We've been working like crazy since my last post and finally the Sissala West Schools Computer Center is open! In the past 6 weeks I (with the help of many of my Ghanaian friends) have bought and transported 16 desktop computers the length of the country, had a ceiling installed, replaced 8 windows, painted the entire classroom and ceiling, bought and transported 6 huge wooden tables and 15 chairs, had an electrician wire the building for power, had the electricity company come and connect power to the building, had a podium built, had a tailor make a projection screen, installed all of the above plus accessories, painted and erected sign boards, developed a job description for and hired an ICT teacher/computer center attendant as well as a night watchman, formed a management board, elected board leadership, passed a board constitution, and spoken at the District Assembly meeting to introduce the center to the public. It has been a quite chaotic and exhausting time but I have loved every moment of it knowing how happy it is going to make these communities and how much so many people will benefit from our efforts.
As promised, I have posted pictures of the process of creating the computer center. They are now appearing as a slide show at the top of this page, but if you would like to see larger images or download them yourself you can just click on the pictures and it should bring you here: http://picasaweb.google.com/luckadamp/SchoolComputerCenter?feat=directlink . I hope you enjoy these pictures and I'll do my best to post some more when I am able.
The person we have hired to operate the computer center is my good friend from Gwollu, Mubaric (or Mystic). He's a great young guy about my age who has completed senior high school but not yet gone on to university. He is extremely knowledgeable about computers (both hardware and software) and he has experience teaching as he was formerly volunteering as an art teacher at the primary school in Gwollu. I will be traveling for the next couple of weeks, so while I am away he will be completing some more software installations on the computers and allowing people to come in and see the center and use the computers free of charge (school is out of session now and will not begin again until mid September). I have purchased all the necessary equipment to connect all of the computers at the center to the internet, but with all the other things going on we did not get time to erect the poles and antennas yet. We will do this as soon as I get back and establish hours of operation for the many local schools and the general public. During school hours, we will develop a schedule so that students from the various schools will cycle into the center in groups of 15 throughout the school day. We will also have operating hours for the general public after school hours and on weekends when community members can use the computers and internet for a fee as well as students for a discounted fee. Mubaric is also developing a syllabus for a computer skills course to be offered to the public at various times and levels (Level 1,2,3, etc. with a certificate to be earned upon completion of each level). All of this will keep Mubaric very busy, but I will be helping him nearly every day until I leave in November and we are also trying to hire an assistant through the National Youth Employment Program, which would help a lot especially once I leave. The whole community seems very excited to have such a great new facility and it excites me to know that the person we have hired to run the place is also very motivated and committed to making the center run effectively.
Tomorrow I will be bringing 3 junior high school girls from Gwollu to a one-week Girls Leadership Camp that some of my Peace Corps colleagues and I have planned. The camp will take place near Wechiau, another town in the Upper West Region. We will be staying in a small village with no electricity or running water along the river where there is a hippo sanctuary. I know my girls are really excited to go and the camp should be a lot of fun! When the camp ends, I'll send my girls back to Gwollu on a bus, but I will have to continue further south to attend our Peace Corps Close of Service Conference. Our conference is in Elmina at a really nice resort (Coconut Grove) on the beach! I'll be there for 3-4 days with the other 40 members of my group who are all also preparing to leave in November (some even earlier). We'll be going over some administrative stuff about finishing up Peace Corps service I know, but I think it is also a chance to celebrate with your group one last time all together. From there I'll go to Accra to buy a few extra things for the computer center and see my 2 best PC buds, Dan and Marcus, leave for good! They have new volunteers that are here to replace them already, so because of the timing they get to finish their service early... and go to the 200th anniversary of Octoberfest without me! Once I leave Gwollu, Peace Corps will not be sending another volunteer here. Although now that we have this computer center, I have been pushing for them to send an ICT teacher to help out. From Accra, I'll rush back to Gwollu to get the computer center on track (and online) just as school is starting.
I think that is about all for now. A BIG THANK YOU, again, to all who have donated to the computer center project! I am especially impressed by the students and faculties of Rick Marcotte Central School in South Burlington, Underhill Central School, and Smilie Elementary School in Bolton, who together, as I have previously mentioned, raised about $3000 for this project. The children of this part of Ghana will be benefiting from and enjoying the center you have all helped to create for many many years to come!
p.s.- I'm now booked to CRUISE home with some friends from Barcelona on November 28th to Puerto Rico December 12th! Anyone wanna meet me in Puerto Rico and hang out for a bit before Christmas? Let me know.... see everyone in December!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Computer Lab Funding is In!
We have successfully raised the $5,600+ necessary to make the computer lab project for Gwollu schools a reality! THANK YOU to all groups and individuals that donated! I am in Accra now and have spent the past few days shopping around for all of the computer lab equipment. I have purchased 16 desktop computers, a beautiful brand new projector, a laser printer, and many other accessories. Carpenters in Tumu are already working on all of the tables and chairs for the lab, the building has been wired for electricity, and the rest of the renovations and installations will be started when I get home later this week and completed very soon!
I've already got the 'before' pictures of the building taken and will soon be taking more pictures to document the process as we continue to build, renovate, and install all of the equipment. We have already created the Management Board for the lab and should be passing its constitution and hiring a staff person to run the facility next week. We may be able to have the ribbon cutting/grand opening/open house by the first week of August! I don't have a ton of time (or many more details) at the moment, but I will surely be in touch with those of you who donated and will do my best to keep up with the blog posts as we continue working on this exciting project!
Also, my parents came to Ghana to visit for 2 weeks this month and it was absolutely amazing! They were troopers to 'rough it' a bit and make it all the way to my village for 4 days, which they both agreed was their favorite part of the trip! It was so great to see them and I think they were glad to see my community and the work I'm doing. They were able to visit the schools and the site where the computer lab will be and take pictures and videos to bring back and share with the elementary schools in Vermont (South Burlington, Underhill, and Bolton) that donated so much to the project.
This computer lab project should keep me very busy for the next few months and then I will be finishing up my service here in November... it seems so close!
Stay tuned for updates...
I've already got the 'before' pictures of the building taken and will soon be taking more pictures to document the process as we continue to build, renovate, and install all of the equipment. We have already created the Management Board for the lab and should be passing its constitution and hiring a staff person to run the facility next week. We may be able to have the ribbon cutting/grand opening/open house by the first week of August! I don't have a ton of time (or many more details) at the moment, but I will surely be in touch with those of you who donated and will do my best to keep up with the blog posts as we continue working on this exciting project!
Also, my parents came to Ghana to visit for 2 weeks this month and it was absolutely amazing! They were troopers to 'rough it' a bit and make it all the way to my village for 4 days, which they both agreed was their favorite part of the trip! It was so great to see them and I think they were glad to see my community and the work I'm doing. They were able to visit the schools and the site where the computer lab will be and take pictures and videos to bring back and share with the elementary schools in Vermont (South Burlington, Underhill, and Bolton) that donated so much to the project.
This computer lab project should keep me very busy for the next few months and then I will be finishing up my service here in November... it seems so close!
Stay tuned for updates...
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Burlington Free Press Article
If you haven't seen the article about the computer lab project in the Burlington Free Press (April 14th), check it out online:
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20100414/NEWS02/100413019/Vermont-students-raise-money-for-Ghana-school
If you are reading this blog for the first time as a result of the Free Press article, welcome! My most recent posts have more information about the Gwollu Computer Lab project and how you can contribute. Also, feel free to read the other posts about my experiences here in Ghana and enjoy the pictures. If you have any questions or want to know more about anything just email me and I'll be happy to respond.
Also, a huge THANK YOU to the students at Rick Marcotte Central School in South Burlington, VT and Underhill Central School in Underhill, VT who have already raised a combined $2,000 to support the students in Gwollu (see article)! I am so impressed at your generosity; it certainly means a lot to the students and teachers here!
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20100414/NEWS02/100413019/Vermont-students-raise-money-for-Ghana-school
If you are reading this blog for the first time as a result of the Free Press article, welcome! My most recent posts have more information about the Gwollu Computer Lab project and how you can contribute. Also, feel free to read the other posts about my experiences here in Ghana and enjoy the pictures. If you have any questions or want to know more about anything just email me and I'll be happy to respond.
Also, a huge THANK YOU to the students at Rick Marcotte Central School in South Burlington, VT and Underhill Central School in Underhill, VT who have already raised a combined $2,000 to support the students in Gwollu (see article)! I am so impressed at your generosity; it certainly means a lot to the students and teachers here!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Project Update: Please Donate Now!
Please use the following link to donate to our School Computer Lab project in Gwollu:
http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=641-294&
Sorry, for now you'll have to copy and paste the text above (when I try to make a link on blogspot it is not showing up at all).
For more information about the project, please read my previous post (below) or email me for the complete proposal. If the link above does not work for you, you can go to www.peacecorps.gov/donate and find my project (it is project # 641-294).
Thanks for your support!
On another note, I went to the paragliding festival last weekend and had a blast! I did an amazing tandem paragliding jump with a guy from Colorado (www.flytim.com), there were all sorts of Peace Corps Volunteers and other fun people there, we had a great place to stay on the mountain for the weekend, and there were all sorts of fun activities going on for the festival. I took some video with my new camera (even while in the air!), but the files are too big to upload here. I'll try to get pictures from my friends when I see them at the end of the month and put some up.
http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=641-294&
Sorry, for now you'll have to copy and paste the text above (when I try to make a link on blogspot it is not showing up at all).
For more information about the project, please read my previous post (below) or email me for the complete proposal. If the link above does not work for you, you can go to www.peacecorps.gov/donate and find my project (it is project # 641-294).
Thanks for your support!
On another note, I went to the paragliding festival last weekend and had a blast! I did an amazing tandem paragliding jump with a guy from Colorado (www.flytim.com), there were all sorts of Peace Corps Volunteers and other fun people there, we had a great place to stay on the mountain for the weekend, and there were all sorts of fun activities going on for the festival. I took some video with my new camera (even while in the air!), but the files are too big to upload here. I'll try to get pictures from my friends when I see them at the end of the month and put some up.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Help Me Help Gwollu: Donate to the Gwollu Schools Computer Lab Project!
Next week I will be able to post a direct link to donate to my project (I hope), but for now please wait until I post that link or check here (search for "Luck" or click "donate to volunteer projects" and search for projects in Ghana to see if they have put up the information: www.peacecorps.gov/donate
Hello again everyone! It has been awhile since I have updated the blog (as usual, sorry), but I have been hard at work getting a proposal ready to create a computer lab for the schools in Gwollu. There is a description of the project at the link above and an opportunity for you to donate safely, easily, and tax deductible-y online.
Here is a little bit about how the process works and some more details about the project:
I have applied to the Peace Corps Partnership Program for a total of $5,887.41 to help us create a computer lab in Gwollu to be used mostly by students and teachers, but also by the general public. The way the Peace Corps Partnership works is that it relies on a Peace Corps Volunteer’s (Me) family and friends (You!) to donate the complete amount requested before releasing the money to carry out the project. I was also able to submit names and addresses where they will send a copy of the complete proposal, so if I had your address there may be one on its way to your house (I submitted 77 addresses of individuals and organizations!). Of course, anyone else with an interest in supporting the project can donate as well.
So, I am humbly asking that you all donate to the best of your ability. For those who are students or in between jobs, if you could even spare $10 or $20 it would help us reach our goal. Whether you can donate a lot, a little, or nothing I would appreciate it if you share the link with your friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors to give them a chance to learn about the project and donate. A friend of mine here made a similar appeal to his family, who then decided to hold a garage sale and donate all proceeds to his project… they raised over $2,000 in one garage sale! Thanks for the idea, Vainer Family!
After living in this community for 15 months I can honestly attest to this project’s worthiness and its potential to make a huge impact for the students, teachers, and residents of Gwollu. I will be here until November or December to see the project through to completion, train a staff member to operate it, and help to train teachers, students, and administrators on how to effectively utilize the facility. We will also set up a 5-member Management Board consisting of Ghana Education Service staff, District Assembly staff, the District Information Officer, an adult community member, and a student to oversee and manage the lab, which will make the project sustainable in my absence. This is truly a unique opportunity to donate to a project that you have a strong connection to, that you can see the results of (I will provide pictures and blog updates, I promise!), and that will take ZERO money for “administrative costs” or anything of the sort.
