There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self. - Aldous Huxley
Hello, it seems like it has been forever since I put a post up. I have been trying to put something together but all the little things take time to do here. Overall, I am doing well over here. I continue to adjusts to the culture and the weather. I go into my first weeks here next.
Adjustment and my new home
I got really comfortable in the southern area of Ghana I was staying in. I had a routine going and I loved the little kids that pestered me each day. Coming to the northern half of Ghana was definitely challenging at first. I already stated that it is like a different country over here. I am located in a midrange size town surrounded by villages. Its funny when I go around in town on my bike and find people looking at me strange with my helmet on. I never worn one before I started my service but I am glad I am forced to wear it. There are many motorcycles in town and some don’t even honk to let you know that they are passing by. Riding over one pot hole at the wrong time could cause some damage.
It is weird when I go into a store or go around in town and a person calls me “White man.” I look at him and I am thinking that my skin I darker than his but I still stick out. When I hear people say it, I don’t know whether to laugh or get angry. I take pride in my culture and it is frustrating to call something that your not or ever can be. Although, I am beginning to accept it though because I understand the reasoning. The mentality here is definitely different from the states, Europe, Australia, etc.. Next door to me is one of the sons of the heads of the school and we can spend hours talking about the differences between the states and Ghana. Of course, I assume that the way things are run in the US is easier but our unity infringes on freedom that is present in Ghana.
Initially, when I first moved into my home for the next two years, I was going through some highs and lows. The times where I love it here is when I am with the people or I am learning something learn. I start to feel low when there is silence around and begin to think about everyone back home. I have posted pictures of people on my wall and I just think about the time were that picture was taken. I remember the that moment and sit there thinking, however, my thoughts always lead to the fact that I want to be here. Some of the days are tough here but this is what I need right now.
I am going to try to take pictures of my house and post them. I put pictures of how my home stay room was in my last post. Sorry for the lack of details about the pictures but I was having difficulty uploading it and it was late. I will do a better job this time when I get a chance to do it. My house is pretty nice though. I have a bedroom and a sitting room. Both with ceiling fans in them and windows. The combination goes well on really hot days, which are pretty much everyday.
I have plumbing that is run by a motor that is turned on by a switch. I have my comfortable flush toilet and an actual shower. It is like I am not a Peace Corps. Volunteer. Just Kidding. Life is still not easy. The kitchen has been my biggest challenge since I moved here. I have cooked in the states but I realized that most of the meals were already half cooked. My counterpart and neighbor next door has taught me some of the Ghanaian cooking. Now, I can prepare a decent stew and soup. I am not pounding my own Fufu yet but I will get there some day. I not I have made enough undercooked and overcooked rice so now I am the master at making rice just by eyeing it. Everything else takes hours to cook so rice is my quickest meal.
I talked about silence bothering me earlier in this post and when it was making me go crazy. I decided to buy a radio. I put on BBC and tried to listen to the signal that faded in and out. The local stations where not even better so I preferred the silence after I bought the radio. I was fortunate enough to get some computer speakers and I can now jam out to my Ipod.
School activities
After about a week of my arrival to site, I was ask to assist the head ICT teacher with a science competition. The competition was aimed toward girls and had to deal wit science and technology. They decided to do a model over ICT lab and talk about networking. It was strange being there and trying to explain TCP/IP to the students. I wasn’t expecting to teach anything at that level. They students picked it up pretty well. It is funny though. At one point, one of the student asked me about one device within a system unit and I realized that none of them have ever looked inside a computer. We cracked one open and everything began to make sense when they do to see it.
We ended up finishing the model with little chairs, tables, Ethernet cables, satellites, and little mouse all made out of cardboard. It was pretty sweet. They put a lot of work into it and it came out well. I will try to take some pictures of it soon. The students presented the project to the director of education from our district and she loved it. Although, many people that seen our model ask if the lab actually works and the computers are connect. No comment about that.
The competition has been suspended because some of the districts are still gathering up funds to support their school. One of are girls fortunate got an opportunity to go to the capitol and attend a science and technology conference by UNILEVER. She has returned and I think it went well but I haven’t been brief about it yet. I imagine that it blow her mind away because many of the student do not have the privilege to even see the other have of the country. I was definitely jealous.
School starts this Monday. I am not sure what level I am teaching yet because the school is still preparing schedules. This year’s Ramadan has interrupted the arrival of the students because most will stay with their families and enjoy the holiday with their loved ones. Our ICT group still needs the time to prepare our lab though. We let it get out of hand during the holidays.
I think that is all I can shell out now so kamanto.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Meet the new PCV....
Some people see a glass of water and call it half empty. A Peace Corps volunteers see a glass of water half full and then takes a bath with it. -Anonymous PCV
As of August 13th, I am an official Peace Corps Volunteer. I ceremony went well. We got to see his Excellency Ambassador Donald Teitelbaum and the one of the regional ministers of Ghana. Now, we all dispersed and our left at site to work on integrating for the first 3 months. The north is completely different from the south. It is kinda like the US. Its like I am in a whole new country. I went from being in an area with one language with one with 3-4. There are plenty of people to practice but sometimes you just get a person that nods and smiles.
