"Goin' back to my roots" Odyssey

So this post is about 3 months too late but better late than never, right? During our time abroad we were given a month off at Christmas time to do as we pleased. I decided to go to South Africa to see my Granddad and I was lucky enough to go with three other girls in my program, Brigitte, Elise and Amy. Our month was filled with adventure after adventure including, riding an ostrich, doing a horseback safari, Table Mountain, a visit to Boulder’s Beach to see the penguins, an Elephant Sanctuary and some beach time. We drove from Cape Town along the Garden Route to Johannesburg where we spent Christmas with my Granddad and Aunty Bev and Uncle Thomas. I would not have wanted to spend my Christmas anywhere else.  So let the journey begin….

The first few days in Cape Town were filled with numerous adventures but mostly it was just nice to chill for a while and take a break from school. It rained on the first day and seeing as we had just hopped off a plane from Ghana we were freezing! So instead of wasting our day in the hostel, our first mission was to find an umbrella for Brigitte. After a long search and a bit of culture shock (department stores are very overwhelming when you haven’t been in one for a few months) we managed to get our hands on one. Thank you Edgars. While it was still raining, we decided to go to the aquarium! It had been years since I’d been to an aquarium but I have to admit, it was a great way to spend a rainy day.  (903, 906).

Standing in the rain, freezing!

We were looking for Nemo

According to Amy, I am a marine biologist..

Pitstop: Kirstenbosh Botannical Gardens

We decided to check out the Botannical Gardens so one afternoon we stopped at Pick N’ Pay and grabbed some lunch to take with us.  Pita bread and dip. Pringles. A ham roll. Simple things but I will never take them for granted again. I’m not much of a ‘lets look at plants’ sort of person but it was a beautiful garden. The view was amazing too-right beneath the mountains. After lunch we walked around which consisted mostly of Elise and I sitting on bench’s while Amy and Brigitte went ahead. It was a great day though.

Amy and I at the botannical gardens 

Playing in the trees

Pitstop: Table Mountain

So lesson learnt here. We decided that we would hike up Table Mountain on our last day in Cape Town which also coincided with our last night in Cape Town.  Seeing as we would be leaving early in the morning the day after the hike we decided to go out the day before the hike. As great of a time as it was….let’s just say there was no hike up the mountain. Instead we took the cable car up (which happened to be quite scary actually) and walked out onto one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen. It was incredible. Breathtaking. We spent about an hour up there before I met some very old friends of mine. I was lucky enough to be in the same town as my cousin, Kirsten and Aunt Sonja for the first time in at least ten years. I met them on top of the mountain and we had a really nice catch up. It was great to see them after all that time.

View of Camps Bay from Table Mountain 

For you, dad. 

Having  a tea at the top

Mountain ladies. Amy, Briggs, myself and Elise

Beautiful 

We rented a car and decided to drive from Cape Town to Johannesburg for Christmas so that we could spend Christmas with my granddad and Aunt and Uncle.

Pitstop: Chapman's Peak

We decided to leave Cape Town by driving along Chapman’s Peak. What an incredible view…

Chapman's Peak

Pitstop: Boulder’s Beach, Simons Town.

We decided to stop in Simons Town and make a visit to out furry little friends. The water was freezing, there were a few scary moments climbing over the rocks but it was worth it to see some seriously cute penguins. 

King of the Rock

They were camera shy...

We made our way along the coast and decided to stop in Outshoorn to see what the big fuss with all the ostrich’s was about.

Pitstop: Ostrich Farm

So we decided to do an ostrich tour on an ostrich farm in ostrich country. What kind of a tour would it be though if we didn’t ride the ostrich?! Before you get on the ostrich they put a bag over its head to calm it down and surprisingly, the ostrich went from being very agitated to completely calm. You then have to climb onto the back of the ostrich and wrap your legs around the front of it so that its legs won’t hit yours. The wings are then wrapped around you, covering your thighs. You lean back and grab onto those wings for your life, the bag is taken off the ostrich’s head and off you go! It is quite a bumpy ride but it was really fun. Those birds are fast! Feeling quite happy after my turn, I got off the ostrich smiling. Elise burst out into laughter and then continued to take a picture of my face. I was unaware that as I had climbed off a feather had gotten stuck to my teeth and instead of Elise telling me and pulling it off right away, she proceeded to laugh and take a picture. 

They put the bag on its head to calm it down.

This nail is so sharp that apparently it can slice your body in open from head to toe.

It was one hell of a ride! 

Completely terrifying but so much fun! 

