Mural Paintings

Yesterday (March 31, 2012) we traveled to another PCV's site near Tamale to paint educational murals.It took about 1.5 hours on the bumpiest dirt road of my life...but at the end of the day, everyone's mural turned out to be awesome and it was a really fun project!
Here are some pics:

My group's mural on hygiene 

Wear a condom to protect yourself from HIV

People doing healthy things

Cool Border

Use a net to keep mosquitoes away!

Road Trip to Site Visit

So remember how I mentioned that transportation here was really crazy. Here is a story about that:

Last week we left training to go on a site visit. We travelled with our counterparts (the community local that we work with on our projects) to site. Since Olivia and I were going to the upper east region, we waited for the bus heading closest to our destination.  

We woke up at 3:45 am. First of all, our bus was running really late and we ended up waiting at the bus station from 5am to 8am when the bus finally got to the station. Once it backed up and nearly ran over Olivia’s counterpart, we had to wait another 30 minutes to load the bus and get everyone and their belongings packed in with us. In Ghana, there is nothing that restricts the isles from being blocked…there were bags of rice and grain, big metal buckets, boxes, and even a chicken stashed in a box under my seat!

About 2 hours into the ride, the bus hit something and we had to pull over and repair a hole in the tire. So I figured that while we were waiting for the repair I should go ahead and take a potty break in the bush somewhere. As I made my way down the path, people were taking squats left and right…I still wasn’t comfortable doing this, but the next place to go out of site was WAY down this dirt road. Suddenly everyone was telling me to hurry because the bus was about to leave. WTF! How did they do that this fast?!…so I had no other choice than to piss right there on the side of the road, bearing my bare white Obruni ass to the world. I don’t think I’m going to go back to America with a bit of shame after my PC experience.

About 30 minutes after the tire repair, we pulled over to this little market center where people were able to grab lunch and use public LATRINES! I wish someone informed me of this designated stop before I pissed in the bush! Oh well.

Maybe two hours after this break, we had to pull over on the side of the road so that some old man could use the bathroom. Well, he fell down the hill and it took forever for him to get back…This lasted another 30 minutes.

About 3 hours after that, we pulled over again so people could get food and use the bathroom. While we were there, the same old man was having bathroom issues so we had to wait again. During this time, the driver also informs us that our bus had an oil leak. GREAT! We expected to either switch buses, or patch up the hole in which the oil was leaking, but no, they just added more so that it would last until we reached our destination. 

This is why I feel SOOOO safe on transportation here.

Around 6pm that night, we reached Tamale…which is still about 2 ½ hours away from our sites. But in two hours, we reach another bus station and still have a while to our sites. THIS time, half of the passengers got off the bus and new people got on. When a worker got on to check tickets, everyone started raising hell, telling him that they paid some guy but he never handed out a ticket. Still the man requested that everyone show their tickets. This made people even madder. Everyone started screaming at him and getting others to refuse to show their tickets. Olivia and I sat there, having no clue what was happening…and apparently this stuff always happens to me. This is we basically witnessed a riot on the bus.

There was no other choice but for the driver to take us to the police station to settle the dispute…keep in mind this is 12 hours into the journey. So when we got to the police station EVERYONE had to get off the bus and talk to the police. The ones that had tickets were sent back to their seats and the rest stood outside. Basically everything was settled JUST BY the policeman asking each passenger standing outside if he or she really paid the man. If he or she said yes, they were allowed to get back on. SIMPLE AS THAT! Sometimes Ghanaians do things that are funny to me.  Later we found out that the man that took the money works at the station and many people know about him…I’m curious to know if he is still alive right now. Seriously…People here hate thieves!

When I finally arrived at site (14 hours later), electricity was out and I had to lug my stuff around in the dark. So I had no clue what my site even looked like. I had a hot, hot room, hadn’t peed in hours because I was so dehydrated, my door wouldn’t close, and my land lady barely spoke English.

Anyway, it was literally the WORST day trip of my life!