School starts in mid-sept so now I am going to start working on my teaching material. I am still not sure whether I will be teaching freshmen/form 1 or there other two levels but I am sure I can handle either of the three. When I am not worrying about school I am trying to find all the things I need for my apartment. I lucked out with electricity, with running water that is used to flush an actual toilet. I am trying to make my place as comfortable as possible because I think I have a 3 hour radius between other volunteers. In Peace Corps time, that is really close but travel here gets complicated at times.
I have pictures of training in this post. They are not in cronological order. There are pictures of us in the airport, two waterfalls, my host family, my room, the President Obama trip, and our ceremony on Aug 13th. I posted them on snapfish.com I believe you can view them on this page or on their website. This is it for now. I spent all day traveling so I am tired and in need of a good night sleep. I hope things are getting better in the states. Lata
As of August 13th, I am an official Peace Corps Volunteer. I ceremony went well. We got to see his Excellency Ambassador Donald Teitelbaum and the one of the regional ministers of Ghana. Now, we all dispersed and our left at site to work on integrating for the first 3 months. The north is completely different from the south. It is kinda like the US. Its like I am in a whole new country. I went from being in an area with one language with one with 3-4. There are plenty of people to practice but sometimes you just get a person that nods and smiles.
School starts in mid-sept so now I am going to start working on my teaching material. I am still not sure whether I will be teaching freshmen/form 1 or there other two levels but I am sure I can handle either of the three. When I am not worrying about school I am trying to find all the things I need for my apartment. I lucked out with electricity, with running water that is used to flush an actual toilet. I am trying to make my place as comfortable as possible because I think I have a 3 hour radius between other volunteers. In Peace Corps time, that is really close but travel here gets complicated at times.
I have pictures of training in this post. They are not in cronological order. There are pictures of us in the airport, two waterfalls, my host family, my room, the President Obama trip, and our ceremony on Aug 13th. I posted them on snapfish.com I believe you can view them on this page or on their website. This is it for now. I spent all day traveling so I am tired and in need of a good night sleep. I hope things are getting better in the states. Lata
Monday, July 27, 2009
Practicum and everything else.......
"If it was easy to be a teacher, everyone would be one..."
When I first made this Blog I thought it was going to be easy to keep everyone updated but I already gotten to a routine. Its not easy or cheap to go city with the internet cafe and create a post. So, I will try to write a long one because in a few weeks things well get complicated with site move in.
Practicum
During our training, all of the teachers are to prepare lesson plans for two weeks of teaching in a real Ghanaian classroom. They gave us briefing on their school system and they follow the British system. So, in all of the public schools they have Headmasters (Principals), prefect (class presidents), and other titles. I have been told it is like Harry Potter. I havent read any of these books or seen the movies so how accurate that comment is.
Most of the high schools are boarding schools. Many of the schools in the more urban areas have day students but in all other areas the students usually stay on campus. Unlike the U.S high schools, it is not free for Ghanaians. The country plans to offer high school at no cost to it citizens but it is not in the current budget. So, they are individuals who unfortunately have to wait until other siblings finish before they can start. Education is valued here as in the states but at times children of farmers need their children to work instead of reading. During harvest, many of the volunteers say that classes are less crowded.
In school, all of the students learn english in school. In junior high, they learn the basics and expand on it in SHS. Speaking American english in their classroom is difficult because naturally we speak too fast and we use different words. The students use British terms that I am not familiar with. I was teaching a class on Word documents and I was using the term 'period' to end a sentence but they didnt know what it meant. Apparently, they use 'full stop' instead. I had to focus on slowing my speech and pretty much changing to a monotone voice during the first few days.
In my case, practicum went well. I learned alot from the feedback from current volunteers. The worst reviews I got lead to better teaching and efficiency. The only issue I had was teaching a class in the middle of a term. There is no way PC can get around that but it was interesting. There was a class where I was covering MS excel but most of the people in the class didnt know how to use the shift key and turn on the num lock. At first I was going around telling a few students how to do it but then I realized that most of the class was asking the same question. The two classes I taught varied so much. The other class I taught ran into completely different issues. It will be easy to teach when you have time to know the ablities of your students.
The students were great to be around. They all seemed to try to participate in the class when they got attention. When your class is a size of 60, it would be hard for me to sit through a 2 hour lecture. Our counterpart teacher told us to do an acivity between periods to wake them up and to have some fun. I did the chicken dance and they could not stop laughing at me.
As hard as it may seem, America is still a land of mystery to the students. Even though they get the music and movies, they still many misconceptions about the U.S. I cant blame them though because I had some friends bewildered that I was going to a place of constant conflict and poverty. Ghana is not the africa we see on T.V.
