MOP football, Shooting an Advert, & Kokrobite Beach

Before leaving for Kokrobite on Saturday, I went to watch football at MOP and the to the pool for a hopefully short workout. Football was bright and early at 6. By the time I got to the field, the boys had already started their game. Some wearing shoes, a few not [you could see their shoes off to the side] which I couldn't understand, but I wasn't playing so it didn't matter. They all were so into it! From an 8 year old to a 16 year old, it didn't matter: everyone plays football. There were three girls there too who were just watching. Instead, we went off to another goal and kicked the ball into each other, then went to a mango tree and threw sticks up to hit some of the fruit down. Walking back to the school, I found myself asking the younger ones walking with me what they wanted to be when they grow up: a policeman, a soldier [which is apparently better than the police because they're more powerful], and a pilot. Quite the dreamers. :) When I left the school it was just after 8 and it felt like so much had already been done.

[football fun times with Godsway, Shalome, and Mode!]

[funny faces :)]

[the boys finishing their game]

Later in the morning, I was at the pool swimming shortened laps because someone was shooting a commercial [which they call an advert, instead of an ad] in the shallow end. Within 5 minutes, one of the guys came over and asked if I'd be in it. Thinking they were going to have me swim, I said sure. He led me to a chair next to another girl. Hah. Nevermind. Why would I even think they'd want to make a little diversity on the blocks by adding a girl? After all, as someone reminded me later in the day, "This is Africa. You're in Africa," when I made not that big of a deal out of being told not to step on the rope attached to a fishing net, "You might trip." Because I can't catch myself? or "You think you can climb to the top of the Falls?" Yep. Pretty sure I can. I'm a big girl. Though I may not be physically capable of lifting the same amount as a guy, there are plenty of things I can handle just as well as a guy, if not better. But then again, "This is Africa," and everyone's mentality isn't like that. At all.

The director continued, "You two are going to look at this fat guy over here and talk about how he can't race against these other fit guys." The ad was for a non-alcoholic malt drink called Vicco, the idea being Vicco can make you accomplish the impossible. The other girl was really nice and is going to be on the swim team next semester. I told her, "Great! The guys are really nice, but they need some more girls!!" The director finally told us we were done and we both got up and ran off to the pool. It was so hot, as in my thigh got burned. Just another day in Ghana.

So, when you're watching the next advert for Vicco and you see the oburoni in orange talking to the girl in purple, that's me. :D

After this, I rushed back to ISH having left the pool when we were supposed to leave for Kokrobite. I ended up staying with 9 others from ISH. It was a lot fun being with such a large group! We all stayed in one house, struggled with the amount of sand that got tracked in, and toughed it out on the second floor after realizing the light wasn't going to work at all. But we had a shower with fantastic water pressure and a toilet, so everything was okay!

I've never felt deprived of the ocean in my life. Living in a landlocked state, we rarely go to the beach, or the lake for that matter. I love swimming and going to the pool, but not being at the beach has never been a huge deal. Every time I've gone to the beach in Ghana I've felt like, just for a moment, things have come together.

Kokrobite is much more of a tourist place and is louder than Ada.  Initially, this bothered me, but after wading out as far as I wanted, about half way to the boats anchored in the water, I fell in love with the dull roar of everything going on.  The ocean was much calmer here than at Ada. I was actually disappointed with how gentle the waves were at first, mostly because they didn't have enough push for me to body surf. poop.

I made a friend! After talking to John for a bit, I learned that he's working in Ghana for a company that makes beer out of cassava, not the traditional barley and hops. [Dad, you'd probably think this is super cool!] Of course, I don't remember the name of it; might have to ask. We didn't even make it out of the water before John's shoulder gave out, the result/side effect of previous injuries, and I had the joy of getting him back to shore. Granted, afterwards he told me,"It was really painful when you were pulling me out." "Yeah, I bet, glad we got you back." "Well, not just that...it was the left one that was the problem this time." [His right shoulder had a massive band-aid on it, so, obviously, I'd figured, "Avoid the bandaged shoulder."] "So, I grabbed the one that dislocated?!" oops.

That night, we all ate at an Italian restaurant just down the road.  The pizza was pretty great, mostly because I hadn't had decently made pizza in so long, but was honestly a bit bland.

