Hello!
So again a lot has happened since the last time I wrote, I believed I talked about Busua beach last.
I think right when we got back we left for Afram Plaines for work. Yes, Monday early in the morning. We were lucky though because this time we had a WUSC driver and a personal car which was much more comfortable than a tros-tros. We were a little confused at first as to why we might need a car instead of a tros-tros but it all became clear to us on the way. To get to Afram Plains was quite the adventure. First it was just the usually towns and trees, so I opened my book and started reading. Then, suddenly I looked out my window and we were driving up a giant mountain! In fact, mountains were all around us, and we were driving precariously up a huge one. Needless to say I was rather startled. When we reached the top there were more towns and villages, but they too were surrounded by more mountains and the air was so clean and fresh. As we drove on I felt as though we were traveling deeper and deeper into natural beauty...like to one of those places I see on TV, pristine forests and mountains with little outcrops of beautiful communities. At one point on our left was a huge river and on our right towering mountains and nothing else in sight. It was breathtaking. I took lots of pictures.
Eventually, we got to the Volta River (which I recently discovered was not actually the Volta River it is something else but because a dam expanded it, it now connects to the real Volta River and thus adopted its name). To get to Afram Plains we needed to take a ferrie across the river. We got back just in time because we were told that the boat was coming soon. Here, there is a different definition of the word soon... it took quite a while for the boat to arrive and when it did the largest most real game of tetrus was played. This game involved fitting MANY large trucks, cars, and tros-tros into the boat. There was this one really long truck that kept getting stuck while trying to drive up the ramp on the ferrie, and every time it would get stuck there would be a ½ hour wait while people tried to move it...they eventually got it on there. We, on the other hand, were not so fortunate; there ended up being not enough room for us, and so we had to wait in the town for an additional two hours for it to come back. At first, I admit I was a little frustrated but once I took a look at my surroundings I realised that maybe being stuck in the most beautiful place on earth for two hours is not that bad. The town was a cute little secluded place on the water... so I spent the two hours wandering around talking to kids and taking pictures. We got on the next trip and the boat ride was nice. There was more scenery and it lasted an hour. Once in Afram we traveled about another 1 and 1/2 hours to the radio station. We discussed some things with the station with regards to programming and ICT.
After our meeting with the staff at the station we discovered that one of the workers there, Ni, had a pet monkey!!! Needless to say we had to see it, so he took us and our WUSC/ AFRRI coworkers to see him! The monkey was adorable and his name was Paddy. Although he was tied to a tree, Ni explained that he is usually free to wander once he was home and that he didn’t run away. He was curious about us... I officially want a monkey.We then made way to our hotel, it was....ok. Take that as it is.
The next day we headed to the communities. The work that I did in these communities was very similar to previous work so I will spare you the details but I will say that I have never been anywhere so organized since I have been in Ghana. We pulled in to our first community and seated on beaches under a cluster of trees were over 100 people waiting for us! We were overwhelmed, especially since we had expected to have to rally people and mobilize them like we had done in other communities.We were instructed to go around and shake everybody’s hands and introduce ourselves one by one. Once the formalities were done, we presented them with a solar powered radio and a mobile phone to call the station and took some members for a focus group discussion.
The other two communities we visited were similar scenarios although not quite as overwhelming. At the second community a drum was used to summon people to the meeting and it worked very well! The third community took a bit longer as it was on the river and was a fishing community, but men and women eventually came, and they also came in numbers.
Overall our fieldwork was very successful and the community members were incredibly receiving and cooperative. It seems as though the radio programs are truly having an impact on these people’s lives. One woman explained that due to the program, she has been able to send her daughter to school. It is moments like those that make me feel like it has all been worth it.
The power was off for an entire day and night at our hotel leading to a very forced and uncomfortable sleep. Aside from that everything was good. We ate at this amazing restaurant which served masses of food for 3 cedis. . I had chicken and yams and pavala sauce.
We got back from our field work on Friday and went to the office for a bit at the end of the day. I stayed up preparing for the next day because we were going to cape coast! At 12:00 am Inka came in and Jackie pulled out three cup-cakes and the two of them sang me happy birthday! It was pretty awesome. We hung out for a bit and then went to sleep so that the next morning we could leave early enough for Cape. We took a tros-tros from the station and got there in time to eat lunch at this place outside of cape coast castle where met up with Gen and Max. Due to a misunderstanding, however, we got burgers with no meat. It was interesting. Afterwards we went into the Castle.
The Castle is a difficult experience to write about. I think that everyone should experience it because that is one of the only ways anyone could truly understand the feeling. It is a large white compound/ fort/castle on the ocean. Unfortunately, this beautiful landmark has been stained with a horrifying past. Hundreds of thousands of slaves were taken there for trade in 18th-19th century. On top, there is a breathtaking view of the ocean and of the entirety of Cape Coast. At first, I was surrounded by the sun, the waves, the old British style architecture and everything looked too gorgeous for what it was. As soon as you enter the dank cold sellers in the lower walls, however, a very different story is painted. No light, no windows or fresh air, nothing but heat and stone walls...I can’t really describe what it was like there but it was horrible. The guide did an amazing job and it was a very emotional tour.
We hung around for a while to take pictures and afterwards headed to our hotel “Hans Botel”. Hans Botel was really cool actually. The entire restaurant and bar area are on stilts raised above crocodile infested waters. Connecting them to one another and the gift shop are little bridges. The whole thing looked lovely. Most of the hotel is built on the swampy river but the sleeping area was off to the side. We were lucky enough to get a giant room with many beds all to ourselves!
Upon our arrival I definitely spotted a croc hanging around and was thoroughly excited. I heard we could pet them with the help of a guide but because the sun was going down (and quickly) we decided to wait until morning. After exploring a bit we decided to order dinner... I ordered delicious grilled lobster and mashed potatoes!!!! At only 10 Ghana Cedis (around 7$ Canadian) I couldn’t stop myself. As I waited for my dinner to be ready my whole family called to wish me happy birthday and it was very nice. I also sat conversing with my friends. The food was wonderful and just as I was finishing my friends stopped me and asked me to listen... then we rushed to where the live band was and they were singing me happy birthday! Haha! It was so much fun and we all danced together. When I got back to my table I was incredibly surprised to find a card and a birthday cake waiting for me! The cake was blue and spakly with flowers! And it tasted SOOOOO gooooood. MMmmmm
We spent the night eating and dancing to the song list and CD’s that the guys had made for the occasion. In the morning we had a nice breakfast while we watched a couple of crocodiles and a tree FULL of these beautiful blue birds. They are the kind of birds that build round nests hanging off of trees. They hang upside down to build them and it is really neat to watch. Also, they are just really cute birds. After that we followed one croc that got particularly close to the shore and watched someone from the hotel feed him dead fish. They open their mouths wide and make loud noises when they eat... it is slightly intimidating. We found out that we could not pet them until the evening and so we did not get a chance to.
We walked around this path in the back that went around the swamp and through the trees... there were tuns of these big white birds with really long necks that flew about as soon as you entered. They were kind of like cranes...maybe they were cranes.
Oh! One thing I forgot to mention is that there was also a pool, and so we swam for a couple of hours that day too.
In the afternoon the guys drove with Inka, Jacky and I to Kakum National Park. This was about an hour or so away from our hotel and Kakum is a giant protected rainforest. We did the canopy walk. What that entailed was climbing over 200 stairs and hiking into the forest, then climbing up into a tree fort. Connected to this tree for was a slew of unsteady rope bridges leading higher and higher until eventually you were suspended 250 meters (so around 800 feet?) above the rainforest floor. The first bridge was a little unnerving. Then you reach a tree fort where you may breath for a moment and wait for those in front of you to almost finish their bridge and then you may continue on to the next bridge and so on and so forth. Now under normal circumstances I am not scared of heights but these bridges swung back and forth and shook with every step!
We were assured, however, that they are checked regularly and that they are totally safe. I must say the sight while up there looking down on the forest was quite breathtaking. The trees were all twisted and neat looking with different leaves and vines hanging down. I like rainforests.
On the way back down we realised that our tour guide was the same guy who sang me happy birthday the night before! Haha Also, we saw a really cool looking scorpion. I took it’s picture.
After the Canopy walk we went back to cape coast for dinner and ate at this lovely restaurant by the ocean, right beside the castle. (It was nice but the food took a long time) We watched some children play and dance on the beach while we waited for our food.
I don’t know if I discussed in detail the feel or architecture of cape coast but it is truly a town filled with history. Just being there I felt like I was being launched through time. Many of the buildings look very old and are still standing from the colonial days. It has old British style churches and clock towers and buildings everywhere. I believe we even passed by a cobble stone street. The town was first established as a fishing community, and then was an important trading center. Many other countries came and used the area as a trading center setting up forts (which are still visible today) before the British came in. Then of course begins its sad history in the slave trade as I had mentioned before but it is almost as though all of these stories can be told by walking around the city.
After dinner we headed back to Accra.
There is more to write of course, so stay posted!
Cassie
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Weekend in Accra, Techiman, and Busua Beach
Hello my dear friends and family,
I know it has been so long since I have written. If it has not been long than definitely a lot has happened in a short period of time.
I believe that I have two weekends and a week of field work to discuss!
Well, believe it or not I still have not been to cape coast. Lol. Last weekend we were all preparing for the journey when one of us fell sick, we all slept in, and then realised that we had actually not planned the trip very well because we didn’t even know where we were going to stay. So we decided the morning of our expected departure to instead stay in Accra and see some new sights. There is a lot to do in the capital and we have not even come close to having done it all.
We decided to start our mourning with the Madina Market. We heard that there was a very big market not far from our hostel and so we decided to check it out. It was indeed a very big market. All of the streets were crowded with people. Vendors were everywhere selling shoes, purses, clothes, and things of that nature. As we wove through the streets we came to an area selling food, and the constant smell of fish hung in the air. Baskets full of fish littered the streets (the kind of fish that stare at you while you walk by....). We ended up buying some cloth to later fashion into really beautiful clothes (we have not made the clothes yet...) and we met some wonderful ladies who gave us some deals and helped us pick the cloth from the shade of their wooden stall. I also bought a new purse, and some useful doodads while in the market. We tired relatively quickly, as you can imagine heat, crowds of people and a never ending stretch of vendors can take a lot out of you. We had an entire day planned of sightseeing but after the market we kind of just fell asleep in my room for a couple of hours until our friend Jackie brought us Chinese food for dinner (our saviour). Surprising, Accra has a lot of Chinese restaurants. There are not that many near our house but we can easily go out and get some if we are craving a bit of variety.
