I have a lot on my mind right now. Today I helped C learn addition and subtraction by counting out rocks. I felt pretty accomplished. I gave every kid in his family an article of clothing. I even gave J my favorite pair of workout shorts. That's when you know you've given from your heart - when you give someone something you love.
Sometimes if I am reading a book with the kids, I wonder how much they are truly understanding. But I guess it's good for them to just hear English being spoken. Especially with pictures etc.
I really want to stay longer. Already it's been one month...!!! And I feel like I've just gotten the hang of everything. I've really begun to live outside myself, which feels great. I'm not even sure I want to go back to Kenyon, at least not right away... What a different world it is! Here I have friends and there I have friends too... I suppose I need a degree in order to help people more. If I don't get a good job and earn money, how can I expect to benefit anyone? At the same time though, I've really fallen in love with the children in Eguafo. But maybe this is just the beginning of a long and fruitful journey.
So... What are you looking for?
A new pair of shoes?
A slingshot?
A chunk of raw meat?
A gigantic live snail?
Or how about a nice, medicinal dried bat?
Well, then Kumasi is the place for you! They have all that and more at the largest central market in West Africa, and I was there!
Unfortunately I didn't dare take any pictures. Taking out my camera in a place like that would not have been smart. It was so so crowded and of course everyone calls out to us because we're tourists.
Speaking of looking different, babies cry when they see me. The ones that are too young to have ever seen a white person before find me and the others very alien and scary. There's even this one little boy in the village who I always wave and say hi to. This is fine, until I start walking towards him, at which point he screams in terror and runs to his mom. I understand... But it's the first time I've ever felt this different.
Things I like:
Ghanaian children
Seeing progress that I'm making in the community and as a person
Fried plantains
Mangoes
Dresses
The other volunteers here
Things I dislike:
Being a young, white woman in Ghana
Dynamics that don't work and that I can't change
But hey, whatcha gonna do?
Anyway I realize that I haven't actually told you what I've been doing. Take that as a sign that I've been busy doing good things and having fun and haven't had much time to text my dad things to put on my blog.
Basically I've been teaching classes, tutoring one on one, writing lessons for S, hanging out with the other volunteers and villagers, and just having fun and playing with kids. Also odd things, like laundry, eating, making bracelets, sleeping, giving things to people, taking videos, observing... So yeah that's my life so
Yoo, yen ko!
Emily
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Slip
Wow I have so much to say. Boy have I got some crazy stories. I'll tell you just one.
So last Sunday it rained all day. I went to church with one of my friends (let's call her S) in the morning. Afterwards, I went back home to eat lunch with the other volunteers. It was my favorite: rice ball with peanut butter soup and chicken.
As soon as I finished eating, though, S peered into the kitchen. Then, she came running in, looked out the window, and screamed, "Emily, please, you have to come with me!" She pulled me past everyone else and kept screaming, "Hurry, Hurry!" She pulled me away so fast I didn't even have time to grab shoes.
At first I thought it was a game, but soon I realized that she was actually terrified. She frantically explained, "The light pole is on fire! My sister is calling me!" That's when I heard an explosion and smelled smoke. I thought that I had to help put out a fire.
We, and many other women and children, were sprinting through the village, through the bushes and litter and sewage. S turned to me and asked, "Do you have any money?" I thought that was strange. Money won't put out a fire.
I said no and she said that we would have to take a cab to get out of Eguafo. I knew that I shouldn't get in the cab, but S looked so scared and so desperate (plus she was screaming at me me to get in) that I climbed on to someone's lap and off we went, seven of us.
By this point I was absolutely terrified. I didn't have my phone, any money, or shoes on. Everyone in the cab could see that I was scared. The guy in the front turned to me and said, "Do you believe in Jehovah?"
(Huh?) "Um, yes."
"That's why we're here."
Which is when I realized that everyone in the cab had been at the Jehovah's Witness church that morning. I asked S where we were going.
"Elmina." (The next town over.)
"For how long?"
"Until it's safe."
What??? I thought, 'I might be stuck in Elmina for days!'
As soon as everybody got out, I turned to the driver and said, "I need to get back to Eguafo."
He agreed to take me, while the others watched me go, all blank and stoney faced. Along the way, a gas pump attendant asked for my phone number, a man sat unnecessarily close to me while attacking me about America, "Why is it that you Americans are always in my country, but we Ghanaians can never go there? Are you afraid we'll take all your resources?"
"What???"
and just to make matters worse, the driver told me to sit up front, so he could stroke my hand, tell me he loved me, touch my cheek and ask for my number. Probably the last thing I needed at that point.