Mr. President
We got to see President Barack Obama in Accra a few weeks ago. Sorry, actually, we got to see President Obama and President Mills of Ghana. I will put pictures up soon. I was like three rows from the front. It must have been like 50-60 feet away during his speech. He talked about his visit and the US and Ghana relationship. The Peace Corps was one aspect of the relationship that has been long lasting. He gave us like 5-6 shout outs. It was pretty cool because all of the trainees and many of current volunteers were there.
I got wasnt close enough to get a hand shake but I took some good pictures and some short clips. You probably saw his speech a few weeks ago on CNN and possibly saw me in the crowd.
What is America?
I have a neighbor in my complex that I talk about the US and Ghana regularly. I laugh each time he says that I am from "white man" country. I try to explain to he that America is actually pretty diverse but he explains to me that there is a complete different mentality over there. To him, it seems like the west had to help and teach african nations how to set up the internet, build highway systems, expand electricity access, etc... He has told me that from his experience ghanaians do not explore.
Before I explain the last comment, whoever is reading this is only one person's views. By exploring, my friend meant that they do not find out why something exist or behaves a certain way. One example is when everyone in the complex was collecting a certain fruit. They explained to me that someone from the capital needs it to develop antibiotics. I asked them what was the exact medicine it made but he didnt know. He even said before they asked for it they didnt even know it was was useful. They only knew that people were paying money for it and it was better to gather all you can to make a quick buck.
As I continue to talk with this man, he believes that we are superior just because. I explained to him that he was a short memory. Africa has a whole list of problems caused by its own people but countries in Africa like Ghana was robbed naked. Ghana was the slave trade capital of Africa and it turned its people against each other. Tribe against tribe. You might say that it was centuries ago but ever since then it made these nations dependent.
They limit themselves to their environment. They see farmers, taxi drivers, market sellers all over the place so they do that until something else comes up. I talked to Ghanaians how many opportunities that are out there and all they have to do is search for them but I can tell they are half listening. I thought it was funny that we were talking about this and later I saw President Obama's at the NAACP. "Young African Americans should no longer strive to be rappers and ballers..." I guess we are not as different as they think.
Poverty puts everyone affected by it in a box. I know I was in it and sometimes it is just easier to be ignorant. You dont have to worry about failing or being clowned for doing things out of the ordinary. I can see way they might want to keep things simple.
I dont know if any of that made sense but there will be time to explain it in the future. I edited this post but I didnt too slow and it didnt save. I am too lazy to read through it again so mind my english I will post again with more information on my site. . Thanks for the letter Ann, I will respond ASAP. : ) TTUL I hope everything is well in the states.
When I first made this Blog I thought it was going to be easy to keep everyone updated but I already gotten to a routine. Its not easy or cheap to go city with the internet cafe and create a post. So, I will try to write a long one because in a few weeks things well get complicated with site move in.
Practicum
During our training, all of the teachers are to prepare lesson plans for two weeks of teaching in a real Ghanaian classroom. They gave us briefing on their school system and they follow the British system. So, in all of the public schools they have Headmasters (Principals), prefect (class presidents), and other titles. I have been told it is like Harry Potter. I havent read any of these books or seen the movies so how accurate that comment is.
Most of the high schools are boarding schools. Many of the schools in the more urban areas have day students but in all other areas the students usually stay on campus. Unlike the U.S high schools, it is not free for Ghanaians. The country plans to offer high school at no cost to it citizens but it is not in the current budget. So, they are individuals who unfortunately have to wait until other siblings finish before they can start. Education is valued here as in the states but at times children of farmers need their children to work instead of reading. During harvest, many of the volunteers say that classes are less crowded.
In school, all of the students learn english in school. In junior high, they learn the basics and expand on it in SHS. Speaking American english in their classroom is difficult because naturally we speak too fast and we use different words. The students use British terms that I am not familiar with. I was teaching a class on Word documents and I was using the term 'period' to end a sentence but they didnt know what it meant. Apparently, they use 'full stop' instead. I had to focus on slowing my speech and pretty much changing to a monotone voice during the first few days.
In my case, practicum went well. I learned alot from the feedback from current volunteers. The worst reviews I got lead to better teaching and efficiency. The only issue I had was teaching a class in the middle of a term. There is no way PC can get around that but it was interesting. There was a class where I was covering MS excel but most of the people in the class didnt know how to use the shift key and turn on the num lock. At first I was going around telling a few students how to do it but then I realized that most of the class was asking the same question. The two classes I taught varied so much. The other class I taught ran into completely different issues. It will be easy to teach when you have time to know the ablities of your students.
The students were great to be around. They all seemed to try to participate in the class when they got attention. When your class is a size of 60, it would be hard for me to sit through a 2 hour lecture. Our counterpart teacher told us to do an acivity between periods to wake them up and to have some fun. I did the chicken dance and they could not stop laughing at me.
