I'm going back to village tomorrow! After spending 35 days living out of a backpack and a messenger bag, I finally return to Pobé-Mengao. I left at the end of May and embarked on a series of adventures; a little travel, a lot of work, little sleep. I really have no intention to spend this much time out of my site ever again. It just so happened to work out this way, as I had trainings, then vacation, then more training, and lastly, the past week spent training new trainees. I am all trained out.
I am trying to neglect the reality that 2 weeks after I return to my site, I must return to Ouaga for my Mid-service training. Why all the training?! I'll tell you why? Its summer. Low work season in village (for volunteers, that is). I have been staying in cell contact with friends in Pobé, and they gave me three pieces of good news.
Piece of good news #1: It finally rained, I mean really rained in Pobé! The rains came late this year, so people are getting nervous...but one week ago, my village got their first real rain (they refuse to count little 20 minute rains..go figure). This, of course means people are not out in the fields, growing their means of survival, between now and October.
Piece of good news # 2: Pobé-Mengao won the Mayor's cup soccer competition! Beginning in April, all the villages in the department of Pobé-Mengao take part in a soccer tournament. Nevermind the fact that Pobé is the largest village in the department, I have every right to be excited for my home team's success.
Piece of good news # 3: 29 out of 32 CM2 students passed their C.E.P. exam! Background: CM2 is the equivalent of 6th grade and at the end of the year, each student must take the exam in order to continue on to 2ndary school. According to my colleague Hamidou, this is the highest passing percentage he has ever seen. So who wouldn't be excited? The closing ceremony for the primary school is on Monday. If I had the means, I would bake a cake!
My last two weeks have been spent working PST (a.k.a. stàge) here in Ouahigouya. It has been a lot of fun getting to know the new trainees. They seem to be a really strong group and I am pretty confident they will all be upstanding volunteers. And they're a lot of fun. Spending time in Ouahigouya always makes me a bit nostalgic, seeing as how I spent my first 3 months of my Peace Corps life here...add to that spending 6 days a week working stàge, at times, I myself have felt like a trainee once again. But not quite. Spending time here has taught me a few things. First of all, I am so thankful that stàge, for me, is a thing of the past. I forgot how grueling it really is. 6 days a week, 9 hours of session a day...and at the end of the day, I return to a host family that speaks no English, minimal french. You have no free time.
Secondly, I have been able to see how far I have come in the past year. I came to Burkina Faso with minimal French. Spending time with the stagiares has allowed me to see how far I've actually come in the past 13 months. Aside from French, I have learned so much about the culture here..arguably a much more difficult language to master. I'm still not there...but I'm pretty happy with my progress.
Lastly, working stàge has helped give me fresh ideas of what I can do in village. I have, believe it or not, learned a lot from the stagiaires....they are full of so many good ideas, I couldn't help but take note. My biggest goal for the upcoming school year is to work more closely with the APEs/AMEs (parent associations) in regards to capacity building. I'd think the APE and AME in Pobé are well-functioning, but there is so much more that they can do.
I can't recall the last time I have been so exhausted. I look forward to returning to the slow life in village. There is much to think about, much to process. Its been a long time out of site.
Thanks to everybody that has sent kind words re: my blog. I am glad you enjoy what I have to say. You know me, I like to stay in touch with friends...I have no doubt the same will continue heading into my second year of service.
That being said, until next time.
j
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Friday, June 15, 2007
Banana Pancakes, etc.
I hope you all have taken the opportunity to see my Ghana Photos. If a picture speaks a thousand words and I posted 55 photos, then it is sufficed to say I have already written quite the novella about my trip to Ghana. Before I was able to let my woes drift away like the coastal winds, I had to first GET to Ghana. Hardly a timely process. Our destination: Green Turtle Lodge in the Western Coastal Region of Ghana (about 80 km from the border of Cote d'Ivoire). First leg of the trip, a 1000 kilometer bus ride from Ouaga to Kumasi. This bus trip can take anywhere from 13-48 hours, depending upon myriad nail-biting factors ("will my bus get a flat? Will we be attacked by road bandits?" etc). Upon arriving in Kumasi, Ghana's second largest city, one must then find a Tro-Tro (this is the Ghanaian term for Bush Taxi..generally a minivan turned bus). From Kumasi to Takoradi (a semi-large coastal city) is 5 hours. After arriving in Takoradi, one must find another tro-tro or taxi to take you the 45 km to Green Turtle lodge, an exceptionally off-the-beaten track but not short on amenities all-inclusive budget beach resort. And like that, you are there. We left Ouaga on a Saturday morning and arrived at Green Turtle Sunday afternoon. Well worth the drive.
There are so many stories, so many mishaps, I will not be able to share them all, but I will talk about a few memorable Ghana moments.
The Border
There are only about 412 things one must do when crossing the border and if you forget one of these 412 things, you will probably be denied entry. So I made sure I had my passport, my visa for Ghana, my renewed Burkina Faso visa (so I could get back into BF), my World Health Organization Immunization Card with proof of Yellow Fever vaccination, and of course, Cash in hand to exchange into Ghana's ridiculous currency, the Cedis.
