entrance to UG and main road through campus

I haven’t updated in a while as I have been pretty busy with work and moving from my house in North Legon onto the University of Ghana campus. George helped me by driving me and most of my stuff to the International Students Hostel (ISH) I am staying at, but I had to do a few runs back and forth to the house to get some things I left in the fridge, etc. The first night on campus I met two of the year-long ISEP students, Grace and Matt. They are best friends who came together and are really great. The two other year-long students, Wilder and Evelyn, I didn’t get to meet until yesterday and they seem cool too.

my room

the door leads out to a fenced in porch.

my roommate hasn't moved in yet

Internet: The internet situation here is IRRITATING BEYOND BELIEF, but mostly because I find it expensive. As I believe I have mentioned before, one way to get internet is to buy a modem through a phone company and pay for a certain amount of GB that is good for one month. Then, as you use the internet the amount of GB you have decreases until you have to purchase more. Therefore, if you download a lot of stuff or video chat, you will use a lot of GB quickly and you’ll have to buy more. Basically, it is a pay as you go system. I thought that I would have free wireless internet at my hostel, but that is not the case. I have to pay for it, however it is cheaper. The best deal is to pay 20cedi for 24/7 unlimited internet access for 30 days. The trouble is that it isn’t very reliable; the signal is often bad, it cuts in and out, and is often very slow when a lot of people are using it. Now, I am going back and forth between the two methods. I try and use the ISH internet as much as possible because it is unlimited, but when it is acting up I use my modem. Point is, I am spending quite a bit of money on accessing the internet and I don’t like that. However, it could be worse – I could not have internet access at all!

The ISEP students arrived late Friday afternoon and we all went out to dinner on ISEP. We have a much smaller group then there was in Botswana, just about 15. Then again, there are many other groups of international students, enough to fill up two hostels (though with some Ghanaian students mixed in). The next day (Saturday) we had a little welcome orientation thing in the morning where the ISEP students go to learn in just a few hours what it took me two months and a few awkward situations to learn. However, I have to say I prefer having been able to learn on my own. I don’t like my hand being held. Plus, it is more of an adventure that way.

In the afternoon they took us on a little Accra city tour which to be honest was pretty boring for me because it was everything I had already knew/seen/done and I HATE traveling around like a tour group with a 20 white people. I stick out like a sore thumb as is, this just draws WAY to much attention and makes me uncomfortable. I would rather travel around by myself or with no more than four people. It was cool getting to know the other ISEP students though and I did a lot of answering questions. That night I babysat for my boss’s two kids, Xavier and Quincy. They are so, so cute. We had fun doing puzzles and watching Harry Potter.

On Sunday, a bunch of people went to church in the morning and I did my laundry and hung out. Then we all got lunch and went to Labadi Beach. The beaches in Accra aren’t too nice to swim in because there is loads of garbage. There are plastic bags being washed to shore and garbage stroon across the beach. Labadi Beach has a fun vibe though. There is loud music, shops, a restaurant, horseback rides, tables and chairs in the sand to lounge, and a stage for live reggae music every Wednesday night. Most people who went in the water didn’t really go far. I didn’t go in, just hung out with everyone. The beach in the city is definitely a different experience – not quite relaxing, but fun. I hear that they beaches along the coast away from the city are much nicer and cleaner. Ghana is also in hamattan season right now so it is very cloudy all the time. Hamattan is when the sand/dust from the Sahara kicks up blows over a bunch of the West Africa countries. It is really, really dry from no rain and cloudy from this big wind that brings the dusty and cloudy sky. Basically, it meant no blue sky at the beach, but the season is coming to a close so we should be getting some rains, then major heat and no rains, then before I leave it will start moving into the rainy season.

Today (Monday, 1/23/12), we had an orientation with all of the international students. Some of it was informative, such as the talk about registration, but much of it was incredibly boring for me because I already knew it. The title quote I got during orientation from one of the speakers who was talking about Ghanaian culture. She is referring to how although there are flaws in the system and it does not always work because here in Ghana, they are still developing, the people are very warm, friendly, hospitable, and always always ready and willing to help you out. Having only been in Ghana two months, I couldn’t agree with her more. After the orientation we went on a walking campus tour with our ISEP student mentors. There are three of them and they are all wonderful. The campus I had already explored I my own so I knew were everything was already, but oh well. Tomorrow we have the second half of orientation and we start registration.

I have to say, the ISEP program here in Ghana is much more organized than the ISEP in Botswana. That may be because the University of Botswana (UB) ISEP program is much newer, but ISEP Ghana is very organized and together. All of the trips through ISEP at UB we had to pay for, whereas here there are a few trips (one to Cape Coast and one to Kumasi – there might be one more, but I am not sure) that are all organized and paid for by ISEP. Perhaps they are paid for through the ISEP fees we paid, but if that were the case, why weren’t the UB trips free?

———————————————

Now that I have a bike, I refuse to even entertain the idea of walking and scoff at any suggestion that I should. I am really happy with my decision to buy one. Trotros are cheap, but it takes two hours to go very short distances not only because of the insane Accra traffic, but also because you must wait for them to fill up at the station, make stops to load and unload passengers, and occasionally they break down of course.

I’m learning. I can get around much more easily than I did when I first arrived. I knew I would get the hang of things eventually, but when I finally did it felt good. It’s nice not getting overcharged for taxi rides, street food, and stuff at the market. I refuse to bargain with people who try and overcharge me. If they do, I just scuff and walk away because they aren’t worth my time, energy, or business, however sometimes when I do that they realize I know they’ve over charged me and yell to wait and give me the fair price.

Although all the roads have names, most Ghanaians don’t know the real names of any of them. To find your way around you must know the names of main junctions and key landmarks. Say a trotro destination is American House (the name of a junction). Even if you don’t need to go to American House, you must know that where you want to go is on the general route/direction the trotro will take to American House.

So for example, if I wanted to get to work cheaply (i.e., not by taxi) without my bike from my house in East Legon, I would have to get a tro tro or loaded taxi (taxi with many people going in the same direction toward a final destination which not everyone goes all the way to – like trotros, but with less people and a little more expensive). To do this I would go out to the main road (Agboba Road) and signal to a trotro driver or loaded taxi driver to stop. The problem is, they are very rarely labeled with their destination. The only way for you to know where they are going, as they speed past you, is by the signal the mate (on a trotro) or taxi driver (in a loaded cab) is making out the window (sometimes they yell their destination too). To make it even MORE confusing, the same signals are often used for different places in different areas. Where I live (the North Legon/Medina area), a finger pointed down means they are going to Atomic Junction (in case you are curious: a finger pointed out and poking is for downtown Accra and a pointer finger making a circle is to indicate Nkrumah Circle as a destination, to name a few), but in downtown Accra, this signal means a totally different location. This does not apply to the major locations, such as Nkrumah Circle.

Back to me getting to work cheaply: I would get on a trotro or in a loaded taxi and go to Atomic Junction. From there, I would walk around this big high way road construction to a loaded taxi station and get a loaded taxi to American house, but get off at ARS Junction, which is on the way, then walk a few blocks to work from there.

It is not likely you will ever be able to get to where you want to go directly, through public transportation other than an expensive taxi. You have to take public transport to locations that will perhaps pass near the location you want to go. Then you have to walk or take a taxi the rest of the way.

