I'm in Accra, left site yesterday. The party turned out to be incredible. The week was stressful but worth it. I have to get a lot done in Accra so I'll write later but here's a picture.

I was at the internet cafe yesterday and I spent half an hour trying to do stuff online, none of which worked, including this blog. Most of the day had been frustrating. However, that is usually altered by someone, often my favorite guy in Cape Coast that sells Fan-ice (this really delicious frozen product, my favorite tastes like frozen grade school chocolate milk). So, I can't help but smile when the Fan-ice guy sees me because he gets excited - he knows I'll buy one.

Recently I was looking over my journals from the past two years. I didn't get very far but there was a theme early on (and throughout I'm sure) - 'Can I do this?' It feels good to know that I did do it. It wasn't always easy and to be honest, I'm pretty tired. It was worth it and it was an incredible experience. Here are some fun facts about the two years:

1422 Pictures taken

108 weeks in Ghana

101 books read

52 letters sent

26 new moons

17 shots received

9 (of 10) regions in Ghana visited

5 Tumbo flies removed

4 journals written

3 cat litters delivered

3 birthdays

3 beans grown and eaten (from my unsuccessful garden)

2 Christmas's

1 1/2 bottles of shampoo used

1 haircut in Ghana (and 1 in America last summer)

1 total solar eclipse

A few minor (okay maybe major) breakdowns

An infinite amount of laughter and memories

I cannot believe how fast time is winding down. Where has it gone?

August and September have been whirlwinds. My last month, October, I can already feel will be busy and end quickly. I am trying to wrap things up, so far so good.

I, along with another volunteer, presented a Financial Management Training workshop in August. The workshop was geared towards community members who are involved on their community's tourism management teams. The TMT is the body that operates the community based tourism project. I really enjoyed the training and learning about the various sites and their locations and histories. It's unfortunate that this happened so late in my service but I am grateful that it happened. It also allowed me to get a start on making my way back into 'American life.' I haven't been a part of a group, organizing and presenting material in a long time, and I am very rusty.

Recently, my friend, Shawn, from Alaska, dropped by Ghana for a four day visit. It was a lot of fun. He was in South Africa for his job and was stuck there, doing nothing. So, he jumped on a plane and flew to Accra. I received his message on a Wednesday afternoon, cleaned up my room, and Thursday morning made my way to Accra. We hung out in Accra and Friday headed to Cape Coast and Kakum National Park. We had lunch with Dixie and then went to my village. It was a long day of traveling. Once at my site we briefly greeted a few people and then relaxed and went to sleep. We arrived in village around 6 pm so it was getting dark. I live by daylight hours - I wake around 530 to 6 and am ready for bed around 1830 to 1900 - asleep by 2100 usually. On Saturday morning we woke up, and started the day.

We greeted everyone, which took most of the day. Half way through we took a break and went to farm with Sister Nana and Kukua. Sister Nana was pulling some yams up so we just went to watch. We (okay, she) also picked some oranges. The farm is really close to my house so we went back home when we were finished. Not soon after Mabenna, Cecilia's daughter came to call us that Cecilia had started preparing the evening food - we had arranged to eat fufu with my friends Alex and Cecilia.

We get to their house and sit. After an hour or so, the pounding of the fufu is going to begin. Shawn was a true sport and participated, despite the audience. After a few hours we finally ate. Cecilia prepared a wonderful dinner - fufu, palm nut soup, fresh mushrooms and smoked fish. It was delicious. Shawn even ate fufu!

The next morning, we went to church. Afterwards we hung out at my house and 15 or so children hung out also. I had recently been given a frisbee by a tourist so Shawn played around with a bunch of the children. One girl, Lucy, was a lot of fun. She is about 9 or 10 years old and is REALLY bossy. She has a real attitude but it's refreshing and fun. She has a spunky spirit that is rare in my village for a girl her age.

Once we were all exhausted of frisbee, another girl, Rebecca, called us to eat dinner. She had invited us to eat plantain and stew. We went to her house and ate - we left very full. Before going home I wanted to go to Sister Nana and thank her for the previous day. We went to her house and she was preparing fufu. We soon noticed something dead next to her mud stove. She pulled it up and it was a freshly caught rat. Yippee!!! I was hoping Shawn would see a bush rat. So, her son, Moses, came and was preparing it. When he was nearly finished we started to leave, so that we could fetch a bucket of water before dark. She insisted that we stay and eat, but we were both really full from earlier, so we declined.

We fetched water and received a lot of attention from women in my village because I just stood back as Shawn, the man, carried my water. This doesn't happen!

We got home and Sister Nana and Kukua come over and bring us fufu. We were SO full! However, we found the room and ate her bush rat, light soup and fufu - worth it because delicious! Shawn then took the bowl back to the village and thanked her - we're still not quite sure how he made it there, but he did.

The next day the trip was over. We went to Accra and tooled around and he flew out. It was fun and fast. The community was so happy to welcome a visitor from 'my hometown.'

Now, the big news is that we're preparing for my 'send-off' party. I've arranged for speakers and a DJ and tomorrow will discuss purchasing a sheep to slaughter. We're all getting excited to have the big celebration. It's going to be hard to say good-bye but I am ready for something new. The party will show my appreciation to the community for their support and friendships over the last two years.

I recently made my way to Techiman to say goodbye to my homestay. The first of many goodbyes. It was a lot of fun to see my sister, who I haven't seen since leaving in November 2005. Dorothy looked fabulous and is working with a friend of hers, preparing and selling food. My brother is also working for a construction company on contract for a couple years. I was so happy to see them both doing well.

This month will be busy and fun. I'll try to update a lot this month - keep everyone posted.

My village has a new website - http://www.mesomagor.org/

Also, if you have Myspace, check out Shawn's blog from his trip. You can find him on my page and link up to him there (hope it's okay Shawn).

Take care! I'll be home before I know it!!!

Here are some pictures from Patrick's send-off - the instooling and the basketball game.

I have less than three months in country. I can't believe I will be leaving so soon. I have mixed feelings about going home. I'm excited to go back to the comforts of America, to family and friends but I'm sad that I will be saying good-bye to so many warm, friendly people. The majority of people I see everyday, I most likely will never see again. There is also some guilt - yes, I've been here for two years, but now, I am able to go back home, leaving this behind.

Well, let's get caught up with what has been happening the past 7 or so weeks.

I went on my vacation to Mali, via Burkina Faso. Another volunteer, Tim, and I went. I took off about three weeks, but was back in Ghana before my vacation was over. It was a great trip but I was happy to be back in Ghana. I don't speak any French and Tim only spoke a little so that was stressful. I felt dependent on him to get us around, which I am not used to. The bus system in Burkina Faso was really good and actually on time - that was a pleasant surprise.

So, we made our way north at a pretty relaxed speed. We crossed the border into Burkina Faso on a Sunday afternoon. We made it to Ouagadougou (pronounced Wagadoogoo) and crashed at the Peace Corps hostel. It was nice to be able to meet other Peace Corps volunteers. The food was fantastic - yogurt, baguettes and steak sandwiches. After two nights in the hostel we headed northwest, toward the Burkina/Mali border. We ended up staying the night in another medium-sized city prior to crossing into Mali. So we crossed the border into Mali on a Wednesday. Up until this point, the trip was uneventful. Getting across the Mali border was a little difficult but we managed and it worked out.

We stayed the night on a rooftop in Bankass, Mali and the next day met our tour guide, Hassimi. Hassimi is a tour guide for Dogon Country. We had been warned by other PCV's that he was a big guy and they weren't kidding. He climbed out of his car, aka Grandma, and he was a BIG man - perhaps the largest West African I've seen. Estimates around here are that he's about 6'3, 320. We piled into his little car and headed into Dogon Country.

It's not required to get a guide to tour Dogon Country, but it's highly recommended. We paid Hassimi a flat fee and he paid all the village fees, photography fees, sleeping and food arrangements. It was three days of no-stress, which was wonderful.

The Dogon people live in villages along the Bandiagara escarpment (here is some one's website with more information and a few photos http://www.hullsgrove.com/DogonCountry.html). We would hike in the mornings, when it wasn't too hot, then arrive at a village, eat and relax until late afternoon, when again, the sun wasn't too hot. We would then hike to our next village and camp overnight. The last night we camped at the top of the escarpment and it was beautiful. Getting up and down the escarpment wasn't so easy and stress-free, but we made it. I was sweating profusely, and right in front of me was big Hassimi, walking up the rocks like it was nothing. Amazing...

After our three days in Dogon Country we spent the night at Hassimi's house and then on Sunday, made our way to Djenne, with a brief stop in Mopti. Djenne has the largest mud structure in the world, the Konboro Mosque. To be honest, the arrival into Djenne was a anticlimactic. We ended up sleeping on a rooftop of some one's house, right next to the mosque. It was okay and slightly cheaper than getting a hotel - we were feeling brave. Luckily it didn't rain. There were two dessicated rabbits on the roof, which we didn't notice when we agreed to sleep up there - I'm not sure how rabbits got up there and why they were never taken down (I hope they were rabbits and not huge rats or something...yikes). Once we figured out where we were spending the night, we walked around Djenne a big and it was cooler than I had initially thought. There was some interesting history and architecture, all mud. After a half hour though, we were finished. Early Monday morning we headed back to Mopti, debating whether or not we would continue onto Timbuktu.

