| Tuesday, October 24, 2006 |
| Kpandai for a month! |
September 21, 2006
Today Sebastian was in meetings with Kumara, pretty much the whole day, so he asked Vasco to drive us over to the youth office, to learn more about the programs that they run. They do some very interesting work for farmer co-operatives in the surrounding area. One program helps farmers get better and more up to date market information on the products they grow, like maize, soybean, rice, millet, etc. They will find the latest market news, then send that information to the regional offices in places like Salaga and Kpandai, where it will be put on a board for farmers to see. To assist in identifying the various products they put pictures beside the product for those who might not be so proficient in English, or who have difficulty reading. It allows the farmers to make better decisions on when to sell their products and at what price. Another initiative they are working on is an internet café for Tamale youth, which should be operational by November.
The credit union is operated out of the same building, and while we were there a man came by to learn more about it, signed up and promised to bring his wife the next day! It was explained that there is still some suspicion about credit unions because other operations that ran as credit unions in the past were not honest, and basically drained members of their savings. At the Tamale credit union, prospective members are ensured that their deposits are guaranteed.
Everyone at the youth office was very nice, and I spent some time chatting with them and getting to know more about them and their plans. They let me check my email (the connection was much better than the one last night), and the administrative assistant took me to the main level to scope out the prices of cel phones. Having her along probably ensured that I got a fair price quote!
Once they found out that I was going to Kpandai, they started calling me the second Renee, and that people in Kpandai are probably waiting for the second Renee to come. I don’t know how I feel about that because from the sounds of it, Renee left some pretty big shoes to fill!
In the afternoon, we went back to the main SEND office, but Sebastian was still in meetings with Kumara. So we read, and read. And read some more. I read the newspaper, where I saw an editorial about how this huge coalition of homosexuals (I can’t remember the name of the group) wanted to hold their conference in Accra, but they were banned by the government, or something like that. The editorial expressed approval over the ban. I was told that homosexuality was taboo in Ghana, but seeing such strong reaction in a leading newspaper surprised me.
Vasco took us back to the SEND Youth office so I could buy a phone from one of the vendors on the main level. I got a pretty nice Nokia for about 700,000 cedis, about 75 bucks. I ran into a snag though when I asked for a One Touch SIM card. Right now Areeba is the most popular mobile service provider, but in Kpandai only One Touch works. I asked them if they sold One Touch SIM cards, and they said no, and that they were hard to come by in Tamale. I asked where I could find one, and they didn’t know that either, but after a while they offered to find me one by tomorrow afternoon.
We had been eating at the G Restaurant and Bar almost every day during the time we were here, so we asked Vasco to tell us a new place to go. He took us to the main bus stop, where we had chicken and jollof rice. We tried to invite Vasco to have dinner with Kumara called and wanted him to pick him up. Anyway, jollof rice is basically rice fried with chili oil. I loved it, but Jeanine could barely finish hers. She doesn’t eat spicy food. While we were there, our table was right behind these two guys’ who were drinking a few beers, and the one guy kept pestering me during the meal, asking who we were, if we were enjoying the food, etc etc. I wasn’t sure what his intentions were, especially after he told me that he thought I should be his lady. I told him firmly I was nobody’s lady.
Then they got up, and I wasn’t sure if they were leaving or what, but dude kept saying he was buying us dinner. I said, that thanks, but we could pay for our bill, but he got very insistent and pushy. Then I think we got a quasi lecture from him and his friend, that in Ghana, when someone offers to do something for you, you accept it graciously. They told us they were military personnel and that they’d been stationed in Europe, the Middle East, etc, and like to show gratitude to foreigners when they are in Ghana, just like the support they got while over seas. They then left, surprisingly without asking for our mobile phone numbers. I thought about the whole debacle after, and I guess yeah, if I were in the same position, and I made an offer to buy someone’s meal, I would feel offended if I got turned down. Then again, I wouldn’t go up to perfect strangers and tell them I’m buying their meal. It’s really hard to gauge the difference between simple niceness and hidden intentions.
September 22, 2006
Today we had another interesting experience with government personnel- this time it was with immigration. In Accra we went to the immigration office to figure out the forms we would have to fill out for our residence permits, which they gave to us. Kumara recommended that we get our forms done in the Tamale office, not because it was easier for us to get to than Accra, but also because that office wasn’t as busy as the one in the capital.
So we went to the office, armed with our completed forms and passport pictures. The lady at the front desk looked at our forms, frowned, and told us we couldn’t have those forms, that we had to fill out visitors visa renewal forms instead, no explanation. So she took our forms, gave us the renewal forms, and told us to fill them out and come back.
When we went back to the SEND office I must say I was a little confused. But then Jeanine got a phone call from the Deputy Commander at the immigration office. He had our forms, and Jeanine had filled out her mobile number on them, and he asked us to come back to the office so he could discuss our permits. So off we go again to the immigration office.
He was very nice though, and made things much more clear to us. He said he wanted to explain the details to us because he felt that they weren’t explained very well to us the first time. Basically we were given the wrong forms to fill out by the Accra office. Residence permits are for people that want to earn money while in Ghana (we are formally considered volunteers). To get a residence permit, you need to have a security clearance form from your home country, medical clearance, a letter of support from an organization or family member, and time to wait. Residence permits take about 8 months to process, he explained, so by the time we got one, we’d be ready to go. He said that it was normal procedure for volunteers to get three month renewals on the visitors visa. That way they can keep better track of us (his words), because we’d have to come back into Tamale regularly and check in with them. So what is done, is that three month renewals are given for up to a period of about 8 months. After that, we have to leave the country (Togo or Burkino Faso), and get a re-entry stamp. After we get that stamp we can continue on the three month renewals. He said that he could get our visa renewal stamps done for us today for right after the expiration of our current visas, so we wouldn’t have to come back until February. But we needed to fill out our new forms and get a letter of support from SEND Foundation. It pays to speak to someone higher up the government foodchain!
