Western Region Photos

A few photos from this past weekend - Nzulezo Stilt Village and Beyin Beach!

Living in a Construction Zone

No hard hat needed. Might want to invest in a pair of sunglasses for dust protection. And be prepared, you never know when a construction project will begin or for how long it will last.

Some days it feels like I am walking through a construction zone – this is what it’s like to be in a developing country. A developing country where houses are being built, roads are being paved, and every day something has changed in your route from home to school.

The other day I was going to my internship as usual and was approaching the spot where I normally would catch the second tro-tro on my way to Adenta. As I got closer I noticed that the people who normally sell goods on the side of this dirt road were gone and in their place two new dirt roads had been constructed. “How did this happen?” was all I could think.

One morning at Tot To Teen I was looking out the window while watching a construction project take place outside. In this instance, the woman’s structure (what many of us might consider a shack) was picked up by a couple of men and moved because she was in the way of this new construction project. “Can they really do that?” was all I could think.

Yesterday I was at Tot To Teen and noticed that the front wall of the school compound was no longer there, instead there was tin and a lot of dirt for the construction project taking place right outside. "Is the headmaster okay with this?" was all I could think.

Today I was walking to lunch, along the normal construction route by the main gate, and there we were stopped as four men dug a trench in the middle of the walkway. One of the men said as we passed, “This is Ghana.” And that answered all my questions.

It’s amazing to me the amount of construction taking place around this area, in Greater Accra. Back home when there are construction projects I usually know when, where, and about how long it may last, especially when they may impede people’s daily life. But here I never know. That’s not to say that perhaps the people in the immediate area don’t know but I will probably never know.

For that reason I will keep my sunglasses close by, a handkerchief in my pocket, and an open mind that things change, don’t get settled, yet.

Four White Girls in a Tro-Tro

A term coined by Nikki and Amy, it accurately describes our weekend in the Western Region of Ghana traveling to Beyin and Nzulezo Stilt Village.

We just arrived back after taking a weekend trip to the Western Region of Ghana, further than we travelled when we went to Cape Coast in the Central Region, where we planned to go to Nzulezo Stilt Village as well as going to Beyin Beach. Of course, not all things go as planned when you travel by tro-tro but we all agreed that the ways things worked out was the best possible scenario for all of us.

Nikki, Melissa, Amy, and I all headed from home around six in the morning on Friday and met at Circle, via tro-tro, in downtown Accra to catch our second tro-tro of the day to Kaneshie. At Kineshie we found a tro-tro going to Takoradi within minutes of arriving. However, the wait for the tro-tro to fill took two and a half hours. In the meantime, we enjoyed all the snacks around us, listened to men preach about God, listened to other men try to sell worm medication, and I for one, slept. Finally when the tro-tro was full we headed off to Takoradi, which took about four hours to get to. Once we arrived we found another tro-tro going to Beyin and again had to wait for it to fill. So in the meantime, we ate fan-ice products, found a bathroom (that of course cost 20 pesawas), and then we were off. About halfway through the ride it began to rain and get dark because it was getting late. I started to get a little nervous, thinking maybe it would be okay if we needed to sleep in the tro-tro overnight, but knowing that we would definitely make it to our destination in one piece. We finally arrived in Beyin but our tro-tro driver was not quite sure where we were going. Originally we were planning on staying in the stilt village for the first night and at Beyin Beach Resort the second night but because of our late arrival we called ahead and made sure we could stay at the beach resort both nights. This turned out to be a great decision as we then had time to rest the night before we set off on the journey to the stilt village.

Our bungalow, where we stayed both nights, had four beds with mosquito nets and just enough room to walk between them. The bathroom was a shared bathroom and was just down a little walkway from our bungalow. It felt like I was at Girl Scout Camp once again, but in Ghana.

The next morning, on Saturday, we woke up, ate breakfast and headed out to visit Nzulezo Stilt Village, which is a village built completely on stilts above water. We set out on quite the walk to get to the water where we then got into a canoe and started paddling to the village. Once we got to the village we didn’t spend too much time there because there were many tourists visiting that day and the canoes needed to get back to take them.

The village became a tourist attraction in 2000, according to one of the villagers who answered our questions, and the villagers do not mind the tourists because without the donations from the tourists they would be unable to fund their village school. There are about 500 residents in the village. Although it did feel slightly awkward to go and just look, it was amazing to see another way of life, another way of living and surviving.

Once we had walked down their main road, which was a boardwalk with houses built on the side, and seen the school, we got back into the canoe and headed back for lunch. We found a place, literally the one restaurant in Beyin, to eat at called “Café Puerto.” Then we headed to the beach – our very own! There was no one on the beach and it was so nice to enjoy the afternoon in the ocean.

Then we headed back this morning, four more tro-tros and an air-conditioned bus ride later we got back home early in the afternoon. There were more than a couple times during which we found ourselves, four white girls, alone in the tro-tro, just heading to the end of the road.

