one of the stories the guest speaker told was about a group of hunters in the northern region of ghana. they went out to explore the local forests and stumbled upon 4 monkeys guarding a sacred totem. they returned to their village and informed the king of their findings. they thought the monkeys to be sacred and that they should not be harmed. the king did not believe them, and went hunting for the monkeys. it is said that sometimes, when the king would slay a monkey, its body would turn into a man. the people did not like the king's rampage so they rose up against him and beheaded him. after that, the people formed a community around the monkeys, and even to this day, people in this region live together with the monkeys. they are allowed to roam freely throughout the villages and enter peoples' homes. the people often feed the monkeys and the two species are connected in a culturally important way. their identity is infused with that of the monkeys.
the professor, aside from telling very interesting stories, reminded us that in many parts of africa, the protection and preservation of sacred groves is woven into the very cultural being of the people protecting them. nature and humanity don't stand apart, with humans either protecting or destroying nature. the trees (or in that story's case, monkeys) are more than trees; they have cultural importance to who these people are. it would be amazing to be able to visit some of these places! our professor was very lucky, he'd seen many sacred groves in ghana.
and i can't BELIEVE the celtics rolled over in the fourth quarter. ugh. congrats lakers. i hope the game was at least interesting to watch for those who could watch it. remember, ghana plays australia today! go black starsssss!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
guest speaker
before i came on this trip, i was mainly focused on predicting what it was going to be like once i was in africa and what connecting with the ghanaians would be like. i forgot that i'd be making some strong bonds with the kids in my study abroad group. i'm surprised at how fast we've all gotten so close. it's definitely enhanced my experience here, and i can tell that these friends are going to continue to do so but at the same time i am sometimes being forced to choose to focus on one or the other. like do i go to the mall with my friends or focus on learning more about ghana? i think that we'll be able to find a way to even it all out as we get going. i think the seven or so people i've become really close with are all volunteering at glona with me, so we'll be able to have both. i start volunteering on a regular basis on monday.
tonight we had a guest speaker lecture us for an hour. he spoke about sacred groves and global environmentalists. he told some crazy stories about how the local people personify plants. i'll have to explain them tomorrow when i have more time, because i just got really tired.
tonight we had a guest speaker lecture us for an hour. he spoke about sacred groves and global environmentalists. he told some crazy stories about how the local people personify plants. i'll have to explain them tomorrow when i have more time, because i just got really tired.
second day of classes and glona
ughhh class was hard today. our first professor didn't show up until 45 minutes after he was supposed to and even though we were supposed to have another lecture on time after the first, he taught for the full amount of time (an hour and fifteen min) about the culture of ghana. he mostly talked about how everyone is very communal and usually the most successful member of the family takes care of everyone else. then he spoke about female genitalia mutilation and how it occurs in some parts of northern ghana, but not as severe as eastern africa. the second professor spoke clearly, but SLOWly. he spoke for 45 minutes longer than he was supposed to. unfortunately, i've already learned about the akan speaking states of the pre-colonial ghana region from my african history classes at jmu and that is excatly what that professor talked about for over two hours. it was cool seeing how the information i learned directly related to my trip, but it was pretty boring, seeing as how i knew it already.
we went to local place for lunch because their sign advertized pizza AND their menu said they had many different kinds, but when we went to order the man said there was no pizza. ha. so we had sandwiches. last night i had a local dish that is really popular, called fu-fu, which is dough that you use to scoop up soup and meat. it was reallllllllyyy spicy. i struggled through most of it, but the meat (goat) was great. i think i'll try banku (bawn-koo) tonight which is fermented corn in a dough instead of just regular dough.
WE FINALLY WENT TO GLONA! its about fifteen minutes further from our hotel than new horizons, but totally worth the drive. we only toured the classrooms today (all five of them) so that we will be able to make a decision about where we want to volunteer; half the class is going to new horizons and the other half to glona. the kids were so sweet. they all seemed very excited to see us. all of the classes are taught by team teachers, usually a local ghanaian and then a foreign volunteer. three of the classes were taught by german volunteers who stay a year in ghana teaching. i'm going to start volunteering for real on monday and i can't wait!
alsoooo, last but definitely not least, HAPPYYYY BIRTHDAY SHEA SHEA!!!!! i'm so excited that youre ten! i hoped you like the coloring book! don't color it in too fast. i miss you and love you very very much! (and of course got you great presents from ghana that i'm bringing back) i love you!
we went to local place for lunch because their sign advertized pizza AND their menu said they had many different kinds, but when we went to order the man said there was no pizza. ha. so we had sandwiches. last night i had a local dish that is really popular, called fu-fu, which is dough that you use to scoop up soup and meat. it was reallllllllyyy spicy. i struggled through most of it, but the meat (goat) was great. i think i'll try banku (bawn-koo) tonight which is fermented corn in a dough instead of just regular dough.
