What's My Price?

Hello!

I am sorry I have not written in a while, I have been having too much fun! I tried to break my experiences into sections so that you don’t have to read about everything.  

Nyame na adom (By God’s grace I am fine) I think Ghana is the most religious country in the world!

GHANAIANS

Ghanaians are the most inventive and the strongest people in the world, or at least the people I have met. This is saying a lot coming from me, because at my family camps with our neighborhood every summer, I have seen awesome creations that come from few resources.

I had to think of a way to describe Ghanaians’ strength, and looking around, I’ve found so much strength. For instance, there is no such thing as a stroller here because all of the women carry children up until about the age of four on their backs with 2 yards of cotton. Women swing the child under their arm to put the child on their back, and then take the fabric to tie it around themselves as well as the child, tucking in the extra fabric. This takes the women a total of about 20 seconds and my sister said I could try it with my two year old brother soon. Another thing that is different is that there are no shopping carts or grocery stores. Women buy food almost every day and then have to make a dinner for the family with it. All of the meat is fresh, usually bought with the head still on, especially fish! I asked my sister how she felt about seeing a goat or chicken run around the house one day then knowing that you are eating it the next and she laughed because it is very normal. Shopping carts are also not needed because everyone puts the items on their head with a small piece of cloth rolled in a spiral. All I can say is it is HARD and one needs really good balance in order to do this.

I say Ghanaians are inventive because there are not a lot of resources available here but they make the most out of every situation. I saw a man with a broken umbrella one day and the next he was carrying it with a small bottle attached to the top for better support and weight. Another example is with the kids, they would take a string, stick, water bag, and a stone to make a small car to pull around to play with. Also, talking to my sister I know she does not like if anything goes to waste so we save a lot and start a fire or something else that is beneficial.

I have officially been in Ghana for four weeks today. The days are flying by but I feel like I have been here a lot longer than I actually have, I want to move here.

WORK

I last wrote after my presentation on Wednesday the 13^th, and since then I have had a few interesting things happen to me at work. I had to say goodbye to a colleague who goes to school 2 hours away from me in Michigan, it is funny because it took us coming all the way to Africa, to meet each other. I also learned that Ghanaians do not like Monday mornings as there were not a lot of people out. The lights went out for a few days at the work place due to unpaid bills that made reports and papers more difficult to write. It was interesting typing up all 90 of the non-governmental organizations’ (NGOs) visions, because it enlightened me on what the people want to see changed in the community. The five main themes the visions shared are women’s empowerment, children’s education, providing resources to those in need, disease education mainly with AIDS/HIV, and Religion.

 I also had the opportunity to go on a case where I had to go to this 3^rd grader’s school to find his parents because he was found at an orphanage 4 hours away in Accra. Unfortunately, there was not enough information, so my co-worker Augustine and I were not able to locate the parents of the child. At work I sat in on my first child custody case and it was in Fante so I did not understand. Yet, when it was translated to me, I realized how complicated it was and it sounded like it could be a reality television show on it. I made two agendas for Day-Care Center meetings and it is different because here after every meeting refreshments are expected. Work ethics in Ghana are different because people do not get paid on time, so there is a lack of motivation.  For example, in the past 6 months for a government office. This is not anyone’s fault, just when people don’t pay taxes and there is a lack of enforcement, there is a glitch in the system.  I love work because I feel like change is occurring, even if it is small bits at a time.

WEEKENDS

The weekend of June 14^th was a really good weekend and I truly felt like a Ghanaian. On Friday I hung out with some people who were Ghanaian and other ProWorld interns/ volunteers. Then on that Saturday it was ProWorld day to do our impact project.  I was scared that I would not be able to go because my roommate locked me in the bathroom. She was brushing her teeth and when she left she just locked it. Our home shares the bathroom with the landlord’s sister’s son, and so it locks from the outside of the door. After 10 minutes of pounding, she finally came back and we made it to the TroTro on time.  From the house we went to a village to build a clinic, because the village currently has one car that goes to and from town; it takes 45 minutes to get to a hospital, on a good day. Since we were starting the building in a new location due to a misunderstanding of the land, we had to make more cement bricks and carry the old ones over. To make bricks one needs a lot of water, sand, and mixture/clay. My job, along with 15 others, was to get the water from a well and bring it to the new spot. Yet, the catch was we had to carry the buckets full of water on our heads and not spill. This was a lot harder than it looked to keep it balanced and carry it the 1 mile there, pour it in the large container, and then go back and do it once more. I was one out of three girls that actually kept it on my head; I am a little stubborn to say the least. Afterwards, we had to shovel the cement into a shape of a brick and begin making the clinic.