Girl Scout Cookies

A wonderful surprise in the mail, a wonderful package full of treats for me and for the nursery children met me at the post office yesterday morning. As I opened it I had to contain my excitement so that I could negotiate the price I would pay to keep it. Yes, you have to bargain at the post office to get your package.

By far the most inspiring part of it all was a poem about gratitude which will be on my bedside from now until I return home, reminding me of all that I have to be thankful for.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life,

It turns what we have into enough and more,

It turns denial into acceptance,

Chaos into order,

Confusion into clarity.

It can turn a meal into a fest,

A house into a home,

A stranger into a friend.

Gratitude makes sense of our past,

Brings peace for today,

And creates a vision for tomorrow.

Running Water, or lack of

I never knew how much water it took to flush a toilet. Until now, until we have run out of water and fetching water is the reality.

To explain, there are pipes that run throughout my neighborhood in East Legon that supply water to our houses. However, the pipes do not run with water all of the time. When the water is running through the main pipes it fills Poly Tanks behind our house and this is where the water that we use to wash our hands, flush the toilets, brush our teeth, etc. comes from. There isn’t running water everywhere in Ghana but I have been fortunate to live in a house that does have running water.

I was told at the beginning of my stay that the water normally runs (this is the water that supplies the entire neighborhood) on the weekend, either Friday or Saturday. But for five weeks the pipes have been closed. And now we have used all of the water in our Poly Tanks. However, Grandma and Felix were prepared and had more water stored in containers. So we fetch water from those now to take bucket showers and fill up the toilet. Soon though that water will run out…Grandma told me today she will have to ask someone tomorrow about getting water to fill our Poly Tanks because we don’t know when the pipes will run again. It’s crazy the number of Poly Tanks I have seen throughout my neighborhood this week and people going to the well near my house to fetch water.

The things I take for granted, here in Ghana and back home, are most apparent at moments like these.

In other news, my students have begun to write their pen pal letters, I have begun work on interviews for my project, I have had three items sewn with fabric from the markets, and this weekend I will be traveling with Amy, Nikki, and Melissa to the Western Region.

Also preparing for my adventure tomorrow to the Post Office to pick up a package (there are many stories from other students)…details to follow

(Re)Vision Plan

This is the follow-up assignment: March 18th, 2012

Two months ago I landed in Ghana. Two months ago I had no idea what was going to happen next, I only knew that my first step was forward, off the plane and into a new country. From that moment I have continued to take steps forward, learning about Ghana, learning about myself, learning about the differences and similarities that exist between and within cultures. Not all of the steps have been easy to take, some require more effort, some require more reflection, and some require a little push. Having this time to write, to understand why those steps are not always easy to take, has been more beneficial to me than I could have imagined. Reflecting back on my vision plan that I wrote at the beginning of the semester to now, I am able to see what I have been able to accomplish and assess the reasons why. The factors that I think have affected my ability to reach these goals are the “intensity factors” that students experience when they are abroad in another country, also called “cross-cultural stress factors.”

I think the factor that is having the greatest impact on me is “status.” Teaching in the nursery and teaching at Tot To Teen has been more stressful than I would like to admit. I have been trying to understand why and I think this stress factor may offer the explanation I have been looking for. As a white American girl I have been given a pedestal and am standing on top of it, at least that’s how it feels. That’s how it feels when Grandma tells me that she has called one of the parents of the nursery school kids, who was not there, to tell her that the white lady was teaching today. That’s how it feels when I am given a class of thirty-six students and am expected to be able to teach without having a college degree. My skin color and where I am from has portrayed a status that I am not comfortable having. It is as if qualifications do not matter because I am a white American and therefore I have all the answers, already know the best or the better way of teaching.

I never thought that this would be the case before coming to Ghana. I knew that my skin color would be different; that I would stand out from the majority, but I did not know what status it would give me. Now that I have been given this status I have had to think about things differently, act differently, and deal with the emotional stress that has come along with it. Part of my cognitive adaptation has been to think about what I can do to help the students the most while I am teaching them. Since I have not been given any guidance on what to do, I have had to think about what to teach to the nursery school students and have also had to consider how to discipline in both the nursery and the school. I have had to take the mental stance of a teacher. And thus I have also had to act like one. This means that even when I do not know what to do in the classroom I have had to act like I do. This can be mentally stressful, as I feel unprepared for what might happen in any given day. However, I am learning more about myself in the process and realizing that I have the ability to do so much with these students, that I do have a lot to teach.

Another factor that is affecting me is “expectation.” I think that this has created stress for me as I have high expectations of myself and I have found it difficult to do work effectively right away in this new culture. I did not expect this to affect me before I came to Ghana but I am slowly realizing that part of the cultural stress I am experiencing is due to the high expectations I have of myself and the inability to live up to these expectations at the moment. I think this is due to the difficulty in navigating a new culture, the time it takes to learn and understand things, and the frustrations that come along with lack of power or water living in a hot climate. Or perhaps these are excuses. I am mentally trying to prepare myself by focusing on getting things done by a certain time but I am also realizing that perhaps my expectations of myself are too high right now. Perhaps I am trying to do too much and need to slow down. But then there is a part of me that wants to keep pushing, to keep trying. This is the part of me that is concerned with sending pen pal letters, to teaching in the nursery, to starting my multimedia project, to celebrating birthdays, and to learning in all my classes.

