Hi everyone,

Here is a good cause that is worth looking into if you are interested in a volunteer activity and like working with children.  They contacted me and asked me to spread the word.  There is a link below or you can visit their website at www.freshair.org

Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund, a not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer vacations in the country to more than 1.7 million New York City children from disadvantaged communities. Each year, thousands of children visit volunteer host families in 13 states and Canada through the Friendly Town Program or attend Fresh Air Fund camps. 

Fresh Air Fund is now accepting applications for counselors for this coming summer of '09. They are looking for college-aged men and women who love to work with children.  Here is a press release that explains more:

http://freshairfundcounselors.smnr.us/

They are also always looking for Fresh Air hosts for the summer to open their homes to a child, and any help would be appreciated. 

Cheers,

Bill

United States Peace Corps Description of Service William Robert Reinecke SSN: xxx-xx-xxxx Republic of Ghana In September of 2005, Mr. William Reinecke accepted an invitation to serve as a Small Enterprise Development volunteer with the United States Peace Corps. Mr. Reinecke arrived in Ghana on September 23, 2005. Upon his arrival, he was assigned to work as a tourism development coordinator with the Savelugu/Nanton District Assembly. Before beginning his work, Mr. Reinecke underwent an intensive 10-week pre-service training program conducted by host country nationals to prepare him for living and working in Ghana. The program consisted technical training, local language training, cross-cultural training, and personal health & safety training. During the pre-service training program, Mr. Reinecke lived with a host family to assist in further integration with the host country national’s traditions and culture. On December 3rd, 2005, Mr. Reinecke successfully completed pre-service training and moved to his new home in Savelugu within the Northern Region of Ghana to work in conjunction with the district assembly (a local government unit) on his primary assignment in developing tourism for the district. Below is a summary of his successes and accomplishments within his primary assignment and secondary projects over a two-year period: Established a new position, Eco-Tourism Desk Officer, in the Savelugu/Nanton District Assembly (SNDA) upon their approval and subsequently promoted a local man to head this position. The intent was to insure the sustainability of tourism development within the district.Secured agreement to open bank account for tourism budget in order to insure transparency.Worked closely with the Eco-Tourism Desk Officer to build his capacity to execute the duties of the position in such areas of site-potential, report writing, project budget creation, project management, and bookkeeping.Collaborated with local tourism development organizations such as, The Ghana Tourist Board and SNV (Netherlands Development Organization) to both receive guidance and help promote local tourism.Produced marketing materials to increase site awareness which included 500 color brochures and 2 roadside signs.Proactively contacted and met with the Bradt Guide Ghana. Provided writer with guidance to assist in planning her itinerary and acted as resource in updating the next edition scheduled for distribution in September 2007. My goal was to improve the appeal and image of touring the northern regions, add a Northern Region tour option, and provide readers with a trustworthy tour guide option. I received verbal verification that these changes would be included.Through active promotion of a village tour that supports local women’s crafts, received a Bradt Guide web site write-up, which will also show up in the upcoming hardcopy edition.Trained tour guide in areas of business planning, accounting, marketing, cross- cultural relations. Assisted tour guide in marketing local tour and was able to increase business for initial event by 600% and overall increase of 50%.Formed shea butter women’s group (Kalpohin Shea Butter Extractors Association) of 30 women and one administrator to manufacture shea butter using traditional methods for purposes of selling to local and private businesses. Secured training for the shea butter women’s group from a private company so that the group would be able to produce high quality shea butter for export to U.S. and European. Initial order was 1,500 kg and was successfully received and exported by a private company.Successfully organized local drumming and dancing troupe event for the purpose of raising funds for instrument & costume purchase & maintenance.Assisted young boy to read and write English. The boy finally wrote me his first letter near the end of my term.Provided first draft re-write of the Peace Corps Financial Management Training manual targeted towards volunteers to assist in developing community based tourism skills.Contributed to first draft of manual to assist volunteers in developing local shea butter producers groups.Member of the Peace Corps Volunteer Advisory Council representing the Northern Region comprising of approximately ten volunteers. Acted as volunteer liaison to administration to inform and resolve on-going issues with volunteers and staff. Our VAC committee team was successful in working with administration to acquire a 20% living allowance increase and a new volunteer hostel, which can serve 100% increase in volunteers traveling to the main Peace Corps office.Appointed as sub-chief (Zo Simli Naa of Kalpohin Village) through a traditional ceremony due to the appreciation of the community for my assistance and concern for their development. Outside of his work, Mr. Reinecke spent two years immersed in Ghanaian life including participation in local customs, eating local foods, traveling by local means (shared taxis and shared vans), among other things. Peace Corps Volunteer Entitlements Pursuant to Section 5(f) of the Peace Corps Act, 22 U.S.C. #2504(f) as amended, any former Peace Corps Volunteer employed by the United States Government following her service is entitled to have any period of satisfactory Peace Corps Volunteer service credited for purposes of retirement, seniority, reduction in force, leave, and other privileges based on length of government service. Peace Corps service shall not be credited toward completion of the probationary or trial period or completion of any service requirement for career appointment. This is to certify that, in accordance with Executive Order No. 11103 of April 10, 1963, Mr. William Reinecke completed his service satisfactorily as a Peace Corps Volunteer. His service ended on October 15, 2007. He is therefore eligible to be appointed as a career-conditional employee in the competitive civil service on a non-competitive basis. This benefit under the Executive Order entitlement extends for a period of one year. The employing agency may extend the period for up to three years for a former Volunteer who enters military service, pursues studies at a recognized institution of higher learning, or engages in other activities which in the view of the appointing authority warrants extension of the period.

During my two years of service as a Peace Corps volunteer, there were plenty ups and downs, but I was always motivated to do a good job and become and official RPCV (returened Peace Corps volunteer). Early on in my service many soon-to-be RPCVs emphasized the importance of having a routine with meaningful secondary projects. That advice was golden. It was the key to keeping myself balanced and busy during my service. I also developed solid friendships that were invaluable. In a nutshell, a routine, extra assignments, and friendships made my experience what it was - unforgettable.

After two years of perfecting my approach at surviving and thriving as a Peace Corps volunteer, and before I knew it, it was time to wrap up my service and head back to America. But, it turns out I wasn't prepared to leave everyone so abruptly. I didn't think saying goodbye would be so hard. Not even three months before my departure did it it dawn on me that leaving my neighbors, work colleagues, Ghanaian friends, and Peace Corps friends would be one of the hardest things I'd have to do. However, it was time and I slowly but surely said goodbye to everyone; sometimes I said goodbye to people more than once and others I wish I'd spent more time with. Before I knew it, though, I was an in-country RPCV heading out on my 3 ½ week COS trip.

The COS trip was exciting, especially the part where we were supposed to fly out of the Bamako airport in Mali, but the government decided to close it down for a week for repairs without warning. Apparently they elected a new Minister of Transportation and he decided to fix the airport at the drop of a hat. When we heard about this news from a Mali PCV, we thought it was a joke, but we soon realized it wasn't when she wasn't laughing with us. Our finely honed Peace Corps attitudes quickly shifted into gear and we just did what we've been doing for the past two years - we kept laughing, stayed calm, and rolled with the punches. Our new plan - go to the Peace Corps' travel agent for advice. Their advice brought us to the office of the airline we were to fly out on and we quickly re-booked our tickets, thus canceling the Morocco part of our adventures. The whole thing was unfortunate, but not the end of the world. Plus we were able to spend a week in Bamako sight seeing and relaxing. When I left Mali on a 3 a.m. flight, the finality of leaving the continent of Africa for our final destinations back in America was met with a feeling of melancholy.

I don't consider my COS trip a part of my post Peace Corps experience only because it didn't feel like I left the lifestyle of a PCV behind yet. We were still in roughly the same environment as in Ghana; very much interacting with locals the whole time and living out of our backpacks. It wasn't until I landed at the Jacksonville, Florida airport that I realized I was no longer a PCV. The cold night air chilled me right to the bone after I stepped off the plane. I knew before I landed I probably would be colder than I was in Ghana, but this cold would take me a week to shake off. It also hit me that I wasn't ever returning to my perpetually warm, but comfortable home that I’d known for the past two years. And I’d no longer be eating my neighbor’s incredible home-cooked meals that I was now suddenly craving. As much as I’d dreamed of cold American beer and greasy fast food on those sweltering West African days when the lights were out and the water wasn't flowing, I suddenly wasn't as keen on the idea even thought the the opportunity to indulge was right in front of me. I mostly wanted to sleep and relax, but that wouldn't happen for another month. After a week on the East Coast visiting a friend, I finally touched down in California. I couldn't believe I actually returned home from where I started this two year adventure.

It was November 13th and I was just in time for my friends 40th birthday party, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. It was an exciting time to be home and it was great seeing my family and friends who I missed so much and who graciously gave me moral support while I was gone. At the same time, it was difficult adjusting to the fast pace of everyone's lives. Everything was overwhelming. Even going to my friend’s birthday celebration was strange. All I could do was just stand off to the side and watch people while occasionally telling someone I was glad to be back in the U.S. and the whole Peace Corps experience was worth it. But, if someone would say, "tell me about your experience", I'd stare blankly at them and finally remark back, “it would be best if you asked me questions.” The Peace Corps became my life and I had no idea what people really wanted to hear. I could tell them about the dog I ate in some village or the intricate details of my bowel movements over the course of two years, but I knew better than to go down that road from the wise council of those RPCVs who’d come before us.

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas I was able to travel and see some RPCV friends. Even though I hadn't been back long, it was great seeing them. It was much easier talking to them and relating with them than it was with people I consider close friends before I joined the Peace Corps. Even e-mailing or chatting on the phone with them has been a great source of support while adjusting back into the fold of Americana. It's hard to explain to my family and friends that I'm experiencing a sort of reverse culture shock and that large crowds of Americans are too much for me right now. I finally told my sister that when a volunteer comes home, it's recommended to just rest and relax for a few months. It was then that she began to understand how difficult the transition back must really be.

With all the challenges of adjusting back to an American life, I realize I've accomplished one of my goals that I set for when I joined the Peace Corps - I wanted to spend time away from America to gain perspective on life. It turns out that what I had in America before I left was pretty amazing and the relationships I’ve developed are not to be taken for granted. Everyone I know has been supportive of my decision to join the Peace Corps and they have been supportive and patient with me upon my return. People have opened up their houses to me as I get back on my feet. One friend gave me his car for a few months. A few people have offered me jobs. I’m very fortunate to have the quality of family and friends that I do.

People ask me if I think I made a difference during my service as a Peace Corps volunteer. It’s clear it's not always possible to know how you affected the people you worked with even if your intention is good, and especially if your resources are scarce. However I feel blessed with one of my projects. I was assisting a young man in developing one of his business ventures. He provides walking tours of his village where he showcases local women working at their trades and crafts of making shea butter, palm oil, pottery, etc. The money he makes at this venture almost entirely goes back to women to support the continuation and development for the next generation of women. In fact, sometimes he loses money since he often times pays the women before he pays all his expenses, because he feels so strongly about what he is doing. This was one of the issues I was trying to assist him with in order to make sure the project succeeds. He started this venture when he learned that the young women were leaving the village in hopes of making more money in the southern regions of the country so they might return and be more financially appealing to potential suitors for marriage. This decision to leave is dangerous as many women become prostitutes, pregnant outside of marriage, or even worse, contract HIV/AIDS. I could tell that my counterpart had integrity and was a hard worker, so I partnered with him to develop his business skills. After some time I took a shot in the dark and contacted the Bradt Travel guide writer for Ghana inquiring when the next updated volume would be released. He told me the timing was good and he was interested in what I had to say. One of the fruits of our interactions was getting my counterpart listed in the guide book as an activity (Kalpohin Cultural Exchange Program, p359) to consider while around the Tamale area in the Northern Region and as a tour guide for the upper three regions (Guides and tours, p358). Needless to say we were both thrilled when they included him. Now the ball is in his court, but I’m confident he's well prepared for the inevitable success that lies ahead of him.

As for me, I’m currently planning on going to graduate school for a masters degree. The degree will help me improve my leadership skills and give me options to continue to work with people to develop their skill sets and assist them in leading more fulfilling lives. Perhaps the path I take as I embark on a new phase of my life will lead me back to Ghana one day. God willing. As always, all the best and thank you for reading my blog over the last 2 1/2 years!

Cheers,

Bill

Greetings eveyone!

For those interested in more about the golfing project I was working on as a Peace Corps volunteer, Here you go. Here you'll see the cover letter, backgrounder, and bio for the professional golfer I was assisting. Even though I'm out of the Peace Corps now, I'm still hoping to get Kojo an invitation to golf in the U.S. and a new set of clubs. If you know anyone you think may be interested in assisting, please let me know or direct them to this blog which has my contact details at the bottom of this post. As for an invitation to a tournament, that's about all he needs because he has local sponsors in Ghana that can pay his way while he is the States or Europe. Coming to America or Europe and playing courses there will give him invaluable experience and who knows where the road will lead?!

Cheers,

Bill

KOJO BARNNI COVER LETTER

My name is Bill Reinecke and I was a Unites States Peace Corps Volunteer in Ghana from 2005 - 2007. During my service I met a young professional golfer named Kojo Barnni. At the time he was ranked number 3 in Ghana and is now number 2 as of January 2008. I met Kojo February 2006 when I visited one of the few golf courses in Ghana with the intention of playing a round to relax. However, this excursion turned in to another exciting volunteer project. I have been working with him ever since. I believe Kojo Barnni has the skills to compete professionally in the U.S.; he is able to shape his drives and iron shots, his short game and putting are very strong, however, he simply lacks good equipment and especially opportunities. I am very impressed with his natural abilities, his dedication to the game and how well he performs under minimal coaching and guidance. In addition, his demeanor is very cordial and humble. Kojo comes from a poor family in a poor country. He was unable to complete high school largely due to the untimely death of his father. Kojo’s family struggles to survive as does many families in West Africa, but Kojo has a talent and a drive that is hard to ignore. I believe this gift can help him excel which in turn can help support his family and if he’s lucky, he can give back to his country to make it a better place. I’m a firm believer in helping someone to help themselves and empower them to contribute positively to the development of their own country. Kojo has an opportunity to be a unique role model for his country. If Kojo is given a chance and is able to succeed, he plans to first share his winnings with his family by buying his mother a house. He also hopes to one day build a school where he grew up, in a village near Bolgatanga, Ghana. Eventually, if his success continues, he wishes to build a Children’s Golf Academy near his current home in Kumasi, to help promote golf in Ghana and expose more Ghanaian children to the amazing world of golf. These are big dreams, but big dreams help fuel success.

On behalf of Kojo, we are appealing to potential sponsors for one or more of the following; An invitation to play in the U.S. or Europe

A new set of golf clubsAdvice to assist Kojo in moving forward in his career goals

Kojo and I hope you will consider his requests which will give him a chance to fulfill a dream of making a

better life for himself, his family and his country. Thank you for taking the time to review Kojo Barnni’s story. Sincerely, Bill Reinecke

Returned United States Peace Corps Volunteer

Ghana, West Africa, 2005-2007

wreinecke@yahoo.com

408-688-1283 KOJO BARNNI BIO

Kojo Barnni is the second best golfer in Ghana as of the 2007 season. This is quite an accomplishment for a 25 year-old man from a poor family in one of the world’s poorest nations. Yet, despite his dedication to the game and his numerous accomplishments, he is unable to continue to develop as a professional golfer because of the lack of resources in his native country located in West Africa.

