December 28, 2010 After-thoughts

This may well be my last blog entry. Above are pictures from Christmas Eve: My daughter Ivy, son Jeremiah and his wife Liz all at my house in Harrisburg, North Carolina. The second photo is the women in Jeremiah's life, decorating the Christmas tree: Ivy, Liz carrying my future granddaughter Malea, and me decorating my beloved Christmas tree, which Jeremiah had up when we came from the airport last week.

I just reread some of my earlier blog entries, and realized how poorly I described the photos I attached during my stay in Ghana. Too late now. . . . I still have no idea why some were huge and others small. Like so many things in life, by the time we understand what we are doing, the task is over.

Some of my initial adjustments back to “Normal America”:

Going out and truly blending in a crowd.

Realizing the hot water knob at the sink will actually get you warm water.

Travelling on a road without bracing for the holes or sudden swerves.

Not needing to put ant chalk around the legs of my bed.

Turning on a light switch and being able to read anywhere in the room, any time of day.

Street signs and maps (they do exist)

Seeing hamburger and not wondering how many bone chips would be in the “minced meat”.

Washing laundry without first checking the water pressure.

Feeling really, really cold (on the airplane). Before taking off I’d  zipped up my windbreaker, snuggled in the flimsy blanket, and wished I put on three pairs of my baggy slacks before boarding.

Realizing I can buy slacks or jeans that really fit (not hiring the local seamstress to make something out of material I bought with no concept of what the clothes would look like). None of my winter clothes fit me since I dropped three sizes from not eating much. I now have basic khaki and black slacks and one pair of jeans. Hurray!

Going  to a grocery store and having options.

Making beef stew and not needing to cook the meat at least four hours before adding vegetables.

Buying eggs in the store and having the yolks be other than pale, pale yellow (almost white).

Baking cookies on big baking sheets and setting the oven at an actual temperature.  Actually being able to fit a large cake pan in the oven is great.

Watching television shows on my computer that are less than six months old (I don’t have a television yet) and not on a DVD.

Being able to call people without first checking if I have any service available.

Taking a shower and letting the water run continuously.

Seeing a cockroach or spider and knowing it can’t hide in any crack in the floor & walls.

Not being glad to see a little lizard in the bathroom, because you don’t need it to eat mosquitos.

Mailing belated Christmas cards and a post office and expecting it to actually get there.

Having a mailbox to expect mail (haven’t gotten any delivered here yet).

Running a humidifier because it’s dry inside a heated house.

Being able to go someplace without walking a mile, finding an overcrowded tro-tro, or haggling with the taxi driver over a price before you even get in. The decadence of having my own car!

And on that note I will thank God for allowing me the opportunity to experience Ghana and return home safely. I hope I can retain some of what I learned about myself and about God's great love for us.

Happy New Year, my friends and family!

As always,  

Diann

Dec 19 Wli Waterfalls in Volta Region

Saturday, December 18  After visiting the Tafi Monkey Sanctuary we next went to Wli Waterfalls in the Volta Region. Like the Boti Waterfalls, this was a very high natural wonder set back in an area not found easily. The path through the rain forest was dry and wide, and through the trees you could see beautiful views at times, and always lots of lush growth nearby. I chose the easier path to the lower falls. Christy and Brittany wanted to hike the more rugged path up to the upper falls, at least a one hour uphill trip to get there. In about 15 minutes I was enjoying a spectacular view that again could not fit in a single photo. Near the middle of the falls I could see some movement to the left I thought to be small birds in their nesting area; I later learned it was bats.

Some people had chosen to go swimming at the falls, but me who was told to brush my teeth only with filtered or bottled water wasn’t even going to touch the water! At the bottom of the falls there was a pretty rainbow that arched the splash of the water from the falls. It was so serene, and I took lots of photos.

 After I’d been there about half an hour, William came to guide me back and tell me about some of the uses of the plants we passed. It was interesting to learn how some leaves and vines were used to make the roof of a hut or basic home in the country. Of course some plants were used for medicines, and some for cash crops like cola nuts or palm oil (tapped from downed trees; see photo). There were some great views through the undergrowth, but much of it reminded me of a stream in the woods back in Pennsylvania. Of course the “woods” in Ghana aren’t all tall trees fighting with each other to be the tallest; a few trees at least a hundred yards apart may be very tall, and the understory will have medium height trees also not so crowded until you get to the undergrowth. The ground wasn’t all swampy like I assumed, the path was just packed dirt with no weeds. When we got back to the van I was glad to find a place to buy some bottled water and consume about a quart in one gulp.

Brittany got tired before they reached the top, so the two of them were back before 5 p.m. I was glad I hadn’t attempted it; I was tired enough when we reached the hotel where we had reservations. Like the place at the beach, I realized quickly this was no five star lodging when I saw there was no top sheet or air conditioning. When we went to the restaurant for dinner, there was no menu, and they served no beverages (luckily there was a bar not far from the restaurant section of the hotel). William went to stay with his parents, and picked us up the next morning around 7a.m. He was surprising his wife by bringing his mother-in-law and one of her other grandchildren with him, so our van was not so empty on the way back to Accra.

We got back home around 11, and Christy started baking up a storm. She had invited the children in our neighborhood (mostly children whose parents worked for the homeowners in the neighborhood). Every other Tuesday after school Christy has a “Bible study” for little children: they sing action songs, act out a bible story we narrate, and get snacks before Christy allows them to read children’s books her church back in the states has donated. There are usually 30 to 40 children that come (I’ve sent photos in one of my first blog entries). Well, she and Brittany started baking cakes and making popcorn while I began my packing and cleaning, and honestly I hadn’t expected to go out until I heard a LOT of noise outside my window. There were over eighty kids! I did go out to help lead songs and do crowd control while Christy assigned roles for the narration of the Birth of Christ story. William came in the school’s bus to pick me up around 6:30, and it took most of the three hours to get to my gate for a 9:35 departure. It was not a simple reversal of the procedure of getting to Ghana, and the plane was packed.  I froze on the twelve plus hours to Atlanta, and had a well established cold by the time I deplaned in Charlotte.

But I’m home again, and enjoyed several days of Jeremiah and Liz visiting, and Ivy joining us to make Christmas cookies and exchange gifts before the snow accumulated Christmas night. It is a white wonderland now, less than a week since I landed on American soil again. I hope to write one more time to note the adjustments I notice first. But meanwhile, Merry Christmas season lasts through the Epiphany for me, so I wish you Peace and Joy in the simple things of life, in God’s grace.

