Well I said last week that I would have more to say this week, and I do, but I'm in Accra and I need to hurry up and start my journey back to the village soon so this won't be all that detailed... Last week I finished up my 1st drafts to my TFA application (all that know me well, know that I spent hours writing it because I have A.D.D. and can't stay focused for more than 10 minutes at a time), so I'm happy to be finished with that step of the process at least. But why on Thursday after riding my bike 10 miles to town I got there and found out that the entire town had no internet service. So I met up with my German friend Guenther and his wife for a soda and got my ass back on the bike and rode 10 miles back to the village. This situation made me really, really, really, appreciate the internet in the US. Even when I left the village on Saturday to travel to Accra, I was traveling through Ho the city that I go to, to use the internet, and the internet was still out!!! Might still be out today, who knows. But I wasn't taking my chances so I just decided to use the internet in Accra before heading back.
I came to Accra this weekend to go to Dr. Mensa Otabil's church. He is a pastor here in Accra, Ghana and he and my pastor in the US are friends. Dr. Otabil came to my church before in America and my pastor comes out here I think once a year to preach at Dr. Otabil's church. But I'm really happy I made the journey because he is an amazing preacher! I'm going to try and come back at least one more time to his church but maybe even 2 more times. But I somewhat hate traveling to Accra because the drivers here are crazy!!! It was too funny coming here because I was in a big van and the driver was going soooo fast and whipping around corners, and driving like he was in a race. I was a little scared for my life, I had to say a prayer. But the funny part was when both me and the other white person reached to put on our seatbelts. All the other passengers I don't even think notice his crazy driving, but the white people (me and the other girl) were all nervous (LOL).
Okay that is where I'll leave off today. I might get to the internet on Thursday (if it's working). But otherwise God Bless you and I'll check in later!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Quick update from Ghana
So basically this is going to be a very short blog because I didn't have anytime since last Monday to write anything before I came here to Ho and I have a lot to do in the town today. Last week the kids went back to school so things have been a little quieter. Although Francis, my 7 year old neighbor didn't go to school last week for whatever reason so he kept me company, and the sad thing is, he probably learned way more staying at home sitting around the house with me then if he had gone to school. The school in our village is a joke. THe kids spend half the time fetching water and weeding the grass. A 13 year old boy that comes over every night to learn can't even spell Ghana and he goes to school everyday. So everynight I sit on the porch and any kids that come over, we sit and I teach them math and english. There's at least 4 or 5 kids everynight there waiting for me when the sun sets.
Last week I spent most my time working on this dang ol' Teach For America letter of intent and essay and i'm hoping to be finished with the 1st drafts by this Thursday. Other than that, just observing, learning, growing, being thankful, and loving life. Next week I will have more to write, but until then I'm out of time and words. I will close with saying that I'm a little sad I'm missing the big historical day tomorrow but I'm so excited that when I come home that Bush will be out and Obama will be in!!!! YAY OBAMA!!!!!
Last week I spent most my time working on this dang ol' Teach For America letter of intent and essay and i'm hoping to be finished with the 1st drafts by this Thursday. Other than that, just observing, learning, growing, being thankful, and loving life. Next week I will have more to write, but until then I'm out of time and words. I will close with saying that I'm a little sad I'm missing the big historical day tomorrow but I'm so excited that when I come home that Bush will be out and Obama will be in!!!! YAY OBAMA!!!!!
Monday, January 12, 2009
If you though this experience would change me to like manual labor, you thought wrong (LOL)
I am at my half way mark!! Wow, it's going by incredibly fast. Last week I didn't do too much of anything. One day I went with Dela to paint someone's house. I didn't mind the work so much but the fumes were getting to me a little. My eyes were burning and my nose was running. I thought, this can't be a good sign (lol). So when Dela informed me that we'd be coming back to finish the rest of the house (total of like 5 or 6 days) I had to let him know I didn't know if I was down with it. I am trying to be as open to everything as possible but when I feel like paint fumes are poisoning my body... nah, I'm okay. Then another day he went to harvest some corn and he told me he would come and get me when he needed my help, and sorry if this is going to sound bad but I was really happy that time never came. I really don't like manual labor, and no experience will change that. It's just not how God made me. If anything I've become more willing to help people do it and not complain, but I still dislike it... strongly.