Once we reached Mopti we decided not to go to Timbuktu. I was pretty tired and we weren't sure if our money was sufficient. We sat all day in Mopti until we could get a vehicle to Koro, the border town. The next day, Tuesday, we crossed back into Burkina Faso, in the back a Peugeot pick-up truck. It was the best ride of the whole trip, breezy, not crowded and some reggae on the radio. Plus there was the most beautiful Tuareg man in the back of the truck with us, so I could stare at him (discreetly) when I needed a different view. Plus, along this road, you sometimes would see camels working in the fields with people. That was really cool. I was happy when we got into Burkina and saw donkeys everywhere, but the camels were really cool. So, before we knew it, we were back in Ouaga. The very next day, I headed back to Ghana.

When I reached the border town I was so happy to hear Ghanaian English and local languages. I was walking to Immigration and this man started yelling at me "Adwoa, Adwoa," which is the name of a girl born on Monday. I just chuckled to my self, happy to be back. The ladies next to me looked over and asked me if I understood Ghanaian language and I replied I did. They were so happy when I greeted them in Twi. They said "Oh, you are a good girl!" I love Ghanaians!

I quickly made my way back to the southern part of Ghana, just in time to go to Patrick's send-off party. It was great and I am so happy that I was able to attend. Patrick was my closest volunteer and I really liked the people in his town. He coached a basketball team at the secondary school so for the send-off the team played PCV's. The team ended up winning but we took it in stride. The whole town was so excited, and the players were really proud. Patrick was also installed/instooled as a ceremonious chief. This was really cool too. They carried him in a palanquin and everyone wanted their picture taken with him. I am thankful I was there, enjoying the celebration.

After this I headed back to site. It was good to go back. My cat has had three more kittens and they are all doing well. I have a new dinner mate - this little boy comes over almost every day to eat. If he comes early enough I'll include him in my portions but sometimes I don't cook so I have to send him away. He's about five or so, really nice little guy. After we eat he doesn't seem to want to leave, so I end up walking him to town, to his house.

Our Close of Service (COS) conference was two weeks ago. It was excited to see all the volunteers that I flew here with. Pretty much everyone is preparing to leave. A lot of people talking about grad school, med school, jobs, etc. The overall conference was uneventful, I think everyone can't believe we're already preparing to go. It feels like we just got here (okay, some days).

I guess I had more to say than I realized. I'll try to post more the next three months. Sometimes it feels that nothing exciting happens, it's all so normal now. If you have any questions let me know - questions always get my brain working. Take care!

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Headed up north today to end up going to Burkina Faso and then Mali. It's pretty unplanned so it should be fun. Not much to say. Will fill everyone in when we return. Take care!

I can't believe there are only five/six months left of my PC service! At times the time has gone by so fast and other times so slow.

We recently had tour guide training. I worked with the old, experienced tour guide to develop the material for the training and with his help, successfully trained three new tour guides. It was a lot of fun to work with Abban (the old guide) and with the three new guides. We had a rough start; the first two times we "planned" to meet, no one showed up. They made up for it by being committed for the next eight or so sessions. On our last "working" day I set up a Jeopardy type game. At first the guys didn't really understand but they got the hang of it fast, and had a lot of fun. The last official day was a small party (Cokes and meat pies, along with certificates). Once again, I waited for an hour and a half and no one came. As soon as I set off for my house, one of the guides came and told me that they decided that I was too tired to have the meeting. I wish they would have told me that I was too tired, so I wouldn't have waited. We met the next day and had a nice time. There are always cultural things that I just don't know so it's best to appoint a Ghanaian to be the host of the party. My friend James did that job and good thing because every one was asked to give little speeches, something I would not and did not plan for.

I am hoping to take a trip to Mali in July. I still have vacation days I can take out-of-country. Once we get back from our trip I'll have our Close of Service (COS) conference. Then we'll be into August. Time is going by fast.

Nothing else is really happening. Katie, my friend and fellow PCV in Cape Coast, is leaving in about a month. Patrick is just a few weeks after that. It will be strange to come to Cape Coast and not meet or see them. Katie and I always meet and have lunch when we can. We also like laying on her bed and looking at old People magazines. I've looked at the same ones a million times but it's still fun. It feels "normal."

Hopefully I'll write again soon. I am having a "vision quest" volunteer in two weeks. It will be a new volunteer from the teacher group. She'll have been in country for only five days or so when she comes to my site. I'm really excited to host someone. She'll be there for a few days and then head up to Techiman for training. I can fully remember how scared and shocked I was on my Vision Quest. I started crying as soon as I reached the community where I was staying. Everything was so new and overwhelming.

It's nice to see things coming full circle.

I have been reading a lot lately and feel like I have a new narrator in my head. It's making me want to blog more.

The other day I was eating dinner at Mame Komfo's house with two of the teachers and the gong-gong beater came around (town criar). I noticed that it was a different person than usual. Abe-ka, the normal gong-gong beater, who is an old man who walks with a stick and has a very quiet voice, which really isn't that great for getting the announcements to everyone, wasn't doing it. In fact, it was Okyer (ky pronounced like ch) who does have a very loud voice. These were the announcements:

It was time to collect your sheep and goats and put them away for the evening. If they were caught you were going to have to pay 20,000 cedis per animal.

Bra Akwa (he owns a spot - place to buy alcohal, cokes, and various food) wanted his coke bottles back. Some people have had the bottles for two or three months and he was requesting their return. (Soda is served in 300 ml glass bottles)

Another man was making the announcement that people should stop going to his pepper farm and plucking his pepper. If they didn't stop they would face the consequences.

That's the big news around my village. Thought I would pass it along. Take care!

I have been waiting all week to post this blog. I will start by saying I did not have hives, it was much more interesting than that.

I went home last Tuesday and on Wednesday morning the "hive" on my arm, which was nothing the day before but a little red bump, was really swollen and the ones on my stomach were still very painful. I was putting calomine lotion on and everytime it would dry I would then feel a pin-prick sensation. It would take my breath away for a minute. We had the clinic come on Wednesday and do the baby weigh-in, so afterwards I walked up to the hill to call Peace Corps. I wanted to explain to the medical officer what was wrong, perhaps I had to go to Accra to get it checked out. I described what I had, and what I thought it was. Her response was that it wasn't hives, rather it sounded like this weird form of acne (I was thinking, oh, no) or the tumbo fly. She said to start putting antibiotic ointment on and warm compresses twice a day, not calomine lotion. Call her in four days if it wasn't better. Of course I cried and of course a few people saw, walking by from their farms. I was crying because I didn't want to have to heat up the coal pot twice a day just for some water. I collected myself in about a minute and walked home.

Once home I pulled out my two medical books, courtesy of Peace Corps. I looked in the one I always refer to, and couldn't find anything regarding tumbo flies. I remembered talking about it in training vaguely, so I knew it was somewhere. I pulled out the Peace Corps Medical Handbook and sure enough, found what I was looking for.

I wish I had the book with me to quote it but I don't, so I'll try to do my best.

You can tell you have the tumbo fly by a small red bump, usually with a black center, much like a black head (this is exactly what my arm looked like). They grow and become more painful. The pain is often described as a pin prick (bingo!).

The tumbo fly enters your body through your clothes. It is common in areas with dense vegetation. It is commonly referred to as the mango worm or mango fly also (I remember in training they said to try and never hang your clothes by mango trees, which I do not, but nevertheless). When you hang your clothes to dry the fly will lay it's eggs on the cloth. If you put the clothes on when they are still damp (which is hard nearly impossible not to do when it is so humid outside) it will burrow into your skin and become larvae. You have to eventually remove the larvae. When I told people in my community what it was they said it was from the forest. I'm not sure where I received these invaders, but I will always be extremely careful about my clothes (it is recommended to iron them or leave them to dry for three days) and never put them on the ground (which I do not do anyway).

The next step, after identifying what it was, was to remove the larvae. I am still in shock, part disgust, part fascinationg, with the next part.

So, I put antibiotic ointment on all five spots and waited. The book said to do this for about 15 minutes and then squeeze, the larvae will pop right now. I started on my stomach, where the bumps were larger, more irritated and had been open for a couple days. I squeezed the bump on my right side and sure enough, slowly, a maggot head came out and then a whole body. I was standing on my veranda shocked. I though "that was in my body!" I still had four more to go. The next one, about an inch below and to the left of my belly button, literally "popped" out. It was like squeezing a pimple that squirts on the mirror (okay, I know, gross). The little maggot flew from the hole and fell to the ground. I found it and killed it. At this point I could have passed out I was so shocked, but I didn't (that would have been hilarious if you ask me). Next, the on my left rib-cage. No problem, it popped out with no acrobatics.

The two smaller bumps, one very small one on my left breast, about two inches from my armpit, and the one that was sore on my left forearm, were next. The one on my arm hurt and not much came out. It bled a little, which none of the others had done. A larvae half the size of the others came out and I was scared I cut it in half and left some, but I think it just hadn't had time to grow fat like the others. The one of the breast was even smaller. I'm not sure if I picked these creatures up at the same day, but they were three different sizes.

As for now, I am still treating the wounds. The ones on my stomach are really red still and hard. I am still shocked that I had five maggots in my skin. Regardless, it makes a great story and I have to laugh. Cheers!

