CYLers Donate to Light for Children

December 10, 2007

Dear CYL Participants and Facilitators,

It is with great pleasure that I write you this update. This past weekend, I visited an organization in Kumasi, Ghana called Light for Children. Light for Children is a not-for-profit organization that provides education about HIV/AIDS as well as providing care and support for HIV positive orphans and vulnerable children.

The profits from your Co-operative Snack Shacks that you, as members, voted for me to donate to an HIV/AIDS cause in Ghana on your behalf is going to help to support one such child for a year ($630 US). I had the privilege of meeting and visiting with three children that are sponsored through Light for Children. I would like to tell you about these encounters.

Yaw Otchere Baffour, Executive Director of Light for Children accepts the donation brought by Sonja Carrière on behalf of the CYL Participants

The first house I visited was Justin’s. Justin is 9 years old and HIV positive. He is a HUGE football (soccer) fan and wants nothing more in the world than a Michael Essien (who plays for Ghana’s Blackstars) football jersey. With a huge smile he spoke of football and decided it would be fun to take my sunglasses off my head, put them on his face, and walk around posing. One cool dude! He was a riot. His grandmother is his caretaker because Justin is an orphan. As Mike Owusu, a Light for Children affiliate, explained, Justin is a burden to his grandmother because she already has a number of children to care for. The cost of his medication and food to ensure he gains the proper nutrition he needs to remain healthy are too expensive for her to afford. If it were not for Justin’s Light for Children sponsor, this young boy would not be receiving the medicine that will ultimately prolong his life.

Left: Justin wearing my shades
Right: Justin and some friends making sure they're in the picture!

The second house I visited was Kwadwo's. Kadwo (pronounced Kwajo) is 6 years old and HIV positive. He is also an orphan. His caretaker is a young woman in her early twenties. She invited us into her yard, provided us seats, and went to collect Kwadwo and his brother's report cards as well as pictures of Kwadwo's a year ago prior to his treatment. The photographs were shocking. You would never guess that a year ago this healthy, active boy was only skin and bones. He had no meat on him at all. Even his buttocks were caved in. It was so sad. Since then, he has been sponsored and his health has improved drastically. He is doing okay in school and is full of energy. It is unreal how this boy's life has turned around in the course of a year.

The third house I visited was Mabel and Mavis'. These two twin 9 year old girls are also HIV positive and orphans. As with Justin, their grandmother is their caretaker. She is a strong woman with 18 grandchildren, of whom I had the privilege of meeting about 12. They excitedly gathered around us as we handed out toffees (candy) and then they proceeded to have a dance party in their grandmother's living room. Seeing such a huge family all living in close quarters, it is evident that there is no way the grandmother could adequately provide these girls with antiretroviral drugs or proper nutrition. Without the help of their Light for Children sponsor, these two girls would not be the vibrant, healthy beings they are today.

The money that you donated from your Snack Shack profits has been donated on your behalf to Light for Children to support a child like those I have told you about above for a year. It will pay for their antiretroviral medication, proper nutrition, and for their school fees. I will soon have the details from the Founder and Executive Director of Light for Children about the child you have sponsored. Once I get it, I will send it your way. But I wanted you to know that you have offered a child a wonderful gift this holiday season: that of a healthy life.

Congratulations. You should be very proud of your donation!
For more information about Light for Children, visit www.lightforchildren.com.

Have a wonderful holiday season full of love, laughter, and cheer.
Warm Fuzzies,

Sonja Carrière
Former CYL Coordinator

How Sports Can Bring a Nation Together

Football, also known as soccer in North America, seems to be the world's sport. Only North America, Australia, and New Zealand have yet to jump on the football fever band wagon. As an ice hockey enthusiast in Canada, I find myself deprived of the exhiliration, camaraderie, and competition that takes over when the hockey season begins. With the warm weather in Ghana and absence of ice, I have decided that I may as well embrace the local sport and fill the sports void in my life.

With the African Nations Cup coming to Ghana in January 2008, there is not a better time to become familiar with this sport! So far, I have been fortunate enough to see a few games on television, but even with the Ghanaians shouting every goal or near goal, nothing compares to the Four Nations Cup game that I got to attend.

November 18th at 5pm, Ghana took on Togo in the tournament. A group of friends bought tickets to attend the event. Tickets were 5 Ghana cedis for the upper deck (roughly 6 Canadian dollars), 10 Ghana cedis for the lower deck, or 50 Ghana cedis for the VIP seats which included entry into the locker rooms to mingle with Ghana's Black Stars players. We opted for the lower deck seats and could not believe how close we were! In row G, we found ourselves 7 rows from the field. Little did we know that the glass protecting fans from the ball would be so difficult to see through with the sun shining! We quickly learned that the seats would not fill up and moved a little higher so that we could see above the glass.

The atmosphere in the stadium was incredible. Ghana colours were proudly displayed in the form of jerseys, flags, hats, body paint, etc.. Fans were chanting the soccer theme with pride and enthusiasm. As I know little about the sport, I learned quickly by following the sounds in the stands when there was a goal, when there was a near miss, and when the crowd were dissatisfied with the referee's call. Ghana's team was evidently superior to Togo's and won the game easily with 2 goals to none.

They went on a few nights later to defeat Benin for first place in the tournament with a 4-0 win. We were staying in a guest house since we were travelling for work and I managed to catch the end of the game with the staff of the guest house. I could certainly sympathize with the zest and enlightenment that accompanied their team's win as I experienced when my team, the Ottawa Senators, made it to the Stanley Cup Finals the previous season. This small tournament gave me a glimpse into what Ghana will be like during the African Cup of Nations. It made me realize that sports worldwide share the same phenomenon: the fans want something to believe in and want to be a part of celebrating a win. What could be more satisfying than that? I cannot wait to see how Ghana does and will certainly be among those decked out in red, yellow, and green. Hopefully celebrating in the streets at the tournaments' end.

Student Empowerment: Successes of Youth Savings Clubs in Ghanaian Schools

Since 1999, the Ghana Co-operative Credit Union Association (CUA) Ltd. has hosted a Youth Savings Programme with the goal of "inculcating the habit of savings into the youth". The credit unions' apex organization saw the need to educate youth about saving, and the credit union system as a whole, to ensure a succession plan was in place for the credit union sector.

CUA Management also saw the need to educate their members and the youth in the credit unions' communities about healthy living so that members were strong and healthy enough to enjoy their savings. They therefore began HIV/AIDS awareness sessions that both educated members and youth alike on this and other sexually transmitted diseases. This education grew to include peer education and awareness training on stigma and discrimination as well as the need for behaviour change to reduce the increasing prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in Ghana.

This past month, November 2007, the Youth Savings and HIV/AIDS Department at CUA has been to several of the countries' regions to speak to secondary students about the importance of saving and about current prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS in Ghana and the need to change their behaviour towards this and other STIs as well as towards those living with HIV/AIDS. Each presentation has followed the same format: Ms. Gabianu, the HIV/AIDS Education Co-ordinator at CUA, gives a brief history about the Youth Savings Programme and touches briefly on the reason CUA felt the need to put the programme into place; then I, the Youth Savings Intern, speak about the importance of practicing the habit of savings; finally, Maya Nakajima, the HIV/AIDS Education Intern, gives the students current statistics about the increasing prevelance rate of HIV/AIDS (from 2.7% in 2005 to 3.2% in 2006) in Ghana and the fact that youth aged 15-24 years make up 30% of those infected and those under 35 years of age make up 88%.

Each of our talks seem to be received with great enthusiasm on the part of the students. They cheer when we say our names, which to them are very exotic. They also cheer loudly when we incorporate Twi, the local language, into the presentation. It is all very exciting for the students as well as for us since we are so well received, but for me the most exciting part about these visits is learning about the students who have really made an effort to save the little that they do not need to get by in their day to day lives and have truly made a difference for themselves.

These student success stories come in various forms. There are those who have managed to pay their school fees and eliminated the need for administration to send them home to fetch it from their parents. There are those who have saved up enough to start up a small business during or after their secondary schooling. There are those who have paid for admission forms to post secondary institutions to continue their education. And then there are the few rare cases where students went above and beyond, either due to circumstance or due to a keen eye for a great opportunity.