Interesting tidbits about Ghanaian culture

-Everything should be done with the right hand. Shake hands with the right, raise your right hand in class, give something to someone with the right hand, write with the right hand (although it is becoming more acceptable to write with the left if you are a natural left, though children used to get beat for doing so not long ago), eat with the right hand, etc. It is very taboo to use your left hand, particularly in these situations.

-Ghanaians have a certain handshakes. It is sort of difficult to master as it involves a tricky snapping of your fingers by using the other person. It is not easily described.

-Asking for directions is always tricky. If something is “just over there” this could mean anything from 100 feet to 30 miles away. My advice? Ask more than one person, and continue to ask as you travel. Other types of directions you will receive involve creative landmarks such as potholes and venders.

-I’m sure many of you are familiar with what is known as “African time” – Ghana is no exception to this mentality. If a meeting starts at 10, expect people to show up around 12.

-Titles are incredibly important. If someone is a doctor, you must refer to him or her as doctor. Same goes for professors, etc. It is unheard of for a professor to allow students to use his/her first name. It is a matter of respect. Chiefs and elders also must be acknowledged/greeted in a special way; I am not sure of all the different ways to do it, but I know “Nana _chief’s name___” is a popular one. And you must always shake a chief’s hand with both hands. It is also common to call a man or woman who is older than you “aunty” or “uncle” (also “boss” for a man) as a sign of respect.

-People make a “sssssttt” or kissing sound at people who they don’t know when they are trying to get their attention. It is not considered offensive, and you’d better acknowledge it because often times they are trying to get your attention to the fact that you’ve dropped something, though it could be for other reasons.

-Greetings are very important as well. By greeting someone, you are demonstrating your acknowledgement and respect for them. Generally, when you pass someone on the street you must greet them, especially if they are older. When you enter a room, you must greet everyone in the room. A greeting can last anywhere from a brief hello/good morning to an elaborate conversation about how their grandkids are doing and how their Christmas was, etc before you get into the real business you have with them. It is polite to enquire about someone’s personal life and make this small talk all as a part of the greeting.

If you walk into a room and everyone is hard at work doing something and you just want to slip in and grab something without disturbing them, it would be ruder not to disturb them to say hello then it would be to disturb. For example, if I walked through a room of people working in order to enter someone else’s office without greeting them and then realized the person was not there and needed to ask one of those people I had not greeted if they would be returning, they might not tell me. The way they see it, you have not acknowledged or respected them with a greeting, and therefore, why should they do the same to you?

When entering a room full of people, you must greet everyone in the room with a handshake, but the handshakes must go from the right side of the room to the left. The practical reason behind this is because it is quicker; when you shake left to right you must lift your hand over the one you just shook to shake the next. If it is a huge room of people, you must shake everyone in the front row, and reach your hand as a gesture to the rest of the people sitting. Often, people avoid sitting in the front row because they know they will have to shake many, many hands has people come in.

-Instead of giving a thumbs up, Ghanaians give the peace sign. A thumbs up also has the same meaning, but if you point your thumb wrong while doing it, it can be a huge insult to whoever the thumb is directed at.

-When Ghanaians indicate how tall someone is with their hand, the palm is always faced up. When indicating the height of an animal or object, it is faced down.

-Ghanaians are very communal. People might call one and other brother or sister or cousin, despite whether or not they actually are related. The dynamics of blood family are also quite different. Where I might distinguish a first cousin, second cousin, aunt etc., Ghanaians do not. Cousins are brothers and sisters, aunts are mothers, uncles are fathers, and should be treated and respected as such. If a friend introduces someone to you as their sister, it is likely that she is not actually their sister, but a cousin or a close friend.

-Ghanaians are constantly apologizing. If I drop a pencil, someone nearby will say “Oh! Sorry!” even though not only was it not a big deal, but they didn’t cause it. To be completely honest, I actually find it a bit annoying, though I’m trying to get over it and start apologizing myself because it is something you are supposed to do here. I don’t totally get why exactly, but it has something to do with always showing remorse and sympathy.

Ghanaian Speech
Conversation with a Ghanaian:
Me: Would you like some water?
Ghanaian: Thanks.
Translation:
Me: Would you like some water?
Ghanaian: No thanks.

You can see how I might get confused, yeah? If they wanted water, they would simply take it. By saying thanks, they simply mean, “no, but thanks for offering” This minor cultural difference created a few awkward moments for me.

My way of asking: “Can I borrow a pencil from you?”
Ghanaian way of asking: “Can you borrow me a pencil?”

This. Is. Africa.
I was biking around the UG campus the other day and spotted a monkey leashed to a tree.

I don’t smoke; never have, never will. However, I think it is fair to say that the amount of dust and engine exhaust I have inhaled in the two months I have been in Ghana is equivalent to having been a chain smoker since I was eleven.

Moved onto the University of Ghana campus; I’m probably good enough at packing that it can justifiably be on my resume.

Today’s Conclusion:
After six months in Africa, and four more remaining, I think it is safe to say I will not be returning home bronze and beautiful as planned; more like broke and bruised. TIA.

My new mailing address:
Avery Doninger
International Student Exchange Program
University of Ghana
Private Mail Bag L4
Legon-Accra, Ghana

Take Note: Letters and packages can take anywhere from 1-3 weeks to arrive. If you send a package, make sure to email me the tracking number – they often get stuck in customs in downtown Accra and the only way to retrieve them is with the tracking number.

Avery

As I was walking through a crowd of people, I don’t know compelled me to look down at my bag (I actually think I do it habitually to always have an eye on my things), which was practically in front of me at stomach/waste level, but I saw a hand in the outside pocket. A man had unzipped two pockets and was reaching in one of them to steal from me. I yelled at him and slapped his hand away while checking to make sure nothing was actually taken. It all happened so fast and on a really crowded sidewalk with many, many street vendors. I yelled something like “Don’t fucking steal from me you asshole!” – I swear, had I not had my hands full of stuff and had there not been such a big crowd for him to slip back into and disappear, I would have mauled this guy.

I don’t think I have ever felt so enraged. I was more upset in that moment then when I came home to my house having been robbed. I got on a trotro to work fuming.

This morning, my alarm didn’t go off because it was accidently set to PM instead of AM. George woke me up knocking on my door to leave with him. I didn’t have time to get ready so I just jumped up, threw on cloths, grabbed my bag and got into the car. Usually, I don’t carry any valuables on me at all and very little money. Because I didn’t have time to lock up my things in the morning or organize my stuff I had my ipod in that front pocket the thief had opened. Had I not caught him it would have been stolen. I’m so angry. This isn’t even the type of thief I feel a little sorry for; the type of thief where I know what kind of desperation this act is coming from. It was petty, grimy theft and I am disgusted. I thought I was being so vigilant about minding my things and honestly, I was, otherwise I wouldn’t have caught him, but to think that I can go to almost every possible measure to prevent something and it can still happen puts my stomach in a knot. I know I will still be fuming about this when I go to bed tonight.

Avery

P.S. Here is a link to my annual blog report.