There are a number of hurdles preventing Kojo from achieving his goal of playing in U.S. tournaments, such as, ability to get quality equipment and lack of access to request invitations to U.S. tournaments without outside help. Perhaps if you knew the story of this young man, you would be willing to assist this talented young man in some way. Kojo Barnni is single and is the third of four children. His father passed away in 1991, when Kojo was 10 years old, and the family felt the loss both emotionally and financially. His mother struggled to take care of him, his two brothers, and younger sister, but the family managed to get by from resourcefulness and hard work.

Even though Ghana’s government subsidizes school, a significant amount of money is still required to attend. One major financial impact from the death of Kojo’s father was the education of the children. Kojo’s older brothers both were able to complete high school (secondary school), but scarce family resources prevented Kojo from finishing and receiving his certificate. His mother is a seamstress and makes a meager income by selling her wares in the local market. His 21-year-old sister also supplements the family income by cutting women’s hair. Kojo’s brothers contribute sporadically when work is available, and Kojo contributes through golf tournament wins. Growing up, Kojo was fortunate to live close to one of the few courses in Ghana, the Royal Golf Club Kumasi. He developed a passion for golf before his father passed away, by working at the local course as a caddy. He befriended a British businessman when he was only eight-years-old and learned how to play golf. Later, he caddied for another Ghanaian golfer and continued to hone his skills. The difficulty when you love golf and have natural talent like Kojo in a developing country is that you may never know how truly good you can become, even if your raw talent is exceptional. In September 2006, he received a local sponsorship to go to a qualifying tournament in South Africa on the PGA Southern Africa Tour. This was a very exciting time for Kojo. He had never traveled such a distance to play in a tournament . Even though Kojo played with his old equipment, he hit nearly all fairways and greens in regulation. His final score was 78. He did not advance past the first day in this three-day tournament, but it was a tremendous learning experience for him. Kojo is an excellent putter on the courses where he’s used to playing and learned that he requires more time on highly groomed courses. He believes he can adjust quickly if given the chance, just as he has throughout his life.ABOUT KOJO BARNNI

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Member of the Ghana Professional Golfers AssociationRanked Number 2 Player in Ghana (youngest of the top 3 players by approximately 15 years)16 professional titles including 13 Majors23 amateur titlesAmateur of the year honors 2001, 2002Turned professional for the 2003 seasonAverage of 5 under over a 4 round tournamentPERSONAL

Kojo Barnni Royal Golf Course Kumasi, PO Box 57, Kumasi A/R, Ghana, West Africa011-233-27-607-9722 (from U.S.)Golf Professional, Royal Golf Club Kumasi: 6,355 yards, Par 72, Slope & Rating: n/aNationality: GhanaianLanguages: English, TwiAge: 25DOB: 24 August 1981Weight: 160 lbs Height: 5’ 10”CLUBS

Irons: Forged Hogan Edge, 3 - E wedge, stiff shaft

Driver: TaylorMade 360 Ti, regular 80 UltraLite graphite shaft, 10.5 degree (approximately 2 years old)Metal wood: 5 wood, Synergy 2000, 20 degree (approximately 5 years old)Wedge: Cleveland 53 degree (approximately 2 years old), Ben Hogan Legend 58 degree sand wedge (grooves are worn out)Putter: Ping AnserGolf Ball: whatever is availableAverage driving distance is approximately 270 carry

REFERENCES Bill Reinecke

Returned United States Peace Corps Volunteer

10992 Northseal Square

Cupertino, CA 95014

wreinecke@yahoo.com

408-688-1283 Earl Ofori Atta

Captain (Director) Royal Golf Club Kumasi

Ghana, West Africa

011-233-27-788-7766 Ricky Boakye Yiadomltd

Owner of Guinness Distribution Company

Ghana, West Africa

011-233-24-444-5094

Greetings Everyone!

Only a few more months left. I don't know my actually Close of Service, but I should know in a few weeks. It will be October 30th at the latest. I may travel for a week or two and then I'll be home! If you plan to send something, please keep that in mind.

As promised from my last blog, here is more on my enskinment as a sub-chief of Kalpohin Village in Tamale. I’m now referred to in the village as “chief”, “sub-chief”, “Naa” or by title, “Zo Simli Naa” which means, “Chief of friends, or visitors, or development”.

Why did this happen, you ask? Well, for a few reasons. One reason is that, as mentioned, in my last blog, I work with a young man in the village named Walisu. He has ambitions of being a tour guide. His appreciation of my help with the Kalpohin Cultural Exchange Project led him to ask his uncle, an elder of the village, if they would consider enskinning me as a sub-chief for the help I’ve given him and the village. If you read my last blog, you will know that they gave me the nod and there was a meeting that followed to agree among all the elders that I should be enskinned.

What does it mean to be ‘enskinned?’ It’s a term they use in the north for becoming a chief. In the southern part of the country, they call being ‘enstooled’. When you get enskinned, you sit on the skin of a sheep or something and the elders perform some rituals that I will explain later. When you are enstooled, you guessed it, you sit on a stool for the process.

The date was set for Saturday, January 27th. Before the ceremony, I met with Walisu and others from the village to determine what was needed to prepare and how much money it would cost. I didn’t know I’d be paying for it until about a week before. Once I learned of this, they could not tell me how much it would cost. I told them that this was very important (I was afraid it would cost $500 or more!). I asked Walisu if he could write down all the things with costs associated to them and give me an estimate. I waited a few days and the results were in – maybe around 700,000 cedis, which is about $70. “Cool”, I said, “Let’s do it!” As with everything here, it always seems to be more. The whole event ended up costing about $150, but it was definitely worth the experience.

Before I was even guaranteed of the enskinment, I inquired with Walisu as to what my duties were as a sub-chief of Kalpohin. He said there is nothing to do. You are now just a chief of the village, which is a great honor. Yes, I agreed it was a great honor. But as time went on, I got the impression from elders of the village that I’d be expected to infuse the village with cash to build schools and a hospital. Oi! They would also give me a plot of land so I could build a house and come back often to check on their well-being. Then the small things I would be expected to do, such as; attend functions; no longer eat in public at chop bars; pay drummers who may come up to me randomly; greet the village chief every week; wear my smock and hat and carry my cane proudly around town. I’m sure there is more and I will find out in time what I just got myself in to!

As the day approached, I was told I needed a special smock made. It would be white with a white hat (little did I know I’d end up looking like the Pope or some KKK member – Imagine me in my new outfit strolling through an African village). I’d also need a cane and a colorful towel to drape over one shoulder, as chiefs do.

Since the date was confirmed, I began inviting people such as my Ghanaian counterparts, Peace Corps friends, and Peace Corps administrative staff, who were very excited about the event. Twenty or more people were to attend and I passed on to everyone what Walisu told me – that this event was going to be ‘Very big. Very big’. He was so excited. Everyone was excited.

The day before the big event, I received an alarming call from Walisu. The whole thing was to be called off! I wasn’t so concerned about the possibility of not becoming a chief, but everyone’s expectations were high and people were already on there way from great distances to attend. Now I would have to tell them that it’s been called off at the last minute. When I received the bad news, I was cleaning my house and decided to finish what I was doing before spreading the word of the cancellation. Before I hung up with Walisu, I told him that I knew it wasn’t his fault, but that I was very disappointed and that many ‘big men’ and ‘big women’ from the Peace Corps would be disappointed, as well. He understood and hung up very sad and upset. About an hour later, he called back. It was on again! Apparently, those at the Tamale chieftaincy palace called it off, maybe because they simply did not have a representative, but the elders of Kalpohin went back and got them to make it happen on schedule. Excellent! - There was no need to make the dreaded “sorry, the whole show is off” call.

The night before, a few of us stayed at our sub-office in Kalpohin Estates; only about a 10-minute walk to Kalpohin Village. We made eggplant parmesan and stayed up a bit later than we should have. In the morning, I was at Walisu’s house at 6 a.m. Myself and a few other dedicated Peace Corps volunteers arrived at Walisu’s at 6:30 a.m. where we proceeded to wait and do nothing for about 2 ½ hours. The enskinment ceremony would be held just up the road at the Kalpohin chief’s palace and then we’d go back to Walisu’s house (which was acting as my house) for the rest of the celebrations. By the way, a palace is really a big mud-hut compound where the chief lives along with his wives – who live in separate rooms – and children, and usually a horse. This compound is bigger than your average compound, but otherwise very similar.

Finally, we were called to the palace and waited outside while some final preparations were made. Then, it was on! I was summoned in to a room in the palace and hung out with the elders of the village for a while – saying virtually nothing, just sitting there. No one really spoke English, so I had no idea what was happening. I went with the flow and did what they told me to do. Eventually I sat on a sheepskin rug. The elders adorned me with my new white outfit along with performing some rituals. We walked out where I was met by a mob hundreds of people making a lot of noise screaming, drumming, dancing and shooting guns. The elders sat me down in the courtyard of the palace for a few minutes. Then they led me to one of the wives houses where all the women were and I greeted them briefly.

We walked outside to the front of the palace where a huge horse awaited me to mount it. A funny story here is the only horses I’d seen in Ghana looked old, small, and arthritic. When I heard I had to ride a horse, I figured that it would be no big deal. This horse, on the other hand, was huge and feisty! When I first saw it a man rode in from nowhere going full speed ahead. As it slowed down it rose up on it’s hind legs a few times. I was getting nervous because the last time I was on a horse I was about 10 and the horse tried to throw me. There were too many people watching and too many friends in attendance for me to let them down, so I hopped on (later I learned there were a few wages as to whether I’d make the distance on this beast). I was grateful that the horse had blinders and there were two men guiding it along with short leashes all the way to our final destination - Walisu’s/my house.

Once at Walisu’s, I dismounted and was to enter the house. Before entering, they pulled the boot off my right foot and rinsed it with water (I’m not sure why, but it is the custom). Once inside, I sat cross-legged facing the door. My stand-in wife fanned me while they performed more rituals. Some old man played a stringed instrument right in front of my face. I paid him some small money as appreciation and then the enskinment part was over. I was now Zo Simli Naa!

Finally, they took me outside under an awning so I could sit and relax while the drummers and dancers performed for me. In these ceremonies, it’s also normal for people to shoot off big huge guns, as I alluded to earlier; loud enough to nearly make you go deaf. Eventually I had to plug my ears because they would shoot these things that looked like elephant rifles only a few feet from my ears. What?

After an hour of celebration, it was over. I went back to the Peace Corps office, relaxed with a cold beer and contemplated what I just got my self in to. It’s now been about seven months since my enskinment and I still think they expect me to do more than I’m capable of doing physically and financially. However, when I visit the village every week I’m always greeted warmly.

Since my enskinment, Walisu and I have formed a group of forty women to make shea butter from shea nuts for export to the U.S and Europe through private companies in Tamale. We also organized the Kalpohin drumming and dancing troupe to perform regular events to raise money to they can continue to perform and grow as a troupe. So, we are doing small, small.

There you have it. I’m now an African chief…somehow. It’s an honor and a bigger responsibility than I thought. I hope I can continue to support Walisu and his village when I return. They keep asking me to remember them when I leave. How could I forget? I hope you enjoyed this installment. Cheers, Bill