The feather

Pitstop: Plettenburg Bay 

Our next stop was Plettenburg Bay, which was a great place to spend a few days. There is a really nice beach there and it was nice to chill for a little bit after we had been on the move for so long.We also went to an elephant sanctuary where we were able to get really close to some elephants! It was time, however, to make our way inland if we wanted to make it to Johannesburg for Christmas. It was also time for Briggs leave us and go to Burkina Faso to meet up with some friends.

Going for a walk

Pitstop: Bloemfontein

We decided to break up the trip and stopped in Bloemfontein for a night before heading to Jo’burg the next day. I was lucky enough to be there at the same time as Kirsten and Aunt Sonja was so I managed to spend the night with them and catch up. It was really great and before we left we had a lovely breakfast. They were wonderful to us and it was really nice to see them after such a long time.

Reunion 

Pitstop: Springs

Now it was time to head over to Jo’burg for the main reason I was in South Africa in the first place, to see my Granddad and spend some time with the Theodoulou’s. We arrived on Christmas Eve, just in time for the celebrations and our first (Western Style) home-cooked meal in four months. Let’s just say there wasn’t very much left then or for the rest of the week!  On Christmas, Kerry and Marco were kind enough to invite us over to theirs for Christmas Dinner and it was amazing. Eating Christmas Dinner in the heat was a little strange-to be honest, it didn’t really feel like Christmas despite the lights and trees everywhere. Elise also had to leave us on Christmas to head back to Ghana to spend the last 2 weeks with her dad and boyfriend. So from that point on, it was only Amy and I left. The rest of the time was spent just chilling, doing a few small daytrips (to a township, to the mall among others), eating great food and catching up. It was really nice to relax for a while as the whole trip previous to this point had felt quite rushed.  It was really nice to see my Granddad and the Theodoulou’s.  I had a great Christmas and New Years with everyone in Springs. It was as close to feeling at home as I could get that time of year without being at home.  Sometimes the best family aren’t family. Thanks to the Theodoulou’s for looking after us and fattening us up! 

Christmas Eve with granddad 

All dressed up for Christmas Day

Pitstop: Jeffrey’s Bay

It was time to leave my family in Springs and make our way back to Cape Town before heading back to Ghana. We still had a week so we decided to stop in Jeffrey’s Bay-the surfing capital in South Africa. Amy is a big surfer and I had gotten into it a little bit in California but was really excited because I knew that I was going to be able to surf while I was in Ghana. We decided to stop and check it out for a few days, plus it was on the way back to Cape Town…well sort of. We stayed in a really nice hostel and chilled around town for a bit, checking out all the surfing shops for some post Christmas sales. Amy and I rented some boards one morning and decided to check out the waves. I should have known that they were going to be too big for me but I decided to try it anyway. When I finally managed to paddle out there I sat on my board and waited for a small wave. Then, about 100 yards away from us were a group of dolphins swimming! It was actually incredible. This sounds really cheesy but I felt part of the ocean; to be there while the dolphins were so close. It was an amazing moment. Plus, if dolphins were that close it meant that the sharks would be far away! I tried to catch a wave after the dolphins left and lost control of the board and almost hit my head on some rocks. That was enough for me. Although I didn’t catch a wave that day, I still had an incredible time in the water thanks to the dolphins.

So we didn't have our camera with us when we were in the water but this was as close as I could get on google. Just imagine them being a little further away and a lot more of them! Pretty incredible! 

 Pitstop: Plettenburg Bay

It was time to head on and so Amy and I decided we wanted to do one last big thing; a safari. Not any kind of safari though, a safari by horseback instead. We drove back to Plettenburg Bay and did a 3 hour safari by horseback (avoiding the lions of course) but still managed to see a lot of wildlife. It was my first time on a horse and I was a little nervous. Luckily the horses were all pack horses so they didn’t need much direction, they just followed each other. It was a lot of fun and it was a great way to see the wildlife.

Giraffe 

My first time on a horse! 

Zebra 

Last Stop:  Cape Town

We only had a few more days left in Cape Town and after too much time spent in the car, we decided to spend our last days relaxing. We needed to buy some boards though to take back to Ghana with us as we were going to be living on the beach and we knew that we would be able to surf. Luckily for us we met a guy who was staying in our hostel in Jeffrey’s Bay who knew where to buy some boards. He took us around Cape Town and eventually I found a board in Muizenburg. On the way back we stopped at Kalk Bay and had lunch at The Brass Bell due to my dad’s recommendation. You were right-the fish and chips were amazing. The next day we took our boards to Blouberg Beach and had our first surf on our new boards. It was a lot of fun and with Table Mountain in the background-the view couldn’t have been better. The water was freezing though and some wetsuits were required. Thankfully, the water in Ghana is warm so no wetsuits are needed! Our last few days in Cape Town were filled with some final shopping trips to get some things to take back to Ghana with us and just chilling. To be honest, I was trying not to think about going back. Our month in South Africa had been amazing, filled with numerous adventures and lots of laughs. I was nervous about going back to Ghana, starting a new placement in a new town, feeling somewhat overwhelmed with the idea of starting a new program from scratch. I didn’t really want our time to end in South Africa but all journeys come to an end at some point. It was time to head back to Ghana and I wouldn’t have changed anything about our time in South Africa. It really was a once in a lifetime sort of adventure. 

