home sweet home

i am just returning from my site visit, and let me tell you:  i have the best site in peace corps history.  

my house is on the school's campus, and they just rebuilt it.  it's brand new, with a shower, flush toilet, running water, kitchen, and electricity.  

the school is wonderful, pretty small (200 some students, deaf kindergarten through jhs, technical, and a mental unit).  it's about a mile from the center of town, so it's close to anything i would need.  

my city is the capital of the region but still a fairly small place, so it's more laid-back than some of the big cities in the south.

i'll move in to my new house in just a few weeks.  then i start teaching sometime in september!  yay!

i am also fine!

i believe i have mentioned how much i hate the word obruni. the
children here chant it and yell it and call it after us anywhere and
everywhere we go.
the amount that i hate being called obruni is equal to the amount i
love hearing three other words: "i am fine." those exact same
obnoxious children, when they are not shouting obruni, can be so
polite and proper. greetings are very important in ghana; everywhere
you go, you greet everyone. often in twi WO HO TE SAYN, and then
respond ME HOYAY.
or, just say how are you? and the littlest children respond, as
politely and properly as can be, in their cute ghanaian english, i am
fine!

obama's speech

i found the transcript to the speech that obama gave at the airport
when we saw him there, and i wanted to share it here. it explains
some of why his visit to ghana was so significant. and it is
interesting to note, of course, that each time he mentions peace
corps, applause follows. we were an enthusiastic crowd!

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Hello, Ghana. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you. I
want to thank the people of Ghana for this extraordinary visit.
Michelle and I have been greatly honored to be joined by President
Mills and his lovely wife. They have been gracious hosts.

You know, your President and I have a lot in common. We're both
lawyers, we're both former law professors, we're both new presidents.
(Applause.) We both like to think of ourselves as athletes. The
difference is President Mills played hockey on the national team of
Ghana, and I played basketball mostly in my backyard. (Applause.)

But we both love sports. We're both proud of serving our country. And
today I want to honor President Mills for his strong and thoughtful
leadership, his devotion to democracy, and his commitment for the
future of his nation. I also want to thank the magnificent welcoming
committee, including the drummers and the dancers. Michelle and I and
our daughters enjoyed it very much.

I want to recognize our Peace Corps volunteers who are here.
(Applause.) You know, Ghana was the very first nation to host young
people from the Peace Corps. And for decades, our two nations have
formed vital partnerships and lasting friendships because of this
program. So all of you in the Peace Corps, you are doing an
outstanding job and we're proud of you. (Applause.)

As somebody whose father comes from Africa, obviously this visit has
been particularly meaningful for me. I've had a chance to discuss the
future of Ghana but also the future of Africa with President Mills.
I've spoken to the parliament here in Ghana about America's commitment
to supporting democracy and development.

Michelle and I visited LA General Hospital, where we met with
beautiful women and their children who are getting the care that they
need for a healthy start.

And finally, we toured Cape Coast Castle -- a place for centuries
where men, women, and children of this nation and surrounding areas
were sold into slavery. I'll never forget the image of my two young
daughters, the descendants of Africans and African Americans, walking
through those doors of no return, but then walking back those doors of
return. It was a remarkable reminder that while the future is
unknowable, the winds always blow in the direction of human progress.

At each point of our visit here, I was reminded of the enduring bond
between our nations. Men and women taken from this nation helped to
build my own. Today, many of our leading citizens trace their roots to
these shores. Your first President attended a university in the United
States, as did your current one. Great civil rights leaders of
America, like Dr. Martin Luther King, looked to the independence
movement here in Ghana and asked themselves, "If Africans can live
freely in Africa, why can't African Americans live freely in America?"

And immigrants from Ghana and from all across Africa have thrived all
across America. Today, both our nations are diverse and vibrant
democracies. Here in Ghana, many different ethnic groups speak many
languages, but have found a way to live and work together in peace.
People here can speak freely and worship freely. You have a robust
civil society, fair elections, and a free press, a growing market
economy and a sense of energy and optimism. And every day with its
success, Ghana sends a simple message to the world that democracy can
thrive in Africa. (Applause.)

So we in America are proud of our partnership with Ghana. Together
we've worked to advance education and fight poverty. We've made real
and measurable strides in fighting diseases from malaria to
tuberculosis to polio and neglected tropical diseases. This is a
partnership we intend to continue. It's a partnership based not just
on shared interests, but on shared ideals -- ideals forged in
struggles for independence that have made our countries who they are.

