First Official Post From Ghana
I thought I would have more time to write journal entries while here in Ghana, but it has become somewhat of a hassle to actually turn on my laptop to write an entry to post when I get internet access. It is just easier to just take notes in a journal rather than actually sit down and write a thought out entry to share with everyone. This entry will be my attempt to detail my experiences thus far so I don’t have to answer emails asking what I exactly do/have been doing here.
Staging
My journey to Ghana began with staging, which was held in Philadelphia. For 3 days we went over rules, regulations, procedures and a whole horde of other tedious, but important things we needed to know before arriving in country. We were also given our immunizations during this time. We began as a group of 50 heading to Ghana, but 1 person didn’t show up to staging so right from the beginning we were down to 49.
The night before we were set to leave for Ghana a bunch of us went out to some bar in the Philadelphia area to grab a couple of drinks. At the end of the night only 4 of us were left drinking. We ended up getting a few free pitchers of beer because we told the bartenders and waitresses at the first bar that we were all going to Ghana for the Peace Corps. On the way back to the hotel we still wanted to get a couple of more drinks so we went to this bar/restaurant that was closing and convinced them to stay open a bit longer because this was our last night in the U.S. for a while. They ended up giving us free drinks as well.
When we got back to the hotel I wasn’t tired and didn’t want to go to sleep so I went downstairs to the lobby to go on the internet. At around 4am I fell asleep in the lobby of the hotel with my laptop on and had to be woken up by the hotel staff at 6am telling me that I wasn’t allowed to sleep there. As you can see I started my journey on a good note…
Leaving for Ghana
I really didn’t have that much time to pack before I left due to the fact that I was working up until the last day so I shoved everything that I thought I was going to need into 2 big bags before leaving for Philadelphia. I knew the weight of my bags was going to cause a problem before I arrived and sure enough at JFK I ended up having to pay an extra $100 for the excessive weight of my luggage. This was even after I sent some stuff home in Philly. I was the only one that had this problem and again I brought the attention upon myself by having to repack everything in the middle of a terminal in JFK.
We all left for Ghana on the 22nd of September and arrived in Ghana on the 23rd of September with a stop in Germany and Kenya for refueling. As soon as I got off the plane in Accra (capital of Ghana), I knew that I was in for a big culture shock. Every airport I have ever been in has been extremely modern and well kept. Well it wasn’t like that here. I think the airport here had only 1 paved runway and a couple of other dirt ones.
Orientation
This first phase of training in Ghana was held at Ghana Telecom University. When I say university I use that term very loosely because it really doesn’t seem like an actual college. It’s hard to describe, but I can tell you that the schools here are nothing like what I was accustomed to back in the states. They housed us in the dorm/hostel of the school and all I have to say is that the Davidson dorms at Rutgers (which was voted the worst dorm in America by Princeton Review) are probably in better condition than any sort of housing they have for university students here.
During the 5 days we spent at Ghana Telecom it was more of the same mind-numbing ice breakers, PC policies and other dull, but necessary sessions. I spent my nights hanging out with some of the Ghanaians at the school and I got to know a couple of them pretty well. Before I left we exchanged email addresses and I hope to be able to hang out with them the next time I am down in Accra.
Welcoming Ceremony
During the 5 days we were in Accra Peace Corps had a welcoming ceremony for us at the main office in Accra. Honestly it really wasn’t anything special besides the fact that we had a chief from the area come and pour libations for us. I will explain what the libation ceremony is like in another entry.
Party for the 45th Anniversary of Peace Corps
This year is the 45th anniversary of Peace Corps and since Ghana was the first Peace Corps country to be established it is also the 45th anniversary of Peace Corps in Ghana. For this occasion the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana held a party at her residence.
Vision Quest
After about a week in Accra I went on something the Peace Corps calls a vision quest, which is basically a trip out to a current volunteer’s site to see what a volunteer actually does on a daily basis. My vision quest was in Tamale, which is located in the north where the majority of the population is Muslim. The trip was a 10 and a half hour van ride that was uncomfortable, but bearable in Ghanaian standards. We took something called a fast car, which is a 15 passenger Ford van that just hauls ass. Peace Corps advises us against taking this mode of transportation, but it probably saved us about 4 hours on the trip. They consider it dangerous because of the speed in which the driver drives and the way it just passes every other car on the road. Initially the trip was pretty scary because the driver said a prayer for safety for everyone on the van before we left. We had a good driver so even though he was going 80-90mph on paved and unpaved roads I felt relatively safe.
The volunteer we stayed with Tamale lives in a compound with a Muslim family. It was an interesting experience staying with the family because of the fact we were staying in a Muslim community with a Muslim family during Ramadan. I just felt it was one of those things that I probably will never do or be able to do again. I personally felt I learned a lot about the Muslim religion and the different types of people, customs, languages, and religions that are here in Ghana.
On a separate note, we visited a Water/Sanitation volunteer that lived about 20-30km from Tamale and it turns out that he went to Rutgers at the same time that I did. The village respected him and the work that he did so much that they made him a sub-chief. It also didn’t hurt that he was a Muslim as well.
