forgotten anecdotes

I’m going to begin this blog entry with some random anecdotes, information, or stories that I’ve forgotten to share with you. As I remembered them, I wrote them down, and now I think I have a long enough list to make a blog entry out of it. Most of these things are completely unrelated to one another:

-Many women here carry their babies on their backs. But, unlike in America with those Baby Bjorn things, these women just use cloth that they literally tie around their waists, with the babies sandwiched in between the fabric and the mothers’ backs. I’ve always wondered how these women actually go about getting the baby on their backs, because logistically, the process of getting the baby on the back and tying it seems incredibly difficult. Well, I was walking in the market a while ago, and finally saw how they do it! The woman bends over so her back is parallel to the ground and literally sets/rests the baby prostrate on her back. While still bending over, puts the cloth over the baby’s back, then stands up straight and ties the cloth around her waist. I guess they do it so many times that it just works, but to me, a simple knot doesn’t seem like enough security! These babies are so funny to see, because their necks have no support, so their heads literally just flop around from side to side. Their legs stick out from either side of the mom’s waist. (See below)

-Country music is strangely a big deal here. Like, Kenny-Chesney-ish-American country music. I was in the car today with some people from WAAF, and we were listening to a country radio station. This isn’t the first time country music has come on a taxi radio and I always get freaked out because a) I get confused as to where I am (Africa? Or Texas?), and b) because it reminds me of home and I know the songs! While we were in the car I asked a coworker if Ghanaians really liked country music or something, and he said yeah! So strange which American trends/cultural things make it over here and which don’t.

-Last week, Belynda and I visited one of the schools we’re working at. We visited the Director of Education at his office. When we arrived, there was a woman in his office who sat in on our meeting. We explained we were from WAAF, and proposed what we wanted to do in the school. At one point, the education director said how great this program was because it’s necessary to educate young people. The woman said “That’s funny, I haven’t seen someone with AIDS in years.” This comment struck me as totally indicative of the way most ignorant people (Africans and Americans) view this epidemic. I can’t imagine how someone could say they hadn’t seen someone with AIDS in years, as if it’s something that can be seen by looking at person. Whether or not she had had any interaction with a person with AIDS, I cannot say, but most likely, she had. However, for a well-educated woman working at a school to say she hadn’t “seen” one in years really irked me, and made me wonder if this kind of ignorance is part of the perpetuation of this disease.

-Speaking of schools, on Monday, Leigh, Ashley and I visited another school, and as we were walking through the courtyard, we saw a group of about 20 3-5 year old students, all dressed in uniform, doing some sort of chant led by their teacher. The second they saw us, the all stopped chanting and started grinning from ear-to-ear. They began chanting “brofonyo”, which is the Ga equivalent of Twi’s “Obruni” (which we hear more often). I’m used to being called out as a foreigner now, but there was something about these precious, smiling children who were fascinated with us. I think it’s common that for a lot of young children, we are the first, or one of the few, Obrunis or brofonyos they’ve ever seen. It’s really great when they react positively and try to play with us by making faces or giggling.

-Finally, I am recommending a book to everyone. It’s called The Shadow of the Sun by Ryszard Kapuscinksi. Marykate is reading it for her journalism class, and they’re currently passing the book around for the rest of the class to read. I have NOT read it yet, but plan to as soon as the entire journalism class has read it. It’s a collection of a journalist’s personal journal as he spent one year traveling around the perimeter of Africa. Each section is about a different country he went to, and all his experiences in that country. I think the first place he begins is Ghana! Anyway, Marykate said it’s a WONDERUFL book, and has recommended it to her family, so I thought I’d spread it along. Try to read it if you can, I know I’m going to!


So that’s all the random notes/things I had forgotten to mention in previous posts. I think it was a good way to break up the monotony of the play-by-play style blog entries I’ve been writing lately. Anyway, as far as today goes, I went to one of the schools to deliver the last letter to the headmistress, then went in to WAAF. Belynda and I worked out the entire schedule of which 2 interns go to which schools on which days to conduct the workshops. There are 15 workshops we’re doing, and 3 interns’ schedules, and 5 schools’ schedules to coordinate, and I got it all figured out! I was actually really proud of myself for pulling it off. I had to call and confirm with the club patrons the dates, and let me just say, talking to a Ghanaian on the phone is HARD. I know sometimes talking in person with a Ghanaian can be hard because English isn’t their first language, so sometimes the way I phrase something or the way they phrase something just doesn’t translate. But, even some who do speak English well have very heavy accents, which I’ve gotten used to deciphering. BUT, combine the two and add communicating over the phone to the mix, and boy is it tough. Anyway, it was a good day at WAAF and we got a lot done! Spent the rest of the day napping, and had recitation with our Academic Director for one of my classes. Had a good dinner, and a good after-dinner snack (popcorn!). It’s been a good, but tiring day, and I look forward to tomorrow after 1:30, when my class and work responsibilities are done for the week! No huge plans this weekend, which I like. Some of us girls want to go out to a nice restaurant and buy a cake on Valentine’s Day night, and I think Marykate and I are going to get pedicures to spoil ourselves since our boyfriends aren’t here :(. But it should be fun!

Hope all is well at home. Nana—I know you won’t read this for a while—but I’m glad the surgery went well and everything’s okay! Praying for everyone, always.

love love love