Another volunteer and I have been planning an animal husbandry training for other PCV’s and their counterparts to happen at the end of April in my small and remote village. 10 Peace Corps Volunteers and their counterparts have been invited, as well as 10 participants from my community (or surrounding villages) and 2 carpenters. This training is to teach said people how to build rabbit, grasscutter, snail and chicken cages/coups and in hopes that they will then take this training and build their own cage as an alternative means of making money (capitalizing on the ‘Alternative Livelihood’ part of my Peace Corps title.)

For the most part things have been going smoothly… we found lodging for everyone (as this event extends over the course of 4 days) we hired a lady to do the cooking for all our meals (even if her price is through the roof) and we are in the process of finding organizations or groups that will reap from this training by receiving the cages to rear some animals.

But that doesn’t mean that planning for this event hasn’t come with its own set of problems… and the problems come more in the form of communication. We have offered to feed the 12 invited guest lunch during this training… but my ‘counterpart’ doesn’t understand why we can’t feed them breakfast and dinner as well (because they are from my village and can go home to get those two meals). Then he said that Peace Corps should pay the carpenters to take part in the training (not sure I understand that one… we are offering a ‘free training’ in hopes that they in the end will benefit.) He was also wondering why each individual is not getting his or her own cage (because we can’t build 40 plus cages in the course of 4 days… and that price kind of exceeds the budget). But then why aren’t we giving them money to go home and build their own cage (because if you hand a Ghanaian money they will pocket it and go buy the newest, flashiest item in the market… and how the hell does just handing out money promote sustainable development? It doesn’t… education does. )

I’ve been struggling to get the idea into my counterpart’s head that this training is for the people, for the village, to learn how to build said cages… so they can take this training back to their compound, village, or organization and try to build their own cage or cages, and make some money on the side from their ‘real job’ (if they really have a job). Most Ghanaians it seems though (or at least this goes for my village) want the world handed to them (that’s not to say that this isn’t the case for some Americans), but they bitch and moan that they have no money and when the opportunity comes (yes most of the days are spent laying around, and when you ask for something, like buying food on the street, they roll their eyes and give you the look “of really do I need to get up from my bench and help you… I would rather stay sitting”) up to make some money they bitch and moan that there is work involved… heaven forbid.

Palm nut oil, the staple in all Ghanaian food, has a long and intensive production process. So when my family (my Ghanaian family) says they are spending the day making palm nut oil, I now that they will be at it from dusk till dawn… or rather from the previous day till the following evening (because they have to go to their farm to get the palm nuts).

The famous palm nut grown on palm nut trees (also the same trees to make palm wine) gives off the fruit to make the famous palm nut oil. Most farms will have a few palm nut trees scattered around their farm for the harvesting of the palm nut to make oil, and palm nut soup (literally oil soup…yuck).

Step One: Pluck the palm nut from the husk.

Step Two: Boil the palm nut in water for close to 20 hours

Step Three: Strain the palm nut from the water and pound the nut till it is completely broken open.

Step Four: In a large bowl, work the mashed up palm nuts with a long stick and gradually add water to separate the oil form the kernel.

Step Five: Pull out all the stingy pulp.

Step Six: Separate the kernel from the oil (yes inside the palm nut is the palm kernel, which is also used to make palm kernel oil).

Step Seven: Start boiling the oil to evaporate all the water.

Step Eight: Strain the oil again to get rid of any last bit of pulp.

Step Nine: Boil the oil down still you are left with bright red palm nut oil.

After the palm oil is made, the pulp from the palm nut is dried out and used a fire starter, and the kernel is also dried out and later turned into palm kernel oil.

Signing up for Peace Corps I set myself to have no expectations… or so I thought. I though ‘Peace Corps Volunteer’ and I thought ‘remote, isolated, limited cell reception and internet connection, no electricity or running water’ I also thought ‘children staring at me, no one in my village to confide in, and days that might never end with my only thoughts carrying me away.’ These weren’t really my expectations, but rather my assumptions of what Peace Corps was.

For the most part my assumptions (or expectations depending on the way you look at it) were true… I am remote (or so I think), I don’t have cell reception or the ability to get a wireless internet modem (do to the fact that I don’t have cell reception), there is no running water, and electricity is there (but it comes with its own set of problems). The children do stare (and MOST of the time I don’t care), I’m ok with the fact that I can’t really confide in anyone in my village because there are other PCV’s close enough. But what really gets to me are my thoughts…

I never imagined that being a Peace Corps Volunteer was such a mental game. I didn’t know that my own thoughts could build up so much in my mind. And I hope that it doesn’t all come crashing down.

Most days I’m fine. I’ve been enjoying my time and I wouldn’t change what I’m doing for anything. But there are then some days where someone says the wrong thing, or something happens and I just snap… making me wonder what I’m doing, how I’m going to survive the next 16/17 months and am I really cut out for this (because I feel like what I’m mainly doing is sitting on my butt reading books and watching movies).

It doesn’t always help that the capital of Ghana, Accra, is like entering a run down American city… (although from the view of a traveler passing thought it might seem very African, but coming from a small village it seems like a western city). In Accra I can stay with an American ex-pat family, eat home cooked western food, enjoy hot pressurized showers, sleep in an air-conditioned room under blankets, have access to high speed internet, and watch TV (CNN, movie channels, ESPN or really whatever my heat desires). I can’t complain… it’s a grate escape from the village life. It’s a chance to feel like a person again, remember what its like to be clean and remind myself that this is what I’ll have when I go back home… but also making me wonder why I left the comforts of home, or America?

