Monday, March 28, 2011

The Good and The Bad

March 23rd

Today was one of those days. You know, the kind of day where bad news just kind of filters to the surface and somehow during the day you overlook the good things until you look back on the events of the day. Its really easy to overlook these good things when news you have been waiting for is not what you want to hear or a child that was discharged from the nutrition center is brought back to you because of a leg infection. These things happen and the first thoughts of the day are “Ah, CRAP!” and “What now?” or “Where do we go from here?” and maybe a silent pleading “why!?” in the back of your mind.
The morning began by finding out that the grant we had been working so hard on through the French Embassy for a tractor was turned down. I was heartbroken. So much time, effort, and travel was put into the paperwork. This was a blow. We could have used the tractor. It would have been our Swiss army knife, so many uses. Eventually I remember a conversation I had with Beth. Thanks to her I now know that the French were not the last stop. Ghana has a program to help its farmers obtain tractors. There might be hope yet....and it might be easier than navigating the FSD application and demands. This could be good...yeah good.
Before the morning was over the rest of my day showed up at the nutrition center. One of the mothers we have been working with showed up with the child we had discharged the previous week. This case is special because the father has abandoned his five children and wife, leaving them with nothing. We are doing what we can to get them back on their feet. Karim, my local counterpart, has even taken money out of his own pocket to help them. The child has a pretty bad infection and blister like swelling on his leg. He doesn't want to walk on it, but this is a tough kid...not one tear the entire time. I go with mother and child to the clinic, their lack of health card is more likely to be overlooked with someone from the nutrition center there (or maybe just the white lady). Karim has given me money to pay for treatment and I am cursing the sun for being bright and sunny. At the clinic the staff agree to see the child without the “required green health booklet” and I am trying to not get irritated because I am still having to deflect “I want to be you friend” proposals from male nurses. The treatment prescribed involves injections and lacerating the infected area on the leg. The child is a rock star! Mom looks away everytime a needle goes in or when the nurse begins work on the leg. The child does not cry out, and still I swear not one tear shed. He has to go through this again tomorrow. The staff tell me, in a show of good will, that they will not require payment. I heard some whispered dissension among the ranks, but the decision was made. I was told before leaving that just as we at the nutrition center are trying to protect these children it should also be the duty of the clinic to do the same. This was a pretty stressful (big stress on the “ful”) afternoon. On the surface you ask yourself “how much more can this woman take?” let some good come her way. Past the surface you see that good did find its way to this mother; Karim and the nutrition center will do anything to get her and her children back on their feet and the clinic took care of her child and gave her medications without charge. Small blessings, right?
Exhausted. Tired. Hungry. Thirsty. I have been all over town. To the nutrition center twice. To the clinic (opposite side of town from the nutrition center). I am sporting a pretty good sunburn. My legs feel like jelly from all the bike riding. NAP TIME!! Phone rings. Grumble. Hello? Catherine? Yes. Please hold for John. (last time the Peace Corps office called me was because I had not notified anyone at the office that I survived the windstorm, so I am thinking to myself that John is now going to ask me why I neglected to pass on my continued living and non-injury to him). “Congratulations!” That is what John has called to tell me. My day has become a sandwich. I started it hearing about a grant proposal and now I am finishing it the same way...but this slice of the loaf is better. John has called to tell me that my grant proposal has gone through. We will have the money soon and will be able to start building next week. I celebrate with a soda. Call Karim and tell him the good news....he needed some good news for today too. Now its nap time.


March 24th

Today I went on a house call with Faruk. House calls seem to be a necessary evil. They mainly consist of of us going to a house and demanding that people find some good sense and seek out treatment for a malnourished child. However, lately a pattern has solidly emerged that pulls at the heartstrings even more than just a malnourished child.
Here is the scenario - Go into a house. 4 or 5 children live there. Can you tell which one is the orphan. (orphan here usually means that only one parent has died and the new stepfather refuses to take responsibility for the child not of his blood). If you are in the US it is probably not immediately apparent. You might look for a genetic separation such as different shape, size, color, subtle mannerisms. If you are in Ghana....the of the five children the 4 non-orphans greeted you at the door. They are healthy, curious, all that a child should be. The fifth child at first is only a vision of a retreating ankle being Harry Pottered by a guardian and going to some place out of sight. Seeing this as a clue you should follow this child. Upon finding the fifth child (and getting a good view) it is immediately apparent that this child is the orphan. S/he is the only person in the house malnourished, dirty, and carries an overall air of neglect. This child is passive, introverted, and everything a healthy child is not.
We are working with the local human rights organizations to bring greater attention to these children. Karim is the best bully I know...he bullies parents and demands that they get help for children in need of care. We are just hoping we get to these children before we lose them forever.


