A Christmas Miracle

I have arrived home in the good old USA! I thought it would take me longer to readjust to the daily conveniences of life in the US like a car I can drive, running water, toilets that flush, refrigerators that work and any kind of food you desire but I have jumped right into American life again without hesitation which has surprised me but also scared me a little how easy it was. When I was in Ghana I was very aware of the amount of time I was away from my family and friends, I could feel it but after seeing my family and friends over the last few days I have felt like I just saw all of them 2 weeks ago. It is a very weird feeling!

I would like to share with everyone that the tuition for 4 of my Class 6 students for one semester at the Wisdom Academy in Kitase, Ghana will be paid for through a generous gift from Jack Reed and Nicole Vulgaris, a true Christmas miracle!!! 1 semester at Wisdom costs $25.00. 1 year is $75. This will allow those students to come to school everyday. Many times if a child is late on a payment they are not allowed to go to school until payment is made, this sometimes takes days which puts the student behind in his/her studies. I had a few students this past semester that missed 3 days in a row every month when school fees were due. If anyone would like to sponsor a student at Wisdom for 1 semester or possibly a full school year please visit....www.ghanawisdom.org

Merry Christmas from Wisdom Academy!!!

Merry Christmas to all our Wisdom Friends
in Ghana and the United States!
Gideon, Fati, and Madam Jennifer

Rosemary got glasses!!!

Rosemary has glasses!

A very special thanks to Carolein and

The Optical Foundation in the Netherlands.

Please search for the Optical Foundation on the web

and you can view pictures from her 9 months

working with students at the University of Cape Coast

and doing free exams on kids in the Cape.

Carolein has left Ghana, however, her work will continue

in CC with a new volunteer.

I am everyone's daughter in Ghana and I like it!

How things work in Ghana... Thought I was going on the 1pm bus to Tamale to go to Mole National Park but after finding out that I wouldn't arrive until 4am I said no thank you, got my money back and went to another bus station to hop a bus to Takoradi. There is a beach there that everyone talks about b/c an American guy opened a surf shop there and I wanted to check it out. I met a very nice Ghanaian lady named Gifty and her son Kofi in the last 30 mins of my bus ride from Accra to Takoradi. We got to talking...everyone is curious about what I am doing in Ghana...they all guess that I am Peace Corp first and then I have to explain to them that I am volunteer teaching through Ghana Wisdom. Anyway...I was talking about pictures that I wanted to develop and give to my students but that is was very expensive (about 70 cents US) she said, "Oh, I own a shop in Takoradi and we develop pics and design tee shirts, etc. Come with me to the shop and we'll get those done for you!" I swear everytime I need something done, a person appears to help me! Off to Gifty's Shop we went. She has owned it for 5 years now, her husband is a ship engineer and is currently off the coast of Scotland. He comes home every 6 months or so and has been doing this for years. You have to understand that this is normal for Ghana, many husbands and wives do not live together all the time. You do whatever you have to for your family and to survive. So after the pics it was 7:30 and Gifty said it was much too late to go to Busua Beach and said that I was welcome to stay at her home. I took her up on her offer and had a lovely time. We all had dinner together and she made me breakfast the next morning! Hard to find this in the US!!!

All around Ghana

Where have I been in GHANA???

• Central Region - Cape Coast and Elmina
• Ashanti Region - Kumasi - 5 hours from Accra
• Takoradi - About 45 mins from Takoradi Green Turtle Lodge- ECO Lodge- no flushing toilets here!
• Busua Beach - About 45 mins from Takoradi- An American guy named Peter from California and a Ghanaian named Frankie started Ghana's first Surf Shop here 1 year ago, he just opened a restaurant a week ago. I would say it was the cleanest, most beautiful beach i saw in all of Ghana! Waves are great for beginners!
• ADA - Serene beach and beautiful!!! You can rent a paddle boat.
• Kokrobite Beach - Big Milly's
• Coco Beach
• Labadi Beach - Crazy Beach, never seen so many people in the water in one area in my life!
• Volta Region - Akosombo (Rode the Dodi Princess), Ho, Hohoe(WLI Falls)
• Accra

Specs for My Student Rosemary

Beyond the classroom...One of my students, Rosemary, has been telling me since the first week of school that her eyes "pain" her. Sometimes I enter the classroom in the morning to find Rosemary with her head down on the desk in tears. I asked her if her vision is blurry when she looks at reading close or far away. She said when she looks at something far away it is blurry. I thought there must be something I can do about her problem while I am here. This is where my now dear friend from the Netherlands, Carolein, comes to save the day! As I mentioned in a previous blog, Carolein is working for The Optical Foundation in Cape Coast giving free eye exams and fitting children with glasses for a very low cost, between $1-4 US. She has brought hundreds of frames with her from the Netherlands and she found a place in OSU to make lenses at a discounted price. She told me that if I could take Rosemary to a doctor and get a prescription then she would submit the prescription to the shop she is dealing with and get Rosemary the glasses she needs. Perfect! On my way into Accra I always pass by The Emmanuel Eye Center in East Legon so I thought we would try there. Ken, the principal of Wisdom, was very supportive about this idea and asked Rosemary's mother if I could take her daughter to Accra for the day and she said yes! This woman is trusting me, the Obruni to put her 13 daughter onto a TRO and take her to Accra for the day, wow! Let me tell you about this mission...

8:30am - Stand on road in Kitase in the blazin sun waiting for a tro to stop
9:30am - All tros driving by are full (this is common) A tro finally stops.
11:00 - Arrive at the Emmanuel Eye Center. Hit lots of traffic on the way in.
We check in and pay $5. I tell the woman several times that we are here for a prescription for Rosemary to get glasses and she guarantees me that I will leave today with the prescription in hand.
11-1:30 - Wait 2.5 hours to be seen by the eye doctor. Everyone sits in plastic chairs in rows in order and when a person gets up to have their exam, everyone stands up and moves down the line.
1:30 - Rosemary is finally seen and doctor says from what he can see her eyes are fine, this took about 5 minutes.
1:40 - Leave the exam room and I ask about the prescription. A woman informs me that Rosemary needs to be seen again by a different doctor which will cost more money and the eyes need to be dilated. Please keep in mind that I do not wear glasses and know nothing about the process! Oh, she says, and we do not dialate the eyes in the afternoon so you will have to come back tomorrow! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Are you serious???? I explained to the woman that it was very difficult for us to make the journey there today and I told her that I was told a few hours ago that I would indeed leave with a prescription. I told her that I was very upset about this. The doctor got involved and said come back in the AM and he would not charge us. Well that helps a little but this means that I would miss another teaching day!
2:00 - I take Rosemary to the OSU food court for chicken and rice. She really liked having lunch in Accra.
2:30 - Rosemary is in the Computer Club and I wanted her to see a nice Internet Cafe that is actually fast. She loved this!
5:00 - Get to 37 to catch TRO, there are a million people there to do the same thing, people will push and shove to get on the TRO and I will not do this
6:00 - Finally catch TRO from 37 and hit traffic on the way back to Kitase
7:45 - Arrive in Kitase, Ken makes dinner for both of us. Rosemary spends the night at my house because it is too late for her to go home and we are leaving in the AM for the eye center. I have 2 twin beds in my room so this worked out great!

Next day, back to Eye Center, everything went fine and Rosemary now has her glasses! Red frames, she loves them and is the only student at Wisdom to have glasses, she wears them proudly!!! Thank you Carolein!!!

Current Events in Africa

1. The President of Ghana was in a car accident the other day, he took the next day off. Do US Presidents get days off? I thought they were on duty 24/7...maybe given the circumstance he needed to rest. Before I came here I was not sure if my life would ever be in real danger, after living here for 2 months, I can say that if anything is going to happen to you it will be a car accident. Drivers are reckless here, drive very fast, and pedestrians do not have THE RIGHT OF WAY! Taxi drivers and tro's honk their horn to warn you that they are coming up behind you, they do not slow down or swerve around you, you are expected to move out of the way and if you don't well...
   Basically, you are fine if you pay attention!
2. Liberia will soon have their debt from the war (about $800 million) paid off by large banks all over the world, and help from other countries...this will help the country to continue rebuilding and become more stable. I have become good friends with a Liberian guy named MD, he is 22 years old and had to flee Liberia during the war. He has been in Ghana for about 10 years now and is doing great things with various relief organizations to help his people. He is very smart and determined, work always comes first! He is putting me in touch with a women's organization about 1 hour west of Accra that I will be volunteering for Saturdays. The women are learning English and need help with conversation skills so this will be another good experience for me!
   
