Thanks for the birthday wishes! I stretched the celebration into three days which I'm quite proudof.

Day 1 included relaxing and swimming a hotel pool, waiting 2 hours fora BLT sandwich, baking a cake (even though its 100F outside!), having a burgerand fries for dinner, and topping it all off with sleeping in an airconditioned room.

Day 2 included sharing Twizzlers and M&Ms with the teaching staffthen buying minerals (soda-pop) for us all, after which we all had serioussugar highs. One teacher even needed tostart chewing on a tree branch to try to calm his stomach down. I cooked a pasta dinner for two friends andthey were shocked and pleased over the texture and flavours.

On Day 3 I picked up my Western Union gift from mom and dad (thanks!)and had fried chicken and fried rice for lunch.

I had a great first Ghanaian birthday that will be hard to top nextyear. I guess I should start planningnow.

Oh, I also need to mention that birthdays don't get celebrated inGhanaian culture so it was very strange for me to be celebrating mine. There isn't a way to say "happybirthday" in Dagbani so the generic greeting "happy time of theyear" (Ni ti yuum palli!) that is used for other festivals like the lunar new year isused. I had fun explaining that I have abirth certificate that tells me the exact day and time of my birth. That blew people away.

Birthdays are so unimportant here that three weeks ago I was helpingone of my students fill out his high school entrance application and it came tothe place for entering you birthday, of course he didn't know his so we got tochoose one for him! Can you imaginegetting to choose your own birthday?!?1?! What day would you choose? ForAbdulai we chose June 29th, the feast of Saints Peter and Paul because Abdulai's baptismal name is Peter. He was veryexcited to now have a birthday and an easy way to remember it. I can't imagine life without my birthday of3-27, thank you Ghana for putting my birthday into perspective.

Godspeed. -Zachar

Yes, Kate and I did dance during the festival and were cheered for very loudly, unfortunately though we did not capture it on video. As you can imagine, I danced poorly and Kate was the star of the show. We were told by my students that they over heard people saying "the woman dances than the man". I can't argue with that!

Each yearly quarter I have to submit a report via a database to the Peace Corps telling them my about my projects and what I think about my experience here in Ghana. Since I've been a terrible blogger I decided to copy and paste some of my report here for your reading pleasure. You'll notice each section has a specific title and question I'm answering. At the end of this blog post you'll find a link to some pictures from the month of January. Enjoy! Godspeed. -Zachar

CommunityIntegration

As stated bythe drop down list, I feel somewhat integrated. I stepped into the shoes of the RPCV Guillermo Moratorio and experiencean expectation to be like him both internally from myself and externally frommy community. By the end of Guillermo'sservice he had learned Dagbani quite well and was spending many afternoonsaround the village sitting with the old men. The beginning of my service is not at all like the end of his. I struggle with the language, although I tryto speak it as often as I can, and I spend most of my time either in aclassroom, sitting with the other teachers of my school, or in my homepreparing for the next day's lessons or grading the exercises or exams fromthat day. I do receive continuousDagbani instruction once a week with four other volunteers and speak thelanguage weekly in the market and periodically through the week when in townrunning an errand or buying chop. However I feel like I have reached a plateau with my languagelearning. Until I have the time to sitand am forced only to use the local language then it will never sink in. I don't think I will be able to find thatkind of free time until I’m nearing the end of my service. For now my days are spent integrated andexcelling as a teacher in my school. Itake a great deal of pride in my work and the performance of my students. I believe I command their respect andadmiration and am regularly sought out for individual tutoring and help. At Diare JHS A I would say I am "wellintegrated". I have a friendly andprofessional relationship with our staff and students. I am very fortunate to be able to speakEnglish all day, every day. Although myDagbani suffers because of this, I am sought out for English tutoring andregularly have substantial conversations in English about development, the"Western" world, and cultural experiences. I am satisfied with my overall communityintegration and recognize my strengths and weaknesses within it.

Challenges

The biggestchallenges I face in my service are in my classrooms. Each Form presents its own challenges.

My Form 1students hardly speak English. It isclear that they were not instructed in English in Primary School. Many of them cannot read out loud the notesfrom the board/their notebook when asked to do so, when I ask a questionwhether orally or during a written exercise I regularly get no answer at all,and I feel nearly every other word I write on the blackboard is a newvocabulary word for them. Half of theother teachers at my JHS continue to instruct these Form 1 students in theirlocal language which only perpetuates the problem.

My Form 2students are over all the best performing students in the school. Their English isn't great, but clearlythey've benefited from having more in depth English instruction. They are also led by a prefect that commandstheir attention and disciplines them when necessary. So the challenge with this class is findingthe balance in instruction to the handful of very high performing students andto the rest which are struggling with English, concept understanding, andmotivation. The gap between the top andthe bottom increases every week.

My Form 3students are a hard bunch to figure out. This is the year that is going to make or break the rest of theireducation and maybe the rest of their future, however they sit around sleeping,playing games, and are generally lackadaisical about everything. Only 5 of 37 passed the First Term. When asked for course feedback they all admitto not studying and agree that my instruction is fair and of good quality. I'm very worried that it is much too late forthem to steer their collective ship in the right direction and I've resignedmyself to the fact that I can only help those that want to be helped, whichunfortunately is maybe 10 or so out of the 37.

The only otherchallenge of my service so far worth noting here is that from the time Iarrived until the problem was solved in mid-October my house was being infestedwith bugs at an exponential rate. Myceilings and walls were increasingly being covered with bugs and I was findingthem in my food. My patience came to anend and I called the PCVL but he was of no help whatsoever. I then called Mohammed Iddrissu from the TSOand he came out immediately for an inspection, concurred that my house was unlivableas is, and within a few days he had my home sprayed with a safe and effectiveagricultural insecticide that continues to work to this day. Immediately after spraying my house shed allits bugs and although the cleanup project was huge, I now continue to enjoy ahouse that is bug free. Thanks Mohammed!

