People sell the most random things on the street. Super glue, paint brushes, hats. Other things are more reasonable, mentos, gum, cookies, sweets.
-- Posted From My iPhone
11 years ago
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Things I've Noticed About Koforidua
11:16AM 26 July
Koforidua seems like such a nice town. It's clean and has good infrastructure. The roads are well taken care of, and there are a few taffic lights. The people seem more well off and there are less children wandering by themselves then in Cape Coast. The houses look more substantial to our standards and the gutters in the roads are covered with concrete and grills. In Cape Coast the gutters in the street are open trenches, and if you are not careful you may fall in. In Cape Coast there are no sidewalks and the cars drive very close to the people who are walking. This is where it gets tricky because the cars will litterally drive 1 inch from your feet and if you are not careful you may back yourself into that open gutter filled with gunk and slime. You can use your imagination of what is filled in these gutters. I'll tell you that I certainly saw my share of squalid things go into them. In Koforidua, however, the gutters are covered and there are clear sidewalks elevated off the road. The cars can move freely without worrying the people walking.
If I were to come back to Ghana, I would want to spend some more time in Koforidua, walking around and talking to the people.
Koforidua seems like such a nice town. It's clean and has good infrastructure. The roads are well taken care of, and there are a few taffic lights. The people seem more well off and there are less children wandering by themselves then in Cape Coast. The houses look more substantial to our standards and the gutters in the roads are covered with concrete and grills. In Cape Coast the gutters in the street are open trenches, and if you are not careful you may fall in. In Cape Coast there are no sidewalks and the cars drive very close to the people who are walking. This is where it gets tricky because the cars will litterally drive 1 inch from your feet and if you are not careful you may back yourself into that open gutter filled with gunk and slime. You can use your imagination of what is filled in these gutters. I'll tell you that I certainly saw my share of squalid things go into them. In Koforidua, however, the gutters are covered and there are clear sidewalks elevated off the road. The cars can move freely without worrying the people walking.
If I were to come back to Ghana, I would want to spend some more time in Koforidua, walking around and talking to the people.
Cocoa Research Institute
10:56PM 24 July
Today we drove to Koforidua which was about a 5 hour drive from Cape Coast. We stopped at the Cocoa Research Institute where we learned about the initiatives being taken to help in the production of cocoa beans. One of the main things researched is cures for a disease called Swollen Shoot Disease, which can infest cocoa trees. This plant disease can limit the plant's production of cocoa pods from well over 200 a year to about 5. The tour of the facility was great and we learned so much about cocoa. For example, cocoa beans can be used for soap, lotion, of course chocolate, vinegar, oils, and many other uses. Ghana is the second largerest producer of cocoa beans (number 1 being Cote d'lvoire). We walked through the rows of trees growing different types of beans. The tour guide picked a bean from a tree, cracked it open, and let us taste the inside. It was delicious! I told him that stores should sell the beans just like that as a fruit. The inside held many beans that are covered in white "meat". It is slimy in texture and the taste is citrusy. Reminded me of mango. And yet, these beans, once fermented and dried out, become chocolate. We also saw coffee beans straight from the vine. That was the first time I had ever seen anything like that. The coffee, beans, when ripe, are red. And if you gently slice the berry looking shell with your teeth, you can get to the bean that lies in the middle. It is light green in color and tastes sweet but with a hint of a nutty taste.
During this tour at the research institute, we also learned that Ghana exports about 75% of it's cocoa beans. But it does not export any chocolate. Japan purchases 80% of the Ghanaian cocoa bean export. However, they act as a middle man and sell the beans to then Switzerland, and other chocolate economies.
Today we drove to Koforidua which was about a 5 hour drive from Cape Coast. We stopped at the Cocoa Research Institute where we learned about the initiatives being taken to help in the production of cocoa beans. One of the main things researched is cures for a disease called Swollen Shoot Disease, which can infest cocoa trees. This plant disease can limit the plant's production of cocoa pods from well over 200 a year to about 5. The tour of the facility was great and we learned so much about cocoa. For example, cocoa beans can be used for soap, lotion, of course chocolate, vinegar, oils, and many other uses. Ghana is the second largerest producer of cocoa beans (number 1 being Cote d'lvoire). We walked through the rows of trees growing different types of beans. The tour guide picked a bean from a tree, cracked it open, and let us taste the inside. It was delicious! I told him that stores should sell the beans just like that as a fruit. The inside held many beans that are covered in white "meat". It is slimy in texture and the taste is citrusy. Reminded me of mango. And yet, these beans, once fermented and dried out, become chocolate. We also saw coffee beans straight from the vine. That was the first time I had ever seen anything like that. The coffee, beans, when ripe, are red. And if you gently slice the berry looking shell with your teeth, you can get to the bean that lies in the middle. It is light green in color and tastes sweet but with a hint of a nutty taste.
During this tour at the research institute, we also learned that Ghana exports about 75% of it's cocoa beans. But it does not export any chocolate. Japan purchases 80% of the Ghanaian cocoa bean export. However, they act as a middle man and sell the beans to then Switzerland, and other chocolate economies.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Tribal Scars
10:00PM 22 July
We had lecture today focusing on the Cape Coast Castle. During the lecture Professor Kwadmo Opoku-Agyemang told us a side story about tribal scars and how they came about to be. I have often noticed children and adults having a particular scar on their cheek bone. The story goes, that one day hundreds of years ago, a man with his young daughter and mother-in-law were running from slave raiders that had come info their African village. The strong man and his family were running hard, but the old woman was slowing them down and the man could not carry both his daughter and his mother-in-law and run fast enough. The old woman told him to leave her behind, what good would she be to the slave raiders anyway? She was old and damaged goods. Then, the man stopped running and asked the woman to gather herbs that clot the blood. He took out his knife and ever so gently whispered to his daughter that what he was about to do would hurt very much. But that it was for her own good, and that he loved her very much. The father preceeded to cut the child all over her body, this way, then that. As she screamed in pain and terror, the father could hear the footsteps of the slave raiders drawing closer. The old woman came back with the herbs and the father mashed them up in his hands and rubbed the ointment all over his daughter's now cut and wounded body. The slave raiders caught up, and saw the father, a strong beau of a man and napped him. They saw the old woman laying in the grass, brittle and weak, and left her along the path. And then they saw the child; cut, bloodied, slashes over her beautiful, stunning face and young, otherwise healthy body. She was damaged goods. No longer worth her weight at the trading post. The raiders, disappointed, took only the father with them. Later that day the grandmother carries her grandchild back into their town. People are joyous that they have returned. And mothers and others come from near and far to ask how the old woman was able to protect her grand child. She would tell all who asked that the way to protect their children was once they have reached the age of it being clear that they will be staying in this world, that they have been named, one should gently cut their body this way and that and the slave raiders will no longer want them. They will be spoiled and imperfect. And this, the story goes, is how tribal scars originated.