Title quote: Sound advice from Griffin Doninger

1.6.12

I didn’t go to work Friday because there wasn’t much for me to do. I slept in and biked to campus to pick up the letters I received that were at Dan-Bright’s office. One was from my dad and one from my friend Shawn – I love getting mail. Then I went over to the campus ISEP office because the director and I had been emailing back and forth and she told me to stop by. We chatted for a bit; she was very nice. I learned the earliest I can move onto campus is January 18th. I don’t know that I will though because then I won’t have a fridge or be able to cook for myself, but I may start moving my stuff and getting set up there.

From there I biked to the Accra Mall to buy a helmet, map, and a few other things. As I was biking a trotro conductor was motioning to me like I dropped something. I double checked everything and I didn’t think I had dropped anything. Confused, I kept biking. When I got to the mall and went to chain up my bike I realized my chain was missing – I must have dropped it. I didn’t want to go all the way back to look for it – it was a few miles so I asked a security guard to watch my bike while I ran in and bought a new one. It was an expensive mistake! I was able to chain it up and get most of the things I needed, but Game (story kind of like Target, but without clothes) was out of helmets. My boss had told me that they are about 38 ghc (really expensive), but as luck would have it, as I was biking home I saw some used ones on the side of the road. The woman said they were 25 cedi, but I got her down to 17.

MacKenzie was supposed to return the next day so when I got home I packed up all my stuff and cleaned her house the best I could. I then biked home with two backpacks, a bunch of groceries, a pillow, and my purse. The amount of stuff I managed to get on my bike was kind of impressive. It all probably weighed more than me. I realized I wouldn’t be able to get home with the pillow though so I dropped it off at work and by some miracle, made it home with my huge load of stuff without any problem (besides sweating all the liquid out of my body). I went on google maps and figured out that I had biked about 25 miles total that day.

1.7.12
Saturday I decided to try biking into downtown Accra. It is about 12 miles there, 12 miles back. There is one main highway like road that goes directly there so it was pretty easy – there is also a big sidewalks with a separate bike path along the entire way, which was nice.

While I was walking with my bike through the market, weaving through people and cars, a little boy (perhaps 5 years old) ran up to me and grabbed my arm. He looked up at me and just laughed and smiled the most beautiful smile. He didn’t take his eyes off of me. His head was thrown back looking up at me grinning and giggling uncontrollably as he skipped and jumped and walked along next to me holding my arm. Ah, it was beautiful; he was beautiful. I looked around for a parent and noticed the woman just behind us smiling and shaking her head at him. Eventually, I was taking a turn and he let go and waved goodbye with a big, toothy grin still spread across his face.

The only real destination I had was the post office to see if I could pick up the package my grandma sent me. Other than that I figured I’d just bike around and explore. I can’t really do much, like go into markets and shops, when I have the bike because I can’t easily chain it up. When I got to the post office I was told the department I needed to go to for the package was closed. They told me to come back Monday. Although I had figured this might happen, I was mildly annoyed and tired from biking so I sat down with my bike just outside the post office to chill for a minute and eat roasted plantains I had bought. Sitting there, I met a guy who was selling CDs next to me. He was from Senegal and we chatted for a bit.

As I was finishing up my plantains, three guys walking past stopped to talk to me. They work at Vodafone just down the road and had gotten out of work early. We chatted and I told them why I was at the post office and that I was just planning on biking around the city a bit before I went back home. One of the guys, Philip, offered to take me around. They were nice enough guys, not creepy and didn’t want anything from me so I accepted. Ghanaians are just friendly and honestly, you can’t get by in Ghana without trusting strangers. Obviously, you have to have your wits about you, but for the most part, Ghanaians are just friendly and want to help.

I locked up my bike at the Vodafone security office and he brought me around a bit. We went to this restaurant/music venue on the beach, had a few drinks, and chatted. Theresa, the Ghana ISEP director had given me the number of a student mentor, Obed, who had offered to take me around the city and look for my stolen things at certain markets where stolen goods are often sold. I had texted him the night before, but he never got back to me. Finally, Theresa called me when I was with Philip and said that he had been trying to call me, but there must be something wrong with the network. I finally got a hold of Obed and we planned to meet up at Nkrumah Circle. Philip walked me about half way there, through the chaos of Mokola market and then I biked the rest of the way. When I got there I couldn’t reach Obed – I don’t think he was getting my text messages and I couldn’t wait too long because it was getting too be late in the afternoon; I didn’t want to bike home in the dark. Finally, I gave up and just biked home.

1.8.11
Today I didn’t do much – just laundry and went to work to use the internet. I have internet at home, but it is pay as you go and is expensive.

That is about it. Nothing too exciting.

Later,
Avery

Title quote: Mylo

tuski and dodi

Both the pedals came off my bike. Irritating. I can still ride it, it is just a bit annoying. I need to find superglue or..something.

I didn’t do anything on Christmas -stayed home. George and Michael came and went, but were mostly around just hanging out. I made apple crisp and phaphata (bread I enjoyed in Botswana) to pass the time. They were tasty.

On New Years Eve I met up with my friend Sarah who I met in Haiti two summers ago. Her family lives in Osu, Accra. I took a trotro into town – it took about two hours to go 9 miles due to traffic and stops. We were with her cousin and were headed to the Art Centre, but we stopped at the post office for me, which ended up delaying us much longer than we had expected. My mom sent me a packaged that was supposed to go to the University, but for some reason has been stuck in Accra’s central post office so I need to go retrieve it (a task more difficult than it sounds). The post office ended up being closed and we got stuck in crazy Accra traffic around the market so it took ages to get to the Art Centre. We spent some time there then headed back to Sarah’s. Her and her cousin invited me out with them that night, but I had to go home and change. I took a trotro home, which took another 2 hours and by the time I got home I was so exhausted from sitting in traffic, changing trotros, and bargaining with taxi drivers that I just didn’t have it in me to make another two hour trip back into Accra to go out. So, I ended up hanging out with Michael one the couch New Years Eve.

The post office opens up again tomorrow so I am going to drive with George to work in Accra tomorrow morning then walk to the post office. Hopefully I’ll get my package then take a trotro back and go to work in the afternoon. We’ll see if that actually works out as planned.

Being alone in Ghana during the holidays is difficult.

Happy New Year.
My resolution: Don’t get run over biking through Accra traffic.

Avery

Title quote: Bon Iver

Ghana WASH Project

Ghana WASH Project office

Currently, Victoria and I are coordinating the visit of a videographer, Michael Fasman, who is volunteering his time to come shoot some promotional videos for the project. We have been bringing him around to many of the sites where the GWP has built facilities. Thursday of last week (12/15/11) we visited the LEKMA schools in the Greater Accra (GA) Region and conducted various interviews with project partners, students, teachers, and Student Health Education Program (SHEP) coordinators on how the program (SHEP) and new facilities (rain water harvesting system, bio-gas system, latrines, etc.) are positively impacting their school and community. The following day (Friday 12/16/11) we traveled to a community in GA West where we shot the new Water Treatment Facility, which was built in partnership with Coca Cola, Water Health International, USAID, and the Ghana WASH Project partners. We also visited a WASH training that was taking place for community members in a neighboring community.

Nsakina, GA West

Nsakina community in GA West

people in Nsakina, GA West

Interviewing a community elder in Nsakina, GA West

12.17.11
I didn’t do much on Saturday; I washed my clothes then went down to the Accra Mall to check out the price of bikes. I wanted to buy a used bike, but then people were telling me if I buy a new bike, I can sell it when I leave for almost the same price. When I got to Game (store that has everything) and checked the prices of bikes they were all between 280-480 cedis (1.60c to 1.00usd) which was much too expensive. I got a few groceries and headed home.

