Two Countries in a Country

Friday September 4th 12:08pm

I am currently sitting in a cafe in Accra using wireless internet and drinking a smoothie. This is like nothing I have experienced in the past three months. I arrived in Accra very early on Thursday morning and have been having trouble adjusting. My last few days in Bolga were great. Work wise I was done and spent the week making sure that all my documents had been transfered over to the office computers and what not. I spent my last weekend hanging around the house with my family and Sunday night everyone from the office got together for a good bye dinner. I think it’s something that you don’t realize until the end but sitting there I realized that I knew a little about them all and kinda wished I knew them all a little better. Three months is just too short but it was a really great time. Monday we had a supper at my house with the neighbors over and I had my last meal of traditional T-Z, though I know it won’t be something I’ll miss. Monday and Tuesday were dedicated to packing and roaming town one last time to say good-bye to friends.  Wednesday moning I was on the bus at 10am and finally arrived at 1:30am the next morning. It was really weird to take the same route that I did three montsh ago, except in reverse. We’d stop at a station and I’d remember the converation I had with a fellow bus mate or something. Three months seems forever ago but then not.

Megan met me at the station and it was great to see her again. We have really lived in two completly different Ghanas. Accra is huge and the area that she lives in was built to accomadate ex-pats so it has pretty much all the comforts of home. (aka smoothies, wireless internet, jumbotrons showing Michael  Jackson videos and gelato) your food options are not limited to rice and in one day I spent more than I would in two in Bolga. megan lives in this appartment complex with a bunch of young ex-pats and last night while we were sitting on the deck I felt more out of place than ever before. They were talking about resturants, super markets and swimming pools and none of it resembled my trip. Accra is nice and everything but it’s just weird to be in a big city after staying in Bolga. I think I’m experiencing culture shock right now.

I really only have two more days in Accra. Once Megan finishes her work for the day we are going to head over to a friend’s place to go swimming which I have to admit I am looking forward to. I have not been swimming since the beginning of May. Tomorrow a group of us are heading to Cape Coast for the day and Sunday we fly out.

Even though I was frustrated during most of my internship I did enjoy being here and I learnt a lot. I am however looking forward to being home. This might be the last time I get to update my blog so if so I will see you all in less than a week and thanks for reading along!

The Countdown is On

Wednesday August 26^th 8:48pm

So it’s official. I have one week left in Bolga. All the excitement that I’ve been feeling the past few days magically disappeared today and was replaced by sadness. I’m entering that stage where the end is near and when you look back, even the painful parts of the trip don’t seem that bad. I’m sure I actually enjoyed those day that I sat in the office staring blankly at my computer…they were fun right? Anyway the pilgrimage home is a bit of a long one and will be done in stages so I’ll lay it all out for you.

Friday August 28^th will be my last day at the office. I leave Bolga on Wednesday Sept 2^nd at 9am. Between those two dates I’ll be enjoying the city, my friends and family as much as possible, as well as attempting to pack up the mass of stuff I’ve accumulated. Even though I’m not expected in the office I’m sure I’ll end up there on Monday or Tuesday.

If I leave the 2^nd it means that I won’t reach Accra until the wee hours of the morning on the 3^rd. I’ll be staying with Megan, a fellow IDS student from SMU who is also in the country on an internship through the same program as me. I’m in Accra for a few days until Sunday, September 6^th. During my time we will be taking in the last bit of Ghana and I plan on meeting up with Emmanuel and Amina, two of my amazing friends from last year’s seminar. The fact that I’m going to be seeing them again gives me hope that maybe I’ll be seeing my new friends sometime in the future too.

Sunday we fly to Dubai, arrive Monday morning and then on to London where we land, Monday September 7^th. I’ll spend the night in London and then Tuesday Sept 8^th I’m home by 1pm!! It’s quite the journey and to top it all off my first class is on the 9^th at 9am! Who’s excited?!?!

My internship has pretty much wrapped up. The final budget forum has yet to be rescheduled due to communication issues between the office and the community so I don’t think I’ll be around when it finally takes place. The office has also been a pretty quiet place lately since Mark is off in Kumasi and has finished his national service so kinda doesn’t work at the office anymore, Edwin is at a climate change conference in Tamale and Selina is on vacation. That leaves just Viola, James and I and we spend most of the day reading the paper and surfing the net. It’s funny how there were so many times when I felt like so much of an outsider and nothing more than an extra body but then when it’s time to leave you feel such an attachment to everything. I know that there have been good and bad moments and in a way I’m glad I’ve had both. There are definitely things that the office needs to work on but in general they are doing a great job. Some of the work is so unbelievably simple that it’s easy to see how it’s over looked but you also realise how much it changes things. Many community members didn’t know who their Budget Officer or District Chief Executive were so to have them come to the community and say “this is what the government will be doing for you and it’s your job to keep us on task, ask questions and raise concerns” can empower whole communities.

