So you know it's going to be a big one. Grab your blankie and a hot drink, we might be here for a while folks. If you thought I've been subjecting you to my opinionated jibberish before... you're in for quite a ride.
Volunteering
Less than one year and you're kidding yourself that you'll make any significant change. 6 months was barely enough to even just start making a difference. Many volunteers come wanting to be Mother Teresa for 1 or 2 months and are surprised (and go home jaded) when they realise how little value they have added. If you are spending less than a year, you are just getting in way of people doing real work. The ones who benefit the most come with the knowledge that the experience will change them more than the community. They come searching for the answers to some questions and usually leave with, at the least, a hint or two.
Africa
Before I make big sweeping generalisation and make it sounds like I've lived a lifetime here, I confess that my experience in limited in time only by 6 months and in space only to West Africa, Morocco and Egypt. So most of the stuff I say is probably heavily biased and limited in perspective and in some cases probably just plain stupid. So read "In my humble opinion" before each sentence.
There is a facebook group a volunteer invited me to called "The Africa they never show you" and is worth checking out. The real Africa with it's big smiles, inspiring landscapes, enduring spirit is well shrouded in the war-torn, disease-ridden hell-hole that the media portrays it as. I must confess to my ignorance of this continent and the false conception and prejudice I carried when I arrived here. A few months is enough to fall in love with this continent and it's people. If you don't, there's something seriously wrong with you man...
That been said, Africa is riddled with corrupt leaders, the average person has a biased (but very outspoken) opinion on local and word politics based on third-hand information shared over a shot of Alomo and is often just plain wrong. It's hard to get the truth here. The local newspapers are rubbish (think Herald Sun on a bad day with less sports and more obituaries) and the only good publications are BBC Focus on Africa and The Africa Report which the average person cannot afford. So to know who to believe is tricky and I struggled with it, often referring to wikipedia which is not really the height of objectivity.
And Personally...
Before I left, people would say "This will change you man... you won't be the same". I don't know if it has. It's easy to be anyone and anything when you are away from home and especially if you're travelling alone and no one knew you from before. You can experiment and re-invent yourself without any criticism. I did do that. I thought about plenty of stuff and came to conclusions on a few.
The true test is when you return home so i guess the verdict is still out.
It (by "It" I mean the interesting people I have met as well, not just the experiences) has definitely opened my mind to new concepts, ideas and has revealed abilities and short-comings I didn't know I had.
Thanks
Thanks for tuning in guys. Hope to see you all soon in the next few weeks.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
The curse of the Lonely Planet
This is what happens. Lonely planet writer lands in a semi-popular destination (eg. Aswan) and finds an off-the-beaten-track, well hidden joint serving cheap food to local clientele. He/She lists it as the number 1 or 2 cheap eats option and by the time you get there (only a year after the book was published) it has turned into a fancy restaurant with menus, table cloth and sometimes even fans. Not only have they lost their local market, budget travellers like me can't eat their either. The tourists with all the moolah would never go there because the book calls it cheap. Each time we try and find a cheap eats place, it's a semi-fancy empty restaurant with over eager, almost desperate staff. I'm sure Rizzo would agree - a classic marketing disaster. Usually the good joints are couple of doors down where the locals have moved to.
Oh! the sugarcane juice here... my god!
Egypt feels like Africa. There are trotros! Oh I miss trotros. While Morocco seems like a country having an identity crisis, Egypt is very comfortable with it's middle-eastern roots. Today I take a train back to Cairo. I plan on spending 2 nights in Alexandria and then catch my flight on 27th night (which gets there 30th morning :S) from Cairo.
See you all soon.
Oh! the sugarcane juice here... my god!
Egypt feels like Africa. There are trotros! Oh I miss trotros. While Morocco seems like a country having an identity crisis, Egypt is very comfortable with it's middle-eastern roots. Today I take a train back to Cairo. I plan on spending 2 nights in Alexandria and then catch my flight on 27th night (which gets there 30th morning :S) from Cairo.
See you all soon.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
I miss...
5:30 wakeups,
the imam chanting,
roosters crowing,
goats bleating,
pigs going plain crazy,
bucket baths,
the polytank,
the water shortage,
the bike ride to the village,
the walks to the village,
the calls of 'blrafonno',
Evelyn,
french toast,
the beetles in the office,
dodowa internet cafe,
trotros,
the internet which never works,
the solar room,
the staff.
class 6 - Famous, Believer, Yaw, Emmanuel, Jerry, Prosper, Christian,
pure water bags,
jollof rice,
red-red,
wakye,
rice and stew,
yam and stew,
banku,
even fufu,
kenke,
small fish,
big fish,
pepe,
the nice lady store,
'Jesus is lord' store,
omlette for dinner,
kenke and fish,
the chichinga meat guy,
ball fruits,
Doris and her bananas,
power outs,
charades,
cards by candlelight,
pictionary,
saturday mornings under the papaya tree,
the goats in the front yard,
the weekend long funeral parties,
footballs games,
bodyworks under the starry sky,
nights drinking and arguing with Jewel about everything,
nights drinking and agreeing with Nana Yaw about everything,
nights drinking and watching Michi fall asleep in his chair everything,
peeing on those bricks next to the spot,
my bed and mosquito net with holes,
hell i even miss the malaria tablets,
and lastly but far from the least, the volunteers.
the imam chanting,
roosters crowing,
goats bleating,
pigs going plain crazy,
bucket baths,
the polytank,
the water shortage,
the bike ride to the village,
the walks to the village,
the calls of 'blrafonno',
Evelyn,
french toast,
the beetles in the office,
dodowa internet cafe,
trotros,
the internet which never works,
the solar room,
the staff.
class 6 - Famous, Believer, Yaw, Emmanuel, Jerry, Prosper, Christian,
pure water bags,
jollof rice,
red-red,
wakye,
rice and stew,
yam and stew,
banku,
even fufu,
kenke,
small fish,
big fish,
pepe,
the nice lady store,
'Jesus is lord' store,
omlette for dinner,
kenke and fish,
the chichinga meat guy,
ball fruits,
Doris and her bananas,
power outs,
charades,
cards by candlelight,
pictionary,
saturday mornings under the papaya tree,
the goats in the front yard,
the weekend long funeral parties,
footballs games,
bodyworks under the starry sky,
nights drinking and arguing with Jewel about everything,
nights drinking and agreeing with Nana Yaw about everything,
nights drinking and watching Michi fall asleep in his chair everything,
peeing on those bricks next to the spot,
my bed and mosquito net with holes,
hell i even miss the malaria tablets,
and lastly but far from the least, the volunteers.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
I lose my camera
7 months through West Africa - 6 countries with countless markets, trotro stations, crowded cities and now it has finally happened. Some of my well-wishing critics who know me only too well will say "What took you so long?". Well, i wish it had happened earlier. It's not so much the camera itself (which, though it was 4 years old, was working well enough) but all my priceless pics. The smiles from Ghana, the magical Dogon countryside, nights out in Accra, the sunsets on the Niger river, foosball on the streets on Ouidah, the blue and white medina of Chefchaouen - all gone.
And this is how it all came to be. I was walking around Marrakesh taking pictures. Seeing the snow capped High Atlas mountains forming a surreal backdrop to this crazy city I reached into my bag for my camera... but it wasn't there. I have given myself a fright like this many times but each time a more thorough search results in me finding it under the fat Lonely Planet or the can of deo. But this time it didn't. The only time I stopped between here and the last time I took a picture was to fiddle with my Ipod in front of a bank. Thinking maybe it fell out of my bag there I backtracked the 400 meters... nothing.... but 5 minutes in long time in Marrakesh to leave something lying around. Did someone reach into my bag and snag it? I'm paranoid about people getting near my backpack so it's hard to imagine someone putting their hand in without me noticing. On the other hand I was having too much fun singing along to my ipod and maybe didn't notice. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I lost my appetite and went back to my room and after another search of my bag, feel asleep depressed. So stupid!