I thank you all in advance for your support… I know that whether you throw in $10, $1,000, or just share the project with your peers, you will have done the best you can to help the students in this seriously disadvantaged and underdeveloped part of the world. Remember, I can’t receive any funds until the complete budgeted amount is donated, so when (or if) I can begin and complete the project depends on everyone’s ability to pitch in! Also, the information at the link is just a short, 250-word summary of the project. If you would like more information, or the complete proposal (with detailed budget and more information about implementation and sustainability), I would be happy to email it to you. Just send me an email and let me know. Many of you (those for whom I had addresses) should be receiving the complete proposal in the mail.
World Map Project, etc…
Aside from getting the computer lab proposal ready I have also done a few other things worth mentioning since I last wrote.
Six other volunteers from the Upper West Region and I painted a huge world map on the wall of a library in a volunteer’s community. We had a lot of fun drawing and painting the map over 3 days and it came out great! The volunteer whose site we were at had done the project already at her school, so that made things a bit easier. The first day we just drew a huge grid on the wall, of which I forget the dimensions but it created many hundreds of squares. Then we each took portions of the grid and hand drew the entire world map with pencils following the World Map Project guidebook. Finally we painted and labeled all of the individual countries and bodies of water. It was quite a task, but there were a lot of us to do it (plus a few little Ghanaian kid helpers) and I was amazed at how awesome the final product looked. I hope to complete the project some time in Gwollu if I can save up enough money for the paint and supplies. I may try to do it with some teachers and students on one of the walls of our computer lab to be!
Earlier this month I went down to our office in Kumasi to do some paperwork and budgeting for the computer lab project and I was able to meet up with a few friends and have a fun time in the city. My friends were headed to Accra and since I still needed to price out some more equipment for the lab I joined them. We ended up being in Accra (the capital) for Ghana Independence Day and got to see a really cool concert on the street. That night we also tried to go to a nice nightclub, but I couldn’t get in because I was wearing shorts… even in the city I wasn’t thinking that we might go somewhere with a dress code! Not to worry, though, I was able to buy a VERY tight pair of used jeans from a man on a nearby street corner, who had been using them as his pillow. After I amazed myself, my friends, and a few other onlookers by actually getting them on (and buttoned!), we got right into the club. It was pretty difficult to dance in my new tight denim pants, but apparently they looked better than my khaki shorts and the rest of the night was a blast.
Last Wednesday we had some events in town for World TB (Tuberculosis) Day. Although the TB vaccine is available to newborns, infants, and adults in Ghana, a large proportion of the population is unvaccinated and at risk for contracting TB. Also, although diagnosis and treatment of TB is 100% free and very effective when done correctly, many (I think most in our area) cases go undiagnosed, which, sadly, eventually leads to death. Yesterday, the school children had a parade with banners about how to prevent and treat TB and we held a durbar (community event/meeting) at the school with health talks about TB. The events were on a smaller scale than our World AIDS Day events, but I think we got the basic message across to the students pretty well: if anyone experiences a cough for 2 weeks they need to go get tested for TB and if they are positive they need to take ALL medications given to them for the COMPLETE duration recommended by the health center!
During Easter weekend (this weekend) I will be traveling down to the Eastern Region to go to a paragliding festival! The festival is in a town with these awesome mountain/rock/cliff looking things that seem to just rise out of nowhere; it’s a really beautiful area (check it out at www.ghanaparagliding.com). I fully intend on doing a tandem paragliding “jump,” so if all goes as planned I should have some good pictures/stories to share next time I write! At the end of April, we also have a conference for all Peace Corps volunteers. My group didn’t attend the conference last year, but it included a talent show and Peace Corps Prom, which will surely be repeated this year… can’t wait!
The hottest time of the year where I live is almost over… it should start to rain for the first time in months sometime in April and cool things down a little bit. Lately it has been just been dead heat (I put a digital thermometer in the sun one day and it got up to 124 degrees). Everything is so dusty during this season… I’ll sweep, dust, and clean everything in my house and by the next day its all covered in dust/dirt again!
I think that’s all I’ve got for now. I imagine the weather must be getting really nice at home now too; I’ve heard there has been some good late season skiing in VT and I am sure the baseball tailgates at Clemson have already begun… I am jealous but I hope next year I may finally experience 4 seasons once again!
Hello again everyone! It has been awhile since I have updated the blog (as usual, sorry), but I have been hard at work getting a proposal ready to create a computer lab for the schools in Gwollu. There is a description of the project at the link above and an opportunity for you to donate safely, easily, and tax deductible-y online.
Here is a little bit about how the process works and some more details about the project:
I have applied to the Peace Corps Partnership Program for a total of $5,887.41 to help us create a computer lab in Gwollu to be used mostly by students and teachers, but also by the general public. The way the Peace Corps Partnership works is that it relies on a Peace Corps Volunteer’s (Me) family and friends (You!) to donate the complete amount requested before releasing the money to carry out the project. I was also able to submit names and addresses where they will send a copy of the complete proposal, so if I had your address there may be one on its way to your house (I submitted 77 addresses of individuals and organizations!). Of course, anyone else with an interest in supporting the project can donate as well.
So, I am humbly asking that you all donate to the best of your ability. For those who are students or in between jobs, if you could even spare $10 or $20 it would help us reach our goal. Whether you can donate a lot, a little, or nothing I would appreciate it if you share the link with your friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors to give them a chance to learn about the project and donate. A friend of mine here made a similar appeal to his family, who then decided to hold a garage sale and donate all proceeds to his project… they raised over $2,000 in one garage sale! Thanks for the idea, Vainer Family!
After living in this community for 15 months I can honestly attest to this project’s worthiness and its potential to make a huge impact for the students, teachers, and residents of Gwollu. I will be here until November or December to see the project through to completion, train a staff member to operate it, and help to train teachers, students, and administrators on how to effectively utilize the facility. We will also set up a 5-member Management Board consisting of Ghana Education Service staff, District Assembly staff, the District Information Officer, an adult community member, and a student to oversee and manage the lab, which will make the project sustainable in my absence. This is truly a unique opportunity to donate to a project that you have a strong connection to, that you can see the results of (I will provide pictures and blog updates, I promise!), and that will take ZERO money for “administrative costs” or anything of the sort.
I thank you all in advance for your support… I know that whether you throw in $10, $1,000, or just share the project with your peers, you will have done the best you can to help the students in this seriously disadvantaged and underdeveloped part of the world. Remember, I can’t receive any funds until the complete budgeted amount is donated, so when (or if) I can begin and complete the project depends on everyone’s ability to pitch in! Also, the information at the link is just a short, 250-word summary of the project. If you would like more information, or the complete proposal (with detailed budget and more information about implementation and sustainability), I would be happy to email it to you. Just send me an email and let me know. Many of you (those for whom I had addresses) should be receiving the complete proposal in the mail.
World Map Project, etc…
Aside from getting the computer lab proposal ready I have also done a few other things worth mentioning since I last wrote.
Six other volunteers from the Upper West Region and I painted a huge world map on the wall of a library in a volunteer’s community. We had a lot of fun drawing and painting the map over 3 days and it came out great! The volunteer whose site we were at had done the project already at her school, so that made things a bit easier. The first day we just drew a huge grid on the wall, of which I forget the dimensions but it created many hundreds of squares. Then we each took portions of the grid and hand drew the entire world map with pencils following the World Map Project guidebook. Finally we painted and labeled all of the individual countries and bodies of water. It was quite a task, but there were a lot of us to do it (plus a few little Ghanaian kid helpers) and I was amazed at how awesome the final product looked. I hope to complete the project some time in Gwollu if I can save up enough money for the paint and supplies. I may try to do it with some teachers and students on one of the walls of our computer lab to be!
Earlier this month I went down to our office in Kumasi to do some paperwork and budgeting for the computer lab project and I was able to meet up with a few friends and have a fun time in the city. My friends were headed to Accra and since I still needed to price out some more equipment for the lab I joined them. We ended up being in Accra (the capital) for Ghana Independence Day and got to see a really cool concert on the street. That night we also tried to go to a nice nightclub, but I couldn’t get in because I was wearing shorts… even in the city I wasn’t thinking that we might go somewhere with a dress code! Not to worry, though, I was able to buy a VERY tight pair of used jeans from a man on a nearby street corner, who had been using them as his pillow. After I amazed myself, my friends, and a few other onlookers by actually getting them on (and buttoned!), we got right into the club. It was pretty difficult to dance in my new tight denim pants, but apparently they looked better than my khaki shorts and the rest of the night was a blast.
Last Wednesday we had some events in town for World TB (Tuberculosis) Day. Although the TB vaccine is available to newborns, infants, and adults in Ghana, a large proportion of the population is unvaccinated and at risk for contracting TB. Also, although diagnosis and treatment of TB is 100% free and very effective when done correctly, many (I think most in our area) cases go undiagnosed, which, sadly, eventually leads to death. Yesterday, the school children had a parade with banners about how to prevent and treat TB and we held a durbar (community event/meeting) at the school with health talks about TB. The events were on a smaller scale than our World AIDS Day events, but I think we got the basic message across to the students pretty well: if anyone experiences a cough for 2 weeks they need to go get tested for TB and if they are positive they need to take ALL medications given to them for the COMPLETE duration recommended by the health center!
During Easter weekend (this weekend) I will be traveling down to the Eastern Region to go to a paragliding festival! The festival is in a town with these awesome mountain/rock/cliff looking things that seem to just rise out of nowhere; it’s a really beautiful area (check it out at www.ghanaparagliding.com). I fully intend on doing a tandem paragliding “jump,” so if all goes as planned I should have some good pictures/stories to share next time I write! At the end of April, we also have a conference for all Peace Corps volunteers. My group didn’t attend the conference last year, but it included a talent show and Peace Corps Prom, which will surely be repeated this year… can’t wait!
The hottest time of the year where I live is almost over… it should start to rain for the first time in months sometime in April and cool things down a little bit. Lately it has been just been dead heat (I put a digital thermometer in the sun one day and it got up to 124 degrees). Everything is so dusty during this season… I’ll sweep, dust, and clean everything in my house and by the next day its all covered in dust/dirt again!
I think that’s all I’ve got for now. I imagine the weather must be getting really nice at home now too; I’ve heard there has been some good late season skiing in VT and I am sure the baseball tailgates at Clemson have already begun… I am jealous but I hope next year I may finally experience 4 seasons once again!
Monday, January 25, 2010
It's a Party in the U.S.A.!
Or at least it was...
So I am back in Ghana now after an AMAZING month in the U.S. My month at home was filled with family, friends, cold, snow, travel, American food and drinks, and some (okay, a lot of) relaxing couch time. My first meal in the states was a burger and fries at Wendy’s and a big glass of Sam Adams at the JFK Airport (everyone has been asking me that question). I got into VT at 10:30 that evening and was greeted by a Parks and Rec. staff party at my brother’s new house. The next day was chicken fajitas at the Luck family household and it was all gravy from there… I went to the Luck family Christmas party, my cousins and their families (babies!) came into town for Christmas weekend, I went snowboarding after we got 30+ inches of snow in a couple days, saw Avatar in 3D at the movie theater, went to Mohegan Sun Casino (saw Naughty By Nature and DJ Skribble!) for new years eve, visited Clemson for a fun, wild long weekend, presented about my Gwollu school to my mom’s school, went up to Montreal for a night, and had so many great days, nights, meals, drinks, and just overall wonderful times with my family and friends while at home. THANK YOU to everyone who made my time at home so special and fun. It was my only month out of 27 that I was able to be in America so I tried to do as much and see as many people as possible, but even so I wasn’t able to see or even talk to everyone so if that includes you I apologize.
Back in Ghana
I’ve been back for about 6 days and have been slowly making my way to Gwollu. I will get on a bus at about 1:30 this afternoon to make the last 4 hours of the journey and I will finally be in my Ghanaian home tonight. I am so excited to see my dog, my friends, and everyone in town! It will be great to unpack these two big bags that I have been lugging the length of the country for the past 6 days and settle into my own house and bed.
