Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L85YF0pyPH0&feature=related
People here are crazy about Obama.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
The Volta Region: By the Numbers
Transportation
3 Asia bus breakdowns
1 flat tire
2 hours of time waiting for the Asia bus to cool down
9 village children who helped carry water to cool down the bus
12 gallons of water to cool the Asia bus down
1 time that the Asia bus no longer started
1 bus switch
11 hours of driving time
8 foreigners picked up while stranded on the side of the road
2 out of 3 central beams with cracks on the Adomi suspension bridge over Volta Lake
Accommodations
1 hotel called Chances
120 rooms in Chances that were quite possibly all haunted
1 wonderful hot shower
1 bowl of corn flakes with cold milk
Activities/Craziness
3 instances of monsoon rain
2 times caught outside in the monsoon rain
2 lightening storms
1 onset of malaria for fieldtrip director Doc
1 great substitute fieldtrip director Sonny
1 debilitating case of runny stomach
2 times to stop the bus because of the runny stomach
1 time pooping on the side of the road in damp bushes
4 Imodium tablets
2 pepto bismol chewables
1 of the tallest waterfalls in West Africa
1 time being pounded by water while ducking under the waterfall to touch the rock wall
347 bats that flew over the waterfall every time that one guy blew his horn
1 monkey sanctuary filled with Mono monkeys
10 times getting soaked by standing under branches while monkeys jumped on them
2 times holding bananas to monkeys while they peeled and gobbled and threw the peel back at incredible speed
Number of times I thought about leaving Ghana in a week with an aching heart: countless.
3 Asia bus breakdowns
1 flat tire
2 hours of time waiting for the Asia bus to cool down
9 village children who helped carry water to cool down the bus
12 gallons of water to cool the Asia bus down
1 time that the Asia bus no longer started
1 bus switch
11 hours of driving time
8 foreigners picked up while stranded on the side of the road
2 out of 3 central beams with cracks on the Adomi suspension bridge over Volta Lake
Accommodations
1 hotel called Chances
120 rooms in Chances that were quite possibly all haunted
1 wonderful hot shower
1 bowl of corn flakes with cold milk
Activities/Craziness
3 instances of monsoon rain
2 times caught outside in the monsoon rain
2 lightening storms
1 onset of malaria for fieldtrip director Doc
1 great substitute fieldtrip director Sonny
1 debilitating case of runny stomach
2 times to stop the bus because of the runny stomach
1 time pooping on the side of the road in damp bushes
4 Imodium tablets
2 pepto bismol chewables
1 of the tallest waterfalls in West Africa
1 time being pounded by water while ducking under the waterfall to touch the rock wall
347 bats that flew over the waterfall every time that one guy blew his horn
1 monkey sanctuary filled with Mono monkeys
10 times getting soaked by standing under branches while monkeys jumped on them
2 times holding bananas to monkeys while they peeled and gobbled and threw the peel back at incredible speed
Number of times I thought about leaving Ghana in a week with an aching heart: countless.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
I bless the rains down in africa, I bless the rains down in africa
Its gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
Theres nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
Today the rain is pounding. Hours of rain. I took photos but I will have to post them later. I understand the function of the gutters now. The rain even drowned out Peace FM playing in the newsroom (and it plays astonishingly loud).
The first week we were here, a bunch of us were sitting on the front porch at our house when it started raining. The everpresent heat didn't lift, but the humidity turned liquid. We got off the porch and danced to the rains down in africa and we sang.
Today, just like everyday, I have to catch a tro-tro a 15 minute walk from work to get home. I'm procrastinating walking in the rain but I am unconvinced it will ever stop. When it seems to let up just a bit, a growl of thunder urges it on. There's a zero percent chance of me staying dry but I am going to give it my all.
Theres nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
Today the rain is pounding. Hours of rain. I took photos but I will have to post them later. I understand the function of the gutters now. The rain even drowned out Peace FM playing in the newsroom (and it plays astonishingly loud).
The first week we were here, a bunch of us were sitting on the front porch at our house when it started raining. The everpresent heat didn't lift, but the humidity turned liquid. We got off the porch and danced to the rains down in africa and we sang.
Today, just like everyday, I have to catch a tro-tro a 15 minute walk from work to get home. I'm procrastinating walking in the rain but I am unconvinced it will ever stop. When it seems to let up just a bit, a growl of thunder urges it on. There's a zero percent chance of me staying dry but I am going to give it my all.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Observations
I've been thinking about some of my observations during my daily life here in Accra that might be interesting for others to know about . . .