I have few pics on Nana Yaw and Prince's computer which I can try and retrieve I guess but the newer ones are gone... and then there's Egypt still to come. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
So I need your help in finishing this sentence... "It's kind of for the best that you lost your camera because..."
And this is how it all came to be. I was walking around Marrakesh taking pictures. Seeing the snow capped High Atlas mountains forming a surreal backdrop to this crazy city I reached into my bag for my camera... but it wasn't there. I have given myself a fright like this many times but each time a more thorough search results in me finding it under the fat Lonely Planet or the can of deo. But this time it didn't. The only time I stopped between here and the last time I took a picture was to fiddle with my Ipod in front of a bank. Thinking maybe it fell out of my bag there I backtracked the 400 meters... nothing.... but 5 minutes in long time in Marrakesh to leave something lying around. Did someone reach into my bag and snag it? I'm paranoid about people getting near my backpack so it's hard to imagine someone putting their hand in without me noticing. On the other hand I was having too much fun singing along to my ipod and maybe didn't notice. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I lost my appetite and went back to my room and after another search of my bag, feel asleep depressed. So stupid!
I have few pics on Nana Yaw and Prince's computer which I can try and retrieve I guess but the newer ones are gone... and then there's Egypt still to come. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
So I need your help in finishing this sentence... "It's kind of for the best that you lost your camera because..."
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Moroccan secrets
Instead of telling you where I been and what I've seen, how about I tell you about stuff you won't read in a guidebook eh?
One of the things which strikes you in Morocco is that old people aren't hidden away in some nursing home. I didn't realise that they were actually hidden away in Australia until I noticed old folks around everywhere - drinking tea, chatting, playing cards. Someone told me that if you get mugged or someone is giving you grief, seek out one of the old men sitting around and they'll fix 'em. I have watched locals stop their horsecarts to allow an old gentleman to pass. Remember those old folks sitting around in Asterix in Corsica? That's what it reminds me of. They even dress like that.
Bollywood is everywhere. Apart from the taxi driver i told you about, I have encountered bollywood in bars, cafes, movie theatres (which seems to show as many bollywood flicks as hollywood ones) and bootleg cd/dvd stalls. People sing bollywood songs when they see me or want me to come into their store. They love Amitabh Bachan, but then again who doesn't. And especially the oldies! While waiting for my bus I glanced up to see Dev Anand in his orange suit twitching that neck of his singing "Mein hoon... Banarasi Baboo".
Everyone loves and talks about the tagines and couscous but let me tell you about the gems which don't get the deserved hype. Bowl of escargot cooked in a spicy broth like "Jal jeera" for 6 Dh (thats 1 AUD). For vegos, they also have chick peas cooked in that spicy broth for 3 Dh. Soup bars where a bowl of soup and bread costs around 5 Dh and is the best thing on a cold day. Caramelised peanuts and almonds sold for 1 Dh for a small block. Individually set glasses of sweet yogurt for 2 Dh. Have a tagine or two but the real stuff is in places without a menu and without Obrunis.
One of the things which strikes you in Morocco is that old people aren't hidden away in some nursing home. I didn't realise that they were actually hidden away in Australia until I noticed old folks around everywhere - drinking tea, chatting, playing cards. Someone told me that if you get mugged or someone is giving you grief, seek out one of the old men sitting around and they'll fix 'em. I have watched locals stop their horsecarts to allow an old gentleman to pass. Remember those old folks sitting around in Asterix in Corsica? That's what it reminds me of. They even dress like that.
Bollywood is everywhere. Apart from the taxi driver i told you about, I have encountered bollywood in bars, cafes, movie theatres (which seems to show as many bollywood flicks as hollywood ones) and bootleg cd/dvd stalls. People sing bollywood songs when they see me or want me to come into their store. They love Amitabh Bachan, but then again who doesn't. And especially the oldies! While waiting for my bus I glanced up to see Dev Anand in his orange suit twitching that neck of his singing "Mein hoon... Banarasi Baboo".
Everyone loves and talks about the tagines and couscous but let me tell you about the gems which don't get the deserved hype. Bowl of escargot cooked in a spicy broth like "Jal jeera" for 6 Dh (thats 1 AUD). For vegos, they also have chick peas cooked in that spicy broth for 3 Dh. Soup bars where a bowl of soup and bread costs around 5 Dh and is the best thing on a cold day. Caramelised peanuts and almonds sold for 1 Dh for a small block. Individually set glasses of sweet yogurt for 2 Dh. Have a tagine or two but the real stuff is in places without a menu and without Obrunis.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
I take it back
When I last blogged I was in Rabat. After, I walked through the Medina to the Kasbah in Rabat and was blown away. The archirecture, the colours are like nothing else. On my way back i got stuck into some Moroccan tucker and that's when i fell in love wih Morocco. Another post on that one though.
It has rained everyday. I should have packed a rain jacket.
After a day in Rabat, I decided to head to Tangier for Chefchaouen. Determined to save $2.50, I decided to catch the bus (damn weak AUD... ruining my trip). Through rain I walked past the taxi stand right in front of the hotel for about 500 mtrs to the bus stop. Soaked and unable to feel my extermities I clenched my jaw. tucked my hands under my armpits and stood at the bustop, bracing the rain. I spotted some cover 50 mtr away from where I could look out for a number 30 or 17 bus and avoid pneumonia. I enjoyed 5 seconds of cover until a homeless guy turned up and yelled at me in Arabic, I'm assuming to get out of his crib. Should have guessed by the cardboard and the stench.
No bus for 10 minutes. Demoralised and frost-bitten I shook my fist at Varuna and walked back those 500 mtrs and took a shared taxi.
Things looked up from there. The taxi driver warmed me up with a rendition of "Kabhi Kabhi" (Kaabe Kaabe according to him) when I told him I was Indian and I got a direct bus to Chefchaouen.
Though it rained all yesterday and it is threatening to again, this town rocks. It's on the foothills of the Rif mountain and the medina is mind blowing. Everyone is trying to sell you hash, a lot like them trying to sell you "massages" in Shanghai... except hash doesn't give you syphillis.
3 tablets to go.
It has rained everyday. I should have packed a rain jacket.
After a day in Rabat, I decided to head to Tangier for Chefchaouen. Determined to save $2.50, I decided to catch the bus (damn weak AUD... ruining my trip). Through rain I walked past the taxi stand right in front of the hotel for about 500 mtrs to the bus stop. Soaked and unable to feel my extermities I clenched my jaw. tucked my hands under my armpits and stood at the bustop, bracing the rain. I spotted some cover 50 mtr away from where I could look out for a number 30 or 17 bus and avoid pneumonia. I enjoyed 5 seconds of cover until a homeless guy turned up and yelled at me in Arabic, I'm assuming to get out of his crib. Should have guessed by the cardboard and the stench.
No bus for 10 minutes. Demoralised and frost-bitten I shook my fist at Varuna and walked back those 500 mtrs and took a shared taxi.
Things looked up from there. The taxi driver warmed me up with a rendition of "Kabhi Kabhi" (Kaabe Kaabe according to him) when I told him I was Indian and I got a direct bus to Chefchaouen.
Though it rained all yesterday and it is threatening to again, this town rocks. It's on the foothills of the Rif mountain and the medina is mind blowing. Everyone is trying to sell you hash, a lot like them trying to sell you "massages" in Shanghai... except hash doesn't give you syphillis.
3 tablets to go.