Although I loved my time at home over the holidays, there are plenty of people and things about Ghana that I miss. I’m excited to return to Gwollu after a refreshing break with a renewed sense of purpose and I’m ready to work through (and around) some problems that have stood in the way of my effectiveness over the past 15 months. Speaking of months, I have only about 10-11 left to complete my service… I am due to complete my service sometime in November of this year. With a few conferences and events upcoming, and a big project at the school in Gwollu (details to come) to keep me busy this time will surely go by very fast.
Pennies for Gwollu
While I was at home, I was able to share part of my Peace Corps experience with the students at Rick Marcotte Central Elementary School in South Burlington, VT, where my mom works. I shared pictures, video, and information about Gwollu L/A Primary School, where I do some work with the students and teachers. The students, their families, and the faculty at my mom’s school are raising money all year to be sent to help me complete a project at the school in Gwollu. They have dubbed the fundraising effort “Pennies for Gwollu” and the kids have already brought in over $500 in change (and some bigger donations by staff)! I think the kids and teachers in VT were very interested and moved by the differences in their opportunities and facilities at school versus those of the children in Gwollu. I have begun talks with the Education Director, teachers, and students in Gwollu to identify what an appropriate use of the funds would be and will iron out the details in the next few months. What I would like to do is get the local government to also contribute towards a project that would create a computer lab and library facility for the schools in and around Gwollu, which I could then furnish with appropriate equipment using the donations from the U.S. Whatever the final project proposal looks like, I will likely write a proposal for additional funds, which would then be posted online for anyone to donate to (I’ve written about the details of the Peace Corps Partnership Program in a previous post, and will give the necessary details again when I complete the application). I’ll be trying to put this all together in the next few months, but pricing things out for a proposal and getting local people to commit to a certain contribution will certainly take some time. Once I have all the pieces together (who is contributing what and when, and how each source will come together to finish the project before I leave) I’ll let you know what the plan is.
My presentation at the school also yielded some immediate support from home to the students of Gwollu. A local Girl Scouts troupe has done a book drive and got a local company to pay to ship books to the school. Also, an individual and a classroom at my mom’s school are both working to send over some art supplies and the same class is writing letters to my students in Gwollu. Thanks for your support! On my part, I can promise that any funds or supplies sent will be spent/used judiciously and I am always happy to provide pictures/videos (got a great new video camera for Christmas… but keep in mind the slow internet here makes it hard to get pictures/video uploaded to share) to show the impact you have helped make!
That’s all for now… thanks again to everyone who made my time at home so wonderful. Whether I got to tell you individually or not, it was so great to spend time with each and every one of you… if you could only know how much I miss you all when I am so far away!
-Adam
So I am back in Ghana now after an AMAZING month in the U.S. My month at home was filled with family, friends, cold, snow, travel, American food and drinks, and some (okay, a lot of) relaxing couch time. My first meal in the states was a burger and fries at Wendy’s and a big glass of Sam Adams at the JFK Airport (everyone has been asking me that question). I got into VT at 10:30 that evening and was greeted by a Parks and Rec. staff party at my brother’s new house. The next day was chicken fajitas at the Luck family household and it was all gravy from there… I went to the Luck family Christmas party, my cousins and their families (babies!) came into town for Christmas weekend, I went snowboarding after we got 30+ inches of snow in a couple days, saw Avatar in 3D at the movie theater, went to Mohegan Sun Casino (saw Naughty By Nature and DJ Skribble!) for new years eve, visited Clemson for a fun, wild long weekend, presented about my Gwollu school to my mom’s school, went up to Montreal for a night, and had so many great days, nights, meals, drinks, and just overall wonderful times with my family and friends while at home. THANK YOU to everyone who made my time at home so special and fun. It was my only month out of 27 that I was able to be in America so I tried to do as much and see as many people as possible, but even so I wasn’t able to see or even talk to everyone so if that includes you I apologize.
Back in Ghana
I’ve been back for about 6 days and have been slowly making my way to Gwollu. I will get on a bus at about 1:30 this afternoon to make the last 4 hours of the journey and I will finally be in my Ghanaian home tonight. I am so excited to see my dog, my friends, and everyone in town! It will be great to unpack these two big bags that I have been lugging the length of the country for the past 6 days and settle into my own house and bed.
Although I loved my time at home over the holidays, there are plenty of people and things about Ghana that I miss. I’m excited to return to Gwollu after a refreshing break with a renewed sense of purpose and I’m ready to work through (and around) some problems that have stood in the way of my effectiveness over the past 15 months. Speaking of months, I have only about 10-11 left to complete my service… I am due to complete my service sometime in November of this year. With a few conferences and events upcoming, and a big project at the school in Gwollu (details to come) to keep me busy this time will surely go by very fast.
Pennies for Gwollu
While I was at home, I was able to share part of my Peace Corps experience with the students at Rick Marcotte Central Elementary School in South Burlington, VT, where my mom works. I shared pictures, video, and information about Gwollu L/A Primary School, where I do some work with the students and teachers. The students, their families, and the faculty at my mom’s school are raising money all year to be sent to help me complete a project at the school in Gwollu. They have dubbed the fundraising effort “Pennies for Gwollu” and the kids have already brought in over $500 in change (and some bigger donations by staff)! I think the kids and teachers in VT were very interested and moved by the differences in their opportunities and facilities at school versus those of the children in Gwollu. I have begun talks with the Education Director, teachers, and students in Gwollu to identify what an appropriate use of the funds would be and will iron out the details in the next few months. What I would like to do is get the local government to also contribute towards a project that would create a computer lab and library facility for the schools in and around Gwollu, which I could then furnish with appropriate equipment using the donations from the U.S. Whatever the final project proposal looks like, I will likely write a proposal for additional funds, which would then be posted online for anyone to donate to (I’ve written about the details of the Peace Corps Partnership Program in a previous post, and will give the necessary details again when I complete the application). I’ll be trying to put this all together in the next few months, but pricing things out for a proposal and getting local people to commit to a certain contribution will certainly take some time. Once I have all the pieces together (who is contributing what and when, and how each source will come together to finish the project before I leave) I’ll let you know what the plan is.
My presentation at the school also yielded some immediate support from home to the students of Gwollu. A local Girl Scouts troupe has done a book drive and got a local company to pay to ship books to the school. Also, an individual and a classroom at my mom’s school are both working to send over some art supplies and the same class is writing letters to my students in Gwollu. Thanks for your support! On my part, I can promise that any funds or supplies sent will be spent/used judiciously and I am always happy to provide pictures/videos (got a great new video camera for Christmas… but keep in mind the slow internet here makes it hard to get pictures/video uploaded to share) to show the impact you have helped make!
That’s all for now… thanks again to everyone who made my time at home so wonderful. Whether I got to tell you individually or not, it was so great to spend time with each and every one of you… if you could only know how much I miss you all when I am so far away!
-Adam
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Still Alive!
Yes, I am still alive! I know most of you are not rushing to this site every day to check for an update from me, but for those who have enjoyed hearing about my adventures, I sincerely apologize for the lack of communication. When I decided to start a blog during my time in Ghana I never thought so many people (friends, family, and many people whom I have never met) would be reading it and wanting to hear more. So, with that said, here is what has been going on for the past few months…
Brad and Gil Visit Ghana
My brother and best friend visited me in Ghana for the last two weeks of August and we had an amazing time! It was so great to see them after so long and spend a couple weeks traveling around Ghana. Although all of the sights were new for them (neither had been to Africa before), almost all of the fun places we went were new for me as well. It was so cool to experience all of the beautiful and fun things here in Ghana that I had not had the time or money to do before.
They flew into Accra, Ghana’s capital city, and we spent a night there before starting the long journey (they agreed to brave the public transportation) to Gwollu, where I live. I chose a hotel that was, in my mind, extremely fancy only to find out quickly after their arrival how much my standards have changed over the past year (I have been in Ghana since September 29, 2008… passed my 1 year mark last month!). The things that impressed me so much, clean bed sheets, a hot water shower, a TV (20” color with 6 channels! It even had CNN, but there was no sound), air conditioning, and the fact that we were on the 4th floor of a building, didn’t seem to excite Brad and Gil so much. But we enjoyed our night in Accra anyway and headed north the next day. It takes a few days to reach Gwollu from Accra… total travel time is about 18-20 hours actually on a bus, and I usually have to change busses/vans 3 or 4 times on the way. The first leg of the trip was okay, we were packed pretty tightly into a van but we at least splurged enough to go in an air-conditioned vehicle. The next long leg was 7 hours from Kumasi to Wa and we found another air-conditioned van that would make the trip as soon as it filled. After waiting for a little bit for other passengers, Brad and Gil thought out loud about what they were in for… “How many people sit in each row of this thing?” “Three.” “And we have to sit in it for seven hours on bad roads?” “Yep…” Anyway, after deliberating the idea for a couple minutes, Brad and Gil decided to buy tickets for all 14 seats on the van so that it would leave immediately and we could each have a row of seats to ourselves to lay down! It was a bit ridiculous (I am a little embarrassed telling other volunteers about it) but amazingly comfortable compared to what I usually deal with so if that was what they wanted I was certainly not going to protest.
We spent a couple of days in Gwollu and the guys got to meet my friends and co-workers and experience a bit of what life in Gwollu is like. We arrived on market day, which happens in the middle of town every 6 days, so they got to see the town at its busiest. In Gwollu we also drank pito, which is a locally brewed beer (basically) made from millet and tried some other local foods. We also played volleyball both evenings they were here (I play almost every day with the same group of guys) and that was really fun… the Gwollu guys really enjoyed it and thought it was funny to have three big, white guys on the court. I was a little worried their skills wouldn’t be up to par with the athletic Ghanaians, but they were really good… they each had a few good spikes, which drew cheers from all around.
From Gwollu we headed south and over the next 10 days we saw the cities of Bolgatanga, Tamale, Kumasi, Elmina, and Takoradi and went to Mole National Park, Kintampo Waterfalls, Cape Coast Castle, Kakum National Park, and Busua Beach. It was a little exhausting to see so much in just 2 weeks, but I am definitely glad we pushed ourselves to include so much and I think the other guys are too. Oh yeah, and after meeting my best friend in Gwollu, Kardiri, Brad and Gil decided it would be nice to invite him along, so he joined us for the whole rest of the trip! It was really nice of the guys to invite Kardiri (and pay for him); he also had never experienced so many of the awesome things in his own country that we were able to see on our trip.
Mole National Park was amazing! The night we arrived we went around the park in a truck and saw a bunch of things, but we saw even more (and closer up) the next morning going around on foot with an armed park ranger (his name was Jeeves, great guy). We were able to get very close to huge elephants, baboons, monkeys, antelope, warthogs, and all sorts of birds. We stayed at Mole Motel, which is the only accommodation within the park grounds and it was really nice. The rooms had a/c, a TV, and a stocked fridge (mini-bar!) and from a veranda outside our rooms we could look over the whole park and see a big watering hole where the animals came to drink (we even saw some elephants swimming/bathing in it). There was also a pool there (also overlooking the watering hole) and great food. After breakfast on our second day there a monkey came right up to where we were eating next to the pool and stole a piece of toast right out of a little kid’s hand. We found it hilarious; the kid was not so amused. The monkey then jumped on our table, we had moved a couple feet away by then, and drank the rest of our juice and stole all of the sugar cubes and milk that came with our coffee. It was awesome.
It was great to see Cape Coast Castle and especially cool because President Obama and his family had just been there the month before us. The tour was full of historical (also appalling and sad at times) information about the slave trade. It’s one thing to hear or read about how slaves were crammed in dark, windowless dungeons by the hundreds and kept there for so long before being crammed into equally rough conditions and shipped to a life of forced servitude and it is a whole other thing to stand in the rooms where it actually took place.
At Kakum National Park, we went on the Canopy Walk, which is a series of long wood/rope bridges very high up in the trees of the rain forest. It was really scary, but also a lot of fun. There weren’t animals to see, like at Mole, but just being so high up and looking down at the rain forest was awesome.