Homestay/Training in Techiman
Write about home stay and training here in Techiman…
Field Trip
Write about the field trip here…
I haven’t had as much time as I wanted to finish this entry so I will have to post the rest of this entry the next time I get internet access.
Staging
My journey to Ghana began with staging, which was held in Philadelphia. For 3 days we went over rules, regulations, procedures and a whole horde of other tedious, but important things we needed to know before arriving in country. We were also given our immunizations during this time. We began as a group of 50 heading to Ghana, but 1 person didn’t show up to staging so right from the beginning we were down to 49.
The night before we were set to leave for Ghana a bunch of us went out to some bar in the Philadelphia area to grab a couple of drinks. At the end of the night only 4 of us were left drinking. We ended up getting a few free pitchers of beer because we told the bartenders and waitresses at the first bar that we were all going to Ghana for the Peace Corps. On the way back to the hotel we still wanted to get a couple of more drinks so we went to this bar/restaurant that was closing and convinced them to stay open a bit longer because this was our last night in the U.S. for a while. They ended up giving us free drinks as well.
When we got back to the hotel I wasn’t tired and didn’t want to go to sleep so I went downstairs to the lobby to go on the internet. At around 4am I fell asleep in the lobby of the hotel with my laptop on and had to be woken up by the hotel staff at 6am telling me that I wasn’t allowed to sleep there. As you can see I started my journey on a good note…
Leaving for Ghana
I really didn’t have that much time to pack before I left due to the fact that I was working up until the last day so I shoved everything that I thought I was going to need into 2 big bags before leaving for Philadelphia. I knew the weight of my bags was going to cause a problem before I arrived and sure enough at JFK I ended up having to pay an extra $100 for the excessive weight of my luggage. This was even after I sent some stuff home in Philly. I was the only one that had this problem and again I brought the attention upon myself by having to repack everything in the middle of a terminal in JFK.
We all left for Ghana on the 22nd of September and arrived in Ghana on the 23rd of September with a stop in Germany and Kenya for refueling. As soon as I got off the plane in Accra (capital of Ghana), I knew that I was in for a big culture shock. Every airport I have ever been in has been extremely modern and well kept. Well it wasn’t like that here. I think the airport here had only 1 paved runway and a couple of other dirt ones.
Orientation
This first phase of training in Ghana was held at Ghana Telecom University. When I say university I use that term very loosely because it really doesn’t seem like an actual college. It’s hard to describe, but I can tell you that the schools here are nothing like what I was accustomed to back in the states. They housed us in the dorm/hostel of the school and all I have to say is that the Davidson dorms at Rutgers (which was voted the worst dorm in America by Princeton Review) are probably in better condition than any sort of housing they have for university students here.
During the 5 days we spent at Ghana Telecom it was more of the same mind-numbing ice breakers, PC policies and other dull, but necessary sessions. I spent my nights hanging out with some of the Ghanaians at the school and I got to know a couple of them pretty well. Before I left we exchanged email addresses and I hope to be able to hang out with them the next time I am down in Accra.
Welcoming Ceremony
During the 5 days we were in Accra Peace Corps had a welcoming ceremony for us at the main office in Accra. Honestly it really wasn’t anything special besides the fact that we had a chief from the area come and pour libations for us. I will explain what the libation ceremony is like in another entry.
Party for the 45th Anniversary of Peace Corps
This year is the 45th anniversary of Peace Corps and since Ghana was the first Peace Corps country to be established it is also the 45th anniversary of Peace Corps in Ghana. For this occasion the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana held a party at her residence.
Vision Quest
After about a week in Accra I went on something the Peace Corps calls a vision quest, which is basically a trip out to a current volunteer’s site to see what a volunteer actually does on a daily basis. My vision quest was in Tamale, which is located in the north where the majority of the population is Muslim. The trip was a 10 and a half hour van ride that was uncomfortable, but bearable in Ghanaian standards. We took something called a fast car, which is a 15 passenger Ford van that just hauls ass. Peace Corps advises us against taking this mode of transportation, but it probably saved us about 4 hours on the trip. They consider it dangerous because of the speed in which the driver drives and the way it just passes every other car on the road. Initially the trip was pretty scary because the driver said a prayer for safety for everyone on the van before we left. We had a good driver so even though he was going 80-90mph on paved and unpaved roads I felt relatively safe.
The volunteer we stayed with Tamale lives in a compound with a Muslim family. It was an interesting experience staying with the family because of the fact we were staying in a Muslim community with a Muslim family during Ramadan. I just felt it was one of those things that I probably will never do or be able to do again. I personally felt I learned a lot about the Muslim religion and the different types of people, customs, languages, and religions that are here in Ghana.
On a separate note, we visited a Water/Sanitation volunteer that lived about 20-30km from Tamale and it turns out that he went to Rutgers at the same time that I did. The village respected him and the work that he did so much that they made him a sub-chief. It also didn’t hurt that he was a Muslim as well.
Homestay/Training in Techiman
Write about home stay and training here in Techiman…
Field Trip
Write about the field trip here…
I haven’t had as much time as I wanted to finish this entry so I will have to post the rest of this entry the next time I get internet access.
posted by john park at 7:36 AM
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