As hard as it may seem, America is still a land of mystery to the students. Even though they get the music and movies, they still many misconceptions about the U.S. I cant blame them though because I had some friends bewildered that I was going to a place of constant conflict and poverty. Ghana is not the africa we see on T.V.
Mr. President
We got to see President Barack Obama in Accra a few weeks ago. Sorry, actually, we got to see President Obama and President Mills of Ghana. I will put pictures up soon. I was like three rows from the front. It must have been like 50-60 feet away during his speech. He talked about his visit and the US and Ghana relationship. The Peace Corps was one aspect of the relationship that has been long lasting. He gave us like 5-6 shout outs. It was pretty cool because all of the trainees and many of current volunteers were there.
I got wasnt close enough to get a hand shake but I took some good pictures and some short clips. You probably saw his speech a few weeks ago on CNN and possibly saw me in the crowd.
What is America?
I have a neighbor in my complex that I talk about the US and Ghana regularly. I laugh each time he says that I am from "white man" country. I try to explain to he that America is actually pretty diverse but he explains to me that there is a complete different mentality over there. To him, it seems like the west had to help and teach african nations how to set up the internet, build highway systems, expand electricity access, etc... He has told me that from his experience ghanaians do not explore.
Before I explain the last comment, whoever is reading this is only one person's views. By exploring, my friend meant that they do not find out why something exist or behaves a certain way. One example is when everyone in the complex was collecting a certain fruit. They explained to me that someone from the capital needs it to develop antibiotics. I asked them what was the exact medicine it made but he didnt know. He even said before they asked for it they didnt even know it was was useful. They only knew that people were paying money for it and it was better to gather all you can to make a quick buck.
As I continue to talk with this man, he believes that we are superior just because. I explained to him that he was a short memory. Africa has a whole list of problems caused by its own people but countries in Africa like Ghana was robbed naked. Ghana was the slave trade capital of Africa and it turned its people against each other. Tribe against tribe. You might say that it was centuries ago but ever since then it made these nations dependent.
They limit themselves to their environment. They see farmers, taxi drivers, market sellers all over the place so they do that until something else comes up. I talked to Ghanaians how many opportunities that are out there and all they have to do is search for them but I can tell they are half listening. I thought it was funny that we were talking about this and later I saw President Obama's at the NAACP. "Young African Americans should no longer strive to be rappers and ballers..." I guess we are not as different as they think.
Poverty puts everyone affected by it in a box. I know I was in it and sometimes it is just easier to be ignorant. You dont have to worry about failing or being clowned for doing things out of the ordinary. I can see way they might want to keep things simple.
I dont know if any of that made sense but there will be time to explain it in the future. I edited this post but I didnt too slow and it didnt save. I am too lazy to read through it again so mind my english I will post again with more information on my site. . Thanks for the letter Ann, I will respond ASAP. : ) TTUL I hope everything is well in the states.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Finally an Update
People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built. -Eleanor Roosevelt
I finally was able to post this blog. I have been working on this for a week. Not in terms of writing the content but post it on the internet. I didn't bring a laptop so I have to type the post in the cafe and at times the cafe's internet is slow or completely stops. I will do my best to post more before I get to me site.
First Impressions
Before I stepped on the plane I was amazed at the quality and
diversity of volunteers peace corps recruits. We have people who were
in industry/education for 20+ years and students that had graduation
parties days before staging. Even though we are from all points of the
country, our differences faded away once we landed in Accra. We were
all Americans (Obruni), whether we liked it or not.
Besides the heat and the humility, all of the vegetation was one of
the first things I noticed. I expected Accra to be mostly metal and
concrete. Even though Ghana is a developing country, I thought the
capital would have some similarities to other large capitals. I have
yet to find the McDonald's. I congratulate Ghana for not abating to
most external influences. That have put their own style on their
cities and towns. At times their systems of doing things seem
inefficient but it works and makes sense for the situation.
The Ghanaian people reveal why the country is a developing nation and not a impoverish one. they are fighting and inching to make it each day but they are not fighting each other. When they are not being courteous to each other, many of them will go beyond out of their way to help a visitor. One of our activities during the first few days was a scavenger hunt through the capital. I sat and listen to story after story of citizens dropping what they were doing to give a helping hand. There was no reason to be so generous without expecting a prize at the end. There are definitely crooks and con artists here but Ghanaians take pride in presenting positive images to foreigners.
When you actually talk to a Ghanaian you can sense the excitement in their voice. Consistently, they're bringing up their freedom and independence. After 50 years of independence from the Brits, they know what they have succeed and failed in. They realize that progress takes small gradual steps. The government and chiefancy system in pointing the country in the right direction.
Adjustment
Its funny how quickly you can adjust to a new environment. Taking a step back by using latrines, bucket baths, and inconsistent electrical power didn't bother me too long. You quickly learn to be patient. You realize that this is just the way things are and you move on. Now, I look forward to the ice cold bucket baths before I sleep. I seem to clean myself better without wasting 5-6 gallons of water.
