Hello! So all the new volunteers in Ghana just had their swearing in ceremony last night. I cannot believe that was me a year ago. Time passes so quickly, even when living in a village with no electricity and running water. I have been thinking lately about how I have changed so I thought I would just write a bit about what has been on my mind. It is for me more than anyone because life changes quickly and soon these musings will be lost, but I hope you enjoy also!
I could not stand the food here one year ago. It seriously baffled my mind how these people survived on these various balls of starches (fufu, banku, kenke, and kokonte) but now I crave them so much. Even in Accra, when I have access to Western food, I need at least one ball of beautiful starch a day to feel complete. ha. What a turn of events! I look forward to returning to my village from traveling so that I can eat these foods with my friends. Also, now when I eat American food, I feel sick whereas a year ago, it was the opposite. I am so happy that somehow my tastes changed (I think in part because there is a point where you get so hungry and it takes so much to cook anything here that you just want any food and then all of sudden, you love it) because their lives revolve around food. It is farm and food so if you cannot partake of this all important factor in their lives, you will miss out on the culture so much. I am so grateful for this change in my tastes and mindset.
One of the most valuable experiences here has becoming a family member of a Ghanaian family in my village. My acceptance into the family evolved over time, but now it feels so good to go home from traveling to see my family again. And they are so happy to see me! I eat dinner with them everyday and if I do not go there, they become upset and wonder why. This experience has changed everything for me. I was speaking to another volunteer about our choice to become so close with these families in our respective villages. We have changed due to this choice and therefore our lives have changed. Of course because of our relationships, it will be so difficult to leave, but I do not want to waste two years of my life because of fear. I learned acceptance, love, and how to care in a different culture and this fills my heart. It is inevitable that with a family there will be conflict so it has been such a learning experience to learn how to effectively and diplomatically deal with conflict in another culture, let alone in a village. In America, if i have a problem, I can just get in my car and GO. My personal and work life are relatively separate. Not so in a village. But I am not one to keep my mouth shut when something bothers me so I have had to learn to deal with conflict in a different, and somewhat improved, way. This has been a very valuable experience...for people to get to know the real me. I am kind, patience, like to laugh, help people, but I do get mad and will tell you if you have done something inappropriate or wrong in my mind. I love my friends here and they love me but they have told me that they know I am kind, but when I get annoyed, I get ANNOYED. ha. They have also told me that I know how to talk to people...meaning if someone upsets me, I will say something. It makes me happy to hear these comments because it would be easy in another culture to just separate yourself from the people because of cultural differences and conflicts or just let yourself become a door mat because these people are essentially the key to your successful existence here. And I am not saying that the relationships I have developed have been easy. Many days I just want to bang my head on the wall and watch reruns of SNL, but this is my life . I am grateful that my life in America is relatively drama free due to my mature friends and my family. Living in a village in Africa is somewhat living in a soap opera set in Coos County times ten. I feel like I was thrown into a pot of boiling water. It has been so eye -opening to learn more about human behavior. I have also learned that I am eternally an optimist and just think people will do good overall. I still believe this, but now I am around my friends all the time and they do not always behave well or like the adults they are so I have had to reconcile my high aspirations with reality and their social and cultural setting and socialization. I have learned how to be patient, forgive, understand that everything eventually works out , and know that This Too Shall Pass.
I have also learned how much I love to dance. Living in Africa is such a wonderful experience. The people here are so beautiful, but regardless of their poverty or difficult circumstances, they all know how to boogey and are so uninhibited. The women here have curves, but flaunt it and dance like they know and believe the truth that they are beautiful. The men also don't let the women steal the show, but bring their moves as well. It has been the best time...and there is more shaking to be had. I cannot wait to go back to my village tomorrow to see my friends and there is a huge funeral (aka dance party till 3 am) so my friends are waiting for my return. :D
Come visit and we will have a blast...just bring your dancing shoes and fitted clothing. haha.
Lindsey
Friday, August 13, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
a year!
So the new volunteers (the nubes we call them) just arrived a few days ago. Oh my gosh, I am so glad I am no longer a nube. ha. I just feel so much more at home now, both in Ghana and with myself. A year ago, I and the situation was so new, confusing, nerve-wracking, and yet exciting at the same time. Even though I do not envy the new volunteers at all your excitement for traveling the world, doing something that matters, and meeting new people carries you through. Realizing I have been here a year makes me sad...sad to think about leaving my friends and this place. I also almost had a panic attack because I have like a million things I want to accomplish but projects move as slow as molasses. I am also happy because I would love to see Oregon and my family and friends again. I also want to drink good coffee and eat hummus and berries (not together...well, maybe in one sitting). I am also excited for graduate school and what will come.
I wish that I could have updated this thing a few months ago but I have been working on a proposal and so whenever I use the computer it has been to work on that. There are so many things to talk about so I will just start with work.
A few weeks ago, the other volunteers in my district and I organized a leadership camp for junior high students. We each brought five children from our villages. The camp was titled Camp GGLOW (Girls and Guys Leading Our World) and they stayed at the district hospital for one week. During the week, they performed dramas about what they learned during the day, listened to the life stories of many Ghanaians who also came from villages but worked hard to complete their education and make a life for themselves, toured the bank, the hospital, and secondary school, and so many other activities. One of the volunteers is an art teacher at a deaf school so he came with two of his students and the children learned art and ASL from them. It was such a rewarding experience to be involved with something like this. The children really loved learning ASL and it was wonderful for them to interact with children from different tribes and with children who are Deaf. Many of the children also experience great difficulty in even completing junior high school and the girls are encouraged to take older boyfriends for monetary reasons. Thus, many of the conversations with the guest speakers were about their own struggles and healthy relationships. The kids really opened up and we could see that many of them are so troubled about how to complete school so hopefully we can do some follow up activities and advise them in how to deal with these challenges. They did the camp last year but there was limited Ghanaian involvement so this year, we had 12 HS students leading the junior high students and their groups. That was wonderful to see young, bright Ghanaian students being leaders and seeing how they also learned and benefited from the camp. We are looking forward to next year. Also, we had a dance and like every dance in Ghana, that was a hoot. ha.
