Sparklers!!!!

My dear friend, Marian, sent a delicious care package yesterday filled with chocolate, balloons, and sparklers. She and I have been corresponding via post and it is so exciting to receive her letters and then send a new one off. I received the package yesterday and shared my candy, making everyone delightfully happy. Then, last night, during a rain storm, as I sat in the dark with my host family listening to the rain, I decided to show them the sparklers.
This experience was so beautiful. Not only the children, but the adults were giggling and jumping about the porch with glee. Here are the pictures to share the moment with you...





I plan to save the remaining ones for the children in Jirapa. Oh won't they be so excited!

Trip to the North

10/18/2007 After reading, The Only Dance There Is by Ram Dass, I am uplifted. It has renewed my spirit. I took from it so many things that I am still digesting and will continue to for quite some time, I imagine.

One meditation that I found in this book and put to practice this morning was as follows:

While eating, repeat this to yourself silently with each bite:

Reaching, reaching
Lifting, lifting
Placing, placing
Chewing, chewing
Tasting, tasting
Savoring, savoring
Swallowing, swallowing
Digesting, digesting

It was a process that made me deeply aware. Aware of my body, my actions, the food, the nourishment. I want to conitinue this practice of being mindful.

Also, I read a line in the same book which gave the definition for a word that I’ve heard and used many times, but did not know its true meaning.

The word is Namasta, meaning “I honor the light within you.”

What a beautiful greeting. It is already how I feel. I HONOR THE LIGHT WITHIN YOU…
I want to chant Namasta as a mantra today while I walk to and fro through busy Techiman. I hope the vibrations of this repetition and all that it implies touch all whose path I cross. Today, I choose to love and be of service and I am filled with gratitude for this inclination. In the taxis, I have been trying to recognize that we are all one and so I feel quite connected to my fellow travelers, to Ghana, to God when I depart at the station or at my village. It has been a nice feeling to impart silently on those around me. I do not know the affect it has, if any, other than centering and opening my heart. For this I am grateful.


10/26/07 On Wednesday, I returned from a trip to the north with 7 other volunteers. We visited two sites where Peter and Johnny live. They were fun and we learned so many new things.

We also had the opportunity to see what it is like to walk 3 miles, twice daily to fetch water. The dam where women and small girls fetch is located between several villages so that many women can use it and therefore, some walk even farther.

We were also lucky enough to participate in a fun Water Day at the school in Peter’s village. We had an obstacle course and three-legged racing and sack racing and we taught them songs to sing about cleaning your water.

We watched an attempted Guinea Worm extraction, sorry, no pics, I felt too bad for the guy.

We spent five days with no electricity and cooked nightly by candlelight and slept 7 to a room on little mats and laughed so hard. We played Uno and told stories and met village people and ate chop, which is simply local food bought at the station.

I took many pictures of children, they were so candid and the shots seemed to come out really well. I took some pictures of two bulls I came across in the street about to fight, I thought this to be so random and funny. The cows and goats just walk around everywhere, here there are no fences.

Hmm, that’s a pretty powerful sentence… HERE THERE ARE NO FENCES… I’ll have to think about that one.

Anyway, we were basically given the opportunity to experience what life will be like once training is over. Everyone is excited and ready.

A few other things I’d like to mention: I spoke with the girl who I am replacing and she is going to sell or gift everything in her house to me. Which means I will not have to purchase and transport the gas stove and drum, the bicycle, and furniture. She is also leaving me art supplies and books!! I can’t wait to meet her and everyone I will be working with. I’ve been told several times that Jirapa is such a nice place. I feel so lucky. If they only knew how happy I am to be going there. I suppose they will in due time. I have big shoes to fill, Jenelle, the volunteer I’m replacing has had many projects going and I have to opportunity to continue with any that I am interested in as well as begin my own. I found out that there is an internet spot in Jirapa, when it works, and this is thrilling to me. I have committed myself to this blog as a tool and an outlet for myself and I am so excited that I will not have to travel so far to update. All in all, I can’t wait to fill you in on my new home. I will travel there for 5 days very soon so stay posted.