Some Roadtrip Lessons from South Africa:

-You do not need to know how to drive standard when you can have someone shift the gears for you. And it is a lot harder than it looks.

-If you do keep practicing though you will eventually manage to go from standstill to gear 5 all by yourself. Go you!

-Stalling four times at a Stop sign will result in you being pulled over by a police officer who thinks that there is something wrong with the car. Embarrasing.

-Travelling from Cape Town to Jo’burg and back along the Garden Route can be done with only a road map. A GPS is not required.

-When you go to the supermarket for the first time in 4 months, you will probably be overwhelmed with choice and the rand to dollar conversion only adds to those feelings, resulting in a minor freakout.

-Go to Pick N’ Pay but be prepared to eat and drink more than you probably should.

-Riding a horse for the first time is amazing. Everyone should do it.  

-SA is one of the most beautiful places on earth and filled with some of the most beautiful people (drool).

-If, while backpacking in Ghana you decide to go on vacation to South Africa, you will forever feel underdressed especially when you show up at a bar in birkenstocks and a Mr Price outfit while everyone is wearing heels and dresses you would definitely not buy at Mr. Price. 

-Dorm rooms are not a good experience. For anyone. They will only result in a lack of sleep due to the snoring man and stench of stale beer and pizza.

-I should have been paid to translate. Apparently there is a difference between South African English and Canadian English. 

-Biltong, boerewors and chakalaka are worth flying to South Africa.

-That almost crashing into rocks on my surfboard was worth it to only to be on a board when a pod of dolphins swam past.

-Cape Town is the most beautiful city I have ever been too.

-Going out and drinking the night before you are supposed to hike up a mountain will most likely result in not hiking up the mountain . hello cable car.

-Never go to cameraland, especially if you have a film camera.  They will ruin your entire film of your friends 21^st birthday.

-It was confirmed-subway is still amazing.

-Sometimes the best family aren’t family. Thanks Aunty A and Uncle T.

-Mr Price can be very dangerous. Be prepared to walk out with at least a bag or spend 2 hours in there while your friend is in the car waiting.

-Air Namibia is the airline to fly with, especially if you are carrying surfboards as you won’t have to pay to transport them. Plus they give you cheese!

-An ipod is essential for the car…no radio necessary.

-When you return your rental car because it is making noises, the car company will give you the exact same brand of car and there might be a chance that there was nothing wrong with the car in the first place…

-I was lucky enough to travel with 3 amazing girls. 

Some other pictures from my time in South Africa. 

Photo credit to Elise: Hermanus Beach 

Best Friends 

Elise and I (ignore the mess in the room please!) 

Night out 

Lying in the grass at Company Gardens, Cape Town

Lying in the sun at Company Gardens, Table Mountain in the background. 

It was confirmed...there are squirrels in South Africa. 

"What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." Ralph Waldo Emerson

So I am back in Ghana and living in paradise. I spend my free time swimming in the ocean, lying on the beach or learning to surf. Hard life right? I blame all those things as to why I haven’t written a blog since I have been back.

I was a little nervous about coming back to Ghana as this is the most important three months of the whole year. I had a great vacation in South Africa and I really needed the time to get away for a little bit. Right before I left, my house was broken in to and my housemates and I had all of our electronics stolen, as well as our money. It was a traumatizing experience, one I never wish on anyone but as a traveler, there is always the chance that it will. It was really upsetting and that was the first time that I had negative feelings towards Ghana. As much as I didn’t want this to affect my outlook on Ghana, it was a lot easier to say then to actually do it. I have come to terms with it and the girls and I can even joke about it which helps.  South Africa was a welcome break. I was very nervous about coming back but I promised to come back with a positive attitude and to try and forget the negative feelings that I once had.