Hi Everyone, People have been asking me for details on what I’ve been doing besides sitting on crocodiles, getting blown around on my bike in a storm, or pondering my life with Muslims. Well, my primary project is going at a snails pace. You may recall that my assignment is to develop eco-tourism within a district (Savelugu-Nanton District) which is about 30 miles across and about 50 miles long. Despite early success at the District Assembly (the governing body for the district) to create a position called Eco-Tourism Desk Officer and place someone in that role, not much has happened; at least not a lot of tangible things. Peace Corps does warn you of this and reminds you it’s not all about the physical structures like building schools or latrines, because we do not have funds to do that, but about building someones skill set, which we call capacity building, and cultural exchange. So, the first question is, “am I building someone’s capacity to do a job without outside help?” The answer to that is, “I don’t know for sure, but I’m not very optimistic at this point.” That’s okay, because I have created what we call Secondary Projects. As for the cultural exchange part, that happens automatically. Even with all the problems in my primary project, I won’t give up on it because I see potential. Eco-Tourism Development (Primary Project) The Savelugu/Nanton District now has a man named Alhassan Iddrisu who is in charge of developing tourism for the district and I’m an advisor. The previous volunteer did a site assessment for potential tourism sites in the district and began working on one site. He also created budgets for projects, so he made some excellent progress. Now it’s my turn to build capacity by putting Mr. Iddrisu in charge of implementing plan and promoting tourism. I’m hoping the third and final volunteer, along with Mr. Iddrisu, will be able to work on the actual projects in the field while continuing to build his capacity and the capacity of the communities we serve. After the creation of the new position I asked to be put in an office at the District Assembly with the Eco-Tourism Desk Officer – that is where I go every day. Sometimes it’s only for a ½ hour because no one is around or sometimes it’s for hours. Sometimes we talk business and many times, we just talk about life in Ghana and life in America. My vision of the new position is that Mr. Iddrisu leads the project with my assistance. This is not happening. Right now, I have to do a lot of hand holding and encouraging. I even end up doing more than I should, which is creating a bit of frustration on my part. That’s okay, because now I can figure out how do deal with being more effective at capacity building. So far, I have reviewed everything done previously on my project, written two reports and presented to the big guys at the District Assembly to get their approval to move forward. Another road bump is that the main person I report to left before I got to site. Then, months passed before a new guy came in. Then that guy was here only for a few months and then we got another new guy. I waited for his junior officer to arrive – this was also delayed for months and months. Now the junior officer which was supposed to be a main ‘go to’ guy has been sick for two months – however, I suspect he may be protesting his duties, but I can’t entirely be sure. Many days are spent reminding Mr. Iddrisu that he is the main man to get stuff done and that I recommend certain activities to take place like holding meetings with the community to get their support or picking 20 million cedis to continue our work at the main site in Saakpuli village. Saakpuli is where an old, enormous baobab tree stands (about 400 years old). The stronger tribes used to tie slaves (weaker tribes who were captured through raids) to the exposed roots of a tree and then they were sold to southern tribes. After the arrival of Europeans, they sold or traded them for guns, etc. at the European built slave forts on the coast where they were shipped to buyers in Europe and elsewhere. Mr. Iddrisu agrees to all my suggestions and adds valuable input in to our discussions, but, if I’m not there, nothing gets done. However, I refuse to do any major hand-holding. My attitude is that if district assembly does want to develop eco-tourism, it just won’t get done. I believe they do, but perhaps not as eagerly as I'd like. Everyday that I’m there though, I try to present my case for why Mr. Iddrisu should continue and that I don’t need to be there every minute. I do this to make sure they are still on board with developing eco-tourism and the capacity of a local person who can carry on after I'm gone. My case for moving forward is that our district has certain historical sites that should be preserved whether it’s a tree and a story or the history of the Dagomba tribe, all of which rests largely within my district. If revenue and side businesses come because of the development of sites, then that would be a bonus. During my last 10 months or so, I hope to get Mr. Iddrisu more acclimated to acting as a leader and project manager. I also hope to finish the development of the Saakpuli site. This will entail no small feat: they need the 7k road to the site graveled so it is passable in the rainy season – peak tourist season for the western world. This is very expensive (about US$60,000), but hope in the form of U.S. aid called the MCA (Millennium Challenge Account) is possibly on it’s way as some of the money will go to roads. All in all, I enjoy working with my counterpart, Mr. Iddrisu, and others at the assembly. Because even if nothing else happens, I’ve made some friends and learned a lot about Ghana, the Dogomba tribe, and Islam. Secondary Projects: As for secondary projects, they could really be anything. If you all thought about it, you could probably rattle off a few of your own. I won’t mention all of them here, but below are the ones I consider my main secondary projects. Musah: Musah is a man that is about 40 and he is married with two children. Musah mostly does masonry, but also does carpentry too. He is the brother of the driver for our sub-office and has been working with Peace Corps volunteers for over 17 years. Musah also made much of our furniture at our sub-office and has done painting and masonry work there, as well. When he came over to my house one day to build a few items for me, we talked about his business. He complained that it was going slow. I was trying to think of ways he could get more business. One day I was riding down the road and saw some construction work beginning at a filling station. I asked an employee there what they were doing and who was in charge. He gave me the owner’s name and number. I went to Musah with the number and told him what I’d done. I agreed to call the man first to explain the situation while Musah was standing next to me. When I did we learned that the man owned many filling stations and may have more work. I hung up and relayed this to Musah. He was very excited. My suggestion (as also agreed to by the owner we called) was to write a letter to the owner and include resume, certificates, and references. I helped Musah with compose the letter and we sent it off. I felt good about the whole thing because I was showing Musah that if you see some work in pogress, it pays to inquire about what's going. I also told Musah that you never know unless you ask and eventually “no” will lead to “yes” if you inquire enough. He was excited about my help, but sadly never followed up with the guy. Needless to say I was frustrated, but I cannot force anyone to do anything that they don’t want to do. Musah and I are still friends and he’s doing fine with his business. I feel he is now more assertive. Maybe it will take time to implement this new mentality. After all, Ghanaians are not always used to being so forward – now, there are exceptions to that statement, such as the beggars and market people. Everything here seems to have a time and a place. Boy Going to University to be a Doctor: Musah’s neighbor is a bright young man who did exceptionally well in High School. Well enough to be one of the few admitted to a nearby university called University of Development Studies (UDS). One can go there, study medicine, and become a doctor for instance; just like what this boy wants to do. Even though the university caters to the underprivileged, it still costs money to go there – money that this boy doesn't have. Musah, who I trust, brought this young man to my attention and asked if we’d (me and another volunteer) pay for his schooling. This is not uncommon for Ghanaians to ask volunteers (who are compensated very little and most are right out of college and in thousands of dollars in debt) to give them money; another source of frustration. In any event, this secondary project was like two projects. 1) I had to work with Musah to help him act as this boys mentor and see if he could round the money up and 2) Help Musah to do some fundraising for this boy. The idea was to help Musah get a loan or something, which would in turn make Musah look like the hero to this boy – not an unknown foreigner cannot be there every day for him. Musah did try hard to get a loan for this boy, but failed. My Peace Corps friend and I told Musah that if he came up with some money of his own, we’d also assist by loaning him some money. I think this worked well; Musah really tried to get loans from the school and the bank and eventually donated some of his own money. Mike and I lent Musah the remainder of the money with the expectation that he pay it back. I don’t know if that will happen, but the idea was solid and we feel the boy was seeing Musah as a role model. I’ve met the boy a few times and even went out to visit him, with Musah at the school. The boy seems to be adjusting fine and doing well. Let’s hope he makes it through – I think this is a promising investment. Kojo and Golf: I don’t really consider this a secondary project, more of a hobby. When I came to Ghana, I had a hankering to go golfing. I finally did in a town called Kumasi which is about 7 hours south of my village. We have a sub-office there and a golf course is near by. I set out one day determined to go golfing. When I arrived at the course, a young man greeted me. He said he was one of the golf pros at the course and would play a round with me. I was glad he was there to help me get started. After playing with him I could tell he was very good. This young man could not only sink putts from everywhere and hit his short irons close to the flag, but he could even shape shots with his long irons and driver. When I asked him about his successes, he told me that he’d won 23 amateur tournaments. He’s also played in 35 professional tournaments, won 13 titles, 10 of those being majors. He is the third best golfer in Ghana. The other two guys are getting up there in age and have more wins under their belts so they are ranked higher. Kojo is 26 and will someday soon be the best golfer in Ghana. After playing with him a few times, I decided to ask him what he’d like to do in the future regarding his career. He told me he wanted to play professionally in the U.S. I thought that might be a bit too ambitious since I know it is brutal qualifying for even those pros who play day in and day out. The courses Kojo plays are not in great shape, but are still very challenging. The big differentiator is the greens. Kojo doesn't know what it’s like to putt on slick greens with varying degrees of break to them. However, he does have excellent aim. I learned from him that there was a PGA Southern Africa Tour. It’s called the Sunshine Tour. I suggested that this may be a good place to start and then after experience there, he can maybe take the leap to Europe or the U.S. So, I started to put his bio together along with a story and told him we could send it to potential sponsors requesting financial assistance to go to a qualifying tournament on the Sunshine Tour and get new clubs. The bio is almost in final form. All this talk encouraged him to visualize his dreams and let his relatively wealthy contacts know of his plans. His contacts are mostly rich Ghanaians who want to learn to golf. After seeing a rough draft of his bio, one contact finally sponsored him recently to go to South Africa and give it a shot. That was great news. One of my goals is to get Kojo a new set of clubs – he’s playing with old , out of shape equipment. One of his wedges has the grooves worn out. Even so, he plays well. The sponsor bought him a temporary visa and paid for his travel expenses, but Kojo would have to go with his old clubs. Kojo did not make the cut this time after shooting 78, but in talking with him, I learned his weakness is putting on slick greens as I suspected. He just could not adjust in time. Our new plan is to see if he can not only get new clubs, but we want to try to get him sponsored to play more outside of Ghana, whether it be in South Africa, Europe or, hopefully, the U.S. Wish him luck! And better yet, if you have any contacts that can provide him new equipment or an invitation to an event in the U.S. or Europe (his local sponsors can pay the way - he just needs an invitation), that would be a dream come true! Walisu and the KCEP: My main secondary project is working with Walisu and helping him 1) build up his business, which is the Kalpohin Cultural Exchange Program (KCEP) 2) assist him with becoming a tour guide for the north of Ghana. The KCEP is a tour of a local village near Tamale called Kalpohin. He has set the tour up so that you see women of the village making local oils; palm oil and groundnut oil (and paste). They also make shea butter (this type of product is exported to companies like the Body Shop). Shea is used in cosmetics, to make soaps, as a cooking ingredient and more. Also on the tour, there are women who spin cotton, which is used in weaving. Finally, there are men who make the local traditional smocks. If you would like, he can also set up lunch while you watch the ever eager and talented local drumming and dancing troupe perform for you. Most of the money goes back to the women of the village to encourage them to continue local traditional trades and crafts. this helps prevent the young from leaving for the southern areas where there is more money. When the young women leave for the south, they have high hopes of making enough money so that when they get married they have something to offer the groom’s family. The problem is that they end up becoming prostitutes that either get pregnant or worse, contract AIDS. These tours happen when Walisu walks around town and asks foreigners if they’d like to go on this tour. He shows them a nice flyer to legitimize his offer. His hard work does pay off, but only in small dividends. However, this is his passion and he loves meeting new people. I’ve only heard great things from his clients and some come back multiple times. One day I thought, why not pick a day in the month out and hand out invitations. In other words, act this event set to happen and get the whole community organized along with the drumming and dancing troupe well in advance. Walisu liked the idea and we gave it a shot. The turn out was big – 20 people! The most he’s ever had. The tour went very well. Everyone loved it and they really liked having lunch at the end of the tour while watching the drumming and dancing troupe perform for them. The locals had a blast too. There were probably 200 villagers with us as we sat down to wat the drumming and dancing troupe! The downside after it was over was even though Walisu grossed a good amount, he ended up losing money. Fortunately, it was not much and some expenses won’t be incurred again for a while. Now we need to work on turning a profit and saving money for future expenses. All in all, Walisu did not care that he lost money; he was very happy with the turn out and the fact he could help his village out. The other part of his business has been prospering too - tour guiding. I got him to write down expenses that he and his clients incur while on excursions so he can come up with a pre-planned itinerary with costs included. This has proved an invaluable tool for him. In the mean time, he seems to be keeping busy with this aspect as well, but I’m not sure how he’s doing financially with it yet. Bonus: A bonus of helping people out is that sometimes they appreciate it. Walisu is so appreciative that he has met with the elders of Kalpohin village and has asked that I be enskinned as a sub-chief. My title to be is Zo Simli Na. That means chief of development – like a liaison to visitors or people interested in getting involved in the development of their village. After he met with some elders, they agreed to move forward. That meant I'd be going to the village a few times to shoot the breeze with the elders and meet the regent (acting chief of Kalpohin). After that, the elders would meet and discuss if they want to proceed with Walisu’s recommendation. Well, they did and we set a date to meet all the influential elders of the village, the regent, and a representative from Tamale’s chieftancy. The date was set and my mission to prepare was to get two male Americans to act as witnesses on my behalf. I ended up adding two women, as well. Then I needed to bring 50 cola nuts (they chew on them, especially chiefs and elders) and about 100,000 cedis to be given to various other elders, chiefs, plus the Imam (Muslim leader) who would be praying at the event. This event is called a Knocking Ceremony and is meant as a guarantee that another date will be picked for the Enskinment Ceremony. When we all met at the Kalpohin Regent’s house with the other elders and my witnesses, we sat in the courtyard and told our mission to the elders. The Tamale Chief’s representative told us that he was happy we were here, happy for what I’ve already done with Walisu and for the village, and wished that I could assist as much as possible in developing the village. My friends and I got the impression I am to build a school and hospital. Needless to say I was a bit overwhelmed. The final ritual was for me to present the 50 cola nuts to the Tamale Chief representative while kneeling as he sat on his prayer mat. If he thought the village should move forward with the enskinment, he would give me back a handful of cola nuts. He did just that. Next step was to bite a cola nut at the same time (not the same one) and it would be confirmed we both agreed to move forward. Then I was to offer the rest of the cola nuts in my possession to my witnesses and they were to take a bite of their's too. They did and the deal was sealed. After some chit chat, we headed back to Walisu’s compound. His Uncle and a few elders walked with us. Since I was now a respected member of the community, I was to walk ahead with of my friends. However, since I was a new member of the hierarchy, I had to walk behind the elders. This was made clear when I walked right up to them, shoulder to shoulder, and then Walisu told me to drop back and fall in line. I did so and we walked on. At Walisu’s we chatted some more with the elders and then my friends and I went back to our sub-office. The Enskinment Ceremony is set for mid-January. Update: On January 27 I was enskinned. That will have to be a it’s own blog and will get working on that next. That’s it for now… Cheers, Bill

PICS JUST ADDED!

READ IT AGAIN LIKE THE FIRST TIME!

I’ve been in Ghana for one year with about a year to go! After some time here, things don’t seem to jump out at you as much as they do when you first step off the plane in a developing country for the first time in your life. I remember looking out over Ghana as we were about to land and thinking about how this continent is the continent where life began. And, what would life hold for me in the next two years? I walked off the ladder of the plane on to the tarmac and remember the foreign smell, which seemed to be a mixture of humidity, the ocean, and open sewers.L to R: Jenell [orange], Casey [blue], Cate [front], Alex [front], Laura[dress], Tim, Adam, Ryan

We’d come a long way from the USA and Philadelphia, PA where we had our 3 day staging, plus the beginning of receiving a million shots in the arm. Little did I know, my roommate in PA, Ryan Lavoie, would become a good friend of mine up here in the north within three months time. All I knew of him was that he was some liberal Texan with a quirky sense of humor who likes Copenhagen chewing tobacco. Now we are both only about 30 minutes from Tamale and when we are there we like to stake out the local spots (dive bars, is the best way to describe them) whenever we get a chance.

Me, Mike (who left for a full ride at MIT for a PHd in Physics) and Ryan

After making our way through the Accra airport, we are all bussed off for a week of training at a place called Valley View; some university campus about 20 minutes outside of Accra. The experience had begun! Training was difficult. We were learning mostly from Ghanaians and were trying to understand this new accent.

When a monsoon blew through, it hit the tin roofs of our classrooms so hard we had to stop class. Within this week, we had more time to bond with others in our group as well as the Omnibus volunteers that had been here for a year. They seemed so wise and worldly. One day I’d be them to a new Omnibus group who’d arrive in a year, but that was too far in the future to think about. Here, I roomed with Adam Chapman. Adam and I became good buddies; a guy from Florida with a quick wit, no college degree, but smarter than most people I’d met so far.

After one week at Valley View, it was time for Vision Quest. Vision Quest is a chance to go in Ghana by your self or with another volunteer and visit a volunteer who’s been here for a year or two. Paul Sari, now another good friend that I see frequently in Tamale, headed with me for Busua to meet our host. He’d been here two years and had his routine down pat. I admit this was the most challenging experience to date. The dude was intense. He was very cordial and a good host, but it seemed like he was in some sort of weird trance. To put it frankly, I freaked out a bit, but got over it. I told myself that I was going to have my own experience and not try to lose whom I was. Could I do it? Well, I was determined to try.

With Valley View and Vision Quest behind us, we had begun our training in Techiman where we all go off to a host family to live with them during training and learn to integrate in this new culture. And of course, as a group, we could bond more with our group and other volunteers that would come and visit us. To me, bonding was the biggest part of training and the most important too. Here you would establish friendships that would help get you through the rough patches over the next two years. Training also gave us a chance to learn how to walk, so to speak, in Ghana before we were off to our assignments. Techiman was good, but as the last week of training approached, I was ready to leave and start my service.

Before that though, I had to go on a Site Visit on my own for a few days to see where I’d be stationed for the remainder of my service. This was the second most challenging experience of my time here so far. My new house was a rat hole and I had my work cut out for me. Malaria hit me hard a few days after my site visit and I was officially welcomed to Ghana by the mosquitoes.

We swore in December 3rd and took off for our new lives. They recommend that we stay at site for three months, and I did. This proved very helpful in getting settled in my house and getting to know the Ghanaians I’d be working with. I also looked around for secondary projects and found a bunch. Only a few would pan out to be major secondary projects – but that turned out to be a good thing.

After three months holed-up at site, I was ready to go somewhere, so I went to the beach. Actually I went back to where my Vision Quest was – ironically one of the nicer places to relax in Ghana (little did I know that a few months back). There was going to be a total eclipse of the sun that would to last almost 4 minutes. Honestly, I didn’t really care about that, but knew a bunch of volunteers would go there for that excuse. Once I got there, which happens to be about 14 travel hours away, I was able to visit the place that first made me question what I was doing. I had great time this time, though. Turns out, Busua has white sandy beaches, warm Atlantic waters and a few beach bars. The eclipse also turned out to be amazing. I never would have imagined; a partial eclipse is nothing compared to a total eclipse. It’s hard to explain why it was so cool, but most people agreed it was well worth the travel. In fact, folks from all over the world came to Busua and other areas near this spot just to view this phenomenon!

Fast forward to present day. Life is good; I’m integrating well, was able to see my friends and family on a visit to America, and now a new Omnibus group arrived September 23rd, which is name of the group I was in when I arrived. The Peace Corps Ghana gets a new Omnibus group every year, so the next one doesn’t arrive until about a month before my service is up in 2007. What that means to me is that this group is the next generation that I might have any influence on, be able to help guide, and have a chance to make new bonds with. Plus, we are in a way the senior class now.