The beauty of this programme is that it helps students to prepare for the future while putting ownership on them that the future is theirs and no one else's responsibility. In my speech to students about the importance of saving, I tell them about one of the students who used his saving to support his family in an unfortunate circumstance. One day, this student's family home burned to the ground. They had absolutely nothing left, no funds, nothing. It is very different here in Ghana than in North America. People often do not have enough income to warrant depositing their money in the bank or a credit union. Unfortunately, it is not a choice they make as they do not have the minimum savings required to maintain an open bank account. Therefore this family found themselves without any lodging, food, or money. The student used his personal savings to support his family for a week until they could figure things out. Had he not been a part of the youth savings programme, things may have been much more dismal for his family.

Another student set her mother up for success by using her savings to purchase a deep freezer for her. With this deep freezer, her mother managed to start up a small business and therefore generated enough income to pay her daughter's and other children's school fees.

There are many headmasters, headmistresses, teachers, and even students who are skeptical about the Youth Savings Clubs (YSCs) operating within 37 of Ghana's secondary schools and training colleges. They do not understand how individuals who can barely support themselves as it is can manage to save. But by putting away a tiny fraction of their pocket, lunch, or transportation money that they can manage to forget about and do without, students in Ghana are setting up a slush fund for themselves and creating a brighter future while learning about budgeting.

The New Tema Station, Brought to You by Raid

Every country has its problem areas in terms of poverty and so called "eye sores" in its cities. I guess when I first arrived at Tema Station in Accra, Ghana - the main station where tro-tros (rundown mini-buses) convene - I never considered it to be problematic. Yes, I will admit the hustle and bustle of the tro-tros, vendors, and pedestrians was a little overwhelming at first with people crying out the prices of their merchandise and trying to get the attention of people as they walked by, especially us Obrunis (caucasians). However, visiting the market or driving through the streets of Accra, you would encounter the same kinds of activity. People everywhere here are struggling to get by and are making their ends meet by selling their merchandise whereever and however they can.

After living in Accra for a couple of months, I was really beginning to enjoy the charm of Tema Station. It has a certain rhythm about it. Any day to day item you need can be found there and Maya, my roommate, and I would often pick up our produce for dinner there on our way home. Day after day we would see the same women and men as we passed through the station on our way to or from work. Faces became familiar and we befriended a couple of the vendors where we purchased shoes or produce.

For many of the women, men, and children in Tema Station, it was not only the location of their business, but often their home as well. Small sheds were set up and adorned with their merchandise and with no other place to go, some people spent their entire days and nights there. You can see them sleeping in the day's heat or eating their dinners as you pass by on the way to your cozy home or dinner. It really is remarkable to see people so chipper every day when you know that they are faced with such poverty. It really puts things in your life into perspective.

About a week and a half ago, the Tema Station I had grown so accustomed to underwent major changes. One afternoon on our way home from work, we noticed that they had begun to tear down some of the sheds. Utterly confused, Maya and I speculated that maybe it had something to do with the looming rain. The next morning when our tro-tro pulled into the station we realized that we were terribly wrong. The strong smell of smoke stung our nostrils and we glanced out the tro-tro window in shock and disbelief at the rubble and garbage that was the only remaining evidence of the vivacity that had previously occupied Tema Station. It was overwhelmingly disheartening. I walked through the station absolutely numb at the thought of all of those people who had nowhere to go. How do you take everything you have and just start over in the streets? As if life is not difficult enough as it is.

I soon learned from a friend that the motives behind the 'clean-up' were to make a cleaner Accra. However, there is some speculation that it has something to do with the upcoming 2008 African Nations Cup that is being hosted in Ghana or the 2008 Presidential Election. Whatever the true motivations, it makes me really sad to see so many people at a loss of their home, their business, and, for some, their merchandise. I cannot even begin to fathom the challenges these brave people face with pride and dignity every day of their lives. And now the government poses another barrier for them without providing them with an alternative place to go. One can only speculate that as a result of this action, crime rates will go up and more lives will be lost due to a lack of basic provisions.

Ghana is not alone in sweeping their problems under the rug so that the world does not see it. After talking to friends, I learned that Vancouver is doing a similar clean-up for the 2010 Olympics. It is happening right in our Canadian backyard. And the worst part? The way only a positive light is shed on these endeavours. They are not providing people with a way to end their troubles, they are adding to them and yet claiming it to be a good thing. And right outside Tema Station now hangs a sign that's revolting underlying message says it all about the mentality behind this sweep: The New Tema Station, brought to you by Raid.

There`s No Hallowe'en in Ghana But Dressing Up Still Happens in October

One bright October morning, my colleagues and I travelled to a school to address the new students and educate them about the Youth Savings Club in their school. We arrived at the school and asked to speak to the Teacher Supervisor of the club. Unfortunately, according to her colleagues, she had not yet arrived. So we began to walk around in search of her or a member of the Youth Savings Club that could point us in the right direction.

There was a lot of commotion and chanting in the school, and as we turned a corner in the corridor there was a large group of students all crossdressing! It was very surprising to me as homosexuality is very frowned upon and illegal in Ghana. Students had smiles plastered on their faces and they were singing, dancing, and chanting through the school in large groups. At one point, a man dressed as a school boy ran by us followed by students. We came to learn that he is the headmaster of the school.

We were pointed in the direction of the auditorium where the addresses to first years were being held. We arrived just as the addresses were wrapping up to find the Teacher Supervisor, Abena, sitting at the back of the auditorium. Such is life sometimes in Ghana. Things do not always go according to plan and you need to be really flexible. We therefore took the opportunity to go converse with her in the staff room so that we could learn more about their school's Youth Savings Club and its successes and challenges.

During our time in the staff room, one of the male teachers came in all dolled up and pulling off a very convincing woman - high voice and all. There were many laughs shared amongst staff members. It turns out that the school was celebrating its Silver Jubilee and that was the launch of two weeks worth of celebrations to mark the event.

It was nice to see that both students and teachers alike are open to experimentation for the sake of celebrating such an important event in their school's history. The joy was infectuous and I can still see and hear them chanting their school's success.

Exploring the Volta Region

Wanting to see more of this beautiful country, Maya and I requested this past Friday and Monday off to be able to travel 4 hours away to Hohoe which is found in the Volta Region (along east side of Ghana about 1/3 - 1/2 way up the country). Hohoe itself does not really have much to offer in terms of tourist attractions, but luckily for us we picked the right weekend and a festival was being held there. Traditionally two villages - Peky and Hohoe - were merged together. Sometime in the past they separated, but every year one of the two villages hosts a festival to celebrate their origins together. During the festival, accommodations are sporadically found when people from Peky just walk up to a house in Hohoe, say they are from Peky, and are invited in with open arms. It’s incredible how inviting Ghanaians are.

We departed from Accra by tro-tro at about 10am on Friday morning with Niv and Jason, two of the volunteers from the October group. Ann-Kristin met us there on Friday night. We stayed at the Grand Hotel in town which proved to be quite nice contrary to the impression I received from the Bradt Guide that we consulted. Stephen, the local Credit Union Manager had booked us a room when he visited CUA House after comparing prices. We had some lunch, met with Stephen, and then retreated to our room since it had begun to poor rain. A bunch of rounds of Texas Hold Em and Euchre later, we were ready for dinner and were afterwards joined by Ann-Kristin. Because of weather, we went back to our rooms, played some cards, and just chatted until bed.

Mount Afadjato
The following day after breakfast, we took off for Mt. Afadjato which is supposedly the highest point in Ghana at 885m above sea level (we were later told at another site that it is the highest measured point). We began the hike and I quickly realized that breathing was going to be an issue between the humid weather and the quick steep ascend that the guide was leading. Niv & I decided that we did not want to hold the our three, much more fit, friends back and so ushered them to continue on and we would go at our own pace. When it started to rain, we turned back slightly grateful. I need to get in shape! We walked back in the pouring rain to the visitor’s centre and I went to the bathhouse and wrung out my clothing during a lull in the rain. The other three returned about an hour later absolutely drenched and muddy after trudging back down.