-- Posted From My iPhone
We had lecture today focusing on the Cape Coast Castle. During the lecture Professor Kwadmo Opoku-Agyemang told us a side story about tribal scars and how they came about to be. I have often noticed children and adults having a particular scar on their cheek bone. The story goes, that one day hundreds of years ago, a man with his young daughter and mother-in-law were running from slave raiders that had come info their African village. The strong man and his family were running hard, but the old woman was slowing them down and the man could not carry both his daughter and his mother-in-law and run fast enough. The old woman told him to leave her behind, what good would she be to the slave raiders anyway? She was old and damaged goods. Then, the man stopped running and asked the woman to gather herbs that clot the blood. He took out his knife and ever so gently whispered to his daughter that what he was about to do would hurt very much. But that it was for her own good, and that he loved her very much. The father preceeded to cut the child all over her body, this way, then that. As she screamed in pain and terror, the father could hear the footsteps of the slave raiders drawing closer. The old woman came back with the herbs and the father mashed them up in his hands and rubbed the ointment all over his daughter's now cut and wounded body. The slave raiders caught up, and saw the father, a strong beau of a man and napped him. They saw the old woman laying in the grass, brittle and weak, and left her along the path. And then they saw the child; cut, bloodied, slashes over her beautiful, stunning face and young, otherwise healthy body. She was damaged goods. No longer worth her weight at the trading post. The raiders, disappointed, took only the father with them. Later that day the grandmother carries her grandchild back into their town. People are joyous that they have returned. And mothers and others come from near and far to ask how the old woman was able to protect her grand child. She would tell all who asked that the way to protect their children was once they have reached the age of it being clear that they will be staying in this world, that they have been named, one should gently cut their body this way and that and the slave raiders will no longer want them. They will be spoiled and imperfect. And this, the story goes, is how tribal scars originated.
-- Posted From My iPhone
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Tennis and Such
4:22PM 19 July
I've been playing a good amount of tennis. Our travel assistant, Ebenezer, is a Masters student here at University of Cape Coast (UCC), and he plays. He's quite good. He has an extra racket so Ross, Eben and I have been going down in the afternoon to play. When we go, there are usually kids hanging around the court. Either they have gotten out of school (there are a few near by) or they are waiting for their siblings whom are on the near by football field. Other's are selling snacks such as water, oranges, or corn. The actions of the children are so different then what you would see at home. They will get the ball without being asked to do so, if it goes out of the court. Even if it stays in court but perhaps is on the other side, they will run to get it. If the ball goes out of court and one of the children does not go to retreive it, one of the men or women playing on the court will ask them to do so. They don't begrudge or argue, just go and get the ball.
Today, one of the children, a girl named Mashi was selling water. She was intrigued by me and called for my name when I was sitting on the wall of the court a pretty good distance from her. She is 12 years old and goes to primary school near by. She's in 3rd grade and her favorite subject is reading. She was with a friend whose name is Jane who is 9 years old and is also in 3rd grade. I'm not quite sure how or why they are in the same class. Perhaps Mashi started school late. She said that her sister goes to UCC. Education is very highly regarded here. And we always see school children by the dozens dressed in their school uniforms. We have learned, however, that though primary education is wide spread, secondary schooling is not quite as apparent. We've seen more than many high school aged children in uniform but we have been told that it is more common to see a child who has not attended secondary school at all. Unfortunately, it is usually due to economic restraints; more money is needed for the household so the child must work, or perhaps other children are in school and there isn't enough money for both. Not that the parents need to pay for the children's education, but books, and school supplies are needed. Perspectives seem to be pretty gender neutral. We've seen equal amounts of male as female children in school. However, we were told that it was only a few years ago that on the radio there were jingles that would go, "send your girl child to school, send your girl child to school...".
-- Posted From My iPhone
I've been playing a good amount of tennis. Our travel assistant, Ebenezer, is a Masters student here at University of Cape Coast (UCC), and he plays. He's quite good. He has an extra racket so Ross, Eben and I have been going down in the afternoon to play. When we go, there are usually kids hanging around the court. Either they have gotten out of school (there are a few near by) or they are waiting for their siblings whom are on the near by football field. Other's are selling snacks such as water, oranges, or corn. The actions of the children are so different then what you would see at home. They will get the ball without being asked to do so, if it goes out of the court. Even if it stays in court but perhaps is on the other side, they will run to get it. If the ball goes out of court and one of the children does not go to retreive it, one of the men or women playing on the court will ask them to do so. They don't begrudge or argue, just go and get the ball.
Today, one of the children, a girl named Mashi was selling water. She was intrigued by me and called for my name when I was sitting on the wall of the court a pretty good distance from her. She is 12 years old and goes to primary school near by. She's in 3rd grade and her favorite subject is reading. She was with a friend whose name is Jane who is 9 years old and is also in 3rd grade. I'm not quite sure how or why they are in the same class. Perhaps Mashi started school late. She said that her sister goes to UCC. Education is very highly regarded here. And we always see school children by the dozens dressed in their school uniforms. We have learned, however, that though primary education is wide spread, secondary schooling is not quite as apparent. We've seen more than many high school aged children in uniform but we have been told that it is more common to see a child who has not attended secondary school at all. Unfortunately, it is usually due to economic restraints; more money is needed for the household so the child must work, or perhaps other children are in school and there isn't enough money for both. Not that the parents need to pay for the children's education, but books, and school supplies are needed. Perspectives seem to be pretty gender neutral. We've seen equal amounts of male as female children in school. However, we were told that it was only a few years ago that on the radio there were jingles that would go, "send your girl child to school, send your girl child to school...".