1. The new Accra Mall that I've visited twice is a sprawling, air conditioned mega mall where I found veggie burgers yesterday. Veggie burgers! Amazing.
2. Newspapers often use strange words. "30 Students Pass Out at Ceremony" (meaning they graduated).
3. People do not use their left hand to eat, shake hands or gesture. If you do use your left hand, someone may stare at you until you stop.
4. Women have very curvy bodies.
5. People have assumed that I am from Germany and Ireland and every once in awhile I get the U.S.
6. Quite a few Ghanaians love love love Obama. There's a song about him that plays on the radio.
7. There's no milk, cheese is extremely expensive, but there is ice cream. My favorite variety is Fan Choco, iced chocolate milk.
8. Goats are everywhere. Chickens too. And just because something is free range does not mean it isn't eating nasty things like feces.
9. Ghanaian men are more outgoing than Ghanaian women on the outset.
10. Women carry their babies swaddled in cloth on their backs.
11. Seemingly anything can be carried on your head. Molly witnessed one woman ask for assistance because her bundle was too heavy for her to pick up but then once she got it on her head, she was ready to roll.
12. American music.
13. Dogs and cats are very small and malnourished. And eaten by people in the north.
14. Time is an abstract.
15. Someone will take your large bill at a restaurant/bar/shop and may not return for a few minutes but they'll eventually find your change.
16. Alight. To get off. Now get off the tro-tro.
17. Tro-tros have mates that take your money and yell at you on the side of the road in a strange nasally tone to announce their destination. "Cir cir cir cir cir cir cir circle." That's my call to listen for. And if they could stack people inside the tro-tro to make more money, they would.
18. Club is the better beer to drink out of the two choices and it's made in Ghana.
19. "Sister", "Friend", "Obroni", "White woman" are commonly used terms throughout the country.
20. Groundnut = Peanut
21. The term is not intern, it is attachment.
22. We live at Okponglo junction. "A pung-lo"
23. Watch out for the really deep gutters; 6+ feet.
24. Church/Weddings/Funerals will take hours and they will involve a great deal of singing and dancing.
25. Michael, the 14 year old bartender across the street, is the sweetest, most innocent bartender ever to exist. And he dances up a storm.
1. The new Accra Mall that I've visited twice is a sprawling, air conditioned mega mall where I found veggie burgers yesterday. Veggie burgers! Amazing.
2. Newspapers often use strange words. "30 Students Pass Out at Ceremony" (meaning they graduated).
3. People do not use their left hand to eat, shake hands or gesture. If you do use your left hand, someone may stare at you until you stop.
4. Women have very curvy bodies.
5. People have assumed that I am from Germany and Ireland and every once in awhile I get the U.S.
6. Quite a few Ghanaians love love love Obama. There's a song about him that plays on the radio.
7. There's no milk, cheese is extremely expensive, but there is ice cream. My favorite variety is Fan Choco, iced chocolate milk.
8. Goats are everywhere. Chickens too. And just because something is free range does not mean it isn't eating nasty things like feces.
9. Ghanaian men are more outgoing than Ghanaian women on the outset.
10. Women carry their babies swaddled in cloth on their backs.
11. Seemingly anything can be carried on your head. Molly witnessed one woman ask for assistance because her bundle was too heavy for her to pick up but then once she got it on her head, she was ready to roll.
12. American music.
13. Dogs and cats are very small and malnourished. And eaten by people in the north.
14. Time is an abstract.
15. Someone will take your large bill at a restaurant/bar/shop and may not return for a few minutes but they'll eventually find your change.
16. Alight. To get off. Now get off the tro-tro.
17. Tro-tros have mates that take your money and yell at you on the side of the road in a strange nasally tone to announce their destination. "Cir cir cir cir cir cir cir circle." That's my call to listen for. And if they could stack people inside the tro-tro to make more money, they would.
18. Club is the better beer to drink out of the two choices and it's made in Ghana.
19. "Sister", "Friend", "Obroni", "White woman" are commonly used terms throughout the country.
20. Groundnut = Peanut
21. The term is not intern, it is attachment.
22. We live at Okponglo junction. "A pung-lo"
23. Watch out for the really deep gutters; 6+ feet.
24. Church/Weddings/Funerals will take hours and they will involve a great deal of singing and dancing.
25. Michael, the 14 year old bartender across the street, is the sweetest, most innocent bartender ever to exist. And he dances up a storm.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Dancing the Night Away
Last night we attended a fantastic salsa night hosted by Coconut Grove Hotel in Accra. We didn't leave our house until 8:15 so we entered the hotel just as the salsa lesson that began at 7:30 ended. But boy that did not stop us from dancing. I have yet to discover a Ghanaian that can't dance exceptionally well so I felt a bit like I was flailing in the midst of a sea of perfectly synced bodies. But I just laughed and kept dancing.