3. Oprah's principal at her school in South Africa fled to the US, I am sure this is old news to all of you. Anyone looking to lead a school in SA?
   
4. Peace talks are stalled in Darfur between the rebels and the Sudan government, may not continue until the new year.
5. Oil found in Ghana, drilling will begin in 2009. Major business opportunity here for Ghana and foreign companies. This will greatly help the economy here and hopefully create jobs for Ghanaians and not just foreigners. You would be amazed by the foreign business community here. Sadly, made places I frequent when I come to Accra are not owned by Ghanaians. The Lebanese own many businesses and have for years...Koala (the Whole Foods of Ghana), paint companies, construction co., Popeye(very good fast food... chicken and fish), many restaurants, etc. If a place is nice you can almost bet that a Lebanese owns it. Things have not been stable in Lebanon for years and the people need jobs, the opportunities for new business in Ghana are endless. I have met many people from this country and they tell me that work is had to find and if you do work in Lebanon you are not paid well.
6. Big Sports News - Jack this is for you! Ghana is gearing up for the African Cup of Nations. This is like the World Cup for soccer. Teams from across Africa will all come to Ghana in Jan and Feb for 3 weeks to compete. I am very sad that I will miss this!!! There is a lot of talk about the tickets prices being too high, it does not allow for the average Ghanaian to attend. Unfair, uh? Of course, the Cup is sponsored by WHO ELSE? but the largest phone company in Ghana MTN. I have never seen such marketing in my life. You can not go anywhere without seeing a MTN billboard, flag, or sign. It is really over the top! All of Ghana is literally decorated by MTN.
   
7. My current wallet is a ziplock bag (snack size!). I have used this for weeks now. The wallet I came to Ghana with got wet and began to grow mold so I through it away. I will not tell you how this happened! In fact, much of my American money had mold all over it and I had to beg business owners and banks to exchange it. About $60 of it I still have and will have to spend when I get back to the US. I have the bills sealed in another ziplock bag as to not contaminate the air I breathe. hahah!
8. Finally was able to use the bandaids I brought with me. I was wondering when this opportunity would arise. I have been using them but on the students but not me. I stubbed my large toe on the street, tripped over something. Hurt like heck and took a huge chunk of skin off but it is amazing how quickly skin heals. I was worried about infection but all is well. I haven't stubbed my toe since my pool days when I was younger at Rollingwood Pool running (when I should not have been) on the concrete patio, here it happened all the time!
9. My students were just informed by me that things exist or did exist like, dinosaurs, earthquakes, volcanoes...taking them through a natural disaster unit now! They had never heard or seen these things before. It is very cool to see a child's reaction when you explain these topics to them for the first time. I also like that they are old enough to really understand unlike when you tell a 4 year old about dinosaurs. I bought a children's book in Accra on dinosaurs ($16, thank you very much! AHH!) so they could see what they look like, the kids were amazed!
   
10. Gotta go meet my friends, we are taking a private van to the Volta Region to take a cruise down the Volta River on the Dodi Princess! I am a lucky girl! A good mix of people too, Ghanaians, Aussie's and Americans!
    

Uniting the Nations in Cape Coast

Meet some of my new friends in Ghana...Left to Right...Me, Diana-American-Florida, Carolien-Netherlands, Sarah-Canadian-Toronto, and Ana-Germany
We are having lunch at Oasis on the ocean in Cape Coast after our tour of Cape Coast Castle.

One reason I love traveling is meeting such inspiring and highly motivated people along the way. I learn something from each person I come across and it makes me reflect constantly on my own life and where it is going. Everyday I hear a new story from someone walking down the street, in a tro tro, a taxi, or over breakfast at a hostel on the weekend. Here are a few stories...

Diana teaches Class 4 at Wisdom. Would you believe she taught English in Korea for 2 years, flew home to the US for a few days to see her family in Tampa, Florida and then hopped on a plane to Ghana? She is leaving Ghana in 2 days, seeing a friend in London for 3 days and then going to Bulgaria for a week to visit a friend in the Peace Corp there and then back to the US to find a "real job!" She has been my weekend travel friend for 2 months and I will miss her company. Diana graduated from University of Florida and wants to try living and working in New York for at least a year. Her dream would be Paris.

Carolien is from the Netherlands and very proud of being Dutch. Fasinating woman...she has been in Ghana for 9 months now and leaves in December. She is an eye doctor by profession. She met someone at home that wanted to fund a program in Africa that would do eye examinations on children and provide them glasses if needed at a small cost so she said she would go. She was orginally going to work out of Accra but found her way to Cape Coast instead. All equipment was shipped from the Netherlands which took many weeks. Carolien visits schools in the Cape Coast area and also pulls children from the streets to do exams. The other day she had an entire day of examinations in the Cape Coast Castle, any child living in the area could go. The lenses are bought at a discounted cost in Accra and the frames are shipped in from the Netherlands. She said that the glasses cost the children $1, $2, or $3 US. She has done over 1,000 examinations and about 100 needed glasses. She does not work alone. She contacted University of Cape Coast and asked if they would be willing to lend her some students studying to become eye doctors to go with her to the schools to do the exams. The University said yes so she has many students under her and also teaches a class at the university. Wow, uh?! She is keeping good records for a future book or medical journal and a friend of hers is doing a documentary on her work. When she goes back to the Netherlands in DEC she will become director of the organization she is helping. She will work on putting the website in English when she returns but for now here is her site....www.theopticalfoundation.com

Sarah is from Toronto in Canada. She attends McGill University and is taking a semester to study at University of Cape Coast. She is taking 5 classes for the bargain price of $500 US. What a deal! Met her in Kumasi one weekend over breakfast at the hostel and we have kept in touch. She lives in the dorms and was supposed to have a roommate but never got one so she told Diana and I if we ever came to Cape Coast for the weekend we were welcome to stay. We took her up on her offer and just got back from the Cape this past weekend. Loved meeting all her Ghanaians friends and loved the 35 cent fried egg with onion and tomato on whole grain bread I had for dinner SAT night at the market on campus. Many women stand outside and cook all night for the students. Sarah was going to study at Cape for 2 semesters but has decided to volunteer at the Liberian Refugee Camp instead and return to McGill for the fall 2008 semester. Sadly, I have heard from many university students that I have met (they are everywhere, mostly though at University of Legon. Sarah is 1 of 7 non-africans in the entire Cape university of about 10,000 students, it is like A Different World if anyone remembers that show!) that the professors basically read directly from their notes and the class copies, Sarah's professor even says, "OK, new paragraph!" and so the whole class skips one line in their notes, indents and keeps writing. So if you are coming to Ghana for the education you might want to study somewhere else and come to Ghana to volunteer or to just travel. I have asked many of the students at the university's this and they all agree that had they have known they would have studied elsewhere. Sarah's friend from Toronto is at Legon which is closer to where I live, about 45 minute tro ride, I am going to sit in on a few of her classes and learn more about African History.

Ana is from Germany and also studying at Cape Coast. I do not know much about her story yet but she is very nice and I will be seeing her again another weekend.

A Step Back in Time - CAPE COAST CASTLE

This past weekend was the most meaningful travel weekend thus far. Diana and I traveled about 3 hours to Cape Coast to see Cape Coast Castle in Cape Coast and Elmina or St George's Castle. Both of these castles were used to hold captured Africans as slaves for a period of time before transporting them onto ships to be shipped to Brazil, the Carribean, many parts of Europe, Java - Indonesia, what is now the US and Canada. It is argued that between 12 and 25 million Africans were shipped as slaves from the 1400-1800's. Between 1.5 and 2 million were placed in the US and Canada. Brazil received the most slaves.

