A quick trip to the Ashanti

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Now that we’ve gotten that bit more used to the amount of walking we have to do and acclimatised to the weather we’ve found ourselves straying away from the usual - collapse on the couch from exhaustion - routine which usually followed work. We never realised how much there was to be seen until we started venturing out a bit more. For the first month or so we didn’t even know the name of the closest neighbouring village to our home of Abee. Across the recently built bridge over the Sweet River lies a village called Amisano. Before the bridge was built the journey from Abee to Amisano could take more than twenty minutes but now takes a mere two. It has become a valuable asset to both communities as trade between them is far more convenient and it allows Abee farmers much easier access to their farms just across the river. Myself, Eoin and Annie strolled over one afternoon and headed up a short road out of the village. We couldn’t believe it when we stumbled upon a large seminary with 200 student priests currently attending. The large church was the first thing that caught our eye and further on we found the large residential blocks where the students stay for their four years at the seminary. In the middle was a large football field where a heated game was taking place between two second year teams. As with most places we’ve visited in Ghana we were welcomed warmly. A few students showed us around and introduced us to the head of the seminary. While me and Eoin chatted with him one of the students took the opportunity to have a quick word in Annie’s ear “I’m not even sure I want to be a priest... if you know what I mean”. We took that as our cue to leave.
On the back of that success myself and Eoin decided to take a stroll around the Cape Coast University (UCC) campus the following weekend. Up until now I thought the UL campus was a bit on the large size but only now do I realise how conveniently small it is. We entered UCC at one of its many entrances and managed to find staff accommodation, student accommodation, an on-campus kindergarten, primary and secondary school and even a small village before we saw anything that resembled a third level educational facility. All these sights happened to be a good fifteen minutes walk from each other and we eventually surrendered by hailing a taxi and asking him to take us to the nearest exit.
Annie will probably want me to add the fact that me and her walked the hour and a half from Elmina to Abee one afternoon as well. Nothing particularly interesting happened, we’re just quiet proud of ourselves. All the walking does have negative aspects mind. I’ve found myself buying a new pair of flip-flops almost every weekend to replace the last battered and broken pair.
One place we never made it to was a nearby village called Simiw. Up until recently that is, when Sr. Pat decided to remove me from my school in Atonkwa and place me in Simiw instead. Once you leave the main road there is nothing but miles of dusty road until you reach Simiw. Due to its isolation it seems to possess an unspoilt beauty you don’t see in the other villages. The roads are clear of the rubbish which line either side approaching most villages and the school itself is kept immaculately clean. The headmaster is a very generous man who grows fruit and palm nuts in his garden which he gives to the students. He also gives charcoal found on school property to the local families to sell for themselves. Simiw has never received a Limerick volunteer before and has never had a white teacher among their ranks but they’ve made me feel welcome from day one. The one downside is that the 40 minute walk with nothing but trees and bushes lining the road leads to quite a few insects, flies and mosquitoes trying to eat me but I’m getting used to that as well.
Nolly, a long time friend of Mark Mantey and Ahoto’s took me, Annie and Eoin on our first trip out of the Central Region last weekend. We spent the weekend in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti Region. Sadly I’m having difficulty uploading photos out here so I’ll paint as good a picture as I can for you. The main road from Cape Coast to Kumasi is unlike any main road between two major towns I’ve ever seen. At some stages it actually disappears into a potholed dirt track with cars weaving in zig-zags across the road to avoid causing serious damage to their cars. One driver even decided he would rather hit us than take his chances with a pot-hole and came within inches of us. After getting a tour of his house, which is currently being built, Nolly dropped us into the heart of Kumasi to have a look around the market. The pace of life moves far quicker in the large cities than it does in the smaller areas we’re used to and we learned quickly that if you’re in the way they’ll push you aside or walk straight over you. One fantastic looking part of the market was set up on an old train track running through the city. Even the pedestrian bridge crossing over the old train line was being utilized to display counterfeit soccer jerseys.
Nolly's son took us to the closest thing to a nightclub in Kumasi on Saturday night. It was a small bar with a dancefloor and no toilets but was jammed all the same due to its proximity to the college (in fact it was situated in the front yard of a student accomodation building). It was the first time I felt like I could have been at home since I've arrived. College educated Ghanaians are totally different to the locals we meet in Abee. The influence of Western television is obvious with the latest chart music being played and designer labels on everybodies back's. The divide between rich and poor, city and village, is so apparent you would be forgiven for thinking you were in a different country altogether.

The Easter break from school starts next week, during which we are running a camp in Ahoto for kids from the area. Hopefully we will get a week or so to do some traveling as well as there is an awful lo to be seen.

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