A Photographic Summary

So, I don't know if anyone reads this anymore since I stopped posting a while back. But I've been home for two weeks now, got my pictures developed and figured it was time to post some of them online. I have tons more but just this may already be excessive. Anyway, enjoy!

Lake Volta: Day build/Rural Homestay

Lake Volta: Day build/Rural Homestay

Lake Volta: Day Build/Rural Homestay

Spring Break: Green Turtle Lodge

Spring Break: Busua

Spring Break: Butre

Spring Break: Butre

Spring Break: Butre

Spring Break: Green Turtle Lodge

Spring Break: Green Turtle Lodge

Kakum National Park

Walk to Wli Falls

Walk to Wli Falls

Wli Falls

Cape Coast: First NYU excursion

Cape Coast Lizard

Cape Coast 

City of Refuge: Edwin

City of Refuge: Justice

City of Refuge: Abigail

City of Refuge: End of year performance, resurrection scene

City of Refuge: End of Term Performance

Togo: Fruit

Lake Volta: Reality Tour, Children praying before a feed we did

Lake Volta: Reality Tour, Child working to make fishing net 

Lake Volta: Reality Tour

Lake Volta: Reality Tour, Village where we met with the chief to discuss child trafficking

Lake Volta: Reality Tour

Lake Volta: Reality Tour, local football game with anthill in background

Lake Volta: Reality Tour: Goat with head in pot

Lake Volta: Reality Tour

Lake Volta: Reality Tour

Lake Volta: Reality Tour

Lake Volta: Reality Tour

My Latest Obsession(s)

Ever since I was little, I've been especially vulnerable to silly obsessions. My first craze was probably my older brother (not to say I don't still love and look up to him). Next came aliens, dolphins, softball, chocolate, avocados, museums... you get the idea. Somewhere along the lines, I became incredibly invested in working with little children. I've actually known I wanted to work with kids since I first decided I wanted to be a social worker when I was about 15. So it probably won't come as a huge surprise that my latest obsession seems to be the children I work with at City of Refuge. And most every child I've interacted with while here, for that matter.

I'll start with the reality tour. When I got home from the reality tour, I went through all 400 squares the children drew. Again. And again. Each one completely fascinated me. After about the 6th time looking through them, I was picking up on all the patterns and decided to try to sort the images. There were several distinct categories. Some of the children drew a single image, others drew several images that had no relationship with one another, some simply scribbled and a small few drew integrated pictures.
Among the single images, many were birds, and many were trees. There were a few chairs, desks and books and the occasional car but very little beyond that. Most of the pictures that had multiple images were random assortments of the above list.
The most prominent image across the board, not surprisingly was the human image. This came in single form, multiple form and picture form. It was really interesting to see the way the children portrayed themselves and the world around them in small bits. Also, many of the children had never been to school or taught how to hold a pencil, so that added another element to the project I hadn't necessarily anticipated initially. Teaching some of the kids how to create original designs with the magical sticks of color, I tend to think of as pens, was pretty miraculous. The looks on their little faces as they realized they could move the marker around to create whatever they wanted on the fabric was so special. It's no surprise that the little things in life are the ones that count because they're the things that add a personal dynamic to every day life, no matter what that life may be.

Each and every one of the kids at City of Refuge is incredible and sweet and fun. They just got a new baby at two weeks old who was found abandoned in a plastic bag and brought to the hospital where he was then brought to John and Stacy. His name is John and rocking his little body in my arms, feeding him and watching his little eyes drift to sleep was one of the more precious moments ever. He already has parents but it'll be about a year before the adoption is processed and they'll be able to take him home.
I want to go into detail about every child there but that would take up a lot of time and may get a little boring for some of you. But they're all playing a big role in my life and I can't even imagine how much I'm going to miss them all when I leave.

On Wednesday I went in for the kids' performance in downtown Doryumu. It's the end of the school term as all public schools go on a break for the next few weeks and as a final project, the school put on a program with plays, songs, dances and poetry. Not only did each of the children perform wonderfully but it was so great to see them achieving something so special to them. They were all so proud, and rightfully so. It was really great. And the turnout was pretty good, too. That was also important because the City of Refuge is opening the first public senior high school in Doryumu in August so it's really great that the town gets to know the school in that setting, hopefully inspiring kids to attend.
During the performance, four little girls became infatuated with me. I'm getting pretty tired of standing out and looking forward to being another anonymous face in the city.  Getting called to by men, yelled at and begged for money every time you leave home gets pretty frustrating and exhausting. These girls made me really appreciate the attention, in that moment, however because they were all really great. Three of them were younger and did not know much English but got so much joy just playing with me that communicating with words was sort of unnecessary.
The fourth girl was older and spoke perfect English and was so unbelievably insightful. She asked me all about the United States and why I liked Ghana and concluded that people always yearn to go somewhere else and to learn about new places. She said if she came to the U.S. she would love it at first no matter what because it would be different and exciting. So many Ghanaians that I meet beg to come to the U.S. without even thinking about it. Like today, for example, we were filming for our documentary and a woman came up and asked what we were doing while interviewing tro-tro drivers. She couldn't fathom why these people were participating and cooperating. She kept asking "but what's in it for me?" Eventually proving to only be interested in the film if it meant she got to come to the states completely serious, without even considering the option of what happens after the honeymoon phase.
Children are just so amazing and inspirational, combining beautiful imaginations with a grounded outlook. This whole semester has been filled with great experiences. While I've learned a lot about myself and much of it is completely new, I'm glad to have confirmed something I already knew; working with kids is my passion. Or at least one of them because one of the things I've learned is there is certainly no reason to be limited to a single passion. And with more and more experience and knowledge of the world to be passionate about just one thing may be simply impossible.