My definitions of luxuries has flipped 180 degrees. When we were waiting for our site announcement, all I was dreaming of was a spot with with electricity instead of running water. Running water can be more of a nuisance. When the water is from a well or a bore hole, your supple will never end or be cut off. Knowing that my vision is already bad, I dont want to be reading or grading papers by flash light. So, electricity is my main need.
Site Placement, etc...
It is the moment of truth. After days of questioning and attempting to pry information from the Peace Corps. staff. I found out that I will be in the Northern Region of Ghana and will be learning Gonja language. I am not allowed to publicly announce my town so if you want more details I can personally give you that information. Now, the area is mostly farmers with a majority of Muslim citizens. I am excited that I will be expose to a new religion and observe how Africans practice a common Arab faith. Their use of religion as a way of life is something I want to compare to my practice of faith.
I will be teaching ICT to a senior high school of 800 students. The school was privately owed but now receives government assistance. I am crossing my fingers hoping to have a computer lab with 20 machines. Computers are expensive here so there are some volunteers who only teach computers in theory. Students practice typing on cardboard keyboards and only read/listen to information on the infamous device. If there is one functioning machine at my school, I will be satisfied.
One interesting historical event at my site is that it is where slaves were sold to be sent to the coast. People were taken from Northern Ghana and Burkina Faso to be sold in a large market. They would make their way down to the coast to the famous cape coast castle. Many people around the world can trace their roots to my area and can say their ancestors have gone through the 'Door of no return'. Many Americans come and see the historical route. Even our President is coming to see the castle and learn about the process.
While the we volunteers are being trained, we have been placed in small communities through out the southern half of Ghana. I am loving my surroundings and my host family. Not even a month in Ghana, I have become royalty. I am the son of the great queen mother. She is the overseer of the land when the Chief is gone which is the current situation. All the volunteers have been given a local name that is based the day they are born (First nam) and their host family (surname). I have been given the name Yao Asante. Before you get any ideas that I have it better off than everyone else. You should know that I am still fetching my own water, hand washing my own clothes, and taking the nice icy cold bucket baths.
I noticed that my neighbors do not have much and find all ways to find income. Their is a plant that bares a fruit that is used for an American medicine that goes wildly in my area. When word came out that their is a need for it, there was a commotion behind our complex to make some extra cash. In the dry season they have a tougher time to farm so when opportunities come they must take advantage of it.
That will be all for now. Send me questions if you have any. You know my email. Please send letters because I am getting jealous of the other volunteers. Thanks for the letter Jess. You should receive your response in three weeks. I hope all is well in the states. I will post picture when I get a fast connection. Bye
I finally was able to post this blog. I have been working on this for a week. Not in terms of writing the content but post it on the internet. I didn't bring a laptop so I have to type the post in the cafe and at times the cafe's internet is slow or completely stops. I will do my best to post more before I get to me site.
First Impressions
Before I stepped on the plane I was amazed at the quality and
diversity of volunteers peace corps recruits. We have people who were
in industry/education for 20+ years and students that had graduation
parties days before staging. Even though we are from all points of the
country, our differences faded away once we landed in Accra. We were
all Americans (Obruni), whether we liked it or not.
Besides the heat and the humility, all of the vegetation was one of
the first things I noticed. I expected Accra to be mostly metal and
concrete. Even though Ghana is a developing country, I thought the
capital would have some similarities to other large capitals. I have
yet to find the McDonald's. I congratulate Ghana for not abating to
most external influences. That have put their own style on their
cities and towns. At times their systems of doing things seem
inefficient but it works and makes sense for the situation.
The Ghanaian people reveal why the country is a developing nation and not a impoverish one. they are fighting and inching to make it each day but they are not fighting each other. When they are not being courteous to each other, many of them will go beyond out of their way to help a visitor. One of our activities during the first few days was a scavenger hunt through the capital. I sat and listen to story after story of citizens dropping what they were doing to give a helping hand. There was no reason to be so generous without expecting a prize at the end. There are definitely crooks and con artists here but Ghanaians take pride in presenting positive images to foreigners.
When you actually talk to a Ghanaian you can sense the excitement in their voice. Consistently, they're bringing up their freedom and independence. After 50 years of independence from the Brits, they know what they have succeed and failed in. They realize that progress takes small gradual steps. The government and chiefancy system in pointing the country in the right direction.
Adjustment
Its funny how quickly you can adjust to a new environment. Taking a step back by using latrines, bucket baths, and inconsistent electrical power didn't bother me too long. You quickly learn to be patient. You realize that this is just the way things are and you move on. Now, I look forward to the ice cold bucket baths before I sleep. I seem to clean myself better without wasting 5-6 gallons of water.
My definitions of luxuries has flipped 180 degrees. When we were waiting for our site announcement, all I was dreaming of was a spot with with electricity instead of running water. Running water can be more of a nuisance. When the water is from a well or a bore hole, your supple will never end or be cut off. Knowing that my vision is already bad, I dont want to be reading or grading papers by flash light. So, electricity is my main need.