LessonsLearned

Most thetext below is copied from a blog post I wrote on January 3, 2012.

--End of theTerm Reflections-- This is howthe first term ended: 17 of 63 Form 1 students passed Integrated Science, 10 of53 Form 2 students passed Integrated Science, and 5 of 37 Form 3 studentspassed Mathematics. Over all theirperformances were very, very poor. Iknow this is a combination of my ability to teach but also their own disciplineand responsibility to study, do homework, and review their notes. I know most students not only failed mycourses but also the courses of the other teachers as well. Therefore even though I teach every periodI’m given, assign homework, teach extra classes, and invite students over to myhouse for tutoring, these Ghanaian students are just plain and simply badstudents in a bad situation. They don’thave parents that engage them about their studies but rather send them to farmor to work in the market, they don’t have textbooks to read and do exercisesin, and they don’t have any role models that exemplify the payoff of educationwithin their local community. I try togive motivational speeches and encourage them but it doesn’t seem to sinkin.

New thingsthat I want to try this upcoming term are: 1. give more homework – assign atleast 5 questions to answer after every class period; 2. get students to copythe notes before the class is actually taught so then we can do exercises,discuss, and answer questions during class rather than just copy notes from theboard; 3. bring two students to my house each night for one hour of two-on-onetutoring – for the Form 3 this means that they’ll get private undividedattention twice a month; and finally 4. since the in-class work (includinghomework, class work, and mid-term exams) is only 30% of the final grade (theterm’s final is worth 70%, a percentage dictated by the Ghana EducationService) I’ll give mostly pass/fail credit for doing the homework so thestudents just need to demonstrate that they’re trying in order to get most ofthat 30%.

So, teachingis a mixed bag but mostly it is extremely rewarding and I believe this isdirectly proportional to the hard work I’m putting into it. The other things that I spend my time doingare spending weekends with other PCVs during which we cook, relax, go tochurch, and run. My involvement in thelocal church is rewarding and life giving. I'm very happy to have found a small church home here in Northern Ghanawhere Christian churches are few and far between. I try to run twice or three times a week, butthat has slowed as my teaching work increases. I could save time by paying someone to do my laundry, sweep/clean myhouse, and do my dishes, but I like get my hands dirty and doing it all myself. The same goes for cooking. I could eat in town every night for just adollar, but not only do I like cooking for myself, I crave the variety in thefood whereas in town only a choice of two dishes is available each evening.

The New Yearwill be a time of finding my stride in the classroom and carving time to dosome more intensive language study and hopefully a little grant writing. Christmas and New Year’s Eve were totallystrange here, but nonetheless they were fun to celebrate. The awkward translation of these holidaysleft much to be desired. They reallywere just another day here in this country which is so different than home,with people that have so much potential but regularly come up short (myselfincluded), however this is an experience that is perfect in its own way. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

PlannedActivities

Mycounterpart and I have recently returned from our Education IST and are highlymotivated to apply for funding to improve our school. I brought up the topic at our staff meetingand asked for feedback about what the school's/community's priorities are. It was the staff's consensus that the schoolbuilding, specifically the classrooms are in dire need of renovation andimprovement. If money is going to bespent, then improving the learning environment of our students should be ourfirst priority. Therefore, in the nextfew months I intend to begin collecting the necessary information in order toapply for SPA or PCPP funding. Our goalsare to in all the classrooms: install open air windows and shutters, installdrop ceilings, install ceiling fans, install lights, install outlets, installwhiteboards, resurface the existing blackboards, paint the interior andexterior of the school, and repair the rain collection system and tank.

Peace CorpsGoal 2

I feel thatI somehow embody Peace Corps' Goal 2. Ioften I find myself saying, "In America..." I try not to interject an American/Ghanaiancomparison in every conversation but many topics lend themselves to bediscussed with a global perspective. Forexample, we might be discussing the upcoming Ghanaian elections and how theprimaries are conducted. The UnitedStates happens to be also in an election year and so I take the opportunity tomention how campaigning happens in the USA and how the primaries areorganized. If I'm remembering correctlyI have discussed sports, politics, religion, health insurance, family planning,education systems, and of course, food in this way with my teacher friends. I believe that in each of these topics I havehelped to promote a better understanding of America and Americans amongGhanaians. This was especially potent duringthe time of the American holidays Thanksgiving, Halloween, and the globalholiday Christmas. I was able to shareeven some small "toffee" gifts with my fellow staff and communitymembers.

When itcomes to my students the cultural exchange is even more frequent and indepth. My students are very curious howI live, the pictures I have on my wall, and what I do with my free time. We are constantly talking and sharing, especiallyin the evenings when I've invited students into my home for tutoring. This breaks down the student-teacher barriera bit and they feel freer to ask me questions. I also seize the opportunity during these one-on-one interactions to askfor help understanding the Ghanaian culture and in learning the language.

Peace CorpsGoal 3

I wasapproved to and went home to Chicago, IL USA for one week in between PST andreporting to my site. While I was homeand surrounded by family and friends (on the occasion of my sister's wedding) Itook the opportunity to do a slideshow presentation and tell them about myexperience thus far. I think thisengagement solidified the interest of a number of them when before they were alittle indifferent. Since this returntrip I've communicated with my immediate family every week, with interestedmembers of my extended family and my friends personally about very month andvia my blog and facebook.com pages even more often than that.

SuccessStory

The thirdyear of JHS is a critical time in the life of young Ghanaians. As students complete their Form 3 year theyhave only one thing on their mind, the BECE examination. This exam will determine if they are able tocontinue their education into Senior High School or if their educational liveswill come to a dead halt. It has been myown experience that during similar critical times in my life I relied on thehelp of my colleagues' peer education even more than that of the formaleducator. Knowing this I have madetraining and educating the Form 3 class leaders a priority so that then theycan educate their Form 3 peers.

