some thoughts

Hello Canada,

This is the third and final week of "Phase 1", where we got organized, assessed the students, and began instruction. Tomorrow we have our last session before the one-week break (during which I will be in Mampong -- excited to see Suzanne and Michael again!). Over the break, Level 1 students will be making "Alphabet Books" and Level 2 students will be writing storybooks -- so I've been busy stapling the blank books together. Level 2 will also have a test tomorrow (scary -- not!).

So ... some thoughts of mine:

I think after this internship, I will have a lot more appreciation for immigrants in Canada. Crossing cultures can be very difficult. I'm only here for three months -- i can't imagine moving somewhere else. Having to arrange housing. Navigate public transportation. Here's a thought -- imagine landing in a classroom in a language you don't understand, and be expected to pass tests!

Here, people have been pretty gracious with me. With my white skin, it's easy for them to spot me as a foreigner. So when I don't say the right thing, or mispronounce a Twi greeting, or do something considered as "rude", they're pretty understanding. For example: in Canada, giving eye contact is a sign of respect and attention. Here, if a young person is looking an elder in the eye too much, it can be interpreted as disrespectful or a challenge. Another one: in Canada, it is polite to ask people older than you, "how are you?" Here, the older people ask the younger people that question -- the younger generation isn't supposed to be asking them. Or, one thing to remember is that the left hand is not used to shake hands, pass things, or eat with. Waving to people with your left hand can be considered an insult. Another one: saying "excuse me" in Canada is polite. Here, "excuse me" is often used as a sarcastic insult between children on the playground.

I have done almost all of the things listed in the above paragraph -- but people understand that I'm foreign, and don't take it the wrong way. Ghanaians are quick to educate you about their culture, teach you a Twi phrase, or tell you openly, "we don't do that here -- we do this."

Here's one interesting exchange I had with an elder in the church the other day. I was talking with him, and he was very interested about Canada, etc. He was discussing free trade and the cocoa industry with me ... And then he started asking about Canadian culture and family life. He said, "I hear that Canadian and American men are very bossy!" I didn't quite get where that came from/ "Bossy?" "Yes -- they can divorce their wives very quickly and very often. They sound very bossy." Oh .... that's a different take on it! haha I explained to him that in Canada, marriage is seen as a romantic union between two individuals -- unlike here, where it's a fusion of two families. Unfortunately, this could be one of the reasons divorce is more common ... He was very intrigued by this, and couldn't believe some of it!

Another little tidbit about Ghana: the driving is very different here! haha Here are some driving rules i've observed:
1. Your foot must always be pressing down on either the gas or the brake. Never cruising.
2. Biggest vehicle has right of way.
3. Vehicles -- taxis, trotros -- often do not have seatbelts, and so they are not limited by them. Instead, you can cram as many passengers as you can fit in the vehicle!
4. Drive on the left side, the right side, or the middle of the road until you see another vehicle coming in your direction.
The busy roads sometimes remind me of currents in water -- there's two directions of flow, and things somehow are movign ... but it's all very fluid and kind of smooshing together/

haha Finally, another good quote:
Felicia and I were preparing the booklets. We bought one stack of computer paper. later, we needed more. We were surprised to see that the two lenghts of paper were different ... she just laughed and said, "That's Ghana for you!"

Africa has been good to me, but it is teaching me patience and flexibility! haha

Erica

so far so good

Reflections on the past week:

On Sunday I went to church, as usual. The church services are getting a little long – three solid hours of Twi in the heat can make me a little restless. Even with a friend giving me the “jist” of the sermon, it’s still difficult to pay attention (or at least look like I am). On the bright side: Sunday services give me a lot of time to think! Also, the singing and the dancing is fun. Last Sunday I was given a tambourine and joined in with the dancing. The pastor wanted me to sing a song we had learned last Monday at the youth service. (Here, you don’t have to have a perfect voice to go up and lead the congregation in the song – good thing!) So I went up along with another girl, and the two of us led the congregation. Surprisingly, it was fun. By the end of the first chorus, the rest of the youth group had joined us up front, I was belting it out in my microphone, and some of the women had started dancing. Don’t worry, Canada – this side of me will stay in Ghana!