We believe that democracy is not simply a gift from previous
generations, but a responsibility for each generation to preserve and
to pass on. We believe that no one, whether it's through the influence
of politics, the power of money, or the fear of force is above the
law. And we believe that we're all equal, all endowed with basic human
dignity, all entitled to basic human rights.

It is up to each of us, every one of us, to uphold those ideals. This
is true not just in Ghana but for all of Africa. America wants to
partner with the people and nations of Africa, but we all know that
the future of Africa is in the hands of Africa.

So I especially want to, again, speak to the young people of Africa.
In places like Ghana you make up more than half the population, and
here is what you must know: that the world is what you make of it. You
have the power to hold your leaders accountable and to build
institutions that serve the people. You can serve in communities like
these Peace Corps workers -- (applause) -- and harness your energy and
education to renew and build connections between the world. You can
conquer disease and end conflict and make change from the bottom up.
You can do all that.

And I promise you this: If you seize this opportunity, if you take
responsibility for your future, America will be with you every step of
the way as a partner and as a friend. (Applause.)

Freedom is your inheritance, hard won 52 years ago by men and women
determined to cast off the title of subjects for the title of
citizens, and claim for themselves and their children the liberties
that are all of our birthrights.

Dr. King came here to Ghana to witness the culmination of that
struggle. He watched as the Union Jack was lowered and the Ghanaian
flag was raised at the parliament. He marveled at the site of the
Duchess of Kent dancing with the new Ghanaian President at the state
ball. And in a sermon he gave upon returning home to America, he said
of this new nation, "There is a great day ahead. The future is on its
side." Those words ring just as true today as they did more than half
a century ago.

Great days lie ahead for this nation. The future is on Ghana's side. I
promise that America will be with you. (Applause.) And together we
will create a better world.

Thank you, Ghana. God bless you and God bless the United States of
America. (Applause.)

you better believe it!

a hot date with the president

a few months ago, the white house announced that obama would be
visiting ghana as his first trip to sub-saharan africa. i was super
excited because i would be living in ghana by then. when we arrived
here, we asked if we would be allowed to go see obama speak, but since
his visit was only 24 hours total, they said there would be no time
for such an event. we were disappointed, but of course we understood.
then last week, our trainers received text messages that peace corps
had received permission to attend an exclusive send-off ceremony at
the airport! we, of course, freaked out.
obama arrived friday in ghana. on saturday he went to cape coast to
visit one of the old slave forts there. he gave a speech, which i
still haven't heard (and am eager to!), and then came back to accra.
and WE MET HIM THERE! we spent a total of about 30 hours waiting and
traveling and planning for about 30 minutes of obama time, but it was
totally worth it. we left early in the morning saturday, drove a few
hours to accra, went to the peace corps office to pick up our tickets
and eat lunch, drove to the embassy, got on fancy chartered buses (and
watched sheena, an amazing movie), and drove to the airport. there we
sat and waited for a while more before being allowed in. peace corps
was given special vip tickets, so we got to walk right in front of the
main barricade and stand in front. where i stood was only about 20
feet from the podium, only fourth row back. and then we waited a few
more hours. thankfully, it wasn't terribly hot (see? i'm adjusting).
finally, a couple of helicopters landed. obama, michelle, and their
two daughters greeted some people, and then mills (ghana's president)
and obama went to the stage. mills spoke for a couple minutes, then
obama spoke. obama congratulated the people of ghana on successful
elections and for leading the rest of africa toward democracy. then
he mentioned PEACE CORPS and thanked us for the significant work we
have done here. and we shrieked. and he smiled at us that we were so
enthusiastic! he talked about how ghana was the first country to
accept peace corps, back in 1961. it was all very exciting. i
couldn't hear the speakers they had connected to the microphone, but i
could hear obama's actual voice. after the speeches, obama and
michelle walked around and shook hands with the crowd. then they
boarded the MASSIVE air force one and flew away. we all waved. we
had so much fun.
apparently we were on cnn and possibly other news stations too.
you'll have to let me know if you saw us there. i was wearing a
bright yellow shirt.
so while i didn't get to shake obama or michelle's hands myself, my
friend sonya shook both. and afterward, i shook her hand. so it's
like i shook their hands.
i guess i had to move out of the us to have a chance to meet the
president of the us!

