So last Christmas was my first white Christmas and being at home with family was a beautiful thing. The interesting thing about this time of year is that it is the dry season but also the coldest time of the year with the wind blowing almost constantly. Now I enjoy this very much because I know that after the wind dies down during late January and February it is dry and hot!!! So naturally you enjoy the wind while you can and it is a good feeling to cover up at night. I can't help think about the fact that here and back home everybody is getting a little cold with stuffy noses and sore throats. We call this a cold but here it is called Cahtah ever one either is sick with Cahtah or Malaria. I can fortunately say that I have never had Malaria but do suffer from some small Cahtah. Its nice to look at these little similarities and the differences that take place knowing that no matter what we choose to call something it still affects us in the same way. Life is funny in that way the important thing to remember is that really we are all the same, yes individually we are different but deep down we are the same.

So I have been a volunteer for two years now and I keep getting similar questions to why I chose to extend for another year. Ranging from why and how or even what but really everyone has their own reasons for the things we do and truthfully I am not finished with Ghana yet. It may seem strange that even Ghanaians ask me some times how I can live with no electricity but again I have to say that I enjoy the people and sometimes the silence not to mention the stars at night. When you don't have lights for example you live your life in a more natural way that follows the cycle of the sun, going to sleep when it gets dark and waking when the sun rises is a very refreshing way to live and I suggest it to anyone who wants to try even just for a week. We sometimes get to distracted with all of our gadgets and forget what life is really like without computers and Ipods. It is not that it is boring at all but you may have to face the reality of evaluating yourself a little more than you are used to doing. This I believe can make anyone a better person so try it sometime.

Peace, Love, and all the Good stuff

Austin

When I think about how easy it is to just greet someone with either a wave, head nod, shout out, and so forth it says a lot about our culture. I know southern hospitality is well known such that you wave to people passing in a car that you might not even know again this helps to define the character of southerners. So when I look back at the past two years that I have spent in Ghana I can't help but notice that greetings are everything. Not only do I greet the same people three times a day but I ask about their family and work. This goes a long way when I need help from a complete stranger and I greet them in their language as a foreigner they show me the respect that I have given them by helping me in turn. It is not just the greeting but rather how you greet someone that can have a lasting affect. For example when you greet a Chief you humble yourself down remove your shoes and show respect to the authority they have. I would pull my hand back to my chest after shaking hands to show respect to Muslims and really anyone. Then there is the finger snap which if pulled off successfully can gain you the most respect of anyone man or woman in Ghana. A proper snap can grant you access to some of the most private places. My point is that by following a cultural practice and showing that you are understanding can be immensely useful when working with people or just living with others. So try it out next time you meet someone greet them in such a way to show you care ask about their family even if you don't know them see how doors will open for you.

Peace, Love, and all the good stuff

Austin

It is one thing to just visit a country but to live somewhere requires an ability to just accept that we are are just human and truly at the root of every problem is some thing human. It doesn't mean that we can't solve it the thing is that we need to accept that we are and have been a problem. Then we can move on to changes in behaviors that could improve our predicament. We are are all here together so lets just start acting like it and work towards a better future. I know it sounds so utopian but the thing is that we don't have to have such negative impact on this planet thus on ourselves since we are dependent upon the Earth for life.

Peace

Oh the rainy season where are you why do you come and then go away without a drop lightening all night yet never a quenched throat. Oh the woes of desertification. But besides that all is swell.

Peace Love and all the good stuff

Austin

So it seems i am not doing so well this year at keeping this blog up to date sorryo I will try harder to find the time and internet to make it happen. Well so lets see things are going well I am racing against the rain to put a roof on the storage building for my project but I know it will get done. As far a me I am healthy as a whistle whatever that really means and fit as can be given that I have no gym to go and work out in. Life is good as always and I continuously get to meet new and interesting people everyday. I hope that all is well back home and just remember that no matter what life could be alot worse so keep your chin up and enjoy the days to the most knowing that life has lots to offer if you are willing to accept.

