update!

Hello all,

I hope you are doing well. I am in Accra right now working on some things and getting some R&R, which means eating gelato and going to watch Alice in Wonderland in an air conditioned movie theater with stadium style thinking. This place is crazy...it is a whole different world where I live, which is fine with me because I joined PC for a different lifestyle and well, I got it.

So one of my happiest moments at site so far was when the teens from the Junior High put on a drama about teen pregnancy for the whole community. What made me most proud about this event was that it was the girls at the J. high who approached me and informed me that they wanted to do a drama on teen pregnancy. We began to work on it, but at a snail's pace. I would hold meetings and only one or two girls would show up. I thought that their interest was fading, which was fine because my role is just to facilitate. So the date was approaching fast for the day we had originally scheduled for the drama. I even tried to hold a meeting three days before the event, but no one showed up. There is a particular man in my town who is very hard working and super enthusiastic. He loves doing dramas and seems to have a natural knack for it. We asked him to help and advise us. Finally, two days before the event all the teens gathered and we had a three hour rehearsal and the kids began to see that this was actually happening. It was a bit stressful in the days leading up to this meeting because nothing was coming together. It was very interesting, though, because it was the girls who intiated the drama and when the boys never came to the meetings, it was their own decision to continue with the drama (their words were along the lines of "we are better without the boys anyway." so junior high! ha) and to have some of the girls plays the male parts. Anyway, so we had the practice and the kids began to get motivated and realize that we were actually making this happen. The next day all the kids showed up for another short rehearsal and then it was the day of the drama. I took a back seat (still it was so stressful because this event was turning out to be much bigger than I imagined and I had no idea if the kids would step up to the plate. I lost so many items that day and had to chug a soft drink very fast since I needed to calm down but did not want to drink in front of the teens since they were getting ready at my house. Plus, I had a boil that was oozing pus from my shoulder. So fun!). The teens did step up to the plate and so did the community, which is what should happen! The teens all brought their own costumes (that I did not even suggest) and money to contribute for the sound system and the dance party after. The man assisting with the drama brought out his largest sound system, generator, and computer and the event was on! The whole community showed up, due to the music and dance party. The teens did so well...they spoke loudly into the mic, were bold, and even showed their sense of humor. We planned the story line, but it was all improv. African children have a great flair for dramas. They just seem so natural at it and comfortable with performing. I think it has something to do with their tradition of storytelling and expression.

I am also working on a grant with the counterpart to get funding for a day to sell the seedlings of a certain tree that is packed with protein and minerals and promote the use of the tree, build rabbit cages for farmers who complete a basic business class on profit and loss taught by me, do a food preservation class, and then also do a class on making soap from the leaves of this tree (moringa). Other than that, learning how to bake bread over a gas stove and just trying to live my life.

:D bye!
Lindsey