September 7th – Back to Site

Health Update:


I saw the specialist on Thursday. He is a great doctor and gave me his card in case I have any further issues or future questions. He said that I would be ready to travel in a few days so Sunday night will be my travel day. I still need to take the sitz baths at least twice a day. Things are improving, but it will likely be a couple of more weeks before everything is normal again.

I could not find witch hazel for another treatment option. The Peace Corps doctor said he would order some from the US. So if it happens again I'll have a more robust treatment option.

I think a good bit of life in Ghana and the Peace Corps will be about relaxing with the mild health issues that invariably come along and let my body handle most things in a slower more natural way. I know the warning signs of major issues and the medical office is always available for consult.

I got a new bicycle seat that should help as the bicycle remains my only local transport option. And no Guy - I don't think bicycle shorts are an option from a cultural perspective – they don't like seeing men in shorts – particularly old men.

I still intend to build up miles so I can make a 50+ mile round trip visit in a day. This seems a little crazy on the dirt roads in my area and the quality of bicycles. Several volunteers have suggested that I re-evaluate my goal. I certainly will not push the miles while I'm still recovering – but the terrain is fairly flat and once I get the bicycle sized and the gears working it still seems doable. I'll certainly take is slow for now. I'll take it one step at a time and one day at a time.

Staying in Accra:


Accra is the national capital. I've been staying at the Peace Corps headquarters.

The food options in Accra are wonderful. I treated myself, going well beyond my living allowance on stuff like: American style yogurt, cheese, ice cream, fruit, vegetables, and such to eat healthy and try to gain a little weight. Unfortunately, after nearly 12 weeks of virtually no dairy the reintroduction was not something that my system embraced. So I've had to readjust back to bread, rice, bananas, and tea. Things are sort of back to normal for my trip.

The Peace Corps office in Accra has room for volunteers to stay for a few days. Some, like me, come here for medical reasons. Others have training, need to use the resources, or want to shop in the city. Others are traveling and use this as a way-point. Volunteers are coming and going each day. So during my stay here I've been able to spend time with a number of volunteers – learning more about service, staff, and sharing our thoughts on life. It has been very helpful to learn more from the “old timers” in country who are less than half my age.

Thoughts about my group:


Last week I was asked about our group of 22 education volunteers. I'm the oldest at 56. The next two oldest volunteers have a combined age equal to mine. Most of the others are about my daughter's age or younger. So some volunteers here wondered how we got along and if I had any trouble with the age difference.

I think we have a really good group. We all have different reasons from joining but we stuck together as a group through thick and thin – supporting each other and standing together when needed.

Samantha and my other children have helped me to be better understand the perspective of younger people and deep discussions on various topics helped build relationships and trust. The age difference was not a major factor. I tried not to be a dad to the group and the others treated me like anyone else. A lot of us are math or science majors, tending to be analytical and introverted – so while our personalities were of course different – many also shared deep similarities. Our differing opinions and life experiences simply enriched the discussion and shared experience. I'm glad I'm part of the group.

I heard from other volunteers that sometimes things are more stressful with fractures in the group and major problems between individuals. Again, I'm happy to say that we worked to avoid that.

Peace Corps Ghana brings in three groups of volunteers each year: health, agriculture, and education. Each group is targeted to be between 25 and 30 people. So for the past few years Ghana as has three groups a year – all different and all similar. As I said – some groups had more drama. I should say that training is stressful in and of itself. Volunteering of course has its own set of demands and stresses. A lot of being a Peace Corps Volunteer is to “suck it up” and deal with it.

One week to school


School is scheduled to start on the 16th. I talked with the headmaster and he had not found out what teachers would be assigned to the school. So he did not know if there would be a math teacher or not. If I'm the only math teacher then I'll have to teach all three grades of math as well as the computer classes. That may be a little stressful for my first year – so I'm hoping and praying that I have someone else to help teach the classes and help me with my lesson planning.

Other projects


During the first three months we are not suppose to have projects outside of our primary role – education in my case. However, we are required to have projects in other areas during our two years of service. As mentioned previously, I was planning a number of proof of concept works as groundwork for future projects.

This almost two week stay in Accra has impacted my plans for proof of concept projects. I was able to start a worm bed before I left – but it will need work when I get back. I need to work on a compost and some sort of soil enrichment program before dry season hits. I need to have a cabinet solar dehydrator built so that when the limited fruit season comes in I'll be able to preserve some of the produce – again for dry season. I also want to build a small weather station – wet and dry bulb thermometers (for temperature and humidity) along with at least a rain gauge to help with math lessons and such in my farming community. I also plan to make a few changes to the inside of the house – get a table and more shelves, etc – eventually I want to paint. I'll post pictures as things progress. A lot of these plans will depend on the money I have. We don't get much as Peace Corps volunteers and the decline in value of the local currency has put pressure on volunteers and locals alike.

Back to Nandom


Being an Accra has been nice – but basically it has put everything on hold. I've been able to read a research book on the economy of Ghana and an agriculture book. But little other to report beyond the wonderful discussions already mentioned. Next week I hope to have more information and post some pictures if I have enough internet bandwidth.

It's Sunday morning and I've showered and just about ready to go. The trip will not be easy – but I'm beginning to find that “easy” is commonly boring. Also – sometimes boring is a nice break.

I'm looking forward to being back at site and getting ready for taking my next step in teaching in Ghana as a PCV. Until next week ...


Love always - John

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