Monday, November 3, 2008
This is not Africa
Its (where the &$^! is the inverted comma on this keyboard) really not. Wide avenues lined with trees, nice cars, cafes with apple pies and internet cafes which work (albeit with french/arabic keyboards). It feels weird. It has been raining the last two days and been quiet cold. I didnt expect Africa to be cold. Mali, which not too far, was scorching just over a month ago.
The medinas, the saving grace, in each city gives you a glimse of what old Morocco must have been like. They are beautiful. Narrow cobblestone streets flanked by bright blue houses tightly packed together. Small tea shops serving mint tea with people playing cards and ludo. Men loitering around smoking cigarettes bought individually with middle eastern tunes coming from shops selling roast goat sandwiches. This is more like what I was hoping for.
I spent the day in Casablanca yesterday and am now in Rabat. After lunch Ill head to Sale for the rest of the day. Tomorrow at some stage Ill take a bus to Tangier and then on to Chefchaouen where I intend to spend a day. Its a bit removed from this frantic city life.
5 more malaria tablets to go.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Mount Afadjato
When I'm with friends and I love nothing more than a nice argument about religion, philosophy and whatever else that leads on to. God knows (pun intended) institutionalised religion is the last thing they are in need of in Ghana. The local store is called "Jesus is Lord", the bread shop is called "Finger of God" and the hair dressers "Anointed Hands". Now this guys comes all the way from Massachusetts to Ghana.. been here for 2 days and is ready to convert people... who? They are 90% christian. Ah.. he wants to convert them to his church. Sure.. Fine... whatever floats his boat. What is really annoying is him with his holier than thou act trying to tell me that he know more about me in 15mins than I do in 25 years. I am nodding my head with a stupid smile waiting for him to finish so I can get back to blogging. Anyway whatever... he's gone now.
We climbed Mount Afadjato and as expected it hurt. Pics later in the week on facebook. It was an awesome day - we ended up with 30 people on the bus with plenty of singing on the way back. I was grinning ear to ear listening to the kids belt out these ghanaian numbers - tell you what... it beats the sh!t out of "Wheels on the bus..." It was awesome. Then the girls got into it - with their bold confident voices - leading the singing. I almost pulled a grin muscle. Erin pointed it out a bit earlier. There is something going on here which I don't quite understand. These teenage girls are so full of self esteem and pride - they walk tall with their shoulders back and head held high. Maybe the media hasn't got them yet... they don't worry about their hips or lips or their nose being up to some absurd standard. They demand respect by the way they carry themselves and they get it. It's extremely attractive.
Oh man... I am going to miss these guys.
We climbed Mount Afadjato and as expected it hurt. Pics later in the week on facebook. It was an awesome day - we ended up with 30 people on the bus with plenty of singing on the way back. I was grinning ear to ear listening to the kids belt out these ghanaian numbers - tell you what... it beats the sh!t out of "Wheels on the bus..." It was awesome. Then the girls got into it - with their bold confident voices - leading the singing. I almost pulled a grin muscle. Erin pointed it out a bit earlier. There is something going on here which I don't quite understand. These teenage girls are so full of self esteem and pride - they walk tall with their shoulders back and head held high. Maybe the media hasn't got them yet... they don't worry about their hips or lips or their nose being up to some absurd standard. They demand respect by the way they carry themselves and they get it. It's extremely attractive.
Oh man... I am going to miss these guys.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Them treks..
It was all a case of miscommunication. When Erin suggested bike ride through Aburi I imagined biking through the villages slowly, stopping every hour for a few beers. Little did I know that she meant riding up everestian mountains, one hand on the handle bar and the other wielding a machete to chop down thick rainforest vines and fend against rabid gorillas with a taste for human flesh. It did feel great afterwards to have done some excercise after such a long time.
This weekend we climb Mt. Afadjato. It doesn't seem that high (800 mtrs) but apparently there aren't any proper roads. I'm sure keeping up with Erin and Michi will be challenge. The weekend after it's Green Turtle time and then it's outski.
This weekend we climb Mt. Afadjato. It doesn't seem that high (800 mtrs) but apparently there aren't any proper roads. I'm sure keeping up with Erin and Michi will be challenge. The weekend after it's Green Turtle time and then it's outski.
On a completely different topic... lovely pic:
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Tough morning
Jerry was born to be a philosopher. Every morning I see him sitting alone at the bottom of the same tree and staring into the horizon. I tried once to sit with him but I felt like I was intruding on something so now I just smile from far. This morning he was there again but there were people all around him keeping a good 3-4 mtr distance. They probably felt what I did. There were cries of "Yoh" which drew us out. He was sitting quietly, seemingly blind to all these people around him. I found out that his mother passed away this morning.
But what hurt more than the lack of tears in Jerry's eyes were the tears in Michi's. Jerry has been helping Michi with the sports program for the past 5 months and they're pretty close friends. Michi is a man of few words most of the time. When asked if he knew Jerry's mum, while choking back tears told us how he went to Jerry's house just a few days back and had taken a picture of his family for him. I wasn't sure what to do. Giving Michi a tissue would mean acknowledging the tears that he was trying so hard to ignore. Then he said with a smile - "ok... I go cry some and come back" and walked towards the guesthouse.
But what hurt more than the lack of tears in Jerry's eyes were the tears in Michi's. Jerry has been helping Michi with the sports program for the past 5 months and they're pretty close friends. Michi is a man of few words most of the time. When asked if he knew Jerry's mum, while choking back tears told us how he went to Jerry's house just a few days back and had taken a picture of his family for him. I wasn't sure what to do. Giving Michi a tissue would mean acknowledging the tears that he was trying so hard to ignore. Then he said with a smile - "ok... I go cry some and come back" and walked towards the guesthouse.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Not much time left
Days go slowly but weeks blitz past. A spanish volunteer Maite left last night. She was 56 (i think) and reminded me of Bamma when she would stick her neck out and shake it when asking a question. She was small and industrious like Bamma but I think the similarities end there. Anyway, when she left it dawned on me that I don't have much time left in Ghana. There are a few things I miss in babylon but so many other things that I don't.
For the next month and a half I will be working on the database trying to finish it off. The last 5 days (money permitting) I want to spend at the Green Turtle Lodge before I fly out. They tell me it'll be peak turtle season.
Oh! Big voodoo (called fetish) festival on 08-Oct not far from the village. Awo promised to take me there. I don't know if I will be able to take pictures but stay posted.
For the next month and a half I will be working on the database trying to finish it off. The last 5 days (money permitting) I want to spend at the Green Turtle Lodge before I fly out. They tell me it'll be peak turtle season.
Oh! Big voodoo (called fetish) festival on 08-Oct not far from the village. Awo promised to take me there. I don't know if I will be able to take pictures but stay posted.
Friday, September 5, 2008
I built a wall today
A 9 foot mud wall. A new volunteer arrived on sunday from US. She's a paler, blonder, taller version of Neerja! Their accent, expressions, smile and attitude to life is freakishly alike. She is 45 and is a social worker and builder. Then again I don't think Neeraja would make a very good builder.
She got really excited by the new building site and the mud architecture and eco friendly construction. The next day she had rolled up her sleeves and and was right into it. I followed her lead and started working with her at the new site. It's been incredible - It's like licence to roll around in mud AND it's good excercise. So each morning I'll spend 4 hours working at the construction site and getting proper dirty.
She got really excited by the new building site and the mud architecture and eco friendly construction. The next day she had rolled up her sleeves and and was right into it. I followed her lead and started working with her at the new site. It's been incredible - It's like licence to roll around in mud AND it's good excercise. So each morning I'll spend 4 hours working at the construction site and getting proper dirty.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
The bus trip from hell
I exaggerate. While it was the worst bus trip to date, I can imagine how it could have been much worse. I'll list these out in a minute.