Until my next entry,

Diann

Dec 19 Monkey Sanctuary & Mt Gemi in Volta Region

Now for the entry I should have typed last Sunday, the 19^th of December, after coming home from the last of my adventures in Ghana.  Early Saturday morning William, the other driver the Crosby’s employ, came to pick us up. Happily when my downstairs housemate, Christy, came home Friday with her visiting friend Brittany, they decided to join me  for  a trip to Volta mountain region of Ghana, about four hours’ drive north of Accra. Again we went in the school van, so had plenty of room to spread out and even lie down if we wanted.

We passed many  towns with colorful market day crowds, and poor villages with mud huts and thatched rooves at best.  As expected the roads mostly rutted with “potholes” that might be three feet deep, so the drivers swerve all over the road to try to spare the vehicles.  Even the best driver (and passengers) will still come home with black & blue marks from banging into the doors or seat edges. I’ve still got a big bruise on my left arm from when I was lying down to spare my back, and I hit the back of the seat in front of me.  But the scenery was worth it, beautiful open areas, with trees of various sizes, with mountains  rising in the distance. We first went to Gemi  Mountain, one of the tallest in the country. Since this was William’s hometown he knew how to get close to the top before we had to hike the last bit.  It was a spectacular view to look down and see different towns, and some fields even, and the lake & rivers connecting. Of course it is Africa, and a hot hike, but when a breeze came by on our way down, Christy took a picture of me with my arms spread enjoying the breeze completely.  Like most tourists, I’d learned to take along lots of water and a few sandwiches for food, so we took a break for lunch before next heading to the monkey sanctuary near HoHoe.

These places I was fortunate enough to see are not like American tourist attractions. No big tourist brochures or signs telling you how to find them (or that they even exist). This was a small village about the size of my church campus, on the edge of a jungle. The “guide” was dressed casually and spoke excellent English, giving us small bananas and telling us about the village history and how they came to consider the small monkeys sacred (now an endangered species) and protected them.  Two large busses of school children had just left, so the monkeys were not as hungry and didn’t care to come out in droves. About fifteen or twenty monkeys of the 300 came out  and got acquainted.  If I held the banana unpeeled as the guide demonstrated, a few came right up to peel part of the banana and grab a piece before scampering off. I made the kissing sound like they make, and eventually they gently climbed up my leg and sat on my forearm to get some of the banana. It was so neat, and I could have stayed there an hour, but the peels did start getting me messy and we had other places to see. I sent one picture with my last blog entry, and I’ll send another now probably.  I have hundreds of pictures, and I have a hard time choosing only four per entry, so I’ll sign off before telling about Wli Waterfall  and the rest of my last trip.

Just looking at the pictures again makes me sad I don’t have anyone close by to remember these things with. It was a remarkable God-given opportunity I cherish, even if I don’t chose to return.

  

December 24 Back Home

Although I'm back home in Harrisburg, North Carolina, this will not be my last post about my African adventure. The days before I flew home, and the flight itself are stories I want to share, but since Jeremiah picked me up at the Charlotte airport Monday, I've immersed myself in unpacking and enjoying the Christmas season. My daughter in law, Liz drove in Tuesday and they will stay until after the Christmas Eve service tonight. Ivy came over Wednesday for dinner and to make Christmas cookies, so it has been a blessed Christmas homecoming!

My travels last weekend into the mountain area of Ghana, and reflections since arriving after a VERY long flight are things I want to share before I close my blog, so stay tuned for my next post after Christmas. My address is again 4158 Center Place Drive, Harrisburg, NC 28075, and my new cell phone (Verizon, off Jeremiah's account) is 704- 818-7998. I don't anticipate getting a landline soon, if at all.

So, my friends, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and restful celebration of our Saviour's birth.

As always,
Diann

December 16 Cape Coast travels

Thursday, December 16 It’s about quarter to six, so it will soon be dark. I woke up  more than twelve hours ago, out of habit not the alarm on my phone.  My first overnight stay in Africa except my home in the “Palace”. Yesterday my second travel out of Accra was to Cape Coast, the most visited place in the southern half of Ghana and about four or five hours trip. Happily I had company, Lynn Tawiah is the fifth grade teacher and has a family here but I think she felt sorry for me when my companions changed their itinerary and couldn’t go as planned. Again the Crosby’s driver, Issac, drove us in the school van and I was able to relax and enjoy the trip. The two sites to visit near Cape Coast are the slave castles and the Kakum National Park which houses one of seven canapé walks in the world.

Elmina Castle is the first known European structure of fortification in Ghana, built by Portuguese in 1482 as a trade center for ivory, gold and later slaves. It’s tragic history reminded me of some scenes at the Holocaust Museum in Washington. Although the castle is in sad disrepair, the sense of the tens of thousands captured and sold into slavery pervades. I was interested to learn it was the Portuguese and Dutch who began and profited in establishing the international slave business. It existed long before America bought any slaves, but we allow ourselves to take most of the blame. Thousands of captives of the Asante tribe were sold by that tribe, hundreds put into a single room with little or no ventilation or sanitation, and fed little. Later the other tribes captured enemy tribes and sold them on a regular basis.  Female slaves were separated from the males, and the foreign “governor” of the castle selected any he chose to use for the night. At least the pregnant slaves were taken to a separate house where they were allowed to give birth and nurse their children; the children were “released “ into the general population and today account for the lighter color of much of the area’s people. “Problem” prisoners were put in a separate room where they were starved to death and dumped into the ocean. There was nothing humane, and the hypocracy of having a Christian church in the midst of the courtyard was never questioned. Eventually the Portuguese were defeated by the Dutch, who continued the lucrative slave business, and eventually the British defeated the Dutch in Ghana and abolished the selling of humans. The English used the castle as a training center for their military presence, and are credited for beginning the basic education of children in southern Ghana. The tribes in central and northern Ghana were able to keep the English from gaining control of their areas, and today those areas remain poorer and significantly less educated.  Seeing it for myself made it a poignant history lesson, so I’m attaching two photos of the castle. One shows a school group beginning a tour, the other shows my smiling face in one of the last days here.

