A quick update. You may recall that while in Ghana I helped start Nyame Adom Foundation a non-governmental organization (NGO) charity. Now that I'm home I've helped start Nyame Adom Foundation of America (NAFofA). This is a non-profit charity registered in Arizona. We already have 8 children in our home. These are 8 of the children that I was with while in Ghana! The other two children are doing fine. Kofi is with his mother Beatrice back in her hometown. Susana is back with her older brothers and sisters in her hometown. Her eldest brother is now able to support her and is happy to have his family back together.
Please click on the link to go to the website. You'll see pictures of the children and read about what is happening now. Please tell all your friends and family members about us. We need everyone's help. Our website address is:
http://www.nafofa.org
25 September 2006
23 May 2006
Lake Volta Trip Pictures 2
Me, Evans, Anne-Christien and Rico on the lake.
Evans with Rico and Anne-Christien. I really like this picture everyone is laughing.
This is how huge the barge is. That is a big truck full of lumber. You can also see people sleeping on top of the big crates of yams. These crates were loaded by women carrying yams on their heads, thru the water then up the ramps. After carrying 10 loads they made 5,000 cedis about 60 cents US.
Lake Volta Trip Pictures 1
This is the presidential yacht. I'm sure the president wanted me to go for a trip on it but no one would let me get near it. Rico and Anne-Christien were being spoiled sports.
21 May 2006
Pictures of Erik and Johanna
This is the last picture in the series so start at the bottom and move up. Here's Erik at the end of his speech when he's removed his suit and put on his old work boots.
Erik giving his speech sitting on the stairs. Then waiting while his speech was translated into Twi so everyone could understand it.
Erik and Johanna in front of the school they built.
An Amazing Young Man
I met a young man named Erik Van Der Ven. He was from the Netherlands and was volunteering through a different organization. He got money by working and fund raising to come to Ghana to help children. He wanted to build a school so that orphans would have a chance for a better life through education. The bishop of the orphanage where he was placed gave him the bid for the school. The bishop insisted he use the bishops suppliers and workers. Included in the bid was one Mercedes Benz color gray. Yes, everyone knows you can not build a school without first buying a car. Needless to say Erik was beside himself. He hadn't worked or raised funds for a Mercedes. Luckily he met Johanna a woman working as the director of the vocational school at the Liberian Refugee Camp. Johanna is a lay missionary from a Catholic relief agency. Johanna told Erik to buy the materials and her students would do all the building for free. They would build the school as practical experience for their own education. First Johanna and Erik had to convince the bishop this was the way to go. When the bishop was informed the only way Erik would build the school was this way, he agreed. The vocational school ends at 12:00 but none of the workers left the job site until sundown. Many other Liberians also volunteered to work as laborers as a way to show their appreciation to the Ghanaian people for allowing the refugees into their country. Since the vocational workers now had no time earn money for themselves, Erik paid them 10,000 cedis a day for their work. This is about $1.20 US. This is also about 50 percent less than they would have made elsewhere. The workers wanted to help the orphanage and Erik. Not one speaker before Erik mentioned the Liberian workers but all were very grateful to Erik. The following is the speech Erik gave at the opening ceremonies of the school. You can also click on the link to see pictures of the school in progress.
Speech Opening School 03-04-06.
Hello everybody. Thank you all for coming to this opening day. For those of you who see me for the first time today, I'm Erik. Some call me the leader of this project, some call me the head or the founder, but I tell you all right now, I'm not. I don't know anything about building, I'm no engineer, I'm just a Dutch boy who wanted to do something good.In fact, I didn't come to this orphanage to build at all. I just came here as a volunteer to take care for the children, and put up a fund called Support Fund Ghana to help me buy the stuff they needed. But when I came here, it soon became very clear to me that the most important thing they needed, was good education. And when I saw the school I knew that there was a lot of work to do. And that's how this project started. A project that really soon turned out to be much more special than I ever thought it would be. A project that broke some cultural boundaries. A project where you could see people growing. A project that would change old habits, and challenged us all. A project where different people from different cultures try to work together. And sometimes two cultures met each other, and stood face to face. I come from a culture much different than here. In my culture respect is something you have to earn. Respect is in things you achieved, you say, and you stand for, and you have to prove it day after day again not to lose it. In my culture, it takes a long time to reach the point of respect, and with one mistake, most of the time your at base one again. It's not something that comes with a name, or with the way you are dressed. It's not in the position you have in society or the status you have. It's all in what you say and do. A housewife can have more respect than a minister. In my culture, a mouse can always fight an elephant, and teach him a lesson.So is this Erik a mouse that came into another culture, trying to beat an elephant? No, I'm not. I'm always willing to listen to any elephant, but as long as you can't convince me, I'll stay on my own path. And that's why this project happened the way it happened. For the first time in the history of Ghana, refugees did a project for the Ghanaian society, on Ghanaian ground. Why? Is it because I like refugees more? Don't I trust Ghanaian people? Can't Ghanaian people do the job? No, all wrong. I did it, just because it felt good. And I am Erik, a Dutch boy, who just wanted to do something good. I did it, because I wanted to help people. And by doing it this way, I got the most out of this project. Students worked on this project. Each day they learned new skills which they can use again if they have the chance to go home and rebuild their own country. Children will be learning in this school, and so will have a better chance for a brighter future. We have helped the Bishop to expand his orphanage however the bishop in this project didn't have to pay for a single thing for what happened on this ground. For me the Liberians did it the fastest they could, with hardly any breaks, 7 days a week, so me and my sponsors could see it finished before I go home. This was a win win project. How could this be wrong? This could only be good. And that's why I did it. Just because I wanted to do something good. Not a single Liberian ever made me doubt my decision. How could I, when every time I walked up to the building site, I saw people working really hard, but all with a big smile on their face. Some were tired, some were sick, some soaked of sweat because the sun was on their head too much, some even had accidents. But everybody kept working, no time for complaining, and all stayed smiling. These people are a true example for me, and I look up to them.Although I brought in the money for building this school, I'm not a rich person. I don't like it when people think I am, and see a lot of chances through me. When I go back home the day after tomorrow, I step in a plane with no money in my pockets at all. Everything is left here, and is in the school building right now. Wow, so Erik bought the whole school building? No, not at all. At home there's been a lot of work done to gather money. A lot of people who trusted me sponsored my fund to do 'something good' out here. I'm not a rich person. Although I may look right now as a well dressed head of the project. I'm not, and I'll never feel that way. To be honest, I still wear my free Areeba T-shirt which I got when I bought my phone card. I still wear my shorts, and I still like wearing my old sports shoes. Just because they fit me well and I feel comfortable in them. And I've done this for the past three months no different. It didn't matter which meeting I had, it didn't matter which bank manager I had to speak to, I wore my shorts, and T-shirt. I did this for the past three months, and I'll still do it now. It's not about how you look. It's about what you have to say. (Florence's addition ---- At this point Erik took off the suit he was given and had on his shorts and t-shirt. He also changed into his work boots and at the end of the speech donned his dirty old ball cap.)
I'm no more than anybody else. When I'm home again I'll have to go to school myself too. Just like all the children here who we built this school for. When I'm home again I'll have to work hard to buy my own clothes, to eat my own food, and to have my own place to stay. I'm a student, not a rich person. I won't be able to send over money. I won't be able to buy tickets for people to come over. I won't be able to send second hand cars, sponsor more projects or take care for someone's career. I'm not a messiah that will improve everybody's lives. I'm Erik, a Dutch boy, who just wanted to do something good.If I look back on this project, I don't feel like a leader at all. We have had no leader. We have had no head. We had no boss. And we didn't need one. We did everything together. All of us. In fact, I even don't like it at all to be standing here, seen as the main person of the project. I didn't build this school. I did not even touched one stone of it. And therefore, I'm not the one that should be thanked and the one who gets all the gratitude. The ones I want to thank and the ones who I really respect are the Liberians who did the job. Most of them who have really traumatic backgrounds, that came here, and showed everybody what they were capable of. I have a lot of respect for Eric, who co-ordinated everybody and every material. I'm proud of him, although I know that sometimes he thinks different. He really impressed me about the kind of work he did. Wisé, who was always there instructing workers. I really want to thank all of the workers, which showed up everyday, wasting no time, took their tools, and started, with that same smile again, over and over, 7 days a week. We are looking at time brothers, was the main thing your heard everybody say. And how is it possible that people stayed working so hard? Who thought of thanking the cooks? They were there everyday. They made sure there was enough energy for them in their meals, everybody enjoyed the food so much that they all kept going. Really, we couldn't have done it without them! Bernardt, who secured the whole place, sometimes slept on the building site, and made sure nothing would be missing when the next morning the job started again. It's always in the little things that makes the big things happen. I really respect the whole of the SMA staff about their honestly and how open they where throughout the whole project. They trusted me and helped me out in different times. I respect the way Johannah took care of me, the project, and her people. She's too much the same like me, so I know that she doesn't like me naming her now. But then I might say this is only to get her back because she also mentioned me in her speech last week. Johannah, thank you. Really I have learnt and still learn a lot from you. You are the kind of person I look up to. Holland misses people like you, but you are needed here. You really made my trip. I need to mention that we all couldn't have done this without the help of my home. A lot of work has been done behind the scenes. The website that really made me able to do this project and made people interested. The money transfers, the sponsors that made Support Fund Ghana, the articles in the newspapers. It wasn't me who did this. This project relies on a lot of people other than myself who deserve the same amount of recognition. There's another person, which I have to say that I really respect. I've got a roommate, which chose to join the project half way. By doing this, he chose to never have as much recognition as I got. He chose to always stay in the background. People tell me, God blesses you Erik, you built a school. Guy put as much personal money in this as I did. Guy is a student as well. Guy will have to go to school himself too when he's back home. But who thanked him for this project? Without him, the third room would be missing right now. Thank you Guy, really.For me, he is one of the examples what I stand for in life. Recognition shouldn't satisfy the job. It's the job itself that needs to satisfy you. For the past 5,5 weeks I've been proud and satisfied. The past 5,5 weeks were full of recognition and fulfilment. And to be honest now, you don't satisfy me by making big celebrations, a lot of good words, or official ceremonies. What would satisfy me, is keeping up the good work. And that all lies in your hands right now Pierre.A proper school building Pierre, doesn't make good education. It is like what i was trying to say with taking off my clothes. A nice suit doesn't make you a project leader, or a respected recognised person. A proper school building doesn't make well educated children. It is all about what's inside.A proper school building changes only one thing. It give's you more possibilities. So make use of those possibilities. Use this building to improve the education of the children. You have got an office right know, a library, and three big rooms with furniture. Get the right motivated teachers. No sleeping during the lessons anymore. Use the office to make the right decisions, to make tight schedules, and to organise everything well. Use the library to store books, papers and pencils for the children to teach them how to read and write, and keep up the discipline not to lose any of these materials. You've got enough benches now for every child to sit and work on. So now let them work. They need it. They deserve it. I challenge you Pierre, to make the Good Shepherd International School a school which the whole of Ghana can be proud of.As proud as I am about this project and how it went. We did almost the impossible. But proved once again, that if you really want to do something, nothing is impossible. I have really learnt and experienced a lot in my three months here. A lot of positive things, but also I have learnt a lot from my negative experiences here too. SQL didn't contribute anything to this project, but did teach me a lot. I have also had the same experiences with my time at the orphanage as well. However I have learnt that negative experiences can be quite educational, therefore I look at them in a positive way right now because they have taught me a lot. This project taught everybody a lot.Somebody special here experienced that age doesn't matter, you are never to old to learn. And that's where I hope this school will be the start of. Young people will have their start in the world of learning... and this process will never stop. I might be the one who started this project, but I'm not the leader. I will go home, but this project.... will never stop.I'm no leader, no head, and I'm not the one who should be thanked. I did something that I thought was right. However I am missing something that I've always worn in my three months here. Ah, there it is. I'm Erik, a Dutch boy, who just wanted to do something good.
Speech Opening School 03-04-06.
Hello everybody. Thank you all for coming to this opening day. For those of you who see me for the first time today, I'm Erik. Some call me the leader of this project, some call me the head or the founder, but I tell you all right now, I'm not. I don't know anything about building, I'm no engineer, I'm just a Dutch boy who wanted to do something good.In fact, I didn't come to this orphanage to build at all. I just came here as a volunteer to take care for the children, and put up a fund called Support Fund Ghana to help me buy the stuff they needed. But when I came here, it soon became very clear to me that the most important thing they needed, was good education. And when I saw the school I knew that there was a lot of work to do. And that's how this project started. A project that really soon turned out to be much more special than I ever thought it would be. A project that broke some cultural boundaries. A project where you could see people growing. A project that would change old habits, and challenged us all. A project where different people from different cultures try to work together. And sometimes two cultures met each other, and stood face to face. I come from a culture much different than here. In my culture respect is something you have to earn. Respect is in things you achieved, you say, and you stand for, and you have to prove it day after day again not to lose it. In my culture, it takes a long time to reach the point of respect, and with one mistake, most of the time your at base one again. It's not something that comes with a name, or with the way you are dressed. It's not in the position you have in society or the status you have. It's all in what you say and do. A housewife can have more respect than a minister. In my culture, a mouse can always fight an elephant, and teach him a lesson.So is this Erik a mouse that came into another culture, trying to beat an elephant? No, I'm not. I'm always willing to listen to any elephant, but as long as you can't convince me, I'll stay on my own path. And that's why this project happened the way it happened. For the first time in the history of Ghana, refugees did a project for the Ghanaian society, on Ghanaian ground. Why? Is it because I like refugees more? Don't I trust Ghanaian people? Can't Ghanaian people do the job? No, all wrong. I did it, just because it felt good. And I am Erik, a Dutch boy, who just wanted to do something good. I did it, because I wanted to help people. And by doing it this way, I got the most out of this project. Students worked on this project. Each day they learned new skills which they can use again if they have the chance to go home and rebuild their own country. Children will be learning in this school, and so will have a better chance for a brighter future. We have helped the Bishop to expand his orphanage however the bishop in this project didn't have to pay for a single thing for what happened on this ground. For me the Liberians did it the fastest they could, with hardly any breaks, 7 days a week, so me and my sponsors could see it finished before I go home. This was a win win project. How could this be wrong? This could only be good. And that's why I did it. Just because I wanted to do something good. Not a single Liberian ever made me doubt my decision. How could I, when every time I walked up to the building site, I saw people working really hard, but all with a big smile on their face. Some were tired, some were sick, some soaked of sweat because the sun was on their head too much, some even had accidents. But everybody kept working, no time for complaining, and all stayed smiling. These people are a true example for me, and I look up to them.Although I brought in the money for building this school, I'm not a rich person. I don't like it when people think I am, and see a lot of chances through me. When I go back home the day after tomorrow, I step in a plane with no money in my pockets at all. Everything is left here, and is in the school building right now. Wow, so Erik bought the whole school building? No, not at all. At home there's been a lot of work done to gather money. A lot of people who trusted me sponsored my fund to do 'something good' out here. I'm not a rich person. Although I may look right now as a well dressed head of the project. I'm not, and I'll never feel that way. To be honest, I still wear my free Areeba T-shirt which I got when I bought my phone card. I still wear my shorts, and I still like wearing my old sports shoes. Just because they fit me well and I feel comfortable in them. And I've done this for the past three months no different. It didn't matter which meeting I had, it didn't matter which bank manager I had to speak to, I wore my shorts, and T-shirt. I did this for the past three months, and I'll still do it now. It's not about how you look. It's about what you have to say. (Florence's addition ---- At this point Erik took off the suit he was given and had on his shorts and t-shirt. He also changed into his work boots and at the end of the speech donned his dirty old ball cap.)