We later watched The Proposal from my laptop and it is a really cute movie. J Then we went to sleep.
Saturday Jackie and I went to visit our friend Nelly and said Hi to Julianna and Nick in the meantime. We then decided to visit Labadi Beach as it is one of Accra’s main tourist attractions and a couple of us had not yet been there (myself included). The beach was nice, VERY touristy, there were a lot of foreigners there that is (although still a lot of locals too). Very crowded, but at least it was clean. There are nice reclining chairs that you can help yourself too under an umbrella which was very nice. The ocean was A LOT of fun to play in! There were lifeguards at Labadi and a lot of people so it is easier to be brave with the ocean waves. Nelly and I played in them for some time and rode them into the shore... it was a blast... I love beaches!
All around though there are people selling things. It was nice at first because we were looking to pick up some souvenirs but after a while the people just kind of flock you and it is hard to shake them off. Oh, another very random thing was that there were about 3 horses riding up and down the beach giving people rides for way too much money. Lol It was nice to see the horses but it seemed more dangerous than it was worth really. At one point the horse was running down the beach and actually stepped on someone who was sun tanning. Surprisingly, she was ok.
As the sun was setting on the beach and the lifeguards began to call in swimmers we decided to take our leave. We went to one of our semi-usual hangout spots: the Accra mall. Here we met up with Jess, and by chance Bridget (other volunteers) and we ate supper joyously together.
It was a nice weekend.
The following day at work we were welcomed with the news that on Tuesday we would be traveling to conduct more fieldwork, this time in Techiman. Techiman is about 7 hours north of Accra, and so quite the journey, although I was excited at the prospect of more field work and after a nice weekend in Accra I was itching to travel. We were told to set out at 5 am on Tuesday morning in order to catch a tros-tros early enough... unfortunately, we were there on time, however, due to traffic, broken down tros-tros and the general slowness with which things happen here it was not until almost 10 that we were united with our colleague and were boarding a tros-tros to Kumasi (where we would then board a connecting tros-tros to Techiman). The trip was really really interesting! Little did I know so much forest existed just outside of where I am staying! We passed through miles and miles of thick forests, with some scattered fields now and then. These fields had tall trees and circling eagles, and cool plants, and the forests were thickets of twisting trees and vines. Just looking at the beauty of the nature around me was entertaining and made me wish I could never leave. At one point we passed through two giant cliffs that rose like mountains on either side of us. The cliffs were again surrounded by forest and the sight was breathtaking. Spread throughout the trip was little breaks in the forest with small towns and villages. I was quite surprised at how many I saw actually, and where exactly I saw them. I have to admit, however, that aside from the wonderful view and the breathtaking scenery the ride was quite uncomfortable. I was shoved in the back seat where all of the bumps are felt three fold. I had quite the headache for most of the ride and 3 quarter of the roads was unpaved, the other quarter had more speed bumps than I can possibly count. On top of this I was so tired but sleep was pretty much impossible without a strong prescription of sleeping meds (which I did not have lol). 5 hours later we arrived in Kumasi where we immediately got on another tros-tros, which continued our journey for another 2 hours before arriving to Techiman.
Techiman is a nice area. Very well developed although not as crowded as Accra. We went to the station to meet the staff of Classic FM with whom we would be working for the next couple of days. And retired to our hotel for the evening.
The following day after a long meeting at the station Jacky and I set out with two employees from Classic FM who served as our translators and facilitators. They were really nice and easy to get along with. The first community that we visited was called Aworowa and I guess we encountered all of the problems there that development workers have to face. Upon arrival we decided to split up and begin with one on one case farmer interviews. Mamea and I decided to interview women, while Jacky and Kofi men.
The town was quite large and elaborate. Very different from the one described in Ada. There was a lot more infrastructures and even just in general the population was surprisingly larger than in the communities in Ada. Regardless of the larger sample we were provided with, however, we found it exceedingly difficult to find people to interview for the program. In addition when we went to go conduct our focus group there was no one there! We had to go back Friday to conduct the focus group.
The second community, Offuman, was a bit further of a drive. We were driving through forest again (although sometimes the forest would turn into long stretches of VERY tall grass....I wanted to play hide and go seek in them) for quite some time, passing clusters of huts now and then, and so I was expecting a rather small community. Once again, however, I was mistaken. As we took one last turn in the road the forest opened up and giant community presented itself (well giant compared to what we were passing on the way). We thought that Offuman would be easier than Aworowa, and to some extent it was, as we were able to conduct the focus group, but definitely with some difficulty. Again many of the farmers were gone and it took a long time to mobilize enough men and women to conduct the focus group. We also found out that the people may have been less willing to cooperate given past organisations (not affiliated with AFRRI) have come and promised them financial assistance, but never delivered. We were told by one of the locals that some people may still affiliate us with that organisation, even though we are not. We also managed to gather enough information to write a fairly comprehensive report regarding the campaign, and the last campaign, and some suggestions on how to improve awareness and listenership of the program.
The final community that we visited was Sikaa. Lunckily enough for us the whole town had already been gathered for an information session on health that was being given by a nurse when we arrived. While we waited for the first session to come to a close we were offered a seat in the chief’s palace! Every village or town has a chief, and a royal family. The etiquette for these people is a little different depending on where you are and they are highly regarded among the community members. Every chief selects a “queen mother”, who is also very influential. The Queen mother is not necessarily a real mother; any woman who is related to the chief (except for his wife) can be appointed Queen mother. This chief had a big compound within which was a raised and tiled piece of ground (almost like a stage) upon which was a throne surrounded by other upholstered chairs. On the walls behind the throne were crossed swords and pictures of the chief with various people. We requested to meet him but unfortunately he was not around while we were there. He had left to go into town, and was not to return for a little while.
When the nurse had finished talking we addressed the community regarding the program, divided into groups, and were able to carry out the focus group discussion. Sikaa’s fieldwork finished early; however, we remained there for an additional three hours awaiting transport. After being convinced that there were no taxis or tros-tros coming, we seized the opportunity to jump in the back of a pick-up truck with about 15 other community members. The truck (which I think is referred to as a Lorie when it is used to transport people) took us to the next community where we convinced a tros-tros to abandon its planned route and take us all back into Techiman.
So I officially have been writing this blog forever and saving it on my computer to continue later but the problem is every time I save it to continue it I have more to write so I will continue it now and post whatever I have at the end of the day and talk more later.... that is probably what I should have done 3 weeks ago.
Where was I?.... oh yes... once in Techiman we re-grouped and ate some food before heading off again to Aworowa for a second time... which unfortunately was not much more successful than the first time. Once arrived at the Cassava mill where the focus group was meant to be held, the women were still working and no one was really ready to hold a focus group. Luckily we managed to get enough people to sit down for a while and gather some information and in put on what we can do to improve the program, or raise awareness in their community. After the focus group, we decided to try and get a couple more one on one interviews in the community. We had only just arrived, however, when a very strong wind picked up and started blowing things all around town. Sand was spiralling around us and people started rushing to put out their cooking fires and to pack up their things. Suddenly rain began pouring down so heavily that we ran to take shelter in someone’s....shack? A building made from wood and sheets of metal where they work and sow clothing... It was definitely what many would describe as a small shack but it kept the rain out well. There we met three women, which were very nice and hospitable. Rose was the owner's name and she covered us with cloth and talked and joked with us in length. The African rain beats down harder than I have ever seen in my life, and here is the kicker, once it starts it can last for hours and hours and hours! Also, the lightning in Ghana does not strike like it does in Canada. The whole sky lights up, but you do not see the bolt, just flashes of light... also... no thunder. I don’t know why, but I am determined to find out. Often, there are also flashes of lightening without there ever being rain.
But this time there was lots of rain and we remained with the seamstresses for hours before we decided to venture into the rain. Jackie and I went first, and danced while we tried to catch a taxis, then we gave up and went back to the shack. It was another hour or so before the others were convinced that the rain was not going to let up anytime soon and came with us under a tarp to find a taxis. (Oh! Before we left though a nice gentlemen who had been waiting for us to emerge offered us some bags of his Garri as a gift ). None of the taxis wanted to drive in the rain but we finally commandeered one and convinced it to take us into town. It dropped us at the Techiman station where it was still raining. We ran in the rain tarpless for a while looking again for a taxis to take us to the hotel. No luck. So we ran all the way to the radio station where someone who owned a taxis was convinced (by a couple extras cedis) to bring us to our hotel. I had a hot shower for the first time in Africa, and I loved it.
So once back I believe we just wrote up our reports and not much very interesting happened that week, except that I got really sick from some French toast that I tried making on a cooker, and missed 2 days of work.
Luckily for me, however, I was feeling better by Friday and me and all the other volunteers had planned a trip to Busua beach, a very beautiful place and highly recommended by past volunteers and our bradt travel guides. This beach in Busua, about five hours away in the direction of cape coast. We drove along the west coast for most of the way in a tros-tros and, as usual, the sight was beautiful. Note to self: pee before leaving on long roadtrips in tros-tros...restroom stops usually consist of stopping on the side of the road with little cover, and the roads are far too bumpy to hold it in. Lol
We had to get off in Takoradi and continue our journey to Busua via taxis. We stayed at a paradise lodge in the middle of nowhere called the Green Turtle lodge. The owners were pretty much my heroes as the entire place was environmentally friendly (and clean!). The bathrooms were composted and turned into soil, everything was solar powered, recycled, or locally made. J The rooms where very up-scale looking mud huts. Haha. The walls were mud with decorative paintings on the outside but when you go inside, the room is spacious with stone floors, a stylish shower and your own washroom! We were all very surprised when we walked into our 21st century hut. Lol
The Green turtle lodge had a lovely beach right on the ocean, very good food, and a 24 hour bar. We sunbathed and talked and walked along the ocean and the whole experience was lovely.