I made the effort to come to Accra and welcome them off the plane just like the Omnibus group, who is now finishing their 2 years of service, did when we arrived. Alas, the plane landed early and we missed them! However, we did get to meet them at the Peace Corps 45th anniversary celebration at the U.S. Ambassador’s residence in Accra a few days later. The Ghanaian president, President Kufuor, attended the event along with a variety of other officials. As in other events like this, the Peace Corps volunteers arrived in a wide variety of appropriate and questionably appropriate attire. Since we are relatively poor people invited to an event with the well-to-do of Ghana, we always stick out and feel uncomfortable at these events. Not much to say about this one, but I did meet the US Ambassador and got to see and hear President Kufour speak in person. The big deal for us volunteers was that the Peace Corps put us up in a nice hotel, our travel to Accra was paid for, and we got to see some people we hadn’t seen in a long time. At this function, I also took the opportunity to wear traditional attire of a Dagomba chief. My outfit was well received by my peers, as well as the big wigs.

In general, things with my primary project are going slow. In other words, my job, which is to advise and motivate the local government to develop tourism, is received with little enthusiasm, but my counterparts are a great source of information and are always more than welcoming when I’m there – so I’m happy.

So far, I’m making most progress with my secondary projects. The secondary projects include helping a young man develop his tourism project called the Kalpohin Village Exchange Program. Here the man, Walisu, provides a tour of a typical village and shows elderly women making local oils for market. He shows them spinning cotton and making pottery, too. In addition, a local smock maker sews traditional smocks (like the one I wore at the 45th anniversary party). His profits go mostly to the elderly women of the village. Walisu appreciates the help so much, that he is moving to make me a sub-chief of the village. This entails going to the elder men and asking them to deliberate on the matter. Plus, I’ll have to meet with the elders a few times so they can get to know me. If it goes through, I’ll be Zo Simli Naa of Kalpohin Village. Sounds like a lot of responsibility, which I usually try to avoidJ

What I may look like in a few months!

Other projects include:

1) Trying to get a bright young man through university. Well, actually I’m trying to help a Ghanaian man help him. I’d rather the boy see a local man as his role model, while I quietly advise and support in the background.

2) Helping my neighbor establish her business (with the help of a few of you)

3) Assisting a couple with issues of infertility – which can be a very traumatic thing to a Ghanaian, especial a rural Ghanaian. We found there may be hope in the form of a clinic in Accra

4) Finding a way to get a talented professional golfer on the PGA Southern Africa Tour – it appears there is progress, but I’m awaiting an update

5) Coaching a businessman on his business

6) Getting a local library off the ground

7) Figuring out how to get a young boy to school on a regular basis (we need to motivate his big brother to agree to it first – not easy)

These are the kinds of things that keep me busy throughout my days and months here. The most rewarding thing, though, is the personal interactions with Ghanaians that don’t go in to reports and don’t make for fantastic stories. Like when you drop some money and someone who is dirt poor lets you know it’s on the seat next to him. Or when a market lady gives you a free water sachet because she can see you are dying of thirst.

As the days move on, the next blogs will probably have more detail on my secondary projects and any other thing that seems like it may be interesting to write about.

One last note; the new group that came also had their Vision Quest. I requested to host one and was more than happy to show him the ropes. Ryan came by with two of his VQuesters and we all went to the market in Savelugu. These guys have only been here a week, mind you. Our task was to buy food for Rashida, my neighbor. She had agreed to make dinner for us…and she loves to cook, especially for guests.

We make our way to the entrance of the market where we greet Muhammad, who helps Madame Bea, a local schoolteacher and businesswoman, run a small store that sells minerals and cookies. We go through a somehow entranceway and we find ourselves in the market. We are looking for oil, tomato, onion, pepe, rice, and beef. First, we go to the butcher. I remember when I first saw the open air butcher and how disgusting the smell was and the sites of animal parts everywhere; anything from hooves to intestines and other organs to even dried cattle penis’ to freshly butchered heads blankly staring at you. Pretty rank. However, I’m now so used to it didn’t even think that the newbie’s might find it hard to take.

So, I’m there on my mobile phone talking to my neighbor trying to figure how much meat to buy while the butcher is awaiting my answer. There are many butchers around him, but he looks to have the best meat. Once I hang up the phone and tell him I want 4 kilos of meat, I look around and see weird organ parts and start to ask the other butchers what they are; stomach, intestines, spleen, etc. Then I look at one of the new guys and one looks a little dazed. I ask him if he’s okay and he says yes, but still I hand him and another guy some money and tell them to get 16,000 cedis worth of groundnut oil, post haste. Off they go and the butcher chops the meat in to bits, as Rashida requested. Then he wants to dash me some meat, but I don’t recognize it. Turns out to be the heart. I politely turn it down and off I go.

Butcher Pic

I catch up with the group and all missions are accomplished. However, the guy who was looking not so good suddenly faints. He’s still conscious, so we move him to the shade and sit him down with a sachet of water. He claims he’s fine, but we stay there for a while and relax. All we can figure is that maybe the butcher section of the market was a bit of sensory overload for a city kid from Portland, OR. This incident freaked us all out a little, because we had just seen one of our veteran volunteers have major seizures after breaking his collarbone while playing touch football on the beach. We all thought that guy was dying and watching a guy faint in the market and woozily trying to pick himself up reminded me of the other guy having major seizures where his eyes were rolled back in his head, frothing at the mouth, biting his tongue and convulsing uncontrollably. Whew! The newbie was not having a seizure, was just fine and, by the way, the veteran, by the way, pulled through with flying colors and is just fine, too. Thank God!

Hope all is well,

Bill

ISLAM & GHANA 11 July 2006

I thought I’d give you my take on Ghanaian Muslims and the Islam religion that dominates the Northern Region. I’ve heard (but now can’t find my source, just when I need it!) that 90% of the population in the Northern Region is Muslim. I live next to and work with many Muslims. My knowledge is based on asking them questions and reviewing one book. Before I came to Ghana, I was not aware that I knew any Muslims and if I did I had no clue. (Ghana in total is about 16% Muslim, 70% Christian, and 14% other.)

While Ghana has had its share of civil unrest over its almost 49 years of independence as a former English Colony, it is basically a very peaceful country and the citizens are some of the friendliest I’ve met in my travels. Professional travel writers agree. The Northern Region is no exception to this generalization. I live with peaceful and generous people and enjoy my work and social interactions.

Sufyan and Rashida are my neighbors and some of the best neighbors I’ve ever had. They feed me every night and allow me to sit in their house with them and watch TV while we eat Rashida’s excellent home cooked local dishes. They both work hard and are determined to be as successful as possible even though it’s not easy.

It was odd at first when I was just sitting there watching TV and Sufyan dons a smock, stands on his prayer rug facing Mecca (east), and starts to pray right next to me! I felt uncomfortable at first. When he was done, I asked if I should leave while he prays next time. He said no worries. Now it’s no big deal for me. My co-workers pray throughout the day by going a few yards away from the District Assembly building to a prayer area (basically a slab of cement which will eventually be covered. They don’t keep long and if they skip a prayer time for work reasons or other reasons, they make it up later. I’ve seen no violence amongst the locals (although there is some, but it is mostly tribal and goes way back) and I’ve only been treated with respect, kindness and generosity.

Below I’ve written notes from a book my Dad sent, Understanding Islam, by Thomas W. Lippman (updated in 2002). Thomas Lippman was the Washington Post bureau chief in the Middle East for nearly four years. He traveled extensively throughout the Muslim world and served as a correspondent in Indochina. He is the author of at least two other books. I used quotes or paraphrases from Lippman’s 189 page book in order to try to distill the information. I hope only to provide an insight with my general overview of such a complicated religion. Lippman says he does not try to defend Islam and seems to provide an objective overview. He even admits to his admiration and respect for the many Muslims he’s dealt with over his career. The book in my opinion is written by a man with much experience interacting with Muslims from a non-Muslim point of view. I found the book very informative, but at times was inconsistent, vague, and incomplete.

My review below is a quick one and I tried to throw in a lot of information under certain topics. I hope the format works for you.

1. Islam: Arabic word meaning surrender to the will of God. Similar to the Judeo-Christian Bible, Muslims believe there is one God and that there will be a judgment day. Originated in the 7th century and youngest of the worlds major religions. Islam has 1 billion followers (only a few million of those are American) and is fastest growing religion in the world. “Most are not leftist or fanatics or revolutionaries or extremists.” The vast majority is not Arab and they are not wealthy [like Bin Laden]. “The Koran – does not teach that violence is to be shunned. On the contrary, it prescribes violence in defense of the faith and teaches that those who join the struggle are more likely to be admitted to Paradise than those who do not. But the Koran also ordains justice, charity, mercy self-denial, and tolerance. Those who count themselves Muslims are not, in their daily lives, any more prone to violence or aggression than non-Muslims.”

2. Muslim: Muslim is the practical form; one who submits. The root is the same as that of the word for peace, salaam. A Muslim is one who believes that there is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God (Allah)

3. Allah: Arabic for God

4. The Koran: The Islamic Holy Book. It is taken as the literal word of God transmitted through Muhammad.

5. Related to Judaism and Christianity: Islam is part and traceable to the monotheistic tradition of Judaism and Christianity and its ethical code is similar to that of the Old Testament. Muslims see their religion as a continuation and rectification of the Judeo-Christian tradition; Jewish scriptures and the prophetic mission of Jesus are incorporated by reference in the Koran. Furthermore, the Koran teaches that God, favored Jews and Christians by revealing His truth to them in holy books, but they deviated from what was revealed and fell into error and corruption.

6. Muhammad: Muhammad was born around 570 A.D. in Mecca, a trading post of the Arabian Peninsula. He was handsome in youth, illiterate, a sheep and goat herder, married a wealthy widow, was honest, trustworthy and refrained from practicing in pagan rituals. His being illiterate by the way is said to be key in his believability. Muslims believe that God has sent messengers from time to time and prophets revealed Himself to men and tell men what He expects; these messengers of which Islam believes Muhammad is believed to be the last are Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad. No more are expected. In other words, Muslims believe Jesus was a prophet, but no more than that and Muhammad is the last prophet. “The Koran stresses that Muhammad was mortal, born of earthly parents, destined to die and be judged by the Creator. Muhammad worked no miracles and raised no one from the dead. His achievements were manifestation of the will of God, not of any supramortal [Lippman’s spelling] essence in himself.”

7. Paradise (Heaven): Those who accept there is one God and His word through Muhammad’s message, who follow the rules of social, commercial and personal conduct laid down in the Koran, who put humility and decency before wealth and pleasure, who pray, and pay alms-tax (tax to the poor) will be rewarded. Allah will “reward them for their steadfastness with robes of silk and the delights of Paradise. Reclining there upon soft couches, they shall feel neither the scorching heat nor the biting cold. Trees will spread their shade around them, and fruits will hang in clusters over them.” They will be adorned with green silk and silver bracelets, will be attended by handsome boys and dark-eyed virgins, who will bring them refreshing drinks in silver goblets while their spirits are refreshed by the favor of God. (Lippman doesn’t put this last part in quotes and I’m not sure why – assumption is he is paraphrasing.) Women can equally reach this paradise.

8. Motivation for belief: Fear. Fear of the last judgment day and fear of eternal damnation.

9. 5 Pillars of Faith:

a. 1st Pillar, Shahada: profession of faith; there is no god, but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God

b. 2nd Pillar, Ritual of Prayer: there is a duty to pray at appointed hours, but they are not specified in the Koran. Most pray 5 times per day; dawn, midday, afternoon, evening, and night. Exact times vary. The Koran states early on in the book to pray twice a day then later states forty times per day. Five is the compromise.

c. 3rd Pillar, the Zakat: Alms-tax; a mandatory donation to charity.

d. 4th Pillar, Fasting: This happens during Ramadan. Ramadan is one of the 12 months of the lunar calendar, used by Muslims since the 7th century. Because of this it is set on different dates each year. The fast happens from first light to last light unless ill, traveling, nursing or pregnant. Fasting includes abstaining from sex. It seems last year it was around October/November.

e. 5th Pillar, the hajj: The hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca. All Muslims are obliged to make once in their lives. I understand you can be exempt from this if you cannot afford it.

10. Jews, Christians, and unbelievers (Pagans): The Koran said that Pagans were idolaters fit only for slavery. But Jews and Christians, despite Muhammad’s rage against the Jews of Medina, were accorded special status as “people of the book.” “They were to be respected…:”

11. Women: A complicated issue. In the Koran, women are equal before God and will be judged on the judgment day equally, however; “There is probably no issue that has more unfavorably influenced the Western World’s image of Islam or more preoccupied lawmakers in Muslim countries than the status of women.” It does not help that the Koran also “constantly belittles women”, according to Lippman, sighting one passage stating, “Women are your field. Go, then into your fields as you please.” (2:223) “Still the Koran dictates on women’s legal status (as opposed to their social status) were quite advanced for their time…and gives women some rights more liberating than those found in Western legal codes.” At the time of Muhammad, plural marriages were common. Muhammad was monogamous until after his wife died. Afterward he had at least eight other wives; some of those were widows of companion warriors who he took as wives since they were without a husband. Other controversies arise about his marriage to his cousin who also was a divorcee of one of his first followers. Plural marriage was common in Mohammad’s time, so Lippman argues, that in order to enlist converts he allowed it but in terms that discourages and limits the practice. The Koran basically says you can have up to four wives only if you can treat them with equity. Other passages in the Koran say that it is not possible to treat several wives equally. “The Koranic vision of women is both liberating and confining, uplifting and degrading. In a society [before Islam] in which women were possessions, taken and put aside like trinkets, often held in conditions approaching bondage, the Koran imposed rules and prohibitions that curbed the worst abuses, ensured women’s property rights, and encouraged men to treat women with kindness and generosity. “

12. Muslim Brotherhood: Founded in Egypt in 1928 The Brotherhood is recognized more as a political organization than a religious one. The Brothers resorted to terrorism and assassination at their frustration of society’s failings to live by the Koran; “…nothing in Islam teaches that murder of government officials or bombings of cafes is the proper way to propagate faith…”

13. Jihad: “Jihad must be the most overused and Ill-understood word in contemporary Islam.” Lippman states that Muhammad used this word in the hadith* this way; “Shall I not tell you of the peak of the matter, its pillar and topmost part? The peak of the matter is Islam; the pillar is prayer; and its topmost part is jihad.” The translators of this text append this statement with a note: ‘Though Arabic jihad is generally rendered “holy war,” its meaning is wider than this and includes any effort made in furtherance of the cause of Islam.” Another interpretation from a noted authority on Islam states, “Jihad does not mean fighting a war; it means to struggle for what is required of one in obedience to God.” So, you can see that within the Islamic community some experts say “jihad” may connote violence while others denounce that inference. (*hadith is not the Koran or in the Koran, but more of a supplement to the Koran and is comprised of Muhammad’s own words, but not necessarily the words of God)

14. Taliban: “The virulent strain of puritanical militance [Lippman’s spelling] that has flared up periodically throughout Muslim history broke out anew in the mid 1990s with the rise of the Taliban movement in Afghanistan.” Members are mostly of the Pashtun ethnic group who had studied in Pakistan. The word “Taliban” means student. These students are isolated and have “no contact with and little knowledge of the world beyond their narrow circle.”

