Soo, I am in Takoradi right now in the Western Region of Ghana. I am staying here for one week on what PC calls Site Visit. I am living in what will be my house for the next 2 years, and may i say, i have got the HOOK UP! I traveled from Kukurantumi Saturday with my Supervisor and Counterpart to Kwesimintim (the suburb of Takoradi where my house is specifically). Of course, as is the way in Ghana, we made a stop at a wedding in Accra, and didn't get to my house until 9pm. (we should've arrived at 2 or 3 at the latest.) There was no power, so I was a little weirded out that first night, but the next morning it was worth it. I have a 2 bedroom house on the 2nd story in a compound house. I have a flush toilet, a shower (!), a kitchen with a sink and a propane stove and a fridge ( tho i havent gotten the fridge to work yet and i don't have gas for the stove). I have my own bedroom with a queen size bed, and a living room with a couch, 4 chairs, a desk, a tv and a dvd player... Unbelievable. But my fave part of the house is the balcony! It opens from my bedroom and the living room and its got a great view. It's wayy more than i ever expected, and i won't mind living here for two years. The office is a 30 min cab ride but thats not too bad. I was at the office this morning and met everyone, just still trying to decide where I can be used and how i will be of the most help. Also working on figuring out some of my own projects. And I have FULL phone service here so that is soo nice. I am only here until friday, then i travel back to Maase and stay 2 more weeks with my host family. I swear-in as an official PCV on August 13th. Then i move back here and stay for 2 years. Crazy! Anyway, I've only been here one day so I still have a lot to see and i"m just trying to find my way around and get comfortable. But i made friends with a neighbor so she's been fun and great in helping me out.
I miss you and it was great to be able to talk to you last night. Hope you can set up that skype thing. I'll let you know if i find out more.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Obama!!!
i'm currently trying to watch the youtube videos and i can only see the first 4 seconds but it's so cute! they are getting soo big!
so not too much news, except that....
I GOT TO STAND 2 FEET FROM OBAMA AND I SHOOK MICHELLE's HAND !!!!!!!!!!!!
yup. it was unreal. all of us trainees and some of the current pcvs went to the embassy in ghana and took busses over to kotoka international airport where airforce one was waiting on the runway. Obama and the fam came to ghana on friday night and spent saturday touring elmina castle in cape coast where the slaves were shipped from. then he spoke at parliament and then before he left ghana he gave a small speech at the airport. since we are in peace corps we were allowed to stand in the VIP area on the tarmac. we were set up about 6 feet from the podium. around 6pm he arrived in a helicopter and got into a car and was driven up to the podium. the president of ghana was there to introduce him, John Atta Mills. Then Obama gave a 30 minute speech in which he mentioned Peace Corps 3 times!!! We all cheered when he said it. I have some amazing pics! After the speech he went and shook hands with us in the VIP section. I couldn't get to him, but I saw him 1 foot from where i was standing. Then Michele went around and in the midst of chaos she shook my hand!!!!!! she had a light grip, and her hand was cold and skinny! I LOVE michele, wayy more than i like obama, so it was perfect! Several of my other trainees actually got to shake his hand and say something to him. SO then they boarded Air Force One and waved goodbye and we watched the plane fly away. It was epic!
i'll try to get my pics up, but its like trying to break into fort knox. im working on it tho.
and i still havent been able to see my new nephew! facebook is a hassle. could you possibly email them to me at my gmail account? maybe that would be better.
in other news, all is well in ghana. im thinking i could get a new cell provider and maybe then verizon would be able to contact me. or you could just try calling cards. or skype.
one of the families in maase has puppies and i went to go play with them today. they're only 2 weeks old and theyre soooo adorable. when i go to site visit im going to scope it out and see if it would be possible for me to have a pet. if so, then im gonna take this one thats a girl, shes white, brown and white and shes my favorite of the litter. im so excited! ive never had a dog!!!
ok, my hour is up. much love.
so not too much news, except that....