Peace, Love, and all the good stuff

Austin McCain

All is well on the homefront I had a great holidays at home was glad to see everyone. I am excited and hot at this very dry season. Plans are coming together for the irrigation project as I am gathering the materials the group is forming up into the serious farmers that will be needed to sustain the project. I am just glad to be back at work looking forward to the time ahead again I am glad to have seen everyone back home and sorry if I missed anyone which I know I did because of the snow! which by the way I kind of do miss. Sorry so short until next time.

Peace Love And all the Good stuff

I am glad to be home for Christmas. It is a nice cold break from the heat. So an update for what is going on in my world. I am coming along with the irrigation project such that the group is being formed so that as a group they will work together to maintain small farm plots for produce, as well as maintaining the tree nursery. We will pump water from the catchment into a canal so that the plots and nursery will be watered throughout the dry season.

The world map is coming along the countries are painted and now need to be labeled while the boarder needs to be be finished. This will be followed by other learning tools such a multiplication table and a periodical table of elements.

Well as for now I hope to see everyone while I am home for the holidays. So I will wish everyone a merry christmas and happy new years.

Peace Love and all the good stuff

OK so with one year to go in my service I feel as if I am just getting started. Its a good and bad feeling but really if one wants to make a difference in a community then become one with the community is important and I can say that I am one with my community. Officially I am not a newbie anymore since the new group has been sworn in as volunteers this is nice to think about but I shall do my best to help them in the way that others have helped me. I don't want to ramble on and on but mainly just wanted to throw out some thoughts about how I have changed over the time that I have spent in Ghana. I have learned patience in many forms but still adhere to appointments even if I am the only one who does. I live in the present and enjoy the little things about life that most people take for granted this is something I have been working at for many years but it is nice to apply to a new culture because there are so many little things that you would never take note of if you are a tourist verses living in a country like Ghana. Well I will wrap it up and say that I miss everyone and think about home a lot while I am doing well staying healthy and safe constantly meeting people that I can call friends.

Peace, Love, and all that Good stuff

Austin

So I just wanted to say hi. Things are going well the new group of vols are here and will become official next month. I am doing well a little sad that Ghana didn't win the cup but I am glad that Spain did. Life is good I hope that everyone is enjoying the summer I miss pools but its ok. I will put up more photos when I get a good connection, but mainly just wanted to say hello to everyone and let you know that I think about you all when I am not reading a good book or hoeing. So I will continue to be safe and I hope you will too.

Peace, Love, and all that good stuff,

Austin

So this was me dressed up for our local festival. Also some local dancers.

So I cant believe it has been almost one year now that I have been in Ghana. Time does fly so fast. So an update on whats going on I have been working to get a tree nursery going and things are coming along quite nicely and hopefully people will take to bee keeping but we will have to see about that. I am healthy as usual and doing plenty of reading. All in all life is good I miss everyone but try not to dwell on things like that it is apt to make you go crazy instead I just enjoy life and live it as best as I can. Hope everyone is doing well and know that I am always there in spirit.

Peace Love and all that good stuff,

Austin

Its not all about goats and dragonflies but here are some pictures of them. I just want to say that I am well and healthy. Things are going well I am working on bee boxes so that people will have another source of income but first I will test the waters with one box so that I can see how many people are interested. I am also making a tree nursery in that I hope to nurse 15thousand trees for the community but we will see how many seeds I get and go from there. I would like to thank everyone for always asking of me, I am always thinking about everyone. I hope all is well back home I know jobs suck right now but if you have the need to see somethings else then join the Peace Corps I mean why not. Well I am sorry for not being as recent as I have been in the past with the blog but the internet is not always working and sometimes there is just not enough time to do anything besides check email. I wish everyone the best and can honestly tell you that this is probably the best thing I have ever done so far.