Next we went to lunch; I’ll tell you about the restaurant another time.  We didn’t appreciate our good fortune in having a big meal at the time; we were not so lucky at dinner time; and an interesting rural setting right off the main road to the National Park. The Kakum National Park, more specifically it’s  canopy  rope bridges were not to be missed. I have never had a fear of heights, and it is more inclosed than I expected, perfectly safe and quite an adventure. I’ve had a hard time selecting just a few pictures to put in this blog entry; it was so very high up, and most of the time when I did look down I couldn’t see the ground anyway. Although it is a rain forest,  it was not as humid as I expected, and of course there were no animals to be seen in full daylight.  My friends were very disappointed in the extreme rise in prices in the last few months (eliminating possibly of future class field trips), it was worth it to me. I wore out a set of new batteries taking pictures this week, and will have to get more before my trip Saturday and Sunday to the Volta region.

As  said earlier, we stayed overnight in a hotel. The roads  on the trip there were  all riddled with severe potholes, and driving in the dark can prevent avoiding them. It’s about a four hour drive, and we went to a hotel one of the other teachers recommended. It was not at all like American standards (even a Red Roof Inn), but tried to charge American prices:  another story to tell later.  Food was equally expensive, so I ate little except the cookies I brought from home, and we left shortly after the sun came up. It’s not like you see large clean restaurants along the road, and Issac did not feel it wise to buy much from the local vendors except bottled water. By then I was worried about having enough money to pay for the gas and Issac’s time, so we pretty much drove straight through except for several traffic standstills. We got home safely well before lunch, so all was well.  I’m already making more cookies for Saturday’s trip, and have gone to the bank to get plenty of money since the whole cost of this one will be for me alone to pay. You can’t buy memories like this, and I’m so grateful for the company I’ve enjoyed on my first two trips!

Well, it’s almost time for my internet connection to open, so I’ll just copy this Word document and paste in the selected photos. What a wonderful way to end my time in Ghana: sightseeing I can never repeat!

Enjoy your Christmas activities, and keep me in your prayers as I hold you in mine.

God bless us, every one!

Boti Waterfalls, Dec 13 trip

Dec 13  Boti Falls (yesterday)

Now I have both the time and the story to continue. Monday, December 13 after we went to the Abori gardens we traveled for another hour to go to Boti Falls, further north and very much worth the trip. “Tourist attractions” here are not like our parks and sites in America; you drive on potholed roads to get to places hardly even marked by signs, and then we were the only ones visiting. Perhaps it is busier on weekends, but I doubt it; even Issac had not been here before. There's a photo below of Robert & Erin (upstairs housemate), me and Issac the driver at the falls.

The falls were “discovered” more than two hundred years ago by a foreigner. It’s nothing like Niagra, but it is so secluded and peaceful.  As legend goes the two falls (see last photo) are from two rivers that joined and then separated again, and thought to be female and male. When it is especially rainy the two falls join again and a rainbow appears, then when the rivers subside, there are two falls again. They empty into a relatively small area and quietly run off in a deep stream you would hardly notice because of the vegetation around it. The guide took us over some rocks to a place we could actually go behind part of the falls (another photo). Erin slipped on the rocks, and we went no further. My classes got all misty and I put my camera away because I was afraid of slipping and breaking it.

The guide we hired knew all the history, and even took us to an area above the falls (about a fifteen minute drive away).  It was to an area one would never know to travel too, and after we got out of the van it was a fifteen minute walk up and down hills and rocks to “Umbrella Rock”. I climbed the ladder quickly and enjoyed looking out over the valley, but I couldn’t see the falls. I’m feeling adventurous, and so far haven’t suffered the effects on my aging body.  On the way back down to the van we passed an empty village with a special tree. Ghanaians are still superstitious, especially the non-Christians. The tree had not just one trunk, but about six feet off the ground had three separate cores that went straight up and were of equal size (see photo below): this was an omen of something. Next to it was a flat stone about two feet square; supposedly it was not carved by human hands but had been divided  into four equal sections. Each section had a precise graphic symbol, about two inches deep. Nothing was said about the symbols meaning anything, but the rock was made in heaven and sent down. Sounds a little too much like John Smith’s Book of Mormon, but it attracks little more than local lure.

Although I thought we’d stop for lunch or something to eat, we drove home with several traffic delays. Erin and I had brought a few sandwiches and cookies, and some bottled water, so we shared that with Robert and Issac.  Issac stopped to get some roasted corn from a street vendor, and I enjoyed an ear too. It was not like American corn on the cob; it was much drier and had no butter or salt to moisten it, but a cross between that and something like the “old maids” of popcorn.  What the heck, I was hungry and gobbled it down. We got home around quarter after five, so it was still daylight and I was too tired to make dinner. More cookies and some leftover pineapple and I laid down to watch whatever DVD I could find.

Today is my day of rest, and early tomorrow I go to Cape Coast, the “must see” recommended by the other teachers. Happily the fifth grade teacher, Lynn Taiwah, called and plans to accompany me. I am so excited about having company to share it with, and Issac will drive us again. The biggest expense of yesterday’s excursion was the gas, roughly $25 American money, and entry fees and paying Issac was about that much again. What a great investment, and now with Lynn to share most of the expenses this next trip promises to be just as memorable.

God’s beauty surrounds us if we take the time to look.

Love to you all,

Diann

Abori Gardens, Dec.13

Yesterday’s adventure was a wonderful investment of time! We left around 9 am to go to Abori Botanical Gardens, about an hour or two north of Accra. The only one left in my house, Erin,  joined me , and her fiancée Robert came too, making the trip that much better. Issac, the Crosby’s driver, drove us in the school van. I remembered the first part of the way from a trip two months ago to “Children of the Light”, a ministry for the very poor in a rural area run by one of the teachers at my school.

It’s a beautiful county once you escape the city; lush mountains, open valleys and always the sun.  Although many of the people do not want you to photograph them, when you are driving by in a car you can take photographs quickly and sort through them later.  The homes in these villages, for they can not be considered a town by any means, are shacks, some made of bricks that are just sundried clay (not baked in a real kiln), many of scrap metal and bamboo.Heavy rains could easily destroy most of the homes.  Termites are prevalent in the country areas,  I saw several huge “anthills” five feet high, so not many structures are wooden. We drove through several towns, small cities actually, and saw the madness of market day. One of the photos in yesterday’s blog was taken in the market as we tried to drive through the street. Shoppers and vendors were everywhere, even in the street, and you just had to honk your horn and wait until they moved. I was so glad Issac was driving, he’s patient and willing to navigate around huge potholes without too many jolts; getting in a tro-tro or taxi is taking your life in your hands even in daylight. Only once did I cover my eyes as a car came directly at us as we passed an exceedingly slow vehicle.