So we went back to SEND Foundation and did our paperwork, then because Vasco had gone home to rest, went with Sarah to the immigration office again. We took a cab, and thank goodness we knew where we were going because Sarah and the taxi driver didn’t!
We dropped off our forms, then walked to downtown because Sarah had to get food for the watchdog. We ran into Lydia, another woman who works at SEND, and because Sarah had to get back to the office for prayers, she told us how to get a taxi back to SEND office. Back at SEND the lights were off, again, but strangely only in the front half of the building. The offices in the back, and the boardroom, had power, weird.
There was supposed to be a partial solar eclipse today, but we weren’t able to see it because it was cloudy out. That really bummed me out. And then it rained. Which bummed me more because we had to take a cab back to the immigration office in the afternoon. I don’t know why this was so funny to me, but while waiting I could hear this goat outside crying....it sounded like an old woman groaning, and I couldn’t stop laughing.
Banahene was in town as he drove Kumara up from Accra. Vasco was driving him and Kumara back to Accra that night. Banahene would normally drive, but Kumara sent him to Krete Kraichi, a 17 hour drive (round trip) by vehicle, for ONE signature, and he probably wasn’t up to the 12 drive back into Accra. I think Banahene is going to be very happy when Kumara is off to Liberia next week! So anyway, he was willing to drive us around in the afternoon, which made me happy, I didn’t feel like getting soaked from finding a taxi!
We went to immigration, then I wanted to get my SIM card for my phone. The guys at the mobile phone store couldn’t find a One Touch card for me. They said I could try the post office. I went there, and they were fresh out. They even called the Ghana Telecom office and they were out too. There wasn’t a One Touch SIM card in the whole city. Which made me very frustrated! I finally had a mobile phone, but couldn’t call anyone! I broke down and bought an Areeba SIM card for the weekend, and asked Vasco to pick me one up when he was in Accra. Hopefully they aren’t out of them there too....
It was very cute, while he was driving us around Banahene told us that Kumara asked him to talk to us about the men in Tamale, and to warn us that they like to cozy up to expatriates, and that we should be on our guard. I think Kumara got Banahene to do this because we’re kinda friends with Banahene now, and perhaps Kumara felt the age difference between us was too large. Before we left from Ottawa we were warned by the co-ordinators that Kumara was a ‘yeller’ and to not take it too personally, because he yelled at everyone. I still have yet to see that side of him- so far he’s been almost very fatherly in his dealings with us. He called Banahene the night we got into Accra to make sure we were alright, he’s always asking us if we were doing alright, he called the day we left for Tamale to make sure everything was okay, and he called that night to make sure that we made it there safe. He’s asking us if our accommodations are okay and if we’re enjoying the city, and he got Banahene to warn us about the men. Haha. It will be interesting to see this other side of his personality, and hopefully I can reconcile it with the one I’ve seen so far!
For dinner, we didn’t want to go back to the G Restaurant, and we didn’t want to go to the bus stop, in case our ‘friends’ were there. We asked at our guesthouse and they recommended SWAD Fast Food, just down the road from the Catholic Guesthouse. We walked there, and I think I’ve found my cocoon in Tamale. They had pizzas, pastas, authentic Ghanaian food, and they had Indian food. I had mutter paneer and it was sooooo good. Then I had ice cream, which was divine as well. On the walk back, it was still kind of cloudy out, but the rain had stopped, and you could see these huge bats swooping up flies and other things near the streetlights. It kind of creeped me out, but if they’re eating up nasty mosquitoes, more power to them!
September 23, 2006
What to do on a Saturday in Tamale? Shop! We still haven’t met with Sebastian, but he said that we would meet for drinks at some point this weekend to discuss the work further. So after breakfast Jeanine and I set out for our walk to the city centre before it got too warm out. Again, we got lots of hellos, and lots of requests to buy things, nothing overly aggressive, but it’s still taking a little getting used to.
We walked to the Cultural Centre, and unfortunately there wasn’t much to see there. There was a performance hall in need of repair, and there was some construction going on around the building. The director led us to the shops surrounding the building though, and I got to see some pretty batik cloths, carvings, bags, and beads. I also got a feel for prices of things. At first the shop people were eager to have us come into their shops, but once we explained that we would be around for a few months and that we were just looking today, they relented a bit. After going into a few of the shops anyway I started to see that there were a lot of duplicates in some of the stores. I am assuming that they didn’t make those items themselves, and that they bought them from someone else....I think I’ll try to restrict my gift shopping to Kpandai if that’s possible, and give the money directly to the person who made it.
We walked over to a supermarket that Vasco pointed out to us earlier in the week, because Jeanine needed some toiletries and I wanted to get some Raid and mosquito coils. On the way we noticed another internet café, so we went in and the connection was much much better than the one we visited earlier in the week.
We took a taxi back to the guesthouse because we were loaded down with supplies. It’s hard to figure out the taxi system. The driver quotes you a price for the ride, and you either bargain with him, accept it, or look for another taxi. For the same ride, one night we were told 20,000 cedis, another night 30,000 cedis (which we bargained down to 20,000), and this afternoon we forgot to ask for a price, so when we got to the guesthouse he said 10,000 cedis. For the same distance.
The afternoon was pretty slack, it was so hot I didn’t feel like venturing out, so I napped and read. We went back to SWAD for supper again, and this time I had pizza which was so good. I think SWAD is where many expats go to eat, because the night before it was like the UN, at one table the Canadians, at another table the Belgians, at the other table were the Aussies, you get the drift. Tonight there was a large group of South Africans dining there, and they had two annoying kids driving their bicycles around all the tables outside. Who the frig lets their kids do that? Oh well it was not my place to say anything. I saw more bats tonight than I did the night before. Yuck.