Peace Love and all that good stuff

Austin

So last month another volunteer and I planned a soccer tournament to help educate for HIV/AIDS. We were able to use all of our testing kits enabling 150 people to know their status which happened to be negative for all 150. We also had videos playing for children to watch and a lady living with HIV to come and talk with everyone. I am proud of everyone who helped and I consider this to be a success for HIV/AIDS education. I started out being a ref but soon realized that I could not be official enough for the teams and I respectfully let one of the nurses take the job. This was just the first of I hope many tournaments I will plan but volunteers have been using soccer to educate for many years so I am by all means not the first. Maybe next time I will be playing for the home team.

Hello just wanted to say that I am fine sorry haven't been able to post anything the internet has been slow, I promise pictures are coming soon and updates about projects but I am fine and healthy enjoying life to the fullest. Hope everyone is good I miss you all and it is hard to believe that I am already a quarter of the way through my service.

Peace, Love , and all that good stuff

Austin

So this a story about a boy or really a man that saw a hippo walk by his house one day and so like any curious person would do he followed. Now this individual started to gather a following of children who could have been following him more than the hippo but we will never really know. So the hippo leaves the main road and heads into some tall grass, so naturally everyone follows each other down a small path. With no hippo in sight the hero of our story starts to look around behind him and to the sides. While he is doing this the hippo reappears in the path, the children scatter and now our man finds himself alone with a hippo bearing down on him. I want to add this side note that it was only a year ago that people stopped hunting hippo's for their meat, so for the hippo this was purely self defense. So our hero after overcoming the shock of hippo starts to run but without getting far he trips and falls to the ground. He gets up with the hippo still coming at him, being that this is a very scary thing his fright took over flight. Yes I do mean fright and not fight. This resulting in another fall to the ground that ended with his rear end getting bit. Now the lesson of this story is the hippo is a very dangerous animal and just because it likes the water does not mean that it is not also just as dangerous on the land. The individual in this story gave me permission to write about it and he is ok after getting some stitches leaving a scar that will always have a good story.

So I went to the hippo sanctuary recently which involves riding in a dugout canoe on the black volta and looking at the hippos in the water. I saw six just swimming around but none really emerging to show themselves to me but it was fun. It may not be as good of a story but I didn't have to get stitches in my butt either.

So I have had a few lingering thoughts about life and that kind of stuff, I mean I can't help but to think about such things and when you are in another culture it becomes a new window to look at your own culture so to speak. I am constantly made aware of how our American culture radiates around the world or at least to Ghana and other countries like it where the youth are watching movies from the states or even the latest season of Heroes. The thing that troubles me is the same as when I was back home to see a whole culture portrayed in a way that so completely and inaccurately describes what a true American is like. However when Americans go about mocking and acting the way that people do in the movies and music videos then I could be wrong. I know that this is not our culture however and yet it is being passed off to others as being what America is. It is just as troubling to elder in a village who sees a youth wearing his pants down at his knees and sporting chains around his neck, both which cost a substantial amount of money and yet the boy has no job and complains that he is going to move to the city where things are better. Well that was a little rant now wasn't it? The point that I think I was trying to make is that the world sees America through a different set lenses and we wonder how can anyone not like us. Well I know that if everyone was given the chance to actually meet us then yes they would change their minds but as long as Hollywood and the music industry are advertising for us people will continue to think that all Americans are rich, greedy, Godless, and selfish not to say that these people don't exist because they do all over the world. I just like to think that of most of the people I know this hardly does justice in describing an actual American. So now that, that is off my chest I would like to say that I am well and healthy. I am excited about the projects that I will be doing with my community, from building latrines to digging fish ponds. Even the smaller ones like painting a world map at the school to having a HIV AIDS awareness soccer matches. So life is good just as you may have noticed plenty of time to be critical yet anyone who knows me would say that I have always had time for that. So I hope everyone is fine and that life is also good.