We spent our last few days at Busua Beach Resort in the Western Region of Ghana. The place was sooooo nice! The beach was very clean and great for swimming and our rooms were right on it. After going to all corners of the country in such a short time (we made it to 9 of Ghana’s 10 regions) it was great to have a few days to rest and relax on the beach with great food and nice accommodations.
Email me if you want a link to the pictures from the trip. Also, if anyone else wants to come visit, you are welcome any time!
HIV/AIDS Work
Over the past couple of months I have begun doing a lot of HIV/AIDS prevention work in my district. A friend of mine in town, Sibiri, just finished with his degree from the University of Development Studies in Wa and has started a local non-governmental organization in Gwollu called Rural Indigenous Development Centre (RIDEC). Last month Sibiri and I went to a weeklong HIV/AIDS training program in Kumasi that was put on by the Peace Corps and we took back a lot of great information, materials, and ideas for projects. Among other projects, Sibiri’s group got funding from the Ghana AIDS Commission to conduct a yearlong project in our district. I have been working with RIDEC a lot to help plan and carry out their activities. We have been going to the very rural parts of our district to identify community peer educators and conduct trainings for them to learn about HIV/AIDS and how they can prevent it in their villages. Our program also involves HIV testing and counseling, condom distribution, creating HIV/AIDS Awareness Clubs in all of the district’s schools, holding large events (durbars) to increase awareness, and providing support for those living with HIV/AIDS. So far we’ve been really successful with getting people from all over the district informed and involved and the project will be great for me because it will keep me busy throughout the next year. I’ll keep you updated on our progress… we are now planning a big soccer tournament event in Gwollu for World AIDS Day on December 1st.
Work Troubles
Part of the reason that I haven’t updated my blog in so long was that my future in Gwollu was a bit uncertain over the past month. Due to things mostly beyond my control, life in Ghana has been pretty frustrating and stressful over the past month. I’ll do my best to explain what’s up but some details are just boring and others may not be appropriate for such a public forum. The good news is that everything seems to be fine now and I am back in Gwollu happy and working.
What happened, on a very basic level, was that in August a traditional leader in Gwollu decided to dissolve the tourism committee that I had been doing all of my work with for 9 months. This came as a complete surprise to me and all other people involved (voluntarily) in tourism development in Gwollu. Since then, many members of the community have been trying to work out their differences with the certain traditional leader, but not much progress has been made. The result, for me, has been that there is currently no organized group for me to support. Since I am here to support community-based tourism, not a private enterprise, it has had a great effect on the work that I was actually sent here to do. Since this happened, I had been talking with my Associate Director at the Peace Corps and trying to be patient and neutral (traditional leaders, no matter their actions, are held in high regard in Ghanaian culture, so the issue is something I shouldn’t really be involved with as a visitor to the district/country) as the community worked out their problems and found the best way forward. After sharing my disappointment with the traditional leader about his decision and my desire to create a more representative body to manage tourism in Gwollu, he took the problem a step further. After this traditional leader called the Peace Corps to talk about the problem, Peace Corps decided that maybe Gwollu wasn’t the best (or safest) place for me to be. Bummer! I was already in Accra at the time for a meeting, so PC had me stay there until we could work out a solution. It was difficult to be in Accra for over a week feeling like I had no home. My directors were talking to me about places I may move to (in other regions of the country) if things in Gwollu didn’t work out. After being here for a year I finally feel settled, know my local language well, and have friends in a place and all of a sudden it seemed I was going to have to start all over somewhere else.
Anyway, I have been back in Gwollu now since October 9th and it seems I will be able to stay here (I hope!). Things actually may work out to be better now because of all of this. Today (October 20th) is my first day in my new office! I am still living in Gwollu in the same place (with Snoop, who is great by the way), but my job description has been broadened and I have been given an office at the District Assembly (which is the local government body). The District Chief Executive and Presiding Member of Parliament for our district worked very hard to convince the Peace Corps that I should return to Gwollu and they have helped to redefine my role here a bit so that I can be more effective. My office is in the District Assembly Administration Block in Gwollu (just a short bike ride across town from my house… Snoop runs behind my bike and then guards it while I am in the office) so I am right down the hall from all the other district government and development workers. I’ll have to see how much this really changes things as time goes on… I certainly do not have a 9 to 5 job now (although I did use the term “lunch break” for the first time in Ghana today). I can come and go from the office as I need (so I can still spend plenty of time interacting with the community), but it will be nice to have a place to work close to the big wigs and with facilities (I can have use of a vehicle and driver if I need it to visit other communities for work and I can use the printer!) I will be supporting tourism development still, but now within the whole district. We will be forming a new district-wide tourism committee at the assembly that I will work closely with and we are still trying to work through the problems with who is in charge of tourism management in Gwollu. I hope those issues will be solved soon, because currently visitors to Gwollu are not be properly received and there is no body in place to effectively collect or account for any fees paid by tourists.
So, that’s what is going on with my work for now… I’ll keep you updated if there are any new developments!
Halloween/Thanksgiving/HOME!
Halloween is coming up soon and I’ll go get together with some other Peace Corps Volunteers for a party. I am still thinking about what to dress up as but for now I am only sure that it will involve a pretty serious haircut and facial hair trim. I haven’t cut my hair since probably July, so it is as long as it has been in Ghana and just waiting to be cut into a mullet, a mohawk, or both! I also haven’t trimmed my beard in about a month, so I am sure I can incorporate some sort of funny arrangement there too. Right now the leading candidates for my costume are redneck or rock star, neither of which should require much work. The markets here always have huge piles of clothes for so cheap… Ghanaians call them “dead obroni (white man)” clothes. Anyway, there are some great finds in these piles, it’s like the best (or worst) of salvation army and garage sales combined, especially if shopping for Halloween costumes. I’ll do my costume shopping at the Wa market on my way to the party and try to get a picture of us in our costumes up next time I post; I am sure there will be some very creative outfits.
No plans for Thanksgiving yet but I am sure we will do something. Shortly after Thanksgiving though, I will be HOME FOR A MONTH! I am so excited to come home to see family and friends for a whole month, December 18 to January 18. I will also get to visit CLEMSON from January 6-10 (thanks to Aunt Sandy for the plane ticket), which will be great. December 18th might seem like a long way away, but time seems to go by fast here and I have already been thinking for quite a while about all of the things I want to do while I am home. I will have so many people to see, fun things to do, and delicious things to eat! Anyway, if you will be in VT any time while I am home be sure to email me or something so I can see you… also Clemson people should consider the weekend of January 8-10 a mandatory reunion weekend, no excuses (most of you can drive there in a few hours, I am coming all the way from Africa for a weekend!). I will try to get my U.S. cell phone working again for the month I am home with the same number I used to have so that people can get a hold of me.
Until Next Time…
Well, again I apologize for not posting for so long but this one should give you enough of me for a little bit. I hope all is well at home with everybody and I am excited to see so many of you very soon!
p.s.- while I was gone for a few weeks an extended family of mice took residence in my kitchen and house! My friend Mashoud and I killed 12 of them the other day and I have killed a few more since. I had a massive cleaning day a few days ago and duct taped up all the places where I thought they were getting in… I think I’ve won the battle, but we’ll see if they return!
p.p.s.-wrote this last week and travelled to Tumu just to post it only to learn that the internet place was closed and has been for awhile. I am in Wa now, which is where it seems like I will have to come for internet access now... the roads have gotten so much worse over the rainy season and some busses/vans have stopped running so it now takes me about 5 hours to reach Wa (if I can get means!).
p.p.p.s- Hippo Attack! My friend, another Peace Corps Volunteer in the Upper West, was attacked by a hippo in his village this morning! A hippo came into his village (they are 10k away from the river) so he and many others went to see it and take pictures and after it went behind a bush he saw everyone running and he fell down and got hit by the hippo! He didn't even realize he was hurt until he went to bathe and saw blood... there was a big chunk of his butt missing! Anyway, I visited him in the hospital today and he is doing fine... they have stitched him up and given him medicine and he will go to the hospital in Tamale tomorrow to get it checked out there. Thankfully he will be fine, but what a horrible, scary experience!
Brad and Gil Visit Ghana
My brother and best friend visited me in Ghana for the last two weeks of August and we had an amazing time! It was so great to see them after so long and spend a couple weeks traveling around Ghana. Although all of the sights were new for them (neither had been to Africa before), almost all of the fun places we went were new for me as well. It was so cool to experience all of the beautiful and fun things here in Ghana that I had not had the time or money to do before.
They flew into Accra, Ghana’s capital city, and we spent a night there before starting the long journey (they agreed to brave the public transportation) to Gwollu, where I live. I chose a hotel that was, in my mind, extremely fancy only to find out quickly after their arrival how much my standards have changed over the past year (I have been in Ghana since September 29, 2008… passed my 1 year mark last month!). The things that impressed me so much, clean bed sheets, a hot water shower, a TV (20” color with 6 channels! It even had CNN, but there was no sound), air conditioning, and the fact that we were on the 4th floor of a building, didn’t seem to excite Brad and Gil so much. But we enjoyed our night in Accra anyway and headed north the next day. It takes a few days to reach Gwollu from Accra… total travel time is about 18-20 hours actually on a bus, and I usually have to change busses/vans 3 or 4 times on the way. The first leg of the trip was okay, we were packed pretty tightly into a van but we at least splurged enough to go in an air-conditioned vehicle. The next long leg was 7 hours from Kumasi to Wa and we found another air-conditioned van that would make the trip as soon as it filled. After waiting for a little bit for other passengers, Brad and Gil thought out loud about what they were in for… “How many people sit in each row of this thing?” “Three.” “And we have to sit in it for seven hours on bad roads?” “Yep…” Anyway, after deliberating the idea for a couple minutes, Brad and Gil decided to buy tickets for all 14 seats on the van so that it would leave immediately and we could each have a row of seats to ourselves to lay down! It was a bit ridiculous (I am a little embarrassed telling other volunteers about it) but amazingly comfortable compared to what I usually deal with so if that was what they wanted I was certainly not going to protest.
We spent a couple of days in Gwollu and the guys got to meet my friends and co-workers and experience a bit of what life in Gwollu is like. We arrived on market day, which happens in the middle of town every 6 days, so they got to see the town at its busiest. In Gwollu we also drank pito, which is a locally brewed beer (basically) made from millet and tried some other local foods. We also played volleyball both evenings they were here (I play almost every day with the same group of guys) and that was really fun… the Gwollu guys really enjoyed it and thought it was funny to have three big, white guys on the court. I was a little worried their skills wouldn’t be up to par with the athletic Ghanaians, but they were really good… they each had a few good spikes, which drew cheers from all around.
From Gwollu we headed south and over the next 10 days we saw the cities of Bolgatanga, Tamale, Kumasi, Elmina, and Takoradi and went to Mole National Park, Kintampo Waterfalls, Cape Coast Castle, Kakum National Park, and Busua Beach. It was a little exhausting to see so much in just 2 weeks, but I am definitely glad we pushed ourselves to include so much and I think the other guys are too. Oh yeah, and after meeting my best friend in Gwollu, Kardiri, Brad and Gil decided it would be nice to invite him along, so he joined us for the whole rest of the trip! It was really nice of the guys to invite Kardiri (and pay for him); he also had never experienced so many of the awesome things in his own country that we were able to see on our trip.
Mole National Park was amazing! The night we arrived we went around the park in a truck and saw a bunch of things, but we saw even more (and closer up) the next morning going around on foot with an armed park ranger (his name was Jeeves, great guy). We were able to get very close to huge elephants, baboons, monkeys, antelope, warthogs, and all sorts of birds. We stayed at Mole Motel, which is the only accommodation within the park grounds and it was really nice. The rooms had a/c, a TV, and a stocked fridge (mini-bar!) and from a veranda outside our rooms we could look over the whole park and see a big watering hole where the animals came to drink (we even saw some elephants swimming/bathing in it). There was also a pool there (also overlooking the watering hole) and great food. After breakfast on our second day there a monkey came right up to where we were eating next to the pool and stole a piece of toast right out of a little kid’s hand. We found it hilarious; the kid was not so amused. The monkey then jumped on our table, we had moved a couple feet away by then, and drank the rest of our juice and stole all of the sugar cubes and milk that came with our coffee. It was awesome.