WE FINALLY WENT TO GLONA! its about fifteen minutes further from our hotel than new horizons, but totally worth the drive. we only toured the classrooms today (all five of them) so that we will be able to make a decision about where we want to volunteer; half the class is going to new horizons and the other half to glona. the kids were so sweet. they all seemed very excited to see us. all of the classes are taught by team teachers, usually a local ghanaian and then a foreign volunteer. three of the classes were taught by german volunteers who stay a year in ghana teaching. i'm going to start volunteering for real on monday and i can't wait!
alsoooo, last but definitely not least, HAPPYYYY BIRTHDAY SHEA SHEA!!!!! i'm so excited that youre ten! i hoped you like the coloring book! don't color it in too fast. i miss you and love you very very much! (and of course got you great presents from ghana that i'm bringing back) i love you!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
New Horizons
first of all, happy birthday nana!! i'm bringing you back a great ghanaian (GHA-nay-AN) present :)
after lunch we went to the new horizons special school. they have seven classes all focused on different groups of students who have similar needs. the students were SO excited to see us. it was a really emotional experience. i was really nervous at first, because i've never had much experience with people who have mental illnesses. i'm so happy i got to see what the school is like. it's such a beautiful place. the director said that all of the children (and adults, the ages vary) love to come to school. we visited each class. one student stood out particularly. Leslie is in a more advanced class and his life long asperation is to be president. Devon (a girl from our group) read his manifesto outloud. it was amazing. his policies all revolve around equality and bettering the lives of the poor. he called his party the peace party. if he ever ran for president, he'd have my vote. the school has a computer room, library and workshops. the workshops were really cool; the students can make quilts, jewelry, intricate woven baskets, stools, chairs, and table cloths. their work was really good! they sell the things that they create to make money for the school. i spent my first 10 cedi there. (the cedi is 1.42 to the dollar) i'm definitely going to spend more there later.
we visit Glona tomorrow (finallyyy) after classes. then we have the option of volunteering at either school. i have no idea how i'm going to choose! i think working at either is going to be a very rewarding experience. we're planning on going to a beach bar tonight with some local friends of the professors.
after lunch we went to the new horizons special school. they have seven classes all focused on different groups of students who have similar needs. the students were SO excited to see us. it was a really emotional experience. i was really nervous at first, because i've never had much experience with people who have mental illnesses. i'm so happy i got to see what the school is like. it's such a beautiful place. the director said that all of the children (and adults, the ages vary) love to come to school. we visited each class. one student stood out particularly. Leslie is in a more advanced class and his life long asperation is to be president. Devon (a girl from our group) read his manifesto outloud. it was amazing. his policies all revolve around equality and bettering the lives of the poor. he called his party the peace party. if he ever ran for president, he'd have my vote. the school has a computer room, library and workshops. the workshops were really cool; the students can make quilts, jewelry, intricate woven baskets, stools, chairs, and table cloths. their work was really good! they sell the things that they create to make money for the school. i spent my first 10 cedi there. (the cedi is 1.42 to the dollar) i'm definitely going to spend more there later.
we visit Glona tomorrow (finallyyy) after classes. then we have the option of volunteering at either school. i have no idea how i'm going to choose! i think working at either is going to be a very rewarding experience. we're planning on going to a beach bar tonight with some local friends of the professors.
going to school
last night i stayed up late with a bunch of the friends i've made here. i adore my new friends. i'm so excited that such great people came on this trip! i don't think i've laughed so hard for so long in a lonnggg time. literally my abs were sore this morning.
