Welcome to Ghana! Akwaaba!!!

Welcome to Ghana! Akwaaba! Miraaba! (Welcome (in Twi)! Welcome (in Dagbani)!

It’s hard to believe that I arrived in Ghana a little over a month ago. It feels like it has flown by and at the same time I feel like I have been here for much longer. It is challenging to sum up what I have been up to and what I have seen over this past month in one blog post. The sum of it all really boils down to that I have been reflecting a lot on something my Nanna Spook said. She said that she wasn’t board a single day in her life. I can’t say the same for my lifetime, but I can say that there has not been one single moment since I have arrived in Ghana that I have felt board. There is always someone to talk to/try to talk to (language barriers) something to do, try, look at, enjoy, be baffled by, question, you name it. It has been quite the experience so far and I’m looking forward to continuing this journey.

Disclaimer: This blog post is quite long, but hopefully it will start to paint a picture of what my life is like in Ghana. Lets find out…

I touched down in Accra, Ghana on February 1st after a plane ride filled with movies and attempts at getting some shuteye. I’ve never been good at sleeping on planes. Upon arrival I finally had my “oh my goodness what have a gotten myself into” moment, which thankfully hadn’t crossed my mind until then and it only lasted a couple of minutes. We were greeted by many of the Peace Corps (PC) Ghana staff who welcomed us with kind smiling faces. I immediately was able to push any questioning thoughts aside. We piled into the PC bus and were given a police escort, courtesy of the Ghanaian government to welcome us to the country… and off we went. We were assured that this would be the fastest we got anywhere in Accra and we should get used to Ghanaian hospitality, but definitely not to police escorts. Finally we were able to settle in to our first home at a University campus right outside Accra. Aint no rest for a Peace Corps Trainee (PCT) as we had a full day of classes despite our overnight flight and jetlag! Man was I tired! The next day we were up and at ‘em by 5:45 a.m. (a time that I now look at as practically sleeping in… more to come on that). We were off to the Accra PC office for a welcoming ceremony. As many staff as were available (quite a few! 20+) and three local religious leaders from the three main religions in Ghana (Traditional, Muslim, and Christianity) all came together to formally welcome our trainee group to PC Ghana. Each of the leaders welcomed us in their own way of praying and we were then able to start the very brief welcoming ceremony. It included introductions of staff and volunteers and a few words from some staff including the country director. It felt like everyone was genuinely happy that we were there and they all seemed very proud of PC Ghana! It made me feel quite lucky to be a part of this group and to be in this country. We were given time to mix and mingle with staff during lunch. Surprise surprise I found myself in a conversation with the head of the agriculture sector. He took me on a tour of the Accra office grounds to see different plants including a tree called the Moringa tree, which has many healthful and medicinal uses. A “super food” indeed! That evening we went to the US Ambassador’s house for him and his wife to welcome us and to meet other local Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs). In the mix of people there I ran into a friend of a friend from the States! Talk about a small world!!!

*At the welcoming ceremony one day after arrival.

First Market Adventure

The following day was Accra Quest! This is where we were sent out in the community for a local education/information scavenger hunt in different parts of Accra. My group was sent to Madina Market. We had our first experience riding a trotro (essentially a very rickety passenger van, which is used like public transportation. I loved our time doing the scavenger hunt because it was the first time I had the opportunity to try to communicate with locals speaking Twi in a VERY busy market. I’m sure I made a fool of myself, but there is no problem with that! The market is down a narrow street that has vendors on both sides and people walking down the middle. Us pedestrians had to keep our heads on a swivel because there were people with carts and some cars that would make their way down the street. I should stress that this is a very narrow space with lots of people! I had to stand in vendor’s produce stands at times to avoid getting run over when cars would go by. My toes came just a couple inches away from getting run over a few times… but they didn’t! The market was filled with fruits, vegetables, nuts, and fish. The fish is typically crusted with salt to preserve it. Some of the produce was brand new to me and I hope to try all of it throughout my two years here. Most everyone we met was quite nice and there is no way we would have been able to figure out the scavenger hunt without the help of the locals. A couple of times we had people guide us through back streets to get to our next location, which I am certain we wouldn’t have been able to find without the help of others. This one woman stopped us because her kids wanted to say hi to the “obronis” (foreigners). She then recruited a young boy to guide us to our next location, which he didn’t think twice about doing and we didn’t think twice about being lead through a new town by a stranger. It was a lovely moment. We completed our quest and we were able to find our way back to our dorm via trotro. This day was my first real “Ghana moment”… It was great J

Washing and A Song

Bit by bit we are getting different sessions in cultural competencies (which continue all through training), safety and security, and other necessary topics. One class that we had was on bucket bathing and washing clothes (the days of washers and dryers are long gone for me). Necessary skills to learn! Ghanaians bathe twice a day if you have access to do so. Some places have running water and others do not. We’ll see what kind of resources I end up with! It was fun to see our trainee group come together during the clothes washing session. Everyone was very supportive and helpful towards each other. What a difference from a laundromat in the States! That night we wrapped up with a group talent show. I played Country Roads on the guitar that my uncle Dick sent me off with (more stories with the guitar to come!) and most of the group sang along. The next morning we collected our clothes from the dry line and packed up to head to our homestay community!