How to Help

Stacy and Johnbull run the organization City of Refuge Ministries, whose work I detailed in the blog below. If everyone who reads this goes to their website http://www.cityofrefugeoutreach.com/ and donates $10 online, it can help hundreds of enslaved children. It costs $500 just to rescue a kid from the lake which is before the costs of school admission, school uniform, food and housing in the children's new lives. If everyone contributes just a small amount, it can completely open a door to a new, positive life for enslaved, innocent, youth. 


You can also see more pictures, get more informaiton and help spread the word by liking their facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/City-of-Refuge-Ministries-Ghana/182518605109380

A Trip that Took "Life-Changing" to a Whole New Level

Looking at the 400 drawings by kids in Bejamse, a fishing community in the Volta region of Ghana, I can't help but feel overwhelming moved by the experience of the past weekend and the art work of the children. This weekend, City of Refuge (the organization I work for that works to put an end to child trafficking) took a group of students up to the Volta Lake for the Reality Tour. The trip allowed us to see the inner-workings of the organization itself and understand, first hand, the process of rescuing children and introducing social justice to communities. While you may have heard about other NGOs that work to stop child trafficking, I encourage you to read this posting as City of Refuge is unique and I have truly never felt more inspired than I do after what I experienced this weekend. I'll start from the beginning (and I know this is long, but please bear with me, as this was truly the most life-changing experience of my entire life):

We left Accra Thursday night and after about seven or eight hours of driving, got to a city called Dumbai where we got on a ferry to cross the lake. Once on the other side, we drove for a couple hours to Bejamse, where we were staying. Bejamse borders another part of the lake. The communities that lie on the water tend to be fishing communities with high populations of fishermen. These fishermen, unfortunately, tend to use enslaved children as workers. Many of these men have their own children and put them in school but purchase humans from other villages to work, from the age of as young as two for, potentially, their entire lives unless freed. The fishermen also tend to move around, living in one village, marrying a woman, having children and then fleeing, continuing the pattern and never looking back. This series of events leaves many women stranded as poor, single mothers. With no other means of supporting their children, much less themselves, the women have no opportunity for income and often fall susceptible to selling their own kids, thus providing fishermen with workers who have small enough hands to untangle fishing nets.

City of Refuge, prior to the excursion, was working with 7 villages in the Krachi District. On our first day there, we entered a new community. I had no idea what to expect of this, as John and Stacy (the founders of City of Refuge) had mentioned that the process was case-by-case and varied immensely between chiefs and villages and no two political or social systems were identical. We took a small boat across the portion of the lake Bejamse sat on, to the bank of the new community. While on the river, we passed several fishing boats full of children. We stopped to talk to them and met a child with two adults who informed us that the boy's master was in town but his parents were not. John asked the boy if he wanted to go to school and he timidly nodded his head. After handing him a lollypop, John promised he would get him into school soon and we rode off.

When we got to the village, there was music and dancing to celebrate the birth of the Chief's third grandchild. Filled with positive energy, we sat down and met with the chief and elders. John and Stacy do all their work and negotiations based on relations and trust alone. Many NGO's around the lake, however, free children with money, paying slave-owners to release their children which in turn continues the cycle of exploitation by creating a market for slaves. NGO's became impatient with the fishermen when they would not immediately agree, and began using force with the fishermen. This tactic resulted in 27 child deaths on the lake, as fishermen would beat their workers to hide the truth.

City of Refuge works in an opposite fashion and thus once we sat down with the chief, John explained the issue of child trafficking, why we were in the area, who it hurts, and how. The chief said he understood but that there were no enslaved children in the area, and all children attended school. He sent a school teacher with us to give us a tour of the town and the school itself. While on the tour, the teacher revealed that there was, in fact, a relatively high slave population among the children and the need for help. Just a few feet beyond the surface and music and dancing, we saw a different side of the community. Children were tying fishing nets, boys were as strong and built as athletic men, children were showing signs of malnutrition--bulging stomachs and skinny limbs (also a result of parasites), some children had irregular skin and hair (parasites) and some children were simply disabled. John and Stacy asked for the parents of the children, and tried to determine who was there wrongfully and who to contact about the sale of the children and thus how to rescue them.
Because we did not enter the village as the enemy, and came openly with information rather than aggression, we were able to enlighten many slave owners. Unfortunately, the process is incredibly cyclical and once enslaved, many children do not understand any other form of life. John told us a story of an interaction he had with a slave one time where he asked why the slave owner kept this child out of school. When the master responded that that was how he grew up, John asked how it made him feel. This direct relationship and personal question broke the master down and he realized there was a way to end the process, and let hid enslaved children free. Thus, many of the slave-owners, are not actually terrible people, although participating in terrible activity. By the end of our time in the community, people were coming up and admitting to owning slaves and asking what to do next, not wanting to keep these children from free, fair lives. In order to enhance the strong relationship within the community, John and Stacy agreed to donate desks and chairs to the school to ameliorate children's education and schooling experience. In response, the village gave us sodas to drink to reciprocate the generosity.
The community itself was somewhat twofold, which struck me as interesting. While one step farther into the community was injustice and cruelty, the outer layer was still filled with joy and dancing, which at the time, drew much of my attention. Here, I'm somewhat torn. It was so easy to respond to the positive energy but the images of the malnourished children have already started haunting me. I'm still not entirely sure the circumstances of the children we danced with, but regardless, it was fun to play with them and bring such joy and excitement to their faces.
After a delicious Waakye dinner and good nights sleep, we woke up for a busy day.

