Ghana: Phase Two

Many of you know that when I initially signed up to volunteer in Ejura, I committed only through the first term, or the middle of December. I was nervous about spending the entire time in one place. I hit mid-December, and felt good about staying until April.

Then we had our holiday break.

I spent most of the past month traveling. I realized that there is so much more in Ghana that I want to see and do. I realized that village life can be very isolating. I realized that I am not required to stay in Ejura until the end of April. Then I realized that Katy (the volunteer from Texas) was feeling the exact same way.

So...

My time in Ejura is coming to a close. I will be staying here until the end of January and then Katy and I will be heading to the beach! We're going to rent a room in Cape Coast and see what kind of volunteer opportunities we can find in the city. We're going to drink coffee (there's one "coffee house" that serves drip coffee), use the internet (there are five cafes), eat pineapple everyday (there's never any pineapple in Ejura), browse in the bookstore, and we're going to enjoy having electricity!!!

While I am sad to leave Ejura, the school, and the boys at home, I am very excited to explore a new place. Katy is like the little sister I never had, and I think we will have a good time. I will keep you posted as to a new mailing address. If you've sent mail already, it should arrive within the next two weeks. If not, there are volunteers here that can collect it and get it to me. Worry not.

In other news, the second term of school started today. It was a slow start, as only about 50 students showed up (out of 400). The first week tends to be slow. I will head to Cape Coast tomorrow to look for a room to rent, and then will meet up with the girls (Katy, Nicole, and Klara) on Friday to head to Accra for the Africa Cup Opening Ceremony on Sunday.

And to end with a funny story: Katy's birthday was last week. I had some leftover decorations from my birthday and so we blew up balloons, hung a banner and I passed out the birthday horns (thanks, Deborah). I knew when I was passing out the horns that it was a bad idea. But, nonetheless, I gave the six little boys each a birthday horn to blow at the end of singing "Happy Birthday."

One week later. I am so tired of those horns. I have asked nicely. I have asked not-so-nicely. I have tried to snatch them out of the boys' mouths. I have tried to sneak up on them...nothing works. And since they know that I'm annoyed by the horns, even better. They blow them more. And more. And louder. And longer. And in my face.

Last night I had it. I offered the neighbor Hamidu, who is 19, five cedis (about 5 bucks) if he could get the horn away from Akwasi and bring it to me. In the pitch dark, he did it. It took about five minutes, but he did it. He brought it to me and I handed him the five cedis.

Of course, as you may have predicted, Kwame then stepped out with his horn and started blowing it. Katy spoke up and offered a matching five cedi for the capture of Kwame's horn. Again, about five minutes passed, and Hamidu approached the dinner table and presented the horn. Katy exchanged the money.

I know there are four more horns possibly out there. I will deal with that when the time comes. But, for now, we are smiling at the silver lining. Hamidu wasn't going to be able to attend school this semester as he didn't have the money to pay for it. How much did he need, you might ask?

Ten cedis.

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