-- Posted From My iPhone
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Drumming and Dancing Lesso
6:28PM 15 July
This morning we met one of the most prominent traditional folk orchestras in all of Africa. This group has done many shows in the US and Europe. It was a lot of fun. We learned about the different drums and the way they were used for communication. Still are. We then got to play them with their instruction. We also got a dancing lesson in traditional folk dance. I was nervous about this at first, because we all know how much rythm I have. But it ended up being a lot of fun. We were taught some foot work and hand motions and then we did it all together in a moving circle. Here are some pictures and videos.
-- Posted From My iPhone
This morning we met one of the most prominent traditional folk orchestras in all of Africa. This group has done many shows in the US and Europe. It was a lot of fun. We learned about the different drums and the way they were used for communication. Still are. We then got to play them with their instruction. We also got a dancing lesson in traditional folk dance. I was nervous about this at first, because we all know how much rythm I have. But it ended up being a lot of fun. We were taught some foot work and hand motions and then we did it all together in a moving circle. Here are some pictures and videos.
-- Posted From My iPhone
Kumasi Economy
3:00PM 14 July
Main economy of Kumasi is timber, coco, and a little bit of gold.
-- Posted From My iPhone
Main economy of Kumasi is timber, coco, and a little bit of gold.
-- Posted From My iPhone
Road Trip
10:00 AM Updated throughout the drive 14 July
We're heading to Kumasi today. It's about a 4 to 5 hour drive, but since we received a lot of rain this week there is potentially a lot of flooding of the roads. So we've been told to prepare for closer to 6 hours... Which in Africa time means 7 at least. It's a little silly though, because we are only going to be in Kumasi for one full day, since we are leaving on Thursday.
This concept of time is an interesting one. Many of the students are frusterated with the trip because if the lack of ability to get everyone ready and out the door on time. It's true though. Our travel assistant will say that we need to be ready to leave by 9am but then we won't leave till almost 10. It's a combination of his fault as well as the others. If he was more strict in the beginning of the trip, emphazing the importance of being on time and iterating that if you were late your grade would suffer, I'm sure people would have responded appropriately. But, in reality, our travel assistant himself is always late and does not respect our time. One could say that he lacks "time consiousness". I was talking with my friend Johnny - born and raised in Cape Coast but has spent 3 years living in the UK, and he said that this idea of time conciousness is definitely a cultrual thing. Johnny is a great guy to hang around with. He knows everyone and he takes Ross, Gezell, Unise and I out to the bars with his friends.
One girl was continuing to state how fed up she is with the lack of organization of this program. And how she felt that we've paid a lot of money to be here and for what? This annoyed me because the money is just going back to Northeastern as if we had taken classes in the classroom - so what difference does it make. Then she went on to complain that at Northeastern we have at least Internet that one could say we subsequently pay for through our tuition. And she felt that if we are paying the same amount of money that we should have the same accomodations. Haha. We're in Ghana!!! Wow. People can be peculiar at times. It's usually the girls that become difficult to coupe with. I don't understand why people can't just go along with the flow. Just enjoy it for what it is and not get so worked up about things. John, perhaps this is something you have taught me. I give you a lot of credit for it at least.
We will be staying in a hotel in Kumasi, and I must say, I am looking forward to the possiblity of a hot water shower.
One of the things we are doing in Kumasi is taking a drum and dance lesson. I'm a little nervous about the dancing aspect, but the drumming sounds like great fun. Plus, I've bought a small drum since being here, so perhaps I will take home some new beats.
I had written an interesting post concerning some cultural differences between the ethnic group Fante and Ashantee but I accidently tried to publish the post when I had a bad wifi connection and consequently the post got lost in the abyss. Perhaps I will try and restructure the post.
The road we are travelling on is paved but has huge potholes. Are driver Arthur is the Man with manuvoring the bus around the street opsticles.
It's 1:25PM so we've been driving for about 3.5 hours. This road is horrible. It's filled with crater size potholes and Arthur can only drive about 10 miles an hour in order to slowly bring the bus down and out of the craters. It's too bumpy to sleep. We're driving through small towns and for the most part, they are pretty nice. Concrete houses instead of shanty shacks. Many schools.
-- Posted From My iPhone
We're heading to Kumasi today. It's about a 4 to 5 hour drive, but since we received a lot of rain this week there is potentially a lot of flooding of the roads. So we've been told to prepare for closer to 6 hours... Which in Africa time means 7 at least. It's a little silly though, because we are only going to be in Kumasi for one full day, since we are leaving on Thursday.
This concept of time is an interesting one. Many of the students are frusterated with the trip because if the lack of ability to get everyone ready and out the door on time. It's true though. Our travel assistant will say that we need to be ready to leave by 9am but then we won't leave till almost 10. It's a combination of his fault as well as the others. If he was more strict in the beginning of the trip, emphazing the importance of being on time and iterating that if you were late your grade would suffer, I'm sure people would have responded appropriately. But, in reality, our travel assistant himself is always late and does not respect our time. One could say that he lacks "time consiousness". I was talking with my friend Johnny - born and raised in Cape Coast but has spent 3 years living in the UK, and he said that this idea of time conciousness is definitely a cultrual thing. Johnny is a great guy to hang around with. He knows everyone and he takes Ross, Gezell, Unise and I out to the bars with his friends.
One girl was continuing to state how fed up she is with the lack of organization of this program. And how she felt that we've paid a lot of money to be here and for what? This annoyed me because the money is just going back to Northeastern as if we had taken classes in the classroom - so what difference does it make. Then she went on to complain that at Northeastern we have at least Internet that one could say we subsequently pay for through our tuition. And she felt that if we are paying the same amount of money that we should have the same accomodations. Haha. We're in Ghana!!! Wow. People can be peculiar at times. It's usually the girls that become difficult to coupe with. I don't understand why people can't just go along with the flow. Just enjoy it for what it is and not get so worked up about things. John, perhaps this is something you have taught me. I give you a lot of credit for it at least.