As I said, the next three months are the most important of the whole year. They are the reason why I am here. During the next three months my classmates and I have to intern with an NGO to gather first-hand experience in our field. I am working with an NGO in Busua called Black Star Development. Busua is a small fishing community located in the Western Region. It is a really small NGO and I have 3 co-workers; Tabitha, Paolo and Ebenezer. Tabitha and Paolo are from the States and Ebenezer is from Busua. Tabitha and Paolo are helping to set up the NGO and get it going. When they leave in about 6 months, they will hand everything over to Ebenezer so that the NGO will be locally run. The NGO is working on a few projects right now including creating a Women’s Club, a Youth Club (youth here means people up to 30 years old), building a Community Tourism Center  and an after-school program. I am working with another girl in my program called Amy and we were brought here to create and run the after-school program. The NGO that we work for wants to start “Surf N’ Shine” Packages. They want to get volunteers to come and run or start projects in Busua and in return, they will be able to learn how to surf. The program hasn’t started yet and Amy and I are the guinea pigs. We are here to test out the program so that in a few months they can start marketing it. It is really exciting to be part of something new and to create our own after school program but also nerve-wracking at the same time.

The last few weeks we have been walking around the community and getting their perspective on the program. It was really great because we met the Chief of the community who also turned out to be the Chief of all the Ahanta people. Chief’s here are a really big deal. People revere them as they do most traditions. While I was in Tamale I went to a witch camp and we had to meet the Chief before we were allowed to enter and give him a tribute. In the North, the chiefs have to sit on animal skins (this is considered their throne) while in the South the chiefs sit on stools. The Chief that we met in the North was sitting on the traditional skin and we had to sit before him. It was very traditional and so I was a little surprised when I met the Chief in Busua, especially as he was the Chief of all of the Ahanta people. When we met him, he was sitting on a plastic chair watching the local soaps. We were introduced to him, as per proper protocol. It is really important to follow traditional protocols and one is to always be introduced to the Chief. As we were sitting on plastic chairs telling him why we are in Busua, I looked over at the TV and saw to the right that a power outlet was resting on the traditional stool. It was slightly ironic. Busua is a tourist location and I feel like it is being influenced and moving away from the traditional aspects in Ghanaian society. It can be seen past this example with the Chief.  It was just strange to visit a very traditional chief who was only the chief of his village and then visit a chief of the Ahanta’s who was a lot more untraditional.  He approved of the work we were doing and insisted that we teach the children English. While walking around and meeting other community members, all of them gave us their support for the program. It was nice to go around and meet some members in the community and know that approve and support us. We also went around to the schools to discuss the program with the head teachers, who also gave their support. We were really appreciative of the community and their support and hopefully we will be able to maintain it.

Traditional Stool

So we have just finished our first week of the program and it has been a very interesting week. We have decided to choose some older children in the community who will become Peer Leaders and help us to tutor the younger children. This is for two reasons: a) it is to help older children as well as we will be working on leadership skills while also trying to improve their literacy b) it is an effort to ensure that the program will become sustainable when Amy and I leave. We are hoping that by the time we leave, the older kids will feel comfortable enough and have invested enough into this project that they will continue it when we leave. So for right now, we have just been working with the Peer Leaders and once they are ready we will open the program to the younger children we want to target. We have just been playing educational games in an effort to bring them out to the program and we hope that they will keep coming. This is going to be one of our biggest challenges, as the numbers are dwindling already. It is a significant problem here that most projects have to address. Tabitha set up a Women’s Club and at first the attendance was great but over time, fewer people are attending. It is also hard because there are no immediate rewards for the children. This program will hopefully help them in the long run as their English will be better and they will learn other important skills such as working together and leadership ect. These skills that they learn will hopefully help them if they decide to continue their education, in the workforce but also generally in regards to life. It is hard for children to understand this and it will be something that we will have to try and overcome while we are here. Some children can’t attend either because they have to do chores and cook dinner for their families, which obviously takes precedence over our program. We are also having difficulties with “Ghanaian Time.” Most of the children who do attend the program are late, regardless of how much we try and enforce that they must attend the program on time. This will also be a challenge that we will have to address. The first week was a success and they have loved all of the games that we have played. The biggest hit was the blind obstacle course.

Love to see this!

Learning Names



Throwing a ball around



Introductions

Blind Obstacle Course

Everyone joining in

Circle Time

The children that are participating in the program are all wonderful though. They really do have fun and Amy and I have fun too! It feels great to be doing something worthwhile and to be experiencing development work first-hand. We are also really lucky as we have been given the freedom and ability to create our own program, which is an amazing feeling. There will be a few more ups and downs over the next 2 months. If it’s going to be anything like the last three weeks, I can’t wait to see what Busua has in store for me.

Some of the kids

I promise to make a more concerted effort to keep on top of this blog, even if it is to only stop my mother harassing me.

Until next time….

P.S. Thanks to Elise for taking such great pictures. Photo Credit goes to her.