Mommy Cecilia :) and a quick note about Religion in Ghana

We arrived in a small town in the Eastern Region (Ghana is made up of 10 regions) and unloaded all of our bags and bags and bags at the front of the church. Finally inside the church we were matched up with our host families! This was a wonderful moment. As each PCT and host mother were called they went to the front of the church, hugged, and then went back to the pews to sit together. I was matched with Mommy Cecilia. What a wonderful woman! She immediately started asking me about what food I wanted for dinner (a common theme in our day to day life). This woman is truly special. Bit by bit I keep learning more about her and her sister, Auntie Kate. Just the other day I went into the kitchen where her and her older brother, The Professor, were eating dinner that she had prepared. She was sitting on a wooden stool on the floor eating and the professor was sitting on a plastic chair eating off of a plate on a table. I then joined my mom on a stool and took my dinner, which she had prepared separately. As I was eating the professor finished and my mom called the field worker over who has been farming the family’s fields for a few weeks. She gave him dinner as well, which again was a different dish. He took his to eat outside. I looked up at my mom and said “mommy you take care of everyone”. She said “yes, I take care of everyone”. I then asked “who takes care of you”. She answered without hesitation “God” and smiled. Ghana is a very religious place. It doesn’t seem to matter what religion you practice just as long as you believe in God. (I have not practiced any kind of structured religion growing up, which is something that I don’t talk about here. I let people know that I am Jewish and my father is Christian and that seems to do the trick). At a gathering soon after arriving in town we met the community leaders, a Pastor at the Methodist church and two other men (I think Assembly men). At the end of the meeting, which took place in the Methodist Church, one of our staff members who is Muslim did a prayer. It didn’t matter that he was praying based on a different religion. It was accepted and welcomed. The Pastor bowed his head and prayed right along side him. This was a beautiful moment. There is so much to share about the culture throughout this country, but this moment I feel needed to be shared right away. I have been assured by staff and various community members that there is much peace and respect throughout the different religious groups all throughout Ghana. Ghana might be small, but that is a pretty big and important message to spread.

*Mommy Cecilia collecting kpam nuts

Life at Homestay

Mommy Cecilia, Auntie Kate, and around 14+/- people all live in the largest compound in town, which has been my home for the past month. I have a very small room to myself equipped with a window looking out at some cocoa trees. There are typically goats munching on the leaves under the tree (in fact I can hear a few right now). The compound is all cement and the rooms surround a large courtyard that has an avocado (‘pear’ in Ghana) tree growing from the one central dirt square in the sea of cement. I share my washroom with a huge spider, I share my bathroom (cement stoop that you sit on where waste goes down to a pit) with cockroaches, and I sometimes share my room with another spider. So far everyone (me and the insects) has respected one another’s space. I especially keep an eye out for the spider in my washroom… it’s HUGE! There is indeed running water at the compound, which is lovely for bathing and washing hands. Some of you know my bathing habits in the states consisted of showers 2-3 times per week (occasionally more). Here I have to bathe twice a day. I have tried to get out of bathing in the morning a couple of times and my host mom gives me the ‘you need to go do this or I will be upset’ look and so I quickly grab my things and go wash. The morning wash is always a shock to the system because the water is cold and my body hasn’t been roasted by the day yet. In the evening though I have come to love rinsing off in the cold water. It is HOT here! When I first arrived it felt like my earwax was melting (I think it actually was) after coming from the chilly winter. I’m past that stage now and have come to understand that this is just how it is, especially during Harmaton season (dust/dry season). The rains will be coming in the next couple of months.

