Imagine you are a seller in a market. You have a stall in the back corner. You sell shoes, all kinds, heals, sneakers, flip flops, slitters. You make a small profit, enough to support you five children. Your friend sells beside you, a young women who sells cloth, traditional and untraditional. To your other side is an old woman who sells tomatores, onions and pepe. In front of you is a hairdresser, she earns most of her income by selling weaves. Its a sunday, mid-afternoon. You arrived only hours ago, right after church. Today is busy as ever, you've made enough money to bring home cassave and plaintan for fufu tonight, the children will be thrilled. When things are quiet at you stall you look up, you see a young man whom you see everyday. He sells friend egg sandwiches. You've had one before, only once, you thought he was a little over sealous with the salt. But you see someone is purchasing from him. They are fairly far, at the end of the row about 50 metres away. but you can see him as he turns on the gas, to start cooking. He uses a gas stove with one burner. He picks up his match and lights the element. He then throws the used match on the ground, it wasn't fully estinguished when it hit the ground, you watch it fall to what looks like a small puddle of water. You were wrong, the tank had leaked, the lit match fell into a small puddle of gasoline. It lit up like a full moon in the pitch black sky. As people around realized what was happening the crowded market became chaotic. There are eight small enterances to the market and buyers and sellers rushed them with their arms full. You had a choice, you could quickly go or collect what you could of you shoes and avoid losing hundreds of cedis (dollars). Without your shoes you wouldnt be able to support your children. You made the choice you had to make, you started to fill your bag. You looked to your friend with the cloth, she had made the same choice. You yell to her to collect what she can and you\d come back to the rest. You follow her out, both carrying your valuable on your heards. She stops at a spot that is a decent distance from the market. She will gaurd the items while you go back in. You know the fire will spread fast so you have to hurry. You race through the crowds like a fish swimming up stream. You arrive at the stall and start to grab what you can, shoes on your head and cloth in each of your arms, a small bag of onions you manage to save for the old lady beside you. You can smell the weaves burning. You remember back to a month ago when the hairdresser commented to a potential buyer that they were made from real hair, you were certain of that now. You can also smell the burning leather of your own merchandise you couldn't save. You look to your left to see some young mean looting, stealing what they can of sellers precious livelihood, you know those sellers hadn't abandoned their things yet, but they would come back to see it almost all gone. You hear sirens in the distance, thank God, you know you have to go. You've saved what you can. You run as fast as you can wit h the things you carry and smoke in your eyes. As you pass the old woman you give her her onions, she is greatful. You made it to you friend who is in tears because of the thousands of cedis she has lost in expensive cloth. You both lean against a railing and watch the market go up in smoke. You hear someone say that the fire department can't do anything because it's a gas fire. We have to wait it out. You watch the police and ambulance struggle to make it through the narrow roads, overflowing with people and cars. You watch as people continue to run out of the market with as much as they can carry. Peopl risking their lives in order to avoid losing their money. The fire dies out about three hours later.
A similar situation happened in Koforidua market on January 27th. I watch smoke fill the sky, people screaming, crying and scurrying with piles upon piles on their heads and the police about 75 metres away because they couldn't make it though the traffic
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
The Days Continue On
So many times I think foreigners came into places like Ghana expecting to teach the people. I walked into Matthew 25 to discover everyone there has a higher education then me. It is them who will teach me.
I have learned more in two weeks then I have in my entire 12 years of schooling. Its really beautiful about how much you actually learn when you stop talking and listen.
To days I met with Amanda, Aryn and Mark and went to a funeral. We lost our dear dear friend, teacher and sister Bernadette. She was a nun who has been the Ghanaian coordinate for One World for years and she will be dearly missed. The funeral was huge, it included ex-president Rowling's who sister knew well.
I think the hardest part of the funeral was the wailing of all those who mourn her lost including many nuns. It scared me to think that those who put so much faith in the existence of God and Heaven are this sad when someone goes there.
Sister B had taken in Orphans over the years, she paid for them to go to school and live a normal life in Ghana, they called her their mother. My heart broke as I saw them all, the youngest being close to six. It scares me what could happen to them but I know they have a strong support system that extends to Canada. I wish I had had the opportunity to thank Sister for everything she has done for not only me but so many people world-wide. Its truly a shame God felt that he needed her.