So here are the logistics - a 36 hr bus trip from Bamako to Kumasi, 3 countries, two border crossings, many police checks, no airconditioning, no leg room, a sensitive nose.
No airconditioning does not faze me. It was the fact that the bus was designed for airconditioning and hence had no windows. They opened the hatch on top of the bus to let some fresh air in but this only did so much for the smell.
Ah the smell. At the first pitstop everyone bought meat for breakfast. 6 hours into the trip the bus stank of animal fat and onions. 8 hours later - body odour was added to the mix. Bananas for snacks added a sticky sweetness but the skins on the bus floor added nothing more than plain old rot to this thick concoction. A concoction - a dirty dirty concoction is exactly what I felt I was breathing in everytime the bus stopped at a police check. Regular doses of meat and bananas were thrown in lest the fresh air ruined it.
Ways it could have been worse:
1. It drizzles a couple of times when we had to close the hatch for a few minutes. I scared myself silly thinking of the possibility of it raining the whole way. It didn't. Bonus
2. My seat was close to the hatch.
3. The guy sitting next to me (though he stank of BO from hour 1) got off 18 hrs in at Ougadougou. He could have been there the whole way and he didn't look like pulling out a can of deo anytime soon.
4. A diet of rice and sauce has reduced it to an average of once in 4 days. It had been 3 days already and the pizza the night before was starting to cause trouble. Luckily it held up.
So here are the logistics - a 36 hr bus trip from Bamako to Kumasi, 3 countries, two border crossings, many police checks, no airconditioning, no leg room, a sensitive nose.
No airconditioning does not faze me. It was the fact that the bus was designed for airconditioning and hence had no windows. They opened the hatch on top of the bus to let some fresh air in but this only did so much for the smell.
Ah the smell. At the first pitstop everyone bought meat for breakfast. 6 hours into the trip the bus stank of animal fat and onions. 8 hours later - body odour was added to the mix. Bananas for snacks added a sticky sweetness but the skins on the bus floor added nothing more than plain old rot to this thick concoction. A concoction - a dirty dirty concoction is exactly what I felt I was breathing in everytime the bus stopped at a police check. Regular doses of meat and bananas were thrown in lest the fresh air ruined it.
Ways it could have been worse:
1. It drizzles a couple of times when we had to close the hatch for a few minutes. I scared myself silly thinking of the possibility of it raining the whole way. It didn't. Bonus
2. My seat was close to the hatch.
3. The guy sitting next to me (though he stank of BO from hour 1) got off 18 hrs in at Ougadougou. He could have been there the whole way and he didn't look like pulling out a can of deo anytime soon.
4. A diet of rice and sauce has reduced it to an average of once in 4 days. It had been 3 days already and the pizza the night before was starting to cause trouble. Luckily it held up.
What I ended up doing
The boat from Mopti to Timbuktu is magical. We travelled on a slow cargo pinasse sleeping on bags of rice for 2 nights. Sitting on this boat, floating down the Niger river watching the landscape change from the wetlands to savanna to desert with Malian blues forming the perfect theme has been one of the highlights of this trip. All the boneshattering bushtaxi rides and travel stress just shrugs off in those early mornings on the boat. The trip to Timbuktu is more about the boat trip there than the destination itself.
The destination itself is no less riveting. The dry heat beating down on your neck make it unbearable to walk even 15 mins outside. The turban helped. The second night was spent at a taureg nomad's camp. A taureg suggested this (for a price of course) and I imagined it to be quite touristy with souvenier stalls etc. To my pleasant surprise all it had was two tents belonging to one family and nothing else. It was a proper hardcore nomadic camp. There was a sandstorm which made the exprience all the more authentic. I felt the pain of not being able to speak french the most here. There was so much I wanted to ask them.
The 4WD trip to Motpi was less exciting though there were some great backdrops. There are no proper roads so it was cross country for a lot of the way. Punishing.
Bamako was excellent. I said goodbye to two brits I met in Mali - Rob and Laura - It was a absolute pleasure travelling with you guys. We enjoyed the metropolitan life - beers, pizza and kebabs and then i braced myself for the bus trip to hell which deserves it's own post.
The destination itself is no less riveting. The dry heat beating down on your neck make it unbearable to walk even 15 mins outside. The turban helped. The second night was spent at a taureg nomad's camp. A taureg suggested this (for a price of course) and I imagined it to be quite touristy with souvenier stalls etc. To my pleasant surprise all it had was two tents belonging to one family and nothing else. It was a proper hardcore nomadic camp. There was a sandstorm which made the exprience all the more authentic. I felt the pain of not being able to speak french the most here. There was so much I wanted to ask them.
The 4WD trip to Motpi was less exciting though there were some great backdrops. There are no proper roads so it was cross country for a lot of the way. Punishing.
Bamako was excellent. I said goodbye to two brits I met in Mali - Rob and Laura - It was a absolute pleasure travelling with you guys. We enjoyed the metropolitan life - beers, pizza and kebabs and then i braced myself for the bus trip to hell which deserves it's own post.
Monday, August 18, 2008
What I am doing now...
I am in Djenne for the Monday Market.
The mud mosque, the biggest mud structure in the whole world, forms a spectacular background to the market. All buildings in Djenne are made from Mud - no concrete anywhere. We slept on the roof of one last night. The city is surreal - surrounded by water on all sides (we took a ferry here) with no tar roads and spectacular 3 story mud buildings.
Surprisingly, a lot of locals can speak broken english which is nice our french skills extend from "Bonjour, sava?" to "I want food". Tomorrow we leave for Sevare, then to Mopti and then a 3 day boat trip on the Niger river to Timbuktu (!!). After T I take a 4WD to Mopti then to Bamako by bus. A night or two in Bamako and then I'll head to Bobo in Burkina for another 2 days before returning to Ghana. Well that's the plan anyway.
I will post about Malian music and Dogon Country when I get back.
The mud mosque, the biggest mud structure in the whole world, forms a spectacular background to the market. All buildings in Djenne are made from Mud - no concrete anywhere. We slept on the roof of one last night. The city is surreal - surrounded by water on all sides (we took a ferry here) with no tar roads and spectacular 3 story mud buildings.
Surprisingly, a lot of locals can speak broken english which is nice our french skills extend from "Bonjour, sava?" to "I want food". Tomorrow we leave for Sevare, then to Mopti and then a 3 day boat trip on the Niger river to Timbuktu (!!). After T I take a 4WD to Mopti then to Bamako by bus. A night or two in Bamako and then I'll head to Bobo in Burkina for another 2 days before returning to Ghana. Well that's the plan anyway.
I will post about Malian music and Dogon Country when I get back.
What I have done...
My lack of French, the buses, bush taxis and little money has made this my toughest and most challenging trip so far. But I would do it again just for the Dogon Country alone - another post on that.
I took a bus from Accra to Ougadougou which was meant to take 26 hr bus but took 30 hrs because of engine problems. I was informed at the border that crossing the border had rendered my Ghana visa extension void and i couldn't get back in. I met a Peace Corp guy from Niger who I shared a room with for the first night while I worked the french at the back of the Lonely Planet to get another Ghana visa.
While my visa was being processed I caught a bush taxi to Po (6 hrs). Slept the night in Po then came back to Ouga (another 6 hrs, I sat next to a cow and he was snoring - honest!). Picked up my visa and jumped on the bus to Ouahigouya.
From Ouga I got a bush taxi almost immediately to Koro. The border crossing was surreal. Just the 15 people in our bush taxi, a small police station and the Malian Flag were the only things apart from red sand and baobab trees as far as the eye could see. I shared a room in Koro with a girl from Perth I met on the bush taxi. Next day we caught another bush taxi headed to Mopti. At a police checkpoint, a guy came up to us and convinced us to get off at Bankass and wait at his hotel and he'd organise a Dogon guide for us. He spoke engligh, had an official guide permit and looked like a nice guy - so we did.