March 27th

I have an internal radar for rain. Its true. As a rule and a habit I do not get up in the middle of the night to pee. Middle of the night is for sleeping not peeing. Even when I worked crazy shifts and hours, whatever my night was it was for sleeping. Last night around 1am I had to pee like no other. After getting back to my house, the power was out and a few moments pass and torrential rain downpour. I think my body knows when the latrine is not going to be available for awhile. The good news is that I was not only able to collect enough water to fill my barrel, but also to fill my two water cans, my water filter, and several buckets. I used the bucket to do some much need underwear washing.
I just hope not too much of the mud walls on the poultry coop got washed away...we roof this week!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Wind: another word for HOLY #@$%^

March 15th, 2011

Holy Hell What A Storm!!!!! Last night we had a pretty damnable storm. There was some rain, but the lackluster waterfall could not hold a candle to the wind...most likely because the wind would have blown out the flame and then would have sent the candle flying to China just out of spite.
Luckily due, I believe, mostly to luck (all of which I probably cashed in last night) my house is in tack. Unfortunately, destruction was evident throughout all of my Town. Roofs had blown off houses and merchant buildings, tin roofing lay crumpled everywhere. Houses with a straw roof found that their roof could be located all over the street and, if they were lucky, trapped in larger clumps between structures. A good number of structures collapsed under the gale force that swept through Karaga. Buildings freshly constructed crumbled, old clay houses vanished, and many others are simply missing crucial walls.
The nutrition center I work at resembled a good sampling of the carnage I saw throughout Karaga. The roof to the patio was blown off and made an new acquaintance with a nearby roof, leaving a gaping hole where they met. Madam Kate's future mineral (soda) stand returned the earth in which its bricks were originally made. Only a few bricks stood where there were once walls and where we had planned to roof today. Trees were splintered, branches everywhere reminding me of the self-trimming tree that once stood in my backyard back in Phoenix.
Though an actual cone shaped tornado did not pass through town, if you saw what I saw you would have definitely thought one had...or at least that you were standing on a long forgotten movie set for Twister.
Luckily, no one seems to be hurt. The worst of it is in the viewing of the damage to building, homes, stores, nutrition center. We count our blessings where we can find them.
Sadly, the battery to camera is dead and the wind took with it at least five, so far, power poles. I can not charge the battery and provide you with pictures. Maybe I am not meant to take a visual document of this “tragedy” but only to write about it (computer is fully charged) and then take picture when things are rebuilt, restored, and shiny once again. Think of me in the next couple days as power is not expected to be back again for the remainder of the week, it is still hot and my room still has a heat absorbing west wall.

Love and miss you all

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Where Did February Go?

March 2, 2011

So I have been slacking on the whole blog thing. I could lie and say I wrote something out, but the goat ate it. I hate lying, so the truth is...the Donkey ate it. ;)

It has been pretty hot lately. Sweat behind the knees hot. I never knew I could drip sweat from behind my knees, but its possible and every time I have a good sweat going (in the shade under a fan) I always initially freak out and think a bug is on my legs. For us non-exercisers this is not natural. None the less I am hoping for an early rainy season. Other volunteers hiss at this idea, but I can handle the bugs with a good bug repellent and a mosquito coil. What I am ready for is not to have to haul water in 98 degree morning weather and sleep in my sweat.

About a month ago my neighbor Suyini decided he was afraid of white people. From across the courtyard he would spot me, freak out, cry, and try to crawl to safety. The adults think this is very funny. According to Nikki, another volunteer, he just hit that age where kids begin to realize that they see color and differentiate between them. One guess who in the neighborhood is not like all the others. I have been working on this kid for a month now...we have progressed to holding as long as someone else is around, as soon as all the Ghanaians leave the courtyard the crying commences....the adults still think its funny. This kid will like me.