I'm no more than anybody else. When I'm home again I'll have to go to school myself too. Just like all the children here who we built this school for. When I'm home again I'll have to work hard to buy my own clothes, to eat my own food, and to have my own place to stay. I'm a student, not a rich person. I won't be able to send over money. I won't be able to buy tickets for people to come over. I won't be able to send second hand cars, sponsor more projects or take care for someone's career. I'm not a messiah that will improve everybody's lives. I'm Erik, a Dutch boy, who just wanted to do something good.If I look back on this project, I don't feel like a leader at all. We have had no leader. We have had no head. We had no boss. And we didn't need one. We did everything together. All of us. In fact, I even don't like it at all to be standing here, seen as the main person of the project. I didn't build this school. I did not even touched one stone of it. And therefore, I'm not the one that should be thanked and the one who gets all the gratitude. The ones I want to thank and the ones who I really respect are the Liberians who did the job. Most of them who have really traumatic backgrounds, that came here, and showed everybody what they were capable of. I have a lot of respect for Eric, who co-ordinated everybody and every material. I'm proud of him, although I know that sometimes he thinks different. He really impressed me about the kind of work he did. Wisé, who was always there instructing workers. I really want to thank all of the workers, which showed up everyday, wasting no time, took their tools, and started, with that same smile again, over and over, 7 days a week. We are looking at time brothers, was the main thing your heard everybody say. And how is it possible that people stayed working so hard? Who thought of thanking the cooks? They were there everyday. They made sure there was enough energy for them in their meals, everybody enjoyed the food so much that they all kept going. Really, we couldn't have done it without them! Bernardt, who secured the whole place, sometimes slept on the building site, and made sure nothing would be missing when the next morning the job started again. It's always in the little things that makes the big things happen. I really respect the whole of the SMA staff about their honestly and how open they where throughout the whole project. They trusted me and helped me out in different times. I respect the way Johannah took care of me, the project, and her people. She's too much the same like me, so I know that she doesn't like me naming her now. But then I might say this is only to get her back because she also mentioned me in her speech last week. Johannah, thank you. Really I have learnt and still learn a lot from you. You are the kind of person I look up to. Holland misses people like you, but you are needed here. You really made my trip. I need to mention that we all couldn't have done this without the help of my home. A lot of work has been done behind the scenes. The website that really made me able to do this project and made people interested. The money transfers, the sponsors that made Support Fund Ghana, the articles in the newspapers. It wasn't me who did this. This project relies on a lot of people other than myself who deserve the same amount of recognition. There's another person, which I have to say that I really respect. I've got a roommate, which chose to join the project half way. By doing this, he chose to never have as much recognition as I got. He chose to always stay in the background. People tell me, God blesses you Erik, you built a school. Guy put as much personal money in this as I did. Guy is a student as well. Guy will have to go to school himself too when he's back home. But who thanked him for this project? Without him, the third room would be missing right now. Thank you Guy, really.For me, he is one of the examples what I stand for in life. Recognition shouldn't satisfy the job. It's the job itself that needs to satisfy you. For the past 5,5 weeks I've been proud and satisfied. The past 5,5 weeks were full of recognition and fulfilment. And to be honest now, you don't satisfy me by making big celebrations, a lot of good words, or official ceremonies. What would satisfy me, is keeping up the good work. And that all lies in your hands right now Pierre.A proper school building Pierre, doesn't make good education. It is like what i was trying to say with taking off my clothes. A nice suit doesn't make you a project leader, or a respected recognised person. A proper school building doesn't make well educated children. It is all about what's inside.A proper school building changes only one thing. It give's you more possibilities. So make use of those possibilities. Use this building to improve the education of the children. You have got an office right know, a library, and three big rooms with furniture. Get the right motivated teachers. No sleeping during the lessons anymore. Use the office to make the right decisions, to make tight schedules, and to organise everything well. Use the library to store books, papers and pencils for the children to teach them how to read and write, and keep up the discipline not to lose any of these materials. You've got enough benches now for every child to sit and work on. So now let them work. They need it. They deserve it. I challenge you Pierre, to make the Good Shepherd International School a school which the whole of Ghana can be proud of.As proud as I am about this project and how it went. We did almost the impossible. But proved once again, that if you really want to do something, nothing is impossible. I have really learnt and experienced a lot in my three months here. A lot of positive things, but also I have learnt a lot from my negative experiences here too. SQL didn't contribute anything to this project, but did teach me a lot. I have also had the same experiences with my time at the orphanage as well. However I have learnt that negative experiences can be quite educational, therefore I look at them in a positive way right now because they have taught me a lot. This project taught everybody a lot.Somebody special here experienced that age doesn't matter, you are never to old to learn. And that's where I hope this school will be the start of. Young people will have their start in the world of learning... and this process will never stop. I might be the one who started this project, but I'm not the leader. I will go home, but this project.... will never stop.I'm no leader, no head, and I'm not the one who should be thanked. I did something that I thought was right. However I am missing something that I've always worn in my three months here. Ah, there it is. I'm Erik, a Dutch boy, who just wanted to do something good.
Pictures of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Trip 1
Starting out almost at trail.
My Favorite Tree. A branch is the size of most other trees. See last picture where we are standing by it to get a hint of its size.
Listening to our tour guide.
18 May 2006
Pictures of First Board Meeting of Nyame Adom Foundation
From left to right Peter, Me, Evans and Tina.
Pictures Kitchen and Bath Completed
Window on back wall of kitchen.
Patience showing where top of original kitchen was.
Painted inside of the kitchen with new table for food preparation also.
Front view of the toilet on right and bath on left.
Completed toilet in painted room.
Pictures Water Stands and School Uniforms
Here is the completed platform ready for a polytank.
Finished product. Tables with water containers, soap, cups, bowls --- everything you need for clean hands.
The children in their new school uniforms purchased by Anne-Christien's family. Back Row left to right are Patricia, Regina, Stephen, Benjamin and Prince. Middle row are Patricia, Father John and Justice. Front row is Kofi
15 May 2006
More Things
More Ghana fun in geek style bullets.
*) I went to see a palm oil farm. It was in the rain forest. First we did some four wheel driving to get there. Then I walked around on a path seeing all the amazing plants. When we got thirsty, my friends found a coconut tree and we had coconut water. It wasn't that far from a small village but I still felt like I was in Africa in the middle of nowhere surrounded by plants and animals. Ok so I didn't see any animals but they had to be there somehwere. It was mind blowing! At one point I said who planted that pineapple I'd like to eat it. My friends just laughed and said that it was a wild -- no one planted it and it wouldn't be ripe for another 3 months.
*) I also went tooling around the back roads in Steve's truck while Steve was back in the states. Johanna was driving on the dirt roads and it was amazingly green and beautiful. We saw acres and acres of pineapple farms.
*) In the "What a Small World" category Steve is an American working in Ghana. He is with Catholic missionaries in the Liberian Refugee camp. When we met he said he was coming back to the states to be the best man in his brother's wedding. His brother is getting married in Tucson, AZ!!!! So, on May 26th I will be attending a wedding as the date of the best man. I am old enough to be his mother and already married but when you're in Ghana looking for a date in Tucson who will buy her own ticket you can't be too damn choosy!! OK, so he wasn't looking for a date but we did meet and he did invite me and I am going to the wedding.
*) I went shopping with Brother Evans because Sylvia wasn't feeling well. I walked around with him instead of just sitting. When people see an Obruni, it's not unusual for them to ask for something. After all if you are an Obruni in Ghana you are very wealthy by Ghanaian standards and sometimes people will give something. There's no harm in asking. At first I ignored it, then it started to get on my nerves and piss me off a little. Luckily I got over that and I just had fun with it. Whenever anyone would ask me for some money I would multiply the amount by 10 and ask them for that instead. They were always shocked because Obrunis don't ask Ghanaians for money! I loved to see the looks on their faces followed by the laughter. Alot of time also the people ask for money as an opening to a conversation. The following is a discussion between me and a young woman while I was shopping with Evans.
Her: I need some money.
Me: I do too will you give me some? (I hold out my hand waiting for my money and she laughs).
Her: Will you give me 2,000 cedis (less than 25 cents US)?
Me: Will you give me 20,000 cedis to pay for my fish? (Evans is buying some small smoked fish that the children eat)
Her: How about if you give some fish to eat? (She is smiling enjoying the game and eating something as we speak)
Me: I can't this is for the children, what do you have for me to eat? (I can't help but laugh. Big old fat Obruni asking for food!)
She bursts out laughing and I laugh and we say good-bye time to go buy something else for the kids. The looks on our faces as well as the people around who could understand English was alot of fun. She was as big a ham as I was when it came to being watched and making everyone laugh.
*) Lucy and Wendie sent me money for material shopping and I had a blast looking and picking cloth. Two or three people I asked said they did not sell less than 6 yards of material (6 yards is the amount for a traditional Ghanaian ladies outfit and a wrap). Luckily, I found a woman who would cut in 1 yard lenghts. I couldn't decide what colors so I just said one yard of all that were made by Akosombo Textile Ltd. The man next to her had a few samples that she didn't have so I bought from him also. A woman asked what I was going to do with the material and offered to sew whatever I wanted. The idea that my friends were going to cut the material into small pieces to sew them back together for fun was a truly strange thought!
*) Kids are kids the world over. Beautiful, funny, smart, sweet, loving you name it the children are it. BUT one amazing difference about my Ghanaian children is how incredibly, incredibly strong they are! Susana, who is 6 years old, asked me to help her lift a pan up onto her head. The thing must have weighed 25 pounds. I said, "You can't carry that." She said, "Yes, I can." "Are you sure? It's really heavy." She just laughed and walked away carrying this on her head. It must have weighed at least half of her total body weight and she is only 6 years old!!! I was watching the children and saw Regina and Patricia lift a load but it was too heavy to get high enough up for Pat's head. So, they set it down. Together they lifted and put the biggest part on Patricia's head. She then squatted down. She did a deep knee squat with a load of weight on her head. Regina then placed the second part of the load on top and Patricia stood up balancing so nothing fell. This is just normal Saturday cleaning. Truly, truly amazing.
*) The kitchen is completed and painted! The bathroom has also been painted. They both look very nice. The kitchen also has a new table for working and shelves in progress.
*) The tables for the wash stands are done and painted purple. They look great. The water containers, the cups, the bowls, the soap have all been purchased. The platform is done and ready for the poly tank. As soon as the funds clear the bank, Evans will buy a poly tank and the school will have water!
*) Did I tell you about our trip to Dr. Kwame Nkrumah Memorial? If yes just skip the repeat. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was the first president of Ghana. He declared independence from Britain in 1957. His statue is on the spot where he declared Ghana's independence. To get there we all walked from the village to the road (Kofi was on his mother's back). We then took a tro-tro into Accra. The kids were really excited about traveling to the capital! From Keneshie market (the tro-tro stop), we took 2 cabs to the memorial. We had lunch (a picnic the mothers had packed for everyone) and then started our tour. It was very interesting and educational also. We all enjoyed ourselves. I was the only one in our group who had ever been there before! Evans and Asari said most Ghanaians think of the memorial as a place for the tourists and don't go to it. But, they both enjoyed it. I was teasing them that as the only non-Ghanaian I had been here twice and none of the Ghanaians had been here at all.
*) I left the village on May 2nd. It was sad but not as bad as it could have been. I have hired a tutor to come and teach the children reading and writing. When I told them they were going to have more school after regular school in the afternoon they all CHEERED! I told them that we would write each other letters and that I would be coming back to Ghana. We all still cried but it wasn't the heart breaker that I was fearing. I will go back in 3-4 years when I get some money. I have written them my first letter.
*) I left Ghana on May 8th and am now at home. What I hadn't told the blog world until now is that I have started the Nyame Adom Foundation in Ghana. I would never have been able to do this without Evans, Tina and Peter. There are 5 people on the Board of Trustees Evans, Tina, Peter, Mark and Me. Mark may soon be replaced but is on the board for now because we needed to identify all 5 board members to get our certification. The purpose of this foundation is to create a self-sustaining orphanage. We will have an orphanage, a farm, and a vocational school. With the farm and the vocational school providing food, building maintenance, clothes and income from the items sold, the orphanage will be self-sufficient. Hopefully there will be enough money to support multiple orphanages. Nyame Adom Foundation (NAF) is a non-government organization (NGO) that is a non-profit. My job in the states is to develop the website for NAF and find the funding to get everything started. The big difference in NAF and the orphanage I was at in Nkwantanan is that every penny given to NAF will be spent on NAF and NAF alone. All donations, all records, all bank accounts, all meeting minutes everything will be made public for anyone to inspect at any time. When I have the website up, I'll email everyone so you can look at it and know how to help. If you want to help put together the website or offer any other assistance please let me know. If you're not sure if I have your email address, please post your email address to this blog. Don't worry I will not publish your address so I'll be the only one who will see it.
