Thanksgiving and Training

Training


This past week I went down to Kumasi to attend an In Service Training (IST) and to reconnect with the volunteers in my group. Kumasi is about 550 kilometers or about 12 hours travel from my site – not counting waiting for the bus (hours) – but I've already written about travel and besides being long there is nothing else to report.  (Oh - sad note - I lost my dorky looking 20 year old cloth hat, don't know maybe a happy note considering it was sort of dorky looking.)


The major purpose of the training is to see how we are doing after about 3 months at site and to give us ideas about coping with problems. Traditionally this is a time when a lot of volunteers are getting down about service and things.

Yes, the Peace Corps tracks the typical high and low points in the two year service period. Lows are common at six months (3 months training plus 3 months a site) and after the first full year at site (some wonder about accomplishments half way through service and value of time spent). The highs are common after just getting to site and in the last six months for many volunteers depending on how the projects are going. Of course, all volunteers have different experiences.

The training also included our counterparts. These are teachers in our schools who are to help us out with teaching problems and cultural issues. We had some sessions combined and some sessions separate. Our counterparts and community members are still trying to understand Americans while we are still trying to understand Ghanaians. There remain many cultural difference that we are all trying to work out.

I found the training useful. We had a local 4H Ghana expert for two days teaching about gardening, bee keeping and mushrooms which I liked. Each volunteer and counterpart got a couple of bags of sawdust/growth medium inoculated with oyster mushroom spawn. The temperature and humidity at my site is not favorable, but I'll try it.

Thanksgiving


The Peace Corps found some extra money to buy the supplies for a Thanksgiving meal for the volunteers. A turkey costs more than a goat and the Peace Corps bought three - two for the volunteers to cook and one prepared in typical Ghanaian fashion.

I was surprised to find that they were doing it - or rather buying the food so we could do it as a cross cultural project. I guess it was a sort of last minute thing. I told them that if we had known some of us could have brought a few things that would have made life easier – like a digital cooking thermometer that one of the dads in the group recently got from his favorite daughter, Well there is only one dad in group and he only has one daughter, but still I'm not naming names if that is OK with Samantha.

So we made do with what we had. Typical in the Peace Corps and it does have value. Part of the concept of Peace Corps is to experience living closer to the way the host country nationals live - make do with fewer things. Of course it is only part way – we have significant support from Peace Corps and our family and friends back stateside send us care packages. And we can leave at anytime. So we can share some of the experiences, but not all. Still the thermometer would have made cooking a turkey sooooo much easier!

Anyway the volunteers organized to cook turkeys, mashed Irish potatoes, stuffing, carrots, butternut squash soup, green bean casserole, chocolate chip cookies, and papaya cobbler.

I volunteered to cook the turkeys as I have been cooking turkeys since before the volunteers where born. We inspected the kitchen and saw the two good size gas stove/ovens at the place. Everything looked good to go.  I also had the stuffing.

The turkeys were alive on Tuesday. They came to us plucked, gutted, with the feet removed. The neck and the head were still attached. “But you see, it's smiling at me” comes to mind for those who watch "A Christmas Story".

"But you see it is smiling at me"

Thanksgiving is about many things, blah, blah, blah, :-) and about having a golden brown roasted turkey presented. So my goal was to produce a good looking roasted turkey. We soaked the two in a brine solution overnight. I attended most of the morning sessions but excused myself at 10:30 and skipped the last session. The goal was to have a 6 pm dinner The rest of the cooking would start after our 1 pm lunch was over, but I needed to get started cooking the Turkey. Thinking that I had two ovens made it easy.

I saw that a single whole turkey would take up more than half of the oven – allowing space for roasting - so I asked about using both ovens. Note to self – rather than just see that there are two ovens – ask. Only one oven worked. The burners on top worked – well – between the two we had enough burners most of the time. The stove did not have a thermometer but the kitchen people were very helpful in setting the temperature and such.

As there was only one oven and I needed to cook two turkeys – I opted to cut one into major section (legs/thighs, wings, breast split, back, and neck and toast those in a flat pan. I focused on roasting one the one whole turkey. Flexibility and adaptation.

They did have to change out the gas in the last two hours of cooking which slowed everything down, but we pulled everything off. I only had a limited number of spices and such – salt, powered pepper, ground sage, garlic, and oranges. But it was wonderful. Very moist, very tasty. It was one of the best tasting turkeys that I've had.  (Less breast meat - but definitely like the high priced "heritage" turkeys back in the states.)

Turkey - I had a photo from the other side with the head out of view - but that was no fun

The entire meal was great. We had enough to share of course and the locals enjoyed the meal.  It was the first time most had eaten "American" food.

We even added in the tradition of going around the table (with 45 people) and saying what we were thankful for. This was the first time that most of the volunteers had Thanksgiving dinner away from there family.

I am sure we all missed our families during this time. I know that I did. However, I know that all of us, on both sides of “the pond” are making the best of the situation during this holiday season.


Group shot with the roasted turkey - Ghana PCV Education 2014
Happy belated Thanksgiving to all

Ghana style turkey


I did not get to see the traditional local way to cook the turkey in Ghana - but it was explained as cutting the bird into serving size pieces - baking until part way done and then coating with bread crumbs and deep frying.  I did not get to try theirs but I think mine was better.

Finances


After coming in at 12.50 cedis (local currency) under budget last month I'm 0.80 over budget this month. I lost my hat that I've had for 20 years on the bus ride down to Kumasi and I overspent on a new one today paying 15 cedis when I should have bargained down to 5 or 10. I still need to be able to bargain. Other thing I don't do well.


The Peace Corps Ghana continues to work so the volunteers have enough money for living expenses. I was told that the entire Peace Corps budget is less than a single fighter jet but like everything else the budget has been frozen by the continual continuing resolutions. So the budgets from Washington are tight but with the local currency devaluation we should be able to get some relief. We did get a slight raise this month about 20 cedis more each month.  They are trying to get a little more in the future.



I remain healthy and happy while still missing family and friends.


Love always,
John

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