It was great to see Cape Coast Castle and especially cool because President Obama and his family had just been there the month before us. The tour was full of historical (also appalling and sad at times) information about the slave trade. It’s one thing to hear or read about how slaves were crammed in dark, windowless dungeons by the hundreds and kept there for so long before being crammed into equally rough conditions and shipped to a life of forced servitude and it is a whole other thing to stand in the rooms where it actually took place.
At Kakum National Park, we went on the Canopy Walk, which is a series of long wood/rope bridges very high up in the trees of the rain forest. It was really scary, but also a lot of fun. There weren’t animals to see, like at Mole, but just being so high up and looking down at the rain forest was awesome.
We spent our last few days at Busua Beach Resort in the Western Region of Ghana. The place was sooooo nice! The beach was very clean and great for swimming and our rooms were right on it. After going to all corners of the country in such a short time (we made it to 9 of Ghana’s 10 regions) it was great to have a few days to rest and relax on the beach with great food and nice accommodations.
Email me if you want a link to the pictures from the trip. Also, if anyone else wants to come visit, you are welcome any time!
HIV/AIDS Work
Over the past couple of months I have begun doing a lot of HIV/AIDS prevention work in my district. A friend of mine in town, Sibiri, just finished with his degree from the University of Development Studies in Wa and has started a local non-governmental organization in Gwollu called Rural Indigenous Development Centre (RIDEC). Last month Sibiri and I went to a weeklong HIV/AIDS training program in Kumasi that was put on by the Peace Corps and we took back a lot of great information, materials, and ideas for projects. Among other projects, Sibiri’s group got funding from the Ghana AIDS Commission to conduct a yearlong project in our district. I have been working with RIDEC a lot to help plan and carry out their activities. We have been going to the very rural parts of our district to identify community peer educators and conduct trainings for them to learn about HIV/AIDS and how they can prevent it in their villages. Our program also involves HIV testing and counseling, condom distribution, creating HIV/AIDS Awareness Clubs in all of the district’s schools, holding large events (durbars) to increase awareness, and providing support for those living with HIV/AIDS. So far we’ve been really successful with getting people from all over the district informed and involved and the project will be great for me because it will keep me busy throughout the next year. I’ll keep you updated on our progress… we are now planning a big soccer tournament event in Gwollu for World AIDS Day on December 1st.
Work Troubles
Part of the reason that I haven’t updated my blog in so long was that my future in Gwollu was a bit uncertain over the past month. Due to things mostly beyond my control, life in Ghana has been pretty frustrating and stressful over the past month. I’ll do my best to explain what’s up but some details are just boring and others may not be appropriate for such a public forum. The good news is that everything seems to be fine now and I am back in Gwollu happy and working.
What happened, on a very basic level, was that in August a traditional leader in Gwollu decided to dissolve the tourism committee that I had been doing all of my work with for 9 months. This came as a complete surprise to me and all other people involved (voluntarily) in tourism development in Gwollu. Since then, many members of the community have been trying to work out their differences with the certain traditional leader, but not much progress has been made. The result, for me, has been that there is currently no organized group for me to support. Since I am here to support community-based tourism, not a private enterprise, it has had a great effect on the work that I was actually sent here to do. Since this happened, I had been talking with my Associate Director at the Peace Corps and trying to be patient and neutral (traditional leaders, no matter their actions, are held in high regard in Ghanaian culture, so the issue is something I shouldn’t really be involved with as a visitor to the district/country) as the community worked out their problems and found the best way forward. After sharing my disappointment with the traditional leader about his decision and my desire to create a more representative body to manage tourism in Gwollu, he took the problem a step further. After this traditional leader called the Peace Corps to talk about the problem, Peace Corps decided that maybe Gwollu wasn’t the best (or safest) place for me to be. Bummer! I was already in Accra at the time for a meeting, so PC had me stay there until we could work out a solution. It was difficult to be in Accra for over a week feeling like I had no home. My directors were talking to me about places I may move to (in other regions of the country) if things in Gwollu didn’t work out. After being here for a year I finally feel settled, know my local language well, and have friends in a place and all of a sudden it seemed I was going to have to start all over somewhere else.
Anyway, I have been back in Gwollu now since October 9th and it seems I will be able to stay here (I hope!). Things actually may work out to be better now because of all of this. Today (October 20th) is my first day in my new office! I am still living in Gwollu in the same place (with Snoop, who is great by the way), but my job description has been broadened and I have been given an office at the District Assembly (which is the local government body). The District Chief Executive and Presiding Member of Parliament for our district worked very hard to convince the Peace Corps that I should return to Gwollu and they have helped to redefine my role here a bit so that I can be more effective. My office is in the District Assembly Administration Block in Gwollu (just a short bike ride across town from my house… Snoop runs behind my bike and then guards it while I am in the office) so I am right down the hall from all the other district government and development workers. I’ll have to see how much this really changes things as time goes on… I certainly do not have a 9 to 5 job now (although I did use the term “lunch break” for the first time in Ghana today). I can come and go from the office as I need (so I can still spend plenty of time interacting with the community), but it will be nice to have a place to work close to the big wigs and with facilities (I can have use of a vehicle and driver if I need it to visit other communities for work and I can use the printer!) I will be supporting tourism development still, but now within the whole district. We will be forming a new district-wide tourism committee at the assembly that I will work closely with and we are still trying to work through the problems with who is in charge of tourism management in Gwollu. I hope those issues will be solved soon, because currently visitors to Gwollu are not be properly received and there is no body in place to effectively collect or account for any fees paid by tourists.
So, that’s what is going on with my work for now… I’ll keep you updated if there are any new developments!
Halloween/Thanksgiving/HOME!
Halloween is coming up soon and I’ll go get together with some other Peace Corps Volunteers for a party. I am still thinking about what to dress up as but for now I am only sure that it will involve a pretty serious haircut and facial hair trim. I haven’t cut my hair since probably July, so it is as long as it has been in Ghana and just waiting to be cut into a mullet, a mohawk, or both! I also haven’t trimmed my beard in about a month, so I am sure I can incorporate some sort of funny arrangement there too. Right now the leading candidates for my costume are redneck or rock star, neither of which should require much work. The markets here always have huge piles of clothes for so cheap… Ghanaians call them “dead obroni (white man)” clothes. Anyway, there are some great finds in these piles, it’s like the best (or worst) of salvation army and garage sales combined, especially if shopping for Halloween costumes. I’ll do my costume shopping at the Wa market on my way to the party and try to get a picture of us in our costumes up next time I post; I am sure there will be some very creative outfits.
No plans for Thanksgiving yet but I am sure we will do something. Shortly after Thanksgiving though, I will be HOME FOR A MONTH! I am so excited to come home to see family and friends for a whole month, December 18 to January 18. I will also get to visit CLEMSON from January 6-10 (thanks to Aunt Sandy for the plane ticket), which will be great. December 18th might seem like a long way away, but time seems to go by fast here and I have already been thinking for quite a while about all of the things I want to do while I am home. I will have so many people to see, fun things to do, and delicious things to eat! Anyway, if you will be in VT any time while I am home be sure to email me or something so I can see you… also Clemson people should consider the weekend of January 8-10 a mandatory reunion weekend, no excuses (most of you can drive there in a few hours, I am coming all the way from Africa for a weekend!). I will try to get my U.S. cell phone working again for the month I am home with the same number I used to have so that people can get a hold of me.
Until Next Time…
Well, again I apologize for not posting for so long but this one should give you enough of me for a little bit. I hope all is well at home with everybody and I am excited to see so many of you very soon!
p.s.- while I was gone for a few weeks an extended family of mice took residence in my kitchen and house! My friend Mashoud and I killed 12 of them the other day and I have killed a few more since. I had a massive cleaning day a few days ago and duct taped up all the places where I thought they were getting in… I think I’ve won the battle, but we’ll see if they return!
p.p.s.-wrote this last week and travelled to Tumu just to post it only to learn that the internet place was closed and has been for awhile. I am in Wa now, which is where it seems like I will have to come for internet access now... the roads have gotten so much worse over the rainy season and some busses/vans have stopped running so it now takes me about 5 hours to reach Wa (if I can get means!).
p.p.p.s- Hippo Attack! My friend, another Peace Corps Volunteer in the Upper West, was attacked by a hippo in his village this morning! A hippo came into his village (they are 10k away from the river) so he and many others went to see it and take pictures and after it went behind a bush he saw everyone running and he fell down and got hit by the hippo! He didn't even realize he was hurt until he went to bathe and saw blood... there was a big chunk of his butt missing! Anyway, I visited him in the hospital today and he is doing fine... they have stitched him up and given him medicine and he will go to the hospital in Tamale tomorrow to get it checked out there. Thankfully he will be fine, but what a horrible, scary experience!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
BO in GH
We got to see Barack Obama speak at the airport in
Monday, June 29, 2009
Pics
Hippo Race starting line
Snoop hangin with the girls at school
Snoop Dog (left) with his best bud and neighbor, Dr. Dre
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Pics
Students drumming and dancing at the Cultural Competition
My kids enjoying the sidewalk chalk (on their faces) sent from home
I'll try to get some more uploaded next time I get to the net!Wednesday, June 24, 2009
International Superstar
Hey everyone! Long time no post... it's been a while since I have been to a computer and the few times I have had an opportunity the internet connection was down. But, here I am today in Tumu sweating it out in an internet cafe as I keep an eye out the window for any vehicles willing to take me home to Gwollu. Here is what's crackin:
Candy
First off, a big thanks to Suerea for sending me a huge box filled with all sorts of great candy (starburst, blowpops, jolly ranchers, crackerjacks, smarties, etc!) and some Clemson World magazines. I just got the package today and I will surely enjoy all the sweets... thank you so much!
Toilets
To Steve and Leanne, who have each contacted me after finding my blog and told me about their visits to Gwollu... I have greeted the people at the Tituoballa Bonesetters Clinic (specifically Issufu) for you and they say they remember you very well and wish you the best. The latrines that you built there are still in great shape and are a great convenience to the patients at the center and the people of the Tituoballa section. Thanks for writing, I'll do my best to stay in touch! Oh, also Bonnie... G.B., Sulley, and company were very happy that I heard from you. They mention you often and always in a possitive light. G.B. must have told me 100 times he wants a big photo of you (and John) to be hung in the Museum when we get it up and running. John, have you found this blog yet?
Fireworks
So, my 4th of July celebration will most likely not involve fireworks but I will be celebrating. The Peace Corps has Volunteer Area Councils in each of the regions in Ghana and I will be hosting our quarterly meeting at my house in Gwollu next weekend. About 10-15 other volunteers from my region should be coming so we will have our meeting and then celebrate the 4th. I am trying to arrange for some people from my village to come and so some cultural drumming and dancing for us. You can buy little firecrackers in the market in Gwollu so I will have to at lease get some of those. Oh, also the last time I was in Wa I bought an AWESOME shirt/jersey that will make it's Gwollu debut on the 4th. It is like a soccer jersey, which everyone wears here, and on the front and back are huge pictures of Obama's face with the words underneath it "Change We Can Believe In" and the rest of it is the American flag. I was walking with some friends in Wa and saw it at a roadside stand... tried it on laughing and 30 seconds later I owned it for about three dollars.
Visitors
Brad and Gil are coming to Ghana! They will be here August 16-29 and I am pumped! They will be able to see where I live and do a bit of traveling. Their visit will surely be interesting, fun, and hilarious. We'll be sure to take lots of pictures.
Vacation
I will be coming home on vacation for a whole month! My parents booked me a ticket to come back on December 18th and then I will return to Ghana January 18th (where I will stay until Nov. 2010). I will surely spend most of my time in VT with my family and friends there but I also hope to make it down to Clemson for a weekend to visit while I still know some people there. I will want to see everyone and do everything but surely that won't be possible because I have only a month and no money! Let me know what you are up to during that time as we get closer so we can try to meet up. If you can make it to VT to visit me that would be best, and as they say here in Ghana, "You are invited!"