Mommy Cecilia makes my breakfast lunch and dinner every day. She is a great cook! I have tried to keep an eye on how she cooks so that I can be prepared-ish for how to cook Ghanaian food once I’m on my own. Early on when I tried to help cook she would say “oh, no”, but now she will occasionally let me chop or mash things. Small victories! I will do another post sometime hopefully soon to talk about some of the foods I’m eating. Just to give you a quick idea there are a lot of starches and a lot of spicey foods in my diet now. Also… I’VE BEEN ABLE TO STAY VEGETARIAN!!! Woot Woot! I eat almost every meal outside in the compound watching and listening to the people and animals around me. There are so many things to take in everywhere I go and I have been trying to stay present, patient, and enjoy the small things. This has led me to appreciate the pitter-patter sound of pigeons on the roof. Something that has been making me smile is listening to their little feet and then looking up to wait to see where their heads pop over the side of the roof. They always have a curious look about them like they are surprised or guilty of something. I watch the chickens that run around the compound and have gotten to know their personalities. There is momma and her 4 chicks, the twins, the one legged survivor, the scavenger, queen bee, and of course our rooster. When I’m not watching the animals I am watching the person-to-person interactions and listening to conversations in Twi. I have started to be able to pick up on a few things based on tone of voice, which feels like an accomplishment. Mommy Cecilia, Auntie Kate, and I sit together in the evening as they rest their aching knees and they talk about this and that. We do a lot of laughing and they definitely do some gossiping. Mommy LOVES when I play guitar for her. It has been an important/helpful way that we have been able to connect. At night she says go and get your “Din da din din din” as she smiles and plays air guitar. She tries singing along to some of the songs and now requests Country Roads regularly.

*Above is a picture of Queen Bee and some corn that my family dried out and then dekernelled with the grate laying on the bucket.

The Early Bird Beats the Heat

Since arriving here I have had to become accustomed to waking up between 5-5:30 because of the echo of roosters that travels across town. It’s incredible how loud they can be! At about 5:25am they are joined by the sound of loud speakers with either someone talking in Twi or music playing. By 5:30 the whole town seems to be awake. It’s a good way to beat the heat! All of the women in the compound get up and start sweeping right away. The whole compound and perimeter are swept every morning. The first few times I tried to help they laughed. Finally after assuring them that I could do it they let me help and called me a “hard woman”. Still I’m only allowed to help occasionally so I take my morning as study time before class at 8.

Learning Dagbani & Northward Bound???

*Learning some foods in Dagbani

I have been assigned Dagbani as the language I will need to know at my long-term site, where I will go after my 3 months of training wraps up. This means that I will most likely be going to the Northern Region of the country and even possibly narrowed down to a particular section where they typically speak Dagbani. Language training has been quite intense to say the least. There is much to learn in a short period of time and this language is brand new to me even with some new letters and sounds. To get it all in there are some days where I start my day with studying in the morning and then have up to 6 hours of language class and then go home and possibly study a bit more. Yikes! Usually we have language in the morning and early afternoon and then technical training right after (learning about some of the other important aspects of our service). All of the trainees at this point are feeling the brain workout burn and are excited for the switch to off site technical training coming up after next weekend!

Exercise and A Whole Bunch of Kids!

Although I don’t have much free time I have been able to get a bit of physical activity in. My host family calls me a ‘sports woman’ because I enjoy playing sports and running around, and because I don’t wear dresses/skirts all the time (capris and t-shirts have been the best clothing items I brought so far). My home is right across the dirt road from “the park”, which is one of the town’s soccer fields! I love where I live!!! I started a workout group with a couple other trainees and we did it to motivate each other to workout, but we quickly found that if we run/workout the kids in town will want to as well. The first time we went we ended up with about 10 kids who did the workout with us. The next time we were out there we had close to 15-20 kids (boys AND girls) working out! I love every bit of it! The kids had fun and I had fun running them through exercises and trying to make it silly for them. Typically in Ghana girls play with girls and boys play with boys when it comes to physical activity/sport. It was neat seeing all of them working out together and having the girls excited to be doing challenging physical activity. I think its helpful that I am running it and I am a woman (although many strangers here call me “small boy”… oh well). The kids come up and ask me when the next one will be. Hopefully soon!

Greeting Strangers (Maache!-Good Morning in Twi. Dasiba!-Good Morning in Dagbani)

There are kids everywhere in town. I constantly hear “Obroni, Obroni! What is your name?”. Bit by bit some of the kids have been remembering it. As I walk around I have learnt that it is very important to greet everyone. It is part of the culture here and what is expected. If you do not greet someone it is considered to either be rood or indicate that you are on your way to go #2. It reminds me a bit of living in the Bahamas. The pace was slower and everyone made sure to say hello. I have been enjoying this part of the culture. It makes me feel welcome and I like sharing smiles with people. I’m looking forward to getting to site so that I can make more long-term connections with the locals so that I can greet people by name and so that I can be known as Zoe instead of “Obroni”. My host family calls my Yaa Amponsah (spelling???). Since I was born on Thursday and I am a woman my Ghanaian name is Yaa and Amponsah is my Mommy Cecilia’s last name.

There is so much more to share, but this post is already long enough! If you make it through, well done!!! Time to get back to studying!

I’m sending all of you back home lots of love!

Be well and be kind! I hope to post again soon.