I participated in a program called the OneWorld Art program. I had 25 students draw various scenes of Ghanaian life and culture and then sent it to America, free of charge. They just sent me 25 pieces of art from all over the world, including a book from Eastern Europe and pictures of many of the students. Schools were encouraged to apply for grants of 50 USD to continue to do art in the schools. I applied for my school and we were one of 4 schools to win. I am so excited! I think with the HIV club we just started we will do an mural about AIDS with some art students from the village over the mountain where one of my friends is an art teacher.
I just completed my proposal for the Farmer's group in Tutukpene. I am both nervous and excited. It is quite a bit of money so I will just have to be a fastidious accountant. I know that I will also have to be patient because though I have resources, I have to work hard to effectively mobilize the community. I think I wrote previously about the proposal but in a nutshell we will grow moringa trees ( a tree that is very high in protein and in highly promoted by Peace Corps since protein deficiency in a huge problem), raise rabbits for income generation and also to prevent protein deficiency, learn to preserve vegetables, make soap, and my counterpart and I will teach basic business classes for farmers about profit and loss. Oh yeah, and one of my own rabbits is pregnant. That will be interesting...hah
I could write more but my time is limited so now I will write a bit about my own life. My friend and I are heading to Togo and Benin in a few days. I am very excited to see West Africa and especially the French influences and buy beautiful cloth. We just got back from a wedding. My first African wedding! Funerals are the big to do here so I feel very grateful to have attended a traditional African wedding. And what a wedding it was! The bride was the nurse in my village and she got married in her home town, which was about 8 hours from Tutukpene. She married in the traditional African Kente cloth and it was breathtaking. His cloth was also Kente. The wedding was quite extravagant. One strip of Kente can be 30 dollars and so to make an entire dress, well, you can imagine. She looked like a queen ...well worth it! ha. After the actual ceremony (which was in English and was similar to a Western ceremony), we headed to the reception hall and they both changed into traditional matching white outfits and danced their first dance together. There was cake (so good...I haven't had cake in so long!), a buffet for 200 people (prepared by all of the women in her family), drinks, and then a dance. :D
I am enjoying life in the village. It is nice to have been there almost one year and feel at home now. It is nice to come home from traveling and have my friends welcome me again and sit down to eat with them. One of my friends from back home asked me some questions about how
Ghanaians brew beer since the beer I drink is from Ghana. I am not too sure about that question. Frankly, I don't drink beer too much because it is quite expensive for my measly salary. Rather, I have come to prefer a local drink called palm wine. The palm tree is used frequently here. They use the palm branches for thatching their house, the nuts for soup, and the liquid inside the tree for liquor. The family with whom I frequently eat dinner with and whom have adopted me as a daughter of sorts actually sell palm wine and the liquor from the tree, apeteche. That comes in handy. haha. I am grateful that my tastes have changed, both for the sake of my budget and my social circle. :D So to tap the palm tree, you have to cut down a mature tree and the liquid that first comes out is palm wine. The wine varies in sweetness and alcohol content depending on the batch. To get apeteche (which burns, tastes like kerosene, and has been the downfall of many a volunteer), it must go through a moonshine like process. Um yeah. haha. Palm wine is a bit frothy, whereas apeteche is clear. It is quite interesting how my tastes have changed so much in one year. I now crave Ghanaian food . Just one year ago, I thought I was going to die because the food was downright appalling. Humans are adaptable. :D
hope you are all well,
Lindsey
I wish that I could have updated this thing a few months ago but I have been working on a proposal and so whenever I use the computer it has been to work on that. There are so many things to talk about so I will just start with work.
A few weeks ago, the other volunteers in my district and I organized a leadership camp for junior high students. We each brought five children from our villages. The camp was titled Camp GGLOW (Girls and Guys Leading Our World) and they stayed at the district hospital for one week. During the week, they performed dramas about what they learned during the day, listened to the life stories of many Ghanaians who also came from villages but worked hard to complete their education and make a life for themselves, toured the bank, the hospital, and secondary school, and so many other activities. One of the volunteers is an art teacher at a deaf school so he came with two of his students and the children learned art and ASL from them. It was such a rewarding experience to be involved with something like this. The children really loved learning ASL and it was wonderful for them to interact with children from different tribes and with children who are Deaf. Many of the children also experience great difficulty in even completing junior high school and the girls are encouraged to take older boyfriends for monetary reasons. Thus, many of the conversations with the guest speakers were about their own struggles and healthy relationships. The kids really opened up and we could see that many of them are so troubled about how to complete school so hopefully we can do some follow up activities and advise them in how to deal with these challenges. They did the camp last year but there was limited Ghanaian involvement so this year, we had 12 HS students leading the junior high students and their groups. That was wonderful to see young, bright Ghanaian students being leaders and seeing how they also learned and benefited from the camp. We are looking forward to next year. Also, we had a dance and like every dance in Ghana, that was a hoot. ha.
I participated in a program called the OneWorld Art program. I had 25 students draw various scenes of Ghanaian life and culture and then sent it to America, free of charge. They just sent me 25 pieces of art from all over the world, including a book from Eastern Europe and pictures of many of the students. Schools were encouraged to apply for grants of 50 USD to continue to do art in the schools. I applied for my school and we were one of 4 schools to win. I am so excited! I think with the HIV club we just started we will do an mural about AIDS with some art students from the village over the mountain where one of my friends is an art teacher.