I wrote this blog while waiting for a fellow volunteer and his brother. I was sitting in the Castle Restaurant in Cape Coast, with the ocean breeze on my face and a beer on the table. It was lovely – one nice thing about living in the southern part of Ghana. “My gas is finished…” That’s how you say that the cylinder of propane for my stove is empty. This happened a sometime in February. I debated for a while whether or not to fill it. The gas lasted over on year – what would I do with a half filled cylinder when I leave? Plus the transportation and hauling it to and from Cape Coast was giving me a headache just thinking about it. So, after about two weeks of deliberation I sold the tank and stove and instead bought some coal (charcoal) for a coal pot. I’ve never grilled on a charcoal BBQ (or a gas one for that matter) but I have slowly learned how to start the fire and cook my food. It gets hot, sitting there fanning the coals, but it feels good when the food is ready. I think my fellow PCV’s think I’ve lost my mind, but I can assure you I have not. I never cook in the morning. After sweeping, fetching water, and putting on dry clothes (after spilling water everywhere), I go to the town and buy food from the ladies. Usually Ga Kenkey, rice and beans or coco (corn porridge). When I wasn’t cooking at all (about a month or so) I was getting sick a little more – I was being careless on my food choices. Since then I’ve been better and never anything a general antibiotic can’t get rid of. I have been very lucky – no girardia or amoeba’s since I’ve arrived (other PCV’s I know who eat very well have had one or both, I guess I’m lucky – knock on wood). So, all of my rice, pasta, or soup/beans are now cooked on coal. On Palm Sunday we had church and it was very memorable. I wore my lime green skirt and top, which I’ve only won once. The church congregation met at one end of town, the opposite of our summer hut church. After reading some scripture we formed two parallel lines, and with some freshly cut palm fronds, marched through town singing. It was fun to take part. I will also say that I can still keep great alignment. After Palm Sunday my plan was to go to the Eastern Region to be with fellow volunteers for Easter. I went to Dixie’s first (in my region) and spent the night at her new house. It is beautiful and has a totally different atmosphere than her last one – much better. Then off to Accra and Koforidua. I met Urji in K’dua and we bought some beads at the market. Then met her friend Angie and were off to Angie’s house. I am embarrassed to say this was my first time besides homestay where I stayed at a Ghanaians house. Angie is my age, with an accounting job and two rooms in a large house (room and kitchen). It was amazing to be with her. She had all the things I would have – TV, DVD, couch, bed, vanity, and excessive kitchen ware. It was very different than what I experience in Mesomagor. It was a nice treat. One Good Friday the three of us went to Kwahu to paraglide. This is the third year the Ministry of Tourism puts on this paragliding festival the weekend of Easter. The price was higher than anticipated but we had just enough. Urji and I (Angie chose not to go) went up with two Americans, tandem. It was so much fun. I couldn’t have asked for a better Easter weekend. Unforgettable. Sunday, Urji and I relaxed, back at her site, went swimming (there is a pool near her house – who knew?) and then prepared pizza in her stovetop Dutch oven. It was delicious! When I returned from the trip I learned that two young women died over the weekend. My friend Abban told me that both were basically curses. The first one had been given by her parents to marry a man who already had a wife. The new wife wasn’t happy and possibly cursed the girl. The second girl to die was more of a concrete story. She died because of a river near Kumasi, which my understanding houses a God. As told to me, the young woman had a husband from another area. He had been a worker in my community (a mason) when they married. Then he left to work elsewhere, leaving her and their daughter (recently also a son). Slowly the visits became less and less, further apart, maybe he would send money in between visits. Soon the husband heard that his wife was ‘sexing’ with another man. The husband was angry and came to the village to have a meeting with her and her parents. She swore at this time that she hadn’t been with this other man and said that the God should kill her if she was lying or kill the person saying these things. As time went on when she became sick they, believing it was not a sickness a hospital could cure, took her to a spiritual healer. At this healer, in and out of consciousness, she admitted she had had a relationship. She was dead soon after. Now the family has to go give sacrifices to a priest/priestess in order to bury her. The sacrifices will be for the God, but will go to a human person. These include two packs of roofing material, goal/sheep, chicken, alcohol, etc. This is the part that I don’t understand – the exploitation of the beliefs of these people. It’s frustrating. As for the offender (as it was put to me – the man who had a relationship with her) he will probably have to pay the priest/priestess or the family. I don’t know some days…

It has been two weeks since I wrote the above entry. I am just now able to get online. I came to Cape Coast the other day with a student from my village. I was so excited to show him the internet. Unfortunately, lights off. Most of Ghana is on an electricity rationing program and every few days Cape Coast will have twelve hours of no electricity. It happened to be the day we chose to come and do the internet. We were both disapointed but we may try it another day.

Things are going well. As far as being sick, I am still fine, except now I have about three large hives on my stomach that are weeping. They hurt. After doing some research in our health handbooks I believe they are from eating the local mangoes. These little orange mangoes are now in season and they are everywhere. They are really delicious and I was eating them last week, a lot. According to the handbook, the sap and juice can creat hives and a lot of volunteers are somehow allergic to it. No more mangoes for me. Hopefully with some calomine lotion and hydrocortisone cream, they will go away soon. I hope so anyway.

My time here is slowly winding down. Around seven more months. Where does the time go? I am trying to get organize and focus on the few things that we can finish before I leave. You just never know. Hope all is well and enjoy the spring!

sarah

Well, I had a blog written but my jump drive doesn't work on the computer I chose at the internet cafe so I'm writing a new one. It was just rambling anyway, as I'm sure this one will be.

It's been awhile since I've posted. I guess I just have felt like I didn't have anything to say. Not too much has been happening. I've tried to stay at site with the exception of once a week coming to Cape Coast to do internet and some work. My community and I are more aware that I am leaving in about 7 months (give or take) so we're trying to get some things worked out. Check out the Ministry of Tourism's website, my community (Mesomagor and Kukyekukyeku Bamboo Orchestra) are on it. I'm pretty excited about it. There's only one person in my community who uses internet but everyone else knows about it (although they probably don't understand when we talk about websites and internet).

I just finished Ponds of Kalambayi, a book written by an RPCV a few years after returning. He served in the mid-80's in then-Zaire teaching people how to build and maintain fish ponds. With the exception of some administrative policy things (we don't get motorcycles and we have a pretty strict safety and security policy) it really reflected what it can be like. The author was pretty busy in his job (more so than myself) but a lot of the cultural items and struggles were right on.

One subject he touches on is love and marriage. When I was writing this earlier two men in the office I was at said "marriage is between families, not individuals." This sums it up perfectly. When I have tried to explain that "no, my father is not looking for a husband for me right now while I'm here," it doesn't always seem to get across. When I start talking about getting to know someone and falling in love, sharing the same sense of humor, enjoying movies and music, talking about childhood memories, etc. it doesn't seem to make any impression. In one of the chapters in this book, the author retells a situation where one of his friends says that you do not marry a woman for love; you marry her to cook, clean and bear children (this is changing in some places, but I often feel it in my own community). The love you have is for your whole family, your parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers, children, etc, not one person. When I read that, it helped me understand the conversations I've had with people. At times, they were extremely frustrating and went around in circles until we both left confused and not any better off. I guess I never thought love and the idea of love was different, but it is. Disney doesn't corrupt everyone's mind. (just kidding!)

Other things talked about in the book are funerals (apparently Ghana is not the only African country which a funeral is an expensive, long, party, no matter how poor the family is), children, sickness and death, and just overall frustrating feelings, feelings of helplessness. There is a lot experienced and taken in here, I'm sure I will spend months, maybe years processing all of it. I will also take more with me than I am giving. Enough said.

I haven't posted pictures in a long time but hope to do so soon.

I will possibly write again soon..."God willing" (often said here)

I just got back to Accra from the HIV/AIDS bike ride in the upper Volta Region. It was incredible and I am SO glad I did it. It may turn out to be the most meaningful experience in Ghana.

I chose to do the intermediate route on the bike ride - the East route. I was being bold when I signed up because I am not much for bicycling. The route was beautiful and we went to some villages that have no access to cars - only footpaths that are big enough for bikes or motorcycles. These villages were wonderful because they were really excited to have us there and they didn't know that much about HIV/AIDS.

The overall group on the bike ride were a little over 40 Ghanaians and about 20 PCV's. We split into four groups (two on the main road, one intermediate and one hard group). Our group was wonderful and had fantastic people in it. We got along great and had a good time. Ghanaians have a great sense of humor (they can easily laugh at themselves or others) and the people in our group were excited to teach. We had one woman with us that came with a PCV from Upper East and she was great. Laade (the woman) was so excited to be teaching other women about their choices, mainly concerning condoms (we talk about male and female condoms).

I feel so invigorated now that I completed this. Our group presented to around 4000 people and rode (estimated at) around 80 miles or so. At the end we had a naming ceremony to give everyone names. Mine turned out to be Best Falling Woman (that'll tell you how good I am on a bike). It wasn't because I fell that much but every time my bike wobbled I would squel. Some of the others were Trouble Man, Puncture Master, Best Condom Driver, Condom Man, Short Man-Big Spirit, Confusion Man, etc. We were all laughing so hard.