15. al-Qaeda: Terrorist organization backed by Osama bin Laden with roots to sect of Islam called Wahhabism. “Wahhabism is roughly analogous to Puritanism in Christianity.”

16. Osama bin Laden: Mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks. Renegade Saudi Arabian Millionaire issued a manifesto entitled “Declaration of the World Islamic Front for Jihad against Jews and Crusaders [Christians].” He proclaimed that it was the ‘duty of every Muslim’ to kill as many Americans and Jews as possible.

17. Saddam Hussein: “The roots of that [Iraqi/Kuwaiti] conflict were geopolitical, not religious. But Iraqi President Saddam Hussein sought to portray it as a struggle of Islam against infidels, claiming to represent the cause of Arabism and Islam against the Americans and their allies. Few were fooled, because Saddam Hussein had long been known as perhaps the Arab world’s leading secularist and his political organization, the Baath or Renaissance party, had been founded by a Christian.”

18. Zarqawi: This is a new addition after reading a Newsweek International article dated 10 June 2006 triggered from the recent slaying of Zarqawi by US forces. The essence is that Zarqawi is a renegade not necessarily associated with either Bin Laden or Hussein. He seems to be extremely violent and power hungry, rising in popularity after the toppling of Hussein. He was suspected to be the one behind the mask on the Internet who beheaded people (live) with a knife. I talked to a guy who saw the Nick Berg video and he says that even though he’s seen some pretty gruesome things, this was by far the worst thing he’s ever seen. Zarqawi’s propensity toward violence most likely earned him his reputation.

Even though so many bad things and bad people are associated with the Islam religion right now, it appears to me that as with any religion, people have a tendency to use religion to gain what they want. Some will read in to things and say that that’s the way, all for personal reasons; power, fear, anger, frustration, hate, you name it. One could most probably look at many of the major religions and find unflattering stains. Even outside of religion people use ideas and tweak them to manipulate people to meet their own ends. I believe we should be very afraid of terrorism, but moreover we should be afraid of poverty and illiteracy. These two things seem to be part of the recipe that fuels our current situation. I know that poverty and illiteracy can’t always be blamed for all atrocities, however. Affluent and educated people do bad things too. Perhaps it takes one affluent, educated person to motivate a large group of poor, uneducated desperados – maybe that is the recipe we need to avoid.

Note: If I’ve omitted something or you have anything to add or correct, please put them in the comments for this blog. I encourage you to do your own research, verify the information I’ve presented, even meet and talk with a Muslim if you haven’t already.

Bill

I CONFESS! PLUS, A FEW RANDOM THINGS....

*I wanted to alert people that the section on my blog with my contact information has been updated. I update it from time to time when things change.*

Before I begin the main story, I wanted to tell you about The World Cup. I'm not much into soccer, but many of you may know the World Cup is going on and 36 (I think) countries are playing each other for the title. The USA and Ghana are both in it and in the same flight. Ghana lost the first game they played (so did the USA), but Ghana won the second versus Czech Rebup (the number 2 ranked team in the World Cup) 2-0. It was crazy here when they scored both goals and won. People were dancing in the bar we were at - even the waitresses were dancing with the customers and customers were hugging other customer. Evreyone was screeming, yelling and singing. I've never seen anything like it! I'm glad I was here for the game. Ghanaians should be proud because they played well against a good team. Go Ghana (PS: the US tied their game and will probably be out of it soon, so root for Ghana if there is no conflict in who else you are rooting for).

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Now on to my confession...

It’s true that I sold my house in the Bay Area to spend two years in a developing country only to eventually come back to the unknown. It’s true that the main way I travel in Ghana is dangerous, taxi, tro tro, or big bus, and that most fatalities are from road accidents (at least that’s what I hear – and a friend recently rolled in a taxi, but is okay). It’s true that people make next to nothing and work hard just to survive. It’s true that the deadliest creature in the world is the mosquito and causes more deaths than any other in the world. It’s true that people urinate and defecate in public like it’s no big deal. I could go on or you can just recall some of my earlier stories, but it is also true that Ghana is not such a bad place to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer or even spend a vacation. (Plus, I’m sure a Ghanaian could come up with horrendous stories about why not to visit America, as well.)

Ghana is known for those new to traveling to Africa as Africa for beginners; it’s a good country to visit for your first time in Africa. Ghana has almost everything you could want in a vacation destination; beautiful beaches, warm waters, 4 star hotels, international food choices, like hamburgers, sushi, and Chinese food. They even have a vegetarian restaurant and a sports bar with pool tables, karaoke, and quiz night. This, of course, is in Accra and a long way from my site, but it is accessible non-the-less. To top it off, Ghanaians are very friendly and welcoming anywhere you travel in Ghana. Granted some are a little more aggressive towards tourists in the southern areas.

My confession is that when I go to Accra I do indulge a bit. Okay, so I don’t stay at the 4 star hotels, but I occasionally treat myself to a hamburger, beer on tap, maybe a donut (or two) and go to the beach when I can. Since my salary is small, I don’t go crazy, but it is enough of that sort of thing to last me for a while. Then I head back to Savelugu in the Northern Region for some peace and quiet. After the craziness of Accra, it is actually nice to come back home; the Northerners (who are mostly Muslim) are less aggressive toward foreigners; the weather has cooled and it has started to rain. The bugs and small creatures have come out to greet me; mosquitoes, termites, geckos, frogs, big huge beetles, centipedes, praying mantises, and large, ugly ant-eating spiders.

When I go to Accra, it takes quite a while to get to Accra from Savelugu so I stop over at our Kumasi sub-office and try to fit in a round of golf. Yes, another confession to those who have not heard that tidbit. Maybe I’m giving away too much, but there’s golf here, so why deny myself the pleasure? It’s not the best track I’ve played, but it’s fun to get out there and hit the ball around and let the course beat me up as usual. Plus, one of my secondary projects is trying to the club pro on the PGA Southern Africa Tour. No kidding. I’m working on his bio and will send it out with a head shot to possible sponsors in order to get someone to fund a trip to a qualifying event in South Africa, and maybe a new set of clubs. This pro is 24, hasn’t graduated our equivalent of high school, his father died some time ago, is poor and has a lot of talent, but has no idea what to do next. I figure, why not help this kid? Maybe if he makes it he can better support his family. I always ask Ghanaians that I work with that if I am able to help them succeed to please help a fellow Ghanaian succeed in the future.

This part of my blog was inspired by a few recent trips to Accra; hence, the languid updating of this online journal. Even though I still miss home and all my family and friends quite a bit, Ghana isn’t so bad. Perhaps the media overplays the negative conditions in Africa a little too much in relation to what is going in the right direction. I’m not really one to talk since I’ve only seen a small part of this huge continent, but I couldn’t tell you what or where Ghana was before I received my invitation to serve in the Peace Corps. The troubles that are occurring, from what I’ve gathered talking with other Ghanaians, have to do with the greed for money, poorly run support programs, politics, and cultural misunderstandings. It would be idealistic to think that I’m going to make a major difference. However, I am learning quite a lot just by being here; about myself and about Ghana. In fact, I’ve heard other returned Peace Corps volunteers say that they got back much more from their experience than they ever gave. It’s true. My impressions of Africa have changed just by observing from the front row and interacting directly with the people. My thoughts are not quite solidified to articulate properly my experience as a whole yet. I’ll have to wait for my service to finish and then even maybe wait a few more years after that.

My father pointed out a good book to read in case you are interested in learning more about the complications of assisting developing countries, called the White Man’s Burden (I know, the title sounds racist, and I wonder if the author explains this in his book). I read the review and it appears to sum up what the problems are today in many developing countries in relation to those from the outside that want to help. The author gives no (or little) answers. I can see from this vantage point, there are no simple solutions. However, goodwill and small focused projects, I believe, can go a long way.

At any rate, if you ever want to visit Africa and see things first hand, Ghana is a great start. The one and only guide specifically about Ghana (as far as I know) is the Bradt Guide, Ghana. It’s excellent.

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Now, I’ll switch gears;

So I decided to start a regular work out. I do a lot of incidental walking and sometimes bike riding, but thought it was time to get back in to the swing of things. I also have started a stretching routine every morning (a more macho way of saying I do Yoga), and now I’m ready to add cardio and strength training. The previous PCV left a few weights and I have running shoes and a bike. Today, I got up extra early to go on a bike ride; 30 or 40 minutes, I’m hoping. Ten minutes in to the ride the ominous clouds on the horizon start proving themselves fertile. I feel some rain starting. When it rains, it usually pours, the wind whips up, and there is lighting. That’s exactly what happened. Not wanting to become a grounding pole for a lightning bolt, I decide to turn around. I’m riding on a busy road and the wind is blowing me in to the road with rain in my eyes, so I cross the road. Now if I get blown over I will land in a moat (the locals call them open sewers; PCVs call them moats and have occasionally been known to fall in them and hurt themselves usually at night and maybe after a few drinks). The moat would probably do some major damage since it’s about 4 feet across and 4 feet deep. I make it home just fine, though in a matter of minutes.

The funny thing is, and this is why I love Ghana, while I’m trying to stay on my bike, off the road and out of the moat, the locals are cruising on their bikes, waving at me, greeting me, like it’s just another day.

Once home, I change out of my drenched clothes and finish my workout while the storm blows over and through my house.

Since my power is not working, this day consists of now waiting for the repairman to come. While I wait, I take a picture of a huge beetle (a rhino-horned beetle or something) write this blog and then read some magazines.

Work is going well, but now we are just waiting to have a meeting with the big guys at the District Assembly, so the ball is in there court. My secondary projects include the one I talked about above and working with a group that helps women who are in distress through divorce, sickness, etc. I’m also trying to help with the coordination of getting our local library off the ground.

Meanwhile while I await the repairman, I can catch up on stuff like I’m doing today and think about post-Peace Corps and my trip home in July. Oh yeah, another perk is that if you have the funds to travel, you can leave the country. I get 24 vacation days per year to be taken in country or out, so this year I’m coming home for my friends’ wedding and my father’s birthday.

I hope all is well with everyone.

Bill

This information is from my father who has used this site to phone time and call me.

I'm passing it along in case you feel like calling Africa and don't want to pay $1.00

a minute or some crazy rate. Also, I have a mobile/cell phone, so make sure you

buy the rate for a mobile phone as my father explains below. One last thing,

I undertand it can be very difficult to get through sometimes and when you do

get through, the line can cut out for now apparent reason. Otherwise, sometimes

the connection is surprisingly good.

My mobile number is 020-884-6451. I think from the states you will dial the number

to make an international call then 233-20-884-6451, but I'm not entirely sure.

You can always e-mail my dad and ask him: cecil926@yahoo.com.

I'm on GMT (same time as London) so depending on Daylight Savings (which is now)

I'm either 7 hours (now) or 8 hours ahead for you USA west coasters.

Here is what my father has to say:

Here's how to get an $.11 calling card rate:

Go to www.callingcards.com (***be sure not to use www.callingcard.com-which is

an entirely different website***).

Look for "African Safari" which will get you to a line accessible to Ghana.

The $.11 per minute is to a cell phone. There is a cheaper rate to a landline

so make sure they don't use the cheaper rate.

The customer service no. is 877-777-8954

A message from Lauren, the sister... the pics you see here were added by me after Bill posted this blog. I was able to put them here instead of Kodakgallery.com.

Okay, so here is my latest blog, but before I begin I'll say I've had a heck of a time trying to upload pictures one way or another. So, I've included one for starters here. The rest I sent to my sister and asked her to upload them to KodakGallery.com. When you read this you see references to pictures that when they are posted to KodakGallery.com ( or something like it) you can figure out which picture goes where. And now on for with the blog.......

I’ve been in Savelugu since December 3rd (with some exceptions of staying in Tamale which is not far). Since then it has been difficult to do my job which is good and bad. The good part is that I’ve had a chance to settle in to my place, get to know both Savelugu and Tamale. Plus Peace Corps requests that you to just sit back, observe and hang out for the first three months. That would put me at March 3nd to start engaging in my job and even travel around Ghana or outside. In a nutshell, it’s past March 3rd and I’m free!

Coincidentally, just about the time I should be engaging more in my job, a vehicle was finally available for us to take two field trips to the main site that is being developed. We’ve been trying to organize a vehicle for about 2 months now. So, today, March 9th, is the day I went on a field trip and was trippin’ in the field.

While I was settling in, I still worked, as I believe I’ve told you before. You then may know I reviewed quite a bit of material of what the previous volunteer had done, read other reports on tourism feasibility for our district, read meeting minutes, wrote a summary of everything known up to now, and finally was able to get a member of the District Assembly promoted (promoted is a strong word – especially when it doesn’t mean a raise); at least the man received an additional title and additional responsibilities….would he hate me for what I’d just done? Well, the answer is no. He’s excited. Mostly because we get a budget to do things, which means we get to go places, get lunch paid for, and he gets to go to a Peace Corps sponsored training for a week near the beach – a long way from Savelugu, especially for a local boy in a rural community. He’s not actually a boy – he’s about my age and I intend to help him do the job of Eco-Tourism Desk Officer (his title), so when Peace Corps is gone, everything doesn’t just stop.

Before we left today we had created an agenda and talked about how we wanted to approach our meeting with the Saakpuli chief and their Tourism Management Team (the Saakpuli slave site being our first stop and the one the previous volunteer started on first). 8 a.m., bright and early, we headed out with our driver in a small, old 4 wheeler donated by UNICEF, and six gallons of gas that cost 192,000 cedis and comes right out of our budget.

Turns out the chief of Saakpuli likes gin. So our first stop was to buy gin. My kind of chief. Anytime you meet a chief of a village and pretty much every village has a chief, you give them money and something like gin or cola nuts and money or just money. That’s a tradition that’s been going on for a long time.

The main road to Saakpuli is in very good shape – grade A road for Ghana and even the USA. However the road to get to the village is in poor shape – a dirt road with many bumps, rocks and other objects to negotiate. In other words 7 kilometers takes about 30 minutes and is of the very slow kind with movements that make your body jostle every which way while trying to stay balanced.

We got to Saakpuli sometime after 9 a.m. The protocol is to tell a particular person in the village that we have arrived, why we are here, and hand him money/gin to go tell the chief our mission in hopes that he will receive us. We do not give money to the chief directly. Nor do I believe the chief accepts money directly. Someone else handles it for him. As for the gin, you guessed it; he handled that matter himself and promptly called for a shot glass to partake. I was a bit disappointed when we were offered none. Not a big deal, we had a big day ahead of us.

(Pic 1: Iddrisu, Chief’s wife, Chief, Me)

(Pic 2: Slave Tree in background)

Our agenda at this site was to greet the chief (done), tour the facility and see what work remained and meet with their TMT (Tourism Management Team) to discuss Iddrisu’s promotion and other topics.

The meeting was interesting to say the least. We held it in an outdoor covered, circular hut-like structure in this small village of mud hut houses and two Baobab trees that were at least 600 years old and could be as much as 800-1,000 years old. The TMT consists of five people. However, when you don’t get many visitors, like Saakpuli, everyone wants to be involved and know what’s going on, especially when a foreigner shows up.

Because I happened to be viewed as the man who will help them (presumed because I am foreigner and therefore have money/influence), I sat in a chair that was taller and placed in the center of the hut. Now I’m surrounded by 30 odd villagers of all ages and both genders. They were very kind and receptive, but I did sit there for some time and think about how amazing this particular moment was; looking around at the smiling or concerned faces of the local African villagers, studying their clothes and bodies, trying to understand anything they were saying, and looking around at the quaintness of the dome mud houses with thatched roofs.