We made it to the gardens, and hired a guide who showed us around some of the huge plant sanctuary. It’s 120 years old, and has plants from around the world (ones that can survive the heat, that is). They even had a Norfolk Island Pine, which they use as a Christmas tree sometimes. There is a Presidential Garden where world dignitaries have planted small trees that are now huge. Most of the original trees of the land have died, but there was one HUGE tree that is over two hundred years old, and it’s base has big folds that look like a stone wall (see photo with me standing in a "fold"). We went to the spice garden, which isn’t a garden at all (well, none of it is really, it’s all trees). There were cocoa trees of course (photo of a pod not yet ripe), and cinnamon trees (another photo of a row of trees), we crushed bay leaves and all sorts of aromatic spices growing there. Many plants that I can’t remember the names of have medicinal purposes and are used for folk cures. There were philodendrons that I call “Devil’s Ivy”  that had leaves as big as the trunk of my body.

One of the most interesting trees was originally a cedar. A parasitic vine grows up trees for support and looks beautiful for years, but it slowly covers all the branches and leaves and kills the tree. We went inside one “holey”  tree and it was beautiful. Most of the cedar had decayed, but you could still see some of the bark and wood grain. The vine was still alive, and there were several holes that let natural light in. The tree was easily 75 feet tall (see photo of the inside of the tree).

This opportunity to travel has been a real blessing. I want to post some pictures of the garden, so will write another entrie later to tell you about the Boti waterfalls.

My last week begins: Dec. 13

The last day of school for the students was Thursday, and the teachers had to come in Friday morning for a meeting. By Saturday afternoon almost all the teachers had been taken to the airport; even Tim Crosby had left . Like most schools, the last week before Christmas break  was in constant flux. I never knew from one hour to the next where I would be, or if my room would be in us to house exams.  It was unsettling for me, and my room was not really as organized as I’d hoped when I finally left  Friday.

My travel plans for the next week became unraveled since Thursday. My companions to Cape Coast overnight trip on Wednesday had a change of plans, and the family I hoped would accompany me to the Volta area had to cancel on another overnight  trip for Saturday.  This morning (Monday) one of the three people going to the Aburi Botanical gardens and Boti Waterfalls had to cancel because she was sick. At least Erin and her fiancée are still going. I’ll send some pictures tonight if I have the energy when we get back. The Crosby’s drivers  are taking me (and anyone I round up) on all these trips, so that’s a relief to me. I’m waiting now for Issac to pick us up, but the internet connection ends at 7 am, so I’ll send this tonight.

I have been doing some Christmas shopping, it’s always fun to spend money, and some of the inexpensive uniquely African gifts are quite nice. Things like hand carved nativity sets, African cloth dolls and glass beads are at the craft markets, and bartering is half the fun. Saturday night I went to a craft bazaar sponsored by a German-Swiss school, and there were some really beautiful things that were out of my price range: real Kenta cloths (colorful woven tribal cloths), silver jewelry very well crafted, clothes of batiked fabric, African drums.  Three other teachers were going, so having company made it that much more interesting,  and we got something to eat there too.

Well, I’ve got to put on my sunscreen and sneakers. This week is so different from the other weeks, and gives me some time to “transition” into my return. God has been good, and I’m ready to come home.

Talk with you soon,

Diann

December 5

In another five days most of the teachers will be on flights home even Tim Crosby. Although I wish some of them would be here until I leave, I can understand their rushing through the last few days of school in anticipation of seeing friends and family as soon as possible. It has been pretty hectic this past week at school, trying to help the music teacher with the Christmas program (which was last night). It was all her diligent working with mostly the elementary students, each grade preforming a  few songs with simple props. I would not have had the patience and sanity to pull it off, so the least I could do was help as much as possible. I was to exhibit some of the students work, but that was a bust. There was neither space for the portable room dividers brought from school at the last minute (my request of ten days ago was lost, which is not unusual for life in Ghana), nor time to put up much which few would have ever seen anyway. I am not built to function with these last minute changes and by God's grace I didn't voice much of my frustrations. If this is the worst thing I encounter this week, my life is easy. I intentionally took a lot of pictures at the dress rehearsal at school on Thursday, so didn't even take my camera along Saturday.

Christine, the music teacher, is oriental, andhas a family of several young children; she's a quiet person who wouldn't upset a sole. Before Joyce Crosby knew she (Joyce) would be leaving Ghana before Thanksgiving, she asked me to be on the Christmas program committee. I mentioned before in an earlier blog how I drew about seven large drawings of the nativity figures, and had students work on Christmas projects to display at the program. Well, the room at the hotel where the program was held was much smaller than anticipated, and less than 250 chairs could fit in the room once the stage was brought in. I was asked to see the next act was always lined up ready to go as the class before actually preformed. If there had been a "wings" to the stage or even an extra room to line up the next class perhaps it might have been easy. Parents were standing in the aisles the students were to enter through, and some parents even took the students seats when they got up to preform, so the students had no where to return to. I was glad to see the whole thing finished, and I'm sure Christine got her first good nights sleep in weeks last night. And the thing that I've come to realize is this is typical here, no one is solely at fault, and the same frustrations will accompany any activity in Africa. This is one thing I not miss.

Over the past three Sundays I've been visiting different churches, and today I went to a very large church much further away than any others that I've gone to by myself. It was about a half hour's taxi ride to get there, it wasn't really in Accra. I learned from the past I would be better to pay extra to have the taxi driver return at a set time and pay extra for my peace of mind. It worked great, and I wasn't as afraid of not having any idea were I was going. The driver, Toni, spoke fairly good English and I enjoyed the conversation on the ride to the church. On Saturday when I took a taxi to help set up for the Christmas program the taxi driver said he could take me to the Mensvic Hotel but twice took me to the wrong place. It really didn't matter much, cause after I got there all we could do was wait for two hours for the things that didn't get delivered as promised. Anyway, back to the church: the sermon was good, and I recognized most parts of the service. As with all the churches I've gone to here, there were one or two songs that lasted forever and all the people rocked and danced in place for about five minutes each time. I was the only white person in a congregation of about two hundred, but Ghana really is a friendly country, at least in the daylight!