The Sickly One

I’ve been sick twice now since I’ve been here. Much more sick than the usual headache from dehydration, and occasional diarrhea from too much palm oil. (Things are about to get graphic, but I feel like future PCT’s should know what to expect)The first time I probably hit up the toilet 10 times in one day. And this literally came out of nowhere. One minute I was fine, and the next, the port-a-potty was my new residence. I had to give the medical doctor a MIF kit sample (poop sample). And let me tell you, nothing is worse than collecting a poop sample when you have the runs! A couple hours after all that hit me, I started getting really achy and developed a fever. The fever went from 101 to 103 in less than an hour. I was feeling really irritable and hot at that point, so things began to get a little fuzzy. Anyway, my fever broke on the way back to homestay and I was fine for a couple more hours. The next thing I knew, I was basically delirious with an even higher fever. So I fell asleep because I was too sore and weak to do anything else. The next morning I woke up feeling fine. It seemed like I dreamed the entire thing! If only!

The next time I got sick was about a week after my first illness. We had started our technical training and we were in transit to our Counterpart workshop (where we would be meeting our contact person from our site). My stomach started hurting right below the rib cage and was getting worse by the hour; it sort of felt like a pulled muscle. But I knew I hadn’t done much of anything the week before since I was studying for the language exam (which I passed!), much less physical activity! So that night I had Chau and Ryan study the “When there is No Doctor” book and perform an appendix test on me. We all came to the conclusion that my appendix was about to rupture because I was in so much pain. Chau was scared that I was going to die in my sleep and said she didn’t want to wake up with a dead body next to her. So I promised her that if I began to die I would crawl out into the woods and die by myself like an animal. We got a good laugh out of that which hurt ALOT and made me think I was on the verge of death. Anyway, long story short, I did not die. It was just ANOTHER 24 hr virus! 

A Re-evaluation

It’s been a while since the last blog. Internet is really hard to get over here. Sometimes I have to travel an hour to get to an Internet Café and only use the computer for 2 hours. That’s only once every two to three weeks. For those of you with easy internet access, be thankful!

It’s crazy to think that we have been in Ghana for nearly two months. The hours here seem to crawl by, but like other PCVs in the past have said, the week and months fly by. Getting older seems to make time go by faster and faster. At least it does for me. I can’t believe how much I’ve already learned and experienced in this short amount of time. I feel like before this I haven’t really been living. There are so many more issues in the world, than the latest Facebook update, or new style of clothing. Sorry everyone, I’m going to vent a little. Hopefully instead of getting offended, you will re-evaluate the things you may take for granted.

These are SOME of the MANY issues Ghanaians (and other developing countries face):

•     REALLY bad roads: The drivers here are not crazy or bad drivers. They just have terrible roads because they can’t get the funding for repair. Many of the “best” roads here are probably worst than the “worst” roads where you live
•     Trash: Trash is EVERYWHERE. You might ask: Why not throw it away? Because there is nowhere to put it! There are no garbage men here, and many communities do not have dumpsters or even trashcans. Other communities try to burn trash every few days, but then they run into the problem of releasing toxins in the air. So again, make sure you thank your local sanitation worker. You’re probably in better shape than half the world.
•     Water: Water here is really hard to come by. Some people have a pipe system or well outside their house, others have to travel a mile or more to get ONE bucket of water. Some communities are on a scheduled time frame and only a portion of the community has access to water at their house for a few weeks at a time before it rotates to the next.  On top of accessibility… some people have rivers and streams close to their house, but they can’t drink or bathe from it without a possibility of getting Guinea worm or schistosomiosis. If you don’t know what either of these are, look them up. They are something you never want to get!

I swear, if I read another Facebook status of someone complaining about how movie tickets were sold- out or that, you were late for work, or that your favorite team lost a game, I will “un-friend” you. Maybe it’s because I have been out of the loop for 2 months now, or because all of that is literally irrelevant in the bigger world issues. Anyway I’m tired of hearing about these silly complaints.

Whew! I feel a lot better now. 

Boti Falls

On March 4th we took a field trip to Boti Falls. It was a nice break from the monotony of language lessons 6 hours a day.

Not much else to say about it other than we hiked 45 minutes up one side of a mountain and down the other. We were gross and sweaty by lunchtime...but when are we not gross and sweaty here? AND we had a slice of PIZZA for lunch! YUMMMMM!