Today, each volunteer had to present a Personal Project to the group on any topic they chose. I chose to talk about West African influence on Louisiana due to the inflow during the slave trade. It was so surprising to me upon arriving here how much Ghana reminds me of Louisiana and especially New Orleans. Well, I discovered that the first slaves were brought there when New Orleans was only one year old, so you can imagine the heavy influence. I won’t go into detail now, but if you are interested in learning more, just email me.

The language classes are coming along wonderfully, something I did not expect and I love learning it. I would write to you in it, but its pretty boring if you don’t know what I’m saying, so just trust me on this one and one day I’ll speak to you in Dagaare in person.

The last thing I want to comment on is how accommodating the Peace Corps has been to me. I did not expect this in the least. I am constantly being asked if I am eating the right food or if I am comfortable or if I am sleeping well, am I enjoying homestay? It never ends. After many years of caring for myself as an adult, I did not expect such considerate care and concern. Most of the Peace Corps staff, in country, are Ghanaian, so this is part of it, they are so naturally hospitable. But also, financially, the Peace Corps covers everything aside from my personal wants. I’ve never really been looked after in this manner before. Its been nice to just relax and not worry about money.

That’s all I’ve got today, check out the pictures titled Field Trip (North). All my love, Erica

Updated entries and pictures, I know its a lot

Ok everyone, I've updated the photos and I've added two new blog entries. Please read all the way down, its truly worth it, though I know its a lot. Also, check out the pictures, I finally found out how to upload quickly, whoo hoo, I'm happy and I know you are too. All my love, Erica

Goats in cars, only in Ghana

10/17/07 Wednesday

Tip of the day: When washing your laundry in a bucket, prepare to have bloody knuckles. Seriously, this is truly a painful exercise.

Also, in an attempt to share a little insight on Ghanaian nutrition, or lack there of, I need to share an experience from the market today. While walking through, I saw cucumbers, bell peppers, cabbage, giant carrots, big green beans, egg plants and beautiful zucchini. My mouth was hanging wide open in disbelief that these vegetables are available in plentitude with no one to purchase them. You might be scratching your head as I was thinking, Oh they must be too expensive, but no, I assure they are not. And why do you ask are they not eaten, simply because of perception. They are perceived to be meaningless. So instead, every night, Ghanaians gorge themselves full of fufu, which is just mashed potatoes and soup and continue to live malnourished with big bellies and skinny arms. Its insane to me. Luckily, one of my objectives in the north is to teach nutrition.

Lastly, I have been inspired by my friend Sydney, to start a pen-pal project. I will begin this once I move, so my target date is the spring. I will match Ghanaian children and American children as pen-pals. This will allow me to teach English grammar and writing to the Ghanaian children as well as enable me to fulfill part of the peace corps mission: to teach Americans about Ghana and Ghanaians about America, ultimately to allow for a cross culture experience. I’m so excited. Also, today I got to teach a class to 6th graders about Water Born disease, Personal Hygiene, and Hand washing. It was awesome. Love you guys.

10/16/07 Tuesday

I’m listening the Balfa Brothers sweet Cajun lullaby as I sit and type this to you tonight. Ah the sounds of home are so sweet.
The strangest thing just happened, I walked to my room from the bathing area and everyone was asleep on the porch. My entire host family. The dad passed out on a bench, the mom sleeping on the steps, the little sister on a blanket on the concrete and the little brother, well actually, I don’t know where he was. I only went to bathe 10 minutes ago. It was eerily quiet when I stepped out and then I just was so surprised to find them all sleeping so early. Usually, I am going to sleep and they are still up and about outside, laughing and playing and running around and entertaining and me, the American is barely trudging back to my room, so exhausted from the day. Hmm, who knows.