(Re)Vision Plan

After reading my initial vision plan I can see where these factors have affected my pursuit of the goals I set for myself in the beginning of the semester. The four goals I had set for myself are to: (1) bridge the gap between perceptions of Africa and America, (2) work with the Ghanaian education system, (3) make a Ghanaian friend, and (4) learn Twi. Looking back at these goals in relation to the factors I have identified previously I think I need to revise the explanations that I gave. I think I also need to make sure I am still moving forward, pushing myself to take the next steps.

The first goal that I have is to bridge the gap between perceptions of Africa and America. I think that I am accomplishing this through my blog but I also wanted to do something bigger. I applied for and received a scholarship to do a multimedia project on the 38 CIEE students and the role that education plays in our development as well as in the development of Ghana. I am finding it difficult to get this project off the ground and part of the stress is due to the expectations I have of myself. I am now setting goals for myself, having a certain number of students interviewed by a specific time and having an end date. I have only recently begun to worry about this project but I think that if I re-center my focus on this that I will be able to accomplish it effectively.

The second goal that I have is to work with the Ghanaian education system. I think that I am accomplishing this through my work at Tot To Teen and the nursery. I am beginning to understand the education system and how the students learn here. I have also added a project to this goal as well – a pen pal program between Tot To Teen and Country Day, a private school in New Orleans.

The third goal is to make a Ghanaian friend. This has been more difficult than I thought it would be. I am becoming friends with the teacher I am working with at Tot To Teen but I am not sure that it is a friendship that will last after I leave. However, I have become closer to two other male Ghanaian friends but I find myself being more reserved and more skeptical. I think that this is due to the “status” that I am associated with, being a white American girl.

The fourth goal is to learn Twi. I have begun to speak it more when I am at the market but I only know short phrases and find it difficult to converse for longer than a few minutes. I am hoping that in the next two months I can learn more but I am unsure whether I will be able to reach the level of conversation that I had originally hoped for. This is one goal that I am willing to revise a little because learning new languages is difficult for me and takes time and patience.

These four goals are still within walking distance, can still be accomplished. I hope that by the end of the next two months I have begun to take my final steps in completing my goals, overcoming the stress of “status” and “expectations.”

Vision Plan

This is an assignment from the beginning of the semester: February 4th, 2012

My Vision Plan for this semester includes four goals. My first goal is to bridge the gap between the American perception of Africa and the African perception of America. I realize that this is a broad goal and is virtually impossible to accomplish but I hope that through various conversations, projects, and adjustments I will be able to facilitate dialogue about bridging the gap that exists. I think that it’s important for people back home to see a different view of Africa, of Ghana, then that which is portrayed in the media and vice versa for the Ghanaians that see an image of America being rich.

My second goal is to work with the education system that is in place here and become a member of it so that I can participate in a different form of education. From what I have already seen of the education system I realize that it is vastly different from the American education system. I do not intend to try and change any part of the education system here because that would require me to go against what the Ghanaians know, what they understand, and what they want for their children. Instead, I will attempt to connect what the students know with meaning. I’ve found that many of the children know nursery rhymes and can tell you the five senses when they sing the rhyme but if you ask them a question about it they can’t answer the question. As a future educator I hope to use what I’ve learned in the U.S. to accomplish this goal as well as learn from the Ghanaians how to be a teacher here.

My third goal is to make a Ghanaian friend. I have found myself to be more outgoing here than I am back home but I have yet to make a Ghanaian friend at the University. I would like to get to know someone my age, a girl, that I can talk with, ask questions to, and have fun with. I think friendships are important in learning about a new culture and thus far my Ghanaian family has been my link to learning about Ghana but I would like to continue to explore and make friends.

My fourth goal is to learn Twi and be able to converse with Ghanaians by the time I leave in May. I’m not very good at learning new languages so this will take my time and patience. I think it’s important to learn this language to try and connect with others. Although I didn’t come to Ghana to learn Twi, now that I am here I would like to be practicing and working on this new language in order to facilitate conversations.

Goals, Plans, and Anticipated Obstacles:

1. Bridge the gap between perceptions of Africa and America. I’m going to do this by keeping my blog that has already begun to accomplish part of this goal. The people that are reading it, family and friends, are seeing my view of Africa, as a young American girl in Ghana. Although we will all have different experiences I think even just reading about one view can begin to change our preconceived notions and force us to realize that there is more. The second way in which I hope to accomplish this goal is to do a multimedia project on the 38 CIEE students that have come to Ghana. This will take the form of a DVD that students can take back with them to America and that can be dispersed of in Africa as well. I will ask the students questions about Ghana as well as asking their Ghanaian friends, colleagues, and family members similar questions. I think this could be a medium through which conversation can begin. Possible obstacles: Not everyone may be receptive of this. I may need to adjust the multimedia presentation if others are not willing to work with me. Also, language could become a barrier of sorts but I hope that I will be able to overcome this by learning some Twi. Measurement: I don’t think there’s an easy way to measure this because it’s such a broad goal but I think that it will be based on people’s reactions. Perhaps I will conduct a short survey with the DVD.

