6/4/2008
Ghana: Part 1
Hello to all of my friends and family back home!
I am very happy to be writing to you from Tamale. I arrived here one week ago now, and it has been quite a week, I must say!
The people of Ghana have been incredibly welcoming and I feel very safe and comfortable here. My host family is wonderful, and they have welcomed me into their home as a sister/daughter. As for the living arrangements, they have a tv, refrigerator, and stove – three items which are sometimes hard to come by in other homes. They do not have running water so we fetch it from a tank outside and bathe from a bucket of water in the bathhouse. It’s so hot out though that the cold water feels quite refreshing! The heat has been unbelievable. I haven’t stopped sweating since I got here, with the exception of yesterday which was rainy and cool – about 80 degrees F. The food here is pretty good, although it takes some getting used to. I’ve had Fufu a few times now (which is made out of yam or cassava). Everyone sits around the table and we all eat from the same bowl with our hands.
Last Saturday I attended a Ghanaian wedding which was a beautiful ceremony. I couldn’t believe how nicely everyone was dressed. And despite it going on for 4 hours, everyone was singing and dancing and calling out “Amen” from the audience the whole time – it was really entertaining. I took lots of video.
I’ve seen most of the town now. There are two men from the organization CATO that have been showing me around. Their names are Senyo and Emmanuel, and they have both been very helpful and fun to have around. To give you a sort of picture of what it looks like here, the houses are mostly small shacks with either metal roofs or made of mud and grass roofs. The streets are filled with men on motorcycles and women carrying baskets on their heads and babies on their backs. It’s amazing to see. I’ll try and send pictures next time I write.
As for my agenda, a typical day for me is waking up around 5:30 in the morning, getting ready for the day and having breakfast, then riding my bicycle to the orphanage which is about 3 miles away (5km). I am teaching the older class of students who are about 5 to 7 years old. They are smart but need lots of attention. It seems the teachers are very tired, so I must give them all of my energy to keep them learning so that they may go to primary school next year. Yesterday I brought them some new stencils and they were very excited. The school closes at 1:00, so from 1 until 3 I usually talk with some of the older children from the orphanage, which has been very interesting. From 3 until 5 I will sometimes stay and help in the baby ward. After that I come home and eat, then sometimes see Emmanuel or Senyo, and try to go to bed pretty early.
It seems as if I am living two lives here. One life is while I am away from the orphanage – learning and laughing with my host family and the Ghanaian people and really having an unbelievably fun time. The second is quite harsh in contrast to this. Life at the orphanage has been very difficult to deal with. The realities are sometimes not so pleasant…
In the morning the children are told to “free themselves” which means go to the bathroom, which they do squatting in the field outside the classroom. The other day a little girl who is only 3, Fatimata, wet herself and had to stay in her wet clothes... The flies were at her all day. She did not complain though, she is a gem and is beginning to cling to me quite a bit. I must be careful to balance how much attention I give to her and the others. I don’t want her to become too attached to me, for it will be difficult when I leave… Sometimes we run out of drinking water for the children, and they have to wait a few hours before we can go and fetch it – which I can’t imagine considering how hot it is. Most of the children are from the surrounding area and do not live at the orphanage. They are supposed to bring their lunch with them, but often there are some who come without it, and we have no food to give them. I wonder if they are eating lunch at home when they leave.
The behaviour of the teachers towards the children pains me very much. They are very abusive, both verbally and physically. Yesterday the teacher said to one of the children who was having trouble with math “I will kill you if you don’t get it right this time. Do you hear me? I will kill you”. Can you imagine???? I was shocked. And it wasn’t the only time it was said. As I was leaving yesterday I heard one of the children being caned (beaten with a stick) in the other classroom. It was all I could do to control myself. I’m going to have to find a way to deal with that…
Yesterday afternoon was my first in the baby ward. The conditions are not very good… there are about 20 babies under the age of 2, and only a few staff to take care of them. They spend most of the day in their cribs, and are aching for love and attention. During their naptime I heard a newborn cry and went to the room, only to find the tiniest baby I have ever seen in my life. Her name is Rhoda and she is about 1 month old. Someone found her in the trash, dirty and hungry and left for dead I suppose, about 2 weeks ago. I have never seen such a sad sight in my life. I held her for two hours while she cried her eyes out before the formula arrived so I could feed her. We ran out of diapers in the baby ward as well, so when I changed a few of the children I had to leave them without a diaper, which created quite a mess. Three children peed on me as a result, but it is not their fault. I just can’t believe they have to sit in their own urine for hours… Needless to say the whole place is quite unsanitary. The fact is there are too many children, too little staff, and too little resources.