Village Celebrations
We had planned to proceed from there to Wli Waterfalls, the largest waterfalls in Ghana, but due to the weather, we decided to simply return to Hohoe and to push our visit to the Falls back. En route to our hotel, we saw a large gathering in town where chiefs were all dressed up and adorned in gold and beautiful cloth and there was much chanting and singing. After grabbing lunch at a small chop bar (the Ghanaian equivalent of a fast food joint), we went to join in the festivities. It was incredible to see the singing, dancing, and overall joyous festivities. From the square, people began to clear out into the streets leading to two separate celebrations: one for Hohoe and one for Peky. Not sure what was going on, we followed one of the processions and inquired as to if it was appropriate for us to partake in the festivities and were warmly invited into Peky’s celebrations. In amidst the houses in part of the village, there was a group of men playing instruments and watching as solos took place to the music in the middle. These solos included dancing and acting out scenes with machetes and knives which they sometime used on their own skins. It was terrifying and intriguing to watch. They did not cut themselves but used quite firm cutting motions. I am still unsure as to how they managed to do it. We were seated behind the women who are married to the Chiefs of the village. Across the ‘street’ were the Chiefs. All of the Chiefs and their families were adorned in flashy jewellery and expensive cloth. One of the women sitting in the front row was an American and we were quite curious as to how she obtained her status. Turns out she just happened to be friends of one of the Chiefs and visiting.

Wli Waterfall and Likpe Todome Caves
Sunday morning we departed for the Waterfall. We took a taxi to Wli and then it was a 45 minute walk through the jungle with 9 footbridges. It was a beautiful walk that we shared with a couple from Denmark and their two young children, their driver, the guide, and our taxi driver. We learned this weekend that it is quite customary for the taxi driver to accompany you on your travel at no cost to them or you. Once at the waterfall, there was a changing room where we changed into shorts and tank tops. We headed to the pool and the base of the falls and had a nice, refreshing swim. It was incredible. The pool was surprisingly not deep. We even swam through the falls and touched the wall behind it! Just an exhilarating experience.

Left: Wli Waterfall
Right: Me standing in the pool at the base of the Falls after our swim

From there we took off to Likpe Todome where there is a network of 6 caves and a nearby waterfall. Little did we know that it was going to be at the top of a ‘mountain’ higher than Afadjato. After arguing over the price with the visitor centre guy (we read at both previously visited site that it was 3.50 Ghana cedis and he tried to charge us 4.50 with a big. goofy grin on his face that gave him away), and then over the taxi ride price for the day, which had already been agreed upon, we departed for the caves in somewhat of a bitter mood. That is also something that is common in Ghana. The Ghanaians see our white skin and assume that we have no idea how much things are and try to gauge you. This is extremely frustrating when you find yourself in a situation where you don’t have many other options. But may I note that I, with a very calm speech and by biting my tongue, managed to get them back to the real price. Niv told me she was impressed. Back to the caves, at the speed which they were going, I was feeling pretty tired but nothing unmanageable, but poor Niv was having a tough time. Not wanting her to get sick and knowing from the previous day how she must feel, I urged the others to continue on and Niv and I agreed that we would continue at a slower pace. Frank, the second guide, remained with us and carried her backpack. About half way up, she couldn’t do it anymore, so we decided to start back down and to go see the waterfall nearby. I was somewhat disappointed, but after talking to the others and realizing that the caves were essentially rock climbing without a harness, I was relieved that we got to see the waterfall instead. Also a beautiful sight , it was more secluded reached by a small footpath through a stream and the thick, luscious foliage of the jungle. It was neat to still be able to hear about the caves and see pictures without having to be in the “one wrong move and you’re dead” situation. We went home that night, Ann-Kristin (A.K.) went to grab the tro-tro back to Accra, and the rest of us ate dinner and went to bed pretty early so that we could get up early the next morning for the last adventure of our trip.

Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary
Although I was the one adamant on getting up at 5am to ensure we did not miss the cute, furry little creatures that we were going to visit at the Monkey Sanctuary, that dreadful hour in the morning came way to early. Niv opted out of attending having convinced herself that she would definitely be seeing monkeys at some other point in her remaining two months in Ghana or during her following camping escapades through South Africa. So the Maya, Jason, and I headed out to grab a tro-tro. Since you have to wait for the tro-tros to fill up before they will leave, we were not on the road until 6:30am. We still arrived at the junction (turn off) for Tafi Atome before 7am and sat on the back of a flatbed truck down the 5km road to the village. Our guide took us to get bananas and made a kissing noise in the direction of the bush and we were off. Two minutes into our walk into the jungle, we could hear the Chief of the Monkeys - Commando - answering the kissing noises made by our guide. When we turned deeper in it was a short time until he showed himself. From his size, it is no wonder that he is the chief of the monkeys. Mona monkeys are pretty small and he was about twice the size of most of them. They were swinging in the trees like crazy coming closer in the hopes of getting some of the bananas we brought. We each had the chance to feed them. It was absolutely incredible. I have a new goal to go see monkeys as much as I can while I am here!

Left: Me feeding Monkeys
Right: Monkey up in a tree hoping for a banana

All in all it was a wonderful weekend. We had a rather uneventful trip home aside from having to get out at a Customs Checkpoint and explain why none of us had our passports on us. It was no big deal and they let us go pretty quickly but it became pretty clear that the only reason we were stopped was because they saw us on the tro-tro.

Trip to The Hideout

First Trip With Friends
This past weekend, Maya and I were supposed to attend a work event Saturday in Accra. There was a Health Walk being held about 20 minutes from us in Celebration of International Credit Union Day in the Greater Accra Region. We found out somewhat last minute that we would have to attend, and then very last minute that we no longer had to since no one from our department would be attending. (It's slightly disorganized...)

So Friday, we found ourselves heading home on the Tro-tro somewhat discouraged because we had promised a friend we would attend an engagement party with him on Sunday therefore ruining our possibilities of taking the LONG WEEKEND to travel. Luckily, we talked to our friend and he understood. We told him we would LOVE to attend any other events with him but since we had three free days, we would really like to take advantage of that fact and travel.

The September group of Volunteer Abroad Volunteers as well as some of our housemates, Poppo (the Country Co-ordinator), and Jason, one of the October Volunteers were travelling to a resort called Green Turtle Lodge that is an EcoLodge. It sounded amazing running on solar power, having self-composting toilets, and being right on the beach! So we planned to leave early Saturday morning with Poppo and Jason to go and meet the rest of the group who had travelled there on Thursday.

Well in true Ghanaian fashion, early turned into 10:45am. (P.S. As I write this, the Best of Céline Dion is blaring on the stereo in Sharpnet, the internet café...no joke. They seem to love her here. Oh dear, the Titanic Theme has just begun :S) Anyways, sorry for the sidebar. By the time we took off and dropped off Jason's stuff at his Homestay placement in Swedru, we finally heard back from Green Turtle Lodge via text message (the cell phone reception there is not very good). Unfortunately, they had no rooms available. So we booked a room for four at The Hideout which we got the impression was nearby.

Top Left: Poppo, Maya & Jason in the tro-tro on the way to Swedru where we dropped off all Jason's stuff at his host family's en route to The Hideout
Top Right:Poppo napping on Maya on our way from Swedru to Takoradi
Bottom: Me & Poor Jason who got the worst tro-tro seat ever and had to endure having no real seatback for 4 hours:

The Hideout
We arrived at The Hideout at 6:30pm on Saturday night. We had to cross a footbridge to get there. It is located between a river and the ocean on a very secluded beach. No wonder it is called 'The Hideout' We ordered food right away since we were starving and they still needed to prepare our room. It arrived about an hour later (typical here) and then the power went out. So we ate by headlamp and flashlight until it started to pour. At that point, we followed George, the keeper at The Hideout to our bungalow. We dropped off our stuff, set up mosquito nets, Poppo passed out, and we changed into our bathing suits and headed to the beach. It was incredible to watch the sky light up over the beach from the lightening. Not the smartest move, but after travelling that far, we had to go in. The water was incredibly refreshing and so we spent some time dancing on the beach in the rain until we headed up for a pre-bedtime drink and then retired for the night.