2. Work with the Ghanaian education system. I am going to accomplish this goal by working at Tot To Teen and also the nursery school that my host mother runs. I hope that through these two schools I can begin to understand the way in which the children here learn. I’ve already seen that the teachers mostly ask questions and the children also learn nursery rhymes. I’d like to connect meaning to these questions and to the nursery rhymes with the students that I will be working with. Possible obstacles: I think the hardest part of accomplishing this goal will be the resources that are available. There do not appear to be many resources so this may be challenging and force me to become creative. Another obstacle will be the language barrier. Although the students are learning English, my English is different from theirs. Measurement: By the end of the semester I hope that the students will have made some connections between words and objects. I also will measure this by my own interaction with the schools and whether I am able to accept the differences that exist.

3. Make a Ghanaian friend. Through University classes I hope that I will be able to meet someone that I can build a friendship with. Possible obstacles: The challenging aspect of this is that I am in only one class with mostly Ghanaians and in addition there are four or five CIEE students in this class. I hope that I can branch out from the CIEE students and ask questions of the other students in the class in hopes of making a friend. However, there are also other people outside of the University that I may be able to make friends with, such as the teachers at Tot To Teen or Felix’s friends. Measurement: Hopefully by the end of the semester I will have a Ghanaian friend that I can keep in touch with when I return home.

4. Learn Twi. Being enrolled in a Twi class will help me accomplish this goal. Possible Obstacles: Although I will need to force myself to practice and learn the language on my own time. Also, my host family does not speak Twi, they speak Krobo, and so I will need to practice with other Ghanaians and the other CIEE students. Measurement: I hope by the end of the semester I will be able to carry on a conversation for a few minutes with a Ghanaian in Twi.

When You Get Tired of Walking, Run

Literally. This is a phrase my dad passed along to me as I was growing up but today I put it to the test.

The power is out everywhere well, almost everywhere. The A and C mall of course has power because they use generators, but from Madina to campus to East Legon there are no lights. It doesn’t surprise me anymore. And it only frustrates me occasionally.

Today I was hoping to get a lot of things done but unfortunately the combination of heat and lack of electricity limited me. And as the day wore on I became more tired. I went to print at the only place where I knew there would be electricity, at the A and C mall, and the documents would not open. I hurried home hoping I could use the Internet, re-save the documents and go back. Unfortunately, I forgot to re-save the documents in my haste to get back. This was when I decided I was tired of walking and would rather run. So I laced up my shoes and hit the road, only to discover that the documents were not on the flash drive and return home.

Worth getting upset over? I think not. Maybe the preschoolers will do the coloring pages I was hoping to print another week, another time. For tomorrow, we have crayons to color with and that’s that.

Eight Weeks

Ghana,

You make me happy,

You make me strong,

You push me through the heat,

Through the sticky moments

To the waterfalls,

To the front of the class,

To the table,

To sit and eat with strangers,

Who are my family.

Who are raising me here.

Ghana,

I am learning from you,

I am growing because of you,

You are a part of my creation,

Of me.

The me that I am today

May not appear different

May not always act different

May not even seem changed

But it’s inside,

And it’s still changing.

The everyday challenges,

Some are not challenging anymore,

What happens to challenge us changes,

And thus we change with the challenges we face.

Trying to put into one word

All that has happened,

Eight weeks,

Isn’t simple,

It’s life.

"This Is Ghana, Oh"

I broke down and bought more credit for my Internet after only a few days. It’s definitely not a necessary thing to have and I may go more time without it in the future but for right now it has put my mind at ease about when I will do summer job applications, how I will prepare for teaching the nursery school children, and what e-mails I need to send to set up the pen pal program.

My first exam is tomorrow. This means that of course when I got home today we didn’t have electricity. The two pretty much go hand in hand. This is also why I started studying for the exam on Sunday. Luckily I live close enough to the A and C mall that I packed up my things to go and study for a few hours and have dinner, and by the time I returned the lights were back on. “This is Ghana, Oh.”

I was talking with Grandma about my day at Tot To Teen (a very hectic one) and she started using this phrase – “This is Ghana, Oh.” I think it perfectly describes what happened today while I was teaching. First, it was brought to my attention in Class Four that one of the students was vomiting all over the floor. What to do? I really didn’t know. Here’s the thing if this had happened with a student in the U.S. I can imagine myself grabbing a trash can, forcing it under the student’s mouth, and sending him out of the classroom while also sending another student to get a janitor to clean. However, there are no trashcans in the classrooms and I didn’t just want to send the boy out until I knew he wouldn’t be creating a mess along the way. I also had no idea if they had a nurse at the school or who was supposed to clean. So my mind was running through what to do but at every possible option there was a roadblock. Finally one of the students told me his father was a teacher in another class and I went to tell him. When I returned I asked the students whether they really wanted to be looking at vomit all day or if they would rather clean it up – they chose the later.