I did have a small victory though yesterday. Last week a boy from the orphanage who is clearly malnourished and possibly sick, was sitting on some steps nearby so I went to talk to him. He doesn’t speak English but his friend was there to translate. I saw that he had some open sores on his leg (you cannot imagine what they looked like, it was all I could do to keep from outwardly cringing). I asked him if they hurt and he said yes. The flies were all over them because of the open wounds. So I cleaned him and put some Neosporin and a bandaid on them, hoping it would help a bit. Yesterday I saw him at the end of the day and he ran up to me with a huge smile on his face! He lifted his pant leg to reveal to me that the sores had scabbed over and are healing. I was very happy to see that it helped! Next thing I knew I had 4 more children coming to me to show me their wounds… it seems my job won’t be done anytime soon.
Despite the very unsanitary and harsh conditions they live in, the children are mostly very radiant. I am doing my best to keep them smiling and to help in whatever way I can. I must go now – my sister in the host family, Portia, is taking me to the market this afternoon…. It will be very fun I’m sure.
Thank you again for all of your support. Despite some of the harsh realities I have been having a wonderful time here in Tamale and learning a lot. I would love to hear from each of you and will write again soon.
Love from Ghana, Gabrielle
6/9/2008
Ghana: Part 2 with pictures!
Hello everyone! Thank you to all of you who replied to my first email. It is really nice to hear from you. I don't have too much time to write today because it has taken me a while to upload the pictures, but I'll update you briefly.
This past weekend was hands down one of the best weekends of my life! I visited Mole National Park which is about a 4 hour bus ride from Tamale and saw some amazing wildlife!! Emmanuel came with me and we had a really wonderful time. On Saturday morning he woke me up and told me to come outside because there were some animals he wanted me to see... little did I know that there were elephants right outside the motel room!!!! I couldn't believe it. My jaw was dropped for a good 30 minutes watching them. They are such big but seemingly gentle creatures. I've attached a picture. After that we went on a safari walk and saw some antelope, hogs, and more elephants. In the afternoon we went swimming at the pool and there were baboons and monkeys everywhere! They are really smart - a few people got their mangoes stolen right off their tables! It was pretty funny. Needless to say it was a really great time and very relaxing compared to the week at the orphanage.
I've attached some pictures... I'll take more of the orphanage soon. You'll see one of me with a little girl at school - her name is Swabeda and she is really sweet, but always very sad. I've barely managed to get a smile out of her once or twice. The African dress I'm wearing is one that Portia (my host sister) made for me last week! I am truly a local now! lol. There are two pictures of typical homes or a scene you might see on any given street here. I also have a picture of me on the motorcycle with Emmanuel. One of my favorite pictures is the one of me eating fufu for the first time, which was quite interesting!! Then there are a few pictures from this weekend in Mole of sunset and the elephants, and finally one of Portia and I before going to the wedding last weekend. I was wearing one of her traditional dresses, and we are standing in front of the house I'm staying at.
I hope you'll enjoy these and I'll send more soon. Hope all is well at home. Love you all!
