To be continued

We are six hours away from flying time. We are all mentally exhausted.  The simple act of trying to understand accents, trying to blend in as much as possible, has taken its toll.  

The last few days have been phenomenal, with the highlight being the visit to the slave castle at Cape Coast. I will write more about this later. For now though, know that I am happy I came, but I am happy to be coming home.

Now What?

As of today, I am officially done with the placement at my host school- Sefwi Bekwai Secondary High School. (It is located in the Western region of Ghana, for those of you who need a visual.) The question that looms before me is:

Now what?

Over the past week, I was able to visit a mine, a cocoa plantation, and several schools, co-teach five social studies classes, and eat Ghanaian food with families around the community who were gracious enough to invite us in. I have established relationships with some amazing teachers who I would like not to forget or ever lose touch with. I have become smitten with this community (not a village, but definitely not a town) and am already looking forward to going back. It has been a fantastic trip.

But how do I capitalize on this experience in the classroom? This is the million dollar question.

I have been lucky to be part of a sister school relationship in the past with a school in Uganda. I learned some very important lessons, namely that it needs to be a RELATIONSHIP.  Too often, these types of partnerships between schools turn into a lot of fundraising but no cooperative learning or connection of students.

In addition, how do I balance the legitimate needs the school has with the concern of creating a dependency on our fundraising? This is the most difficult aspect of creating a partnership with another school half way around the world in an area that is largely being robbed of their natural resources while development is squashed by the economic powerhouses and the international free market.  While I am not opposed to charitable giving, I do worry that the relationship could turn just into a fundraising relationship without the globalized aspect appearing in the classrooms at my school.

These are the questions I need to work out.  But I do hope that we actually can create some sort of permanent presence in one another's schools.

For your viewing pleasure, pictures of when I gave away soccer balls are posted below. This was a BIG DEAL. I knew that soccer balls were the equivalent of gold on this continent, and Ghana in particular, but I did not realize that schools would host school-wide assemblies to accept a few meager soccer balls!  It was so much fun to be on the giving end. I wish the students who had donated the balls were there to see it with their own eyes.

Puppies and Unicorns

If the title of this blog post alone does not warm your heart, perhaps these pictures will. We visited a primary school and these kids were so ridiculously cute.  Enjoy!

Proof

The internet is terrible here. However, it is somewhat working now and I wanted to upload a photo to prove I am actually here. So, here is me doing my thing.

Notice the uniforms. They are so amazed that my kids do not have to wear them.

They are also amazed that we do not cane our kids when they are bad.

So it goes.

Also, here is some pictures of the rainforest. Before and after. I mentioned that in a previous post.

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things

For those who don't know (because I did not make it clear), Sefwi Bekwai, the community I am staying in, is located in the Asante (Ashanti...same thing) region. This is in the middle of the state. It has a long, rich history as the strongest tribe. Today, it is rain forested area that is filled with people who are very kind to travelers, very animated when they speak, and very reflective on their daily lives.

These are just a few of the things I like and find interesting about where I am staying. Other things I find interesting and really enjoy about Sefwi Bekwai, Ghana:

1. The food! It is so, so tasty. The soups and rice dishes are very spicy. Of course there are some dishes that are less than appealing. But for the most part, it is quite enjoyable. Especially the roasted plantains (called coco).

2. The love of soccer. If you do not have anything to talk about, the topic of soccer (football) is one that can make strangers quick friends. Side note...the US is playing Ghana in the World Cup. I am reminded of this several times a day.

3. The beauty. This place is so, so beautiful. I am surrounded by the lushest green hills that eminate a sweet, citrusy odor at all times. There is flora and fauna I have never seen before. Many bright colors attract all sorts of odd looking birds. There is something new to be seen around every corner.

4. The appreciation of education. Many people are proud of where they went to school and like to show off their extensive knowledge. They are open to being humble servants of the mind. It is something I will surely take away with me.

5. The people. So kind, so generous with their time, and so interesting. Everyone has a very unique story and something they can contribute to the conversation, no matter their stature in life.

Of course, there are things I do not like. I am constantly being pointed at and called 'O'Brooney,' which means 'white man.' They see very few of us up in these parts. The Mosquitos and bugs are prolific. And finally, did I mention it is hot? I don't think I have ever sweated this much. Ever.