Here are a few pics of our adventure:

The Greeting Gauntlet

Ghanaians like to greet. There's no other way to put it. Sometimes up to three times a day. This is very different from the majority of American culture. When in Ghana, one MUST greet. This is how it usually goes:

"Good morning. How are you?"

"I am fine. And you?"

"Fine."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to school/home."

"Ok go and come."

Sometimes these greetings get humorous, especially with the younger kids. Sometimes I say "Goodmorning," and they reply "I am fine." I always think this is funny ...like, "just so you know, I'm doing great over here!"

On one hand they are very blunt and straight to the point... like "Hi i'm fine, now I have to go." And the escape from greetings are never awkward. You just tell someone you have to go, where you are going, and promise to come back. That's it!

BUT, on the other hand, greetings can be VERY tiring... which is why one PCT deemed it The Greeting Gauntlet. Greetings are finally starting to feel normal now, but imagine stopping to talk on the way to work/school, home for lunch, back to work/school, and at the end of the day. Now multiply that by 30 people each way. A walk that would normally take 15 minutes, now takes around 30. And, that's what we do here every day.

One reason for this, is that in the Ghanaian culture, a sense of community and respect are very important. So when a younger person passes an elderly person, the younger one is expected to greet first. Another reason is to show that you genuinely care about the person's well being. Ghanaians love knowing that others are feeling good and happy. Just knowing this makes them really happy.

Although it can get tiring at times, I've already noticed that I get excited to greet certain people and see a familiar face. When the people I usually greet are in a bad or not there that day, my day starts out bad. It's strange to see how contagious the sense of community is here.

Homestay

The first day of homestay was the definitionn of culture shock. For those of you who do not know what homestay is, allow me to explain. Basically each volunteer requests minor preferences they look for in a hoomestay family (i.e. non-smoking, no kids etc). Then the family does the same thing.  Each family is interviewed by PC staff to make sure they understand how iportant cultural exposure is for the trainees, and that the housing situation is safe. Once all of that happens, the voluteer is matched wth a particular family.

So, we left Valley View and had lunch in the town of Kukuruntumi where the PC hub office is located. 

After that we traveled to a small village/town of Anyinasin where we would be living for the next three months. We unloaded the truck and placed our luggage at the front of the church where we would b metting our "parents." All the Ghanaian families sat on the left side and all the PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees) sat on the right. We spent the next few minutes staring at each other trying to figure out who was going who with whom.

As names were called, I got more and more nervous, hoping I wasn't the last. FINALLY, my name was called and I to the front of the church and gave my hose mother a big hug. Next we went to a little section of the church where we chatted and got to know each other.

Her name is Christy and she is 38 years old. Her husband is a headmaster is South Africa and she has three kids:

 Opoku-12, Hettie-4, and NaNa-1. 

So now I have three younger siblings! For those of you who know my awkwardness around children, I hope this experience helps eliminate some of that!

After a brief introduction, we uickly left the church, dropped my uggage off at her house and walked to the store where she worked. We probably stopped to talk to twenty people on the way. After we got to her store and I was introduced to her sister, (who works at the store beside her) I had run out of things to say. I didn't know anyone. I couldn't speak Twi (local language) and the people around knew very little English. So I sat there. And sat there some more. It was one of the most awkward moments of my life. I probably sat there for two hours not talking to anyone. I had also forgotten my water bottle at the house. So I was really thirsty any melting in the heat.

By the time we got home, I was in a terrible mood. While I was putting the water filter together in the kitchen, my sister was literally screaming and clinging on to my leg and knocking everything over. For a moment I thought I was going to die of thirst. No joke. That thought crossed my mind. By dinner time I had finnaly fixed my filter and calmed down. But as I sat down to eat, I realized I was exhausted from te day and no longer hungry. I don't know why, but I almost broke down at the table. It was alot to take in. New culture, new food, new people. First night on my own. You might think it sounds easy, but when all those things add up, it's sooo overwhelming. And when you find yourself alone for the first time, it's hard. Really hard. But you have to accept the change or let it eat away at you.

I accepted it and went to sleep. The only thing that kept me sane the first night was knowing that ever other PCT was going through the same thing, and I wasn't really alone.