No more interruptions in Class Four. But Class Five was another story. All of the sudden (and by all of the sudden I mean that in a class of thirty-six students it is difficult to know what is going on at all times in the room) a boy was on the floor crying and grabbing his leg. From what I could understand between his muffled cries another boy had jabbed him with his pen in the leg. This didn’t really surprise me as I see the students rough-housing with one another all of the time and it’s not discouraged. As soon as the boy was able to stand up I sent him out of the room and we continued with the lesson. Or at least we tried to. But Class Five is a difficult group of students. Thus I ended up writing students names on the boards to show them that I was serious that if they did not do their work they wouldn’t be able to participate in our pen pal program.

By the end of teaching four classes I was exhausted (especially since none of the rooms have fans and the days are very hot in March).

However, these moments in the classrooms are learning moments for me as a teacher. What works, what doesn’t work, and how to negotiate the differences that exist between cultures.

“This is Ghana, Oh” – I’m living it.

Let's Get Down to Business

…To defeat the huns. (One of my favorite songs from Mulan.) But seriously, it’s time to get down to business, the business of studying. (Also this post is a few days old).

I haven’t talked too much about classes here because there’s always so much else going on. Like this weekend – spending an afternoon in the U.S. embassy and learning about the diplomatic life; getting drinks at my favorite restaurant and making new friends; cooking with my CIEE team and eating our delicious jollof rice (although still not as good as Grandma’s); and now…studying.

This week I have a mid-term in my Development Studies class as well as an exam in Twi. Having gone almost two months without studying (three if you count winter break), I was afraid I wouldn’t remember how. It definitely is different studying for an exam at University here but hopefully the results will be okay. Normally by now at Tulane I would have an idea of what the professor expected of me and be able to perform well, but we have no idea what the questions on these tests will be like or how the professor will grade us.

The other three classes I have I won’t have exams until the end of the semester. One of the classes is the Seminar on Living and Learning in Ghana and we will have a project as a final. Then in drumming I will have to perform and play all of the parts in the two songs that we are learning. And finally in my sociology class, The Context of Development and Underdevelopment, I will have a final, my only grade for the class.

Now that Grandma knows I have two exams coming up this week she tells Felix to stop talking to me when he talks to me for more than a few minutes. She also tells me that I should take rests because I won’t be able to take in all the information at once. I have been resting a lot because it’s so hot now. Supposedly this is the hottest month.

On a separate note, my Internet is finished. And I have decided that I won’t purchase more credit until I finish with my exams. Enti (meaning “therefore” in Twi) I will be forced to study.

Craziest thing I saw this past week: A woman carrying a box of “Virginia Apples”

Favorite Ghanaian name thus far: Life

Most American moment: Going to the U.S. embassy for a barbecue

Turning a Day Around

Although the past few days have been difficult there has never been a doubt in mind that I am in the right place, right here.

Today as I was walking home I decided to stop at the American store but couldn't decide whether to get a FanIce or a FanChoco, a very difficult decision. I bought both. I knew I would see my friend Sedik along the walk and I decided I would let him choose which one he wanted and I would take the other. He's always happy to see me and there is never a moment when he doesn't wish me well and send me on my way. Sedik is my credit man, the person I go to to get phone credit, but he has also become a friend. The other day he introduced me to his baby who is visiting for the week. This is because the mom and baby have been living with her parents in the village so that they can help her.

Then coming into this coffee restaurant today, called Luscious, I have made friends with James, who knows one of the host families, and the other servers here. They are always so happy to see me and I can't stop smiling when they hold my hand and keep talking (by the way this is a very common thing in Ghana, to hold someone's hand after a handshake while you are talking with them).

And then going home to Grandma's home-cooked meals is always wonderful. I have thoroughly enjoyed every meal she has prepared for me and I am beginning to learn to cook some of the dishes. On that note I'd like to ask all of you who are reading to please keep Grandma in your thoughts and prayers as she is undergoing tests at the hospital for some leg problems. She is truly a wonderful woman with a big heart, who prays every day for me.

"None a wi nuh know weh tomorrow may bring cah Di future deh hours away

So mi a live my life today, mi a live my life Today yeah

So low mi mek mi talk weh mi waan fi talk mi Have nuff mi say

So mi a go live my life today, mi a go live my life today

So everybody help mi sing it out"

- Demarco, I Love My Life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM7J6aEWlPM

Breaking the Cultural Barrier

Sitting in my home away from home, the coffee shop (more of a restaurant) and taking time to process all that has happened in the past twenty-four hours. From revealing texts to confrontations, from dinnertime conversations to office meetings, from walking to running, from being settled to becoming unsettled, from home to this coffee shop.

Cultural barriers, cultural bridges, and cultural differences – these are terms we discuss, we define, and we speculate about. Then something happens and we realize we have reached a cultural barrier, are finding it difficult to cross over, to create a cultural bridge, and so we turn around or stand still. Or something happens that makes you wonder if it’s simply a difference in language, in the way we express emotions, and then you realize someone has fallen for you and it’s too late to wonder.