In the morning, I went for a run that turned into more of a walk because it was already getting hot and there were so many fishermen pulling in their nets to look at and watch! Between the beach and the fence that enclosed the area we stayed in are a bunch of stalls selling to the more than willing tourists. I got a dress [that was already at 7 cedis, which is crazy low!] and wall hanging that I'm so so pleased with!

Definitely a good weekend. Tonight was my LAST Twi class! Friday is the first half of my French final/last French class. Just under 4 weeks left, and I'm not ready to go.

Just not yet. Not at all.

[window shot!]

[there was an eclipse a week ago Sunday: with special sunglasses]

[without fancy sunglasses]

[balcony view]

[sometimes the trotros are rusted through. and you can see the sun. through the floor.]

Ehalakasa & Sarah Kay

Ehalakasa & Sarah Kay

The Nubuke Foundation here in East Legon is a local arts center of sorts. They offer classes, bring in artists, and bring exhibits through. The last Sunday of most months is dedicated to an open mic night, Ehalakasa, of spoken word, music performances, drama, short stories, and the like.  About two weeks ago, the Nubuke Foundation hosted their annual Ehalakasa Festival. Every night Wednesday through Sunday had an open mic at different venues in Accra. On Wednesday night, world renowned poet Sarah Kay recited three of her pieces. Her delivery is so smooth, her voice pleasant, and the topics quite real. Afterwards, I got to meet her. Apparently she hasn’t been to Arkansas…yet. Perhaps Hendrix can change that in the near future!

I’ve really enjoyed the Ehalakasas. Ghana isn’t just traditions, different lifestyles, beaches, really cool sites, and travelling, but also includes the promotion of the arts. Here, there isn’t as much development in this industry. If you are an aspiring artist, there’s a place for you to get experience and interact with other artists in some capacity or other. It’s been really pleasant being exposed to so much spoken word and original music. Truly fantastic. :)

These Kids and Makola...It's Going too Fast Y'all

Kids These Days

At the end of school each day, the kids listen to their names called for attendance, saying The Grace, and close their eyes as Kwame says the closing prayer for the day.,

Yesterday, Wednesday, as we waited for the girls to finish sweeping and the roll call to end, Grace Mary came up and started playing a hand clapping game, something about the things the grandmother does to help get us ready in the morning like brushing teeth, helping to bath, and helping to dress, each accompanied by its own hand motion. It was great fun. After holding hands with two of them as they said Grace, I had 4 wrapped around my waist during Kwame’s prayer. That, my friends, was beautiful.

We had music after school since the kids were out Thursday and Friday in preparation for next week’s mid-term exams.  Some of these guys are catching on quickly which is pleasant, fun to work with, and still definitely challenging. Yesterday’s highlight was Komlavi’s correct playing of Mary Had a Little Lamb because he recognized the notes on paper, could name them, tell me how many beats they each got, and how to finger each one.

about a month

There’s about a month left until I say goodbye to Ghana. And I don’t want to think about it. I mean, I absolutely can’t wait to see my family and eat Mom’s food with lots of veggies and variety. But I don’t want to go. I don’t wanna. You can’t make me. The amount of travelling I’d love to do and haven’t yet is unreal. The next few weeks will be packed. I think my finals schedule is going to actually work more or less in my favor, which is great! The girls after school yesterday reminded me why I enjoy being at MOP. They’re kids and they just love on you.

Makola Market!

Saturday, 3 Nov., I went to Makola Market, the largest in Accra, by myself. I set out to find fabric, a violin, and maybe a journal. The fabric I got from the same woman some friends and I went to last time. She’s great, super nice and friendly. After, I started walking. After asking a few people for directions, I made my way to Zongo St. where all the music shops were. I found a violin [Rohm, I think] that was of pretty good quality, but didn’t buy it. Didn’t have the money then, but am considering going back to get it. So, I finished and started making my way back to Tema Station. And took a wrong turn. I think I turned a junction [intersection] too early, but didn’t go back and hoped that where ever I was going would eventually loop back to the main streets of Makola. It didn’t. I walked for at least 20, maybe 30 minutes. At first it changed from the many people selling (used?) Western clothes and electronics to plumbing, toilets, and shovels then to shoes. I wish I’d had the guts to take a picture because you can’t imagine the mounds unless you see them. Walking past an eighteen-wheeler that blocked the street revealed a dirtier, seemingly smaller part of the neighborhood, so basically where you got closer to the homes. The asphalt road had more potholes, I think, and looking to the right down an alley saw a few guys bent over the shoes spread on their tarps. Continue walking. Pass a seamstress’s shop where uniforms and their fabrics were hanging [I’d been wondering where all the uniforms were made; I was relieved to see them for some reason and am not sure why], the paths are a bit narrower, avoid falling off the sidewalk, start to smell the upcoming piles of spoiled fish [this is how they’re eaten in fish stew] with the required flies. Come to a kind of street crossing so there’s a more open area, see the mounds of shoes about a foot or two deep, continue walking and hearing all the men calling “Akos, Akos,” one of the Ghanaian girl names, continue to ignore them and say hi to a few of the ladies. Pass chickens and pidgins in cages, tables with pigs’ feet/legs (laid out in the open...) and meat being hacked as someone comes to buy it, stop and make a friend. Yes. Because this is Ghana and you can’t not make friends. Her name was Afia, maybe late 20s; she sat in front of her little shop selling some candies and phone credits. We spoke a little Twi and I tried to ask if Tema Station was nearby. She said yes, smiled, and pointed. I said thank you, good bye, and left. I was nowhere near Tema. I’m not sure how much she actually understood, but then I don’t know how much I understood her either. 