Now, I have some funny occurrences from the last few days and as my dear friend Liz often says, “Can I tell you a story?”

Ok, so one day last week, I found myself in a taxi, a small four door sedan, with 6 Chanaians, myself and a goat! I couldn’t stop laughing inside. It was just really so funny to me. The goat was in the front seat on the floor board between the mans legs. When the other Ghanaians saw my expression, they laughed at me. At me, not at the goat!

That was the beginning of an odd weekend that included losing my wallet, getting very little sleep and going on a hike that almost shut down this operation due to the near death of several PC trainees. Ha, I’m totally exaggerating, almost.

Now, before I begin, I need to pause and give you a taste of traveling in Ghana… First, you set out walking beneath an unrelenting sun (everyone just sweats all day and night and I think I’m getting the hang of it) walking through the village, (don’t forget, we must say the entire greeting to everyone we pass along the way so add more time = additional sweating) and finally arriving at the taxi stop, which is basically an oak tree in front of the chief’s palace, which is actually, not a palace.
Then you ask where they are headed, which is invariably Techiman, because there’s no other place to go from my village, but you go through the whole greeting/ question/ answering session anyway. Then you sit in this hot taxi and wait for it to fill up, which means four in the back, and two crammed into the front passenger seat. Sometimes, the driver (pronounced deerivah) is even nice enough to put on extremely loud early 90’s hits for you to listen to while waiting, which makes thinking out of the question.
This is where the real fun takes place. As the car fills, and everyone greets everyone, we begin to fly down these beautiful hills at lightning fast speeds in these tiny little cars no bigger than a Civic, with the windows down because AC does not exist and so everyone’s faces are contorted from the wind and hair is flying everywhere and we’re all inhaling tons of dark, black smoke because cars here use diesel, not gasoline, and somehow, even with the wind, everyone’s perspiration is mixing with everyone else’s and you become aware of the realization that now you are just one of the Ghanaians.
Now, the experience of arriving in Techiman must be described. I want you to think about what it feels like to be in the middle of a conversation and someone yells your name just at the moment that you hear a crash in the same second that someone grabs your arm. Are you starting to feel it? Its just insanity mixed with noise and sweat and dust and smoke and sounds and smells and yelling and grabbing. Obruni, Obruni! This is what white people are called. So, they are yelling Obruni and sometimes men grab your arm or a woman asks for you sunglasses or even better, your shoes! (This happened to me the other day, a young girl that I met asked for my shoes as we were parting ways. I was shocked and just mumbled that I only had one pair. She was barefoot, I felt so powerless.) Ok, this is almost over, I know your tired, but you’re only reading it.
So, then, once I arrive in Techiman, I have to walk from one station to the other to then do this whole thing over again, but on a much larger scale because now I’m in the city and the station is actually a giant dirt parking lot and everyone is trying to hustle and get you to ride in their taxi and you don’t always know who to trust so you have to be tough, but I’m not tough, I’m scared but somehow, it always works out and everyday it gets easier and so now, I’m waiting to ride 30 minutes to Nsuta, for language. I do this commute twice a day and it takes an hour or so each way.

Ok, back to the story. I set out Saturday morning for language class full of excitement and anticipation because I planned to sleep at the Dery hotel that night. Ah, thoughts of resting cooly under a fan and taking a real shower! I could barely contain myself. Language turns out to be a field trip to a restaurant where we learn about food and plants that are native to my site in the Upper West. Here, I should mention that language classes are no larger than four students. The Peace Corps’ approach to language is awesome, we get great exposure and one on one time. So we finish up the field trip with a great lunch and I head over to another village, Arowa for football practice. On the way, I stop at the Dery, get a room, drop off my stuff. It begins storming, leaving the soccer field a big wet mess and making our practice resemble video footage seen on America’s best bloopers. We look like much older, out of shape, non-atheletes, slipping and sliding all over the field, running into each other, falling, missing the ball, I could go on and on. Needless to say, we all laughed pretty hard that day. I arrive at the Dery, filthy and sweaty, with 7 others who are also staying for the night. After showering and eating dinner, we are told, by PC staff, that we can’t stay there due to Peace Corps policy. Well, I will spare you the details, but basically, we can no longer stay away from home stay due to some recent occurrences of safety and security and so we all had to go home and I didn’t make it there until 11 pm and in the midst of all of the confusion, I lost my wallet somewhere, either in the taxi or at the Dery. So typical of me.