I am sorry about the lack of photographic entertainment in these entries, I simply haven’t taken any pictures since I arrived. I figure, I’ve got at least six months to take pictures, why do it all in the first few weeks?
September 24, 2006
I have never seen so much rain at one time as today. Most of the morning after breakfast I read, and watched the clouds come in. Then the deluge began. It was like someone was pouring water out in a spout on the city, there was so much water. And the lightning was so loud! While this was going on, Sebastian called Jeanine and then came to the guesthouse to pick us up. We had to wait in the guesthouse for a bit while the rain slowed down.
We went to the King David bar for drinks and guinea fowl. I had a Star beer, which was very good and very big! I forgot to ask for a smaller one. So after I finished drinking it I must say I felt pretty happy, haha. And the guinea fowl was very good. I think they cooked it over a fire so it was smoky, and it was served with groundnut (aka peanut) flour, chilies and onions.
While we sat at the bar we had a talk with Sebastian about our jobs, and I must say I am now much relieved about the work. I have a clearer picture of what is expected of me.
In the evening Jeanine and I walked back to SWAD Fast Food for a smaller meal and dessert. The dessert was fresh pineapple and it was so good. And there was so much, we each got huge plates of pineapple for about 9,000 cedis each, or about 1 dollar.
September 25, 2006
Today we finally met Janet, the Eastern Corridor Program Officer, and our direct boss. Every Monday SEND’s various offices meet together and discuss the week’s plans and how everyone can be of assistance, so this week we attended Tamale’s weekly meeting, and met more SEND Staff.
After the meeting we briefly met with Janet and Sebastian, and we discussed what we would need to buy for our respective places in Salaga and Kpandai, and made shopping lists. Then Sarah took us to Melfor (?) the department store in Tamale to shop. The system of shopping is very different than what I am used to. There, you go through the store, and decide what you want to buy. Then you flag down one of the employees for a particular department, and they write down what you want to buy, on a sheet of paper. Once you have finished shopping you take your sheets of paper up to the till, and they calculate what you owe. You then go to each department with your receipt, and collect your things, and the department employees check off your items on your receipt. At the exit your items and your receipt are checked again before you can leave the store.
So I bought things like plates, cups, silverware, cookware, pots and a pan, sheets, pillows, buckets for water, dishtowels for about 100 dollars. After we finished we flagged a taxi to haul our items back to the SEND office. As we were putting our things in the taxi the taxi started leaking antifreeze. At least that is what I think it is because this greenish liquid started draining from the car and the engine started to smoke. But, we still drove back to the office in the car, and we got there safe and sound!
Raymond was at the office when we got back, and he is the Project officer in Kpandai, and my roomie, so to speak. He was very nice and welcoming. He came down to Tamale with Imoro, the Salaga driver. Imoro seems like quite the character, very lively!
That night we switched things up a bit and went to the Crest Restaurant for dinner, and had ‘Chinese’ food. Basically it was a chicken stirfry with spaghetti. The Crest is close to the main mosque and we could see people praying. Ramadan or fasting began over the weekend and you can definitely see and hear the difference in the city. During fast Muslims cannot eat or drink between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. So there were fewer people in the market, and the Muslims at SEND, like Sarah, will not eat or drink during the day. There is also more prayer. I was told that people wake at 3 to pray, and then pray again around 6, then after 12, then in the afternoon, then in the evening. We could hear the prayers around our guesthouse.
That night we also found stores that sell ‘junk food’! I saw Pringles, chocolate bars, cookies, and lots of other western food. I bought chocolate covered groundnuts, and toilet paper. The groundnuts were very yummy. The toilet paper will be useful in Kpandai.
September 26, 2006
Today is the day we finally leave for Salaga! Vasco took us around to pick up some last minute things. Jeanine wanted to buy a bicycle and a fan, and I wanted an iron and a radio. We were also told to get water sachets. Over here purified water is sold in bottles, or in 500 ml plastic bags, so I bought four large packs of the 500 ml bags. It came to about 30,000 cedis, not too bad.
Imoro, and Vasco loaded up our things and then we were off with him, and Janet. The drive was about an hour and a half if I remember correctly, and it was a chance to see the country side around Tamale. Because it is the rainy season everything is green and lush, like the grass and trees. But it is typical savannah landscape, grass and the occasional tree.
But oh! The roads are pretty bad. There was paved road for a stretch outside of the city, but then it turned to dirt. With the rainy season you can imagine how rutted it is. So we had to drive much slower. And Janet was saying that the roads aren’t being serviced as much as they used to be.
Today is also the day the District Assembly elections take place for all of the country except Tamale. The district assemblies are basically like our municipal governments if I have it right. The reason that Tamale wasn’t participating in the elections is that the last time there was elections, there was a conflict in Tamale and it set off their schedule by three years. So Tamale will elect new representatives in three years.
We arrived in Salaga, and met more people that work with SEND in the Salaga office. Then Imoro drove us to Jeanine’s new apartment which is really close to the office. After we dropped off her things we went to the guesthouse where the office had booked me a room. It was nice, new and clean. It also had running water, which I was happy about!
We had an issue with food though. Because of fast, there really wasn’t food to be had during the day time. We talked to the manager of the guesthouse and she said she would cook us jollof rice after 6. So we were told to wait in the reception area while the sun set and they bought the food. In the reception area there was a TV, and I must say this was my most bizarre night in Ghana since I arrived. The channel it was on was an educational channel, much like our SCN classes in Viscount. So the first program we watched was on Shakespearean English, where we learned about prose, alliteration and all that fun English stuff. Then the second program got both me and Jeanine revved. It was a math program for middle school, and the kids were figuring out the volume of cylinders and fun stuff like that. I think Jeanine and I were taking it too seriously because we were goading these kids on like we were watching football! ‘It’s Pi R Squared times height!’ ‘Don’t square the 6! Don’t square the 6!’ Like I said, a very bizarre night.