When we finally got back to Eguafo, I told the driver that I needed to go to my house to get the fare, and that I would be right back.
He more than doubled the fare, (5 cedis instead of 2), but at that point I just didn't care. I was just trying to hold myself together. Don't cry don't cry don't cry.
It was still raining as I got out of the cab, and I saw that pretty much the entire village was huddled under a few roofs. And all eyes were on me. I kept my eyes straight ahead, keeping my dignity, until I slipped on the mud road in my bare feet, skidding forward.
Every single person in the village burst out laughing. And then I knew it would happen. As soon as the volunteer house came into view, the tears came rolling down. Kids started swarming me.
"Is someone dead???" and the cook grabbed my wrist and wouldn't let go until I told her, "I just need to pay 5 cedis to the driver."
D and M (two of the volunteers) came with me, along with the cook and a big group of kids. As we reached the main road, I could still feel everyone staring at me and could hear them snickering.
I handed the money to the driver, and the cook and the kids start interrogating and yelling at him in Fante.
When he told them where he had driven me, D shouted "Hey, it's not 5 cedis!"
At that point the driver decided to get the heck out of Egaufo, so he started to turn around. Next thing I know, he's backing straight into us, his car even touched my legs, just inches away from running me, D, and all the children behind us over.
D slammed his fist on the back of the windshield, then finally the cab took off. The cook took my wrist again as we headed for home. I wasn't going to look anybody in the eye until I heard someone say something very strange.
"You should lash her."
(Who even is this guy? I've never seen him before.)
"I'll lash you!" D cried.
The man started.
The man recovered. "You should lash her because she's afraid of fire. That's why she ran away."
That made me really mad. "I ran away to help my friend!"
"Yeah, you saved her life," he retorted.
The cook pulled me away, then stopped at another large group of people, speaking Fante with them. When I finally dared to look up at them, I saw the head of the orphanage there. He took me by the shoulders and told me to go sit at the children's center until I calmed down. I did, and I did calm down.
I walked back to the house and helped four-year old little F put his bracelet on, during which time he informed me that I was afraid of fire. That's right: a four-year old.
Anyway everything turned out ok. S and her friends came back to Eguafo, a little shaken up, but fine. The other volunteers and I played soccer at the center with the kids. It was super rainy and muddy so it was challenging but fun. And, everyone was slipping and everyone was laughing. But this time, in a good way.
Yoo, yen ko!
Emily
So last Sunday it rained all day. I went to church with one of my friends (let's call her S) in the morning. Afterwards, I went back home to eat lunch with the other volunteers. It was my favorite: rice ball with peanut butter soup and chicken.
As soon as I finished eating, though, S peered into the kitchen. Then, she came running in, looked out the window, and screamed, "Emily, please, you have to come with me!" She pulled me past everyone else and kept screaming, "Hurry, Hurry!" She pulled me away so fast I didn't even have time to grab shoes.
At first I thought it was a game, but soon I realized that she was actually terrified. She frantically explained, "The light pole is on fire! My sister is calling me!" That's when I heard an explosion and smelled smoke. I thought that I had to help put out a fire.
We, and many other women and children, were sprinting through the village, through the bushes and litter and sewage. S turned to me and asked, "Do you have any money?" I thought that was strange. Money won't put out a fire.
I said no and she said that we would have to take a cab to get out of Eguafo. I knew that I shouldn't get in the cab, but S looked so scared and so desperate (plus she was screaming at me me to get in) that I climbed on to someone's lap and off we went, seven of us.
By this point I was absolutely terrified. I didn't have my phone, any money, or shoes on. Everyone in the cab could see that I was scared. The guy in the front turned to me and said, "Do you believe in Jehovah?"
(Huh?) "Um, yes."
"That's why we're here."
Which is when I realized that everyone in the cab had been at the Jehovah's Witness church that morning. I asked S where we were going.
"Elmina." (The next town over.)
"For how long?"
"Until it's safe."
What??? I thought, 'I might be stuck in Elmina for days!'
As soon as everybody got out, I turned to the driver and said, "I need to get back to Eguafo."
He agreed to take me, while the others watched me go, all blank and stoney faced. Along the way, a gas pump attendant asked for my phone number, a man sat unnecessarily close to me while attacking me about America, "Why is it that you Americans are always in my country, but we Ghanaians can never go there? Are you afraid we'll take all your resources?"
"What???"
and just to make matters worse, the driver told me to sit up front, so he could stroke my hand, tell me he loved me, touch my cheek and ask for my number. Probably the last thing I needed at that point.