After dinner 3 of us (myself included) signed up for the turtle night hike. This was basically a night walk along the beach with someone who was working for the conservation of the sea turtles. It was the laying season of the leatherback turtle, the world’s largest sea turtles, and some lay their eggs right there on the very beach we were walking on. Unfortunately, however, they do not lie every night, and that Saturday night was not their night, so we did not see any sea turtles but the night walk along the beach was nice and our guide was very informative. I learned a lot about sea turtles. For example, if nothing kills them they can live to be 200 years old! Also, it looks as though they cry when they surface to lay their eggs but really, their tears are salt and that is the way their bodies are able to separate the salt from the water that they drink. And did you know that a baby turtle will grow up remembering the beach where it was born and it will always go back to that spot to lay its own eggs? There is a need for more conservation work along that beach, however, because as our guide was telling us, the locals catch and eat the sea turtles, as well as their eggs that they find on the beach. Our guide has met a lot of trouble in trying to inform the people that this is an offence because the turtles are an endangered species...people make money off of the turtles so it has been hard for him to protect them.
After the night hike, Gen and I lied on the beach and watched the stars. Without power and in the middle of nowhere the stars really do shine. The Milky Way was visible, and I saw 4 shooting stars. The sound of the ocean eventually put us to sleep... we are lucky our friend found us and woke us up so we could head to our beds. We may have well stayed on the beach though. Sleep was restless in our hut. We had piled 4 extra mattresses on the ground for all of us to sleep on and there was this creature (and I think its babies) living on the roof of our hut. They made lots of noise and I am pretty sure were gnawing at our roof.
The next morning, we ate breakfast and played in the ocean before heading out. Another lesson learned: Oceans can be dangerous. Be careful, and they are fun. J
Luckily we were able to get a drive back with our friend, which was much more comfortable than the tros-tros. Once back, (which took forever with traffic!) we ate Chinese food at the Accra Mall (it was delicious) before going home to sleep because the next day we were heading out on yet another trip for work. This time to Afram Plaines.
And I know I started this blog with not having gone to Cape Coast, but just to give you an idea of how long I have been writing this blog, we have now gone. Haha . we decided to go to celebrate my 21st birthday this past weekend and it was amazing. But I will write more about that a little later.
I know it has been so long since I have written. If it has not been long than definitely a lot has happened in a short period of time.
I believe that I have two weekends and a week of field work to discuss!
Well, believe it or not I still have not been to cape coast. Lol. Last weekend we were all preparing for the journey when one of us fell sick, we all slept in, and then realised that we had actually not planned the trip very well because we didn’t even know where we were going to stay. So we decided the morning of our expected departure to instead stay in Accra and see some new sights. There is a lot to do in the capital and we have not even come close to having done it all.
We decided to start our mourning with the Madina Market. We heard that there was a very big market not far from our hostel and so we decided to check it out. It was indeed a very big market. All of the streets were crowded with people. Vendors were everywhere selling shoes, purses, clothes, and things of that nature. As we wove through the streets we came to an area selling food, and the constant smell of fish hung in the air. Baskets full of fish littered the streets (the kind of fish that stare at you while you walk by....). We ended up buying some cloth to later fashion into really beautiful clothes (we have not made the clothes yet...) and we met some wonderful ladies who gave us some deals and helped us pick the cloth from the shade of their wooden stall. I also bought a new purse, and some useful doodads while in the market. We tired relatively quickly, as you can imagine heat, crowds of people and a never ending stretch of vendors can take a lot out of you. We had an entire day planned of sightseeing but after the market we kind of just fell asleep in my room for a couple of hours until our friend Jackie brought us Chinese food for dinner (our saviour). Surprising, Accra has a lot of Chinese restaurants. There are not that many near our house but we can easily go out and get some if we are craving a bit of variety.
We later watched The Proposal from my laptop and it is a really cute movie. J Then we went to sleep.
Saturday Jackie and I went to visit our friend Nelly and said Hi to Julianna and Nick in the meantime. We then decided to visit Labadi Beach as it is one of Accra’s main tourist attractions and a couple of us had not yet been there (myself included). The beach was nice, VERY touristy, there were a lot of foreigners there that is (although still a lot of locals too). Very crowded, but at least it was clean. There are nice reclining chairs that you can help yourself too under an umbrella which was very nice. The ocean was A LOT of fun to play in! There were lifeguards at Labadi and a lot of people so it is easier to be brave with the ocean waves. Nelly and I played in them for some time and rode them into the shore... it was a blast... I love beaches!
All around though there are people selling things. It was nice at first because we were looking to pick up some souvenirs but after a while the people just kind of flock you and it is hard to shake them off. Oh, another very random thing was that there were about 3 horses riding up and down the beach giving people rides for way too much money. Lol It was nice to see the horses but it seemed more dangerous than it was worth really. At one point the horse was running down the beach and actually stepped on someone who was sun tanning. Surprisingly, she was ok.
As the sun was setting on the beach and the lifeguards began to call in swimmers we decided to take our leave. We went to one of our semi-usual hangout spots: the Accra mall. Here we met up with Jess, and by chance Bridget (other volunteers) and we ate supper joyously together.
It was a nice weekend.
The following day at work we were welcomed with the news that on Tuesday we would be traveling to conduct more fieldwork, this time in Techiman. Techiman is about 7 hours north of Accra, and so quite the journey, although I was excited at the prospect of more field work and after a nice weekend in Accra I was itching to travel. We were told to set out at 5 am on Tuesday morning in order to catch a tros-tros early enough... unfortunately, we were there on time, however, due to traffic, broken down tros-tros and the general slowness with which things happen here it was not until almost 10 that we were united with our colleague and were boarding a tros-tros to Kumasi (where we would then board a connecting tros-tros to Techiman). The trip was really really interesting! Little did I know so much forest existed just outside of where I am staying! We passed through miles and miles of thick forests, with some scattered fields now and then. These fields had tall trees and circling eagles, and cool plants, and the forests were thickets of twisting trees and vines. Just looking at the beauty of the nature around me was entertaining and made me wish I could never leave. At one point we passed through two giant cliffs that rose like mountains on either side of us. The cliffs were again surrounded by forest and the sight was breathtaking. Spread throughout the trip was little breaks in the forest with small towns and villages. I was quite surprised at how many I saw actually, and where exactly I saw them. I have to admit, however, that aside from the wonderful view and the breathtaking scenery the ride was quite uncomfortable. I was shoved in the back seat where all of the bumps are felt three fold. I had quite the headache for most of the ride and 3 quarter of the roads was unpaved, the other quarter had more speed bumps than I can possibly count. On top of this I was so tired but sleep was pretty much impossible without a strong prescription of sleeping meds (which I did not have lol). 5 hours later we arrived in Kumasi where we immediately got on another tros-tros, which continued our journey for another 2 hours before arriving to Techiman.
Techiman is a nice area. Very well developed although not as crowded as Accra. We went to the station to meet the staff of Classic FM with whom we would be working for the next couple of days. And retired to our hotel for the evening.
The following day after a long meeting at the station Jacky and I set out with two employees from Classic FM who served as our translators and facilitators. They were really nice and easy to get along with. The first community that we visited was called Aworowa and I guess we encountered all of the problems there that development workers have to face. Upon arrival we decided to split up and begin with one on one case farmer interviews. Mamea and I decided to interview women, while Jacky and Kofi men.
The town was quite large and elaborate. Very different from the one described in Ada. There was a lot more infrastructures and even just in general the population was surprisingly larger than in the communities in Ada. Regardless of the larger sample we were provided with, however, we found it exceedingly difficult to find people to interview for the program. In addition when we went to go conduct our focus group there was no one there! We had to go back Friday to conduct the focus group.
The second community, Offuman, was a bit further of a drive. We were driving through forest again (although sometimes the forest would turn into long stretches of VERY tall grass....I wanted to play hide and go seek in them) for quite some time, passing clusters of huts now and then, and so I was expecting a rather small community. Once again, however, I was mistaken. As we took one last turn in the road the forest opened up and giant community presented itself (well giant compared to what we were passing on the way). We thought that Offuman would be easier than Aworowa, and to some extent it was, as we were able to conduct the focus group, but definitely with some difficulty. Again many of the farmers were gone and it took a long time to mobilize enough men and women to conduct the focus group. We also found out that the people may have been less willing to cooperate given past organisations (not affiliated with AFRRI) have come and promised them financial assistance, but never delivered. We were told by one of the locals that some people may still affiliate us with that organisation, even though we are not. We also managed to gather enough information to write a fairly comprehensive report regarding the campaign, and the last campaign, and some suggestions on how to improve awareness and listenership of the program.
The final community that we visited was Sikaa. Lunckily enough for us the whole town had already been gathered for an information session on health that was being given by a nurse when we arrived. While we waited for the first session to come to a close we were offered a seat in the chief’s palace! Every village or town has a chief, and a royal family. The etiquette for these people is a little different depending on where you are and they are highly regarded among the community members. Every chief selects a “queen mother”, who is also very influential. The Queen mother is not necessarily a real mother; any woman who is related to the chief (except for his wife) can be appointed Queen mother. This chief had a big compound within which was a raised and tiled piece of ground (almost like a stage) upon which was a throne surrounded by other upholstered chairs. On the walls behind the throne were crossed swords and pictures of the chief with various people. We requested to meet him but unfortunately he was not around while we were there. He had left to go into town, and was not to return for a little while.
When the nurse had finished talking we addressed the community regarding the program, divided into groups, and were able to carry out the focus group discussion. Sikaa’s fieldwork finished early; however, we remained there for an additional three hours awaiting transport. After being convinced that there were no taxis or tros-tros coming, we seized the opportunity to jump in the back of a pick-up truck with about 15 other community members. The truck (which I think is referred to as a Lorie when it is used to transport people) took us to the next community where we convinced a tros-tros to abandon its planned route and take us all back into Techiman.
So I officially have been writing this blog forever and saving it on my computer to continue later but the problem is every time I save it to continue it I have more to write so I will continue it now and post whatever I have at the end of the day and talk more later.... that is probably what I should have done 3 weeks ago.
