lies, all lies

February 17 

Don’t listen to the Weather Network.  Dustin informed me that they say it is 30 degrees here today.  That, my friends, is a blatant lie.  Yesterday we rushed into the school’s computer lab to experience its refreshing and cool 29 degree air conditioning.  If I had to guess-timate the temperature I would say it’s roughly... one million.  Give or take a few. 

tidbits of Takoradi

So I realize that I haven’t written much about the actual city I am living in.  It’s pretty hard to describe I guess… to really capture the sights, sounds, tastes, colours and smells in words.  It is a busy city, starting to boom from newfound offshore oil.  We live near the sea, though it is easy to forget when you are in the centre of town.  The Atlantic Ocean here sure is a lot warmer than the coast of Newfoundland, that’s for sure!

We are staying in a hostel-esque place called the Worker’s College where people stay when they are passing through for schooling or work placements etc.  We are extremely well taken care of, especially by a man named Kujo who works here.  I think it’s safe to say he is one of the most kind-hearted, joyful, hard-working men I’ve ever met.  He loves to visit and laugh with us and we are hoping to meet his family who live about an hour and a half from here in March.  Kujo is the kind of person who makes you realize that there is really nothing so tough that you can’t find something to smile about at the end of the day.  For the spirit that he shares with us, I am incredibly grateful.

Despite its size, no one in Takoradi uses addresses to find places.  Street signs are merely for looks and the best way to find something is to know a few key landmarks around where it might be.  For example, we work at the YMCA Vocational School which is at the first roundabout across from Good News Radio station.  The restaurant Silver Pot where we frequent is on the other side of the market circle on the corner across from A&D motors.  This vagueness also corresponds nicely to the Ghanaian sense of time.  The response “I’m coming” can mean a person will either be there in 5 minutes or perhaps 3 days.  Despite the lack of specificity when it comes to places/meeting times, everyone seems to find their way just fine.  

Although it may seem to be a sweeping generalization, I think it’s safe to say that Ghanaians are incredibly warm, friendly and generally all-around nice people.  It’s funny because one of my favourite qualities in a person is warmth, and it’s not every day I describe people as ‘warm’ back home.  Today I noticed that I use ‘warm’ to describe just about every single person I’ve encountered here.  So it seems as though I will need a better distinguishing trait… 

The market is a busy, chaotic, noisy, yet carefully orchestrated focal point in the city.  Through the chaos, people have their stands and their goods and it all just seems to work.  It’s a feast for your nose in that market - some great and some not so great scents that take me by surprise every time I go. 

Women, men and children use their heads to carry just about everything here.  I am quite doubtful that my arms could ever carry most of the bowls or plates of food or goods that they have carefully balanced on their noggins’ as they effortlessly float around town.  We have noticed that Ghanaians also have impeccable and gorgeous posture, perhaps due to these balancing acts.  This slouchy Canadian over here needs to straighten up.

As we don’t have our own kitchen, we eat out every day.  A bit ago we discovered a restaurant called “Harlem Home Cooking” beside our workplace and have been there every day since.  Currently obsessed with Red Red, a local dish of beans and fried plantains, it seems as though I’m either getting used to the spice or we’ve found the only non-spicy food in the city.  An educated guess would suggest it’s probably the former.  I’ve lost all craving for Western foods and could probably survive the rest of my days on Red Red from Harlem.  With an Alvaro to wash it down, of course.

The best part (ok, not the best part, but a really great part) about Takoradi is that in lieu of stray dogs and cats cruising around, there are SHEEP and GOATS everywhere!  This is very exciting as an avid sheep/goat lover, though my giggling/oo’ing/aw’ing/animal-talk is wearing thin on my housemates.  I’m trying to keep it contained but they are just so darned cute!  Oh!  And this random hot pink chicken?  The best!

We are very busy and don’t get to the internet cafe often (as you can tell from my sporadic blog posting) but will hopefully be able to keep posting as the project wraps up.  It’s going by so fast!

finally some photos!