So this is how it goes: The CFA (Burkina's currency) is roughly 500 francs to 1 US dollar. The Cedis is 10,000 to 1 US dollar. So, if Joel has 150,000 CFA (essentially 15 - 10,000 cfa notes) and would like to change it into the Cedis, how many suitcases of cash will he get? In truth, I do not know, but my 150,000 CFA turned into 3.5 MILLION cedis. Let me also mention that the largest bill in Ghana is a 20,000 note. So 3.5 million divided by 20,000 equals 175 notes. But I was given half my cash in 20,000 notes and half in 10,000 notes. So I was carrying around close to 300 bills. If you see my photos, you'll know what 3.5 million Cedis looks like. I'll tell you right now, it is a hassle.
To make the chaos of the border crossing all the more tumultuous, you have random men with duffel bags of money and calculators tied to lanyards around their necks, asking to take your CFA for Cedis. There exist no Currency exchange kiosks. Just weird old men with calculators and sacks of money. The potential to get ripped off is high, also considering some immigration officer just took your passport and WHO immunization card into some dark building and you see your bus inching closer to the border. Distractions abound. But I was on my game. I double-checked his currency conversion with my own calculator, and double counted the 3.5 million cedis. My passport, stamped and signed, was returned, along with my WHO card. I got back on to my bus, and slept, dreaming of the slow life on the beach.
Two Beaches, One Awesome Vacation
Essentially, my trip was split up into two parts: 4 nights, 5 days at the Green Turtle Lodge, then 4 nights, 4 days in the small fishing town of Busua. Both are considered to have the nicest beaches in all of Ghana, and I had no reason to dispute such a claim. Green Turtle is an "eco-friendly" resort...and I even have a hard time calling it a resort. The entire place uses solar power, as it is isolated from any town. Most nights we ate dinner on the beach under candle light. Meals included Swordfish with veggie curry and rice, Bangers and Mash (I believe it's British...sausage and mashed potatoes, so good!), and the always famous Ghanaian dish, Red-Red. The best part of all, aside from the huge waves and the obligatory relaxation is the price. I left green turtle spending 800,000 cedis, or $80. That's lodging, food, drink, everything.
While Green Turtle gave me the relaxation I needed, I was certainly ready to move on to Busua. Again, please see my photos, as I think they are the closest I can get to doing this wonderful town justice. We came during the rainy season, which means there were few tourists. I had no problem with this. Unlike most other tourist destinations, the locals of Busua were exceptionally friendly and engaging. They are no strangers to budget travelers such as myself, but I seldom felt as though I was out of place. We spent much of our time at the Black Star Surf Shop, owned by a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Bolivia. He opened shop one year ago and is currently the only Surf Shop in all of Ghana. His hospitality was greatly appreciated, so if you're reading this, Pete, I thank you a thousand times over. I hope your business takes off. I find myself wanting to describe Busua, so I can better portray the type of community it is, but I would fail at doing it justice. I have every intention to visit this place again. I miss it.
All Good Things Come to an End
The time finally came where I had to make the long journey back to Burkina Faso, the land of not so plenty. But for all the fun I had in Ghana, I was ready to return. After a painless taxi ride to Takoradi and a straight-forward Tro-Tro journey to Kumasi, I lucked out and landed the last ticket on the Monday night STC bus (this is the nice, A/C bus that usually requires advance reservation), 4 hours before its scheduled departure. I show up at 9pm Monday night, no bus. 10pm, no bus. The bus finally arrives at 2am. I board and happen to get the only seat on the bus without the ability to recline. "Oh well," I tell myself, "its only a 16 hour bus ride." The bus decided not to move until 4am. At 7:30am (Tuesday now), my bus, going full speed, clips the back corner of a parked semi-truck trailer, ripping the door off my bus and shattering the windshield and three side panes of glass. Those in the first 4 rows were covered in shattered glass, but thankfully, nobody was hurt. Rather than stop and investigate the damage, the bus driver refused to stop, fearing that the engine was damaged, and wanted to get us to the next town so we would have cell coverage (to call for a new bus) and food to eat. We arrive in the next town and spent 12 hours there waiting for a new bus. I guess I should have been upset and frustrated, but looking back, it was actually a fun day. I met many interesting people on my bus, including two Med Students from Georgia (the state, not the country), two documentarians from Ghana, a Malian mother that spoke perfect English, and so on. Had we not shared in the misery of transport, we probably would have never met. I am thankful for those conversations.
So, our replacement bus arrives at 7pm, and drives us the 8 hours to the border, where we slept, as the border was closed for the evening. After a simple crossing at the border, I arrived in Ouaga, 38 hours later, tired, but smiling.
There are so many stories, so many mishaps, I will not be able to share them all, but I will talk about a few memorable Ghana moments.