Aburi Botanical Gardens

These beautiful gardens are only a short 5 minute taxi ride from Kitase. There are many kinds of exotic plants and trees. I have been taking the computer club to Aburi 2 days a week and one day the power was out so I took the kids to the garden to walk around. Admission - 20 cents for students and $2 for foreign adults. Many students in Aburi pass through the gardens daily going to and from school.

Kokrobite Beach - West of Accra

Home of the Famous Big Milly's Backyard

Fishing boats go in and out all day on Kokrobite Beach, amazing to watch. This photo was taken in September at 7:30 am. I took the picture facing the sun. Diana and I are going back here this weekend with friends we met that go to Cape Coast University and University of Ghana. I can not wait for banana crepes, real coffee, fish dinners, and of course the Reggee Band! This place is about a 2 hour drive from Kitase with no traffic and about 1 hour drive west of Accra.

Blog 16 BTW Ghanaians do not eat American Style Breakfast

Cooking and serving French Toast at the Bliss Manor was not a success financially for the owner, Bobby, I think she actually lost money because she fed Diana and I (I cooked) but I did learn a lot! I tried to pay her for our orders of French Toast but she would not accept. First of all, Bliss Manor does not serve an American breakfast. They serve a limited dinner menu all day, from 8am to 8ish, rice with your choice of fish or chicken. Bliss Manor is the only restaurant in Kitase that is close enough for me to walk to. There are many chop chop's (places where you can buy Ghanaian food on the street) and bars to buy a drink but no formal restaurants except for Bliss Manor. She has a lovely patio that faces the road, can sit about 36 people and she has a huge inside. She and her family live behind the restaurant. Bobby was born in Accra, had all her children in London, and now resides in Kitase. All her children still live in London. So I am waiting patiently for my first customer and by 8:30 no one has come in so I decide to pick up the board that my sign is posted on and head closer to the road. This is a very busy road used daily by people coming from Accra and traveling north to Korforidia so I thought even if French Toast was not a hit with the locals in Kitase surely I would draw in some hungry travelers... I am waving, smiling, and pointing at the sign for every car that drove by...got many beeps and waves but no cars pulling over. Around 9:30 am a guy in a taxi stopped, I was excited for this and quickly asked if he was stopping for the French Toast, he kindly said no and walked past me, ordered a beer, sat down and drank it while his customer was waiting in the backseat! Please do not take this to mean that every Ghanaian drinks beer in the AM, I think he might be the only one! At 10 am an SUV pulls up and out comes 2 parents with their 4 children, yes, this is going to be great!! By this point one customer is all I am hoping for. The family sits down and orders fish with rice and chicken with rice at 10 AM in the morning! Bobby says this is typical for Ghanaian people. They want to eat something with protein and substance to last them throughout the morning and afternoon...this makes sense to me now and maybe I will begin eating fish in the AM too but I do love my American Breakfast! My dad makes the best hashbrown cakes (he shreads actual potatoes), complete with omlettes and cheddar cheese toast. So no customers yet and Diana and I are getting hungry so we go to the kitchen. It was so nice to be in a kitchen! We watched as the 2 girls that cook for Bobby prepared the rice and fish. I am now interested in purchasing a muddle and large wooden bowl to mash red peppers and tomatoes to make sauce, the girls did this and it does not seem difficult. I made french toast for Bobby, Diana, the cooks, and myself. Bobby really liked it and said that I can come back anytime. We sat in kitchen and talked about her life for a long time, very interesting lady. By noon, we cleaned up and left. No paying customers but a great experience. I am going to go back soon and watch the girls prepare some more traditional Ghanaian dishes. Bobby wants to send one of the girls who happens to be her niece to culinary school, she is 17 so she can take over the restaurant someday.

Blog 15 Excellent Adventures on the Tro-Tro's and Taxi

Crazy things that have happened while riding in a TRO TRO or Taxi...

1. After hopping into a taxi, apparently the door was not closed (I had got in the other side) and after we picked up speed and tried to make a right turn, my door flew open and Diana had to pull me back in! Woa! Dodged another bullet! Thank you Diana!

2. Scene: 4 hour long cramped tro-tro to Kumasi one weekend at night in the pouring rain, narrow, bumpy road. All of a sudden the MATE (guy who rides in the tro-tro, the driver's partner, he is responsible for collecting the money and opening and closing the sliding door, sometimes he has to hold it closed because it swings open on its own, he really has a demanding job!) (I am sitting behind him) starts taking his clothes off and I am wondering, What is going on??? He gets all the way down to his boxers the driver pulls over and the mate hops out into the heavy rain... I am thinking this guy is nuts! Well, apparently he needed to use the bathroom and of course did not want to get his clothes wet so off they went. He gets back into the TRO soaked and takes the same towel his has been wiping the seats off with and procedes to dry himself off and his clothes do go back on! It was the most amusing part of the whole ride!

3. A random Ghanaian who has helped us get on the correct Tro-tro paying for the ride. This has happened about 3 times. They are sooo kind! (keep in mind at one time there maybe about 15 tro's lined up. The tro's have no signs saying where they are going, the mates yell out the destination so you have to keep your ears wide open.)

4. While out in Accra in a overloaded taxi, we were pulled over by the police and instead of the police writing the taxi driver a ticket, the driver paid him off (about $2 US). This happens ALL THE TIME in Ghana and makes me think if the police can't even obey the law how can you expect the people to? There are police barriers all over main roads to other towns and you must stop. The police come to your window, gun in hand, and look over the car. Most of the time they just wave you by. But if they do stop you, they have a right to ask you (of course) for your license, etc. If the driver does not want to bother with this procedure, then you give the police $1 and away you go. The police will keep you stopped for as long as they feel like it so many Ghanaians and Obrunis just "pay them off!" The police are making some good TIP money here!

5. Stopped to ask a guy directions the other day near ADA (east coast side) in my friend's car and the guy was wearing a black Baltimore Ravens polo shirt. I said, That's my team! Go Ravens! He had no idea what I was talking about!

BLOG 14 - SPORTS DAY - Chef for the Day!

SPORTS DAY FOR WISDOM

Ken announced earlier in the week that Friday would be Sport Day! Oh was I excited for this! The last hour of school Thursday was spent dividing Classes 4 and up into 4 houses, it felt like Harry Potter a bit, very cool! 2 of the male teachers tried to divide the kids up evenly but in the end Ken saw who was in each house and just shook his head and laughed and made them divide the kids up again because the houses were not fair. I did not know that I would be in charge of a house until that moment...YES, I get to lead a house! First task, decide on a name... I threw out the name WISDOM WIZARDS and the majority liked the name so we went with that, had to explain to some what a wizard was...I tried to make it sound really cool...wizards are strong leaders, etc, etc. most bought it but a few were worried that other teams would think they were witches! Oh geez, what have I done now! Sports Day is very competitive, the kids love it and there is a huge incentive to win...the losing house needs to clean the toilet area for a week! So Friday, no classes, first hour spent organizing my house into girls and boys soccer teams, and many running/relay races. Off to the field... this was quite a task, getting the ENTIRE school up the very busy road and crossing the road to get to the field. I was impressed with the teachers and how they stopped the cars and all kids crossed at once. The kids here are very road savvy so even the little ones know not to dart into the street but I was still worried the whole time. There were 4 soccer games total, girls and boys had their own teams. My girls team made it to the finals, yea! The boys teams were very good!!! Soccer is their favorite sport here, many of my students are on local teams. You would have thought Gary Williams was on the field yelling at the boys to play harder! The male teachers are competitive as well! Then we had the races...if you could have seen these kids in their bare feet or just socks sprinting down the field!!! Many do not have sneakers so they just go natural. That would be fine if the field was thick lush grass but it is the most uneven field I have ever seen, many holes, large and small rocks...this does not faze the kids, they run as hard as they can and you never hear them complain and no one fell amazingly! We also had sack races, my girl Mary won this for the Wizards! She had to hop the length of a football field I kid you not! This is the same girl who had a head on collision during the soccer game an hour before! She is so quiet in my class but WOW is she an athlete! While the games were being played the younger kids kept themselves occupied and the older kids when not on the field sang away to the beat of a few kids on the school drum. I have captured this on video, such spirit and joy! It was a great Friday!