I GOT TO STAND 2 FEET FROM OBAMA AND I SHOOK MICHELLE's HAND !!!!!!!!!!!!
yup. it was unreal. all of us trainees and some of the current pcvs went to the embassy in ghana and took busses over to kotoka international airport where airforce one was waiting on the runway. Obama and the fam came to ghana on friday night and spent saturday touring elmina castle in cape coast where the slaves were shipped from. then he spoke at parliament and then before he left ghana he gave a small speech at the airport. since we are in peace corps we were allowed to stand in the VIP area on the tarmac. we were set up about 6 feet from the podium. around 6pm he arrived in a helicopter and got into a car and was driven up to the podium. the president of ghana was there to introduce him, John Atta Mills. Then Obama gave a 30 minute speech in which he mentioned Peace Corps 3 times!!! We all cheered when he said it. I have some amazing pics! After the speech he went and shook hands with us in the VIP section. I couldn't get to him, but I saw him 1 foot from where i was standing. Then Michele went around and in the midst of chaos she shook my hand!!!!!! she had a light grip, and her hand was cold and skinny! I LOVE michele, wayy more than i like obama, so it was perfect! Several of my other trainees actually got to shake his hand and say something to him. SO then they boarded Air Force One and waved goodbye and we watched the plane fly away. It was epic!
i'll try to get my pics up, but its like trying to break into fort knox. im working on it tho.
and i still havent been able to see my new nephew! facebook is a hassle. could you possibly email them to me at my gmail account? maybe that would be better.
in other news, all is well in ghana. im thinking i could get a new cell provider and maybe then verizon would be able to contact me. or you could just try calling cards. or skype.
one of the families in maase has puppies and i went to go play with them today. they're only 2 weeks old and theyre soooo adorable. when i go to site visit im going to scope it out and see if it would be possible for me to have a pet. if so, then im gonna take this one thats a girl, shes white, brown and white and shes my favorite of the litter. im so excited! ive never had a dog!!!
ok, my hour is up. much love.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
YAY!
Dominic is here! yay!!! i wish i could see him! im so glad everything went ok and you're both healthy. you'll have to send me some pics asap. (thanks julz for lettin me know.) i really hope you guys figure out how to call me! i want to call but im broke... im livin on less than $2/day. so please please please call me! everyone here is very happy about my new nephew and send their blessings to you!!
today is the last day of field trip. it was such a great time and im sad its over. it was nice just to get away from things and not be assaulted with twi and obruni calls 24/7. we stayed at a really beautiful place in volta region called mt. paradise resort. and it was paradise!! it was on top of a mountain and it was quiet and relaxing and gorgeous. we went on a hike one morning and i was expecting it to be a little challenging but it was 4 hours of scaling a mountain on slippery wet cliffs. needless to say i was scared. but it was worth it. we hiked down to a waterfall with a swimming hole, but to get there you had to rappelle off of a rockface down 10 meters. so here i am scared to death holding onto a rope and rapelling down a cliff. but omg it was worth it. it looked like the scene of an herbal essence commercial. the waterfall flowing down in a mountain paradise. we all stood under the waterfall and went swimming. it was definitely something i'll remember for the rest of my life. and then i was able to climb back up so it was even better! that hike was the hardest hike ive ever been on and especially hard in the african sun in the middle of the day. but im glad i did it. later that night we had some palm wine and i had a lesson on how to play djembes (drums) by our guide for the hike. he was a good teacher and it was so much fun!
we are halfway done with training now and only 2 and a half weeks to go until site visit!! so then ill get to see where ill be living and what ill be doing for the next two years.
so it's back to maase, and back to homestay for now. peace and love.