When we finally got back to Eguafo, I told the driver that I needed to go to my house to get the fare, and that I would be right back.
He more than doubled the fare, (5 cedis instead of 2), but at that point I just didn't care. I was just trying to hold myself together. Don't cry don't cry don't cry.
It was still raining as I got out of the cab, and I saw that pretty much the entire village was huddled under a few roofs. And all eyes were on me. I kept my eyes straight ahead, keeping my dignity, until I slipped on the mud road in my bare feet, skidding forward.
Every single person in the village burst out laughing. And then I knew it would happen. As soon as the volunteer house came into view, the tears came rolling down. Kids started swarming me.
"Is someone dead???" and the cook grabbed my wrist and wouldn't let go until I told her, "I just need to pay 5 cedis to the driver."
D and M (two of the volunteers) came with me, along with the cook and a big group of kids. As we reached the main road, I could still feel everyone staring at me and could hear them snickering.
I handed the money to the driver, and the cook and the kids start interrogating and yelling at him in Fante.
When he told them where he had driven me, D shouted "Hey, it's not 5 cedis!"
At that point the driver decided to get the heck out of Egaufo, so he started to turn around. Next thing I know, he's backing straight into us, his car even touched my legs, just inches away from running me, D, and all the children behind us over.
D slammed his fist on the back of the windshield, then finally the cab took off. The cook took my wrist again as we headed for home. I wasn't going to look anybody in the eye until I heard someone say something very strange.
"You should lash her."
(Who even is this guy? I've never seen him before.)
"I'll lash you!" D cried.
The man started.
The man recovered. "You should lash her because she's afraid of fire. That's why she ran away."
That made me really mad. "I ran away to help my friend!"
"Yeah, you saved her life," he retorted.
The cook pulled me away, then stopped at another large group of people, speaking Fante with them. When I finally dared to look up at them, I saw the head of the orphanage there. He took me by the shoulders and told me to go sit at the children's center until I calmed down. I did, and I did calm down.
I walked back to the house and helped four-year old little F put his bracelet on, during which time he informed me that I was afraid of fire. That's right: a four-year old.
Anyway everything turned out ok. S and her friends came back to Eguafo, a little shaken up, but fine. The other volunteers and I played soccer at the center with the kids. It was super rainy and muddy so it was challenging but fun. And, everyone was slipping and everyone was laughing. But this time, in a good way.
Yoo, yen ko!
Emily
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
2.20
The exact fare for a cab ride to Cape Coast. Just when I thought I knew Eguafo, everything gets turned upside down. Am I trying to be deep? I haven't even scratched the surface.
Yoo...
Emily
Yoo...
Emily
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Money
The teachers went on strike last Wednesday, which means fewer private English lessons and more classes for us volunteers. This job is totally draining, because the students don't really respect volunteers as much as they do their own teachers (understandably so).
Some teachers are not on strike, but still there are some classrooms which might not have a teacher for hours. It's reassuring, though, that those students with the most motivation to learn often go up to the board and give a lesson from the book and assign homework to the class.
I knew that reading English was difficult for many students, but yesterday I noticed something that I found to be a little disturbing. I was going over the homework with the 3rd graders, so I wrote the assigned passage on the board. The students kept asking to come read it and have the class repeat each sentence back.
I noticed that the reader would not always touch the pointer to the word he/she was saying. When I decided to move on and started to write a new passage for the students to read, one girl ran up to me and said, "Madam, we haven't learned to read that yet." It turns out that they had all just memorized the passages they they had to, and were hardly actually reading at all.
Last night I felt sicker than I have in my entire life. Should have paid more attention to my healthy guide to Africa book when it said 'don't eat frozen dairy products' (in this case, chocolate milk). Luckily, the two other volunteers really helped me out a lot, and took very good care of me. They made sure I took my medicine and had water and stayed in bed, etc. I really owe them one.
Speaking of volunteers, 5 more are showing up on Friday afternoon, which means we will have a full house - there are 8 beds total. Anyway, the ones I was with and I will all go on a weekend trip while the others are getting settled in. It will be interesting to see how the group dynamic will change this coming week.
Also, I can pretty much just never buy anything. As soon as I tell someone I'm going to buy bread, or someone sees me with a grocery bag, they always ask me for some. I completely understand, but it does make me feel a little uncomfortable. Once I give one person a gift, everybody might ask me, so I either have to say no, share the whole loaf of bread, or just never buy anything. Or do so in secret.