Today when I arrived home Martha was once again in front of the TV. Yesterday she finished off the first season of 24 and fell in love with Jack, today it was Troy and High School Musical. I found it funny that for the past few years I’ve been able to avoid the film and my HSM loving friends but find myself forced to watch it in Northern Ghana. While watching this over the top and unrealistic movie (really who’s high school was ever like that? Though I have to admit I give them props for some of the very well choreographed dance sequences) I asked her what she liked about the film. Martha replied that she liked the dancing most but also the whole idea of their high school. I wanted to tell her that at home High School really isn’t anything like that but I stopped myself. A few weeks ago I showed her some photos of my family on my computer and we came across some prom pictures. She loved all the dresses and for the first time I stopped and though about how elaborate and unnecessary it all was. Sure it was good time but did we have to celebrate leaving High School in expensive dresses. In all honestly, we were going to see each other the very next day and a good portion of us were going to one of the schools in Halifax.

A lot of people here like the idea of Halloween too as a fun occasion but they usually say that it would not be permitted in the region due to religious reasons. When you think of it though, who is going to make a costume to wear for a few hours one night when some of the school children have only one uniform to wear day in and day out? So maybe to Martha my life resembles what she sees in High School Musical whether I like it or not. I’m learning to look at my own life through someone else’s eyes and a lot of the time I don’t like what I see. Sure I had a great time at prom and I love Halloween but is it all too over the top? Another one of my questions to go unanswered. I think I’m hoping that if I keep asking them out loud long enough some voice will give me the answers. Maybe when I open my computer tomorrow all the answers I’m looking for will be neatly typed up in a word document. Wishful thinking.

I ended up babysitting for an hour this evening since Martha had choir practice and Madam Kasise was not yet home. All I know is that Aurilia gets more rambunctious as the days go on and I am now pro genetically modified children who just sit quietly, read and paint all day. Ok so maybe it’s not that bad but when I don’t do what she wants me to she threatens me in a language I only half understand. If I don’t let her into my house fast enough she will apparently do something to my bike, and if I’m not always watching her when she wants me to be looking I think she threatens to run away. Before I came home and while Martha was cooking supper, she coloured the floor and a painting of Mary and Baby Jesus blue. When I came home I caught her trying to sneak out of the compound gate with two couch cushions. Playing with my hair keeps her entertained for a few minutes but after that you’re on your own. It’s bringing back a lot of memories from when Haile was little and maybe any parents reading this can tell me why this is something to look forward to in life, because I think you’re all crazy.

Working for the Weekend

Monday August 24^th 11:32am

So I realised today that it’s been a while since I’ve written. Things are starting to wind down at the office for me, with less than two weeks to go. We had the final budget forum for the Talensi-Nabdam district scheduled for last week but the date didn’t work for everyone so it was postponed. On Thursday some officials from the organisation that monitors GrassRoots’ work stopped by to have a meeting. It went really well and we greatly needed. Each year GrassRoots has to submit reports on their progress so that DFID will continue to fund them and apparently last year DFID was not impressed with what they received. There is a lot of confusion about how to fill out the report and huge disconnect between what GrassRoots thought they were sending and what DFID really expected. This all should have been worked out in the beginning stages of the project but no hopefully things will go much smoother now that the organisations are starting to get on the same page.

Martha is currently on vacation from work right now so last week she went to her home village to visit her mother and sister. She came back on Friday and when I got home from work she was waiting for me, saying how much she missed me the past week. The feeling was mutual because I had missed her horribly the whole week as well. I’m not really sure what’s going to happen when I leave for home next week. She brought her niece with her, Aurilia, who is four. The first night she was pretty apprehensive of me but it all changed the following morning when I was awoken by her at my door yelling “Auntie Sarah, Auntie Sarah! You open for me?” Since then we have been inseparable and to be honest I sometimes miss those first few hours of silence. Aurilia does not stop talking, be it English or Frafra, I’m pretty sure she doesn’t care if I can actually understand her. I’m beginning to think that I’ll just stick with nieces and nephews, that way I can always hand them back. Aurilia’s dad says we should get certificates if we can live with her for a week and I think they will be well earned for sure.

Saturday I took a 2 ½ hour drive down to a town by the name of Tamale. I went by tro-tro and ended up having to sit in the tiny row at the back. You know it’s going to be a long drive when 20 minutes in your joints are aching like nothing else. I forgot how busy the bigger cities are in Ghana since Tamale was nothing like Bolga. Traffic jams and people everywhere, I took this trip as a bit of preparation for going back to Accra. I didn’t stay for very long but just wandered around for a bit through the market place. On the way home I was once again stuck in the back but this time around it was a little more tolerable.