Iddrisu helped with the interpretation of what was being said at our meeting because only one person spoke English and very little to boot. I wished that it was Iddrisu that was received the way I was and that I was just another person hanging out observing. My goal is to have the villagers look at Iddrisu, a local from the district, as the man that helps them, not a foreigner.

Back to the story at hand: During the Tourism meeting I asked if there was anything they would like to address; turns out, yes. The local Assemblyman does not go to the village much and neither do other NGOs (non profits). It may be because the village is so small, or that it’s hard to get to…I’m not exactly sure. The concerns were not of tourism: The chief has traucoma (sp? – I believe it is or is like glaucoma) and pulled me aside and asked me to help him; The women and men are farmers (the northern area is mostly agric) and they are asking for micro-financing to help them produce bigger crops; They say they have a water problem, so would like another bore hole to fetch water from; They’d like a solar lantern (there’s no electricity); and they want a school built, too. My guess is there are maybe 50 – 100 people total in this village. All issues were noted. Not sure what I’ll do with all the requests, but over time I’ll look in to what I can do for them and their village.

I believe the situation in this village probably mirrors that of many villages. And villages can be far off the main road or graveled roads; as proven with my next stop on the agenda.

(Pic 3: Post TMT Meeting)

(Pic 4: Iddrisu waiting near a mud hut house)

We say our goodbyes and take leave of Saakpuli. They told me before I left that they have faith that I can meet all there requests. They say this so nice and with beautiful, warm smiles, it’s hard not to want to help them in every and any way you can. At the same time I am feeling both the pressure to meet all their requests and overwhelmed at how to help them.

The road back is as before and by the time we reach the main road it is nearly noon. Lunch is in order, so I suggest fried yam. That is one thing I can eat that I feel safe eating. Generally there are never any restaurants to stop at, so you have to find some lady on the side of the road making something and decide if you want to take a chance on the sanitary nature of the meal; the water they cook with is not always clean (especially during the dry season), so food, dishes and hands are not clean by Western standards. The money is not clean and the ladies that serve the food pick the food with their right hand and receive money and give change with the same hand (it’s a cultural thing). The fried yam is usually cooked while you wait and even though they use their hands to pick the food, it is so piping hot that I think the risk is low of getting sick. It’s like a steak fries on steroids. With a little ketchup, it’s delicious. When you eat on the roadside like this, ketchup is not an option. I went for a powdery peanutty seasoning. Not ideal, but good and filling.

Upon downing 2,000 cedis (about $.22 US) worth of fried yam, I slam 500mls (1/2 a liter) of water from my water sachet. On the road I buy what they call “pure water” in water sachets for 400 cedis. If it has writing on the bag, it’s most likely safe to drink because it has been filtered or something. To drink it, you bite off a corner of the plastic bag and suck/squeeze the water out. Being extra cautious of the hygienic condition of everything, I take a small chance that the bag itself is dirty when I bite it and drink from it, but you gotta take some chances.

Off to Wawani. This road took us toward the White Volta River where there was a confluence of the White Volta and Black Volta Rivers. This road was more than twice as long as the one to Saakpuli and worse in some areas, so we had about an hour and a half of mostly slow, bumpy, agitating vehicular maneuverings to get to our destinations.

Just before Wawani, we stopped in a village, Yoggu, where the first chief of the Dagombas lived and is buried. The Dagomba tribe is the dominant tribe of my area. They were not the dominant tribe of the Ghana region, but were up there. To make a long story shorter, some dude founded the Dagomba tribe in this village where we stopped nearly 600 years ago and is the first chief of this tribe. Important stuff to the locals and they take it seriously. Here you can see relics from the old chief, see the burial shrine, and check out an old hoe (for those of the dirtier mindset, you may have your chuckle now). It’s actually a hoe blade. The wooden handle is missing. So I say to myself what’s all the racket about? Cool that this is where the first chief had his farm and village, but it looks like other villages.

We go through the protocol of handing some money to some small boy (young man) to go offer it to the chief, blah, blah…and we end up sitting with him and about 20 other villagers. They are speaking Dagbani so I don’t know what they are saying, but Iddrisu does. They go on for some time and seem perturbed. Turns out other foreigners have come and promised to do things for them and they never hear from them again, so they take this opportunity to voice their frustration about that and decide not to accommodate all of our requests. What do the past issues have to do with us? I’m not sure. I was not there to promise anything, we just wanted to see the area and greet the chief to assess it for tourism potential. I asked Iddrisu to explain this, but it made little difference.

What they would not allow us to do was view the original chiefs relics (not sure exactly what those are). Also they require you to bring them a goat or something before the viewing – and no picture taking. Not too many people are going to know this before hand and once they drive an hour and a half down a dirt road, will probably not turn around and go fetch a goat or whatever. Because people are not abiding by this they are also upset. At any rate it turns out that even if we brought a goat or something, we could not have viewed the relics because the chief is just fed up with the way things have gone with past researchers, visitors, and tourists. [Fingers to my temples. Eyes closed]; I’m sensing a little hostility toward guests – I don’t think they really want visitors of any sort. I tell Iddrisu to tell them I understand their frustration and we can be on our way.

Lo and behold a small boy brings out a white rooster and a knife. “Iddrisu, what is going on!?”, I say in a concerned voice. Iddrisu says they agree we can go visit the burial shrine and see the hoe blade, but it will cost us 100,000 cedis extra in addition to the 20,000 we’ve already given to the chief. Iddrisu says “no” and more quarreling in Dagbani ensues. During this bargaining period we are all sitting on benches (three total) under a mango tree. The small boy is going around to the old men and the chief whispering something. He comes over to Iddrisu and whispers something. Iddrisu whispers something and the small boy goes away. Iddrisu explains to me that they want 100,000 and he said we won’t pay more than 50,000 or we can come back another time.

More whispering and bickering and our offer is accepted. Good. Now about the white rooster. The small boy doing the bargaining is all the while containing this white rooster by its legs. If we say yes, which we did, then the custom is to kill the rooster at the shrine as a sacrifice. Oh boy! My first sacrifice!

We can’t walk to the place, so we jump in our truck plus a bunch of locals (about 10 of us) and go to the shrine. Just before the shrine – say 100 feet or so, we have to remove our shoes and walk barefoot up to the shrine. Once we get there a man kneels at a small rock and pours water from a calabash multiple times while saying some prayers or something to…well I’m not sure, but probably the dead chief. At this point we are all squatting as appeared to be the ritual because a very young boy wasn’t and was yelled at, then squatted. Then the small boy hands over the white rooster (apparently it has to be white) and slits it’s throat, holds it upside down and drains the blood on the small rock. After a few moments, he pulls a few feathers from its wings and tosses it aside. It squawks and wiggles a few times and…dead.

The bird is given to another small boy who takes it down the hill behind the shrine. Now we can view the shrine (by simply turning around). The shrine is a very small, circular mud hut, maybe 6 feet in diameter and 8 feet tall with a thatched roof. I’m told promptly that I cannot put my head in to the shrine to take a look, but I can look inside this tiny opening of about 2’ x 2’. I confirm what they just told me because I don’t want to offend them. “Can I walk around the thing?” Yes, so I go to the rear.

What captures my attention there is what is going on below. The small boy who took the rooster, is now plucking it. A fire made of twigs has been started. He throws the rooster on it occasionally to help with the plucking and cleaning of it. We are invited to wait and eat the rooster. I opt out. We just had a huge warning of the bird flu that’s in Niger or Nigeria coupled with the extra caution I take on what I eat (because I was sick for two months at one point), plus we had a lot more to do – no rooster for Bill today.

On our way back, we walk by the shrine. I look back and see the small opening and spot something inside. I start to bend down (mind you I’m about 10 paces away from the hut) and am promptly told, “no, no, no!! You can’t do that!” They were serious! Shit, did I just totally break a sacred rule? I said sorry and said I thought they said I couldn’t put my head inside the door as I clarified before. Well, translations are subject to vagaries. What they also meant is I can’t even bend down from afar to look inside. Again, I say in Dagbani that I’m very sorry (one of the few words I know). They smiled and said it was okay, but was it really okay?

On the way back to our shoes and then the car, Iddrisu tells me a story. He says they just told him that a while back a foreigner went to the shrine. This person was very insistent on looking inside the shrine and eventually did so. They never made it home he said. I paused. Thought a bit; “Iddrisu, what do you mean they never made it home?” Iddrisu: “They never made it home.” Bill: “Do you mean they killed the person.” Iddrisu: “They never made it home.” Bill: “Do you mean they killed them?” Iddrisu: “They never made it home.” Okay so no direct answer and implications of murder and I just offended this tribe. Nervousness crept in to my mental being. Then I started thinking how annoyed the chief was with visitors in general, so I kept a keen eye on things for the rest of my time in that village. Now my perspiration started smelling of fear…you know the kind…and the villagers slowly started to gather around me. Each had knives in their hands chanting something in Dagbani…..okay, just kidding, but I was a tad concerned.

Next stop (queue the laugh track) – the old hoe. The deal with the old hoe is that she’s really, really old. But seriously folks, the chief was farming 600 years ago and heard a war happening in the distance. He dropped his hoe and left for the war. When he returned, he was ill and died a few months later, never touching the hoe again. Legend has it that the hoe has not been moved since…at least not by a person. They say that when the hoe is not in it’s original vertical position between some rocks as the chief left it, something major is happening. Well, we found it lying flat. They now believe something major was going to happen. I’m not sure if it was good or bad, but being so far out in the bush and hearing about the possible homicide, I was ready to head back! Waiter….check, please! Then they told me that some cattle ate some of the branches that were at the base of the tree where the hoe was and they all died. However, when peace is restored the hoe will magically appear in the upright position, between the small rocks again. So I guess it’s a bad sign for it to be laying flat.

With all the intrigue and mystery, I felt compelled to ask if I can photo it. I knew I was not allowed to photo the other objects, but thought I’d ask to photo this. They said yes, but cryptically told me that the picture won’t make it back with me. “What do you mean it won’t make it back with me?” It was told to me that you will have the photo, but by the time you get back to America, the hoe will have disappeared from the picture. Uh huh. Nervously and cautiously, I snapped a photo. On to the next adventure…and last; to the river near Wawani.

(Pic 6: Hoe Blade – can you see it?)

I’ve been excited to see the river, but it is so far from the main road and so hard to get at that I thought we’d never reach it. Since we had the only vehicle in the area for miles and miles, people poured in to the truck and the truck bed with their empty water bottles (5 gallons plus, each) and we all headed to the river. Another 15 minutes later we stop, get out and walk for a few hundred yards. The river! Cool. There in front of me is the White Volta. Calm, green, and slow moving. It was maybe 75 yards wide and the water was warm to the touch. It looked a bit like the Sacramento River or Missouri River or the James River.

(Pic 7: White Volta heading towards confluence)

(Pic 8: Our river guide)

A local who lived near by invited us to jump in one of his canoes. He is a fisherman and with the help of another small boy they paddle us with their makeshift canoe and paddles out to the river confluence, where the White Volta and Black Volta converge, then on to a sandy beach area. It took over one hour total. I was able to just sit back, feel a little breeze in the hot sun, dip my hand in the water, listen to the calls of birds I’ve never heard before and examine the tree covered banks. All the while most of the conversation is amongst the three Ghanaians in the local language and I can just soak in the experience.

We get to the sandy beach area. This is a spot that has talk of development in terms of tourism. It’s definitely a challenge to get to though. We stop at the small sandy beach and notice remnants from some hunters and fishermen who might have just picked up and left a few hours before; cigarette boxes, fish bones, mangos uneaten

(Pic 9: small boy paddling)

(Pic 10: sandy beach)

and eaten, plantain pieces, and fire pits. Across the river the Fulani (sp? They are the nomad tribe of the area and roam all over with their cattle) have just crossed a herd, but two are stuck. We watched them as we drew nearer to the beach and while we were on the beach and then as we were leaving. The entire time, no luck. The cattle were stuck. One was screaming. I could only imagine that its skinny leg was sunk deep in some mud and the suction was too much for it.

(Pic 11: Fulani herding across from sandy beach)

(Pic 12: Almost back to dry land)

Back in the boat and off to home. I can feel the sun burning my pale body. The wind had ceased and my mouth was parched. It took some time, but we made it back. Iddrisu thanked Allah three times when we reached shore. He can’t swim and the whole thing had scared the daylights out of him. He didn’t complain once and braved the adventure with enthusiasm.

We pile in the truck, go back to tell the Yoggu chief we are leaving and thank him for not ordering my death, then head back on the long road home. The wind is picking up. The Harmattan is here. The dust is thick. Maybe you can see one kilometer or so due to the dust. The sun is just a pale spot in the sky, but enough sunlight to see the road. The heat has not subsided even with the dust cover. It’s still has to be 110 in the direct sun. Eventually we reach asphalt. Hallelujah!

Once we hit the paved road we haul arse back to town. I can feel the sun burn, I’m getting a headache and my throat is dry as the Sahara. We have a few extra sachets and down a liter and a half of water. I’m now feeling better and content to stare out at the dusty African savannah at dusk for the next 40 minutes or so.

Home at last and here I am writing to you in the comfort of my newly renovated room. Good to be home.

Next on the list of to do’s; go to a Peace Corps meeting in Kumasi in a week, then we have a disco party on the 25th, then may go to the coast for the solar eclipse on the 29th. In between I’ll keep plugging away at my main job and continue with my secondary projects.

Until next time....

Bill

The first definition of “Reprieve” in the 1998 Merriam-Webster Dictionary means; “to delay the punishment or execution of” the second is; “to give temporary relief to”. At times during a particular day I did believe that I was destined to be executed, punished, or just made me suffer, but that was probably the time when the misery of the day peaked.

Right now everything is good. And I mean now now, as they say here. You may remember a previous blog where I explained how Ghanaians like to say things twice (tro tro, small small, etc). So now now I’m temporarily running the Tamale Sub Office while the guy who usually runs it is on vacation. The couch I’m sitting on is an American style couch and I’m listening to the Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band CD. Yes, we can listen to CDs…..nice. Most of them are scratched, but luckily this one isn’t. There are some old tapes here of groups like The Who. I like to think that some PCV from back in the early 70s taped it and it’s been sitting here since…sometimes I think the dust on everything has been here that long too. But the dust & wind & heat come often because the Harmattan is here – a hot, dusty, dry season. So now now is a reprieve.

Since I billed the word ‘reprieve’ so dramatically you may be asking yourself; “What’s all the hubbub, Bub?” Reprieve from what exactly? Well, I’ll tell you. Yesterday was not one of my better days. I’m sure the locals take days like I had yesterday in stride, but me with my American expectations and all, I nearly put up the white flag and surrendered to the Ghanaian God of Mercy (if there was one).