Thisundertaking has been carried out through focused tutoring and frequentmotivational conversations with the Form 3 class leaders. The feasibility of this "project"has been further made possible because our school's General Prefect and ourForm 3's Senior Prefect are serious students that are motivated to learn andare natural leaders among their peers. In addition to these two formal leaders there are two other Form 3students that have sought me out for extra help with their mathematics. I've been able to spend at least 2 hours ofextra instructional time each week with these four students.

Theunderstanding and grasping of mathematical concepts by these four students hasbeen achieved. These four students areclearly the best, brightest, and highest achieving in the Form 3 class. They have frequently taken what they havelearned from me in our more intimate tutoring sessions and have re-taught thematerial to their classmates. I believemathematics has become a priority of these four students and some of theirpeers due to the utilization of this peer teaching methodology. Unfortunately, it seems the other students inthe Form 3 class are significantly less motivated to learn and are needing agreat deal of remedial work in their mathematics to bring them up to the samelevel of these four class leaders. Groupwork has been assigned and encouragement has been given to the class as awhole, however it seems at times that the Form 3 students have more faith in atest taking miracle than their own ability to find the answer.

Ideas and Recommendations

Since I teach all three gradelevels of JHS I am able to see the considerable change that occurs between aForm 1 and Form 3 student. A great dealof this advancement has to do with teaching using English instead of the locallanguage. I've been told and I'vewitnessed that at the Primary School level most of the instruction occurs usingthe local language. This is evident inthe poor English ability of my Form 1 students. Some of these first year JHS students cannot read or write. I seriously doubt they understand what I'msaying in class. My recommendation is toassign Peace Corps Volunteers to teach English at the Primary Schoollevel. By the time students reach JHS itis nearly too late to mold them. Anyimprovement of a student's English ability earlier in life will pay dividendslater on. This is not to take away fromthe importance and usefulness of learning the and via the local language,however it is clear that Ghanaian students are suffering from a severe lack ofEnglish instruction at the Primary School level.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151292710230495.826883.705840494&type=3&l=6aaa462746

End of the first term reflections. As my vacation of a week and a half comes toa very quick close I want to document some of the things that havecharacterized my first term of teaching so then I can make the appropriatechanges in the second term. (My vacationis a measly week and a half because they took away a week and half of our breakto bring us back to school early to teach the Form 3 students in order to betterprepare them for their upcoming BECE exam, their high school entranceexam.)

This is how the first term ended: 17 of 63 Form 1 studentspassed Integrated Science, 10 of 53 Form 2 students passed Integrated Science,and 5 of 37 Form 3 students passed Mathematics. Over all their performances were very, very lacking. I know this is a combination of my ability toteach but also their own discipline and responsibility to study, do homework,and review their notes. I know moststudents not only failed my courses but also the courses of the other teachersas well. Therefore even though I teachevery period I’m given, assign homework, teach extra classes, and invitestudents over to my house for tutoring, these Ghanaian students are just plainand simply poor students. They don’thave parents that engage them about their studies but rather send them to farmor to work in the market, they don’t have textbooks to read and do exercisesin, and they don’t have any role models that exemplify the payoff of educationwithin their local community. I try togive motivational speeches and encourage them but it doesn’t seem to sinkin.

New things that I want to try this upcoming term are: 1. givemore homework – assign at least 5 questions to answer after every class period;2. get students to copy the notes before the class is actually taught so thenwe can do exercises, discuss, and answer questions during class rather thanjust copy notes from the board; 3. bring two students to my house each nightfor one hour of two-on-one tutoring – for the Form 3 this means that they’llget private undivided attention twice a month; and 4. finally since thein-class during the term work is only 30% of the final grade (the term’s finalis worth 70%, a percentage dictated by the Ghana Education Service) I’ll givepass/fail credit for doing the homework so the students just need todemonstrate that they’re trying in order to get that 30%.

So, teaching is a mixed bag but mostly it is extremelyrewarding and I believe this is directly proportional to the hard work I’mputting into it. The other things that Ispend my time doing are spending long weekends with Kate during which we cook,relax, go to church, and run. Once amonth at church I get to give the homily and that has been amazing. I think some of my enthusiasm gets lost intranslation (by the live-in Catechist), but I really enjoy being in front of thecongregation (an average of 10 people each Sunday). I try to run twice or three times a week, butthat has slowed as my teaching work increases. I could save time by paying some to do my laundry, but I like get myhands dirty and doing it myself. Thesame goes for cooking. I could eat intown every night for just a dollar, but not only do I like cooking for myself,I crave the variety in the food whereas in town only a choice of two dishes isavailable.

I need to end this reflection here. I never seem to have enough time to writeeverything I want so I should really do this more often. If you have specific questions for me, pleasefeel free to write me an email or comment to this post. I’ll try to write more regularly aswell. The New Year will be a time offinding my stride in the classroom and carving time to do some more intensive languagestudy and hopefully a little grant writing. Christmas and New Year’s Eve were totally strange here, but nonethelessthey were fun to celebrate. DuringChristmas there wasn’t any snow, any trees, any mangers, or any lights. Just simple church services that were same asthe ones every other Sunday. I did gettwo packages from home, one from my cousin, and one surprise package from afriend and these were definitely the highlight of the season. I’m swimming in M&Ms, Crystal Light, anddried soup packets – exactly what I asked for! New Year’s was celebrated with champagne and chocolate chip cookies at10pm and then at the stroke of 12 there was a quiet kiss goodnight. The awkward translation of these holidaysreally are just another day here in this country which is so different thanhome, a country that leaves so much to be desired, but one that is experientiallyperfect in its own way. I wouldn’t wantto be anywhere else. Happy NewYear! Godspeed. -Zachar

My church in Diare is a mission outstation of the larger parish in Savelugu which is staff by the Society of the Missionaries of Africa, popularly known as the "White Fathers" (not only because of their skin but their habits as well - actually most come from the continent of Africa itself).