Site Placement, etc...
It is the moment of truth. After days of questioning and attempting to pry information from the Peace Corps. staff. I found out that I will be in the Northern Region of Ghana and will be learning Gonja language. I am not allowed to publicly announce my town so if you want more details I can personally give you that information. Now, the area is mostly farmers with a majority of Muslim citizens. I am excited that I will be expose to a new religion and observe how Africans practice a common Arab faith. Their use of religion as a way of life is something I want to compare to my practice of faith.
I will be teaching ICT to a senior high school of 800 students. The school was privately owed but now receives government assistance. I am crossing my fingers hoping to have a computer lab with 20 machines. Computers are expensive here so there are some volunteers who only teach computers in theory. Students practice typing on cardboard keyboards and only read/listen to information on the infamous device. If there is one functioning machine at my school, I will be satisfied.
One interesting historical event at my site is that it is where slaves were sold to be sent to the coast. People were taken from Northern Ghana and Burkina Faso to be sold in a large market. They would make their way down to the coast to the famous cape coast castle. Many people around the world can trace their roots to my area and can say their ancestors have gone through the 'Door of no return'. Many Americans come and see the historical route. Even our President is coming to see the castle and learn about the process.
While the we volunteers are being trained, we have been placed in small communities through out the southern half of Ghana. I am loving my surroundings and my host family. Not even a month in Ghana, I have become royalty. I am the son of the great queen mother. She is the overseer of the land when the Chief is gone which is the current situation. All the volunteers have been given a local name that is based the day they are born (First nam) and their host family (surname). I have been given the name Yao Asante. Before you get any ideas that I have it better off than everyone else. You should know that I am still fetching my own water, hand washing my own clothes, and taking the nice icy cold bucket baths.
I noticed that my neighbors do not have much and find all ways to find income. Their is a plant that bares a fruit that is used for an American medicine that goes wildly in my area. When word came out that their is a need for it, there was a commotion behind our complex to make some extra cash. In the dry season they have a tougher time to farm so when opportunities come they must take advantage of it.
That will be all for now. Send me questions if you have any. You know my email. Please send letters because I am getting jealous of the other volunteers. Thanks for the letter Jess. You should receive your response in three weeks. I hope all is well in the states. I will post picture when I get a fast connection. Bye
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Safely Arrived
Hi all,
I have made it to ghana safely. We are a group of 67 volunteers so it was difficult to get everyone on the internet. Training has also kept us busy for most of the time so I am too tired to do anything. I am returning from my vision quest in the Brong Ahafo region. I was assigned to a knowledgable volunteer with a great sense of humor. I now understand how life will be like in the next two years and I am ready to start. I will post a more detailed account of my first appressions when I get a chance. I hope all is well. Bye
I have made it to ghana safely. We are a group of 67 volunteers so it was difficult to get everyone on the internet. Training has also kept us busy for most of the time so I am too tired to do anything. I am returning from my vision quest in the Brong Ahafo region. I was assigned to a knowledgable volunteer with a great sense of humor. I now understand how life will be like in the next two years and I am ready to start. I will post a more detailed account of my first appressions when I get a chance. I hope all is well. Bye
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The beginning
“To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.”
Kofi Annan quotes (Ghanaian diplomat, seventh secretary-general of the United Nations, 2001 Nobel Peace Prize.)
Welcome family and friends to my Peace Corps blog. I want to start off by saying thank you for all of the support throughout these recent months. Even those who have opposed my decision to join the Peace Corps have grown to understand and respect it. Leaving your love ones, home, and culture isn’t something I take lightly. Family, especially, have gotten more difficult to leave because of our developing interaction through email and facebook. Only recently have I begun to see the depth of my extended family and hear all of our achievements. I hope my high school English teaching cousin forgives me for any grammatically errors; I am only human.
With that said, I will do my best to write about diverse topics and provide a substantive perspective on Ghanaian culture. Feel free to send me any specific questions on anything from the Peace Corps to what bouncing around in my mind. I should be able to check email and receive mail from the address below. The information within a letter will most likely be old but it would be fun to keep some communication through snail mail.
NOTE: My blog post wont usually be this long. Since this is my first post, I thought it would be best for me to give some background information.
Path to the Peace Corps (PC)
Many wonder how and why I applied for the Peace Corps. It really wasn’t the initial goal after college. Although I do like working with technology, the potential dollar signs after school was one of the major motivational factors during my studies. It wasn’t until I completed a few community service projects at school and then later learned about the Peace Corps through an associate from an internship my interests changed. Of course, helping the misfortunate was the first reason why I applied, however, the challenge of the Peace Corps sealed the deal.
College sparked a fire inside that forced me to remove the silver spoon from my mouth and embark on something new. There will be no grades, no one to baby me, no determined ending, just a beginning. I knew that I could eventually test the same abilities in technology industry but it wouldn’t provide the same experience of learning a new culture and language. In July 2007, I filled out the application and rolled the dice.