Part 2: “You’ve got to flap your arms and legs, you’ve got to jump around a lot, for life is the very opposite of death, and therefore you must at the very least think noisy and colourfully, or you’re not alive.” Mel Brooks

So Part 2. It was time to leave Accra and make our way up to Tamale in the Northern Region where we are spending a month studying fieldwork techniques and practices and where we do a mini placement. I just found out that my three day placement will be in the Upper West and my group and I will be analyzing and critiquing the Ghana School Feeding Programme. In Ghana, there is an initiative to increase school enrolment, especially in primary schools and as a result the government is supposed to provide one hot, nutritious meal to every student. There are problems with the implementation of the programme, however, so my group and I will spend three days in a rural community doing fieldwork to examine the effectiveness of the programme. I am so excited! I can’t wait to see how to apply development theory to practice and see if I could do this sort of work as a career once I am done school. Enough of that, I will fill you in on how it goes and take lots of pictures!

So the trip from Accra to Tamale was one of the most exciting trips that I have ever been on but also very tiring. We did so many things. We left on Sunday and got there on Friday. After leaving Accra the first stop was Kumasi about halfway between Accra and Tamale. This was the furthest north that I had been yet and I had heard such good things about going up North. I was told that it was completely different from Accra and I couldn’t wait to see another part of Ghana, despite the warnings about the heat. Kumasi is a large city, nowhere near as big as Accra but still quite large and busy. We got there late at night so we just checked in and went to bed. The next morning we had an NGO fair (a collection of prospective NGO’s come to tell us about their NGO) and then we visited an artisan village to see how they make a traditional cloth called Kente. They use traditional, wooden machines but they are so quick. I tried and it was really hard. I was good though so I have been considering a career change. We also went into the village where we were dressed in traditional Kente cloth.  We left that artisan village and visited a place where they make wooden stamps and dye to stamp designs onto the Kente cloth. Some of us chose our own stamps and stamped a piece of cloth. Each stamp has a different meaning. Both artisan villages were really cool. It was just nice to see that they still used their traditional methods and hadn’t made an effort to modernize. It just goes to show that you don’t always have to modernize and should instead keep with traditions, especially if it works. Not all change is good.




Weaving Kente



Dressed in Traditional Kente Cloth

Wooden Stamps

Afterwards we went into the market to get our Halloween costumes! It was Halloween and although it isn’t celebrated here, we couldn’t ignore it. So we all decided to have a small Halloween party in the guesthouse that we were staying at. There were some really great costumes, especially considering the short amount of time that we had to get one together. I was a rasta. Plus, there was candy involved.

Val and I

The next morning we just had free time to explore Kumasi on our own so a few of us decided to venture the market by ourselves. I should explain that when we went the day before we had gone with a Ghanaian classmate, Nana. Also, this market is the largest open market in West Africa. It really was big. So we decided to brave it and explore. It was a lot of fun. The variety of things that you see in a market here is astounding. It ranges from shoes, clothes, fabric, nails, food, spices, traditional medicines, animal skins and smelly fish among so many more. Anything you need, you can find it in the market. The market can be dangerous though. You really have to be aware of what is around you. The alleys are really narrow, there are so many stalls and people everywhere. Also, people here carry things on their heads so when walking you have to keep your eyes up to make sure that you don’t bump into anyone, especially someone carrying something on their head. It gets a little tricky though because not only do you have to keep your head up but you have to keep your eyes on the ground to make sure that you don’t fall in a hole, trip on a rock or lose your balance on the uneven path. The market is one the of the most interesting places that I have been to in Ghana and they are everywhere. This one was especially interesting because it was so large and filled with so many cool things. Even the people in the market make it fun. They love it when you attempt to hold a conversation with them in their local language and you can tell that they really appreciate it. We managed to get in and out of the market without getting lost once. It was amazing. The only time we did get lost was when we left the market and had to find the restaurant to have a cold drink.

The next day we left Kumasi and made our way to Bolgatanga. This was the hardest part of the trip I would say because we were stuck on the bus for over eight hours. I swear my bum was imprinted on that bus. Luckily we managed to break up the trip with a stop at the Kintampo Waterfalls. Some people opted to swim, I should have. My bathing suit was at the bottom of my pack though and I wasn’t about to dig for it. Next time. It was really beautiful. Local people often go for a swim to cool down during the hot dry season. After about an hour at the waterfalls we made our way to Bolga.



