Groundhog Day - Ghana-style

Almost right after my nostalgic thoughts about urban life and good food, came one of my favorite days of the year – Groundhog Day (February 2^nd). As many of you know, it was brought to the US by German immigrants, where a groundhog can “predict” whether or not spring would come early. But main reason I love this day is because it gives me a legitimate reason to watch one of my favorite movie with fantastic Bill Murray as Phil Connors, the embittered weather man, who has to re-live Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney over and over again. His reactions to this jinx are priceless: there is shock, anger, denial, recklessness, indulgence, depression, enlightenment, grief, and finally, acceptance and enjoyment of the same day over and over again by helping others, learning new skills (piano, ice sculpting, car repair etc.) and accepting life as it is.

As I was watching this movie for the N-th time in my little cottage, I thought that my current situation is not unlike Phil’s: I am in a tiny village with a slow pace of life, where everybody knows each other. I tend to go through the same motions day after day: waking up, greeting people, going to farm, working on my garden, cooking dinner, reading a book, going to bed. But then, as in the movie, this sameness and feeling of being stuck can be, as Rita (Phil’s love interest) put “not a curse – it depends how you look at it.” It’s true: I’ve got two years to take a deep breath, look around and learn more about others and myself. I can read good books and learn a new trade. I can continue training so I could complete the Accra Marathon in September. I can ponder on my next steps in life – will I want to finally settle in and have a family, or will I continue to roam? Will I go to grad school or work for Peace Corps or another international development organization? Will I live in a humming city or a quiet town? As of now, I can take it all in and re-live the same day over and over again without feeling stuck or useless. Thanks, Phil.

The Nostalgic Post

Well, what can I say? Things are quiet, but things are happening. In the past several weeks, I put together a soap-making making group, joined a church choir (and already participated in a singing competition!). I also met the area business development reps, did a speech on the importance of clean environment, and visited several local towns. On a regular basis, I monitor my container gardens, make pineapple jam, grind egg-shells for calcium intake, cook red-red and play “Oshiva-Oppale” with kids.

And yet, and yet….

I feel like I’m not doing anything. Worse, I’m getting a bit moapy…

I’m starting to miss things from home (both from US and KZ). Some things are not even something I expected to miss or crave: for example, I really want Oreos, even though I did not care for them too much. I do miss winter and snow (and yes, I should be happy being in a warm Africa now while Northeast is snowed in, but I do miss this season with its skiing trips, snow days, borcht, hot toddies and pub crawls with hashers). I miss walking in the city and stopping by at any cafe where I can order a cup of coffee, sit on a sofa and listen to whatever barista is playing at that moment on her Pandora station. Or, going to Burren to have a pint of Shipyard and chat with Irish bartenders with their awesome accents. I miss general feeling of being in a city and being left alone in the crowd. Here, I’m not able to blend in – everybody knows me, everybody wants to greet me, everyone knows where I live.

Yeah – the anonymity of a big city (and its abundance of good eateries!) – is something I clearly miss at the moment. I know that it is natural, that it is part of the adaptation process; I realize that missing something from home will always be around during my service, so I’m not shocked or upset by it. It’s like missing your old love, but not the actual person – it’s missing the feeling of contentment and excitement, and reminiscing good ol’ days without focusing on any negative aspects of the relationship. And this is how my urban nostalgia is currently functioning: I long for my favorite places in Boston, Cambridge and Philly with their snowy streets, twinkly lights and other winter delights, but I do not miss winter traffic and curses of commuters; I do not miss being stuck in the office, or constant bombardment of ads on T trains; I do not miss city loneliness (which is different from the anonymity that cities give you). Also, I know that even if I could take off to US just so I could satisfy my cravings for Yuengling lager or scones from Flour, it is not enough of a reason for me to come back to the US, even for a little while. In fact, it will be pretty ridiculous. So, in times like these, a Skype call from a friend and a bottle of Club at a local spot would do a trick. Besides, it is pretty warm where I am, and I do not have to shovel any snow. Sorry-o.