The morning was filled with preparation for a day camp and a feed. For the day camp, I was running an art program with about 400 kids (I'd estimate ages 1-12). I gave each kid a marker and a square of fabric and instructed them to draw something that was important to them. Many of the children had not been exposed to much art and were confused not only how to express themselves but, many were even unfamiliar with how to approach the technical aspect of art, even such fundamental tasks like how to open the top to a pen. Despite this, I am now sitting in my room with 400 beautiful drawings.  Some have reflective representations of the self, or family, others drew trees, bibles, crosses, boats, and birds. While some kids did not know how to do much other than scribble, giving the children an opportunity to create something was really magical and they all really seemed to enjoy it. With the fabric squares, I plan to create a giant tapestry to go in the research facility City of Refuge plans to build in Bejamse, so all the children can view their work and the piece can stand as an inspiration for the future. My friend came up with a great plan with the students at New Horizons Special School putting the tapestry together in their workshop, so hopefully the quilt-making process will benefit another population  and hold a powerful meaning as an entire piece.

As this was being prepared, food was simultaneously being packaged into boxes with deworming medicine and registration papers, to be taken to Gruby, another village nearby. That afternoon, we went about twenty minutes away and fed, registered and dewormed 300 kids. The registration process helps John and Stacy keep track of the children in the village so they know who lives there with their families and who has been trafficked and needs help getting out.

Completely overwhelmed with powerful experiences and intense emotions, we had a really successful debriefing that night. My peers and I discussed our interpretations of the weekend, which was interesting in and of itself as we're all from different backgrounds and, naturally, had different outlooks on the weekend. John and Stacy explained, in depth, more about their organization and their goals for the future. In order to truly achieve a paradigm shift, they need to work at the root of the problem, essentially then, the single mothers who are vulnerable to selling their children. To achieve this, they are starting several companies to employ and empower single women. One of the companies is a pure water company which will employ 28 single women.

Water in Ghana is sold in small plastic bags called sachets, but there is currently no company producing purified water within a 30 minute drive of where we worked this weekend. Thus, not only will the company bring pure water to those who need it (hopefully minimizing illness brought on by the parasites in the lake) and employing women but also spreading awareness about the harms of trafficking as the plastic the company will use has information on the issue.
Additionally, John and Stacy are starting a fair trade company where women can produce jewelry, art, bags, etc. for profit, especially in the states where the profit will be greater.

Working towards a stronger future, John and Stacy hope that through these companies, over the next ten years, child slavery can be completely abolished from these communities as well as the 8 additional communities they foresee entering. While the Freedom Center (the orphanage City of Refuge runs in Doryumu, Ghana--where I work) currently is at capacity, a new facility has been under construction since December which will be up and running by August. The new site will have a school for the children of Doryumu as well as the children at the freedom center (schooling 300 from pre-k through 9th grade), a basketball court, futbol (soccer) field, art center and summer camp as well as additional children's homes. In August there will be room for about 15 more children, as well as land for crops so the organization can not only be self-sustainable but also provide food for other orphanages. Over the course of the next few years, there should be six children homes on the new land which is called the Children's Village. All of the future plans for City of Refuge aim to bring a high quality of life to those who may otherwise be less fortunate and living in horrible circumstances. I hate to sit here begging those of you in America for money but although there are tons of great projects aligned for the organization, the funding is not there. If you could donate, or spread the word, as awareness and positive thoughts are equally valued and important, I know the entire organization would be greatly appreciative and grateful.

City of Refuge, as an organization, is so unbelievably generous and selfless--rather than collecting personal profit, John and Stacy prioritize the health, safety and happiness of others over themselves (for example: agreeing to donate desks to a school, when their own school hasn't even been completed, and teachers have not yet been hired). Growing up, I'm sure you've heard that one person truly can make a difference and change the world, and John and Stacy are on their way to doing that. If everyone learned from their example and work, imagine the progress the world could see. To learn more about the organization or make a donation, visit online at http://www.cityofrefugeoutreach.com/

And Make That a Three Places to Call Home in Ghana

I know this is extremely belated but now that I had my rural homestay and posted about that, I might as well post a contrasting experience from my urban home stay in Dansoman, an area in Accra, Ghana (about thirty minutes away from Labone--the part of Accra I live in full time).