Lynsey and I



Bolga is a really small, cute rural town close to the Ghana-Burkina Border. It is famous for its baskets. The day after we arrived we had another NGO fair in the morning. In the afternoon, we went to Pikworo Slave Camp and then another Crocodile Sanctuary. Both are ecotourism projects where the money from the tours goes towards developing the community.  We went to the slave camp first where we had a guided tour of the area where slaves were held before they were taken to either the slave market in Salaga or to Cape Coast or Elmina Castles to be transported across the ocean in the slave trade. The camp is built around large, natural rocks. Each rock represented a different part of the camp. There was a rock where the slaves ate, a rock that they used to make music in order to keep spirits high, a watchtower rock, cemetery that was had rocks to represent graves and punishment rock where a person was chained and whipped until they repented or died. It is really sad that this slave camp was placed in such a beautiful area. There was an interesting moment when some local members of the community played some music how their ancestors had. They used small rocks and hit the big rock while a young boy danced a traditional dance. It was really, really cool.

Andi, Amy and I

Elise and I

Next, we went to Paga, right on the Burkina border to visit a crocodile sanctuary. These crocodiles are sacred and we were told that sometimes people swim in the water with them. Not sure how accurate this statement is but the tour guide remained adamant that this was true. Apparently the crocodiles also cross the road into the village and walk around, especially when they lay their eggs. Anyways, although I had done something like this earlier while in Accra, these crocodiles were huge. Much bigger than the small one that I sat on last time. They also brought out the largest crocodile that they had. I wasn’t even scared this time but I think that is because of last time. I was still cautious though. Crocodiles up front are really large animals. The top of their back is really hard as you would expect it to be but surprisingly their tails are really soft. The guide also fed the crocodile the chicken that he had held out in order to get the crocodile out of the water. I looked away at that part. What surprised me was that the cattle ate on the grass near the water pond and drank out of the water pond and when I asked if they had lost any cattle to the crocodiles the guide said that they left the cattle alone. Again, not sure about this.

The next day we had the morning in Bolga before we made our way to Tamale. So we decided to try and find the famous Bolga Basket Market. After about 30 minutes we still hadn’t found it despite asking numerous people from directions so we just went to some basket stalls that we had passed by earlier. The one store was massive. It had three rooms filled to the brim with baskets. There must have easily been a few hundred baskets. I would find one, look around and change my mind and continued to do this for a while. I eventually had to find one and then leave otherwise I would have been there for hours! They had more things other than baskets-they had rugs, fans, hats (sunhats and baseball caps). It really was incredible. I bought a sun hat and a basket. I mean I couldn’t go to Bolga and not buy a basket!

My hat and the basket rooms

Basket room 1 of 3



My Basket

That afternoon we made our way to Tamale and took a tour of Tamale, stopping by the Tamale Football Stadium. It was a stadium built by a Chinese Company (instead of a Ghanaian one?) for the African Cup of Nations in 2008. It is a beautiful stadium but it is currently going to waste because Tamale’s football team didn’t qualify for the local league this year. You can’t even rent the field to play on it! What a waste! When we pulled into the Stadium I asked our tour guide, Camil if there were any ladies football teams. He said that he hadn`t seen any so I asked if there were any men`s teams that would let me play on their team. This is the reply that I received: ``There might be a few that would let you slow them down…`` That was not a good moment for me.  It hasn`t been the first though. It is really hard to be a girl here who wants to play sports. It is a patriarchal society where men definitely dominate and it is just a cultural difference. It still hurts though. It doesn`t mean that there isn`t hope though. The other day Amy (who also likes sports) was biking home from school and started talking to a girl in high school. Amy asked her what she wanted to do after school and she said that she wanted to play sports! It made both of our days! It is good to know that there are girls who want to play sports because for a while I was convinced that they didn`t especially because I haven’t seen any play.

The next morning we did our own version of the Amazing Race-Tamale Edition. In order for us to get a better look at Tamale, our non-academic coordinator came up with some tasks for us to do. We were split into teams. I was with Brigitte, Lynsey and Sheila. The groups that had a Ghanaian student, like us, had to complete three tasks instead of two. We had to take a picture of the teaching hospital sign, go to the cultural center to see the price of a batik dye workshop and find out the rental price of bicycles. We managed, of course, to come first! As a reward, we got a free lunch! It was a lot of fun!

Then we had a dinner at a restaurant called Desert Rose where we met our coordinator for the North, Prof. Coleman. This was also where I tried Guinea Fowl for the first time. It is kind of weird. Not really that much of a fan. It is really tough. The next day we were split into groups and moved into our houses for the next month. I was put in a group with Brigitte, Amy, Jess, Valerie, Becca, Elise and a recent newcomer, Lynsey. It has been a week and it has been amazing. They are furnished houses but this is the first time that I have ever been out on my own in a house without some sort of adult. I was a little nervous before moving in, especially because I didn`t know who I would be living with but it has really been incredible.  I live with wonderful people and it has been nice to get to know them all better. It has also been nice to cook for ourselves (not that I am much of a cook!). I have cooked breakfast a few times for everyone and managed to not kill anyone with Veggie Chilli and a Tomato and Egg Stew that Mama Hetty had showed me to make before I left Accra. Cooking for ourselves also means that we have to buy food so we go to the market everyday which can be a little annoying but we get fresh food everyday.