That evening I was invited to a BBQ at Sean’s (chief of party for the Ghana WASH Project – i.e., my boss) and his wife Sues home. It was a really fun night – I met their two young boys, their friends from Mali (who just happened to also move to Accra around the time they did), Sean’s parents who were visiting for the holidays, Sherrie (whom I had just met a few days before), and Victoria was there as well. Beers, burgers, and chit-chat – it was a nice night.

12.18.11
I woke up Sunday morning to George knocking on my door. It happened again. Thieves entered our compound (by scaling the wall) and broke into George’s car. They took both side view mirrors, broke a door, and rooted through all of his stuff looking for valuables. As far as we can tell right now, they didn’t take anything, but perhaps a little bit of money. They weren’t smart enough to take the two tennis rackets in the backseat though, which were probably worth more than the mirrors. The fact that this happened right outside my window while I was sleeping freaks me out a bit. Just the day before (Friday), Dan-Bright (landlord) was at the house with some guys figuring out how many blocks to raise the wall by. They dropped the blocks off Saturday morning after we realized the car had been broken into.

George and I went to the police station and filed another police report. By the afternoon we were finally able to get two police officers to come question the neighbors we suspected. We accompanied them and pretty much just approached it like we were informing them of what was going on and that theft was occurring in the neighborhood. They didn’t seem too bothered if you ask me I am still suspicious. We also found out that a woman across the street had had a bike stolen from her last week, which she didn’t report. I told Victoria (a woman I work with) that it happened again and she came over to take a look at the situation. I also talked to Sherrie (a “Jamerican” – Jamacian-American -, as she calls herself, though she has lived in Ghana the past 15 years) who works with an NGO the Ghana WASH Project partners with, Sean (Ghana WASH Project, Chief of Party), and a number of other people who all encouraged me to relocate.

It seems as though everyone I have met has offered me a place to stay or offered contacts. I am so appreciative of how quickly people I have just met have offered their help. Their kindness and support has really been tremendous. Victoria insisted I stay the night at her place, which was probably a good idea. When I return from the Central Region on Wednesday afternoon I will probably spend a night at my house then go to McKenzie’s (woman I work with) house to stay while she is home in the US for the holidays. I can stay there until January 9th then I will have to figure out what to do. I move in to the University of Ghana on January 24th (though I am going to see if I can move in a few days earlier) so it doesn’t make sense for me to rent out another apartment for just two weeks. Sean has offered to let me stay with them, which I might take him up on, although I’d hate to impose as they will have just had his parents there for three weeks and might need a break from company. Ah well, I’ll see how it goes. Perhaps if the security gets better at my house I’ll stay. The house boy is there watching the house during the day now (though I would probably still keep my valuables locked up at work or something), the wall is being raised, Dan-Bright is considering (it is very expensive) putting up electric wiring around the wall, and George is trying to get dogs (very helpful, especially at night).

I got a package! From the Scanlans! I knew it was coming, but didn’t expect it to get here in just a week. They sent me a camera to replace mine that was stolen, a power converter, Christmas chocolates, and jewelry from their trip to South Africa because the only souvenirs I had bought in Southern Africa (the cloths) were stolen. Thank you so much Scanlan family! We have already used the camera to take pictures of George’s car break-in damage, on request of the Ghana police, though we are not sure what they will be used for.

12.20.11
Monday, I traveled to the Central Region with Michael Fasman (the videographer) and Felix (Sanitation Coordinator for the GWASH Project). We met up with Philip (Field Officer for the GWASH project) who brought us into communities for filming. First, we went to the Gomoa Kyiren and Adaa communities of Gomoa West. In these communities the Ghana WASH Project built household latrines and trained local artisans to build them, among other interventions such as establishing watsan (water and sanitation) committees.

Adaa community in Gomoa West - how great is the kid in the middle?

Although the primary focus of our visit was to get video footage for promotional clips on the GWP, I was also looking for potential success stories. Right now, I am looking at developing a success story out of either the local artisan training program or the sanitation program (household latrines, watsan committees, etc). A local artisan in Gomoa Kyiren was telling me, now that he has these skills and can build latrines, he is able to earn a proper living, feed his kids, and put them in school. When I enquired about how many kids he had, he replied that he has six children and joked, “Because of this work, I am going to give birth again!”

me interviewing a local artisan with Philip translating

local artisans

My favorite people that we chatted with though were Kweku Mensah and his wife of the Adaa community. Kweku is a 65 year old man and he proudly showed us his new latrine. It was painted and clearly very well kept. He explained to us that not only did he dig the hole for his latrine, mind you this man is 65, but he also dug the holes for 15 other latrines in the community and was paid 150 Cedis for each! These holes are massive and for a 65 year old man to have dug 16 of them is mind blowing.

Kweku explained that his family of 8 utilizes the latrine and they allow other community members to utilize their old, rundown latrine. He showed us inside the new latrine and pointed out that instead of the standard hole in the floor of the building, it is raised high, like a seat. Kweku laughed and said this was done special because his wife and him are old and can’t crouch for a long time to relieve themselves. Perhaps the most incredible aspect to this little story, however, is that the Mensah family went as far as connecting electricity to their latrine. Kweku said they are bringing light to the latrine – they need to find the right location in the dark so they don’t soil the wrong spot! You can tell that Kweku and his family take great pride in their new facility and have been maintaining it with the upmost care. It was really such a pleasure meeting them and seeing how the work of the Ghana WASH Project has positively impacted their lives.

the Mensah's and their new latrine! check out the electricity!

For lunch we stopped at a restaurant where I finally got to try fufu. It is similar to kenkey and banku, but not fermented. It is my favorite of the three, which are all staple foods of Ghana. You eat fufu with soup and fish or meat. I had mine with peanut soup (I think), which was full of wonderful spices (as most Ghanaian dishes are), and goat – it was delicious. I got a goat lung in my soup as well and although I will try almost anything once, organs are not something I am willing to eat unless I am going to offend someone by not trying it, which in this case, I wasn’t. We drove a few hours to Assin Fosu where we stayed at the Otis Hotel; it was quite comfortable.

lunch!

12.20.11
Tuesday, we were on the road by 7am and off to the communities Assin Nyame Bekyere, Nyamekye, and Kuberko of Assin South as well as the Bereku Health Center. The three communities are all very small (plus/minus 100 people) and in very remote places. The drives (like all over Ghana) were very bumpy, but incredibly beautiful. Everywhere you look there is thick green forest, fruit trees of every kind, and red, winding dirt paths.

In these communities, we focused on water facilities, but more specifically capturing how the boreholes (water pumps) have changed the economic lives of community members in addition to their health and wellness. These three communities are all agricultural; specifically, they grow and harvest cocoa and cassava. Community members showed us around their village, their old water source, and the new borehole. The old water sources were dirty streams and waterholes that were not potable or reliable. The old water sources were very far from the village and people (mainly woman and children, though everyone fetches water) had to walk long distances to fetch it. The new borehole is now within the community and provides clean, reliable drinking water.