RIP Sister B
January 10th 2008
Age 49
I have learned more in two weeks then I have in my entire 12 years of schooling. Its really beautiful about how much you actually learn when you stop talking and listen.
To days I met with Amanda, Aryn and Mark and went to a funeral. We lost our dear dear friend, teacher and sister Bernadette. She was a nun who has been the Ghanaian coordinate for One World for years and she will be dearly missed. The funeral was huge, it included ex-president Rowling's who sister knew well.
I think the hardest part of the funeral was the wailing of all those who mourn her lost including many nuns. It scared me to think that those who put so much faith in the existence of God and Heaven are this sad when someone goes there.
Sister B had taken in Orphans over the years, she paid for them to go to school and live a normal life in Ghana, they called her their mother. My heart broke as I saw them all, the youngest being close to six. It scares me what could happen to them but I know they have a strong support system that extends to Canada. I wish I had had the opportunity to thank Sister for everything she has done for not only me but so many people world-wide. Its truly a shame God felt that he needed her.
RIP Sister B
January 10th 2008
Age 49
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
"What you have done to the least of my brothers and sisters you have done onto me" (Matthew 25-40)
I have found the most beautiful place on earth. Don't be fooled by the lush green mountains that surround it, for inside its as busy as any city. The air is full of exhaust fuel from the many car and the market is over populated with people. The corners are scattered with 'spots' that serve alcohol and coca cola products and women who make a small living selling food they have slaved to live. But, it's not the things that make it beautiful, it's the people.
Quick, hide the screen of the computer and I'll tell you of this secret, magical place not known to the western world. It's called Koforidua.
I'm introduced here as a volunteer, but I really don't think I'm doing much productive work. I'm staying at a place called "Matthew 25 House". It's a Ghanaian NGO that works with people living with HIV/AIDS as well as orphans and vulnerable children. Basically they provide care for HIV positive people by assisting them with medical bills, giving them a place to stay when they need it, counseling them and teaching them income generating skills. They also provide general education and knowledge for the public to reduce the stigmatization for HIV/AIDS.
I have been here only three full days and have already learned so much. In a basic wording, HIV is a virus that weakens down the immune system, AIDS is the final stage of the disease. Because a person who is positive has a weak immune system it makes every other possible disease or sickness they make get, even a cold or pimples a thousand times worse. For example a pimple could cause severe disfigurement. It is another disease that the positive person dies from because their body was not able to fight it off.
Tomorrow I will go with some of the people living with HIV/AIDS to grind palm nuts.
I will write more as I learn more.
Quick, hide the screen of the computer and I'll tell you of this secret, magical place not known to the western world. It's called Koforidua.
I'm introduced here as a volunteer, but I really don't think I'm doing much productive work. I'm staying at a place called "Matthew 25 House". It's a Ghanaian NGO that works with people living with HIV/AIDS as well as orphans and vulnerable children. Basically they provide care for HIV positive people by assisting them with medical bills, giving them a place to stay when they need it, counseling them and teaching them income generating skills. They also provide general education and knowledge for the public to reduce the stigmatization for HIV/AIDS.
I have been here only three full days and have already learned so much. In a basic wording, HIV is a virus that weakens down the immune system, AIDS is the final stage of the disease. Because a person who is positive has a weak immune system it makes every other possible disease or sickness they make get, even a cold or pimples a thousand times worse. For example a pimple could cause severe disfigurement. It is another disease that the positive person dies from because their body was not able to fight it off.
Tomorrow I will go with some of the people living with HIV/AIDS to grind palm nuts.
I will write more as I learn more.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Happy New Year
2007 has come and gone. As a group we had planned to spend our last hours of 2007 together but fate did not see it that way. Aryn and I rung in the new year, and Aryns' birthday, in the teaching hospital in Kumasi (about 2 1/2 hrs from Amanda and Mark).