In Bankass we met two english med students who had been volunteering at a hospital in Ghana for 3 months. So the 4 of us took an english speaking Dogon guide (Djibril - an abolute legend) and did a 4 day trek of the Dogon Country. I need multiple posts to do justice - the stupefying villages on the cliff faces, the views which instilled almost a spiritual calm, the people who surpass even the Ghanaians in the politeness and generosity. After the trek all four of us took a bush taxi (i had to sit on a small gas cylinder - my arse still hurts from it) to Sevare and then a big bus to Djenne for the Monday Market and that's where I am now struggling to use a french keyboard.
I took a bus from Accra to Ougadougou which was meant to take 26 hr bus but took 30 hrs because of engine problems. I was informed at the border that crossing the border had rendered my Ghana visa extension void and i couldn't get back in. I met a Peace Corp guy from Niger who I shared a room with for the first night while I worked the french at the back of the Lonely Planet to get another Ghana visa.
While my visa was being processed I caught a bush taxi to Po (6 hrs). Slept the night in Po then came back to Ouga (another 6 hrs, I sat next to a cow and he was snoring - honest!). Picked up my visa and jumped on the bus to Ouahigouya.
From Ouga I got a bush taxi almost immediately to Koro. The border crossing was surreal. Just the 15 people in our bush taxi, a small police station and the Malian Flag were the only things apart from red sand and baobab trees as far as the eye could see. I shared a room in Koro with a girl from Perth I met on the bush taxi. Next day we caught another bush taxi headed to Mopti. At a police checkpoint, a guy came up to us and convinced us to get off at Bankass and wait at his hotel and he'd organise a Dogon guide for us. He spoke engligh, had an official guide permit and looked like a nice guy - so we did.
In Bankass we met two english med students who had been volunteering at a hospital in Ghana for 3 months. So the 4 of us took an english speaking Dogon guide (Djibril - an abolute legend) and did a 4 day trek of the Dogon Country. I need multiple posts to do justice - the stupefying villages on the cliff faces, the views which instilled almost a spiritual calm, the people who surpass even the Ghanaians in the politeness and generosity. After the trek all four of us took a bush taxi (i had to sit on a small gas cylinder - my arse still hurts from it) to Sevare and then a big bus to Djenne for the Monday Market and that's where I am now struggling to use a french keyboard.
Friday, August 8, 2008
A trip up north
Firstly - thankyou to all the people who have messaged, called, emailed, facebooked and posted on my blog. It feels good to know people are thinking about you back home :) Things are going well and I'm keeping good health.
I am taking a two week break to travel up north to see Burkina Faso and Mali. I'm really excited about the Dogon Country trek and 3 day Niger river cruise from Mopti to Timbuktu. Other sparklers on the intinerary are Bobo and Gorom-Gorom market, Djenne market/mosque. It will be an interesting trying to communicate in a Francophone country. So it all starts with a 24 hr bus trip from Accra to Ouigadougou leaving tomorrow morning which i'm psyching myself up for.
Visas - check
Bus ticket - check
Mobile/Camera charged - tonight
I am taking a two week break to travel up north to see Burkina Faso and Mali. I'm really excited about the Dogon Country trek and 3 day Niger river cruise from Mopti to Timbuktu. Other sparklers on the intinerary are Bobo and Gorom-Gorom market, Djenne market/mosque. It will be an interesting trying to communicate in a Francophone country. So it all starts with a 24 hr bus trip from Accra to Ouigadougou leaving tomorrow morning which i'm psyching myself up for.
Visas - check
Bus ticket - check
Mobile/Camera charged - tonight
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
The Agomeda thief and other stories
Florence yesterday was telling the story of the thief who stole stuff from her uncle's place while he slept and how he burnt a hole in the bicycle repair man's mesh window and made away with a mobile phone. How he was almost caught last week but he managed to just get away.
"But is okay now" she resassures me. "We got one slipper of his and we sent it to the juju man. He will get him". I am glad.
About a month back there was the case of the old lady from the village stealing our clothes drying in the front yard. They caught her. "It will never happen again-o. She is crazy some small. She shame the whole village-0". Now I am informed that a guy from the village volunteered to keep an eye out... "and he wait with the rifle and will beat her.. and shoot her". That'll teach her to lay hands on my 70 pesewas pair of socks.
It's kids holidays now so I have Nana Yaw sitting on my lap... listening to the Led Zepplin and S&G playlist on my ipod. He has been sitting here for a good 15 mins without moving - freaky. Abinchi, Kennedy and Kwame are taking turns playing the snowboarding game on my phone and Sellasi is kicking the ball around just around the window. This place is alive!
"But is okay now" she resassures me. "We got one slipper of his and we sent it to the juju man. He will get him". I am glad.
About a month back there was the case of the old lady from the village stealing our clothes drying in the front yard. They caught her. "It will never happen again-o. She is crazy some small. She shame the whole village-0". Now I am informed that a guy from the village volunteered to keep an eye out... "and he wait with the rifle and will beat her.. and shoot her". That'll teach her to lay hands on my 70 pesewas pair of socks.
It's kids holidays now so I have Nana Yaw sitting on my lap... listening to the Led Zepplin and S&G playlist on my ipod. He has been sitting here for a good 15 mins without moving - freaky. Abinchi, Kennedy and Kwame are taking turns playing the snowboarding game on my phone and Sellasi is kicking the ball around just around the window. This place is alive!
Friday, July 4, 2008
Books, Shirts and TV
I bought an Appiyah Ghana football top for 10 Ghc - barg! I bought this other top in Benin and it's the best for this climate - very breezy and light.
The hair continues to grow. Shouts of "Hey Che! Que tal!"(especially with the cuban hat on) have given way to "You similar Jesus-o". The beard is pretty annoying. To give you an idea of it's length - I can lick my beard hair if I pull it towards my lips.
Another thing about Ghana - there are no quality book stores! Only academic ones. I guess it shows where the country is at. I have (not surprisingly) gone through most of the book I brought with me. I borrowed a few books from Lisa including one called "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" (also borrowed "Learn spanish in 30 days"). The premise of the book might be a bit shaky but it got me interested in world economics and politics and someone recommended this book by robert fisk(spl?) about the middle east. We drove all over Accra looking for a proper bookstore. I guess I'll just have to wait till I'm back to read it.
I watched TV for the first time last weekend! I borrowed Nana Yaw's tv and dvd player while he was away. Exciting stuff - watched 5 bond movies and 6 arnies.
I feel like a local now - maybe it's this african shirt that i'm wearing. It's been just over a 2 months and I feel pretty settled in. I've gotten to know the older kids very well. The younger ones are very comfortable around me and the novelty of having an "obruni" from Australia has worn off. They come and sit with me just to chill. It's great :)
My next trip is up north to Burkina Faso and Mali at the start of August. More about that next time. Lunchtime. Ciao.
The hair continues to grow. Shouts of "Hey Che! Que tal!"(especially with the cuban hat on) have given way to "You similar Jesus-o". The beard is pretty annoying. To give you an idea of it's length - I can lick my beard hair if I pull it towards my lips.
Another thing about Ghana - there are no quality book stores! Only academic ones. I guess it shows where the country is at. I have (not surprisingly) gone through most of the book I brought with me. I borrowed a few books from Lisa including one called "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" (also borrowed "Learn spanish in 30 days"). The premise of the book might be a bit shaky but it got me interested in world economics and politics and someone recommended this book by robert fisk(spl?) about the middle east. We drove all over Accra looking for a proper bookstore. I guess I'll just have to wait till I'm back to read it.
