Mid-Service Reflections

Greetings from Kumasi! I'm enroute to the training site (I'm helping train the newbies that arrived in country in September) and currently it's hot, humid, and raining like a faucet left on high. I know I haven't blogged in a long time, and truth be told, it's because I don't know what to write anymore. It's as if as time passes the disconnect between Ghana and the US become more distinct. Not sure if that makes sense, so I'll give you an example: If you ask me what I did today, I'd tell you that I woke up at 5 am to the sound of screaming children and chickens, went perusing in Techiman market, haggled some people to lower prices, ate some rice balls and groundnut soup for breakfast, hopped on a tro to Kumasi where a guy was loudly preaching to us for 30 minutes (and spitting all over the place), did my laundry when I got to the PC sub-office only to have all my clothes soaking wet out on the line (darn rainstorm), and now I'm trying to blog and take advantage of the internet. Could you picture all that? The sounds, the smell, the sights...And if you told me about your day in America I can't quite fathom cold weather right now, I don't get the latest celebrity gossip, jokes, or slangs, I don't know who's new in the movie or music scene and ashamedly, I don't even know what politics is like right now and we're so close to the election. Another example: The new group of volunteers who are fresh off the plane speak too fast and I have to ask them to slow down. I feel awkward around a big group of Americans and feel self conscience when I'm eating Ghanaian meals with my hands and they're still using utensils...I guess readjusting to life in America will be hard.

But back to updating...I'll try to update as best I can since June...

The rainy season is just wrapping up and we are nearing the end of the harvest (only rice, millet, and beans left to go). I thought I'd enjoy the rainy season in the Upper West, and I did for a short time. Rain is nice for so many obvious reasons, especially when you haven't seen a drop of it since December. The whole village turned green and everything became either a bush path (very tall, thick grass) or farm land. And by that, I mean every piece of land that can be farmed on, was farmed on (including my front yard). The rains brought the mosquitoes, various biting bugs, and frogs...tons of them. Everywhere and in every size. I'd wake up in the morning to find a frog in my bucket, or just the other day I was trying to catch a frog that had somehow entered my room. Rain also brings humidity which I'm not used to anymore, but after traveling down south and upon my return home, I had to readjust to the stifling dry heat. However, if there's any place I'd rather be in Ghana, it's without a doubt, in the Upper West, at home in my village.

Projects are going slowly but surely, so in other words, good. It hit me really hard a couple months back that I am dealing with people's livelihoods here...I have about 17 women's groups in over 9 communities...that's over 450 people! Currently, I'm trying to get the women to organize themselves into co-operatives and we're (my counterpart and I) still teaching them about business. Small, small, as they say here in Ghana. I was able to market shea butter and nuts from 3 of my women's groups and now the exporter is testing their butter for quality. Exciting stuff. A quasi "environment club" sprung out of me rounding up the neighborhood kids and teaching them how to nurse seeds. Taught them about the importance of trees and the benefits of moringa (the "miracle" tree). We started a small tree nursery and now they call themselves, "Te pog pellina" which means, "We are happy" in Dagaare. They even chose leaders. Cute yea? Our current task is to build a fence to keep out the goats which have been recently released to chop whatever is left behind after the harvest. At the JSS level, I was able to organize interested students to start a HIV/AIDS and all over peer support group. The "Young and Wise" club members are motivated kids who want to make a difference, and that's refreshing to see.

Speaking of motivation, I lost it a couple months back. Hit a rough patch where I started questioning everything. Perhaps it was an awakening...If my letters home sounded dire, I apologize. Grassroots, sustainable, development work is hard and it's harder to even explain. A volunteer had a friend come visit from the states and the friend commented on how jaded and bitter we are. The friend's solution to the problem of littering, trash, and how "dirty everything is" was to install trash cans...it's not that easy, and if it was, well I'll be damn, there probably wouldn't be any NGO's around. I think we're just realistic, but I've been known to be wrong before.

I think I'll end my blog here and get off my soap box. Thanks for reading! I hope everyone is staying warm and safe in America. Eat lots of pumpkin pie for me! =)

Missing you guys in Ghana...