On Wednesday night, Dela put me on the schedule to be the speaker for our bible study class. Although I don't really like speaking to groups of people, it definitely helps that the people I'm speaking to don't understand me that well (if at all). Dela just interpreted for me, so I figured even if I messed up or was sounding bad, he would just make it sound better when he translated it to them. So it was fine. Although, I was suppose to speak for an hour and I think it was maybe 30 minutes. But I think most people were actually happy about that.
One thing that is really interesting about my experience here is that I'm always with Dela, so I feel like I'm understanding everything more so from a man's point of view. For example, last Sunday evening the bible study class came over and all the women cooked. Since I don't really know how to cook what they were cooking and most of the women don't speak English, I just kinda sat back and watched them. Then, when some of the food was finished, the women served the men and as the men ate the women finished cooking their food. Dela invited me to eat with all the men so it was one bowl of fufu, 6 men, and me eating together. There was one bowl because like most things in the village, things are communal, even the way they eat. I don't think that I've ever seen someone eating by themselves in their home. Anyways, by the time the women started eating, they barely had any food, cause the men ate most the food. I felt bad and awkward in this situation because here I am a woman, but receiving "the rights" of a man. I wish I could understand better how it is to live as a woman here in the village. But the only way I can understand this is by observing, although my observation is limited as well, seeing that I don't speak the language and I'm not around the woman as often as I am the men. I ask Dela a lot of questions concerning how the women live and what their role is, but this is a man's point of view. Sometimes I get a sense of how it is to be a woman here from the things people (mostly men) say to me. But because I'm a foreigner, volunteering in this village, I know that they treat me different then what they treat the women of the village.
So, not a lot to tell. Just busy trying to work on these proposals for my committee and trying to get this application for Teach for America finished. Hope all is well back in the U.S. I'm a little sad I'm missing the inauguration of our new President next week but when I get back to America I'll try and watch it then, cause I know trying to watch it here is going to be way too difficult. Talk to ya'll later.
On Wednesday night, Dela put me on the schedule to be the speaker for our bible study class. Although I don't really like speaking to groups of people, it definitely helps that the people I'm speaking to don't understand me that well (if at all). Dela just interpreted for me, so I figured even if I messed up or was sounding bad, he would just make it sound better when he translated it to them. So it was fine. Although, I was suppose to speak for an hour and I think it was maybe 30 minutes. But I think most people were actually happy about that.
One thing that is really interesting about my experience here is that I'm always with Dela, so I feel like I'm understanding everything more so from a man's point of view. For example, last Sunday evening the bible study class came over and all the women cooked. Since I don't really know how to cook what they were cooking and most of the women don't speak English, I just kinda sat back and watched them. Then, when some of the food was finished, the women served the men and as the men ate the women finished cooking their food. Dela invited me to eat with all the men so it was one bowl of fufu, 6 men, and me eating together. There was one bowl because like most things in the village, things are communal, even the way they eat. I don't think that I've ever seen someone eating by themselves in their home. Anyways, by the time the women started eating, they barely had any food, cause the men ate most the food. I felt bad and awkward in this situation because here I am a woman, but receiving "the rights" of a man. I wish I could understand better how it is to live as a woman here in the village. But the only way I can understand this is by observing, although my observation is limited as well, seeing that I don't speak the language and I'm not around the woman as often as I am the men. I ask Dela a lot of questions concerning how the women live and what their role is, but this is a man's point of view. Sometimes I get a sense of how it is to be a woman here from the things people (mostly men) say to me. But because I'm a foreigner, volunteering in this village, I know that they treat me different then what they treat the women of the village.
So, not a lot to tell. Just busy trying to work on these proposals for my committee and trying to get this application for Teach for America finished. Hope all is well back in the U.S. I'm a little sad I'm missing the inauguration of our new President next week but when I get back to America I'll try and watch it then, cause I know trying to watch it here is going to be way too difficult. Talk to ya'll later.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Happy New Year!
Happy 2009 everyone!!! As the new year approached, I thought of all that God has blessed me with throughout this year: each day in 2008 I woke up to see another day (365 blessing right there), I graduated (finally) from the University of Minnesota, I have traveled to safely to Africa where I’m learning and growing so much, and I have been blessed with the presents of amazing family and friends. So as I enter into this New Year I anticipate great things because God is good.