Until I was sitting in class on Monday morning I didn’t understand that what I was experiencing was a cultural barrier. As soon as we began discussing it, I realized that this was happening to me. We think we can do everything and then when we realize we can’t we think something is wrong with us, wrong with part of the system, or just plain wrong. But part of being here is understanding that there will be moments when we have to build our own bridges, find our own way out of difficult situations, and accept the cultural differences that exist and how they affect each of us.

I am experiencing this with teaching in the nursery. Last week I was put into one of the classrooms with the eight students that were there. The teacher decided to leave me with them because she wants to get to know me and respect me. What next? I’m not sure.

How do you teach a one-year-old and a five-year-old at the same time? My mom didn’t need to point out to me that this was impossible, I already knew. But the thing is, it has to be possible because I have to do it. I have to find a way. And there isn’t an easy way. A one-year-old sitting in a desk, a three-year-old getting caned, a classroom without playthings – these aren’t things we normally see in the U.S. I have wondered whether I can put together some form of donation project for bringing things to the nursery but I am still debating what to do, suggestions?

This was only my second experience in the nursery and it’s for exactly the reason I discussed above. After the first time that I was there I couldn’t make myself go back. Until I ran into one of the teachers and she asked me when I was coming back, I hadn’t wanted to think about it. I had felt at such a loss the last time that I was there that I didn’t want to have to do it again. But I pulled myself together, as best I could, and headed back. It wasn’t any easier. And I don’t expect that it will but while I am here I am determined to cross this cultural barrier, to break this wall I feel I am standing in front of. Tomorrow I think I’ll try and teach body parts, we’ll see how that goes.

On another note, I like to share things. I know that about myself and I also know that sometimes it can get me in trouble, like yesterday when I was suddenly faced with a decision in which I was either going to work out things at my homestay alone or potentially end up moving onto campus. I chose to go at it alone. I have been saying since day one how important I think it is to tell your host family when something is making you uncomfortable or when you don’t like something. And I have mostly stuck to this by letting Grandma know when I don’t like certain foods but this time was different, I suddenly understood how it could be hard to speak up. However, I think I will still be sticking by the thought that it is better to say something, until I am proven wrong, and this time I haven’t been.

So I am here. This is my time right now to put back into perspective where I am. To take a moment to share, to be able to move forward having processed the past few days, and to be able to understand that although I will always be an “obruni” I am also “claire” and that means something.

Independence Day

Today is the 6^th of March, Ghana’s Independence Day. On this day fifty-five years ago, Ghana celebrated the end of colonial rule under Britain. At this time Dr. Kwame Nkrumah became the first prime minister, and later first president, of Ghana. In Independence Square this morning, 900 officers from security agencies and 1200 teachers and pupils from the Greater Accra area, paraded in front of (what I was told by a Ghanaian friend) over 2 million people.

In my mind I pictured a parade like we have back in the U.S. where people stand on the sidewalks and the parade moves down the road. I was imagining lots of traffic and not being able to navigate the crowd because of how large it would be. For this reason, I decided not to take my camera, which I regret now because my imagination was a little off.

There were stands full of people surrounding Independence Square which appeared more like a giant arena of sorts. In the arena area the parade took place. We watched from the stands as the different agencies and schools marched in formation around the square. In front of us stood two women who started jumping up and down, getting very excited, while the military officers that were near us remained calm and did not even glance their way. We still aren’t really sure why they reacted the way they did to the groups marching, but we think it may have had something to do with the way that the formation turned the corner to continue marching.

I forgot to mention, all of the navigating to get there and suggestions about where to go, came from one of my friend’s (Amy’s) host brother Junior, and his friend Ken. We followed them around for the day, enjoying their company, and advice about where to go and what to do.

After we saw the parade in Independence Square we started to walk towards the Art Market, which I had not been to, but got stopped because Junior recognized the Brass Band playing in the park across the street. We stood and listened to them play for a while (it reminded me some of New Orleans) and then a man told us he wanted to take our picture. Odd? Very. Then he wanted to make sure that we mixed up our colors so that not all of us white girls were standing together and he also handed his baby over to one of my friends. Afterwards he told us that he would take us to the beach if we liked because he has happy to have a picture. Junior and Ken were good with the idea but we were all starting to get hungry so decided to wait to see.

At the Art Market I ended up doing more purchasing, of course. But my bargaining has definitely gotten better. Today I got a pair of sunglasses for four cedi instead of five (but he originally wanted nine). It doesn’t seem like much now that I’ve written it out but it was at the time!

We ate some lunch and then decided to head back home. At the last minute Nikki remembered she had a few things to get at the Makola Market so I went with her and we tried to remember how to get around. Eventually we got tired of getting heckled by the people selling things and decided to head home to what I will consider the worst trotro ride yet.