Next morning, I have no clue my wallet is gone, I wake tired and hurry to Dery for the Bat Cave excursion. We are set to leave at 7 am, so everyone is busting it to get there on time, but of course, we are on Ghana maybe time, so we finally pull out after 8 and drive 10 kilometers in about 30 minutes.

Now, this day was amazing. We set out walking through beautiful farm land, countryside. I kept lifting my head in awe of the scenery surrounding me. The rocks and trees magnificent, but nothing prepared me for the forest. It was breathtaking. I took pictures that don’t do any justice to what my eyes beheld. At one point, I thought, I must remember these images for eternity, and I must have said Thank You a hundred times. The caves were cool, dark, musty, damp with beautiful rays of light shining down through openings from above containing ancient rope like tree limbs that the natives used for many years to climb in and out of the caves. We walked and walked, and walked, and walked more. We were all exhausted. Some people began to feel ill, one person vomited everywhere and had to be driven away with several others who were over heated or over blistered or something. We all barely made it. That’s all I can say. The hike kicked our hinds, big time. Every age, every body type, we all suffered. We walked all day until nearly 4 in the afternoon, where we finally collapsed into a few taxis and made our way to our villages. Then I realized that I had no wallet and then I remembered that I didn’t have it all day, and that it must be at home, but at home there was no wallet.
Here’s the funny thing, that anyone who knows me will read with out surprise: First, I haven’t even done anything about it yet, I think it will make its way back to me. Second, I had half of all of my money in it, which was about 10 dollars, so I’m on a tight budget this week. Third, I recollect praying to learn how to budget myself and live bellow my means. Ha! Boy, did I get what I asked for or what?!
All said, I think next entry will probably titled, I got my wallet back!!, what do you think?

Whew, that was a lot to get out. Good night, all my love, Erica

Writings along the day…I have arrived

10/07/07 Sunday,
(from my notebook) We have come to the caves again. It is raining, so we walked hurriedly, through the bush, to arrive here and now have sought refuge in the cave. It is so beautiful. The sounds, the scent, the energy. Again, I think I am so lucky to be here. This place is alive. Its heartbeat is loud, strong, warm, welcoming…

(seen, written on a wall) Let your life lightly dance on the edges of time like dew on the tip of a leaf.

10/10/07 Wednesday,
What I miss the most today:
1. Telling people that I love them. There’s not really anyone here for me to express that to, even though I do love everyone here. I’m not in a position to go around saying it, so I try to convey it to everyone in other ways. Through smiles, compassion, tender ears. But still, there’s something missing. I realize that saying I love you is something I’ve always done with my family and friends. Several times a day, I would tell them how much I love them. I miss expressing that emotion.

2. Privacy. I never realized how much I took my privacy for granted. In America, you can sit anonymously at a coffee shop, surrounded by people but completely withdrawn. Here, I am everyone’s property. Often, children will touch you in passing to see if you feel the same. This lack of privacy has good and bad points. Sometimes, it is really cool because you are NEVER alone, no matter where you go. But at the same time, you are NEVER alone, no matter where you go.

3. My backyard swing. I know, I know, you are thinking that it will still be there waiting for me to return to it, but I’ve been missing it since the day I moved (June 1.) There’s something about the way my trees canopy over the yard and I had many birds that sang to me from those branches every evening while I lay on the swing. Oh my, I can’t even bear to write more about it, for I am causing myself too much heart ache tonight.