No, no no, don't worry, Aryn and I are okay. We were travelling by tro tro from Ada after picking up our packages from the respective post offices. We planned this trip spontanously and planned to leave Ada on the 31st and be in Nkoranza that evening. Amanada and Mark were waiting 'anxiously' for our return. We entered our a packed tro tro in Accra that would take us straight to Kumasi about 5 hours away. After about 2 hours and man sitting two people to the left of me and behind and to the left of Aryn had a seizure. It lasted between a minute or two, he foamed at the mouth, threw up and passed out for a short time. He was in between consiouness and unconsiouness for some time afterwards. The man beside him jumped into the lap of the man on the other side. Everyone on the tro tro was scarred. I quickly thought back to what I knew about siezures. I realized that knowledge was very limited. I tried to calm the people around us down and convince that man beside me that we had to bring Paul (the man having the siezure to the hospital). The man beside me disagreed, he told me it was just the spirits. I argued with him telling him it was a medical condition that happens all around the world and in Canada we bring them to the hospital after. I looked over and Paul and to me it seemed that he was not breathing, I asked Aryn to ask the woman directly infront of Paul to check. I explained to the people around us that I knew CPR, although I am sure I am a little rusty, I explained that if he wasn't breathing I could help him to breath again. Thankfully Paul was still breathing. Aryn and I continued to argue with the passenger beside me but Paul everntually regained consciousness. Aryn asked if he was okay and not knowing what had happened he said his head hurt. He seemed okay other then that and Aryn and I decided we would wait till Kumasi and then tell Paul what happened and suggest he go to the hospital. We stopped in Nkawkaw and a few passengers got out including the man that had disagreed about bringing Paul to the hospital. We re-prganized ourself and I was now sitting beside Paul.
We kept an eye on him and he seemed to be okay, but as we entered Kumasi Paul had another siezure. Similar to the previous one but this time his head hit the back of the car multiple times. I quickly re-acted to put my hand behind his head so it would lessen the force. He basically had a seizure on me and fell unconsious on me. I tried to move him so he was sitting in a more safe position as we went over the speed bumps. I asked a man close by to help me lift him, he was very reluntant and offered little help so Aryn and I had to manage. We also decided that we would bring him to the hospital. We he regained consciousness we tried to talk to him but it seemed he spoke no English. I asked the women beside me to tell him what had happened in Twi, she said she was to scarred to talk to him. I then asked if she would just ask him if we could bring him to the hospital, thankfully she agreed, and so did Paul.
We got out of the tro tro and Paul had difficulty walking, Aryn and I carried his bags and a nice tro tro mate found us a taxi nad barginned the price for us. We got to the hospital and paied Paul admission fee and waited for 4 hours before he saw a doctor. As we waited Paul had me call his employer who turned out to be a British man to tell him what had happened. Paul is a teacher who turned out to speak perfect English. The employer seemed concerned that Paul would not be able to afford the bill but I assured him that Aryn and I would cover it. We were supported by very nice people at the hospital including a nurse and two security men who assured us that we would find a place for Paul to sleep, and later walked Aryn and I to a close by hotel, it was New Years Eve and they were worried for mine and Aryns safety. I celebrated 2008 in a consulting explain to a doctor what had happened to Paul. At 2 minutes after 12:00 the nurse told us all it was 2008.
Aryn and mys main concern was that Paul was given a place to stay. He was travelling a few hours north for his mothers funeral and hadn't planned on stopping in Kumasi. I asked the Doctor if he could stay in the hospital and Aryn and I would pay the bill. He also gave us a list of medicine to by and told me that this could be the beginning of Epilepsy. I felt so much pity for Paul because by many in Ghana Epilepsy is not a medical condition but something the spirits of witches cast on people, that is why the people in the tro tro reacted the way they did. Aryn and I went to pay for his medicine and left Paul with some money to pay for the place to stay. at 1:30 am we parted our ways.
We left Kumasi the next morning and arrived in Nkoranza at about 12:00 pm that afternoon.
They say how you spend your New Years Eve is how you spend the rest of your year, I am not really sure what that means for Aryn and I.
Happy 2008!