we left the hotel at 8:15am to make it to the University of Ghana by 9am. we travelled in a tro-tro, a small bus. the classes were interesting and the university was much bigger than i expected. we had to be careful to be quiet because the local students were taking their final exams. in the first lecture we learned about the "petty trader" or street vendors, and the advantages and disadvantages they have over places with fixed locations and fixed prices. it was kind of like an early economics lesson. the second lecture was more difficult (because his accent was thicker and voice lower) and i didn't catch every word. he spoke on the agriculture in ghana. the main crops are oil palm, cocoa, rubber, and citrus. 90% of the farmers are small scale farmers, owning 1 or 2 acres. 70% of people in ghana are farmers or perform some farm related occupation. it was interesting to hear about the different exports and how farmers' daily lives are like.
i'm off to the New Horizons school, a local school for the mentally challenged of all ages. and it is absolutely pouring today. gotta love the rainy season.
we left the hotel at 8:15am to make it to the University of Ghana by 9am. we travelled in a tro-tro, a small bus. the classes were interesting and the university was much bigger than i expected. we had to be careful to be quiet because the local students were taking their final exams. in the first lecture we learned about the "petty trader" or street vendors, and the advantages and disadvantages they have over places with fixed locations and fixed prices. it was kind of like an early economics lesson. the second lecture was more difficult (because his accent was thicker and voice lower) and i didn't catch every word. he spoke on the agriculture in ghana. the main crops are oil palm, cocoa, rubber, and citrus. 90% of the farmers are small scale farmers, owning 1 or 2 acres. 70% of people in ghana are farmers or perform some farm related occupation. it was interesting to hear about the different exports and how farmers' daily lives are like.
i'm off to the New Horizons school, a local school for the mentally challenged of all ages. and it is absolutely pouring today. gotta love the rainy season.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
bus trip to the mountains
the local people here speak so many different langauges! it makes me embarrassed that i know only english. the woman who works at the desk at our hotel speaks SIX. the main language here is twi and i've been trying to learn as many words as i can. medasi (meh-dah-see) means thank you, me di (meh-dee) means for me, and to get someone's attention you must yell ago! and they respond aman! i love learning it. there's acutally a man in the computer room right now from togo that i'm speaking broken french with.
so today we travelled outside of accra to the east to a mountain. it was neat to see the difference between the structures of the buildings within accra and outside of it. the bus drove up this steep, windy road (i was a little nervous but our driver is very good. he likes us to call him "my brother" and he calls me "my sister"). the view was breath-taking. we looked down on the Ghana Plains, a huge area where accra is located. once we got to the top of the mountain, we visited a botanical garden. we saw where cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa, bay leaves and this cool plant that you touch and within five seconds it shrivels up to protect itself. my favorite was a parasite tree that grows on a host tree, eventually choking it of water and sunlight. then when the host tree finally dies, the parasite tree is left in the shape of the host tree, essentially a hollow tree. we got to go inside a HUGE parasite tree. it was hollow all the way to the top! then we had lunch in a garden on a patio.
i love talking to everyone about soccer. everyone is beyond excited for the world cup. when ghana plays, they pull down gigantic screens (like three stories hight) on Oxford Street and people watch the game gathered in the street. we're going to do that when they play Germany (obviously their best competition).
i start class tomorrow and get to volunteer at Glona! i'm soooooo excited to see the little kids! i can't wait to play with them and have them destroy my confidence in my soccer ability.
(ps i thought we had planned to go to the US embassy but i guess not...ha)
so today we travelled outside of accra to the east to a mountain. it was neat to see the difference between the structures of the buildings within accra and outside of it. the bus drove up this steep, windy road (i was a little nervous but our driver is very good. he likes us to call him "my brother" and he calls me "my sister"). the view was breath-taking. we looked down on the Ghana Plains, a huge area where accra is located. once we got to the top of the mountain, we visited a botanical garden. we saw where cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa, bay leaves and this cool plant that you touch and within five seconds it shrivels up to protect itself. my favorite was a parasite tree that grows on a host tree, eventually choking it of water and sunlight. then when the host tree finally dies, the parasite tree is left in the shape of the host tree, essentially a hollow tree. we got to go inside a HUGE parasite tree. it was hollow all the way to the top! then we had lunch in a garden on a patio.
i love talking to everyone about soccer. everyone is beyond excited for the world cup. when ghana plays, they pull down gigantic screens (like three stories hight) on Oxford Street and people watch the game gathered in the street. we're going to do that when they play Germany (obviously their best competition).
i start class tomorrow and get to volunteer at Glona! i'm soooooo excited to see the little kids! i can't wait to play with them and have them destroy my confidence in my soccer ability.