*Things have gotten better since then, so don't worry : )

 my room

 bathtub no running water

 toilet no running water

 kitchen

 dining room

living room

Accra Quest

On the 3rd day in country we went on a little thing called Accra Quest. Basically everyone is divided into groups of two or three. Each group is given four or five objectives to complete in Accra before returning back to Valley View. We had six hours to complete this, and yes, it took us the entire time and then some. From Valley View to Accra it can't be more than 15 miles. HOWEVER, in Ghana, things tend to move a little slower.

First we had to wave down a tro tro, or tro (Tros or taxis are the main form of transportation in Ghana).  This was a task all on its own. The moment we got to the road a passing driver yells out "Are you rich?" As an American, everyone here thinks we are wealthy, but as a PC Trainee, this made us laugh. Since we make very little... equivelent to about $4.00/day.

Anyway, the tro driver never stops. He has the Mate do all the talking for him.  So here we are, three white girls (or better yet, three "Obrunis") chasing down a troasking for it to take us to the next town. When we finally got on one, it was packed tight. Every seat is filled and they are still taking more. What woul normally hold about 13 people in a standard church van in the states, holds about 30 people in Ghana. But the fair was cheap so we didn't complain. Next we got dropped off a the tro station in a busy market area.  It is pure Chaos! People are everywhere with buckets/baskets on their head. They sell everything from bananas, maps, to candy. You name it, they have it! At one point I even saw a girl carring a desk and chair on her head, going to school. Ha they love school that much!

We couldn't understand anyone and had never been to a tro station before. We were utterly lost.  Luckily the Mates on each bus knew exactly where we needed to go and literally pulled us to the correct tro. Ghanaians are so helpful! After an hour we finally reached Accra. Our tasks were very simple and took about 2 hours...a lot easier than we expected. But apparently nothing that easy comes free. The next tro we took dropped us off in the middle of another random market...not even at the correct station. We had no clue where we were AGAIN or how to get home. We asked many people but got different answers every time. SO FRUSTRATING! We spent the next 1.5 hours on the same street trying to figure out what to do next.

After all that time, we came to find out that there were two tro stations in town, an old, and a new...hence all the confusion.  By this time we were sweaty, tired, sunburned and covered in dust. By the time we finally found a tro to take us to campus we were exhausted and filthy. As we rolled into Valley View we noticed we were not the only ones that had such a rough time.

One group had a tro break down on the way to Accra (when vehicles brek down here they are stuck on the side of the road until someone can get out there to fix them). Another group had their tro rear end another vehicle on the way back to campus.  All in all Accra Quest was a great learning experience. But we have since heard that what we saw that day happens on a regular basis in Ghana, so be prepared to head more stories related to bad driving!

Arrival

Hello everyone! Yes, I am still alive. I just haven't had internet access in a while. Staging was hectic. As soon as we arrived we went through registration and straight into the orientation... aka awkward ice breakers. I'm glad we have such a funny Water/Sanitation group. It actually made the 5 hour session bearable. 

WATSAN trainee group at staging

Overall, the entire first week as a whirlwind of change and new faces. We arrived in Ghana around 7:30pm on Feb 8th. Everyone seemed to suffer from extreme jetlag. Depending on where everyone was from, some had it worst than others. On top of that, we had been in an airport or plane for the previous 20-23 hours prior to arrival.

We were welcomed by an entire goup of PC staff and rushed to a bus outside the airport. apparently we had arrived during a Ghanaian soccer game so "not that many" people were out.  YEAH RIGHT! The streets were incredibly crowded, as if a huge street festival was taking place. I would hate to see the airport on a "normal" day. We got on the bus and were welcomed by Mikey and Beth, our PCVLs (Peace Corps Volunteer Leaders). 

As we headed into Valley View (the campus where we would spend the next week) the PCVLs gave us the rundown of the week's itenerary, some cultural do's and dont's, along with a speech saying how 99% of volunteers join "the club"...if you have traveled to a developing country you know what I'm talking about..in other words, it means that I might not make it to the bathroom in time, and apparently most of the volunteers experience this AT LEAST once. What a great thing to look forward to! HAHA!