Peace Corps Partnership
I hope to complete my application to the Peace Corps Partnership Program within the next month or so. The program relies on friends and families of volunteers (as well as any other donors) to fund projects that they (the volunteer) design and propose. Most likely the project will involve renovating and finishing parts of an existing structure in Gwollu (the building where I also live) so that it can operate as a proper museum, visitors' center, and community center. I have yet to develop the budget (I hope for it to be between $2,000 and $4,000) but I would like to include funds to create a permanent display in our museum hall (it is currently empty) of historical atrifacts relating to the slave trade and the history of Sisala people. The tourism committee and I are also interested in furnishing two basic bunk rooms to host tourists and other visitors in Gwollu. If possible, we also want to make provisions for hosting community events. Ideally, we would get traditional instruments made, buy a speaker system, and get a television or projector for showing films. When I finish my proposal and it is approved, it will be made available online for anyone to donate. When my budgeted amount is raised, all of the money goes directly to me (or my tourism committee's bank account) for use on the project. I will post a link as soon as it is available. Until then, you can learn more about the program (and see other projects that need funding) at www.peacecorps.gov/contribute. I know the economy is rough, but save up so you can donate to my awesome project... I promise to provide before and after pictures and stories of its completion!
Movie Star
Last week my counterpart, G.B., told me that a film crew would be coming to stay in Gwollu to film some movies in the area that highlighted the Sisala culture. I thought this was cool and that we might be able to meet with them and see them and help them if they needed it. After all, G.B. is the local cultural and history guru... he can recollect songs he learned as a child (in the 1930s and '40s) that were sung to praise the former Chief of Gwollu, Tanjia, at the time the slave defense walls were built. So we went on their first day of filming to see what was up and after talking with G.B. the producers told him they really wanted to use him in their films. So, in the first one he played a Chief's elder and did great; it was really fun to watch. The second day came around "on the set" and they said they had a part for a white man to play. Since I am the only one in the whole district, naturally I was chosen to act the part. I keep joking with everyone in town that they chose me because I am the best white actor in town... they like that. The film was called "The Secret" and the plot involved children in a village and their struggle to convince their Chief to build a school. I play the American volunteer (imagine that) who comes to the village and convinces the Chief to invest in education... I help the village build a school and then a few years later take some students back to America to continue their studies.... so basically I play the hero! Ha ha. Anyway, I have tried not to let all this movie star business get to my head because it's just not easy being famous. Can you imagine when I am on Letterman in 10 years and they pull up a clip of this African film... I'll be so embarrassed! At least the movie business here isn't quite as glamorous as I imagine it is at home... the whole thing was shot in a few days (part in Gwollu, part across the border in a village in Burkina Faso, hence I am truly an "international" superstar) using little home camcorders and no lights, microphones, or fancy director's chair... although the guy in charge did keep yelling things like "silence!" "standby!" "roll tape!" and "action!" which made the whole thing feel pretty legit. After they edit the movies they said they are putting them on dvds or vcds to sell here in Ghana and they will get me copies. I'll keep you updated on when this movie comes out and if I am selected for any other major roles.... Oh yeah, Snoop was in the film too! He follows me (and G.B.) everywhere and it was impossible to keep him out of the scenes so they just went with it and let him roam in and out... I told the guys that Snoop has to be included in the credits and although I cannot accept any royalties, he can.
Hippo Race
I started writing this post in Tumu yesterday and then the internet connection went down before I could finish. I did get a ride home from Tumu, with my District Agricultural Director and as it turns out he was coming to Wa this morning and so I joined him for the free ride (rather than pay for a much more dreadful 3.5 hour bus ride... the roads are just getting worse and worse). Tomorrow a bunch of us from the Upper West are going to help out another volunteer with a community event. She lives in Wechiau, which is 1-2 hours from Wa and has organized an 18k relay race for junior high school students to benefit a social welfare organization. The race will conclude at a hippo sanctuary (it's called "Race to the Hippos") where there will be celebration and entertainment of some sort. Also, some of my students from Gwollu will be performing at a cultural dancing/drumming/drama/poetry reading contest in Wa tomorrow so I will go and support them. G.B. and I helped them and their teachers practice their performances and they won at the circuit and district levels (events at which I was an impartial judge) so tomorrow they will try to win so they can represent the Region.
Well, I think that's about all for now. I've been busy lately which has been great and I am really enjoying my work and my time here in Ghana. At times it can be really frustrating and I don't feel like I am making a difference but it is just that everything moves at a different pace here and even after 9 months (I have been here for 9 months!) it is hard to completely get used to it. Last week I attended my district's 2 day District Assembly meeting, which is the local government body. That was interesting and at times long and boring, but it seems things are finally going to get moving for them now that the new leadership has settled in (after the party shifting election in December) and they seem receptive/supportive of some of my projects. I've been playing volleyball with a bunch of friends almost every day in the evening for the past 3 weeks or so and that has been great (thanks Mom and Dad / Aunt Patty and Uncle Roger for sending the balls!). There is a net at the junior high school in town so a bunch of teachers and some students always come to play. We meet at around 5 and play until it gets too dark. A few weeks ago I also taught computer skills to junior high school students and their teachers who were in Gwollu for a 3 day science and technology workshop... I gave out jolly ranchers for correct answers and felt like such a rock star because of it... if only then I had known a few weeks later I would become a real-life Ghanaian movie star!
That should give you all enough to read (probably too much for most) until I can post again. I hope everyone is having a fun summer at home... send me an email and let me know what's up with you!
Love and miss you all...
p.s.- never been a follower of soccer, but everyone is here so I often watch outside on a 15 inch tv with a bunch of people in Gwollu... last night we saw USA beat Spain to go to the Federation Cup Finals! That game will be Sunday; I plan to be back in Gwollu that day to watch it and surely I'll have to break out the red, white, and blue Obama jersey for that... last night I had a whole part of the village chanting "U-S-A" with me after the big win.
Candy
First off, a big thanks to Suerea for sending me a huge box filled with all sorts of great candy (starburst, blowpops, jolly ranchers, crackerjacks, smarties, etc!) and some Clemson World magazines. I just got the package today and I will surely enjoy all the sweets... thank you so much!
Toilets
To Steve and Leanne, who have each contacted me after finding my blog and told me about their visits to Gwollu... I have greeted the people at the Tituoballa Bonesetters Clinic (specifically Issufu) for you and they say they remember you very well and wish you the best. The latrines that you built there are still in great shape and are a great convenience to the patients at the center and the people of the Tituoballa section. Thanks for writing, I'll do my best to stay in touch! Oh, also Bonnie... G.B., Sulley, and company were very happy that I heard from you. They mention you often and always in a possitive light. G.B. must have told me 100 times he wants a big photo of you (and John) to be hung in the Museum when we get it up and running. John, have you found this blog yet?
Fireworks
So, my 4th of July celebration will most likely not involve fireworks but I will be celebrating. The Peace Corps has Volunteer Area Councils in each of the regions in Ghana and I will be hosting our quarterly meeting at my house in Gwollu next weekend. About 10-15 other volunteers from my region should be coming so we will have our meeting and then celebrate the 4th. I am trying to arrange for some people from my village to come and so some cultural drumming and dancing for us. You can buy little firecrackers in the market in Gwollu so I will have to at lease get some of those. Oh, also the last time I was in Wa I bought an AWESOME shirt/jersey that will make it's Gwollu debut on the 4th. It is like a soccer jersey, which everyone wears here, and on the front and back are huge pictures of Obama's face with the words underneath it "Change We Can Believe In" and the rest of it is the American flag. I was walking with some friends in Wa and saw it at a roadside stand... tried it on laughing and 30 seconds later I owned it for about three dollars.
Visitors
Brad and Gil are coming to Ghana! They will be here August 16-29 and I am pumped! They will be able to see where I live and do a bit of traveling. Their visit will surely be interesting, fun, and hilarious. We'll be sure to take lots of pictures.
Vacation
I will be coming home on vacation for a whole month! My parents booked me a ticket to come back on December 18th and then I will return to Ghana January 18th (where I will stay until Nov. 2010). I will surely spend most of my time in VT with my family and friends there but I also hope to make it down to Clemson for a weekend to visit while I still know some people there. I will want to see everyone and do everything but surely that won't be possible because I have only a month and no money! Let me know what you are up to during that time as we get closer so we can try to meet up. If you can make it to VT to visit me that would be best, and as they say here in Ghana, "You are invited!"
Peace Corps Partnership
I hope to complete my application to the Peace Corps Partnership Program within the next month or so. The program relies on friends and families of volunteers (as well as any other donors) to fund projects that they (the volunteer) design and propose. Most likely the project will involve renovating and finishing parts of an existing structure in Gwollu (the building where I also live) so that it can operate as a proper museum, visitors' center, and community center. I have yet to develop the budget (I hope for it to be between $2,000 and $4,000) but I would like to include funds to create a permanent display in our museum hall (it is currently empty) of historical atrifacts relating to the slave trade and the history of Sisala people. The tourism committee and I are also interested in furnishing two basic bunk rooms to host tourists and other visitors in Gwollu. If possible, we also want to make provisions for hosting community events. Ideally, we would get traditional instruments made, buy a speaker system, and get a television or projector for showing films. When I finish my proposal and it is approved, it will be made available online for anyone to donate. When my budgeted amount is raised, all of the money goes directly to me (or my tourism committee's bank account) for use on the project. I will post a link as soon as it is available. Until then, you can learn more about the program (and see other projects that need funding) at www.peacecorps.gov/contribute. I know the economy is rough, but save up so you can donate to my awesome project... I promise to provide before and after pictures and stories of its completion!
Movie Star
Last week my counterpart, G.B., told me that a film crew would be coming to stay in Gwollu to film some movies in the area that highlighted the Sisala culture. I thought this was cool and that we might be able to meet with them and see them and help them if they needed it. After all, G.B. is the local cultural and history guru... he can recollect songs he learned as a child (in the 1930s and '40s) that were sung to praise the former Chief of Gwollu, Tanjia, at the time the slave defense walls were built. So we went on their first day of filming to see what was up and after talking with G.B. the producers told him they really wanted to use him in their films. So, in the first one he played a Chief's elder and did great; it was really fun to watch. The second day came around "on the set" and they said they had a part for a white man to play. Since I am the only one in the whole district, naturally I was chosen to act the part. I keep joking with everyone in town that they chose me because I am the best white actor in town... they like that. The film was called "The Secret" and the plot involved children in a village and their struggle to convince their Chief to build a school. I play the American volunteer (imagine that) who comes to the village and convinces the Chief to invest in education... I help the village build a school and then a few years later take some students back to America to continue their studies.... so basically I play the hero! Ha ha. Anyway, I have tried not to let all this movie star business get to my head because it's just not easy being famous. Can you imagine when I am on Letterman in 10 years and they pull up a clip of this African film... I'll be so embarrassed! At least the movie business here isn't quite as glamorous as I imagine it is at home... the whole thing was shot in a few days (part in Gwollu, part across the border in a village in Burkina Faso, hence I am truly an "international" superstar) using little home camcorders and no lights, microphones, or fancy director's chair... although the guy in charge did keep yelling things like "silence!" "standby!" "roll tape!" and "action!" which made the whole thing feel pretty legit. After they edit the movies they said they are putting them on dvds or vcds to sell here in Ghana and they will get me copies. I'll keep you updated on when this movie comes out and if I am selected for any other major roles.... Oh yeah, Snoop was in the film too! He follows me (and G.B.) everywhere and it was impossible to keep him out of the scenes so they just went with it and let him roam in and out... I told the guys that Snoop has to be included in the credits and although I cannot accept any royalties, he can.
Hippo Race
I started writing this post in Tumu yesterday and then the internet connection went down before I could finish. I did get a ride home from Tumu, with my District Agricultural Director and as it turns out he was coming to Wa this morning and so I joined him for the free ride (rather than pay for a much more dreadful 3.5 hour bus ride... the roads are just getting worse and worse). Tomorrow a bunch of us from the Upper West are going to help out another volunteer with a community event. She lives in Wechiau, which is 1-2 hours from Wa and has organized an 18k relay race for junior high school students to benefit a social welfare organization. The race will conclude at a hippo sanctuary (it's called "Race to the Hippos") where there will be celebration and entertainment of some sort. Also, some of my students from Gwollu will be performing at a cultural dancing/drumming/drama/poetry reading contest in Wa tomorrow so I will go and support them. G.B. and I helped them and their teachers practice their performances and they won at the circuit and district levels (events at which I was an impartial judge) so tomorrow they will try to win so they can represent the Region.