The production of cassava products and cocoa requires a lot of clean water. Before the borehole, one woman said she was making many long distance trips to retrieve unclean water to produce about 2 bags of cassava (there is a name for the actual product they were making out of the cassava, but I don’t remember it). Now, she is able to produce 6 bags to sell in town, as the water is more accessible. The extra money allows her to pay school fees for her children.

drying the cocoa

The last stop we made was at the Bereku Health Center, where a borehole was built. We just took a few shots there, interviewed the director and finished for the day. We were done by about 1:30 so we had the rest of the day free. As we were driving through the market in Assin Fosu I noticed bikes for sale. I have been trying to buy a bike for the past two weeks and although I am sure I could get one a bit cheaper in Accra (as that is where these bikes are brought from), at this point I just needed one as soon as possible. I tried out a few and ended up getting a really cute green one that looks almost new. It is ALL green, even the seat and the basket. I am really excited about the basket because I will be able to put groceries in it. The bike even has a light on the front that is powered by my pedaling. It was priced at 120 cedis and I only got him down to 110, but I felt like I did pretty well considering the new ones were over double the price and I’ll be able to resell it when I leave. We brought the bike back to the hotel and then I went back out to the market to walk around. I bought two beautiful cloths which I am really hoping don’t get stolen like the ones I got in Southern Africa did. I think I am going to keep them at the GWP office until I move on campus, just to be safe. I also picked up dinner while I was out, but ate back at the hotel.

my new bike! sorry it is a bad picture

Everywhere I go people yell “obruni” at me, which means “white person” – it isn’t meant offensively, but does kind of get irritating after a while. I have starting responding with “Debi, debi, debi – men ye obruni. Yefre me Ama.” This essentially means, though it is not a direct translation, “No, no, no – I’m not white person. My name is Ama.” I have started telling Ghanaians my name is Ama when they ask because most have a very difficult time pronouncing my name. In Ghana, it is very common for people to be named after the day of the week they are born. While I’m not positive of my day of the week, Ama, which means Saturday, was the closest name to Avery.

I am starting to catch on to Twi (this is not pronounced fanatically – the best way I can think to sound it out is like this: t-ch-ree), which I am pretty pleased about. I got a good foundation from the Pimsleur Twi tapes, but I was never able to finish all the lessons because my ipod was stolen. I can understand bits when people are having a conversation and I can hold a very basic conversation with someone. Ghanaians seem to really love when an obruni responds to them in Twi. They tell me “Wote twi!” – “You speak twi!” to which I reply “Mete twi kakra” – “I speak twi a little.”

I have walked the route to and from work so many times and told everyone who has called me obruni that I am not an obruni, my name is Ama that now when I walk the route people see me and say “Ama!” and wave; it’s nice.

A few little extras:
The phrases “You are invited” and “You are welcome” are very common in Ghana. When someone says it to you it means you are invited into their home, to sit, to eat, and to share with them; Ghanaians are very generous, welcoming people.

There are certain sayings here that have taken me a while to catch on to. Two are, “Tomorrow” and “You are closed.” “Tomorrow”, meaning “see you tomorrow” and “You are closed” meaning something like, you are finished for the day, as in with work or school or whatever. Perhaps their meanings seem obvious now that I have explained them, but image someone just saying “tomorrow” to you as you walk past. Tomorrow.. what? Or, “you are closed”…the first time someone say “you are closed” to me as I walked by I thought they were talking about my cloths and I was very confused, haha. My favorite Ghanaian sayings (though there are variations of these across Africa it seems) are not actually words, they are sounds. If I attempt to type the sounds phonetically I still don’t think they would actually come across as they are, but there are very distinct “ehheh”s and “ehhhhhh”s (< there, an attempt) that people say as common responses. I quite enjoy them and they are so catchy I find myself making them more and more frequently.

More later –

Avery

Title quote: Ashanti Twi proverb

12.9.11
George leaves for work every morning around 7am and I leave around 8am. Michael was due to arrive that afternoon so when I returned home around 5:30 I wasn’t concerned when I heard a voice (on the phone) coming from the house. When I walked in the door I saw Michael and we chatted for about twenty minutes or so. Then I went to my room and when I tried to unlock the door I couldn’t. I realized the door was open and I walked in to find my clothes thrown all over the floor and all my drawers open. It didn’t occur to me right away what had happened. I was confused because Michael was home and hadn’t said anything and after a minute it hit me that all of my valuables were gone and I had been robbed.

I started calling Michael’s name and told him what happened. Then he stopped to think for a minute and said that he was confused when he came home and found all the chairs and boxes, that are usually stacked by the back door (which we don’t use), all over the hall. He showed me the mess by the door and asked me if George and I had left it that way. We hadn’t and Michael said he hadn’t thought anything of it because he figured while he was gone someone had come to work on fixing the ceiling.

The house has three doors. The front door has a metal gate protecting it so nobody can get in from there. The main back door that we use gets locked and then has a metal gate that gets locked as well. The door that was broken into was locked and had a metal gate, but the metal gate wasn’t locked with padlocks because we don’t use that door and there were a lot of boxes and chairs blocking the door on the inside. The lock on the door to my room had been broken as well (it doesn’t work anymore). The thieves did not break into Michael or George’s room, but did steal some of their things (a stereo, watch, cell phone, and a few other things) from the living room. From my room they stole my laptop, camera, cell phone chargers, solar charger, external hard drive, cloths that I bought all over Southern Africa, power converter, a headlamp, ipod, money (about $60 of Zambian Kwatcha – which I hadn’t been able to exchange anywhere for Ghana Cedi) and more. They pretty much just left my clothes, food, knickknacks, and luckily, my passports.

SIDENOTE:
I live in North Legon and my work is in East Legon. It is about a 6 mile walk from my house to work on two main roads. In between the two main roads there is a lot of construction going on and there is a lot of dust and heavy traffic. I usually walk two miles on one main road then take a taxi through the construction mess then walk about two miles on the other main road to work. So I walk about 8 miles every day (although I am getting a bike soon). Even though it is ridiculously hot and it takes a long time, I have been, for the most part, enjoying these walks. People are much friendlier here than in the US. I love saying hi to everyone I pass, or stopping to have a quick chat with someone or buy some street food. I love when someone says something to me in Twi, not expecting me to be able to respond and then watching how pleased they are when I am able to respond. It seems almost like a right of passage for their respect. Anyway, typically when I take long walks like that I would bring my ipod, but because I enjoy saying hello to everyone on my walks, I haven’t been bringing it along. On Friday, the day of the robbery, I ALMOST brought my ipod, but then decided against it. Ah well. I just keep telling myself it is just “stuff”, although my ipod is the kind of “stuff” that keeps me sane!
END SIDENOTE

I panicked. We called Dan-Bright the landlord and he came right over. We also called George at work and he came home immediately. They all think that the people who did it were unemployed neighborhood guys who live just around there. I had only been here for five days, so they must have noticed the schedule George and I have, us both leaving in the morning and not coming back until the late afternoon. It must have happened just after I left in the morning; sometime between 8 and 12, which is when Michael got home. They have lived here for 7 years; people notice when a white girl moves into the neighborhood.