So we had dinner and then while Jeanine used the shower in my room I visited with the night manager and his brother. And saw the biggest frogs I’ve ever seen in my life. They were everywhere and eating the bugs.
September 27, 2006
We had a brief meeting in the morning to discuss what the various officers in the Eastern Corridor do for SEND Foundation, and after that I drove with Imoro and Raymond to Kpandai. It was an interesting drive. We went through a lot of villages, almost ran over some chickens goats and kids, and saw some more of the countryside. We stopped in Bimbilla at the SEND offices there, and I was able to get my One Touch SIM Card. Finally! The number is 0208086283. I think you dial 011, then 233, the country code, and remove the 0 before the number to get through.
On the drive we went through seven police checkstops (no kidding), but I wasn’t asked to provide ID or anything. Then we got to Kpandai. It is a nice town, small, but the people are very friendly. I dropped my things off at the house that Raymond is renting for the moment, while the new SEND house is still being fixed up. I have my own room, with a bed, desk and chair.
We then drove into the SEND office in town. It is quite a hike to the office from the house we are renting, but the walk will be nice. The power was off today so I just saw where it was, and then where the Credit Union was. I met some people that work with the credit union, and then Raymond and I walked up to Rosemary’s hair salon. She lives with her kids in the house right beside Raymond’s. So I met her, and scared her little daughter Stephanie (not intentionally), but I don’t think she was used to me yet. We sat and visited a bit, then we walked up to a guesthouse where they serve food. So we had banku with okra soup. Banku is basically a dough that is made of corn meal, and you tear pieces off with your (right) hand and dip it in the soup. It was very good, and there was goat meat in the soup, which wasn’t too bad either.
After that Raymond and I walked back to Rosemary’s salon and sat there and visited. Some women came by and I was introduced to them, and they gave me a new name, Akos, which means Sunday in Twi, the day I was born. While walking back to the house Raymond introduced me to many of Renee’s friends, like Delphina, the chief’s wife, Mary and Grace, both proprietors of bars. Raymond was laughing at me because on the way back to the house he could hear many people debating among themselves whether I was Renee or not, and I was getting called Abena a lot, her name, which means Tuesday in Twi. She is a big girl, like me, and I guess they think we look similar.
I settled into my room and for supper Imoro bought some more Banku and this time it was with groundnut soup. It was good. I basically passed out that night.
September 28, 2006
Today we had an early day at the SEND office. Raymond had scheduled a meeting with the board of the credit union for 7:00, before we were supposed to travel back into Salaga for the monthly Eastern Corridor staff meeting. We were going to travel in a convoy with others from the SEND office in Kete Krachi, so I got to meet Reverend Moses, the Project Officer there. The meeting with the credit union board was short, but delayed by about an hour. That’s Africa time for you!
So we were late getting on the road to Salaga. The truck was full this time, Raymond, Imoro, Me, another SEND staff person whose name I don’t remember, and one of Raymond’s former students who was catching a ride back to Salaga with us. This time we didn’t drive through Bimbilla, but instead bypassed it and took a shorter road, but not as well kept. It took us through some very small villages and I got to see more of the countryside. And I had another bizarre Ghanaian moment on this road trip: we were listening to country western music for most of the ride! Haha, I was belting out Garth Brooks’ ‘I’ve got friends in low places, where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases my blues away.....and I feel okay!’ I don’t think Imoro liked the music, and was giving me eyes. He’s quite the character, very lively! He was making jokes about farting in the truck and everyone was telling him to please not do it!
We got to Salaga in one piece and the meeting was already running late. So we got started, and was the meeting ever long! But I understand that given that everyone from the Eastern Corridor was there and they have many projects on the go. At the lunch break we had jollof rice with goat meat, and I got a piece that tasted like liver to me, which I don’t like very much, but otherwise it was good.
I was getting a ride back to Kpandai with the Reverend and his driver, and Lelewu came as well. Raymond is going to be gone for two weeks for work, so it will just be Lelewu and me in the office. We tied his motorbike in the back of the truck. On the ride back they were telling me about how the water levels are very low for this time of year, and showed me in come places where it was dry, that they should be under water. I also learned a bit about the elections process, and about how ethnic groups are affecting elections in Kpandai. There is a dominant tribe in Kpandai, the Kokomba’s (?), and they’ve been electing the same man as Member of Parliament for the past 15 years, and he intends to run again. Any other people from other tribes who run against him lose, because the dominant tribe always votes the same man in.
It was raining on the ride back to Kpandai which made the trip slower, plus it was dark. Try dodging goats and people on bicycles at night! So we didn’t get back to Kpandai until 8. But Rosemary is such a nice person, she had fufu with fish soup waiting for me. I stayed up late to make a call to Nicky, and as I was falling to sleep, that is when I heard the bats. Yuck! They get between the ceiling and the tin roof of the house, and I could hear them squawking and scurrying around on the ceiling. I didn’t sleep a wink that night, I was worried that they would get into my room. Because the whole house was made of concrete and there’s no furniture in the house except in mine and Raymond’s rooms, the echoes were loud and at points in the night it sounded like the bats had gotten into the living room. Yeah, I’m a bit paranoid.
In the morning I did a scan of the house to make sure that it was indeed bat-free, and had breakfast at Rosemary’s. I’ve basically become part of the family now, so I was told after I wanted to give some money for the food I’ve eaten so far. She said that I can just buy things at market and contribute that way, so that is fine by me! Breakfast was porridge made from corn, it was good and sweet. I walked to the SEND office, and along the way I met many people and told many people that I was not Abene, that I was Angela/Akos. The kids along the way too were saying ‘Hello Father!’ to me, that was cute.
