people should be given all of the information and then be able to make decisions for themselves. I've talked to a few of my Ghanaian friends and my program director about these concerns, and they all recommended talking to my boss about it. I may be worrying needlessly, and she may be very receptive to including these things in the training we do. I guess I'll just have to summon the courage to bring it up next week!
I began another project this week at work. We went into Adenta Village and interviewed families of school dropouts to determine why some students weren't in school. There are child labor laws in Ghana, and international standards, but since so much of the economy in Ghana is informal, it's very difficult to keep many children from selling fruit or water in streetside stands during the day instead of going to classes. For many families, it's just a reality that they cannot afford for the students to be at school instead of working. So, we interviewed a few different children and their parents (if they were around) to figure out what some of the underlying problems are. I had to leave to get back for a lecture so I only did that for about an hour, but it was really fun just to interact with people in the community a little bit. It was obvious from everyone I talked to, and from stories my coworkers shared from other days this week, that the kids would rather be in school and their parents would rather have them there, but it's just not feasible. So, Intervention Forum's next big step is to figure out how to do some fundraising. (Story of all NGO's, right?) I can't even begin to imagine how that's going to work here. Before long I will begin investigating into grants and such. I've never written a grant proposal before though . . . so either I'll have to rely on somebody else to do it in the office, or I'll have to start figuring it out! It's definitely a skill I should probably start developing anyway so I may give it a shot. I'm not sure what kinds of projects we'll be doing next week . . . it seems like we kind of do things as they pop up. So, we'll see where this goes.
Tomorrow morning my program is taking us to the Cape Coast for the weekend. There, we'll visit a former slave castle (Ghana is one of the main places slaves were taken from Africa to the Americas). We're also going to see some sort of animal sanctuary, do a canopy walk, and eat lunch on Sunday above some lake filled with crocodiles! It should be an interesting weekend.
I just realized I don't think I ever wrote about my first program excursion. It was more of a fun trip than an educational one, but it was still cool. We went to Aburi Gardens and got to see all kinds of tropical plants and trees and such, and also went to a famous bead factory and wood carving village. The beads here are made out of recycled glass. We got to see the workers smashing old bottles into a fine powder that could be mixed to either make the beads themselves or paint for the beads. This region is also famous for wood carving, so we visited several shops to buy traditional wood things. I bought a kind of tripod-shaped thing that is three people intertwined with each other and means "unity." I also bought a jewelery box that sits on top of it (I had to put somewhere to put all the beads!)
OK I think that was an excessively long post, so I'll cut it off here. Next week I'll write about the slave castles, and about classes since I finally have my schedule locked down too.
I'm still working on figuring out how to get pictures up. I'll get them eventually!
Miss and love you all :) xoxoxo
I started my internship this week! I met my boss last week but Monday was my first official day. I'm working at an NGO in Adenta (about 15-25 minutes from campus depending on traffic, so very manageable). The NGO is called Intervention Forum and does work on a variety of projects mostly in Adenta, but also the greater Accra area. They focus primarily on community health issues, particularly HIV/AIDS education and environmental and sanitation issues. It seems to me they try to work on pretty much any problem they witness in the community though, and have dealt with things in the past such as TB and other infectious diseases, rape, women's skills training and empowerment, child trafficking, and child labor. It's a VERY cool organization for me to be working with.
The office is small; my boss Nora is the director, and there are two other women who work there daily but are volunteers. Another woman comes in only on Fridays to volunteer. Additionally, there are 5 other University of Ghana students who are doing some sort of experiential learning/service as part of their degree, but they just started this week as well.
On Monday Nora went over HIV/AIDS education training with us and had us take a test just to make sure everybody was on the same page and we understand the issues. We'll be going to various schools and community groups to teach the information, so she needed to know we are well versed in the material. Ghana has about a 3% HIV prevalence rate, which for Africa is relatively low but is still considered a high rate overall. I was both impressed and surprised by what was (and was not) covered in the material. Ghana is an extremely extremely extremely Christian country (I will talk about this in another post because I have quite a lot to say about it). I was surprised that in some ways the material seemed to be very comprehensive. It is based on the ABC program: Abstinence, Be faithful, Condom use. I didn't really know what to expect, but I guess I just assumed that since much of the US is still teaching abstinence only, that might be the emphasis of the programs here. Everything was covered in terms of spreading HIV through blood transfusions, sharing needles, sharing razors; high risk behaviors; other STI's; proper male and female condom use. As I said, however, I was also a little bothered by some things that weren't included. Not once in the session, nor in any of the materials I was given, was there any mention of different kinds of sex (oral, anal), or different kinds of relationships (heterosexual, homosexual). I'm not entirely comfortable going into school classes or community groups and teaching HIV and other STI prevention without covering some of this information that can still be at-risk behavior. As I said, I realize much of this is not covered in programs even in the US, but Shaker always had very comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education, so I guess that's just what I'm used to and think is important. I figure people should be given all of the information and then be able to make decisions for themselves. I've talked to a few of my Ghanaian friends and my program director about these concerns, and they all recommended talking to my boss about it. I may be worrying needlessly, and she may be very receptive to including these things in the training we do. I guess I'll just have to summon the courage to bring it up next week!