As of now, through the good and the bad, I’m hear in Ghana to stick it out till the summer of 2012… whish me luck.

It is with my deepest apologies that I have been slacking on the blogging front.

First off after being in Ghana for almost 10 months (yes I am rapidly approaching the 10 month marker… go me!) it’s hard to come up with new and exciting topics to inform you about. And secondly the power cord to my computer has finally bit the dust and charging my computer has become a task (I've been biking the hour and a half ride to Jasikan where luckily my closest neighbor has a Mac charger as well.) This isn’t to say that I can’t go to a internet café and use the internet and post a blog, but with my money being time, I would rather not waste it writing one blog post, (yes I do try to put thought into some of these blogs (although you probably can’t tell because I suck at spelling), but they do take me a while to write… hence I like to write them on my computer and then post them when I get to internet.)

So I guess it is time to post a ‘progress report’ of my happenings in Ghana… Humm, well I can’t believe how time is flying. To me it still feels like I left just yesterday (although my hair is much longer than is was when I was last in the US). Ghana is still green, the rain is still falling, and my language is starting to come along (well lets just say that I can understand WAY more than I can speak). Mango season is here (and my motto is ‘a mango a day keeps the doctor away’), Ghanaians STILL can’t believe that Americans don’t eat Fufu, and my garden is teaching me a lot.

Teaching has been put on hold as both the schools I was working with now have ICT teachers (and I’m not here to do someone else’s job). I’m still trying to establish a computer lab though. But that has come with its own set of problems and maybe by October the grant will get approved.

My main project still ceases to exist. Although I was finally introduced to some of the supposed farmers that are in my ‘group.’ So I’m trying to come up with things to do to keep me occupied (other than reading books… I just finished my 43^rd book.)

First thing I’m working on is starting a tree nursery. As trees are being cut down for firewood, and illegal deforestation of all the native species is taking place all over Ghana. I’ve been meeting with a few people once a week to nurse seeds. The theory behind all the tress that we are nursing is when people walk to the bush to cut firewood then they have to walk by the spot where we have started the nursery… so this will all be in hopes that they go cut firewood and plant a tree… Not sure how this will really work, but… well... I’m giving it a try.

The other thing that I’ve been working on is building rabbit cages… yes rabbit. Rabbit is the up and coming meat of Ghana (pour little bunnies). As part of my Alternative Livelihood Projects (APL’s… what ever that’s suppose to mean) we are suppose to help people come up with alternative ways to make money. And selling rabbit meat is a new way. Thus far I’ve built two cages with other PCV’s and in about a month my little village is going to host a training for other volunteers to come and learn how to build not only rabbit, but grasscutter, snail and chicken cages/coups. In turn they can build these cages in their villages and help on the APL front.

That about my life right now… woot woot!

English is the national language of Ghana, but that doesn’t mean it is English that you can understand (I thought I was to learn Eve while in Ghana, but I’m also learning how to speak African English.) They have their own way to say everything and hand signals to go along with it.

The power is out = "Light is off."

The power is back on! = "Light has come!"

I'll be right back = "I will go and come."

I'm leaving (and coming back) = "I am coming."

Get someone's attention = hiss at him or her or make kissy face noise (I really hate being hissed at)

Do you understand? = "Are we OK?"

When you are finished (with doing something) = “Can we go now?”

That is very nice = "Oh fine."

Something bad has happened = "Oh Why?"

Asking why something bad has happened (non verbally) = Frown, turn out you bottom lip (sad face) clap once and then turn your hands outward at the person.

Imply that you would like to share your food (or something else) = "Oh, you are invited"

Beg/Ask someone for something or apologize = put one hand in the other (like you going up for communion in church) and say "Oh, I beg"

To ask for a bit more of something (when buying something at the market) = “Dash me”

When you are going to eat (or preparing food) = “What will you chop?”

Restaurants = “Chop Bars”

The common amount (when asking for something) = “Small small.”

Things I’m noticing about Ghanaians… (these are simply observations and nothing against the Ghanaian population)

1. Ghanaians have this obsession with everything being loud. It’s still beyond my amazement that these people aren’t deaf yet. Blaring music with the base turned up (they don’t have the treble base ratio down yet), watching TV with the volume ALL the way up, yelling at the top of their lungs, and being as loud as possible I’m guessing is just how it works in Ghana. Their motto is ‘if I want to listen to it, then so does the whole world (I feel like it could be heard all the way in Colorado)’… wrong, I don’t want to listen to it, I don’t want to feel the base, or be caught in the middle of a yelling war (when they are just talking across the compound.) I find myself using earplugs more and more, and enjoying the time when ‘lights are off’ (meaning power is out and all is QUIET!)

2. Ghanaians have yet another obsession with driving fast… fast and furious. Speed limits don’t really exist and if the accelerator works then why not use it? (But please not when my life is a stake)

3. Ghanaians like to know where you’re going and why? Everyone and everything is their business.

4. Ghanaians like to talk (and by talk I mean yell) at you when they are passing by in a car… “Hey obroni how are you?” And I’m thinking, “I’m standing on solid ground walking one direction, and you are in a moving vehicle going the other… how in the hell are we going to have a conversation?”

5. Ghanaians like to complement (and by complement I mean comment) on your weight. “Oh Sister Abra Africa suits you, you are getting very fat.” And I’m thinking, “well shit, I don’t want to be told that.”

6. Ghanaians think that whatever I have can be theirs… even if it is the shirt off my back (do they think that I’m going to strip down to my skivvies to give them the shirt they want… no)