Well, I think that's about all for now. I've been busy lately which has been great and I am really enjoying my work and my time here in Ghana. At times it can be really frustrating and I don't feel like I am making a difference but it is just that everything moves at a different pace here and even after 9 months (I have been here for 9 months!) it is hard to completely get used to it. Last week I attended my district's 2 day District Assembly meeting, which is the local government body. That was interesting and at times long and boring, but it seems things are finally going to get moving for them now that the new leadership has settled in (after the party shifting election in December) and they seem receptive/supportive of some of my projects. I've been playing volleyball with a bunch of friends almost every day in the evening for the past 3 weeks or so and that has been great (thanks Mom and Dad / Aunt Patty and Uncle Roger for sending the balls!). There is a net at the junior high school in town so a bunch of teachers and some students always come to play. We meet at around 5 and play until it gets too dark. A few weeks ago I also taught computer skills to junior high school students and their teachers who were in Gwollu for a 3 day science and technology workshop... I gave out jolly ranchers for correct answers and felt like such a rock star because of it... if only then I had known a few weeks later I would become a real-life Ghanaian movie star!
That should give you all enough to read (probably too much for most) until I can post again. I hope everyone is having a fun summer at home... send me an email and let me know what's up with you!
Love and miss you all...
p.s.- never been a follower of soccer, but everyone is here so I often watch outside on a 15 inch tv with a bunch of people in Gwollu... last night we saw USA beat Spain to go to the Federation Cup Finals! That game will be Sunday; I plan to be back in Gwollu that day to watch it and surely I'll have to break out the red, white, and blue Obama jersey for that... last night I had a whole part of the village chanting "U-S-A" with me after the big win.
Check It Out: Omar Kicks It Across America
My friend, Omar, came to Ghana at the same time as me to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer and was with me at our training for about 6 weeks before he had to return home to Rhode Island. He didn't want to leave Ghana, but he had to.
Now, he is riding his long board across the country from Memphis to San Diego and blogging his experience at http://kickinitlonger.blogspot.com. Check it out if you are interested, and if you are on his route, give him a meal or a place to stay!
Omar- good luck and have fun, we miss you bro!
Now, he is riding his long board across the country from Memphis to San Diego and blogging his experience at http://kickinitlonger.blogspot.com. Check it out if you are interested, and if you are on his route, give him a meal or a place to stay!
Omar- good luck and have fun, we miss you bro!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
More Pictures
People fetching water @ the Croc Pond
CROCS! in Gwollu
Kids dancing on my porch
Burkina Faso Trip
Me @ Burkina Faso Shea Butter Factory
'Smores!
Me, Abiba, and Kardiri (getting happy birthday sung to us)
Me & Maria @ Luckapolooza
Snoop
Long Overdue Update
Hey everyone. Haven't written for awhile I know, but everything is great in Ghana! The last month or so has been a busy and eventful one so here's the scoop:
- Burkina Trip: Last time I wrote I was up in Burkina Faso attending a shea butter trade show with 4 other Ghana volunteers and some from other West African countries. When the trade show ended we decided to stay an extra night to explore the city and have some fun before coming back and it was awesome! We went to a great concert in an outdoor amphitheatre at the French Cultural Centre at night (and to a nightclub after) and the next day we went to see a soccer match between the Burkina Faso national team and Guinea. On the way back to Ghana I also met my closest Peace Corps neighbor... in Burkina Faso! There is a guy volunteering in a community that is only about 14 km away from my village and we met up with him on our way back down. It will be great to have someone only a bike ride away.
- LUCKAPOLOOZA: The weekend after I got back to my site I threw a huge birthday party for myself and my counterpart in my courtyard. 17 other Peace Corps volunteers came up to my site for the weekend and it was a ton of fun. Some of the people even travelled about 18 hours to get there. We had music, food, drinks, and a live xylophone performance. One of my friends got graham crackers, hershey's bars, and marshmellows sent from home and brought them so we had a fire and made 'smores. The Chief of my village also presented my with a live sheep for my birthday! I had some guys across the street from my house kill and prepare it for us. We finished the whole fried sheep within like 20 minutes of putting it on the table.
- Ho Ho Ho Easter: This weekend I went down to the city of Ho, in the Volta region of Ghana, to spend Easter with 27 other volunteers. Our Easter dinner, prepared by some very talented volunteer cooks, consisted of marinated, bake chicken breasts, garlic mashed potatoes, salad, homemade macaroni and cheese, gravy, and brownies for dessert... it was amazing! It was the only time I have had food anything like that in the last 6 months!
- Accra: So now I am in Accra, Ghana's Capital city. I am at the Peace Corps office this morning and then from here I will go and meet with some people from the Ministry of Tourism and perhaps the Member of Parliament from my district to go over some things about my tourism work in Gwollu. I also need to go around and distribute some brochures and posters about Gwollu at some places in the city and meet with the Association of Tour Operators to try to get them to bring more tourists to the Upper West. I got into town last night and went to the Accra Mall... it seemed so American! It seems brand new, has really fancy shops, a food court, air conditioning, and a huge grocery store. Once again, these are all things that I never see any more so it was really weird. Best of all, we went to a movie theater! We paid about 10 bucks, which is like 2 days pay for me now, to see Slumdog Millionaire at the really nice theater in the mall and it was worth every penny!
I will start the 18-20 hour journey back to Gwollu tomorrow and although all this traveling has been a lot of fun (and a much needed break from my very remote site) it will be great to be back "home" again. Snoop is great and growing. I got him his rabies vaccination last week. He ate an entire fried rabbit head a couple weeks ago that I bought on the street for him. He loves eating and has now started growling at his food as he eats it sometimes. A bunch of my friends and coworkers at site are helping to take care of him this week and they have all called to say he is awesome. It's still really hot here, about 100 degrees or so most days (and still like 95 when I go to bed) but the rainy season is about to start so that should cool things down a bit.
I hope all is well at home for everyone. Shout outs to Zoooora for bugging me to make another post and to Mr. Hammond's class for always checking out the blog!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Dog / Burkina Faso
Bonjour! This week I am in Burkina Faso (the country directly north of Ghana... I live on the border) in the capital city of Ouagadougou helping out at a shea butter industry trade show. 5 of us from Ghana (who are working with shea women's groups) came along with our Associate Peace Corps Director. It has been a ton of fun to see another country in West Africa. The national language is French here (as it is in all of the countries bordering Ghana) and the culture/food is also very different. There are baguettes, croissants, cheese, wine, strawberries, and all sorts of other things that I never see in my rural, remote region of Ghana! The actual trade show is at an amazing hotel (we are staying at a budget place 15 mins away) with a pool, restaurant, air conditioning, DRAFT BEER, elevators, wireless internet (I am sitting in the lobby bar right now on my laptop) and all sorts of things that are exciting if you haven't seen them for months!
I got a dog! His name is Snoop and he is awesome. He is really easy going and he never leaves my side. He eats whatever I do and loves to chase toads, chew on my socks, or just relax in my courtyard. Since I am out of town this week my friend in Gwollu, Kardiri, is taking care of my house and Snoop.
Me and Snoop:
So much has happened since I last wrote but I have to get going... today is the last day of our conference and so there is about to be a cocktail party (with live music) by the hotel pool... can't miss that!
So much has happened since I last wrote but I have to get going... today is the last day of our conference and so there is about to be a cocktail party (with live music) by the hotel pool... can't miss that!
I will try to write some longer/more interesting posts soon and get them up... Love and miss you all!
Monday, February 2, 2009
Balu in Gwollu
Quick post because I am in Tumu for the afternoon so I have a few minutes with some really slow internet!
I got a name: The chief and his elders called a meeting last week and gave me the local name, Balu. They said the meaning of Balu is a shrine that sits in front of each compound and guards it against bad things and brings good fortune.
Bike, check. Fridge, check. Snoop Dawg, no dice. My bicycle arrived on top of the bus! After all day waiting for it the bus pulled up right where they said it would. Then, the guys unloading it tried to charge me an extra buck to bring it down. After I told them that I would climb up the bus and take it down myself before I gave them any more money (and started up the ladder) they laughed and carried it down for me. I have now gotten it repaired (a couple times) in Gwollu and it is currently working pretty well. I just got my fridge yesterday! My friend, "Captain," is a driver for the chief and so he picked it up in Tumu and brought it to my house for me. It works great and even has a little freezer compartment so I can make ice! No dog yet. I went to get the one that they said they would give me but then there was some confusion. The guy (who I don't even think was the actual owner of the dog) that I had talked to asked me to pay him the equivalent of about 20 dollars for the puppy. While that would be cheap in the U.S., it is absolutely ridiculous here, where a puppy is usually free or maybe 50 cents. I was angry that he was trying to cheat me (I even offered to pay 2 bucks!) so I will not be getting that particular dog. I will find another one soon enough.
Haircut! Yesterday I went to the barber shop in town and buzzed all my hair off again. It feels a lot cooler already. The guy finished with my hair, looked at my beard that was then way longer than my hair, and asked if he should also cut that off. It hadn't been my plan, but I said "go for it." So the beard is gone! I had it for like 8 months I think, so even I was surprised to see what was underneath.... I look like I am am 15! The barber (who actually was 15) shaved my beard with nothing but a razor blade that he held in his hand... no shaving cream or anything. It was quite an interesting experience, but it was one of the better haircuts and best looking shaves I have probably ever had, and it cost 70 cents!
Here comes the heat! It is starting to get a lot hotter here in the Upper West Region. For a few weeks the temperatures were (relatively) really low and there were strong winds, so it was nice. But, now the heat is on... The hottest time here is usually March and April and I am already beginning to feel it. People laugh when I say it is hot now and tell me they can't wait to see how I handle March/April. That should be fun.
Foreigners! So last time I travelled 4 white people came to my town to introduce themselves and visit me, but I was gone! They are also volunteers and they live in Tumu (where I am now for bank/internet) which is about 32 k away from me. There is a guy from Italy, two women and one man from the U.K., and a guy from California. They said they gather in Tumu on Friday nights (along with some other foreign volunteers) and so sometime I will come and meet/join them. They also said that if I have to stay in town they have a place for me to sleep. It will be really nice to meet them and have some other foreigners close to me to hang out with now and then because the closest PC volunteer is about 1.5 hours away in another small village.
That's all for now... gotta go sit under a tree and see if any cars passing will take me home! I will write again when I get the chance.
I got a name: The chief and his elders called a meeting last week and gave me the local name, Balu. They said the meaning of Balu is a shrine that sits in front of each compound and guards it against bad things and brings good fortune.
Bike, check. Fridge, check. Snoop Dawg, no dice. My bicycle arrived on top of the bus! After all day waiting for it the bus pulled up right where they said it would. Then, the guys unloading it tried to charge me an extra buck to bring it down. After I told them that I would climb up the bus and take it down myself before I gave them any more money (and started up the ladder) they laughed and carried it down for me. I have now gotten it repaired (a couple times) in Gwollu and it is currently working pretty well. I just got my fridge yesterday! My friend, "Captain," is a driver for the chief and so he picked it up in Tumu and brought it to my house for me. It works great and even has a little freezer compartment so I can make ice! No dog yet. I went to get the one that they said they would give me but then there was some confusion. The guy (who I don't even think was the actual owner of the dog) that I had talked to asked me to pay him the equivalent of about 20 dollars for the puppy. While that would be cheap in the U.S., it is absolutely ridiculous here, where a puppy is usually free or maybe 50 cents. I was angry that he was trying to cheat me (I even offered to pay 2 bucks!) so I will not be getting that particular dog. I will find another one soon enough.