By August 2007, I was nominated to a French speaking African country by my recruiter for the July 2008 program. As most college students, I procrastinated and didn’t return my medical and dental forms until the end of the fall semester. Passing the dental clearance was a breeze but I hit a brick wall for the medical form. Who knew that abdominal pain and hurt burn was actually a peptic ulcer. After 2 years of dealing with these symptoms, blood work finally allowed to me to be treated from the illness by May 2008. Now, all I had to do was wait three months.
Fortunately, I was able to be hired by Hewitt Associates to pay off some of those medical bills. I lucked out with an experienced and personable client team/co-workers that made work as fun as it could be. During my off hours, I was still pushing for the PC because LIFE is unpredictable and this was the best time to take a chance. By August 2008, I was medically cleared and didn’t hear a word from the PC until January 2009. My application was made available to all regions and I was considered for a South American position. Unfortunately, my esponal was muy mal and never move passed the first interview. Finally, I was given an invitation to the Ghana program by the end of February.
Training
Once I begin training, I won’t have much time use the internet so here is what I will be doing. All of the paper work and introductions take place on June 2nd in Philadelphia in a nice holiday inn. Before we get comfortable, we check out of the hotel 6am on the 3rd and leave for the health clinic. There we get any missing required vaccinations. After being a pin cushion for an hour or so, we race to JFK and take our 5pm flight to Accra, Ghana. By 8:10am June 4th, we land safely in Accra to begin the hard part.
We are given a short “honey moon” period for 4 days, where we train locally in Accra. We are lucky enough to get more vaccinations, medical/safety briefings, administrative instructions, and a cultural scavenger hunt within the capital. The scavenger is utilized to allow us to observe and get comfortable with local people/culture; this theme of self exploration will be further implemented with our “Vision Quest”. Do not worry, there wont be any potions drunk or any dancing by a fire but I can do a pretty good two step. We travel on our own or with a partner to a current volunteer and observe how life will be like during service. After the “Vision Quest”, we know what we need to learn and relay that information to the training staff.
The following ten weeks begins an intensive community based training. My training will include training in Ghanaian languages, culture, and cross-cultural communication, teaching methods, and Personal Health and safety. Most of the language classes take place Monday thru Thursday and many of the technical and cross cultural self-directed training runs during the rest of the week; sometimes even Saturdays.
Throughout the ten weeks, I stay with a host family to shorten the time it takes for cultural acceptance and community assimilation while practicing speaking in their native tongue. By the middle of training, the PC evaluates where they will be dumping me off for two years. My training soon becomes more specific and odds are I will be learning a local dialect. After dealing with the highs and lows of last five weeks, hopefully, I will be sworn in as an Official Peace Corps Volunteer on August 13th. I get to met some cool people within the Ghanaian Government and the US Ambassador for Ghana.
After an event/day of socializing and fruit punch, we are finally left alone and sent to our site. This is pretty much what I will be doing for the next few months. I will try to put up some pictures within this blog, facebook, or a photo album website. Thanks again for listening. Below lies some general information on Ghana and to the right are more informational links. Talk to you soon.
Ghana (Wikipedia)
The Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa. It borders Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. The word Ghana means "Warrior King,"[4] and was the source of the name "Guinea" (via French Guinoye), which has been used to refer to the West African coast (reflected in the Gulf of Guinea).
Ghana was inhabited in pre-colonial times by a number of ancient kingdoms, including the Ga-Daŋmes on the eastern coast, the inland Empire of Ashanti and various Fante states along the coast and inland. Trade with European states flourished after contact with the Portuguese in the 15th century, and the British established a crown colony, Gold Coast, in 1874.[5]
Gold Coast achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1957, becoming the first Sub-Saharan African nation to do so.[6] The name Ghana was chosen for the new nation to reflect the ancient Empire of Ghana, which once extended throughout much of western Africa. In the Ashanti language it is spelled Gaana.
Continued on Wikipedia…
Kofi Annan quotes (Ghanaian diplomat, seventh secretary-general of the United Nations, 2001 Nobel Peace Prize.)
Welcome family and friends to my Peace Corps blog. I want to start off by saying thank you for all of the support throughout these recent months. Even those who have opposed my decision to join the Peace Corps have grown to understand and respect it. Leaving your love ones, home, and culture isn’t something I take lightly. Family, especially, have gotten more difficult to leave because of our developing interaction through email and facebook. Only recently have I begun to see the depth of my extended family and hear all of our achievements. I hope my high school English teaching cousin forgives me for any grammatically errors; I am only human.With that said, I will do my best to write about diverse topics and provide a substantive perspective on Ghanaian culture. Feel free to send me any specific questions on anything from the Peace Corps to what bouncing around in my mind. I should be able to check email and receive mail from the address below. The information within a letter will most likely be old but it would be fun to keep some communication through snail mail.
