Christmas time
I did not hear any jingle bells and did not see any stocking hung
by the chimney with care. Christmas in my part of Ghana is not
commercialized. It may be different in the big cities in the south.
I'm in the Upper West Region. The region has a very high poverty
rate. There are plenty of cars in the capital Accra and other
southern cities. There are plenty of motorcycles a few hundred
miles south. Many people here cannot afford a bicycle. This is not
to say that no one has a car – there are some around and a good
number of people have motorcycles. There are a lot of bicycles, but
most people walk. Walking miles at times....
Most everyone has a farm to have staple food to eat and perhaps something to sell. Money is required for school fees, cell phone credit, and to buy a few things.
Teachers, bankers and some government workers get a salary and have days off. However, most people here have shops, sell in the market, or otherwise find ways to make a little money. Ladies sit over boiling oil all day to fry bean dough or something else to sell. Tailors work in shops full time or after their day job is over. Bicycle repair people, seamstresses, blacksmiths, millers, chop (fast food) places, and all sorts of other shops are open pretty much seven days a week and Christmas was no different.
We had Christmas Mass in the morning under the tree in the community. It was a nice service as always, but it is in the local language - Dagaree - so no Christmas carols I recognized.
A big Christmas present for a junior high school student might be a dress AND some rice. A major thing is to have plenty of meat for the major meal. (Generally there is only one major meal here, sometimes only one meal at all. They may have two meals, but they don't eat three times a day like the white man.)
Families do get together from the holidays as we do in America. High Schools and Universities are boarding schools so this is time off for them. Most people with jobs work down south because there are so few jobs in this area. They also get time off for the holidays. A lot of businesses, including banks – just close after Christmas for a bit.
I brought a few things as presents from America. Some I gave to may host family and I had some for a few people here. I brought an extra head light (a flashlight that one wears on the head) that is useful when it is DARK out on the bicycle ride home. Roger was just saying last week how nice my light was so I gave him the extra. He was thrilled. I had a few other tokens from home that I gave out to a few people. All were appreciated.
Most Peace Corps volunteers value candy and foodstuff from home slightly more than gold. Keep those care packages coming people. Even so, I continued the part of the American Christmas tradition of loading small children with sugar. I made zip lock bags of a few candies (about what would be left at the bottom of a stocking at home, but plenty for those who don't get many candies) to give to the various children immediately around my place (about 6 kids). The little guy next door was crashing from the sugar high most of the afternoon. Oh, the Christmas memories....
I'm doing fine care package wise. I recently got a French press and real coffee from Brandon's parents. I did not even know that I wanted one, but real coffee after six months of instant coffee is nice in the morning. Thanks to all for everything sent this year – it has all be great and I really really appreciate it. And it is like Christmas and birthday each time a get a package.
So reflecting on Christmas – I think that we in America pay too much attention to the gifts and decorations. Some of this is fine and great, but we can go overboard. It is hard to judge people who are so poor that they need to work every day, but it did not feel much like Christmas. Maybe I like a few decorations anyway.
As mentioned - Christmas is a time for families to come together. It is very expensive and time consuming to travel all the way to the very north west corner of Ghana. So people don't get together often for an extended period like Christmas. Therefore, it is also a popular time for weddings.
I was invited to my first wedding this week. The mass was on Saturday. Nine couples were married in the ceremony. I'm told this is a low average for this time of year. There are two other weddings in the community, one on Monday and one Tuesday. Then there will be another one next Saturday. These are the first local weddings I've heard about.
After the mass the couples and those with the money go off to various bars as such for refreshments – beer. People here drink a far amount. The old and the young can drink me under the table. I do drink a little and people who know me understand that I'm not going to have more that one bottle of beer or a small amount of pito. Therefore, I did not go to this part.
After those refreshments it is off to the family home for the gifts and pito. The couple is seated and everyone circles around to watch ladies dance to the xylophone and show off the gifts to the couple. I got to this part of the ceremony after it was a couple of hours underway and still going strong. The couple looked like they had been sitting for much longer, but it was nice.
I had another sitting so I did not stay for much of the celebration. However, the younger people had dancing and pito until after dark. The family home was very close to my place so I heard them until I went to sleep.
People join together in various groups of one association or another. Generally these are up to 10 members or so. The teachers in my school have one called “Teacher Welfare”. These groups collect money, commonly monthly throughout the year. During the year if people need money they can take a loan that they typically pay back. The money is periodically used for a sitting of some sort. For example, the end of the term celebration for the teachers was paid for by our welfare money.
I'm a part of another group that pooled money together to buy a small pig that we killed and divided up on the 26th. We saved the head and internal organs for soup that we had on the 26th and the 27th. I have pictures of the gruesome event, but I'm not sure if, when, or how I will post those.
We divided the pig up into 6 parts, one for each member. The pig was small, but even so it was likely between 3 and 5 pounds of meat. This was too much for me so I gave most to the family next door or to Roger. I had enough to enjoy and get my recommended amount of protein.
Most meat in my area comes with bone or skin or both attached. We don't have steak in plastic wrap – but you can buy a chunk of meat that is placed in a black plastic bag. Most of the flies escape. The meat generally available are from pig, goat, chicken, guinea fowl, cow, and dog. There are mules and rabbits around, but I've not those.
Happy and prosperous new year to all. I'll still be in the
harmattan season of dust and more dust until March. The nights are
cool, maybe upper 60's and the days are in the 90's. So it does not
feel like Christmas or New Years.
March and April is the hot season. They tell me I don't even want to know the temperature. I look forward to complaining in this blog about the heat.
I would complain about the dust and washing clothes and the uselessness of sweeping and dusting, but I think I'll complain about that sometime later as well because they tell me the dust will really start up next month. Besides, it is Christmas time and we should be merry.