Sunday was designated for rest. After church we all went home and passed out for a few hours. Later Ricky came home with a copy of the first season of 24 so we decided to watch a bit of it. Before he put it in the player he said “I hear it’s a long movie so I don’t think we will get to finish it today”. I then had to explain the concept of 24 being 24 hours long, which they all thought was a bit excessive. It was kinda funny watching it because in the first season there is a death threat against Senator Palmer, an African American running for President. Of course everyone instantly fell in love with him and he became the Obama of 24. Apparently 24 was a few years ahead of it’s time. To end the weekend, Martha, Madam Kasise and I played a few games of rummikub.

Photo Links

I know everyone has been looking forward to seeing some photos so for the past few days I have been tediously uploading five at a time. So I have some up on facebook now and will continue to upload more as I go. The following links should take you to the albums so enjoy! Less than 3 weeks to go!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2043911&id=173501590&l=e1f350dbd0

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2045893&id=173501590&l=712e31339b

Directionally Challenged

Sunday August 16^th 9:32pm

Three weeks to go! Friday was as unproductive as a day could possibly be. Viola, Mark and I pretty much sat around talking about how if we had to do it all over again we’d go to community college and come out with a guaranteed job. Other than that I’m really not sure how we spent the rest of the day. After work I was pretty excited because I was supposed to stop in at the seamstress shop to pick up my dresses. I biked into town and up to where I thought the shop was but apparently it wasn’t there. I called Rasheed since he had taken me but he is currently out of town and he is as bad at giving directions as I am. I literally spent the next hour biking up and down the main roads in Bolga. I even tried to retrace the path we took on Monday through the back roads to jog my memory. This is what happens when you just follow and don’t pay attention. Even if I had the name of the shop I could have asked around but of course I didn’t. I left the office later on Friday than usual and by the time I got to town a lot of the shops had closed for the evening so I’m thinking that might have been why I didn’t recognise the place. Or at least that will be my excuse.

Saturday Edwin, James and I headed out to Pelugu for a budget forum. There are a lot of things you have to take into consideration when trying to schedule community meetings. Right now since it’s the rainy season it’s hard to get good attendance the day after it rains heavily and especially in the case of Pelugu, you have to be aware of the various market days. Of course everyday is a market day somewhere so you have to schedule meetings on the day that people can afford to miss. This is why we were working on Saturday. This forum was a little smaller than the rest but still just as important. Of course it’s been the same information for the past four forums so it’s interesting to see how the individual communities react to it. People had a lot to say in Pelugu. Their biggest qualm was in regard to the fact that their market brings in the most revenue for the district but the community was left out of many major projects. In fact the biggest project on the go for them this year is the operationalization of their market place, which did not appease the public. In their view the market was set up just fine and it was health and education projects that they wanted. In the end it always come down to the fact that the people need to make their assembly man work for them and get their issues captured on the budget.

After the meeting Edwin dropped my off in town and I spent some time roaming around. I made friends with some basket weavers and now have a pile of stuff sitting in my room that I have to magically fit into my suitcases. Saturday evening I went to bed early since 5:30am comes early. Madam Kasise and I left the house for church a little late so we missed getting doused with holy water (Father Francis is apparently not frugal with blessings) but it was still a good service. I do enjoy them though I feel really bad that I spend half the time trying to conceal yawns and keeping my eyes closed for just a few extra seconds after prayers. As much as I like to protest against 6:45am services, it actually feels nice to be out and about that early, even though drowsiness soon sets in.

After the service I headed to the market place. The need for groundnut paste fought off the want of a nap. I’m realising that there are a few key foods that I am eating way too much of here in Ghana. At the top of the list is definitely groundnut paste, followed closely by roasted plantain and fried rice. Even though I stick out around town, I think the fact that the ladies who sell each of the three items know exactly what I’m looking for when they see me illustrates this point. I’ve tried other places but you just can’t mess with a good thing. One lady makes the best rice I’ve ever had in my life, the groundnut paste is so smooth and the plantain is roasted to perfection! I think I need to take all three of them home with me to survive!

I decided to take a tro-tro ride out to WaleWale, which is the town that some of the participants from the seminar stayed last year. As soon as I got out of the tro-tro in town, two little girls came running up to me to give me hugs so I figured it had to be a nice place. I only spent a few hours roaming around as I wanted to leave plenty of time to get back to town. When I decided it was time to head home I went to the central station and asked when the next tro-tro would be heading to Bolga. I was told Thursday. After explaining the fact that I kinda needed to get home that night, I was informed that one might be leaving from a spot up the road soon. In fact it was the same guy who brought me to WaleWale and even though I had to wait over an hour or the tro-tro to fill up I still got back home before Thursday. The rest of my evening was spent at home playing Rummekin with Martha and Madam Kasise. I am currently the household champ and will have to challenge everyone when I get home!