29 May 2006

Again I am posting an older picture, just to have something to put on the website. This is shortly after getting my motorcycle and is taken outside the compound of a friend. As you can see, the kids are quite excited - I am not sure whether it is by me standing there or by the bike. But I am enjoying my mobility.

This past week I started working on the VSO computers. I was a little saddened by what I saw when I first saw the first three computers to arrive in Bolgatanga. They are computers that were donated by schools in the UK. You can probably guess that if primary schools can't use the computers, they can't be very good. They are older models. Many will not have CD drives. They are slow with little memory and small hard drives. The challenge initially might be to get them up and running and stable enough to start training.

I also went to a Teacher's College in Navrongo to work in their computer lab. Someone in Accra had donated 16 computers, brought them, plugged them in and left. Eight of the computers would not boot. They were all Pentium machines. None had CD drives. The best part about them was the monitors. The instructor told me that some of his classes are as large as 60+ students. Sharing 16 computers would make instructing difficult. Doing it with 8 means little hands-on time for anyone. I did suggest that he remove the non-working PCs from the desktops so that students wouldn't be frustrated or distracted by them. That will also free some space on the desktops for the 8 or so people gathered around each computer.

There is corn, beans, green pepper, tomato and groundnuts planted in the compound now. The groundnuts have already started to come up. I have never seen them grow so will be interested to see what they look like, both as a plant and as a crop. There won't be a lot of anything, but it will be nice to have something growing there. I meant to take some photos of the compound this past week but was not feeling so well and didn't take the time. It will be more interesting when the plants have started to grow anyway.

It is hard to believe that May is already over and I am almost here for four months. It doesn't seem that it has been that long. At the same time, it is hard to remember when I wasn't here too. The temperatures are much cooler and it is comfortable for sleeping at night now. I have finally put up my mosquito net. I have not had malaria, that I know of, but I have plenty of insect bites. The mosquito here are not so large and noisy as Canadian ones, so I don't even know when I have been bitten until I start itching.

Take care, all. Have a good week.

David 

Rainy Season Is Here

This is an older picture that I took on one of the first rains since I arrived in February. I think this was sometime in the middle of April. It was interesting to watch people scramble to bring in washing and cooking and to get out of the rain. Then, after a few minutes, the kids got back out and played around. Here they are making a game out of cleaning a sleeping mat or rug, and the rain has almost stopped.

The rain has cooled things quite a lot. I have found that in the mornings I need to get under my sheet and turn off my fan or my feet feel too cold. The temperature has been as low as 26C, which I would have called too hot if I was still in Ontario. But it is enough cooler than what we have been experiencing that it feels pretty cool. Some mornings I have almost wished for a jacket or long-sleeved shirt as I ride into town.

The night watchman has been pretty excited and active lately around the compound. He has his own farm where he grows millet, corn and guinea corn. But he sees our open compound and says that he will plant tomato, green pepper, corn, beans and groundnuts. So, we will have a garden surrounding us, without having to do any work. It is nice to see him excited about it.

Most of the district offices have now paid for their computers, so the delay is transporting them from Accra to their offices. Different ones have started that process so I expect to be busy with computer stuff very soon. I have said that so often now that I am even getting tired of it myself. I did get a call from one of the schools today asking me to come to help them with some hardware problems, so I will travel to Navrongo tomorrow to work with them for a few hours.

Last week the office assistant broke his leg in a motorcycle accident. He was transported to Accra to be cared for by a specialist. In his absence I have been put in the position of doing some of his tasks around the office. His accident was a reminder to me to be extra careful when I am riding. From what I have heard, a car stopped immediately in front of him and he clipped the bumper with his leg as he tried to avoid crashing into the back of the vehicle. People here don't seem to always care what is happening around them, but will stop or turn whenever and wherever they want.

Not much exciting happened since the last update. We had no internet for over a week so I did not get to say anything last week. But with the internet unavailable, it seemed like there wasn't much that I did either.

I hope to have a picture of the green fields next week and hope to be able to report exciting developments and/or activities. But until then, everyone stay safe. 

8 May 2006 - Widnaba

The first picture is the base of the baobab tree that I talk about a little later. The opening would have been a bit larger when it was being used to store slaves. As it is now, I would not even try to go through it. It would not have been a pretty sight. The guide said that some tourists do give it a try.

The top of the tree is open, so there was a flow of air so they would not suffocate. However you look at it, though, it would not have been a very humane way to treat people. In fact, I would not think that we would even treat our livestock in such a manner.






The second picture is the outside of the Widnaba Welcome Centre. In front of it are my bike and Susan's bike. We were glad to get there, after travelling down a very tricky dirt road/track for 11 km.

Following is what I hope will be my weekly update. For those that receive the email from Yahoo!, this will be a repeat but with pictures attached.

01 May was a holiday here in Ghana, as it seems to be in many places in the world other than North America. It was Workers Day and was celebrated here in Ghana with various marches and speeches, including one from President Kufuor saying that there would be changes in pay structures and retirement plans. Overall it was pretty low key.