Last week all the Dagomba people in Ghana celebrated Fire Festival, pronounced "bugum chugu". This video was taken during the celebration in my home village of Diare. It is a celebration of the lunar new year, so in a way it is as much of a Islamic celebration as a ethnic/traditional one. You can find some people however that know and are willing to tell you the story of how it began - a chief who lost his son. The story is here: http://www.africawithin.com/tour/ghana/fire_festival.htm Enjoy the video!

During the last few Sunday liturgies I noticed theintentional use of readings which mention, describe, warn about, or announcethe second coming of Christ. We heardabout the virgins who hadn’t brought enough oil with them for their lamps andmiss the coming of the bridegroom, the virgins metaphorically represented boththe people who heard Jesus that very day he told the parable to and us who manyyears later still don’t know the time or the hour that Christ will come again. Today we were warned that Christ will comelike a thief in the night and thus we should live in holiness and devotion allour days. There is a theme running throughour liturgical calendar purposefully reminding us that we live in the in-betweendays of the already and not yet. We believeboth that we have been saved by Christ already and that we live in anxious andhopeful anticipation of him coming again.

So I began to reflect and ask myself what I expect thissecond coming will be like. I am notconcerned with the when or where, but with the how. If Jesus was to return today what might Iexpect from this new Messiah? What myprayer has shown me is that the second coming may not be anything like thefirst incarnation. If Jesus is God andwe believe God is neither male nor female yet beyond any sexual categorization,then God’s incarnation is not bound by one particular flesh either. The second incarnation of God may very wellbe and I would hope would be as a woman. If God has sent a son to set us free by the cross then why not adaughter to bring us home to the kingdom? We await not a man, but God. And ourGod is not a He or a Father, but Spirit, Creator, Life, and Love. Theologians and the more enlightened church leadershave been teaching us about this new way of understand God that is beyond thedefault Father figure we use in liturgy and find in scripture. I believe it is now time to also evolve ourunderstanding of incarnation beyond a categorical male figure. If the two parts of the Trinity known as Godand Holy Spirit are without sex, then why must the third, Jesus Christ, be onlyand always masculine? No part of our Godshould be bound by our inability to see into the truth, the mystery that isGod.

Unfortunately if God had come first as a daughter we wouldn’tbe even having this conversation because no one in Jerusalem or anywhere inGalilee would have taken note of a female prophet who was healing the blind orannouncing forgiveness of sins. Shewould never have gained the audience of but a few friends and family members. Instead God sent a son and he was killed forhis message which challenged the leaders of the faithful at that time. We can’t deny the fact that in the historicalcontext a woman could not have had the same affect in proclaiming the Kingdomof God. However, now, in the 21stcentury, in a global village, with instant communication, efficient travel, interdependenteconomies and science that reaches further and deeper every day, we can saywith certainty that men and women are equal, that there is no superior sex,race, creed, or ethnicity. I am readyreceive Christ when God comes again, whether God be incarnated male or female; Caucasian,Latino, African, or Asian; Catholic, Muslim, Buddhist, or Aboriginal. God’s kingdom and love is either universal,reaching to the full extent of creation, or it is not. And if not then we need to really askourselves, what kind of God is that? Whynot a female? Why not a black haired,brown skinned, female Jesus? I believeit is possible. I’m not saying this willhappen in this exact way, but I’m just throwing out the possibility. God is a mystery and if I continue in any wayto box God into a corner then I’ll have committed a grievous error.

This realization is coming out of theology study, service tothe poorest and most marginalized people, and now living in completelydifferent context than the only one I know. In Ghana I eat differently, bath differently, work differently, and nowI see God differently. The “Western” worldhas lost its grip on me and my male, blue eyed, blond haired Jesus has got togo as well. Before coming to Ghana Istopped calling God “father” and began to despise religious art that portrayed Jesusas anything other than the Middle-Eastern man he was. And now my faith has shifted even more. As I prepare for Christmas this Advent seasonand my church challenges me to think about the second coming of Christ, I prayin thanksgiving for an enlightened way of seeing creation, people, and now Godin three parts, both male and female (maybe). Let me say again, we await not a man, but God. Jesus will surely come, but she may not bewho you think she is.

Godspeed. -Zachar

There is so much to write and so little time! I really should be writing more often andsincerely apologize for my lack of correspondence. I have two more spiritual reflections topost, but figured before I post those you deserve an honest to goodness updateto how I’m doing here in Ghana. So hereit goes.

I’ve just returned from celebrating Thanksgiving in Accrawith the US Ambassador to Ghana, Ambassador Donald Teitelbaum. The travel to and from Accra from here inthe Northern Region was 12 hours in each direction and also cost 20% of mymonthly stipend. All for one meal! The Thanksgiving meal itself was very verygood. Being deprived of such a flavorfulfood meant my brain tells me I could have eaten more, but with 200 guests weall had our fill but were not walking away with doggie bags. That’s a convoluted way of saying there wasjust enough food for everyone. Andhonestly, some of the meals Kate and I cook up over our “camping style” stoveshave been equally delicious! However,the Thanksgiving meal itself was just part of the reason for missing four daysof school and the travel. The holidayalso provided a perfect opportunities: to catch up with my other PCVs whohaven’t seen for two months, to grocery shop at the biggest foreign goods storein Ghana, to meet and get to know our US Embassy employed host family – seeinghow the other half of international development workers live, to eat multiplegreat “foreign” meals, and to simply take a break from teaching or lessonplanning each and every day. So in theend I would say it was worth it, though a case could be made to thecontrary.

