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.

so grateful

I am enjoying the bits of Ghanaian cuisine that I’ve had so far but even the most “mild” dishes tend to burn my oesophagus and leave my mouth on fire for days following - so I’m trying to break in slowly.  Not quite ready to attempt the raw veggie scene (though I did successfully mow down 2 delicious bunches of green beans I found at the market without tummy troubles), eating well has been a bit of a challenge here for me.  Most of the dishes are made up of meat and rice, or another Ghanaian starch like banku or fufu; sub out the meat in any dish you’re usually left with… well, a starch on its own.  Not so ideal for vegetarians.

This weekend we took a road trip out to Basua, about a half hour from Takoradi – it was so beautiful.  We ordered lunch from a man, Nana, that we met, but again, the only vegetarian option was rice.    

After we finished our lunch, a small boy who could not speak came to our table naked except for a dirty, ripped t-shirt.  He started silently grabbing single grains of rice off our table that we’d spilled and devouring them like they would somehow disappear if he didn’t get them fast enough.

Spotting a woman with a box of treats balanced on her head, we decided to buy as many donuts as we could for the kids that started to surround our table.  When I gave the boy his donut, he made me keep it in my hand and eat it as I held it as if it was too risky to have in his own hands.  The other kids laughed at this, but I found nothing but heartbreak about having a child literally eat from my palm.  The boy then grabbed onto me and walked me down the street pointing at food.  The locals said he could hear but not speak.  A woman dished out some rice and sauce for him and she took him behind the houses to eat it away from the other children.  I paid the woman and thanked her and we left. 

I am grateful that boy showed just after I let myself be frustrated at the thought of only eating rice again for my meal.  I am so thankful for him for reminding me that every grain of rice truly is a gift and I know that I will never, ever take for granted a meal that I am so fortunate to have.  I will think of that boy often and I hope somehow that he knows what a lesson in gratitude he shared with us all that afternoon. 

first week of workshops

January 31^st

Phew... what a big week!  We gave our first workshops to all grade levels at the YMCA Vocational School, met with students from the OIC school to form the Environmental Club and facilitated another lengthy workshop on HIV/AIDS for the second year students at the YMCA.  

 

I’m not going to lie.  I had a tough go at the beginning of the week, struggling with my role here, as a Canadian, the whole concept of “International Development” and the many pros and cons of being a foreigner hoping to help someone in a completely different culture and country than my own.  

After an amazing chat with Fred, I am confident and back on my feet... ready to work!  He reminded me of the importance of relationship building and the significance for these students to know that their peers in other countries care enough to not only share ourselves with them, but to learn from the people here and take that knowledge back to Canada.   He told me that many times the girls at the school don’t feel comfortable to talk to teachers and the staff there and that they will ask us many important questions about some sensitive issues because they feel comfortable with us.   He also brought up the important point of peer-to-peer education and the different form of experiential and participatory learning we bring to Ghanaian classrooms.  He said that having them participate in such interactive lessons builds more confidence and pride than I will probably understand in my short time here. 

These were only a handful of the many reasons that Fred used to remind me how important it is to be a global citizen and that reaching out to help someone, regardless of who they are, is always, always a good thing.  Even when it’s tough.

Our classes have been going really well and I think we are all starting to find our footing as a group.  I am most excited about the workshop that I will be facilitating on consent and sexual violence in a few weeks’ time (Outreachers: I’m thinking of all of you!!).  The workshops are challenging and our workload is piling up quickly but we are all still excited to be here and so grateful to have the chance to meet such wonderful people each day at the schools where we volunteer.  More updates to follow as our work here unwinds!

maybe there's hope for me yet

Every second Friday, the women at the YMCA Vocational School (along with the two male students) have PE for their first block of the day.  Madame Emilia, the principal, asked Nolan to lead it this week so we trucked over 3 soccer balls and played a totally chaotic game of 4-corners soccer.

These ladies mean business.  Sandals were flying, people were barefoot, balls were on the roof, girls were falling and I was in sheer terror.  If you know me, you know that I am not the sportiest, per se, and that athletic equipment flying through the air gives me the willies.  Multiply that by 3 (for the three soccer balls) and 50 Ghanaian women who took no prisoners and I crumbled into fetal position within 10 seconds.  But!  Amidst my scurrying around and trying to look busy I scored a goal!  Whether it was strategically planned or just that I happened to coincidentally stick my foot out for the ball to bounce off is irrelevant... that was my very first goal I can ever remember in any sport I’ve ever played.  Sad and awesome all rolled into one.

a bunch of abrunis

Here in Takoradi we are some of very few “abrunis” – or foreigners.  Walking around town we hadn’t really seen any other identifiable foreigners – until recently for some reason when a few started sprouting up.   On our first day in town, a baby came running up to Fred in the market.  He picked her up and she giggled and laughed.  Then, upon turning and looking at me, burst into tears.

From what Fred says, children and babies are either really curious about abrunis or they are terrified of their fair skin – some have never seen non-Africans before.  Since that heart-breaking moment of causing a small, happy child to erupt into racking sobs, I now get loads of kids running up to me daily yelling “Abruni!!  Abruni!!” and waving madly... maybe I’ve got a bit of a much-needed tan??  Either way, none of us are complaining as it seems that a tiny, excited face jumping up and down waving is the cure-all for upset tummies, too much heat or a tough day of work.  Now just to get a couple in my carry-on bags home...

introducing our group!

January 25^th

It dawned on me that I haven’t really mentioned who the heck I’m here with besides Jane and Fred.  So... meet my groupmates...!

Nolan is our token male from Winfield, BC.  Always upbeat, always positive, he has a contagious excitement for life and... well, pretty much everything.  He will be so wonderful to have around when we are stressed and tired and missing home.  We have great talks about life but I think my willingness to always play Devil’s Advocate might start driving him crazy fairly soon.  He also shares the strangest tidbits of trivia all day long, and therefore is designated my partner in Trivial Pursuit should the opportunity to play ever arise in Ghana.  You just never know.

Jean is from Toronto... love love love.  She’s kind, warm and makes me laugh on a minute-by-minute basis.  Not only is she an amazing person to collaborate with work-wise, but she always seems to want to share a mango at the exact moment I do... so for that I am grateful.  She’s so creative and bright and I know I will learn a lot from her.  Plus, she loves dancing movies and can quote “Centrestage” on command... what’s not to love?

Angela is from Mississauga, but her family comes from Accra, here in Ghana!  So it’s extra cool for her to be here and I hope we will get to meet some of her family before we leave.  Angela is just starting to bust out her sassy and sarcastic side – loves it!  She cares so much about doing a good job here and I respect her so much for the time and energy she puts into our work each day to make sure everything is as great as it possibly can be.  Big-picture me always needs someone to keep my feet planted on the ground!

I now realize how my participants felt upon arriving to Katimavik... we are all so different, but we all bring something totally unique to the group which is so neat. Right now we are “forming”, but I’m sure a few storms will hit sooner or later while we iron out the wrinkles of our group dynamics.  For now, I shall enjoy the honeymoon stage while it lasts!!