Tamale is very different from Accra. It is much more conservative but this is due to the large Muslim population. People also speak Dagbani here which makes it very difficult for us especially if someone doesn’t speak English very well or at all. Although most people do you still come across the occasional person that doesn’t. I don’t want it to sound like that is their fault because it isn’t. I am here in their country so I should make an attempt to speak in their native tongue. We haven’t learnt any Dagbani though but we should hopefully be doing some classes soon. We are only here for three more weeks but it will make life much easier for me and everyone around me. The other thing about Tamale is that it is motorbike and bicycle central. Almost everyone here drives motorbikes or they ride a bicycle. Tamale isn’t very big at all so it makes it easier to commute those ways. They still drive as crazy as they do in Accra, if not crazier. Tamale has bike lanes which are used by people biking which is great. The weird thing about the motorbikes is that a lot of women ride motorbikes. This isn’t weird in itself but the kind of scary thing is that women will have their babies strapped to their backs or if they are a few years old sitting in front of them-without a helmet. Not that anyone wears a helmet here anyway. I’ve been here for a week and I have probably seen a total of 20 helmets. Other times, there are animals on the motorbikes. I have seen two people on a motorbike numerous times, one driving with a live goat who has his legs tied behind him and another person holding the goat on the bike. If you don’t see that, sometimes you will see trotro’s that have goats on the roof. On the drive to Bolga, I saw a live goat tied to the top of a truck that was driving full speed down the highway. I thought I was hallucinating until I got to Tamale where this is a regular occurrence. Once I saw a truck that had about 20 goats on the roof and there were so many that one of the goats back legs was off the roof and on the front of the car. It was really scary and kind of sad but it’s just the way things are done here. I’m not here to judge.

Ram on motorcycle

Goats on top of the trotro

Speaking of scary, I mentioned the bike lanes. Well I decided to get a bike along with some of my roommates for the month and we bike to school and around town sometimes. It is quite a good workout, especially on the way to school because there is a small but long hill that really, really makes you hurt. The bikes are also older and have no gears so sometimes it can be tough. The scary thing is that when you are biking in the bike lane, or just biking in general you really have to be aware. I have almost been hit a few times by bicycles, motorbikes and cars. It can be really frustrating and scary. Nonetheless, I do love my bike. It is nice to do some exercise and to actually see Tamale. I find that when I bike although I have to be aware of traffic, I can still take the time to look around and soak it all in.  It can get a little sweaty though. Right now, Ghana is entering the dry season so that means that there will be no rain until next June/July. In Tamale the heat isn’t humid but it is hot. It was 36 degrees at midnight the other night. It gets over 40 degrees easily during the day and sometimes at night if it is really hot, it can be hard to sleep. Sometimes the fans aren’t enough. You just have to be really careful and make sure that you drink a lot of water otherwise it can be a bad experience.

So that is Tamale so far. I know I always say that I will try and write more frequently but this time I will make a valiant effort. If I have nothing to write about, I will post a few photographs. If nothing else, hopefully it will stop my mum harassing me for some more blog posts. Hope this one was okay mum! Sorry it was so long but you wanted details!

Joc

P.S. Becca-if you are reading this, hi!

Part 1: “There is beauty in the world”-Macy Gray

So once again, I am behind my blog. I apologize but it’s hard to find time when you are having the time of your life. I know that this is only part 1 but it means that you have part 2 to look forward too! (which should be up in the next few days) These past few weeks have been amazing and hard. So I guess there is a lot to fill you in on so the best place to start would be Busua. Busua is a small fishing village of about 2000 people. It is also home to the only surf shop in Ghana. As such, a few of us decided to visit for a weekend. We left on Thursday afternoon after school and got a trotro bus to Cape Coast to spend the night and then make our way to Busua the next morning. It took us 5 hours to get to Cape Coast and we stayed the night at Oasis Hostel. We woke up the next morning and while we ate breakfast we watched the fisherman bring in their catch. It was really cool, very old school. They chant in order to keep everyone together and motivated.

