Saturday, June 11, 2011

May Ended??? When did that happen?

May Recap -

Sorry about the lack of updates. Once again.....

Time seems to be going by so fast. May ended before I knew it even started. And now I am getting close to the end of June. Maybe the next time I blink it will be the end of my service and I will be headed home.

The poultry coop is up and running. Of the original 200 five have died. The rest seem to be thriving and happy. Hopefully by September they will be laying eggs and the nutrition center will be making money! Karim has been really good about taking care of things. I fully believe that this project will not only be a success but will continue long after my service has ended.

May began with the All Volunteer Conference in the Volta Region. This adventure began by traveling with some fellow volunteers and taking in some sights. On the way out of the Northern Region we got onto a bus that had a bunch of goats tied to the top. Every time we hit a bump a goat fell off and swung by its rope. The goats lived and seemed to be okay, but passengers had to lean outside a window every few minutes to push a goat back onto the roof. This trip was also the rare window closed trip. If you were in the back half of the bus with an open window you were bound to get covered in goat pee. The bus looked disgusting by the end of the journey.

All Vol was fun. It was nice seeing all the volunteers and getting the chance to get into a pool...and on one case thrown into the pool. I was feeling volunteery and am now on a committee for food security. In a drunken state on the last night I even felt bold enough to campaign for Peace Corps Prom Queen. I didn't win but I did participate in the dance off....can you see why I did not win. Needless to say, it was fun and a repeat just might occur next year.

This has been a hard month at the nutrition center. We have had some victories. Children recovering, chickens growing, organizations promising support. We have had some losses. Two children at the end of the month died within a week's time frame. The sad thing is that I found myself grateful that the children died. They came to the center as living corpses and needed to be free...they were beyond recovery. I did, however, find myself angry at the parents. The parents that waited until the last moment to find help for their child. The parents that knew something was wrong for 5 or more months. The parents I still had to smile at, comfort, and welcome to the center. I am now taking a break from the center and watching the sub office in Tamale. The timing could not have been more perfect. I needed a break from the parents...sometimes language barrier is a good thing.

To end on a good note with some June news. We got funding from World Vision to buy some more chickens and feed. We hope to have a total of 500 chickens by the end of July.
The new volunteers are in country and on the 15th I get to host a newbie for a couple of days. Oh god help us, I am no longer a newbie.
The best news for last...I pick up my family at the airport at the end of the month. I am SOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!! They are going to have to appease me a little as I force them to relive holidays and birthdays as I have gifts for them and gifts for them to take back to the family back home. Sorry friends you have to wait for my return to get your swag, but the good news there is I am planning a December trip.


p.s new photos on facebook. As promised poultry coop photos can now be seen

No comments:

Post a Comment