Where was I?.... oh yes... once in Techiman we re-grouped and ate some food before heading off again to Aworowa for a second time... which unfortunately was not much more successful than the first time. Once arrived at the Cassava mill where the focus group was meant to be held, the women were still working and no one was really ready to hold a focus group. Luckily we managed to get enough people to sit down for a while and gather some information and in put on what we can do to improve the program, or raise awareness in their community. After the focus group, we decided to try and get a couple more one on one interviews in the community. We had only just arrived, however, when a very strong wind picked up and started blowing things all around town. Sand was spiralling around us and people started rushing to put out their cooking fires and to pack up their things. Suddenly rain began pouring down so heavily that we ran to take shelter in someone’s....shack? A building made from wood and sheets of metal where they work and sow clothing... It was definitely what many would describe as a small shack but it kept the rain out well. There we met three women, which were very nice and hospitable. Rose was the owner's name and she covered us with cloth and talked and joked with us in length. The African rain beats down harder than I have ever seen in my life, and here is the kicker, once it starts it can last for hours and hours and hours! Also, the lightning in Ghana does not strike like it does in Canada. The whole sky lights up, but you do not see the bolt, just flashes of light... also... no thunder. I don’t know why, but I am determined to find out. Often, there are also flashes of lightening without there ever being rain.
But this time there was lots of rain and we remained with the seamstresses for hours before we decided to venture into the rain. Jackie and I went first, and danced while we tried to catch a taxis, then we gave up and went back to the shack. It was another hour or so before the others were convinced that the rain was not going to let up anytime soon and came with us under a tarp to find a taxis. (Oh! Before we left though a nice gentlemen who had been waiting for us to emerge offered us some bags of his Garri as a gift ). None of the taxis wanted to drive in the rain but we finally commandeered one and convinced it to take us into town. It dropped us at the Techiman station where it was still raining. We ran in the rain tarpless for a while looking again for a taxis to take us to the hotel. No luck. So we ran all the way to the radio station where someone who owned a taxis was convinced (by a couple extras cedis) to bring us to our hotel. I had a hot shower for the first time in Africa, and I loved it.
So once back I believe we just wrote up our reports and not much very interesting happened that week, except that I got really sick from some French toast that I tried making on a cooker, and missed 2 days of work.
Luckily for me, however, I was feeling better by Friday and me and all the other volunteers had planned a trip to Busua beach, a very beautiful place and highly recommended by past volunteers and our bradt travel guides. This beach in Busua, about five hours away in the direction of cape coast. We drove along the west coast for most of the way in a tros-tros and, as usual, the sight was beautiful. Note to self: pee before leaving on long roadtrips in tros-tros...restroom stops usually consist of stopping on the side of the road with little cover, and the roads are far too bumpy to hold it in. Lol
We had to get off in Takoradi and continue our journey to Busua via taxis. We stayed at a paradise lodge in the middle of nowhere called the Green Turtle lodge. The owners were pretty much my heroes as the entire place was environmentally friendly (and clean!). The bathrooms were composted and turned into soil, everything was solar powered, recycled, or locally made. J The rooms where very up-scale looking mud huts. Haha. The walls were mud with decorative paintings on the outside but when you go inside, the room is spacious with stone floors, a stylish shower and your own washroom! We were all very surprised when we walked into our 21st century hut. Lol
The Green turtle lodge had a lovely beach right on the ocean, very good food, and a 24 hour bar. We sunbathed and talked and walked along the ocean and the whole experience was lovely.
After dinner 3 of us (myself included) signed up for the turtle night hike. This was basically a night walk along the beach with someone who was working for the conservation of the sea turtles. It was the laying season of the leatherback turtle, the world’s largest sea turtles, and some lay their eggs right there on the very beach we were walking on. Unfortunately, however, they do not lie every night, and that Saturday night was not their night, so we did not see any sea turtles but the night walk along the beach was nice and our guide was very informative. I learned a lot about sea turtles. For example, if nothing kills them they can live to be 200 years old! Also, it looks as though they cry when they surface to lay their eggs but really, their tears are salt and that is the way their bodies are able to separate the salt from the water that they drink. And did you know that a baby turtle will grow up remembering the beach where it was born and it will always go back to that spot to lay its own eggs? There is a need for more conservation work along that beach, however, because as our guide was telling us, the locals catch and eat the sea turtles, as well as their eggs that they find on the beach. Our guide has met a lot of trouble in trying to inform the people that this is an offence because the turtles are an endangered species...people make money off of the turtles so it has been hard for him to protect them.
After the night hike, Gen and I lied on the beach and watched the stars. Without power and in the middle of nowhere the stars really do shine. The Milky Way was visible, and I saw 4 shooting stars. The sound of the ocean eventually put us to sleep... we are lucky our friend found us and woke us up so we could head to our beds. We may have well stayed on the beach though. Sleep was restless in our hut. We had piled 4 extra mattresses on the ground for all of us to sleep on and there was this creature (and I think its babies) living on the roof of our hut. They made lots of noise and I am pretty sure were gnawing at our roof.
The next morning, we ate breakfast and played in the ocean before heading out. Another lesson learned: Oceans can be dangerous. Be careful, and they are fun. J
Luckily we were able to get a drive back with our friend, which was much more comfortable than the tros-tros. Once back, (which took forever with traffic!) we ate Chinese food at the Accra Mall (it was delicious) before going home to sleep because the next day we were heading out on yet another trip for work. This time to Afram Plaines.
And I know I started this blog with not having gone to Cape Coast, but just to give you an idea of how long I have been writing this blog, we have now gone. Haha . we decided to go to celebrate my 21st birthday this past weekend and it was amazing. But I will write more about that a little later.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Ada, my first field visit.
(The title is an inside thing....)
Again I feel as though so much has happened in the last week that I am not entirely sure where
to begin.
Last Thursday Jacky and I left Accra to travel, once again to Ada, but this time for work. We were the only two representatives from AFRRI, and although excited, I have to admit I was a little nervous at first. Luckily, there were two representatives from Ada Radio that spoke the local language, Dengbe, and one of which had done some field work of this nature before. Their names are Philimon and William and they are very pleasant to work with. Our goal was to conduct a focus group regarding the current AFRRI program being aired in Ada about Market Information Service. Also we were asked to conduct one-on-one interviews with locals to find out their opinions of the program and to gather some success stories on the last program regarding animal housing. This process had to be repeated in three communities, Adedestkope, Ceaserkope, and Ayisa.
The goal of the program was to inform local communities on marketing techniques and to improve their marketing skills. One of the main aspects of the program was that it announced the prices of goods in markets outside the district of Ada, and outside the 3 communities. Prior to the program, people were not aware of the price of goods beyond their communities, and so had no incentive to expand. Now that the prices were being announced and even predicted on the radio, people could plan their trips to the markets, and ship some their produce to where it is in demand and where they can get a higher price for it. The program also taught farmers about harvesting bit by bit, rather than in bulk, in order to meet the demands of the market place and sell more efficiently. These are only some of the main points of the program.
The first community, Adedestkope (pronounced: Adédé ch kopé) was lovely, but difficult to mobilize. While waiting for enough people to organise a focus group we walked through other people’s backyards, asking them politely is we could interview them about the program. Jacky and I each got five interviews. Philimon did the talking for me and translated while I just took notes and asked any additional questions or for clarification.
Most of the houses in this community were grass or mud huts or houses. Some of them had tin roofs, but with boulders holding them down. A lot of them had grass roofs. The roads were all dirt roads naturally, and transportation was mostly done by motorbike! This was my favourite part. There are guys just riding motorbikes up and down the streets and you flag them down much like a taxi and hop on! They didn’t speed with us considering we were a bit nervous and the lack of helmets didn’t help. But it was so much fun! I am telling you, I am not a morning person but a nice brisk motorbike ride across the country-side helps. There were a lot of bugs while we were working though, and did it ever get hot in the afternoons! I came back with a tan. Oh! I should note, however, that AFRI set us up in a very nice hotel. We were pleased with it until on the second night they decided to do construction on our rooms and help themselves to our things... nothing got stolen but bags had been rummaged through and when we thought that Jacky’s ring was missing (it got swept up with the garbage) well... it was not a pleasant sight.
So anyways, back to talking about work. So we did the one on one and that was great but we still could not manage to mobilize enough people to conduct a focus group. The men seemed to be off to sea fishing and no one knew exactly when they would be back. So we decided that the only thing we could do was to come back in the morning. We returned there after having confirmed the time with the community, however, when we arrived in the morning there appeared to be another community meeting going on that kept people for an additional 2-3 hours. Finally when people started to come we were informed that someone in the community had unfortunately just passed and everyone was busy with the funeral preparations. We offered our condolences and asked whether we should come back but it appeared that enough people had come together to do the focus groups for a short while. The whole process was interesting. We left and AFRI gave them a solar paneled radio and some phone credits to call in during the program. Before we left the members of this community gave us some Ada names: mine is Adede (pronounced: Adédé) which means first born. Jacky’s is Kabukini meaning first girl. They were very nice in the end, and very grateful, as were we.
We then headed to the second community. There was a big Neem tree under which we held the focus group. I loved this tree as it was actually very relaxing to sit in its shade and discuss. More people came to this focus group and we only had to wait for 45 minutes for enough people to come and sit on the benches that were procured. One man even said that he was from a neighbouring community but that he had heard on the radio that there were two people from Canada coming to conduct a focus group on the program and that he wanted to come and take part. There were many more participants in this group and afterwards we managed to do the one on one interviews and success stories. We said thank you and grabbed a taxi back to a market where we could then take a tros-tros to our hotel.
The next day was the final community, Ayisa. This community was even more organised than the last and there were many participants in the focus group. Also this community was mostly grass and mud huts (some with metal roofs) again, we were surprised at how clean and organised and beautiful it was. We could clearly see the animal housing that has been built since the last program that aired. The ground even looked swept and there was no sign of any pollution or garbage. Everyone was really nice. They even offered Jacky and I a Guinea Fowl as a token of gratitude. A guinea fowl is almost like a turkey but it is black and white and almost looks checkered in pattern. We had to decline... but we did get to hold one.
On the way to Ayisa we stopped in a market (the name evades me). It was massive and you could get anything you ever wanted there. We bought lots of fruit and vegetables, bags of sea salt for cooking, and some pasta. I think all together it may have costs 5 cedis...and we got a lot of stuff.
The tros-tros ride back to Accra was, interesting to say the least.