One reason I feel particularly guilty right now is that Ijust finished grading a mathematics exam I gave to my Form 3 students before Ileft and they all failed. All 31 ofthem! The highest was a 55%. Now I know all the blame doesn’t fall on mebecause I’ve asked the students before who is to blame of their poorperformance and they tell me that are the ones to fault. They admit that they don’t study, that theycopy from each other, and they don’t do the homework – even the little that isgiven. Teaching mathematics requires alot of repetition and I’ve found it very hard to incorporate that into myteaching. Although as I sit herereflecting I think I’ve come up with an idea of how to give homework everynight. And it’s not just Form 3 maththat is doing poorly. My Form 1 and 2integrated science classes are doing just as poorly. I wonder how much it’s me and my lack ofteaching experience and how much it’s the context I’m working it. There are no textbooks for the students. All they have are the notes they’ve copiedfrom the board – which puts an incredible pressure on me to concisely,accurately, and quickly write on the board what they need to know and thenexplain it. There is no hands-on,visual, or engaging teaching/learning occurring. I really feel just like my Ghanaiancounterparts – just a note writing machine. Although one thing I do offer above the Ghanaians is that I showup. I’m there every period I’m supposedto be, on time and prepared to teach. Igive tests and homework and try to ask critical thinking questions to mystudents. However, they are conditionedto memorize and regurgitate exclusively and they do so only because they fearphysical punishment. I’m not allowed tocane (whip with a tree branch) my students and wouldn’t even if I could,however this means that the majority of my student’s brains turn off during myclasses. Instilling fear wasn’t that bigof a part of my training. And let’s sayfor a minute that I did command the attention and engagement of my students,what will they be experiencing? Theanswer is only white chalk on a blackboard full of divots and holes becauseit’s just black paint on a concrete wall. Believe me, I’m trying my hardest to do kitchen style scienceexperiments, to draw 3-D and 2-D diagrams, and to ask leading questions toencourage critical thinking; however I don’t think these things make too muchof a difference in the long run. Like mostteachers and students around the world, are sole focus is on a test which is tobe given in the not too distant future. In my case, it’s called the BECE and it determines whether my JHSstudents can go onto Senior High School (or simply high school in USterms). And what do most teststest? Memorization.So, I’m grateful to have had a Thanksgiving holiday, a weekaway from school because for the next month (nearly exactly to the day) I’ll beworking my damndest to prepare my students for their upcoming end of term examsand maybe even some will learn something in the process.

There is a lot more to write about: language/integration,poverty/begging/westernization, Advent/homesickness, and the many ideas forsmall development projects I’d like to tackle. Alas, these topics will have to wait until another time because I haveto teach tomorrow and it is way past my 10pm bedtime. At least it’s gotten cooler overnight now andI’m sleeping really well – and without a fan!

Godspeed. -Zachar

I have a new address! If you're ever planning on sending me a letter or package, please use this address because I have better access to this PO Box.Mark Zachar, PCVPeace CorpsP.O. Box 962Tamale, Northern RegionGhana, West AfricaI'll post again soon with stories from school. Godspeed. -Zachar

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The entire text from the above clip of me preaching on the Twenty-Eight Sunday (Year A), October 9, 2011 will be posted below. I was graced with the opportunity to homilize at my outstation of a parish in Diare, Ghana. John, our full time live-in catechist is translating for me into Dagbani. Not on purpose, but this ended up being a reflection of how our spiritual lives and educational lives mirror each other, in that you get out of them the effort you put into them. That means, get to work! Enjoy the video and the reflection. Godspeed. -Zachar

You all know that I’m a teacher. And one thing a teacher notices right away about his students is that they do not perform, understand, or respond to their education all the same. Some are naturally talented and are considered smarter than the others, some simply just try harder and put forth more effort than the others, finally, there are those that don’t seem to care and act as if their education is a joke. Who do you think is going to progress in life? Who will do well in a profession that demands an education and benefit from the financial, social, and intellectual stability that this brings? It will be those that responded to the gift of education with joy, humility, perseverance, and hard work. They will enjoy a rich feast! The same can be said for us in our spiritual lives. We’ve all received an invitation to the kingdom of heaven, to the heavenly feast. This invitation is a gift that we don’t deserve, but it has been offered because we have an awesome, merciful, and compassionate God. We’ve received this gift of life through grace and with it comes an incredible responsibility. It is written in scripture, “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” (Luke 12:48) And “To whom that has, more will be given and they will grow rich; however from anyone who has not, even what they have will be taken away.” (Matthew 13:12) We have been given an incredible gift and a lot is expected of us. If we respond well, by making right choices, acting with kindness, generosity, and compassion, loving God, ourselves, and our neighbors as ourselves, we will grow rich and richer each time me make the next right decision. However, as we backslide, acting out of lust, greed, laziness, and anger, we will have the gifts of life taken away. The same goes for the students I spoke about earlier. Those that are putting forth an effort in school, those that come to school ready to learn, who return home at night eager to do homework (even asking for homework when it is not assigned), these students are properly responding to the gift of education that has been given to them, and to these students more education, possibility, success, and knowledge will be given to them. However, to the students who come to school and sleep through the day or play games with their friends, who count the seconds until the closing bell is rung so they can run home the gift of an education will be taken away. They will not be able to progress in Forms and surely will not make it beyond the JHS level. What education they’ve received will be lost as it goes unused in their brains. The bicycle that sits outside unused in the rain, day after day, month after month, will surely rust and spoil. Will it not? So will our brains in school and so will our souls in life. We are all invited to the feast. The good and bad alike, just as in the parable this morning. No partiality has been made during the invitation process. All are invited! Not one is unwelcome. However, it is the guest themselves who decide how to respond. They are free to accept or deny the gift given. In our parable, who determined the unworthiness of those invited? It was those invited themselves! They paid no attention to the invitation. Some even killed the messenger. Others came to the banquet unprepared, putting forth only a minimal effort. I’m speaking of the man who came without a wedding garment. It has been said that half of the challenge of life is just showing up. This is true, the man in the parable just showed up. However the other half of life is coming prepared! We must come worthy of the great feast to which we’ve been invited. The students that just show up to school and expect to learn without any effort of their own are in for a surprise! To benefit from the gift of education takes a lot of work. Similarly, to benefit from the gifts of the spirit (that is the seven gifts of wisdom, understanding, right judgment, courage, knowledge, and reverence) takes a lot of work as well. Some say, the task is too great! How can I keep up this work ethic for a lifetime? Paul answers this for us in the Second Reading in his letter to the Philippians. He says there is strength for everything through Jesus who empowers us. He says God will supply whatever you need in accordance with the riches of Christ Jesus. And in this letter Paul is writing words of thanks and praise for he though he has learned to be self-sufficient, to live humbly through many trials, he has been given abundant gifts by God in the spirit and by the Philippian people who took care of him. So there are resources available to us in God and in each other for the journey. Finally, I need to mention what the benefit of this hard work is. For the student I’ve already mentioned it. They will go far in their education, they will receive their first degrees and maybe even second degrees, and they will have financial, social, and intellectual peace, success, and stability. And for us believers, us that accept the invitation to the heavenly feast by living lives of virtue, prayer, and faith? This answer comes from our First Reading in Isaiah. Death will be destroyed! The only inescapable thing in life is death and the Lord God will save us from it for we will be with Him forever in the heavenly feast. Let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us! Let us respond to the invitation, the free gift of God, with passion, lives of virtue, and hard work. Then let us encourage students to do same in their studies. Amen.