There were some really fun moments and I took some good pictures. I will try to post them soon.

On our first or second day we started our presentation and within a few minutes people were screaming and running away from us. Apparently there was a house fire so the whole community ran to put it out. It was extinguished before we even realized what was happening and we continued. In one of the churches we slepted in I woke up in the middle of the night because there were bats in the room. Stephanie - another PCV- was next to me on her mat and we were both so scared. The next day we joked that we both wanted to curl up and hug the other - I HATE bats!

Bathing was sometimes complicated with so many people and few buckets and places to bathe. After a couple nights three of us girl PCV's decided we would carry a bucket to the bush and bathe away from the room we were staying in. This is no problem for the Ghanaians but our white bodies glow. We found a place but the bush is pretty sparse. We felt confident no one could see. All of a sudden we see a flashlight. We all stop to see if they are coming toward us. The person wasn't. A minute or so later, we see it again and this time they are walking towards us. We all start to panic but one girl, Emily, yells "Gee na ho" (phoenetically-meaning stop there). Stephanie and I are laughing hysterically, crouched down trying to cover ourselves (my two-yard was a little ways away from me). Emily is standing there, covered with her two yard yelling "who goes there?," "Gee na ho!" Finally the person realized what was going on and went a different direction but it was hilarious. We laughed about it for days and did not shower in the bush again.

The Super Bowl is tonight and I may watch it. I'm thinking about heading to Cape Coast and tomorrow to site. Most PCV's are going to try to watch it somewhere. Thank goodness for satellite TV :)

Hope every one is doing well. Hopefull I'll post pictures soon. I'll post something to tell every one when I do. Take care!

Okay - it's Monday morning and I did not get to see the Superbowl. The place has satellite TV but were missing some parts - so I guess they don't have satellite TV. Anyway - I have seen the score and am very happy about it. Only wish I could have enjoyed some buffalo wings and the game. Next year...

I am in Cape Coast today. I just came in this morning and plan to go back to site this afternoon. My site is going well. It's actually been cold in the mornings and sometimes in the evenings (yes, I said cold). One day last week I even put on wool socks and a sweater until around 10 in the morning. Please note the wool socks have moose on them from my mother and they were worn with my pink flip-flops (or charlies) - real cute. It's slowly getting warmer now and will soon get unbearably hot.

I spent Christmas with other PCV's. We had a trip planned but we had to change it so we hung out in Accra for a few days, on Christmas Eve we went to Ada, which is not too far from Accra but it's on the beach. We spent two nights there. It was nice. Urji (one of the other PCV's) and I hung out in the ocean on Christmas day. It was a lot of fun. We headed back to Accra and then Urji and I went to her site. We were only there two nights before going back to Accra. Urji's site is near Koforidua which has the bead market so we went to the bead market. I didn't go overboard this time buying beads, but it was a lot of fun. After going back to Accra for a day or so I came back out west and went to another PCV's site, Tim. He lives near Takoradi which is only an hour and a half or so west of Cape Coast. We hung out watching movies on his computer and cooking. It was a nice way to spend New Year's. I then went back to site.

Last weekend we had a funeral in my village. It was for three people, all from the same family (an old man and a woman and girl who died in a car accident). Funerals are huge events here and for my small village they are The event. They brought in a generator and huge speakers so there is music and announcements. On Sunday night the speakers were still around so I went to town and danced for a couple hours with the kids. It was so fun. Everyone was shocked that I was out dancing, especially at night. I felt like I was at a wedding with no date because I hung out with 6 to 10 year old girls. They were a lot of fun. Because it's been so dry everything is really dusty so at one point with everyone dancing it felt like there was a fog machine because the dust was so thick in the air.

I am looking forward to the end of this month. Peace Corps is putting on an HIV/AIDS bike ride in the upper Volta Region. I am going to go and am really excited about it. The area is suppossed to be beautiful. We will ride for five days going to different communities talking about HIV/AIDS education. I'm sure I will post afterward, with plenty to say.

Take care!

Reading over this I realized – I say ‘wow’ a lot. After I left Accra, I went to Koforidua to visit another volunteer and to go to the bead market. I ran into a bunch of volunteers there, a lot of girls from my group live around Koforidua. I love the bead market, but I spent too much! The next day I headed back to site and arrived in the early afternoon. The compound was empty, which is weird because a lot of other people live there. I met one of the Orchestra members, Alex, on the way up to the house. Once we arrived I saw my cat and then I started looking for the babies. Alex could only see two. But when I left there were three. Then I saw a huge line of ants and I just knew that the third baby was dead. I took the other two babies into my room and another one was really sick, obviously about to die. I was so upset. Of course, I started to cry. Slowly a few more people came because the Orchestra was going to have practice. My crying was slightly uncomfortable for them, but I also tried to be discreet. That night, the second baby died. I buried the two sisters under a tree together (which everyone thought was strange, they don’t bury animals usually). Since then the last baby has grown and is doing well. The mother was looking for the other children for awhile but I think she’s alright now. It still breaks my heart. I think I may just keep the baby also. Two cats aren’t too many. The next day I recuperated. I spent my nights playing with all the beads I bought. I know it won’t be my last time at the market either. The following Sunday, the Catholic Church had its harvest. I wore my new caba and slit (it’s a top and a long skirt), which is lime green with a black head scarf, to show mourning for one of our elder members of the church that died while I was away. We called him President or Old Man – he was very nice and very devout. His son came to the harvest to stand in for his fatherThe harvest was a joint service, meaning other villages came also. People donate food items and it is auctioned off. I sat in the front with about 10 or 12 other people, we were like the elders, but really I think I was put there so that I could donate more money to the church. It’s fine though, it was a lot of fun. People brought chickens, bread, eggs, plantains, fufu pounding sticks, yam, rice, etc. A lot of money was raised and we had fun in the mean time. I bought some bread with two eggs. It was little but something. The next few days I presented an HIV/AIDS program to the JSS students with one of the new teachers. The teacher, Mr. Buafo, really wanted to do something and he was a great counterpart. We’ll continue when school gets back into session after the holidays. The Orchestra had two performances at the end of last week, one with the Wildlife Division and one in Accra. The Wildlife Division program was in a small town and when we arrived around 60 kids surrounded our tro and just stared at me. The group members think it’s funny but also help me out. After being there around an hour I look up and see a white lady walking in. In my mind I think “Wow, I’m not the only white person. Who is this and what’s she doing here?” Not soon after I realize – it’s Dixie! I ran over to her and gave her a big hug. We sat together and enjoyed the day. The group and I arrived back in Mesomagor and we had a visitor from Sweden. The tour guide took her on a village tour and I got ready for the night. I ate a sandwich and bathed. I went into my room to pretty much rest for the evening and I hear a car pull up. I hear sister Ama Afua’s voice, the lady who lives at my house. I went to go outside to welcome her and she called me. I go out there (this is around 6:30 so it’s getting dark) and Patrick, one of the other volunteers is there with her. I was totally shocked. It was a lot of fun to have another volunteer visit, no one has. I asked how his ride was, he said fine, only 10 people in the taxi. He brought a loaf of bread, which was nice, because he ate it. He also loved (as do I) the raspberry jelly my dad sent. It’s almost gone, despite only having it a couple weeks. We hung out and the next day watched the group perform, went on a hike through some farms and went around town. Everyone was shocked that I had a friend visiting, especially a man. The Orchestra then left to go to a performance at Accra. I really didn’t know what the performance was about but it turns out it was an award show. So, they performed and we arrived back at the village Sunday morning at 6. I slept most of Sunday away. We were all exhausted. One hilarious thing happened while going to Accra. Everyone was really sweet, most don’t ever go to Accra so they were really looking and taking in everything. We were at a stop light and the ladies on the driver’s side started pointing and looking at something. I was trying to figure out what they were looking at but didn’t see anything that struck my eye. Then I saw it, the car next to us was a man driving and in the back seat a little girl, in a car seat. I don’t think the women from my village had ever seen a car seat. When you take public transport the children sit on your lap or stand between them. It was one of those moments I thought “Wow, I barely even noticed that. It is so normal in America.” Yesterday was my one-year-at-site anniversary. On December 12th last year I arrived, via Peace Corps, at my village. I remember standing there and looking at all of my things, seeing all the people staring at me, and getting tears in my eyes. I looked at the Peace Corps personnel that were there and I just said “I don’t know where to start, I am really overwhelmed, what do I do?” It was really frightening to be left, not to know where to start or what to do. Now I feel more comfortable, especially with the people. I still have days when I don’t know what to do but it’s fewer than before. My time is going fast here. Soon, it will be over. Now I am headed up to the Northern Region for an HIV/AIDS meeting. It’ll take me about two days to get up there so I will leave in the morning. I am looking forward to seeing Tamale; I enjoy the atmosphere up there. I can’t believe Christmas is coming so soon. It really hit me today. I went to the bank (in Cape Coast) and was overwhelmed with air conditioning, tinsel, a 10 foot Santa Claus, Merry Xmas and Happy New Year signs and a mini Christmas tree. I thought “Oh yeah, Christmas is coming.” I’m not sure what I will do this year but I know next year I will be eating a ton of mashed potatoes, gravy, mom’s onion bread, carrot-pineapple-orange jell-o and whatever meat is there. Mmmmmmm……

I cannot believe this is happening, but I am writing again, after just posting a couple of days ago. I have been in Accra so I have been able to think about what has been happening the last month or so.