Take care,
Gabrielle
6/16/2008
Ghana: Part 3 with pictures
Hello my family and friends,
I have really been enjoying all of your emails, thank you so much for taking the time to write to me. I am entering my fourth week here in Ghana and on one hand it feels like I just got here, but in another way it’s like I’ve been here forever. I must admit that I am feeling a bit discouraged at times – it seems I’m running in circles at the orphanage all day long. I’m becoming more and more tired as time goes on… I’ve been sick for the last week or so with a cold that just keeps on getting worse. I’m sure that having the children all over me and the babies peeing on me is not helping! I try to use antiseptic as much as possible but there’s only so much I can do. It’s also very difficult to sleep since every few hours I am woken up by the nearby mosques that are saying prayers on the loudspeakers as 75% of the population here is Muslim. Also I am up very early- by 6 at the latest. Regardless of all this I am optimistic and focusing on making a small difference in the lives of the children. However it’s really hard to live with the fact that they will still be here after I leave…
Some of the realities I’m encountering are just unbearable, and before I tell you this story I should probably warn you that it’s pretty graphic, and has granted me a few sleepless hours for the last couple nights (some of you with weak stomachs may want to skip ahead to the next paragraph)… The other day I was in the baby ward and realized there was a new baby named Gifty who is about 10 days old and who had just arrived from the hospital. I noticed immediately her very swollen eyes – so much so that she can not open them. She has yet to see the light of day. The poor thing wouldn’t stop crying, it must be so painful. There was no one around to ask about what was wrong with her, so I just sang to her and carried her around for a few hours. The next day I was teaching at the school and inquired to one of the teachers if she knew anything about her, and what she recounted to me was one of the most unbearable things I have ever heard in my life. It seems that after Gifty was born, she was left for dead in a public toilet (which you can imagine is crawling with disease and insects…) They’re not sure how long she was there before being found, but it was long enough for maggots (yes, maggots) to start crawling into her through her ears and mouth. When she was finally brought to the hospital and put on medication they apparently started coming out of her. Can you imagine? It makes me sick to think about it. She is clean of them now and on medication… it’s actually a miracle she’s alive.
There is a new volunteer who arrived today and who will be helping in the school in the other classroom. He is nice and I am happy that the other children will get a bit more attention as well; I hope he will stay! I tried to keep him optimistic throughout the day because the reality is it’s very tough upon arrival to see how you can ever teach the children when all they do is fight each other and are used to so much violence. I hope that my words of encouragement and promise to help him as much as possible will entice him to stay here and not try to find another school to work at. The children really need all the love we can give them.
On a lighter note I was very pleased yesterday to see many of the orphans at the swimming pool – once a month they are brought there as a field trip (I think their only day away from the orphanage) and it was so great to see them smiling and laughing and just being normal kids! You know? I had a great time with my little girl Fatimata who I mentioned in the first email I sent. She’s such a cute little one. I’ve attached a picture of her from yesterday.
Also really fun was on Friday night I went to a club in Tamale with Emmanuel. It was a really great time! There was an outdoor place to dance under the stars (amazing!) and an inside with a disco-ball. Here they combine Hip-Hop dancing with their traditional African dance called Hi-Life to create a mixed version which is Hip-Life. Lots of booty shaking that’s for sure!! These people really have the rhythm and moves though, let me tell you. It was nice to get away from the usual Tamale and to dance for a few hours. Portia let me borrow a dress for the night which was good because I would have been quite out of place in my dirty cargo pants and t-shirt! I’ve attached a picture of me from then - a nice contrast to my usual dirty, sweaty look!!
There are a few other pictures I thought you would enjoy of some typical huts in the area as well as women carrying baskets on their heads and babies on their backs. Many of you have also been asking me what my house and my room look like so I have attached a picture of each. You will see that it is quite nice where I am. Finally there is a picture of the bathhouse where I take my bath each day (which means a bucket of water!) and just pray every time I enter that none of the spiders will decide to come down from the ceiling. They are supposed to have running water there as there is a shower head but it hardly ever functions. On Saturday it worked for just a few hours for the first time since I’d arrived so I took the opportunity to get a good (albeit quick) shower in and let me tell you – I had no idea how much I would enjoy feeling water flowing freely over my head!!!! Haha. Ah, no big deal though. Bathing from a bucket isn’t as bad as it sounds – you get used to it. Except when it’s late at night and a bit chilly, the water is usually quite refreshing.