I will write more later. Oh! For those of you who are wondering I did not go to Cape Coast last weekend...Instead we celebrated Nicks Birthday at the hotel we first stayed at. Juliana works at the hotel everyday and she takes very very good care of us. Even now that we have moved on she checks in to make sure we are all ok. We visit often and Nick is her son. He is adorable, and on Saturday was his 2nd birthday. We all bought gifts and ate cake. Afterwards, we headed to another birthday party for someone from India that we had met the weekend before. Never have I mingled with so many Expatriates. Haha. The music was a good mix and we danced the night away.
I am hoping to go to cape coast this weekend. Fingers crossed.
-Cassie
Again I feel as though so much has happened in the last week that I am not entirely sure where
to begin.
Last Thursday Jacky and I left Accra to travel, once again to Ada, but this time for work. We were the only two representatives from AFRRI, and although excited, I have to admit I was a little nervous at first. Luckily, there were two representatives from Ada Radio that spoke the local language, Dengbe, and one of which had done some field work of this nature before. Their names are Philimon and William and they are very pleasant to work with. Our goal was to conduct a focus group regarding the current AFRRI program being aired in Ada about Market Information Service. Also we were asked to conduct one-on-one interviews with locals to find out their opinions of the program and to gather some success stories on the last program regarding animal housing. This process had to be repeated in three communities, Adedestkope, Ceaserkope, and Ayisa.
The goal of the program was to inform local communities on marketing techniques and to improve their marketing skills. One of the main aspects of the program was that it announced the prices of goods in markets outside the district of Ada, and outside the 3 communities. Prior to the program, people were not aware of the price of goods beyond their communities, and so had no incentive to expand. Now that the prices were being announced and even predicted on the radio, people could plan their trips to the markets, and ship some their produce to where it is in demand and where they can get a higher price for it. The program also taught farmers about harvesting bit by bit, rather than in bulk, in order to meet the demands of the market place and sell more efficiently. These are only some of the main points of the program.
The first community, Adedestkope (pronounced: Adédé ch kopé) was lovely, but difficult to mobilize. While waiting for enough people to organise a focus group we walked through other people’s backyards, asking them politely is we could interview them about the program. Jacky and I each got five interviews. Philimon did the talking for me and translated while I just took notes and asked any additional questions or for clarification.
Most of the houses in this community were grass or mud huts or houses. Some of them had tin roofs, but with boulders holding them down. A lot of them had grass roofs. The roads were all dirt roads naturally, and transportation was mostly done by motorbike! This was my favourite part. There are guys just riding motorbikes up and down the streets and you flag them down much like a taxi and hop on! They didn’t speed with us considering we were a bit nervous and the lack of helmets didn’t help. But it was so much fun! I am telling you, I am not a morning person but a nice brisk motorbike ride across the country-side helps. There were a lot of bugs while we were working though, and did it ever get hot in the afternoons! I came back with a tan. Oh! I should note, however, that AFRI set us up in a very nice hotel. We were pleased with it until on the second night they decided to do construction on our rooms and help themselves to our things... nothing got stolen but bags had been rummaged through and when we thought that Jacky’s ring was missing (it got swept up with the garbage) well... it was not a pleasant sight.
So anyways, back to talking about work. So we did the one on one and that was great but we still could not manage to mobilize enough people to conduct a focus group. The men seemed to be off to sea fishing and no one knew exactly when they would be back. So we decided that the only thing we could do was to come back in the morning. We returned there after having confirmed the time with the community, however, when we arrived in the morning there appeared to be another community meeting going on that kept people for an additional 2-3 hours. Finally when people started to come we were informed that someone in the community had unfortunately just passed and everyone was busy with the funeral preparations. We offered our condolences and asked whether we should come back but it appeared that enough people had come together to do the focus groups for a short while. The whole process was interesting. We left and AFRI gave them a solar paneled radio and some phone credits to call in during the program. Before we left the members of this community gave us some Ada names: mine is Adede (pronounced: Adédé) which means first born. Jacky’s is Kabukini meaning first girl. They were very nice in the end, and very grateful, as were we.
We then headed to the second community. There was a big Neem tree under which we held the focus group. I loved this tree as it was actually very relaxing to sit in its shade and discuss. More people came to this focus group and we only had to wait for 45 minutes for enough people to come and sit on the benches that were procured. One man even said that he was from a neighbouring community but that he had heard on the radio that there were two people from Canada coming to conduct a focus group on the program and that he wanted to come and take part. There were many more participants in this group and afterwards we managed to do the one on one interviews and success stories. We said thank you and grabbed a taxi back to a market where we could then take a tros-tros to our hotel.
The next day was the final community, Ayisa. This community was even more organised than the last and there were many participants in the focus group. Also this community was mostly grass and mud huts (some with metal roofs) again, we were surprised at how clean and organised and beautiful it was. We could clearly see the animal housing that has been built since the last program that aired. The ground even looked swept and there was no sign of any pollution or garbage. Everyone was really nice. They even offered Jacky and I a Guinea Fowl as a token of gratitude. A guinea fowl is almost like a turkey but it is black and white and almost looks checkered in pattern. We had to decline... but we did get to hold one.
On the way to Ayisa we stopped in a market (the name evades me). It was massive and you could get anything you ever wanted there. We bought lots of fruit and vegetables, bags of sea salt for cooking, and some pasta. I think all together it may have costs 5 cedis...and we got a lot of stuff.
The tros-tros ride back to Accra was, interesting to say the least.
I will write more later. Oh! For those of you who are wondering I did not go to Cape Coast last weekend...Instead we celebrated Nicks Birthday at the hotel we first stayed at. Juliana works at the hotel everyday and she takes very very good care of us. Even now that we have moved on she checks in to make sure we are all ok. We visit often and Nick is her son. He is adorable, and on Saturday was his 2nd birthday. We all bought gifts and ate cake. Afterwards, we headed to another birthday party for someone from India that we had met the weekend before. Never have I mingled with so many Expatriates. Haha. The music was a good mix and we danced the night away.
I am hoping to go to cape coast this weekend. Fingers crossed.
-Cassie
Monday, January 25, 2010
Weekend in Ada Foah
Dear Beloved Blog Readers,
So much has happened over the past couple days that I don’t even know where to begin. By Friday last week Jackie and I had finally found a hostel that we liked and that is affordable AND is relatively close to work. Unfortunately, however, WUSC could not seal the deal until today (Monday) and so we were still a bit on edge this past weekend. There had been quite a bit of complication surrounding the search for more permanent accommodation but it seems to all be worked out now. We should be moving into our new hostel tonight after work and another volunteer (and good friend of ours) will be living in the hostel right next to us. J I am very excited as this hostel has a very nice kitchen and internet (5 cedis for 10 hours!)
So last Friday, at around 5pm we were all feeling a little defeated and really wanted to get out of the city and see more of Ghana. Jess and Nelly had decided that they were going to take a weekend trip to a place called Ada Foah, about 2 hours outside of Accra. I jumped aboard, so did Jackie, Inka and Marilyn (another volunteer who recently arrived). Bridget, a long term volunteer who has been living here for a while decided to come too and was our guide seeing as she had done this trip some months before. So eventually the group grew to 7. We left early
Saturday morning (7am) and went to meet bridget at the Tros-Tros station. I don`t know If I have explain the tros-tros yet but they are basically the public transportation system here in Ghana. They are these big vans (that look like they are breaking down...the door doesn`t really work properly) and they shove as many people on a bench as possible. The plus side is it is pretty cheap transportation and so you get used it. We arrived at the tros-tros station which is kinda like Ghana`s version of a Greyhound station. I think it might be called Lories? Not sure. But basically it was the craziest thing I have ever witnessed. These vans were EVERYWHERE and so were people. Stalls everywhere, markets down streets and in between the tros-tros.
Everywhere you looked there was someone balancing tons of merchandise precariously on their heads while holding some in their hands, and trying to sell it to us “Obrunies” (which is what they shout at us; translated it means “white person”). I had so many people crowding me and asking me where I was going that I couldn’t even answer, I had to just walk on. We eventually found this really nice lady who took us to the tros-tros going to Ada Foah. Once there, we realized that Bridget was waiting for us at ANOTHER tros-tros station beside the one we were in. So the lady again led us to the right place, weaving through noise, hissing, snapping , music and exhaust smoke. Finally we found where we were meant to be and we thanked the lady (with a hug and a couple of cedis) and boarded the tros-tros. It was actually a lovely ride. The scenery was beautiful outside Accra; the fields and little villages that we passed along the way were exactly how pictured Africa. This ride, in a way, was my wakeup call.
So we arrived in Ada Foah at around 11 am. Where we met some locals who were happy to take us where we wanted to go. Estuary Beach was our final destination. Bridget described it as paradise, and I have to say she was not far from the truth. The local brought us weaving through a very calm very nice little market, full of wooden stalls, and to a river where a boatman awaited. We negotiated a price (3 cedis) and hoped on. Boating down this river was absolutely gorgeous. On either side of us there were communities surrounded by palm trees. Never in my life have I seen so many beautiful palm trees. There were simple communities living mostly out of mud and grass huts, and there were beautiful beach homes (most likely privately owned property). The water was so clear and inviting, that is before we heard about the crocodiles (I did not see any but just knowing they were there was enough to deter swimming-let a long the warnings from my doctor). We arrived on the beach and there were rows of grass huts, a drink booth, and grass umbrellas near the water with lounging chairs underneath. Amazing.
It was called estuary beach because it marks the place where the ocean meets the river (or sea? I heard it being called both). We were basically on a small strip of island, and on one side was the river by which we traveled and on the other side was the Ocean. Literally right there. I had never really been in the ocean before so that alone was amazing. The sky was so blue that if you stood on the hill it was hard to see where sky ended and ocean began. The waves crashed so ferociously yet somehow, it was calming.... ok, I am being a little romantic with my writing now but I have to say, having hardly been around oceans, this was amazing. We “swam”, if you can call it that. There are no life guards in Ghana and the tide looked very dangerous so we slowly edged into the water and let the waves push us onto the shore. As we got braver, it got more fun. Afterwards we napped in hammocks under some coconut trees (cliché but it had to be done) and I got a tan! YAY.