I just completed my proposal for the Farmer's group in Tutukpene. I am both nervous and excited. It is quite a bit of money so I will just have to be a fastidious accountant. I know that I will also have to be patient because though I have resources, I have to work hard to effectively mobilize the community. I think I wrote previously about the proposal but in a nutshell we will grow moringa trees ( a tree that is very high in protein and in highly promoted by Peace Corps since protein deficiency in a huge problem), raise rabbits for income generation and also to prevent protein deficiency, learn to preserve vegetables, make soap, and my counterpart and I will teach basic business classes for farmers about profit and loss. Oh yeah, and one of my own rabbits is pregnant. That will be interesting...hah
I could write more but my time is limited so now I will write a bit about my own life. My friend and I are heading to Togo and Benin in a few days. I am very excited to see West Africa and especially the French influences and buy beautiful cloth. We just got back from a wedding. My first African wedding! Funerals are the big to do here so I feel very grateful to have attended a traditional African wedding. And what a wedding it was! The bride was the nurse in my village and she got married in her home town, which was about 8 hours from Tutukpene. She married in the traditional African Kente cloth and it was breathtaking. His cloth was also Kente. The wedding was quite extravagant. One strip of Kente can be 30 dollars and so to make an entire dress, well, you can imagine. She looked like a queen ...well worth it! ha. After the actual ceremony (which was in English and was similar to a Western ceremony), we headed to the reception hall and they both changed into traditional matching white outfits and danced their first dance together. There was cake (so good...I haven't had cake in so long!), a buffet for 200 people (prepared by all of the women in her family), drinks, and then a dance. :D
I am enjoying life in the village. It is nice to have been there almost one year and feel at home now. It is nice to come home from traveling and have my friends welcome me again and sit down to eat with them. One of my friends from back home asked me some questions about how
Ghanaians brew beer since the beer I drink is from Ghana. I am not too sure about that question. Frankly, I don't drink beer too much because it is quite expensive for my measly salary. Rather, I have come to prefer a local drink called palm wine. The palm tree is used frequently here. They use the palm branches for thatching their house, the nuts for soup, and the liquid inside the tree for liquor. The family with whom I frequently eat dinner with and whom have adopted me as a daughter of sorts actually sell palm wine and the liquor from the tree, apeteche. That comes in handy. haha. I am grateful that my tastes have changed, both for the sake of my budget and my social circle. :D So to tap the palm tree, you have to cut down a mature tree and the liquid that first comes out is palm wine. The wine varies in sweetness and alcohol content depending on the batch. To get apeteche (which burns, tastes like kerosene, and has been the downfall of many a volunteer), it must go through a moonshine like process. Um yeah. haha. Palm wine is a bit frothy, whereas apeteche is clear. It is quite interesting how my tastes have changed so much in one year. I now crave Ghanaian food . Just one year ago, I thought I was going to die because the food was downright appalling. Humans are adaptable. :D
hope you are all well,
Lindsey
Thursday, March 11, 2010
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
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
Thursday, February 4, 2010
february!
Hello all...
I cannot believe that I have been in Ghana for eight months now. For some of you, I have already emailed you some of these items and my thoughts just bear with me. :D
I am in the city of Kumasi right now with my fellow health volunteers. It is wonderful to see my friends again, speak American English, drink cold beer, and learn many technical skills and resources to guide our next year and a half. My APCD (Associate Program Country Director) of Health is brilliant so training has been quite beneficial and very refreshing as opposed to the general training we received in the first three months of our service. We have all adjusted well or relatively well and this is great to see. It was not so long ago that I was trying to find ways of disposing of my food without offending my host family. On our way back from training this time around, we are all planning on going to visit our host families. I am so excited to see my host mom, witness her crazy happy dance, and show her that I actually do enjoy her food now. It is so interesting, but I think that one of the crucial steps to integrating well into the culture is to learn how to enjoy the food here. Ghanaians have such pride in their local cusine (as do most cultures) so it a point of connecting with and making actual friends with the people over their food so key. This has taken so long, though. I would say that during my 5th or 6th month of service, I came to really appreciate and enjoy the country. Regarding the food, it was a matter of pure hunger that lead me to eat more of their local cuisine and now I actually crave the soup and balls of starch. Sort of a scary thought...if I fit in here, in such a radically different culture, will I ever be able to make friends and function in America? Ha ha. Just a warning to the lucky people with whom I will choose to live and mooch off after I return.
There are many things I miss. Or perhaps they are not really things, but more cultural frameworks and mindsets. Education here is very frustrating as the focus is completely on subservience, memorization, and standarized tests. I recognize that in America we are constantly having the debate about the perhaps improper role standarized tests play in our country. Being here makes me appreciate the wonderful education I received at Hillcrest (Mrs. Maddron especially!). Some of the volunteers have begun teaching computer classes not because they really care about computers or they schools even have electricity, but because without learning the requirements started by Ghana Education Service, these students will have no chance of going to senior high school. Thus, the requirements are not based on whether the students have proper materials in the classroom or even teachers, but on what the education department decides. I am sure this is common in many countries so it is not only Ghanaian youth who struggle to escape the life of poverty through higher education. It is common for me to see the students going to farm after school ends for the day to work on the headmaster's farm. Whem I do go to the school, the students are usually just sitting in the classroom without a teacher. If they students leave, they will get beaten. It is quite a conundrum because we encourage parents to send their children to school instead of farm and yet, it does make sense for a parent to value the finances of the family over the education of the child when the child does not learn anyway. The structure of the education system does not encourage creativity and questioning, as I have mentioned before, and this is one of the most frustrating aspects of education here.
The lack of questioning and conversational skills exists in my everyday interactions and relationships. People have told me that I ask too many questions and perhaps this is true. haha. Not that I am going to change. I don't care if I do, but I have noticed and been frustrated by my failed attempts to hold a meaningful conversation with some people whom I considered my close friends. Looking at the cultural context, though, I can step back and realize these critiques without judgment. Marriage here, at least in the village, is centered around going to farm, eating, and procreating. I recently went to a workshop funded by a local Women's Development NGO and the women discussed many of their relationship problems with their spouses. Some of the women mentioned the fact that they are afraid to speak to their husbands about something that has angered or upset them because they are afraid they will get beat. In fact, Ghana does have a law against domestic violence, but it was very difficult for Parliament to pass such a law. The women at the workshop were professional women so their lives and therefore, their solutions were very different than the solutions some of the women in my village would have come up with. Even then, it seemed like a relatively new concept to many of the women to perhaps ask her husband to go out for a beer or soda and just try to listen and communicate openly about the problem. Going to the workshop and realizing the difficulties these women have in communicating with their spouses made me realize how much I value the power I have to speak my mind, how much I value honesty and frankness, and become more patient with my friends if their conversational skills are limited to food and my general state of being. It also makes me appreciate so much more my few friends I have that ask stimulating questions and with whom I can hold meaningful conversations. And it just puts me, once again, in the role of asking more questions in interactions. haha.