Love always,
John
Most everyone has a farm to have staple food to eat and perhaps something to sell. Money is required for school fees, cell phone credit, and to buy a few things.
Teachers, bankers and some government workers get a salary and have days off. However, most people here have shops, sell in the market, or otherwise find ways to make a little money. Ladies sit over boiling oil all day to fry bean dough or something else to sell. Tailors work in shops full time or after their day job is over. Bicycle repair people, seamstresses, blacksmiths, millers, chop (fast food) places, and all sorts of other shops are open pretty much seven days a week and Christmas was no different.
We had Christmas Mass in the morning under the tree in the community. It was a nice service as always, but it is in the local language - Dagaree - so no Christmas carols I recognized.
A big Christmas present for a junior high school student might be a dress AND some rice. A major thing is to have plenty of meat for the major meal. (Generally there is only one major meal here, sometimes only one meal at all. They may have two meals, but they don't eat three times a day like the white man.)
Families do get together from the holidays as we do in America. High Schools and Universities are boarding schools so this is time off for them. Most people with jobs work down south because there are so few jobs in this area. They also get time off for the holidays. A lot of businesses, including banks – just close after Christmas for a bit.
I brought a few things as presents from America. Some I gave to may host family and I had some for a few people here. I brought an extra head light (a flashlight that one wears on the head) that is useful when it is DARK out on the bicycle ride home. Roger was just saying last week how nice my light was so I gave him the extra. He was thrilled. I had a few other tokens from home that I gave out to a few people. All were appreciated.
Most Peace Corps volunteers value candy and foodstuff from home slightly more than gold. Keep those care packages coming people. Even so, I continued the part of the American Christmas tradition of loading small children with sugar. I made zip lock bags of a few candies (about what would be left at the bottom of a stocking at home, but plenty for those who don't get many candies) to give to the various children immediately around my place (about 6 kids). The little guy next door was crashing from the sugar high most of the afternoon. Oh, the Christmas memories....
I'm doing fine care package wise. I recently got a French press and real coffee from Brandon's parents. I did not even know that I wanted one, but real coffee after six months of instant coffee is nice in the morning. Thanks to all for everything sent this year – it has all be great and I really really appreciate it. And it is like Christmas and birthday each time a get a package.
So reflecting on Christmas – I think that we in America pay too much attention to the gifts and decorations. Some of this is fine and great, but we can go overboard. It is hard to judge people who are so poor that they need to work every day, but it did not feel much like Christmas. Maybe I like a few decorations anyway.
Time for weddings
As mentioned - Christmas is a time for families to come together. It is very expensive and time consuming to travel all the way to the very north west corner of Ghana. So people don't get together often for an extended period like Christmas. Therefore, it is also a popular time for weddings.
I was invited to my first wedding this week. The mass was on Saturday. Nine couples were married in the ceremony. I'm told this is a low average for this time of year. There are two other weddings in the community, one on Monday and one Tuesday. Then there will be another one next Saturday. These are the first local weddings I've heard about.
 |
| Processing into Church |
 |
| Each couple was blessed individually during the mass |
 |
| I sat about 2/3's back so my pictures are not great - all the couples lined for closing |
After the mass the couples and those with the money go off to various bars as such for refreshments – beer. People here drink a far amount. The old and the young can drink me under the table. I do drink a little and people who know me understand that I'm not going to have more that one bottle of beer or a small amount of pito. Therefore, I did not go to this part.
After those refreshments it is off to the family home for the gifts and pito. The couple is seated and everyone circles around to watch ladies dance to the xylophone and show off the gifts to the couple. I got to this part of the ceremony after it was a couple of hours underway and still going strong. The couple looked like they had been sitting for much longer, but it was nice.
 |
| See the happy couple - "I just want this to be over" was written on their faces. |
 |
| Livestock was part of the gifts. (I've also seen a live goat brought in the offertory at mass.) |
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| Another view from the crowd the backs of two ladies singing and dancing are to the left |
I had another sitting so I did not stay for much of the celebration. However, the younger people had dancing and pito until after dark. The family home was very close to my place so I heard them until I went to sleep.
Group sitting
People join together in various groups of one association or another. Generally these are up to 10 members or so. The teachers in my school have one called “Teacher Welfare”. These groups collect money, commonly monthly throughout the year. During the year if people need money they can take a loan that they typically pay back. The money is periodically used for a sitting of some sort. For example, the end of the term celebration for the teachers was paid for by our welfare money.
I'm a part of another group that pooled money together to buy a small pig that we killed and divided up on the 26th. We saved the head and internal organs for soup that we had on the 26th and the 27th. I have pictures of the gruesome event, but I'm not sure if, when, or how I will post those.
 |
| OK, OK, one picture. The hair is burned off of the pig as part of the cleaning process. |
We divided the pig up into 6 parts, one for each member. The pig was small, but even so it was likely between 3 and 5 pounds of meat. This was too much for me so I gave most to the family next door or to Roger. I had enough to enjoy and get my recommended amount of protein.
Most meat in my area comes with bone or skin or both attached. We don't have steak in plastic wrap – but you can buy a chunk of meat that is placed in a black plastic bag. Most of the flies escape. The meat generally available are from pig, goat, chicken, guinea fowl, cow, and dog. There are mules and rabbits around, but I've not those.
New Year
March and April is the hot season. They tell me I don't even want to know the temperature. I look forward to complaining in this blog about the heat.
I would complain about the dust and washing clothes and the uselessness of sweeping and dusting, but I think I'll complain about that sometime later as well because they tell me the dust will really start up next month. Besides, it is Christmas time and we should be merry.
Love always,
John
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