Tomorrow morning, SAT, I am cooking/serving at the local Bliss Manor Restaurant. Reporting for duty at 7:30 am to prepare for 8 opening. I go there often for a drink and spoke to the very nice female Ghanaian owner, Bobby, and asked her if I could prepare French Toast to give the locals something special and different. She happily agreed and I drew a very nice banner if I do say so today to advertise the new American Special. The French Toast drizzled with local honey is being served with pineapple and tea for $2.50. I prepared French Toast for Ken and his family this week and they loved it! Ken had never seen cinnamon before. I thought this would be an easy dish since bread and eggs are the 2 most available foods. Cinnamon however is not sold up in the hills so in Accra Sunday night I stopped at the Koala Grocery Store to pick up cinnamon. Only one brand from the UK and it cost me $3.00 but it is worth it! Hope we get a big turn out for breakfast!!! Should be fun! I miss cooking and this will give me a good opportunity to meet more people in the village.

Monday is a Muslim holiday so Diana and I are off to Boti Falls which is only about a 2 hour tro-tro ride from Kitase. Oh and speaking of the famous tro-tro...you YOU TUBE fanatics need to check out the clip of an American white kid who thought the job or the mate and driver of the tro's was so cool that he made someone train him and worked the tro's in Accra for awhile. You can all see what all the fuss is about!

BLOG 13 - OUTLINE OF WISDOM SCHOOL

Not sure if I properly gave the layout of the school and classes so here we go...the kids address me as Madam Jennifer in their British/Ghanaian accents (they sound very proper and I love it!) When the kids in my class get really excited they say, "Madam, Madam, Madam!" very loud and fast! Reminding them to raise their hand first is a daily thing. The Little Ones call me OBRUNI which mean White Lady! This does not bother me, it is what all the village kids say but since we are an ENGLISH ONLY school I do correct them and say back, "Madam Jennifer!" Most of them have it down, still working on a few...

Nursery - Ages 2-3 - About 40 kids
Madam Grace (age 50's) runs the show here, you can often see her bathing, feeding, and singing to her Little Ones, She is a strong woman and visits my room frequently to get after my kids who have not paid for their lunch. Grace also has a young teacher with her who is very enthusiatic. (Mom they could really use your expertise here, need you to remind me of a few songs with numbers and letters to teach the little ones, god they are cute, taught them the 5 Little Monkey Song the other day while my kids were at worship, they loved it!)

KG - Age 4-5 - About 40 kids
Madam Ester and Madam Lucy (also the AP)

Class 1 - Age 6- Two Teachers - About 40 kids
Class 2 - Age 7 - One Teacher - 30 kids
Class 3 - Age 8 - One teacher - 30 kids
Class 4 - Age 9 - Madam Pale and Madam Diana (American Volunteer)
Class 5 - Age 10-One teacher - 25 kids
Class 6 - Ages 10-15 - Madam Jennifer - 28 kids!
JSS 1 - Junior Secondary School Ages 13 and up - Teachers Rotate - 25 kids
JSS 2 - Teachers Rotate - 20 kids

From here the kids need to take a standard exam that all students in Ghana take to see if they qualify for further education. The exam costs money and this sadly prevents many promising students from continuing their education. Ken is hoping his younger brother and sister that are currently in JSS will attend school in Cape Coast. They are both very smart and dedicated to their studies. I can find them buried in their books when I come over for dinner every night.
All class have separate rooms held together with plywood. When it rains hard the classrooms have to be swept out and plywood replaced. It is a constant battle of the elements! Ken just showed me blue prints of the future school, it is a great dream and one I hope to see come true! Land has been bought, Ken is just waiting on a loan and funding to begin building. I think the school has a few years before it is built but he is confident that it will happen. I was curious about how he aquired the land that the present school is on and he said that the local chief gave it to him! Just like that, amazing, uh?!

Blog 12 I Have a Fan in Chicago

I have no idea who reads this blog and who doesn't. I just received a nice comment from a guy in Chicago telling me about another BLOG written by an American couple living in Accra. Very cool, I will check that out! If you read this blog, please comment with the city, country or state, etc. that you live in, you don't need to write your name if you do not want to. It would be cool for me to see how far this blog goes.

Oh, and I have been meaning to say this...anyone can come and volunteer at the Wisdom Academy. Go to www.ghanawisdom.org They are accepting new volunteers every day. Ken has hosted over 20 volunteers now over the last few years. I have been learning a lot about NPO's and what is special about Ghana Wisdom compared to many other NPO's is that all money raised by the foundation goes directly to the school. Mike, Miles, and Erin, who run the foundation, do not get paid, they volunteer and have other jobs to support themselves. Erin and Miles just taught in Korea for a year. Many people who work for NPO's are paid with money raised through the NPO they work for. And MANY volunteer agencies charge thousands of dollars for a few months long volunteer experience, like i-to-i, for example, and very little of the money you pay actually goes to the people you are helping. This is why Ghana Wisdom is such a great organization to volunteer with. And being up in the beautiful hills is sooooooo much nicer than being in the big city ACCRA, I love KITASE!!!

Fun shopping in Madina (20 min, $0.70 tro-tro ride south) today after work...bought a $2 black plastic watch on the street, the guy even set the time for me! How nice! Yes, I did come to Ghana with no watch and Diana's broke a few days ago so we bargained a buck off of him since we were buying 2. Bought 2 pairs of socks that have a fun GHANA logo on them, one pair for me and the other kid size for my niece, Kali, $1. Bought a much needed 4 inch FOAM Mattress, the bed I have been sleeping on is very uncomfortable, a very thin worn out mattress resting on wooden planks, I can feel the planks of all sizes and shapes in my back (they are not IKEA planks, if you know what I mean) and have been tossing and turning in the night and waking up in the morning with horrible back pain that continues throughout the day. I have slept on this foam stuff a few weekends I have been away and I love this FOAM Mattress idea. The lady even let me lay on it in her shop. It is very cheap to make and WOW is it comfortable!!!! I can't wait for a good nights sleep tonight! When I get back to the US I will be looking for a place that sells these foam mattresses. I think Americans are wasting a lot of money on expensive matresses that have coils and wear out after awhile anyway. I spent about $14 US on this mattress. I will also be able to use it in our courtyard to lay outside and nap or read. We have a beautiful patio but no where comfortable to sit. I knew I should have brought a hammock with me! Maybe next time!

Blog 10 A Letter from a Student

Dear Madam Jennifer,

I am not happy to write to you this letter. I hope by the grace of God you are strong as a lion and as fit as a fiddle. The reason why I am write to you this letter is that, I will not come to school tomorrow, because tomorrow I am go to someplace with my coach. And we will come on that day but, we will spend much time there. Thank you for reading this letter, don't be unhappy fo rgoing but pray for me that when we go they will take me. Madam this is my future work so I begged you. And I hope on Monday I will join my colleagues. Thank you for receiving my letter.

Thank you
Bye Bye
Alex
Gracias. Adios.


This letter was given to me at the end of the day. I read it quickly and when I looked up he was gone. My eyes filled with tears. Alex is one of my best students and losing him would be a great loss for me. I ran to catch up to him and asked him if he was leaving the school for good and he said no, only for tomorrow. I had thought he was leaving the school forever. He has a soccer team to try out for, I think? I will let you all know how it goes! I will treasure this letter always.