window view

sarah suggested that i describe the view out my window, and that's a
great suggestion. thanks, sarah!
i have one window in my bedroom, and it looks out the back of the
compound. i overlook what is basically an alley. picturesque, yes?
it's a small dirt road that ends outside my window. a few small
houses or one larger compound are in a u-shape around the road. there
is one light on the outside of one of the houses, and it is bright
blue. the buildings are small and look like the slightest wind would
knock them over. wood boards, dirt, and a bit of concrete are the
walls. some of the roofs are corrugated metal, some not. one wall is
painted a bright blue and yellow, some others are the reddish color of
the dirt here.
the family or families who live there are always outside. there is at
least one small baby, and that poor baby cries all the time. there
are several small children playing. the women are always bent over
their coal stoves making whatever meal comes next in the endless cycle
of mealtimes here in ghana. i don't see men back there as often,
probably because they are in the fields farming or off doing whatever
work they do. there are always at least three goats roaming about and
many chickens. the roosters of course begin to crow at about 4am, but
my wonderful fan helps to drown out that obnoxiousness.
directly outside my window, straight down, is the gutter. falling in
a gutter in ghana has quickly become my greatest fear. gutters are on
the edge of every road in ghana, and anything and everything is
disposed of in these ditches. people use the bathroom, dump
dishwater, toss trash, whatever, into these gutters. they are usually
uncovered, just waiting for someone who is not paying attention to
fall face-first into that absolutely filthy nastiness. i think i am
more afraid of falling into a gutter than getting malaria or worms or
those things. it's that gross. anyway. that was quite a tangent.
so yes, a gutter is outside my window, to catch the excessive amounts
of rain we get almost daily right now. the street is of course
littered with trash, but after a while you stop noticing such small
details.
so that's my window view. not an exceptionally beautiful view, but
it's still ghana!

pictures!

can you believe it?  PICTURES!!!

first, this is some of the primary kids that we taught at our practicum.  aren't they adorable?

this is a picture from the ceremony in our village that i wrote about a couple weeks ago.  this is the village linguist (and my friend's host father) pouring libations while another guy prays/sings.  the libations are apetechi, a very strong alcohol.
this is most of the education group.  also known as the people i spend every hour of every day with.  
boti waterfalls, our sunday field trip.  since we are in the rainy season right now, it was extra full and beautiful!

one month down, 26 to go!

can you believe i've been living in ghana for a WHOLE month already?  i can't!  

everything is going great.  

this week the art folks will be in koforidua again.  since we work with deaf kids, we have to travel so we can practice teaching at a deaf school.  this week is our second (and final) week of practicum.  it's kind of funny; in america you get four years of teaching education and at least a whole semester of actual teaching time.  in ghana, we have two weeks.  last week, i taught for three hours.  this week will maybe be five.  i'm going to be so prepared!  it's ok.  we'll learn as we do, right?

so, want to hear about the fourth of july, ghana style?  i know you do!  well, our schedule is so full that they didn't even give us the day off from classes.  so we had eight hours of medical and safety sessions on saturday.  at five we were finally set free, so we all headed over to our favorite spot.  the owner there loves peace corps (the tradition of trainees gathering at this spot has helped his business tremendously).  he bought a bunch of hot dogs and grilled them for us!  hot dogs are very hard to find in ghana, and he even had heinz ketchup with them!  seriously, the best hot dogs i have ever had in my life.  also, a couple of guys put together a soundtrack of patriotic music, and someone had a beach towel with an american flag, so we were quite festive.  someone had some sparklers too.  it was a lot of fun.  best/weirdest part though, was the ghanaian response.  one guy was fascinated by the obrunis, and especially fascinated by the SINGING obrunis, so he pulled out his camera.  he then proceded to walk around and video tape us for probably ten minutes, just from a distance, like we were his friends or something.  quite odd.  perhaps a future youtube sensation?  

then sunday was scheduled as a free day, but our trainers put together an optional field trip for us.  we visited boti falls, which was great.  ghana really is a beautiful country.  the area where we are now is very wet (well, it's the rainy season now) and hilly/mountainous.  small mountains.  so it is lush green.  driving along, we see the silhouettes of the hills covered with trees and beautiful blue cloudy skies.  i haven't taken enough pictures of the landscape yet.  it's completely different here than it will be at my site, which will be flatter and more desert-like.  ghana has such a range of landscapes for a fairly small country.

anyway, that was the last couple of days.  

i'm typing this at night, in my room.  my homestay uncle and some random woman who is probably a relative just came and brought me "carpet" for my room.  it is a lovely green faux marble vinyl flooring that they cut with scissors.  my room looks pretty great now, as it was bare concrete before tonight.  i am living like royalty here!  

a day in the life

i don't know what a typical day actually is here in ghana, but i'll describe for you a general idea of what a normal-ish day looks like for me.

