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Published: June 17th 2008
I just got back from my vision quest in Daboya. It was amazing. There is so much to tell you. I travelled with a fellow trainee, Vicky, for my vision quest. Don't worry, she is one of the 50+ year old volunteers so settle down Jenny. It took 2 hours in a bus on a dirt road to get to the end of the line. To get to Daboya you must cross a river in a larg flat bottom canoe. As we arrived to meet our host, a PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer) named Larry. We were followed by a group of US Marines. Yes, I didn't miss type, there was a group of Marines in Ghana... I was thoroughly suprised myself. As it turns out, a bunch of marines, air force, and navy personel were training some Ghanaian solders near by. The Air Force Doctors were on a two week mission to provide free dental, optamatry, and medical care to surrounding villages. After they are done they will be donating 10 thousand dollars worth of supplies to the clinic in Daboya. Too bad more of the world doesn't hear about the humanitarian missions carried out by the US military. We spent the whole day giving tours to military because Larry's primary project is to develop tourism in Daboya. The main export of Daboya is fabric used to make smocks, jackets, hats, and other apparel. Men, and only men do all of the dyeing, weaving, and sowing to fabricate the clothing. The weavers dye the yarn blue and black, which is made from the indigo leaf. The whole process is extensive and very time consuming. The craftsmenship is unbelievable. All of the boys in school want to become weavers when they grow up in Daboya.
I also got the opporunity to experience the Ghanaian school system for the first time. I sat in on a junior high level math class. Everything is taught in english. From what I have heard, it is unlikely that I will become fluent in the local language where I am assigned. I'll be able to communicate as much as I can when it comes to spanish, enough to get me by. The math class was fairly elementary and I am not worried about the difficulty of the material if I end up teaching at a junior high school. The students are remarkably well behaved, but I think it just stems from the culture of Ghana. After a break I was waiting for class to start with the students but the teacher was not there. I am going to have to get used to the cultural norm of Ghana that things will happen when they happen, and that is never "on time" by American standards. The scheduling or lack there of will be a personal struggle for me. Jenny would always be on time or even early by Ghanaian standards. I got the opportunity to talk with the students quite a bit though. We talked about soccer or football a lot and they gave me crap because Ghana beat USA in World Cup 2006. The sad thing is that the school doesn't have any soccer balls right now. The fields they play on are very rough on the balls and they go through them quickly. But the good thing is that Larry met a marine whose church has 200 soccer balls they want to donate to Ghana and they just found a home. It will probably take a while to get them here but when they do they should have a enough to last a long time. I showed the students where I live on a map and they had a ton of questions about America.
Here is some random info you might want to know. Tell Connor and Dylan that the Peace Corps gave me a reading on the snakes of Ghana and what to do. More importantly, I learned that all Ghanaians HATE snakes. It doesn't matter what kind of snake it is, they hate them. During a break at school the students found a snake and stoned it to death. There was a huge uproar and everyone wanted to get a shot in. When I got a look at the snake it was no bigger than a garden snake. So all I have to do is yell "SNAKE" and everyone that can hear me will help kill the snake. For the first time I saw the mud hut villages and red dirt that is classic imagery of Africa on my way to Daboya. The food is great so far and I haven't had any problems adapting to it. I bought something to eat out of the window of a bus for breakfast and it was the African equivalent to the doughnut. Women carry the biggest and heaviest bowls and buckets full of food/anything else on the top of their heads and it is mind boggling. I've been out in the HOT sun for hours but am somehow not burned. My guess is that there is no hole in the atmosphere above Ghana. I have a ton of awesome pictures but the internet is too slow to upload them. I might send CD's home, but I'm not sure about it yet. Things are still too crazy to get anything figured out. Tomorrow I go to our training site in Kukurantumi and I will hopefully have a cell phone within a few days. I'm sure there is more, but too bad for now. I send my love. Later.
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Mandy
non-member comment
Amazing
This sounds so amazing Andrew! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. It's insane to think you're so far away (physically and culturally) that it's like you're on another planet. One of my favorite shows (No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain) was all about Ghana last night. I have it recorded, and plan on watching it tonight. Should be at least a bit of insight into what your surroundings are like - with an emphasis on local cuisine. Can't wait to read more. Be safe!! :) Love - Mandy