Tuesday and Friday of this week we had literacy sessions – Level 2 first, and then Level 1. On Monday Felicia, Priscilla and I painted blackboards so that we would be all ready to go. Once we set up the church, it looked like a real classroom! Both sessions went very well, and the numbers have grown to almost 70.

I realize now that my fears of the program “failing” were unnecessary. It would be almost impossible for this program to fail. And that has nothing to do with me – I simply say this because of the efforts and experiences of the assistants, and because of the energy of the students.

Two of the assistants are retired teachers, and so their experience has been key. The fact that the others know the women and understand both English and Twi has been absolutely crucial.

I am also very impressed with the students. They come early or on time with everything they need, and even though some of them are shy they are eager to participate in class. Several little children have been forced to tag along while mother learns, and so I’ve decided that it would be a good idea to bring a few toys to keep in a corner!

Many of the students in Level 1 have never been in a classroom before. It was so exciting to watch them “read” the vowel sounds off flashcards and come up to the blackboard to write the letters for the first time! Level 1 also has a number of older women, who are eager to learn how to read and improve their English! I watched one woman in Level 1, leaning over to carefully copy out the vowels in her notebook, while nursing her baby at her breast!

The students are also very grateful. One woman in Level 2, who sells plantain chips, thanked me and gave me two bags of them! Of course, I had to share them with the other assistants at the leaders’ meeting on Wednesday! Also, the pastor has been very pleased. Since I am keeping all of my lesson plans, he asked if I could compile them all at the end of the program, so that it could be either continued or repeated. I was so happy to hear that – six weeks isn’t long enough and it would be great to have it continue!

So although things are going well so far, please keep the program in your prayers. Pray that the assistants would be encouraged and refreshed – they’re doing a wonderful job and we need them to keep coming! Pray that the students would be encouraged in their learning and benefit practically from the lessons. And pray for me, too!

I can’t believe I’ve been here for over a month already!

Erica

Hello everyone,

Sorry it’s been awhile since the last post. For some reason, I can view my blog (and read your comments – special thanks to Ange! Haha) but it’s difficult (no, impossible) for me to add a post. The same is true of facebook – I can get to the sign in page, but can’t actually get to my profile, inbox, etc. For some reason my student email works REALLY well – so if you’ve sent me a facebook message, please forward it to my student email and I will get back to you. Even now, I’m emailing this to Isaac so that he can post it on my blog! Using my cell phone it only takes me a few moments to check my student email right from my laptop! So email me!

So… updates (sorry if this becomes long):

This week we had the first literacy session! It went really well, and we organized the women (around 45 of them) into two levels of literacy ability. Level 1 has received no formal education, and Level 2 has received basic education. It was really encouraging to meet the women. There were seamstresses, hairdressers, traders, farmers, etc. We had a discussion time, where they could (in Twi or English) explain why they came to the program and what results they are hoping for.

Many of the women said that they want to be able to help their children with their homework. Others wanted to read their English Bibles with English commentaries and studies for themselves, so that, as they said, “No one can deceive.” Some women joined the program so that they will be better equipped to develop their businesses. Some just want to “write a signature anywhere”! One woman said she was there so that she wouldn’t throw out a “good letter” that belonged to her husband – when she sees a piece of paper on the floor, she has no way to tell whether she should keep it or sweep it up into the garbage!

When the session began, we were all together in a big group and I welcomed the women (with Felicia translating) and the pastor prayed. I was a little surprised to a see a woman in the front row pull her dress aside, completely exposing herself to nurse her baby! At the same time, though, it was also an encouragement – a reminder that these are everyday women, with busy lives and growing families. The first session gave me fresh motivation, and I hope that the program can help them in some way. I also think that, in between learning, we will have a lot of fun at these sessions! Even on the first day, there was a lot of laughing, getting to know each other … I got to play with the baby … haha When it came time for the leaders to take over their groups, they were fantastic! Some of the leaders are retired teachers and so they are adding their years of experience to the program.