I watched TV for the first time last weekend! I borrowed Nana Yaw's tv and dvd player while he was away. Exciting stuff - watched 5 bond movies and 6 arnies.
I feel like a local now - maybe it's this african shirt that i'm wearing. It's been just over a 2 months and I feel pretty settled in. I've gotten to know the older kids very well. The younger ones are very comfortable around me and the novelty of having an "obruni" from Australia has worn off. They come and sit with me just to chill. It's great :)
My next trip is up north to Burkina Faso and Mali at the start of August. More about that next time. Lunchtime. Ciao.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Aye Charlie... Me I like Kenke
Hi!
It's been generally quite pleasant in Ghana the past week or maybe the smell of my skin singeing in the hot sun just doesn't bother me anymore. Saturday was a sorcher but it worked out perfectly as that's the day we decided to take the village kids to the beach. It was great fun!
I am craving some quality protein right now. Goat is a poor substitute for... well anything. On the other hand I'm a huge fan of Kenke and Shitto (i know... but that's the name... it's shame) - "It da B phaaa". I've had it 3 days in a row now.
I'm keeping well and have forgotten to take my malaria pill only twice in the last two months.
I went to Ghana vs Gambia yesterday with the older kids from the orphanage - it was great fun! Drums, singing, dancing and plain old fashioned screaming - it was a true ear splitting Ghanaian experience. Bye!
It's been generally quite pleasant in Ghana the past week or maybe the smell of my skin singeing in the hot sun just doesn't bother me anymore. Saturday was a sorcher but it worked out perfectly as that's the day we decided to take the village kids to the beach. It was great fun!
I am craving some quality protein right now. Goat is a poor substitute for... well anything. On the other hand I'm a huge fan of Kenke and Shitto (i know... but that's the name... it's shame) - "It da B phaaa". I've had it 3 days in a row now.
I'm keeping well and have forgotten to take my malaria pill only twice in the last two months.
I went to Ghana vs Gambia yesterday with the older kids from the orphanage - it was great fun! Drums, singing, dancing and plain old fashioned screaming - it was a true ear splitting Ghanaian experience. Bye!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
To go to Togo and be in Benin
Yes - I came up with the title all by myself.
The new geography lab was inaugurated yesterday. I'll try and upload some pics later today (such a hassle uploading pics with this crappy internet). The kids were every excited! We brought our class over and got them to find a whole list of countries and cities and write down their latitude and longitude. They loved it! They loved finding the cities where their favourite football teams are from - Barcelona, Madrid, Manchester etc... Ryan has done a great service to this community.
Today we are hoping to use the globe to show them why we have day and night and that the world is actually round. It should be fun!
This saturday I'm leaving for Togo and Benin for 1 week. I'm quite excited about Benin - it being the source of voodoo. Voodoo (or fetish or juju - as they call it here) is quite big in the village here as well and Awo was telling all these crazy things she has witnessed with her own eyes. She promised to take me next time there is a ceremony though Bianca was freaked out after the last and doesn't want to go again - I'm very excited to see what has all these well educated people convinced. Awo, Nana Yaw and even Bianca believe in it even if they don't follow it. There is a big voodoo temple at the top of the hill behind the village as well which Awo promised to take me to one weekend.
The new geography lab was inaugurated yesterday. I'll try and upload some pics later today (such a hassle uploading pics with this crappy internet). The kids were every excited! We brought our class over and got them to find a whole list of countries and cities and write down their latitude and longitude. They loved it! They loved finding the cities where their favourite football teams are from - Barcelona, Madrid, Manchester etc... Ryan has done a great service to this community.
Today we are hoping to use the globe to show them why we have day and night and that the world is actually round. It should be fun!
This saturday I'm leaving for Togo and Benin for 1 week. I'm quite excited about Benin - it being the source of voodoo. Voodoo (or fetish or juju - as they call it here) is quite big in the village here as well and Awo was telling all these crazy things she has witnessed with her own eyes. She promised to take me next time there is a ceremony though Bianca was freaked out after the last and doesn't want to go again - I'm very excited to see what has all these well educated people convinced. Awo, Nana Yaw and even Bianca believe in it even if they don't follow it. There is a big voodoo temple at the top of the hill behind the village as well which Awo promised to take me to one weekend.
Friday, June 6, 2008
The Project
I probably mentioned in a previous post how I was doing some IT stuff here. I think it's a cool project. So here's what it is:
1. As I mentioned OA doesn't believe in institutionalised care and therefore have a number of children in foster homes - where possible with relatives or family friends of the deceased parents. OA provides them with money to look after the child, to send him/her to school, for medicines etc.
2. Social Workers visit the children to ensure they are doing well and are not being neglected or mistreated. They visit at different frequencies - ranging from once a week to once a quarter depending on the circumstances.
3. They file a report after each follow-up which is reviewed by the director of OA or Lisa for signs that the child needs further attention or taken out of the foster home. This could be things like - child no longer at school, child looks weak and malnutritioned, foster family hasn't collected money, signs of abuse.
Problems with this process:
1. Right now all this is done on paper - obvious problems with that considering there are 600 odd kids all over Ghana.
2. No formalised process where reports can be rejected and more details requested from Social Workers.
3. No reminders for SW to visit a child. SW sometimes is late or forgets to visit child.
4. No reporting!
So... I have the task of automating it using PHP, MySQL, SSL etc. It will be a webapp.
Biggest problem I have right now is getting access to a computer where I can work! So if you have spare laptops you wish to donate let me know. Would have been great if I could have kept my accenture laptop. My second biggest problem is creating a webapp with only 4 hrs of solar power.
Another cool thing - I'm blogging from a OLPC - One Laptop Per Child. Look it up on google. Someone donated one recently. Very awesome.
On a personal note - there has been no running water for a week now :S
1. As I mentioned OA doesn't believe in institutionalised care and therefore have a number of children in foster homes - where possible with relatives or family friends of the deceased parents. OA provides them with money to look after the child, to send him/her to school, for medicines etc.
2. Social Workers visit the children to ensure they are doing well and are not being neglected or mistreated. They visit at different frequencies - ranging from once a week to once a quarter depending on the circumstances.
3. They file a report after each follow-up which is reviewed by the director of OA or Lisa for signs that the child needs further attention or taken out of the foster home. This could be things like - child no longer at school, child looks weak and malnutritioned, foster family hasn't collected money, signs of abuse.
Problems with this process:
1. Right now all this is done on paper - obvious problems with that considering there are 600 odd kids all over Ghana.
2. No formalised process where reports can be rejected and more details requested from Social Workers.
3. No reminders for SW to visit a child. SW sometimes is late or forgets to visit child.
4. No reporting!
So... I have the task of automating it using PHP, MySQL, SSL etc. It will be a webapp.
Biggest problem I have right now is getting access to a computer where I can work! So if you have spare laptops you wish to donate let me know. Would have been great if I could have kept my accenture laptop. My second biggest problem is creating a webapp with only 4 hrs of solar power.
Another cool thing - I'm blogging from a OLPC - One Laptop Per Child. Look it up on google. Someone donated one recently. Very awesome.
On a personal note - there has been no running water for a week now :S
Monday, June 2, 2008
The one with pics...
Sadiatu - How cute is she!
Nana Yaw and Abi - The 'sweetheart' and the 'princess'
Ade - The trouble maker! Look at those eyes.
Nana Yaw showing off his moves. That's Peter at the back.
John-Paul - Affectionately known as Pope... well so far only by me but it'll catch on!
