Monday, November 22, 2010

Holy Cow!!! Half a YEAR

November 2, 2010

5 months down! Time is flying fast!!!

So...any of you that have known me for a while know I have had a long standing with relationship with Murphy, Murphy's law that is. He likes to pop up every now and then to remind me that even Dorothy found trouble over the rainbow (in case you forgot, over the rainbow is the place where she isn't supposed to get into any trouble). I got back from a nice weekend celebrating Halloween with other volunteers to find my latrine was backing up. Further inspection revealed that it has indeed rained too much and I need to wait for the water to drain...for possibly three weeks! Good thing Ghana Education Services is not a far walk and they have a latrine I can use in the meantime. But to continue the spirit that is Murphy, last night was west wall facing, no breeze, stagnant hot...my standing fan after two generations of volunteers and probably several falling accidents died. I stared at that fan all squinty eyed, lips pursed, cursed its mother and had a restless night. I replaced the fan today, but it cut into money I had hoped to save...so I cursed the fan again and mocked it as I plugged in the newer and better model. Murphy, however, was not done yet, he killed my toilet and my fan and continued on be the right old bastard he is. The nutrition center bought a donkey last week, to help cart water and firewood. The volunteers I replaced left the center money for the donkey as a parting gift. It was going to be totally sweet and extremely useful. I use the past tense here. Yesterday a snake bit that donkey and today we buried it. This is what makes Murphy a real bastard, I would have survived sans latrine and cutting into my savings for a fan...but come on THE DONKEY!!! Now I just hope our application for financial assistance with the French Embassy goes through, we are applying for assistance in obtaining a tractor which will help with the growing of pepe (which is very much like a chile pepper and we can sell for sustainability and use as a food stuff within the center) and hopefully use to help haul water and firewood...though there is a rumor that “they” are working on piping water to the center which would be nice. Maybe the same NGO can help work on piping water to other key buildings in the area ;)

Oh yeah, one piece of good news for those of you who despaired with me in my sadness of the lack of honey in Tamale. There was honey in Tamale this last trip. Not much, but there was a bottle just sitting and waiting for me. That on top of getting mail, it was like Christmas (and as I was born and raised in Phoenix and it is still about 90 degrees here, definitely just like Christmas). Joy was to be had and I shared a cake mix with some volunteers, we all got chocolate sugar highs. You just don't appreciate cake until it isn't there anymore.


November 6th

I found a subject that blows the minds of Ghanians more than a 27 year old who is still single and not worried about getting married...a 27 year old that is still single without children and not worried that she may hit “menopause soon” despite assurances that her own mother did not have her 5 children until she was in her thirties. The conversation went further down hill when I mentioned that if having children was not in my future, I would adopt because I would have all the pride in the world in giving a child a home, love, education, and everything my parents gave me. According to the women I was speaking with, there is only absolute pride and honor in having your own children who carry on your own blood. I dare not tell these women that many American women choose not to have children...even the married women. The idea of a woman being anything other than a baby factory is baffling. I have already created scandal by telling some local men that when I get married I will be in charge, meaning I go to work or sit under the shade while the man cooks, cleans, and takes care of the children. Seeing as I replaced a married couple I can tell I am going to be quite a phenomenon.

In other local news: The children continue to flock to my door. I recently received some Halloween candy (thanks Jean), bubbles and bouncy balls (thanks mom) in the mail. The local children are in heaven! I have tried expressing to them that these items were gifts from my family back in Arizona, I think they understood. I love watching Valeria chase around the bouncy ball. This next month I am going to try and teach the kids how to make paper snowflakes (I know...snow...could I pick a more fantastical topic for the children to grasp...but come on its Christmas and I plan on sharing some of my traditions)

I have also been trying to master making some of the local cuisine. I make a pretty dandy groundnut soup with rice balls. I make it chunky style by adding lots of onion, tomato, and boiled peanuts! Its delicious and yes, you will be subject to it when I get back stateside. I hope to learn how to make banku next.

Love you all.



November 14

This last week has been pretty busy....or at least I have felt the need for several naps.

My latrine is still 10-7. The water table is still too high and so most of my pooping is done a ½ mile away at the nutrition center. I hope to get this problem fixed soon.

Last week my supervisor and I surveyed the local schools (13 in total) to find out how many students are registered, how many teachers are at each school, how many individual classrooms are available, and whether or not any type of toilet facility was available to the students and teachers at the school. We learned that most schools only have a handful (if that) of teachers who are responsible for more than one grade level at a time and averaging over 100 students to a teacher. Most of the schools do not have toilet or urinal facilities available...the few that did admitted that either the structure was in disrepair or that students still went out in the bush. The bush is a scary place with snakes and open defecation is not quite healthy. The purpose of this trek all over Karaga was so we could compile the data and hopefully seek help for our school that is run in conjunction with the Nutrition Center. Mr. K has a “no child left behind” mentality, and it shows since our KG1 orphans can say their ABC's and P4 kids at some of the other schools had difficulty getting past the letter D.

The dry season is getting into full swing here. My bedroom is a cool 92 degrees when I go to bed at night. God Bless fans. I have also taken to pulling out the hammock that was left behind by the couple I replaced and chilling on the veranda with book in hand. The local children like to poke and push me while I am in the hammock...but such is the price for cool breeze.

P.S. HALL-LE-FRICKIN-LU-JAH late this afternoon my latrine/outhouse/VIP was fixed, is now 10-8, and I promptly celebrated! Woot! You never appreciate your toilet until it isn't there.




November 19th

So....I have come to the realization that my destiny in life is to make people cry. For four years as a dispatcher I made people cry...heck I might have caused a few tears before that, but that is a different story. As a dispatcher I made people on the phone cry, at the front desk cry, sent officers to dorms or after cars knowing that people would cry (especially if it was my shift buddy, she has a superpower that can not be matched), I am even sure that the occasional co-worker took a few moments in a back room when they realized that their usual dispatcher was out and I was working a 12 hour shift. (Being a cluster magnet is also a part of my destiny, ask 405 he'll tell you). During those four years I grew strong. It is not an ability to make people cry, but to be immune to that siren song of distress that I take pride in. Why do I write these cold words you ask? Why am I finding pride in this you ask? It is because my ghostly and foreign presence not only made one child cry today but a simultaneous 4 children. Usually able to hide from me by turning their heads into their mother's shoulder, it was the horror of these children to find out that the only person available for the daily weigh in was me. Panic flitted across their faces, despair in their eyes as each mother stepped back leaving them for but a moment. They will never be the same again...though I have no doubt they will grow up to be the next generation of children yelling from afar “Salliminga, HOW ARE YOU?” or “Silliminga, Silliminga, SILLIMINGA!” For now I laugh and tell the child that it will be okay or simply say “wula,” which means “why?” in comforting tones. Though to be fair, most volunteers will tell you their day is not complete until at least one child has cried.

Thanksgiving is fast approaching. I have taken a few moments to think of things that I am thankful for. I am thankful for my family, I don't think I would have made it these six months in Ghana without their support, I love and miss you all so much. I am thankful for friends, new and old. Old friends you are in my thoughts everyday and hope you are all doing well (Theresa tries to keep me well informed). New friends I look forward to you becoming old friends. I am thankful for my supervisor, Mr. K is a rock and has helped me so much and I hope in turn I can help the Nutrition Center. I am thankful for the many blessings that have come my way and bug spray...definitely bug spray.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Ramona.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone. Eat pumpkin pie and watch Harry Potter for me.