I said I wish I’d had the guts to take a picture. This was another of those moments. Oburonis in Makola Market, that’s one thing; it’s expected and sure you stand out, but it’s as much a tourist thing as it is the everyday market for the Ghanaians. But this… I was obviously out of place. I felt like I was intruding. This wasn’t the main market, but more for those who lived in this small but dense neighborhood. I was walking past people’s homes. Seeing the shanties, the nonexistent drainage [and therefore stagnant sewage and garbage that collects in the gutters across Accra], smelling everything... this isn’t far away from the city either. Calling Makola the heart of the city is probably accurate to a certain extent; there’s so much life and energy, it’s very close to the Kwame Nkrumah memorial and some of the big down town places, and yet there is this massive neighborhood of people who have a much different life from the politicians, the people in charge of the city, me. I kept walking and finally came to a wider cleaner road lined with ladies selling their bowls of large, fresh vegetables [these are always so beautiful and is something I’ll definitely miss when I leave]. This met up with an actual street where I told a taxi driver I didn’t want a ride and he walked away and left me alone [which was surprising; there wasn’t any pestering at all!] Behind him were about 5 guys leaning on their motorcycles. The closest one called me and I almost turned away…BUT I had no clue where I was and, well, why not? So I got a 5ish minute motoride back to Tema Station, the other guys telling my driver “small, small,” to go slow. I may or may not have been saying I would die and that I didn’t know how to get on as he started the engine. The looks on their faces was great! They had these huge grins like, “Silly oburoni. She’s got no clue.” it was so cool. Doing my first motorcycle and motoride at once was really exciting and, by the time he dropped me off, I didn’t want to stop!

**Please note: My driver wore a helmet. The second hung on the front of his bike the entire time. He didn’t offer and I didn’t ask. oops. Don't tell Mom. :P

School Site in Aiykumah

For the past bit, Mawuvio's Outreach Programme has been building a new school about 45 minutes away from Accra in a town called Aiykumah. I went out with Kwame about a month ago to see it. The progress is amazing! So far, the bottom floor is almost completed. It has running water and a lot, if not all, of the painting is done. The electricity is in progress and many things still have to be added, but soon the kids will be able to move out of, what is affectionately called, the "Kisseman Confusion." The students in Levels 2 and up will move to the new site, the KG1 and Primary 1 kids staying in Kisseman as they're still quite young. The new school will give them the opportunity to study and live in a calmer, more stable environment that won't include many of the temptations found in Accra [hanging out around the markets and staying out late with no one knowing where they are, for example].

So, below are some [alright, a lot] of pictures of the new school. Enjoy! :)

[the pictures are of the kids graduating and going on to accomplish many of the big jobs they dream about]

[front door and logo!]

[view from the incomplete second floor. there are large hills/mountains in the distance along this whole side of the school. it was a beautiful view and everything so green!]

[the kids wrote down what they wanted painted in their school and Renee's mom included these things. beginning of illustration: the students in learning in school with their teachers and classmates and playing football.]