And we danced in lines to complicated choreographed dances that I struggled to keep up with. One of th dances was a salsa version of the electric slide and I mastered that one. But we reached a point between hopping on one leg and spinning at insane speeds when it just didn't matter if we looked like silly people with no rhythm and we kept dancing. When I took a break from scootin' around the dance floor, I was able to stand and admire the other dancers. Some of them were good enough to be considered professional dancers in the U.S. Perhaps one of the biggest differences I noted in the Ghanaian dance style was the fact that men move their hips like nobody's business. It was a bit amazing.
The hotel looked like a Tuscan villa and the dance floor surrounded a crystal pool. It was picture perfect and certainly one of my best nights here in Ghana. I think next Wednesday I will make a point to show up for the lesson.
And we danced in lines to complicated choreographed dances that I struggled to keep up with. One of th dances was a salsa version of the electric slide and I mastered that one. But we reached a point between hopping on one leg and spinning at insane speeds when it just didn't matter if we looked like silly people with no rhythm and we kept dancing. When I took a break from scootin' around the dance floor, I was able to stand and admire the other dancers. Some of them were good enough to be considered professional dancers in the U.S. Perhaps one of the biggest differences I noted in the Ghanaian dance style was the fact that men move their hips like nobody's business. It was a bit amazing.
The hotel looked like a Tuscan villa and the dance floor surrounded a crystal pool. It was picture perfect and certainly one of my best nights here in Ghana. I think next Wednesday I will make a point to show up for the lesson.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
The Great Northern Adventure
Alright, I am finally home. After more than 20 hours on a bus, a terrifyingly awesome run-in with Savannah elephants in the bush and a two hour wait under a mango tree, I have made it back to Accra. Would I do it all over again? In a heart beat.
We started out at 7 am on our big Chinese bus heading to Kumasi on Thursday. The drive lasted for about 5 hours with a couple necessary bathroom breaks in between. The concept of a public restroom is much different here than in the U.S. and thus I have a strategy of not drinking water despite the heat to avoid as many run-ins with public restrooms as possible. But, I could not ignore the urge to go at the gas station we stopped at on the drive. For the first time, I stood facing a four inch diameter hole in a concrete room otherwise known as a bathroom. After a few struggles to get situated, I managed to pee into that hole like a pro, with about an 86.3% accuracy. I have to admit, it was kinda fun.
So we continued on our way and encountered a rough and tumble group of bush hunters on the side of the road that swarmed our bus when Isaac (the driver) slowed his pace to allow us a photo shoot of the strange and exotic bush meats. The hunters demanded money for the photos we took of them with their machetes raised. As most of us felt quite uneasy over this situation, we encouraged Isaac to start moving the bus as fast as possible. "Please Isaac" we pleaded. However, Isaac was not one to let anthing pass without at least a few loud words in edgewise. Many Ghanaians speak so loudly when they debate with each other that it's difficult to judge if the conversation will deteriorate into violence. However, after quickly sealing all our bus windows and staring wide-eyed at the bush hunters, we finally witnessed Isaac's conversation moving from a frightening tone to humorous laughter and then we moved onward. Thank goodness. Afterwards, Isaac looked back at us and pointed out that we could have easily snapped as many photos as we wanted of the dead grass cutters and armadillos while he was distracting the hunters. Well shoot. I was too distracted by the machetes.
By the time we got to Kumasi, I was tired of curling into every possible comfortable position using an armrest and two bus seats. We checked into our hotel called the Royal Basin and quickly ordered rice from the hotel restaurant to sustain us through the rest of the days' activities. We visited the palace of the Asante kings where an eccentric tour guide provided strange narratives about the history of the region and the kings. That night, I took full advantage of the pool at the hotel and ate fried plantains and more rice.
The next day was full of activites including a trip to the village home of Kente cloth, adinkra stamping and wood carving. After much negotiation and bargaining, I walked away with two stools (still considering the options of how the heck I am getting them home) and a kente blanket as well as adinkra stamped kente. The experiences were entertaining and informative. At Bonwire, the home of Kente, the overwhelming smell of human bodies lingered in the air inside the building filled with handwoven cloth where men wove faster than I could ever imagine. At the adinkra stamping village, the demonstration of the ink manufacturing was too much fun and then we were able to pick out stamps based on their meaning and stamp our own kente. At the wood carving village, I went crazy shopping and it was awesome.