Pego Jean-Paul, PCT
Peace Corps/Ghana
P.O. Box 5796
Accra-North, Ghana
West Africa
Peace Corps/Ghana
P.O. Box 5796
Accra-North, Ghana
West Africa
NOTE: My blog post wont usually be this long. Since this is my first post, I thought it would be best for me to give some background information.
Path to the Peace Corps (PC)
Many wonder how and why I applied for the Peace Corps. It really wasn’t the initial goal after college. Although I do like working with technology, the potential dollar signs after school was one of the major motivational factors during my studies. It wasn’t until I completed a few community service projects at school and then later learned about the Peace Corps through an associate from an internship my interests changed. Of course, helping the misfortunate was the first reason why I applied, however, the challenge of the Peace Corps sealed the deal.
College sparked a fire inside that forced me to remove the silver spoon from my mouth and embark on something new. There will be no grades, no one to baby me, no determined ending, just a beginning. I knew that I could eventually test the same abilities in technology industry but it wouldn’t provide the same experience of learning a new culture and language. In July 2007, I filled out the application and rolled the dice.
By August 2007, I was nominated to a French speaking African country by my recruiter for the July 2008 program. As most college students, I procrastinated and didn’t return my medical and dental forms until the end of the fall semester. Passing the dental clearance was a breeze but I hit a brick wall for the medical form. Who knew that abdominal pain and hurt burn was actually a peptic ulcer. After 2 years of dealing with these symptoms, blood work finally allowed to me to be treated from the illness by May 2008. Now, all I had to do was wait three months.
Fortunately, I was able to be hired by Hewitt Associates to pay off some of those medical bills. I lucked out with an experienced and personable client team/co-workers that made work as fun as it could be. During my off hours, I was still pushing for the PC because LIFE is unpredictable and this was the best time to take a chance. By August 2008, I was medically cleared and didn’t hear a word from the PC until January 2009. My application was made available to all regions and I was considered for a South American position. Unfortunately, my esponal was muy mal and never move passed the first interview. Finally, I was given an invitation to the Ghana program by the end of February.
Training
Once I begin training, I won’t have much time use the internet so here is what I will be doing. All of the paper work and introductions take place on June 2nd in Philadelphia in a nice holiday inn. Before we get comfortable, we check out of the hotel 6am on the 3rd and leave for the health clinic. There we get any missing required vaccinations. After being a pin cushion for an hour or so, we race to JFK and take our 5pm flight to Accra, Ghana. By 8:10am June 4th, we land safely in Accra to begin the hard part.
We are given a short “honey moon” period for 4 days, where we train locally in Accra. We are lucky enough to get more vaccinations, medical/safety briefings, administrative instructions, and a cultural scavenger hunt within the capital. The scavenger is utilized to allow us to observe and get comfortable with local people/culture; this theme of self exploration will be further implemented with our “Vision Quest”. Do not worry, there wont be any potions drunk or any dancing by a fire but I can do a pretty good two step. We travel on our own or with a partner to a current volunteer and observe how life will be like during service. After the “Vision Quest”, we know what we need to learn and relay that information to the training staff.
The following ten weeks begins an intensive community based training. My training will include training in Ghanaian languages, culture, and cross-cultural communication, teaching methods, and Personal Health and safety. Most of the language classes take place Monday thru Thursday and many of the technical and cross cultural self-directed training runs during the rest of the week; sometimes even Saturdays.
Throughout the ten weeks, I stay with a host family to shorten the time it takes for cultural acceptance and community assimilation while practicing speaking in their native tongue. By the middle of training, the PC evaluates where they will be dumping me off for two years. My training soon becomes more specific and odds are I will be learning a local dialect. After dealing with the highs and lows of last five weeks, hopefully, I will be sworn in as an Official Peace Corps Volunteer on August 13th. I get to met some cool people within the Ghanaian Government and the US Ambassador for Ghana.
After an event/day of socializing and fruit punch, we are finally left alone and sent to our site. This is pretty much what I will be doing for the next few months. I will try to put up some pictures within this blog, facebook, or a photo album website. Thanks again for listening. Below lies some general information on Ghana and to the right are more informational links. Talk to you soon.
Ghana (Wikipedia)
The Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa. It borders Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. The word Ghana means "Warrior King,"[4] and was the source of the name "Guinea" (via French Guinoye), which has been used to refer to the West African coast (reflected in the Gulf of Guinea).
Ghana was inhabited in pre-colonial times by a number of ancient kingdoms, including the Ga-Daŋmes on the eastern coast, the inland Empire of Ashanti and various Fante states along the coast and inland. Trade with European states flourished after contact with the Portuguese in the 15th century, and the British established a crown colony, Gold Coast, in 1874.[5]
Gold Coast achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1957, becoming the first Sub-Saharan African nation to do so.[6] The name Ghana was chosen for the new nation to reflect the ancient Empire of Ghana, which once extended throughout much of western Africa. In the Ashanti language it is spelled Gaana.
Continued on Wikipedia…
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