I was a mess and I went to the internet café to tell my family while the guys called a carpenter to bolt down and secure the door. They also went and bought more padlocks for all the doors. When I finished talking to my family and Elliott I went back home and Michael and I went to the police station to file a report. The police station on our street isn’t an actual station; it is more like a temporary police post. We talked to an officer while she took notes then we paid for a taxi to take two officers and us a few blocks to our house (because they didn’t have any police cars).They came and walked around the house as we showed them what happened. They took a few notes and we went back to the police station where they gave Michael and I pieces of paper to write statements. They told us to return the statements in the morning and they would come and investigate further then. It was kind of a joke, to be honest.

12.10.11

I don’t know how I fell asleep that night. I couldn’t even bring myself to clean the mess they made in my room. The next morning I cleaned my room, hand washed my laundry, and the three of us just hung about the house. I don’t know what I would have done without George and Michael. They are just the nicest guys and have been so sweet about everything. If I didn’t have them to talk to I would probably have broken down. George was so cute – he was out on the street sitting across from our house doing detective work; trying to see if he could get an idea of who might have done it. Around 10:30 Michael and I went to the police station to hand in the statements. They said the officer wasn’t there, but they would send someone later on. We knew we would have to keep calling and going over to get someone to come investigate further.

I walked to the University to use the internet only to find that the computer lab is closed on the weekend. When I came back to the house I called Adalaide, the woman who had picked me up on Tuesday and brought me to work. I had been meaning to call her all week, but had been busy with work every day and then coming home to find I had been robbed. So I called her and told her what happened and she said she was on the way to Medina Market, but she would stop over after.

She came over and brought her three year old granddaughter, Eliza. They sat and chatted with George and I for a while until Michael returned with a police officer. He investigated a bit and we think we know which wall they climbed over. The other walls have too much foot traffic so someone would have noticed them climbing over. Also, there is a gate by the garage area that is always closed, but we found it open so they must have gone through it to get to the back door. We want the police officer to question the neighbors who live on the other side of the wall we think they climbed over and he said he would do that in the morning. The officer also said he remembers arresting our neighbor a few years ago so that is a promising lead I guess. The problem is that it is now Sunday afternoon and they still have not questioned the neighbors as they said they would. The longer they wait the more likely all of the stolen items will be taken away and sold.

After the police officer left, George and I went with Adalaide to her house for a bit – she wanted us to know where she lives, which isn’t very far. She is the sweetest woman. She has 6 daughters; 4 of her own and 2 adopted. When her oldest daughter was 17 she went to the US. She remembers how much she worried about her on her own in the US and that is why she picked me up. When she saw me walking she thought of her daughter alone in a foreign country and wanted to take care of me the way she hoped someone might of taken care of her daughter when she couldn’t. Adalaide calls herself my African mom; I love that. When she dropped George and I back off at our house she said that next time she was going somewhere, maybe into the city, she would call me to see if I wanted to come along.

12.11.11

Everything is closed on Sunday, so I don’t have any way to get internet. Dan-Bright, the landlord (who has also been so, so nice and feels REALLY bad about all of this) let me into his office on the UG campus to use his computer.
I feel so lucky to have met such wonderful people like Adalaide, Dan-Bright, George, and Michael. As horrible as Friday was with the robbery, I felt so taken care of. It is nice just having George and Michael around to talk to. George was teaching me about the different types of food, which are similar to pap, a food I ate in Botswana. There are three kinds that are like pap: kenkey, banku, and fufu. Kenkey is boiled and fermented maize. Pap is a type of ground maize mush, but it isn’t boiled. I tried kenkey and didn’t like the flavor – the fermented taste was not night; it was sour and sort of vinegary. Banku is like kenkey, but with cassava in it as well. Fufu is supposed to be the nicest of the three and has maize, cassava and plantains. I think I will like fufu the best, because banku seems to be very similar to kenkey, which I didn’t like. Another random fact, George and Michael are both AMAZING cooks. Michael was cooking a big fish soup for about six hours yesterday – I was so impressed!

Not only did I have all of these people here for me in Ghana, but I can’t believe how much love and support I have received from friends and family back home. Thank you so much to everyone who has sent such generous donations on Paypal to help me replace things and all of the kind words of support. I miss you all so much and I really can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. I am so lucky to have all of you in my life.

More updates soon –

All typsa love,
Avery

Title quote: The Beatles

Things that are gone: phone change (now i need a new phone because i cant get that charger here), solar charger, laptop, ipod, all chargers, external hard drive with EVERYTHING on it including my grad school applications due in 4 days),camera, money, all the beautiful cloths I bought in SA, and probably more things i haven’t realized are gone yet.

Happy Holidays Avery. And welcome to Ghana. Good luck starting school without a laptop.

The apartment is really great. It is in North Legon (almost in Medina – if you look at Google maps, find the University of Ghana Botanical Gardens and the main road going North to South just above it is where I live, well a road off of that road anyway) on a dirt road off a main road that goes to Medina. It is a big cement house with a wall around it and a locked gate in front. I share the house with George and Michael, two Ghanan brothers who graduated from UG a few years back and are now working. They have their own rooms and bathroom they share. I have my own room with a mini fridge, desk, double bed, dresser, kettle, fan, and my own bathroom just outside the door. There is also an AC unit, but it isn’t working right now. Dan offered to put more fuel in it – I said it was okay, the fan would be perfect, but I think he might do it anyway. There is no running water, but there are two big tanks outside which get filled up. Therefore, I take bucket showers and bucket-flush the toilet. To wash dishes we just keep a bucket of water next to the sink. There is also a stove in the kitchen I use to cook. The house also comes with +/-4 really cute kittens (I am not exactly sure how many there are – I keep seeing new ones every day). We like to play this game where I try and pet them and they run away; it is really fun for all parties. There is also a lime tree in the yard! …Too bad I don’t eat limes.

12.5.11
Besides a few errands like buying food and getting a SIM card, I didn’t have anything in particular to do today, but the first item on the agenda was getting money out of an ATM. This turned out to be and irritating task. I had printed out maps for myself, but I had no idea where I was on the maps. Luckily, I knew how to get to campus (it is pretty simple, but really far – maybe a few miles) so I walked there to find an ATM because I had no money for a trotro (combi/mini bus) or taxi. It took ages to find an ATM, but I finally found it thanks to some international students (the UG fall semester is still in session with exams) I ran into in a campus store I went into to ask for directions. They directed me to the ATM and later on, when I was near the International House (a building on campus) I ran into one of the same international students and he showed me to a computer lab where I got free internet without an ID. I got to talking to someone in the computer lab and they recommended I go down to the Accra Mall to get a SIM card. I took a loaded taxi (meaning a taxi that takes many people in kind of a route) and got to the mall only to find I needed my passport to get a SIM card. Luckily, another customer there offered to register it for me with his ID, which was really nice. I also got lunch at the mall and then headed back to campus.

Just off campus I stopped at a woman’s stand to buy a sachet of water, but the women didn’t have change for my 5 cedi so she insisted that I take it and next time I pass by pay for it. Now, if that isn’t the honestly system, I don’t know what is; I just hope I remember! When I was walking around campus I got a call from Dan (who I had texted my cell number to when I got the SIM card). He had just drove past me and turned around to come get me and give me a little tour of campus. He showed me all around and then offered to drive to where the Relief International office is so I would know where to go tomorrow. After, he dropped me back on campus where I got internet at the International House, went to the supermarket and got some food, then headed home to make dinner. I walked about half way home and then got a taxi from the edge of campus a few miles back to the apartment because the grocery bags were too heavy to carry a few more miles.