The Border
There are only about 412 things one must do when crossing the border and if you forget one of these 412 things, you will probably be denied entry. So I made sure I had my passport, my visa for Ghana, my renewed Burkina Faso visa (so I could get back into BF), my World Health Organization Immunization Card with proof of Yellow Fever vaccination, and of course, Cash in hand to exchange into Ghana's ridiculous currency, the Cedis.
So this is how it goes: The CFA (Burkina's currency) is roughly 500 francs to 1 US dollar. The Cedis is 10,000 to 1 US dollar. So, if Joel has 150,000 CFA (essentially 15 - 10,000 cfa notes) and would like to change it into the Cedis, how many suitcases of cash will he get? In truth, I do not know, but my 150,000 CFA turned into 3.5 MILLION cedis. Let me also mention that the largest bill in Ghana is a 20,000 note. So 3.5 million divided by 20,000 equals 175 notes. But I was given half my cash in 20,000 notes and half in 10,000 notes. So I was carrying around close to 300 bills. If you see my photos, you'll know what 3.5 million Cedis looks like. I'll tell you right now, it is a hassle.
To make the chaos of the border crossing all the more tumultuous, you have random men with duffel bags of money and calculators tied to lanyards around their necks, asking to take your CFA for Cedis. There exist no Currency exchange kiosks. Just weird old men with calculators and sacks of money. The potential to get ripped off is high, also considering some immigration officer just took your passport and WHO immunization card into some dark building and you see your bus inching closer to the border. Distractions abound. But I was on my game. I double-checked his currency conversion with my own calculator, and double counted the 3.5 million cedis. My passport, stamped and signed, was returned, along with my WHO card. I got back on to my bus, and slept, dreaming of the slow life on the beach.
Two Beaches, One Awesome Vacation
Essentially, my trip was split up into two parts: 4 nights, 5 days at the Green Turtle Lodge, then 4 nights, 4 days in the small fishing town of Busua. Both are considered to have the nicest beaches in all of Ghana, and I had no reason to dispute such a claim. Green Turtle is an "eco-friendly" resort...and I even have a hard time calling it a resort. The entire place uses solar power, as it is isolated from any town. Most nights we ate dinner on the beach under candle light. Meals included Swordfish with veggie curry and rice, Bangers and Mash (I believe it's British...sausage and mashed potatoes, so good!), and the always famous Ghanaian dish, Red-Red. The best part of all, aside from the huge waves and the obligatory relaxation is the price. I left green turtle spending 800,000 cedis, or $80. That's lodging, food, drink, everything.
While Green Turtle gave me the relaxation I needed, I was certainly ready to move on to Busua. Again, please see my photos, as I think they are the closest I can get to doing this wonderful town justice. We came during the rainy season, which means there were few tourists. I had no problem with this. Unlike most other tourist destinations, the locals of Busua were exceptionally friendly and engaging. They are no strangers to budget travelers such as myself, but I seldom felt as though I was out of place. We spent much of our time at the Black Star Surf Shop, owned by a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Bolivia. He opened shop one year ago and is currently the only Surf Shop in all of Ghana. His hospitality was greatly appreciated, so if you're reading this, Pete, I thank you a thousand times over. I hope your business takes off. I find myself wanting to describe Busua, so I can better portray the type of community it is, but I would fail at doing it justice. I have every intention to visit this place again. I miss it.
All Good Things Come to an End
The time finally came where I had to make the long journey back to Burkina Faso, the land of not so plenty. But for all the fun I had in Ghana, I was ready to return. After a painless taxi ride to Takoradi and a straight-forward Tro-Tro journey to Kumasi, I lucked out and landed the last ticket on the Monday night STC bus (this is the nice, A/C bus that usually requires advance reservation), 4 hours before its scheduled departure. I show up at 9pm Monday night, no bus. 10pm, no bus. The bus finally arrives at 2am. I board and happen to get the only seat on the bus without the ability to recline. "Oh well," I tell myself, "its only a 16 hour bus ride." The bus decided not to move until 4am. At 7:30am (Tuesday now), my bus, going full speed, clips the back corner of a parked semi-truck trailer, ripping the door off my bus and shattering the windshield and three side panes of glass. Those in the first 4 rows were covered in shattered glass, but thankfully, nobody was hurt. Rather than stop and investigate the damage, the bus driver refused to stop, fearing that the engine was damaged, and wanted to get us to the next town so we would have cell coverage (to call for a new bus) and food to eat. We arrive in the next town and spent 12 hours there waiting for a new bus. I guess I should have been upset and frustrated, but looking back, it was actually a fun day. I met many interesting people on my bus, including two Med Students from Georgia (the state, not the country), two documentarians from Ghana, a Malian mother that spoke perfect English, and so on. Had we not shared in the misery of transport, we probably would have never met. I am thankful for those conversations.
So, our replacement bus arrives at 7pm, and drives us the 8 hours to the border, where we slept, as the border was closed for the evening. After a simple crossing at the border, I arrived in Ouaga, 38 hours later, tired, but smiling.
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