No, no no, don't worry, Aryn and I are okay. We were travelling by tro tro from Ada after picking up our packages from the respective post offices. We planned this trip spontanously and planned to leave Ada on the 31st and be in Nkoranza that evening. Amanada and Mark were waiting 'anxiously' for our return. We entered our a packed tro tro in Accra that would take us straight to Kumasi about 5 hours away. After about 2 hours and man sitting two people to the left of me and behind and to the left of Aryn had a seizure. It lasted between a minute or two, he foamed at the mouth, threw up and passed out for a short time. He was in between consiouness and unconsiouness for some time afterwards. The man beside him jumped into the lap of the man on the other side. Everyone on the tro tro was scarred. I quickly thought back to what I knew about siezures. I realized that knowledge was very limited. I tried to calm the people around us down and convince that man beside me that we had to bring Paul (the man having the siezure to the hospital). The man beside me disagreed, he told me it was just the spirits. I argued with him telling him it was a medical condition that happens all around the world and in Canada we bring them to the hospital after. I looked over and Paul and to me it seemed that he was not breathing, I asked Aryn to ask the woman directly infront of Paul to check. I explained to the people around us that I knew CPR, although I am sure I am a little rusty, I explained that if he wasn't breathing I could help him to breath again. Thankfully Paul was still breathing. Aryn and I continued to argue with the passenger beside me but Paul everntually regained consciousness. Aryn asked if he was okay and not knowing what had happened he said his head hurt. He seemed okay other then that and Aryn and I decided we would wait till Kumasi and then tell Paul what happened and suggest he go to the hospital. We stopped in Nkawkaw and a few passengers got out including the man that had disagreed about bringing Paul to the hospital. We re-prganized ourself and I was now sitting beside Paul.
We kept an eye on him and he seemed to be okay, but as we entered Kumasi Paul had another siezure. Similar to the previous one but this time his head hit the back of the car multiple times. I quickly re-acted to put my hand behind his head so it would lessen the force. He basically had a seizure on me and fell unconsious on me. I tried to move him so he was sitting in a more safe position as we went over the speed bumps. I asked a man close by to help me lift him, he was very reluntant and offered little help so Aryn and I had to manage. We also decided that we would bring him to the hospital. We he regained consciousness we tried to talk to him but it seemed he spoke no English. I asked the women beside me to tell him what had happened in Twi, she said she was to scarred to talk to him. I then asked if she would just ask him if we could bring him to the hospital, thankfully she agreed, and so did Paul.
We got out of the tro tro and Paul had difficulty walking, Aryn and I carried his bags and a nice tro tro mate found us a taxi nad barginned the price for us. We got to the hospital and paied Paul admission fee and waited for 4 hours before he saw a doctor. As we waited Paul had me call his employer who turned out to be a British man to tell him what had happened. Paul is a teacher who turned out to speak perfect English. The employer seemed concerned that Paul would not be able to afford the bill but I assured him that Aryn and I would cover it. We were supported by very nice people at the hospital including a nurse and two security men who assured us that we would find a place for Paul to sleep, and later walked Aryn and I to a close by hotel, it was New Years Eve and they were worried for mine and Aryns safety. I celebrated 2008 in a consulting explain to a doctor what had happened to Paul. At 2 minutes after 12:00 the nurse told us all it was 2008.
Aryn and mys main concern was that Paul was given a place to stay. He was travelling a few hours north for his mothers funeral and hadn't planned on stopping in Kumasi. I asked the Doctor if he could stay in the hospital and Aryn and I would pay the bill. He also gave us a list of medicine to by and told me that this could be the beginning of Epilepsy. I felt so much pity for Paul because by many in Ghana Epilepsy is not a medical condition but something the spirits of witches cast on people, that is why the people in the tro tro reacted the way they did. Aryn and I went to pay for his medicine and left Paul with some money to pay for the place to stay. at 1:30 am we parted our ways.
We left Kumasi the next morning and arrived in Nkoranza at about 12:00 pm that afternoon.
They say how you spend your New Years Eve is how you spend the rest of your year, I am not really sure what that means for Aryn and I.
Happy 2008!
Monday, December 24, 2007
Happy Holidays, it's Christmas Eve and I am sitting in an internet cafe in Northern Ghana. Who would of thought.
Yesterday the group and I spent our time volunteering for a doctor who runs a free medical clinic called Shekhinah. Every Christmas they provide a free meal for the poor, mostly disabled. We sorted out used clothing and handed it out to about 3000 Ghanaians. We were told the clothing mostly came from The Netherlands. It was disturbing to see some clothes that were in horrific condition even stained, I was embarrassed to give it, even to those who really needed it.