PICTURES FROM SITE!!! (on Facebook.com but available to everyone!)

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150838710340495.756533.705840494&l=ce8d2a0127&type=1

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150866926035495.763024.705840494&l=226613bc2d&type=1

Stories and reflections to follow. Godspeed. -Zachar

I used to pray the serenityprayer constantly. I was dissatisfiedwith life and felt like I had a lot to change about myself. I tried to take control and put my nose togrindstone. I rarely wassuccessful. So I prayed. I prayed, “God grant me the serenity toaccept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, andthe wisdom to know the difference.” However serenity remained elusive. I was always stressed out and frustrated.

Today however, I was praying atthe Midway Airport chapel just before I returned to Ghana to begin my two yearsof Peace Corps service and realized the serenity prayer didn’t make senseanymore in my life. I’m so happy and atpeace! I’ve found some serenity. There is very little that I want to changeabout my life, how I’m sending my time, and who I’m spending it with. I acknowledge that some of the changes that Idesired a few years ago have come about and that has increased my peace andsatisfaction in life. However as Icontemplate what else is going on in my life I realize that my focus of lifehas changed as well. I believe thatchange of focus has been as important to my pursuit of happiness as some of theother more tangible changes I’ve made. There is very little planning, worrying, or goal setting happening in mylife right now. I’m living present tothe moment and grounded in the now, not the tomorrow, next week, or nextyear. I’m simply enjoying the ride andfacing obstacles and challenges as they come. There are very few crises and mass confusion too because by living onlyin the present moment I am fully aware and able to address whatever ishappening in the seconds that are going by. Tomorrow cannot be dealt with today and that took a long time to learn.

A friend also helped me realize thatalready my time in Ghana has contributed to this change within me. So much of my life is different here, fromthe littlest detail of eating with my hands, to big structural things like nothaving utilities of water, electricity, gas, or sewerage. Most of these changes in lifestyle are smallobstacles and they are occurring every minute of every day. They were very noticeable and sometimesjarring, at least they were for the first few months here as you acculturateand become accustom to them. However, ratherthan seeing them as challenges and letting them overwhelm me which I would havedone in the past, I took them up one at a time, slowly in each moment of theday, and just remained as present to each one as I could. This new style of living by just doing what Icould in the moment, enjoying the moment, and celebrating it has consumed meand become a persistent and consistent way of being. So the serenity prayerdoesn’t really make sense in Ghana because I’m not going to change any of theGhanaian lifestyle, systems, or culture while I’m here, I just need to live init moment by moment.

I used to pray the serenityprayer and live in anticipation of the next minute, hour, or year; however, nowI pray in gratitude for the now, for the awesomeness of living in Ghana, andthe serenity that washes over me when I stay humble, present, and open. Thank you Lord for this change within me andthank you for now.

Any of you, regardless if you have Facebook or not should be able to click on the links below to see my pictures. I have yet to figure out how to efficiently put pictures on this blog, but eventually I will. Godspeed. -Zachar

Final Training Album:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150794328250495.745642.705840494&l=7d9943f73c&type=1

Site Visit Album:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150747050810495.730665.705840494&l=e6295ce340&type=1

Offsite Language Album:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150731664215495.725280.705840494&l=ad2791b22e&type=1

Month One Album:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150717347680495.720815.705840494&l=658be84149&type=1

First Ghanaian Album:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150676524760495.713336.705840494&l=f1555abc85&type=1

My home for the next two years:

Click Here for Google Map of Diari, Ghana

Thesecond half of training has gone by significantly faster than the firsthalf. This is because of some days wereexperienced as a single “sick period”, we’ve travelled for four weeks straight,the developing of really close friends within my PC class to share theexperience with, the intense focus on language study and practicing for theLanguage Proficiency Interview, and finally, being able to see the end of thetunnel which includes Swearing In and my trip home for Monica’s wedding.

Let metry to capture a bit of what has characterized my experience so far. First off, the rules of life are different inGhana. The “rules” encompassing: expectations,goals, time, focus, and how anything gets done. I eat differently, bathe differently, walk differently, speak Englishdifferently, travel differently, dream differently, hope differently, lovedifferently, and pray differently. Somuch has changed and I’ve been soaking it all in. At times it has been uncomfortable, at timesextremely exciting, at times I wonder what am I doing here?, but most of thetime I sit within a content peacefulness and know I am exactly where I shouldbe right now.