Ok, so to set this in balance and keep sane, I will list three things that I can only experience here in Ghana:
1. Fufu pounding. Every evening, around the same time, people begin to pound fufu for the evening meal. They use these long posts about 5 feet tall, which is actually a particular tree trunk, cut and carved into shape. They take cassava and plantains and pound it into dough. Its pounded so hard you can feel the vibrations through the earth. Some evenings, I close my eyes and imagine this is the heartbeat of a nation.

2. The morning choir at the church next to my house. There is a 4 am church service held by lantern light, next to my home. The choir sings each morning and I wake to this and its so beautiful. Imagine waking to beautiful singing in a foreign language each day. I smile and say Thank You. One day, I will get the courage to attend the service.

3. Tom Brown porridge. It’s a peanuty porridge that I eat for breakfast and its so yummy and warm and my host mother serves it to me with fresh fruit and bread. I don’t know where the name came from, but this is what we call it. (A funny thing about my meals is that they are served in a covered dish and so what ever is inside is a surprise. Sometimes I feel like a kid in line at the school cafeteria overcome by hunger and curiosity about what awaits my expectant taste buds!)

10/11/07 Thursday,
Today marked a turning point of sorts. Several pleasantly unexpected things occurred over the course of my day…

This morning, as I ate breakfast, I opened to a story I’ve read many times called, Join the Tribe, written by an anonymous Native American man using broken English since it is the first story he’s ever written. As I read the opening lines, tears poured from my eyes so suddenly, I was almost shocked by their presence. Its as though the story was this lost taste of home that I didn’t know was missing. I sobbed, crinkled face and snotty nose, just sat in the chair in front of my breakfast and sobbed. I sat for a moment, read on and sobbed a bit more. Then, as quickly as they came, the tears disappeared and I felt renewed. I felt right. The release of emotions was overdue.

Then, while at our medical presentation, I sat with everyone and laughed those deep gut level laughs that I love so much but had not yet felt here in Ghana. I laughed from deep within, bellowing out and gasping for breath. The kind of laugh that leaves you tired afterward. I laughed this way several times and I felt like I fit in my skin and that Erica, the woman I enjoy being, finally arrived in Ghana today. I felt like myself today and I realized that at 27 years old, I really like being me.

Lastly, tonight when I returned home, feeling at peace, I sat outside with my host family. (After my oldest host brother left for teacher training this week, the only English speaking person left is my younger host brother, whom I’ve realized doesn’t understand most of what I am asking and always responds with yes! That was quite a disappointing realization, to say the least.) So, anyway, I arrived home and sat with them as they prepared the evening meal. I ate outside on the porch, instead of in my room and I ate T. Zed, a traditional Ghanaian dish. Then I joined them after dinner and laughed even though I didn’t know what we were talking about. I laughed because I was so glad to be sitting there with them. Then I sang them a song that I learned in my language class and we all laughed together and this time I knew why we were laughing. As we were laughing, I looked up at the sky and saw the most beautiful sunset. I thought, Thank You, what a perfectly beautiful day. Then, I carried my own water to bathe tonight! What a day.

Homestay family

This is my homestay family in my bright blue bedroom...

Pictures, the internet saga continues...and I'm late for dinner

I know its only four pictures, but the internet is so slow... I had to cut the uploading short because dinner is waiting and I still have to catch a ride to my village. i will get more up here soon. i have taken so many pictures that i can't wait to show everyone!!!

click on Ghana. the one of the group is as we were waiting to attend the Ambassador's Reception. They made us stop in a deserted parking lot and walk through a metal detector, then we all rode in unmarked cars to her house. It was pretty cool. The others are just scenes from Ghana.

Sweeping the dirt and other tales from Ghana...

I am sitting beneath my little canopy of mosquito netting, in my very warm bed at the end of another week in Africa. I think it is only now hitting me. There is so much I have to write tonight.