I went to two events. One was in my village and one was at the beach.

The first one, in my village, was a funeral. I hadn't attended a Ghanaian funeral since arriving here and was (somehow) scared. Well, an older woman died in my village last April or so. They buried her but hadn't had the funeral celebration. They chose a date, the end of October. Then early in October her daughter got sick and died. She was a mother of three, probably in her mid-30's. Since the family was already planning the funeral for the mother they had the daughter's funeral also.

The whole week leading up to the funeral (Friday is wake keeping, Saturday is the celebration and burial and Sunday is the thanksgiving service) was busy. Family and friends from their hometown (everyone has a hometown) started to come into the village. Funeral speakers and a generator were brought in, lots of minerals (soda) and beer and apateshie (local alcohal) were around and the women started to do all the food preparations. I just had to be there.

Saturday was the big event, and in Ghana this is an event. Drinking, dancing, singing, screaming and crying. Lots of food and drink and music. Every one wears black and/or red and are usually in traditional dress. By the time it was all over I was completely exhausted. It seemed I never stopped talking and greeting people.

One thing that is common here but can drive us Americans crazy is "bra." No not a ladies undergarment, but rather someone telling you to come. This probably doesn't sound bad, but it gets very annoying when you are walking to an appointment, going to buy something or just busy and someone sees you from far away and "bra's" you. Now, if I am not in my village I don't care and just ignore it, but in my village I respect the custom. During the funeral this was excessive. When I would pretend I didn't hear, my friends in the village would say "Sarah, the man/woman is calling you, he wants to talk to you, go." So, you go over, shake hands, answer questions and then move on. After a week, it gets annoying.

The next event I went to was a Peace Corps wedding. One of the volunteers in my group got married (sort of) to her American boyfriend. Not long after we arrived and swore in, he moved here. He got a job in her town and they have been living together. They wanted to have a little ceremony (not legal) here so a group of us went to this beautiful lodge on the beach and had a little ceremony. It was fun and beautiful. I tried to swim in the ocean but after five minutes I had to get out. The undercurrent was really strong. At one point I got knocked over and then when I tried to get up the water came from another direction and knocked me over again. It was rough. I had sand in my hair for days. Regardless the place was beautiful and the ceremony was fun. It's always good to see other volunteers and compare experiences. We help each other see things that we hadn't thought of.

Another volunteer and I were talking and I was voicing my frustration about being asked, what I deem, inappropriate questions while having a meeting or something. I went to introduce myself to this government employed person and during our meeting he started to ask me personal questions. Where am I from? Am I married? Am I alone? How do I stay alone for that long? It just felt wrong. I explained I was here to service Ghana and my own country, not to date and find a husband. We moved on. However, this was bothering me. I was telling this to this other volunteer and she agreed but she also gave a good explanation on why we are constantly asked these questions. This is what is important here. Marriage and children. It's like when we ask someone what they do for a living and where they live. Those are important to us and tell us a lot about the person. Here, marriage and children does that (and where you're from if you are not Ghanaian). Hearing her say this made it a little easier for me to be asked. Instead of assuming the person is asking me for negative reasons just think they are asking because it's important to the culture. I don't know, it made me feel better.

Okay, so two posts in two days, that's a lot. Take care!

Once again, it has been a long time since I posted a blog. It gets harder and harder to think of stuff to say. I have slowly adjusted to where most things don't seem interesting. However, when I was talking to my parents the other day, I wouldn't shut up, so I must have something to say.

I am in shock that it is almost December. I get confused on what time of year it is because there is just not much weather change. Even during the dry season my area still gets some rain. With that said, I am aware that the holidays are coming up because in Accra you can get Christmas candy and decorations at a couple of the stores. They are the stores that cater to ex-pats, the ones that I walk around in but rarely buy anything and seem to have culture shock when I am there.

For Thanksgiving I ate fufu and palm nut soup. During the day I went to farm with Cecilia and Alex, a married couple that I like to hang out with. We cut (okay, they cut) and carried (I did do some carrying, but I feel wimpy compared to them) the palm fruit and the truck came to buy it in the afternoon. That night I went to their house to eat fufu. It was nice. I took some pictures while we were out so I will try to post them. It's hard to describe the palm fruit. On Friday, I left and went to Kumasi to enjoy real Thanksgiving food. At the sub-office in Kumasi, fellow volunteers made food. We had a ton of chicken, stuffing, mashed potatoes, beans and dessert. It was all wonderful. The best part was that we ran out of plates and bowls so I ate on a tupperware lid, with no silverware, just my right hand - it felt very Ghanaian. Some of the guys tried to watch a football game (a burnt copy), which added to the holiday feel. It was all wonderful.

After Kumasi I moved with another volunteer down to Accra, where I am now, to do my mid-service medical, which is going fine. From Kumasi we begged a ride and it was so weird (like hitchiking). The first person to pick us was a nice SUV, with air conditioner. The man was a driver going to Accra to pick up his boss. I sat in the front of the car having a very surreal experience. It didn't feel like I was a Peace Corps Volunteer. We had to drop at a rest stop and then got a ride from another man who works here for the highways division. He was really nice and said he had just gotten back from a funeral of a man that was 120 years old. I'm not so sure but okay...We got to Accra safely and are now enjoying it, but money goes really fast here. It's hard, I just can't seem to keep track of where it's going.

October and November have been good. We started the world map project and it is almost finished. There has been one student that has been very dedicated. Every day after school he would come to get the paint at my house. The map is painted on the side of one of the school buildings. I love seeing people walk by it and talk about the different countries. They are always so surprised when they see how small Ghana is incomparison to other countries. The men usually pick out good football (soccer) countries. They love seeing how large Brazil is.

To change notes-I had a scorpion in my room one night. I was laying on my mat, reading and I heard a crinkling of a polybag (black plastic bag). I thought maybe it was a frog because I get them in my room from time to time. I got my flashlight and went over to see and it was a big, black scorpion. I grabbed my camera, got one pictures and then it escaped onto the veranda. I jumped over it, went into my other room, grabbed my cutless (machete) and chopped it up. After I was sure it was dead I threw it behind the house in the bushy area. The hole in my wall that the scorpion came in by is now covered by my medical kit from Peace Corps, so no more surprise visitors (except a few mice in my ceiling).

Speaking of mice, my beautiful cat gave birth to three babies about two weeks ago. They are all three little girls. The mother is being wonderful. I will be so sad when I have to seperate the babies but I just can't have four cats. A lot of people have asked me for them so I know I won't have a problem giving them to good homes. The problem is going to decide who gets them.

I am happy to report that I also saw forest elephant tracks. They tell you they are there, and people tell me the elephants go into their farms that are close to the forest, but I was starting to doubt it. I went on a short hike with the Wildlife Division officer and we saw some tracks. So, there are forest elephants after all. That's probably the closest I will ever get to knowing that they are there, but it's proof.

I posted some new pictures no flickr. They are from before the middle of October. If you go to the set of At and around site (July to Oct) you can see them and skip the rest. That way they are in chronological order also. Go to flickr.com, then Explore Flickr, on the upper right go to Search, Flickr members and put in wowokay. Then you'll be at my pics. Enjoy! I will try to write again soon. (I always say that)

A lot has happened since last time I wrote. First and foremost, I saw Jay-Z in concert last night. Me and three other volunteers coughed up the money to go and it was worth it. It was so much fun. It cost us over 1/3 of our monthly allowance, but I scrimped the first few months so I has some money saved. Like I said-worth it.

My birthday was fine. Nothing too big happening. The day before my birthday the Peace Corps had a celebration at the US Ambassador's residence to commemorate the 45th year of Peace Corps Ghana. President Kufour did come and give a brief speech. All of the PCV's dressed up and we had a wonderful time. It always feels weird to be in Accra, but to be in a beautiful house like that, with such security, felt very strange compared to my normal life. You just see things differently once you actually live in a rural area.

My project has also been going well. I am not sure if it's hitting the 1 year mark or not, but I just feel like things have sort of come together. One, I am more adjusted culturally so that makes life easier. I think you slowly become adjusted and when something bothers you or offends you, you learn with time how to handle the situation, most comfortably for you. A great example is when a stranger will propose. I was so uncomfortable at first. Now, I just laugh and make a big joke out of it. People seem to laugh also, and we move on. This is comfortable for me and gets me out of the situation. So-I'm more adjusted. Also, people are more adjusted to me. They're used to me being around. I am still there but my time is slowly running out, so people want to get busy. Our tourism committee is moving along, and I am so happy that our women's group is now going on their third meeting (tomorrow). It's not a lot of women but if it was one I'd still be happy. We're going to try to do a susu, which is where they all compile equal money and give small loans to eachother. It's very popular in rural, developing areas. I'm hoping it works out.

My time is running short today. Next week I'm headed to Techiman to assist with training the new PCT's on an HIV/AIDS presentation option. I'm SO excited to see my homestay family. I haven't seen them since I left Teachiman in December last year. It'll be a nice reunion. Well, take care. I will try to write again soon. I know this is a short post but something is better than nothing!

Okay, I'm back. Someday's I am still in shock that I made it back to Ghana.

