Here today -- gone Tamale

Hey Everyone…

Sorry it has taken so long to send a proper update. My old standby Kodakgallery doesn't work from here so I'm hoping this will work as a way for me to stay in touch!

I am now settling in at Justice FM in Tamale. I feel like I’m a newborn learning everything for the first time. I’m learning the culture, local language, food, as well as how different things are like politics and the media.

I’m living with a family - it has been interesting. It has helped me learn about the food - and just some basics about the dynamics of a family and the roles everyone is expected to take on. My family is Muslim so I am learning a bit more about Islam. Here in the north - the majority of people are Muslim. The men are allowed to have up to four wives - so a few of my co-workers families who have two mothers.

I am lucky to live in a house with a fan and a toilet and a cold shower. Power outages used to be incredibly common here - but I’m told that it’s getting better. There have only been a handful of outages since I’ve arrived. Water is another issue. Even though we have the infrastructure and pipes to our house - the water provider has decided to turn off the pipes more often than they are on. There are problems with distribution - that means that we are often without water.

When I’m out of the house washrooms are a challenge. My workplace does not have a washroom - neither do most restaurants. There are some public washrooms (which are shared by thousands of people). You pay five cents and are handed a piece of newspaper. The toilets are all squat toilets - without doors on the front. Unlike the squat toilets in Thailand - these ones don’t appear to be cleaned ever so you are also swatting away flies while you are carrying out your business. For the most part I just try not to drink too much so that I won’t have to use the washroom when I’m out of the house.

The food here is very starch based - banku, fufu and tezet are the staples. They are balls of dough (the consistency of playdough that you tear apart and dip in a stew or soup to eat. Some other common things are friend plantains, red beans, and of course rice with stew. Bread is very common here - it comes in long loaves (French style). For breakfast I am given bread and margarine and tea.

Work - I am responsible for the Freedom Thursday program. It’s a weekly human rights program - and I’m hoping to get as many people involved in it as possible. I really get along well with some of my co-workers and I’m excited about the work that we will do together. We had our first photo journalism workshop this Tuesday - and I have gone out with about 3 of the reporters to learn about how to take pictures and what makes good photo journalism. I’m hoping that some of them will have their photos selected for a photo exhibition that Journalists for Human Rights is putting on. I will also try and get the photos of my co-workers published in as many places as possible - including the JHR website.

You can visit www.jhr.ca and search my name under (Foreign Correspondance) to see the work that we are doing. I will update this site throughout my stay.

In my personal life - I don’t have much of a social life. It gets dark around 6:00 pm - so I try not to stay out too late. Shawn and I went to watch a football game last weekend and it has made me excited for the African Cup of Soccer which will be held in Ghana in January.

The 3 hour commute in the heat by bicycle was too much - so Shawn and I broke down and bought a motorcycle. It’s a 70’s Yamaha (scooterish) - and I’ve learned to drive it. I’m very cautious and have stayed away from the busy roads thus far because the drivers are crazy. It has provided an incredible amount of freedom thus far though. Who'd have thought that after living in Thailand for ten months without learning how to drive a motorcycle I would learn in my first week here!

Shawn and I took a drumming lesson this week at the Youth Home. It was fun - and I’m hoping to do this weekly.

Shawn has been volunteering at the Northern Friends for Development. It’s a local NGO that works with young women to teach them skills so that they can earn a living. He has been helping with the afternoon classes (basic education) as well as with grant proposal type stuff. He also has his finger in a bunch of other pots - so I’ll update you as he knows more. I spent last friday afternoon at the centre with the girls working on English. I taught them "You are my sunshine!" and it was a blast.


This entry is getting long - so I will end here. Thanks for your support..and I hope to hear from you soon! Peace!

Nichole

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