The workshop rocked my socks off! Another volunteer in my district went to the workshop and we just came away from it extremely inspired about the quality of the women working for this NGO, the level of consciousness of the women participating, and the potential we have for colloborating with this agency. We had an anon question box and some of the questions were quite sobering. Some of these were what a woman should do if her family does not love her since she is not married and what are suggestions for a woman whose husband no longer loves her and how to win back his heart. The reality of the lives of women here is very hard to swallow, even those of professional women with education. Once the women begin to work and spend more time away from home, it is common for the man to choose another girlfriend because activities such as cooking, being in the house, and doing the wash are seen as acts of love and so if a woman cannot do those all the time, her husband goes to find another. This is not to say all men do this, but this is the reality for many women. The challenges are enormous and just break my heart, I did not come away from the workshop depressed, though. Instead, I was so impressed and moved by the strength, humor, and resliency of the women. I loved the facilitator (who when people ask if she is married, she states she is happily single) and the fact that Ghanaian women were discussing issues and concerns that women all over still face and that my fellow PVCs and I have discussed. I am so excited to work with this NGO on some of our projects, such as a leadership and HIV prevention camp for youth, Take Your Daughter to Work Day, and International Women's Day.
So my fellow health volunteers and I had quite an inspiring day. Part of PC health is to improve the nutritional status of community members. One way to do this is through projects called Alternative Livelihood. In Tutukpene, the majority of the people focus only on subsistence farming with yam, maize, cassava, etc. Today we visited an amazing farm owned by a man who started with a poultry farm of only 50 chickens and has worked up to owning 150 acres, farming fish, chicken, grass cutters, pigs, and even owning ostriches and crocodiles with the goal in mind of beginning an ecotourism project. He won Ghana's National Farmer of the Year a few years ago and rightfully so. Consistent with subsistence farming, it is common here for farmers to not keep track of expenditures and profits and just live day to day. Thus, it is amazing (!) to meet a man who began as a mechanic and somehow had the know how to begin planning for his goals and know how to make them a reality. We went with our counterparts (volunteers chosen by our communities) and it was very beneficial for them to see someone who was formerly in their economic situations and now is quite affluent. I am hoping that my counterpart will be motivated more so now to work with the Farmer's Group in T.P. to raise rabbits, grow trees and moringa trees, and decide on other alternative livelihood projects. On my own, I want to try to raise goats, rabbits, and grass cutters so that perhaps I can fund my vaca. :D
I am sure you are all wondering what I am doing here and if I am completely wasting my life under the African sun. haha. Yes, my skin is turning to leather and I will need to spend my readjustment allowance on plastic surgery. Other than that, I feel like things are going relatively well considering it is hotter than Hades and the culture is so different. Everyday, when I think about American productivity and pace of life and feel guilty about how lazy I am, I have to remind myself of what a brilliant man JFK was when he made 2 of the three goals of the PC about creating relationships and peacekeeping. Thus, I am doing my job everyday that I sit down with my friends to eat fufu, do my wash, and fetch water from the boar hole. That said, there are many projects I want to do and am quite excited about, but I have to make sure that the community initiates the project so that I will not be placed in the role that post colonized nations sometimes fall back on in relying on the "foreigner."
I will just list a few projects that are rolling around in my head and will hopefully come into fruition soon (Africa soon mind you...):
Going to the Upper West with a young female student to learn to make soap the come back to the district/village to teach other women a potential income generating activity
Continuing with the Girls Club I started- training for an AIDS race, doing dramas, baking cakes, Take Your Daughter to Work Day, learning cloth making
Doing HIV/AIDS prevention with the youth- drama and quiz competitions
Working with the Farmer's Group to do Alternative Livelihood projects
Doing educational activities based on treating malnutrition in the community
Working on material items that T.P. has identified as needs- another boar hole, latrines, a storage center for grains
And starting my farm! :D
Just to provide a disclaimer, perhaps ask me about these projects in three months as then they will just have begun...ha.
Gotta go,
Lindsey
I cannot believe that I have been in Ghana for eight months now. For some of you, I have already emailed you some of these items and my thoughts just bear with me. :D
I am in the city of Kumasi right now with my fellow health volunteers. It is wonderful to see my friends again, speak American English, drink cold beer, and learn many technical skills and resources to guide our next year and a half. My APCD (Associate Program Country Director) of Health is brilliant so training has been quite beneficial and very refreshing as opposed to the general training we received in the first three months of our service. We have all adjusted well or relatively well and this is great to see. It was not so long ago that I was trying to find ways of disposing of my food without offending my host family. On our way back from training this time around, we are all planning on going to visit our host families. I am so excited to see my host mom, witness her crazy happy dance, and show her that I actually do enjoy her food now. It is so interesting, but I think that one of the crucial steps to integrating well into the culture is to learn how to enjoy the food here. Ghanaians have such pride in their local cusine (as do most cultures) so it a point of connecting with and making actual friends with the people over their food so key. This has taken so long, though. I would say that during my 5th or 6th month of service, I came to really appreciate and enjoy the country. Regarding the food, it was a matter of pure hunger that lead me to eat more of their local cuisine and now I actually crave the soup and balls of starch. Sort of a scary thought...if I fit in here, in such a radically different culture, will I ever be able to make friends and function in America? Ha ha. Just a warning to the lucky people with whom I will choose to live and mooch off after I return.