The food was really good, which was a bit surprising considering we were quite literally in the middle of nowhere. No washrooms except a grass outhouse, no shower, but good food.
As the day wore on crabs came out of their millions of homes on the Ocean beach and danced around our feet. They were so cute! I also spent half the day picking seashells.
When night fell a giant bonfire was prepared and to our surprise and pleasure chairs were placed around the fire and we were graced with traditional African music and dance! There were a group of very good drummers, lots of signing and some cowbell! The dancers were like nothing I have ever seen. They were so fast and agile (especially considering they were dancing on sand), and the crackled of the fire behind them made it all the more mystical. After about an hour of strait dancing (and in this heat!) they invited us to come and try our hand at it, or rather or hips lol. What a workout! I am definitely taking up African dance when I come back to Canada, 10 minutes and you have lost 20 pounds and your abs are screaming for a break. I loved it.
Afterwards I retired to my grass hut on the beach. I know, cool right? There was no light and it was my first mosquito net experience... there were 3 pounds of sand in my bed but aside from that I slept well.
The following day was just as good. I walked to beach when I awoke and there were around 15 men pulling at a giant rope from the Ocean. Curiosity pricked me so I went to check it out. They were fishing! This was not fishing like we are used to it. This is HARD work. I decided to help... 2 hours of constant pulling in the African heat and still they had not pulled in the net yet. Basically, there is a giant net that they (somehow... I think by boat) cast into the ocean. At each end of the net there is a long stretch of thick rope. There are two groups of about 15-20 people each who grab each end of the rope and stand about 50 feet or more away from each other to pull it in. It took me a while to realise that the two groups were pulling at the same net. I have never sweat that much in my entire life (and I can say that in complete honesty.) The fish was meant to feed the entire village. I was soon distracted, however, by a GIANT sea turtle which had washed up on the shore. It was one of the saddest things I have ever seen. The turtle was dead... belly up but still so big and beautiful. The feeling of seeing it there for some reason filled me with so much sadness. The turtle was easily half the length of me and probably twice as wide. One thing I should note is that the pollution on the beach is unbelievable. All of the garbage from Accra gets washed up on the shore in Ada, and pollutes the peoples land and animals. Apparently, a mile or so down river there are no washrooms for the people, and so the ocean it is. I am SO glad that I learned this after I swam. There are volunteers there who are currently in the process of building toilets.
Afterwards I walked along the beach with our new friend Chris (a volunteer from BC!) who is teaching at the school there, and we went to see the actual estuary. It was nice. Calm actually.
One thing that I think Riley, you might be interested in, is the environmental work that needs to be done around the villages. The tides from the water on both sides has been slowly eroding the soil on which these people live and they estimate that if nothing is done in the next couple of years than unfortunately, this little island paradise will disappear. There were some people from Switzerland there doing some surveying and they are hoping to construct a breakwater next year... unfortunately, there has been no environmental impact assessment done, and apparently no time to do one. It gets me wondering about how a project like this might affect local fishing communities... there is Samon in the lake and they are very sensitive to changes in temperature and a breakwater is likely to affect the flow, and thus velocity of the water, and thus the temperature.... anyways I am babbling. Also a lot of pollution testing could be done... anyways Riley we should go back there sometime lol. Jess you too, a lot of marine life.
So we made our way back around 3 pm and it was a wonderful weekend all in all. We caught a tros-tros all to our selves, and some of the people who were at the beach accompanied us back to Accra. It felt really good to shower.
So this afternoon I am supposed to be moving into my new Hostel with Jackie-looking forward to having a place to settle into.
Next weekend: Cape Coast.
So much has happened over the past couple days that I don’t even know where to begin. By Friday last week Jackie and I had finally found a hostel that we liked and that is affordable AND is relatively close to work. Unfortunately, however, WUSC could not seal the deal until today (Monday) and so we were still a bit on edge this past weekend. There had been quite a bit of complication surrounding the search for more permanent accommodation but it seems to all be worked out now. We should be moving into our new hostel tonight after work and another volunteer (and good friend of ours) will be living in the hostel right next to us. J I am very excited as this hostel has a very nice kitchen and internet (5 cedis for 10 hours!)
So last Friday, at around 5pm we were all feeling a little defeated and really wanted to get out of the city and see more of Ghana. Jess and Nelly had decided that they were going to take a weekend trip to a place called Ada Foah, about 2 hours outside of Accra. I jumped aboard, so did Jackie, Inka and Marilyn (another volunteer who recently arrived). Bridget, a long term volunteer who has been living here for a while decided to come too and was our guide seeing as she had done this trip some months before. So eventually the group grew to 7. We left early
Saturday morning (7am) and went to meet bridget at the Tros-Tros station. I don`t know If I have explain the tros-tros yet but they are basically the public transportation system here in Ghana. They are these big vans (that look like they are breaking down...the door doesn`t really work properly) and they shove as many people on a bench as possible. The plus side is it is pretty cheap transportation and so you get used it. We arrived at the tros-tros station which is kinda like Ghana`s version of a Greyhound station. I think it might be called Lories? Not sure. But basically it was the craziest thing I have ever witnessed. These vans were EVERYWHERE and so were people. Stalls everywhere, markets down streets and in between the tros-tros.
Everywhere you looked there was someone balancing tons of merchandise precariously on their heads while holding some in their hands, and trying to sell it to us “Obrunies” (which is what they shout at us; translated it means “white person”). I had so many people crowding me and asking me where I was going that I couldn’t even answer, I had to just walk on. We eventually found this really nice lady who took us to the tros-tros going to Ada Foah. Once there, we realized that Bridget was waiting for us at ANOTHER tros-tros station beside the one we were in. So the lady again led us to the right place, weaving through noise, hissing, snapping , music and exhaust smoke. Finally we found where we were meant to be and we thanked the lady (with a hug and a couple of cedis) and boarded the tros-tros. It was actually a lovely ride. The scenery was beautiful outside Accra; the fields and little villages that we passed along the way were exactly how pictured Africa. This ride, in a way, was my wakeup call.
So we arrived in Ada Foah at around 11 am. Where we met some locals who were happy to take us where we wanted to go. Estuary Beach was our final destination. Bridget described it as paradise, and I have to say she was not far from the truth. The local brought us weaving through a very calm very nice little market, full of wooden stalls, and to a river where a boatman awaited. We negotiated a price (3 cedis) and hoped on. Boating down this river was absolutely gorgeous. On either side of us there were communities surrounded by palm trees. Never in my life have I seen so many beautiful palm trees. There were simple communities living mostly out of mud and grass huts, and there were beautiful beach homes (most likely privately owned property). The water was so clear and inviting, that is before we heard about the crocodiles (I did not see any but just knowing they were there was enough to deter swimming-let a long the warnings from my doctor). We arrived on the beach and there were rows of grass huts, a drink booth, and grass umbrellas near the water with lounging chairs underneath. Amazing.
It was called estuary beach because it marks the place where the ocean meets the river (or sea? I heard it being called both). We were basically on a small strip of island, and on one side was the river by which we traveled and on the other side was the Ocean. Literally right there. I had never really been in the ocean before so that alone was amazing. The sky was so blue that if you stood on the hill it was hard to see where sky ended and ocean began. The waves crashed so ferociously yet somehow, it was calming.... ok, I am being a little romantic with my writing now but I have to say, having hardly been around oceans, this was amazing. We “swam”, if you can call it that. There are no life guards in Ghana and the tide looked very dangerous so we slowly edged into the water and let the waves push us onto the shore. As we got braver, it got more fun. Afterwards we napped in hammocks under some coconut trees (cliché but it had to be done) and I got a tan! YAY.
The food was really good, which was a bit surprising considering we were quite literally in the middle of nowhere. No washrooms except a grass outhouse, no shower, but good food.
As the day wore on crabs came out of their millions of homes on the Ocean beach and danced around our feet. They were so cute! I also spent half the day picking seashells.
When night fell a giant bonfire was prepared and to our surprise and pleasure chairs were placed around the fire and we were graced with traditional African music and dance! There were a group of very good drummers, lots of signing and some cowbell! The dancers were like nothing I have ever seen. They were so fast and agile (especially considering they were dancing on sand), and the crackled of the fire behind them made it all the more mystical. After about an hour of strait dancing (and in this heat!) they invited us to come and try our hand at it, or rather or hips lol. What a workout! I am definitely taking up African dance when I come back to Canada, 10 minutes and you have lost 20 pounds and your abs are screaming for a break. I loved it.
Afterwards I retired to my grass hut on the beach. I know, cool right? There was no light and it was my first mosquito net experience... there were 3 pounds of sand in my bed but aside from that I slept well.
The following day was just as good. I walked to beach when I awoke and there were around 15 men pulling at a giant rope from the Ocean. Curiosity pricked me so I went to check it out. They were fishing! This was not fishing like we are used to it. This is HARD work. I decided to help... 2 hours of constant pulling in the African heat and still they had not pulled in the net yet. Basically, there is a giant net that they (somehow... I think by boat) cast into the ocean. At each end of the net there is a long stretch of thick rope. There are two groups of about 15-20 people each who grab each end of the rope and stand about 50 feet or more away from each other to pull it in. It took me a while to realise that the two groups were pulling at the same net. I have never sweat that much in my entire life (and I can say that in complete honesty.) The fish was meant to feed the entire village. I was soon distracted, however, by a GIANT sea turtle which had washed up on the shore. It was one of the saddest things I have ever seen. The turtle was dead... belly up but still so big and beautiful. The feeling of seeing it there for some reason filled me with so much sadness. The turtle was easily half the length of me and probably twice as wide. One thing I should note is that the pollution on the beach is unbelievable. All of the garbage from Accra gets washed up on the shore in Ada, and pollutes the peoples land and animals. Apparently, a mile or so down river there are no washrooms for the people, and so the ocean it is. I am SO glad that I learned this after I swam. There are volunteers there who are currently in the process of building toilets.
Afterwards I walked along the beach with our new friend Chris (a volunteer from BC!) who is teaching at the school there, and we went to see the actual estuary. It was nice. Calm actually.