Early Saturday I went with some friends to the art market I visited when I first got here, only this time I actually bought stuff! I'd gone to a smaller market last weekend, but this one was amazing, and I was comfortable bargaining prices down on somethings. There were beautiful baskets and primitive wood carvings, but I have to consider my limited suitcase space. So far mostly I've bought jewelry (or beads to make jewelry), fabric, or painted cards; I've enjoyed the shopping so much. There are two art bazaars next Saturday after most everyone else leaves, I may go just to look by myself. One is sponsored by a hospital, the other by a foreign school. My adventures are shaping up nicely too. On Monday, December 13 I'm going to the Abori Gardens and Boti waterfalls with two other people for a one day trip. Wednesday and Thursday I'm to join two other people at Cape Coast, the one "must see" trip to a slave castle and canope walk a couple hundred feet off the ground in a coastal forest (that's a two day trip). Saturday and maybe Sunday I'm going to a monkey sanctuary; a family from school may join me but maybe not. The Crosby's driver will drive for all of these, so my comfort level is greatly increased! I really haven't gotten out to see much, so this is a fitting end to my time here. The school gave me a nice bonus, so the travel is possible. . . a gift from God to see the country I've lived in for three months.

Well, it's Sunday night, my best time to make phone calls back to the states. This week will be so in flux I don't even have to do lesson plans. I'm hoping to see the second and fifth graders at least twice Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. Thursday is only half a day, and that's party time anyway. Friday was supposed to be a teacher workday, but about half the teachers are flying home. So there's my schedule in a nutshell.
I'll write later.
Enjoy the ADvent time of preparation,
Diann

Happy Advent: November 28

Today I went to a mega church by myself. I decided two weeks ago I needed to expand my African worship experience, so I've gone to different churches. Last week I went to a Presbyterian service, which had a similar general order of worship to my home church, just different music and although it was in English, it was heavily accented. Today the service was in a very modern huge church with an Arch Bishop (no affiliation with a denomination) and the President of Ghana was there. Kind of neat to see the equivalent to the secret service, and you know you're not in America when the prayers include asking God that the president not be asassinated before he finishes his term of office.  This was the first service in an actual sanctuary; not under construction or not in a rented hotel space. Huge choir and instruments other than African drums, guitars or keyboards. Unfortunately one of the many brass instruments was badly out of tune. I can get to the churches with the help of directions from friends, but getting a taxi home was not so easy today. It costs almost twice as much to get home as it does to get there. Of course, it doesn't help that I was one of about six obroni's in the whole congregation, so I stand out as an outsider.

Yesterday I was getting cabin fever after staying home most of Thursday and Friday; other than the Thanksgiving dinner and a perm on Thursday and a few hours at school painting large pictures of the nativity characters (for next week's Christmas program). I asked one of the few housemates at the "Palace" to let me know if there was anywhere she'd like to go. She didn't seem interested so I took myself out for a walk and found a street vendor near the school selling jewelry. I got a few souvenirs as gifts and was happy with myself. When I got home Faith, one of the downstairs housemates, asked if I wanted to go to a small art market and I jumped at the chance. I found some nice earrings that remind me of Christmas ornaments, a hand made cloth doll, a very pretty piece of fabric in browns and blues, and some hand painted Christmas cards with abstract African scenes. That really made my day, and after I'd spent all the money I had, I was glad to go home and get out of the heat.

This week at school will be shorter and different. Friday is an African holiday called "Farmers' Day" and Saturday is the American International School's Christmas program at a reception room at a large hotel. Actually it will mostly be the music teacher's work with the elementary classes, each grade doing different Christmas songs. I was put on the committee, and later learned I was to display some art work. I had the second graders each make a flying angel (a project I used every year I've taught elementary art), and the seventh graders make origami Christmas trees on cards.The fifth graders lost too many classes to complete their Jerusalem skylines in time for Saturday's program, and the first, third and fourth graders were working on an art contest for the West African Rescue Association (entries due this Tuesday). I did help the music teacher by having the first graders decorate shakers for their song, and the third graders made shields in the colors of the Ghanaian flag with an Adinkra symbol meaning "God is king". I was asked about three weeks ago to make big pictures of Mary & Joseph, the three wisemen, a shepherd, the inkeeper, two angels, the manger with baby Jesus, and the star of Bethlehem. That's been keeping me more than busy, and I used two days off and a Saturday to finish them two days ago. After the program Saturday at least I'll have something to put on my bulletin boards when I return all the students' work the last few days of school December 8 & 9th.

 Almost everyone is flying out of here on the ninth or tenth of December. Tim Crosby said I may use his drivers when he's gone if I want to see any sights around here (I'll pay them and for the gas). I've got at least two or three trips planned with different people who will still be around. One teacher, Erin, is engaged to a fellow from a nearby town is interested in going with a friend  from church to a botanical garden and waterfall on Monday the 13th. Christy, the nicest of my housemates, has a friend coming to visit her and offered to let me join them at a slave castle and canopy bridge near Cape Coast (a few hours from Accra) on Wednesday – Thursday (Dec 15 – 16),  I hear there is some sort of a money sanctuary some place not too far from Accra, so if I can find company I may visit there too.

Well I've almost lost this post twice since I started it, so I'd better sign off.
Happy Advent my friends!

Thanksgiving Day

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and I have so much to be grateful for. This awesome adventure has less than a month left, and although I am very anxious to see my friends (or at least talk with you more easily) I realise how much I have learned about myself and how God provides our real needs.
I started the day baking cookies for the Thanksgiving dinner the Wrights' hosted for all us displaced American  teachers. At 10 am I had an appointment to get a body perm with a beautican Joyce had previously  taken me to for a haircut. This is one of the few times I ventured out on my own in a taxi, and admittedly I had no idea where I was going. I had a map drawn by another teacher that located the beautician at an major intersection in another part of Accra, but not directions how to get there. Here when you get a taxi you must "negotiate"  the price before you get in the vehicle; the first taxi driver said 10 Ghanaian cd's (dollars), which was more than twice my expected amount. Since he didn't budge, I sent him away. The next driver started at ten, then 8, and I said it shouldn't be more than 4, and I started walking away. We settled on five, and I was off. That was more landmark than the perm! I also dickered for the taxi home. The perm, as always left me with a bunch of curls I don't like the looks of, but that's nothing new. Hopefully it will calm down some before school on Monday, and if not there's not much to do now. I sweat so much my head is wet my the middle of the afternoon, and the long, strangley look is worse than the curls, so it was a calculated risk.