 First night at Valley View Chau and I decided to room together. This worked out perfectly! Since I am afraid of spiders and she is afraid of snakes, we decided to be each other's body guard. But to tell you the truth, if I see a snake, you better believe I'm running the other way. Sorry Chau!

 our room at Valley View and Chau

 bathroom-flushing toilet, and bucket baths

another view of our room

T-minus 10 hours!

OH EM GEEEE! Staging is so close! There are so many emotions running through me right now. Anxiety, sadness, aprehension, and excitement...hopefully all these feelings or normal at this point. That or I'm doing something wrong.

Last week was great, I was able to hang out with Dave and just relax. We ate at all of my favorite restaurants....I'm really going to miss Subway (sigh). Hopefully I packed on enough pounds to last me the first few weeks in a new country.

As far as packing goes...It literally took me like an entire day. Plus it doesn't help waiting until the day before...oops. Packing was definitely stressful. I sat in the middle of the floor surrounded by mountains of items as I debated about what to take and what I could manage to live the next two years without. I finally finished the majority of my packing, although I'm not really sure that my baggage falls within the limits of  Peace Corps requirements. Too late to turn back now, just gotta cross my fingers! I have 55 lbs worth of baggage to be checked and a 10lb bag for a carry on. Not too shabby. Let's see how long I can last with all that weight before my weak arms and fragile back decide to crumble underneath me.

Today I had one last feast that my Aunt Bea and Mom made for me. The food was glorious! Especially the fried rice and egg rolls (yuuummmmyyy!) Best part of the day was that Dave made a surprise visit to Paris! I don't think I would have been able to finish packing without his help...And because of this, he gets the best boyfriend of the year award! (Also...special shout out to my cousin Mitchell who also helped me pack the majority of my things)

So in just a few hours, I will start my amazing journey. Thanks to all my friends and family who have supported me in this decision!I'll try to make another entry when I get a chance, but I'm not sure how busy I will be or how often I can have access to the internet. Just remember, no news is good news!

I love and miss you all. Wish me luck!

2 Weeks Left

Ok the title was misleading, I actually have LESS than 2 weeks left!

Last Saturday I had a great going away party. By the end of the night I'm pretty sure the entire bar was filled everyone I know. I just want to thank all my friends for attending and making my last couple weeks in the states memorable:)

The best part was meeting up/talking to everyone the next morning and finding out how and where everyone ended up the night before....I definitely heard some wildly hilarious stories....such a crazy bunch, but they're the best friends anyone could ask for. I'd be lucky to find anyone who can compare. BUT if that day comes, I shall welcome them with open arms!

For those of you who couldn't attend, thanks for doing what you could to get in touch with me. Please keep in touch. I want to hear every last detail of your lives for the next two years!

Now, off to tie up loose ends in the next 11 days. Wish me luck!!

PS: Gia (and Brittany) we had a wonderful time at your 1st birthday party. You are by far the happiest baby I know. I hope you love the presents!

January: The Month of Lethargy

Since quitting work back in December, I've had nothing to do. And I mean NOTHING.  It's to the point that I have to make a list of things to do around the house and force myself outside just to see a bit of sunshine and get fresh air.

I've also gotten more sleep than I feel I've had my entire life.  10-12 hours a day...minimum! If that's not lethargy, I don't know what is.

Yet, at the same time I feel busy, busy, busy! The first week of January my friend Annie and I took our first trip to the west coast to visit our best friend, Brooklyn, in San Francisco! She's a star in the musical: Bring It On. (Even for you non-cheerleaders, the show is still awesome. They are on tour and I recommend everyone see it in a town near you!) During this trip I also decided that I'm scared to death when planes land. Like I fear for my life...but that's another story.

Anyway, less than 3 weeks to go and I've gone through two trial runs of packing.  So far I have a huge wheelie suitcase/backpack thing, a duffel bag and a backpack I'm going to use as a carry on.  But it feels impossible to condense everything down to 80lbs! 

How does one pack for 2 years?! At first you think 80lbs isn't enough...but as I started packing and weighing things I realized that a backpack filled to the 40lb mark starts to make me tip, or walk all hunchbacked! I'm struggling with my luggage as it is, and once I get in country I'm going to have to carry everything on my own. I'm highly considering wearing only the clothes on my back!