On Wednesday was the leaders’ meeting, where I handed out the lesson plans I had prepared and we discussed them. That went well, and so we’re all set for the upcoming sessions! Right now our schedule is: Tuesday and Fridays, level two meets from 8-9:30 and level 1 meets at 10 – 11:30. On Wednesdays leaders meet at 2pm. This is the schedule for the next two weeks (phase 1), and then a week break, and then phase 2, where we may pick up the pace and add a third weekly session.

This week I went to Accra with Felicia, which was fun. I had my first tro-tro experience. The tro-tros are large vans/mini-buses that serve as public transit. They’re very cheap, and they range from being quite comfortable to being held together by duct tape! At times, they can become very crowded and hot. On the first tro-tro, the one to take us into Accra, I was so surprised as people just kept piling in! The seats fold this way and that, so that when everyone is seated there are bodies from one side of the vehicle to the other, and you couldn’t get out if you wanted to! On that first tro-tro, I counted 23 adults and one baby packed into the vehicle – and I must mention that one of those adults was the size of two adults! But that first one was the most crowded – the other tro-tros were okay, and you really can’t beat the price!

Of course, my time here is made up of more than just light-hearted anecdotes. There’s been different ‘culture shocks’ to deal with – or things that I still have to learn to deal with.

One of those is time. When it comes to time here, people are laid back and time is event-oriented. So you don’t finish the meeting at the time you planned – you finish when you finish. In one way, it’s kind of nice. But at other times – like when someone leaves you waiting for an hour and a half – I have to remind myself that maybe Africa will teach me patience! The Internet at the café, though, still gets to me… there are times that I could literally cry in frustration when the connection is lost again, or the page won’t load, or it takes 12 minutes to open an email!

Another thing that’s been hard to get used to is having house help. In the beginning, the houseboys or maids I saw were either treated as part of the family, or treated as a business arrangement. But here in the town, I think some of the workers are a little more desperate, with no other options… Because of that, they can be taken advantage of and treated poorly. Watching someone yell at their maid, throw a plate in her direction, or threaten to beat her is really upsetting. One maid I know – I saw her yesterday with two band-aids on her face, forming a curved line down her cheek. I asked what happened, and it was to cover up the marks left by her mistress’ nails. It’s difficult to know what to do… for now I simply make an effort to be kind to the workers – maybe invite them to the literacy classes.

Another thing is the poverty. Not just the poverty – the lack of opportunity. To know hard-working people who cannot get a job. For instance, Auntie Jo’s grandson Kwaku wants to be an electrician and only needs a little less than 500 dollars to get the training. He can’t get a job, though, to make this money, and so he feels frustrated.

When I meet people in town (different from Accra), they very often ask, “Bring me back to Canada!” I usually joke that I couldn’t fit them in my suitcase, but it also gives a small insight into the lack of options they feel are available to them. In this way, Isaac’s ring has also come in handy – even just yesterday a guy asked, “Are you a married woman?” Showing him the ring shut down his idea of marrying me so he could come to Canada. He bounced back quickly, though, “Perhaps you have a sister…” Which reminds me – I have a message for my brother James – some schoolgirls here looked at your photo and announced that you “are very nice.” And you have an offer of marriage as well.

People love to see the pictures I brought of family and friends, especially the pictures of Isaac. It’s funny, I talk about him so much they act like they know him. When I was staying with Suzanne and Micahel in Mampong, by the end of the week Michael declared, “I like Isaac! We have so much in common!” – even though he’s never met him! Auntie Jo teases me about sending her wedding pictures, and Belinda sometimes calls me “Mrs. Isaac”. Kwaku, in his broken English, looked at Isaac’s picture and said, “I love Isaac. Very niiice boy. Very nice.” Every time I am quiet or I sigh, Felicia guesses: “You are missing Isaac.” Is it that obvious? I’m sure if Isaac ever came here, he would have a whole group of people he’s never met, greeting him like an old friend!

So – this is getting VERY long. Even though I mentioned cultural challenges, there are a lot of great things about the culture here. It’s lively and expressive and musical. People here are very polite, and for the most part treat each other with respect. Everyone is endlessly connected to each other, and life is very public and communal. From pounding fufu to stirring banku to arguing to braiding hair to nursing babies – things are done outside, in public. I think it would be impossible to come to Ghana and feel lonely – you could stand on the street and in five minutes you would have been greeted by half a dozen people. This was especially true yesterday, when Ghana won the world cup (?) in a match against Brazil. I saw groups of up to twenty people watching a TV outside of shops, and when they won there was a dull roar of people shouting. Late into the night, there was celebrating!