I am currently trying to put together a Girl's Health Club in Karaga. I am green with envy of volunteers in sites that do not have Ghana Education Services stationed within town limits. Trying to work with them and convince them that an informal club is a good thing is starting to get frustrating. I can't go around them for fear of insulting/offending them, but I am pretty damn close to pulling my hair out. Hopefully I will be able to get this club started before my service is over...if not hopefully I will have laid the groundwork for the next volunteer. These girls will learn about safe sex practices GOSH DERNIT!

I went to a funeral the beginning of February with Beth. It was a nice event and nothing like funerals back home. People danced and we paid the dancers/instrument players with small coins, we ate local food, and at one point the mourning party walked around the house 3 times while shotguns were fired. The shotguns sounded like cannons. I have spent some time around guns and people who shoot guns...they don't make me jump and as nervous the way these home made cannon rifles do. I kept picturing them exploding.

For all of you that are wondering about the mice in my house, I am now averaging one per month. That is right, just in time for March (MONTH 10!!!) I got mouse number 10. He was glad to see the groundnut paste I left out for him, though the menu price was probably more than he was willing to pay. Take that mice.

I promise to try to be better about the blog. I have always been bad at this sort of thing. 1/3 of the way done....and can't believe I am going to miss the Captain America movie.

Love you all.
Send Macaroni.




March 4th, 2011

So it hit me today, a revelation that will make me a better customer, patron, and overall person. Well, if not “overall person” maybe a better customer. Today was market day in Karaga and I went ready to but my usual supply of onion and tomato ** little yay **. Making my way through the chaos I noticed it from a far....AVOCADO **BIG YAY**. I bought five of those suckers. Avocado here does not look the same as it does in the states (the peel is different), but it tastes just as glorious. Today was a good treat. How does this make a better customer you ask. Simple. Have you ever worked customer service? Ever wanted to strangle the customer? Ever wanted to cry because that customer took it out on you because their shoe size, favorite snack, or police report was not available. I will never be that customer...if I ever have been, I will never be again. If ever the store is out of fruit loops, crazy band aids, or video games I will look back on this day. I will remember my excitement over seeing an avocado and say to myself “hey, at least it won't take 9 months for Safeway to get it back in stock.”


March 5th

Ever wake up in the morning and ask yourself “how can I cause trouble in my village today?” I tell you that this is a really simple task. The result is at least one crying child, maybe two, confused parents, and one less trip to the garbage bin. Its fun! First you need some empty Altoids tins, you know the ones your mom sends you (full) and you have been saving. You also secretly wonder why your breath does not have some residual freshness after easting so many delightful and curiously strong mints. Second go outside with the intent to give these tins away, this goal is accomplished easily as soon as one child receives a tin even some adults will materialize out of nowhere to obtain a tin. Where is the “trouble” in this...simple...the child who got a tin will now spread the word showing off her new treasure. One child who sees this will assume that the tin had fish in it and that instead of empty tins she will assume I was giving away delciousness. When new children show up for tins (which you no longer have) give them plastic bottles and containers from other thing you have collected. At least one child from this group will be upset she (Becky) did not get fish, and at least one parent (Becky's mom) will come over to find out why her child did not get fish. Luckily the parent is understanding of the “I was giving only empty containers away and there are no more tins” explanation. This is good for a least a few hours solid entertainment. Guaranteed.

In other kid news. My neighbors are still finding it quite hilarious that the children are split between half being afraid of me and the other half completely obsessed with trying to play with me. One such child, Valeria, is in the obsessed category. She is only two, so her cuteness wins her some points though we are trying to work on the “I will not pick you up because if I do you will not let me put you down” issue. Today, she was handed off to me to watch for a little while. The neighbors laughed as I sat down and let Val climb all over me. Eventually the heat kicked in, she grew tired, and plotzed in my lap. Awwwwww. Cute, right? Wrong! As soon as she passed out in an adorable state of cuteness, Valeria then peed all over me! Now instead of the picking her up issue we are working on the “you don't pee on me” new development. Granted it is hard to stay mad at her for long as she has started trying to say my name. Instead of Tiyumtaba (tee-you-m-ta-ba) she say it Diumpa (dee-umm-paa).