To set the mood, let me first explain that running the Sub Office is a chore. I’m in charge of the money for the house in case something goes wrong which is not uncommon. In fact before I got here and just after the guy who runs the place left, I got a call on my cell phone that the fridge was shocking people. Mind you I received a call from our Peace Corps driver, Mohammad, and it is hard to understand his accent over cell phone to cell phone. If I heard him correctly then did someone perform some type of Voodoo on the fridge to bring bad Ju Ju to us Volunteers? This is Ghana and traditional religions still thrive even with those that are Muslim or Christian. In person I usually have no problem in communicating with Mohammad, but this call prompted me to call the Sub Office and ask a PCV to confirm that my ears weren’t hearing something bizarre, like the fridge is shocking people or something like that…..so I called, but no luck. So I quickly gathered my things, drove to the sub office early to start my duties. Sure enough, the fridge was shocking people with 240 volts of electricity if you touched a metal part of it! The fridge even threw our house keeper back a few feet when her wet mop touched and exposed metal part in the back.

A few hours later, problem solved; the ‘earth’ wire was not working (a grounding issue to you and me). So things went. Not overwhelming, but I realized that my stay here would require most of my attention.

I also noticed items were going missing, so somebody or bodies were stealing from our office. There are so many variables and a lack of organization and management here that it could be anyone, but rumors fly and some get accused more than others. I did find one of our workers lifting (they call it chopping) a few things. At some point I’d have to have a little chat with this person. The one that goes, ‘you might get fired if you keep this up and you might get fired anyway’ speech.

Then another worker started crying because they felt they were mistreated by someone (a misunderstanding) and I had to console the worker and talk with the other person to mend the issue.

Drama! Something I like to avoid, but sometimes you gotta hit it head-on and nip it in the bud.

So after all these shenanigans, the mood was set for a challenging Tuesday when I planned to go back to my site in Savelugu to make sure all was good, drop some stuff off at my house, pick up some stuff from my house, get a hair cut, and talk with some co-workers in Savelugu. I got up that day to get ready to do my thing. One of the items on my list was to confront our worker which was a heavy deal since it could mean that they eventually may get fired. So I did that, then grabbed my things and headed to town. I only had a small amount of money so the first thing was to get money.

As soon as I stepped outside that day it was the hottest day so far, maybe 107 and very dry. The direct sun was not my friend. Also it gets so dry, I’ve witnessed people who have feet that are so cracked they look like the Mohave Desert after a year of no rain; many deep crevasses of calloused flesh.

Because it was so hot, I figured I’d go to the closest ATM to get money even if it charged me a bit extra. The ATM did not work for some reason. That meant I had to walk a few miles in the direct heat to the next ATM through the mayhem of the town with everyone yelling at me to by their goods or to just say hello to the foreigner or a cabbie yelling at me to see if I needed a lift…..after a while you tune most of it out in order maintain some sanity. Starting my walk toward the next ATM I quickly became drenched in sweat. The wind picked up too, which seemed like a blessing at first, but the Harmattan brings thick dust. Now my eyes are filled with what felt like sand AND I just started my trek. I make it to the next ATM with my eyesight intact thanks to some sunglasses that I bought for US$2. After 3 tries at my main ATM, no luck!

Next step; go in to the bank and pull out some cash. Now in the States, if you go in to a bank in the middle of the day in the middle of the week, usually you are in and out pretty quickly. Anytime you go to a bank here, there is a line and it takes forever; ½ at least, maybe an hour, maybe more. Sometimes you have to wait in 3 lines just to hear, “come back tomorrow and maybe we can help you.” Good times. Today, thank God, I only had to wait in one line for the minimum ½ hour and got what I needed. Not bad, but still I wouldn’t consider the day going as planned and it would be even hotter when I stepped back out in to the heat of the day.

Now off to get my hair cut at Chubby Checker Enterprises by my man Abubakar who operates his business out of what looks like a railroad storage car; that is a whole other story and quite interesting. In fact I’m going to devote a blog or something of the like to him and send some pics…trust me you will like it.

I walk about 2 miles to find he is not there! It is Tuesday around 11 am. Wula? (why/how in Dagbani). Where is he? Why is he not there? This is not uncommon for Ghana – for someone just not to be somewhere and for any reason, but, wula?!

Now in the searing, dry, dusty heat I head to the lorry station another 2 miles away down skid row to go to Savelugu, my home base. On my way down skid row – I call this particular sidewalk skid row because it is where all the most destitute sit and beg. Sometimes I give them small money. Even other Ghanaians do the same – alms for the poor. But of course every time I walk down this stretch of side walk I can’t give everyone something all the time. As the day was going, I walked briskly passed the downtrodden when one of them spit what looked like vomit in front of me hitting my sandal and toes. She didn’t mean it and didn’t even notice what she had done. I just kept walking. The day had a theme and I was not directing the final cut. How would this tale end I wondered.

Through the back portal of the lorry station, I enter from a near calm emptiness to the circus-style mayhem of the station. I’ve not yet explained properly the chaos of a Ghanaian taxi rinks or lorry stations or drivers for that matter. That will be another story for another time, as well – that will take some creative writing to explain that properly. In this particular station I pick the taxi to Savelugu and as soon as I walk through the portal to mayhem I’ve learned to take the initiative and yell, ‘Savelugu!, Savelugu!’ Some taxi barker directs me to the right cab and I jump in. All the windows are rolled up and the sweat literally pours from my body. It must be 120 degrees in the cab. I’m sitting in the back seat with two other passengers and I say in English that I’m melting. We laugh and hail the driver. We hail the driver because most cabs don’t have window knobs to roll the windows down. Some of them have some way to roll the windows down like a wrench or metal deally, so we ask the driver to help before we dehydrate into usable shoe leather. He accommodates and we are grateful that our sweat is now rolling off our bodies a little less intensely.

It takes about 25 minutes to get to Savelugu. About half way there, I remembered that I forgot something – the keys to my house! The swear words in my mind were of the uncensored, all out, everything goes-type. This is when I nearly flipped my lid. Was I to be executed by the elements or just punished for something for the time I did earlier. I needed a reprieve!

Shortly after I arrived at my site, I spotted my neighbor, Rashida. She took my load I was carrying and handed me a much welcomed cold water bottle. Her help and the ice cold water made up for much of bad way the day was going. Sometimes, especially here in Ghana, it is the small things that make the biggest difference.

Also, when I went to the District Assembly, both my co-workers were there which was something in and of itself! I think I’ve explained previously that many times I’ll go to work and no one is there. Wula?! Hey, who knows? But, this day I was able to have a productive ‘meeting’ with them. I put ‘meeting’ in quotes because it was mostly a reprieve in an air conditioned office with the selfish intention of cooling off and putting off as long as possible the journey back out in the heat and back to Tamale. Finally, the time came; time to go back and brave the elements. This time I was rejuvenated and ready to roll.

I made it back okay that day, and even found Abubakar to cut my hair, and rewarded myself later with a nap and later a meal of pete-pete – tomato stew and yam. Good stuff!

Of course in retrospect things weren’t all that bad that day and things are going very well general, but some days are a bit more challenging than others.

As I write this the heat is still picking up, I’m sweating just sitting here and this will continue for a few more months. It reminds me of Chico somehow, so I can deal with it, no problem.

I hope you enjoyed my slice of Ghanaiacana and hope all is well with you and your families.

All the best,

Bill

30 January 2006 On a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of accomplishing my goals in my role here in Ghana as a Peace Corps Volunteer, I’d give today a 10. Even if I accomplish nothing else, I feel like I’ve done one thing right. The Peace Corps typically assigns 3 Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV’s) to a site in succession, 2 years each – so that’s 3 volunteers over a six year period. At the end of the last period, there are no more PCV’s placed in that role and it is assumed that the local Ghanaians can now handle and deal with issues on their own. There are some exceptions to that rule, such as a PCV acting as a teacher at a local school, but that would summarize my role as an Eco-Tourism Advisor, and many other roles the Peace Corps has in place. As an advisor, I am supposed to work with someone to build their skills so they can actually develop tourism in their area themselves. Peace Corps is here to assist them in brainstorming on ideas, teaching them about budgets, handling budget funds, training local villages in hosting tourists, helping locals develop tourist related businesses, etc. So there is a lot to do, but I should not be the one doing it, just advising, assisting, counseling, etc. The last PCV in my role was the first, so there will be one more after me. After that, the Savelugu-Nanton District Assembly should be able to develop tourism in their district without outside help. Sounds easy and basic, however, it’s not that simple. There are so many Non-Governmental Agencies (NGO’s) and Governmental Agencies that come to Ghana and hand out money and do much of the work for these developing countries, that they come to rely on others to do the work and provide the funds for them (I’m generalizing since Ghana is not the only developing country to blame). This seems to become somewhat of a vicious cycle. The Peace Corps is different. We offer volunteers to live with the people and live like the people; i.e., we don’t get paid much and have to live on a budget closer to the average Ghanaian. Other workers that come here from foreign agencies get paid quite a bit, especially in Ghanaian terms and hand out a lot of money for important projects (some projects are important to locals and some projects are just simply perceived as important the donating agency). Even though Ghana accepts Peace Corps workers to come and help, we are not the ones that are rich and bringing them money, so sometimes (many times) it is hard to get anything done without doing it yourself, which in the long run does not help the people of developing countries to help themselves. Educated Ghanaians that I’ve spoken with agree to this particular observation. The last PCV here did most everything himself. This in the long run is bad. However, there are two more volunteers to come and continue the work; myself and the next volunteer. We still have time to right the ship, so to speak. Plus, what the previous volunteer did by himself was necessary to get the ship built and ready to sail. He has done well. So, now I’ve decided it is time to turn the duties and responsibilities of running and managing the ship over to a Ghanaian; actually a team of two. Over the last few months, I’ve been reviewing past activities and have created a summary report plus a game plan on handing over the mantel to two men at the District Assembly. To get my proposal approved, I needed to talk to one of the top dogs (big men, as they are called here) at the District Assembly, namely the District Coordinating Director (DCD). He would have to approve a new position for a Ghanaian, called a Desk Officer, and agree to put another in charge of supervising that position. I presented my case to the DCD today with the men that I’d chosen to take to the ship’s controls. The DCD agreed to my plan and we have promoted someone to the position of Desk Officer and another as supervisor today. Yeeehaw! Now, the burden of executing the responsibilities of the new Eco-Tourism department falls squarely on the shoulders of Ghanaians, as it should be. Any success to be made will be made by Ghanaians and any failures, too, will be those of Ghanaians. I’ve promised that they have my full support. I will work equally as hard to guide the Desk Officer, act as his shadow, help him with every aspect of the position, but will take no credit for any accomplishments. I will work as hard as they want me to, but with one caveat; I will not do the work for them, but with them. We shall see in time whether we, as a team, can get anything accomplished. There are many things to do, and money will be an issue, since Savelugu-Nanton is not a wealthy district, but we are all excited to make the most of our time together. The first things on our agenda are to open a bank account for the Eco-Tourism budget funds. Then we will review the progress at the first site that is being developed, Saakpuli, and see what else needs to be done there. Then we will decide where to channel our efforts next. I’m pushing for a Visitor Center/Museum because it is easily accessible (right off one of the best roads in Ghana and near the Tamale airport), it is next to the Chief’s Palace, and we can sell local goods there and point people to attractions easily. However, this will probably be costly, but I think it will be the most effective way to boost tourism and tourism related business in the Savelugu-Nanton district. The Desk Officer and Supervisor agree, so we will see if we can actually make it happen. Wish us luck. Until next time, all the best, Bill

It was during training in Techiman that our SED (small enterprise development) group trainer, Kofi, told us about a resource that was available to Ghanaians to help them start a business or improve the business they own. The resource is the BAC (Business Advisory Center) and is run by the government. The BAC provides training, like bookkeeping, or they may help someone with a business idea develop a business plan; all for a small fee. Cool, I though to myself. I’m sure this place will come in handy. After going to a briefing at the BAC in Techiman courtesy of Kofi, I received a glossy brochure with locations of facilities all around Ghana. One location was in Tamale, near my site. Great! I will go visit them and see how I can work with them to develop local entrepreneurs businesses into successful ventures. The rest of the story is my adventure in actually locating the facility in Tamale. The story is typical to Ghana, and I’m sure to any developing country. These are the possible challenges faced by anyone trying to do about anything here. The day before I decide to undertake my mission to find the Tamale BAC, I went to the Rotary Club meeting in Tamale. The Peace Corps Volunteer before me went to the meetings and through his Rotary Club connections at home, raised $28,000 for a Savelugu High School. The money was used to improve the school quite a bit and included desks, dorm beds, and more. It took some time to hunt down the Rotary Club in Tamale, but not nearly as adventurous as locating the BAC. You do have to have tenacity, as sense of adventure and endurance to accomplish seemingly easy tasks; “Seemingly easy” by American standards anyway. Let me start by saying right off the bat about 5% of people own cars (maybe less), say about 40% own bikes, and the rest walk or take taxis everywhere. There is no phone book and there are no detailed maps of Tamale. Most places do not have street addresses (perhaps there are no street addresses), and most of the streets have no names and if they do even less have signs. In hand, I have the glossy brochure from the Techiman BAC office and I look at the location of BAC Tamale facility. I’m also sitting in the Peace Corps Sub Office and primed to hop on a borrowed bike and cruise far and wide to find what I’m looking for. The location states that the Tamale BAC is on Aboabo Road behind Center. Okay, so there is a street with a name. Excellent. But what is Center? What do they mean “behind Center”? I don’t know, but I jump on my bike, head downtown and start asking around – surely someone knows. Off I go. 3 miles later, I’m downtown and ask someone where Aboabo road is located. I get some ‘hard to understand’ directions and head off again in the direction of the woman’s pointed finger. After about 15 minutes of riding down one road thinking I’m on Aboabo Road, I start to doubt my whereabouts and stop, greet some man and ask him if he speaks English. No, but some woman selling food says she does. I ask if I’m on the right road. Well, I’m not on Aboabo and I’m far away. I need to go to the first roundabout and take that down a while to another roundabout and go left again. That’s Aboabo Road and the road will also fortunately take me back towards town. Another 15 minutes or so of riding, I reach the junction of Aboabo and go left. Now that I know I’m on the right road, I start looking for the BAC. I go all the way down the road, about another 15 minutes, and can’t find anything or any sign telling me I’m at or near the BAC. I even take some side street and look around. Nothing! All the while, I’m negotiating a million pedestrians, other bicyclists, people on motos, and crazy taxi drivers. You really are taking your life in to your own hands when you walk or ride near downtown. Trucks have the right of way over cars, cars over motos, motos over bikes and bikes over pedestrians. Vehicles are aggressive, bikes and motos ride on both sides of the street or sidewalk and streetlights usually don’t work (the few that exist anyway). Now that I’m near downtown and still alive and kicking, I decide to find a store run by a new friend I met at the Rotary Club the night before. I find his place, Henderson’s. Henry is about 65 and sells provisions like toothpaste, powdered milk, pasta, tuna, etc in his small store. Henry has been a member of the Rotary club for at least 19 years. Surely he will know about the BAC and where it is located. Well he has heard of it and has even gone to some training seminars along time ago, but he does not remember where it is. Henry gets on his cell phone and calls another Rotarian, Rene, and asks him if he knows where the BAC is. No luck. Henry says, Bill, let’s go. Lock your bike and come with me in my car. We will go find what you are looking for. Okay then. A ride in someone’s car is always a treat in Ghana. I don’t care where we go. I get to sit back and just go for a ride at the very least. Henry goes toward Aboabo Road, where I said the BAC should be located. He parks his car; we get out and ask someone where we can find the BAC. They don’t know and we jump back in the car. He knows someone a few blocks away, so we go there. No luck again. We now head to another building where Henry has more contacts. That person says he thinks he knows where the BAC is located! The man says drive down the street a ways and when you see the lady selling Kenkey at her food stand, there it is on the left. We go in that direction and start looking for the Kenkey lady. We find a woman, but she points across the street and tells Henry to go across the street to the woman we spot selling food. Once we get to the Kenkey lady, he asks where to find the BAC. She points and says something in Twe and we are on our way again. Within a few minutes we arrive at a dilapidated building somewhat off the street. Two guys are just sitting on the porch looking bored out of their minds. We greet them and confirm that we’ve found the BAC! Henry explains, after bringing to their attention that while they are relaxing without a care or bead of sweat on their foreheads, we’ve been struggling half the day to find their office. We all laugh and Henry tells them that I will return to talk to them. Henry is an example of how nice and helpful Ghanaians can be. I have many Henry’s and Henriettas that have helped me without expecting a thing. Some do expect things and some are bold enough to see me on the street and without any particular reason yell at me, “white man, give me 10,000 cedis!” Or some kids say, “Similinga, buy me ice cream!” Many don’t even say it in a nice tone. It sounds like a threat. I’m told that some think you are like Santa Claus and if they ask (or demand) something, we will just give them what they want. The word ‘conditioning’ comes to mind. Foreigners have given things away for nothing because of guilt or whatever and so the cycle continues. This is part of the problem in Ghana. But that is another story. So I found what BAC and made it over to talk to them after Henry dropped me off. Talking to the guys at the BAC is yet another story. I felt like strangling one of the men I talked to when I was there; a stereotypical government worker that you may even find in America. The guy is getting paid a salary, has no incentive to help anyone, and just talked in circles thinking he was Socrates or something. I left knowing less than when I got there with my blood pressure well above normal. Hey, but I accomplished my mission and the place still may be of some use to me because I won’t have to deal with the guy I talked to. The actual person I need to talk to was sick that day. I shall return, and it won’t take me more than three minutes to get there from my sub office. It beats the 4 hour or so trek of my original mission, but it will lack all the adventure. Other adventures, I know are in store anyway, so not to worry. Bill

I know it is the Christmas Crunch for everyone and you may not even read this until after Christmas, or even after the new year, so Happy New Year, as well!