I can't believe I'm only spending 5 more weeks here. This week has really flown by. At the same time, thought, I feel like the best thing I can do for the Eguafo orphanage is to send money over on a regular basis. The organization runs solely on donations, so it's a sad fact that there are some nights when no food is available. Not that I'm pushing anything, but if you do happen to want to make a donation, just type 'Sankofa orphanage Eguafo' into Google and you should be able to find the website.
I'll be sure to keep you updated on the adventures of the next couple of days!
Yoo, yen ko!
Emily
Some teachers are not on strike, but still there are some classrooms which might not have a teacher for hours. It's reassuring, though, that those students with the most motivation to learn often go up to the board and give a lesson from the book and assign homework to the class.
I knew that reading English was difficult for many students, but yesterday I noticed something that I found to be a little disturbing. I was going over the homework with the 3rd graders, so I wrote the assigned passage on the board. The students kept asking to come read it and have the class repeat each sentence back.
I noticed that the reader would not always touch the pointer to the word he/she was saying. When I decided to move on and started to write a new passage for the students to read, one girl ran up to me and said, "Madam, we haven't learned to read that yet." It turns out that they had all just memorized the passages they they had to, and were hardly actually reading at all.
Last night I felt sicker than I have in my entire life. Should have paid more attention to my healthy guide to Africa book when it said 'don't eat frozen dairy products' (in this case, chocolate milk). Luckily, the two other volunteers really helped me out a lot, and took very good care of me. They made sure I took my medicine and had water and stayed in bed, etc. I really owe them one.
Speaking of volunteers, 5 more are showing up on Friday afternoon, which means we will have a full house - there are 8 beds total. Anyway, the ones I was with and I will all go on a weekend trip while the others are getting settled in. It will be interesting to see how the group dynamic will change this coming week.
Also, I can pretty much just never buy anything. As soon as I tell someone I'm going to buy bread, or someone sees me with a grocery bag, they always ask me for some. I completely understand, but it does make me feel a little uncomfortable. Once I give one person a gift, everybody might ask me, so I either have to say no, share the whole loaf of bread, or just never buy anything. Or do so in secret.
I can't believe I'm only spending 5 more weeks here. This week has really flown by. At the same time, thought, I feel like the best thing I can do for the Eguafo orphanage is to send money over on a regular basis. The organization runs solely on donations, so it's a sad fact that there are some nights when no food is available. Not that I'm pushing anything, but if you do happen to want to make a donation, just type 'Sankofa orphanage Eguafo' into Google and you should be able to find the website.
I'll be sure to keep you updated on the adventures of the next couple of days!
Yoo, yen ko!
Emily
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Meeting Someone for the First Time
Children: "Obruni, obruni! (Foreigner, foreigner) What is your name?"
Me: "Emily."
Children: "Emiry."
Me: "Yes." (Well, it's close enough).
Me: "Hi, how are you?"
Women: "Fine. Come, sit. You are so beautiful. Is this your real hair?"
Man: "I am going to marry you. It's always been my dream to marry a white woman. I asked my mother and she said it was okay. Do you sleep alone? I knew the minute I saw you that I loved you."
Me: "Your friend said the same exact thing to me yesterday."
Man: "Don't listen to him. Give me your phone number."
*I should mention that not all men do this. Mostly just people I run into on the street, not my friends. It does happen a lot, though*
In other news, I'm grossly ill. I've gone down two belt sizes in the last week, which most American girls might be thrilled about, but the process has not been pleasant.
Also, I'm tutoring a girl in the village in English. It's even more difficult than teaching the primary school children because she's 15 and basically fluent. It's hard to know what to teach her because mostly we just have to do some polishing. (For instance, try explaining the difference between 'hardly' and 'barely.' It isn't easy.) She told me her dream was to become a scientist and live in America. This is the kind of person I really want to help out. I think that if I could figure out a way to get her a scholarship to study at an American university somehow, I could really change her life. I just have to keep working with her.
Oh my gosh, as I'm typing this, the goats are baaaahing. They bah all day and all night without stopping. It's actually hilarious, because some just sound so ridiculous. I'm laughing right now.
Also, there are megaphones in central locations around and people broadcast the radio, which is either music, news, or soccer games.
I really like it here in Eguafo. I went to Cape Coast with some other volunteers last weekend and while it was nice to take a break, I was super relieved to come back to Eguafo. I just feel really comfortable here.
Hmm well, I bought some fabric and am getting a dress made at the tailor. So that will be a nice souvenir.
Oh yeah, there was a huge rainstorm last night. Everything was flooded. School was closed this morning because the footbridge broke and everything was just too wet. The front of a brick building got destroyed, too. The goats are sick. They're not used to the rain.