We began by sorting through a mound of clothes, trying to pair things and make outfits and classify pieces by gender and sizes. The gates were opened sporadically and only a specific number of people were let in at a time. They began by only letting the disabled in. Some had leprosy, some without a limb or some blind or deaf. we handed out two pieces of clothing to each, we tried to give them a bottom and a top but we quickly ran out of pants and skirts.A crowd began to form at the gate, some just spectators from the neighbor others were also poor but consider healthy by the standards of the running the event. There were men watching the crowd and were to keep them under control but I believe that they helped contribute to this small almost riot. They used sticks and rope to hit people if they got to close or what they considered rowdy. Trucks would arrive and bring more people from the inner city to eat and the men would yell at the crowd and hit them. All I could do was stand and watch as I handed out clothing to the "more needy?". A few times they handed out small amounts of pure water or candy to the crowd. Picture ten pieces of small candy being given to 250 hungry people. A tease is what I would call it.
At the end of the event, after all the disabled and their families had eaten they let those who spent the entire day hovering the gate in. They received all the left over food and the scraps of clothing. Hours earlier all those who entered were each given a bottle of pop, now these people were passing one bottle down the line taking quick swigs of it. I was handing out the left over socks to this line of leftover people trying to pair them with at least a similar size when a Ghanaian volunteered came to me and said just give them anything it doesn't matter, I quickly yelled back to him, I'm not just going to give them one sock. This exchange happened multiply times in the last minutes of the events. But soon we ran out of clothing, even the scraps of material were gone, and the line of people continued. We were given shirts from the phone company that had sponsored the event. I quickly took mine off and gave it to a girl aged about 12 at the end of the line, then I was quickly swarmed by men who wanted one. Finally, the dinner ended, I know that some still went home hungry.
I think that this Christmas dinner does good. It DOES feed the poor. But I continue to ask myself 'why can't we help them all'. Why do those who arn't hungry get to pick and chose who is needy enough to get feed. These are questions that I have no answers to.
I really did feel good about myself when I gave a blanket to an old woman, or a baby shirt to a woman with a young child on her back. But every time I turned to the gate and saw a bigger and bigger crowd forming I felt sick to my stomach. There were instances when I really felt tears coming to my eyes, it just wasn't fair.
Tomorrow is Christmas. Today we are at the market buying a "feast" that we will make tomorrow, fried rice for lunch and pasta for dinner. Tonight we will also share a Christmas meal with some other foreigners we have met, A Canadian girl about my age, a Swiss woman and an American Family. I will also buy small gifts for Aryn, Marc and Amanda as they will for me that we will put in the stockings we made under our paper Christmas tree. We will do this as people around Ghana wake up to no new gifts. We will do this as people around Ghana eat Banku for the 15th consecutive day. We will have a special day, as people around Ghana live like it's any other day. One Worlds goals include to live in solidarity. We've lived with Ghanaians, traveled beside Ghanaians and bought food from the same places as Ghanaians, but are we really living in solidarity? This is a struggle I will continue to examine, hopefully I will find an answer that I can be proud of.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays
Peace and Love from Tamale Ghana
Yesterday the group and I spent our time volunteering for a doctor who runs a free medical clinic called Shekhinah. Every Christmas they provide a free meal for the poor, mostly disabled. We sorted out used clothing and handed it out to about 3000 Ghanaians. We were told the clothing mostly came from The Netherlands. It was disturbing to see some clothes that were in horrific condition even stained, I was embarrassed to give it, even to those who really needed it.
We began by sorting through a mound of clothes, trying to pair things and make outfits and classify pieces by gender and sizes. The gates were opened sporadically and only a specific number of people were let in at a time. They began by only letting the disabled in. Some had leprosy, some without a limb or some blind or deaf. we handed out two pieces of clothing to each, we tried to give them a bottom and a top but we quickly ran out of pants and skirts.A crowd began to form at the gate, some just spectators from the neighbor others were also poor but consider healthy by the standards of the running the event. There were men watching the crowd and were to keep them under control but I believe that they helped contribute to this small almost riot. They used sticks and rope to hit people if they got to close or what they considered rowdy. Trucks would arrive and bring more people from the inner city to eat and the men would yell at the crowd and hit them. All I could do was stand and watch as I handed out clothing to the "more needy?". A few times they handed out small amounts of pure water or candy to the crowd. Picture ten pieces of small candy being given to 250 hungry people. A tease is what I would call it.
