Peace Corps Ghana. Menji Agric Senior High. Chemistry. Friends. Cooking. Volleyball. Running. Animals.

30 December 2011

Do Not Be Alarmed!

This was originally meant to be a sort of cautionary email to Janers (mom), in preparation for her visit to Ghana next year. But then I thought, well, Eileen (David's mom) is also visiting next year; she too might want to read this. Then I thought, well, the whole Mooney family should also probably have a look at it.. So then I just decided I would post it on my blog, thereby making it available to everyone! Here it is.


Things occur here in Ghana, which, by American standards, would be perceived as odd or even shocking. By Ghanaian standards, however, these occurrences are nothing more or less than normal. Here are some things you should be prepared to encounter. Do not be alarmed by the following...

Someone petting your arm. Your white skin is different and weird. It's not rudeness, it's just curiosity.

A man exposing himself to take a pee on the side of the road. It happens all the time and is considered totally acceptable public behavior.

People staring at you. You might be the first white person they've ever seen in real life!

Children saying/singing/yelling “Obruni” around you. It just means white person. They will be so happy if you just wave or smile at them!

Diarrhea. Ugh.

Church. People will cry, laugh, dance, fall to their knees, lay on the ground, roll around, speak/ yell in tongues, scream, bang their fists on the walls/ pews/ ground, or any number of other symptoms of hysteria.

Breasts. Women will breast feed openly and at anytime: on the bus, in church, on the street, while cooking dinner, in the market, or anywhere else the baby is hungry.

Policemen with big guns stopping your vehicle. The police do routine “customs checks” at the borders of districts and regions. If your driver hands the policeman some money then continues through, it is payoff. It happens.

Physical punishment. If a child misbehaves, sometimes he/she will be caned or otherwise beaten. The cane is just a long thin tree branch. It is just part of life here.

The amount of oil in/ on your food. Just know that Ghanaian foods are generally very oily.

The crappy-ness of the vehicle you're in. Yes, it is a tad woebegone, but yes, it will get you there!

Chaos. Tro stations, markets, and cities appear to be in a constant state of incredible chaos at all times.

People asking for money. Because of the media and rich tourists, some Ghanaians assume that Americans are loaded and ready to pass out the bills.

People trying to overcharge you. Again, it is because you are white. If you are aware that it is happening, don't allow them to charge you more. Insist on the correct amount.

Smells. Some places are really stinky.

Animals. Goats, sheeps, and pigs are everywhere. There will be one in or on top your tro at some point.

Yelling. It seems like people do a lot of yelling here. You might think someone is angrily shouting at you,but in actuality, they are just saying hello or asking where you're going.

Gigantic scary machetes. Everyone has one, and it is just their lawn mower. And tiller. And tractor. And axe. And shovel. And scythe. And butcher knife.

Google and Nana Bread

The Peace Corps mission statement consists of 3 goals. Today I accomplished each these 3 goals, even if only in little ways. :)

[Note: Adilla is the female student who helps me a lot around the house. Eman is the male student who comes to help Adilla make fufu. James is my counterpart/ bff]

GOAL I. Build man power. Today, I taught Adilla how to use a laptop.

Due to lack of funding, the computer classes here at Menji are taught with a chalkboard and a single virus-ridden desktop PC at the front of the classroom. James is the ICT teacher and bless his heart, he does everything he can! But because of this, Adilla hasn't had much practical instruction/ experience on a computer. She said she has used a desktop PC a few times before, but is usually too shy to visit the internet cafe, because she's unsure about computers.

We started from step 1: turning the computer on. Then we went through the organization of the Windows operating system. We talked about the desktop, the start menu, shut down/restart/sleep mode, My Computer, the Library, the Recycle Bin, etc. We talked about MS Office, particularly Word, Powerpoint, and Excel. [Side note: I keep my chemistry grade book in an excel spread sheet, which Adilla thought was neat. Unlike the in America, students here in Ghana rarely know anything about their grade before report cards release] Then, we did a little internet tutorial... how to connect to the internet using a USB modem, the different browsers available, Favorites, History, Tabs/ Bookmarks, search engines, Wikipedia. I even told her a little bit about torrents, which she seemed to get. By afternoon, she was looking up information on squids and playing Minesweeper. All while jamming to my music collection. She and Eman both really enjoy Basshunter. Swedish, sorta techno/ dance party music.

In America, kids learning computer science is taken as a given since virtually every child has access to a computer lab at school and a PC at home. Even my little hometown elementary school had a computer lab when I was there 15 years ago! Here in Ghana though, only a handful of high schools have computer labs. Even fewer middle schools have labs. And I have yet to see a primary school with computers. Ghanaians learning computer technology is integral to their development as a nation.