Regardless of the inevitable high and lows that traveling like this brings up, there are many things to be learned and absorbed. I hope I can carry home with me the favorite things as much as possible.

State of Affairs

It has been a while since my last posting and I thought the plethora of loyal readers who subscribe to this blog deserve to know the reason behind the prolonged absence.

It is hot. Really hot.  And humid.  The air is so thick it feels like I am drinking it.  If anyone know how to convert 35 degrees Celsius into Fahrenheit, please keep it to yourself because I don't want to know. It would only make how hot it is more unbearable.

Why does it matter that is so hot?  Glad you asked.

Over the past few days, we have explored the rainforest, visited several different schools, and traveled to a cocoa farm.  There is no air-conditioning, so after a long, hot ride wedged between my travel partners in the back seat of a 4x4 my only source of relief is a cold shower.

However, because it is the dry season, and it is so hot, water is frequently turned off. No A.C., no cold shower. What is a girl to do?

I do the third best thing, which is sweat. A lot. And then drink copious amounts of water. The only problem with sweating so much is now I have to do laundry. And there is no water.

After being in a car and out tromping around the natural landscape in 35 degree heat (Celsius) and not being able to shower or do a laundry (because it is dry season) a person is going to need to lay under a fan (these do work, at least for right now). But laying under a fan when it is hot leads to an inevitable heat coma (the fan is directly above the bed in my hotel room). So, my blogging time is eaten up by hot weather nap time. This is a familiar story for anyone who has traveled like this and not some sorry excuse for a nap.

In addition to nap time, the heat causes major storms to hit during the evening hours, which also is one of the most reliable times to access the internet (not sure why). The storms knock out the power and all forms of communication, including the internet. We had such a storm on Saturday night and still do not have power or internet (to be fair, if our power goes out in Virginia, it takes at least a few days, if not a week, to have power and internet restored).

In short, it is hot. Really hot. And that really matters at this current point in my adventure.

Science and Economics

In school, students are taught about the rainforest, with the mighty canopy and it's wide array of birds, the middle layer filled with various types of monkeys and flying squirrels, and the lower level that is represented by the ground feeders. It is a delicate harmony that relies on one another to survive (forgive me for forgetting the actual names of the tiers in the rainforest...it has been a very long time since I have had a science class).

Students also learn about how the rainforests are being slashed and burned for the precious minerals that are rooted underground.  They learn about the long term impact deforestation of old growth rainforests can have on the environment. They hear statistics about the mining in Brazil that can cause a spike in blood pressure. It is a sickening and alarming tale that is well documented by the likes of 'National Geographic' and the Smithsonian Institute.

Today, I saw it first hand. A Chinese company owns the Ghana Bauxite Mine in Asowa. There they have found bauxite (used for aluminum), iron, and various other precious metal lying quietly beneath the surface of a gorgeous and productive land that the locals used to use for subsitinence farming.  This company deforests the land, scoops away all the top soil (up to 8 meters thick), and blows up the lower tiers of dirt in an effort to loosen the red clay that holds these precious metals. From there, the metals are sent down the mountain to a washer where water (another rare commodity during dry season) is used to clean and crush the rocks. They are then loaded onto trucks, sent to the ports, and put on barges to be refined and manufactured in China, thus eliminating the possible silver lining of brining manufacturing jobs to low GDP countries like Ghana.

Today, I saw the deforestation of centuries old rainforest with my own eyes.

I also saw one very robust nation robbing a smaller, less developed one of the possibility to develop its industry in a way that might possibly even the playing field between economic monoliths and their disproportionality small counterparts. 

It was an incredible site to see. It will be one that I will not unsee for a long, long time.

(I originally put pictures of the deforestation on this post, but the internet is terribly slow and won't allow me to post pictures. Sorry.)

An Education

In Ghana, people do not question the importance of education. They do not denigrate their schools and speak of how terrible they are. Teachers are never spoken of as failures and degenerates.  Many Ghanaians, young and old, have an appreciation for education and for attending school. 