Anyway – gotta go. I visited the Queen Mother today, and she invited me to a funeral this afternoon … which you may hear about later.

Lots of hugs,

Erica

PS: I had Felicia, Belinda, and Kwaku try a “cup-a-soup” that I had brought. They hated it! Auntie Jo wouldn’t even try it, and gave a whole lecture about how Canadians can’t cook. And I quote: “This is why I say: They don’t know how to cook! They invite you to their home, they open a package and heat it up. They put it on your plate and say, ‘I cooked!’” I tried to explain that this is Canadian travel food, but she wouldn’t hear of it: “Travel food or no, it is Canadian soup!”

prep week

hello,

So this is my "prep" week, before the literacy workshops begin. My "to-do" list:

1. Get settled. Check. I'm getting to know my way around, getting a lot of exercise walking from the church to the guest house from the guest house to the internet cafe, from the cafe to the market ... i can feel my legs getting stronger!

2. Visit the local school. Check. I spent the day there yesterday, observing and at times participating. It was very interesting -- so many children running around in their blue uniforms! Listening to them practice singing was entertaining. One thing - watching the teachers pull out the "cane" was kind of startling to see, coming from Canada. But the teachers were very welcoming to me, and I had some nice conversation with several of them there.

3. Prep for literacy workshops. Felicia, the pastor's daughter and my "assistant", has been a very valuable resource! We've spent a lot of time brainstorming, flipping through books, browsing through teaching resources at the market, locating a blackboard, etc, etc. Although -- you can only prep so much, before knowing the number of women and their literacy levels.

4. Meet with the program leaders. This was kind of interesting. Felicia and I were there, and I was all prepared with my photocopied handouts and my colored folders, etc -- five minutes before the meeting, it became clear that while I saw the leaders as volunteers, some of them viewed themselves as employees? And then I had to go lead the meeting :) Surprisingly, it wasn't really awkward. We all kind of laughed about it, but obviously they still have some questions in their minds ... I'm excited for next week, once some of these kinks have been sorted out!

So I meet with the leaders again tomorrow, and then go to a wedding with Auntie Jo on Saturday! I'm looking forward to that, and today Felicia and I picked out material and headed to the seamstress for a dress for me to wear! Being here, I love just looking at the African outfits and I knew I wanted to purchase one as a souvenir -- why not get it at the beginning , so I can get a lot of use out of it while I'm actually in Africa?

Some anecdotes:

I did laundry for the first time on Tuesday. I got out the buckets and the detergent and prepared to do it by hand. I insisted that Felicia only sit and watch, but evidently I wasn't doing a good job because after watching me for only a few minutes, she pushed me aside and started showing me how it's done! And then I took another try at it. Kwaku and his friend Isaac (good name!) came by and decided it would be entertaining to sit back and watch. And so I was bent over the bucket scrubbing my underwear with an audience who all told me that I was doing a bad job. I'll get the hang of it...

Also -- yesterday I experienced the first "lights out" to happen at night. And when is the power most likely to go out? When you're in the shower, of course (Ange, you can attest to this)! In this case, I was having my daily "bucket bath". So I was standing in the tub completely soapy when I found myself in darkness!
Fear #1: that the lizard I had seen earlier by the toilet would take this opportunity to come out!
Fear #2: I would injure myself trying to step out of the tub with my slippery feet!
I managed to get out of the tub, and was wandering around my bedroom -- soapy, bumping into furniture, standing there like a fool waiting for a streak of lightning to illuminate the location of my flashlight!

I found it and a few minutes later the power came back. I'm sorry if this is too much information for some of you readers, but ... i'm here to relate my experiences :) Don't worry, I won't give the details on my first public washroom experience --- it began with the man at the internet cafe saying, "When you come to Africa, you must do as Africans do..."