Adilla will use computers throughout the rest of her life. Now she can go to the internet cafe with confidence. And the information won't stop with Adilla. She mentioned that she is excited to share the things I taught her with her younger siblings.

GOAL II. Share American culture with Ghanaians. I love banana bread - Ghana has a lot of bananas - I have an oven. Therefore, I decided to make banana bread this morning. James, Adilla, and Eman all thought the idea of bananas in bread was strange, to say the least. Eman, the nicest boy ever, just nodded and said, “Oh that is very interesting.” James didn't say much, but the look on his face clearly said “That sounds weird and gross.” And Adilla, whose blatant honesty frequently cracks me up, exclaimed, “Ah! If I eat that, I might vomit!”

Despite their initial reactions of aversion, when the banana bread had finished baking, I took each of them a slice topped with a little butter. It is now evening, and every last crumb has been finished. In all sincerity, I had one piece of banana bread today. Upon finishing about half the loaf, James declared, “Yes, we will make the banana bread often!”

Food is an important aspect of Ghanaian culture, as it bonds families and communities. Although precious, food is always shared, and is thus a symbol of both prosperity and unity. Families and friends often eat with their hands from one communal bowl. Furthermore, when eating anything, at any time of day, if there is anyone even vaguely nearby, you invite them to your food. Just the other day, a clearly under-nourished little boy blithely invited me to his dinner. His large, bright eyes glanced down at the small bag of rice and red sauce clasped in his left hand. For some unknown reason, I had put a blue lifesaver in my pocket that morning.. I was happy to remember it was there, because he liked it a lot more than I would have.

Anyway, James, Adilla, and Eman were quite pleasantly surprised by the banana bread. They were so happy that I had shared not just food, but American food with them. They were even more delighted when I told them banana bread is a tradition in my family. I explained that while growing up, I was always so excited to see brown bananas in the kitchen.. It meant Mom would make banana bread! When I was little, my job was mashing the bananas. But as I got older, Mom allowed me more and more responsibility, until one day I was baking all on my own. So thank you Mom for teaching me this delicious American tradition, so that I could share it with Ghanaians.

GOAL III. Share Ghanaian culture with America. Paragraph 2 of GOAL II just accomplished this goal. Ok, well, that's assuming SOMEBODY back home reads this thing :)

Alright I am going to bed. Good night everyone!

B

10 December 2011

Living Pretty!

Let's be honest. Living in Africa isn't the easiest on a body. Actually it is sort of an esthetician's hell. To combat the damaging effects of a harsh environment, I've started developing some little tricks to make life easier and prettier! :)

Oatmeal Avocado Mask... This is great and very soothing if my face is at all irritated or dry. Directions: Bring a cup or two of water to boil in a pan. Add a handful of oatmeal. Cook the oatmeal for a few minutes, while crushing up the avocado with a fork. Pull the oatmeal off the burner and mix in the smooshed avocado. Wait until the mixture has cooled to luke warm. It should be fairly thick in consistency. Spread the mixture across face and allow to sit for 15- 20 minutes.

Lemon Green Tea Mask... I use this face mask to treat a break out (ew!). Directions: Mince a few lemon peels and put in a small pot. Tear open a sachet of green tea into the pot. Add two cups of water and a and boil for 5 minutes. Add a handful of oatmeal, and cook a few minutes. Remove from heat, and wait until the mixture has cooled to room temperature. It should be fairly thick in consistency. Spread the mixture across face and allow to sit for 15- 20 minutes.

Tropical Pedicure... I do this every Wednesday night. Directions: Boil a few cups of water with the peels from 1 or 2 oranges. Mix orange water with some cool water in a roomy bucket. Should be hot but not scalding. Allow feet to soak for 15 - 30 minutes. Using a small piece of bamboo, push back cuticles and clean under nails. Scrub feet thoroughly with a tough brush or sponge. Slather feet in sunblock (Banana Boat... smells great and is nice and thick)!

Cane Sugar Hand and Body Scrub... Once weekly for super soft skin! Directions: Go to the market. Buy shea or cocoa butter and sugar cane sugar (the crystals are much larger than commercially produced white sugar). Mix in a small bowl: 2 parts cane sugar, 1 part shea/ cocoa butter, 1 part cooking oil (soy, veg, olive.. whatever you have in the kitchen). After washing with soap and water, use on hands or all over body. Rinse thoroughly, but do not use soap again. Pat dry.

Ginger Lemon Facial Toner... A perfect morning face wake up call. Boil water in a pot. Slice lemon peel and fresh ginger into thin strips and place in a small bowl with a sachet of green tea. Pour in some boiling water. Allow to steep for a few minutes. Using clean terry cloth swipe mixture gently across skin. Good morning, face!