6a: my alarm goes off.  i have to blindly find my way around my mosquito net to reach the alarm and turn it off. i usually sleep a few more minutes then get up.  by now the roosters are crowing loudly and neighbors are making a lot of noise, but on a good morning, i've been able to sleep through all of that.

6:30: i open my door and greet my family, who is bustling around the compound.  my aunt is usually making breakfast, my grandmother wandering around, and a little sister is usually sitting on a bench staring at me.  once they see me, they begin preparing my bath water.  my sister fatayiah knocks on my door and solemnly announces "your bath."  i carry my bucket into the bathroom, which is simply a closet-sized room, for bathing.  it has a sloped floor and a hole by the wall.  i take my bucket bath and brush my teeth in there, using filtered water from my nalgene for the tooth-brushing, of course.  

7a: usually by the time i have finished bathing, my family has my breakfast ready.  they always serve it on a plastic tray that has pictures of espresso on it.  i always get a large thermos of hot water and a mug.  i can prepare my choice of milo (hot chocolate, which is wonderful), powdered milk, or tea.  i always choose milo. i need the calcium, right?  then usually i have a piece or two of wonderful, still WARM bread.  sometimes i get scrambled eggs with tomatoes or onion to make an egg sandwich, or sometimes i'll have oats, and sometimes just the bread.

i take my time eating my breakfast and then get my bag ready for the day.  it takes me about five minutes to walk to class.  i try to greet people like i'm supposed to, but usually one sentence in twi is all i can understand.  children stand by the side of the street and shout OBRUNI, and random strangers ask where i am going. 

8a: our first class of the day starts.  usually we start with language, sign language of course.  we have two hours of language.  i'll tell you more about our teachers later, but they're really great.  we are forbidden from speaking during class, so we have to figure out how to sign anything we need to say.

10a: sign wraps up, usually a little bit late, as we all prefer to linger in that class than go to our next one.  we walk down the street a little ways to the chief's palace for our next round of classes.  the chief's palace isn't exactly palatial, but rather a small open courtyard with a gate, a private place for the obrunis to gather in peace.  here, we usually have education classes.  it might be on how to plan a lesson or how to manage classroom behavior.  sometimes it is debriefing homestay experiences.  sometimes i'm not sure what the purpose is.

12: we have an hour break for lunch, so i walk back home.  when my aunt sees me arrive, she starts my lunch.  it is usually something delicious like fish stew over rice or fish stew with boiled cassava or fish stew with a rice ball.  mmm.  if i have time, i like to grab a short nap. 

1p: sessions start up again.  i'm not sure what would be a "normal" session to describe here, i guess more education sector specific stuff, or we might meet up other trainees in a nearby town for larger group sessions.  anyhow, sessions usually end at 5.

5p: either i go and hang out with a couple friends for an hour or so or head home.  my friend sonya's parents own a spot (ghananglish for bar), so we go there for beer or minerals (soda).  i try not to stay too long, because it gets dark around 7 here, and if i'm not home by dark, my family worries.  so i shoot for 6:30.

6:30: i walk back to my home.  my host father is always outside our compound talking, so i greet him.  he tells me i am welcome, every time, i am welcome.  i walk into the compound and greet the rest of the family, my aunt STILL laboring over that coal stove, and my two little sisters who shyly grin.  my grandmother is usually in another room watching tv, japanese soap operas or some cartoon about pinatas.  she doesn't speak english, so i don't understand how they entertain her so.  i either attempt to join my grandmother until the tv bores me out of my mind or try to talk to my aunt.  she usually acts like i am crazy as i watch her cook and try to learn from her.  when dinner is ready, fatayiah brings it to my room.  it is another tray.  one plate on the tray contains two chilled water sachets, and usually there is a bowl with another bowl upside down covering it.  inside is, can you guess?  FISH STEW!  with that rice or boiled cassava OR rice ball!  ok, that's a bit exaggerated; maybe only 2/3 of my meals involve fish in stew form.  occasionally they give me something different, and i am always quick to compliment those dishes.

by the time i have finished dinner, my bath is ready.  fatayiah again knocks on my door.  "your bath." i go take my second warm bath of the day.  