Lelewu met me at the office and we went for a walk around town. We ran into Delphina and her daughter Caroline, and went by Rosemary’s salon. We walked to the guesthouse where Raymond and I had lunch the one day but the man who sold drinks was sick, so it was closed. We walked up to another bar and Lelewu bought some palm wine for me to try. It was fresh, thus non-alcoholic, but it was very good. The man who makes the wine offered to show me how it was done, so we arranged to go see him do it at three in the afternoon.
Hung out at the office a bit and did some work then I walked to visit Rosemary a bit. On the way I met some ladies sewing and I had to tell them again that I was not Abene, but Angela/Akos, they were very funny and one lady showed me her newborn baby son and said that he was my future husband! That made me laugh.
I went back to the office and at three Lelewu and I went to the bar, but Kwamena (the palm wine tapper) wasn’t there. So back to the office. On the way Lelewu bought bananas for us to munch on. Stephen the credit union officer came for a bit and then the power went off. And it RAINED....so much that Lelewu wanted me to wait it out a bit before I walked home. It let up for a bit but poor Lelewu, his motorbike wouldn’t turn over. He arranged a ride for me with some Volta Water Authority employees, basically they’re the dudes that disconnect houses when they haven’t been paying their power bills. Whatevs, I got home dry. For supper that night Rosemary had rice and stew, which was very spicy and good. Rosemary assured me that the bats wouldn’t get into the house, I think I made her laugh with my paranoia. I still put up my bednet though. Even if they get into the house, the bednet will prevent them from dropping on me in my sleep. I slept well that night.
September 30, 2006
Today Rosemary invited me to a graduation ceremony for three hairstyling apprentices from another salon. She was assisting in the ceremonies and it was later in the day. So I walked to the office, on the way I ran into some Rebecca who I met the day before, and I visited with her a bit. She walked me to another lady who was making this snack out of groundnut flour, water, salt and pepper. Anyway, I can’t remember what it is called, but she rolled the dough into long thin rolls and then deep fried them. I bought a bunch for the kids who seemed to accumulate around me while I was watching them being prepared, and took some to the office. I met more people, and told more people I wasn’t Renee, haha.
At the office I ran into Lelewu whose bike was fixed, so he was traveling to some communities around Kpandai to talk about a marketing company that approached SEND regarding the farmer co-operatives. I had some kids staring at me through the windows on the door, so I went out and said hi to them, and visited with the man who fixes bikes in the office next to ours.
Around 10:30 I started walking to Rosemary’s salon and on the way Kwamena stopped me and asked why we didn’t show up to watch him tap the palms. I assured him that we did stop by, but then he invited me in to taste the palm wine he tapped the other day. It was yummy, and he invited me to come see it today at three. This time I gave him my mobile number to call me.
I sat with Rosemary a bit and then she pointed out a monkey at the next building over. So I had to go look at it. I don’t know what kind of species it was, but the monkey was tied up to a bicycle. I gawked at it for a while, my first African monkey!
It was time to walk to the ceremony so Rosemary and I took off. On the way I met more people, and the police inspector at the barrier near our house. It was interesting to see the ceremony, which started around 1, about three hours after we arrived at the place. Everybody was dressed very formally, except me! And when the apprentices came in front of Rosemary or other hair salon owners in town, they would bow in front of them. So ironically, the ceremony was very ceremonial. And then the ceremony began. I don’t know exactly what was happening because it was in Twi, but this is what I saw.
- A man got up and talked
- Music and the apprentices danced
- Rosemary talked
- More music and apprentices dancing
- The three apprentices got up and the salon owner said things about them
- More music and dancing
- The apprentices graduating were brought forward with their families, who said some things.
- Music and dancing.
- The apprentices kneeled on pillows and they were presented with hair equipment like combs, curlers, towels, and then they were sprinkled with talc on their heads. People would then come up and drop money on their heads, which were collected into three pots.
- Then the apprentices were whisked away, and there was some more music. They changed out of their apprentice uniforms and into formal dresses. They were sat in the middle of the crowd and given their certificates, and then it seemed like there was some bidding on each of the graduates, and people presented them with more money.
- Some more words were said, and then more money.
- The other apprentices from each of the salons walked around and distributed pop and cookies to the crowd, and I think the ceremony was done. There was lots of music and people got up and danced.
At orientation in Ontario, the facilitator from the Centre for Intercultural Learning asked us to keep a fantasy about something we would like to do during our internship, and to actually do it, as a way to prevent deciding to leave our internships if we are not having a good time. Mine was to sit in a crowd with music and watch people having fun and dancing, and I can say that after being in Kpandai for three days, that I fulfilled my fantasy. It was something to see and although I didn’t understand really what was going on, I enjoyed being there.
Unfortunately, the ceremony ran really late and I missed Kwamena’s call. I’ll have to stop by his bar and apologize. I walked by his bar, he wasn’t there. So I ran into Delphine who was at home with Father Flavian and her sister Celestine. I had a Coke with them and visited, and then made my way home. On the way home this dog was following me, and I wasn’t sure why. It was making me nervous because it followed close at my feet and wouldn’t leave my side. I stopped to say hello to Grace on the way home, and she explained to me that it was Renee’s dog when she lived here, he was a puppy at the house she was staying at and it must have mistaken me for her. Just like the rest of the community!
I was late getting back to the house, and Rosemary was worried about me, because the mobile phone network was shut down and she couldn’t call. I met her husband, who is studying in Tamale to be a doctor and he was home for the weekend. I ate some banku, and then made my way to bed.
October 1, 2006
I slept in a little bit but got up and got ready for church. Yes Cecile, church, haha. I went with Rosemary’s niece to the R/C church. The service was very nice, the choir sang beautifully and there was drumming accompanying them. It was in Twi though, and couldn’t understand.