America was wonderful. I had the best time visiting family and friends. I got choked up and teary eyed twice at the rehearsal for Dawn's wedding, but only a little teary-eyed once in the wedding. The people in my village have loved seeing the pictures of when I was home. They especially wanted to see what my mom and dad look like. They say everyone is beautiful and my brother is big.

Coming back to Ghana was difficult. In LAX there was a little confusion on my passport but everything was fine. (The lady wanted to know when my return flight was....um, 2007?) The day prior to my departure there were problems with one of the runways at LAX but nothing the day I left. Then I flew to Heathrow, on Wednesday. The next day, Thursday, they had the terrorist scare. So, I came back in between two days that could have been trouble. I guess God was just letting me know it was time to come back. Honestly if there was any sort of problem getting back, I probably wouldn't have.

So, LAX was fine, once I was at Heathrow, I got a little, how to put it...scared. Then the man next to me on the plane to Accra was listening to his movies on full blast, without the headphones on his ears. I was annoyed because I was trying to watch the last movies for awhile and he kept interupted my personal viewing. I just thought "can i do this?"

Then the airport in Accra was fine, no problem with luggage or immigration. Then it started, the taxi drivers. Taxi drivers and tow truck drivers (Carbondale, IL) are my worst enemies. I didn't realize there was a taxi rink at the airport so I stood on the road and hailed a cab. We negotiated a price, he turned around and pulled over. Then as I'm trying to unload my backpack into the vehicle, he is yelling at me to get in fast. I am trying but my bags are heavy-he is yelling 'get in, get in, I'll get arrested!' I just took my time and was like 'oh, stop, no you won't.' Anyway, come to find out, he would get in trouble because he wasn't a sanctioned airport taxi. Woops. Anyway, as we were driving he started telling me that the price we decided was too low, I needed to add more. This is common here when you are foreign and really frustrated. I started to cry. Anyway, it worked out fine and he dropped me at the hotel. I spent a few days in Accra and then headed back to my site, where I was greeted warmly.

Things have been slow because school is out right now. So, most days I just hang out while everyone goes to farm. I've been reading again. I just finished A Blonde in Africa by Laura Resnick. My mom gave it to me before coming to Ghana and I could never get into reading it. Something about reading a book that takes place in Africa while living in Africa wasn't appealing. However, this book was wonderful. I underlined a lot of passages because she addressed a lot of the problems and frustrations that I too have felt or feel.

We threw a birthday party for Dixie last week. It was a lot of fun. I brought a Betty Crocker carrot cake with me and the cream cheese frosting. It was delicious. We had the party in Kumasi at the sub-office, which is a house so it has an oven and everything. It was a great time and I think Dixie enjoyed it.

I was so happy to see my cat when I got back. It looked anorexic though! I don't think she was eating while I was away. I felt really bad so I've been letting her sleep in the room at night and giving her a lot of fish. She did catch a mouse one night in my bedroom though. I think since I was gone they thought they could hang out and build a new home in my ashfoam (my mattress). When I did a thorough cleaning of my room my sheet was torn on the edges and a little hole was in the bottom of the mattress. The mouse is now gone and was eaten by the cat. A fellow PCV had a mouse village in her actual mattress when she was first at site. Luckily, I don't have a real mattress, so no problem, plus I have a cat who loves little mice. Needless to say the cat is slowly getting fat again.

Well, I miss America but I am pushing through. I am almost at my one year mark from leaving America. I can't believe it's in about a month! The new group comes right before my birthday, around the 23rd so I'll head to Accra to welcome them. It should be fun, but no black eye this time (last time a group came I ended up with a black eye, my first one ever).

Take care. I love hearing from everyone!

sarah

I only have about ten minutes left online so this is going to be a quick post. I am SO excited to be going to the states in a few weeks. I'm starting to get nervous that something will go wrong and I won't be able to get on the flight. (Please pray this doesn't happen) The time seems to be going by fast, sometimes. Atleast it doesn't seem like I've been at my site for 7 months. Not a lot has happened. I'm happy to report that we had a women's meeting last week and scheduled one for next weekend. This is something I hope works out. There was a little confusion regarding me. I explained a Susu, which is where a group of people get together every week and pool money. At the end of one month one can take a loan from the group. They have to pay it back and then another person can take a loan. It's very popular in the developing world and in rural areas. At the end of the meeting someone asked if I had the money ready to give the loan. I was like "okay, step back, I DON'T have money." Hopefully it's cleared up, but we'll see. PCV's often have this happen-the community thinks you'll come with money and power, we come with neither. I still hope some women want to do the group. One person if more than none. (Be positive!)

Well, next time I post it may be in America- but I'll try to post before that. Also, I will probably post pictures when I get home. I have been trying to take more pictures lately.

PS-the football (soccer) was so fun and I actually got into it. It's hard not too since everyone here is crazy for it.

I am currently at the Peace Corps office in Kumasi writing this on May 27th, at 1 in the morning, so barely Saturday. I like to write these out before going to the internet because I get a little anxious when I’m there and the clocks running.

Last time I wrote I was feeling a little blue and disturbed about some things. The next day, Monday, I went with Dixie to the Abrafo-Odumase chief instoolment. I am SO happy that I went. I went to Dixie’s house after doing some things around Cape Coast. We were instructed to wear blue and white so I wore a white button-up shirt I purchased (second-hand of course) and a blue and white two-yard that I have since had made into a skirt and top. I was ready to do this.

Abrafo is the village right before you get to the Kakum National Park Visitor Center and Canapy Walkway, so the road from Cape Coast to there is well traveled. This did not stop the hundreds of people from flowing into the street while the chief was being carried around, Cleopatra-style, on a palequin. There was a small brass band and everyone was dancing and singing in the street. It was amazing and so much fun. Dixie and I stood out of course, but no one paid too much attention to us, they were excited that we were dancing. After maybe two hours of being in the street, we settled down for the official ceremony which consisted of more dancing, singing and speeches. It was a successful and exhausting day.

Since then I have been doing a little work in the Junior Secondary School. The third term started so I’ve been trying to go to the school, especially when there are no other teachers. I’ve done English and Math with the students and have had some fun moments. When I first started going to the class there were no teachers around so we did some word finds on the board and the kids really enjoyed it.

I am happy to report that the new tree platform for our camping in the forest experience has finally made it to the forest. Now it just needs to be built, which will happen hopefully soon. The currently platform (think of a tree house thirty feet up) has been broken for some time but we finally got the material to our site. Once it was there we had to organize the journey into the forest to unload the material. This happened on a Sunday morning. It was a lot of fun but exhausting. It’s a 25 minute walk to the village that takes you to the forest, a 20 minutes walk from the village to the forest boundary and a 45 minute hike into the forest before you get to the platform. Combine this with carrying various measures of wood and by the end of it, you’re beat. Not to mention the water we had to hike through. Before we even got to the forest we had to walk through a huge puddle, the water was up to my upper thigh and I felt like I should just bend down and doggie paddle my way through it. The forest was also muddy and wet, but no one minded. The villagers were excited to get to the platform and everyone went up the ladder to get a view. The forest is restricted so most of the community members had never seen the tree platform. This was a big task and went off great. I am happy the material is there and we are waiting for the carpenters to come and put it together. I’m sure it will be soon (hopefully!).

That’s been the big news with my actual project lately. It’s slow going but is exciting when it happens. I’m tired so I’m going to sleep. Next time!

Okay, so now it's June and I'm in Accra at the PC office. Last night 33 new Peace Corps teachers came. We all went to the airport and welcomed them. It was SO fun and there's a guy from Eagle River! So, I made a sign with his name on it so that I could be sure to meet him, which I did. It was weird to be at the airport because almost nine months ago that was me. It seems like just yesterday (sometimes). They were all excited and clean. I'll head back to my site tomorrow and them at the end of the month head up north for an HIV/AIDS representative meeting. I am now the rep for Central Region. I'm excited because I enjoy the northern part of Ghana but don't get up there. This is a great time to go.

I am hoping to post pictures soon. I might try today but if not when I get home at the end of July I will surely do it. I'll also try to take more pictures because right now I don't have many of my village.

Hope every one is well. Take care!

Sarah

I haven’t written in a long time. I was sort of on a once a month schedule but it’s been longer, over two months. Time flies, even here! Okay, I wrote the following information this morning. After I am finished online I am headed to Abrafo, where my fellow PCV Dixie lives (sometimes, she has housing/village issues) because a new chief is being instooled. It should be interesting. I'll be sure to note any special experiences while there. Read on but warning, some grumpiness is addressed in the following blog....

I don’t know where the time has gone. April 10th marked a quarter of the way done with PC Ghana, that’s the full 27 months. The next milestone is October 26th which will be half way (this is an estimate). It’s crazy because it feels like it’s going by really fast.

We had our In-Service Training (IST) a couple weeks ago. It was nice to see everyone in the Small Enterprise Development (SED) group. There are 11 of us left. There were some 2nd year volunteers also there to help in our sessions, all of whom are doing wonderful things at their sites. We went over a lot of ideas in IST and I think everyone left feeling really excited. After getting back to site I got sick so all week pretty much didn’t do anything. Just a little stomach problems-a little rest and fluids was all that was needed.