I began another project this week at work. We went into Adenta Village and interviewed families of school dropouts to determine why some students weren't in school. There are child labor laws in Ghana, and international standards, but since so much of the economy in Ghana is informal, it's very difficult to keep many children from selling fruit or water in streetside stands during the day instead of going to classes. For many families, it's just a reality that they cannot afford for the students to be at school instead of working. So, we interviewed a few different children and their parents (if they were around) to figure out what some of the underlying problems are. I had to leave to get back for a lecture so I only did that for about an hour, but it was really fun just to interact with people in the community a little bit. It was obvious from everyone I talked to, and from stories my coworkers shared from other days this week, that the kids would rather be in school and their parents would rather have them there, but it's just not feasible. So, Intervention Forum's next big step is to figure out how to do some fundraising. (Story of all NGO's, right?) I can't even begin to imagine how that's going to work here. Before long I will begin investigating into grants and such. I've never written a grant proposal before though . . . so either I'll have to rely on somebody else to do it in the office, or I'll have to start figuring it out! It's definitely a skill I should probably start developing anyway so I may give it a shot. I'm not sure what kinds of projects we'll be doing next week . . . it seems like we kind of do things as they pop up. So, we'll see where this goes.
Tomorrow morning my program is taking us to the Cape Coast for the weekend. There, we'll visit a former slave castle (Ghana is one of the main places slaves were taken from Africa to the Americas). We're also going to see some sort of animal sanctuary, do a canopy walk, and eat lunch on Sunday above some lake filled with crocodiles! It should be an interesting weekend.
I just realized I don't think I ever wrote about my first program excursion. It was more of a fun trip than an educational one, but it was still cool. We went to Aburi Gardens and got to see all kinds of tropical plants and trees and such, and also went to a famous bead factory and wood carving village. The beads here are made out of recycled glass. We got to see the workers smashing old bottles into a fine powder that could be mixed to either make the beads themselves or paint for the beads. This region is also famous for wood carving, so we visited several shops to buy traditional wood things. I bought a kind of tripod-shaped thing that is three people intertwined with each other and means "unity." I also bought a jewelery box that sits on top of it (I had to put somewhere to put all the beads!)
OK I think that was an excessively long post, so I'll cut it off here. Next week I'll write about the slave castles, and about classes since I finally have my schedule locked down too.
I'm still working on figuring out how to get pictures up. I'll get them eventually!
Miss and love you all :) xoxoxo
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Food in Ghana
Yesterday was by far my favorite day here up to this point.
Yesterday morning I went with my roommate Sarah and our friend Camille to meet up with some of Sarah's Ghanaian friends. We had to take a combination of several tro-tros and a taxi to get there, but we ended up very far southwest of campus at her friend Barbara's tailor shop. Barbara's friend Anastasia lives right next to the shop and makes fufu every Saturday. Fufu is a kind of mashed corn and plantain dough that is served with soup to dip it in. I can't remember the name of the soup we had but it was chicken based and delicious. We just spent the whole day with Anastasia's family helping prepare the fufu. Her two brothers, Reginald and Francis asked us about American and Ghanaian politics and told us about some of the local football (soccer) teams. Anastasia and her mom were really curious as to our opinion about the quick changes that have already begun under the Obama administration, particularly the women's and children's health issues.
Making fufu is a verrrry long process so it gave us lots of time to visit. Us oburuni girls got to try pounding the fufu. It's CRAZY how exact the timing has to be though. One person takes a huge wooden stick (maybe 6 feet long) and literally just pounds and pounds and pounds the dough with it, while another person moves their hands in and out of the dough folding it over itself and helping get lumps out.
I was so amazed at the hospitality I received yesterday. I didn't know these people, and Sarah didn't really either. We were just friends of a friend that had been invited over to spend an entire day together and eat food. Then when they found out how much we love kelewele (see below in "other food"), they decided to make that for us too. All day they kept asking if we could come back every Saturday or at least most Saturdays to just spend time together and enjoy fufu.
Around 5:00 we just meandered back to Legon, watched a movie with some friends and celebrated a friend's birthday. It was a great day just trying to navigate the city without a huge group, and making some awesome Ghanaian friends!
