Completion and Reflections

It's been seven months since I got back from Ghana and I have been working on creating a photobook of my blog entries and photos. I've felt guilty for not getting all the post done for that last week. I got busy and excited to be home and I didn't post several of my activities. So while I have been working on my book, I also wrote up those last missing days. Today I am posting those.
 

Thursday, June 27, 2013

My assignment for the day was to get some interesting pictures of the children at Challenging Heights School.  Jackie was my guide and helped me get to the school. We took two different taxis to get there. Each taxi cost each of us 60 pesewas.

The school is on a different taxi loop than the Challenging Heights Office. So we took the taxi from the office to where the two loops are close; walked the short distance to the second loop; caught a second taxi and rode it to a location a block or so from the school. The walk from the taxi drop to the school was an interesting walk behind houses and over rocks.

 

 

 

I had thought that it would be pretty easy getting the pictures I needed of the children but I found that it was far more challenging than I had anticipated. All the children wanted their pictures taken and as soon as I pulled my camera out, I got swamped with children yelling at me to take their picture. I had hands waving in front of the camera and faces so close that I had to back up.

I finally got a few individual pictures of the children by pointing my camera one direction and then quickly turning to capture a picture of a child in a total different direction.

While I was at the school I tried to upload the Run-Off Restaurant Video to YouTube and kept getting an error message after several attempts. I ended up waiting till I got back to the states to upload the video. The problem turned out to be that the account was fully registered.

Part of the GVSU group got a turn of the school while I was there so I tagged along on their tour and took pictures of them for the Challenging Heights Facebook page.

 

Swedish Dignitaries Visit Hovde House

Friday, June 28, 2013

Today I rode with James to Hovde House. Several Sweden dignitaries were visiting for a few hours and during that time they toured Hovde House, Challenging Heights School and the Run-Off Restaurant. I photographed the whole visit.

Hovde House is where the children who have been rescued from slavery in the fishing village go for their rehabilitation. The length of time that they stay varies on the child. It could be a few months or a year or more.

I was touched by my visit to Hovde House and I had trouble falling asleep back at Lagoon Lodge that evening as I thought of the children I met that day. One of the dignitaries asked James why there was such a difference in the number of girls to boys in residence at Hovde House. There were 30 boys and six girls. James explained that the slave masters prefer the boys for the fishing tasks. They get the boys young. A five-year old boy is a lot easier to control than a 15-year old or older boy. So the slave masters buy some girls to keep the older boys happy. The girls end up doing the fishing tasks as well as serving as sex slaves.

 

 

Elmina Castle

Saturday, June 29, 2013

The outing to Elmina Castle was the pinnacle of my trip to Ghana on several levels. I had been here for three weeks, developed friendship and gained confidence in getting around. So I organized the outing and invited Jackie, Natalie and Nicola. I arranged with Gideon the taxi driver, to pick all of us at Lagoon Lodge and take us to Elmina Castle. The cost for the whole day for his taxi service was 80 cedis which we split among the four of us along with buying Gideon’s lunch. I thought it was a very reasonable outing. In the end, I paid less for the taxi for the whole day to Elmina Castle then I did for the tro-tros and taxi I took for my first trip with Amy to the Canopy Walk.

Elmina Castle was our primary destination for the day. It cost 19 cedis to get in and another 20 cedis for the right to take pictures. We were also expected to tip the guide and pay a fee to use the bathroom.  But it was worth it. I took tons of pictures of the Castle, the boats, the river, and the ocean. My hardest task now will be narrowing down which photos I will share.

 

 

 

 

 

Some Random Thoughts

While I was in Ghana, I used MTN as my internet connection. It was convenient. It really made me appreciate our internet connection at home though. The Challenging Heights office had wireless but only enough for five people.

Upon arriving I had paid for a month worth of interest from MTN. That came in very handing for both the office and at the lodge. The lodge had internet but I was never able to connect and the office was always needed by others. So though MTN was a lot slower than home, it became my connection to home and my connection to the work I did for Challenging Heights.

To use the MTN internet connection, I had a usb device that I plugged into my computer it was then my connection to the internet. The speed varied, as you can see from the various screen shots I took of the MTN Pocket Internet panel.