First, I must say that I certainly have experienced homesickness, culture shock, and frustration this week. It has finally hit me, this whole endeavor and all of its beauty and reality and with that reality has come some real true gut level feelings about what I really want to do while I’m here. You can go either way as a volunteer, you can be involved in your community, which takes effort, willingness, open-mindedness, I’m sure you’re recognizing a theme here. Or, you can do the minimum, hide out in your house, party with the other PCVs, and just lay low. I know almost everyone’s first inclination is that they would do the most they could while given the chance to make a difference, but when you are exhausted and wishing for the comforts of home, it is sometimes easier to go and hang out with the other trainees than sit around with your host family.

About my host family, I must say, I am lucky. The boys, who are 10 and 23 are so awesome. The older one takes time every night to teach me language so that I can speak to my host mother, who speaks no english. The younger one totally rocks and I actually rely on him for all sorts of things. He is teaching me football (soccer). He’s so good at it and we practice at night. (This week I bought him a $2 football, he had never had one before.) I played for the first time yesterday and had so much fun. All of the trainees are competing against the trainers and they are really good. I went down to the field and I thought I’d just watch because we have a lot of good players that played in high school and some in college and I just figured I’d watch and be supportive that way. But everyone played and we had such a fun time. Some people are awesome and some really suck and some fall in the middle but no one cared. That was a great experience. I kept thinking just suit up and show up. I think that every morning. I’m so grateful for AA and recovery and everything that I have to build on from it. I use it more now than ever. I sure do miss it sometimes. Luckily, there are moments where I connect to people here and it feels a little familiar.

I often am surprised how easily and quickly I am adapting. I am learning two languages right now. Twi and Dagaare. Its so cool. Everyday, when I walk through town, I have to greet every person I meet. Its crazy, sometimes its cool, sometimes tiring, but they love that we are speaking their language. It means so much and Ghanaians have the most amazing smiles. They stretch across their faces and these amazing white teeth shine and their faces crinkle, but they don’t really have wrinkles and their skin is like black silk, so beautiful. It feels good to get smiles from them. I am starting to think that poverty is higher, so is kindness. It was that way when I was doing hurricane recovery work in Pecan Island and it is true here as well. Something to think about.

Here’s a great story for you: Last week, I left my notebook somewhere in Techiman. This is a town with more than 75,000 people in it. I think maybe I left it in a taxi or something. It was a tiny little moleskin notebook with so many things written in it and I was so sad to lose it. I imagined finding it and I imagined holding it again, but I basically thought it was long gone. Then a few days later, one of the other trainees pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to me and told me that someone came up to him on the street and asked him if he knew who it was for. Since we are the only white people here, everyone knows we are here together. Isn’t that amazing? I heard a similar story about a girl and her wallet. Before cell phones, volunteers would send hand written notes with taxi drivers to other towns and it would get there a day or so later. This still sometimes happens because phone service here sucks in a lot of places.

Let me tell you about a normal day in my life:

I wake around 4:30 every morning, for several reasons (I usually need to trek to the latrine its pretty far from my room, the roosters begin to crow and I live next to a church with a 4 am service every morning with singing. Its quite a lot going on.)

Once my family sees me up, they begin heating my bath water on the fire. Then my host mother knocks, comes in, we don’t speak the same language, so we just do a lot of smiling at each other and speak in our own languages, at each other and somehow make do. She takes my bucket and prepares the bath. I grab my stuff, and take a wonderfully warm bucket bath in a little concrete room next to the outdoor kitchen. Then I return to my room and dress, which takes about 3 minutes. I don’t have many clothing options and I didn’t even have a mirror until a few days ago. Then she brings me breakfast in my room and I sit at a little table and eat and pack my book sack and go to catch a taxi or I walk to class, depending on what I am studying that day, and what town I must travel to.