The weekend started off looking like a disaster. We were all anxiously waiting to get picked up at the home stay office by our families. After almost an hour of waiting only two people from our group had been picked up but then a bus came to take a group of people (including myself) to our homes, which were farther away or more of an inconvenience than some of the other families. We had been given a list of our family's names, phone numbers and suburbs so I knew I was staying in Dansoman and I knew my friend Sarah (Hood) was staying there too. The bus dropped her off on in a beautiful neighborhood and I was so excited, hoping my home would be near by. We got stuck in horrible traffic and an hour later hadn't gotten very far. A couple hours later, we'd dropped off people who were staying in other cities and were much farther away at this point. As it began to get dark, I began to realize I was not in the right place. The bus driver didn't speak great English and we had difficulty communicating but I got a call from Sarah saying she'd been dropped off at the AFS (the program we did the homestay through) director's house and that was where I was supposed to be too. I called one of the advisors in my program and she tried to help sort out the problem. Essentially, though, I was lost and unsure of where to go or how to get there. But, after 6 or 7 hours on the bus, I made it to my home at about 10 or 10:30 PM.
My host mother's brother met me at the bus and took my stuff for me. It was dark so I couldn't see much but I knew from earlier how beautiful of a road it was. My mother welcomed me into her house happily and her three daughters were asleep by the T.V. in the living room. She brought me into the kitchen and made me some food (I still hadn't eaten at this point). She and her brother were SO nice and fun to talk to. I felt really happy and secure. I was exhausted and knew they had waited up for me, so after I ate, I went to bed. They had a whole room for me with a huge bed and an AC which was so unbelievably generous. Unfortunately, I woke up in the middle of the right really needing to go to the bathroom but when I tried to open my door, I realized I was locked in. I guess I made a lot of noise cause my host mom came out and asked if I was okay. I felt really bad for waking her and tried to go back to sleep but was pretty uncomfortable and waiting for morning--although still unsure of how to get out of my room.
The next morning, I heard girls' voices whispering "is she awake?!" and their mother telling them to leave me alone. I got up (my host mom opened the door for me) and met my little sisters for the weekend; there were 11 year old twins and a 10 year old, who were all super sweet and fun. We ate breakfast together and then Joe (my host mom's brother) and I took the girls to their abacus class and drove around running errands. His cousin was getting married that day so we went over to his family's house for a little while. I had really been hoping to get to experience a funeral or wedding that weekend (which are both big celebrations here) and although I initially thought we were just running errands, he ended up asking if I wanted to go to the wedding!
The wedding itself was beautiful, there were roses and balloons decorating the church, everyone was dressed so unbelievably beautifully and colorfully and the entire audience was dancing and singing. There's always so much energy at these Ghanaian events and this wedding, especially before I'd experienced anything else like it, was so full of life and celebration. After the ceremony, we went outside for a small reception with refreshments and more dancing. Joe and I left early to meet one of his friends and then we went to the beach which was really pretty and relaxing. I felt guilty for not being home or with the rest of my host family, though so I was looking forward to going home for dinner.
My host mom, unfortunately, felt the opposite and felt guilty for not having more for me to do and told Joe to take me out that night. We went out to a local bar which was pretty fun, but nothing too out of the ordinary. We had to get up really early for church the next morning so we didn't stay out late.
Church was, yet again, incredible. I went with my host mom and little sisters and it was very apparent (as in most situations) that I was the only white person in the crowd. There was a little girl in the pew in front of me who just sat around staring and everyone joked that she loved the "Obruni" (foreigner--typically white person). The service itself was surprisingly moving. Being Jewish, I wasn't expecting much but again, the whole ceremony was so outstandingly gorgeous and fluid. Everyone was dancing and full of life, joy and color. It was such a welcoming and exciting environment to be in. Even the sermon was moving and full of insight, something I wasn't expecting to be able to relate to. One of the most interesting parts of church services here to me, at least, is the "offering" where everyone lines up and dances in two single file lines to the front and drops money in the offering box and then continues back to their seats.
After the service, we went to my host mom's mother's house where she was pounding fufu (boiled cassava). With a huge stick-like pounding tool, the fufu gets pounded with one hand and flipped with another. Some times the tasks are divided by two people, with one flipping the fufu and the other pounding. It happens so quickly that with the slight error in rhythm and pattern, some one's hand could be broken. I'd never seen fufu being made before but I'd eaten it many times so that was great to see and just as good to eat after! It also just amazes me how much of the culture here falls into rhythm like this. Dancing is an essential part to life here, adding beauty and obviously rhythm everywhere. My documentary in my film class is about the transportation here and how although there really isn't a public transportation system, the buses do essentially have rhythm and add a great depth to culture. I really love these unexpected patterns in daily life.
Anyway, the girls were angry that I'd spent the entire day Saturday with Joe and I really wanted to get to know them better so Sunday we spent around the house and they showed me all their favorite music videos and we just relaxed and I had a really terrific time.
Perhaps less moving in an obvious sense than my rural homestay, but still a really incredible experience. I definitely learned a lot and felt more immersed in the culture than I had at this point really getting to know my family. And although I was just with them for two nights, I really felt as though I belonged. They were so welcoming and I've continued to stay in contact with them and truly hope that lasts because they were all some of the kindest and most hospitable people I've ever met.

A Home in Abutia-Kpota, Ghana

We got off the bus to hundreds of smiling faces, drumming and dancing. I was in the back of the bus so I didn't see how it began but our group was in two lines, following the local girls in lines as they danced waving pieces of fabric. They marched forwards towards an open area with lots of plastic chairs lined up and a giant cross and lots and lots of people (mostly children). Women were pouring handfuls of liquid from a bowl (palm wine?) at our feet and everyone was smiling and excited. Every member of the community was dressed up--mostly in bright, beautiful colors.

This was the start of our welcoming ceremony to Abutia-Kpota, a small town in the Volta region of Ghana. The ceremony included incredible drumming, beautiful singing and outstanding dancing. A lot of the young girls who were dancing had white paint on their bodies, which I'd never seen before. The dancing was absolutely amazing, I wish I had a video camera for it because pictures really can't do what we experienced justice. Some of the dances were in circles and one of my favorites was when there were two lines of girls (6 or 7 girls in each line) who were dancing and twirling fabric quickly, some times facing the us, some times facing the community on the other side and some times facing each other. Part of the dance involved them getting really low and joining by holding the same cloth. It was really beautiful and seamless. After the dancing, we were welcomed by the chief and elders and introduced ourselves. 

Once the opening cermony was through, we went to the school grounds to begin work. There were piles of sand to mix cement, buckets of paint to mix, gravel and molds for bricks. We were split up into groups, some were mixing paint and painting the school, some were making blocks, some were mixing sand and water and then filling big bowls with the wet cement. My job was carrying the mixed cement (at the start, and then just the sand to be mixed closer to the building site) on my head. It was really, really fun and great to experience something that we see every day. I can't imagine the women who carry twice as much weight on their heads, a baby on their backs and try to weave through Ghanaian traffic. Finally, some were plastering the walls of the new washroom at the school. All the children were around the school yard, watching, playing and some helping. It was hot beyond hot but it was an incredible experience, it was so much fun and all the townspeople were so helpful and kind. 