Upper Left: Our bungalow
Upper Middle: Close up of view from our bungalow
Upper Right: Me on the footbridge leading to The Hideout
Lower Right: Our beach

The Best Tro-Tro Ride Ever & Green Turtle Lodge
Saturday morning, we woke up, ate breakfast and backtracked into Agona - a little town where we had to catch a tro-tro to Green Turtle since there was no direct vehicle from The Hideout. From there, we were very pleased to board a tro-tro where we could all sit by one another in the backseat. It appeared to be ordinary - we were wrong! Once it was full, the driver and mate (the man who calls the stops) closed up the back doors. I thought it was odd that they then tied some twine together at the back but thought maybe they were tying something one. We took off and pulled out of the tro-tro station onto the main street in Agona which has potholes large enough to fit cows and small elephants in. As we moved through each, we quickly learned that the twine at the back was to hold the back doors on the tro-tro. With each bump, the whole frame of the tro-tro shifted and our seat plummeted backwards as it appeared to only be held down by one bar. We could not contain our laughter.

We stopped once along the way to pick up some people and supplies which included a MASSIVE boat motor which three guys had to lift onto the top of the tro-tro. I joked that at least when we hit a big, full pothole, and the back doors flew open and our seat ejected us, we would have a boat motor to help us move through and navigate the pothole. It is unbelievable how many people and objects they can get into and on these vehicles. And I am pretty sure that the only qualification for a tro-tro to be on the road is that is has a working horn.

Anyways, we arrived at Green Turtle Lodge in one piece just howling about the trip. The Lodge itself is incredible. It has a large solar panel on which the entire place is run. The beach is gorgeous and litter-free which is a rarity in Accra. There were little cabins that sleep up to 7, a bar, tables and chairs, and a volleyball net. Not to far away is the "secret beach", but we did not have enough time to visit it. It was nice to spend some time swimming and exploring the beach with our friends. At the end of the night, Poppo decided to stay behind to spend an extra night with the volunteers, and Jason, Maya & I took a somewhat private tro-tro back to The Hideout where we lied on the beach by the fire star gazing and chatting.

Upper Left: Maya & I on the Beach at Green Turtle
Right: The bar & eating area at Green Turtle
Lower Left: The bungalows

Canoe Ride and Trip to a Fort
On Sunday, we booked an early morning canoe ride down the river in hopes of spotting crocodiles, monkeys, and birds. Birds we saw lots of, but we were too late to see any other wildlife. We did however learn that we could travel to a nearby fort built by the Dutch in 1640, so we arranged that tour with our guide for after breakfast. It was a very quick ascent to the fort which was incredible and offered amazing views of Butre, the town below. Once we finished, we had lunch, packed up and took off for Accra (and Jason for Swedru along the way).

Left: Our Canoe ride on the river
Right: The fort built by the Dutch in 1640

The adventure did not stop there though. After Maya and I waited an hour for the STC bus which we thought to be air conditioned, more comfortable, and more reliable, we found ourselves on a sweltering bus that broke down once on the way home and smelled funny and made a very worrisome noise every time we sped up afterwards. Great adventure though. We have booked Green Turtle with a couple of friends for New Year's Eve. I cannot wait!

I am the worst blogger ever...

Hello all!

I hope everything is fabulously fantastic with you and yours. I have not been a very good journaller or blogger as of late. The lack of internet at our house makes it difficult because I always seem to run out of time when I am at the Internet Cafés! Although right now I am sitting in a fairly posh one with air conditioning, about 40-50 computers, and decently fast internet.

First and foremost HAPPY BIRTHDAY JON!!! I know you hate the recognition, but face it: you're getting old and we should celebrate that fact!

YOUTH LEADERSHIP & BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE CONFERENCE: YOUTH TODAY, LEADERS TOMORROW & BEYOND!
What have I been up to for the past three weeks? Well I have not yet written about the National Conference that we had to organize and lead. September 21st-24th, 2007 CUA's Youth Savings & HIV/AIDS Department hosted a conference for Youth Savings Club (YSC) members at Bunso Cocoa College in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The site itself was beautiful with large trees, colourful plans, and lizards running around all over the place. The scary/gross things that I saw were the vultures sitting on virtually every roof my eyes turned to and trees and the MASSIVE snail that Maya happened to kick on our way to the bathhouse one night after the rain.

I have uploaded a short story about the conference on the side bar under "SHORT STORIES". The conference proved to be quite the experience and quite a contrast to the type of schedule/conference/leadership program I am used to running. I had absolutely no idea what was going to come next, what was going to get cut, etc.. The schedule that I had very neatly made up with events, times, persons responsibles, duties, etc. was not even remotely followed (Mark I thought of you and how distressed you would be at a conference here! It is SO different than at home!). Luckily there were highlights with the wonderful, young people who attended. From their beautiful prayer and singing in the morning to singing, jokes, and riddles during the lights out period one evening, it was an incredible experience. Since the conference, we have visited some of the schools and had incredibly warm receptions from the students who had attended the conference.

ILLNESS ABROAD
I feel as though I have not done all that much as of late since I was sick for about a week's time. One of the volunteers from Volunteer Abroad Canada came back to the house from her placement to stay because she was ill. Her flu lasted quite a while and whatever it was just loved our house because it is still making its way through those who stay in the house. It was very interesting to see how people react when you miss work due to illness. I looked like hell, but I just had the flu - something that I would sleep off at home. Here, Mama Cate visited twice a day to make sure that I was alright and to force me to eat something. She tried to convince me to eat tomato soup (not good for my upset tummy!) or fish (ick...) and was adamant that I should take medication or visit the clinic (hospital). Every time I would have to explain that I just needed to sleep it off. She asked Maya if we didn't trust the nurses or doctors here and she had to explain that we just don't go to the doctor everytime we are ill in Canada.

Just touched up this blog entry (from Oct 11)because I actually ran out of time last week when I tried to send it. So posting it now before that happens again! Will try to get an update on my past weekend's trip in a new posting! Maybe I will eventually get some more pictures up here too when we get internet back up at home!

It's Raining, It's Pouring...

Well it is currently POURING here in Accra and I find myself wondering how Andrés (another YEI Intern) is doing North of us in Salaga. There has been massive flooding in the North of Ghana and minor flooding throughout most of the regions, save the Greater Accra Region. It's nice that it is cooling the temperature down, but many people have been devastated by the loss of their homes, etc. in the rural villages.

Meanwhile I sit here on the internet typing about it. It seems so odd to me. I was on a roll keeping a daily account of my activities up until we moved into the Canadian Volunteer Abroad House in Labadi last Friday. Then again, it's nice to be slightly disconnected from the internet. I have been doing more living and interacting since we have been here. Maya & I are sharing a room until Sunday and then I get my own room for most of the remainder of my stay. (I offered to allow volunteers to bunk in with me for their one week of Orientation the second week of every month. In exchange I will get a break on rent.)

Canadian Volunteer Abroad House
This house is incredible. There are 4 bedrooms inside which are occupied by Ann-Kristin (German), Popo (Ghanaian), Ned (British), Darrell (Canadian & leaving tonight), and Maya & I. Then outside, there are 4 additional rooms which belong to Daniel (Ghanaian who works here), Kersten (Canadian, the Co-ordinator for Volunteer Abroad in Ghana), Sam (Canadian), and a couple that we have not yet met. We have one two piece bathroom (toilet & shower) and then two additional toilets and two additional showers. There is a kitchen, a dining room, a common area, an office, and a patio in the front and in the back. We also are enclosed by a gate that is locked at all times. Someone is always home. It is VERY SAFE (this is your indication - you know who you are that requested & needs it)!

My favourite thing about my new residence is the fact that I live 2 seconds away from the beach. Granted it is a very polluted beach front (garbage is EVERYWHERE here), but at night we go to Tawala (an area with a bar, grill, and playground) and sit at a table enjoying our dinner & beer and watching the waves roll in. I love it. The hopeless romantic in me wishes that I had someone to share the evenings with sitting on a park bench watching the waves roll in. Cheesy, I know, but I thought my close friends and family would get a kick out of having a reminder of me & my cheese!