The very next day, we had breakfast before dawn and set out for Mole. The road toward Mole was covered with handmade speed bumps and justifiably so as we saw multiple remains of horrifying accidents involving overfilled trucks and passenger cars both on the drive there and on the drive back. We stopped at a rest stop where they had flushing toilets (yes!) and cold drinks. I purchased my favorite thing here in Ghana: the tropical fruit juice box. Mmm mmm. Because the last 80 Km were so bad on the road, we had to switch buses at the junction when we arrived. Little to our knowledge, we switched into a tro-tro. Oh Lord. Our luggage probably could have filled the darn thing but somehow we managed to get all of us crammed into the van. Fatal, the owner of the van and the man in charge of getting us to Mole, assured us we would have a good trip. Less than an hour into the drive, we broke down. So, the driver got out, investigated the leaking trail of oil under the car, tightened a clamp, dumped more oil in and set out once more. Unfortunately for us, we ran out of oil and the van came to a complete stop. The driver and Fatal said, "Don't worry. We'll be right back." And they took off, heading to the nearest town to get oil. Unfortunately for us, we were on the side of a dirt road, getting covered in red dust everytime a vehicle passed us and we were roasting under the sun.
Luck struck and a family that lived right by came to investigate the situation and then invited us to sit under their mango tree off the road. What heaven! They even brought out chairs and benches for us to sit on. Although not all of the many children spoke English, we spoke with them and learned that most of them were siblings and they all went to school. We drew in the sand with them and then I sat with one of the little boys whose brother said could speak English but couldn't speak because of illness. So we sat in silence, taking in the surroundings and watching the few people pass on the road. Eventually, the boy wandered back into his house and came back out carrying his baby brother. Granted, he could barely carry him because he was so young but they were too cute so I invited both to sit on my lap and we sat together. I sang a bit and told them a story about American football and we waited. For over two hours, we waited under the mango tree for Fatal to return. "15 more minutes" he kept saying. Finally, Fatal and the driver returned and we were off and running again. It was sad to leave behind the family but they were in good spirits as we left.
The rest of the drive was uneventful but passed quickly given that we all sang every song we could think of at the top of our lungs. It was a memorable drive to say the least. And then we were in front of the sign to Mole. And as if we crossed an invisible line, animals started peeking out of the bush. Antelope, warthogs and monkeys were visible from the road. I could barely contain my squeaks. After checking into the lovely Mole hotel, I took a great leap into the pool and soaked away all the dust and some of the weariness from traveling. Judging from the opaque color of the pool, it seemed that everyone who came to Mole used it as a dust depository.
That night, we watched wildlife from atop the viewpoints of the hotel and enjoyed the feeling of finally making it to Mole. At 6 the next morning, we reconvened to eat breakfast and walk to our Safari. My shoes didn't meet the standards of our guard, so I had to put on rubber boots without socks. My feet are still sore from being rubbed raw.
But, we set out to see the wildlife. And boy was there a lot. We walked toward a complex where people lived and baboons, green monkeys and warthogs were all around. Next to the garbage piles from the communities, we found tons of animals digging for leftovers. But then we cut into the bush and lost sight of people. Almost immediately, the guard put up his hand for us to stop and then we cut over onto another path. Just like that, we avoided running right into an elephant and instead came up on his flank to watch him eat. We were no less than 30 feet away from the huge creature and all of us tried to be as quiet as possible while we snapped away photos. Then, another elephant approached and we started backing up. Then both elephants started backing up and we were really backing up fast at this point. I attempted to keep the guard and his rifle between me and the elephants at all time but at this point I was terrified. And then the guard told us that elephants can run 70 mph and there's really no way to avoid them. Well great. It gets better. At this point, the elephants decide to test their manliness and they start fighting, tusk to tusk. I was at the point of having a digestive emergency from the stress of imagining those elephants turning their aggression toward us. Finally, after a few more retreats into the bush, and a lot of sweating on my part, we took our leave of the Savannah elephants munching on the bush trees and headed to higher ground. We saw antelope and dung beetles, guinea fowl and monkeys. It felt great to watch non-violent animals from afar without imaging impending death. And then just like that, our time was up. For each person, the Safari cost $1.50 and I feel comfortable saying we got the full value. But then it was time to head back because we needed to travel during the day so we packed back into the tro tro with Fatal and made it back to the junction without incident.
We drove back to Kumasi where I used the pool again to feel alive after so much travel time. The next morning, we went to a village that produced glass beads in a clay oven. The children of the village were adorable and they held our hands as we trailed our guide. After spending every last cedi I had, we finally headed back to Accra. And now here I am, back at Public Agenda. It was surely a trip to remember.