We will be staying in a hotel in Kumasi, and I must say, I am looking forward to the possiblity of a hot water shower.
One of the things we are doing in Kumasi is taking a drum and dance lesson. I'm a little nervous about the dancing aspect, but the drumming sounds like great fun. Plus, I've bought a small drum since being here, so perhaps I will take home some new beats.
I had written an interesting post concerning some cultural differences between the ethnic group Fante and Ashantee but I accidently tried to publish the post when I had a bad wifi connection and consequently the post got lost in the abyss. Perhaps I will try and restructure the post.
The road we are travelling on is paved but has huge potholes. Are driver Arthur is the Man with manuvoring the bus around the street opsticles.
It's 1:25PM so we've been driving for about 3.5 hours. This road is horrible. It's filled with crater size potholes and Arthur can only drive about 10 miles an hour in order to slowly bring the bus down and out of the craters. It's too bumpy to sleep. We're driving through small towns and for the most part, they are pretty nice. Concrete houses instead of shanty shacks. Many schools.
-- Posted From My iPhone
Street Advertisements
9:30 AM 15 July
It's interesting, while driving around you see advertisements for products like you would at home. Phone ads, milk ads, yogaurt ads. But you also see displays of advertisements for NGOs and Aid organizations. There will be billboards that state the name of the organization and then it will simply list 4 or so features this organization can help the individual with. Also, on this sign will be contact information for the person interested to get in contact with the organization.
-- Posted From My iPhone
It's interesting, while driving around you see advertisements for products like you would at home. Phone ads, milk ads, yogaurt ads. But you also see displays of advertisements for NGOs and Aid organizations. There will be billboards that state the name of the organization and then it will simply list 4 or so features this organization can help the individual with. Also, on this sign will be contact information for the person interested to get in contact with the organization.
-- Posted From My iPhone
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Arthur the Bus Driver
1:50 PM 14 July
Arthur has been contracted to drive us everywhere. At least for times when we all go somewhere as a group. This means everyday because the campus isn't really walkable and we are far from town. Poor Arthur spends the whole day with us. If we do something after having driven somewhere, he just sits in the bus. Even though many of us try to convince him to join us. He is a very quiet guy, won't talk unless you speak to him. A few of us have befriended him though. If he drives us to get something to eat we always ask him to join us. Still he would refuse and will just sit in he bus. We later found out that his salery to drive us around does not include a food stipend and when we go out to eat, we are more than not eating someplace that is more then 2 Ghana Cedies (about $1.50). Since we've been in Kumasi a few of us have prepaid meals for Arthur and he has eaten with us. He's been very reluctant but since we tell him it's already paid for, he goes along with it.
Supposedly, Ghanaians don't know how to swim. Which is funny because Ghana sits right on the coast and fishing for the coastal region where we are is the main economy. So, the hotel in Kumasi has a pool and Arthur has requested that Ross teach him how to swim. It's a sight.
Arthur was just married in January. His wife's name is Eva. Eva is short for another name, but I can't remember what. She's a seamstress. Perhaps I will get another shirt made and this time have Arthur bring me to her.
-- Posted From My iPhone
Arthur has been contracted to drive us everywhere. At least for times when we all go somewhere as a group. This means everyday because the campus isn't really walkable and we are far from town. Poor Arthur spends the whole day with us. If we do something after having driven somewhere, he just sits in the bus. Even though many of us try to convince him to join us. He is a very quiet guy, won't talk unless you speak to him. A few of us have befriended him though. If he drives us to get something to eat we always ask him to join us. Still he would refuse and will just sit in he bus. We later found out that his salery to drive us around does not include a food stipend and when we go out to eat, we are more than not eating someplace that is more then 2 Ghana Cedies (about $1.50). Since we've been in Kumasi a few of us have prepaid meals for Arthur and he has eaten with us. He's been very reluctant but since we tell him it's already paid for, he goes along with it.
Supposedly, Ghanaians don't know how to swim. Which is funny because Ghana sits right on the coast and fishing for the coastal region where we are is the main economy. So, the hotel in Kumasi has a pool and Arthur has requested that Ross teach him how to swim. It's a sight.
Arthur was just married in January. His wife's name is Eva. Eva is short for another name, but I can't remember what. She's a seamstress. Perhaps I will get another shirt made and this time have Arthur bring me to her.
-- Posted From My iPhone
Monday, July 13, 2009
Building a School in Adowin
1:22 PM 13 July
We spent this morning helping to build a school in the village of Adowin, which is about an hour drive from Cape Coast. The current school is too far away for the children to walk to and subsequently, most of them do not go to class. Adowin received a land donation for a school to get built upon and the whole community has since helped. When we got there today they had a few trenches dug out for the foundation. They don't dig a big hole like they would at home, but instead dig a trench in a rectangular shape, and then subdivid the trenches to represent the division of rooms within the building. When we got there at 9AM the trenches were dug and just a bit more digging was necessary. The women and children of both sexes were carrying buckets and pans filled with rocks and dirt from the ground and mixing it with a bag of cement. Then pouring water over the mixture and with shovels mixing it all up. Some of the men were standing in the mixture with their shovels barefooted. One man had on goloshers, others just in sandels. As they mixed the concoption the women just rested. Once mixed, we all stepped up with buckets and pans and the men standing in the cement pool shoveled it into them. We carried what we could to the trench where other men were standing ready to receive it. They used a wooden plank to straighten out the dumping of the cement and level it. There were so many people helping. We were six set of hands and there must have been 15 community members. The women from the village were able to carry so much more than us on their heads. Some of the women were quite old - 50+ and were carrying probably three times that of the weight i had. Another woman was carrying cement mixture while carrying a small child strapped to her back. That's what the women do though - they makeshift a backpack out of fabric, which the child is then slung in on her back. Because of this, the children tend to spend a lot of time with their mothers. And there have been studies done that examine the way we childrear our children in the West compared to here in Western Africa. I am interested in looking more of this up when I get home. It makes sense though - the child spends the whole day with Mom, going through the everyday motions of her life. I wonder what effect this has on the child branching away from the mother and her way of life. I say that in the thought process in terms of progression, or even just diversity of female roles.