8p: sometimes, after my bath, i hang out with my two (or three?  a new one appeared over the weekend, and when i asked where cute little xena came from, they said she lives here.  hmm.) little host sisters.  fatayiah is 12, i think, and very sweet, my little helper.  fatimah is 5 or 7 and VERY shy, but such a sweetheart.  one night she started singing for me, and it was wonderful.  then little xena is 4 and just precious, so tiny and sweet and barely speaks a word.  they think the crayons and coloring book i brought are the best thing ever.  they also love looking at my photo album of pictures from home, just flipping through it over and over!

9ish: these kids must not have a bedtime, because i think they will stay in my room forever.  so i have to kick them out, tell them how tired i am.  sometimes i go to bed early, 8ish, depending on how bored i am.  you all know my infinite capacity for sleep!  so i head to bed, fumbling around in the dark to tuck my mosquito net in appropriately. sweet dreams!

you should all call me.

in case you haven't heard yet, i did get a phone! i posted the number
on my facebook, or email me if you want it. please call me! i love
hearing from people back home. over here, it's easy to forget that
america continues to exist.
today is our last day in koforidua for now. this week was our first
week of practicum at the local deaf school. tonight we go back to our
homestay families. we will be there for one week, then back here for
another week.
have i mentioned that i'm THRILLED with the program i'm in? i really
think the six of us have the most unique and exciting program in all
of peace corps. we get to PLAY with kids, TEACH art, LEARN sign
language, LIVE in ghana! the kids at the deaf schools are wonderful.
the special schools in ghana are often neglected beyond the normal
schools. many teachers at deaf schools barely know sign language.
sometimes the money for food is stolen, so the kids eat only soup or
porridge. it is really quite sad. the deaf schools are boarding
schools, so these itty bitty kids don't even have parents around.
they form a family among themselves and take care of each other. i am
really excited to get to know the kids at my school and help them
LEARN! they are all behind their grade level in every subject, mostly
due to the language problems.
on wednesday we attended a ceremony in our village. we were each
required to bring a piece of firewood "as big as we are" to present to
the chiefs. peace corps and my host father provided that. all the
village school children were there, all crammed into the chief's
palace. along with our host parents, we each walked around and
greeted all of the chiefs and the queen mother. we then sat as the
village linguist welcomed us. there was some sort of prayer or dance,
and the linguist poured out a glass of apetechi as an offering or
something. they then gave us some apetechi, palm wine, or minerals.
then we each went forward and our host families introduced us to the
chiefs. then we all lined up again and said goodbye. then we left.
it was mostly a chance for our host families to show us off to the
rest of the village. there are only eleven peace corps living in my
particular village, so it is a great honor to be selected to be our
hosts.
thanks for all the suggestions about blog topics! when i get back to
my homestay, i will do a blog of a description of the view out my
window! for now, i will talk about other topics mentioned.
babies! are everywhere! moms tie the babies to their backs with
fabric and wear the babies wherever they go. sometimes children carry
the babies the same way, children who look too small to be alone
themselves. often the babies are afraid of white people, so it is
really fun to tease them and try to scare them!
what people wear: it's a broad range. there is the traditional
clothing, which is beautiful bright patterns. most women wear dresses
or skirts in bright batik. all the girls in my group are looking
forward to getting some dresses made here. the men mostly wear
trousers and bright shirts. shorts are scandalous, and you can always
tell a tourist by his shorts. the people here consider dressing well
a way to show respect for others instead of a means of personal
expression.
people eat with their hands here. usually a meal has some sort of a
dough ball type thing and then a stew or soup. they break off a chunk
of dough and dip it in the stew. they only use the right hand, of
course. i haven't yet grown to love those foods, so for now i'm
sticking to more familiar things like rice, rice, and more rice. and
EVERYTHING is cooked in palm oil here. i am really excited about
getting to my home and being able to cook for myself.
ok, well hopefully that answered some questions. i may not get online
next week since i will be back at homestay, but i'll probably get
online the following week since we will be back here! leave me lots
of love in the form of comments!