I'll put more on facebook at some stage
Friday, May 30, 2008
An obituary - RIP yellow shorts with stuff on it
Yesterday I played soccer with the boys from the orphanage and the village. They play hard and a high grade of soccer. I ripped my shorts. I love those shorts! It's sad. It was yellow with stuff on it which everyone will agree are the best kinda shorts. They used to hang on the hips and were so comfortable and loose. Sigh! Michitaro - the Japanese volunteer was a gun! He teaches sport I guess so it's not too surprising. I'm looking forward to playing again next Tuesday... maybe in my green shorts - i don't like them that much. It was great to finally do some physical exercise.
When teaching Citizenship Education, we were discussing the tourist attractions of Ghana and spoke about Boti falls and mentioned how we visited them recently. The kids from the village have never been to Boti Falls. It makes sense though. Even though the falls are only 2 hrs away, the tro-tro + entrance fee comes to almost 8 cedis (8 AUD) which is 1/5 of the monthly income for a family in the village. So we decided to take the kids to Boti. They were jumping around all excited when we told them the news. Munnie - I still have the money from you and instead of buying clothes and toys which all the volunteers do, I felt this is the best way to spend the money. I'm hoping to hire a bus and take them to a beach in a couple of weeks as well since they've never seen the ocean!
So tomorrow we go back to Boti. I'll make sure to take heaps of pics. Should be great fun.
I promise pics next post - for real this time. I keep ending up at internet cafes when I least expect. Maybe I should just carry the cable around.
When teaching Citizenship Education, we were discussing the tourist attractions of Ghana and spoke about Boti falls and mentioned how we visited them recently. The kids from the village have never been to Boti Falls. It makes sense though. Even though the falls are only 2 hrs away, the tro-tro + entrance fee comes to almost 8 cedis (8 AUD) which is 1/5 of the monthly income for a family in the village. So we decided to take the kids to Boti. They were jumping around all excited when we told them the news. Munnie - I still have the money from you and instead of buying clothes and toys which all the volunteers do, I felt this is the best way to spend the money. I'm hoping to hire a bus and take them to a beach in a couple of weeks as well since they've never seen the ocean!
So tomorrow we go back to Boti. I'll make sure to take heaps of pics. Should be great fun.
I promise pics next post - for real this time. I keep ending up at internet cafes when I least expect. Maybe I should just carry the cable around.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
The hair
I went to this hair dressers in Osu just then and they said I need to come back in 2 months to get dreads done. Two more months! It looks ridiculous right now. Anyway, after 2 months they will do something to my hair and then i can't wash it for 3 months after. Then I come back and they do something again and I'm set. Sweeet!!
I found this place which sells fried chicken! The closest you can get to KFC here. It's a bit pricey but I figured maybe just this once.
I found this place which sells fried chicken! The closest you can get to KFC here. It's a bit pricey but I figured maybe just this once.
Orphanaid Africa
Back to back posts!
Today I was at the staff meeting for OA. I learnt a lot about OA today which I think I'll talk about here. After the staff meeting I got a lift to the city with Lisa (founder and president) and I'm killing time till she's ready to head back. Being a nerd (and Osu part of Accra is really touristyand boring) I blog when I need to kill time.
Ok so about OA... Firstly, the website is: http://www.oafrica.org/
It used to be called Orphanage Africa. But a few years ago, they realised that a kid who grows up in institutionalised care (orphanages) have trouble fitting back in to society when he "graduates". So the best way for a child to grow up is in a family. So they changed their name from Orphanage Africa to Orphanaid Africa and changed their organisation from institutionalised care to focusing on family-based care. Go to website for more.
Now about Lisa. She was the youngest editor for Vogue and has written many books. She speaks French, English, Spanish, Italian and German. The first 4 with equal fluency. She reads like it's going out of fashion and has written 13 books. She's lived for significant amount of time in Spain, France, US, Morocco, England and now Ghana.
She runs this organisation like a business - very efficiently. One of the biggest critcisms an NGO faces is that more money is spent in administration than community service. Watching her driving people hard and saving money wherever possible is very reassuring. Her vision is clear and the way she goes about it is admirable. I quite like this organisation and plan to continue my association with it even after I return.
Today I was at the staff meeting for OA. I learnt a lot about OA today which I think I'll talk about here. After the staff meeting I got a lift to the city with Lisa (founder and president) and I'm killing time till she's ready to head back. Being a nerd (and Osu part of Accra is really touristyand boring) I blog when I need to kill time.
Ok so about OA... Firstly, the website is: http://www.oafrica.org/
It used to be called Orphanage Africa. But a few years ago, they realised that a kid who grows up in institutionalised care (orphanages) have trouble fitting back in to society when he "graduates". So the best way for a child to grow up is in a family. So they changed their name from Orphanage Africa to Orphanaid Africa and changed their organisation from institutionalised care to focusing on family-based care. Go to website for more.
Now about Lisa. She was the youngest editor for Vogue and has written many books. She speaks French, English, Spanish, Italian and German. The first 4 with equal fluency. She reads like it's going out of fashion and has written 13 books. She's lived for significant amount of time in Spain, France, US, Morocco, England and now Ghana.
She runs this organisation like a business - very efficiently. One of the biggest critcisms an NGO faces is that more money is spent in administration than community service. Watching her driving people hard and saving money wherever possible is very reassuring. Her vision is clear and the way she goes about it is admirable. I quite like this organisation and plan to continue my association with it even after I return.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Quick update
Hello all. Thanks for tuning in.
School's been great last few days! Knowledge which we take for granted comes as wide-eyed amazement to them. The kids learnt that the earth is not flat!! They learnt about other planets and space and how far things were. They were amazed when we told them about snow - "You know how cold a fridge is... well... the whole country turns into a fridge!".The wonder in their eyes is very satisfying.
An american gentleman by the name of Ryan arrived last Thursday. He is setting up a geography lab. He got National Geographic to sponsor it. He brought heaps of books, maps, globes, a new computer and funding to build a new room. He's very excited about the project and I think the kids will really appreciate it.
Rest is all good. Oh! I need to post about the survey in the village to encourage kids to come to school. But I have to return this laptop so... more on that next week.
School's been great last few days! Knowledge which we take for granted comes as wide-eyed amazement to them. The kids learnt that the earth is not flat!! They learnt about other planets and space and how far things were. They were amazed when we told them about snow - "You know how cold a fridge is... well... the whole country turns into a fridge!".The wonder in their eyes is very satisfying.
An american gentleman by the name of Ryan arrived last Thursday. He is setting up a geography lab. He got National Geographic to sponsor it. He brought heaps of books, maps, globes, a new computer and funding to build a new room. He's very excited about the project and I think the kids will really appreciate it.
Rest is all good. Oh! I need to post about the survey in the village to encourage kids to come to school. But I have to return this laptop so... more on that next week.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Boti falls and my ghanaian life
I didn't plan to be at an Internet cafe today so no cable to upload pics again. It's shame too because I am in Koforidua after a hike and a refreshing dip in the Boti falls. The pictures are magnificent. It's meant to take about 3 hrs to get there from Agomeda (where we are staying). We somehow managed to get connecting trotros really easily and were at the falls by 8AM and finished the trek by 11AM. An hour swim at the falls and it still only 12PM. So we decided to visit Koforidua. Unfortunately there isn't much to see here but it's big town do we bought biscuits and decided to check our emails (p.s my mobile phone probably has better specs than this computer).
There are about 5-6 kids in the 3-5 yrs range at the orphanage. They are happy, mischievous, playful like all kids should be. It is truly a testament to how well this orphanage is being run. They have setup a family like environment with "mammas" in charge of different age groups. It is very heart wrenching to think that 90% of these kids have HIV. The fact that they are so blissfully ignorant makes it that much worse. They are wonderful kids.