So on New Year's Eve I we went to church from 10pm to about 12:30am. It was mostly singing and dancing and giving thanks to God for bringing us safely into the New Year. The highlight of that night for me was when this man who is the father of one of my favorite kids in the village (Francis) stood up, walked to the front of the church, and gave the leaders of the church money to dance. He called them out in front of the members of the church and said “you never dance, so we want to see you dance!” He was definitely intoxicated and it was too funny. So the drummers started playing their drums and the leaders got up and danced along with the drunk man. When they were finished dancing one of the leaders said to the man, who had went back to his seat in the back of the church, “You said that you never see us dancing in church, but we never see you coming to the church?!” Everyone was laughing cause they know the man and they know he is what you might call a town drunk or I guess village drunk. So that was New Year's Eve for me. Out of the 3 holidays I spent here, for some reason I was missing my family and friends this day more than any of the others. But at the same time I felt very fortunate and happy to be in Ghana, in my village, with my people.
On New Year's Eve Day, me and Fo Dela went to Ho to do some things. When I was in the internet cafe, I saw my German friend Guenther who I forgot to tell you about in my previous blogs. He is this older man (probably like 60 or something) from Germany that has been doing work in Ghana and all over the world the last 40 years. I met him in a tro-tro coming back from Accra to Ho last month. He lives in Germany, but he and his wife have a home in Ho also (his wife is a native of Ho). He's just one of those people in this world that know all the right people and can connect you to a lot opportunity. Plus he is very nice and his stories are very interesting to listen to. So, after seeing him in the internet cafe he invited me to come have a soda with him and his wife. So we all just sat around and talked for a while. Also, before Christmas, me and Fo Dela met him for sodas and he brought me a birthday present. He gave me a book and a post card to send to my great grandmother. The reason being (for the postcard), when we were in the tro tro I was telling him that I had some German roots. He asked me if anyone in my family still spoke German and I told him that my great grandmother who is 105 is the last person I know that knew any German (although I said I was unsure of how much she knew anymore). So, on the post card he wrote a short message to her in German for me to send to her. I thought it was so sweet and thoughtful. Sometimes when I take a moment to pause and reflect about my time here, I just think about the experiences I'm having and the people I'm meeting that I would never have met otherwise. So I am very thankful.
Next point of discussion… Presidential Elections! Thinking that once my man Barack won, and I left America that the election season was over and no more campaigns... WRONG. I get to Ghana and they're Presidential election is still going. Voting was on December 7th but because no one got 50% + 1 vote, they had to have a 2nd vote with just the two main parties going head to head. So finally on December 28th they had a 2nd vote. As the votes were coming in it was looking very close, yet one party was leading by maybe .7%. So on Monday, people had already started celebrating the leading party's victory. The taxis were driving down the road waving the NDC flag and honking their horns, people were parading in the streets and stopping traffic and it was just a big celebration. Here I am thinking that FINALLY elections are over. Tuesday night however, they announced to the country that an entire region (about 20,000 people) didn't vote on the 28th of December because the supplies needed for the polling stations didn't get delivered. (The corrupt government at it's finest. Sort of reminds me of a situation we had years back in America). So then they announced that the region would vote Friday so they could declare an official winner by Saturday. So THANK GOD, Saturday about 11am, the announcement came on over the TVs and radios that NDC (similar to the democrats) won. Everyone in my village, minus 4, was for the NDC, so you can imagine it was a huge celebration. They had a bonfire, people parading up and town the street, people covered in baby powder (a sign of victory), people carrying coffins with R.I.P. NPP (the losing party), the kids dragging a wooden elephant down the road beating it with a stick (NPP's symbol), laughter, dancing, drumming, and it was just excitement and happiness everywhere. And for those 4 people whose party lost, it was too funny. All the people in the village were making fun of them and just giving them a hard time.
I could go on and tell more but I think I'm getting to a spot where most of my friends and family's are losing their attention (you know who you are, lol). Let me just say this in closing out... It is hard to believe that I've been here almost 2 months now (half way mark). I'm actually getting sad that it's going by so quick. I feel like I still have a LOT of things I want to accomplish while I'm here so please just pray for me that God gives me the resources and the ability to complete everything. I’m currently working on 3 proposals, researching funders, trying to devise a plan to get our road fixed, and also in the beginning stages of creating a new project to open up a youth center in my village (my goal is to open it in the summer of 2010). So as you can see my plate is full. So thank you for all your prayers and I just ask that you continue to pray for me, as I will continue to pray for all of you. Until next time, I’m out.