I took advantage of the morning to go for a motorbike ride between Bolgatanga and Bongo. There is a dam there that people had talked about as a place to go for relaxation and a picnic and I thought I should see it since it is close. Rather than going the direct route, I decided that I would explore. I did eventually find the dam and it does create a nice lake. The water level is pretty low right now, as it is very near the end of the dry season and hasn't rained any significant amount for several months. I was glad to see it. I continued cross-country from there to Bongo and got further and further into the country. I thought I was going in a big circle, but I don't think that was what happened. And then I started to run out of fuel. I switched to reserve and finally started asking for directions and for petrol. The directions I got but there was no petrol that far out. The last time I stopped for directions I was told I was still 5 miles from Bolgatanga and I had no idea how much fuel I had left. So, I skipped going to Bongo and headed straight back to town, fully prepared to walk if I had to. I made it to the station and filled up without walking, which was a relief.

Later in the day, my housemate and I rode up to Widnaba, about 60 km east of Bolga. That included 14 km on a dirt road that soon became a track and was a bit of a challenge, even on motorcycles. Widnaba is another ecotourism site. I don't know how successful it will be because it is a little difficult to get to. I enjoyed the trip and enjoyed the tour. We were taken to the Hidden Place. The story is that the villagers all gathered in this open field when the slave raiders came looking for them. From the surrounding hills the raiders could see the villagers, but when they got to the field where they were hiding they somehow became invisible. So that has become a local shrine that the community still uses for making various decisions and for celebrations. We then went to the slave market. There is the remains of a British fort on a hill overlooking an old, large baobab tree. The tree is hollow and has a small entry in one side. We were told that the slaves, up to 40 at a time, were held inside this tree while waiting to be taken to their next destination. If you go to my blog (http://ghanadavid.blogspot.com/) I plan to post a picture of that tree there so you can get an idea of what I am talking about. What I get from these tours is a reminder, if I need one, of how cruel people can be to each other.

This week some of the district offices have made contact in order to get their computers. So I anticipate starting the installation and training portion of my assignment within the next couple of weeks. It will be good to start doing what I came to do. It might be challenging to fit in all of the other things that I have been doing instead, some of which were quite beneficial to the Bolga office. But I will manage somehow.

I will conclude with a couple of interesting things that I have seen or experienced this week.

Thursday night a storm came in through the night. It was awesome. The thunder rolled almost continuously throughout the storm that lasted from 2:00 AM to 6:00 AM. There was one lightning bolt that seemed to burst just outside my window, followed almost immediately with a loud clap of thunder. It looked and felt like an explosion. The rain came down so heavily that it was not possible to sleep once it started. The temperature dropped more then 10C during the storm, and it actually felt cool in the morning, though it was still about 24C. And it is possible to see green in the fields already, after only the few storms that we have had in the last month.

Friday I finally got a wardrobe for hanging my clothes. Saturday I finally unpacked my suitcase, which had been lying open on the floor. As I was taking clothes out I saw something moving among my clothes. I finally recognized it as a tarantula. As I decided what to do, it kept rearing it's head towards me and looking for a dark place among the remaining clothes. I suppose that I should have killed it, but instead I trapped it in a pot that I had and released it outside of the compound. It reminded me that I need to look inside my clothes and shoes before putting them on.

The final story is about lizards. I was waiting to go out last night so stood and chatted with the night watchman for a bit. He pointed to the security light over my bedroom window. There were probably up to 30 geckos and lizards around that light. They were having a feeding frenzy on all the bugs that were attracted by the light. I had never seen so many lizards at a time, or watched them eating insects like that. It was like going to a stocked pond and throwing food to the fish. It was funny to watch.

I think that I have written enough for this week. I hope that you find it somewhat interesting and entertaining. Feel free to write to me - DavidPerryGhana@gmail.com or livingbyplan@bellnet.ca are the two best addresses to use.

Finally an Update

I am going to try this blog thing again. I have not been able to access the site recently and still don't know if it will work.

This is a picture taken this past Sunday, 30 April 2006. My housemate hosted a party to thank those that had helped her to settle into Bolgatanga. Because I was also preaching in a village church that morning, I had decided to wear my traditional dress and just kept it on the whole day.

Even from the first time that I wore this, those that saw me were pleased to see me wearing this outfit. The first person that saw me in it, though, immediately said that it was a Nigerian design. So, though it is similar to what is worn by some here, it is still recognizably different. But it will do for now.

Things are good in Bolgatanga. We have had a few rains, enough to make the green start to show. But the real rains are still a couple of weeks away. And then there will be a frenzy of activity on the farms. And the weather will be substantially cooler (down to 25C at night instead of 34C). Some people say that I will feel cold, but I am not sure it will be that cool.

I am now mobile. I finally received my motorcycle training and get around on a Yamaha 125 cc Motocross. It is a good bike for here, as the travel varies from pavement to dirt roads, to dirt tracks, and sometimes even to dirt/rock paths. After a bit of a hesitant start from not riding a motorcycle for many years, I am feeling more confident daily. However, there are lots of other vehicles of all shapes and sizes sharing the road with pedestrians and animals. For vehicles, the largest vehicle takes the right of way. The humans and animals are not always that predictable. So, it requires a constantly watchful eye in all directions when riding.