today is the last day of field trip. it was such a great time and im sad its over. it was nice just to get away from things and not be assaulted with twi and obruni calls 24/7. we stayed at a really beautiful place in volta region called mt. paradise resort. and it was paradise!! it was on top of a mountain and it was quiet and relaxing and gorgeous. we went on a hike one morning and i was expecting it to be a little challenging but it was 4 hours of scaling a mountain on slippery wet cliffs. needless to say i was scared. but it was worth it. we hiked down to a waterfall with a swimming hole, but to get there you had to rappelle off of a rockface down 10 meters. so here i am scared to death holding onto a rope and rapelling down a cliff. but omg it was worth it. it looked like the scene of an herbal essence commercial. the waterfall flowing down in a mountain paradise. we all stood under the waterfall and went swimming. it was definitely something i'll remember for the rest of my life. and then i was able to climb back up so it was even better! that hike was the hardest hike ive ever been on and especially hard in the african sun in the middle of the day. but im glad i did it. later that night we had some palm wine and i had a lesson on how to play djembes (drums) by our guide for the hike. he was a good teacher and it was so much fun!
we are halfway done with training now and only 2 and a half weeks to go until site visit!! so then ill get to see where ill be living and what ill be doing for the next two years.
so it's back to maase, and back to homestay for now. peace and love.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Hellooo!! my cell phone seems to be more of a tease than a useful device. Reception is very limited so if the calls arent going through thats probably why. in any case, please keep trying! i miss you guys and want to hear your voices!
last night while i was bathing outside i heard some scary animal noises rooting round outside where i was standing. then just when i peeked out 3 little piglets ran in and surrounded me. i had to chase them out!
ghana is cool. i was walking the other day and passed a mosque and an apostolic church right next to eachother. living in harmony. gotta love that.
i was discussing politics with my 17 year old sister. gotta love that too. in a country where girls don't go to school in some areas, she not only speaks great english but she wants to be a nurse or an actress.
i asked her what she thought would happen when ghana starts to make money off their offshore oil. she said the country will only see 10% of the profits. the other 90% will go to the company drilling it. i asked if she thought people would get mad and start to fight, like in nigeria and so many other countries. she said "NOO. ghanaians think war is a dirty game and we are a peaceful country. we do not want to fight. we will instead have discussions." Amazing. no wonder Obama picked Ghana to be his first african country to visit, rather than his fathers country Kenya, or Nigeria.
i'm trying to post some pics right now. ill let you know how that goes.
ok, if you want to send some things id like shampoo, proactiv cleanser, books, magazines, candy, anything really.
PLEASE try to call me when Dom is born!!!! wish i could be there. i leave for fieldtrip this weekend until weds so i might have service! miss you. peace.
last night while i was bathing outside i heard some scary animal noises rooting round outside where i was standing. then just when i peeked out 3 little piglets ran in and surrounded me. i had to chase them out!
ghana is cool. i was walking the other day and passed a mosque and an apostolic church right next to eachother. living in harmony. gotta love that.
i was discussing politics with my 17 year old sister. gotta love that too. in a country where girls don't go to school in some areas, she not only speaks great english but she wants to be a nurse or an actress.
i asked her what she thought would happen when ghana starts to make money off their offshore oil. she said the country will only see 10% of the profits. the other 90% will go to the company drilling it. i asked if she thought people would get mad and start to fight, like in nigeria and so many other countries. she said "NOO. ghanaians think war is a dirty game and we are a peaceful country. we do not want to fight. we will instead have discussions." Amazing. no wonder Obama picked Ghana to be his first african country to visit, rather than his fathers country Kenya, or Nigeria.
i'm trying to post some pics right now. ill let you know how that goes.
ok, if you want to send some things id like shampoo, proactiv cleanser, books, magazines, candy, anything really.
PLEASE try to call me when Dom is born!!!! wish i could be there. i leave for fieldtrip this weekend until weds so i might have service! miss you. peace.
15 Fun(ny) Facts About Ghana
(From an Obruni's Perspective)
1. It never gets old to scream "Obruni" over and over again- sometimes for five or more minutes. This applies to both children and adults.
2. Depending on the time of day, you will be greeted by these fun friends in the latrine:
Night- Cockroaches. And not the Jersey cockroaches, these are at least 4 ins. in length
Midday- Flies- you'll hear them buzzing from 10 ft. away
Dawn/Dusk- Lizards
3. It is not unusual to see a child as young as 3 carrying another child on their backs, while hauling a 20 lb. load of firewood on their heads.