The village members were so thankful for our hard work, and they said a prayer for us at the end. The Christian religion is so prominent. Once the school is built, it would be nice to send some school supply donations. Perhaps I'll try to maintain some sort of contact to receive updates on its progress.
We spent this morning helping to build a school in the village of Adowin, which is about an hour drive from Cape Coast. The current school is too far away for the children to walk to and subsequently, most of them do not go to class. Adowin received a land donation for a school to get built upon and the whole community has since helped. When we got there today they had a few trenches dug out for the foundation. They don't dig a big hole like they would at home, but instead dig a trench in a rectangular shape, and then subdivid the trenches to represent the division of rooms within the building. When we got there at 9AM the trenches were dug and just a bit more digging was necessary. The women and children of both sexes were carrying buckets and pans filled with rocks and dirt from the ground and mixing it with a bag of cement. Then pouring water over the mixture and with shovels mixing it all up. Some of the men were standing in the mixture with their shovels barefooted. One man had on goloshers, others just in sandels. As they mixed the concoption the women just rested. Once mixed, we all stepped up with buckets and pans and the men standing in the cement pool shoveled it into them. We carried what we could to the trench where other men were standing ready to receive it. They used a wooden plank to straighten out the dumping of the cement and level it. There were so many people helping. We were six set of hands and there must have been 15 community members. The women from the village were able to carry so much more than us on their heads. Some of the women were quite old - 50+ and were carrying probably three times that of the weight i had. Another woman was carrying cement mixture while carrying a small child strapped to her back. That's what the women do though - they makeshift a backpack out of fabric, which the child is then slung in on her back. Because of this, the children tend to spend a lot of time with their mothers. And there have been studies done that examine the way we childrear our children in the West compared to here in Western Africa. I am interested in looking more of this up when I get home. It makes sense though - the child spends the whole day with Mom, going through the everyday motions of her life. I wonder what effect this has on the child branching away from the mother and her way of life. I say that in the thought process in terms of progression, or even just diversity of female roles.
The village members were so thankful for our hard work, and they said a prayer for us at the end. The Christian religion is so prominent. Once the school is built, it would be nice to send some school supply donations. Perhaps I'll try to maintain some sort of contact to receive updates on its progress.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Houses
11:00AM 9 July
There are a few different facades of houses. I've seen houses made out of dried palm tree bark and straw, houses made out of a clay like substance, and houses made out of concrete.
-- Posted From My iPhone
There are a few different facades of houses. I've seen houses made out of dried palm tree bark and straw, houses made out of a clay like substance, and houses made out of concrete.
-- Posted From My iPhone
Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper we in Cape Coast to cover Obama's arrival. Unise, one of the guys on our trip, had been talking with this Ghanian outside the Cape Coast Castle a few nights back, and yesterday morning while Unise and I were out around town, this same fellow he had been speaking to ran into us and said that the assistant manager of Anderson Cooper was looking to interview American students that are studying in Ghana. After and few phone calls later and getting our group of 12 ready to leave, we were off to meet Anderson Cooper.
He was at a restaurant/resort called One Africa which is located in Elmina. It is owned by a once Bronx, New Yorker woman who has since retired to Elmina, Ghana with her husband and runs the business. When we arrived Cooper was interviewing this woman and I took great snap shots of their conversation. The cameras were rolling and we had to be very quiet. Once he was done with that interview, he came over and introduced himself to us. Of course, everyone knows who he is. He was very nice and went around to all of us, asking what our name was and what we were studying. We then had a small powwow type interview done by the woman who owns One Africa, and that was filmed. Then, they asked the African American students of out group to gather so that Cooper could interview them separately. So, the rest of us weren't interviewed by Cooper, but we may all perhaps be on CNN. Lol. You can check it out. We've been told that it is tentitively going to be aired during an hour long special on CNN on Friday July 17th at 10PM Eastern Time.
-- Posted From My iPhone
He was at a restaurant/resort called One Africa which is located in Elmina. It is owned by a once Bronx, New Yorker woman who has since retired to Elmina, Ghana with her husband and runs the business. When we arrived Cooper was interviewing this woman and I took great snap shots of their conversation. The cameras were rolling and we had to be very quiet. Once he was done with that interview, he came over and introduced himself to us. Of course, everyone knows who he is. He was very nice and went around to all of us, asking what our name was and what we were studying. We then had a small powwow type interview done by the woman who owns One Africa, and that was filmed. Then, they asked the African American students of out group to gather so that Cooper could interview them separately. So, the rest of us weren't interviewed by Cooper, but we may all perhaps be on CNN. Lol. You can check it out. We've been told that it is tentitively going to be aired during an hour long special on CNN on Friday July 17th at 10PM Eastern Time.
-- Posted From My iPhone
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Palm Oil
12:11AM 10 July
We had a lecture on 8 July by Dr. Sam who taught us about appropriate technology for Ghana. After the lecture he took us to a town that has a house that is rigged to catch rain water from the roof and pools rain on the side of the house for flushing toilets. Then, he brought us to a section that produces palm oil from berries that are produced by palm trees. This was a good outing. Dr. Sam told us that by extracting the oils found in these berries people use it to fry food and cook with. Also, from these palm berries comes palm wine. Unfortunately, most everything we see in this town and others that we passed getting here, are all flooded. It's rained, and mostly downpoured for the past three days. The towns and villages are flooded, peoples homes, stores, it's crazy. Dr. Sam gave us some environmental reasons as to why this has happened. He said that actions such as deforestation and building of homes and businesses has forced the natural course of rivers off their path and causes them to overflow their banks. When you build a house where once a river flowed through, it is only natural for it to run amok.