Thoughts on Souvenirs

I’m not much into buying souvenirs. My souvenirs are my pictures and memories that I bring home. But I did buy some fabric and I wish I had bought more. It is so beautiful.

The first fabric I bought was a beautiful blue and white, which I got at Cape Coast. I purchased two yards for 20 cedis. There was a second purple and white fabric but the vendor was not willing to negotiate if I bought the two. Gideon advised me that the vendor was asking a lot more than what I would pay in Winneba. So I bought only blue one because I was definitely taken with it.

The second piece of fabric which I bought was from Winneba along one of the streets not too far from the lodge. It was predominantly orange and complimented the blue fabric which I had already bought. I got two yards for 10 cedis.

 

***

A new point of view

I truly believe that this international volunteer experience for staff adds to Grinnell College’s rich tapestry and commitment to social justice. Right before I left for the trip, I happened to meet Larry Asante Boateng through email. He was an incoming first-year student from Ghana. After exchanging a few emails, my husband and I checked with Larry to see if we could ask the Office of International Student Affairs to pair us with him in the host family program.

Suddenly I was viewing Ghana and home with a new point of view. As I walked the streets of Winneba, making friends, eating the food, melting in the heat, and seeing the sites, I thought of Larry. This was his home; this is where he comes from. I thought how different the streets of Grinnell are to the streets of Winneba and I was suddenly thinking how Grinnell must appear to Larry and other international students. Our streets must look like a ghost town at times compared to how alive the streets in Winneba were.

As I experimented with eating unusual dishes, I thought about how though I liked the food; I was missing the food I was familiar with; I was missing my husband and his cooking; I was missing home. Suddenly I was appreciating what Larry would go through when he arrived at Grinnell and what all our international students go through every year.

Now that I am home, it has been wonderful introducing Larry to Iowa but at I have also been more aware of how he might be missing home and what is familiar to him. It has been Robert’s and my pleasure to try making Ghanaian dishes with Larry in order to bring a little of home to him.

My time in Ghana was a wonderful experience… not only was I able to volunteer at Challenging Heights I gained wonderful friends, I learned about myself and I gained a greater appreciation of what our students go through when they come to Grinnell, leaving all that is familiar behind.

 

Meet Larry:

 

 

Grand Valley State University Volunteers at Run-Off Restaurant

Part of my time with Challenging Heights has involved creating a video showcasing the Run-Off Restaurant and Bar. Run-Off is a business for charity. 100% of the income from Run-Off Restaurant goes to support the education of children.

The restaurant was set up for the purpose of raising funds for Challenging Heights which is a charity that supports the development and education of children in Ghana. If you would like to find out more about Challenging Heights, visit www.challengingheights.org.

In order to get the pictures for the video I had the opportunity to eat at Run-Off a few times and found the food delicious. I was hoping to be able to include the link to the video I created but unfortunately, I have tried twice to upload it to Youtube and twice it has errored-out. I will try again tomorrow from the Challenging Heights School because the internet is supposed to be faster there. Once I get it successfully posted, I will include the link.

On Monday, I got to meet an awesome group of volunteers from Grand Valley State University in Michigan. They attended the orientation session at the Challenging Heights Office and then we all headed over to Run-Off for lunch.

A lot of the dishes that Run-Off offers were tried by the GVSU gang. Below are a few of them. More pictures can also be found from the day on Facebook.

Fish with yam chips. The fish had a chip in his mouth.

Spaghetti Bologaise

Ghanian version of Macaroni Cheese

Chicken with fried rice and plantain

Chicken vegetable fried rice. (My dish)

 

 

Tuesday morning ramblings

This brush was along my walk this morning and I thought the combination of the flowers and seed pods was nice.

It’s a very hot muggy morning. I mentioned that it was a muggy day to the taxi driver and I realized that he didn’t know what that meant when he asked me what kind of day is muggy. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any breeze either so the windows in the office which usually let in a nice breeze are no help at cooling me off now that I have arrived.

I think some of the taxi drivers are beginning to recognize my route because today’s driver came and found me on campus. Not all taxis can come onto campus. They have to have special stickers. But today’s pulled up beside me when I was only half way toward the location where I usually picked up a taxi. I told him I wanted a shared taxi and he said, “This is a shared taxi.” I was the first one to be picked up so I was lucky to get the front seat.