Other kinds of Ghanaian food:
kenkey - MY FAVORITE!!!!!! A fermented corn dough served with a very hot red pepper sauce for dipping. The kenkey comes served in the corn husk and you break off little pieces (using your right hand only), ball it up, and dip it in the sauce. Like most Ghanaian dishes, it's communal and designed to be eaten with others. It's also typically served with fish, but I haven't been adventurous enough to try it with fish yet. (For two reasons. 1, as much as I love seafood, I'm not a huge tilapia fan, and that's pretty much the only fish I've seen anywhere. 2, Ghanaians eat the WHOLE fish. Bones, scales, tail, sometimes the head - everything. Eventually, I'll go for it, but I figure I have time to let myself adjust.) Just the kenkey with the pepper is amazing though.
banku - very similar to kenkey, but served with soup instead of pepper sauce. I've usually seen it with okra and crab soup. It's kind of hit or miss with the banku; about half the time I've had it it's been great and about half the time it hasn't. The consistency is also more doughy than kenkey, which is closer to corn bread. I'll probably just stick to kenkey, but I had wanted to try everything a few times. Most people like one or the other more anyway.
kelewele - fried plantains, with a twist. You can find plantains anywhere in Ghana - plantain chips, roasted whole plantains, or fried plantain pieces. Towards the end of the day, they take the plantains that are brown because they're too soft to fry on their own. Instead, they cut them into smaller pieces and mix them with hot pepper, ginger, cloves, and some other spices. I've noticed this is definitely the "guilty pleasure" food here - everyone makes fun of each other for eating too much, saying they'll get fat.
mutsuo (?) and groundnut soup - pounded rice balls served with soup that tastes just like peanut butter. This is very delicious, but also verrry sweet and I can't eat too much at once. It's intended to be a meal, but I think it would make a better dessert because it's just so sweet!
Yesterday morning I went with my roommate Sarah and our friend Camille to meet up with some of Sarah's Ghanaian friends. We had to take a combination of several tro-tros and a taxi to get there, but we ended up very far southwest of campus at her friend Barbara's tailor shop. Barbara's friend Anastasia lives right next to the shop and makes fufu every Saturday. Fufu is a kind of mashed corn and plantain dough that is served with soup to dip it in. I can't remember the name of the soup we had but it was chicken based and delicious. We just spent the whole day with Anastasia's family helping prepare the fufu. Her two brothers, Reginald and Francis asked us about American and Ghanaian politics and told us about some of the local football (soccer) teams. Anastasia and her mom were really curious as to our opinion about the quick changes that have already begun under the Obama administration, particularly the women's and children's health issues.
Making fufu is a verrrry long process so it gave us lots of time to visit. Us oburuni girls got to try pounding the fufu. It's CRAZY how exact the timing has to be though. One person takes a huge wooden stick (maybe 6 feet long) and literally just pounds and pounds and pounds the dough with it, while another person moves their hands in and out of the dough folding it over itself and helping get lumps out.
I was so amazed at the hospitality I received yesterday. I didn't know these people, and Sarah didn't really either. We were just friends of a friend that had been invited over to spend an entire day together and eat food. Then when they found out how much we love kelewele (see below in "other food"), they decided to make that for us too. All day they kept asking if we could come back every Saturday or at least most Saturdays to just spend time together and enjoy fufu.
Around 5:00 we just meandered back to Legon, watched a movie with some friends and celebrated a friend's birthday. It was a great day just trying to navigate the city without a huge group, and making some awesome Ghanaian friends!
Other kinds of Ghanaian food:
kenkey - MY FAVORITE!!!!!! A fermented corn dough served with a very hot red pepper sauce for dipping. The kenkey comes served in the corn husk and you break off little pieces (using your right hand only), ball it up, and dip it in the sauce. Like most Ghanaian dishes, it's communal and designed to be eaten with others. It's also typically served with fish, but I haven't been adventurous enough to try it with fish yet. (For two reasons. 1, as much as I love seafood, I'm not a huge tilapia fan, and that's pretty much the only fish I've seen anywhere. 2, Ghanaians eat the WHOLE fish. Bones, scales, tail, sometimes the head - everything. Eventually, I'll go for it, but I figure I have time to let myself adjust.) Just the kenkey with the pepper is amazing though.
banku - very similar to kenkey, but served with soup instead of pepper sauce. I've usually seen it with okra and crab soup. It's kind of hit or miss with the banku; about half the time I've had it it's been great and about half the time it hasn't. The consistency is also more doughy than kenkey, which is closer to corn bread. I'll probably just stick to kenkey, but I had wanted to try everything a few times. Most people like one or the other more anyway.
kelewele - fried plantains, with a twist. You can find plantains anywhere in Ghana - plantain chips, roasted whole plantains, or fried plantain pieces. Towards the end of the day, they take the plantains that are brown because they're too soft to fry on their own. Instead, they cut them into smaller pieces and mix them with hot pepper, ginger, cloves, and some other spices. I've noticed this is definitely the "guilty pleasure" food here - everyone makes fun of each other for eating too much, saying they'll get fat.
mutsuo (?) and groundnut soup - pounded rice balls served with soup that tastes just like peanut butter. This is very delicious, but also verrry sweet and I can't eat too much at once. It's intended to be a meal, but I think it would make a better dessert because it's just so sweet!
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