Haircut! Yesterday I went to the barber shop in town and buzzed all my hair off again. It feels a lot cooler already. The guy finished with my hair, looked at my beard that was then way longer than my hair, and asked if he should also cut that off. It hadn't been my plan, but I said "go for it." So the beard is gone! I had it for like 8 months I think, so even I was surprised to see what was underneath.... I look like I am am 15! The barber (who actually was 15) shaved my beard with nothing but a razor blade that he held in his hand... no shaving cream or anything. It was quite an interesting experience, but it was one of the better haircuts and best looking shaves I have probably ever had, and it cost 70 cents!
Here comes the heat! It is starting to get a lot hotter here in the Upper West Region. For a few weeks the temperatures were (relatively) really low and there were strong winds, so it was nice. But, now the heat is on... The hottest time here is usually March and April and I am already beginning to feel it. People laugh when I say it is hot now and tell me they can't wait to see how I handle March/April. That should be fun.
Foreigners! So last time I travelled 4 white people came to my town to introduce themselves and visit me, but I was gone! They are also volunteers and they live in Tumu (where I am now for bank/internet) which is about 32 k away from me. There is a guy from Italy, two women and one man from the U.K., and a guy from California. They said they gather in Tumu on Friday nights (along with some other foreign volunteers) and so sometime I will come and meet/join them. They also said that if I have to stay in town they have a place for me to sleep. It will be really nice to meet them and have some other foreigners close to me to hang out with now and then because the closest PC volunteer is about 1.5 hours away in another small village.
That's all for now... gotta go sit under a tree and see if any cars passing will take me home! I will write again when I get the chance.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Update (Finally!)
It has been so long since I have been able to use the internet! I have been living in Gwollu for about a month now, so here's what I've been up to (breifly):
-My place is awesome... I got some covers made for my furniture (kind of looks like leopard print, very nice!) and I put down some linoleum flooring (called "carpet" here) in my main room so my place is very comfortable.
-I have been named "Speaker of Parliament..." Different groups of men frequently sit (during the dry season when they are not farming) in the same place together somewhere in town and they call their groups "Parliament." So one of my first days in town some guys called me over to sit and talk with them in front of a hardware store. Ever since I have stopped by almost every day and so they (half jokingly) have dubbed me the speaker of their parliament. It's awesome.
-I got a bike... and a fridge... I hope. I am just returning from Tamale where I got a bicycle. The bike was "new" and seemed pretty nice but already (in 1 day) the chain has broken twice and the front tire has popped twice. That was just from me "trying it out" after the guy (who I paid) "fixed" it. Argg... it was a very frustrating purchase. AND continues to be... this morning I travelled from Tamale to Wa on a very overcrowded bus and they refused to take my bicycle on board anywhere. SO, I had to SPRINT about 1k down the road (and then back, to catch the bus as it was pulling away) to put my bike (and pay someone) on top of a different bus which I was TOLD will arrive across the street from this very internet cafe "sometime today." Don't worry, I've got the internet cafe guy on the lookout for me. We'll see if this bus/bike arrives and what type of condition it is in! Oh and the fridge... I gave a fridge repair guy $100 to go and get me a fridge in Kumasi... But I do kind of know the guy... so I am pretty sure he will return (with a fridge) later this week, as he promised!
-I just used a seriously GROSS public latrine in Wa. When you gotta go, you gotta go. Thankfully I was smart enough to at least travel with my own toilet paper so that I didn't have to use the one small piece of newspaper they offered me. There were tons of little worms and bugs all over... I think I have said enough on this subject.
-Cowboy Hat! My friend and I both bought Indiana Jones style cowboy hats in Tamale for $2 this weekend. They are awesome.
-SNOOOOOP DAWG. I am getting a puppy tomorrow. There were a few across the street from me and so they are saving me a male for when I get back tomorrow. He will be named Snoop.
-Election Results: After some relatively minor disputes/revotes/allegations the Ghana Presidential Election is finished. Professor John Evans Atta Mills, the National Democratic Congress Candidate, has been sworn in as President. The NDC has not been in power in Ghana for 8 years (the NPP has), so this move will be sure to change some things up. I watched the swearing in event on TV with some friends in Gwollu... it was really cool.
-No Local Name Yet... My community has still yet to officially give me a local name (I think it has been due to a combination of procrastination and election stuff, other events, funerals in town, etc.) but I think this week we are having some sort of event/ceremony. People in town have been suggesting names to the Chief and my counterpart so some areas of town are already calling me various Sissala names. What they will ultimately decide I don't know, but the debate has been pretty heated as I hear certain people lobby in support/opposition of specific suggestions. Mostly though, I am known as "Mister Adams." The kids, and my night watchman, also just call me "master" which is a little awkward/funny. In Ghana (and perhaps other places) "Adams" is a Muslim name. Since almost everyone in my town is Muslim, they seem to be very excited/confused when they learn my name is "Adams" (they always add the "s" even if I don't, so I just go with it). So I am ALWAYS being asked if I am a Muslim and I have to politely explain that I am not and that "Adam" is considered a name of no particular religion in the U.S.
-CROCS! I mentioned in an earlier post that my town has sacred crocodile ponds... I checked them out and they are awesome! 100+ crocs live happily right down the street from my house. Since it is the dry season, their pond is getting low and so many of them come out frequently to just lay/play in the sun. There are some nice trees to sit under next to the ponds so sometimes I just go to watch the crocodiles. You can get really close to them and they don't bother people at all. All sorts of people go in the water to fetch barrels full of it in the very same pond where all the crocs are. Some of the kids even know that one of the biggest ones will allow you to grab its tail (and they do it!).
Alright, my time here at the internet cafe is running out so I will go. Still no bus/bike (yikes!). Oh well, it will all work out... always does! I likely will not be making it to a reliable/functional internet connection very often so I appologize in advance for not responding to emails or posting frequently. I hope everyone had a nice holiday season... to all those in the snow, if I could send you this 100 degree heat I would!
-My place is awesome... I got some covers made for my furniture (kind of looks like leopard print, very nice!) and I put down some linoleum flooring (called "carpet" here) in my main room so my place is very comfortable.
-I have been named "Speaker of Parliament..." Different groups of men frequently sit (during the dry season when they are not farming) in the same place together somewhere in town and they call their groups "Parliament." So one of my first days in town some guys called me over to sit and talk with them in front of a hardware store. Ever since I have stopped by almost every day and so they (half jokingly) have dubbed me the speaker of their parliament. It's awesome.
-I got a bike... and a fridge... I hope. I am just returning from Tamale where I got a bicycle. The bike was "new" and seemed pretty nice but already (in 1 day) the chain has broken twice and the front tire has popped twice. That was just from me "trying it out" after the guy (who I paid) "fixed" it. Argg... it was a very frustrating purchase. AND continues to be... this morning I travelled from Tamale to Wa on a very overcrowded bus and they refused to take my bicycle on board anywhere. SO, I had to SPRINT about 1k down the road (and then back, to catch the bus as it was pulling away) to put my bike (and pay someone) on top of a different bus which I was TOLD will arrive across the street from this very internet cafe "sometime today." Don't worry, I've got the internet cafe guy on the lookout for me. We'll see if this bus/bike arrives and what type of condition it is in! Oh and the fridge... I gave a fridge repair guy $100 to go and get me a fridge in Kumasi... But I do kind of know the guy... so I am pretty sure he will return (with a fridge) later this week, as he promised!
-I just used a seriously GROSS public latrine in Wa. When you gotta go, you gotta go. Thankfully I was smart enough to at least travel with my own toilet paper so that I didn't have to use the one small piece of newspaper they offered me. There were tons of little worms and bugs all over... I think I have said enough on this subject.
-Cowboy Hat! My friend and I both bought Indiana Jones style cowboy hats in Tamale for $2 this weekend. They are awesome.
-SNOOOOOP DAWG. I am getting a puppy tomorrow. There were a few across the street from me and so they are saving me a male for when I get back tomorrow. He will be named Snoop.
-Election Results: After some relatively minor disputes/revotes/allegations the Ghana Presidential Election is finished. Professor John Evans Atta Mills, the National Democratic Congress Candidate, has been sworn in as President. The NDC has not been in power in Ghana for 8 years (the NPP has), so this move will be sure to change some things up. I watched the swearing in event on TV with some friends in Gwollu... it was really cool.
-No Local Name Yet... My community has still yet to officially give me a local name (I think it has been due to a combination of procrastination and election stuff, other events, funerals in town, etc.) but I think this week we are having some sort of event/ceremony. People in town have been suggesting names to the Chief and my counterpart so some areas of town are already calling me various Sissala names. What they will ultimately decide I don't know, but the debate has been pretty heated as I hear certain people lobby in support/opposition of specific suggestions. Mostly though, I am known as "Mister Adams." The kids, and my night watchman, also just call me "master" which is a little awkward/funny. In Ghana (and perhaps other places) "Adams" is a Muslim name. Since almost everyone in my town is Muslim, they seem to be very excited/confused when they learn my name is "Adams" (they always add the "s" even if I don't, so I just go with it). So I am ALWAYS being asked if I am a Muslim and I have to politely explain that I am not and that "Adam" is considered a name of no particular religion in the U.S.
-CROCS! I mentioned in an earlier post that my town has sacred crocodile ponds... I checked them out and they are awesome! 100+ crocs live happily right down the street from my house. Since it is the dry season, their pond is getting low and so many of them come out frequently to just lay/play in the sun. There are some nice trees to sit under next to the ponds so sometimes I just go to watch the crocodiles. You can get really close to them and they don't bother people at all. All sorts of people go in the water to fetch barrels full of it in the very same pond where all the crocs are. Some of the kids even know that one of the biggest ones will allow you to grab its tail (and they do it!).
Alright, my time here at the internet cafe is running out so I will go. Still no bus/bike (yikes!). Oh well, it will all work out... always does! I likely will not be making it to a reliable/functional internet connection very often so I appologize in advance for not responding to emails or posting frequently. I hope everyone had a nice holiday season... to all those in the snow, if I could send you this 100 degree heat I would!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Headed to Site / Runoff Election
Yo!
Yesterday we had our swearing in ceremony to mark the end of Peace Corps Training. The event was really cool... the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana was there and the trainees did a dancing and drumming performance. So now I am an official Peace Corps Volunteer. We all went out one last time in Kukurantumi last night and now we are all headed to our individual sites. I am at the PC sub-office in Kumasi with a bunch of people for the night and tomorrow we will visit a monkey sanctuary on our way to the Upper West Region. I am excited to see the monkeys.
The elections took place last Sunday with relatively few problems and the results were released Tuesday. No candidate received a plurality (the top 2 had like 49.4% and 47.8% or something) so there will be a runoff election on December 28th between the NDC and NPP candidates. As a preventative measure, all PC volunteers will have to remain in their communities between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2. So that means, unfortunately, none of us will be together for Christmas or New Years. But, it should be fun to move into my house and get settled and have the excitement of the holidays and the election going on.
Ok, it's getting late so I think that is all for now. Keep the emails coming.
Yesterday we had our swearing in ceremony to mark the end of Peace Corps Training. The event was really cool... the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana was there and the trainees did a dancing and drumming performance. So now I am an official Peace Corps Volunteer. We all went out one last time in Kukurantumi last night and now we are all headed to our individual sites. I am at the PC sub-office in Kumasi with a bunch of people for the night and tomorrow we will visit a monkey sanctuary on our way to the Upper West Region. I am excited to see the monkeys.
The elections took place last Sunday with relatively few problems and the results were released Tuesday. No candidate received a plurality (the top 2 had like 49.4% and 47.8% or something) so there will be a runoff election on December 28th between the NDC and NPP candidates. As a preventative measure, all PC volunteers will have to remain in their communities between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2. So that means, unfortunately, none of us will be together for Christmas or New Years. But, it should be fun to move into my house and get settled and have the excitement of the holidays and the election going on.
Ok, it's getting late so I think that is all for now. Keep the emails coming.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
New Address
Here is the address where I can receive mail when I am in Gwollu:
Adam Luck, PCV
C/O Gwollu Tourism Committee
P.O. Box 99
Gwollu, U.W.R.
Ghana, West Africa
Adam Luck, PCV
C/O Gwollu Tourism Committee
P.O. Box 99
Gwollu, U.W.R.
Ghana, West Africa
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)