We’re headed into the rainy season and all week it’s rained in Mesomagor. Being on the edge of the forest we get rain pretty much throughout the year but it’s already started pretty heavy. Okay-please skip next paragraph if you really don’t want to be grossed out….

On Tuesday it rained really hard, for a couple hours. That morning I had been my sickest for the week, running back and forth to the latrine. Luckily in the afternoon before the rain started my problem ceased slightly (possibly because there was nothing left in my body). So, when the rain started and I just lay around in my room. When it’s really hot I’ll lie on the concrete floor on a sheet, it cools you off nicely. So, I was lying on the floor resting. Once the rain stopped, probably around 5 or 5:30 I had to urinate (you don’t say pee here, no one understands and if you say use the toilet they think it means number 2) so I headed to my latrine. Okay – here’s the disgusting part, please stop reading if you are easily sickened. When I lifted the lid to sit down I luckily glanced at the edge of the rim of the seat where I proceeded to see a mass exodus of maggots from the toilet. I started to cry, in anger, disgust and desperation. Because of all of the rain water had gotten into the latrine (somehow) and this is why they were traveling out of the latrine. I got some bleach and squirted it around the seat and into the pit and didn’t go to the bathroom until the next day, when there was no more visual problem. Okay, disgusting – sorry – but had to get it off my chest. A very low point for me.

So, yesterday I decided to come to Cape Coast because I could do a few things on Sunday and then Monday go to the Ghana Tourism Board to meet with them. I was excited and ready to be productive. On my way to Cape Coast I found out it is May 1st, which is May Day, which is a public holiday in Ghana. Therefore, I would not be doing anything today because nothing is open. I am now waiting to meet with the GTB tomorrow and then will go back to site. I hope my cat can make it without me for an extra day.

My project is slow and it’s getting frustrating. I hope after meeting with the GTB they can provide some guidance, assistance or support. Also, the community is supposed to get a small-scale palm oil production machine. Twenty people have formed a co-operative and are getting a loan through the district assembly for the machine. This can be a lucrative business as the palm oil supply in Ghana does not meet the demand. I am hoping to work with this co-operative and do some business advising with them. Some of the members are excited for me to help them so it excites me. The problem right now is we don’t have the machine and don’t know when we’re going to get it. Hopefully soon J

School also resumes tomorrow (technically). It’ll be the third term and I am going to start working with the JSS1 and JSS2 students (equivalent to grade 7 and 8). I am looking forward to this but am worried also. Their command of English is poor so communication will be difficult. At least having a teacher in the classroom is better than not having one at all, which is what they usually get. I also won’t be caning then for being late or yelling at them all the time, so maybe it’ll work out. (be positive)

I can’t tell you how many public school buildings have been built, some by this government but mostly outside government funds and non-government organizations (NGO’s) that sit empty because there are no teachers or the ones employed just don’t bother showing up or they have the kids doing something other than learning. It’s frustrating because when we see a kid in a hut of a classroom with no books we think “oh, poor child, they are so deprived,” so we build a building and give books and send money for school fees. We think we did enough. We never make sure that the building is used for a school, that the books aren’t used for toilet paper and that the money isn’t spent on something other than school. It’s difficult and you have to trust whatever you do but it’s a double edge sword. We try to help but are we just making the people more dependant on us, the outsiders? A lot of volunteers encounter people telling them that the people of this country can’t do it; an outsider has to come and do it. It’s very frustrating and is hard as a PCV because I’m not here to do it; I’m here to help the community members do it.

Alright, that’s quite a long rant. Obviously I have some frustrations :) but overall I’m doing fine. Also don't think I am saying not to donate or volunteer to good worldly causes but there's a lot of money thrown around and little accountability. Hopefully things will pick up in my community and project soon. I’m looking forward to seeing family and friends in late July (I’ll be going to California for my best friend’s wedding and to see family). I hope everyone is doing well. Keep me up to date on your lives.

So much has happened since I wrote the last entry. I went to Accra in early January to attend the Peace Corps Art Show, which is put on by the Peace Corps Ghana art teachers. These teachers work at various deaf schools in Ghana. The show was beautiful and I purchased a sock doll. The doll makes me smile. I’ll be sure to bring it with me in 2007.

After leaving Accra I went back to Mesomagor. I am happy to report that Dixie has come back to Ghana. I’m not sure if I said before but she left for about 30 days and is now back. Last week I came to Cape Coast but spent the whole time catching up with her. It was fabulous!

So, since January I have had the opportunity to participate in many things in village. I fetch my water every day or two. Usually this means taking my bucket to the borehole and carrying it back to my house, on my head! I usually do it twice (go, come, go come, as we say here). It’s a great neck and shoulder workout.

I am also happy to report that I now have a cat. The cat doesn’t really have a name, except cat. I started calling it on thing and decided against it. I am now considering Gi-Gi because cat in Fantse is egy-amu-wa (this is not the correct way of spelling it). Also, it resembles another cat I knew named Gi-Gi (Keebler).

On Sunday’s I attend church. There are four churches in Mesomagor, and I take turns at each. I started this to help with my language skills and to show support for the community but I like it now. Two of the churches have a lot of drumming and some dancing, which is very sweet. The church members are always really welcoming.

The third Wednesday of every month the Jakai Health Clinic comes to village to weigh the babies and immunize them. I record the weights of the children.

Speaking of health, I am happy to say I now consider myself a hypochondriac (thank you Peace Corps). We are provided with a wonderful book about all sorts of diseases, illnesses, medicines, etc. So, in my spare time I notice little things that are new on my body, run to my handy book, and consider myself to be infected with various things. Last week I told my father I thought I had a worm in my leg. Needless to say I didn’t and the insect bite has since healed. I also thought I had ringworm, scabies and now maybe some other skill ailment. It doesn’t help that my face has broken out since coming to Africa, maybe it’s the dirty roads or excess heat, who knows? This leads me into another subject-questions. I am asked various questions and some days I want to scream. Questions I am frequently asked:

Do the mosquitoes bother you? (they ask this as they look at my face and point to my pimples, I then have to admit that no, it’s pimples)

Can you…..? I am constantly asked “can I” do something. Can you stay for two years? Can you pound fufu? Can you walk to the junction (approx. 4 miles)? Some of you may know that I like a good challenge and rarely admit that I can’t do something. So, when I’m asked this I assure the person I can do it, I might choose not to. It’s just a difference in language but some days it’s frustrating.

Have you eaten fufu or will you pound fufu this evening?

I also love when I’m told I’m getting fat, I am fat or I will get fat. It’s usually said with a great smile and joyous tone. Regardless this doesn’t help a girl’s self-esteem. I am happy to report that other volunteers half my size are also referred to as fat – I think it’s a compliment.

Various things that women in my community do that I’ve participated with are going to the farm, I’ve gone to weed as well as plant tomatoes and various other “farming.” I’ve also de-scaled fish and fried the fish, made palm oil (which is an all day process), and made kenkey. I had a dress made. It’s a pata-pata dress, but basically a moo-moo. My mother would hate it but it’s quite comfortable. I went to the forest the other day to see the tree-platform. The platform is about 30 feet up and you can sleep on it. It is currently broken so I needed to see it to understand how it was damaged.

On Thursday I had the opportunity to go to the Junior Secondary School to present a class on HIV/AIDS (middle school). I was invited by the teachers and will present again on Monday and possibly Thursday, it may become a regular event. School is different and the language barrier was hard but it’ll get better the more I present.

Okay, I am going to post even though I have more to say! My time is almost up on the net and it’s slow today so I want to be sure this posts.

Thank you to everyone who has sent me emails, letters, packages or posted comments on this. I love hearing what’s happening. Chris and Lisa (8701 ladies) congrats! I am so excited for both of you and Diane and Sarah – beware of the water in that building (big smile)

Alright, here goes…..

Happy New Year! I can't believe it's 2006! The following post I wrote a couple hours ago and am now at the internet cafe posting. However, I have read my emails and want to answer a few questions that people have asked. Please, feel free to ask questions because as things become more and more "normal" to me I may forget to say certain things.

Okay - no, I have not lost weight. The Ghanaian diet consists of a lot of carbohydrates and in my village meat and vegetables can be hard to come by. So, I am the same (I think) as when I left the states. With that said, I also have no mirror except the little pocket one I brought with me - I use it to pluck my eyebrows (yes, despite being in Africa I still must do this). Speaking of hair - as many know I am a hairy person, particularly my arms (thank you Schweizer genes). This was for many periods of my life a very embarrassing matter. I am finding out though that hairiness is seen in a different view. The children love my hairy arms and sometimes I find young girls petting my arms, sideburns or neck (at how low my hairline goes). I also had my homestay sister, Dorothy, tell me to stop shaving my legs, that the hair was nice. I, of course, laughed because in America this is no the case. I will also admit that I did go on atleast a three week hiatus of shaving, but have since gotten somewhat back on track (sort of).