 That same weekend I went to church on Sunday where the priest did his sermon in English for me, and church was only three hours this time. Then I learned how to cook palm nut soup that we ate for dinner. I went to the market to buy the fish and got them ready by snapping the tail and head off, picking off the scales, and scooping out the undesirable insides. Once the fish was in and spices were added, the soup sat on the fire while I did my laundry ALL BY HAND!  This took me about three hours because I had to learn the proper way to wash and hang my clothes.

The following weekend on Saturday all of the volunteers and interns planned a trip to see the village on stilts which is called Nzulezu. This took us 4 hours in a TroTro that was meant for a tight fit of 15 that we managed to squeeze 21 into. Upon arrival we were taken on an hour canoe trip where I had a man named 50 cent that helped us row. The beautiful village has 450 individuals in it where each parent has about 10 children. The village is around 600 years old. The village reminded me a lot of some of the other villages because there were still chickens running around although it was built on water. Then 10 of us decided we were going to stay the night at the Axim Beach Hotel on the shore. We got three connecting rooms that had air conditioning and a balcony overlooking the ocean with palm trees that was 25 cedis a person, so 12 US dollars! Spending Sunday on the beach was relaxing and is where I got my first kiss of sun.

RELATIONSHIPS

I have been learning a lot about the families here as I am part of an amazing one. The marriage ceremonies here are really interesting and there is no such thing as eloping. After the man decides he wants to marry, his parents will go to the woman’s family with a gift and ask permission. If her family is satisfied with what the other family has brought, they will send a list of things and set a price for their daughter for the groom and his family to provide before he can marry the bride. Then after a few days the man and his family will have to buy the gifts and return to woman’s family to hear the decision. If the answer is a “yes”, then they are married and will make it official through the government. This makes me wonder what my price would be? Yet, most commonly this is not when the wedding takes place; it could be after the couple has kids or whenever they decide. There is no such thing as a small wedding and they are really important.  The week before the weeding, the girl stays in her house and does not leave or see her fiancé. There is a lot of cooking going on and all family members not in the area stay over at the house, so it is really full. All weddings are on Saturday and I would really like to attend one.

Here relationships are really important and interesting. The dating is viewed as an opportunity to get to know someone whereas back home one would really get to know the other person before it comes “Facebook official.” When we were talking in the office about relationships, one of my colleagues said she wanted to figure out herself and pursue her dreams and then dedicate her time to a significant other and my boss gave his insight.  Amofa described that relationships overpower materials and then gave an analogy about arms. Two arms grow at the same time, but if one arm grew faster than the other, one arm would always be longer. So in the same way, two people should grow together at the same rate, without one putting more effort into the relationship than the other.  

Walking down the street, I can tell that relationships are important because I could not even count how many times I have been asked for my number or to date someone. At first I thought that everyone wanted to get out, thinking I would take them to America, which made me get a better perception of what people thought of America. Yet, when I started to hang out with a big group of Obrunis, I realized that it was not just because I was white and could take them to America. Confused, my roommate and I asked my sister why this was and she responded that because of my hourglass shape, curves, and smile, Ghanian men are drawn to me. This was definitely a confidence booster coming from a breakup back home, but it is difficult at times.  At police check points, bargaining with taxi drivers, and shopping , the other interns make me talk to get away with having too many people in the car or different situations. This does not bother me, just I have to joke with the other Obrunis that they cannot sell me if they need to. Yet, one uncomfortable situation that stands out is when I walk past a certain man that everyday who really wants to marry me. I thought he was kidding, so I always just smiled – that is, until he bought me a ring and proposed. He was completely serious, and now it is really awkward walking to and from my home.

Yet, looking at custody cases and watching the soap operas with my sister, I am learning that even though relationships are important, they could be a little deceitful. 