So on New Year's Eve I we went to church from 10pm to about 12:30am. It was mostly singing and dancing and giving thanks to God for bringing us safely into the New Year. The highlight of that night for me was when this man who is the father of one of my favorite kids in the village (Francis) stood up, walked to the front of the church, and gave the leaders of the church money to dance. He called them out in front of the members of the church and said “you never dance, so we want to see you dance!” He was definitely intoxicated and it was too funny. So the drummers started playing their drums and the leaders got up and danced along with the drunk man. When they were finished dancing one of the leaders said to the man, who had went back to his seat in the back of the church, “You said that you never see us dancing in church, but we never see you coming to the church?!” Everyone was laughing cause they know the man and they know he is what you might call a town drunk or I guess village drunk. So that was New Year's Eve for me. Out of the 3 holidays I spent here, for some reason I was missing my family and friends this day more than any of the others. But at the same time I felt very fortunate and happy to be in Ghana, in my village, with my people.
On New Year's Eve Day, me and Fo Dela went to Ho to do some things. When I was in the internet cafe, I saw my German friend Guenther who I forgot to tell you about in my previous blogs. He is this older man (probably like 60 or something) from Germany that has been doing work in Ghana and all over the world the last 40 years. I met him in a tro-tro coming back from Accra to Ho last month. He lives in Germany, but he and his wife have a home in Ho also (his wife is a native of Ho). He's just one of those people in this world that know all the right people and can connect you to a lot opportunity. Plus he is very nice and his stories are very interesting to listen to. So, after seeing him in the internet cafe he invited me to come have a soda with him and his wife. So we all just sat around and talked for a while. Also, before Christmas, me and Fo Dela met him for sodas and he brought me a birthday present. He gave me a book and a post card to send to my great grandmother. The reason being (for the postcard), when we were in the tro tro I was telling him that I had some German roots. He asked me if anyone in my family still spoke German and I told him that my great grandmother who is 105 is the last person I know that knew any German (although I said I was unsure of how much she knew anymore). So, on the post card he wrote a short message to her in German for me to send to her. I thought it was so sweet and thoughtful. Sometimes when I take a moment to pause and reflect about my time here, I just think about the experiences I'm having and the people I'm meeting that I would never have met otherwise. So I am very thankful.
Next point of discussion… Presidential Elections! Thinking that once my man Barack won, and I left America that the election season was over and no more campaigns... WRONG. I get to Ghana and they're Presidential election is still going. Voting was on December 7th but because no one got 50% + 1 vote, they had to have a 2nd vote with just the two main parties going head to head. So finally on December 28th they had a 2nd vote. As the votes were coming in it was looking very close, yet one party was leading by maybe .7%. So on Monday, people had already started celebrating the leading party's victory. The taxis were driving down the road waving the NDC flag and honking their horns, people were parading in the streets and stopping traffic and it was just a big celebration. Here I am thinking that FINALLY elections are over. Tuesday night however, they announced to the country that an entire region (about 20,000 people) didn't vote on the 28th of December because the supplies needed for the polling stations didn't get delivered. (The corrupt government at it's finest. Sort of reminds me of a situation we had years back in America). So then they announced that the region would vote Friday so they could declare an official winner by Saturday. So THANK GOD, Saturday about 11am, the announcement came on over the TVs and radios that NDC (similar to the democrats) won. Everyone in my village, minus 4, was for the NDC, so you can imagine it was a huge celebration. They had a bonfire, people parading up and town the street, people covered in baby powder (a sign of victory), people carrying coffins with R.I.P. NPP (the losing party), the kids dragging a wooden elephant down the road beating it with a stick (NPP's symbol), laughter, dancing, drumming, and it was just excitement and happiness everywhere. And for those 4 people whose party lost, it was too funny. All the people in the village were making fun of them and just giving them a hard time.
I could go on and tell more but I think I'm getting to a spot where most of my friends and family's are losing their attention (you know who you are, lol). Let me just say this in closing out... It is hard to believe that I've been here almost 2 months now (half way mark). I'm actually getting sad that it's going by so quick. I feel like I still have a LOT of things I want to accomplish while I'm here so please just pray for me that God gives me the resources and the ability to complete everything. I’m currently working on 3 proposals, researching funders, trying to devise a plan to get our road fixed, and also in the beginning stages of creating a new project to open up a youth center in my village (my goal is to open it in the summer of 2010). So as you can see my plate is full. So thank you for all your prayers and I just ask that you continue to pray for me, as I will continue to pray for all of you. Until next time, I’m out.
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