As for clothes - mainly I wear skirts and t-shirts. I have one Ghanaian dress that my homestay family made me that I wear for nice things (church or something where everyone dresses up). I am no longer wearing pants often. Since I've been in village I've only worn pants to go to the bush or to farm. I also wear flip flops every day. I bought some here that are appropriate. I had (and still have a little) Chaco tan on my feet. If I can ever post pictures you will see what I mean. Skirts and dresses below the knee are what most women wear in Ghana. I don't mind as they are cooler and (something Peace Corps doesn't tell you) it is easier to pee with a skirt on when it is hot outside. For example, while traveling long distances (not far by the way the crow flies but far because this is Ghana) you may have to urinate on the roadside or in a urinal facility. You run much less of a chance of getting yourself if you have a skirt and not pants. Okay, enough of that advice. The unfortunate part of clothes here is that in my village it is very humid (and we're entering the dry season) and one of my shirts has already molded. I'm not sure how it happened but it has. I really don't need to worry about it though because it happens with many people's things. Enough about that. Now, here is my entry -

I am finally in Cape Coast again. I am actually on my way to Accra but will head there tomorrow morning. I have been in Mesomagor (the official spelling) for over three weeks. That included Christmas and New Year’s. When I first arrived in village I told myself to make it until January 5th, when the National Youth Art Show will be in Accra, at the National Museum. Some of the Peace Corps teachers have students that will have art displayed so they have been promoting it and I thought it would be a great opportunity to make it to Accra and do various things. I knew if I could make it to the short term goal of the 5th, I could then go on. There was only one day in the past three and a half weeks that I thought “I can’t do this.” It was in my first week. I made it through and here I am. My next goal will be to make it to March, to see the solar eclipse. Small goals will hopefully get me to two years. Mesomagor has been nice. For the most part I enjoy it. It’s quite and basic. There is no electricity so I usually try to force myself to stay up until 9:00 pm. The sun typically goes down around 6 or 6:30. I get up around 6:00 am, although sometimes I lay in bed for a little while longer. Once I get up I cook breakfast, which is usually oats with coffee (thank you Dixie), tea, or Milo, a chocolate drink they have here. I also listen to the radio and get the news, mostly African news, from BBC or VOA. Once that part of the day is over I will try to do something with the community. On Christmas Eve I went with some of the community to a cocoa seed harvest. It was a lot of fun. Twenty to thirty members of the community were there pulling the seeds out of the cocoa. It’s pretty grimy but it was a good time. Everyone was singing, joking and celebrating. The wife of the owner of the cocoa made lunch for everyone (this is normal if you help someone on their farm, they will give you food). It was really nice. I have been to the farm a few times, with various people. If nothing is going on I will stay at home and read, write, play solitaire (with actual cards) or hang out with some of the children. One day I was looking at a magazine, People, that mom sent to me. One of the boys in JSS (middle school) came by. He saw me looking at it and also wanted to. I let him and some of his reactions were so funny. First, there was an ad for America’s Next Top Model and he was shocked that they were “wearing nothing.” I personally find this funny because there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t see a man, boy or girl peeing anywhere or a woman with no shirt on. He also was shocked at an ad for cigarettes, for women. He was like “she’s smoking, but she can’t.” Women here do not smoke in public, if at all. I rarely see men smoke too. The boy couldn’t understand this. Then there was a picture of a woman by a pool in a bikini. He asked me if that’s how we “white people” bathe, with those clothes on. I, of course, said no, that she was having leisure time by a pool or a beach. It was interesting but I had to explain that these people are rich and famous, like singers or football (soccer) players. My afternoon usually consists of walking around greeting people or sitting with someone at their house. If there is nothing to do I will sweep the area where I live. This is something that I couldn’t understand when I first got to Ghana; everyone sweeps their dirt (usually there is no grass) everyday, with hand-held brooms. This, however, gives me something to do and makes the yard look nice. So, I’ll do this and then around 4 or 4:30 I’ll shower (bucket bath) and start cooking food. Usually I eat rice or noodles. I’ve been able to experiment a little. On Christmas day I ended up eating spaghetti noodles with alfredo sauce. The packet was from the states; Dixie brought it and passed it on to me. It was quite delicious. Unfortunately I was being harassed by some children so I ate inside. There was a football match between the churches and I live right by the school so many children, not from the village, had come over to stare at me. For the most part the children that live in Mesomagor are really sweet and don’t bother me. They call me Sister Sarah or Obruni Sarah; mostly the younger ones call me Obruni Sarah. Because I am in the first three months I really can’t start any projects. This is a time when you really have to learn about the community and let them get used to you. Already some of my original observations or thoughts have been challenged, which is good. I am anxious to get to the three month mark so I can start doing a little bit more. Life is slow though, which at times is really nice and other times frustrating. One day at a time….

Wow, I can't believe it's been over a month since I've posted anything. I tried a few weeks ago but ran out of time on the internet before I could send. I am now in Cape Coast, and have been sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Our swearing in was nice and included the new Ambassador. My host family made me a dress, which matched my sisters and my brother had an outfit with the same fabric. The funny part was the other PCT named Sarah had the same fabric. It was funny.

I left Techiman just two days ago. My host family was great, especially my sister Dorothy. I will miss her and am sure I will see her again in the next two years. About two weeks ago I got a little sick, but am fine now. I did have to get some blood taken to be sure it wasn't malaria, which I knew it wasn't. The nurse pricked me a few times, which wasn't fun, but she was really cute and nice. She kept apologizing, which at the time I didn't know she was doing. I thought she was telling me to stop moving. When I found out she was actually saying sorry, I liked her even more. It was sweet.

My actually village is Mosomagor. Right now I am in Cape Coast so I can get some essentials before heading to the village. I have accumulated more stuff and my bags are quite heavy. I still can't believe it's December.

Thanksgiving was wonderful, one I will always remember. Our training group (49 of us) decided that we would have a traditional dinner. The Peace Corps gave us three turkeys, which some of my fellow trainees slaughtered and cooked, I did not choose to be a part of that. They then cooked the turkeys. We all made various food. Erin, a friend from Michigan/Illinois, and I chose to make cucumbers and onions. It was hard to find vinegar but we found some cider vinegar and made it with that. I couldn't believe what people made. We had the best apple crisp, stuffing, vegetables, turkey, etc. It was really a great celebration. I think it was the first time since arriving in Ghana that I was completely stuffed!

Let's see....it's been so long I'm trying to think of what's been happening.

Now that I'm going to site I think I'll be able to post more. It'll take me a while to get into a routine but I'm sure I will shortly. Thank you for your support - I love reading my emails, letters, and posts. I treasure all of them.

Sarah

I am finally online again! It is such a fun experience. :)

Let me try to fill in everyone.

Right now I, along with all the other Small Enterprise Development Volunteers, are in Tamale. We are on our fieldtrip and left Techiman on Saturday. After leaving Techiman we traveled in a tro (which was an orange mercedes van, all 16 volunteers, 1 PCV, 2 teachers, the driver and his mate) north to get to Mole National Park. The PCV that was with us had spent his first year at Mole. It was quite the ride. The road to Mole is a dirt, bumpy road and was pretty rough, however, the road was worth the trip.

Mole is beautiful. After showering and getting settled into our rooms we all had dinner and relaxed. On Sunday morning we had a walking tour of the park. Much of the park is unreachable and because it is still the rainy season we were unable to go very far. This didn't restrict us. We saw a lot of baboons and warthogs, we also saw some elephants and other deer like creatures (forgive me for not knowing). We spend the morning walking around taking it all in. We also had a small class in regards to the park and tourist sites, since most of us will work with tourism in some way.

We left Mole on Monday morning to travel down to Tamale. We had to go on the dirt road again and I ended up with the last seat in the tro, by the window. I had my big sunglasses on and when we reached Tamale, I was covered in dirt. Everyone was laughing at me. It was a scarey site. It was very exciting though because our living accomodations in Tamale (a Catholic Pastoral Center) has running water with shower heads, so I very much enjoyed getting clean. (although there is running water, you do not let it run like we do at home).

Since in Tamale we have been visiting various offices and business to get a sense of how things work. It's quite a nice town and I have enjoyed it. We will leave mid-afternoon tomorrow to head back to Techiman. I am anxious to get back so I can hand wash my clothes!

Forgive me that this will be a long entry-

I have also found out my site. It is a new site so I know very little about it but it is in the Central Region, which is where I did my Vision Quest. The village is Kukyekukyeu (the ky makes a ch sound). I haven't found it on a map yet but it is on the outskirts of Kakum National Park. There is a volunteer that will be placed in Kakum so I am very excited to be able to see her when we travel to Cape Coast and so forth. She is a wonderful lady from Indianapolis!

My project is an ec0-tourism spot working with the bamboo orchestra. Most of the community are farmers but some play music using the bamboo and have formed an orchestra. That is all I know. I will be visiting the site in about three weeks, which I am very anxious for. I am happy to say that the water in the community comes from a borehole so I will not need to filter or boil it. No electricity though - good thing I didn't bring anything to plug in :) The language I am learning is Fante. It is going well. I can count to ten, greet people, say where I am from and where I stay, a lot of the food and so forth. We do about 12 to 16 hours a week but there are just two of us with our teacher.

Okay, so, there is a quick update. Things are going well. I am acclamated to the food and already have my favorites. I have moments of frustration and moments of clarity. I have quite the farmers tan! Already I'm used to the weirdest things, bugs everywhere (although I still don't prefer this), going in a pit latrine, eating with my right hand, going to bed early and so on.

Hopefully when I'm at site I can be more regular on the computer and have more stories than updates. Miss you all!

Sarah