sworn in, at site now as official PC Volunteer. Site is good. trying to get settled in. gonna get a cat b/c i got mice...meeko, cinda, please do not be jealous...these is a working cat, not a loving cat :)
inet is really slow here so I can't post much. i'll post more details once i get to a good inet in a couple weeks hopefully. maybe next week if i bring my laptop in to town. hope all is well. love you, j
Monday, August 23, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
ghana, you so crazy...crazy awesome!
Ha, so last week after I left the internet, I found the whole first season of True Blood on DVD for 2 cedi, 50 pesawa (roughly $1.80!) on the street in Koforidua...and it works!!! And today on my walk to the internet cafe I found season 2 and 3!!!!! 3 is playing right now on HBO in the U.S....so I hope these seasons work too...thank you Ghana for supplying PCV's with kick ass, up-to-date, cheap, pirated shows. You have made my cranky heart sing!!!!!
So last week when I left Koforidua the taxi I was in hit a goat between Old Tafo and Maase (the village I homestay in). It was completely the goat’s fault, he turned right into us, but it still made me freak out. The others in the taxi thought it was hilarious, including Nivole, another trainee, who was cackling hysterically at my disgust. I turned around and the poor thing was tumbling down the road backwards…the driver didn’t stop, so I don’t know what happened to it. But I will count myself lucky, as one of the PCT’s was in a taxi yesterday that hit a goat (it was ok), saw a big truck hit a sheep yesterday (the sheep exploded and people ran to get the meat), and then this morning her taxi hit a chicken (it also was ok). Craziness.
Oh yea, our taxi got a flat tire this morning on the way into Old Tafo...first car I've ever been in when the tire popped. Check that one off the list.....
The only other item of interest is that Friday night we had to do an AIDS/HIV presentation. So TK, David and I did ours at the Methodist Church in Maase…where my homestay father preaches. So we don’t know what age group would show up, who really knew about it, and we really didn’t know what to do. There are AIDS kits with games and stuff in them…but that’s about as far as our training goes. It went fairly well. We had about 50 people by the end. A group of older women, some teenage kids and only a couple of grown men…one of whom was my homestay father. We played some interactive games and then asked for questions. One of the older ladies asked about condoms breaking, then she stated that some men are very big, and wouldn’t the condom break? Of course this all goes through an interpreter; so the church bursts into laughter/giggles and we (the presenters) are like, oh shit, what did she ask? As you all know, I’m a hand talker anyway, but also to help bridge the language gap (Twi) I just said, “Oh, they stretch. It can be this big (two fingers about an inch apart) or THIS BIG (hands about 3 feet apart)!” The old ladies rolled. What else can you do? So, 2 condom questions in a row…and we were not supposed to do a condom demonstration since we were in church and it preaches abstinence. Yes we actually do have wooden penises (A-yours is better!!!) that we put condoms on, but we were not supposed to show condoms in the church. After 2 condom questions, one of the other presenters yanks out a condom and goes, “This is a condom!!” Me and the other guy start cracking up. Anyway. The whole experience was pretty good. It’s hard to do a presentation and have to wait for everything to be translated…it makes you lose your train of thought and it’s hard to keep your energy/excitement up to entertain the crowd. Oh well.
So, that’s about all that happened this week…pretty bland. Oh I PASSED MY EWE TEST!!!!! I am happy. We swear in on Thursday and I will be a full fledge Peace Corps Volunteer. It'll probably be a couple weeks before I post again as I'll be travelling to my site and stuff next weekend and then getting it set up...sooo next post should have some good info and pics.
Love ya,
j
So last week when I left Koforidua the taxi I was in hit a goat between Old Tafo and Maase (the village I homestay in). It was completely the goat’s fault, he turned right into us, but it still made me freak out. The others in the taxi thought it was hilarious, including Nivole, another trainee, who was cackling hysterically at my disgust. I turned around and the poor thing was tumbling down the road backwards…the driver didn’t stop, so I don’t know what happened to it. But I will count myself lucky, as one of the PCT’s was in a taxi yesterday that hit a goat (it was ok), saw a big truck hit a sheep yesterday (the sheep exploded and people ran to get the meat), and then this morning her taxi hit a chicken (it also was ok). Craziness.