Work at CUA
Work is going well. It is an entirely different atmosphere than back home. The pace of work is much slower. The machinery is MUCH older & slower, although we were very fortunate to have a brand new computer. The photocopier in our office is the bane of my existence. Everyone else seems to get it to work, but everytime I touch it, it breaks. The power goes out at least twice a week which proved to be quite the challenge today since we had to get everything printed off for the Conference we are putting on this weekend. But the people are absolutely wonderful! So friendly. We are in the process of taking Twi lessons (pronounced "Tchwee") so that we can be better understand our colleagues and converse at market and such. They get a kick out of us trying to speak the language. I am sure I am butchering it. It is unbelievable how difficult something such as organizing a conference is here. There are some things that I completely take for granted when planning camp, such as the number and quality of flipchart paper, nametag holders, having registration information complete & ready prior to arriving at the site, etc..

The communication system here is entirely different. There is only one computer at CUA with internet, and 3-4 lines out of CUA house. This makes it challenging to communicate with the schools. Ernest makes a lot of phone calls on his cell, but we also had to visit a number of the schools in person to confirm their attendance. We learn new things every day such as different ways the businesses operate or nuances in how the English language is understood over here.

Marriage Proposals
I have heard "I love you", "I want to marry you", and "Marry me" so often here! I expected it, but I guess not to the extent that it has come. Today at Tema Station (where we go to catch the tro-tro home), a man grabbed my arm and followed me telling me he loved me and that he wanted to marry me. It was a bit pestering. But most of the time it just comes as calls on the street as we are walking by.
However, there is one guy at work named Tony Montana that has also said he loves me and wants to marry me. He calls me his wife to people around the office. I think it is hilarious, but we had a conversation one day and he told me that he wants me to come back to his village in the Eastern Region to meet his family. He asked me if it was a possibility that we get married. I think he might actually be serious. Which is difficult because I like to think of it as joking. We were supposed to go to lunch because I told him that I don't fall in love right away. I have to get to know someone before love will come. So he said I would have to get to know him. Nice enough guy, but I don't think I could see myself living in Ghana for the rest of my life! It would be interesting to date a Ghanaian though. Who knows, still 5 and a half months left. Maybe I will have a Ghanaian date!

Anyways, I am going to make more sporadic posts from now on since I have been busy enjoying the life! Still hunting for the perfect organization to donate the CYLers Snack Shack proceeds to. Not as easy as you would think it would be since organizations are not as easy to get in touch with here. Will keep you posted!

Until next time readers! (I have no idea how many of you there are, but I appreciate your interest! Wish I could take video footage of everything that I see and experience to share with you all!)

First Work Week in Ghana

Get ready for another Monster Post! Here it is in bulk. Enjoy!

Sunday, September 2nd, 2007 - Beautiful Cape Coast University

We got up around 9am and got ready. Archie told us that Sammy should be there around 10am to pick us up. So we went down to have breakfast - some toast and tea - and then went outside to wait for Sammy. Our hotel was up a hill and had a beautiful view of Cape Coast so we took some pictures and walked around a bit. Along the way, we said good morning to a bunch of people and met a young man named Joseph who stopped to talk with us for a bit. He asked us where were were from and asked if we would exchange email addresses with him so that he could communicate with people in Canada. We agreed. He was a very pleasant young man and with that, he was off to Church.

Of course, as per usual, over a half hour after we were supposed to be picked up, we were actually picked up. I think that the lateness here is attributable to a few different factors: late departures, TRAFFIC!, and other various things that may arise. Sammy got us and we went to pick up Archie. They took us to Cape Coast University and we got out of the truck and explored a bit. It is beautiful. There are so many really gorgeous trees and plants here. We took pictures of the various parts of the University that we saw. It even has a Faculty of Education! I was pleased with that of course. It made me wonder what it would be like to pursue a postsecondary education at an African institution. Curious.

Then we went to pick up his mother-in-law and his three little girls to bring back to Accra with us. We all piled back into the truck with Sammy & his mother-in-law in the front seats with Archie’s youngest, Rachel, on her lap. Then I had his middle daughter, Christine, on my lap. Maya in the middle had his eldest, Priscilla, on her lap. And then Archie had Maya’s laptop bag on his lap. We were all crammed in for the hour and a half ride back to Accra. At one point when Archie got out to get some watermelon from a vendor on the side of the road, I took my laptop out of my knapsack that was crammed at my feet to produce some blood circulation again in my legs! His little girls are so precious though, so I didn’t mind it too much. Christine fell asleep against my shoulder. It was really cute. Made me miss Brooklyn & Avery, my nieces. On our way home, we got a phone call on Archie’s cell that our luggage was finally in! So we made plans to go pick it up that night.

After we dropped off Archie’s mother-in-law and his daughter’s, we went to pick up our luggage at the airport. (What a saga! At first, they had called us telling us that they had only located one of the three bags and that it had lost its tag. Then they finally located the other three bags & sent them). Luckily, despite everything being completely messed up inside my big suitcase, everything was still there. We went home, reorganized, and relaxed since the next day was to be our first full day at work!


Monday, September 2nd, 2007 - Traveller’s Woes

Well in theory Monday was supposed to be our first full day at work. Unfortunately, my body decided otherwise and I was up in the middle of the night with Gastrointestinal problems. I tried to get ready and the more I did, the worse I felt. So at 8:30am, I called Archie to let him know that I was sick and should probably stay near a washroom. He asked how Maya was and at that point, she was still fine, although that changed later on. Archie, Miss Gabianu (our supervisor), and Ernest (the permanent Youth Savings Officer) came to see us and Miss Gabianu (who is a professional nurse) gave us advice and offered us some electrolyte mixture to put in our water. The rest of the day was spent sleeping and recovering. Hopefully we won’t see many more of those days.


Tuesday, September 3rd, 2007 - Orientation begins…

Archie was going to pick us up to bring us to work, but Miss Gabianu called around 6:30am to see how we were feeling and to make sure we were okay to go to work. As I assured her we were, she showed up at 8:30am to bring us to work on the Tro-tro so that we could learn how to take it. Tro-tros are kind of like large vans/small buses. They hold two seat next to the driver in the front, and then rows of two to three behind the driver and a straight bench behind the passenger seat that seats about 4-6 individuals. From what I have seen, a full tro-tro can seat as many as 17-20 people. It cost us 20-25 pesoas (roughly equivalent to Canadian cents) to take one tro-tro from Osu, where we are staying, to Tema station which is about a 15-20 minute walk to work.

Once we arrived at work, we were introduced to a ton of new people, beginning with Mr. Darko, the General Manager, and the two Deputy-General Managers. At the end of the day, Maya & I were trying to recall all of the names we had learned. It will take us a bit of time to get them all. I met two gentleman that stood out by their actions: Tony Montana who told me “we will talk later” and later told me that he is my future husband & Papa who told me that I am “very beautiful”. Later I felt really bad when Papa asked me if I remembered his name and I got it wrong! In my defence, we met about 30-40 people in one day.

I was surprised at how young most of the staff is. For the most part, I would say that they are 25-35 years old. I guess in my mind, when I think of the Credit Union Sector in Canada, that isn’t necessarily the case. Then again, life expectancy here has dropped from 62 to 47 years of age because of HIV/AIDS, so in that sense, the staff average age is somewhat reflective of the average age of a worker in Ghana.

At the end of the day, Miss Gabianu took us back to Tema Station and then home on a tro-tro again. The rides to and from work were very overwhelming, but I think we will catch on soon enough. We have been trying to locate a road map of Accra, but they are not as easy to find as back home!

As per our rituals, Maya and I put on a movie and crashed. Thank goodness for our laptops because the TV here has 5 stations and static lines across the top fifth and the bottom fifth of the screen. Not to mention the lack of interesting programming. Although it is nice to get the news in the morning - which consists of the reporter reading the headlines of local newspapers! It’s hilarious. Gotta love it!


Wednesday, September 5th, 2007 - Orientation Continues… (Happy B’day Avery!)

Miss Gabianu picked us up again to take the Tro-tro to work. This time we took a different route (because I wasn’t confused enough with only one! But it was good to have something to contrast it with and to know we have options). This route, the “Accra” tro-tro still took us to Tema station. There we had to walk through the packed, small alleyway of a market. It was slightly overwhelming, but I was starting to get used to being overwhelmed/hypersensitive to my surroundings at this point.