Teaching is hard. These village kids don't have a very good foundation since some of the older ones just started school. The kids don't see value in it. Their parents don't care and think school is useless and that the kids should be working in the farm. The few fulltime teachers are there because it is a government requirement to serve the community for one year and so the heart is not there. It's very hard work and after teaching for 6 hours in the hot Ghanaian weather in a building with no walls you get very tired. Word got around that I knew a little bit about computers and so I'm helping the orphanage out with that as well. IT is probably where I can add most value here so I am happy to do that stuff.
Until next time.
There are about 5-6 kids in the 3-5 yrs range at the orphanage. They are happy, mischievous, playful like all kids should be. It is truly a testament to how well this orphanage is being run. They have setup a family like environment with "mammas" in charge of different age groups. It is very heart wrenching to think that 90% of these kids have HIV. The fact that they are so blissfully ignorant makes it that much worse. They are wonderful kids.
Teaching is hard. These village kids don't have a very good foundation since some of the older ones just started school. The kids don't see value in it. Their parents don't care and think school is useless and that the kids should be working in the farm. The few fulltime teachers are there because it is a government requirement to serve the community for one year and so the heart is not there. It's very hard work and after teaching for 6 hours in the hot Ghanaian weather in a building with no walls you get very tired. Word got around that I knew a little bit about computers and so I'm helping the orphanage out with that as well. IT is probably where I can add most value here so I am happy to do that stuff.
Until next time.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Ghana - Post #1
It is so hot.
The Village
Ayeniah is the the name of the village where OA runs the orphanage and the community school. It is absolutely surreal. I am staying in a little mud hut and have no electricity. Electricity hasn't been to this village in a few months. Just to show you how optimistic the Ghanaian people are - they expect it to be back on "any day now". Behind the hut is the forest - the source of many strange noises in the middle of the night and an army of mosquitoes.
The People
The Ghanaian men are built like Greek Gods and the Ghanaian women are built like Greek Islands. Not sure how that genetic trait developed. The guys are all ripped and have six packs - yes all! Ghanaians are extremely friendly people except for that guy who tried to mug me at the timber market. I'm picking up a bit of Twe (the local language) from the locals. I'm very keen on learning Pigeon which one of the guys is teaching me.
Other Stuff
I visited this town called Wineba yesterday which hosts this annual festival where two tribes (one dressed in white and the other in red) try to catch an antelope. The red tribe won. People go crazy - old grandmas were on the street boogieing down. Remind me to show you the video when I'm back.
Kids
The kids crave attention. They want to hold your hand the whole time and want you to hold them. This kid followed me around everywhere the first day I got there. They are the cutest things ever. I forgot my camera cable in Ayeniah so I'll have to upload the pics next time. The conditions are tough for the kids in the orphanage and even tougher for those in the village.
There is plenty to tell - like voodoo ceremonies, red red and banku, Nanayau and John-Paul, trotros, but then this post would go forever.
I have a Ghanaian ph number now: +233272732855
I'll post again in a few weeks. Munnie - I haven't bought the stuff with the money yet but I will be soon. Stay tuned.
The Village
Ayeniah is the the name of the village where OA runs the orphanage and the community school. It is absolutely surreal. I am staying in a little mud hut and have no electricity. Electricity hasn't been to this village in a few months. Just to show you how optimistic the Ghanaian people are - they expect it to be back on "any day now". Behind the hut is the forest - the source of many strange noises in the middle of the night and an army of mosquitoes.
The People
The Ghanaian men are built like Greek Gods and the Ghanaian women are built like Greek Islands. Not sure how that genetic trait developed. The guys are all ripped and have six packs - yes all! Ghanaians are extremely friendly people except for that guy who tried to mug me at the timber market. I'm picking up a bit of Twe (the local language) from the locals. I'm very keen on learning Pigeon which one of the guys is teaching me.
Other Stuff
I visited this town called Wineba yesterday which hosts this annual festival where two tribes (one dressed in white and the other in red) try to catch an antelope. The red tribe won. People go crazy - old grandmas were on the street boogieing down. Remind me to show you the video when I'm back.
Kids
The kids crave attention. They want to hold your hand the whole time and want you to hold them. This kid followed me around everywhere the first day I got there. They are the cutest things ever. I forgot my camera cable in Ayeniah so I'll have to upload the pics next time. The conditions are tough for the kids in the orphanage and even tougher for those in the village.
There is plenty to tell - like voodoo ceremonies, red red and banku, Nanayau and John-Paul, trotros, but then this post would go forever.
I have a Ghanaian ph number now: +233272732855
I'll post again in a few weeks. Munnie - I haven't bought the stuff with the money yet but I will be soon. Stay tuned.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
But I slept really well
On my way back from the botanical gardens I noticed a trail running up the mountain. I decided to see where it goes. About hour later the trail was still going up. "It couldn't be too much futher." There was a small clearing with a seat facing a view. I figured this must be it. But wait... there's another trail and a small board which said "To Penang Hill". "Well I've come this far I might as well keep going". Wow in retropect I was sooo wrong sooo many times. Anyway another hour of climbing later I came across a mainroad. The trail continued on the other side and had a proper board which said "Halfway point!!!!". Well the exclamation points weren't there - but they show how i felt. Once at the top I downed a Mee Goreng, a Kway Teow, Fresh corn, watermelon juice and a 100 Plus (all for 15 RMB).
Anyway, after the 2 odd hours of climbing... and then roaming around Georgetown - I have the MOTHER of all chafings! I couldn't walk 100mtrs from the bus stop to the guesthouse. Remember the time Tubbs hit us all over the place and we just kept running to the boundary and back? That chafing felt like an itch compared to this. Multiple applications of Nivea later - I can walk.
Penang was beautiful - but you can read more about that in a travel book. Today I leave for Ghana.
Anyway, after the 2 odd hours of climbing... and then roaming around Georgetown - I have the MOTHER of all chafings! I couldn't walk 100mtrs from the bus stop to the guesthouse. Remember the time Tubbs hit us all over the place and we just kept running to the boundary and back? That chafing felt like an itch compared to this. Multiple applications of Nivea later - I can walk.
Penang was beautiful - but you can read more about that in a travel book. Today I leave for Ghana.
Friday, April 25, 2008
We came to the earth to graze
... everyone's diggin in.
Cheap food is dangerous.
They don't muck around about fines in singapore do they? $5000 fine if you use the emergency button incorrectly. $500 (i think) for stepping on the yellow line at the train station - luckily a local stopped me and pointed out the sign.
In KL now staying at a backpackers called the Equator hostel. It feels like I'm staying in someone's house. Very cool.
Cheap food is dangerous.
They don't muck around about fines in singapore do they? $5000 fine if you use the emergency button incorrectly. $500 (i think) for stepping on the yellow line at the train station - luckily a local stopped me and pointed out the sign.
In KL now staying at a backpackers called the Equator hostel. It feels like I'm staying in someone's house. Very cool.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Goodbye
Just finished packing and I think I'm set. No razor and no product - Just thinking about that makes me smile :D
I just blogged to say thanks to Munnie once more for her thoughtful gesture! Thank you to all who contributed - the kids are definitely going to appreciate it :)
Flight's at 3:30 tomorrow - see you on the flip side!
I just blogged to say thanks to Munnie once more for her thoughtful gesture! Thank you to all who contributed - the kids are definitely going to appreciate it :)
Flight's at 3:30 tomorrow - see you on the flip side!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Welcome
There's nothing to post yet.
Maybe a checklist...
Maybe a checklist...
- Mosquito Net - check
- Insect Repellent - check
- Vaccinations - check
- Fake wallet for when I get robbed - pending
- Pens to hand out to little African kids - pending
- Permethrin for coating sheets + pillowcase - pending
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