Oh yea, our taxi got a flat tire this morning on the way into Old Tafo...first car I've ever been in when the tire popped. Check that one off the list.....
The only other item of interest is that Friday night we had to do an AIDS/HIV presentation. So TK, David and I did ours at the Methodist Church in Maase…where my homestay father preaches. So we don’t know what age group would show up, who really knew about it, and we really didn’t know what to do. There are AIDS kits with games and stuff in them…but that’s about as far as our training goes. It went fairly well. We had about 50 people by the end. A group of older women, some teenage kids and only a couple of grown men…one of whom was my homestay father. We played some interactive games and then asked for questions. One of the older ladies asked about condoms breaking, then she stated that some men are very big, and wouldn’t the condom break? Of course this all goes through an interpreter; so the church bursts into laughter/giggles and we (the presenters) are like, oh shit, what did she ask? As you all know, I’m a hand talker anyway, but also to help bridge the language gap (Twi) I just said, “Oh, they stretch. It can be this big (two fingers about an inch apart) or THIS BIG (hands about 3 feet apart)!” The old ladies rolled. What else can you do? So, 2 condom questions in a row…and we were not supposed to do a condom demonstration since we were in church and it preaches abstinence. Yes we actually do have wooden penises (A-yours is better!!!) that we put condoms on, but we were not supposed to show condoms in the church. After 2 condom questions, one of the other presenters yanks out a condom and goes, “This is a condom!!” Me and the other guy start cracking up. Anyway. The whole experience was pretty good. It’s hard to do a presentation and have to wait for everything to be translated…it makes you lose your train of thought and it’s hard to keep your energy/excitement up to entertain the crowd. Oh well.
So, that’s about all that happened this week…pretty bland. Oh I PASSED MY EWE TEST!!!!! I am happy. We swear in on Thursday and I will be a full fledge Peace Corps Volunteer. It'll probably be a couple weeks before I post again as I'll be travelling to my site and stuff next weekend and then getting it set up...sooo next post should have some good info and pics.
Love ya,
j
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Up and down
July 31, 2010
I’ve been slacking on this blogging thing, as well as writing in my journal. To be quite honest the energy around here is starting to turn sour. We are all tired of training (yes it is necessary, we know, but it still sucks) and we moved back in to our homestay families this past week, so add that weird aspect of trying to live with a family that doesn’t really know you, can’t communicate with you very well, and trying your best not to offend them but also keep your sanity…it’s a fine line these days.
Wednesday is our language test, so I’ve been trying to study, which means I spend a lot of time in my room and not much time with the family which appears to be adding stress around the house. 3 days ago I developed a rash that covers me from head to toe…some sort of an allergic reaction to something, so not only am I completely cheerful, but I’m looking dead sexy, too! (Sarcasm is rampant these days). Only 13 more days till swearing in and then off to site. I can’t wait to get to site so I can start to develop a life here in Ghana. Right now I have no control over what I do and I don’t have my own space, which is starting to get to me a little. Although I am completely aware that once I’m at site I’ll be dying for some Obruni time and will be lonely…grass is always greener, ya know.
Anyway, a couple days ago another trainee and I played hookie for a couple hours and went to Koforidua to hunt for piecey-piecey fabric. Piecey-piecey is remnant parts sewed together to make a 2-yard of fabric. The Ghanaians don’t like it, but the Obruni hippies love it!!! (and it is cheap at only 3 cedis for a 2 yard) Since most Ghanaians won’t use it, you can only find piecey-piecey in a couple cities in Ghana and one happens to be about 45 minutes away from our homestays. So HOLLA, I bought 10 yards of hippiefabulous fabric. It was a wonderful day!!! For about 4 hours I made decisions on my own!!! No schedule or handouts or anything…damn, I felt like a grown up again. It was awesome!!!!