Here we are off to church in our new get-ups... the locals LOVED it! 

oh this humidity

This weather does nothing for my appearance.  I am sweaty, blotchy, always slightly red from the heat and my hair is in a perpetual high bun with a halo of frizz around my face.  Seriously, the photo evidence has not been kind.  This wouldn’t be so bad if Ghanaians weren’t so darned well-dressed and put together.  Everyone here is always dressed in freshly pressed, beautiful clothing.  Locals iron everything down to their t-shirts and usually wear dress pants, leather dress shoes (or pumps) and collared shirts or blouses day-to-day - regardless of the temperature.

My frizzy/blotchy state wouldn’t be such a big deal if it was paired with smart looking business clothes.  However, last summer when we went to Asia we got a wee bit swept up in that whole “backpacking” thing and purchased a lot of “quick-dry” items that we would surely NEED for our trip.  When we got to Cambodia, we just ended up looking like total nerds in weird outdoors-gear while everyone else was in cute summer clothes and sundresses.  Packing for this trip, I wanted to get more use of my awkward quick-dry pants so into the backpack they went.  I have regretted that decision since the moment I stepped off the plane.  

Maybe if they fit properly, this wouldn’t be such a big issue.  However, it has now become quite apparent that I was a bit (ahem) “rounder” last summer and these pants are literally hanging off me.  That, and the fact that I somehow thought I could pass them off as dress pants when everyone we meet are practically wearing suits was totally ridiculous. Frizzy/blotchy... fine.  Awkward pants on their own... manageable.  Together... yikes.

But just for the record, I will say that my quick-dry towel is a total dream come true.

event planning

We are gearing up for our Networking/Women’s Day event on March 2 (yes, yes I know, but the school is closed on the actual Women’s Day).  Now in the thick of planning, it’s shaping up pretty well!  

Angela and I initially met with a lot of people from various institutions and organizations.  We randomly encountered an organization called Daas Gift Foundation, and met the founder, Gifty, who works with women – providing microloans and doing work around renewable energy.  Amazing!

We also met with the manager of Women’s World Bank who will be speaking around the issue of saving and the importance of having financial independence as a woman.  

We’ve invited some women in various employment roles, either entrepreneurs or teachers or the like, to give breakout discussions on their career paths and answer students’ questions about their jobs and what it is like in their workplace. 

To top it off, we met with a young woman named Lydia who works with WilDAF (Women in Law and Development in Africa).  She will be a keynote speaker at the event addressing domestic violence, loca women’s issues and women’s rights in Takoradi.  She’s so lovely and I can’t wait for the students to meet such an inspiring young woman.  

All in all, we are pretty excited.  Hard to believe it is in less than 2 weeks – lots still to do on top of our regular work schedule.  Oh... and did I mention that the YCI Executive Director is flying in to be with us during our last week on project (and therefore this event)?!  Um... no pressure?!

More to come as plans unfold... yay for Women’s Day!

burnt in Busua

February 7

Back to Busua!   With a day off, Jean and I made an escape to Busua for a little sun and some much needed relaxation for the day.  The sun is getting stronger and sneakier, finding ways to get you when you least expect it.  Although doused with 45 sunscreen, I awoke the next morning with a very red belly.

Off I went on a quest to find some aloe vera to ease my suffering.  In the market, I asked a few ladies where I could find some.  They asked why and I showed them my rosy tummy.  Looking baffled, complete confusion set in.  One woman pressed my tummy watching the fingerprints they left on my skin turn white and then fade back to red again.  I will never forget what came next:  “The sun?  The sun did this to you??” - totally bewildered.  Oh right.  Ghanaians don’t burn...

 I was able, however, to leave the market with a bottle of aloe and many prayers for a speedy recovery – their reactions almost making the burn worth it... almost.

this woman's work

February 6

An elderly woman sat next to us on the trotro back from Busua.  As she tapped her fingers along the edge of the large silver bowl in her lap, I was struck by the beauty of her hands.  So full of grace and yet so weathered it seemed as though each wrinkle, each fold, told a story.  It was clear that those hands had worked the land.  They’d held many loved ones tight and brushed away many tears.  They’d spent days in the sun and fed her family.  They’d carried water home and they’d also shared in laughter.  They seemed to tell of both hardship and joy and left me mesmerized at the amount it seemed could be accomplished with little other than your own two bare hands.  

I looked at her hands, then back to mine, realizing once again how much I have to learn.  I hope one day my hands will speak as loudly as hers did to me.