4. Obama is a superhero to all Ghanaians. One fellow PCV was asked what Obama will do if he 'runs into' Osama Bin Laden while visiting Ghana... apparently they know something we don't!
5. Celine Dion is also a superhero from America. (I didn't bother with the Canada thing.)
6. Clothing is optional and breastfeeding is a public event. One day I saw a woman feeding twins- one on each breast! I proceeded to buy soap from her.
7. If a taxi is meant to hold 4 people, the driver won't leave until there are at least seven sweaty passengers crammed in. This applies to all transport in Ghana.
8. On a hot day (which is everyday) the windows in all vehicles are rolled up. Who needs to breathe?
9. There is a gang of roosters that has decided that I should not be allowed to sleep, and enjoy hanging out under my bedroom window. Also, roosters cock-a-doodle-doo at ALL hours, not just daybreak.
10. People spray paint their animals to tell which ones belong to them. It is not unusual to see pink chickens or blue goats wandering around town.
11. All food must be made into a sticky, tasteless mush before Ghanaians will eat it. Hours will be spent in this two person labor of pounding plantains, cassava, yams, corn, wheat, rice...EVERYTHING. And since there are no utensils it must be served boiling hot to burn your obrunis fingers and raise their already elevated body temperatures. This includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
12. There is no social etiquette to cell phones. Everyone has one and will answer in all situations, even church.
13. It's not unusual to be riding in a tro-tro that has a "Jesus Saves" sticker on the back window and a marijuana sticker on the front while listening to Akon blaring.
14. Although English is the national language and most Ghanaians can speak it, it is expected that all obrunis be fluent in whichever one of the 70+ languages your town speaks.
15. You have not lived until you've taken a cold bucket bath under a palm-fringed African sky and watched the stars twinkle.
1. It never gets old to scream "Obruni" over and over again- sometimes for five or more minutes. This applies to both children and adults.
2. Depending on the time of day, you will be greeted by these fun friends in the latrine:
Night- Cockroaches. And not the Jersey cockroaches, these are at least 4 ins. in length
Midday- Flies- you'll hear them buzzing from 10 ft. away
Dawn/Dusk- Lizards
3. It is not unusual to see a child as young as 3 carrying another child on their backs, while hauling a 20 lb. load of firewood on their heads.
4. Obama is a superhero to all Ghanaians. One fellow PCV was asked what Obama will do if he 'runs into' Osama Bin Laden while visiting Ghana... apparently they know something we don't!
5. Celine Dion is also a superhero from America. (I didn't bother with the Canada thing.)
6. Clothing is optional and breastfeeding is a public event. One day I saw a woman feeding twins- one on each breast! I proceeded to buy soap from her.
7. If a taxi is meant to hold 4 people, the driver won't leave until there are at least seven sweaty passengers crammed in. This applies to all transport in Ghana.
8. On a hot day (which is everyday) the windows in all vehicles are rolled up. Who needs to breathe?
9. There is a gang of roosters that has decided that I should not be allowed to sleep, and enjoy hanging out under my bedroom window. Also, roosters cock-a-doodle-doo at ALL hours, not just daybreak.
10. People spray paint their animals to tell which ones belong to them. It is not unusual to see pink chickens or blue goats wandering around town.
11. All food must be made into a sticky, tasteless mush before Ghanaians will eat it. Hours will be spent in this two person labor of pounding plantains, cassava, yams, corn, wheat, rice...EVERYTHING. And since there are no utensils it must be served boiling hot to burn your obrunis fingers and raise their already elevated body temperatures. This includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
12. There is no social etiquette to cell phones. Everyone has one and will answer in all situations, even church.
13. It's not unusual to be riding in a tro-tro that has a "Jesus Saves" sticker on the back window and a marijuana sticker on the front while listening to Akon blaring.
14. Although English is the national language and most Ghanaians can speak it, it is expected that all obrunis be fluent in whichever one of the 70+ languages your town speaks.
15. You have not lived until you've taken a cold bucket bath under a palm-fringed African sky and watched the stars twinkle.
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