After a few hours of work, we had a lunch break. Afterwards, the jobs were limited so a few of my friends and I went into the woods behind the school yard and watched these young boys jump and cartwheel over a string they tied to two trees. It was really fun, they were so impressive! After all the work was done for the day, a local futbol game started on a huge field right next to the school. The whole town was watching and enthusiastic. It was the town we were staying in (Abutia-Kpota) against another town. We won 1-0 and when our team scored, all the kids ran out on the field screaming and cheering. It was such a beautiful, happy moment. Soon after, half our program went home and those of us staying over, met our families. I met my host father, Edwin and his two sons. He took me to his home and let me bathe. 

The shower was a small outdoor area with three walls constructed of hay and stick. The fourth wall was just a stick bar where you hang a piece of fabric (that is also used as a bed sheet, and wrap skirt or dress). Here, you take a cool, refreshing (and after a day of work in the hot sun, a much needed) bucket bath. When I was done, one of the women in my family brought me into the hut I was sleeping in and gave me powder and lotion for my body. Edwin brought me back to the futbol game where I met up with my friend (and roommate) Kaleigh and her host dad. Our families lived across the road from each other and our fathers gave us a tour of the town and introduced us to several people, including the futbol coach, who was very excited about the win. Everybody was so friendly, and they taught us a little bit of Ewe (the most common language of the region).

We walked through town until dinner when we met back up with NYU and ate together, as to keep from inconveniencing our families. After a little while, Kaleigh's host dad came to take us to the bonfire. He called my dad who brought me a piece of fabric to wrap around myself. The sky was clearing up and the stars were unbelievably incalculable. I've seen some starry nights but this one took my breath away. Being completely natural and self-sufficient, the town produces no litter or pollution and without electricity, the night sky is free from light pollution. Thus, we were blessed with a beautiful night that engulfed my presence. 

With a flame twice the size of me, the bonfire created a beautiful red and orange light, lighting up the towns members who had congregated for the event, the drummers and us, the visitors. While the drummers played, we danced. Primarily traveling in circle around the fire, we danced for about an hour, until the fire ended and we went back to our respective homes. My family wanted to sit outside and talk for a while which I was happy about because I was still totally consumed by the night sky. Most of my family did not speak very much English and they were talking in Ewe for the most part. When it was time for bed, my host mother, host aunt and I went into one hut where my host mother slept on a big bed, while the aunt and I shared a mat on the floor next to the bed. Probably from the exhaustion of the entire day, but without questioning or complaints, I slept better there than I have in weeks, it was great. 

I woke up early in the morning to calls of roosters and a beautiful sunrise. Women were sweeping the ground everywhere I could see (the neighborhood consists of many huts--my family consisted of at least 20 huts for all the uncles, aunts, parents, grandparents and each immediate family has storage and food huts as well as showers, chicken coops, etc. and there were other families right nearby). Some people were also digging in the ground and farming. A few of my family members and I were sitting and watching the sky change colors and the bright pink sun emerge from below and rise into a yellow glow. My host grandmother came out and made me a bracelet and a chain of beads to tie around my waist (a lot of people wear those here). She was so sweet and generous, even though we could hardly communicate with each other.  

After the morning chores were completed, my host mother and aunt brought me back into the hut to get me dressed for church. I was immediately adorned with full body attire, jewelry and a head wrap. 

 After we had another NYU meal (all in our church attire) we went to a beautiful outdoor church ceremony. Everyone was dressed in such amazing clothing and of course, the dancing and drumming did not cease to amaze me. While the readings were mostly in Ewe, they translated them into perfect English for us, which was really nice. We all got up and danced for a little while but the performance of each and every one of the singers and dancers in the community was yet again, astounding. 

After church, we returned to our homes for a little while where I ate some perfect, fresh pineapple. By this point, a few of my family members who knew some English had become more comfortable and confident talking to me so it was really fun to be with them and actually get to know them. They were all such great people and I couldn't be more grateful to the amazing experience they gave me. It's something I will remember for the rest of my life and forever cherish. 

The finished school! 

The finished washroom!

Before our final good byes, we finished painting the school and washroom and then parted, and headed back to Accra. Although it was sad to leave, we were all exhausted.  

Honestly, it was such a perfect place, everyone was so friendly, it was so beautiful, there was everything I could ever need and more. The environment was so welcoming and homey. Everyone knew each other (with a population of about 1200) and got along. I wish I could spend more extensive time in Abutia-Kpota. All in all, I couldn't have asked for a more fun and substantial weekend experience. Rural homestay for the win!  

An Attempt to Describe Something Beyond Paradise

I wasn't really sure what to expect from our spring break because my friend Claire did most of the planning. We got on a bus to Takoradi (one of the major cities in Ghana) which was somewhat dirty and overwhelming like much of Accra. We had just been on an unnecessarily long bus ride with no air conditioning and it wasn't until the last 20 minutes that I learned how to open my window so after walking around in the heat in Takoradi with our bags for about an hour, it began to not matter how nice or not nice Busua would be, I just wanted to get there. We finally discovered splitting a cab between the five of us who went, would be really inexpensive and more convenient than another bus and tro tro or whatever the alternative would be. Driving through the tropical rainforest, being surrounded in excessive layers of biodiversity--the different greens, textures and sizes of leaves and plants--ah, was just so unbelievably beautiful.