First things first, the mate decided to ask Nikki for her phone number (this turned out to be the first of four men this day that asked her). Ok, no big deal. Then the man next to her kept sliding over as if he couldn’t sit straight. The woman sitting next to me also thought it was strange and we were trying to figure out what was going on. But what comes next makes it worse...I realized we were crawling down the highway, literally. We were going maybe 5mph. We pulled over at a tire place. A tire place consists of a pile of tires on the side of the road where someone has a pump too. This didn’t really fix the problem but we continued inching along. I’ve always wondered what would happen if I was sick on the trotro well I don’t want to find out. Just being on the trotro with someone who was sick was enough for me. Nikki and I were relieved when we could get off and then had to decompress for a few minutes before heading home.

However, all in all the day was a success. I’ve decided to make another post soon about the things that can instantly change my day, make me happier, and add comfort to being here because those are the things that make trotro rides, like this most recent one, just a small part of a bigger moment.

"This day continues to be a constant reminder that with determination and hard work, there is nothing we cannot achieve as a people united in pursuit of a common purpose."

- President Mills' Independence Day Speech, March 6, 2012

Things I'm Not Sure I Will Ever Get Used to in Ghana

1. Sleeping Under a Mosquito Net. Sometimes I bring everything I may need for the night into bed with me just so I won’t have to climb back out. Often I lay in bed wondering if I have to pee badly enough to get out from under the mosquito net. It’s simple enough and yet I find myself tucking and untucking the sides as if it’s some laborious task.

2. Always Sweating. You might think that after being here for more than a month I would be used to the heat, that sweating would no longer be problematic. I have just started a process of tricking my body into thinking it is cooler than it is. This involves wearing long sleeves and pants to bed (which began on our trip to the Volta Region – Melissa and Nikki thought I was crazy). I also now wear pants during the day, which I must say, isn’t that bad, it’s part of the trick, the mental aspect.

3. The Power Going Out. Somehow I always seem to forget that this is a possibility. Until Grandma reminds me and says, “I am praying the power will be here when your mom visits.” When she says that, it scares me a little bit, and I wonder if she is suggesting that we will be without power for two months. There’s no telling when or for how long the power will be out.

4. Planes Flying Overhead. I live near the airport. I would even call us neighbors considering how close the planes sound in relation to my house. Sometimes I think they might be landing right on top of me. You might think that I would get used to the sound, that it would become background noise, but sometimes I am forced to cover my ears. Other times I wake up at 4:54 in the morning wondering who is flying into Ghana that early.

5. Being Called Obruni. Maybe I don’t turn my head every time now but I am still being pointed out, all of the time. A day doesn’t go by in which I don’t hear the word obruni being called out to me. It’s as if that’s my name. And my friend. And my other friend. And, oh wait, obruni isn’t my name, but it’s treated as if it is.

6. A Man Telling Me He “Likes the Way I Am” and has literally never heard me speak. Apparently the way a woman walks says a lot about her character, just kidding of course. Not all Ghanaian men approach me or say anything to me, in fact, the large majority doesn’t, but there are exceptions. It might be in the trotro coming back from the Volta Region in which I realize I am stuck next to a man for the next three hours who has just asked me for my contact number. It might be on the beach in Cape Coast when a young man approaches us asking us how he can get in contact with us. It might be on the street walking with a friend when two men pull their car over and then proceed to ask how they will contact us for our date tonight – wait, what date? Or it might be the carpenter who has done work at my house, and has told me that he “will come to my heart” (aka be my boyfriend). It’s not every day this happens but the frequency with which it does occur is not something we experience in the U.S.

7. Pepper. Yes, I am a wimp. I’ve tried to slowly build up a tolerance for pepper but when Grandma put my dinner on the table the other night Felix could tell I was struggling with the pepper. My nose gave me away. Then the next day I wanted to cook some plain rice for myself, Felix was beside himself. He was visibly upset that I didn’t want anything on my rice. His reaction wasn’t unusual to me, it’s occurred several times before in other circumstances. I tried to help him understand but I’m not sure he really did.

8. Always Getting Charged More For Something Than It Should Be but never knowing. Most of the Ghanaians that I’ve met think, “America is rich” therefore all Americans must be rich. As such, we end up usually being charged more than Ghanaians would pay. It’s always hard to tell. Should we pay 8 cedi to take the taxi or can we bargain it down to 3 cedi?

9. Hand Washing Clothes. I’ve started wearing certain clothes and neglecting others because of their “washability.” Although I don’t find hand-washing clothes at all bothersome or unusual, I struggle to get all of my clothes clean and often settle with just soaking them and scrubbing them a few times. (I only do this when Grandma is not around). I think the important thing is that they don’t smell, right?

10. Hearing My Voice in a Class of 250 Students. Just this morning I found myself answering a question that the professor asked in my sociology class. Wait, did I really just speak up? I’ve often found myself in classes where I have things to say but keep them in my head, just thinking about them. This wasn’t the first time since being here that I’ve spoken up in class and suddenly I’m not wondering what the other students are thinking of me or about the answer I am giving. This is a new thing – will I get used to it?

Will I get used to any of these things? Time will tell.