Finally, I am in the place where I’ll stay for the next 22 months! After training in Techiman and swearing in, I left for Savelugu only to be stuck in our Tamale Sub-Office (TSO) because my place was a sty. The place is in the District Assembly housing complex (okay it’s not really a complex, but it is essentially on the same grounds the District Assembly – a 5 min walk).

Sidebar: The District Assembly is the local government structure that governs the people of the Savelugu-Nanton District, the district where I am responsible for building eco-tourism. There are 10 Regions in Ghana. I am in the Northern Region. There are then districts within the regions and over 13 and growing in the Northern Region alone. Ghana created districts (I don’t think it was too long ago) to provide more localized governance to the people. Within the DA the main man is the DCE (District Chief Executive), who runs committees such as Finance, Justice & Security, Agriculture & Environment, etc. There is also an Executive Committee which the DCE interacts with. Below the DCE is the DCD (District Coordinating Director). He is in charge of Divisions such as, Budgeting, Environmental Health, etc. Basically the main guys are the DCE and the DCD. My supervisor is the DCD, but I’ll deal with both the DCD, DCE and various other departments.

So, it took about two weeks to clean the place and make it livable. It’s very basic like my place in Techiman; decaying cement walls that are painted mint green and a cement floor with oil stains. However, I do have electricity and a ceiling fan and a roof that does not leak! I also have desk that is falling apart, but it is doing the job. Otherwise my stuff is spread all over the floor. When I walk outside there is a covered entrance way. To my left are two small rooms; one for bucket bathing and one for going to the bathroom. If the water in town is running then I can take a cold shower. There is a water shortage however, so I’m usually bucket bathing. There are two rooms to my right; one that is the size of my bedroom. That is where I put my stove and propane tank. And another small room where I’ve stored some the miscellaneous things the DA will not remove from my place.

You can call my place a duplex. On the other side is, coincidentally enough, my Peace Corps language teacher, Sufyan and his wife, Rashida. They are very nice. They used to make dinner for the previous volunteer every night and they tell me they will do the same for me. No complaints here. Sufyan has a mud brick chicken coop with chickens and guinea fowl. So I hear roosters cock-a-doodle-doing starting at 4:30am when Sufyan and Rashida get up to pray (they are Muslim). All day long the birds are chasing each other around and looking for grub. Sometimes the smaller ones jump through the gate to my entrance way and I have to shoo them out before they try to fertilize my porch. For some odd reason I am entertained by just watching the chickens do there thing, I am not sure why and wonder if I have begun to lose my mind.

I feel very lucky that I get to live next to Sufyan and Rashida. And that I am only a 20-25 minute taxi ride to Tamale where the sub-office, Internet, and shops are located. Also, there are a handful of Peace Corps Volunteers which I see on a regular basis plus many other international workers from various governmental and NGO (Non-Governmental Organizations) agencies, like Unicef, USAID, JICA (Japan), Meet Africa (Dutch), etc.

The town of Savelugu itself is not much to look at upon my first impressions. It is on one of the nicer roads in Ghana where a lot of import/export vehicles run up and down to Burkina Faso and beyond. I’m about 3 miles from town and taking my bike is not always practical because once I get there, I then need to lug my bike around. The town is 90% agriculture business (mostly small farmers, I believe) and also about 90% Muslim.

Now, about my job…which to develop eco-tourism within the Savelugu-Nanton District. I am the second of 3 volunteers that are helping with this project. The first guy did site assessments in the area, prioritized them, and then figured out what to do to develop each site and about how much it would cost. He was also responsible for creating a budget which he did and was around US$3,000. He started to develop a site called Saakpuli which is north of Savelugu by about 30 miles. The site has a Baobob tree where slaves used to be shackled and sold. I don’t know the details yet, but I believe one tribe would capture another tribe’s people, and then sell them to another group who would then take them to the coastal areas and sell the slaves to the Europeans and Americans.

The push for eco-tourism comes from the national government, so I get support of another Ghanaian agency called the Ghana Tourist Board. They will assist me in my project and are located in Tamale, so I will be traveling to Tamale often to meet with them on a regular basis.

I will also look for secondary projects where I will need to find outside funding. The previous volunteer joined the local Rotary Club in Tamale and worked in partnership with a Rotary Club in Florida (his home state) to provide US$28,000 to improve the Savelugu Secondary School. Over time I will ask around and observe what projects need priority in my area.

Things are going well here, but still adjusting to my new situation. I’m hoping to come home for a month next December and may travel to Europe, as well, at some point. In the mean time, I am planning to go to a town called Koforidua (near Accra) and go golfing. I hope I don’t hurt myself since it will have been a loooong time playing. I wish everyone a happy holiday season!!

All the best,

Bill

Hi Everyone,

I'm updating my contact information....

For LETTERS & (now) PACKAGES

Please send to:

William Reinecke, PCV

c/o Peace Corps TSO

PO Box 962

Tamale, NR

Ghana, West Africa

e-mail address: wreinecke@yahoo.com

phone: country code (233) + 20-884-6451 (I think that's the right country code)

It would be great to hear from you by phone, letter or even the easy way; e-mail.

Yes, it is official. I've sworn in and am now officially a Peace Corps Volunteer. That took place last Friday December 2nd. Things have been crazy here since the last post. I went on a field trip to see baboons and elephants, went further north to Tamale and my site in Savelugu, then got a mild form of malaria (am okay now, also first to get it in our group), the Internet Cafe in Techiman went out of business or something, I swore in and then am now in Tamale. Next stop is my site Savelugu which is 15 miles north of town. Pretty convenient for me.

First thing is to get the place cleaned up and I'll need to buy some furnishings like pillows, shelving, storage, a stove, floor covering, cleaning supplies, etc. I figure this will all take some time since I have to take taxis everywhere for everything.

I'll keep this one short for now, but will be able to write more later when I get settled in to my humble abode.

One quick side story...we went to a canteen to take our language test. As a group of us were sitting there outside (and by the side of the road) I heard a thud. A big truck nailed a goat. It was now sitting in the road in a few sections. A couple guys on bikes moved it off the road because cars were swearving (sp?) around it to miss it. Then a kid on a BMX bike rides up and grabs a hand leg piece and rides off in to the bush with it. An ineresting site that I captured on film.

I asked a Ghanaian what the deal was with all these roaming animals. Goats and chickens tend to just run around here; through peoples yards, across the street, in the market, etc. He has a bunch of chickens running around his yard, yet he goes to the market to buy a chicken, kills it then eats it. I said why don't you just kill one of the ones running around. He said if they are not his then they are someone elses. You can go to jail for killing or taking someone elses freeranging animal.

So then I asked him what about the goat that was hit. He said that if you are caught taking roadkill that is not yours, it is also an offense. In essence, if that goat was not the kids, which it probably wasn't, he was actually stealing roadkill. Good to know.

Until next time.

Bill

Dasiba (good morning),

I'm on my field trip and I checked out the house i'll be staying at,

but did not get to go in to the town. My place is

very basic, but has a shower of sorts, a flush toilet,

and electricity. It has two small rooms that I may

join by putting a hole in the wall that seperates

them.

Then there is a kitchen area that is a room

with an entrance to outside with no door. Should work

fine though. The place needs some cleaning up and a few

items of furniture before I can call it my home. Also

I can walk a few minutes to my office that I share

with three other people. The office is located at the

District Assembly complex. Our group met the Districe

Chief Executive and his deputy. However, I'll mostly

be working with the right hand man of the DCE, he is

the DCD, District Coordinating Director. He was not

there today, so I'll have to wait.

Tineenyataba (see you later).

As promised, I finally got a mobile number. My number is 20-884-6451. You will need to dial the code to get out of the country and the the country code for Ghana; 011-233+ my number. Before you do call me, remember it costs you, so you may want to determine what network is best to call on. My Dad bought a prepaid card on line and the rate was around 12 cents per minute (www.phonecardsavers.com I believe). also, you may be able to text me too. However, my sister texted (is that a word) me and it did not go through but, when I texted her, it worked.

I'm now 7 hours ahead of CA, USA and will be 8 hours in a week or so at DST. A few other things to realize, like the Internet system, and the land line system, the mobile phone network is hit and miss, so please keep trying if you want to call (remember there is no charge for me to talk to you when you call, but if I call the states it can cost about 1/4 of my monthly salary for 10 minutes!)

So now I'm in Tamale on my field trip. We went to Mole National Park on the way (I think that is the official name). There they have wild life for viewing and we saw wart hogs, baboons, elephants (only a few), some forms of antelope or something, and some other type of monkey. The park is very large and we only saw a very small piece of it - we had to walk to we only walked for about an hour.

The history of why the park is not doing better than it should is interesting. All the former tribes that were in the park were pushed out ( I think in the '50s) to make way for the park boundries and persever the wild life. However the tribes now live on the perimiters and in the wet season, the can not travel to market to get food, so they have to poach to live. The area was not set up to support both tourism and the local tribes. When NGOs come to help (as in setting up Mole as a national park), they many times end up doing more damage than they do assistance. Also the road to get to the park is about 2 hours of slow bumpy semi-torture, especially if taken in one of the local tros.

As mentioned before, I won't feel comfortable getting my computer out and writing more details about everything for another few months when I get to my site. So when the time comes, I'll ask you what questions you have and I'll try to include the info in more detailed writings.

I hope everyone is doing well!!

Bill

Yes, and I'm crossing all possible body parts that I can get this written without a power outage. I've learned my actual assignment finally! I will be in the city of Savelug in the Savelug-Nantun region. There they speak mostly a language called Dagbani. Also they are a mix of Christian and Muslim. There are more Muslims there than down south. Savelug is about 15 miles north of Tamale (sp?). Tamale should be on any map of Ghana that you find. I think I'm in for hot and windy with a barron climate. However we have sub office there that is nice, I'll have running water and electricity and should be able to update the blog with pics fairly easily. I am happy at this point about the site, but will visit it in about a week or two and will get a feel for the area. The language is very difficult so far, but today was my first day. They are also very formal there - I'll need to not only bow to elder men, but sqaut in front of Chiefs when I come by them. Also if you are wearing flip flop type of sandels, you are supposed to remove them as you walk on your path past the Chief. That's all for now. Thanks to everyone for there follow ups and mail. Talk to you soon.

First of all, everything is going well. It's definitely a challenge, but things are going well. The phone systems is horrible here. I can't find a phone to use the phone card that Dad gave me.

We've been so busy I haven't yet had time to write anything in the form of e-mail, blog or letters. If you'd like to write a letter, that would be very cool. If you want to send anything, that would be cool too. It doesn't have to be expensive, just a reminder of home. Off the top of my head, I could use gatorade packs, a small game to play with my home stay family (Yahtzee maybe), cheese, I'll let you know more later.

I've only been here two weeks and I feel like it has been months. I miss everyone a lot. Now I know what they mean by culture shock! I must say the Ghanains are very freindly though. I'm now living with a family and although the set up is basic and I'm bucket bathing, it is just fine. Also it is pretty hot, but it will get much hotter.

For the next two months I'll be where I am in Techiman. Then in two months (about Dec. 3rd.) I"ll be sworn in and sent to my site. I'll know where my site will be in a week. I can't wait to find out. So right now I'm at an Internet Cafe in Nkranza near Techiman. It costs 12,000 cedis an hour and it cost 8,000 to get here. That totals a days wages for me, which is about $2 US dollars.

We all are now thinking of things in terms of Cedis and not Dollars which makes a big difference. So I just bought some rope, a mirror and some cards. Since we have been deprived of many amenities for the last few weeks, when I showed my friends what I got, they were hooting with excitment. Then we all laughed at what we were so excited about. We also became excited when the Internet at the cafe just came back online. It took us 20 minutes by cab to get here to find out the system was down! We were bummed. Then the phones don't work to call the US. I was wondering when I could contact you when the system came online and now all is good.

Okay so I'm going to send this now before the system crashes again. Stay in touch by mail, please!!!! And I'll write when I can. I'll send pics when I can, but now is not a good time for me to be whipping out my computer and camera. Tell everyone/anyone that I miss them, home, sub sandwiches, warm showers, cold beers, and quite a few other things, but I'd be rambling.

Thanks for all the comments everyone! Glad to see others blogging away too.

I'm in the midst of selling my house and can't believe how stressful it is; I've fired one sales broker, lowered the price of my house, got an offer pulled out from under my feet, blah blah blog. Issues.

Wanted to let you know that I may not be very productive on this blog until I get over to Ghana in a few weeks so bare with me. Remember if you have questions, let me know via comments or e-mail and I will answer here or personally.

Here is my address for the first few months where you can send letters or packages until I get my own post office box (or you can always e-mail me:)

William Reinecke, PCV

Peace Corps

P.O. Box 5796

Accra-North, Ghana

West Africa

That's it for now. Hope everyone is well.

Peace (how appropriate I figure),

Bill

This a my first post.

Okay, so it is August 31st and only 17 days until I leave for the west coast then a few days after that the west coast....of Africa! I'll be there about 2 years and 2 1/2 months. The 2 1/2 months is for training which is held in Techiman, Ghana.

Right now just getting my ducks in a row. I can't believe how many things there are to do; sell house, clean house, get affairs in order, buy things, say goodbyes, etc. etc.

I'll post more when I have more time. I have a feeling I'll have plenty of time after training.

Cheers,

Bill