A fewof the highlights are: in the three months I have been in the Greater Accra,Eastern, Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Northern, and Volta regions. I’ve spent most of my time in my home regionof Northern and my temporary home at homestay in Eastern. Every region but Northern are a lush greenand really humid. The Northern is dry,really hot, flat, and farmed as best as it can be. I can’t wait to get back in order to be ableto set up my house, unpack, practice and develop my language, and do what Icame here to do, to inspire and teach! Studentteaching at OPASS JHS was absolutely a key turning point during training. And I feel prepared just with those two weeksof practice to teach for the next two years. The practicum was well observed and we were critically yet fairlyevaluated throughout. Our teachertraining was much more extensive but quite boring and at times poorlyexecuted. Nonetheless the essentialinformation was given to us about classroom management, discipline, andteaching when practically no resources are available to you. I can’t wait to get started! Unfortunately I have no idea what I’mteaching yet. It’ll be some combinationof Math (said Maths here), Integrated Science, and ICT (computer technology)across one, two, or three levels of JHS students. I’ll find out just before the semester startsand go from there.

Anotherhighlight was my site visit during which I got a taste of what I’m in store forover the next two years! I really wishit could’ve been longer, but I made the most of the short time I had in Diareshadowing the PCV that I’m replacing. I’m itching to get back to site to practice my newly learned languageDagbani, to clean and arrange my house, and to begin my integration into theschool and community. I’m happy toreport the food at my site is amazing! There are road side “chop” bars (food vendors/restaurants) scatteredthroughout my village which are delicious and healthy. I don’t think I’ll end up doing much cooking formyself outside of “American” food when I can get such good, cheap food intown. During site visit I also receivedmy Dagbani name from a local resident. The man is a retired truck driver and now pounds the fufu at the bestchop bar in town. The chief didn’t giveme a name during my ceremonial visit, and it wasn’t a village elder either, itwas just your local joe. And he nailedit! Without knowing me at all he namedme “chang-ti-wuni”, meaning, give all to God. I couldn’t ask for a better name to remind me of why I’m in Ghana in thefirst place and to keep me motivated as I serve. I think I’ll try to use it extensively in townbecause of its awesomeness and my need to be solely focused on a purpose inthis adventure.

Thelast thing I want to mention in this long blog post that I’ve composed over thecourse of a few sittings is my gratitude for my fellow volunteers. The process of leaving the seminary, findinga new way of being in the world, slowly discovering career paths, and doing allthis outside of my home country has been nearly all positive. I’ve had some great discussions with my newlifelong friends. We’ve laughed, we’vecried, we’ve been bored out of our minds together, and it’s beenspectacular. I could not be doing thisalone and I’m indebted to my 68 fellow sojourners. Now that training is complete, let ustogether go have the greatest two years of our life! Naawuni ti sung! (God help us.)

I've posted more pictures on Facebook. I can't seem to find a way to import them here, sorry about that. You can see them at: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150717347680495.720815.705840494&l=658be84149

And I also posted a video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl5ebf3DPN0.

Got to go! Godspeed. -Zachar

“Lovin' Ghana: finished student teaching, now learning my local community's language, getting ready to spend the next 4 weeks on the road doing on-site language study, school/counterpart orientation, HIV/AIDS project prep, and moving into my new house!!!”This was my FB status update just now, let me take a minute to expand on it. (Lesson to be learned: pre-prepare posts before coming to the internet café!!!) So I think I was successful in posting a reflection about my time at practicum so you’ve got an idea of how that went. The intensive language study hasn’t been very intensive because I’ve been sick. I’ve been sick for 6 days with on and off a high fever and headache that goes all the way into my neck. Today is a good day however and I think I might be over the hump. I know I don’t have malaria because we did a test for that. Maybe it was stress/heat/environmentally related, I don’t know. Hopefully its over though because it’s going to make the next 4 weeks of travel crazy difficult if it isn’t.So besides language school we’ve still been doing some seminar days and teacher prep. We work on Saturdays too and that leaves Sunday for church and laundry. This coming Sunday we’ll be traveling to another site to do immersion language training. I’m really looking forward to this because I can use all the intensity and help I can get. Even though I’ll be able to teach in English, it is quite clear that outside of school – or even in the teacher’s lounge – the local language reigns, as it should. After a week of language study then we meet with and do a school/counterpart orientation with the actual headmaster (principal) and coteacher from the school we’re going to. After a week of formalities together then I get to go visit my site! I get to move into my house and see my school. I’m so lucky that I’ll be replacing a current PCV because he’ll be able to show me the ropes before he leaves at the end of July. He’s leaving me a sweet house and bikes. I’m really looking forward to being able to get a taste of the real thing. After that in the fourth week of travel we attend a special HIV/AIDS project training that US AID is sponsoring called PEPFAR. I don’t know what will be expected of me but I’ll be glad to participate. After four weeks of travel we return “home” to Kukurantumi and our homestay for three weeks and then we’re sworn in on August 30th!!! It’ll happen that fast! If the last month is telling, time will fly and days will feel like weeks and weeks like months.My time is up at the café right now so I must run. You can see pictures from the last few weeks here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150717347680495.720815.705840494&l=658be84149Godspeed. -Zachar

Today, Thursday, June 30, 2011 (when I’m writing this), was my last day of practicum teaching at OPASS JHS. Four of us PCVTs (T for Trainee) were assigned to OPASS to teach all the Mathematics (called Maths here, yes with the S) and Integrated Science classes to the Form 1 (sixth grade) and Form 2 (seventh grade) students for two weeks time. I think Spencer, Adam, Stephanie, and I made a great team. I was so thankful to have them around to be able to vent to about things that were bothering me. For example, trying to teach diffusion of light into its spectrum without access to a prism or teaching “basic” electronics, i.e. multi-vibrating oscillating circuits (flashing LED lights), without access to any circuit board, electric components, or lab. Pretty much all there is here is the teacher and the blackboard (which is really some black paint on brick). I think we were a huge success however and are now “prepared” for our permanent assignments as teachers. Not that 2 weeks is all you need to be trained to be a good teacher, but our training, evaluation, and practice was intense and amazing. I feel ready enough and very excited to begin teaching from the beginning of the school year so I can learn all my student’s names (there wasn’t any way I was going to memorize 60 names in each of my classes this week). I feel confident with my classroom management and discipline. I will slowly get the hang of changing my English so I'm more easily understood and at the same time figure out how to coax my students to speech up so I can hear them. All in all, it was an amazing two weeks and no we're moving onto intensive language study. I will try to post pictures of my time at OPASS too. Godspeed. -Zachar