*) I went to see a palm oil farm. It was in the rain forest. First we did some four wheel driving to get there. Then I walked around on a path seeing all the amazing plants. When we got thirsty, my friends found a coconut tree and we had coconut water. It wasn't that far from a small village but I still felt like I was in Africa in the middle of nowhere surrounded by plants and animals. Ok so I didn't see any animals but they had to be there somehwere. It was mind blowing! At one point I said who planted that pineapple I'd like to eat it. My friends just laughed and said that it was a wild -- no one planted it and it wouldn't be ripe for another 3 months.
*) I also went tooling around the back roads in Steve's truck while Steve was back in the states. Johanna was driving on the dirt roads and it was amazingly green and beautiful. We saw acres and acres of pineapple farms.
*) In the "What a Small World" category Steve is an American working in Ghana. He is with Catholic missionaries in the Liberian Refugee camp. When we met he said he was coming back to the states to be the best man in his brother's wedding. His brother is getting married in Tucson, AZ!!!! So, on May 26th I will be attending a wedding as the date of the best man. I am old enough to be his mother and already married but when you're in Ghana looking for a date in Tucson who will buy her own ticket you can't be too damn choosy!! OK, so he wasn't looking for a date but we did meet and he did invite me and I am going to the wedding.
*) I went shopping with Brother Evans because Sylvia wasn't feeling well. I walked around with him instead of just sitting. When people see an Obruni, it's not unusual for them to ask for something. After all if you are an Obruni in Ghana you are very wealthy by Ghanaian standards and sometimes people will give something. There's no harm in asking. At first I ignored it, then it started to get on my nerves and piss me off a little. Luckily I got over that and I just had fun with it. Whenever anyone would ask me for some money I would multiply the amount by 10 and ask them for that instead. They were always shocked because Obrunis don't ask Ghanaians for money! I loved to see the looks on their faces followed by the laughter. Alot of time also the people ask for money as an opening to a conversation. The following is a discussion between me and a young woman while I was shopping with Evans.
Her: I need some money.
Me: I do too will you give me some? (I hold out my hand waiting for my money and she laughs).
Her: Will you give me 2,000 cedis (less than 25 cents US)?
Me: Will you give me 20,000 cedis to pay for my fish? (Evans is buying some small smoked fish that the children eat)
Her: How about if you give some fish to eat? (She is smiling enjoying the game and eating something as we speak)
Me: I can't this is for the children, what do you have for me to eat? (I can't help but laugh. Big old fat Obruni asking for food!)
She bursts out laughing and I laugh and we say good-bye time to go buy something else for the kids. The looks on our faces as well as the people around who could understand English was alot of fun. She was as big a ham as I was when it came to being watched and making everyone laugh.
*) Lucy and Wendie sent me money for material shopping and I had a blast looking and picking cloth. Two or three people I asked said they did not sell less than 6 yards of material (6 yards is the amount for a traditional Ghanaian ladies outfit and a wrap). Luckily, I found a woman who would cut in 1 yard lenghts. I couldn't decide what colors so I just said one yard of all that were made by Akosombo Textile Ltd. The man next to her had a few samples that she didn't have so I bought from him also. A woman asked what I was going to do with the material and offered to sew whatever I wanted. The idea that my friends were going to cut the material into small pieces to sew them back together for fun was a truly strange thought!
*) Kids are kids the world over. Beautiful, funny, smart, sweet, loving you name it the children are it. BUT one amazing difference about my Ghanaian children is how incredibly, incredibly strong they are! Susana, who is 6 years old, asked me to help her lift a pan up onto her head. The thing must have weighed 25 pounds. I said, "You can't carry that." She said, "Yes, I can." "Are you sure? It's really heavy." She just laughed and walked away carrying this on her head. It must have weighed at least half of her total body weight and she is only 6 years old!!! I was watching the children and saw Regina and Patricia lift a load but it was too heavy to get high enough up for Pat's head. So, they set it down. Together they lifted and put the biggest part on Patricia's head. She then squatted down. She did a deep knee squat with a load of weight on her head. Regina then placed the second part of the load on top and Patricia stood up balancing so nothing fell. This is just normal Saturday cleaning. Truly, truly amazing.
*) The kitchen is completed and painted! The bathroom has also been painted. They both look very nice. The kitchen also has a new table for working and shelves in progress.
*) The tables for the wash stands are done and painted purple. They look great. The water containers, the cups, the bowls, the soap have all been purchased. The platform is done and ready for the poly tank. As soon as the funds clear the bank, Evans will buy a poly tank and the school will have water!
*) Did I tell you about our trip to Dr. Kwame Nkrumah Memorial? If yes just skip the repeat. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was the first president of Ghana. He declared independence from Britain in 1957. His statue is on the spot where he declared Ghana's independence. To get there we all walked from the village to the road (Kofi was on his mother's back). We then took a tro-tro into Accra. The kids were really excited about traveling to the capital! From Keneshie market (the tro-tro stop), we took 2 cabs to the memorial. We had lunch (a picnic the mothers had packed for everyone) and then started our tour. It was very interesting and educational also. We all enjoyed ourselves. I was the only one in our group who had ever been there before! Evans and Asari said most Ghanaians think of the memorial as a place for the tourists and don't go to it. But, they both enjoyed it. I was teasing them that as the only non-Ghanaian I had been here twice and none of the Ghanaians had been here at all.
*) I left the village on May 2nd. It was sad but not as bad as it could have been. I have hired a tutor to come and teach the children reading and writing. When I told them they were going to have more school after regular school in the afternoon they all CHEERED! I told them that we would write each other letters and that I would be coming back to Ghana. We all still cried but it wasn't the heart breaker that I was fearing. I will go back in 3-4 years when I get some money. I have written them my first letter.
*) I left Ghana on May 8th and am now at home. What I hadn't told the blog world until now is that I have started the Nyame Adom Foundation in Ghana. I would never have been able to do this without Evans, Tina and Peter. There are 5 people on the Board of Trustees Evans, Tina, Peter, Mark and Me. Mark may soon be replaced but is on the board for now because we needed to identify all 5 board members to get our certification. The purpose of this foundation is to create a self-sustaining orphanage. We will have an orphanage, a farm, and a vocational school. With the farm and the vocational school providing food, building maintenance, clothes and income from the items sold, the orphanage will be self-sufficient. Hopefully there will be enough money to support multiple orphanages. Nyame Adom Foundation (NAF) is a non-government organization (NGO) that is a non-profit. My job in the states is to develop the website for NAF and find the funding to get everything started. The big difference in NAF and the orphanage I was at in Nkwantanan is that every penny given to NAF will be spent on NAF and NAF alone. All donations, all records, all bank accounts, all meeting minutes everything will be made public for anyone to inspect at any time. When I have the website up, I'll email everyone so you can look at it and know how to help. If you want to help put together the website or offer any other assistance please let me know. If you're not sure if I have your email address, please post your email address to this blog. Don't worry I will not publish your address so I'll be the only one who will see it.
18 April 2006
Accra Life
Street vendors are the people who walk up and down the streets selling whatever they can. Many are carrying heavy, heavy loads. While I was sitting at a sidewalk stand sipping a Coke I saw the following street vendors.
*) 3 different people selling bananas and peanuts
*) 2 people selling sugar cane
*) 3 people selling onions
There was one vendor of all the following.
*) popcorn and peanuts
*) cabbage, tomatoes and carrots
*) ironing boards (yes one man was carrying two ironing boards to sell)
*) Nescafe coffee cart
*) Bird cages with birds inside
*) Pictures in frames
*) Watches and watch batteries
*) Belts
*) Socks
By the way I did not go to church on Easter. The pastors were away at a big Easter Convention so there was no church for the children. I did wear my red dress all day though. There is no Easter Bunny in Ghana but the kids did ask me for an Easter present. I gave them each a bag of Snappy peanuts and they were very happy. Snappy peanuts are like honey-roasted peanuts at home, extra sugar extra good.
*) 3 different people selling bananas and peanuts
*) 2 people selling sugar cane
*) 3 people selling onions
There was one vendor of all the following.
*) popcorn and peanuts
*) cabbage, tomatoes and carrots
*) ironing boards (yes one man was carrying two ironing boards to sell)
*) Nescafe coffee cart
*) Bird cages with birds inside
*) Pictures in frames
*) Watches and watch batteries
*) Belts
*) Socks
By the way I did not go to church on Easter. The pastors were away at a big Easter Convention so there was no church for the children. I did wear my red dress all day though. There is no Easter Bunny in Ghana but the kids did ask me for an Easter present. I gave them each a bag of Snappy peanuts and they were very happy. Snappy peanuts are like honey-roasted peanuts at home, extra sugar extra good.
12 April 2006
Long Time No Write
CONSTRUCTION
Hello again. No I have not fallen off of Ghana into the sea. I am still alive and doing well. First with the construction updates, the kitchen holes are filled and window is done. It is now a completed structure! There is a table and shelf on order from the carpentry class/shop at the refugee camp. I plan on buying some peach paint so the kitchen will be beautiful! The children will help me paint it. I’m sure there will be plenty of paint on the floor but such is life.
The platform for the water tank is also completed. The top is done with a whole bunch of iron inside for strength. After 21 days, the forms will be removed and the whole thing will be plastered. I heard from Pegge, that it takes 28 days for concrete to reach its full strength (even in Tucson). Who knew? Pegge and Monolo that’s who. Right now school is on break until May. So, after the plastering and the 28 days I’ll purchase the polytank. The carpentry class at the refugee camp is making the tables for the individual water cans and soap to sit upon. The children and I will paint these also.
ECLIPSE
The big news from here is the eclipse on March 29th. It was amazing, awesome, wonderful, glorious, incredible and so much more. It got dark in the morning for about 3-4 minutes. The children were in the school with all the other children in 2 classrooms. When it started to get dark I saw about 3 students run home. The teachers then stood at the doors yelling at them to stay in their seats. Anne-Christien went and got our kids out of school so they could see the eclipse on TV. I had shown the teachers how to view the eclipse with the pin hole in a piece of paper but they knew the students would look at the sun and damage their eyes. So, they kept all the children inside until it was past the zenith. They then went outside and our kids were showing them how to see the eclipse through their papers. We also viewed it by looking at the sun’s reflection in a bucket of water. It was amazing. During the full dark, Susanna came outside and was crying. She was mostly whimpering but she was truly frightened. It was not suppose to be dark in the middle of the morning and not that fast. Anne-Christien and I talked to her to calm her down. She was still scared but not too badly. When the sun came back all was well again.
The eclipse was on Wednesday. The first rain after the eclipse was on Saturday. A man from the village came to say that the radio had announced not to use the “bad rain”. The first rain after the eclipse was carrying diseases like chicken pox. So, none of the children should go out in the rain and no one should collect or use any of that water. Patience had to go and get some wet laundry from the line. She wrung out the clothes and asked me would she get chicken pox on her hands or face (she had touched her face). I assured her that she wouldn’t. I also said that there was nothing on the news about the rain being bad. She insisted that it was on the radio so it had to be true. I doubt that it was ever on the radio. But when the village has very few radios if someone says they heard something it is only polite to spread the news, especially news about something harmful. As far as I know not a single case of chicken pox has been discovered in the village so everyone must have been careful enough.
FATHER JOHN
Father John was sick and had to go to the clinic. He was given an antibiotic for the sore throat, a pain killer and a sleeping pill. I gave him one dose of the pain pill and threw the sleeping pills away. He was given the sleeping pills because he said he couldn’t sleep well the night before. Of course he couldn’t. He had a fever, sore throat and an ear ache. How could he get to sleep? I don’t know if he would have gotten anything besides the antibiotic if he hadn’t been with an Obruni. I know at home the antibiotic is all he would get. Since he was sick I made him stay home from school all week (except eclipse Wednesday). He cried because he couldn’t go to school. Anne-Christien and I agreed we never cried because we stayed home only when we had to go back. She played with him and let him eat cookies to make staying home more bearable. He even enjoyed it. All school day and all Anne-Christien’s attention for only him? He was in heaven.
MY VACATION
Ok, I know you think that I am on vacation just being in Ghana and you would be right. But, this last week I went on a real vacation away from the orphanage home. Anne-Christien and I went to Kumasi. It is a very beautiful city with a wonderful cultural center. We were scheduled to go to Yeji for a boat trip on Tuesday night. However, the boat was sailing a day early because of Easter. Evans called with this information and Anne-Christien and I had no problem making the change. However, Rico was also planning on going with us. She got to the STC (bus) station at 10:00am and bought a ticket for the 10:30 bus. When the bus arrived at 11:00 the people from the scheduled 9:30 trip took all the seats. She then called about 1:30 saying she didn’t think she would be in Kumasi in time. The STC wouldn’t refund her ticket price because the bus would run later or much later that day so no refunds. I told her to call Brother Evans to see what he can do. She called back to say that she was on board and would hopefully make it to Kumasi on time. If it was too late we should just leave without her. Brother Evans arrived and said let’s go to the taxi that’s waiting. We got to the tro-tro station to find that the last tro to Yeji was full. There was a tro to a place only 47 miles away from Yeji that we could take. “But what about Rico,” I asked. She hadn’t contacted Evans since her tro did arrive so he didn’t know she wasn’t yet in Kumasi. The tro-tro was almost full and had a big load of lumber to transport also. I said let’s buy tickets for 5 seats so we have a place for our luggage. The station manager said if we purchased 5 tickets the tro would be full and would need to leave. He agreed to wait 15 minutes for the STC but that’s the best he could do since all the other passengers in the tro-tro wanted to get home. So, I asked if I could hire another tro and pay for the whole van provided it would wait for Rico. The manager then talked to a driver and said if I purchased 14 seats the driver would wait for the STC. So it cost me 390,000 cedis or $44 US to charter the van. Evans called and told Rico we had a ride and were waiting for her. When her bus was close, the driver took us to the STC station. Rico was not on the bus that arrived from Accra. Luckily only 10-20 minutes later a second bus arrived from Accra and Rico was there. We then had a 3 hour ride to Yeji. Yes, boys and girls you heard me correctly, it was only $44 US for a 3 hour ride that started at 10:00 pm and was 147 miles. On the road Rico said that Tuesday was her birthday. She was glad she didn’t spend it waiting for a tro-tro back to Accra, then 6 hours on a bus after missing her trip. I spent the money thinking a volunteer should not miss this trip. After hearing it was her birthday I was really glad I had!