Wednesday at school was Field Day, a whole day devoted to phys ed games for all the students with teachers supervising each activity. I was the official time keeper. so my loud voice (plus a microphone) told when to start a new game, give a five minute warning, and when to end and rotate to the next activity. That gave me plenty of time to go take pictures of the different activities, but of course, I'm not in any of the pictures. In the morning there were about twelve different teams with everyone from seniors to kindergarteners on each team, in  the afternoon there were dance contests, socceer games (teachers. housekeeping and other staff  verses the high school socceer team) and other activites. One of the games involved all the students taking off their shoes and putting them in a big pile then the teams sent one member at a time to go recover their shoes.

Well, if I'm going to post this today, I have only ten minutes until the internet connection dies (7 pm to 7 am connection) so that's all for today. I hope you all are having as wonderful a Thanksgiving weekend as I am.

God bless your day,

Diann

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

I can't believe I haven't written at all so far this month. Days go quickly now I'm in a routine, and I enjoy all my art classes. As with any school, once you get to November 1 you've got to start thinking of what you want to accomplish before Christmas break. It's the same thing here; only art lessons seem to be falling out of the sky.

The West African Rescue Association (ambulance, fire, any emergency basically) is having an art contest for ages 5 through 12; a mother of three students works for the Accra branch and asked if I would encourage participation in a contest with prizes. My first grade class (10 students), my fourth graders (17) and hopefully my third graders (13) are all creating artwork for it before Thanksgiving. I've taught the first graders how to step by step draw a helicopter and an ambulance, then they create the emergency scene and color it.

My second graders are making large angels to be used as decorations for the December 4 Christmas music program, for which the third graders are making props of warrior shields for their African type song "Lion of Judah". These shields are made on scavengered pizza boxes painted on one side with yellow, red and green tempera paint (colors of the Ghanaian flag), and then I draw an African symbol meaning "God is supreme king" which they paint in black. Fifth graders are in their final week of yarn weaving on cardboard looms also made out of pizza boxes; they actually like it so much they want to take them home to finish because I can't justify more class time on one project and quite honestly I've never had a class WANT to do more weaving lessons. Sixth grade is making African graphics called Adinkra symbols, which were on one part of the "Amazing Race" show filmed in Ghana last summer. The symbols are quite interesting, and remind me of the Pennsylvania Dutch hex signs, only in black and white, each one having a separate meaning. Each sixth grader is making four selected from about two dozen "censored" symbols which are not contrary to Christian values. My seventh graders are getting tired of making two small origami Christmas trees for cards which I will also use as decorations for the Christmas program. Of course keep in mind my largest class is 17 students, and so far they all seem anxious to come to art. That is really good for my ego, but not enough to want to stay another semester!

Well, this is a long trxt entry. No new photos to add, and it's time for bed. My computer and I both need to recharge.

Then in the midst of this the school is holding a festival for the families of the workers who completed major building projects on the school this past summer. It is almost unheard of for native Ghanaians to work so continuously to complete a project like adding a whole floor to a building and constructing a major exterior stairway for three floors and completing it all in three months. Teachers are manning carnival type booths for children and adults of the workers' families and food is being supplied. I decided this morning to make big thank you posters with all the students signing it  when they come to art. I have first through seventh graders at least twice a week, and lots of study halls with high schoolers. So anyway, this is keeping me busy, but also providing lessons for me. I like the team spirit of the teachers here, so finally feel like a participant.

Okay, now for some "I'm not in Kansas anymore" moments. Last Saturday I found hundreds of ants in my underwear drawer. Talk about ants in my pants . . .  I freaked out, ants have been in my computer too. Really really tiny creatures that bite big time. I had to go to get pills to take I got bitten on my hands so many times they swelled up. Then today we learned that the day the school is closed next Tuesday for a Moslem holiday, well that holiday has been changed to Wednesday instead. The school is required to be closed for that holiday, and the government just told the school around lunch time today that the moon readings require the holiday be Wednesday instead of Tuesday. Welcome to Ghana!

The new transformer near the school was finally installed last month, but it has caused as many problems as it eliminated. Our generator is turned on only when the electricity goes out; and can't handle the air conditioning. Now our generator shuts off for hours at a time, and some rooms are veritable hothouses not able to even use fans or lights. Happily my room is not as bad as most on my side of the building. Usually when the power at home goes out I knew I could at least get air conditioning and cold water at school; that can't be taken for granted now, and I hear it gets much worse after Christmas. Another thing to be grateful for my not returning.

Happy Halloween

Yesterday was one of the best days I've had in Ghana. The principal of the high school, Barbara Willingham, invited the teachers to her house for breakfast and then we went to the glass bead shop I'd been to when I first got here. The school had just gotten a used bus, so we travelled in relative comfort, the trip was a little over half an hour and the comradary was good. Joyce Crosby came, but Tim had a last minute commitment and couldn't make it with us. There were two egg casseroles, apple and plain pancakes, fruit salad, Tang to drink and various teas & coffee: an impressive spread for about 13 guests. I sat in the kitchen with Joyce and Barbara, and the younger teachers sat in the dining room. That's part of why I enjoyed it so much: just listening to "older conversation" talking about grandchildren and struggles when their children were little did me good.

Since I'd seen the wonderful beads before, this time I came prepared with some money to buy things. Ready made jewelry was noticeably more expensive, so I bought beads to string myself, and two pairs of simple earrings. We walked to the shop, past a toll booth that the police us to detain people they think they can get a bribe from (any delay by police may be just an unnecessary delay, waiting to be bought out of the delay). Anything in Ghana may be corrupt, but there's not much to do about it except threaten to report it if you happen to be a person of authority. There was a mango tree at the shop, so I had a friend, Meghann. pose by the tree (photo).
The Willinghams live on a small Christian university campus, quite rural. Roy Willingham teaches at the Christian university (it is really more the size of a high school with two or three classroom buildings) was home when we came back, he told us of the cobra he killed in one bedroom, and the green mamba snakes in the tall grass nearby. I guess life in urban Accra does have its advantages . . .  It was about noon when we left to head back to school. We talked our driver into detouring to let us get the watermelons to carve that evening at the Palace.