One thing that I think Riley, you might be interested in, is the environmental work that needs to be done around the villages. The tides from the water on both sides has been slowly eroding the soil on which these people live and they estimate that if nothing is done in the next couple of years than unfortunately, this little island paradise will disappear. There were some people from Switzerland there doing some surveying and they are hoping to construct a breakwater next year... unfortunately, there has been no environmental impact assessment done, and apparently no time to do one. It gets me wondering about how a project like this might affect local fishing communities... there is Samon in the lake and they are very sensitive to changes in temperature and a breakwater is likely to affect the flow, and thus velocity of the water, and thus the temperature.... anyways I am babbling. Also a lot of pollution testing could be done... anyways Riley we should go back there sometime lol. Jess you too, a lot of marine life.
So we made our way back around 3 pm and it was a wonderful weekend all in all. We caught a tros-tros all to our selves, and some of the people who were at the beach accompanied us back to Accra. It felt really good to shower.
So this afternoon I am supposed to be moving into my new Hostel with Jackie-looking forward to having a place to settle into.
Next weekend: Cape Coast.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Hello! Eitesen!
Hello everyone!
I would just like to say that at this point that I would do anything to have internet at my hotel. You can’t really skype at internet cafes, and by the time Riley gets home from school I am usually in my bed. Long distance phone calls are pretty expensive to Ghana, and it has been hard to get a good connection. We just got cut off mid-conversation and my phone is out of credits so I couldn’t call back. In short I miss everyone in Canada and I am working on the contact thing. I really hope that wherever my accommodation is... it has internet but I think the chances of that happening are pretty slim. Lol
So things here have been picking up pace. Unfortunately this past weekend I was very ill and so unable to really go anywhere or do anything. Fortunately for me, however, it was not too serious and I have made a good recovery. I just have to go a bit slower on food and make sure I READ the labels on all my medication before I take them.
I did start work on Thursday (before the sickness hit) and there was a lot to do. So how many details I have disclosed regarding my job thus far, I don’t know, but I work in the WUSC office.
Although AFRRI radio is a program that is under the heading of GNECC, their office is located at WUSC which, conveniently enough is located really close to our hotel. AFRRI radio stands for African Farm Radio Research Initiative. It operates it many countries around Africa, however, our team is solely responsible for its implementation and operation in Ghana. Essentially, there are 5 radio stations that have agreed to play a 1 hour program (I think they are usually one hour), once a week (sometimes they repeat the program depending on the station). The program is an educational program that discusses farming practice and it is aired in a number of rural communities all over the country. The program is conducted in the local language and dialects of each community and aims at educating people on the growing, cultivation of certain crops and the keeping of farm animals as well as how to market their product and enhance the community’s overall income. (Robyn if you are reading I thought you think this is interesting... I mentioned you and apparently there used to be a volunteer from CBC working on it J) . Also, I should mention that the program differs depending on the needs of each community (i.e.: one community might be listening to a program on Animals housing while at the same time another community is learning about the cultivation of a specific crop)
Most of these communities are hardly educated as they are most often isolated and so this initiative offers really great opportunities.
We have arrived at a time where they were in-putting and analyzing the data that has been collected in the field regarding the first “campaign” or round of programs. The data entry process has been pretty demanding considering this is our first week here but that seems to have come to an end and analysis and report writing is about to begin.
For the past two days we have had the privilege of attending a two-day meeting aimed at creating an outline for the next 5 year plan for Unitterra (the volunteer organisation that has sent us here). It has been really interesting! First we learned about the workings of Uniterra and what the organisation (through volunteer work) has accomplished over the past 5 years. Then we have been divided into groups in order to discuss the topics that may require emphasis in Uniterra’s mandate for the next 5 years. We have been talking about the quality of education, exclusion and accessibility of education and vocational training with a special focus on girls, gender sensitivity and equity. My team in particular has been trying to develop strategies and activities that can be implemented in order to enhance the quality of education for girls in Ghana. I have learned a lot about the education system here.
There is a lot of work to be done in teacher training on gender sensitive issues, the lack of teachers (especially female) in rural areas, and the overall quality of education (although it must be noted that a lot has been accomplished in the past couple of years). For example, in many areas, girls do not have women role models or teachers to look up too, they may be overburden with chores and therefore suffer lower grades, and many schools lack facilities that are gender friendly (such as girls washrooms and sports programs).
I know a lot of you may be wondering about my accommodation...so am I. I was told I will find out on Monday, then told Wednesday... now maybe Thursday? Anyways, don’t worry. For the time being I have a nice hotel room until I find suitable (and safe) accommodation
I bought some phone credits so I should be able to text! (with my new African phone)
Anyways I will write more soon!
Love and miss everyone!
Cassie
I would just like to say that at this point that I would do anything to have internet at my hotel. You can’t really skype at internet cafes, and by the time Riley gets home from school I am usually in my bed. Long distance phone calls are pretty expensive to Ghana, and it has been hard to get a good connection. We just got cut off mid-conversation and my phone is out of credits so I couldn’t call back. In short I miss everyone in Canada and I am working on the contact thing. I really hope that wherever my accommodation is... it has internet but I think the chances of that happening are pretty slim. Lol
So things here have been picking up pace. Unfortunately this past weekend I was very ill and so unable to really go anywhere or do anything. Fortunately for me, however, it was not too serious and I have made a good recovery. I just have to go a bit slower on food and make sure I READ the labels on all my medication before I take them.
I did start work on Thursday (before the sickness hit) and there was a lot to do. So how many details I have disclosed regarding my job thus far, I don’t know, but I work in the WUSC office.
Although AFRRI radio is a program that is under the heading of GNECC, their office is located at WUSC which, conveniently enough is located really close to our hotel. AFRRI radio stands for African Farm Radio Research Initiative. It operates it many countries around Africa, however, our team is solely responsible for its implementation and operation in Ghana. Essentially, there are 5 radio stations that have agreed to play a 1 hour program (I think they are usually one hour), once a week (sometimes they repeat the program depending on the station). The program is an educational program that discusses farming practice and it is aired in a number of rural communities all over the country. The program is conducted in the local language and dialects of each community and aims at educating people on the growing, cultivation of certain crops and the keeping of farm animals as well as how to market their product and enhance the community’s overall income. (Robyn if you are reading I thought you think this is interesting... I mentioned you and apparently there used to be a volunteer from CBC working on it J) . Also, I should mention that the program differs depending on the needs of each community (i.e.: one community might be listening to a program on Animals housing while at the same time another community is learning about the cultivation of a specific crop)
Most of these communities are hardly educated as they are most often isolated and so this initiative offers really great opportunities.
We have arrived at a time where they were in-putting and analyzing the data that has been collected in the field regarding the first “campaign” or round of programs. The data entry process has been pretty demanding considering this is our first week here but that seems to have come to an end and analysis and report writing is about to begin.
For the past two days we have had the privilege of attending a two-day meeting aimed at creating an outline for the next 5 year plan for Unitterra (the volunteer organisation that has sent us here). It has been really interesting! First we learned about the workings of Uniterra and what the organisation (through volunteer work) has accomplished over the past 5 years. Then we have been divided into groups in order to discuss the topics that may require emphasis in Uniterra’s mandate for the next 5 years. We have been talking about the quality of education, exclusion and accessibility of education and vocational training with a special focus on girls, gender sensitivity and equity. My team in particular has been trying to develop strategies and activities that can be implemented in order to enhance the quality of education for girls in Ghana. I have learned a lot about the education system here.
There is a lot of work to be done in teacher training on gender sensitive issues, the lack of teachers (especially female) in rural areas, and the overall quality of education (although it must be noted that a lot has been accomplished in the past couple of years). For example, in many areas, girls do not have women role models or teachers to look up too, they may be overburden with chores and therefore suffer lower grades, and many schools lack facilities that are gender friendly (such as girls washrooms and sports programs).
I know a lot of you may be wondering about my accommodation...so am I. I was told I will find out on Monday, then told Wednesday... now maybe Thursday? Anyways, don’t worry. For the time being I have a nice hotel room until I find suitable (and safe) accommodation
I bought some phone credits so I should be able to text! (with my new African phone)
Anyways I will write more soon!
Love and miss everyone!
Cassie
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
A few days in...
Hello Everyone!
I have only been here a few days but already I feel like I have experienced so much. I am not going to write this too poetically due to time and internet constraints, but I do have a lot to say.
The plane ride convinced me that Air Canada economy class is not the best ride lol. I was jammed in the middle of two people, (in the middle isle) and in front of me were 3... that’s right 3 babies which cried for most of the trip. The take off was fun ( I love take offs) but the trip felt like forever and no matter how hard I tried, sleep was impossible. There is just no position that was confortable. The travel pillow that Brandon and Robyn gave me served as something cuddly to hug though which was great.
London was very neat. I loved the accents and just listening to people talk. The airport alone convinced me that I want to go back sometime .
Then our flight got delayed by 5 hours (once we were in the terminal ready to board) so we did not arrive in Ghana until 3:30 am and 4am at the hotel. I made a call to my mom and to home.
The Hotel is really nice. At first I thought it was the WUSC guesthouse- but I guess it is a hotel. It feels more like a house with a lot of rooms. My bathroom has a big tub and shower which I was super excited to use (mind you I t did not really work for the first two days). Last night the water was not working and so I washed out of a bucket. Interesting experience. Lol I actually loved it. It was very refreshing. The water only came back on a day later.
So we slept in the next morning but had eggs and toast for breakfast. It was very good. Supper was better though. It was this battered chicken , rice, and sause for the rice. It was SOOOOO good. I need to learn how to cook like that.
We also walked down the street for a while. There are lizards everywhere! The houses are kind of like they were in Mexico. The roads are mostly dirt but many are paved ( although not well) and there are no sidewalks anywhere. MANY roadside businesses. People selling stuff everywhere but they dont hassle you - instead they want to talk to you or take your picture. You work up a sweat just by steping outside though, so to get anywhere takes a while.
That night we were invited to a party by another volunteer's friend. 5 of us went- it was a engagement party. We realised after we arrived that we were actually crashing someone's pre-wedding party! The tables and walls were decorated beautifully and the music was really fun (mostly in the local language twi). It didnt take long before family members came and greeted us and started talking. The owner of the house that it was at was the brother of the groom. He was very nice actually and sat and talked with me pretty much the whole night. It was held in the yard, under the stars.