I do school for 4 hours then I come home and eat lunch. Then I return to school for 4 more hours. I then return home, sit outside for about 30 minutes while everyone talks, then my host mother serves my dinner (I am always served first because I do not eat meat here, which is what most of us trainees opt for because the meat here is so absolutely scary, it is usually odd parts of goat or grass cutter, which is similar to Nutrea Rat, and it sits out for too long with flies and bugs and I just can’t stomach the thought). I also eat alone because here everyone eats from the same bowl and uses their hands to scoop and so I am treated as a guest and receive my own bowl and a fork. It is an honor to eat alone and I cherish it. Privacy doesn’t really exist in Ghana, so this is the most time I get alone. I listen to music and eat in my room every night.

Then its time for my nighttime bath and now by this time, its around 7, I’m so tired, but I have homework, so I do that in my pjs, tell everyone good night in Twi and crash, usually only able to read about 3 sentences from the book I’m reading. Every night, I plan to do so much, like write letters and draw and every night its so hot and I’m so tired and I just lay on my bed and fall asleep with the light on, often dreaming these long dreams about everyone back home.

Then, its 4:30 again. Crazy, huh? We have school Monday through Saturday, but I get Saturday afternoon and Sunday off. I still get up at the same time though.

Last week, we went around the village assessing the water situation and asking everyone whether or not they have latrines and whether or not they wash their hands, where they fetch water from and so on. I was shocked that most people just go in the bush. Out of 32 huts, only 3 had latrines. One woman lived under what is basically a tree with her babies. I felt spoiled over here in my little house after that excursion. It was quite eye opening. Our village has bore holes and this is where our water comes from. The water is pure, but I still have to boil it, then filter it before I drink it. AND, I can not believe what little I use to bath and brush teeth and wash my hands since it isn’t pouring out of a faucet. Its crazy to me. I just had no idea how much I waste.

Switching topics, I share my space with a herd of goats, which is kind of crazy, and my host mother sweeps our dirt yard every single morning at 4 am. She sweeps the dirt. We all do. We all sweep our rooms and the porch and the dirt yard. Ghanaians are always cleaning. Cleaning, cooking, and going to funerals. Today there was a funeral and the whole town went. I didn’t attend this time because I had other stuff to do, but this was a party that lasted from 6 am well into the night. Everyone drank and partied and celebrated and wore black and red or black and white and a black scarf over their head and basically funerals are like weddings back home. They might even be a grander scene. And weddings here aren’t really that big a deal.

Today I led a different group to the mountains and we met two other Peace Corps guys traveling through from Senegal and Gambia, other countries in West Africa. They were so cool and interesting. They’ve been vacationing for a month and decided to trek across West Africa. Its so great that I’m in Ghana. Everyone agrees it’s the best country in West Africa and so most PCVs who travel, come here to vacation.

At least once a day, I say to myself that I’m so grateful for this life. I said that most days in America as well. I really am, and I really hope you are too.

Ok, I’m up way too late. I love you all and will be in touch soon. Hugs, Erica

September ends...

Vision Quest, 5 Days, don’t know the dates

I traveled north to Wulugu for my Vision Quest and spent a few days with a Science teacher. It was really relaxing. She showed me her village which is really laid back and then she became very ill and had to stay in bed. So I walked and read a lot and just rested, all of which I needed badly. I finished reading “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” by David Eggers, which I highly recommend. It was awesome and I was sad it ended. Then I traveled 8 hours in a tightly packed tros to arrive in Techiman to meet up with everyone at the Dery hotel. We spent three wonderful nights there, with a shower and fan! We’ve been training everyday, learning language and culture and everything there is to know about Ghana.

African dancing, Friday, September 28

On Friday, we danced to African drumming, in a circle, while people sang. It was so amazing. I closed my eyes and really got into finding my own rhythm. We danced for hours. We were sweaty and smiling and happy and everyone was united. We will do this every Friday until the end of training. I love it.