The priest spoke in English though, and had an interpreter translate in Twi for the church. There were some departures from the mass that I am used to but all and all I could figure it out. Near the end of mass though people new to the parish (uh, me), were asked to come forward and introduce ourselves. The church was full and anyone who knows me knows how well I do in front of crowds. To top that all off, as I was introducing myself I could hear the people starting to murmur and it got so loud that I got confused, and Father Flavian had to tell the people to keep quiet. He also admonished the church that they shouldn’t speak in church, while others are speaking. I felt a little embarrassed about it, but Rosemary’s niece told me later that they were debating about whether or not I was Renee. I’ll have to make a sign in Twi that says NOT ABENE!
Every day as I walk back and forth from the house to town the women I meet along the road say things to me in Twi, and I try to respond. It will help me to learn the language, plus it makes them happy to see me trying to learn. It’s only been three days, but I am starting to pick things up if they speak slowly.
I went back to the house and Rosemary and I got ready to go to market. We bought palm oil, tomatoes, spices, garlic, soap, rice, canned tomato paste, canned milk, chicken and groundnut oil. I also bought myself some sandals for in the bath. We ran into more people along the way and they were trying to talk to me in Twi, but I wasn’t following much.
Back at the house I helped remove dried corn kernels from the cobs, and got super huge blisters on my fingers because of it. Rosemary also showed me how to make light soup, and fish stew. Both tasted awesome. Rosemary and her niece also showed me how fufu is made out of yam and cassava. I also tried to eat some raw garden eggs, which I originally mistook for raw tomatoes but was told that they’re used to thicken soup. I didn’t like them much, they are too bitter when they’re raw, but I was told that the bitterness goes away when they’re cooked. I also tried to eat raw peanuts (groundnuts). They taste like raw peas, but then Rosemary roasted some and they tasted good.
I think people are worried about how I am doing in Kpandai because I got a few phone calls today from Raymond, Lelewu, and Imoro, just making sure that I was doing okay. All I could say to them was yes, I am doing well and everything is okay!
October 2, 2006
Today Lelewu’s leave begins, and he is traveling into Tamale to take some tests tomorrow. I hung out at the office, read some reports, and went to see where Kwamene distilled the palm wine to make alcohol. His brother had ten dollars in Canadian and he asked me to change it for him. So I did. Had some more fresh palm wine and went back to the office.
Today was very quiet because Lelewu was traveling to villages around Kpandai to discuss a marketing company. Mary and my future ‘husband’ came by, I visited with the man who repairs bikes in the office next to mine, and walked around a bit.
When Lelewu came back to the office, he warned me that while he was gone, if I wanted to see Kwamena tap the palm trees, that I should take Stephen or Zachary with me, and not go alone. I was a little curious about the warning because Rosemary said pretty much the same thing to me in the morning. So in the afternoon Mata, a local weaver, stopped at the office for a visit, and I asked her about it. She just said that I shouldn’t trust him too much, and that he’s ‘different’. Fair enough, I’ve been warned!
As I was leaving the office to go home, it started to rain. I was stuck under a shopkeeper’s awning with Celestine and some other people for a good twenty minutes. After the rain died the walk home got interesting because I was wearing very thin-soled flip flops which stuck down in the mud. It was slow going. But I made friends with two boys on the walk, and they showed me where it was safe to walk.
October 3, 2006
I stuck pretty close to the office today because Janet and Jeanine were coming up to Kpandai to check in on me. They showed up around 1 pm and Janet was hungry so we walked to the guesthouse so she could order fufu. When we were there a disgruntled former peace animator for SEND Foundation wouldn’t leave Janet alone while she was eating. Peace animators are volunteers in the community that go around and discuss keeping the peace among the various ethnic groups in the community. The man was complaining about the program because he figured that he should get compensated for the work that he did as a peace animator. He complained a lot about not getting fed while doing the work. Janet explained to us that at the training session for peace animators, they were told explicitly that the position was a volunteer position and that they would not get compensation for their work. Why should they get compensated for helping to make their own community better?
I am beginning to see some of the difficulty SEND Foundation has with working in the communities. There is a perception that because SEND is in the community, that the foundation will be providing money and services without any input from the community. For example, one initiative of SEND is micro-financing for small businesses, and for this they provide small loans for businesses. In many of the reports I read one of the difficulties with these loans is the perception that the loan didn’t have to be paid back, that SEND was giving this money out. That is not what SEND is trying to do. It is trying to get the community to take ownership of its well being and engage fully in making their communities better. Within the next two years, SEND intends to pull out of the communities it is operating in, and hand the reins over to the community associations SEND helped to form. I am curious (and a little concerned) to see the outcome of this transition.
We traveled out of Kpandai and to a nearby village to see some soybean farms. We also stopped by the house that SEND is renting, but is currently being renovated before Raymond and I move in. I really hope that they haven’t gotten far on the renovations, because what I saw of the place really doesn’t want to make me move from the place we’re in now!
I went home from work early because I planned to walk to the guesthouse to visit with Janet and Jeanine in the evening. On the walk I started to learn more words for things like ‘I am going home’ (mekofieh), ‘Fat’ (obolo) and ‘skinny’ (chingilingi).
On the walk to the guesthouse I saw fireflies for the first time in my life. I think there’s some in Saskatchewan, but I’ve never seen them there. So that was exciting. They flickered a bit but were very bright. The moon was out and the sky was clear so it was easy to see the road and where I was walking. It was also very peaceful. When I got into town people were still saying hi to me, but I couldn’t really see who I was greeting.
It took me almost an hour to walk back to the house from the guesthouse because I kept getting stopped to visit. I must say I was relieved when I hit the last business on the road, and I was scott free to walk quickly back to the house!
October 4, 2006
I was late getting to the office this morning because I am a slow walker and I was saying hello to so many people. Janet told me that I don’t have to feel bad about keeping walking, just say hello and keep going, otherwise I will be kept talking for a long time. I also think I offended some people today because I didn’t greet them, but frick, do I have to greet everyone I see? I didn’t mean any offense, there’s just so many people talking to me, that I sometimes get messed up.