-- Posted From My iPhone
We had a lecture on 8 July by Dr. Sam who taught us about appropriate technology for Ghana. After the lecture he took us to a town that has a house that is rigged to catch rain water from the roof and pools rain on the side of the house for flushing toilets. Then, he brought us to a section that produces palm oil from berries that are produced by palm trees. This was a good outing. Dr. Sam told us that by extracting the oils found in these berries people use it to fry food and cook with. Also, from these palm berries comes palm wine. Unfortunately, most everything we see in this town and others that we passed getting here, are all flooded. It's rained, and mostly downpoured for the past three days. The towns and villages are flooded, peoples homes, stores, it's crazy. Dr. Sam gave us some environmental reasons as to why this has happened. He said that actions such as deforestation and building of homes and businesses has forced the natural course of rivers off their path and causes them to overflow their banks. When you build a house where once a river flowed through, it is only natural for it to run amok.
-- Posted From My iPhone
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
I Found Wifi!!!
As you can see, I have located wifi. Of course it was hidden at the most expensive, most western hotel resort in Cape Coast. You folks now have a lot of catching up to do! Lol.
-- Posted From My iPhone
-- Posted From My iPhone
My Friend Amina
11:30 5 July 2009
Went into town today and ended up at a fabric store. A young woman worked there along with her brother. Amenia is her name and she is 22 years of age. She greatly enjoyed our conversations and was so happy to bring us to her sister's house for her to make us clothes. Ross is having 2 button down shirts made and I a skirt and matching shirt. We took a taxi with her to Abbraa where her sister lives and she brought us inside the village - off the beaten path and wined us through the houses and people. It was quite amazing. We got to see the heart of life in this town. When we got to her sister's house everyone was so welcoming. People were happy to introduce themselves to us and were eager to hear our names. The little bit of Fante that we used impressed them and they were delighted to hear us speak it.
Taking pictures is always a funny experience. People get so excited to have their picture taken - for the most part. The older woman of the house we were at was making a dish called FuFu. It's made with a dough like substance that is cooked over a fire and kneeded with a large stick. While we were visiting and taking pictures with everyone she motions for me to join her. With her hand held out I take it, not too entirely sure what she wanted from me. She walks me over to where her pot sitting ontop of a fire was, grabs a low stool, and tells me that since I am woman I must sit. She puts her hands on my shoulder and gives me a little tug down. I sit next to the pot and she then grabs the stick, hands it to me, and sits next to me. Too funny. So, I now have a picture of me making fufu with this kind woman. She got such a kick out of me immitating her and wouldn't stop laughing.
When Amenia's sister was measuring me for my clothes, I felt like I was getting a skating dress made. It was oddly familiar and though her sister didn't speak much English, the communication was clear.
-- Posted From My iPhone
New Life Orphanage
2:19PM 5 July
Happy Birthday Brendan! I still have no wifi connection and the land line internet is so slow. I guess all of you who have the URL for my blog page have since given up on me. Lol. It's too bad really.
I went to an orphanage the other day. Hanna, on our trip, volunteered at this orphanage 2 years ago. So on Thursday me, Hanna, Ross, Gezelle, and Unise all went to see the kids. We had a blast. Kids are so funny when you place them in certain positions, like, seeing foreigners. They ran up to us and gave us hugs and just wanted to touh and talk to us. They loved the individual attention and I spent much time just pushing some kids on a swing set. Man, this orphanage, the kids all looked healthy and happy, but the play set was old and broken, the plastic slide was broken - the plastic was sliced and the sharp edges was left exposed. Some of the girls had crochets and yarn and were making what they told me would be a skirt.
It was funny, the kids would ask me what my name was, I'd tell them, then they'd ask me what my brother's name was, my sister's name (when I told them I didn't have a sister, they would be shocked), they would ask my mother's name and for my father's name. After I would tell all the names they would say "Ahh, those are very nice names". The kids would ask me for the names of my family members in this exact pattern, each one that asked. It was very interesting.
-- Posted From My iPhone
Lunch
2:55 2 July.
We had a short lecture today and then a tour of the campus. During the lecture, a professor from UCC (University of Cape Coast) talked to us about the demographics of Ghana. Also, we learned some Fantee words. Fantee is the local language in this part of Ghan - the Central Region. My Ghanian name is Ya which means "Thursday Girl" because i was born on a Thursday.
We went to lunch at the cafeteria on campus which is right by our chalets (where we are staying). Here, I used some of the Fantee words we were just taught. Such as Mabasse (thank you).
The weather has been great. Warm - probably 85 or so, but most of the buildings have AC or a good ceiling fan. It's pretty humid, but not over bearing and the closer to the ocean you get the nicer it is. At night it drops down to about 70-75.
-- Posted From My iPhone
We had a short lecture today and then a tour of the campus. During the lecture, a professor from UCC (University of Cape Coast) talked to us about the demographics of Ghana. Also, we learned some Fantee words. Fantee is the local language in this part of Ghan - the Central Region. My Ghanian name is Ya which means "Thursday Girl" because i was born on a Thursday.
We went to lunch at the cafeteria on campus which is right by our chalets (where we are staying). Here, I used some of the Fantee words we were just taught. Such as Mabasse (thank you).
The weather has been great. Warm - probably 85 or so, but most of the buildings have AC or a good ceiling fan. It's pretty humid, but not over bearing and the closer to the ocean you get the nicer it is. At night it drops down to about 70-75.
-- Posted From My iPhone
Sitting in Traffic
4:13PM 1 July
We spent most of the afternoon driving around Accra. We saw some sites such as the American Embassy, and the location for Parlament in Ghana. We got out of the van at this Botannical garden that houses the casket of Nhkremuah. Most of the time it seemed that we were driving around for Professor Panford to drop random stuff off with old friends. Also, looking for ATMs that take MasterCard. No luck with that one but if I was able to read with just a simple google search of tourism in Ghana that Visa was more assessable then Mastercard, then why didn't anyone else read this information? Good thing I transfered funds.