Talking about relationships makes me think of all my support groups back home, which reminds me of what I miss and I want to say thank you!

I will be writing more soon.

Love,

Aba Lydia 

RED

Hello Medaase (Thank you) for reading this!

I learned what the colors on the Ghana flag mean the yellow means gold, black is for hope, green is the agriculture here, and red is the for the blood of their ancestors. On Saturday the 8th I learned a lot about the red on the flag. 

On Saturday, all of the volunteers and inters went to meet at the ProWorld house at 8 am and went to the Assin Manso. This is the location where slaves we taken from all over Ghana and  walked through this long trail and given their last bath in a river. For respect for the people that walked through this path we took off our shoes to become closer with the ancestors. During their last bath the individuals were shaved so no grey hair would be present when they were being shown and sadly not many made it passed their bath. They then had to walk about a week, chained to a huge group of people, to one of the three castles where they were stored before they were sold.  

We then went in our TroTro again to go to the newest castle that also had the most individuals go through it. Going into the dungeons to see where over 200 people were stored did not seem real because it seems like even 50 people sitting would be extremely overcrowded. Food and water was thrown through the holes up above where the sunlight came out and their bathroom was at their feet. The British built a church up above the dungeons because they believed the church was like heaven and those in the in the dungeons belong down below.  This was an extremely sad day and was emotionally draining day. Yet, that night was my first night eating a full dinner completely with my hands. I had FuFu, which is the texture of uncooked bread that you swallow, and fish that was all in groundnut soup; yes I ate soup with my hands!

Sunday is truly a holy day as 85% of the population is Christian and so I went to church. Church started at 9am and the car to come get my host mom (Sister), host brother (Papa), and roommate (Megan) and I at 10am. I was nervous that we were going to be really late but we got to combined church service that was outside but arriving I was pleased to see that everyone was still singing and dancing. The dancing was a line of about 10 men and then 10 women dancing in a line and yes I went to join the line in front of the 400 people congregation! When I joined the line of dancing people one could say there was uproar of laughter.  Church went until 2:30, so the service was 51/2 hours. After church I played with a group of young girls that hang out near my house and leaned some dances, hand games, and a new form of jumping over a rope. The children hear are so independent and more mature, in my opinion, then the children in America. 

Monday I woke up at 6am to sweep the porch with a broom that is a bunch of long sticks with a rubber band around them. This is a common task that all Ghanaians do in the morning and I really wanted to get more involved with the house chores.

This day was the first day I wrote a list of things that I am missing about home.

Family and friends	Quite or a second alone (I’m ALWAYS being watched)
Central Michigan University	Warm showers or ones that is over 3 minutes, but thankful I get a shower J
Drinking clean water for free	Toilet paper and toilet seats
Paved roads	Fish still alive and in a bowl
Fresh air	Chocolate or anything sweet
Being dry (I’m always wet because of the humidity)	Chipotle

I made this list not to dread what I am missing but to make sure that I am more grateful for all these small of these things when I get back.

Tuesday I got ready for a presentation for Wednesday and went out to dinner and hade a creep with banana and Nutella and it was the first sweet food I have had and it tasted so great!  Yet, before I went to dinner I took one of the interns I work with, and my dear friends, Lashae to the clinic and she found out she has Typhoid. This was a scary thought because if I take one bite of food or a mosquito bites me I could get malaria or typhoid, luckily they know how to treat it really well here.

At work on Wednesday I gave a 20 minute presentation to all of the proprietor/ proprietress (supervisors) of the Day-Cares for the proposal of the new bylaw. It was difficult because I had to talk very slowly due to the language barrier. In The Department we are always looking for ways to improve things and since my focus is the Day-Care centers my focus is make life safer for the children and easier for the Day-Care Attendants.

Work to make a change but make sure it is a change that is sustainable and works WITH the current program.

Goodbye!

Aba Lydia 

Loving Life!

Hello! Otse den? (How are you?)

Bokoo (I’m good)

First of all for clarification, everyone here a different birth name but they also have a Fante name for the day of the week they were born on, that is different for the males and females.