We had several hours at home before guests might show up, so I had time to put finishing touches on my devotion. Monday is my turn, and I'd not felt as Biblically organized as the others who have done the Monday morning devotions. Thanks to a book Carolyn gave me months ago, "Praying Our Goodbyes" I was able to put together some thoughts about facing changes. Although my commitment to the school is only one semester, most of the second year teachers will soon be asked if they wish to stay another year, and they are struggling. Many are considering other NICS schools,but I've not heard anyone talk about returning home except for Christmas break. Anyway, I got my thoughts organized on computer, and if I can't get a printout early Monday morning, I'll just start my computer and read it from there.

Not as many people came to our house, so there were just two melons carved. Faith and Christy gutted ours and I drew Tim Crosby's face on it. Kim and Shari carved one with a Ghanaian symbol; finishing a long time before I did. I'd never tried carving lines only half way through (so the white is still in place, but lets some light through). I'm attaching a picture of the carved watermelon and one of Tim's face so you  can  judge for yourself. It was fun, and I enjoyed trying something new and artsy. We then watched Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin before calling it a night around 8:30. Since we were going to early service Sunday, I took a shower and went to bed.

So it was a more social day than I usually have, and I put my artistic talents to use. A very good day for which to thank the Lord!

Wednesday, Oct 27

Although nothing significant happened so far this week, I have some photos to show when the neighborhood children came yesterday after school. There were about 40 children (the photos are below, before this verbal post) and Christy took one with me in it talking with a few of the kids who stayed to look at books send by Christy's church back in the states. I've wanted to get photos of how the women carry infants around wrapped on their backs, look at them too. Since some people are very opposed to having their photos taken, I haven't been able to capture how the large square of cloth is wrapped around their torso. Sorry I forgot to rotate the photos before I imported them.

I informed the Crosby's yesterday when I went home for Christmas I would not be coming back. I think they figured that out, and that is actually all my contract covered. Tim asked if I'd like to work at another NICS school anywhere else, but I think that my problems here (mostly missing people my own age) would be what most schools would be like: mostly young single women not wanting any "motherly advise". The Crosby's and another couple, the Korum's, go out of their way to help the teachers with problems at the places they live. Most other schools don't have anything to do with the individual's housing; finding a place to live is entirely up to the teacher, as would be dealing with landlords. I'm very grateful that wasn't part of my adjustments.

I attempted to paint with one of my largest classes (17 fourth grade students), and it was a disaster! With limited water (one bucket) and a group that wasn't listening well from the beginning, they had hardly begun when it was time to go. Luckily I had a study hall immediately after, so there was time for me to clean it all up myself and still get ready for the class after study hall. The pigment in the paints is so mediocre, even the watercolors are not vibrant yellow or orange, and purple is s muddly lavender. That will be my reason for not painting much in the next two months.

Well, my eyelids are drooping, and I'm going to bed. I hope you all had a day as good as mine, and everyone is in good health.
Resting in God's hands,
Diann

Wednesday evening, October 27

Madina market October 23

Halfway point Oct 24

I just selected four photos to post, and they disappeared. Hopefully they may be with this posting on October 24. Two months down, two months to go on my commitment to the American International School in Accra, Ghana. It has been an awesome adventure, and perhaps a greater personal challenge than initially imagined. Most of my adjustments are not to the heat or language, but realizing I both enjoy my age  and grow weary of my body's limitations.

This past week has been the first my back has bothered me, but by the grace of God and help from ibuprofen it has not really incapacitated me. Monday and Tuesday were half days of classes and half days of parent conferences. Normally parents never bother visiting the art teacher, but I was involved with several group conferences with the special needs students (mostly learning disabilities or language adjustment students). Then on Wednesday there was a bad rain storm that shifted our schedules around for two days. On Thursday a very large "container" of school supplies finally arrived from the States and most of the teachers stayed to unpack and inventory the many boxes. By the grace of God I left the school around 15 minutes before news of the containers release was announced; I'd gone to the pharmacy to get some medicines then went home to be totally horizontal for several hours to rest my back. I was asleep before my housemates got home, so didn't even know I seemingly played hookie.

Some of my friends e-mailed they had seen "The Amazing Race" and the most recent episodes were in Accra. Never believe what you see in pseudo reality shows. Ghana is a very different place than anything in America, the culture expects different things, delays happen for no reason, government is full of kick-backs and payoffs, and even basic Christianity has superstitions and customs not recognizable to mainline denominations. But the people are friendly, the country landscapes are unique and beautiful, and the flowers exquisitely colorful. That being said. the TV show did portray the markets like in Madina as the madhouse of street vendors and makeshift booths crowded with customers. The photos I've posted are of a busy marketplace very early in the morning (we got there around 7:45 and left by 9am). There is one picture of me with a friend in the back of a tro-tro going to the bigger market place, Madina.  The show had its people use taxi ( theirs were far superior to the one I've been in) instead of the tro-tros (local bus transportation of sorts) and the city roads were far better than the suburban pothole infested pathways found more commonly.

I had hoped to take a lot more pictures. but learned some Ghanaians feel that taking a photo steal some of their soul, so you should ask them first. I did that with the girls in the photo of the fish for sale in one of the booths: well, they said yes, but after I took the photo they expected to be paid. That squelched my photo for a while. Then I saw a woman with her pre-toddler strapped / tied to her back the way so many women here do. I tried to not hold the camera up to focus, but aim it in the general direction and snap it non-chalantly. Most of those shots didn't work either, but at least I got one back view of the baby strapping. You wouldn't believe how the native Ghanaians carry big stuff on their heads without using their hands at all. The market place was full of them, but again I couldn't get any photos. Hopefully the few pictures will speak better than my explanations, and can show some of the cultural differences even in a big city.