A Day in the Eastern Region

Yesterday we travelled as a group, all of us CIEE students, to the Eastern Region, which takes about forty-five minutes by bus to get to from East Legon. Unlike my last trip with Nikki and Melissa, this one was completely planned and we were shuttled around from one place to the next.

The first place we visited was Tettah Quarshie’s Cocoa Farm where we took a tour and learned about the uses of cocoa. A few weeks ago my mom and I were talking on the phone and she told me that “black soap” is on the rage in the U.S. because Dr. Oz recently recommended it. It is made in Africa and she told me that I should try to find some. While we were on the tour we found out that black soap is made from the dried outside of the cocoa plant, who knew?

After the tour of the Cocoa Farm we headed to Aburi Gardens for lunch and a tour of the gardens. On the tour of the botanical gardens we visited different lawns where there were all types of plants planted by famous people such as Queen Elizabeth II, the Head of State, and the Vice-President of Ghana. Our guide told us about a symbiotic relationship that takes between two different types of trees. One of the trees grew like a vine around the other and we were able to see what it looked like when the inside tree died. It left a giant hole in the middle but the outside tree was able to support itself, so cool!

Then we went to the woodcarving village, buying local at its best. I found myself bargaining for things and then getting caught in the trap of buying it! There was a pair of salad utensils that that I thought were really cool but I didn’t want to pay the eight cedi that she told me they would cost. Then she said she gave them to my sister (aka another white girl on my program) for seven cedi. I said I would only pay four cedi for them and left. As I was walking back by she whispered that she’d take four cedi – I was sold.

Moving from one tour to the next the day quickly went by until I was back at home. And how nice it was to be at home today and yesterday. Felix, Grandma, and I have gotten to talk a lot recently and I’ve enjoyed our conversations about bad characters, what to buy a friend that just delivered a baby, and all manner of things. Grandma and Felix will also try to talk to me at the same time sometimes, each getting louder as they try to get my attention, and I have to try to figure out who to look at. Grandma told Felix yesterday that she was reading a book and in the book it says that people should listen to other people. Felix agreed to listen and Grandma finished her thought. Sometimes we take for granted the power that listening can have.

Mental Health Check

Constantly moving,

Never stopping to re-evaluate,

To put into perspective what is happening,

Receiving it only as it comes,

Everyday,

A million moments.

Flashing red light,

That’s what’s missing here,

No stop sign,

Not here,

It’s dangerous.

Constantly scheduling,

Testing,

Doing work,

Being a college student,

That’s back home,

Not here.

Yet still I move,

Schedule,

And forget,

Taking time to process,

To learn,

To be by myself,

With my own thoughts,

Can be different here,

Can become a new part of my life.

A mental check,

A break in one hour,

For one day,

For a few moments,

To feel the present,

To understand where I am

And why.

Forgetting to break,

That’s reckless,

Tiring,

And you end up sitting,

Nodding your head,

And having no idea what is being said.

Maybe next time,

You’ll listen,

You’ll be able to,

Cause for a few minutes you let yourself be.

Eastern Region Photos

A few photographs from today at Tettah Quarshie's Cocoa Farm and Aburi Gardens...

Haggard

Dictionary.com defines it as: wild, wild-looking.

That's how I felt. After not having electricity for five nights in a row and almost two whole days I looked like a wild animal - okay, probably not actually, but I sure was a mess.

The adjustment period is over. I've begun to settle in and as such, my mind has slowly begun to close. It's funny how this happens.

When I first began walking to school, trying to figure out the best way to get to the university, I didn't have any expectations. However, I now have found the easiest way to get to school which requires a little bit of a walk because they are constructing a road right in front of the main gate but I didn't mind. Until...they decided to expand the construction, making the walk further, and now today have started to build an entirely new road that goes through where we've been walking, talk about confusing.

Then for the second morning in a row my trotro broke down. The first time this happened, we all got off the trotro, got part of our money back, and then they worked on it, fixed it, and we all got back on. This morning my trotro ran out of fuel, in the middle of the commute. This time I just sat with a few people on the trotro hoping that they would fix it and if not trying to decide how I might go about getting to my internship. I was a little late but I wasn't at all worried, stressed, or aggravated, so it happens and that's that.

I find it interesting that one frustrates me and the other doesn't bother me. I was thinking about this while trying to fall asleep in my hot, dark room, and began to realize that there are certain things which I have come to expect here, that slowly my mind has been closing. I generally have electricity and when I don't it's usually for a few hours during the night, not for days at a time. I haven't had to walk for more than fifteen minutes after getting out of the shared taxi to university but now I'm walking twenty-five in the beating down sun. Instead of keeping my mind open to all possibilities, I have come to expect a certain way of life here. And I think this happens everywhere. It's why when there is construction on the road that we always use to go to work we get frustrated and annoyed, instead of remaining open to the possibility that this could happen any day.

Any day my trotro could break down. Any day the electricity in my house may not be on. Every day I have to choose whether to be frustrated or to accept that it could be any day that life doesn't go exactly as planned, and it doesn't need to in order to be a good day.

But today, I am not a wild animal. I am sitting under my fan enjoying the breeze once again.