[the students graduating, going to university (a truly massive dream, right now), and becoming big men and women: teachers, athletes, soldiers, doctors, lawyers, and other big things]

[looking down the hall]

[inside one of the classrooms. this one will have a mobile divider where the middle column is so it can be two classrooms or a large one for activities]

[stars, sun, moon, and clouds on the ceiling]

[on one of the walls were animals that they know]

[Ghana with its ten regions and their capitals and pictures of Ghana's products/crops]

[the solar system is my favorite because of its location and use of small space between two windows]

[one of the dormitories. boys are in this one and girls in an identical room on the opposite side of the school, or vice versa. it will hold triple bunk beds. through the door is a small room with their individual lockers and in the next room are the tiled showers and washrooms.]

[shot from the washrooms back to the dorm room]

Elmina & Ada Beach

Elmina Castle

Just…wow. Two weeks ago, I went to Elmina Castle in Cape Coast, Ghana. What an interesting trip.  I visited Cape Coast Castle at the beginning of the semester with my program, but going back and seeing yet another place where the same horrific events happened just drove the history home even further.

It was a beautiful day: blue skies, white clouds, the ocean immediately next to the castle bringing in a pleasant breeze. Perfect for visiting the bright white slave castle. Maybe. We walked in to the inner courtyard and headed first to the female dungeons. Inside one of the chambers was a staircase that led up to the governor’s quarters. Even centuries later, the smell still lingers. I hadn’t noticed it at Cape Coast though the floors there were inches thick from the years of slaves’ excrement from lack of drainage.  But the smell…maybe because it’s something you can actually sense it seems more real.

In the center of the female dungeons was a smaller courtyard. The women were filed out into the space, the governor stood on the roof, looked down and took his pick of the women, covered in the dirt, grime, and waste matter from not having been cleaned in weeks.  The chosen slave was cleaned, given small food and water, dressed and sent up the staircase so the governor could relieve himself.  Some became his mistresses. If any had children, they were sent away until they were about three. Then they were brought back and educated in the church at the castle, taught that they were better than the black slaves and children that they were surrounded by. This of course only helped to perpetuate the system of the minority having power over the majority. 

It was also interesting to see the literally hierarchy as the slaves dungeons were on the castle’s bottom floor, the junior officers’ mess was on the church building’s second floor, and the governor’s quarters were on the very top floor of the castle.

After the castle tour, we walked down to the wharf for a few minutes.  About ten men were half-way through pulling a net onto the dock from the boat.  One of the guys in our group is into photography and of course was snapping away. They were pretty upset with this and tried to give Alex and myself Ghanaian names.

[Elmina Castle in Cape Coast]

[shot from the courtyard in the female dungeons]

[when the Governor wanted company, the women were filed into the courtyard, he stood on the roof, three stories up, and took his pick of the unkempt, disheveled women. the chosen one was cleaned, given small food and water, clean clothes, and sent upstairs to the waiting governor.]

[walking out of the passage to the female dungeons]

[the church in the middle of Elmina. the top floor was the junior officers' mess. here, also, the governor's mulatto children were brought to be educated and taught that they were more elite than the slaves and black children.]

[thought it was interesting that doorways were so small]

[exit door. I think the ocean used to come up this far?]

[to the Governor's quarters. the inferiors are on the bottom level of the castle; the higher your status, literally the higher up you were]

[Austin and the letter from a foreign official acknowledging the horrors that occurred in Elmina]

[soldiers who got in trouble were put in this cell. the guide filed us in and closed the door on us to make the point.]

[outside the cell were these rails used by soldiers for exercise. Michael, our tour guide, thought he was cool. :) which he was!]

[view from above the castle entrance. to the left is the ocean which encompasses the land the castle is on and turns into the river here. to the left of the yellow building is a wharf we visited after.]

[left view from the governor's quarters]

[straight view from the governor's quarters]

[boats; one undergoing repair]

[the ocean comes around the castle and turns into the river to the left leading to the wharf]

[boat repair]

[Kosi (a tour guide in training), me, and Austin]

[the whole group: Michael, Austin, Alex, Kwame, me, Elena, Kimberly, Keith]

[everyone looking grand again, plus Kosi, minus Michael, and me looking a bit lost]

[so Austin thinks he's cool. of course, he is.]

[fishermen bringing in their nets at the wharf we stopped at. they didn't like that one of our friends kept taking pictures and they tried to give me a Ghanaian name. they were quite fun.]

[look, Ma, I'm taking pictures of my food! :) chicken, salad (more like coleslaw), jollof rice, and shito sauce. delicious! I'm actually going to miss this. loads.]

[you can see the ocean!]

[one of the better window shots while leaving Cape Coast]

[ditto. plus cool clouds.]