We started out at 7 am on our big Chinese bus heading to Kumasi on Thursday. The drive lasted for about 5 hours with a couple necessary bathroom breaks in between. The concept of a public restroom is much different here than in the U.S. and thus I have a strategy of not drinking water despite the heat to avoid as many run-ins with public restrooms as possible. But, I could not ignore the urge to go at the gas station we stopped at on the drive. For the first time, I stood facing a four inch diameter hole in a concrete room otherwise known as a bathroom. After a few struggles to get situated, I managed to pee into that hole like a pro, with about an 86.3% accuracy. I have to admit, it was kinda fun.
So we continued on our way and encountered a rough and tumble group of bush hunters on the side of the road that swarmed our bus when Isaac (the driver) slowed his pace to allow us a photo shoot of the strange and exotic bush meats. The hunters demanded money for the photos we took of them with their machetes raised. As most of us felt quite uneasy over this situation, we encouraged Isaac to start moving the bus as fast as possible. "Please Isaac" we pleaded. However, Isaac was not one to let anthing pass without at least a few loud words in edgewise. Many Ghanaians speak so loudly when they debate with each other that it's difficult to judge if the conversation will deteriorate into violence. However, after quickly sealing all our bus windows and staring wide-eyed at the bush hunters, we finally witnessed Isaac's conversation moving from a frightening tone to humorous laughter and then we moved onward. Thank goodness. Afterwards, Isaac looked back at us and pointed out that we could have easily snapped as many photos as we wanted of the dead grass cutters and armadillos while he was distracting the hunters. Well shoot. I was too distracted by the machetes.
By the time we got to Kumasi, I was tired of curling into every possible comfortable position using an armrest and two bus seats. We checked into our hotel called the Royal Basin and quickly ordered rice from the hotel restaurant to sustain us through the rest of the days' activities. We visited the palace of the Asante kings where an eccentric tour guide provided strange narratives about the history of the region and the kings. That night, I took full advantage of the pool at the hotel and ate fried plantains and more rice.
The next day was full of activites including a trip to the village home of Kente cloth, adinkra stamping and wood carving. After much negotiation and bargaining, I walked away with two stools (still considering the options of how the heck I am getting them home) and a kente blanket as well as adinkra stamped kente. The experiences were entertaining and informative. At Bonwire, the home of Kente, the overwhelming smell of human bodies lingered in the air inside the building filled with handwoven cloth where men wove faster than I could ever imagine. At the adinkra stamping village, the demonstration of the ink manufacturing was too much fun and then we were able to pick out stamps based on their meaning and stamp our own kente. At the wood carving village, I went crazy shopping and it was awesome.
The very next day, we had breakfast before dawn and set out for Mole. The road toward Mole was covered with handmade speed bumps and justifiably so as we saw multiple remains of horrifying accidents involving overfilled trucks and passenger cars both on the drive there and on the drive back. We stopped at a rest stop where they had flushing toilets (yes!) and cold drinks. I purchased my favorite thing here in Ghana: the tropical fruit juice box. Mmm mmm. Because the last 80 Km were so bad on the road, we had to switch buses at the junction when we arrived. Little to our knowledge, we switched into a tro-tro. Oh Lord. Our luggage probably could have filled the darn thing but somehow we managed to get all of us crammed into the van. Fatal, the owner of the van and the man in charge of getting us to Mole, assured us we would have a good trip. Less than an hour into the drive, we broke down. So, the driver got out, investigated the leaking trail of oil under the car, tightened a clamp, dumped more oil in and set out once more. Unfortunately for us, we ran out of oil and the van came to a complete stop. The driver and Fatal said, "Don't worry. We'll be right back." And they took off, heading to the nearest town to get oil. Unfortunately for us, we were on the side of a dirt road, getting covered in red dust everytime a vehicle passed us and we were roasting under the sun.
Luck struck and a family that lived right by came to investigate the situation and then invited us to sit under their mango tree off the road. What heaven! They even brought out chairs and benches for us to sit on. Although not all of the many children spoke English, we spoke with them and learned that most of them were siblings and they all went to school. We drew in the sand with them and then I sat with one of the little boys whose brother said could speak English but couldn't speak because of illness. So we sat in silence, taking in the surroundings and watching the few people pass on the road. Eventually, the boy wandered back into his house and came back out carrying his baby brother. Granted, he could barely carry him because he was so young but they were too cute so I invited both to sit on my lap and we sat together. I sang a bit and told them a story about American football and we waited. For over two hours, we waited under the mango tree for Fatal to return. "15 more minutes" he kept saying. Finally, Fatal and the driver returned and we were off and running again. It was sad to leave behind the family but they were in good spirits as we left.