The driver (not Imoro) came looking for me because I was running late. So I went with him to the office while Janet and Jeanine went for some tea. I read some more manuals while they were gone and showed the driver some of my pictures.
I am still waiting for my data. All of Amber’s data is in Tamale, something I didn’t think to look into before I left the city. It was being emailed to Raymond in Salaga and then sent up to me by the loan officer. So hopefully it comes soon because I am running out of things to read.
Janet, Jeanine and the driver left around 10, and now I am pretty bored, all alone. I went to Mata’s shop and watched her prepare to weave a piece of cloth. She was making a cloth for a woman with the NPP colours, red white and blue. NPP is a political party in Ghana. First she arranged the thread in the design she wanted to use by twirling it around a large box. Then once she did that she set up her loom and arranged the pieces of thread in the design she had picked out, and rolled them up on a belt. Tomorrow she said she would begin weaving, and I am excited to see her do it. She said it takes her about three days to weave a piece of cloth that is 15 inches in width and about 12 yards long. Once she weaves the cloth for people they take it to a professional cutter and have items like smocks made and such. She said she would make me a cloth but I don’t think I could get it cut, the fabric was so pretty.
Tonight after supper I was told that on Wednesday nights everyone in the row house (Rosemary’s household, Me (and Raymond if he was here), Kate’s family and another man’s family, meet for prayers. Remember how I said that Ghana was very religious? The house where prayers are held rotates every week. This week it was my neighbour to the right, and next week prayers are being held at my place. So I went to prayers, and everyone was very accommodating in that they translated Biblical passages into English for me, and translated others’ requests for prayers to be said. So people made requests for prayers, like one man who asked for prayers to God because earlier that day he was cutting back the grass, and went to grab the grass away with his hand and found he was holding two snakes. He didn’t get bitten though, and he wanted us to pray to God for that, because the mission’s health clinic has been out of snake bite serum for the past three weeks and they haven’t been able to acquire more. What makes this particularly serious, as Rosemary explained to me after, is that right now the most snakebites occur because farmers are out in their fields harvesting their crops like yams, and the chances of getting bitten by snakes are high. If you get bitten by this particular snake, fatter, brown with yellow and grey stripes, you die in three hours without the serum.
Hearing that freaked me out a bit, and I asked Rosemary about the number of snakes around Kpandai because I still have yet to see one. She said that there were lots of snakes around, and she often come across them passing over the road as she travels into work. I asked her what to do if I come across one and she just said, kill it, all matter of fact! Okay.....
I also asked her if she’d ever been bitten, and she said that she hadn’t. So I figure, if she sees them all the time and hasn’t been bitten yet, I should be okay. Granted I am able to kill it first!
October 5, 2006
Today was much of the same. The power was out for the day though, and it was super hot and sunny out. I went to the office, went and visited Stephen and Zachary, read a bit. On the way to the credit union I ran into Razak, a shopkeeper on the other side of the street. He invited me to his store for a bit.
I also went up to Mata’s shop and watched her and her assistant work on the cloth. She had the loom set up on the porch so I sat with them and watched them weave. They would take turns with the weaving, and they both go so fast! Mata’s brother also came to visit and I chatted with him a bit.
Razak came by the office later in the afternoon and sat with me outside while I read. It was too hot to sit inside the office. Lots of kids still say hello Father to me, but I don’t mind, it’s funny that they get so excited when I wave back.
Tonight did it ever rain! Thank goodness, it’s been a few days without it.
October 6, 2006
Today I walked into work and found out that I missed Imoro and the Microfinance Loans officer as they traveled through Salaga, with my data. Dang! So I guess Stephen was traveling to Salaga today and would bring my information with him when he came back.
Today was pretty quiet, I didn’t want to venture out too much and talk. I actually had air conditioning so I kept close to the office. This boy, Manef, keeps coming to the office, and I don’t mind much, except that I want to read and I feel rude just doing it with him sitting here. He brought his friend Samuel with him today, so I got them to translate some sayings into Twi for me, which I wrote down in my book. So I now know how to say things like, I’m not buying anything today, I am going to work, and I am hearing Twi small small.
I went down to Regina’s mother’s shop for some fu fu but I came too late to have some, so I just visited a bit with her and her sisters.
Manef came to the office about three different times this afternoon. It is getting annoying, but I tell him I have to work, he still sits. Whatever. Razak also stopped by and he wanted to see my pictures, so I obliged for a bit. Right now it is raining and I hope it will die down long enough for me to walk home.
October 16, 2006
It’s been a while since I’ve written anything down, but all I can say is that I am starting to settle into life here. Each day I walk into work, and along the way I say hello to many people. I’m also averaging about two ‘I love you’s’ a day, but I usually laugh them off. On Mondays I buy kuli kuli (the groundnut sticks) from the lady across from Rebecca’s house. When the power is off during the day I usually sit outside and visit with people as they walk by. Friday the power was off so I sat outside and made hemp bracelets. This attracted a lot of people and I felt a little bit like a freak show, because at times there was a substantial crowd watching the obruni (white) weaving. I made more friends, mostly teenage boys. I think most of the girls are too shy to come talk to me. Market day was Friday this week and I bought some food for the house and other things. This weekend I did my wash (by hand!), helped with things around Rosemary’s like sifting cornflour and make stew, and I was invited to Claudia and Grace’s for fufu on Saturday night. After dinner they had some customers at the bar who bought me a snifter of bitters, a type of alcohol, and I must say I didn’t like it one bit! On Sundays I go to church and I get visitors after, usually Rebecca and some of her friends.
I am getting a bit more adventurous with the food, and I’m starting to learn what things are and where to get them. Regina and her mother sell fufu near the office, and I’ve gone there a couple times for lunch. The last time I went there I had fufu with bushmeat. I think the bushmeat was grasscutter, a type of large rodent, and it was okay, but I was a little queasy because the animal’s claw as still on the piece of meat I got. I ate it, but holding the claw as I was eating it was a bit too much.