Anyway ... I'm enjoying my stay here, but at the same time miss everybody back home! I hope you are all doing well and know that I keep you in my thoughts and prayers :)

Erica

six minutes left!

only six minutes of internet time left

I went to church on Sunday, complete with a scarf on my head! Felicia helped translate the pastor's sermon, which was helpful, and I went up and introduced myself. I tried to use my Ghanaian name, but accidentally used the male version! haha whoops! but it was good.

so now that there's only four minutes of internet time left, my mind is blank as to what to write. I can't handle the PRESSURE!!! haha

i will be back with some more posts later, and i hope to be able to put up photos soon!

love you all!

Erica

i'm back

hello again,

yay! Internet! I'm in "the town" now for the next four weeks! One of the first things on the agenda? Find an internet cafe within walking distance. I'm reminding myself to be thankful for the access, in spite of the fact that it is soooo s...l...o...w. It's taken me twelve minutes to get on, read last post's comments, and open this page now. So I HOPE you all appreciate it! haha Can I make another complaint? I didn't realize every inch of my body had sweat glands until this moment ... enough said.

So this last week I was in Mampong with Michael and Suzanne. It was a great week, and my homesickness quickly disappeared. I got really comfortable there, having fun with the girls and having many hours of great conversation with Michael and Suzanne. Everything ranging from relationships to church to politics to lame jokes ... It was good. Michael made some interesting comments about the church that I may share later on ... Suzanne also introduced me to different Ghanaian foods, and I hung out with her in the kitchen a lot.

The food is different, yes. Some of the textures and spices are hard for me to swallow (ha-ha). BUT I think I'm really going to miss it. Everything is homemade with real ingredients -- there's always a pot going on the stove. It reminds me of my Baba's house or something. I tried fufu yesterday --- it was good. My attempt to eat it with my fingers wasn't very successful, though, so I went back to the spoon. I like the variations of porridge they have here (Dad, you would too -- you're also a cream of wheat fan), and of course the fried foods are good. Suzanne and Michael did give me some more familiar potatoes, apples and spaghetti.

Last Sunday we went to the Accra mall and it looked like Florida -- shining SUVs in the parking lot, ritzy shops, palm trees. On Monday I went to the PENTSOS office to touch base with the people there and eat lunch. From the second level you could see the ocean! My driver (one of Michael's assistants -- coincidentally, also named Michael) noticed my interest and so when we were done he said, "Would you like to go to the sea?" Yes! It was beautiful, and it's amazing how just watching the waves come in can make time go by so quickly. Before i knew it, 45 minutes had passed.

Later in the week, I spent two days observing in two different schools -- a public secondary school and a private primary school. It was interesting to compare that public and private. I made friends with teachers and classmates, and was especially impressed by the headmaster of the private school. I rode the crowded, bouncing bus back with Suzanne's daughter Aba. While we waited for a taxi home, I had to help her "wee-wee" behind a shop, which was kind of humorous ... Also, while we waited, many people passed by and I got called "obroni" probably a dozen times. It just means "white person" -- "Obroni, how are you?" haha It's mostly children that call me obroni -- adults walk by and say "good morning/afternoon/evening". It's kind of nice. Different from North America, where when strangers are passing you fix your eyes ahead of you -- here, everyone greets each other and asks how you're doing, how is your family, etc.

And now I am in the town. In my big empty guest rooms. They painted them before I came, which was nice of them. Upon arriving Belinda (Auntie Jo's granddaughter) and Kwayko (the houseboy?) and I struggled to set up my mosquito net. Poor Kwayko was teetering on a stool on the bedboards while Belinda and I held up the mattress. But -- it's up and so hopefully I won't get eaten by mosquitoes. After they left, I wandered about the rooms by myself. I killed a giant spider that was on the wall, and hope that will be the last encounter with any little housemates I may have? haha.

Then Felicia, the pastor's daughter, came over. She's around my age with good English -- she's going to be my "right hand woman". We talked about the literacy workshops and how we should prepare for the first leaders' meeting. And now ... we're at the cafe.

So now that I know where the cafe is, the updates should keep coming. I can walk here often (in the MORNING - NOT the heat of the day!), and it's only around 60cents an hour. I see they have skype with webcam and headsets, so I'll have to try that out at some point ...

Love you all,

Erica

PS: I was so happy to read your comments -- thank you for your encouragement!