Peace, Love, and all that Good stuff,

Austin McCain

You know it is funny to celebrate a holiday that is unique only to the US in another country. I remember the first time this happened to me was while I was in London such that right after Halloween the Christmas decorations started coming out. Makes you think about people who think that right after Thanksgiving is to soon for Christmas stuff, but the point I was getting at is that I remember asking myself what about Thanksgiving. Of course I realized that the holiday is an American creation and so that only we would celebrate it just as other countries celebrate their own Independence. But Thanksgiving here in Ghana at the US ambassadors house was great just like I had never left the states eating a turkey leg and pecan pie(no whip cream)mashed potatoes, and stuffing. The weird thing is that while yes all these things made me miss home and feel nostalgic I also realized what things I am giving up for these two years. This did not depress me but rather remind me of what I came here to do and that is the important thing because the world goes on life goes on and I know when I get back Thanksgiving will be there for me. So the real funny thing is that later that night I go and play trivia and drink a margarita as if it was cinco de mayo so really no matter the holiday what truly matters is the people you are with and despite not being with family I was surrounded by friends and really who could ask for a better Thanksgiving than that? So I hope that everyone had a great turkey day I know that the one turkey who got Obama's pardon did.

So while I have been in Ghana I have pick up some names so as of know I may be known as Austin Auzansoma Kofi Wesley McCain. So you may ask what are the meanings of these names and so here it is "Auzansoma" means all is well, all is good, with God all is good, or all is well with God. Basically all is good but with the many different variations. Kofi is simply Friday meaning that I was born on a Friday which actually I was born on Thursday but because of the time difference when I was born in Ghana it was Friday, plus I didn't like the name for Thursday. So life is good I remain in good health and have been playing soccer almost everyday since receiving a ball in the mail thanks dad. I am excited about the projects that I will start and as always my community is great they make it feel like home. I miss all of you and hope that things are well back home and sorry for no pictures this time.

Peace,

Austin

So these xylophones are part of the funeral process one is a male and the other is a female and the songs they play all have different meanings so you have to be a talented player to play. A note on the funerals is that they last a total of three days the first normally being Friday going on all night to Saturday where also people stay up all night until Sunday when the body is buried. The activities include viewing the body crying a lot but also dancing and drinking plus eating the whole town gets involved and so it really is quite a site I haven't stayed up all three nights but normally visit during one of the days. It also depends on the person who has died if it a older person then people accept that they lived a good life I mean they are sad but not as sad as when it is a young person it is then that everyone really gets emotional because this person should still be alive. So this is the lowdown on Ghanaian funerals and depending where you are in the country you will have differences in the practice.

So first of all I am well staying healthy and actually gaining weight which is strange because I have been trying to do that the past ten years so maybe it is all just catching up to me. I finally got my bike so that I can move about more easily which is really exciting because my town is really spread out and I was getting tried of people saying that I never visit them. I am also excited about all the projects that people want to do some of which are feasible and others a little less realistic for me but all the same it is nice to have an eager community that wants my help as much as I want to help. I know don’t know what else I can really say because I haven’t really gone anywhere exciting because of the lack of bike so now that will change. But until then I will just say that I am well and miss all of you back home but am constantly reassured of the positive work that I will be doing here. Until the next time Peace Love and all that Good Stuff.

Austin

So things are well sorry I haven't post anything in a while. People have been asking what I might like to be sent and really anything you want whether it is a hardshell candy or some game found at the dollar store all gifts are welcome. Also I have been asked about the climate and wildlife well there are only two seasons the rainy and dry right now it is in the end of the rainy and coming to the dry so it will be getting hotter so any little fanspraybottle type things would be nice. As far as the wildlife most of the animals that you might think about like monkeys hippos loins elephants and so on are in wildlife reserves. I will take pictures as I experience this things. So I am doing ok and it is always nice to hear from all of you by any means. Well sorry no pics this time I am trying to get some good ones but I have mainly just been in the village and nothing has stuck out as pic worthy. Well later hope all is well back home.