That's all for now.
Yoo, yen ko!
Emily
Me: "Emily."
Children: "Emiry."
Me: "Yes." (Well, it's close enough).
Me: "Hi, how are you?"
Women: "Fine. Come, sit. You are so beautiful. Is this your real hair?"
Man: "I am going to marry you. It's always been my dream to marry a white woman. I asked my mother and she said it was okay. Do you sleep alone? I knew the minute I saw you that I loved you."
Me: "Your friend said the same exact thing to me yesterday."
Man: "Don't listen to him. Give me your phone number."
*I should mention that not all men do this. Mostly just people I run into on the street, not my friends. It does happen a lot, though*
In other news, I'm grossly ill. I've gone down two belt sizes in the last week, which most American girls might be thrilled about, but the process has not been pleasant.
Also, I'm tutoring a girl in the village in English. It's even more difficult than teaching the primary school children because she's 15 and basically fluent. It's hard to know what to teach her because mostly we just have to do some polishing. (For instance, try explaining the difference between 'hardly' and 'barely.' It isn't easy.) She told me her dream was to become a scientist and live in America. This is the kind of person I really want to help out. I think that if I could figure out a way to get her a scholarship to study at an American university somehow, I could really change her life. I just have to keep working with her.
Oh my gosh, as I'm typing this, the goats are baaaahing. They bah all day and all night without stopping. It's actually hilarious, because some just sound so ridiculous. I'm laughing right now.
Also, there are megaphones in central locations around and people broadcast the radio, which is either music, news, or soccer games.
I really like it here in Eguafo. I went to Cape Coast with some other volunteers last weekend and while it was nice to take a break, I was super relieved to come back to Eguafo. I just feel really comfortable here.
Hmm well, I bought some fabric and am getting a dress made at the tailor. So that will be a nice souvenir.
Oh yeah, there was a huge rainstorm last night. Everything was flooded. School was closed this morning because the footbridge broke and everything was just too wet. The front of a brick building got destroyed, too. The goats are sick. They're not used to the rain.
That's all for now.
Yoo, yen ko!
Emily
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Eh Ye
That means, "I'm fine" in Fante.
Well, I arrived here safely (although it took me 3 days) and I am currently in a little village called Eguafo near Cape Coast. Already I have made some good friends of all ages... 4 year olds, 20 year olds, 50 year olds... The only barrier is the language. Most of the kids speak English, but it's difficult to communicate with some people in the village. I'm trying to learn Fante, the language of Eguafo, but at the same time I think it's more important for the students to learn English. So I talk as much as possible to them.
I'm tutoring some students at the nearby primary school, and it takes a lot of patience but it's also rewarding to see improvement. The school system is completely different here: some kindergarten classrooms don't have teachers for most of the day, there can be 20 year olds in 8th grade, and the cane is used for punishing.
But one thing I really like about this place is that people are so happy all the time. Despite not having things that I used to take for granted (like pencils, showers, bandaids, etc.), everybody takes the time to be friendly to one another.
I felt welcome literally after taking my first step out of the cab. A little boy ran up to me, wrapped his arms around me, and said, "This is my friend." Mostly, I think, the best use of my time besides educating is just to give these fabulous, beautiful children some much needed attention.
I have to sleep now, but I'll be sure to keep you posted!
Yoo, yen ko!
Emily
Well, I arrived here safely (although it took me 3 days) and I am currently in a little village called Eguafo near Cape Coast. Already I have made some good friends of all ages... 4 year olds, 20 year olds, 50 year olds... The only barrier is the language. Most of the kids speak English, but it's difficult to communicate with some people in the village. I'm trying to learn Fante, the language of Eguafo, but at the same time I think it's more important for the students to learn English. So I talk as much as possible to them.
I'm tutoring some students at the nearby primary school, and it takes a lot of patience but it's also rewarding to see improvement. The school system is completely different here: some kindergarten classrooms don't have teachers for most of the day, there can be 20 year olds in 8th grade, and the cane is used for punishing.
But one thing I really like about this place is that people are so happy all the time. Despite not having things that I used to take for granted (like pencils, showers, bandaids, etc.), everybody takes the time to be friendly to one another.
I felt welcome literally after taking my first step out of the cab. A little boy ran up to me, wrapped his arms around me, and said, "This is my friend." Mostly, I think, the best use of my time besides educating is just to give these fabulous, beautiful children some much needed attention.
I have to sleep now, but I'll be sure to keep you posted!
Yoo, yen ko!
Emily
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