The rest of the drive was uneventful but passed quickly given that we all sang every song we could think of at the top of our lungs. It was a memorable drive to say the least. And then we were in front of the sign to Mole. And as if we crossed an invisible line, animals started peeking out of the bush. Antelope, warthogs and monkeys were visible from the road. I could barely contain my squeaks. After checking into the lovely Mole hotel, I took a great leap into the pool and soaked away all the dust and some of the weariness from traveling. Judging from the opaque color of the pool, it seemed that everyone who came to Mole used it as a dust depository.
That night, we watched wildlife from atop the viewpoints of the hotel and enjoyed the feeling of finally making it to Mole. At 6 the next morning, we reconvened to eat breakfast and walk to our Safari. My shoes didn't meet the standards of our guard, so I had to put on rubber boots without socks. My feet are still sore from being rubbed raw.
But, we set out to see the wildlife. And boy was there a lot. We walked toward a complex where people lived and baboons, green monkeys and warthogs were all around. Next to the garbage piles from the communities, we found tons of animals digging for leftovers. But then we cut into the bush and lost sight of people. Almost immediately, the guard put up his hand for us to stop and then we cut over onto another path. Just like that, we avoided running right into an elephant and instead came up on his flank to watch him eat. We were no less than 30 feet away from the huge creature and all of us tried to be as quiet as possible while we snapped away photos. Then, another elephant approached and we started backing up. Then both elephants started backing up and we were really backing up fast at this point. I attempted to keep the guard and his rifle between me and the elephants at all time but at this point I was terrified. And then the guard told us that elephants can run 70 mph and there's really no way to avoid them. Well great. It gets better. At this point, the elephants decide to test their manliness and they start fighting, tusk to tusk. I was at the point of having a digestive emergency from the stress of imagining those elephants turning their aggression toward us. Finally, after a few more retreats into the bush, and a lot of sweating on my part, we took our leave of the Savannah elephants munching on the bush trees and headed to higher ground. We saw antelope and dung beetles, guinea fowl and monkeys. It felt great to watch non-violent animals from afar without imaging impending death. And then just like that, our time was up. For each person, the Safari cost $1.50 and I feel comfortable saying we got the full value. But then it was time to head back because we needed to travel during the day so we packed back into the tro tro with Fatal and made it back to the junction without incident.
We drove back to Kumasi where I used the pool again to feel alive after so much travel time. The next morning, we went to a village that produced glass beads in a clay oven. The children of the village were adorable and they held our hands as we trailed our guide. After spending every last cedi I had, we finally headed back to Accra. And now here I am, back at Public Agenda. It was surely a trip to remember.
Happily Making
Here's a few photos of our northern adventure including me happily pounding out
Adinkra ink, our armed guard for the Mole safari, a group pic at Mole, a tribute to UO and the girls all cleaned up after our dusty ride to Mole.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Northern Bound
This week has been fairly busy here at Public Agenda. I've had three stories published so far and one of them made it on the front page (I didn't write a word of it though). I attended a conference on aid effectiveness and gender equality yesterday and then wrote a story with Ama, the other reporter, today. Yesterday night was terrific Tuesday at Bonjour so almost all of us made the trek out of our house with the smell of pizza luring us. Bonjour is a pizza/ice cream/chicken restaurant at a gas station near our house. The two for one pizza deal on Tuesdays had us all satisfied and filled our bellies with doughy deliciousness.
We leave for Mole on Thursday and won't be back until late Monday so I will be out of touch until Tuesday. Mole National Park is one of the only places in Ghana to go on a safari and we are going to be walking! There are supposedly elephants, baboons and all sorts of animals to view. I am really looking forward to it. There are rumors of violence and armed robbery on the road going North, but we are making a point to travel at night and ensure our safety. We are also bringing duct tape which I am going to use to tape my camera under the seat if anything starts to happen. I just got it so there's no way I'm losing it.
The violence is stemming from ethnic disputes between Northern tribes so I think Westerners should be ok. I've sure had enough of armed robbery to last through the next few weeks. The drive to Mole is most likely going to be the biggest annoyance of our trip as it's a six hour drive to Kumasi, where we are stopping off for Thursday, Friday and Sunday night. The stretch to Mole is an additional million (maybe more like nine) hour BUMPY drive. The last three hours of the drive consist of only a sixty mile stretch of road. But I am more than willing to sacrifice the comfort of my bum to see elephants in their natural habitat. I know it is going to be a grand adventure and I am excited to the point of bouncing in my chair.