When I got my SIM card I also texted my friend Sarah (who I met in Haiti). Her family lives in Ghana and she has been going to school in the UK since she was about 14 or something. Anyway, she is back in Accra so I texted her and we are going to meet up in the city sometime in the next week or two.

12.6.11
Today was my first day of work at Relief International. Victoria told me to come around 9 so I left at about 7:30. I wanted to try and walk to get a feel of how far it was and then if I ran out of time or got lost I figured I would just get a taxi. I really want to find a used bike to buy. I had only just started walking when an old woman pulled over, asked me where I was going, and told me to get in. Now, if this was the US, I never would have gotten in because the only people pulling over in the US to offer you a lift is someone creepy or with an agenda. It isn’t like that in Africa; people are outwardly friendly and will do small things like this just because it’s nice. Of course, you still have to have your wits about you and be careful, but this woman was just the sweetest. Her name is Adalaide, she is 60 and a public health worker. Her daughter is in the US interviewing for nursing jobs while Adalaide watches her two young kids here in Ghana. We talked as she drove me and she said that something in her told her to pick me up today; God must have a reason for it. So instead of driving her normal route she went a little out of her way to drop me closer to my work. She gave me her number and insisted that I call her to chat. She was just the sweetest woman and I am definitely am going to call her the next day I am not working. I want to meet her two grandkids – they are 1 and 3 years old!

Anyway, so I got to RI and Victoria introduced me to everyone. We went over the type of stuff I’ll be doing and then we got to work. RI is working with an artist to draw up cartoon sketches of the different types of latrines they build so that communities can choose what they want. I went through the sketches and checked them next to the excel sheet to make sure each had all the right materials drawn and labeled. There were a lot of mistakes so made a list for the artist to use to edit the pictures.For lunch, Victoria and I walked down to some street vendors and got fried plantains and a couple different types of fried yams. They were all SO good and really cheap – 80 pesewas (which is about 60 cents). For the rest of the afternoon I worked on revamping the Ghana WASH Project flyer.

I decided to walk home from work instead of taking a trotro or taxi. I wanted to get an idea of how long it would take me and it’s nice to walk and get to know the place I will be living for the next six months. It was actually a pretty good walk, though it did take me about an hour and twenty minutes. I am going to guess it is about 6-7 miles. I haven’t figured out a good trotro route to and from work, which I will need to do soon. In the mean time I am probably going to walk my street down to the University and then take a taxi to IPS Road (not the real name of the road, but what it is known as to locals) and then walk from there. I think it’s nice to walk the same routes a lot so that you get to know people in the neighborhood. When I was walking back today many people said “How are you?” to me in Twi and I don’t think they expected me to be able to respond in Twi, but when I did they were THRILLED! I was too, to be honest! I don’t know much Twi, but I was very pleased to have understood it and responded. I will have to keep practicing.

It is really hot and muggy here, but I really love Ghana so far. It is beautiful and green and just delightful. The people are so friendly and warm. Ghana just has this enchanting atmosphere that makes you just want to smile and greet every single person you pass by because they are smiling and greeting you! Ah, I really love Ghana so far. I love the smells and warm smiles from strangers, and when the dust kicks up under my feet on the dirt roads. I love the chaos at the trotro stops and the cheap street food and the view of the entire city from a hill on campus. It’s a wonderful place and I’m so excited I get to be here for the next six months. Now, will somebody FedEx me Elliott?

My neighborhood is fantastic. Anything I could possibly need is within a few blocks radius. There are shops on the side of every road; everything from pharmacies to furniture shops to food stands. Walking home today I think I saw an internet café just a few houses down from mine – I’ll have to check it out tomorrow.

PROBLEM: I had a little scrape on the inside of my ankle, which didn’t seem to really be an open wound or anything just a red spot where a few layers of skin had been scratched and was red. BUT, yesterday I walked around all day without covering it and now it is really infected and REALLY hurts. It is really painful to just walk, I think because it is right on the ankle bone. I kept putting anti-bacterial ointment and bandaids on it when I go out. Ithasn’t been helping so I went to the pharmacy down the street this evening and got some oral antibiotic medication to take, which will hopefully help.

my ankle

______________________________________________________

Dear Friends, Family, and Readers,
With the exception of my mother and grandmother, you have done a shameful job of sending me mail these past four months. Especially considering the amount of postcards I have sent out to you. It’s okay though, you can still redeem yourself.

Here is my new mailing address: (for now until January 20th)
c/o Dan-BrightDzorgbo
(For: Avery Doninger)
Sociology Department
University of Ghana
Box LG65
Legon-Accra, Ghana

From January 20th – May:
Avery Doninger
International Student Exchange Program
University of Ghana
Private Mail Bag L4
Legon-Accra, Ghana

Love,
Avery

Pictures/Vids to come!
A.

Title quote: Elliott Woolworth

At the hostel in Lusaka I was at the reception desk asking a question when I noticed money in the trash bin. I asked the hostel worker about it and he said they were the small bills (50s – maybe about $00.05 USD – 5,030 Zambian Kwatcha to 1USD) and were worth so little it wasn’t worth carrying them around. I was appalled! I would NEVER throw away money no matter how little – it all adds up! He said that I could have it – so I took the stack of money. It probably was worth about 1USD all together, but I bought vegetables with it later that day.

11.28.11
Monday morning I was at the airport ready to leave Lusaka. I knew that my bag was going to be overweight so I was prepared to pay for it to check two bags – whichever was cheaper. When I went to check it I was told I had to pay for the overweight bag, but the Air Namibia woman didn’t know how to go about charging me. After attempting to figure it out for about 5-10 minutes, she gave up and just didn’t charge me (score!). I went to sit and wait for my flight and about a half hour later I see the lady in the waiting area talking to another passenger on my flight. Then she came over to me and said, “Since you didn’t have to pay for the overweight bag maybe you can buy me a soda.” My response: “Well, I was willing to pay for the overweight bag – sorry” and walked away. I wasn’t having it. Though I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about my bag getting on my plane with me.

I arrived safely in Windhoek, Namibia on Monday evening. From this point forward I was planning on traveling solo, but then I met a group of German girls who invited me to join them on their weeklong tour of Namibia. They are all veterinary students in South Africa and just finished the semester, like me. They rented a combi and were headed to camp in Etosha National Park for two nights, then go to the coastal town Swakopmund, and then to the big sand dunes in Sossusvlei. Unfortunately, my flight is to leave on Sunday, when they were planning on returning from Sossusvlei, therefore I would have to leave them in Swakopmund to make it back to Windhoek for my flight.

11.29.11
Early Tuesday morning we were off. I stored my big bag at Cardboard Box Backpackers and just took my backpack. Nambia is a huge country made up of mostly desert and nothingness. There would not be a lot of places to stop between Windhoek and Etosha so we stopped at a supermarket to stock up on some foods for the trip. We knew food would be expensive in the park as well so we wanted to make sure we had plenty of snacks. I bought things like bread, chips, nectarines, biscuits, and pretzels (this was the first time I found pretzels in Africa). There wasn’t much we could get because we didn’t have cooking supplies for the campsite – just a tent.