Blog 10 Fun on the Weekends

For my 3rd weekend in Ghana, Diana and I hit Kokrobite Beach! This beach is a short 45 minute drive going west from Accra. We lucked out with a ride to Accra by Diana's roomie, who manages at bank in Aburi. How nice of him to stop and pick us up after he got off work and take us to Accra in style and comfort in his Mercades. I was loving this ride compared to the cramped, smelly, no AC Tro-Tro. I sat back and relaxed, worry free! Dropped off at a taxi station in Accra and made the $7 US taxi ride to Big Milly's Backyard in Kokrobite. You can look them up online if you want to see pics and get details about Big Milly's. This is the place to be for all volunteers working in Ghana and locals too! Sits right on the beach. Arriving Friday we walked into a Traditional Ghanaian Dance, it seemed like the entire town turned out for this event, kids and adults all sitting and enjoying the show. We quickly grabbed a drink and watched the show. We originally booked the $3 per night, per person dorm rooms but when we found out they would be outside in a hammock we decided that would be too much of an invitation for MALARIA even though the place was nice enough to provide mosquito nets. So indoors we go to a very nice cabina ($17 per night total!!! So $8.50 per person! Beat that Ocean City!!!!) complete with an outdoor shower attached to the cabina. It surpassed my expectations! I had the best shower of my life outside with the hot sun beating down through a huge palm tree branch making the cold water refreshing, not so cold and not mind numbing! Just me and nature, just the way I like it! Met some nice locals, lots of volunteers, college students studying in Accra through a program with New York University, and a Bitter Barbie Peace Corp Volunteer coming off her 4 year service in Africa (I think she stayed too long!) You do not need to be a student at NYU to go through that program, NYU has a campus in Accra, if case anyone reading this is interested...

Sat, incredible banana pancakes for breakfast at Big Milly's ($1.50)and fruit, spent the day on the beach, the waves were very strong so I did not venture out far (no lifeguard), met a nice lady from Oregon who has been living in Ghana for the past few years, was given land by a local chief to turn into a protected forest. Her name is Dorlinda and she has just finished planting over 400 trees on 130 acres of land for The Solo Forest Foundation. I am going to cruise by there again in a few weeks and visit her and do my part for the environment and plant a tree. She lived in Hawaii for 18 years and just had Gull Bladder surgery here for the bargain price of $900 at a local clinic, run by 2 surgeons from France. She said when she got there the equipment looked so old she was too scared to cry. Her surgery was 2 weeks before we met her and so far, so good! Sat night dinner at a local Italian Rest run by Italians, I had pesto penne. The Italian lady in her 30's personally came over to check on us and make sure we were enjoying ourselves, I love when rest. owners do this! She was very sweet and you can see her young children playing around the town during the day. Back to Big Milly's... We danced the night away to the local reggee band...Jen B, the singer in the band gave me a shout out in one of the songs! I thought of you from Amy's Birthday Ball at Washington College.

Kokrobite Beach was nice. Large wooden boats everywhere, people mending nets, boats going out, coming in, I got some great shots! Will be going back to Big Milly's again if I can. One of the local guys who works there said that he lives on the property and the couple that own Big Milly's have been putting him through school for years. He is getting ready to attend University in Ireland. Amazing story and nice guy!

Blog 9 Computer Club

Ken just purchased a used computer for the school so he can easily type up spreadsheets and info for the school. The computer cost a little over $100 US. No internet! The computer resides at his home which is located about 20 ft from the school. Ken and the Ghana Wisdom Foundation believe in educating the children about computers and technology. So a Computer Club has begun. I am the teacher, yea, so much fun! Teaching kids who have never laid their fingers on a keyboard before about the different parts of the computer, how to use the computer and basic programs is very exciting for me! I got to select 3 kids from my class. I picked Wonder, Fati, and Rosemary, all very responsible students and I know they are serious about their future education so this would be good to invest in them. I also have 3 students from Grade 7 and Grade 8. For 2 weeks 2 days a week we will be using Ken's computer to work on typing and basic operations. I leave my class for 45 minutes and another teacher takes my place. After the 2 week introduction on Ken's computer, we are off on the school bus to the next town, Aburi, about 15 minute drive, to the Internet Cafe. The kids will set up an email account. If anyone knows of a young person (ages 10 to 15) that has email and would like to begin emailing my students, please let me know. The Internet Cafe charges about $1 US per hour. The kids and I will be visiting the Cafe every week till I leave in December. The Computer Club is being financed through a donation to the Ghana Wisdom Foundation (http://www.ghanawisdom.org/) of $50. I can't wait to see how far these kids will progress in just a few weeks!

Blog 8 - Water and Ghanaian Food

My roommates did not break me in too well my first week in Ghana. Every morning they spoiled me by getting all the water I needed for the day, which is only a 6 gallon bucket, enough to bathe. We have a "shower room" which is tiled and has a hole in the side of the wall where the water runs outside, how smart! Surprisingly you do not need a lot of water to wash you hair, body and rinse. Yes the water is freezing but I actually like it now because it gives me a great shock at 6:30 in the morning and really wakes me up! Extra water needed if I wanted to flush the toilet. I now know you need about 3 gallons to flush a toilet. No you can not just flush it, everytime I want to flush I have to go get water and pour enough in the top. Not bad though considering before I came here I thought I was going to be going in a hole in the ground outside. The door to the toliet does not lock so I always pray that no one walks in and so far they are really good at knocking first! For the first few days I really had no clue where all this water was coming from. All I cared about was Hey, I have water, yes! After the honeymoon, they broke me in...they took me to the back of our compound and showed me the massive tank(made of concrete, about 8 feet high by 8 feet wide) When it rains the tank fills up. There are drainpipes attached to the house and when it rains there are pipes that run to the tank. Simple enough, right? Well, there is no need for me to worry about lifting weights here, I get plently of exercise in daily chores alone. When I need water, I go to the tank with a large bucket, climb up the 4 large concrete stairs to the top of the tank, throw open the metal hatch (2.5 ft by 2.5 ft), carefully throwing the 1 gallon bucket down into the tank, just so(there is a technique to this) so the bucket will tip just the right way for it to full up with water. I get excited when I do it right on the first throw! Sometimes I think I might fall into the tank and get worried about someone not knowing that I am in there. The water in the tank is very low right now so if I did fall in, I would not be able to just swim out and I do not think anyone would here me scream. So I just try to be very careful. I fill the large bucket 3/4 full (any fuller, I can't carry it), this takes about 5 good throws. I want to put the bucket on my head and carry it like all the Ghanian women do but I keep chickening out! And after all the work getting the water into the bucket I do not want to risk losing any of it! I carry this bucket about 70 ft back into the house to the shower room. This might sound draining but I really do enjoy working for my water. The only time I mind is when I need to wash my clothes which takes about 5 large buckets to fill 2 large lime green plastic bowls. One bowl is to soak the clothes in TIDE and scrub and the other is to rinse. Once I sit down to actually washing the clothes, I am OK and enjoy this also. It is theraputic and relaxing! My clothes are then hung inside our compound on a line in the blazing African sun. I am lucky, many people in the village that do not have a line, lay their clothes on the ground. Brushing the teeth...I do not use rain water for this! We buy bags of pure water. Looks like a sandwich size bag of water. This costs 300 p or about $.30 US. I put toothpaste on my brush in my room and begin brushing my teeth as I walk outside to the corner of our compound, by the time I get there I am pretty much done so I spit under the stars and take one sip of pure water and spit. Listerine and spit. I use a small amount of water to splash on my toothbrush. I am conserving the Listerine and only using it on weeknights. Weekends we travel and the bottle would be too heavy to put in my backpack. So what happens when the tank is empty? This has happened twice now. No water, no bathing! Yes, I have gone a few days here and there. Thank goodness for those baby wipes I brought! Thanks Mom! I can see why girls dread their hair on these trips, who has time or water to do your hair. No, I am not dreading my hair but have thought about it. When it doesn't rain for awhile we get down on our knees and pray to the Rain gods!!! hahaha! No, people don't really do that but I know they are praying for it!