Ghanaians do some things quite well. They are not afraid to change the basic infrastructure and design of their school system, from what age kids should start to how many years they spend in elementary, middle and high school. They have high regard for their teachers and appreciate what they are doing on such a limited budget. In fact, teachers are so highly regarded that when he Ghanaian parliament heard we were coming they agreed to meet with us and even had 13 members of the education sub-committee in attendance to ask questions and answer those that we asked.

One Ghanaian parliament member said, 'The average Ghanaian child is just as smart as everyone else, so long as they have the tools to succeed and do well.' Whoa.

This is not to say that they are perfect. When learning curriculum, students are using rote memorization, rather than learning to question and analyze. There is minimal technology.  And I suspect that there is a high level of corruption when placing students in their secondary schools (all students test into schools, rather than attend the one of their choice- there are still some very strong communist undertones here, which is another story all together).

Regardless, while I am here, I must retain the view that I am not here to make others better, but that I am to become better from others.

Some pictures from our school visit today in Okoba...

Thumbs Up

Two facts you may or may not know:

1. Did you know that thumbs up is not always a good thing? In Ghana, for quite some time, it meant $&@/!?#. Who knew?

2. Also, did you know that it is 2014?

What do these two things have to do with one another? Great question. As we have become comfortable with the idea of being 21st century human beings, and with the creation and acquisition of technology, our worlds are colliding.  Which leads me to this question- is globalization all together a good thing?

The US has been free of British rule for 238 years. We do not have British accents, we spell words like 'theater' and 'analyze' correctly (I am joking...kind of), we drive on the right side of the ride, and we use the dollar rather than the pound. Look at us! We are so independent. But how long did it take us to sever ties from England and properly rebel from the mother country? At what point did some amped up farm worker or innovative urban youth come up with the idea of giving the thumbs up as a sign for 'it's all good!'? Surely the British had never done such an unrefined gesture before.

Ghana has been independent from England for 57 years (my dad is older than Ghana!). They still spell words the British way and have traces of British accents when they speak in English.  They only just switched to driving on the right side of the road in 1974. But to them, using the thumbs up sign has only just started to become socially acceptable. So, for all intensive purposes, giving the thumbs up sign is a modern example of globalization (did you follow that logic?).

Giving the thumbs up is, obviously, a ridiculous example of globalization, but an example nonetheless. Other examples of globalization include the sharing of fashion, infusion of food (I have not seen a Starbucks here yet, but if have eaten Ghanaian food in D.C.), the spreading of technology (and not far behind, social media), and infrastructure. Globalization can be a fantastic thing.

But, at what point does globalization cross the line and become bad? Good examples of globalization can be seen in other realms besides iPhones and McDonald's. It is demonstrated in the wave of progressive thought, like that women should be equal. Granted, while American women were burning their bras and demanding equal pay, Ghanaian women were fighting not be 'grabbed' in the market, held hostage in a stranger's house as a sex slave for a week (or until impregnated) and then married to the assaulter. But still, the idea that women are not the inferior sex has spread globally and increased the well being of women in dramatic fashion. This is good globalization.

So, then, what is bad globalization? How about the fact that Ghanaians have been westernizing their culture to the point where local languages, traditions, music, and dance have been all but squelched, much to the dismay of the older generation. Communication and connections that bridged the generational gap for centuries (yes, even during British rule) has almost been completely wiped out since independence. There is value in preserving these things.

Why?

Because if we all blend into one another life is boring. BORING! Everything from music to food to language to culture becomes one big blob of beige. Think about this. No one will want to go somewhere exotic, like Ghana, because everyone will act the same, eat the same, and dress the same.  No one will want to go to Italy anymore for the exquisite pizza and gelato.  No one will want to fly to fashion week in Paris because we will all dress the same.

My point is that globalization can bring good changes, like the spread of ideas and inventions. But it also has the potential to eliminate the aspects of human nature that make people unique and surprising.  More importantly, it may slowly chip away at the cultural binds that have preserved cultures prior to and through colonization.

Hey, I like the idea of someone giving me the thumbs up and it meaning $&@!?. Otherwise, then, it is just another thumbs up and that is boring.

If you're going to be stupid...

After confiding in a good friend an urge I had to do something compulsive and decisively permanent (I believe it involved getting a thorny rose tattoo wrapped around my forearm), my friend said, "Becca, if you are going to be stupid, be smart stupid." Needless to say, I did not wind up getting the tattoo, but I also learned a very wise lesson that I now apply to all realms in life, especially travel.