At the end of the event, after all the disabled and their families had eaten they let those who spent the entire day hovering the gate in. They received all the left over food and the scraps of clothing. Hours earlier all those who entered were each given a bottle of pop, now these people were passing one bottle down the line taking quick swigs of it. I was handing out the left over socks to this line of leftover people trying to pair them with at least a similar size when a Ghanaian volunteered came to me and said just give them anything it doesn't matter, I quickly yelled back to him, I'm not just going to give them one sock. This exchange happened multiply times in the last minutes of the events. But soon we ran out of clothing, even the scraps of material were gone, and the line of people continued. We were given shirts from the phone company that had sponsored the event. I quickly took mine off and gave it to a girl aged about 12 at the end of the line, then I was quickly swarmed by men who wanted one. Finally, the dinner ended, I know that some still went home hungry.
I think that this Christmas dinner does good. It DOES feed the poor. But I continue to ask myself 'why can't we help them all'. Why do those who arn't hungry get to pick and chose who is needy enough to get feed. These are questions that I have no answers to.
I really did feel good about myself when I gave a blanket to an old woman, or a baby shirt to a woman with a young child on her back. But every time I turned to the gate and saw a bigger and bigger crowd forming I felt sick to my stomach. There were instances when I really felt tears coming to my eyes, it just wasn't fair.
Tomorrow is Christmas. Today we are at the market buying a "feast" that we will make tomorrow, fried rice for lunch and pasta for dinner. Tonight we will also share a Christmas meal with some other foreigners we have met, A Canadian girl about my age, a Swiss woman and an American Family. I will also buy small gifts for Aryn, Marc and Amanda as they will for me that we will put in the stockings we made under our paper Christmas tree. We will do this as people around Ghana wake up to no new gifts. We will do this as people around Ghana eat Banku for the 15th consecutive day. We will have a special day, as people around Ghana live like it's any other day. One Worlds goals include to live in solidarity. We've lived with Ghanaians, traveled beside Ghanaians and bought food from the same places as Ghanaians, but are we really living in solidarity? This is a struggle I will continue to examine, hopefully I will find an answer that I can be proud of.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays
Peace and Love from Tamale Ghana
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Travel time has begun, we left Ada on Monday and arrived in Cape Coast late that night. We just stayed there for two nights. We went to the Cape Coast castle where they held, catagorized and sold slaves before they were shipped to Europe and the Americas. We looked through the musuem where they gave a basic history of the forced African migration to the Americans and Black history to current times. We also recieved a tour of the castle where they showed us the holding block, the cell where the people who fought with the guards were left to die as well as the door of no return that led to the ships and the horrific future for the African Slaves. We accidently left the Coast early and arrived in Tamale yesterday after a horrific day of travel. We are in Tamale for Christmas and we will be spending our time volunteering at a free medical clinic that serves a meal on Christmas to those who cannot afford it. We couldn't find an avaiblable place to stay. so we went straight to Shekhinah medical clinic to see if we could spend the night there. Thankfully we were found a room. There was two single beds so we pushed the beds together and shared a moment as the group looking up at the fan and quickly thinking back to the day and falling asleep to the sounds of Ghana. Today we went to Aryns volunteer placement, Anfani Childrens home to check in. It was a beautiful place and the smiles on the children who thankfully were not afriad of us and just wanted us to hold them was great. We will hopfully find a place to stay and spend our time volunteering. Next we will go to Mole National Park and hopefully see some wild life! I will hopefully get on the internet when we are at our retreat in Kumasi.
Peace & Love
Peace & Love
Friday, December 7, 2007
"I try"
So much as happened in the last little while that I don't know if it's possible to write about it all. I think it all began with our tro tro ride home from Nkawkaw, we were fast approaching our stop of Kasseh Ada and I said okay, everyone make a goal. I quickly thought of one. A few weeks earlier I had traveled to a market with my Mother, we had to take a boat there and they spoke Awe . It was a horrific experience as I was followed and harassed by a man who I believe was crazy for lack of a better word. I spent most of the day in hiding and my mom would just bring me food. It wasn't just this man that made the experience hard, I was in a new area where I didn't know anyone and everyone just treated my like a tourist and yelled yevu (white man in Awe). So my goal was to go back to this market with my head up and actually help my mother this time. After I said this goal I quickly regretted it, I knew it would be hard to go. I wasn't even sure my mom would want me to go because I saw myself as a hassle last time. So I put these thoughts and this goal aside for now. A few days later I was in a taxi with my papa waiting to go home from the local market when my mother quickly arrived, I asked her if I could go to the local market with her next time, i like it there, i know most people and feel safe. She misunderstood and thought I meant the Awe market I tried to explain but there was no use I was going to that market on Wednesday, the next day.