The boat was docked and waiting until dawn to start off. We got to bed and slept. When I woke up the morning was beautiful. The sun was up and the water was sparkling. I stayed awake all day staring at the lake and the passing vegetation. I tried to stay awake that night but was too tired. I went to bed at 7:30 pm just like at the orphanage home at bedtime. I woke up to another beautiful morning. There were a lot more people on board. I decided that I’d watch the water from lying down in the top bunk bed. I got in and out of the bed 2 or 3 times and then when I tried to get up I slipped and fell and bruised my side and my foot. I’m not seriously hurt just bruised. I was mad and got up on the bed. I looked out the window and enjoyed the sights. With the boat rocking and my relaxing, next thing I knew I was sound asleep. I woke up in time for lunch though. I didn’t get back on the bunk, no I wasn’t afraid I’d biff it again, I didn’t want to fall back asleep. I sat up talking with Rico, Anne-Christien and Evans. The last leg of the journey was beautiful and enjoyable. Right before we got off the boat we took pictures. Anne-Christien, Rico and I do not like having our pictures taken. I laughed and said I’m the only one who didn’t bring a camera. I wanted a picture to prove to everyone that I was on Lake Volta and so were they. You’ll see from the picture that we had a wonderful time.
The extra good news was not one baby cried when seeing me this whole vacation. Most babies stared, I’m sure I’m the first Obruni many had ever seen, but not one cried!!
NEXT UP
I am planning on shopping on Thursday for more material for dresses and pants outfits. (Anne-Christien thinks I’m really funny buying work clothes for a job I don’t have.) After this, I’ll go back to the home. I better buy some paint while I’m still in Accra. I’ll be at the home for Easter. In Ghana Easter Monday is a big family day. Families go on picnics and to the beach etc.. A friend’s church is having a big party and I’m going to that. It will be my first Easter Monday event. In Ghana both Friday and Monday are national holidays. I’m going to church on Easter Sunday also. The children’s church is so loud that I can hear it from the home. Since it is not only loud but also in Twi, I stay home. On Easter I’m going to wear my one dress from home and go to church.
During the 2 week break from school, I want to bring the children and mothers to Accra to see the memorial of the first president of Ghana. I need to talk and ask “Madame” first for her permission. I’m sure she’ll agree since school is on vacation and the trip will be a good educational experience. We’ll see the monument, the museum, the fountains and the garden. I was there with SYTO during my orientation week. It is very beautiful. We’ll also have a picnic. I told Patience this secret, so I expect all the children have heard by now. I wanted them to know that I was planning something fun and special for just them.
Hello again. No I have not fallen off of Ghana into the sea. I am still alive and doing well. First with the construction updates, the kitchen holes are filled and window is done. It is now a completed structure! There is a table and shelf on order from the carpentry class/shop at the refugee camp. I plan on buying some peach paint so the kitchen will be beautiful! The children will help me paint it. I’m sure there will be plenty of paint on the floor but such is life.
The platform for the water tank is also completed. The top is done with a whole bunch of iron inside for strength. After 21 days, the forms will be removed and the whole thing will be plastered. I heard from Pegge, that it takes 28 days for concrete to reach its full strength (even in Tucson). Who knew? Pegge and Monolo that’s who. Right now school is on break until May. So, after the plastering and the 28 days I’ll purchase the polytank. The carpentry class at the refugee camp is making the tables for the individual water cans and soap to sit upon. The children and I will paint these also.
ECLIPSE
The big news from here is the eclipse on March 29th. It was amazing, awesome, wonderful, glorious, incredible and so much more. It got dark in the morning for about 3-4 minutes. The children were in the school with all the other children in 2 classrooms. When it started to get dark I saw about 3 students run home. The teachers then stood at the doors yelling at them to stay in their seats. Anne-Christien went and got our kids out of school so they could see the eclipse on TV. I had shown the teachers how to view the eclipse with the pin hole in a piece of paper but they knew the students would look at the sun and damage their eyes. So, they kept all the children inside until it was past the zenith. They then went outside and our kids were showing them how to see the eclipse through their papers. We also viewed it by looking at the sun’s reflection in a bucket of water. It was amazing. During the full dark, Susanna came outside and was crying. She was mostly whimpering but she was truly frightened. It was not suppose to be dark in the middle of the morning and not that fast. Anne-Christien and I talked to her to calm her down. She was still scared but not too badly. When the sun came back all was well again.
The eclipse was on Wednesday. The first rain after the eclipse was on Saturday. A man from the village came to say that the radio had announced not to use the “bad rain”. The first rain after the eclipse was carrying diseases like chicken pox. So, none of the children should go out in the rain and no one should collect or use any of that water. Patience had to go and get some wet laundry from the line. She wrung out the clothes and asked me would she get chicken pox on her hands or face (she had touched her face). I assured her that she wouldn’t. I also said that there was nothing on the news about the rain being bad. She insisted that it was on the radio so it had to be true. I doubt that it was ever on the radio. But when the village has very few radios if someone says they heard something it is only polite to spread the news, especially news about something harmful. As far as I know not a single case of chicken pox has been discovered in the village so everyone must have been careful enough.
FATHER JOHN
Father John was sick and had to go to the clinic. He was given an antibiotic for the sore throat, a pain killer and a sleeping pill. I gave him one dose of the pain pill and threw the sleeping pills away. He was given the sleeping pills because he said he couldn’t sleep well the night before. Of course he couldn’t. He had a fever, sore throat and an ear ache. How could he get to sleep? I don’t know if he would have gotten anything besides the antibiotic if he hadn’t been with an Obruni. I know at home the antibiotic is all he would get. Since he was sick I made him stay home from school all week (except eclipse Wednesday). He cried because he couldn’t go to school. Anne-Christien and I agreed we never cried because we stayed home only when we had to go back. She played with him and let him eat cookies to make staying home more bearable. He even enjoyed it. All school day and all Anne-Christien’s attention for only him? He was in heaven.
MY VACATION
Ok, I know you think that I am on vacation just being in Ghana and you would be right. But, this last week I went on a real vacation away from the orphanage home. Anne-Christien and I went to Kumasi. It is a very beautiful city with a wonderful cultural center. We were scheduled to go to Yeji for a boat trip on Tuesday night. However, the boat was sailing a day early because of Easter. Evans called with this information and Anne-Christien and I had no problem making the change. However, Rico was also planning on going with us. She got to the STC (bus) station at 10:00am and bought a ticket for the 10:30 bus. When the bus arrived at 11:00 the people from the scheduled 9:30 trip took all the seats. She then called about 1:30 saying she didn’t think she would be in Kumasi in time. The STC wouldn’t refund her ticket price because the bus would run later or much later that day so no refunds. I told her to call Brother Evans to see what he can do. She called back to say that she was on board and would hopefully make it to Kumasi on time. If it was too late we should just leave without her. Brother Evans arrived and said let’s go to the taxi that’s waiting. We got to the tro-tro station to find that the last tro to Yeji was full. There was a tro to a place only 47 miles away from Yeji that we could take. “But what about Rico,” I asked. She hadn’t contacted Evans since her tro did arrive so he didn’t know she wasn’t yet in Kumasi. The tro-tro was almost full and had a big load of lumber to transport also. I said let’s buy tickets for 5 seats so we have a place for our luggage. The station manager said if we purchased 5 tickets the tro would be full and would need to leave. He agreed to wait 15 minutes for the STC but that’s the best he could do since all the other passengers in the tro-tro wanted to get home. So, I asked if I could hire another tro and pay for the whole van provided it would wait for Rico. The manager then talked to a driver and said if I purchased 14 seats the driver would wait for the STC. So it cost me 390,000 cedis or $44 US to charter the van. Evans called and told Rico we had a ride and were waiting for her. When her bus was close, the driver took us to the STC station. Rico was not on the bus that arrived from Accra. Luckily only 10-20 minutes later a second bus arrived from Accra and Rico was there. We then had a 3 hour ride to Yeji. Yes, boys and girls you heard me correctly, it was only $44 US for a 3 hour ride that started at 10:00 pm and was 147 miles. On the road Rico said that Tuesday was her birthday. She was glad she didn’t spend it waiting for a tro-tro back to Accra, then 6 hours on a bus after missing her trip. I spent the money thinking a volunteer should not miss this trip. After hearing it was her birthday I was really glad I had!
The boat was docked and waiting until dawn to start off. We got to bed and slept. When I woke up the morning was beautiful. The sun was up and the water was sparkling. I stayed awake all day staring at the lake and the passing vegetation. I tried to stay awake that night but was too tired. I went to bed at 7:30 pm just like at the orphanage home at bedtime. I woke up to another beautiful morning. There were a lot more people on board. I decided that I’d watch the water from lying down in the top bunk bed. I got in and out of the bed 2 or 3 times and then when I tried to get up I slipped and fell and bruised my side and my foot. I’m not seriously hurt just bruised. I was mad and got up on the bed. I looked out the window and enjoyed the sights. With the boat rocking and my relaxing, next thing I knew I was sound asleep. I woke up in time for lunch though. I didn’t get back on the bunk, no I wasn’t afraid I’d biff it again, I didn’t want to fall back asleep. I sat up talking with Rico, Anne-Christien and Evans. The last leg of the journey was beautiful and enjoyable. Right before we got off the boat we took pictures. Anne-Christien, Rico and I do not like having our pictures taken. I laughed and said I’m the only one who didn’t bring a camera. I wanted a picture to prove to everyone that I was on Lake Volta and so were they. You’ll see from the picture that we had a wonderful time.
The extra good news was not one baby cried when seeing me this whole vacation. Most babies stared, I’m sure I’m the first Obruni many had ever seen, but not one cried!!
NEXT UP
I am planning on shopping on Thursday for more material for dresses and pants outfits. (Anne-Christien thinks I’m really funny buying work clothes for a job I don’t have.) After this, I’ll go back to the home. I better buy some paint while I’m still in Accra. I’ll be at the home for Easter. In Ghana Easter Monday is a big family day. Families go on picnics and to the beach etc.. A friend’s church is having a big party and I’m going to that. It will be my first Easter Monday event. In Ghana both Friday and Monday are national holidays. I’m going to church on Easter Sunday also. The children’s church is so loud that I can hear it from the home. Since it is not only loud but also in Twi, I stay home. On Easter I’m going to wear my one dress from home and go to church.
During the 2 week break from school, I want to bring the children and mothers to Accra to see the memorial of the first president of Ghana. I need to talk and ask “Madame” first for her permission. I’m sure she’ll agree since school is on vacation and the trip will be a good educational experience. We’ll see the monument, the museum, the fountains and the garden. I was there with SYTO during my orientation week. It is very beautiful. We’ll also have a picnic. I told Patience this secret, so I expect all the children have heard by now. I wanted them to know that I was planning something fun and special for just them.
21 March 2006
Week 8
Hello Everyone
What’s been happening this week? The toilet has been completed!!! Yeah!!! The inside of the hole was plastered and the toilet bowl attached. We then waited for 9 full days for everything to dry. The seat was installed and all was ready to go. The children needed to be instructed to put the used paper in the trash can to not fill the hole too fast. One boy called me to check and make sure what I meant. He lifted the lid and the seat and was sitting on the bowl directly. He then was asking me about what is a trash can. It was a rather silly word. He understood the term rubber container so all was well in the end. I did not laugh about him sitting on the bowl directly without a seat. But as small as he was it was a funny sight. Later that evening we had a toilet usage discussion. I demonstrated how to lift just the lid as well as what a trash can is. Everyone already knew that every time they go to the toilet they must wash their hands, thanks to Mother Sylvia. The toilet is a huge success.
The platform for the school’s water tank is about half built. The top needs to be put on it. The kitchen work is also about half done. The ceiling has been raised, the window opening cut and the holes filled in with blocks. However, the window screen is missing and the inside ceiling has not been done. One of these days these things will be completed and then I will pay the contractor the second half of the bill.
I gave the sewing machine to the Vocational Education School in the Liberian Camp. The camp has approximately 45,000 Liberian refugees. The vocational school is run by JoAnna. She is from Holland and a friend of the orphanage. She also looks out for all the Dutch volunteers in the area. She will be in Ghana for a total of 6 years. There was a young man from Holland who raised funds to build a school for the orphanage in Kasoa. The Vocational School construction students did all the work for free. Other Liberian refugees who heard about the project showed up and volunteered as a thank-you to the Ghanaian people. It is awesome! The school is almost done now.
As thanks for the machine, the sewing teacher is making new school uniforms for the children. Anne-Christien’s grandparents paid for all the material, buttons, zippers etc.. We’ll get pictures when the new uniforms are done sometime next week. So, that means you’ll see them in 2-3 weeks if you’re lucky. The same woman is making a dress, 2 tops and 2 pants for me for less than $20 US (again I got a cut rate). I purchased some beautiful fabric for about $2.50 US a yard.
To my quilting friends, the all cotton material here is gorgeous! There is tie-dye and African prints in beautiful, bold, bright colors. If you want me to buy some for you, it will be about $3.00 a yard to cover the dollar to cedi conversion and my travel. If you are interested, send me an email with your color scheme and quantities desired. I don’t think they sell less than one yard increments though.