This trip also made me realize how I’m getting used to living in Ghana. I no longer stress out when I get dumped at the tro station and there are people yelling out city names and men screaming, “Obruni, where are you going?” or tugging at my arm. I’m quite used to the fact that I’m pretty much at the mercy of those around me…I usually have a vague idea where I’m going, but no idea how to actually get there…this is completely true if I’m walking around a larger city or even when I get in a taxi and say, with poor pronunciation I’m sure, “Draiva, Akoefe.” I have no idea which direction this place is…it’s just the name of a village on a piece of paper that I’m supposed to go to. Anyway, I’m getting sidetracked…back to Koforidua. The two of us started walking in the general direction we thought the market was…when we started talking and pointing amongst ourselves, a man stops, “Where are you trying to go?” “We are trying to find the market.” “Come.” Ok…off we go and this complete stranger schleps the two Obruns through the streets and deposits us at the market. “Medase, sir.” “Yooo…” This would never happen in the States, people would just ignore you. They’d give you directions when you asked them, but never come up and offer. They would never take time out of their day to walk you there. The Ghanaians do this all the time! It’s awesome!
So, there’s some positive and there’s some negative for you.
If anyone wants to be a superhero, please rip and send me the True Blood Season 2 to address on this blog. I downloaded all of them before I left the States and somehow didn’t keep them on my computer…yes, I know, full tard move.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GARRETT!!
Love you guys,
j
I’ve been slacking on this blogging thing, as well as writing in my journal. To be quite honest the energy around here is starting to turn sour. We are all tired of training (yes it is necessary, we know, but it still sucks) and we moved back in to our homestay families this past week, so add that weird aspect of trying to live with a family that doesn’t really know you, can’t communicate with you very well, and trying your best not to offend them but also keep your sanity…it’s a fine line these days.
SED group at training
sexy rash
Anyway, a couple days ago another trainee and I played hookie for a couple hours and went to Koforidua to hunt for piecey-piecey fabric. Piecey-piecey is remnant parts sewed together to make a 2-yard of fabric. The Ghanaians don’t like it, but the Obruni hippies love it!!! (and it is cheap at only 3 cedis for a 2 yard) Since most Ghanaians won’t use it, you can only find piecey-piecey in a couple cities in Ghana and one happens to be about 45 minutes away from our homestays. So HOLLA, I bought 10 yards of hippiefabulous fabric. It was a wonderful day!!! For about 4 hours I made decisions on my own!!! No schedule or handouts or anything…damn, I felt like a grown up again. It was awesome!!!!
piecey-piecey
This trip also made me realize how I’m getting used to living in Ghana. I no longer stress out when I get dumped at the tro station and there are people yelling out city names and men screaming, “Obruni, where are you going?” or tugging at my arm. I’m quite used to the fact that I’m pretty much at the mercy of those around me…I usually have a vague idea where I’m going, but no idea how to actually get there…this is completely true if I’m walking around a larger city or even when I get in a taxi and say, with poor pronunciation I’m sure, “Draiva, Akoefe.” I have no idea which direction this place is…it’s just the name of a village on a piece of paper that I’m supposed to go to. Anyway, I’m getting sidetracked…back to Koforidua. The two of us started walking in the general direction we thought the market was…when we started talking and pointing amongst ourselves, a man stops, “Where are you trying to go?” “We are trying to find the market.” “Come.” Ok…off we go and this complete stranger schleps the two Obruns through the streets and deposits us at the market. “Medase, sir.” “Yooo…” This would never happen in the States, people would just ignore you. They’d give you directions when you asked them, but never come up and offer. They would never take time out of their day to walk you there. The Ghanaians do this all the time! It’s awesome!
So, there’s some positive and there’s some negative for you.
If anyone wants to be a superhero, please rip and send me the True Blood Season 2 to address on this blog. I downloaded all of them before I left the States and somehow didn’t keep them on my computer…yes, I know, full tard move.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GARRETT!!
Love you guys,
j
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