That night I helped my mother fill bags of Cassava dough. I asked her if tomorrow I could help carry the dough on my head, she looked at me like I was insane and said, dabi (no). I pleaded I just want to try, and she said okay. So the next morning She woke me up at 4:30 or so I got ready fast and we walked to wear the tro tro would pick up us and our dough. They prepared me for carrying the dough, put a plastic bag and head wrap on my head. Now, I must explain what a bag of cassava dough is like. Its huge, Aryn and I came to a consensus that it weighs more then 150 lbs. It takes four women to lift it, one to carry it on her head. The other women there could not believe I was going to carry it, I quickly said, "i try". And I did just that, i tried. For my own safety though, I did not carry it. I cannot explain what it felt like to have that weight on my head, i think I could of broken my neck, seriously. So i just helped lift it onto other women's heads and tried not to get into the weight. So we drove to the boat launching area and got into a big canoe like banana boat...filled with cassava dough, I'm surprised it didn't sink. It took about 45 minutes to get to the market and as we arrived all i could see was piles upon piles of fire wood waiting to be sold. We went to my mothers stall and waiting for the dough to follow.
I spent the day either filling bags of dough or helping a women who sells corn. Basically we lay the cord in a strainer and pick out all the bad pieces. She tried to pay me for my work that day, but I refused and told her she did pay me, she taught me. My mother and her cousin also made me get my hair washed and put in curlers. it was just neat to get my hair done in a market. We left the market at about 4:30 and started the journey back, while we were on the water it became dark and lights began to go on in places with electricity. It was neat to see the contrast between those villages without electricity and the city of Big Ada that just reminded me of Ottawa at night. We took the tro tro home and arrived at about7:00. It was a very fulfilling day and I learned a lot. I hope to go again next Wednesday.
I have done so much more that I am excited about that I will right about when I have more time. We leave our villages in just over a week and then began our travel time when I hope to learn more about the history of Ghana and see the beauty.
That night I helped my mother fill bags of Cassava dough. I asked her if tomorrow I could help carry the dough on my head, she looked at me like I was insane and said, dabi (no). I pleaded I just want to try, and she said okay. So the next morning She woke me up at 4:30 or so I got ready fast and we walked to wear the tro tro would pick up us and our dough. They prepared me for carrying the dough, put a plastic bag and head wrap on my head. Now, I must explain what a bag of cassava dough is like. Its huge, Aryn and I came to a consensus that it weighs more then 150 lbs. It takes four women to lift it, one to carry it on her head. The other women there could not believe I was going to carry it, I quickly said, "i try". And I did just that, i tried. For my own safety though, I did not carry it. I cannot explain what it felt like to have that weight on my head, i think I could of broken my neck, seriously. So i just helped lift it onto other women's heads and tried not to get into the weight. So we drove to the boat launching area and got into a big canoe like banana boat...filled with cassava dough, I'm surprised it didn't sink. It took about 45 minutes to get to the market and as we arrived all i could see was piles upon piles of fire wood waiting to be sold. We went to my mothers stall and waiting for the dough to follow.
I spent the day either filling bags of dough or helping a women who sells corn. Basically we lay the cord in a strainer and pick out all the bad pieces. She tried to pay me for my work that day, but I refused and told her she did pay me, she taught me. My mother and her cousin also made me get my hair washed and put in curlers. it was just neat to get my hair done in a market. We left the market at about 4:30 and started the journey back, while we were on the water it became dark and lights began to go on in places with electricity. It was neat to see the contrast between those villages without electricity and the city of Big Ada that just reminded me of Ottawa at night. We took the tro tro home and arrived at about7:00. It was a very fulfilling day and I learned a lot. I hope to go again next Wednesday.
I have done so much more that I am excited about that I will right about when I have more time. We leave our villages in just over a week and then began our travel time when I hope to learn more about the history of Ghana and see the beauty.
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