Well, that's all for this posting. I hope you find as many blessings in your day as God as provided in mine.
Love to all,
Diann

October 16

A long weekend, but no one is going anywhere. We didn’t have school Friday because Monday and Tuesday of next week is parent conferences and we have to stay later. Thursday was the last day of the marking period, so there are lots of grades to compute.  I had survived the progress reports a month ago, but now it is another challenge is incorporating that into this months grades.  Grades 1 through 5 I just have to give Excellent, Satisfactory or Needs Improvement. Sixth and seventh graders meet three times a week, and I guess I'm supposed to make comments. How's "He strives to produce the lowest possible output and still pass" sound or "a below average potential not quite meeting minimal expectations". Guess I need to work more on the positive verbage.

Actually it has been exceptionally quite and I'm only a little bored. I'm not adventurous enough on my own, but I have conquered walking from the local police station to my house (in two different directions) which may mean I could take a taxi home. Get more than eight miles away and taxi drivers don't know how to get to my home; they do know how to get to the East Legon Police Station, so that was my objective. So I set out with my camera this morning walking and hoping to get a photo of the big colorful lizards that always scoot away before I can get my camera out and take a picture. They are only about eight inches long, but they may have four different colors; as long as they continue to eat mosquitos, all lizards are my friends (even one inside the house). I'd love to take lots of pictures of the people, but some are very superstitious and feel you are capturing their souls in pictures. 

Yesterday I went with two other young teachers to a place that makes pocketbooks, wallets and backpacks from recycled plastic candy & ice cream wrappers. The company name is "Trashy Bags" and employs several dozen people. They have a great PR program, gave us a tour of the workroom and showed us a DVD sort of like "Sharks" with different workers competing in teams making new potential products. The old wrapper is always visible, even in the clothes they design. The bags get cut, washed and sanitized, then sewn together as a cloth. One of my friends even tried on a rain jacket that was being made, and she's ordering one in her size. I'll attach some photos I took. You just never know what you might see in Ghana.

Go with God, whereever he takes you.

Diann

October 10 Life without internet and water pressure

It has not been a fun week. It's been four long days without internet (Thursday to Sunday) after four days with water problems, so I was feeling rather down. Our house had no water for a few days, and then limited water pressure so we couldn't do laundry. Oh but to have even trickle showers and flushing toilets was such a relief I shouldn't complain. Like the song says "You don't know what you've got til it's gone". I put the baby wipes (Liz recommended I bring) to use; you don't realize how the human body can smell like vinegar when it goes two sweaty days without a real washing.

I had a run-in with one of the upstairs "Barbies" Thursday evening, shortly after the water came back on and I was just beginning to wash the big pile of dishes accumulated in the kitchen. Tempers flared and things were said; I asked we postpone the discussion but she'd have her say right then. . . .  I've commented before how much I miss having folks my age to talk with; so it was not a good time to be without even internet communications. The next day I tried calling Ivy and Jeremiah, but my phone is not been very good at sending clear signals: I can hear them, but my voice breaks up even when my emotions are together! Sometimes the best I can do is just isolate myself while I get a better perspective, but oh how I wanted to just vent!

My downstairs housemates are having a "Fiesta" party tonight for all the teachers at school. They've done all the organizing, all I've done is draw a large donkey for "Pin the tail on the donkey"  and pay for more food tha we'd eat in a week. The social interaction will be good; maybe I'll even get someone to take a few pictures I'm actually in so there will be something to post on my next entry. Nothing exciting or particularly "Ghanaian", just part of the experience of everyday coping.

And with that I will sign off for today. God is here, even when I am a recluse. So many lessons I still need to learn . . . .

October 4 Sunday

This morning I joined three other teachers as they went to help in a mission in PromProm, a town about 45 minutes drive (by car) to the northeast of the school. The mission serves as a boarding school for poor children, and we went to help with a Sunday school lesson for about 30 children about 5 to 12 years old. The church service before was quite different from anything I've been to thus far. The music was in heavily accented English, but a very African beat and young people getting up and dancing in a line around the front of the pavillion sanctuary for about five minutes per song. No, I didn't join the dancers, but before us "Obrunos" (white people) left with the children the kids all come forward to be prayed for. Well, I was asked by the minister to come forward and give the prayer. Luckily the church I have been going to since I arrived does basically the same thing, so I had a little idea of what to say. I doubt the people could understand me any more than I had been understanding them, but we all lived through it.
The town nearest the village is close to the ocean, so on the drive back to Accra our school's driver detoured a little so we could get some photos. The countryside is much flatter here than in Accra, and houses more spread out. Since it isn't a big city like Accra there weren't the shacks and street vendors everywhere. The roads still had severe potholes, but less traffic and generally more peaceful. Since William, our driver sacrificed his day off to take us to Promprom we bought him lunch and decided to go out for lunch ourselves. I had gotten more money the day before at an ATM machine, so could splurge on a club sandwich at a nice restaurant. A welcomed change of pace, and it helped make up for a Saturday of isolation (everyone went their own way, so I was home alone most of the day.


Saturday I started off with good intentions. I was out on a walk by 7:45, took my rough map and thought I knew where I was going. After 45 minutes I began to doubt my location and when I asked where was the grocery store in the strip mall somewhat near my house, it was in the very opposite direction I thought. Luckily I could just turn around and walk back twenty minutes worth of distance to where the AIS school was. No real harm done except I'd been out almost an hour and a half without sunscreen. My "white freckles" had started to show up, meaning I was close to being sunburned. It was just as well I stayed home for about an hour and caught up with sweating and drinking lots of water.


October is "Reading month" at the school, so I had an excuse to veg out and read one of the books I was given before leaving the states. Later that night I really chilled and watched only my third DVD since I got here. There's many here that others have donated to a library of sorts, and some of the other teachers watch episodes of series together. To be honest if I have the time, I need to indulge in "horizontal time", which doesn't equate to sitting on a couch with everyone else. Usually I'm catching up with lesson plans, e-mailing a friend or just plan going to bed early. The light in my room is too weak in the evening to be much good, so a hot shower and bed suit me best. Last night I really indulged myself and called several people stateside. Both my sisters were home, but neither Ivy or Jeremiah were in, so I called Cope and really enjoyed a long talk with her. I'm a little less homesick for a while now.


Well, that about does it for this posting. God has been very kind to me, and what sometimes seems like a disappointment turns out to be an opportunity to get something else accomplished that I needed to do anyway. His plans are not always mine, but He directs me to what really needs to be done today. And with that I should go borrow the iron to take care of clothes for this week . . . 


In his gracious care,
Diann