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

October 1, 2010

Another month, WOW! God has certainly been good to me; despite my shortcomings. I have had a good week. My lesson plans from last Friday were actually what I really taught, and the students and I all survived. One little second grader was in tears because I got upset with her class's behavior; she brought me a special drawing she made today.  Also I realized I'm not as tolerant of the young teachers as I thought, especially when they speak critically about their mothers. They are in their mid twenties, and really don't know how much parents cherish correspondence from children yet parents want the kids need to be responsible for themselves. I get defensive and need to walk away keeping my mouth shut. That doesn't come naturally for me, as Jeremiah and Ivy can both attest.

Yesterday I found my leather checkbook had mildewed. It's that humid! Even a new box of Ritz crackers was soggy when I first opened it. Welcome to Ghana! When the power fluctuates at school we have a generator, but limited air conditioning. I have to remember to drink three or four times as much water as back in the states, we sweat so much. The filtering system at the house utilizes a bisqued pottery piece  (like a flower pot) over an enclosed plastic container, and I've gotten used to drinking room temperature water. Unlike most Americans I don't buy the bottled Cokes; I'd rather spend my money on cheese and get my calcium. Other homes have bigger refrigerators and freezers, so cold water abounds. We have a very small refrig and stove; even regular cookie sheets won't fit so baking is a challenge. Bigger refrigerators would mean more food might spoil when power goes out, so  it is a discipline. Spices and ingredients are not always available conveniently, and cooking just turns out different anyway; "it is Ghana" covers a multitude of realities here. I can't say I've eaten many native foods; I hesitate to try the local street vendors and there are no "safe restaurants" within walking distance. Several of the younger teachers are more flexible but then too they freely talk about stomach viruses they've gotten from the food purchased from street vendors. I brush my teeth only with filtered water (a glass of room temperature water in my left hand. toothbrush in my right so I remember to not turn the faucet), my housemates use the faucet water. I am losing weight, not because I want to, I just don't like my food options. It's a good thing I brought two belts, other wise my pants would drag in the mud when it rains (at least two sizes too big).

I tried teaching a lesson involving painting with a first grade class today. It is a challenge I may not try again until some of the obstacles are resolved. First I don't have twelve brushes quite the same size, then the nearest source of water that I can get a one quart bottle under the faucet is one floor below me and comes out in a trickle that takes five minutes to fill one bottle. The tempera paint (or closest thing available) is thicker than yogurt, but if you thin it down it becomes transparent, not at all opaque. Then there is the problem of paper: either use copier paper or the limited colors of construction paper (no yellow, green, medium blue or black). Understand I brought no picture files with me, and none were waiting for me in the art room. I scavenger anything I find (especially cardboard boxes) but can't get old magazines or newspapers even when extra credit or homemade cookies are offered. I am "materially challenged" and even the inexpensive projects I hoped to teach aren't possible until we get more stuff or access to water closer to my room. Everyone here learns to do without usual necessities, I feel selfish but I'm not as adaptable  in art.

This isn't a very encouraging entry: I have no photos to post. These are the day to day challenges, all of which can be endured. God teaches me more about myself than about Africa. The lessons might be learned as well in North Carolina, but God certainly has my attention here and I can't hide in a television program or an easy phone call to a friend. It's not just living with other younger people, it's living with myself.  When you can't do what you want, figure what else needs to be done and get busy with it. It's okay sometimes to just stop and rest, just don't be a slacker. God has put you where you are, you just have to figure out what to do from here.

And with that I'll sign off for today.