There are many things I miss. Or perhaps they are not really things, but more cultural frameworks and mindsets. Education here is very frustrating as the focus is completely on subservience, memorization, and standarized tests. I recognize that in America we are constantly having the debate about the perhaps improper role standarized tests play in our country. Being here makes me appreciate the wonderful education I received at Hillcrest (Mrs. Maddron especially!). Some of the volunteers have begun teaching computer classes not because they really care about computers or they schools even have electricity, but because without learning the requirements started by Ghana Education Service, these students will have no chance of going to senior high school. Thus, the requirements are not based on whether the students have proper materials in the classroom or even teachers, but on what the education department decides. I am sure this is common in many countries so it is not only Ghanaian youth who struggle to escape the life of poverty through higher education. It is common for me to see the students going to farm after school ends for the day to work on the headmaster's farm. Whem I do go to the school, the students are usually just sitting in the classroom without a teacher. If they students leave, they will get beaten. It is quite a conundrum because we encourage parents to send their children to school instead of farm and yet, it does make sense for a parent to value the finances of the family over the education of the child when the child does not learn anyway. The structure of the education system does not encourage creativity and questioning, as I have mentioned before, and this is one of the most frustrating aspects of education here.
The lack of questioning and conversational skills exists in my everyday interactions and relationships. People have told me that I ask too many questions and perhaps this is true. haha. Not that I am going to change. I don't care if I do, but I have noticed and been frustrated by my failed attempts to hold a meaningful conversation with some people whom I considered my close friends. Looking at the cultural context, though, I can step back and realize these critiques without judgment. Marriage here, at least in the village, is centered around going to farm, eating, and procreating. I recently went to a workshop funded by a local Women's Development NGO and the women discussed many of their relationship problems with their spouses. Some of the women mentioned the fact that they are afraid to speak to their husbands about something that has angered or upset them because they are afraid they will get beat. In fact, Ghana does have a law against domestic violence, but it was very difficult for Parliament to pass such a law. The women at the workshop were professional women so their lives and therefore, their solutions were very different than the solutions some of the women in my village would have come up with. Even then, it seemed like a relatively new concept to many of the women to perhaps ask her husband to go out for a beer or soda and just try to listen and communicate openly about the problem. Going to the workshop and realizing the difficulties these women have in communicating with their spouses made me realize how much I value the power I have to speak my mind, how much I value honesty and frankness, and become more patient with my friends if their conversational skills are limited to food and my general state of being. It also makes me appreciate so much more my few friends I have that ask stimulating questions and with whom I can hold meaningful conversations. And it just puts me, once again, in the role of asking more questions in interactions. haha.
The workshop rocked my socks off! Another volunteer in my district went to the workshop and we just came away from it extremely inspired about the quality of the women working for this NGO, the level of consciousness of the women participating, and the potential we have for colloborating with this agency. We had an anon question box and some of the questions were quite sobering. Some of these were what a woman should do if her family does not love her since she is not married and what are suggestions for a woman whose husband no longer loves her and how to win back his heart. The reality of the lives of women here is very hard to swallow, even those of professional women with education. Once the women begin to work and spend more time away from home, it is common for the man to choose another girlfriend because activities such as cooking, being in the house, and doing the wash are seen as acts of love and so if a woman cannot do those all the time, her husband goes to find another. This is not to say all men do this, but this is the reality for many women. The challenges are enormous and just break my heart, I did not come away from the workshop depressed, though. Instead, I was so impressed and moved by the strength, humor, and resliency of the women. I loved the facilitator (who when people ask if she is married, she states she is happily single) and the fact that Ghanaian women were discussing issues and concerns that women all over still face and that my fellow PVCs and I have discussed. I am so excited to work with this NGO on some of our projects, such as a leadership and HIV prevention camp for youth, Take Your Daughter to Work Day, and International Women's Day.
So my fellow health volunteers and I had quite an inspiring day. Part of PC health is to improve the nutritional status of community members. One way to do this is through projects called Alternative Livelihood. In Tutukpene, the majority of the people focus only on subsistence farming with yam, maize, cassava, etc. Today we visited an amazing farm owned by a man who started with a poultry farm of only 50 chickens and has worked up to owning 150 acres, farming fish, chicken, grass cutters, pigs, and even owning ostriches and crocodiles with the goal in mind of beginning an ecotourism project. He won Ghana's National Farmer of the Year a few years ago and rightfully so. Consistent with subsistence farming, it is common here for farmers to not keep track of expenditures and profits and just live day to day. Thus, it is amazing (!) to meet a man who began as a mechanic and somehow had the know how to begin planning for his goals and know how to make them a reality. We went with our counterparts (volunteers chosen by our communities) and it was very beneficial for them to see someone who was formerly in their economic situations and now is quite affluent. I am hoping that my counterpart will be motivated more so now to work with the Farmer's Group in T.P. to raise rabbits, grow trees and moringa trees, and decide on other alternative livelihood projects. On my own, I want to try to raise goats, rabbits, and grass cutters so that perhaps I can fund my vaca. :D
I am sure you are all wondering what I am doing here and if I am completely wasting my life under the African sun. haha. Yes, my skin is turning to leather and I will need to spend my readjustment allowance on plastic surgery. Other than that, I feel like things are going relatively well considering it is hotter than Hades and the culture is so different. Everyday, when I think about American productivity and pace of life and feel guilty about how lazy I am, I have to remind myself of what a brilliant man JFK was when he made 2 of the three goals of the PC about creating relationships and peacekeeping. Thus, I am doing my job everyday that I sit down with my friends to eat fufu, do my wash, and fetch water from the boar hole. That said, there are many projects I want to do and am quite excited about, but I have to make sure that the community initiates the project so that I will not be placed in the role that post colonized nations sometimes fall back on in relying on the "foreigner."
I will just list a few projects that are rolling around in my head and will hopefully come into fruition soon (Africa soon mind you...):
Going to the Upper West with a young female student to learn to make soap the come back to the district/village to teach other women a potential income generating activity
Continuing with the Girls Club I started- training for an AIDS race, doing dramas, baking cakes, Take Your Daughter to Work Day, learning cloth making
Doing HIV/AIDS prevention with the youth- drama and quiz competitions
Working with the Farmer's Group to do Alternative Livelihood projects
Doing educational activities based on treating malnutrition in the community
Working on material items that T.P. has identified as needs- another boar hole, latrines, a storage center for grains
And starting my farm! :D
Just to provide a disclaimer, perhaps ask me about these projects in three months as then they will just have begun...ha.