The food has been good although I haven’t been very hungry – it’s so hot that most days I just want to drink water and eat fruit! I usually have rice at night, but I’ve asked my family to just give it to me plain because their sauces are so spicy!! On Saturday I made pasta with marinara sauce for my family since they have all been asking for me to make some food that I would normally eat. It was quite a challenge to try and find all the ingredients for the sauce at the local market but I managed and it came out pretty well! It took a long time doing everything by hand though!! (But so worth it to have some pasta!)
Anyways I am doing alright here, always trying to see the positive and just make the children and my host family and friends smile however I can. Everyone is still as welcoming and wonderful as always.
Talk to you soon and take care.
With love from Ghana,
Gabrielle
6/21/2008
Ghana: Part 4
Hello everyone!
I hope this email finds each of you healthy and happy at home. I’m not sure how much time I’ll have to write but I’ll update you as much as I can. Right now I am waiting for a car to come pick up Emmanuel and I as we are going to Paga for the day (a small village in the north near the Burkina Faso border). They supposedly have a crocodile pond there that is very interesting. Hopefully we’ll make it – it seems the car is having some trouble… oh well, no worries!
In any case my week has gone fairly well. I am feeling much better (my cold seems to be going away), and there are now two more volunteers helping at the school, which is really great because more of the children can be learning now. We actually created a new class and the two of them are working with about 15 children in there. I still have my class of 15 as well, and then there are about 30 who are younger and in daycare in another classroom. The teaching is going well - I'm really getting into the groove of things and finding it pretty rewarding to see the students learning. I am also getting along well with the head teacher, Emelia, who although she is sometimes severe with the children, she has been pretty flexible with me and is starting to take more of my advice when I make recommendations about teaching or how the day should be structured or how to discipline, etc... It's good to see she’s starting to value my advice now that I’ve taught for a few weeks.
As for the children, they are generally doing well. Earlier this week I had a funny moment with little Fatimata who was trying to tell me something (which already surprised me because she usually doesn’t talk at all) – it sounded something like "ooo ooo hooho ooo" (LOL) and then she just leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek!! It was sooo funny and cute. I wish I'd gotten it on tape! I'll have to be careful not to let her get too attached to me though so she doesn't feel the sense of abandon when I leave. Later that day I was at the baby ward when she was crying so I took her in my arms for a while and was sitting on some steps outside when one of the staff ladies came out and was chatting with me a bit… She was trying to convince me to take Fatimata home with me, saying she really loves me and that I would take good care of her… it broke my heart a little.
On Wednesday I had quite the morning… I was bicycling to school around 8 am when all of a sudden I looked up ahead to see some REALLY dark clouds approaching. So I'm like "uh-oh!” and I started pedaling a lot faster, just hoping to make it before the rain. Everything was chaos - people running and cycling and motorcycles everywhere - then just when it started to rain (I was about 2 minutes away from the school), a little girl of about 4 ran across the dirt road without looking and got hit by a motorcycle right in front of me. She went flying.... I just jumped off my bike and was glad when I got to her to see her moving... she had a huge scrape all over the side of her face and was screaming. Ugh, it was horrible to see. Thankfully she will be okay though. I was about to get out my first aid when the people on the moto just came over and scooped her up and said they’d take her home... Anyway by that time it was pouring rain (as in the crazy tropical downpour in which you're soaked after about 15 to 20 seconds!) so I just walked the rest of the way to school. Everyone was laughing when I got there, including myself, I was definitely a sight to see! I’m just glad the little girl was okay, although she’ll be hurting for a while.
Yesterday I spent the day running between my class and the other class because one of the volunteers wasn't there and the other needed some help since it was only her second day… It was quite the multitasking adventure! You can just picture me holding a baby in one arm while writing on the board with the other, trying to keep the peace in the classroom and correct papers at the same time!! lol. Also yesterday there was a little boy who was crying that his elbow hurt so I looked under the bandaid he had on it to find a huge sore all infected with puss and flies all over it... ugh, it even smelled! It was pretty disgusting... I knew he was going to scream when I disinfected it but there was no choice, so I just squeezed his hand real hard while I put the antiseptic on. He didn't like it too much to say the least, but hey, gotta clean it. I feel like I'm playing nurse at the school. Everyone knows I have first aid stuff with me so they're all coming to me for help. Nothing too severe so far (thank god)... Last night Evelyn (my host mother) and I made me a new dress with some fabric I bought yesterday. It's really pretty!! I look very African (well I mean, other than the color of my skin.. a minor detail lol!)