Sunrise in Busua

When we arrived, the site of the beach was breathtaking. I couldn't believe it. With the mefloquine I'm taking for malaria, I've been having some vivid dreams and often have a hard time differentiating between reality and dream land. Busua, however, felt more like a dream than my wildest dreams here. It was so serene and picturesque. Unfortunately, I left my digital camera in a taxi the day before I left so I won't have any of my pictures till I get home, but I'll post some pictures that my friend Charlotte took just to give you an idea of what it was like. First of all, the sand was so smooth and soft, with no rocks in site. Lining the beach was the beautiful jungle we saw on the drive. To the left was a long strip of beach with an immediate layer of coconut trees and a hillside/rocky cliff covered in a variety of plants and trees at the end, in the far distance. To the right, completing the semi-circle formation of land that enclosed the waterfront of Busua was a similar hill covered in an entanglement of greenery, surrounded by splashing blue waves up the rocky shoreline. At the base of the hill stood a few extraordinarily tall trees with a light or white bark and green leaves only at the top of the tree. And straight across from the beach right in front of our hotel was a small tropical island which was the cherry on top of an already extraordinary site. We arrived right around sunset and got to cool off in the ocean and watch the sky and reflective clear water change colors before we went to dinner. 

Hike in Busua

View from Hike in Busua

That night we went to bed early and got up to watch the sunrise on the beach the next morning. The town of Busua had a really welcoming, charming and quaint vibe. There was a large volunteering (and thus Obruni aka foreigner) population so amongst the locals were lots of travelers. Along the beach was a strip of hotels/restaurants/bars with lots of small local places to eat on the street-side that corresponded. In order to get to some of the spots, you had to walk through the local village. For example, in order to get to Daniel's Pancake House, you had to walk through the primary school yard and in order to hike to the top of the hill, you had to walk through the homes of the town which were concentrated on the right side of the strip, farther East than the strip of hotels and lodges. We continued the day with a lot of swimming in the ocean and relaxing on the beach, with a walk down the coastline to the end of the land. The next day was more of the same with a surf lesson thrown in (was thinking of the Breunigs the whole time). It was super fun even though my experience may have been closer to getting beat up by the waves and the surf board than actually surfing. At night there was a bonfire with the other travelers, and some of the locals--like the people who run the volunteer site and people who work at the surf shop. During our time in Busua we also hiked up the hill by the village where we got a gorgeous view of the entire strip of land and the island.
Since my trip to Alaska in sixth grade, I've been adamantly opposed to eating sea food. However, since coming to Ghana it's been my goal to lose every qualm I have with any food, concluding that it's mostly just a mental game for me and I actually enjoy almost anything if I give it a fair shot. I still can't make myself like fried plantains, no matter how many times I try them but I tried (and mildly enjoyed) lobster for the first time in Busua our final night before the bonfire! So overall, it was a perfect start to the trip and on Wednesday we hiked down the beach and over the other hill to our second destination: Butre. 

View of Butre from Hike

Butre, like Busua, is a small town concentrated on one side of a strip of beach. There are about 800 people in the town and probably (based off observation/exaggeration and no real data) 2000 goats. There were baby goats that were some of the smallest animals I've ever seen and they played with the little puppies, it was beyond adorable. The feel of Butre, for some reason, was not as welcoming and comfortable as that of Busua. The Hideout Lodge, where we stayed, was down the beach and isolated so we didn't have a lot of interactions with locals but when we went in town, there was just something weird about it. While we were talking to the tour guide, arranging our trip to the fort, we stood by a kiosk for a while. Our stillness attracted lots of attention and although the kids were "friendly" their laughter combined with the language barrier, felt like mockery, especially while the elders sat and stared. Overall, being in town was kind of uncomfortable but still really interesting and much of it was really peaceful and beautiful (like the fishermen's boats and the animals playing). The hill seen in the picture above is the home of an old fort where we hiked to. From which, we could see miles and miles and miles of beautiful greenery. We could also see Butre from above and could see at all the homes, the colorful buildings and tin roofs along the beautiful clear, blue ocean. The fort itself was really cool and the view, not only of the land, but of the ocean, was, not surprisingly, to die for.
We also met a couple who was building their own treehouse resort amongst groves of really beautiful trees. I'm not sure what species they were but they looked like small palm trees that stood relatively low to the ground with leaves that intertwined into a beautiful web-creating a leafy ceiling, making a natural, green fort amongst the forest. This gorgeous area bordered a smooth, peaceful river on which we took a canoe ride the next morning. The noises of the birds, small animals, wind and rustling leaves was so incredible and goes to show the beauty and fluidity of nature. On the ride, we saw some of the most colorful birds I've ever seen, crabs that disguised themselves perfectly as rocks and would sit on the riverbed and move in unison, monkeys, a hawk, mudskippers and butterflies. It was incredibly serene and perfect. After the canoe trip, we got lunch and headed back to Busua where we caught a taxi to our final destination, Green Turtle Lodge in Dixcove.

Again, we stayed at a beach lined with lush palm trees and to the right, there was another incredibly small and impoverished village. In this village there was a hill with tons of plants, like the other hills we'd seen. This one, however, also had an old castle that was completely overgrown. As we were walking through the village, and passing the countless goats, waving children, women pounding fufu, etc, a bunch of children ran up to us, held our hands and walked with us. Some of them insisted on showing us the way to the castle, so they came with us and were climbing all over the castle and loving every minute of it. The hill was almost like an island, bordered by the ocean, overlooking the beach on one side and a bay overlooking more beautiful forest and the sunset on the other side. Again, totally picturesque. That night, we lay out on the beach, the moon was nearly full with a perfect ring around it, illuminating the ocean and gorgeous land that bordered.
Green Turtle was a great place for our last night as it was a really relaxed and friendly environment with lots of backpackers and other travelers. We got to know some Europeans (including an Irish-man who has been in Ghana since September but was prepared with his big green hat for St. Patrick's Day) and all transported back to Accra together the next day. Coming back was an unfortunate disruption in the peace and simplicity of life on break, which is pretty funny looking at the pace of things in Accra. But, there's some good to being back, and it's nice to see my friends who I didn't go away with. After spending every moment with people for 9 straight weeks, one week apart feels like a long time. It certainly was the perfect break and if you're ever in West Africa, I strongly urge you to travel along the Ghanaian coast--it's an experience I can't imagine trading (well, not for much anyway).