Our van has many windows and as we are stuck in traffic people that are selling things come up to the window. It's not scary and they are all nice. Most of the time, if you turn away they get the hint that you are not buying. Or say a simple no thank you. But, some people in my group feel the need to shake their hands no, or continuously say no and engage in conversation. If you are continuously engaging in conversation, even if it is negative conversation, they will not stop trying to sell you their items.
People in my group decided that since they did not want to buy anything that they would instead trade items. Offering the people on the street gum or Northeastern penciles. It's just not right. I mean, if you are going to buy an item, then buy it. If not, ignore it. Otherwise, it seems like people in my group are throwing pieces of bread out the window to birds.
Driving around Accra and then the 2.5 hour drive to Cape Coast was very appreciative. We got to see much of the cityside and country side. However, I very much felt that we were just peering into a fish bowl. And truely, that we too at times were the fish. Ghana is considered one of the most developed third world countries. And when I learned this I suppose my worst expectations for living conditions became calmer and somewhat overlooked. But wow. After seeing the capital city, the suburb towns and the villages along the way to Cape Coast, I can tell you that there is so much work that needs to be done. House are made of wooden planks and sheetmetal roofs. Garbage piles are in the middle of villages in the back yards of homes. Water running through it. No electricity, no running water.
I love seeing people caring things on their head. Men, women and children all do so. Their posture is immaculate because of it. I would like to be shown how to do it. They wrap a cloth, like a towel, around and around until it is coiled up like a snake and place that on their head, in the location that a Yamaka would be. Then, they hold platters, boxes, bowls, etc on top. It is amazing the size and weight they can carry. I saw young children carrying wood, persumably firewood, on their head. One little girl only carrying one stick, it obvious that she is learning the skill. There is so much to say about the autmosphere and environment really. My words don't describe.
This was updated at 1:26AM 2 July. Still no wifi connections. I may be SOL. We were told after arriving here at the University of Cape Coast that we have wifi in our rooms and it just needs to be configured for our computers which will be done tomorrow. But, if that is the case, I probably can't connect from my phone. Which means I'll be borrowing someones computer and retyping all this out. Lol.
-- Posted From My iPhone
We spent most of the afternoon driving around Accra. We saw some sites such as the American Embassy, and the location for Parlament in Ghana. We got out of the van at this Botannical garden that houses the casket of Nhkremuah. Most of the time it seemed that we were driving around for Professor Panford to drop random stuff off with old friends. Also, looking for ATMs that take MasterCard. No luck with that one but if I was able to read with just a simple google search of tourism in Ghana that Visa was more assessable then Mastercard, then why didn't anyone else read this information? Good thing I transfered funds.
Our van has many windows and as we are stuck in traffic people that are selling things come up to the window. It's not scary and they are all nice. Most of the time, if you turn away they get the hint that you are not buying. Or say a simple no thank you. But, some people in my group feel the need to shake their hands no, or continuously say no and engage in conversation. If you are continuously engaging in conversation, even if it is negative conversation, they will not stop trying to sell you their items.
People in my group decided that since they did not want to buy anything that they would instead trade items. Offering the people on the street gum or Northeastern penciles. It's just not right. I mean, if you are going to buy an item, then buy it. If not, ignore it. Otherwise, it seems like people in my group are throwing pieces of bread out the window to birds.
Driving around Accra and then the 2.5 hour drive to Cape Coast was very appreciative. We got to see much of the cityside and country side. However, I very much felt that we were just peering into a fish bowl. And truely, that we too at times were the fish. Ghana is considered one of the most developed third world countries. And when I learned this I suppose my worst expectations for living conditions became calmer and somewhat overlooked. But wow. After seeing the capital city, the suburb towns and the villages along the way to Cape Coast, I can tell you that there is so much work that needs to be done. House are made of wooden planks and sheetmetal roofs. Garbage piles are in the middle of villages in the back yards of homes. Water running through it. No electricity, no running water.
I love seeing people caring things on their head. Men, women and children all do so. Their posture is immaculate because of it. I would like to be shown how to do it. They wrap a cloth, like a towel, around and around until it is coiled up like a snake and place that on their head, in the location that a Yamaka would be. Then, they hold platters, boxes, bowls, etc on top. It is amazing the size and weight they can carry. I saw young children carrying wood, persumably firewood, on their head. One little girl only carrying one stick, it obvious that she is learning the skill. There is so much to say about the autmosphere and environment really. My words don't describe.
This was updated at 1:26AM 2 July. Still no wifi connections. I may be SOL. We were told after arriving here at the University of Cape Coast that we have wifi in our rooms and it just needs to be configured for our computers which will be done tomorrow. But, if that is the case, I probably can't connect from my phone. Which means I'll be borrowing someones computer and retyping all this out. Lol.
-- Posted From My iPhone
I Am Having an Allergy Attack
2:08AM 3 July
Oh my god, I can't stop sneezing and my throat is itchy as all hell. I have just gotten back from a great evening. Last night we met 2 other American students that are staying in our same part of campus (both of their names are Jessie). They are biology majors doing field research in the Cape Coast. We hung out with them last night. Tonight we went to see what they were up to and in their room was a young Ghanian man named Johnny. As it turns out, Hanna, who is a girl in our group who travelled to Cape Coast 2 years ago, had stayed with a host family during her stay, and Johnny is the son of the family she stayed with. Myself, and 3 others from my group went with Johnny and the other 2 Americans to a bar in Cape Coast. Until now, we have not been to downtown Cape Coast. We've only been on the University grounds. So, we go with Jessie and Jessie and Johnny downtown. Which is about a 10-15 minute drive. Johnny drove a pickup truck. Old school. Reminded me of the back of a tracktor that you would ride on for a hay ride. So me and 3 others stood in the bed of the pickup truck on the way into town. It was great just chilling in the back of a truck observing the area. Not the safest, but it's all good. At the bar there was a good amount of people and music. It was under a tin roof with some wood planks for sides. The music was bumping. Playing some American R&B as well as African dance music. People we dancing, drinking and having a great time. Outside of the bar a woman was cooking by smoke grill avacado and plantanes.