Austin

So things are going ok I have been integrating into the community meeting with various groups and having fun cooking for myself. Don't have much to report other than I am fine and healthy enjoying this cool weather from the rainy season. I will try to go to the hippo sanctuary so I can get some more good photos up for all to view. So until next time peace love and all that good stuff :)

Austin

So I am now a volunteer and will be at my site for three months getting settled in figuring out what projects my town wants to do. I am excited about cooking for myself for once and having some freedoms to do home improvement projects. I am well and healthy so far I have not really had any thing bad like worms or such things. It is kind of sad that now all of us who have been together for the past three months are going our separate ways. It will be all the more worth it when we get together over the next two years. So I hope everyone is well and I look forward to any letters and postcards that come my way.

Peace

Me and my host family

The Environment Sector

My language group

So I feel like it has been a while since my last update and a lot of stuff has happened. Well first of all I am fine, safe and healthy. So I just back from site visit where I was able to see my site and visit with my community. My site is nice it is a compound that I share with a pastor and his family. There is still some painting and other things that need to be finished but it is a nice pace to call home for the next two years. The pastor is nice he was really glad to meet me and wants me to come to church with him which is good. My community is very warming and glad to have me their. I am excited about the projects that I will be able to do with them and working with the school to possibly teach some social studies. So training is coming to a close and this week I will take my test proving that I had learned something during these three months. Then next week I will swear in and become a real peace corps volunteer. I can't wait it is so exciting to finally get working instead of just talking about doing stuff. I got some newspaper articles from home about Sanford wow how crazy is that I mean it sucks to him but I am sure you all know the details so no need to talk about that. I wish all well and just know that I am making a difference in Ghana in more ways than one by constantly talking to Ghanaians about America and helping them to understand that the US is not what Hollywood makes it out to be now only if all Americans could understand this fact. So I hope that all is well and everybody has a job. I will try to get more pictures up but sometimes it just doesn't work so well but I should be able to get them up soon.

So much to my surprise we were all bused down to see Obama as he left Ghana. I am glad to have had the opportunity to have two United States Presidents speak before me. The first George W. Bush when I graduated from Furman and now Barak Obama while I am serving in Ghana. John Atta Mills spoke first and then Obama followed acknowledging Peace Corps three times the first time we made so much noise that he had to pause for us and apparently I was on TV so I have heard. I did not get close enough to shake his hand but I was pretty close only five people from the front. I just love the fact that I had this fortune and shall remember it for the rest of my life. It was also a great way to mark the halfway of training giving a nice break from classes. The ride was long but well worth it I got some good pictures and meet some of my neighboring volunteers that I will have at site. I only can assure myself that this event marks the first of many great things that will happen during the next two years. I hope that some of you watched on c-span and said hey there is Austin. Until the next time Peace Love and all of that Good Stuff

Austin

So the past week I was on field trip, we spent many hours riding into the north to see some other volunteer's sites. It as totally worth it because not only did we get to see sites and gain a better understanding of what we will e doing s environmental volunteers but we also saw some of the Eco-tourism sites along the way. First was the Crocodile sanctuary where legend tales of how a croc saved a hunters life thus returning the favor for the croc's. It is said that for every person i that community that a crocodile exist. Their lives are so revered that when one dies it is given a burial just like a person and people morn for the loss of life. The second site was the monkey sanctuary in Boaben Fiaman. Just like the crocs the lives of the monkeys are sacred each one getting a proper burial, there is the notion that if you harm a monkey then you will bring harm to yourself. We were sited cases of people who killed a monkey and their whole family died. The town even moved from it's original location in order to preserve the tree's for the monkeys. This trip was also a great bonding experience for all ten of us environment volunteers as we shared stories and a cramped van throughout the days of travel. On the last day we found out that we are going to be able to see President Obama off as he leaves Ghana on Saturday. So that is pretty sweet maybe I will be able to tell him to give us a raise since our re-adjustment allowance is really not enough. Please feel free to write or call your representatives and tell them the same I surely will be doing so while I am here. Well I hope to get all the pictures up and will take as many as I can with Obama. In the first picture is my host bro and our matching shirts the others are speak for themselves.