Last night the children were writing thank-you notes to Anne-Christien’s grandparents’ who financed our trip to the beach. Kofi had to do his letter also. He scribbled in both pen and pencil a very nice thank-you letter and picture. He was so tired that he put his chin down on the table and fell asleep! His butt was on the bench and his chin was on the table and he was sound asleep. He didn’t put his cheek down just his chin and he was out like a light. It was very funny.
Rebecca, Justin, Beth, Derrick and Lexi thank-you for the emails! I miss and love you all.
What’s been happening this week? The toilet has been completed!!! Yeah!!! The inside of the hole was plastered and the toilet bowl attached. We then waited for 9 full days for everything to dry. The seat was installed and all was ready to go. The children needed to be instructed to put the used paper in the trash can to not fill the hole too fast. One boy called me to check and make sure what I meant. He lifted the lid and the seat and was sitting on the bowl directly. He then was asking me about what is a trash can. It was a rather silly word. He understood the term rubber container so all was well in the end. I did not laugh about him sitting on the bowl directly without a seat. But as small as he was it was a funny sight. Later that evening we had a toilet usage discussion. I demonstrated how to lift just the lid as well as what a trash can is. Everyone already knew that every time they go to the toilet they must wash their hands, thanks to Mother Sylvia. The toilet is a huge success.
The platform for the school’s water tank is about half built. The top needs to be put on it. The kitchen work is also about half done. The ceiling has been raised, the window opening cut and the holes filled in with blocks. However, the window screen is missing and the inside ceiling has not been done. One of these days these things will be completed and then I will pay the contractor the second half of the bill.
I gave the sewing machine to the Vocational Education School in the Liberian Camp. The camp has approximately 45,000 Liberian refugees. The vocational school is run by JoAnna. She is from Holland and a friend of the orphanage. She also looks out for all the Dutch volunteers in the area. She will be in Ghana for a total of 6 years. There was a young man from Holland who raised funds to build a school for the orphanage in Kasoa. The Vocational School construction students did all the work for free. Other Liberian refugees who heard about the project showed up and volunteered as a thank-you to the Ghanaian people. It is awesome! The school is almost done now.
As thanks for the machine, the sewing teacher is making new school uniforms for the children. Anne-Christien’s grandparents paid for all the material, buttons, zippers etc.. We’ll get pictures when the new uniforms are done sometime next week. So, that means you’ll see them in 2-3 weeks if you’re lucky. The same woman is making a dress, 2 tops and 2 pants for me for less than $20 US (again I got a cut rate). I purchased some beautiful fabric for about $2.50 US a yard.
To my quilting friends, the all cotton material here is gorgeous! There is tie-dye and African prints in beautiful, bold, bright colors. If you want me to buy some for you, it will be about $3.00 a yard to cover the dollar to cedi conversion and my travel. If you are interested, send me an email with your color scheme and quantities desired. I don’t think they sell less than one yard increments though.
Last night the children were writing thank-you notes to Anne-Christien’s grandparents’ who financed our trip to the beach. Kofi had to do his letter also. He scribbled in both pen and pencil a very nice thank-you letter and picture. He was so tired that he put his chin down on the table and fell asleep! His butt was on the bench and his chin was on the table and he was sound asleep. He didn’t put his cheek down just his chin and he was out like a light. It was very funny.
Rebecca, Justin, Beth, Derrick and Lexi thank-you for the emails! I miss and love you all.
15 March 2006
Questions Answered
First to Antoine you sent me a comment but I don't have your email address to reply. Please post another comment with your email address. I won't publish it but I will be able to respond. Thanks.
What happened to my hat? I left it on a tro-tro. Tro-tros are always full. If they are not full you sit and wait until they are full before starting. One day a mother with a new born baby and a 3 year old were on the same tro-tro as Sylvia and me. Sylvia told the mother I would hold her daughter for her so she could feed her baby. The little girl just looked at me then relaxed. She was use to sitting on the laps of strangers. After a while she fell asleep. I spent the ride being sure that if there was a quick direction change or an accident I would be able to protect her. Luckily, I didn't need to use any of my plans. Later when her mother got off I was worried she would leave me her daughter. Again luckily, this did not happen. She just needed a minute to adjust her packages and her baby before collecting her daughter. The next stop was where I exited. I got off the tro-tro and my hat didn't. So I have since purchased a new hat for 15,000 cedis or just under two dollars.
What do I do all day? That's an easy one. I mostly sit. I always eat 3 meals a day and I always take two baths a day. I sometimes go to Accra to get more money from the bank. I sometimes go to the internet cafe. I occassionally help the children fetch the water for their evening bath. I've gotten much better at "My Grandmother" and "Mr. Bobo" two hand clapping games. Now that Isaiah has come to live with us, I watch him occassionally while his mother works or does school work. I was the first white person he ever met but now we're best buddies. He is 16 months old and talks in baby rap. We have our own special hello. We look at each other and laugh and toss our heads back. He'll run up to me and Anne Christien for hugs. We can hold him for about 15 minutes. Then he has to get down to check and make sure his mama doesn't miss him. All the children are very good with him. The three oldest girls almost fight to see who gets to hold him. Regina is very smart though. When she gets Isaiah she puts him on her back and walks away from everyone else so he doesn't ask for somebody else! Yesterday little Kofi was eating beans. Isaiah wanted the spoon so Kofi gave it to him (every child knows beans can be eaten just as well with fingers as with a spoon so no problem). Instead of eating the beans, Isaiah used the spoon to feed Kofi. It was so funny and so cute. He didn't always reach Kofi's mouth so Kofi would help him and then just pick up and eat any beans that fell on the table or more likely fell on Kofi's belly.
I miss everyone and wish you were here. I also wish I was at home. As Mark said as soon as I get home I'll wish I was back in Ghana. Don't tell him, but he's probably right.
Myrte arrived before sunset at her final destination, Nkoranza, last Saturday. She sent both Evans and Anne-Christien text messages to let us know she was fine. I think she was afraid I would show up looking for her! She likes her new position working with disabled people. They work making necklaces and bracelets to sell. Myrte works with them. So all of her friends will be getting jewelry for presents.
Once again I'm out of time and ready for lunch. Oh my goodness the salad place was heavenly. I got a huge salad that tasted wonderful. It was the first time in two months that I had eaten fresh vegetables. All of the vegetables we eat are fresh but thoroughly cooked to ensure Obruni stomaches don't get "runny". This restaurant is a true find. They know how to treat the veggies or they buy only from certain vendors or whatever. I don't care. I get a deliscious salad and do not get sick. Life is wonderful.
Love to all. Adios (Tucson ending), Caio (Pegge ending), Bye-bye (Ghana ending).
What happened to my hat? I left it on a tro-tro. Tro-tros are always full. If they are not full you sit and wait until they are full before starting. One day a mother with a new born baby and a 3 year old were on the same tro-tro as Sylvia and me. Sylvia told the mother I would hold her daughter for her so she could feed her baby. The little girl just looked at me then relaxed. She was use to sitting on the laps of strangers. After a while she fell asleep. I spent the ride being sure that if there was a quick direction change or an accident I would be able to protect her. Luckily, I didn't need to use any of my plans. Later when her mother got off I was worried she would leave me her daughter. Again luckily, this did not happen. She just needed a minute to adjust her packages and her baby before collecting her daughter. The next stop was where I exited. I got off the tro-tro and my hat didn't. So I have since purchased a new hat for 15,000 cedis or just under two dollars.
What do I do all day? That's an easy one. I mostly sit. I always eat 3 meals a day and I always take two baths a day. I sometimes go to Accra to get more money from the bank. I sometimes go to the internet cafe. I occassionally help the children fetch the water for their evening bath. I've gotten much better at "My Grandmother" and "Mr. Bobo" two hand clapping games. Now that Isaiah has come to live with us, I watch him occassionally while his mother works or does school work. I was the first white person he ever met but now we're best buddies. He is 16 months old and talks in baby rap. We have our own special hello. We look at each other and laugh and toss our heads back. He'll run up to me and Anne Christien for hugs. We can hold him for about 15 minutes. Then he has to get down to check and make sure his mama doesn't miss him. All the children are very good with him. The three oldest girls almost fight to see who gets to hold him. Regina is very smart though. When she gets Isaiah she puts him on her back and walks away from everyone else so he doesn't ask for somebody else! Yesterday little Kofi was eating beans. Isaiah wanted the spoon so Kofi gave it to him (every child knows beans can be eaten just as well with fingers as with a spoon so no problem). Instead of eating the beans, Isaiah used the spoon to feed Kofi. It was so funny and so cute. He didn't always reach Kofi's mouth so Kofi would help him and then just pick up and eat any beans that fell on the table or more likely fell on Kofi's belly.
I miss everyone and wish you were here. I also wish I was at home. As Mark said as soon as I get home I'll wish I was back in Ghana. Don't tell him, but he's probably right.
Myrte arrived before sunset at her final destination, Nkoranza, last Saturday. She sent both Evans and Anne-Christien text messages to let us know she was fine. I think she was afraid I would show up looking for her! She likes her new position working with disabled people. They work making necklaces and bracelets to sell. Myrte works with them. So all of her friends will be getting jewelry for presents.
Once again I'm out of time and ready for lunch. Oh my goodness the salad place was heavenly. I got a huge salad that tasted wonderful. It was the first time in two months that I had eaten fresh vegetables. All of the vegetables we eat are fresh but thoroughly cooked to ensure Obruni stomaches don't get "runny". This restaurant is a true find. They know how to treat the veggies or they buy only from certain vendors or whatever. I don't care. I get a deliscious salad and do not get sick. Life is wonderful.
Love to all. Adios (Tucson ending), Caio (Pegge ending), Bye-bye (Ghana ending).
11 March 2006
Miscellaneous
Week 7
Anne Christien said we have been in Ghana for 8 weeks now. This means we have been at the home for 7 weeks. Really? That seems like a really long time but it feels like we arrived yesterday. I have lost any and all sense of time so I am turning into a Ghanaian. There is the present and the past and the future will take care of itself when it arrives.
Sleepless Nights
What do you do when you wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep? Read? No books? Watch TV? No way, you'll wake up Mother Sylvia who works way too hard in the day to be awakened in the middle of the night! So you stare at the walls. It was while doing this I realized one reason why I feel so comfortable here. The rooms are just like in Old Bisbee. The floor is bare; nothing is square; the wiring is on the outside of the wall; and there are no closets. Just like my old house! Bisbee was one of my past experiences training me for Ghana. By the way don't feel too sorry for my sleepless night. I had slept too much for two nights running so on the third night I couldn't stay asleep. Oh poor me!
TV watching Family
The other night night I was watching everyone watching TV (Myrte and Anne-Christien excluded, they were in Accra to pick up Theo and Sanders. So, this stuff was written on paper just didn't make it to the internet until today). The show was in Twi so I wasn't distracted from watching the family. There were children in chairs, on the sofa, lying on the floor and each other. When someone on a chair left to get a drink, another person nabbed the chair. The older children could understand the jokes and would laugh followed by the younger kids laughing a few beats behind. There were also times when everyone was talking and no one could posssibly hear the television. Tis continued until Mother Sylvia sent the children to bed. It was a repeat of TV watchin in my house as a child just with different children in Ghana.
Water Filter
As you saw in a picture the ceramic water filter has been purchased. The box says the ceramic part is a 0.2 micron filter. There is also a second filter made up of carbon, sand and stones. The brand name is Safia and it is made in Korea. The salesman said you need to replace both filters every 7 months. The box itself does not specify length of time or number of litres of water that can be filtered. The ceramic filter box says it can be cleaned if it is clogged. Mother Sylvia is cleaning it once a week to keep it from clogging. Pamala or Kevin will you see if you can find out anything on the internet about this water filter and how often the filters need replacing? There is no part number on the box. It has a 12 litre capacity and that's everything I know. If you can't find anythng, I'll just ask Sister Sylvia to replace both filters every 3 months for me.
Funnies
*) The other day I say a chicken sitting in the yard that looked so peaceful and relaxed. I thought to myself, "Oh, I wonder if she is laying an egg". The fowl stood up and lo and behold she was a he. I knew it was a rooster because of his bad leg. When he was sitting and had the rooster's crown I thought it was a chicken.
*) While walking back from the internet near the Liberian Camp I got a little lost. There was a man sitting on his porch who called out, "Hello my wife, when will you come and visit me?" I answered "Hello, I'll visit when my first husband gives me permission." Mark gave me permission but as long as husband number two doesn't see this he'll never know.
*) I am always a walking sweat machine. I had lost my hat so the hankie I use was tied around my head to prevent sunburn. When I was loking for a tro-tro a man was following me wiping his forehead with his arms teasing me. But, I looked back in time to catch him. So, I took my hankie off and wiped my face with it instead of my sleeves. His friends totally enjoyed the show and the fact that he was caught and we all laughed.
*) At the same place one of the guys insisted he would help me get a ride to where I needed to go. He walked me to where the taxi to Camp was. I thanked him and then he asked, "Don't you want to help me." I was tired so I just told the truth, "No, I don't not at all." He was shocked at such a straight forward answer and so I told him that I'm already giving all my money to the orphanage. He then laughed and said, "Oh so you are already helping many Africans. Good, good." He then gave me a small hug and went on his way. The look on his face when I said no, not at all was priceless. People in Ghana do not talk like that. The proper response is to take their address, or say oh I'm sorry I really have no money today maybe tomorrow. But I was just too tired to be proper and he really didn't even care. He was very nice about the whole thing.
Kakum National Park
Rico and Alice from SYTO came for a visit. Like everyone they love our placement. We 3 went to Kakum National Park (Myrte and Anne Christien had already been). First we stayed the night at a hotel. I was in heaven. I had my own FLUSH toilet and RUNNING WATER shower. I was in a room by myself so I could also wake up and walk to the bathroom in the nude. It was incredible. On top of all this there was a swimming pool with shade. I took a shower in my clothes and sat in the pool for a couple of hours. When the sun went down I got COLD!!!
The next day we went to the park. It is a tropical rain forest with a canopy walkway. Don't tell Mark but I was walking on the top of the trees. It was amazing and beautiful and scary all at the same time. It is the only canopy walk way in all of Africa and one of only 4 in the world. It is right outside Cape Coast so we did the whole thing in two days. The travel time was about 3 1/2 hours by tro-tro. It was absolutely spectacular!