Village life in pictures

Here are photos depicting village life. Life has its own rhythm here: everyone wakes up and goes to bed early, always finds time for church, always goes to farms, and always invites a strange white girl for a meal.

Enjoy!

 Street food. Village women cook and sell some dishes to farmers. Notice a stylish jacket and long-sleeves - during harmattan season it's chilly early in the morning!

Artsy shot - Portrait of an African farmer (in honor of Andrew Whyett).

 Local children are very industrious and strong:they fetch water, gather wood, help with cooking and farming, and still have enough energy to play.

 Also, they wear cool clothes from the West that are bought from so-called "dead obroni piles" - clothes donated from US and Europe. Once in a while you can see a familiar logo or a sports team's name. My village has scores of "fans" of Steelers, Red Sox, Yankees and Canadian hokey teams.

 Local cuteness strikes again! These puppies are so adorable.... Unfortunately, animals are not treated the same way as in the West - they are kept as guards, and not as pets.

 Farmer Kuaku (born on Wednesday). I went farming with him a couple of times. He always gives me oranges, pineapples and other natural stuff. The white tank behind him is for fermented palm wine - apeteshi (disgusting, but drinkable).

 Kids invent their own toys (with wheels, tires, bamboos sticks, jar lids, tin cans and rice bags)....

 ...while adults saw their own fancy throws and jackets! When I asked Joshua about Ferrari, he said he didn't know what I was talking about; he just liked the design of the fabric.

 Ophelia. The village participated in the bicycle project in the past, but I was informed they need more...

 Cooking local dish - red-red (fried plantains). Delish! I also learned to make a groundnut soup, rice ball and pounded fu-fu like crazy.

 This is how abrobe (pineapple) grows. I will try to grow some myself.

Not sure what it means, but it is written on one of the houses. Usually houses are adorned with biblical proverbs ("If God says yes, who says no?") or have a name ("Small London House").


Ghanaians recycle everything: an old tro-tro seat is now a bench. Also, they reuse jars, bottles, newspapers, plastic (aka rubber) bags and cooking oil.


This is how I spend some of my afternoons (reading and napping).

Happy winter!

Farming and Community Building

After the holidays, with their numerous church gatherings, the time has come for real work! As a present to myself, I’ve got a cutlass (also known as a sekan, both in Twi and Sefwi), and started using it like crazy. A cutlass is a pretty nifty thing – a mix of hoe, knife, scythe, hammer and many other useful things. True, I was a bit weary of seeing them all over the place (when I saw school children cutting grass with them on a football field, I thought of the Rwandan conflict), but now I’m more comfortable.

I've been going to various farms in the village – so, I’m finally redeeming myself for not tolling away at a collective farm in my pioneer days! One day I helped  Joshua, a local jack-of-all trades (he sings in the church choir, manages a community well, and he even built me an awesome latrine). He showed me how to sharpen a cutlass (see video) and also how to make a basket out of palm leaves (see photo). This basket is called bede, and there is a saying in Twi: “Bede ayieye na maso meso” (“The best gift for bede is to throw it away”). Because that is what happens: after using bede for carrying your farm booty, you toss it (because you can always make a new one). Farmers also use a long stick with a hook on it to pick cocoa pods from top branches, which is called akuaa (it literally means "I'm scared").

In case the video doesn't work, here are some photos:

Joshua sharpening my cutlass before weeding.

 Making a bede....

...and using it to carry the harvest.

I also had my first community meeting where we came up with two seasonal calendars: men's and women's. I used the PACA (participatory analysis for community action) method, mostly for myself, to figure out what people plant when, what women do apart from men, and when it is time to weed (the correct answer – every month). I was nervous, as I have tendency to get too involved in  thought process (recurring New Year’s resolution, anyone?), but I just let it flow, and was simply guiding farmers to come up with their own seasonal activities. It was pretty neat to see how the calendars were drawn, how women were arguing on whether cocoa harvesting was just men’s work. The entire meeting took only a hour, and everyone went farming after that. We’ll have a couple more meetings to draw a community map (my favorite one!), daily schedule and needs assessment charts. 