During our second day of orientation, we learned more about the specific positions of other individuals along with more about our specific positions from Ernest and Miss Gabianu. It was nice to get a better sense as to what we will be doing. I will be meeting with Youth Savings Clubs that exist around the country and auditing their books. I will also be working with Ernest to try to create new clubs. The goal is to visit each club at least one to two times a year, but due to funding limitations, that goal may not be met. We travel together with Maya and Miss Gabianu some of the time. Our first big event is taking place on the weekend of September 21st. There is a Conference that we are hosting. We will travel there for the weekend and have to prepare a small presentation for our respective parts. Miss Gabianu suggested drawing on how youth save at home as well (something which I feel we should be doing a better job of encouraging with our Canadian youth). Possible programming opportunities when I get home?

After a fairly packed day once again, we got a ride home. We went to get dinner and then hit up the Internet Café for the first time. No one was online, but I managed to check my email. It was 1 cedi for an hour’s time, which is not bad. I called Avery for her birthday but missed her L because she was heading to the Hilary Duff Concert. Hope it was good! So then I called Mom. Apparently there is some difficulty in calling me because you need to enter something before the country code in Canada to call overseas. I believe it is 011. Will try to double check that and confirm for anyone who wants to call me!


Thursday, September 6th, 2007 - High Commission of Canada & Immigration Office

Since we were sick on Monday and supposed to go let the High Commission of Canada know that we were in the country, Archie picked us up with Mr. Sechi one of the drivers at 8:30am and we went in to finish those errands. We went and activated our registration. We also signed the registration book and were pleased to see that the Governor General of Canada had also signed it in October 2006. We had to leave our cell phones and our cameras at the front which was too bad because it was beautiful and I wish we could have captured the building and gardens on camera.

After the High Commission, we went to the Ghanaian Immigration Office to get forms from a friend of Archie’s who works there so that we could complete all the paperwork to get our visas extended without having to wait in line for hours. We got a letter written by CUA and filled out all of the forms only to go back and find out that we can only apply JUST before our visas expire. Makes it tricky, but we’ll go back closer to the end of our three months. However, we did learn that if we plan to travel outside of Ghana, we need to get permission for re-entry, so that was valuable information.

Since we finished early, we got dropped off early at home and hit up the Internet Café for a while. Uploading is nearly impossible, so many of my pictures & videos will have to wait until later on.


Friday, September 7th, 2007 - First Real Market Experience

Miss Gabianu called us around 8am to let us know that she had not forgotten us, not to worry, she would be here eventually to take the Tro-tro with us to work. Traffic was apparently horrible. She has to leave her house at 6am every morning in order to make it to the office for an 8:30am start. We have learned that people get up very early here. Archie gets up at 3:30am every day. It’s unbelievable! Meanwhile, we have to find a way to train them not to call us at 6am in the morning because we Westerners do not get up at those early hours.

Friday, our first real day of work, was a very relaxed day. We looked through old pictures and notes from past interns, as well as resources that were found in our office. Maya and I will be sharing an office. We are really lucky in that we have a brand new computer and printer at our disposal. The previous interns highlighted in some of their reports the need for a functional, up-to-date computer in order to be able to complete their work so now we are benefiting from that suggestion.

Around 3pm, we left the office with Ernest to go to the Market in search of clothing. I foolishly did not bring any warm clothing aside from a fleece zip up and when we go for the Conference in a couple of weeks, we need long sleeves to keep the mosquitoes away and to keep warm. Try finding a long sleeved shirt that you like in Ghana! It’s not easy!
We also want to purchase some traditional African clothing, so we were off in search of some.

The hustle and bustle of the market is intense. There are people EVERYWHERE. And when they see us coming with the colour of our skin, they assume we have money, so they all want us to stop at their stall. We moved very quickly through the throngs of people. It is an interesting thing to try to manoeuvre your way around people carrying things on their heads or with babies on their backs. These people are fascinating. I don’t know how they do it!

I ended up buying a skirt, a shirt, and a blanket at the market. I never would have thought that I would need a blanket here, but our bed in our hotel room essentially only had two sheets on it and our air conditioner only had one temperature - frigid. So in order to be comfortable, the blanket helps a lot! In the beginning Maya was getting up several times a night to turn on and off the A/C. It’s nice to finally sleep comfortably through a night!

After we finished at the market, Ernest took us to a place on High Street where a group of teens were playing football. Over in a corner, a group of children also had their own little game going on. Fun to watch. It was right by the sea. Absolutely gorgeous. We walked over near the edge and looked down at the sea below. As we were walking over, this little boy who appeared to be three or four years old and had a HUGE smile plastered on his face ran straight towards me and shook my hand. He was precious. He just wanted to come say hello and two of his little friends also came over and shook my hand. As we walked over to the edge and looked down at the water, we could see a ton of canoes anchored there. The fisherman had finished for the day. There was a restaurant right there, so Ernest suggested we go have a drink. We each got a Sprite and then he asked us if we would like a goat kebab. Neither Maya or I had tried goat yet, so we agreed. It was DELICIOUS!! Definitely my new favourite meat in Ghana. Hopefully I can get by on Chicken and Goat and avoid fish…but I know that won’t happen.

Next it was back to Tema Station to grab a tro-tro and head home. Our first tro-tro ride on our own. We came home, had dinner, watched a movie, and fell asleep by 9:30pm. Exhausted!


Saturday, September 8th, 2007 - A Stroll Around Osu!

It was so nice to finally sleep in! We woke up, relaxed a bit and then walked around Osu for 5 hours. Bought supplies to do laundry in our bathtub, another 2 DVDs that have 16 movies on each, lined notebooks, Ground nut butter (very similar to Canadian peanut butter minus the sugar), stuff to make guacamole!

During our stroll, I met a young necklace vendor named Stéphane from Côte d’Ivoire and therefore speaks French. It was nice to have a French conversation. Hopefully I will have more opportunities like that.

We saw Ghanaian soccer jerseys and polo shirts on our stroll. My goal is to get one soon so that I have it for the African Nations Cup taking place in Ghana January 20-February 10, 2008. I am really looking forward to being a part of that!

We went for dinner at a Lebanese restaurant nearby our lodge called Adonis, but it was closed outside of ‘regular’ dining hours. Luckily we had seen another Lebanese restaurant across Cantonment Street (the main street in Osu), so we went there for dinner. Maya & I shared taboule and we each had a kafta sandwich, which is ground lamb meat mixed with parsley, and a sprite. It was really good but expensive. It cost us each 7.50 cedis.

One of the unfortunate things about walking around like that for a few hours is that you get really hot, sticky, and dirty. I was saying to Maya that I felt like I had a film on me from perspiration and then another from the dust and dirt. Every once in a while I would get dirt in my eye. I can’t believe I am getting used to that! So once we got back, it was shower time.

Showering
One thing I haven’t written about yet is the entire shower experience here. There is a switch to turn on the hot water and another hot water controller in the washroom. Every morning, I turn on the hot water. Interestingly enough, there is nothing hot about the water! I told Maya that hot is a relative term here. Nothing wakes you up in the morning like a frigid shower. I have to cover my mouth every morning as not to scream when that first freezing stream hits me. In the afternoons and evenings, however, it is a most welcome temperature. Unfortunately, due to the make-up of my lovely hair, evening showers simply aren’t an option for me. I warned Maya before coming that my hair would grow as the days go on here. She didn’t believe me, but now we have a good laugh every day at the evolution of my hair, especially when I let it go curly. Maybe I will have to do a photo montage at some point.

After showering, we watched Hunchback of Notre Dame on the South African TV channel and made the realization that their 8pm is our 6pm. Then we made some guacamole. The avocadoes are sweeter here than those obtained from Central America. Our guacamole was really good. We had purchased some nacho chips and vegetable crackers to eat the guacamole with. We are still learning about the nature of the food here. In Canada, I would assume that vegetable crackers would be salty. Here, however, they are sweet. We have affectionately started referring to them as vegetable cookies.

After Hunchback, we watched another of our 16 movies per DVD movie and went to sleep.