Gotta go,
Lindsey
Monday, November 30, 2009
settling in
Hello all! Sorry for the lack of blog posts. I have very limited access to internet and when I do have the chance to use it, I like to send personal emails or read up on your lives!
It is crazy to think about how I have already been at site for 3 months and that I have been in the country for almost 6 months. wow. One of my PC friends and I were talking about how interesting to think about how humans are so adaptable. During training, we both hated the food. Now, three months into site, we actually crave some of the local foods. We joke about how we are going to have such a hard time readjusting to life in America after actually enjoying foods that we once hated, getting accustomed to drinking warm beer, and various other social habits that we have taken on. We joke about how we are going to be very socially awkward back in the U.S. Just a warning! ha.
My puppy is doing quite well. I have not seen him in some days since we all went to Accra for Thanksgiving. My 12 year old friend is taking care of him and making him fatter by the day. He will be the fatest dog in all of Tutukpene, which is wonderful since all of the dogs look like they are starving. He is the cutest thing ever and it makes me feel so good to have something to come home to. :D I will try to post pics when I have a good enough internet connection. His name is Opukalo, which means "all is good" in the local dilect. And I have been seeing people from Tutukpene today in my marke town and they greet me with the name of my dog. It is fabulous. People are constantly asking how my baby/husband is doing. He is quite the star in my town. And rightfully so since he is the best looking dog in the whole town. :D
Tommorrow my village is having a naming ceremony for me. The chief apparently bought eggs, which are quite expensive, so it must be a pretty important shindig. They have named me "Tilin" which means "We love or like you." ha. I hope they still feel the same when I do not bring them money, electricity, or bikes after two years, which is what everyone in the town thinks I am there for.
My counterpart (the man who volunteered to work with me on community projects) and I have been doing a census, which includes asking questions about diseases experienced during the last year, number of people in the household, kind of latrine used, when they use soap, whether they practice family planning, etc. During the census, I have also incorporated two questions of my own, which are what the people see as the strengths in Tutukpene (since everyone is only talking about the bad or what they need to me) and what projects they would like us to work on together. Usually the first reponse to what projects we can work on is how I should bring them money, bikes, or electricity. Alot of my work during the next two years will just be educating the people on what I am actually there for and what community development is. The census gives us a good chance to begin that education.
My work has not really begun yet since I just arrived three months ago and I have been working hard to just make sure I am happy and want to be here and that I am somewhat a part of the community. I am glad that the Peace Corps does not want us to really start any projects for the first three months since their approach to community development is from a capacity-building, people-centered, grassroots approach. I do not want to begin projects that the community has no interest in and that I am just starting because it is from what I see needs to be done. So I have been identifying projects that I think the community is interested in and that would be sustainable. so far, this includes bringing another well to the community (which could take a least a year due to bureacracy), starting an HIV/Art club to simultaneously educate about sexual health and teach the teens to be creative, working on bringing latrines to interested community members, working with the farmer's group to promote a protein-rich tree called moringa and rabbit rearing, and learning how to make moringa soap from another volunteer in the Upper West and then teaching the women in my community to increase income. So many things, but living here and accomplishing even small tasks takes so much patience. My list includes so much more, but development and behavior change is a slow process so I always have to keep that in mind. In the meantime, I am surviving the sun and enjoying my community (for the most part) and my pup. :D
Bye! Happy Holiday season.
Lindsey
It is crazy to think about how I have already been at site for 3 months and that I have been in the country for almost 6 months. wow. One of my PC friends and I were talking about how interesting to think about how humans are so adaptable. During training, we both hated the food. Now, three months into site, we actually crave some of the local foods. We joke about how we are going to have such a hard time readjusting to life in America after actually enjoying foods that we once hated, getting accustomed to drinking warm beer, and various other social habits that we have taken on. We joke about how we are going to be very socially awkward back in the U.S. Just a warning! ha.
My puppy is doing quite well. I have not seen him in some days since we all went to Accra for Thanksgiving. My 12 year old friend is taking care of him and making him fatter by the day. He will be the fatest dog in all of Tutukpene, which is wonderful since all of the dogs look like they are starving. He is the cutest thing ever and it makes me feel so good to have something to come home to. :D I will try to post pics when I have a good enough internet connection. His name is Opukalo, which means "all is good" in the local dilect. And I have been seeing people from Tutukpene today in my marke town and they greet me with the name of my dog. It is fabulous. People are constantly asking how my baby/husband is doing. He is quite the star in my town. And rightfully so since he is the best looking dog in the whole town. :D
Tommorrow my village is having a naming ceremony for me. The chief apparently bought eggs, which are quite expensive, so it must be a pretty important shindig. They have named me "Tilin" which means "We love or like you." ha. I hope they still feel the same when I do not bring them money, electricity, or bikes after two years, which is what everyone in the town thinks I am there for.
My counterpart (the man who volunteered to work with me on community projects) and I have been doing a census, which includes asking questions about diseases experienced during the last year, number of people in the household, kind of latrine used, when they use soap, whether they practice family planning, etc. During the census, I have also incorporated two questions of my own, which are what the people see as the strengths in Tutukpene (since everyone is only talking about the bad or what they need to me) and what projects they would like us to work on together. Usually the first reponse to what projects we can work on is how I should bring them money, bikes, or electricity. Alot of my work during the next two years will just be educating the people on what I am actually there for and what community development is. The census gives us a good chance to begin that education.
My work has not really begun yet since I just arrived three months ago and I have been working hard to just make sure I am happy and want to be here and that I am somewhat a part of the community. I am glad that the Peace Corps does not want us to really start any projects for the first three months since their approach to community development is from a capacity-building, people-centered, grassroots approach. I do not want to begin projects that the community has no interest in and that I am just starting because it is from what I see needs to be done. So I have been identifying projects that I think the community is interested in and that would be sustainable. so far, this includes bringing another well to the community (which could take a least a year due to bureacracy), starting an HIV/Art club to simultaneously educate about sexual health and teach the teens to be creative, working on bringing latrines to interested community members, working with the farmer's group to promote a protein-rich tree called moringa and rabbit rearing, and learning how to make moringa soap from another volunteer in the Upper West and then teaching the women in my community to increase income. So many things, but living here and accomplishing even small tasks takes so much patience. My list includes so much more, but development and behavior change is a slow process so I always have to keep that in mind. In the meantime, I am surviving the sun and enjoying my community (for the most part) and my pup. :D
Bye! Happy Holiday season.