How does this apply to Ghana? Well, traveling to Ghana is safe. However, many unsafe (stupid) decisions can be made. Thus, I have taken an opportunity to share the rules I have picked up already having been in Ghana for a mere eight hours.

1. If you are going to eat street food (and want to avoid getting typhoid, hepatitis, or any of the other numerous disease one can get from food cooked hours ago and left out in the sun all day), be sure to get the freshest fried, grilled, or otherwise prepared selection in the lot.

2. If you are going to ride a moto (motorcycle taxi that often results in an alarmingly high number of deaths), be sure your driver is sober and over the age of 15.

3. Swimming is fine in the ocean, so long as you avoid the riptide and never turn your back on the waves. Swimming in fresh water is the worst idea ever (schistomiasis anyone?).

4. Learn how to meet and greet people in their native language (English is Ghana's official language, but a majority of Ghanaians also speak Twi). Ghanaians may be more forgiving of the inevitable blunders and general awkward moments you will surely have as the new guy in town. They might also be more inclined to save your life when you step out in front of an oncoming bus that is clearly not following any traffic laws or signals.

5. Wear mosquito spray and take malaria pills if you are in a mosquito-ridden part of Africa. In fact, go ahead and get every vaccination the doctor recommends if you are traveling to a country like Ghana. Jenny McCarthy and her minions of anti-vaccination followers have no idea just how bad life can be if you contract diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, or typhoid. Does she not know how many people died in the US prior to malaria's eradication? Thousands, if not more. Seriously. If there is a vaccination, get it. Don't be stupid.

Safe travels everyone! And remember, if you are going to be stupid, be smart stupid.

Nice Day For a White Wedding

Planning a trip to sub Saharan Africa is a lot like planning a wedding, minus the shots. Planning a wedding takes a lot of energy, time, resources, and sheer will power. And when all is said and done, the day is over in the blink of an eye. It effortlessly transforms from the ever approaching dream day to a distant memory.

I feel like this trip has been coming down the pipeline FOREVER. And yet, it is 18 hours before I leave and I still have yet to pack. How does that happen?

Much like a wedding, this trip is the product of a lot of planning.  In the past few weeks alone, in anticipation of being gone for two weeks in a place where I may or may not have internet connection, I have done my taxes, paid bills, graded over 150 essays, lesson planned two weeks out, gone to the drug store no less than three times for meds I may or may not need while abroad, bought warm weather clothes and sprayed them with mosquito repellant, collected and packed 61 t-shirts, 17 soccer balls, 850 pencils, 100 pens, and nine boxes of chalk, went to the doctor for four shots, sent in my visa paperwork twice (the directions were confusing!), and spent several hours on the phone reassuring my mother that Ghana is safe. Really.

But, it is good that a trip like this is not easy. Dealing with passports and visas and worrying about where my meals will come from (and if I will get violently ill from accidentally brushing my teeth with the tap water) makes me appreciate how difficult it is to go to place as exotic as Ghana. The simplicity of hopping on a plane to go anywhere can strip away the wonder that is travel.  Buying copious amounts of Imodium will bring you back to earth rather quickly.

Allow me to share a memory.  The last time I went to Africa (Uganda) in 2011, I remember sitting on the plane as we had a layover in Kenya. I felt like a hot shot because I had been to Uganda before and traveling to sub Saharan Africa was no big deal. (Might as well have been traveling to Alabama to visit the in-laws.) But then, just as we were about to depart, the lovely Dutch flight attendants closed the doors and announced that everyone needed to keep their heads down because they needed to spray mosquito repellant in the cabin. They put on these World War I gas masks and opened up bright blue spray bottles and walked briskly through the cabin citing everyone and everything with a noxious gas. I overheard another person saying that they had to do it because of a particularly deadly outbreak of malaria that was hopping borders by infesting itself in unknowing travelers. That was humbling and provided a much needed reminder of how big the world really is, despite the relative ease of air travel.

Much like my wedding day, this trip is already flying by and it has not even started yet. Because now it is 17 hours before I depart and I still have not packed.