Well after a good dry spell, boy did it rain! Began at 2:30 just before school was getting ready to let out at 3. It was like a hurricane, I am not kidding! All teachers had to stop teaching because the rain was so loud against the metal roof making it impossible to hear or talk. The kids and I all scrambled into corners of the classroom that rain was not dripping down from the ceiling. The rain kept changing direction with the wind so we had to keep moving. All I could think was, I hope all 10 of our buckets are outside so they can fill up. Well, 3pm came and went, school not able to dismiss because of the hurricane rains. It rained hard till 3:45!!! It was funny to watch the children run out into the rain with an umbrella to use the toliet. They had to hold the umbrella over their heads and go at the same time. Not an easy thing to do! The rain calmed down at 3:45 and Diana and I made a run for it home!

I live across from the school, my commute in the morning... a short 2 minute walk that I love! No traffic for me!!! I love not having to drive anywhere! The power was out when we got home so we lit a candle to chill. I walked 5 blocks to have our $3 bottle of red wine from Argentina opened at the local restaurant. What a day! We just relaxed and read books for the night. Finally finished the Poisonwood Bible by Kingsolver. Thank you Nicola! I have been working on this book and many others since April and glad that it took me going to Africa to finish it. My goal was to finish it before I left. Reading it would not have been the same in the US, being here I was able to relate to so much more of what the characters went through. I have not had run through a path of killer ants in the rain at night but the part about walking away clucking like a chicken I can relate to. Cluck, Cluck, here I come! I will be a chicken by December. Eggs are a staple here. I eat a fried egg for breakfast in between 2 pieces of sweet, white bread, boiled egg for lunch with either rice and spicy red sauce or speghetti with spicy red sauce, and sometimes even a fried egg for dinner. I get no meat or fish so eggs are the protein source. Diana and I have a field day on the weekends eating all the fish and meat we can get out hands on! Sauted Plantains (just like Costa! yum!) and boiled yams(white, not orange) about twice a week, an occasional orange, pinapple or banana. I tried SNAIL, don't care for it much, they are not the small expensive kind like Julia eats in Pretty Woman, oh no! They are huge and tough and I can not chew them. And you Marylanders will love this...Ken told me that we could have crabs for dinner one night, I was really excited about this! The crabs were babies, the smallest I have ever seen. Fishermen in MD would be arrested for catching crabs that small. Ken cooked them in a stew. We sat down to eat and he picked up the crab and bit into it, shell and all... I couldn't believe it! The crab was not cleaned out or anything. And if you are wondering was the shell soft? NO! Just as hard as a Maryland steamed Blue Crab. No thank you I said and proceeded to open the baby crab and eat it Maryland style. I got the smallest bit of meat out but it was good! I want to go crabbing here for the big guys and see if it is possible to find them. I will let you know how that goes. I will steam them with beer and the OLD BAY that I brought from home. Yes, I brought a few containers to give out to the locals. Old Bay in my eggs is about as far as I have used the stuff. For breakfast I drink MILO, boiled rain water and a hot chocolate type mixture. The other day there was a boiled daddy long leg in the pot we boiled the water in , I did not discover this until I had already poured the water into my Ghana Celebrates 50 Years of Independence coffee mug, what did i do? Drank it of course! What is a skinny boiled spider going to do to me? Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Lunch- we get a Orange Fanta or Coke. Dinner- water. There is a town south of Kitase called Madena(20 minute tro-tro ride), we make a run there about once a week and hit up the SHELL Gas Station Snackshop, we get so excited about this! There are these Wheat crackers that I always get made in Holland, taste like graham crackers, for about $1 US. I snack on these throughout the week(only when i get hungry!). Diana and I always split a Snickers bar, out little treat to ourselves! Love the bottled Guiness for about $.90 US. My old Guiness friend Stephanie from the Mill Towne Tavern, I always think of you! There is also a good Ghanian lager called Star for about $.70 US, not bad. The country is BIG on recycling and you must return the bottle after you drink it! Imagine if Macgerks in Federal Hill recycled all their bottles every week! Everyone is going GREEN! Come on guys!

Blog 7 - Teacher Concerns at First Faculty Meeting

Ken held our first faculty meeting of the year on the 4th day of school. It was really nice to be able to dismiss the kids early at 2 so we could have our meeting and be done by 3. Of course we went a little over. The meeting was held in the new Grade 8 classroom(constructed the week before school began, i helped to paint this room inside and out). Ken arranged the desks and chairs in a circle, I liked this idea! We began the meeting by standing up for a prayer followed by Ken explaining new procedures for this school year. He had a very detailed outline of rules from 1-12. Each teacher was given a list of the rules/procedures which were read aloud. In this way every teacher knew what was expected and there was nothing left to assume or learn half way through the year. Quotes from Ken: "It's easy to find a job, but hard to maintain a job." "Your teacher evaluation will be read to you before you receive your months pay." "Educate the children on the new rules, you can take all week if you need to." "Let's make this term serious!" "Experience is the BEST teacher!" "Please teach manners!" "Do not walk into my office and take things." "What makes a good leader?" We had a great discussion about this. Interesting teacher /student concerns: A teacher voiced his opinion and said that he had taught a grade for 3 years and he does not like that he was moved, he knows all the units to be taught. Ken: A teacher should be moved every 2-3 years. Another teacher wants to know if he has been demoted or promoted. Ken: You have been assigned, it is your assigment. A boy has changed schools already because of something a teacher said and Ken wants us to get the child back! Some parents want to know why their child is repeating a grade(this happens often if the kids do not pass the end of the year exam). A teacher wants new footballs(soccer) for the school teams and jerseys. The kids want a school choir. (They do have amazing voices) Kids do not like flies landing on their lunch, so a large bowl was suggested for each class and smaller bowls need to be purchased for each child. OK, this is the way lunch works... it is usually rice with a spicy tomato sauce, the kids line up, get their bowl, must eat quickly and return the bowl so a lady can wash it and reuse it for another child. I need to look into pricing these bowls. A teacher wants a new place for the kids to wait for the bus(mini van). The guy who drives the bus always has a smile on his face and is very commited to his job and the kids. He makes 4-5 trips in the AM to pick the kids up and the same in the PM. This means that every day at 2:30, I have a few students who leave early because they need to take the school bus to the next village over. The bus has helped increase enrollment tremendously . Our numbers are around 350. My students have names like, Fati, Abigal, Shadrock, Janet, Michael, Paagrant, Kumi, Lawrencia, Theaphillous, Eugenia, Eugene, Edwina, and Gideon. Many different personalities and academic levels! Oh, every WED AM is worship from 8-9.

Blog 6 - Back to School Uniforms?!

Ken, the principal, has decided that he wants the teachers to have a uniform. Uniforms are very big here in Ghana, all school children wear them and they walk around proudly representing their school. I was measured for mine today. The colors are bright orange and royal blue, the pattern is very nice and has a few small doves. I will put up a pic when I get one, I am sure you will all have a good laugh. But I am excited about this and after 12 years of wearing a uniform in Catholic School this will be no different. The male teachers have to wear black dress pants and a white short or long sleeve collared shirt. One of the male teachers expressed disappointment at the staff meeting last week that the ladies were having dresses made and the guys got nothing. I can understand his complaint. The female teachers will wear the uniform dress Monday and Wednesday and wear our own clothes the other days. Female teachers must weat a skirt everyday, glad I packed 5. Erika, I thought of you since your school has the same policy. We are having a PTA meeting at the end of the month. Ken wants the female teacher to sport the new uniforms! Attendence by all parents is mandatory. If a parent does not attend, they are fined! Can you imagine fining parents in the US? Participation would either be way up or the school would have lots of extra funding! The kids must be in proper uniform and the headmasters are very big on white socks and wearing brown or black shoes. The kids can not wear flip flops and if they do they have to leave them at the school and go home barefoot. I watched this happen today. The kids line up every morning by class in the school yard at 8 with a song and prayer and then they all sing this marching song and literally march to class! The kids are very good marchers! I teach till 10:30, they break for 30 minutes to recess, go to the toliet, and eat a snack. Lunch from 1:15-1:45 and then dismiss at 3. At 3 all the students line up in the school yard, announcements are made and they say a closing prayer and song. The day is long and my hand is very tired by the end of the day from writing everything on the board. My chalkboard is actually a piece of plywood that is painted black. It was weird at first but now I am very used to it, the chalk they use breaks easily and I write until I have nothing left in my hand and then grab a new piece of chalk. I must use 7-8 pieces per day. Nancy Schikner(former CES teacher), thank you for your brilliant idea of using the clear paper protectors as a "wipe board" I brought over lots of dry erase markers. The kids really enjoy using them and it saves on paper. I have had new kids joining my class everyday, my number is up to 27. Ahhh! We are crammed into this tiny room but are making the best of it and there is still learning going on and that is the most important part! Pura Vida! Jen

