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.
25 February 2006
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.
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