They brought some food to our table and I tried a goat meat skewer, which I am sure that I have never had before. It had A LOT of spices.... it was good but the next day I felt pretty sick. I guess we have to go slow on the local food and the spices (which are on everything). All in all though it was a lot of fun!
The next day I took things pretty easy. Met a bit if the locals and wandered around. I was supposed to go to the beach but I didn't feel well and wanted to take it easy.
Then In-country orientation started and it started at 9 am which still feels really early to us. It lasts all this week. We eat breakfast at 8:30 am and then start. Patience (the coordinator) is really nice. We were supposed to go buy cellphones but all of the one's around costed 55 cedis and we only want it for 3 months and we hear we could get cheaper ones at the Accra Mall. So a couple of us decided to share a taxi to the mall.... in rush hour....longest taxi ride ever! It only cost 6 cedis but we went through the slums, and through streets of mansions... the poverty divide is quite huge. We went through things that weren't even streets to avoid highway traffic until finally we went on the highway and reached the mall. It is like any western mall actually. You can get anything there but usually for more than in the markets. We got phones for 35 cedis.
Driving in Ghana is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen in my life. There are no road signs AT ALL. No stop lights or no crosswalks.We nearly got hit 600 times. Then our friend ( who actually turns out to be a really nice guyone of the volunteers knows from Canada) informs us that he bought his liscence. It is real, but apparently there was no test. Most people in Ghana, although required to write the test, just “buy” their liscence for the right price instead. Apparently tests are a “money grab” and administrations will just fail people so that they will have to pay again. So now you can only imagine what driving in Ghana is like.
I found out I am not living with a host family. On Monday my partner organisation will take me looking for accomodations and I will get to pick one. No idea who I am living with yet or what the sitch is. I will be working at the Ghana WUSC office though on the AFRI project which sounds pretty cool. Through most of my work is office I was assured that I will get some field work too. Because we are so close to WUSC Jackie and I can start on this Thursday. Looking forward to it.
The food is delicious... fried plantanes are pretty good. The fish is not bad and the chicken and rice are fantastic. There is a lot more variety than I thought.
Today orientation was very long but interesting and I learned alot about education and gender equity. Tomorrow we are going to have a crash course on Twi..the local language. We are now in charge of providing our own dinners so that is interesting lol. Last night we just bought fruit from the local market. Best mango and pinaple of my life.
So this has basically been what I have been up to. I should be getting internet more so I can write a bit more about the food, culture, and what I learn. I will try and update pictures another day too. I have a lot.
I love and miss all of my friends and family back home in Canada and I wish you were all here with me.
Cassie
I have only been here a few days but already I feel like I have experienced so much. I am not going to write this too poetically due to time and internet constraints, but I do have a lot to say.
The plane ride convinced me that Air Canada economy class is not the best ride lol. I was jammed in the middle of two people, (in the middle isle) and in front of me were 3... that’s right 3 babies which cried for most of the trip. The take off was fun ( I love take offs) but the trip felt like forever and no matter how hard I tried, sleep was impossible. There is just no position that was confortable. The travel pillow that Brandon and Robyn gave me served as something cuddly to hug though which was great.
London was very neat. I loved the accents and just listening to people talk. The airport alone convinced me that I want to go back sometime .
Then our flight got delayed by 5 hours (once we were in the terminal ready to board) so we did not arrive in Ghana until 3:30 am and 4am at the hotel. I made a call to my mom and to home.
The Hotel is really nice. At first I thought it was the WUSC guesthouse- but I guess it is a hotel. It feels more like a house with a lot of rooms. My bathroom has a big tub and shower which I was super excited to use (mind you I t did not really work for the first two days). Last night the water was not working and so I washed out of a bucket. Interesting experience. Lol I actually loved it. It was very refreshing. The water only came back on a day later.
So we slept in the next morning but had eggs and toast for breakfast. It was very good. Supper was better though. It was this battered chicken , rice, and sause for the rice. It was SOOOOO good. I need to learn how to cook like that.
We also walked down the street for a while. There are lizards everywhere! The houses are kind of like they were in Mexico. The roads are mostly dirt but many are paved ( although not well) and there are no sidewalks anywhere. MANY roadside businesses. People selling stuff everywhere but they dont hassle you - instead they want to talk to you or take your picture. You work up a sweat just by steping outside though, so to get anywhere takes a while.
That night we were invited to a party by another volunteer's friend. 5 of us went- it was a engagement party. We realised after we arrived that we were actually crashing someone's pre-wedding party! The tables and walls were decorated beautifully and the music was really fun (mostly in the local language twi). It didnt take long before family members came and greeted us and started talking. The owner of the house that it was at was the brother of the groom. He was very nice actually and sat and talked with me pretty much the whole night. It was held in the yard, under the stars.
They brought some food to our table and I tried a goat meat skewer, which I am sure that I have never had before. It had A LOT of spices.... it was good but the next day I felt pretty sick. I guess we have to go slow on the local food and the spices (which are on everything). All in all though it was a lot of fun!
The next day I took things pretty easy. Met a bit if the locals and wandered around. I was supposed to go to the beach but I didn't feel well and wanted to take it easy.
Then In-country orientation started and it started at 9 am which still feels really early to us. It lasts all this week. We eat breakfast at 8:30 am and then start. Patience (the coordinator) is really nice. We were supposed to go buy cellphones but all of the one's around costed 55 cedis and we only want it for 3 months and we hear we could get cheaper ones at the Accra Mall. So a couple of us decided to share a taxi to the mall.... in rush hour....longest taxi ride ever! It only cost 6 cedis but we went through the slums, and through streets of mansions... the poverty divide is quite huge. We went through things that weren't even streets to avoid highway traffic until finally we went on the highway and reached the mall. It is like any western mall actually. You can get anything there but usually for more than in the markets. We got phones for 35 cedis.
Driving in Ghana is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen in my life. There are no road signs AT ALL. No stop lights or no crosswalks.We nearly got hit 600 times. Then our friend ( who actually turns out to be a really nice guyone of the volunteers knows from Canada) informs us that he bought his liscence. It is real, but apparently there was no test. Most people in Ghana, although required to write the test, just “buy” their liscence for the right price instead. Apparently tests are a “money grab” and administrations will just fail people so that they will have to pay again. So now you can only imagine what driving in Ghana is like.
I found out I am not living with a host family. On Monday my partner organisation will take me looking for accomodations and I will get to pick one. No idea who I am living with yet or what the sitch is. I will be working at the Ghana WUSC office though on the AFRI project which sounds pretty cool. Through most of my work is office I was assured that I will get some field work too. Because we are so close to WUSC Jackie and I can start on this Thursday. Looking forward to it.
The food is delicious... fried plantanes are pretty good. The fish is not bad and the chicken and rice are fantastic. There is a lot more variety than I thought.
Today orientation was very long but interesting and I learned alot about education and gender equity. Tomorrow we are going to have a crash course on Twi..the local language. We are now in charge of providing our own dinners so that is interesting lol. Last night we just bought fruit from the local market. Best mango and pinaple of my life.
So this has basically been what I have been up to. I should be getting internet more so I can write a bit more about the food, culture, and what I learn. I will try and update pictures another day too. I have a lot.
I love and miss all of my friends and family back home in Canada and I wish you were all here with me.
Cassie
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Pre-departure
I can hardly believe it. In only 2 hours I will be making my way towards the Ottawa airport, where I will be nervously awaiting the flight that just might change my life. I am going to Ghana (located on the west coast of Africa, for those of you who don't know), and I am very excited. I have been fluctuating between excited and nervous everyday for the past week, but overall I think it will be amazing.
I am going with an organisation called WUSC through their programs Students Without Borders and Uniterra. It's a little confusing, but WUSC is a very reputable and remarkable organisation.
I will be working with a organisation... well it is more like a social movement which relies heavily on civil society organisations such as NGO's as well as proffessionals. In short, I am going to be working with the Ghanain National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC) whose mission is to ensure the provision of primary education to all Ghanain children. More specifically I will be working on one of GNECC's campaigns the "AFRI radio project". I have to admit that I do not know much about this project as of now, except that it is an educational radio program. I will know more details once I arrive. I will be mostly doing data entry, data analysis and report writing; but I will hopefully get a bit field work in before the end of my placement. Oh yes, and I forgot to mention that I will be there for almost four months.
I will be staying with a host family which I cannot wait to meet. I am so excited to learn how to cook and live Ghanain and it will be a wonderful experience to live with locals.
Also, I am not a very experienced flyer. I have been on a plane once before, and I have loved it. The sensation of going up into the air is wonderful-almost like going up in a roller coaster. I really hope I can look out the window as everything turns into little toys cities, houses and cars.
I am also looking forward to my stop-over in London, England. I won't be able to leave the airport but at least I can say that I've done a bit of shopping in London!
Anyways, 1.5 hours left before I hit the airport. Riley is making a delicious meal for me before I go (pasta with garlic saussage). My last meal in Canada for four months.
Cassie
I am going with an organisation called WUSC through their programs Students Without Borders and Uniterra. It's a little confusing, but WUSC is a very reputable and remarkable organisation.
I will be working with a organisation... well it is more like a social movement which relies heavily on civil society organisations such as NGO's as well as proffessionals. In short, I am going to be working with the Ghanain National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC) whose mission is to ensure the provision of primary education to all Ghanain children. More specifically I will be working on one of GNECC's campaigns the "AFRI radio project". I have to admit that I do not know much about this project as of now, except that it is an educational radio program. I will know more details once I arrive. I will be mostly doing data entry, data analysis and report writing; but I will hopefully get a bit field work in before the end of my placement. Oh yes, and I forgot to mention that I will be there for almost four months.
I will be staying with a host family which I cannot wait to meet. I am so excited to learn how to cook and live Ghanain and it will be a wonderful experience to live with locals.
Also, I am not a very experienced flyer. I have been on a plane once before, and I have loved it. The sensation of going up into the air is wonderful-almost like going up in a roller coaster. I really hope I can look out the window as everything turns into little toys cities, houses and cars.
I am also looking forward to my stop-over in London, England. I won't be able to leave the airport but at least I can say that I've done a bit of shopping in London!
Anyways, 1.5 hours left before I hit the airport. Riley is making a delicious meal for me before I go (pasta with garlic saussage). My last meal in Canada for four months.
Cassie
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