The next morning we took a trotro to Takoradi and then to Busua. It took us about 3 hours to get to Busua from Cape Coast and only about 6 Cedis. It is really cheap to travel around in this country which is so good for all of us broke-ass students. After arriving in Busua we found a place to stay and hit the beach. We all went for a swim in the ocean and then had some dinner before heading to bed early, getting lots of sleep for surfing the next day. We got up the next morning and a few of us headed to the surf shop to catch some waves. Apparently my one lesson before this meant that I was qualified enough to teach some of my friends to surf. So we all got into the water with the boards and I attempted to teach them to surf. All in all, I feel that everyone had fun and did a great job. After a little bit of teaching others, it was time for me to surf myself. It took a few waves for me to remember how to surf but once I did, it went pretty well. I’m not saying I stood up every time, I still spent more time falling off the board into the water than standing up but it was a much more successful experience than my first time surfing earlier in the summer. It was so fun to spend the day in the water with some friends and I got a nice burn on my bum from lying on the board waiting for the waves. Let’s just say it was a painful week.



Surfers



Giving Andi a Push

That night we went to the surf shop and had one of the nicest meals I have had since I have been in Ghana and then went to bed early so we could get up and swim before we left the next morning. I got up the next morning and had a swim before breakfast and then packed and walked up the beach before getting a cab right to Takoradi. Once we got to Takoradi we took an STC bus (Greyhound Bus) for only 8 Cedis all the way from Takoradi to Accra! Seriously, so cheap! We were all really excited because it meant that we wouldn’t have to sit in a cramped trotro for at least 5 hours. It was a great bus ride home. Busua is an amazingly beautiful place. It looks like something out of a movie. It is a small beach, really quiet and when you look out at the ocean from the hammock on the beach there is a tiny island with some palm trees. If anyone goes to Ghana, that is a place you should visit before you leave. It really is a little piece of paradise. Even if you don’t’ know how to surf, there is a beautiful beach that is awesome to lie on and an ocean to swim in!

Panoramic View of Busua

After Busua, it was schoolwork, schoolwork and more schoolwork. The only problem with this program is that we have to do a full year’s worth of school work in 2 months. It results in a lot of stress. We had to do 6 papers in 2 weeks. Below is a picture of Lynsey with the readings that we had for the 2 months we were there and the combination of everyone’s readings in Sheena’s office (and not everyone had put their readings there!) Not a lot of them were actually read. After all the papers were done it was time to study for exams. 2 exams in 3 days. The time constraints on this program definitely result in a lot of unnecessary stress. Let’s just say that I am glad that part of the year is over!





After exams, it was time to leave Accra. This was a really sad and hard thing to do only because I felt like I was a real part of my host family. They had treated us with such kindness and care, always made sure that we had everything that we needed and made us feel really welcome. We were members of the family by the time we had left. Mama Hetty is an amazing woman who does so much for her family. She gets up at 4 am in order to make food to sell on the market to make money so that her children and grandson can go to school. She has such an amazing laugh that makes you laugh as well. She would always laugh at me because I would always eat so much dinner and then lie on the couch or the floor while watching a Spanish soap opera. She always thought that I was really lazy because I would sleep in until 9 or 10 on the weekends! Ghanaians do not know the definition of sleeping in. Sometimes at 5 am someone would start sweeping outside our window. Luckily for me though, I learnt to drown out the noises. The first week, my alarm clock consisted of roosters, sweeping, banging, rap music and people praying at a nearby church. Eventually you learn to drown them out. Thankfully! Also, the other members of my family were so amazing. Kwasi, my house brother would always take us out to see the neighbourhood, to the bar or just talk with us to see how our experience and day was. He also helped us study for our Twi exam and his help was needed! Lizzie, a lady who helped Mama Hette was also amazing, always trying to teach us Twi too. Every afternoon when we came home we would have a small conversation in Twi where she would try and teach us some new phrases/words, or repeat the phrases/words that she had taught us the day before. Nana Kwama was the cutest kid that I have ever seen. Although his crying would get a little on my nerves, he was such a cute 4 year old. He would always run and give us a hug whenever he saw us and would have the biggest smile on his face when he saw us walking home down the road from school. He would run up and hug us and then we would swing him home, something he really loved. I played football with him and some of his friends. On the nights that he didn’t have homework he would come up to me and ask me to write either letters, numbers or to draw animals for him to colour in. It was hard to say goodbye to him but he didn’t quite understand that we wouldn’t be seeing him for a long time so it made it a little easier. He thought that we were saying goodbye to him because he was going to school, not because we wouldn’t see him for a long time. I’m definitely extremely grateful that I had such an amazing family and experience with them. Other people in my program didn’t have very good experiences with their families or they felt like they were just a tenant in their house. I felt like a member of the family. It was really hard to say goodbye but I will make sure that I stop by a few more times before I leave Ghana. It was a great 2 months in Accra but I am really excited to see what Tamale has in store for me.

My house brother, Kwasi out on his birthday

Until Part 2,


Joc