So I am on my field trip to other environment sites and after a long day of riding through the country we are all settled in at the hub site. I am proud of my self for eating things that I would not eat otherwise like beans and plantains but when you are hungry things are delicious. I have managed to have shirts made so that even though I am white I am trying to be Ghanaian. My host family is awesome they help me with everything I could need and feed me very well. I will try to post some videos but only if I can get my laptop to access the Internet otherwise the formats don't seem to want to work out. Well I hope all is well back home and that everyone is enjoying life to the fullest.

Austin McCain

So just giving an update I am ok and life is good I am just learning my language and eating well. Sucks that MJ died he shall always live on forever or at least while I play beat it on my Ipod. So don't hesitate to write a letter it would be nice to get some mail. For now that is really it life is good and hope all is the same for you.

So I am now in my home stay and learning my language I am learning Dagaare it is spoken in the upper west which is where I am going. My family is very nice they hosted a volunteer last year who is in the same region so that is nice. It is hard to learn one language while everyone here is trying speak to me in twi. I just have to tell them that I am learning dagaare and they are fine with me speaking English. Today I started picking up trash in up area of town and before I knew it all the children had filled my bag so we filled more and more until I couldn't hold any more. Then showed them the place to put the trash so I don't know if this will catch on but it is worth a try. I am fine eating well I don't know how I am supposed to loose weight when I am being fed so much food. I hope all is well back home and everyone is fine.

So tomorrow I will join my host family for the remaining of training. So far everything has been great a few people have dropped out for their own reasons but everyone is great. Things seem a lot like summer camp so far with all of us being in a large group splitting up into our sections from time to time. I have been eating well they have been feeding us American food with the option to eat Ghanaian food so figured that I would just eat up while it lasted and eat Ghanaian food when that is all there is to eat so I haven't eaten with my hands yet but I am looking forward to it soon. I hope that no one is worrying about me back home because I really am having the time of my life. I need to take more pictures but besides that I have been enjoying the hospitality of the Ghanaian people everyone is really nice.

So until next time Peace, Love and all that good stuff

Austin

6/3/09

So I made it through pre-registration in Philly and now am riding on a bus to JFK to depart for Ghana on an 11 hour flight. All 66 other volunteers are really nice I think we will all get along I already know that I will make lasting relationships. I got my yellow fever shot and my first malaria pill so i am looking forward to those vivid dreams. 6/4/09

So I made it to Ghana today and at 7:30 it was 80 degrees and very humid. Everyone made it through customs unscathed and we drove to Peace Corps headquarters in Accra. We had all of our introductions with the staff and meet more people that I have to remember there names. We checked into our rooms while we stay in Accra which are pleasant and better then we will get during service apparently. Not much else to say right now just a little tired from the flight so I a going to try and nap.6/5/09 So it is Friday and I got some more shots which was nice. Thus far everyone is really excited and glad to be here we walked around Accra a little but really just enough to know how to get back to Peace Corps headquarters. Don't really have much to say besides that I am loving it here people are nice and we are being fed well. I will see how long this daily writing will last, but I suspect that I will be switching to a weekly update.6/6/09 So today we split up into groups of five and set out to Accra having to travel on our own. We rode on trotro's which are basically vans that pick people up and drop off others continuously. This was a fun experience because we where able to build our confidence and figure out how to move around the city. We walked around the market and you can really buy anything that you would ever need if you had too, this is reassuring because I will need to buy things at some point. The market was like others that I have been in such that being white means you have money but once we explained that we were Peace Corps no one really bothered us. All in all the day was fun and everybody had great stories to tell. Well this is probably going to be the last time I continue the day by day report. I just want everyone to know that I am eating well and being taken care of with the utmost care.