Sunday, September 9th, 2007 - Relaxation at its laziest!

If we slept in on Saturday, we REALLY slept in today. It was exquisite. So far today, I have been typing up an account of our activities thus far, gotten dressed, and brushed my teeth. Oh, I also had a ground nut butter sandwich and some vegetable cookies. Our plan is to go to get some food for tonight, maybe buy a English-Twi dictionary that we saw yesterday to start learning the local language, and return one of the DVDs that is so scratched up, it’s a wonder any files opened on it at all.


Suggestions/Feedback
If anyone has suggestions about what they would like me to write about in my blog or if you would like to hear more about certain aspects of Ghanaian life, please let me know! I was telling Maya that I have no idea how many people are reading this blog or what they are curious about. At this point, I am trying to make it a daily account of what goes on in my life, but I am open to suggestions! I am going to try to have less lengthy entries as things go on, but now since I am keeping a record for myself anyways, I thought I would include/share.

I love feedback! Hope all is well in Canada and that the beginning of school is going well for all of you students!

The Adventures of a White, Blond Girl in Ghana

Until I manage to have more frequent internet access, pictures and entries will be limited. I am therefore trying to write every day on my laptop or as often as possible. Apologies for the lengthy entries, but I have tried to break them down by date! Enjoy.

Wednesday, August 29th, 2007 8:55pm - The Adventure Begins…

I am currently sitting at the Toronto Pearson International Airport awaiting boarding for our flight to Amsterdam. I needed to charge my laptop, so I have it on and Maya and I are both writing in our journals. Of course, in true Sonja style, I got thoroughly searched coming through Customs. My belt and shoes both set off the metal detector here (no idea why they didn’t in Saskatoon) and I had to take everything out of the bottom of my bag since all of my currency converters (power adaptors), batteries, head lamps, etc. were in the bottom and must have shown up suspicious on the X-Ray machine.

I am starting to get really tired from the long day of training and all of the excitement, but at the same time I am absolutely thrilled to finally be getting to Holland. Even if it is only for a 2 hour layover at this time. In March when I fly home, I will have 7.5 hours there and am going to try to get out and see a bit if I can, although I hear that there is not much around the airport.

I am of two minds right now. On one hand, I am really excited about the opportunity to see another part of the world and truly experience their culture. On the other hand, I am terrified of what I am going to see and the impact that it is going to have on the rest of my life. The threat of HIV/AIDS is very real presently in Ghana and I cannot even begin to imagine the toll that it must have on the lives of the men, women, and children who live there. I cannot begin to imagine how difficult it must be to lose friends & family to AIDS. The next few months are certainly going to be challenging. But they are also going to be filled with hope. Hope that the youth in Ghana will take the messages that Maya and I are bringing to them, either directly or through the peer education program, and that they will live their lives by the safe sex practices and co-operative values that we instil in them. If they take these messages to heart, not only will they have a future, but it will be a bright one.

Hopefully I can find the balance in all of this and not be too overwhelmed. I look forward to meeting the people, finding out what makes them tick, and hopefully participating to the fullest in Ghanaian life. I cannot believe how blessed I am to be able to partake in this program. I have a sense of what lies ahead of me, but I feel that I will still have much to learn, much to overcome, and many surprises to face. Luckily, I have a great new friend in Maya and I will not be alone in this scary yet exhilarating opportunity.

Thursday, August 30th, 2007 - Stalling…guess we’re already on African time!

The interns on their last day at the Saskatoon Airport very early in the morning!

Oh the joys of travel! We departed Saskatoon at 4:15am on Thursday for the airport in order to catch our 6am flight. Everything went smoothly from there until we got to Toronto. Of course, having a 10 hours layover in T.O., Maya, Andres and I could not check our luggage in until 6pm. We arrived at the desk around 1pm. So luckily, we had thought about this ahead of time and knew there was a place around there where we could store our luggage until our flight. So after paying $6 for my backpack, and $8 for my massive suitcase, I was good to go. I definitely spent a good 15-20 minutes repacking my stuff in the airport to ensure that I would be under the weight limit.

I called Sarah around 2:30pm to see if she could still come get Maya & I to do a little last minute shopping and to be able to leave the airport for a while. Luckily, she was still free - the godsend that she is! So we planned to call her again after all of the interns, aside from Andres who had already left, went for our last meal together. We ended up going to Swiss Chalet in the airport. Then Sarah picked us up and we drove to a UPS store in a mall and did some other running around.

Sarah dropped us off again at the airport around 6:30pm ( I can`t remember exactly the time). Then we went and checked our luggage in at KLM. With my second carry-on in my big suitcase, it was over the weight limit, but the girl at KLM was really nice and let it go. My carry-on back pack was also too heavy, but since my laptop was in it and I only had one at that point, I was rockin’. Whew saved $50! After that. We met up with one of Maya`s friends and with Andres again and went to eat. We lost Andres for a bit who went off in search of a People`s magazine for the intern he will be taking over from. Maya & I went through security and of course, with all of the metal in the bottom of my knapsack (all of my converters, battery chargers, headlamps, etc. were in there), I got stopped and the girl thoroughly examined the contents of my backpack. Luckily she was pretty friendly and chatted with me about where I was going while she did it. Maya & I set up on the other side of security to begin keeping a log of our activities/journals. Just as people started getting called to board our flight, Andres showed up. He had been talking to his wife who he will be leaving behind until she joins him in Salaga, Ghana in November.

Once boarded, everything seemed like it was still going smoothly… WRONG! We taxied out to the runway and awaited our turn for departure. After a while, the Captain came over the speaker in Dutch. When he began to translate we understood that there was no information on why we were held up but that they would communicate to us whatever they knew as soon as they received some information. In the second message from the Captain, we learned that there had been a security breach in terminal 3 (where we were departing from), and that all aircrafts were being held until things got cleared up. 2 hours later, they finally cleared up that the breach had been with another airline and we were permitted to line up for take off. The funny part? Our layover in Amsterdam was 2 hours and it now appeared as though we would either be running or miss the flight entirely. Maya & I were really hoping that we would get delayed in Amsterdam for a day with a complimentary hotel room, but after 7 hours of flight which included some sleep and whatever individual movies we selected on our individual screens on the back of the seat in front of us, we arrived in Amsterdam 5 minutes after our original take off time to find that our flight had been held.

Once on our new flight, all three of us pretty much fell asleep immediately, which was fortunate for us since this flight had technical problems and was delayed about another 2 hours and there were no individual screens on this flight. All problems aside, KLM was incredible and I would definitely fly with them again. From the delicious multi-meals to the damp, warm toilette to wipe your face & hands, it was excellent in-flight service with delightful staff. I look forward to my flight on the way home.

We arrived in Ghana around 8:40pm to slight rain getting off the plane. Of course since we had to speed walk to our flight in Amsterdam, our things did not arrive. We were given a baggage claim number and informed it should arrive in 24 hours on the next day’s flight. We cleared customs and went outside to find a card with Andres’ name on it (which was nice since we were unsure if anyone would be meeting him), and then all of a sudden, Maya’s name was called out by Idrissa (the intern previously holding Maya’s position) and Archie (Mr. Acheampong who holds a position in the Management Information Systems). Mr. Saky, the driver, was also with them. We were taken to the Confort Inn Guest House where we are to stay until September 14th when we will move into the Labadi House (where the Canadians Volunteer Abroad is hosted). This was news to us, but at this point, we were still in good humour, rolling with the punches and laughing about the ridiculousness of it all.

That first drive is a bit of a blur. There was so much activity in the streets and I was trying to take it all in - from Shaggy playing on the radio to Céline Dion blaring in the streets; it was all so amusing and odd to me.

Our new home until September 14th.

We arrived at our room and Archie and Idrissa both came in to see it. Archie asked us if it was okay and we said it was fine. He arranged to come pick us up the following morning at 9am to bring us to CUA and then to the airport. We sat down on our bed and then Maya & I just burst into laughter over the events of the past 24+ hours. Figures we had no luggage. Luckily, Mom taught me well and I packed a complete other outfit and my toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste, along with deodorant in my carry-on. Absolutely exhausted, we started Harry Potter which Maya had on her laptop and fell asleep pretty much immediately.