We leave for Mole on Thursday and won't be back until late Monday so I will be out of touch until Tuesday. Mole National Park is one of the only places in Ghana to go on a safari and we are going to be walking! There are supposedly elephants, baboons and all sorts of animals to view. I am really looking forward to it. There are rumors of violence and armed robbery on the road going North, but we are making a point to travel at night and ensure our safety. We are also bringing duct tape which I am going to use to tape my camera under the seat if anything starts to happen. I just got it so there's no way I'm losing it.
The violence is stemming from ethnic disputes between Northern tribes so I think Westerners should be ok. I've sure had enough of armed robbery to last through the next few weeks. The drive to Mole is most likely going to be the biggest annoyance of our trip as it's a six hour drive to Kumasi, where we are stopping off for Thursday, Friday and Sunday night. The stretch to Mole is an additional million (maybe more like nine) hour BUMPY drive. The last three hours of the drive consist of only a sixty mile stretch of road. But I am more than willing to sacrifice the comfort of my bum to see elephants in their natural habitat. I know it is going to be a grand adventure and I am excited to the point of bouncing in my chair.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Robbed
On a darker note of my experiences here in Ghana, yesterday three of us were mugged walking on Cocoa Beach. We arrived after about an hour of travel time on two different tro tros and we perrched under an umbrella with books and beers. After awhile of sitting and soaking in the sun and strickingly beautiful beach, I asked Logan and Ken to come along on a beach walk. We walked for maybe 10 minutes and as we were turning around to head back, still in view of the fishermen working on the shore, three men with knives approached us and cut off Ken's belt, removed his shorts, took his wallet and MP3 player and then walked away. I kept my head fairly well and stood near Logan the whole time with my hands in the air. I even asked them to give us back Ken's shorts, which they did. Luckily, Logan and I just had swimsuits and coverups on so they didn't even touch or approach us. Unluckily, the experience terrified us for the day and left a sour taste in my mouth of Cocoa Beach. But, these things happen in big cities all around the world and we are blessed to be safe and unharmed. I cried a bit when we went back to our group as everyone showed so much love and support and we left to go home. I made some delicious pasta salad as comfort food and beside feeling that my trust has been violated, I am feeling much better. I will not let those few bullies color my perception of Ghana because everyone else I have met has been so kind and helpful to me. I spoke about the incident with my coworkers this morning and they all apologized with such fervor it was astonishing.
On a brighter note, the conference I attended on Friday about peacekeeping during November's election was the front page story today in Public Agenda and my story on domestic violence made it onto the gender page. I love this internship. When the other reporter came in today who I attended the conference with, he gave me a big hug and congratulated me on the shared byline on the front page. Granted, I did not write a word of the story (I just tagged along with him) but it was still a great experience.
On a brighter note, the conference I attended on Friday about peacekeeping during November's election was the front page story today in Public Agenda and my story on domestic violence made it onto the gender page. I love this internship. When the other reporter came in today who I attended the conference with, he gave me a big hug and congratulated me on the shared byline on the front page. Granted, I did not write a word of the story (I just tagged along with him) but it was still a great experience.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Published!
I have now officially been published in Public Agenda. What an exciting day! I also wrote an article on domestic violence after visiting a domestic violence shelter yesterday. The article was a bit challenging, especially given that I thought I was just tagging along with another reporter until we showed up at the shelter and she looked at me and said, "Well, ask your questions." Yikes, I didn't even know I was supposed to have questions. The shelter was run by the government and was woefully understaffed and under supplied. But, I wrote my article as an information session about domestic violence and the financial strain on the shelter. I'm hoping public officials will pay attention.
Yesterday night I had a real blast with our group as we decided to try and balance things on our head just as most of the women here do. So far we have seen sewing machines, gallons of water, bananas and a refrigerator on top of various womens' heads. It's outrageous that we haven't caught on to this brilliant method of transportation in the U.S. But then again, I gave it a good try and still ended up knocking myself upside the head with textbooks multiple times. In all of our silliness, we decided to turn off all the lights and tell ghost stories. Boy we got scared. I couldn't even take my nighttime shower I was so filled with fear. Michelle told the scariest story of one of her friends who went on a two week camping/hiking trip on the Pacific Crest Trail with just her dog as a companion. When she returned and developed her film, there were pictures on the roll of her sleeping inside the tent with her dog. But who took the photos? Creeeeepy! So we scared ourselves silly and then I crashed into bed from pure exhaustion. It has been cooler here than when we first arrived (or maybe I am getting used to it) so sleeping is much easier.