I am really good loving Ghana and learning every day! One thing that I have learned here in Cape Coast is that there are always going to a few bumps in the road. If the taxi drivers have taught me anything, it is that when there are bumps in the road you just have to keep on going and not let them slow you down. The drivers also taught me to think about others because it is constantly chaotic traffic, but there is no road rage because the culture understands that everyone has a place to be. Most of the time that I have had the thought, “Is this really happening?” is when I am in the taxis because it is a new adventure every ride. Due to the fact that it is the rainy season here, each car ride is like a roller-coaster, like the old Blue Streak at Cedar Point, on the dirt roads with the huge potholes, which really adds to the adventures.  Once I had a driver pull over and go to the bathroom on the side of the road, another time I got stuck and went backwards on a dirt road going up this huge hill, my taxi has stopped working in the middle of the road, and in the humid cars I almost daily am stuck in the middle seat between two well built individuals. I do not know a lot about cars but I do know that almost every taxi here needs a new alignment and new tires.

I last wrote about Wednesday June 5^th when I fell in love with the bag of ice-cream called Fan-Ice and have experienced so many things since then.

On Thursday The Department of Social Welfare, which is where I work, went to visit one of the three orphanages in the area for an unannounced but routine inspection. This was the first time a little girl got scared of me because she probably thought I was a ghost or just has not seen anything like me.  The other interns and I also officially finished the proposal for the bylaw for the Day-Care centers on Thursday that would soon be taken it to the Assembly, which is like the senators in America. Then if the Assembly decides to adopt our changes to the requirements for the centers, they would then encourage the other Assembly members for the different regions in Ghana to do the same. This bylaw was needed because there was a Children's ACT created in 1998 but was not detailed for Day-Care centers, meaning for details the owners of the centers had to look at the law from 1979. We felt the bylaw was needed to keep the communication with the centers and The Department consistent. Also, every Thursday all of the 14 interns get together at 4pm to have Fante lessons or community development discussions, switching off every week, then go out to dinner. I got salad and it was my first vegetable in over a week!

On Friday I did not have work and all of the ProWorld volunteers and interns got to the house and took a trotro, a big van where everyone is squished together, to the Kakum National Park! This park we walked through the rainforest up this really step hill on an unpaved path. Arriving at the top of the mountain everyone walked over the rainforest on seven swaying rope bridges while we were not attached to anything like a harness. Luckily, the bridges had a little bit of rope around them but some of the broken boards did make the walk more adventurous. The sight was so beautiful and the pictures did not justify how truly stunning the walk was. After it was time to go to lunch and we went to Hans Cottage where I was not feeling well so I did not eat but I did get to pet a few alligators. Once lunch was done we went back to Cape Coast and we all had African drumming and dance lessons by the ocean. Everyone was laughing and having a good time, even the 60 Ghanaians watching all of us Obroni’s try to dance and play the drums. Then it only made sense to practice the dancing we all learned at a local dance spot and dinner area. This location is at a gas station with a live band, lots of tables, and it is “the place” to go in the evenings.

A long day is ahead of me on Saturday because we are going to the castle, which is one of the largest slave trades in the world so I have to prepare myself.

Adze pa nkyew (Good night)

Aba Lydia 

Akwaaba

Akwaaba to my blog! Akawaaba means Welcome in Fante.

I have been learning a lot of Fante lately because it is the primary language here it is Cape Coast. The language barrier is larger than I expected but everyone loves when I try and everyone is always willing to teach me. When I say everyone I mean everyone, the culture here is extremely friendly and welcoming to those that you come in contact with. I have always felt safe, even in the streets where there is a lot of traffic and people, who do not have the right of way.

On Sunday June 2, I was picked up from the volunteer house I was staying at by my host family. A main question that I get asked is, do I have a toilet and does it flush? The answer is yes to both of those questions. But even if I didn’t I would still love this house because these individuals would be my guidance for the culture, language, and life lessons I hope to learn for the next two months.  I have a mother, father, and a little 2 year old brother who are all Ghanaian. I also have an American roommate for one month named Megan who is from Iowa and working in the health clinics here. I call my mother, Sister; my father, Kofi; my brother Papa, and my roommate Akua (for Wednesday). My name in Ghana is Aba, because I was born on a Thursday. 

