End of September 2006

Still no pictures! It is not because there is nothing to take a picture of. It is that I never remember to take out my camera until it is too late. And that usually means that when I do remember the batteries are dead and then I can't take the picture. Soon I hope I will get my act together as there are things that I would like to remember in pictures.

I have been doing some training over the past few weeks. So far, Kassena Nankana (Navrongo) has been the only district to move ahead. The others are still delaying getting the computer rooms operational. When asked, the answer is always that there is no money available. Ghana Education Services has just finalized the budget and apparently did not come through with some of the anticipated funding. Somehow there is money for some things, but this has taken a back burner for some reason. Teacher salaries is another issue. School has just resumed, and already the teachers are planning to strike for an increase in pay. Like most places, teachers are not paid what they are worth, when considering the impact they have on the future leaders of the country and the world.

Last week I was in Accra to meet 23 new volunteers as they begin their time in Ghana. It was interesting to be the one answering questions instead of asking questions. In talking with each volunteer, both individually and as a group, I always encouraged them to take whatever I said with a "grain of salt" and to make their experience here their own. I know that it is possible to be too influenced by what others say, and I feel that it is important to develop one's own relationships and feelings about the experience.

They all seemed to be quite enthusiastic and appeared to enjoy their time in Accra together. I helped with taking groups out to one of the big markets. Each group had a shopping list and a small amount of money. The challenge was to get everything on the list, and to come back with as much money as possible. The team that did the best found everything and spent about 20¢ doing so. We also helped them to get to the market on public transport, a first for them. It was a good day. We, the helpers, were able to enjoy some time on the beach while the newcomers were on their shopping expedition.

They will be in their new homes by this weekend. They all seemed excited to get started, though a bit nervous about what it would be like away from each other and away from the big city. I think they will all do well. And I enjoyed spending time with all of them.

The rains are about to end here in the north. The crops are pretty well harvested by now and soon everything will be back to brown dirt. It has been amazing to see the difference in the landscape once the rains started, and it is hard to remember how brown and dusty and hot it was when I first arrived in February. The heat has started to increase and it is already becoming hard to remember feeling cool in the evenings. There is still Harmattan (cool, dusty winds off the Sahara) to come, and I have been told that I will actually feel cold at night then. I can almost believe it.

We are currently experiencing power sharing in an attempt to conserve water. 99.9% of Ghana's power is hydroelectric. Currently the water levels at the dams are below the minimum set for full power generation, and the rains have been less than anticipated for yet another year. So, for now there are rotating 12-hour power outages throughout the country. This happens from 6-6, so sometimes there is no power throughout the day and sometimes throughout the night. Either time is an inconvenience. My hope is that conserving now will help to provide full power when the hot season is finally here. It is now cool enough at night that I can sleep okay without a fan. When the temperatures go above 40C, I don't know if that will be possible.

Look forward to pictures again soon. Until the next time, though.

Mid-September

It has been a month almost since I last posted here. I won't try to detail all that I have been doing since the last post. As you can tell, I have not yet taken any more photos, so this is just a written update.

I have started training at one district. I have finished working with all of the computers brought in by VSO. I am anxiously waiting for the remaining districts to finish their computer rooms and get ready for training. It might still take some time.

The rains have been pretty heavy lately and it feels more like the rainy season that I was expecting to experience. For some days it has rained quite heavily throughout the day and the night. The skies have been cloudy most of the day. It is hard to predict my travels so I now include the caveat that it depends on the rain. So far, I have not been caught since that first week when I got wet three times.

Unfortunately the rains have not been heavy enough and so the water levels are low. Most of Ghana's electricity is hydroelectric, and with the water levels low there is a need to conserve what is there for the rest of the year. Currently we are experiencing rotating load sharing, which means every three or four days different areas experience 12 hours without power. That might happen from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM or 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM. I am not sure which is better. During the day it means very little work gets down. At night, it means cooking, eating and entertaining myself in the dark and that generally means going to be before 9:00 because there isn't much else to do.

The good news is that the weather has been quite a bit cooler with all of the rain, so even without the fan it is bearable at night. I have even worked in the office a couple of days without turning on the air conditioner.

This week I will help out with motorcycle training again as well as continuing with the planned training schedule. Next week I will be in Accra for a few days to welcome a new group of volunteers into the country. Maybe I will even get the chance to take a few photos again. I will plan on taking my camera with me at least.

And with that I will close until next time.