Friday, August 31st, 2007 - Introduction to CUA House & All of Our New Husbands

On Friday, we were picked up at 9am by Sammy, Archie’s driver, and Archie. When we went out to the truck and met Sammy, Archie informed us that he is the one who “admires Maya the most”. Maya joked with him that he was her new boyfriend. They took us to CUA house to meet Mr. Ahli, the Deputy General Manager of Finance & Administration, along with some others who were in the office that day. Archie told me that Romeo was the one who was most interested in me, but he was afraid to meet me. Too funny.

Mr. Acheampong (Archie) then took us to a Forex bureau to exchange money. It was this little hut with a man sitting in a corner and a man standing in a booth with a glass window. The exchange rates for that particular day were posted on the wall. That day $1 US got us 93 cedis.

We then went back to CUA House and Archie asked Alex, who works in Risk Management, to come with us to assist us in purchasing cell phones(EVERYONE has a cell here). If anyone wants to call or text me, email me and I will pass on the number to you! . We went around the corner to a little store and checked out the selection through the window. They asked us what kind of a phone we wanted and what we wanted to pay. I said that I wanted a flip phone. They showed us a couple and of course I chose the pink & silver Motorola. Surprise, surprise! Maya chose the same one. I think we were both a little overwhelmed by how fast everything was going. Probably not the best idea, but so far we haven’t had any problems with mixing them up.

We took off from there back to CUA House and then off to pick up Archie’s wife, Angie, from the hospital where she was being discharged after the birth of their new baby boy, Junior John, three days before. It was incredible to meet his wife and his newborn all at once. He is absolutely beautiful! Such a neat experience. It was then that I learned for the first time that women in Africa are not as reserved as those in North America when it comes to breastfeeding. There is absolutely no shyness about it. (A few days after this on our way home in the tro-tro, I saw a woman sitting on the median with her 2-3 year old next to her breastfeeding amongst all of the pedestrians and traffic. It still surprises me!)

Finally, it was off to the airport to try and sort out the situation with our luggage. We went to the KLM office and Archie managed to get us 50 cedis for our travel since we were going to be in Cape Coast when our luggage arrived and would have to travel back to get it. We then went into the airport and gave them phone numbers so that they could contact us when our luggage arrived.

When we went back to the office, most people had already had lunch. Since Archie does not eat in the afternoon, he arranged for Diana (a young woman who works down in accounting) to take us for lunch. She and Ernest (the permanent Youth Savings Officer at CUA) took us to this little sit down place. We had our first African Meal: Talapia (fish), Banku (this dough-like thing made out of maize), and pepe (spicy, similar to salsa). It was very good. The fish is cooked whole, which was a bit of a challenge for me since it still has all of its bones and eye ball intact and I am not a big fan of fish to begin with, but it was still pretty yummy. Coca-cola and sprite are the big drinks here along with Fanta and water. We had Cokes. I feel as though I am never going to want to see another coke when I get home!

At last, we headed back to the Comfort Villa Lodge for the remainder of the day to rest up and get to bed early since we were to depart for Cape Coast at 6am the next day in order to not miss any of the festival activities.


Saturday, September 1st, 2007 - Cape Coast, Here We Come!

So as we had been warned and were beginning to get accustomed to, Sammy arrived at 6am “African time” on Saturday morning. It was closer to 6:30-6:45am when he got to Comfort Villa Lodge to pick us up. We went from there to pick up Archie at his house. Since we had not yet had breakfast as it isn’t served at our lodge before 7am, we went to pick up something to eat at the Total gas station on our way. There we met CUA’s general manager, Mr. Darko. He was all dressed in a traditional African robe. It was gorgeous. He had just gotten in from Kenya the night before and was on his way home.

Back on the road again, Sammy played his Bob Marley tapes (yes, tapes. They have functional tape decks in all of the vehicles we have been in here!) and we drove in the rain to Cape Coast, with our fingers crossed that the rain would stop by the time we arrived in Cape Coast.

Once we got there, the first thing we did was to locate lodging for the night. Archie’s main concern was getting a room for Maya and I. He would take whatever he could get afterwards. We tried a couple of places before we found a room at Prospect Lodge for the night. It was 36 cedis for the night, so 18 cedis each. Not bad. We paid and then went off to Archie’s brother’s place. We met his family and watched some “football” for a bit. Then we went to his mother-in-law’s and met her and her mother.

After our visits, it was time to go and find a good spot to watch the “procession” aka parade in the street. The streets were pretty packed and we got there just in time to catch the beginning. There was dancing, singing, chanting, and cheering as the procession passed. From flag throwers to masked characters to village chiefs hoisted on people’s shoulders, it was absolutely incredible. So colourful and lively. Every once in a while a gunshot would go off as well. Archie warned us so that we wouldn’t be concerned, but it still made me jump every time it happened. I got a lot of pictures and some video footage from the procession and will try to post it as soon as possible (probably on the 15th once we are in our Labadi House with wireless internet).

That whole day was absolutely incredible. I feel as though there are not enough words in the world to adequately describe what I saw and how I felt. Just overwhelmed in a good way I guess. Children would pass us and point and chant “Obruni, Obruni”. Many of them were just happy that we were there and beam or come over to say hello. I have gotten in the habit of shaking their hands and asking their names.

After we finished watching the procession on the street, we went to another part of the city and watched it again from the upper story of an old, rundown building. When we were there, Maya took some pictures of some of the children and showed them on her digital camera. The joy they got from that was so cute. We began taking more pictures of them and some of them ran to get their friends or siblings to bring back so that they could get their pictures taken and look at them. When we left there, we proceeded up to another part of the city where there was an outside bar and a gathering of people. There was a group of children and as Maya & I walked up the steps, you could see the smiles appear on their faces. I don’t want to sound egotistical, but the children here make you feel like you are a celebrity and it’s hard to convey it properly. Often as we walk in the streets, they will stare and some will smile & wave and if you wave back, you can tell that they get excited. It’s a very surreal feeling. Since there was still music playing in the streets and from the procession, I began to dance a little bit and the children joined me. Next thing I knew, we had a bit of a dance party going on. It was a blast. I asked all of the children their names and Maya began to take more pictures (my memory card was full). It was a blast. At one point, the mother of a couple of children came over and started dancing with me too. What a blast. That is a day I will never forget.

After all of the excitement and fun, we went back to our hotel to drop off our stuff and order supper for later on. Then we went for drinks at a little pub. For the festival, they had a large stage and dance area set up outside with loud music playing. It was really neat. Everywhere we drove in Cape Coast, there was people. One area was absolutely packed and there was not a single parking spot to be had. We moved from the pub to Archie’s neighbourhood where he grew up and had a beer there. Star beer: brewed in Ghana. It wasn’t bad. It was very interesting to order alcohol because we ordered it basically at a window and were free to take the bottle and wander the streets, unlike in Canada where alcohol must stay indoors or within a confined outdoor area. We ended up wandering around a bit and went into a backyard of sorts and sat in some patio chairs. Archie asked one of his friends for some fried fish that was somewhat breaded. We tried some of that. It was almost like dried, salted, cured fish, but it was still a little mushy. (Thanks for that appetizing description, Maya!) It actually tasted quite good.

We were just about to leave there when Maya and I decided it would probably be wise to use the facilities before departing for the hotel. Had we known what awaited us, we probably would have just “danced” all the way to the hotel. But we are both always up for an adventure and thank goodness we are fairly open minded. We asked Archie if there was anywhere we could go. He told us to go back and ask one of the ladies there who spoke French if we could use her facilities. Once we finally got the message across, she agreed and directed us. When we stood in front of the door and peered inside, Maya said she thought she could wait. We both looked at each other inquisitively wondering if we should actually go through with this. In front of us stood a stall. It had a door, four cement walls, and a mud floor. That was it! I looked at Maya and said, “I’ll do it if you’ll do it. We might as well fully participate in Ghanaian life!”. And so we did. It is one of those once in a lifetime opportunities that I hope I never have to face again. But boy did we laugh.

Back at our hotel room, we had a good chuckle, turned on Harry Potter which was on one of our laptops and fell asleep. What a packed day!