My first day of work began the Monday after I moved into my new home and I, along with all of the interns, had a ProWorld staff member take me to the location of our work. From my home, going to work I walk down our dirt hill/road lined with houses, taking about five minutes and then I get a in a taxi. In the morning it usually takes about 15-20 minutes to grab a taxi, even though there are 5 for every 1 car passing by, but because of the amount of people and the traffic. It then cost 70 Pesewa’s to get to work. If you can remember from the earlier blog it is about 35 American cents.  Then I walk up a large hill to get to my office, which is the Department of Social Welfare, (DSW) which is a government building. This information on how to get to work is very important because it proves that none of our parents walked uphill both ways to get to school!

In my office I work with two other American interns Lashae and Emily and we are all very passionate about what goes on in the office and are always asking questions to learn about the Department. We were all told on the first day that we will all be doing a project and we needed to improve one of the three systems of Community Care, Justice Administration, and child rights protection and promotion. After researching the first day we decided our focus would be child rights protection and promotion which includes day care registration and monitoring, Training Attendants, Case work with family reconciliation, paternity, child matiness, and family tribunals. All day when discussing the project we worked under Kwabena Amofa Appiah, who used to be a teacher so is very enlightening and allows the office to contain a lot of laughing, with efficient work of course. The office closes around 4 pm and we are dismissed.

After the first day I got an internet stick for work, which is on a USB drive, and then went home but got lost for an hour and a half in the rain. Being lost was the first time that I truly realized how much I stand out. I always here Obroni, Obroni, Obroni, which means white person, and all of the little kids want a high five or to touch me. When I went to a day care on the second day of work and I had about 30 kids running up to me and chanting Obroni, and tackling me to the floor, it was really cute! Here we taught a hand washing lesson got to see what we really wanted our project to be.

If anyone knows me they could guess what I found on the third day Fan-Ice, ICECREAM that tastes like CAKE BATTER!!! It is in a little bag and one would bite a corner and suck it out and it is only 60 Pesewa’s.

I am having a blast and loving every minute of my time here. Be thankful for what you have and love those around you.

Sincerely,

Aba 

First day

Hello Again,

This was written on May 31^st but due to power outages this is when I am posting this.

So I am finally here and have officially spent 24 hours in Ghana!

It is funny because even when traveling I never knew what to expect upon arriving. Traveling is an adventure within its self, one is challenged to talk to people, figure out the locations, and handle frustrations that come with being in small quarters. My 30 hours of airports and flights made me appreciate land and experience the challenges. I am fortunate enough that I got the opportunity to meet up on my second flight with two Central students, Katy and Michelle, doing an internship with the same program but different fields as me. Our experience really started when we landed.

Off the plane I went outside on the runway and then walked into the airport. Getting my bags, exchanging money, and going through customs was quick and easy. The language barrier was larger than I expected though! Through our program a hotel type location was provided along with a taxi. Yet, little did the trusted cab driver know, 6 large bags and three of us would be a tight squeeze and require a bungee cord to close the door.

Arriving at the stay for the night the barbwire and isolated place ensured safety, just because it was dark and I was in an unfamiliar place. Paying the cab was my first use of cedis, which is equivalent to about half of an American dollar.  After being shown the room Evelyn took care of us by giving us a water bottle and telling breakfast was. A shower was the first thing on my mind that first started as a small stream out of the faucet but turned off 5 seconds after hopping in. The water and the power turned off that night and the fact that I was in Ghana really started to sink in. Luckily, the air conditioner was on earlier that cooled the room down so it was very easy to fall sleep. 

The next morning breakfast was served to us three and two other interns we met, that also arrived the night before. Breakfast was a few egg whites in an omelet, toast with jam, a hotdog, and a tomato slice. It was then time to pick up 9 more interns from the airport in Accra and travel four hours to Cape Coast. Everyone is so great and all have such a positive attitude about everything! Lunch was packed for the interns on our ride and it had the best mango and pineapple that I have ever tasted. 

Arriving in Cape Coast, today, we are staying at the official ProWorld stay and again tomorrow where we have free Wi-Fi, somewhat. We are going to the beach tomorrow and getting to know each other more. But the power just went out luckily my laptop was charged and I this at a later date, this means bed time.

Good night,

Lydia