Off on Costal Adventures

I really meant to make two posts before I left for spring break. One about City of Refuge and the feed I did yesterday, and information about the trip to Lake Volta we'll be taking at the start of April. And another about my homestay, which will now be posted much overdue.

Unfortunately, between midterms and packing for Spring Break, I ran out of time completely! When I return from my coastal adventures, however, I will post about everything.

For now, however, I will say that many of the trafficked children at the lake have worms and other diseases. Part of our mission while up there, is to deworm the children. A donation of $10 deworms a child for a year. The parasites cause significant damage to the children including loss of food and nutrients, stunted growth and chronic pain and illness. By deworming a child, you can help rebuild his or her future.

Thanks and enjoy your week (especially those of you on break!)

CFAs to Blow and Stories to Tell

My trip to Burkina Faso was, all in all, a success. We left Friday morning at 4 AM. Well, more like 4:30 because one of my housemates and I overslept. Whoops. There were seven of us from NYU (all in the Documenting the African City class) and one of our TAs. We stopped about 20 minutes later to pick up a girl from another program who came along with us. I probably shouldn't go into details about that online, BUT I will say she was so offensive, rude, inconsiderate and full of complaints that neither our TA nor our two bus drivers could tolerate her. Keep that in mind as I continue with the rest of the trip (especially this first day).
Our goal for the day was to drive about 12-14 hours and stop and stay overnight in a town called Bolgatanga. About 8 or 9 hours in I want to say, our tire started overheating. Of course, we were between tropical rain forest and grasslands so our only option at this point was to continue slowly, stopping every 10 minutes to pour water over the wheel and let it cool off. Finally, we made it to a town called Tamale. Of course, once we got here we had to wait for a few more hours but we eventually got to a hotel. From the outside it was huge and luxurious. Unfortunately, it was not so nice or even comfortable on the inside, but it was a place to stay and we all needed some food and sleep.
The opening ceremony started at 1 on Saturday but continued into the night so we assumed we'd see at least some of it, with only about 6 or 7 hours left in our journey. Unfortunately (and this soon became the  epitome of the trip) after getting downstairs for breakfast at 6 AM, we waited, and waited, and waited for several hours until we were finally back on the road. With the exception of she-who-must-not-be-named, everyone was still excited and good spirits.
Once we were driving along the bumpy, unpaved and unmaintained Burkina Faso roads in the dark at 8 PM, we realized we weren't going to make it to the opening ceremony. However, the bus ride became super enjoyable because it'd finally cooled down and the stars clearly outnumbered the seconds we'd been on the bus the past two days. We were lying down in the back of the bus just looking out the window and getting some fresh air. And in that moment, if I hadn't before, I knew all the travel and chaos of the past couple days was going to be worth it. We went to the Fespaco grounds to try to get our passes for the films and got some kebobs and fries while we were there. The food was delicious! It was served with a spicy sauce that's probably the single hottest thing I've ever eaten. So. Good. Although at this point we still thought we were determined to go out that night, after waiting over an hour to settle issues at the hotel before we could check in, we were far too exhausted and went right to bed.