Adventures at Ada Beach

19-20 October 2013

There is absolutely way too much to catch up on. I hate it when I do this to myself. I was looking back in my journal and found things that I’d forgotten that I hadn’t blogged. Just great.

Anyways. We [Bre, Camirra, and Amber] set off just after 9 Saturday morning for Ada beach.  Bre and Amber had been before and helped guide us through getting a trotro at the station behind the mall, then at Tema roundabout to Ada. The ride was pretty uneventful. We got to the Volta River and were ferried over to the Maranatha Beach Camp, picking up some other guests along the way. 

Maranatha is really unique because on one side of the island is the Volta River and on the other, over a levy, is the Atlantic Ocean. When we arrived a large group of kids were there for a day excursion. As soon as we got in the water, the girls swarmed us grabbing our hands, laughing, singing, and asking our names.  They were so fun! The youngest was maybe 8 and the oldest about 14. It was relaxing to just be silly girls. I asked some if they knew how to swim. They didn’t know how! So we spent some time just putting our faces under water and pulling ourselves around on the bottom of the 2 ft. water. The girls were so excited to see me put my entire head under…that was a big deal, so we stuck to just faces and blowing bubbles. Some of their brothers came over and tried to show off, going completely under water and kicking a few feet.

After a late lunch, I grabbed my journal and walked to the right of the camp a ways to write. As I was writing, some kids came out from a village behind the levy to fly a kite and play football. Some came over to introduce themselves and ask my name. One boy, Achu, saw my camera and asked to take pictures. I have a few blurry pictures of myself and some of the kids and one of the sunset. Then, he wanted to take videos. After showing him the buttons, he ran off and recorded his friends playing football. As I stood and watched, one of the little ones, Jennifer I think she was three, stayed near me, just stood there in her waistbeads touching my leg. They were all adorable!

That night, there was a bonfire, ate wonderful tilapia [there’s definitely an advantage to being next to the water], and went for a walk on the beach before going to bed. Walking brought another sighting of Orion’s belt and an empty washed-up sea turtle [or tortoise, as Desmond our ferrie driver told me] shell that was quite stinky.

I set my alarm for 6 and of course still missed the sunrise, but the sky was gorgeous nonetheless as I dragged myself up over the levy and stood shivering a bit in the breeze next to the other girls. I told them about the shell, but it had already washed back out. At this point, some of the dogs that hung around the camp were on the beach, the little ones chasing the tons of crabs that scuttled along the beach.  I started running to catch up with one and the others began to follow.  This turned into running down the beach, turning left to go alongside the seawall, going right where the wall ended, and running all the way the end of the spit of land. So many times I wished I had my camera. At the end of the spit, I stopped and went to talk to one of the three fishermen on the shore. “Seaman,” as he called himself, had a cast net. I told him he looked like my dad because my dad worked with fish, too. “You want to buy some fish?” “Oh, no thanks, I don’t have any money. I’m a student.” He went and threw the net, but didn’t come back with anything.  I told him thanks, said goodbye, and started back for the camp.  Though I walk much more on campus here than at home, my legs were still sore. The dogs had gone off, but came back when I called them...haha that was great fun! :) We ran back to the seawall, this time with more walking breaks, I picked up a few shells, and we made our way back to camp for breakfast.

Breakfast and a few coconuts later, we found ourselves boarding the ferry to catch a trotro out of Ada.  On the way, Desmond drove between this large ship and the chain that held its anchor. Had I stretched out my hand, I could have easily touched the ship!

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend. I of course wished we’d been able to come on Friday. I wanted one more night. One more bonfire. One more sunrise. One more run.

[taken post run. see the rock wall about mid-way? that's the seawall. see the spit of land going out behind the wall more to the left? yeah, the dogs and I ran to the end of that. farther than it looks and simply lovely.]

[Volta River side. here, the tide is out and you can walk in places where it's usually 1-2 feet deep. quite cool]

[footballer, Achu is one of the middle ones, Michael on the right]

[there was one mosquito net in the whole hut. when I mentioned this to Winfred he said, "If you get bitten, it's free!" of course, none of us had mosquito troubles, which was a nice change]

[outside of our hut]

[sunset photo courtesy of Achu]

[haha...least blurry picture. Jennifer to the left]

[view from journaling spot!]

[lovely ladies]

[walking to the right of the camp]

Football at Ada

[Footage courtesy of Achu :)]