Myrte's Gone
We came back from the Park on Friday night. When I was in bed Myrte came and we had the following conversation:
M: "I'm leaving tomorrow."
F: "I know and you'll be back on Wednesday."
M: "No, I won't I'm not coming back."
F: "Oh yes you are!"
Myrte then laughed and explained that she really isn't coming back. Last I knew she was going to check out her two options on her next placement, come back and think it over. Instead, she decided to take her things, go to the one that interests her most and only if that doesn't work out go check on the second. So, instead of 3 more weeks she was leaving the next morning at 6:00 am. I said ok well then you have to wake me up so I can cry with everybody else when you leave. I then was wide awake thinking about where will she be?, will she be ok?, what if something should happen? I then thanked God that I am not a real mother or I would be a wreck. I was able to calm down by deciding what motherly advice and instructions I would give to her before she left. When I woke up the next morning, I couldn't help myself I kept following her around. I told her she had to memorize Evans phone number. If she needs any help or has any problems she must call Evans immediately. He has a motorcycle and will come to wherever she is to rescue her. (I'll be a few hours or days behind on buses). She laughed and said she would. I also told her to send Brother Evans, JoAnna's and my phone numbers to her parents so they can call us if they don't hear from her. So, Myrte's real mom be sure to ask for the phone numbers and if she has memorized Brother Evans number yet.
This morning when it was time for her to go there was not a dry eye in the house. I will see Myrte again before she leaves when she is traveling and relaxing on the beach. The children won't though, so we all cried and were sad. I then went back to bed. The children are better now and so am I.
Refrigerator
Mark, what is in your refrigerator? Ask Mari to clean it out and buy some food to eat! Also, my phone died in the middle of my talk with my mom so that's why you couldn't reach me on Thursday. It should be fixed and ready for me to pick up today so I'll be able to be reached again.
End
This is the longest post and has been possible because Anne Christien and I are in Accra at a place called Busy Internet. It is the busies place in town because it has the fastest speeds. Using the intenet here is the same as the DSL line at my house. I can read my email, type and actually get things done. It is nice. Best fo all, when we leave here we are going to an Obruni restaurant that is a salad bar! We don't eat anything that is not cooked but this salad bar has Obruni belly fresh vegetables. So, I'll leave now and write more after lunch if we get back here. Thanks for all your support, thoughts and prayers.
Anne Christien said we have been in Ghana for 8 weeks now. This means we have been at the home for 7 weeks. Really? That seems like a really long time but it feels like we arrived yesterday. I have lost any and all sense of time so I am turning into a Ghanaian. There is the present and the past and the future will take care of itself when it arrives.
Sleepless Nights
What do you do when you wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep? Read? No books? Watch TV? No way, you'll wake up Mother Sylvia who works way too hard in the day to be awakened in the middle of the night! So you stare at the walls. It was while doing this I realized one reason why I feel so comfortable here. The rooms are just like in Old Bisbee. The floor is bare; nothing is square; the wiring is on the outside of the wall; and there are no closets. Just like my old house! Bisbee was one of my past experiences training me for Ghana. By the way don't feel too sorry for my sleepless night. I had slept too much for two nights running so on the third night I couldn't stay asleep. Oh poor me!
TV watching Family
The other night night I was watching everyone watching TV (Myrte and Anne-Christien excluded, they were in Accra to pick up Theo and Sanders. So, this stuff was written on paper just didn't make it to the internet until today). The show was in Twi so I wasn't distracted from watching the family. There were children in chairs, on the sofa, lying on the floor and each other. When someone on a chair left to get a drink, another person nabbed the chair. The older children could understand the jokes and would laugh followed by the younger kids laughing a few beats behind. There were also times when everyone was talking and no one could posssibly hear the television. Tis continued until Mother Sylvia sent the children to bed. It was a repeat of TV watchin in my house as a child just with different children in Ghana.
Water Filter
As you saw in a picture the ceramic water filter has been purchased. The box says the ceramic part is a 0.2 micron filter. There is also a second filter made up of carbon, sand and stones. The brand name is Safia and it is made in Korea. The salesman said you need to replace both filters every 7 months. The box itself does not specify length of time or number of litres of water that can be filtered. The ceramic filter box says it can be cleaned if it is clogged. Mother Sylvia is cleaning it once a week to keep it from clogging. Pamala or Kevin will you see if you can find out anything on the internet about this water filter and how often the filters need replacing? There is no part number on the box. It has a 12 litre capacity and that's everything I know. If you can't find anythng, I'll just ask Sister Sylvia to replace both filters every 3 months for me.
Funnies
*) The other day I say a chicken sitting in the yard that looked so peaceful and relaxed. I thought to myself, "Oh, I wonder if she is laying an egg". The fowl stood up and lo and behold she was a he. I knew it was a rooster because of his bad leg. When he was sitting and had the rooster's crown I thought it was a chicken.
*) While walking back from the internet near the Liberian Camp I got a little lost. There was a man sitting on his porch who called out, "Hello my wife, when will you come and visit me?" I answered "Hello, I'll visit when my first husband gives me permission." Mark gave me permission but as long as husband number two doesn't see this he'll never know.
*) I am always a walking sweat machine. I had lost my hat so the hankie I use was tied around my head to prevent sunburn. When I was loking for a tro-tro a man was following me wiping his forehead with his arms teasing me. But, I looked back in time to catch him. So, I took my hankie off and wiped my face with it instead of my sleeves. His friends totally enjoyed the show and the fact that he was caught and we all laughed.
*) At the same place one of the guys insisted he would help me get a ride to where I needed to go. He walked me to where the taxi to Camp was. I thanked him and then he asked, "Don't you want to help me." I was tired so I just told the truth, "No, I don't not at all." He was shocked at such a straight forward answer and so I told him that I'm already giving all my money to the orphanage. He then laughed and said, "Oh so you are already helping many Africans. Good, good." He then gave me a small hug and went on his way. The look on his face when I said no, not at all was priceless. People in Ghana do not talk like that. The proper response is to take their address, or say oh I'm sorry I really have no money today maybe tomorrow. But I was just too tired to be proper and he really didn't even care. He was very nice about the whole thing.
Kakum National Park
Rico and Alice from SYTO came for a visit. Like everyone they love our placement. We 3 went to Kakum National Park (Myrte and Anne Christien had already been). First we stayed the night at a hotel. I was in heaven. I had my own FLUSH toilet and RUNNING WATER shower. I was in a room by myself so I could also wake up and walk to the bathroom in the nude. It was incredible. On top of all this there was a swimming pool with shade. I took a shower in my clothes and sat in the pool for a couple of hours. When the sun went down I got COLD!!!
The next day we went to the park. It is a tropical rain forest with a canopy walkway. Don't tell Mark but I was walking on the top of the trees. It was amazing and beautiful and scary all at the same time. It is the only canopy walk way in all of Africa and one of only 4 in the world. It is right outside Cape Coast so we did the whole thing in two days. The travel time was about 3 1/2 hours by tro-tro. It was absolutely spectacular!
Myrte's Gone
We came back from the Park on Friday night. When I was in bed Myrte came and we had the following conversation:
M: "I'm leaving tomorrow."
F: "I know and you'll be back on Wednesday."
M: "No, I won't I'm not coming back."
F: "Oh yes you are!"
Myrte then laughed and explained that she really isn't coming back. Last I knew she was going to check out her two options on her next placement, come back and think it over. Instead, she decided to take her things, go to the one that interests her most and only if that doesn't work out go check on the second. So, instead of 3 more weeks she was leaving the next morning at 6:00 am. I said ok well then you have to wake me up so I can cry with everybody else when you leave. I then was wide awake thinking about where will she be?, will she be ok?, what if something should happen? I then thanked God that I am not a real mother or I would be a wreck. I was able to calm down by deciding what motherly advice and instructions I would give to her before she left. When I woke up the next morning, I couldn't help myself I kept following her around. I told her she had to memorize Evans phone number. If she needs any help or has any problems she must call Evans immediately. He has a motorcycle and will come to wherever she is to rescue her. (I'll be a few hours or days behind on buses). She laughed and said she would. I also told her to send Brother Evans, JoAnna's and my phone numbers to her parents so they can call us if they don't hear from her. So, Myrte's real mom be sure to ask for the phone numbers and if she has memorized Brother Evans number yet.
This morning when it was time for her to go there was not a dry eye in the house. I will see Myrte again before she leaves when she is traveling and relaxing on the beach. The children won't though, so we all cried and were sad. I then went back to bed. The children are better now and so am I.
Refrigerator
Mark, what is in your refrigerator? Ask Mari to clean it out and buy some food to eat! Also, my phone died in the middle of my talk with my mom so that's why you couldn't reach me on Thursday. It should be fixed and ready for me to pick up today so I'll be able to be reached again.
End
This is the longest post and has been possible because Anne Christien and I are in Accra at a place called Busy Internet. It is the busies place in town because it has the fastest speeds. Using the intenet here is the same as the DSL line at my house. I can read my email, type and actually get things done. It is nice. Best fo all, when we leave here we are going to an Obruni restaurant that is a salad bar! We don't eat anything that is not cooked but this salad bar has Obruni belly fresh vegetables. So, I'll leave now and write more after lunch if we get back here. Thanks for all your support, thoughts and prayers.
08 March 2006
Hello Everyone
I have lost track of what week this is but I’m still here! Last Sunday 5 of March we all went to the beach. It was wonderful. The kids loved it as much as I did. When we got there everyone wanted to hit the water so we each were responsible for one child. I took Kofi expecting him to stay close to shore since he isn’t very high (being two years old and all). We got to the water about Kofi’s thigh high and I let go and said let’s run back. I ran towards shore and he ran towards the sea. I grabbed him in time so he wasn’t knocked down. Next time I let him get knocked over trying to convince him the ocean should be respected. HA!! When I picked him up he shook off the water and laughed. This kept up until my back had enough and I gave him to Anne Christien to watch. I took a much more sensible 6 year old (Susana), who knew not to go out too far. Kofi has no fear whatsoever of the water. Frogs however are very scary creatures, go figure! Extra thanks to Anne Christien’s grandparents who sponsored our trip to the beach.
Here’s an update on the school. The Director of Education for this district visited the school. She asked a class one boy if he could spell his name no, or write his name again no. I then her assistant about class 2 and their problems caused by the lack of teacher’s. Based upon enrollment numbers there is not a lack of teachers. The problem is that the teachers are supposed to combine the smaller classes and have enough teachers for all classes. Instead they have been leaving class 1 and class 2 to volunteers to teach. Not a good practice for anyone. With the associate knowing the situation, it is now up to the director to let the new head master do his job. On a happier note, Anne Christien’s father, Theo, brought some books from an international school in Holland. The headmaster liked them and Theo will be sending the rest of the books for the school to use.
Rico, one of my SYTO daughters from Norway, is visiting us this week for a couple of days. While she is here I will go with her and her friend Alice to Cape Coast and to a National Park. I’ll tell you about it next week after we return. It is the same place Myrte, Anne Christien, Theo and Sanders (Anne Christien’s beau) went last week. They said it was very beautiful but there were no wild animals.
Mother Sylvia’s daughter, Jacklyn, and her grandson, Isaiah are now living at the home. Jacklyn will be going to school in September so Isaiah will be staying with Sylvia. Jacklyn is a big help to her mother and Isaiah is as cute as can be. When he first met me he kept staring and staring. I’m the first obruni he’s ever seen. We now see each other and laugh at how funny I look! He let’s me hold him but like all babies prefers mama to anyone. This morning he rubbed my skin and looked at his hand to see if the strange white stuff would come off. Luckily for me it didn’t. Kofi has been very good with him. Kofi has always been the baby who gets everything. Now Isaiah grabs things away from Kofi. But amazingly Kofi lets him! Kofi also comes to watch when Isaiah is getting his bath because Isaiah cries. Kofi watches to make sure Jacklyn is not hurting his little friend. It is very cute!
When Theo and Sanders left, some of the children cried. The first one was Justice. I asked him, “Are you going to hug Mr. Theo good-by?” He answered, “Yes, but I have something in my eye.” He was trying his best to not cry but those darn tears showed up any way. Father John gave Theo a hug around the legs trying to hide his face because he had also started to cry. By the time Theo left, at least half the children were crying. Luckily for me, it only lasted a little while. Then life was back to normal. When it is my turn to leave, I know I’ll be a blubbering fool! At least I won’t be alone!
Nate, I saw your post. So your baby is Conner and Austin finally gets a brother. Congratulations to all! Send my love to Carrie. Tell her to wait until after May 12th to deliver so I can be home for Conner’s arrival.
Oh by the way for as little as 3,000 US dollars you can be a 40% owner in a gold mine in Liberia. No really, I met a guy who is a Liberian refugee and he told me he is now an orphan but luckily he still holds the title to his dead father’s gold mine. So since I don’t have the money to help him get his gold, I’m giving all of you this wonderful opportunity. It is sometimes amazing how stupid and gullible everyone here thinks I am. Oh well, you can’t blame a guy for trying!
Thanks Wayne and Carol! And Clark Roushey too!
Soo-Hyun, what are you doing reading this? You should be studying! Get back to work.
Here’s an update on the school. The Director of Education for this district visited the school. She asked a class one boy if he could spell his name no, or write his name again no. I then her assistant about class 2 and their problems caused by the lack of teacher’s. Based upon enrollment numbers there is not a lack of teachers. The problem is that the teachers are supposed to combine the smaller classes and have enough teachers for all classes. Instead they have been leaving class 1 and class 2 to volunteers to teach. Not a good practice for anyone. With the associate knowing the situation, it is now up to the director to let the new head master do his job. On a happier note, Anne Christien’s father, Theo, brought some books from an international school in Holland. The headmaster liked them and Theo will be sending the rest of the books for the school to use.