Blog 5 - First Weekend out of Kitase

Yes, I am saved by a fellow American! Her name is Diana and she is from Florida, she just arrived last Tuesday. She is also volunteering at The Wisdom Academy in Grade 4 for 2 months. She is a graduate of University of Florida and after graduation she taught English in Korea for 2 years. Her mother is Korean and her father is Chinese so I am learning a lot from her about her culture and what life is like in Korea. She is very sweet and it is nice to have someone to talk to about normal things. Oh, did I fail to mention that before Diana arrived I was the only white person in my village which attracted a lot of attention so I am glad that all the locals now have a new person to look at.
So after my first week of teaching we decided we needed to get out of the mountains for the weekend and hit the beach! We took a tro-tro(a 12 passenger mini van, that can cram in about 16 at one time, many times i have young children sitting on my lap because there is no room for them and the mother is already holding the baby) to Accra, an hour drive costing about $2.00 US which is not bad at all. Spent the night at Richard's parents house(my roommates) in Accra. His parents were very nice and happy to put Diana and I up for the night. Richard is from a royal family in Ghana. His father is a chief in Cape Coast. I was excited to have dinner out at a REAL restaurant and actually ordered chicken(i never order this out) because i have had no meat since i have arrived and was craving something other than the usual egg, rice and speghetti. Diana and I enjoyed a bottle of south african wine. And the chicken was imported from South Africa which I am being told is good to ask when you go out to eat because the meat in Ghana I should not eat. Richard and Kingwin took us out to a local place for drinks. Sat afternoon went to the largest market area in Accra. I thought I could get by on just using shampoo but my hair is like straw now so I was dying to buy a bottle of conditioner. Bought some more fabric to make a skirt, I am loving being able to design an outfit and it being made in a few days for at the most $3.00. Diana and I went off on our own... Took a 70 minute taxi ($7 US) to a beach east of ACCRA called CoCo Beach and stayed at the Beachcomber on the ocean for the night($13 each). The little cabinas looked like haystacks, so cute and I was able to take a real shower with running water for the first time in 2 weeks, that was great! Some of the locals took us to the happening nitespot called Nest Do, it was on the beach, watched the waves break and danced to the local band. Very fun night out! Sunday, breakfast on the patio overlooking the ocean, lounged poolside all day at the CocoBeach Resort, had hummas and a brickoven pizza. Fun people watching and it was nice to swim all day. Met some nice people who live there but are from Lebonan(sp?). We all exchanged numbers and hope to meet up another weekend. Got back to Kitase at 8:15pm. I will be looking forward to my weekends more than I did in the states and in the time I have here I will be able to visit the entire country by DEC. Next weekend we are going to Big Millie's Backyard, located in a beachtown 40 miles west of Acrra. The sun is still hot during the day, I would say high 80's, low 90's, but at night it is cool. Ghanians are very nice and often help us get onto the correct tro-tro...

Blog 4 Life in Kitase, Ghana

If you did not know any better, looking at the terrain in Kitase you would think that you were in Costa Rica! Which is great because I love Costa! High on our mountain, there are palm trees and beautiful greens everywhere. Kitase can have a 20-40 minute rain in the afternoon whereas it is dry in Accra. Kitase is located about 40 miles directly north of Accra in what is called the Eastern Region of Ghana but because of many traffic backups it can take you an hour or more to get there. I have looked at many paper maps of Ghana and you will not find Kitase listed. However, the town of Aburi is written on some maps and Kitase is 2-3 miles south of Aburi. Kitase is north of Madina but south of Koforidua. There are many hills which has been good for long walks and the views are spectacular. I am living in a very nice 4 bedroom house with a "courtyard" and is surrounded by an 8 foot cinderblock wall. As I said before I live with 2 guys but later I found out there is also a woman and her 3 year old daughter living there too. She is very kind to me and her daughter greets me with a running hug everyday which I love because Kali, my niece, does the same! Kitase is beginning to develop more, everywhere I look there are mini mansions being constructed on the hill. There is a military base close by and when you drive on the road to Kitase every car must stop and is checked by the police. If I need water to drink I walk up the road and purchase a plastic bag of "pure water." I use this to drink and brush my teeth. I brush my teeth outside and spit into a gutter type that runs along the wall. I have grown very accustomed to this and love looking up at the beautiful hills. I take taxi's (30 cents US) to Aburi to use the internet(80 cents an hour), get dresses and tops made(yes, I bought some fabric and am having some things made so I can look more local, haha), and to stroll through the beautiful Aburi Botanical Gardens, a National Park(About $1.70 US to enter). Played a soccer game with all the local children, god they are good!!!

Blog 3

First, please scroll down to the bottom of the page and check out a picture of my Grade 6 class. They are very eager to learn, proud of their school and uniforms, and overall very happy, pleasant children. They come to school with a smile and are ready to work hard! And I must say their handwriting is very neat, they take their time because they want it to look perfect. OK, so I have completed my first week of teaching! Yea! I had the freedom this week to review basic skills in reading and math because the government here just changed the curriculum and believe it or not we do not have the new books yet to teach from. But please do not worry too much because we have plenty of materials from past years and with my experience at Catonsville Elementary I know what should be taught and in what order. For example, we began math this week with place value, and I took the kids through a few lessons (from my memory!)in this unit. I made a place value chart that now hangs on one of the walls with tacks. I do love that I can tack anything into the plywood! I spent a good part of the week testing each child to see what level they are and there are many new kids that Ken was not sure what grade to put them in so I have been evaluating them to see if they can stay in Grade 6 or have to move up or down a grade. How I wish I had typed up a beginning of the school year assessment in math and reading before I came! I can't even tell you the wide range of ages I have in my class, kids are grouped by ability here not age. So my youngest is 10, Eugene, he is the one in the front row of the class picture with the BIGGEST smile. Then I have students who are 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 years old. Thanks to Nicola sending me basic spanish lessons, the kids have had 3 lessons in Espanol this week! They love it and frequently say gracias, por favor, muy bien, and como estas! For the first time ever these kids have CLASS RULES to follow. We spent much time going over these so they they know what my expectations are. In past years the kids just got up and left the classroom or school whenever they wanted and now they have to ask permission. I have to be very firm with them or else they will go crazy! On the first day of school Ken just randomly put teachers in classrooms because he had not made up his mind yet on where he was placing them so I had told my class that there was a good chance that I would not be their teacher. One of the boys came up to me and said, "I really hope that you are our teacher because we need you!" My heart just melted and this completely answers the question of WHY AM I HERE?

BLOG 2

So much has happened since I last wrote, my mind is spinning with everything I want to say... Sept. 10 was the first day of school. I was ready to begin teaching right away but this is not the US, this is Kitase, Ghana and there are many things to do before teaching can actually begin. Sister Grace, an older Ghanaian woman, was busy with the help of the middle school girls taking all wooden chairs and desks out of the classroom, scubbing them down, and sweeping the floor of the classroom. You should have seen all these 8 year old girls still wearing their backspacks bent over to sweep the entire "school yard." They worked very fast! The boys were busy moving large stones and bricks outside. I helped my kids move desks and chairs out of the our classroom and then back in. So that was the morning. The teachers and students were so tired that by the afternoon the kids played and the teachers took it easy. Sister Grace took a siesta in her classroom. I have a photo of this, so funny! She did work very hard though and deserved it! Her 3 and 4 year old students just played (other adults floated around). I said no! I need to get something taught today...so I showed a few students how the play the 24 Math Game, they loved it! I told them that after they got good that we would have some competitions. I also broke out the CHarlotte Doyle novel (i taught this novel at CES) and we got the introduction read. They really liked it and one boy wanted to write a summary. I was impressed!!!

