Training in Tamale

After we visited our sites, we all got back together for some technical training in the city of Tamale, Northern Region. Every day brings something new. We learned about an efficient way to plant rice, talked to local farmers about the importance of vaccination for their fowl and sheep, made some nice-smelling soap from shea butter, and concocted jam from mangos and pineapple (mmm, delicious!).

Northern Ghana is definitely different. There is an Islamic influence here – lots of mosques, head-dresses on women, skull caps on men, long robes. The most prevalent nature zone here is Guinea savannah, so the landscape definitely differs from tropical South. The grass is scorched, the roads are dusty, and the air is dry.

And there are tons of motos (aka motorcycles)! Literally everybody rides them – especially women (who sometimes tie up their little kids behind their back and cover them underneath their head-dresses). The way their colorful clothes billow in the wind is breathtaking.

I also celebrated my first Ghana-style Thanksgiving here! It was awesome: we cooked tons of food (guinea fowls, mashed yams, roasted squash, boiled paw-paw – you name it). I forgot what I did and ate last Thanksgiving in the States, but I’ll definitely remember this one.

 Checking out the rice paddies.

Earnest the driver recording our field-tripping experience.

 Local traffic jam.

Twilight ride.