And the trip really begins...
Sunday morning we got up early to go to a panel discussion at a hotel nearby. The hotel was beautiful and among the attendants were professors, producers, writers and directors from around the world (mostly from Africa). There were probably about 40 or 50 people there, including our group. The discussions were incredibly interesting and I learned about film in the hours we spent at the panel (there was another one Monday morning) than I ever would have thought I'd know over the course of my entire life. Although the panels were great, I was itching to explore Burkina and see some films. Sunday night, we went to see a film that was at an outdoor theater and had a quaint bar across the street. It was a great night but the film was unfortunately not in English and had French subtitles. We left early and the language barrier made it difficult to communicate with the cab riders. We didn't negotiate a price before we got in the taxi (you'd think we'd know better after living in Ghana for two months) and when we got to the hotel our taxi driver immediately got caught up in a huge fight with several men standing outside our hotel. We could not understand what was going on and just stood there hesitantly. The next day, we discovered the main person who was fighting with our taxi driver works at our hotel and got our price down to a reasonable value.
Monday after our panels, my friend Sarah and I walked to the Fespaco grounds. Walking around Burkina Faso was really great. The weather was about 15 degrees hotter every day than it is in Accra but it was much less humid. The number of motorcycles on the streets astounded me, especially the number of women riding bikes. One of my favorite images of the weekend was women riding bikes in their traditional, beautiful African dresses and head pieces; apparel typically worn to church and formal events. The conclusion of the weekend was that Burkina-be women are badass.
Ouagadougou (The capital, where the festival was held) is a pretty cool city. Although Burkina Faso is the world's third poorest country (according to BBC news) Ouagadougou felt much more developed and systematic than Accra. I think it appeared that way because not only was the city converted for Fespaco, the streets lined with yellow, green and red flags. But also after hosting the biggest film festival in Africa for 22 years, the capital has probably been designed for tourists, which would explain the numerous large, glamorous hotels and many theaters.
The market scene was similar to that in Accra, with different forms of art, and different patterns of fabric. The food was really different too. There were lots of baguettes (because Burkina's a Francophone country, this wasn't surprising to anyone), kebobs, fries, sandwiches...that's about all we were really exposed to. Getting food at the Fespaco grounds was the easiest. One night, however, Sarah and I were determined to find food on our own and discover a delicious and quaint aspect of Burkina-be culture. By the time we set off on our journey, it was dark and we were slightly hesitant, not wanting to get lost (or worse). We didn't find anything immediately and our plans were looking slightly flawed. Suddenly, we came across red, glowing, cursive letters that spelled out Pizza with an arrow! We followed the arrow down a questionable alley by the side of another building. When we got past the building, it opened to a beautiful courtyard of tables with white tablecloths and roses, sheltered by a diverse and beautiful assortment of green trees with openings just to the starry, African sky. We ordered an absolutely incredible pizza with a thin crust, tasty cheese and perfect vegetables for a remarkably affordable price, everything about that meal was perfect!
While Burkina Faso was great in each and every way, the films I saw were also great, not only to watch but to experience. I'm really not (as most of my friends know) a movie person. I wish I were, but I tend to get sleepy when watching something for too long. Watching so many films, especially complimented with panel discussions, really taught me a lot, not only about the art but also the story telling. We watched one documentary called the Witches of Gambaga (Watch the trailer here) which would make a really great TV documentary. It was really interesting and well done. Although just the one TA came on the trip with us, our other Professor and one of our other TAs were at Fespaco as well. One of our TAs, Yao, watched the film with us and afterwards, when we asked what he thought, he told us he'd done the filming for it! Honestly, it was a really great experience. I had a ton of fun and am really grateful for the opportunity to have gone! And hey, the only visas they'll give American citizens are 5 year visas so maybe I'll find a way back for the next festival in 2013!

Sorry this post took me so long, right when I got back, I got bombarded with midterms (I say this, but the amount of work I get here really doesn't even compare to any amount of work I do in New York). I'll make a very belated post on my home stay weekend and other happenings in Accra before spring break, which I'm equally excited for!

I'm doing another feed in a village this Friday! I'm really excited and I think some more people from NYU will be doing it with me, so it'll be a really great experience.

Lastly, I can't stop listening to this (click here). One of my best friends has the most amazing voice I've ever heard, and you should all listen to her because it'll rock your world, like it rocks mine!

Spice of Life in Ghana

I've just been eating so much good food here and I'm pretty much only friends with people who are equally as in love with food as I am, so I'm going to devote this post entirely to food here.

I'll start with why food is so on my mind right now. I just ate lunch at Aunty Munni's which is a little spot on the side of the road (a chop shop I think?). It consists of five long picnic tables on gravel, and a little shack where there are bowls of food--waakye (beans and rice boiled together), noodles, gari (granular flour made of cassava root), plantains, different kinds of meat and sauces, and hard boiled eggs. You wait in line and then order how much waakye you want and add as much of the other ingredients as you'd like. If you eat there, it's served in one large bowl for everyone in your party who's eating. It's under an awning so you're in the shade and can appreciate the warm weather, instead of being scorched by the sun (which, after walking there in the sun, it's pretty easy to appreciate). It's really, really spicy and delicious, but also so filling that I could barely walk home and still feel like I'm about to pop. Totally worth it, though.

While on the topic of somewhat non-established but completely delicious food joints, there's a pizza place called Pizza Roof pretty much around the corner from us. It's this open space that's vacant during the day but in the evening they set up plastic tables and chairs, bring a portable oven and have a light up sign that says PIZZA. They grate the cheese, chop the tomatoes and make it all right there so it's fresh and delicious, not to mention cheap and homey. It's right across the street from one of the bars around here, too.

Another local place that's good for lunch during the week is called Didipa. I actually had a dream last night about the name, and why it's named that. Anyway, they have delicious fufu in groundnut soup. Fufu can be made from cassava, plantains or yams--any starchy root. It's boiled and then pounded into a thick, pastey dough (we made it at my home stay). It's served in soup but so far my favorite soup I've had it with is groundnut. Groundnuts are peanuts and the soup is very spicy. Didipa also has really delicious jollof rice with chicken and red red.
Jollof and Red red are also served at Ashesi's campus, which is cheap and delicious, as well. Jollof is spiced rice, spiced with tomatoes and other spices. It's pretty simple but also pretty tastey. Red Red is made from black eyed peas with red palm oil and red pepper, and is usually served with plantains.

The chicken here is to die for. Everywhere you get chicken, you will not be disappointed. The beach we go to most often, Tawala, has the best chicken. It's perfectly grilled, tender and spiced. It comes with perfect fries or fried rice and an amazing green, spicy sauce. And hey, you can't really beat a beautiful beach setting and a cold beer at sunset.

Perhaps most notably, the fruit here is incredible. Outstanding. The pineapple is so sweet and juicy, the avocados are perfect, the mangos and papayas are great, the oranges are refreshing. I haven't enjoyed a banana in years until this trip. The juices, of course, are just as fresh, pure and perfect.

One of my closest friends here says she's never met a food she hasn't liked and I think that logic is wearing off on me. I love pretty much everything I eat here (except I still won't eat seafood). The places we have our meal plans at are hardly worth mentioning. One is pretty good and traditional food but the actual dinners there are long and chaotic. The other place has subpar quality food but it's got variety that's more familiar to our New York diets (menus ranging from Mexican to Indian to Chinese and American) and the atmosphere is more conducive to a relaxing meal and conversation with your friends.