Lindsey
Monday, September 28, 2009
women in ghana- part 2
This week I have had some very interesting conversations with some of my friends about women so I thought I would continue the theme of last week.
I am only going to state what I observe, hear, and see so if you would like to discuss anything more, please email me.
These conversations began by me first asking what are some of the issues in Tutukpene. Apparently, some of the major issues are "women chasing men." One of my friends was joking, but also serious, about how his wife would not give him water to bath after farm because she did not want any women to come and "steal" him. But then everyday, she dresses very well and looks nice. I spoke with another couple and the same sentiment was shared about the threat of another woman coming to steal her husband. Nothing was mentioned about the role that the husband played in reciprocating the "stealing."
I discussed this issue at length with the couple. The woman stated that if another woman tried to steal her husaband, she would murder the woman. I do not actually believe that she would murder another woman, but the seriousness of her statement about her options describes her powerlessness and the extent of her poverty regarding her ability to provide for herself and her children without a man. She described that murdering the other woman would be her only option if she wanted her children to survive. This topic of "murder" then led us to discuss another topic that numerous people have spoken to me about. This is the belief that women are evil and "Satan" because that is how it is "written in the Bible." The woman explained to me that there are many evil women, who are Satan, because they use witchcraft to get married, steal husbands, and murder other women's husbands (aka hit women). Her husband then told me that plently of women murder other women of whom they are jealous. I was quite confused because I had not heard anything of this phenomenon and Ghanaians are generally peaceful and happy. He then clarified and stated that perhaps it is just some. His wife stated that it is quite easy to murder a husband or the other woman and it could be done in a minute with poison or by leading the husband down to the riverside to help her "carry" something. Though murder may be easy, I have not heard of any of these cases of women committing acts of violence like this. I asked if something like this has happened in T.P. and they told me that the stories were coming from other places in Ghana, meaning that they could be overstated or just rumors.
Some of these ideas may be shocking, such as the blatant belief that women are Satan. Many people in America still hold this belief, though it may be evident only through their actions or affiliations. I was discussing with one of my friends how it is not a woman's fault if she gets raped. It is his belief (or was) that it is a woman's fault since women are temptresses (Satan) and that men cannot control themselves sexually so women must control themselves for the sake of the men. We are still fighting this perception and the detrimental affects it has on the victims of rape and sexual assault in America.
These conversations are difficult to have. Depending on the person and my relationship with the person, I may just listen for the most part. I generally respond with my own perception that it is not necessarily women who are evil. I explain that I think both men and women can do good and bad. I then explain that I think we all have the ability to do good more often than bad.
I am asking alot of questions, learning about issues in T.P., learning about farming (their livelihood), cooking, making groundnut cake (peanut brittle), riding my bike, and trying to shade myself from the African sun. I really like the people here and am beginning to feel more and more like a member of the community. I am looking forward to this weekend. There is a huge funeral so it will be a crazy dance party for sure. whoop. whoop.
tata
Lindsey
I am only going to state what I observe, hear, and see so if you would like to discuss anything more, please email me.
These conversations began by me first asking what are some of the issues in Tutukpene. Apparently, some of the major issues are "women chasing men." One of my friends was joking, but also serious, about how his wife would not give him water to bath after farm because she did not want any women to come and "steal" him. But then everyday, she dresses very well and looks nice. I spoke with another couple and the same sentiment was shared about the threat of another woman coming to steal her husband. Nothing was mentioned about the role that the husband played in reciprocating the "stealing."
I discussed this issue at length with the couple. The woman stated that if another woman tried to steal her husaband, she would murder the woman. I do not actually believe that she would murder another woman, but the seriousness of her statement about her options describes her powerlessness and the extent of her poverty regarding her ability to provide for herself and her children without a man. She described that murdering the other woman would be her only option if she wanted her children to survive. This topic of "murder" then led us to discuss another topic that numerous people have spoken to me about. This is the belief that women are evil and "Satan" because that is how it is "written in the Bible." The woman explained to me that there are many evil women, who are Satan, because they use witchcraft to get married, steal husbands, and murder other women's husbands (aka hit women). Her husband then told me that plently of women murder other women of whom they are jealous. I was quite confused because I had not heard anything of this phenomenon and Ghanaians are generally peaceful and happy. He then clarified and stated that perhaps it is just some. His wife stated that it is quite easy to murder a husband or the other woman and it could be done in a minute with poison or by leading the husband down to the riverside to help her "carry" something. Though murder may be easy, I have not heard of any of these cases of women committing acts of violence like this. I asked if something like this has happened in T.P. and they told me that the stories were coming from other places in Ghana, meaning that they could be overstated or just rumors.
Some of these ideas may be shocking, such as the blatant belief that women are Satan. Many people in America still hold this belief, though it may be evident only through their actions or affiliations. I was discussing with one of my friends how it is not a woman's fault if she gets raped. It is his belief (or was) that it is a woman's fault since women are temptresses (Satan) and that men cannot control themselves sexually so women must control themselves for the sake of the men. We are still fighting this perception and the detrimental affects it has on the victims of rape and sexual assault in America.
These conversations are difficult to have. Depending on the person and my relationship with the person, I may just listen for the most part. I generally respond with my own perception that it is not necessarily women who are evil. I explain that I think both men and women can do good and bad. I then explain that I think we all have the ability to do good more often than bad.
I am asking alot of questions, learning about issues in T.P., learning about farming (their livelihood), cooking, making groundnut cake (peanut brittle), riding my bike, and trying to shade myself from the African sun. I really like the people here and am beginning to feel more and more like a member of the community. I am looking forward to this weekend. There is a huge funeral so it will be a crazy dance party for sure. whoop. whoop.
tata
Lindsey
Monday, September 21, 2009
women in ghana- part 1
So this is a blog that I have been meaning to write for some time. I am quite interested in gender roles, as many of you know since I cannot stop talking about them. So obviously, I would want to comment on the roles of men and women in Ghana. Here goes...