I’ve been trying to capture some videos while riding in the front seat of the drive to or from the office. Each taxi has various things hanging from their rear view mirror and on the window so it can be a challenge to video around them. I don’t think my morning effort was very successful because he had a flag on his window that kept waving in front of the lens. Maybe this afternoon will be better, if I can get the front seat, because Tuesday is Market day so the streets will be full of activity and life. I would love to capture that flavor in video.

I think some kind of weather is coming in because I woke up with a headache and I have a feeling it’s because of the barometric pressure.

The campus caretakers were out in full force this morning and I took some time to photograph them. I saw one power lawnmower but I also saw at least four men who were mowing the lawns with machetes. One had a stick that held him up as he bent to chop the grass.

Because I was picked up by the taxi sooner than usual, I also got to the office sooner than usual. So while I wait for someone to arrive who had a key, I took the opportunity to use my tripod and self-time to take a self-portrait.

 

Aches and Pains

Friday started out as any other day. I had oatmeal for breakfast and water. I met with David right before lunch to discuss a project he wanted to me do and we ended up working through lunch. I had a small package of animal biscuits and then a granola bar. By 1 pm things started moving out the back end and by 2 pm I was feeling nauseous as well.

So I told Carly I wasn’t feeling well and caught the taxi to the south campus entrance. Now the walk from the south campus entrance to Lagoon Lodge takes at least 15 minutes. Unfortunately, I hit it about the time the school children were getting out and they all wanted to stop and talk to me. While trying to be polite I tried to keep moving toward my desired destination which was the bathroom in my room.

I did make it in time. While sitting on the toilet taking care of business, I suddenly could not hold my stomach contents anymore either. Fortunately, there is a bucket right next to the toilet that I use to wash clothes. So I had things coming out both ends at the same time. After several hours of that, I decided that maybe it was time to start the traveler’s diarrhea medicine. At 8 pm I took the first dose and that was the last of the problem with both ends.

The label on the medicine says it might make you sleepy. I believe it because I pretty much slept all day on Saturday. I barely ate anything either. I had a milo which is like hot chocolate but fortified for breakfast and for supper and I tried to eat fried rice for lunch. I barely touched a quarter of the serving but it was a start.

Sunday morning I woke up at 4 am feeling pretty good. I needed to go to the bathroom so I got out of bed and stepped into a puddle of water. At first I thought that maybe my water bottle had fallen over and spilled on the floor but once I turned on the light I realized that the whole floor was covered in at least a quarter inch of water. After doing some investigating, I found that the toilet tank had over-flowed and was still leaking water into the room. Obviously the float had not shut off the refill correctly.

I went in search of Lodge staff but found none at that early hour. I did however find a mop and a bucket which I promptly took up to my room to see if I could start solving the problem myself. After working on it an hour, drenched in sweat and having emptied the bucket four times, I was wishing I had my shopvac from back home.

At 5 pm, I finally found staff and explained my situation to him. He left and returned with toilet paper. He obviously didn’t understand the problem. So I took him to my room and showed him. Then he understood and began taking over where I had left off. 

Fortunately for me, I didn’t have too much sitting on the floor so nothing was irreparably damaged. Now I’m sore in my neck and shoulders and I’m reminding myself that I was feeling good at 4 am so I have to attribute my aches and pains to the labor that I had done for an hour.

I’m hoping to go for a walk later today.

Taxis, guys and cultural tidbits

Let me tell you a little about the taxi system. From what I read, about 80 percent of the cars are taxis and from what I’ve seen, I believe it. You can get a drop taxi which is more expensive that takes you from point A to point B or you can get a shared taxi that runs a large circle route and it is either heading north or south at any given moment.  A shared taxi costs 60 pesewas and can carry up to four passengers at a time. This morning’s ride felt a little tight by the time the driver picked up the fourth passenger but people get in and out throughout the circle route.

For the most part, the drivers have not made me nervous with their driving. I have only had two drivers where I have seriously considered telling them my stop was way earlier then was it was just to get out of the car. They are the drivers that ride the bumper of the car in front of them, zip out as soon as there is an opening whether it is safe or not and seemed to be totally impatient. Fortunately, as I mentioned, so far I’ve only had two of those drivers.