(ps i thought we had planned to go to the US embassy but i guess not...ha)
Monday, June 14, 2010
tour of accra
today we went on a bus tour of accra. it was really cool to see more of the city! there are so many people everyywhere. vendors walk up and down the streets and try to sell their merchandise to cars that are stopped in traffic or at a light. i'm amazed that they don't get hit. all the women carry giant bundles on their heads. we saw them with bananas, nuts, water bottles, even a tv. we went to a museum (for a really long time, in 95 degree heat with no fans) and then to the house that W.E.B. DuBois stayed in when he studied at the University of Ghana. We went to lunch at some restaurant (we thought it was called Maddi but then we saw that same logo and name on a bunch of stalls so its probably a product title?) and i had a plantain (kind of like a big banana, that tastes like a combination of banana and potato), chicken, rice and spinach. most of their food is really spicy, so that stinks for me. everyone says we must try fou-fou, but i haven't had the chance yet. after lunch we went to the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park (my favorite stop besides the market). He was the first president of Ghana and helped lead them to independence from Britain. the park was beautiful! it had a huge fountain leading up to where his remains are being kept. they had a bunch of peacocks strolling around and a museum with various objects of Nkrumah's life.
our last destination was the most interesting. we went to a local market, set up almost like a flea market, under a roof with everyone having a stall and what they were selling was everywhere. the vendors were AGGRESSIVE. everyone immediately grabs your hand and says, hey friend whats your name? come see what i have to show you. i'll give you a good good price. then they yank you to their booth and show you what they are selling. and when i say show me, i mean put it on me. you have to say no very forcefully if you don't want to buy what they are selling. i didn't get anything yet but practiced bardering a little. i'm planning on getting a jersey, flag, earrings and paintings. they had the most beautiful paintings! and of course whoever was manning the stall claimed they painted them. when we were leaving, the vendors were even more aggressive. they blocked our way onto the van, trying to get us to buy their wooden carvings. then once we were on the van, they tapped at the windows trying to get us to come back out. it was a very different experience but it was really fun. i can't wait to go back and actually buy things.
on the drive back we saw the ocean for the first time and drove past the biggest muslim population center. that was the first i really saw of any houses (more like tin shacks) that were like the shantis that they show on tv depicting african life. alot of the houses are huge and really pretty. this area of accra was HUGE. it took us like fifteen minutes to turn away from the muslim area and the house-shantis went back from the road at least a mile. the area was HUGE. i'm curious as to what it would be like to live in a place like that. we also saw kids playing pick up soccer games in abandoned lots. i wanted to get out and play. i can't wait until i get to play with the kids on wednesday!
our last destination was the most interesting. we went to a local market, set up almost like a flea market, under a roof with everyone having a stall and what they were selling was everywhere. the vendors were AGGRESSIVE. everyone immediately grabs your hand and says, hey friend whats your name? come see what i have to show you. i'll give you a good good price. then they yank you to their booth and show you what they are selling. and when i say show me, i mean put it on me. you have to say no very forcefully if you don't want to buy what they are selling. i didn't get anything yet but practiced bardering a little. i'm planning on getting a jersey, flag, earrings and paintings. they had the most beautiful paintings! and of course whoever was manning the stall claimed they painted them. when we were leaving, the vendors were even more aggressive. they blocked our way onto the van, trying to get us to buy their wooden carvings. then once we were on the van, they tapped at the windows trying to get us to come back out. it was a very different experience but it was really fun. i can't wait to go back and actually buy things.
on the drive back we saw the ocean for the first time and drove past the biggest muslim population center. that was the first i really saw of any houses (more like tin shacks) that were like the shantis that they show on tv depicting african life. alot of the houses are huge and really pretty. this area of accra was HUGE. it took us like fifteen minutes to turn away from the muslim area and the house-shantis went back from the road at least a mile. the area was HUGE. i'm curious as to what it would be like to live in a place like that. we also saw kids playing pick up soccer games in abandoned lots. i wanted to get out and play. i can't wait until i get to play with the kids on wednesday!
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