I have been painting my rooms and everyone in my village is shocked. I cannot tell you the number of looks of disbelief I have received after telling people that I am painting my own rooms. Apparently, painting here is strictly a job for men. One of my friends wanted to help me paint, but claimed that she did not know how. I told her that it is a mere movement of your hand. So she learned to paint and actually really enjoyed it. Also, drawing seems to be only for boys. When one of my fellow volunteers was doing a presentation to children on health and how to stay safe and gave the children the assignment of drawing some unhealthy activities vs. healthy, the girls just stood to the back of the room while the boys drew. It is sad t0 see how something as important to a child's growth and imagination, such as drawing and being creative, becomes segregated and it is the girls who miss out. Many young girls I have talked to want to play football, but they do not know how or it is not acceptable for them to play. It is also the boys who site around in the afternoons playing board games while the girls watch, or more often than not, are caring for their younger siblings, making food, doing the wash, etc. It seems that the young men have more free time than the girls so they have the time to develop their creativity, play games that develop their minds, and just be kids.
How my colleague saw that the girls deferred to the boys in just the simple act of drawing is a microcosm for the roles of men and women here. During church meetings in my village, when there is a matter to be discussed in front of the whole church, it is only the men who speak. The congregation is segregated by sex, so neither sex will be distracted (!). Thus, it is only the male side of the church that actually gives their input as to what should be done about the issue. This is also the pattern in community meetings and even in the Peace Corps with our Ghanaian trainers. If men are present, women will not speak aloud. It was quite frustrating to see this pattern within the Peace Corps, which has the objective to empower women especially. When our trainers would be presenting about certain topics, such as the history and politics of Ghana, it would be only our male trainers who would present, though the women were just as capable as presenting, if not more so. Also, our trainers lived in the communities with us during training and it was a given that if there was a female trainer in the community, she would automatically take on the role of cooking for the male trainer though both were working the exact same hours.
Both the men and women here work extremely hard. The major source of income is from farming yams, cassava, plantains, maize, etc. Both men and women go to farm, but sometimes the women stays home to cook, clean, or grind/roast some of the products from the farm. Washing clothes by hand and cooking over a coal pot is hard work. I know that my host father thought that my host mother did not do anything all day, just because she stayed at home while I was living there. This was very frustrating to hear because I witnessed how hard she worked everyday and also because of the historical perception (that is perhaps fading out a bit in the U.S. due to both mother and father taking a greater role in child-rearing) that taking care of children and home is not "work."
Inevitably, this ties into sex. One of my friends has come to me about questions about her menstrual cycle that she should have known about three years ago, though she is 19. Another one of my friends has tried to ask his teachers and his father honest questions about sex, but no one will answer his questions. Youth seem hard pressed for information about natural functions. It seems that women cannot express their desires openly. They must wear a string of about 5 strings of beads around their waist, which purpose is to signal to the woman's partner that she would like sex without actually expressing herself verbally.
Hope you found this interesting! I am learning so much....
Lindsey
I have been painting my rooms and everyone in my village is shocked. I cannot tell you the number of looks of disbelief I have received after telling people that I am painting my own rooms. Apparently, painting here is strictly a job for men. One of my friends wanted to help me paint, but claimed that she did not know how. I told her that it is a mere movement of your hand. So she learned to paint and actually really enjoyed it. Also, drawing seems to be only for boys. When one of my fellow volunteers was doing a presentation to children on health and how to stay safe and gave the children the assignment of drawing some unhealthy activities vs. healthy, the girls just stood to the back of the room while the boys drew. It is sad t0 see how something as important to a child's growth and imagination, such as drawing and being creative, becomes segregated and it is the girls who miss out. Many young girls I have talked to want to play football, but they do not know how or it is not acceptable for them to play. It is also the boys who site around in the afternoons playing board games while the girls watch, or more often than not, are caring for their younger siblings, making food, doing the wash, etc. It seems that the young men have more free time than the girls so they have the time to develop their creativity, play games that develop their minds, and just be kids.
How my colleague saw that the girls deferred to the boys in just the simple act of drawing is a microcosm for the roles of men and women here. During church meetings in my village, when there is a matter to be discussed in front of the whole church, it is only the men who speak. The congregation is segregated by sex, so neither sex will be distracted (!). Thus, it is only the male side of the church that actually gives their input as to what should be done about the issue. This is also the pattern in community meetings and even in the Peace Corps with our Ghanaian trainers. If men are present, women will not speak aloud. It was quite frustrating to see this pattern within the Peace Corps, which has the objective to empower women especially. When our trainers would be presenting about certain topics, such as the history and politics of Ghana, it would be only our male trainers who would present, though the women were just as capable as presenting, if not more so. Also, our trainers lived in the communities with us during training and it was a given that if there was a female trainer in the community, she would automatically take on the role of cooking for the male trainer though both were working the exact same hours.
Both the men and women here work extremely hard. The major source of income is from farming yams, cassava, plantains, maize, etc. Both men and women go to farm, but sometimes the women stays home to cook, clean, or grind/roast some of the products from the farm. Washing clothes by hand and cooking over a coal pot is hard work. I know that my host father thought that my host mother did not do anything all day, just because she stayed at home while I was living there. This was very frustrating to hear because I witnessed how hard she worked everyday and also because of the historical perception (that is perhaps fading out a bit in the U.S. due to both mother and father taking a greater role in child-rearing) that taking care of children and home is not "work."
Inevitably, this ties into sex. One of my friends has come to me about questions about her menstrual cycle that she should have known about three years ago, though she is 19. Another one of my friends has tried to ask his teachers and his father honest questions about sex, but no one will answer his questions. Youth seem hard pressed for information about natural functions. It seems that women cannot express their desires openly. They must wear a string of about 5 strings of beads around their waist, which purpose is to signal to the woman's partner that she would like sex without actually expressing herself verbally.
Hope you found this interesting! I am learning so much....
Lindsey
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