A lady has been coming by the office regularly to sell me oranges in the afternoon. Here they peel the tough part of the rind off and then cut the top off so you can suck the juice out easier. I got some weird looks when I peeled the rest of the rind off and ate the inside. Oh well, more fiber that way.
Other times I will buy some fresh bananas from women as they pass by the office, and sometimes I buy kosay, these little cakes that are made from ground beans, mixed with chili peppers and fried in groundnut oil. I must say I like those very much. I’ve also tried fried plantain, I didn’t like that much. It tasted like fried banana, too sweet and mushy. They also make these things called sweetbites, little donut holes fried in groundnut oil and dipped in sugar, they’re okay.
I am starting to learn more and more Twi, and I’ve found a man who teaches languages, to teach me Twi and French. It’s Beyaa’s brother. Beyaa is the man who repairs bicycles beside the office, and I’ve been talking a lot with him when the power is off. I am supposed to start lessons tonight after work if the power doesn’t go off.
Talking to Beyaa during the day is a distraction from the fact that I’ve been co-workerless for the past two weeks. Stephen at the credit union is fun to go visit too, as is Zachary and the other lady that works there too. I also go for walks and visit Rosemary at her salon, or Delphina at her place, and I will chat to many people along the way. But Lelewu and Raymond said that they would be back today, something that I am excited about, because I still haven’t been given Amber’s data. Raymond is bringing it with him when he returns.
Rod, from the CCA arrived in Ghana yesterday (Sunday) and he is traveling to Salaga today, and later this week, to Kpandai. I’m very excited that he’s coming because I made a list of things for him to buy. I asked him to bring me some dill pickles, Coffee Crisps, Cheesies and smoked oysters, I can’t wait! I was also talking to Jeanine last night and she said that we received an email from Lesley saying that the CCA will pay for Jeanine and I to travel into Accra to see Rod off before he leaves Ghana, and just to spend some time in the city, and to see Adowa and Idrissa. I am super pumped for that too. It’s not that I haven’t been enjoying myself here, because I really do like it here, but I need more money and I’ve been getting internet withdrawls. I haven’t checked my email in about three weeks and it’s bugging me!
I bought fabric at the market on Friday so I can get a dress and a skirt made. Today I will go to Rosemary’s and find out which lady I should get to sew it, because both her and Delphina have recommendations to make. I am also buying a fan from the Nigerian man that sells Video CD’s near Rosemary’s shop. At least then I’ll sleep well at night- when the power is on anyway!
October 23, 2006
Today is Saalah (?) the day that Muslims break their fast, so it’s a long weekend here in Kpandai. I’m at work though- the government isn’t turning the power off today out of respect for the religious holiday, and I’m not Muslim so I better take advantage of it! Beyaa called earlier, and I think it was to invite me to his family’s celebrations, but I can’t seem to get through to his line now.
Last week was busy for SEND Foundation in Kpandai. Both Raymond and Lelewu were back, and I must say I was very happy to see both of them. I had to get used to Raymond being in the house too though, like actually wearing things when I am walking outside of my bedroom!
Rod was also through last week so on Thursday there was a flurry of activity. Janet, Sebastian, Shafiu, and Vasco were all around, and it was good to see Sebastian and Vasco again. The only reason Sebastian came through though, was to see me in Kpandai and make sure that I was doing okay here, his words. Apparently he didn’t trust me to tell him the truth over the phone!
There was also another Canadian in Kpandai on Thursday so I was having a rare treat! Anne who works for the Canada Initiative on Food Security (CIFS) came through Kpandai to visit surrounding communities and see what CIFS can fund for a project proposal that Raymond is writing now. What was extra special was that everyone took their meals at Rosemary’s house, so I got my fill of Canadians last week!
The only downer is that because Rod didn’t know his schedule when he arrived in Accra, he left my things there. No biggie I guess. It sounds like we’re going to be traveling to Accra at the beginning of November anyway, to see Adowa and Idrissa, and to meet with Rod. Everything is on CCA’s dime, so I was happy about that.
Last week I also got measured for my clothes, and now I have two separate outfits to wear to church. I am very pleased with them, and I think they’re pretty swanky. I tried one on for size for church yesterday, but my hair wouldn’t agree with me, because I sweated pretty much the whole walk and through the service. There’s no point in trying to do my hair anymore, I’ve figured out, because it turns into a sweaty mess in minutes anyway. I’ll have to get someone to show me how to wrap my head in cloth like lots of the women do here. Or I’ll have to get braids. But Rosemary is hesitant to do them on my hair because she said after some time Renee’s hair started to break. Maybe I can convince her to do them if I say I’ll only do it once. Another month and a half and the dry season should be coming, and the hattamaran (cold desert winds), and then I shouldn’t have to worry about sweating so much!
Tomorrow morning I am mustering up my courage and taking the public bus into Tamale. It leaves at 4:30 in the morning, so I’ll take it and stay in over night, and come back the next day. If I had known that Rod and Janet were coming through this afternoon and offering me a ride into Tamale today, I would have prepared and went in with them. Oh well. I need to figure out the bus system anyway, so may as well do it now. I seriously need to get more money. I need to send my French/Twi tutor into Accra to get my books, and I am so buying a bike. This morning there was a downpour and it was hard getting into the office. A bike would make that much easier! |
posted by angelina @ 9:03 AM  |
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| Me, Myself, and I |
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Alias: angelina
Where I'm at: Kpandai, Northern Region, Ghana
In 500 words or less: I am now done my schoolin' and you may all call me Master! I'm currently livin it up in a small town in Northern Ghana, and it's a blast being the only 'obruni' (white) in town!
Step into my mind, if you dare
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