This morning as I was walking to work I looked into one of the three feet deep gutter on the side of the road and saw a baby kitten sitting in it. The gutters here are not a pretty sight and they often are flowing with untreated sewage. The kitten almost made me cry as it noticed me but I had to get to work and I wasn't sure if it would be safe to pick up because the last thing I want is to deal with a cat bite. It was luckily in a dry gutter near a food stand. So, I stood for a while trying to come to terms with the state of things in my life that I would turn away from a kitten in need and finally pointed the cat out to another man standing nearby and went to work. It's hard to relate to the priorities of animals here when there are so many people in need of fresh food and water. All I can do now is pray someone took pity on the kitten or the momma cat was somewhere nearby. (A fact I have almost convinced myself of already.) Thinking back on the situation, I think I did the right thing.
Yesterday night I had a real blast with our group as we decided to try and balance things on our head just as most of the women here do. So far we have seen sewing machines, gallons of water, bananas and a refrigerator on top of various womens' heads. It's outrageous that we haven't caught on to this brilliant method of transportation in the U.S. But then again, I gave it a good try and still ended up knocking myself upside the head with textbooks multiple times. In all of our silliness, we decided to turn off all the lights and tell ghost stories. Boy we got scared. I couldn't even take my nighttime shower I was so filled with fear. Michelle told the scariest story of one of her friends who went on a two week camping/hiking trip on the Pacific Crest Trail with just her dog as a companion. When she returned and developed her film, there were pictures on the roll of her sleeping inside the tent with her dog. But who took the photos? Creeeeepy! So we scared ourselves silly and then I crashed into bed from pure exhaustion. It has been cooler here than when we first arrived (or maybe I am getting used to it) so sleeping is much easier.
This morning as I was walking to work I looked into one of the three feet deep gutter on the side of the road and saw a baby kitten sitting in it. The gutters here are not a pretty sight and they often are flowing with untreated sewage. The kitten almost made me cry as it noticed me but I had to get to work and I wasn't sure if it would be safe to pick up because the last thing I want is to deal with a cat bite. It was luckily in a dry gutter near a food stand. So, I stood for a while trying to come to terms with the state of things in my life that I would turn away from a kitten in need and finally pointed the cat out to another man standing nearby and went to work. It's hard to relate to the priorities of animals here when there are so many people in need of fresh food and water. All I can do now is pray someone took pity on the kitten or the momma cat was somewhere nearby. (A fact I have almost convinced myself of already.) Thinking back on the situation, I think I did the right thing.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Internship Experience
I have now officially been at my internship for two full days. I ride the tro-tros to get there, and boy are they an experience. Besides the discomfort of being crammed into a gutted van with 20 other people, catching a tro-tro takes time and a great deal of patience. Sheena and I have internships in the same part of town so we commute together and catching a tro-tro took an astounding 35 minutes of waiting by the side of the road this morning. Then, it was another hour of traffic to finally get downtown near enough to walk, which took another 15 minutes. Luckily enough for me, I do not have to catch multiple tro-tros to get where I am going.
Everyone at Public Agenda is very nice and helpful. Today I went on assignment to a CD release press conference for a reggae artist. It was a pretty fun time and I was able to travel by myself, another learning experience. However, a reporter, Frederick at Public Agenda, drew me a wonderful little map with quite a few markings to find my way around. And one of the best parts about being here is that most people speak at least a little English so I always ask everyone if I am heading the right way. I felt very professional at the press conference although I had to take my own photos and I struggled to make them look good. Oh well. I did my best. I have a lot of down time at the internship between assignments so I get in a bunch of reading time. Tomorrow, I might be going to a domestic violence shelter because a new bill was just passed to protect women. If it happens, I know it will be a powerful experience. All is well here and I hope everyone is having a fantastic summer!
Everyone at Public Agenda is very nice and helpful. Today I went on assignment to a CD release press conference for a reggae artist. It was a pretty fun time and I was able to travel by myself, another learning experience. However, a reporter, Frederick at Public Agenda, drew me a wonderful little map with quite a few markings to find my way around. And one of the best parts about being here is that most people speak at least a little English so I always ask everyone if I am heading the right way. I felt very professional at the press conference although I had to take my own photos and I struggled to make them look good. Oh well. I did my best. I have a lot of down time at the internship between assignments so I get in a bunch of reading time. Tomorrow, I might be going to a domestic violence shelter because a new bill was just passed to protect women. If it happens, I know it will be a powerful experience. All is well here and I hope everyone is having a fantastic summer!
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