When we left, Johnny had someone drive us back to campus. We were going to take a taxi but Johnny wanted his friend to drive us...understandable. We paid him 3 Cedis for the ride which is about $2.50. It's crazy how cheap things are here. I've gotten an egg omlet with toast and tea for 2.50 Cedi. A Star beer which comes in a very large bottle costs 1.80 Cedi. It's crazy.
-- Posted From My iPhone
Oh my god, I can't stop sneezing and my throat is itchy as all hell. I have just gotten back from a great evening. Last night we met 2 other American students that are staying in our same part of campus (both of their names are Jessie). They are biology majors doing field research in the Cape Coast. We hung out with them last night. Tonight we went to see what they were up to and in their room was a young Ghanian man named Johnny. As it turns out, Hanna, who is a girl in our group who travelled to Cape Coast 2 years ago, had stayed with a host family during her stay, and Johnny is the son of the family she stayed with. Myself, and 3 others from my group went with Johnny and the other 2 Americans to a bar in Cape Coast. Until now, we have not been to downtown Cape Coast. We've only been on the University grounds. So, we go with Jessie and Jessie and Johnny downtown. Which is about a 10-15 minute drive. Johnny drove a pickup truck. Old school. Reminded me of the back of a tracktor that you would ride on for a hay ride. So me and 3 others stood in the bed of the pickup truck on the way into town. It was great just chilling in the back of a truck observing the area. Not the safest, but it's all good. At the bar there was a good amount of people and music. It was under a tin roof with some wood planks for sides. The music was bumping. Playing some American R&B as well as African dance music. People we dancing, drinking and having a great time. Outside of the bar a woman was cooking by smoke grill avacado and plantanes.
When we left, Johnny had someone drive us back to campus. We were going to take a taxi but Johnny wanted his friend to drive us...understandable. We paid him 3 Cedis for the ride which is about $2.50. It's crazy how cheap things are here. I've gotten an egg omlet with toast and tea for 2.50 Cedi. A Star beer which comes in a very large bottle costs 1.80 Cedi. It's crazy.
-- Posted From My iPhone
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Happy 4th of July
7:30PM 4 July
Today we went to the post and trade castles that were used for slave trade in Cape Coast. There are two, Elmina Castle (aka Saint George's Castle) and Cape Coast Castle. The tour guides for both were very good and really knew the history. The castles were used as holding spots for Africans that were getting sent to the Americas in the slave trade. It is unimaginable to think of the horrific actions that took place here. And it was so eerie to be walking around on the same floor you knew someone died and was tortured on. I've never been to any of the concentration camps in Europe, but I imagine that the emotions felt would be similar.
For 10 Pesos (cents in the Ghana Cedi currency) I got what's called a dough ball from someone selling on the street. It is so good. It's basically like fried dough, but it is not very sweet and it isn't as greasy. I don't really like funnel cakes or fried dough in the US like that, but these dough balls had a different taste and were great.
Whenever our travelling van is not moving somewhere, we become swarmed by children and young adults who are selling food, bracelets, and other nick nacks. Those that aren't selling anything are motioning for money or food. It is so sad and
painful to see and though it would be quite easy for me to hand out 1 Cedi to them, you just can't do that. Giving out a small bit of money is not going to change their economic position and it only creates a scene. It's difficult to turn your head to such poverty and it makes me want to work harder for a cause that will promote policy changes that will stimulate economic growth, social services, and aid for the country.
-- Posted From My iPhone
Today we went to the post and trade castles that were used for slave trade in Cape Coast. There are two, Elmina Castle (aka Saint George's Castle) and Cape Coast Castle. The tour guides for both were very good and really knew the history. The castles were used as holding spots for Africans that were getting sent to the Americas in the slave trade. It is unimaginable to think of the horrific actions that took place here. And it was so eerie to be walking around on the same floor you knew someone died and was tortured on. I've never been to any of the concentration camps in Europe, but I imagine that the emotions felt would be similar.
For 10 Pesos (cents in the Ghana Cedi currency) I got what's called a dough ball from someone selling on the street. It is so good. It's basically like fried dough, but it is not very sweet and it isn't as greasy. I don't really like funnel cakes or fried dough in the US like that, but these dough balls had a different taste and were great.
Whenever our travelling van is not moving somewhere, we become swarmed by children and young adults who are selling food, bracelets, and other nick nacks. Those that aren't selling anything are motioning for money or food. It is so sad and
painful to see and though it would be quite easy for me to hand out 1 Cedi to them, you just can't do that. Giving out a small bit of money is not going to change their economic position and it only creates a scene. It's difficult to turn your head to such poverty and it makes me want to work harder for a cause that will promote policy changes that will stimulate economic growth, social services, and aid for the country.
-- Posted From My iPhone
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Good Morning!
9:30AM 1 July
Having showered, slept and eaten a good breakfast, I am feeling pretty good. We are loading the van to travel to Cape Coast. We'll be drivig past the US Embassy but today, 1 July, is a national holiday in Ghana and the Embassy is closed.
On our travels to Cape Coast we have stopped at The University of Ghana, Legon. The university is huge and mostly very pretty however most of the buildings need a fresh coat of paint and the grass needs to be mowed and weeded.
Traveling on the road, mostly it is hard red clay. The main/major roads are paved...I've seen one. Along the streetside there are many shops. Everyone is selling something. Used refridgerators, food, mechanical parts.
-- Posted From My iPhone
Having showered, slept and eaten a good breakfast, I am feeling pretty good. We are loading the van to travel to Cape Coast. We'll be drivig past the US Embassy but today, 1 July, is a national holiday in Ghana and the Embassy is closed.
On our travels to Cape Coast we have stopped at The University of Ghana, Legon. The university is huge and mostly very pretty however most of the buildings need a fresh coat of paint and the grass needs to be mowed and weeded.
Traveling on the road, mostly it is hard red clay. The main/major roads are paved...I've seen one. Along the streetside there are many shops. Everyone is selling something. Used refridgerators, food, mechanical parts.
-- Posted From My iPhone
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