Before we got to Etosha National Park we stopped to visit the biggest meteor to ever land on earth:

When we arrived at Etoshawe checked in and found that the park entrance fee and camping price was OUTRAGEOUS. More than staying at a hostel – it was really ridiculous, but we had no alternative. We checked out the food situation only to find that the only food options were overpriced snacks like chips or breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets all costing absurd amounts. We refused to pay that kind of money for a meal and stuck to our bread and fruit, though it wasn’t very satisfying. For dinner I opened a can of beans and tried to eat them straight – not very nice. We did a short game drive after setting up our tent and watched the sun set over the waterhole.

11.30.11
The next morning we got up at 5am and did a sunrise game drive. Then we went back to camp and took down the tent. We were moving to another campsite at the other side of the park (the park is gigantic – takes all day to drive from one side to the other). After packing up we did a game drive through the park to the next camp. I was really tired and started to feel worse and worse throughout the day. My head was burning up and I had a brutal headache. I thought it was because I was dehydrated, but I drank a lot of water and it didn’t go away. I had to lie down in the van and sleep, but every time I woke up my head was hotter. I definitely had a fever; it was pretty miserable. I survived the game drive and when we got to the camp I looked for something to eat, but there was nothing but a 30usd buffet. I just napped in the shade more and hoped it would go away, but I was so weak it was difficult to walk and carry things.

The whole day was pretty miserable because of it. I was kind of freaking out because I thought I may have contracted some sort of rare African disease through an insect bite or bacteria. All day I was panicking; I thought I was going to die with a bunch of strangers in the middle of nowhere. All the while it was probably because I wasn’t eating properly. I barely ate anything during those two days because the only food available was ridiculously expensive. I kept getting mad at myself because I have been listening to a book called What is the What about the life of Valentino Deng. It is about his life in Southern Sudan and refugee camps during the North South civil war in Sudan. Every time I felt sorry for myself I felt guilty because here I was listening to man tell his story about walking through the desert for months and months with no food, water, or clothes.

That night it down poured and our tent got flooded so we had to sleep in the van. One of the girls gave me a really strong IBprofen before I went to bed and I woke up feeling much better.

12.1.11
The first supermarket arrived at on our way to Swakopmund I went and bought a proper meal and grapes. I felt much better after eating. It was about a six hour drive to Swakopmund and we arrived around 1pm. We didn’t want to waste the rest of the day so we all picked out different activities to do. Michaela and I went sandboarding which was AMAZING. They brought us out to the sand dunes which were absolutely incredible – I’ve only seen something like it in the movies. When you looked to one side it was ocean and when you looked to the other it was endless sand dunes. I did the lie down/sit down sandboarding and Michaela did the actually stand up boarding (like snowboarding). Climbing up the dunes was the hardest part – it was such a workout!

The guys that took us out were really great. While we were resting after climbing up the dunes they gave us click lessons. In their language they have four different clicks and they taught us how to do them and how they are used – it was really interesting.

12.2.11
The hostel we were staying at in Swakopmund had the BEST free breakfast (and by free, I mean included in the price). Eggs, bacon, toast, tea – so yummy. After breakfast we walked down to the beach and around town. Namibia was colonized by Germany and still has a strong German influence today, especially Swakopmund. Many people say it is more German than Germany, but the German girls I was with didn’t seem to think so, although they did say that some buildings did resemble old Germany. There is a large German population there and many of the signs are in German. Martina and I stopped at a German bakery and got pastries which were really delicious.

That afternoon Martina, Nadine, and I drove along the coast to Walvis Bay – it is about a half hour drive. We walked along some beaches and then drove down this long road along the water. Because we have brilliant luck, our tire popped – we still aren’t entirely sure how, but it did. The three of us had no other alternative except to walk along the side of the road until we get to some homes (we weren’t too far out, perhaps a few miles) and try and get some help. Fortunately, we flagged down a car that had a German guy giving a tour. He was dropping off the tourists and said he would come right back and help us. 5 minutes later, he was back and the three of them were talking in German. He changed our tire in less than 10 minutes and we were on our way. He was so incredibly nice – we were very lucky and very grateful.

12.3.11
After another delicious breakfast at the hostel, I parted ways with the German girls. They went on to the dunes of Sossusvlei (some of the largest dunes in the world) and I took a public combi back to Windhoek. I was disappointed I couldn’t go to Sossusvlei, but at least I got to see some dunes. The combi ride back to Windhoek was about 4 hours and from Rhino Park Bus Station I walked the two kilometers back to Cardboard Box Backpackers. When I arrived back at the hostel, who was there but the crazy conspiracy theorist guy that we met in Cape Town. He didn’t remember me and kept talking to me in the kitchen – he went on and on about how the world is going to end and I should take all my money out of the banks and how Africa is the safest place to be right now. Crazy guy.

12.4.11
Now I am sitting in the airport – my flight leaves for Ghana in about an hour. Very excited!

12.5.11
Arrived in Ghana last night. My apartment is great. Will post about everything later. Oh, and I start at Relief International tomorrow!

ONE MORE THING:
Check out this newly release The Raven & The Wool / Physicism Split EP: http://theravenandthewool.bandcamp.com/ – You can download it for just $1.00!

Avery

Title quote: Not sure – I heard it somewhere and wrote it down.

As many of you know, I have spent the past two summers in Leogane, Haiti doing volunteer earthquake relief work with the organization All Hands Volunteers (you can read about my experiences in Haiti here.). During my time there I met many incredible Haitian people, but also witnessed the atrocities the country has and continues to endure, including the devastating impact on Haiti’s already suffering educational system. Approximately 5,000 schools were destroyed in the earthquake. Although there are many NGOs currently working to rebuild schools around the country, paying for school is still a tremendous challenge for the majority of Haitian families.

Fortunately, there are organizations like Haiti Scholarships, a non-profit organization founded by my friend Alex Armstrong, a fellow All Hands volunteer. This organization fundraises around the world to help pay for Haitians to attend school in Haiti. This increases job opportunities for teachers, improves education, relieves financial burdens on poverty stricken families, and allows students who would not have had the chance to attend school, to go.

While volunteering with All Hands, I worked alongside many young Haitian volunteers. If they had been able to attend school before the earthquake, it was now destroyed and they were no longer able to. Instead, they dedicated their days to volunteering in their community removing rubble and building schools. One volunteer, Junior, I came to know very well. When I returned to Haiti a year later he was still working with All Hands and volunteering his time to help his community. Eventually, he got hired on by All Hands as one of their heavy equipment operators. He saved the money he earned so that he would be able to attend school this fall, which he has done. However, the money he saved for school was not enough and he has since run out. The director of his school sends him home every day because he is unable to pay the fee.

Me & Junior, June 2011

Junior is not currently one of the students sponsored by Haiti Scholarships. However, the organization has announced that if they receive more donations, they will be able sponsor him. Please consider donating to Haiti Scholarships; a contribution of even a small amount will go a long way in Haiti and will have a tremendous impact on the lives of these Haitians like Junior and their families. To learn more about Haiti Scholarships and donate, you can visit their website: http://www.haitischolarships.org

Mesi anpil,
Thank you very much,

Avery

Title quote: Abraham Lincoln