Meeting my home stay family…, Saturday, September 29

On Saturday, we packed our bags at the hotel and prepared to meet our host families. All of the Ghanaian families began arriving with father, mother and children gathering around wearing traditional clothing and looking just as nervous as we were. The volunteers sat across from the families and there was a touching speech about the day that President Kennedy shook hands with the Ghanaian president in 1961 introducing the very first group of Peace Corps volunteers. It is here, on this same land that I will be sworn in. I love being a part of this.
So, my name was called and I met my family and hugged them, my heart racing, so extremely nervous. We sat for several uncomfortable minutes under a tree, the father shy, the mother speaking not a single word of English, me not able to remember any Twi. I thought, wow, what a long couple of months I’m going to embark upon. Then we loaded ALL of my extremely heaving bags into the Taxi and left for Forikrom.
When we arrived, they brought me to my room. It is bright blue and very nice. (This is where I should explain Ghana Good, it means it is really good for Ghana. Ha ha ) so my home and room and everything are better than I expected. The house is five rooms in an L shape that all open to the outside which is where the livestock live. We do have electricity!!! But it goes off for a little while every night, which is when I become awe struck by the deep black sky and amazing stars.
There is an open air kitchen, but the mother cooks everything out in the open over a fire and prepares all of our meals, making special meals for me because I can not yet handle their food and my water and such must be prepared differently. There is a small outdoor room for bucket bathing, which is delightful because the mother heats my water each morning and night and I almost tear up from joy. I have not had hot showers since I left and I love love love warm bucket baths now. There is a latrine, which has a seat and is like a real toilet, almost. It is a little room outside as well, but I think I am the only one who uses it, I have never seen anyone else going in or out. AND, drumroll please, I am a pro, no problems there with the latrine, I’m all good guys. (I was terrified, but its fine)
There are four kids: 4, 10, 17, and 23. They speak English, Yay!!! I’m so grateful.
They are amazed by my CD player, but I haven’t pulled out my computer yet because I do not want them to think I am rich. They will want me to bring them things everyday from town and I do not have the funds for it. I do, however, have plenty of money to live on right now. I get what is called “walk around money” and it is fine.

The following morning, we went to meet the Chief. My host father took me and the ceremony was pretty cool. They passed around a bottle of Gin and when I declined, my host father questioned me. I told him it makes me sick, he did not understand, if he only knew just how sick…

Speaking of drinking, there is so much drinking here its insane, among Peace corps volunteers especially. I have told many people about my sobriety, I do not want to isolate myself. They just know that I don’t drink, but not necessarily why. A few people know and I’m comfortable with this for now.

Ok, that’s all for this entry. I will post pictures as soon as I can.

The “Rocks”, Sunday, September 30

Sunday, after meeting the Chief, a group of us joined together and followed these Ghanaian kids to the mountains. They are called the Rocks and we hiked and climbed until we were above the village, and several villages and then we sat a looked out over beautiful Africa. I can not describe how wonderful this was. We also went to a few caves where I took some really cool pictures. As soon as I can, I will upload the pics. I love and miss everyone. Please write, I need letters…

Oh and by the way, tomorrow, I find out where I’m going for the remainder of my time in Ghana!!!

My Site!, October 1, 2007

I just found out where my site is, Upper West Region in a village called Jirapa. I am so excited. I will be working with people on nutrition, health, stress management, water sources, tourism, and I will work with a group of women running a bakery. I am so excited. Oh and I have a two room house with a bathroom and electricity!!! I still have to get my water from a well, but who cares, I’ll have a fan and music!!! I can not say how excited I am. I knew after the first week that I really really really wanted electricity so that I could write on my computer and charge things and have music. Also, the power gets shut off so frequently, you only live with it a portion of the time, so you still get magnificent stars. So it’s the best of both worlds.

There is a market in my town, and two festivals with drumming and dancing. I can’t wait to meet everyone, I will go there in a few weeks for a visit. I am thrilled you guys. I love you all so much. Please go to sleep tonight knowing I am very very happy. Peace, love and hugs.