Rico, one of my SYTO daughters from Norway, is visiting us this week for a couple of days. While she is here I will go with her and her friend Alice to Cape Coast and to a National Park. I’ll tell you about it next week after we return. It is the same place Myrte, Anne Christien, Theo and Sanders (Anne Christien’s beau) went last week. They said it was very beautiful but there were no wild animals.
Mother Sylvia’s daughter, Jacklyn, and her grandson, Isaiah are now living at the home. Jacklyn will be going to school in September so Isaiah will be staying with Sylvia. Jacklyn is a big help to her mother and Isaiah is as cute as can be. When he first met me he kept staring and staring. I’m the first obruni he’s ever seen. We now see each other and laugh at how funny I look! He let’s me hold him but like all babies prefers mama to anyone. This morning he rubbed my skin and looked at his hand to see if the strange white stuff would come off. Luckily for me it didn’t. Kofi has been very good with him. Kofi has always been the baby who gets everything. Now Isaiah grabs things away from Kofi. But amazingly Kofi lets him! Kofi also comes to watch when Isaiah is getting his bath because Isaiah cries. Kofi watches to make sure Jacklyn is not hurting his little friend. It is very cute!
When Theo and Sanders left, some of the children cried. The first one was Justice. I asked him, “Are you going to hug Mr. Theo good-by?” He answered, “Yes, but I have something in my eye.” He was trying his best to not cry but those darn tears showed up any way. Father John gave Theo a hug around the legs trying to hide his face because he had also started to cry. By the time Theo left, at least half the children were crying. Luckily for me, it only lasted a little while. Then life was back to normal. When it is my turn to leave, I know I’ll be a blubbering fool! At least I won’t be alone!
Nate, I saw your post. So your baby is Conner and Austin finally gets a brother. Congratulations to all! Send my love to Carrie. Tell her to wait until after May 12th to deliver so I can be home for Conner’s arrival.
Oh by the way for as little as 3,000 US dollars you can be a 40% owner in a gold mine in Liberia. No really, I met a guy who is a Liberian refugee and he told me he is now an orphan but luckily he still holds the title to his dead father’s gold mine. So since I don’t have the money to help him get his gold, I’m giving all of you this wonderful opportunity. It is sometimes amazing how stupid and gullible everyone here thinks I am. Oh well, you can’t blame a guy for trying!
Thanks Wayne and Carol! And Clark Roushey too!
Soo-Hyun, what are you doing reading this? You should be studying! Get back to work.
03 March 2006
25 February 2006
Week 4
Word to the wise, saying to a Ghanaian man, "You're full of shit. Yes, s-h-i-t, shit." is not the best way to make friends or influence people. Yes, I did it. No, it did no good. I told it to the teachers. These teachers are teachers only in title not in reality. The school day begins at 8:00 and teaching should start by 8:20 after assembly and attendance. The bums rarely start before 8:45. The 1/2 hour break
at 10:00 is usually 45 minutes. The 1/2 hour break at noon lasts until 1:30 when the school day is over. I was in the second grade class where 25% of the students
could not write their name. In this same class 100% of the students do not recognize the lower case letters of the alphabet. But still telling the teachers who keep asking me to "motivate" them (give them money), that they are full of shit was not the best move. I would love to motivate them the way my dad always said, "with a good swift kick in the arse". So, I'm probably not welcome back at the school. Oh well, I've been kicked out of school before!
On the bright side, the work on the bathroom has started. It was scheduled to be done this weekend but the contractor got sick. Also the students have all been given 4 exercise books. I'm so glad Rose wasn't there when the children got their books. I practically cried and Rose would have been balling her eyes out. Then, I wouldn't have been able to hold back the tears. The children were so excited and so happy to get their books for writing their lessons. First the whole school clapped for me, then they said, "God Bless you" three times and finally each student thanked me individually when they got their books. But the biggest impact was the look on their faces and the joy they showed at having received their exercise books. These are the books they will write their lessons into --- math, English, writing not something good. Luckily, this happened before my proving to the bums that I know how to spell. There is a picture coming of the students and the exercise books to come at a future date, hopefully before I get home!
It has taken 40 minutes and I'm still not logged into the blogspot, so I don't know if you will get to see any of this. I hope so. I walked to the internet cafe, got to talk to Mark for a little bit when my phone crapped out. I haven't been able to check
my email so don't be angry if you are waiting for a reply. I'll try my email again next week. The response right now is so slow, I'm going to try this and then head back home. Today is not my day for electronic gadgets.
at 10:00 is usually 45 minutes. The 1/2 hour break at noon lasts until 1:30 when the school day is over. I was in the second grade class where 25% of the students
could not write their name. In this same class 100% of the students do not recognize the lower case letters of the alphabet. But still telling the teachers who keep asking me to "motivate" them (give them money), that they are full of shit was not the best move. I would love to motivate them the way my dad always said, "with a good swift kick in the arse". So, I'm probably not welcome back at the school. Oh well, I've been kicked out of school before!
On the bright side, the work on the bathroom has started. It was scheduled to be done this weekend but the contractor got sick. Also the students have all been given 4 exercise books. I'm so glad Rose wasn't there when the children got their books. I practically cried and Rose would have been balling her eyes out. Then, I wouldn't have been able to hold back the tears. The children were so excited and so happy to get their books for writing their lessons. First the whole school clapped for me, then they said, "God Bless you" three times and finally each student thanked me individually when they got their books. But the biggest impact was the look on their faces and the joy they showed at having received their exercise books. These are the books they will write their lessons into --- math, English, writing not something good. Luckily, this happened before my proving to the bums that I know how to spell. There is a picture coming of the students and the exercise books to come at a future date, hopefully before I get home!
It has taken 40 minutes and I'm still not logged into the blogspot, so I don't know if you will get to see any of this. I hope so. I walked to the internet cafe, got to talk to Mark for a little bit when my phone crapped out. I haven't been able to check
my email so don't be angry if you are waiting for a reply. I'll try my email again next week. The response right now is so slow, I'm going to try this and then head back home. Today is not my day for electronic gadgets.
18 February 2006
Picture - Me doing Laundry!
Oh no, it happened. I had to do my laundry. Since I'm not allowed to pay Sylvia, I had to do my own laundry. Luckily, Myrte, Patience and Suzanna are all helping.
Picture -- Children's Bathroom
Here is the outside of the building. If you look closely, you'll see there are gaps between the outside walls and the roof. These are now going to be completed.
The second picture is of the toilet. As you can see there is a hole without a toilet. This will soon be completed also.
The bathside of the building is complete except for the roof section. Windows and screening will be added so it is not too hot inside.
Picture - Our Home
This is the orphanage home. My room is the window to the left of the door with the three plants under it. I have a second window on the patio on the left for a nice cross breeze.
Week 4
Well I can’t believe I’ve been here a month already. At times I think I got here yesterday and at other times I thin I’ve been here forever. As always, pictures are once again promised and not delivered.
Here are some funny things that have happened:
*) Yesterday Anne-Christien and Myrte did not go to school because the students had a field day and the teachers were in a meeting. A child about 4 years old came to school because there were no white people around. She then saw me, got huge eyes and ran home. I was told that is afraid of the white people and only came to school because my daughters weren’t there. So instead of two young small people a big huge one shows up! Luckily, she didn’t cry she just ran for the hills!
*) When the children play soccer, the goalie takes off his shoes and uses them for gloves. Hey everyone knows the goalie is allowed to catch the ball and to do so a person needs gloves. What else are flip-flops for?
*) When I go to Accra I take a tro-tro to Kanechie market. When looking for the tro-tro I asked the mate is the tro-tro to Kimchi market? Kimchi is spicy cabbage eaten by my Korean kids David and Soo-Hyun.
*) Today I saw a white person and yelled, “Hey Obruni!” He didn’t turn around but I still laughed.
*) Fufu is a staple in the Ghanaian diet. It can be made out of yams, cassava and mixed with plantain. First the vegetables are boiled until done. Then they are pounded with a big stick. When I tried to do the pounding, all the children from the orphanage and their 20 or so friends that were visiting from the village stopped to watch. They have never seen an obruni pounding fufu. So ever the ham, I started dancing and singing “fufu dancing, fufu dancing, fufu dancing” in time with my pounding. Everyone laughed hysterically including the mothers. When I turned over the job, Prince did a little fufu dancing and we all laughed. Helen, beware when next I see Frank I will teach him the fufu dance.
Here are some funny things that have happened:
*) Yesterday Anne-Christien and Myrte did not go to school because the students had a field day and the teachers were in a meeting. A child about 4 years old came to school because there were no white people around. She then saw me, got huge eyes and ran home. I was told that is afraid of the white people and only came to school because my daughters weren’t there. So instead of two young small people a big huge one shows up! Luckily, she didn’t cry she just ran for the hills!
*) When the children play soccer, the goalie takes off his shoes and uses them for gloves. Hey everyone knows the goalie is allowed to catch the ball and to do so a person needs gloves. What else are flip-flops for?
*) When I go to Accra I take a tro-tro to Kanechie market. When looking for the tro-tro I asked the mate is the tro-tro to Kimchi market? Kimchi is spicy cabbage eaten by my Korean kids David and Soo-Hyun.
*) Today I saw a white person and yelled, “Hey Obruni!” He didn’t turn around but I still laughed.
*) Fufu is a staple in the Ghanaian diet. It can be made out of yams, cassava and mixed with plantain. First the vegetables are boiled until done. Then they are pounded with a big stick. When I tried to do the pounding, all the children from the orphanage and their 20 or so friends that were visiting from the village stopped to watch. They have never seen an obruni pounding fufu. So ever the ham, I started dancing and singing “fufu dancing, fufu dancing, fufu dancing” in time with my pounding. Everyone laughed hysterically including the mothers. When I turned over the job, Prince did a little fufu dancing and we all laughed. Helen, beware when next I see Frank I will teach him the fufu dance.
14 February 2006
Valentines Day
Hello everyone. Village life is wonderful. Going into Accra is quite a journey! First you walk the 40 minute trail to the highway. You wait until a tro-tro has room to pick you up. You pay 2500 cedis (about 0.30 USD) for the trip to Kasoa. In Kasoa you change to another tro-tro to Kamiche market in Accra. This one costs about 5000 cedis and takes about 40 minutes.
A tro-tro is an independently owned and run public transportation like a bus. It has a driver and a mate. The mate collects the money and talks to the driver. He also yells out the location the tro-tro is headed so you know which tro-tro to get into. I’ll try to describe the typical tro-tro. You take a mini-van that is about 10 years old. You weld a new door mount that is held onto the new door runner in the ceiling. You then add an extra seat across. You now have a mini-van that seats 4 people across. You sit on this and wait until it is full. Of course there is no air conditioning and everyone has been walking just as you have so we are all hot and sweaty and sitting as close as possible. Children ride free when on their parents’ laps so sometimes there are 6 people in one aisle. It gets better when we drive because you have open windows. However, now your knees are hitting the seat in front of you at every bump in the road of which there are thousands. The ride ends at your destination and you have just traveled from the village to Accra in 1 ¾ hours for less than $1.00!
Last weekend Myrte, Anne-Christien and I went to see the small village where Brother Evans grew up. We had the above ride into Accra followed by another 2 tro-tros for another 1 ½ hours of travel time. Twice I was lucky enough to share my foot space with the spare tire. Brother Evans’ childhood home is in the Eastern Region of Ghana. It is very tropical, green and beautiful. We met his mother and step-father. We saw the home he grew up in; the river where he fetched water as a boy; and the primary and JSS schools he attended. He kept saying how much closer the river is now then when he was a child fetching water. Most people still use the river for both their drinking and bathing water.
The soil there is incredibly rich and everything grows. We saw cocoa trees and the inside of the pod. You can eat the membrane around the cocoa seed. It tastes very good. We also saw a cassava plant harvested. When the cassava tree is about 9 feet tall, it is cut down. At this age it is about 3 or 4 fingers in circumference. It is the root that is harvested and eaten. The farmer then just cuts a 2 foot length of the fallen tree and plants it. Then it takes root and grows. We even saw some cassava wood that was intended to be fire wood in a pile that was sprouting. Amazing for a desert rat like me!
The difference between where we are which is coastal savannah and Evans’ home town which is tropical forest is comparable to the difference between Tucson and Flagstaff HUGE!!! It is amazing that we changed environments so completely in such a small amount of time and distance.
I found out that Stephen and Benjamin are biological brothers so no wonder I was so confused earlier! I sometimes do as my mother did when we were growing up; I look at one child and have to go through the list of names to get to the right one. The kids just laugh at me. (Sound familiar mom?)
Happy Valentines Day to one and all. Myrte and Anne-Christien made valentines cards for all the children last night. Today they will give the cards to the kids after school.
A tro-tro is an independently owned and run public transportation like a bus. It has a driver and a mate. The mate collects the money and talks to the driver. He also yells out the location the tro-tro is headed so you know which tro-tro to get into. I’ll try to describe the typical tro-tro. You take a mini-van that is about 10 years old. You weld a new door mount that is held onto the new door runner in the ceiling. You then add an extra seat across. You now have a mini-van that seats 4 people across. You sit on this and wait until it is full. Of course there is no air conditioning and everyone has been walking just as you have so we are all hot and sweaty and sitting as close as possible. Children ride free when on their parents’ laps so sometimes there are 6 people in one aisle. It gets better when we drive because you have open windows. However, now your knees are hitting the seat in front of you at every bump in the road of which there are thousands. The ride ends at your destination and you have just traveled from the village to Accra in 1 ¾ hours for less than $1.00!
Last weekend Myrte, Anne-Christien and I went to see the small village where Brother Evans grew up. We had the above ride into Accra followed by another 2 tro-tros for another 1 ½ hours of travel time. Twice I was lucky enough to share my foot space with the spare tire. Brother Evans’ childhood home is in the Eastern Region of Ghana. It is very tropical, green and beautiful. We met his mother and step-father. We saw the home he grew up in; the river where he fetched water as a boy; and the primary and JSS schools he attended. He kept saying how much closer the river is now then when he was a child fetching water. Most people still use the river for both their drinking and bathing water.