Today will be a picture posting day! Hopefully I get all these pictures uploaded in a reasonable amount time because I don’t want to be walking home after 7pm, which is really late here, like 10pm USA time. I was able to post my pictures on facebook really easily and will eventually post them here. They should be able to be viewed by anyone even if you don’t have a FB account. The link is https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150676524760495.713336.705840494&l=f1555abc85. Go there for now and I’ll post directly to the blog on another day.My permanent Peace Corps site for the next two years will be: Diare in the Northern Region of Ghana! I’ll be at Diare Junior High School. In addition to Math I may also teach Science, and Computer Technology (known here as ICT). They also have a course called Religious and Moral Education which I would love to get involved with too. “Diare is a village in the Savelugu-Nanton District, located on the main Tamale-Bolgatanga road in the Northern Region of Ghana. It is predominantly a farming community with few people involved in petty trading. Market day falls once every week making Diare a commercial center for the local community. Most of the trade in the community involves buying and selling of foodstuffs and animals such as sheep, goats, chicken, etc. The town is 95% Muslim and the festivals celebrated are Damba and Fire festivals. The main supply of water for the community is a mechanized borehole system. Electricity is from the national grid but there can be occasional outages. The nearest big town in Savelugu which is about 25 kilometers away (I have a friend-volunteer working there.)”“Diare Junior High School has operated since 1987 and in 1993 the Ministry of Agriculture mobilized farmers in Diare to construct a three classroom block. The enrollment is 114 including 34 girls. The school also has one of the best computer labs in the district (which are NOT connected to the internet unfortunately). I will be replacing PCV Guillermo Moratorio (who’s blog you can find at: http://www.peacecorpsjournals.com/?Journal&journal_id=7375).”“Your accommodation is a bungalow which is less than 1 kilometer from the school compound. There is a kitchen, toilet, and a bathroom which will not be shared. Electricity is from the national grid but there can be occasional outages. The source of water is borehole. Cellular phone services are accessible. The school will provide basic furniture.”So, there you have it! That’s my site from September onward. For now I’m in Kukurantumi doing teacher training, language training, teacher practicum, homestay, etc. I’ll have to update you all on those things in detail another time. The highlights: teaching science is easier than math, my homestay “parents” which are only a few years older than me speak English really well thank God, we eat EVERYTHING with our hands, it is hotter than h*ll here, taking a shower in the rain is awesome but bucket showering isn’t so bad either, the other volunteers are awesome friendly and great people to be sharing this experience with.Thanks for reading! I’ll post again soon. Godspeed. –Zachar

Sorry friends, pictures are going to have to wait because I could feel electric current running through the USB ports on this computer. I'm glad I was able to log in and post however. So, we are in our second week in Ghana and so much has happened already! We visited downtown Accra via trotro (the minibus public transportation system). We've studied the most common local language of Twi (pronounced Chee). We've of course sweat a lot since its so hot here (80-87 most days)! The food is spicy most of the time, but I'm hanging in there. We do a lot of training. We're constantly in and out of presentations, either on safety, health, teaching, culture, etc.

What is very exciting is that we are now with our host families! I'm living with a young couple (in their 30s) who have a one and a half year old son. I have my own room in a small home right near our training site and not too far from this internet cafe. Hopefully I'll be able to return tomorrow to post pictures of everything. My home only has electricity. Water we fetch by bucket from the well which is in our backyard. We use the water to take bucket showers, wash anything, and pour water into the toilet to flush. Cooking is done on a single propane gas fed burner. Yesterday, Na (the little son), and I played soccer all afternoon. We had tomato stew for dinner, which we ate with our hands. Tomorrow I'll begin my practicum in teaching at a local Junior High School.

I have to depart for now, but more will follow. Know that I'm well and having a blast. Peace Corps Ghana is everything I imagined it would be. I'll be back to post soon. Godspeed. -Zachar

“The Lord said to Abram: “Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you.” Genesis 12: 1-3

Here we go, we’re off to the airport. There are 68 of us on two buses. We are each other’s new family, friends, support network and lifeline. Most of us are 20 somethings, some of us are in our 30s and there are a few retires. We are a bunch of random people thrown together to serve those in need and to promote peace and understanding among nations. We’ve barely gotten to know each other and now we’re going to experience together the most transforming life experience that many of us will ever go through. Wow, how humbling and powerful. The only thing there is to do is trust, have faith, and remain present. We are being sent from the land we call home, from the culture that has shaped and educated us, away from family and friends, to a place that will shock every sense, tissue and bone in our body. Through fear, language miscommunication, safety threats, loneliness, and work incompetence we will discover a way to be a blessing to the people of Ghana. I’m confident and look forward to the welcome we’ll receive, to the relationships with our host families we’ll grow, the training we’ll receive, and the launch into assignment on August 30th that is coming in three months time. Until then I’m not sure how often I’ll write to you. I’m not sure where in the country I’ll be, but do know that the Peace Corps address will always work for mail and packages. Please pray for me and my new Peace Corps family. I will pray for you and yours. You have formed me and helped me get to this place of peace, contentment, and joy in life, let us continue this journey in the spirit together. Godspeed. –Zachar

This will be my address for June through August:

Mark Zachar, PCT

Peace Corps/Ghana

P.O box 5796

Accra-North, Ghana

West Africa

Just in case you were going to send me care packages or something like that....

Godspeed. -Zachar