Many of you have written to me that I am probably finding it easier and easier to be here. In one sense you are right, but in another, it’s getting harder in a way… In terms of the lifestyle (getting up very early, bathing from a bucket, eating different foods, the heat, getting around, teaching), I’m becoming more and more comfortable as time goes on. To be honest I was quite surprised at how fast I adjusted to it all – I thought it would take me longer, but it’s been really easy. The harder part has been that as time passes I’m noticing more of the details – realities that I didn’t necessarily see at the first glance of the larger picture, and that’s making it difficult because I know that there is only so much I can do. I mentioned in my last email how difficult it is to know that all of this will still be here when I leave. As I was reminded though, it’s important to be thankful and by consciously appreciating all the little things I have, I can honor the people here in a way.
One aspect of life that has really struck me as a change for the better is that everything here is done a bit slower, and the simplicity of certain things is really nice. I mean, it goes without saying that obviously there are certain things that need to be done quicker – it takes forever to get medical care for example, or like today to fix a car!! But in the everyday life that the local people live, it seems they have more time to appreciate the things that are really important. I mean, how many problems do we cause for ourselves with all of the electronic gadgets and cars and crazy schedules we have?? Here, after work closes at 5 pm, everyone goes home to spend time with their families. To eat and talk and take walks… it’s so beautiful in comparison to being at home where many of us spend our evenings on the computer and television and phone and going out and running around everywhere. Here I have time for reading and writing and talking and truly relaxing once the day is done. It shows that sometimes the things we think are making our lives easier or more comfortable may be doing just the opposite. In fact, there’s something beautiful about scrubbing clothes with your hands and cooking over a fire and bathing from a bucket. Also, people take the time for one another here. Everyone is always saying hello and good morning and genuinely interested in the well-being of one another. It’s heart-warming, and I can see that there’s a lot to learn here.
Needless to say I am having a wonderful experience – learning so much every day and just doing my best to be open to new things and to be present to each moment.
Well, Emmanuel has just come back to the office and says they are still working on the car… not a good sign. Oh well. Regardless of what we end up doing I know the day won’t go to waste!
Love and best wishes from Tamale,
Gabrielle
6/26/2008
Ghana: Part 5 VIDEO!
Hello family and friends!
I have an exciting update today - on Tuesday I was able to make a video diary of "an average day in the life" here in Tamale, and have succeeded in uploading it to YouTube!!! Wow!! I hope that you will all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it. You can follow this link to view it (hopefully there won't be any glitches!):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZN7zzGFe0U
This week has been pretty relaxed, it seems we have entered the rainy season now so the days are getting a bit cooler (relatively speaking, that is) which has been nice. There were some serious issues this week with two of the teachers caning a little boy of about 2 years old in the other classroom when we were outside for lunch. He has red marks all over his front and back... very sad. We've reported it to the supervisor though and have the support of a few staff members in the baby orphanage so hopefully it won't happen again. I am still amazed at how someone can hit a child like that...
In other news I am taking concrete steps towards extending my stay here in Tamale until the end of August. I was supposed to be returning home on July 23rd, but I have decided that I would like to stay for an extra month. I am starting to see lots of progress with the children at school and am enjoying learning and experiencing a different way of life here. So assuming the details work out, I'll be here for another two months, which I'm quite happy about. It will give me more time to teach and care for the babies, and I'll want to travel as well for about two weeks.
In any case I hope that you are all well at home and I look forward to hearing your responses about my video! I'm sure you'll get a good laugh if anything :)
Talk to you all very soon.
Take care,
Gabrielle
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