Work is another story. I will update that at another time, after I see how this works. 

David Going To Ghana

David In Accra, Ghana

I am safely in Ghana after good help in getting to the airport in Toronto, where I had to repack my bags in the middle of the airport to meet weight limitations, good flights to London and then to Accra and VSO at the airport in Accra to meet the entire group. It was a long day and I was glad to get to the hotel and to bed.

There are 10 volunteers in our group - 1 Canadian (me), 1 Scottish lady, 1 Kenyan lady, 2 Indian men, 1 Filipino lady, 3 British ladies and 1 British man. The British guy and I will be doing the same work, only he will be in Wa, Upper West Region and I will be in Bolgatanga, Upper East Region. We are already looking forward to collaborating on the project, once we find out exactly what the project is.

We met with the VSO programme officers the other night and have a better feel for what we will be doing. But we both realize that the reality might be different from the expectation.

All is well here. The hotel is very nice with AC, hot water, satellite TV, good meals, and quiet. It has been a very gentle introduction to Ghana so far. Sunday we leave for our placements, and that will be the real introduction to Ghana.

I might not be able to post often as Internet access will be non-existent or limited in Bolgatanga. I will have to think of a good way to keep in touch with everyone.

Bye for now.

David Going To Ghana

I received confirmation last week that my visa for Ghana has been approved and VSO is just waiting to receive it so they can send it to me.

Today I received an email telling me that my passport, including visa and travel arrangements, has been overnighted to me and so everything is a go.

I have spent the last few days getting things that I know I will need, things that I think I will need, and even some things that I hope I will not need or will ever have to use. In the meantime, I am sure that there are some techical tools that would be useful to have when I get there but I won't really have any idea what they are until I need them. Some of my technical friends back in Canada and the US might get personal emails asking for long-distance assistance once I have a better idea of what I will be doing.

It seems that the time is really flying by now. It wasn't that long ago that I had two months to get ready. And now I have only a few days. I am organizing my bedroom for storage and so that it is not a nasty mess while I am gone. I am selecting clothes that I want to take with me. I am looking at the size of my bag, and that will mean reorganizing my gear. And then I expect that after I try to get it all in the bag there will be yet another attempt at reorganizing. I am sure that the final load will be determined when my ride to the airport gets here and I have to seal my bag for the trip.

The good part is from my past experience in Nigeria, I know that I can get by with what I take with me. I might miss a few things but in the long run, I will manage. In fact, that was a motto for Nigeria - we'll manage. I expect that it will be similar in Nigeria.

My next entry will be from Ghana. Perhaps I will have the chance to add some interesting photos, or at least some interesting information about the country.

The End of January (Almost)

Here it is the end of January. The last that I heard I am leaving on February 11 and will fly for a couple of days from Toronto to Accra in Ghana. I should be quite tired by the time I get there.

I am putting off packing. One reason is that I still have to wear many of the clothes that I will take with me. Another reason is that I have not yet decided what to take. It is hard to know since there is still much up in the air.

It won't be as severe a transition as I experienced when I went to Nigeria, unless the weather changes in the next few days. January has been one of the warmest on record. It is still colder than what I will find in Ghana, but not as cold as expected for this time of year.

Sunday I went to church in Toronto and met a couple of Ghanaian men. They talked with my parents and assured them of my safety in Ghana. They also mentioned family and friends that I will be able to contact when I get there. One thing they both said is that it is going to be very hot in Bolgatanga. Other than that they were very positive about what I will experience. Both are planning trips there next year and said they would look me up when and if they come.

Less than two weeks to go and there is a lot that I could be doing. But I still feel a bit in limbo as I wait for the final approval and arrival of my tickets. Patience!!!!

Getting Closer to Leaving

January is passing quickly. I just received the word that my anticipated departure is February 11. I have been telling folks that I was leaving in a month. Now that I have a date to target, it seems so much closer. That means that I really need to start getting things organized - deciding on clothes, hardware, software, miscellaneous stuff, etc. I can remember some of the things that I wish I had taken to Nigeria with me when I went there, but I learned to live with what I had. I have some of those things, but not others. And I know that I will remember something when it is too late to do anything about it. But I know that it will be okay and I will manage with whatever I have when I get there.

I think that my previous experience will make this transition easier. However, I do have to continue to remind myself that it is not going to be the same experience as Nigeria. There will be different people, different cultures, different living conditions - both from Canada and from Nigeria. I am looking forward to getting started, while concerned about what I am leaving behind.

Training in Ottawa

This has been a big weekend. Lots of training. Met several new people and enjoyed getting to know them. Tiring because there is so much to learn and to try to apply to my placement in Ghana.

Just trying out this blog site on the recommendation of a new friend from the course and might use it as a way to keep in touch with folks while I am in Ghana.