First Email I sent from Ghana

My dear friends and family,
Welcome to Ghana! Well, all I can really say is that I am alive and safe. I arrived in Ghana around 7 at night on Sept 5, sun sets around 6 so getting off the plane on the runway in the dark and rain is not what I had envisioned when first laying eyes on Africa. That would have to wait till the morning. After gathering my 50 and 70 lb luggage, yes i did have a cart, and going through customs I walked out of the airport to about 200 people waiting with signs. I thankfully spotted Ken right away and walked over to him. He greeted me warmly with a smile and said that I would love Ghana! The ride to Kitase from the airport was stop and go, many cars...we drove through other small villages, many people out walking around and selling food and such at road side stands. Arrived in Kitase and Ken's younger sister and friends came out and helped carry my luggage. If you are wondering why my bags are so heavy they are filled with school supplies, books, and toiletries, not many clothes. I am staying in a compound next to the school and where Ken lives. You will be happy to know that it is surrounded by a very high concrete wall and is locked. I have 2 roommates who are VERY COOL and have made mystay here so far very pleasant! without them i would probably be very sad by now. There names are Richard and Kingwin. Kingwin is from Nigeria, a true RASTA, he is a musican and getting ready to record an album(so he tells me) he smiles a lot and has long dreads to his waist that he is somehow able to wrap around his head! it is amazing! A friend of his stopped by yesterday and I taught them all how to play SPADES, they loved it! Later that night I taught them how to play Rumi. I also brought over a checkers game and we played, they had never played checkers before. Both of these guys are in the late 20's, i think! They are very nice and keep telling me that I am free and can do as i please in the house. We have a nice living room that is clean, a bathroom that we all share. there is toilet but it doesn't flush, you have to pour water in the toliet when you are done and SOMEHOW it goes down. There is a young boy named richard who is in grade 7, he gave me a tour of the town yesterday, which took about 15 min. he showed me where to go if i need this or that. Ken and his friends were busy laying concrete yesterday, school doesn't begin until monday! i did not know this. i was told sept 3. today we need to paint! there is a lot to do before monday. so far i have eaten a lot of rice, scambled eggs,sweet bread(i love this the most!), spaghetti, coke,and orange soda. there are goats that roam outside ofmy compound and chicken running everywhere. I have seen many women carrying large bowls filled with goods, they are amazing to watch! i keep watching to see if they drop anything but nothing yet. they even carry eggs! i am going to try this but i do not have high hopes! here is the address to send cards. My mom mailed a letter and I got it within 1.5 weeks so mailed does get delivered here!

Ken Aboayge
Wisdom Academy
PO BOX 150 Aburi- Kitase
Eastern Region
GHANA, AFRICA

I love you all and all i can say is that i am surviving, learning a lot and i hope teaching the kids will be worth it! oxoxo jen

Golfing for Ghana raised $500.00 for the Ghana Wisdom Foundation which will benefit The Wisdom Academy in Ghana. Thank you to my wonderful parents, Karen and Larry Vulgaris, sister, Nicole Vulgaris, Jack Reed, Jennifer Bromwell and Kara Hodgson, who worked the event all day long through the sun and the rain. Thank you Matt Lamden for coming through with the music! This day would not have happened if it was not for all of you! Thank you to all my very loyal friends, family, former students and their parents for coming out and Golfing for Ghana! I love you all! Also, a BIG thanks to Jack and Stanley, the managers of The Chardonnay Driving Range for letting me invade their space for the day! And a BIG, BIG thanks to Tom, the owner,for allowing me to take over his range for the day! Please read more about The Ghana Wisdom Foundation at http://www.ghanawisdom.org/
I will be writing on this blog when I am in Ghana this fall. Keep checking back for updates! Jen Vulgaris

Directions to Driving Range

From Catonsville:

Take North Rolling Road towards Security Blvd (Security Mall)

Left on Fairbrook Road

Left on Johnnycake Road

Driving Range on right

From 695:

If you live in the Towson area you will be getting on 695 going WEST

If you live in the Glen Burnie area you will be getting on 695 NORTH

Take the Security Blvd exit off 695
Drive towards Rolling Road
Turn left onto Rolling Road
Turn right onto Fairbrook Road
Turn left onto Johnnycake Road
Driving Range on right

DONATIONS

Can't make it to the fundraiser on the 29th? But you would still like to help...donations can be made directly to The Wisdom Academy by going to www.ghanawisdom.org A receipt will be sent to your email and remember it is TAX DEDUCTABLE!!! Only takes 2 minutes! THANKS!

PRIZES

Win a Stunning

Freshwater Pearl Necklace

3 Raffle Tickets for $5.00

Tickets will be sold

beginning at 9:30am

Drawing will be later in the day.

Need not to be present to win!

Pearl Necklace Donated by Bromwell Jewelers

NEED A GOLF LESSON?

Remember this event is not only for people who golf but also for those who have always wanted to hit a golf ball but never had someone to show them the basics. My team and I will give anyone age 9 and up a mini golf lesson on the basics and you will be hitting the ball in no time! If my former Grade 5 students can hit a golf ball... you can too! Come join us for a day of fun for you, your friends, and family!

Fundraiser

GOLFING FOR GHANA

Hit a bucket of balls

for a great cause!

$5.00 a bucket

FREE Golf Lessons

Bring the family!

All ages welcome!

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Chardonnay Golf Driving Range

7630 Johnnycake Road

Woodlawn, Maryland 21244
Located in Baltimore County

All day event

9:30 AM to 9:00 PM

All proceeds will go directly

to the school I will be teaching at in GHANA.

Certificates to popular golf courses,
restaurants, and shops will be rewarded
to winners of "closest to the pin contests."

Contests and raffles will be

held throughout the day.

DJ MATT and HARVEY

will provide music

Thanks guys!!!

Grilled Hot Dogs

and Drinks will be sold
Golf Clubs will be available to rent
$1 per club

Please bring all your family and friends!

Thank you all for your support in my mission to

help the children of Ghana to have a brighter future!!!

Hope to see you all on the 29th! -- Jen

NOT a Golfer?

3 Brand New Batting Cages

will be available

$5.00 for 30 balls

For as long as I can remember, one hope for my life was to volunteer in Africa. I will be leaving the US at the end of August 2007 to teach in GHANA. The school is called The Wisdom Academy and is located in a small village called Kitase.


The Wisdom Academy hardly has walls to call a classroom, no textbooks and school supplies are very basic, a pencil and paper. The school has so many needs that I wanted to raise as much money as I could before I left so that once I arrived I could see the money being put to good use. The inspiration for this event came from my former students. After teaching my 2005/2006 grade 5 students at Catonsville Elementary how to hit a golf ball, I thought a fundraiser at a driving range would be a great idea! A basic 5-minute lesson was all my students needed and after a short time they were hitting golf balls like they had been playing for years! It was amazing to watch! Most golfing fundraiser are at an actual golf course and good knowledge and skills of the game are required to play 18 holes ...GOLFING FOR GHANA is different because no matter your age or ability anyone can participate and hit a bucket of balls for a good cause. People with NO golf experience are encouraged to come! Many of my friends as well as myself who golf regularly will be giving mini golf lessons throughout the day at the driving range. The driving range will be open to beginners ages 9 and up. So if you are a pre-teen or teenager looking to be the next Michelle Wie or Tiger Woods or if your significant other or friends golf and you have secretly always wanted to take a swing, this is your opportunity!!!

I would love to see all of my former students and their parents as well as my teaching friends from Catonsville Elementary. The students I had my first year of teaching just completed their freshman year of high school! Wow, time flies! Spread the word ya'll...

Children ages 8 and younger are encouraged to come and join in the fun. A 4 hole putting green will be available. Small plastic putters and plastic golf balls will be provided.