This morning, the driver met me at the top of the South Campus gate hill, I hopped in and said “HFC Bank” and he said, “I know, I know.” I guess he has picked me up before in the morning.

***

I'm washing my right hand in prep for eating with it.

 A little about customs… You only eat with your right hand and if you order a dish that is eaten with the hand, they bring you a bowl of water, soap and a towel to wash the right hand. It is also considered rude to hand or take anything to or from someone with the left hand. I try to remember that and they are forgiving of foreigners but it is hard to remember to take and give the change with the same hand.

***

Robert may not know it but I’ve been using him as a somewhat successful shield against being hit on by guys. Ghana guys have no qualms hitting on women. No matter what size or age. So when they ask me for my email, phone number, Facebook info, I just tell them I’m married and show them my ring, and say that my husband wouldn't like me giving that information out. Today my waiter at lunch was extra persistent and wanted to know why my husband wouldn't like me giving my phone number to him.

It's not as bad for me as it is for the 20 something volunteers but I’m still getting hit on. Amy, one of my volunteer friends, bought a gold band and started wearing it yesterday just to try to slow them down a bit. She said she hates having to lie to them but it gets tiring.

Wednesday was a rainy day in Winneba. It was pouring early in the morning but by the time I was walking to the junction where I usually catch a taxi, it was just a drizzle. I had an umbrella with me but the little bit of rain hitting my arm felt good so I didn’t pull the umbrella out.

The driveway of the Challenging Heights Office was a lake when I arrived. They have boards balanced on blocks to walk over the water and mud. With my camera bag on my back and my computer case on my shoulder, it was very precarious traversing the distance. The green building is the Challenging Heights office building where I work when I’m not at functions taking pictures.  This picture was taken at lunch and the water had receded considerably by then.

Wednesday evening several volunteers got together for a farewell dinner with Kelsey who was flying back to the states on Thursday. We all met at a Chop Bar at 6 pm. Chop Bars are the local eating establishment and we had gotten waakye (rice with beans) a couple time before at this one. According to those in the know, the waakye (pronounced waa chay) is some of the best you could get.

 

After we all made our waakye or jollof purchases we walked over to a fruit stand and Carly bought a fresh pineapple and a fresh mango. The vendor cut them with a small machete looking knife right there and put them in a plastic back for us to take with us. We walked the 20 minutes to one of the volunteer lodges known as Emanuels to enjoy our meal together.

The walk from Emanuels to Lagoon lodge took Kelsey, Amy and myself about 30 minutes but the evening was cool with nice ocean breezes so it wasn’t too bad.

This is the fruit stand that Carlie purchased fresh pineapple and mango for us. Both were delicious.

 

The streets are alive in the evening. There was a long line for the chop bar that we got our food from.

 

 

Trip to Senya

Today I rode over to Senya with two Challenging Heights’ staff to take pictures of a training session that they were leading for Child Protection Workers regarding recognizing and preventing Child Trafficking.

 Let me tell you first a little about Ghana time. If someone says they will meet you at a certain time, it usually means a half hour to an hour later. So the driver this morning was supposed to pick me up at 8 am he showed up at 8:40 am.  We then picked up David and Steven, the Challenging Heights gentlemen and headed down the road to Senya.

 The road to get to and from Senya was pretty much what we would call back home a B-grade road. The driver did an excellent job of avoiding the potholes though. At one point, he was on the left side in order to miss all the pot holes on the right side and a truck was coming from the other direction, also on the left side. I began to feel like they might be playing a game of chicken. Fortunately, our driver moved over to the right lane just in time.

 We arrived at the Senya Council Building about 10 am. I have learned to ask where the bathroom is before I need it. So one of the local gentlemen took me out of the building; down a dirt path; tried a locked gate (it was locked); kept leading me down the path; around another building; over some rocks; around another building; and finally to another gate. Inside there were girls with sewing machines and he asked them if I could use their bathroom. It was a very nice bathroom with a flush toilet. Even through when I asked him about the bathroom, I didn't need to go, by the time were we done with the hike, I figured I had better make the trip worthwhile.

 

I think the program went very well judging from the animated conversation and questions. I didn’t understand it because everyone was speaking Fante.

 

Since I'm dozing as I try to create this blog, I think I will call it a night.

 

For additional photos, check out my most recent facebook album.