The soil there is incredibly rich and everything grows. We saw cocoa trees and the inside of the pod. You can eat the membrane around the cocoa seed. It tastes very good. We also saw a cassava plant harvested. When the cassava tree is about 9 feet tall, it is cut down. At this age it is about 3 or 4 fingers in circumference. It is the root that is harvested and eaten. The farmer then just cuts a 2 foot length of the fallen tree and plants it. Then it takes root and grows. We even saw some cassava wood that was intended to be fire wood in a pile that was sprouting. Amazing for a desert rat like me!
The difference between where we are which is coastal savannah and Evans’ home town which is tropical forest is comparable to the difference between Tucson and Flagstaff HUGE!!! It is amazing that we changed environments so completely in such a small amount of time and distance.
I found out that Stephen and Benjamin are biological brothers so no wonder I was so confused earlier! I sometimes do as my mother did when we were growing up; I look at one child and have to go through the list of names to get to the right one. The kids just laugh at me. (Sound familiar mom?)
Happy Valentines Day to one and all. Myrte and Anne-Christien made valentines cards for all the children last night. Today they will give the cards to the kids after school.
09 February 2006
Week 3
First to catch up on the two children I couldn't describe:
Benjamin – He is very much like Stephen so I use to get them confused. Benjamin will sit for hours working on a word seek puzzle. He likes to study and learn everything he can.
Justice – He speaks English just fine. He is aptly named. Whenever there is an injustice you will find him ready to fight. The other day he came charging across the compound chasing a group of village children. I asked him what was going on and he said, “They are trying to sneak around and watch us bathing.” I agreed that was a terrible offense but told him not to throw rocks. So, he waited until he was on the other side of the bushes to throw the rock at the “bad kids”.
I’m turning into a Ghanaian or at least I’m trying. I was at Busy Internet in Accra a few days ago. I had change of 500 cedis coming and the man was hemming and hawing because he didn’t have my change so I said, “Then give me 1,000 cedis.” I had noticed that I had already paid more than the locals for printing so requesting the extra nickel in change really wasn’t such a big thing.
Here is a list of things we have done already since being here. By we, I mean everyone who has given me money before I left, Mark, who will never get over giving me money, and me.
PURCHASED TO DATE
*) Buckets, bowls, sponges and soap for each child
*) 6 bicycles for the school teachers
*) First Aid kit
*) House shoes for all the children
*) Water for one month
*) Nutritious food (fruits, vegetables, fish, eggs, peanuts) for the children
*) Motorcycle for Brother Evans
*) Motorcycle insurance and personal accident insurance for medical expenses in case of an accident
*) Phone minutes for Brother Evans and Sister Sylvia
*) Screens at the home have been replaced
*) New Big bowls for doing laundry
*) Digital Camera (to be mailed)
*) Used lap top (to be mailed)
STILL TO BE DONE
*) Dining table and benches for eating and after school homework
*) Remodel outside kitchen to have windows with screens, tables, shelves, higher ceiling
*) Complete the children’s toilet
*) Provide funds so chief’s house can have one room and one meeting room completed
*) Hand pumps instead of buckets to get water from tanks
*) Installation of above hand pumps
*) Ceramic Water Filter
*) Material for school uniforms for next year
*) Trip to the beach on March 4 or 5 for whole family
Thanks to all for your help. If you haven't looked at it yet, click on the Donations Request link on the side. If you need more information contact Mark.
Benjamin – He is very much like Stephen so I use to get them confused. Benjamin will sit for hours working on a word seek puzzle. He likes to study and learn everything he can.
Justice – He speaks English just fine. He is aptly named. Whenever there is an injustice you will find him ready to fight. The other day he came charging across the compound chasing a group of village children. I asked him what was going on and he said, “They are trying to sneak around and watch us bathing.” I agreed that was a terrible offense but told him not to throw rocks. So, he waited until he was on the other side of the bushes to throw the rock at the “bad kids”.
I’m turning into a Ghanaian or at least I’m trying. I was at Busy Internet in Accra a few days ago. I had change of 500 cedis coming and the man was hemming and hawing because he didn’t have my change so I said, “Then give me 1,000 cedis.” I had noticed that I had already paid more than the locals for printing so requesting the extra nickel in change really wasn’t such a big thing.
Here is a list of things we have done already since being here. By we, I mean everyone who has given me money before I left, Mark, who will never get over giving me money, and me.
PURCHASED TO DATE
*) Buckets, bowls, sponges and soap for each child
*) 6 bicycles for the school teachers
*) First Aid kit
*) House shoes for all the children
*) Water for one month
*) Nutritious food (fruits, vegetables, fish, eggs, peanuts) for the children
*) Motorcycle for Brother Evans
*) Motorcycle insurance and personal accident insurance for medical expenses in case of an accident
*) Phone minutes for Brother Evans and Sister Sylvia
*) Screens at the home have been replaced
*) New Big bowls for doing laundry
*) Digital Camera (to be mailed)
*) Used lap top (to be mailed)
STILL TO BE DONE
*) Dining table and benches for eating and after school homework
*) Remodel outside kitchen to have windows with screens, tables, shelves, higher ceiling
*) Complete the children’s toilet
*) Provide funds so chief’s house can have one room and one meeting room completed
*) Hand pumps instead of buckets to get water from tanks
*) Installation of above hand pumps
*) Ceramic Water Filter
*) Material for school uniforms for next year
*) Trip to the beach on March 4 or 5 for whole family
Thanks to all for your help. If you haven't looked at it yet, click on the Donations Request link on the side. If you need more information contact Mark.
07 February 2006
Week 2
I am at the internet café across from the Liberian refugee camp. Sister Sylvia thinks I should take a taxi from the village to here but it costs 60,000 cedis which is way too much money to waste. My daughters think I should walk the whole way from the village and back home again. I did walk the whole way here. It took about 75-90 minutes. (In case you can’t hear it, Mark is cheering right now.) I will take a taxi back home though for 30,000 cedis. By the end of my stay I may be walking both directions but not now.
Week 2 at the home has ended and all is wonderful! The children are great. This Sunday a photographer came and took a family photo when everyone was dressed in their church clothes. It looks great! I’ll get this picture uploaded when I can with the names of all. For now, I’ll try to capture a little of the children’s personalities for you.
T H E B O Y S
Kofi – is the son of Mother Beatrice. He is a typical 2 year old. It’s his way or you are wrong! He wants to do everything himself and everything that all his older brother and sisters can do. When they go to school, he’ll walk into a class, sit quietly and listen. After that is too boring he’ll get up and walk back home. The school to the home is very close and the mother’s can see where he is going and when he is coming back. When he goes to school he will be very prepared. He is learning both Fante (spelling?), the native language of this village, and English from all the volunteers.
Justice – He is very quiet so I don’t really know him as well as the others. Writing this has made me realize that I need to spend more time with Justice and Benjamin. He is very polite and always “minds his manners” (that was for you Rose!). The children are supposed to offer their food to us before beginning to eat. We are then to thank them and tell them to eat it. Justice rarely forgets to do this. Father John rarely does this.
Father John – Yes, his name is Father John. He was named after a Catholic priest hence the name. When I was first here it was very hard not to laugh when I heard a little short mischievous 8 year old boy being called Father John. Now it is as normal a name as Florence. This is a typical Father John story. One day after school an older girl from grade 6 came over to the house asking for her money. Mother Sylvia asked what money she was talking about. The girl said she had given Father John some candy to sell and she wanted her money. The girl thought Father John would sell the candy to the Obrunis, the white people. Of course he didn’t. He ate the candy and had no money. Mother Sylvia told the girl she should have better sense than to give that boy candy.
Benjamin – He and Justice are buddies and hang out together most of the time. I’m not sure how much English he knows versus how shy he is. I’m going to spend more time with these two boys this week.
Prince – He is a very good little artist. His drawings are very detailed and good for his age. He is also a master manipulator!!! He has a beautiful face with expressive eyes that he knows how to use. He can get teary eyed if that will serve his purposes to get the volunteers worried about him. He can also get his sister Patricia to do his work for him. So, it’s not just Obrunis that are charmed. He also likes to test the limits set by his mother knowing that the volunteers will be upset if he is spanked. He’ll steal your heart before you even realize it’s gone!
Stephen – He is the oldest boy. He speaks English very well so he can interact with all of us easily. He is very smart and wants to learn. That is when he is not playing soccer. A boy has to have priorities you know. He is the natural leader and organizer of family games. He taught us the Ghanaian version of musical chairs. There is one less chair than there are people. Every 3 people are named a fruit (banana, pineapple, orange, mango, etc.). The person in the middle, who does not have a seat, will name one to all of the fruits. The people whose fruits are called must get up and change chairs. The one left without a chair is now in the middle and calls the next group. It was very fun for all ages.
T H E G I R L S
Suzanna – She is a little 6 year old sweetheart. When we were walking from the village up to the main road, she kept trying to carry my purse for me. She is 6 years old and is a small girl but she would gladly have carried my purse on the whole 40 minute walk. She was walking with me because she had just helped with my laundry. Her mother does her laundry but she helped me do mine!
Regina – She has a laugh that lights up her whole body with joy. It’s infectious. I start smiling even though I have no idea what was just said. She has the same body type as my niece Lexi. She’s tall, thin and muscular. She’s absolutely gorgeous. She is also kind to her baby sister. At bath time she helps Suzanna carry her bucket from the water tank around to the back of the house for bathing.
Patricia – She will do her brothers’ work for them before finishing her own whenever they ask. The other day I had to stop and tell her she was being too nice. She had to let Prince do his own chores. She is the quietest of the girls but still a little treasure.
Patience – She is the oldest child, she just turned 12 last week. She is tall and maturing into a young woman. From a picture you might think she is older, but talking to her and seeing her interacting with her siblings she is still a child. As the oldest girl she has a lot of responsibilities around the house. However, she must go to school and do well at that also. At the end of the day you can find her playing singing and hand clapping games with Patricia. The intricacies and changes in the patterns amaze me. They’ve tried teaching me some songs to peals of laughter all around. I almost have the most basic one that Suzanna mastered years ago.
Week 2 at the home has ended and all is wonderful! The children are great. This Sunday a photographer came and took a family photo when everyone was dressed in their church clothes. It looks great! I’ll get this picture uploaded when I can with the names of all. For now, I’ll try to capture a little of the children’s personalities for you.
T H E B O Y S
Kofi – is the son of Mother Beatrice. He is a typical 2 year old. It’s his way or you are wrong! He wants to do everything himself and everything that all his older brother and sisters can do. When they go to school, he’ll walk into a class, sit quietly and listen. After that is too boring he’ll get up and walk back home. The school to the home is very close and the mother’s can see where he is going and when he is coming back. When he goes to school he will be very prepared. He is learning both Fante (spelling?), the native language of this village, and English from all the volunteers.
Justice – He is very quiet so I don’t really know him as well as the others. Writing this has made me realize that I need to spend more time with Justice and Benjamin. He is very polite and always “minds his manners” (that was for you Rose!). The children are supposed to offer their food to us before beginning to eat. We are then to thank them and tell them to eat it. Justice rarely forgets to do this. Father John rarely does this.
Father John – Yes, his name is Father John. He was named after a Catholic priest hence the name. When I was first here it was very hard not to laugh when I heard a little short mischievous 8 year old boy being called Father John. Now it is as normal a name as Florence. This is a typical Father John story. One day after school an older girl from grade 6 came over to the house asking for her money. Mother Sylvia asked what money she was talking about. The girl said she had given Father John some candy to sell and she wanted her money. The girl thought Father John would sell the candy to the Obrunis, the white people. Of course he didn’t. He ate the candy and had no money. Mother Sylvia told the girl she should have better sense than to give that boy candy.
Benjamin – He and Justice are buddies and hang out together most of the time. I’m not sure how much English he knows versus how shy he is. I’m going to spend more time with these two boys this week.
Prince – He is a very good little artist. His drawings are very detailed and good for his age. He is also a master manipulator!!! He has a beautiful face with expressive eyes that he knows how to use. He can get teary eyed if that will serve his purposes to get the volunteers worried about him. He can also get his sister Patricia to do his work for him. So, it’s not just Obrunis that are charmed. He also likes to test the limits set by his mother knowing that the volunteers will be upset if he is spanked. He’ll steal your heart before you even realize it’s gone!
Stephen – He is the oldest boy. He speaks English very well so he can interact with all of us easily. He is very smart and wants to learn. That is when he is not playing soccer. A boy has to have priorities you know. He is the natural leader and organizer of family games. He taught us the Ghanaian version of musical chairs. There is one less chair than there are people. Every 3 people are named a fruit (banana, pineapple, orange, mango, etc.). The person in the middle, who does not have a seat, will name one to all of the fruits. The people whose fruits are called must get up and change chairs. The one left without a chair is now in the middle and calls the next group. It was very fun for all ages.
T H E G I R L S
Suzanna – She is a little 6 year old sweetheart. When we were walking from the village up to the main road, she kept trying to carry my purse for me. She is 6 years old and is a small girl but she would gladly have carried my purse on the whole 40 minute walk. She was walking with me because she had just helped with my laundry. Her mother does her laundry but she helped me do mine!
Regina – She has a laugh that lights up her whole body with joy. It’s infectious. I start smiling even though I have no idea what was just said. She has the same body type as my niece Lexi. She’s tall, thin and muscular. She’s absolutely gorgeous. She is also kind to her baby sister. At bath time she helps Suzanna carry her bucket from the water tank around to the back of the house for bathing.
Patricia – She will do her brothers’ work for them before finishing her own whenever they ask. The other day I had to stop and tell her she was being too nice. She had to let Prince do his own chores. She is the quietest of the girls but still a little treasure.
Patience – She is the oldest child, she just turned 12 last week. She is tall and maturing into a young woman. From a picture you might think she is older, but talking to her and seeing her interacting with her siblings she is still a child. As the oldest girl she has a lot of responsibilities around the house. However, she must go to school and do well at that also. At the end of the day you can find her playing singing and hand clapping games with Patricia. The intricacies and changes in the patterns amaze me. They’ve tried teaching me some songs to peals of laughter all around. I almost have the most basic one that Suzanna mastered years ago.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)