 Men and women farmers discussing their schedules and responsibilities,

The best thing was to see an old rabbit farmer drawing his own seasonal calendar!

Village greetings

I have been living in my lil' village for one week (its name literally means "The Other Farm"). 

Currently I'm getting used to the surroundings, cleaning my house, figuring out my garden layout, learning everybody's names, going to church services and surviving the holiday season. I feel fine being a bit isolated, but of course, it is unusual to celebrate New Year without snow, cold and champagne (no worries, I'm already figuring out some alternatives).

Here are some more photos for your amusement:

 Dancing party during my official greeting to the village chiefs and other local officials. I sang "Silent Night", and the MC recorded it! Then he blasted my voice through enormous speakers, and my song was heard through the entire village. What can I say - the music industry follows me around.

 A holiday service at a Catholic church. The village has 4 churhces: Catholic, Methodist, 7th Day Adventist and Divine Faith. Churches and mosques in Ghana are pillars of communities where you can make friends, help with projects and learn a couple of songs.

 Snowflake workshop on my verandah. We bring snow to Africa!

 The party continues. Azonto dance is very popular all over Ghana.

The road to my village.

I am a Peace Corps Volunteer

On December 18^th, after 10 weeks of intensive language and technical training, after staying at various accommodations in Accra, Kumasi, Tamale, Koforidua and at our homestay village, 31 trainees from all over the U.S. and all walks of life became Peace Corps volunteers to serve in Ghana’s agriculture sector.

We were greeted by the U.S. Ambassador, our PC acting directors and an official representative from Eastern Region. We were given certificates and seeds to plant in our future gardens. We took the oath and danced the traditional dance which we practiced for weeks. We celebrated with our homestay families, who not only made us matching outfits and fed us joloff rice and red-red, but were our families away from home. We also celebrated within our own circles and said goodbyes as we all left for our sites scattered all over Ghana.

I must say that the induction ceremony and even the good-byes were not the most emotional moments for me. The moment where I teared up and really felt the importance of my decision to become a PC volunteer was the day before the ceremony where we read and acknowledged the 10 Core Expectations.  I would like to post them here, and I would like to follow them throughout my service:

Core Expectations For Peace Corps Volunteers

In working toward fulfilling the Peace Corps Mission of promoting world peace

and friendship, as a trainee and Volunteer, you are expected to:

1. Prepare your personal and professional life to make a commitment

to serve abroad for a full term of 27 months

2. Commit to improving the quality of life of the people with whom

you live and work; and, in doing so, share your skills, adapt them,

and learn new skills as needed

3. Serve where the Peace Corps asks you to go, under conditions of

hardship, if necessary, and with the flexibility needed for effective

service

4. Recognize that your successful and sustainable development work

is based on the local trust and confidence you build by living in,

and respectfully integrating yourself into, your host community

and culture

5. Recognize that you are responsible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

for your personal conduct and professional performance

6. Engage with host country partners in a spirit of cooperation, mutual

learning, and respect

7. Work within the rules and regulations of the Peace Corps and the local

and national laws of the country where you serve

8. Exercise judgment and personal responsibility to protect your health,

safety, and well-being and that of others

9. Recognize that you will be perceived, in your host country and

community, as a representative of the people, cultures, values, and

traditions of the United States of America

10. Represent responsibly the people, cultures, values, and traditions of

your host country and community to people in the United States both 

during and following your service

On another note, I would like to wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year! С Новым Годом! Efishya paa!

Life in Ghana in pictures

 My homestay mom and one of her students.

 Say "No" to Ebola (looks like it has been contained).

 Ready to develop Ghana's agriculture! (very Soviet-style pic, I know :))

 Motos, motos everywhere (but where are the helmets?)

 GirlPower posters that encourage school girls to get a career and not get pregnant.

 Local chicks.

 At the rice storage facility.

Container gardening! WE found an old TV case and planted American tomatoes.