Reflecting on the New Year
New Year came and went as did Christmas. There was mass in the
community and new greetings in Dagaree that I tried to learn and
maybe some extra food around, but otherwise another day like every
other. We did get clouds on New Year day and into the next day.
These are the first clouds I've seen since the end of November. No, my memory is not nearly that good and yes I'm
keeping a simple log of temperature, humidity, and
cloud/precipitation. I don't have a rain gauge or barometer – but
I figure the hydrometer is enough “over the top” for a
volunteer trying to live a simple life.
I've been cleaning house so I took some pictures to remind people of my living arrangement. I live in one of four “bungalows” in the teacher's block next to the current junior high school. The elementary school and new junior high school (construction paused because the contractor has not been paid) are a short distance up the hill behind my house.
The one next to me is also occupied by a elementary teacher and her young son. Her husband is going to school in Jirappa but is around for the holidays. One unit sits empty and the other is used to store pig feed that the students bring to school each day. The school has a few pigs.
I have three rooms. One bedroom, one kitchen (suppose to be another bedroom), and a larger living room. I have a concrete courtyard in the back and then another smaller building for my toilet, bathroom, and my water/storage room (suppose to be the kitchen). The courtyard is private with concrete walls and a metal gate.
The toilet is a latrine – a VIP (ventilated improved pit) latrine actually – has two holes on a raised concrete block inside the room with PVC pipes outside the back wall so the smell is not generally overly noticeable. My bathroom is a small room with a hole on the back wall floor to let the water out. The main thing in my water room is a big trashcan for water in the doorway that prohibits entry into the room. The back walls of all three rooms have round holes for light and fresh air. Cold fresh air in the morning these days.
I like to get my own water. This involves walking a short distance to the borehole and pumping two buckets of water. If I'm able to pump the water myself and carry the water back I consider it some upper body exercise. If there are children around they will help with some or all of the work. Adults frown at the strange behavior of the white man. My students or other children are suppose to fetch me water and as and older man I am breaking a huge cultural protocol by doing it myself. i would not do for me to refuse help from the children.
I generally use about 2 buckets a day for washing, cooking, and
drinking. Maybe another 1 or 2 buckets every so often for my worm
bed and compost pile now that we are in the dry season. Laundry
requires 2 to 4 buckets, but my neighbor insists on doing most of my
laundry for me most Saturdays. Still I always do such things as
underwear, pjs, and bed sheets along with the occasional pants and
shirt. In Ghana giving a women your underwear to wash is a sign that
you want to “enjoy” her presence. I don't know about pj's and bed sheets but I'm taking do chances.
I bought three pairs of exofficio “travel” briefs at a great REI sale just before I left. I'm glad I did. They are easy to wash and dry fast. I wash a pair with my evening bath so I can easily avoid the cultural foo-pa. My other laundry is generally once a week or every 10 days are so. If my neighbor did not do most of the laundry it would likely be every 5 to 7 days.
I have bleach that I put in the water barrel and I have a water filter for drinking, cooking, and dish washing water. My water supply is pretty good. There are times when the water from the borehole is cloudy. During these times I need to get water from a borehole that is farther away and more public. Therefore I have a student or other child fetch water for me. I can only push cultural norms so far.
My day generally starts between 4:30 and 5:30 am. Some days I get out on my own and other days want to hit my alarm clock, although since my alarm clock is also my phone and the screen is now cracked (I dropped my phone not hit it, OK?), I have to be careful.
If school is in session a student will be coming by to pick up the office key to the school by 6:30 so I need to finish my bathing by then. The students arrive early to clean the school. Teachers come about an hour later.
(Old person talking) – I'm pretty regular so I use the toilet every the morning – generally first thing. (Although conversations about intestinal
functions is also rather the norm for Peace Corps Volunteers of any age.) After cleaning up I put some water for coffee. I
have a two burner LP range and a hotplate. The LP gas is faster.
Taking a bath in the morning requires some courage and fortitude
since the mornings during this season are in the mid to low 60's.
Generally I boil extra for the bath. The days are always in the 90's
so the evening bath is easier to take. If school is not is session I
sometimes fix and eat breakfast while waiting for the sun and a
little warmth.
I take a bucket 1/3 to 1/2 full of water, my shower bag, and a towel or a 2 yard piece of cloth called a “2 yard”. So I have my soap, my razor, washcloth and such in my shower bag, a bucket of somewhat warm water getting colder in the morning, a small bucket that I keep in the bathroom to pour water over myself, and HOPEFULLY enough courage to get started. I'm tall enough that the wind blowing through the air holes in the back way provides a chilling experience. I've seriously thought of how to block the wind from these holes some mornings – but then maybe it would not dry out as fast afterwards. Anyway, once I start bathing I don't take long shaving and washing. I think about my 15 minute hot water showers back home from time to time.
Breakfast is generally french toast, scrambled egg sandwich, corn flour pancakes, yam pancakes, oatmeal, or some leftover. The eggs are interesting. Eggs naturally have a coating to protect the contents from spoiling. In the states we wash that off and so need to keep the eggs in the fridge. As I don't have a fridge, I just keep mine on the shelf. I generally use the six eggs I get within the week but they would stay good on the shelf for several weeks.
On school days I walk the short distance to school between 7 and 7:30. I don't teach classes every day, but I am there unless I need to go to the bank in another town or attend some meeting. Junior high school has three forms (years). I teach math to the form ones junior high school students and computers/information technology to the forms one and two students. We decided not to teach computers to the form threes as the school just started computer classes last year to form one students only. (The headmaster teaches the other two math classes.) There are 43 students in the form one and 72 in form two. We are still in the old school with smaller classroom so the second year classroom is pretty crowded. I'm not sure when we are going to be moving into the new school.
I'll be teaching a few extra math classes this week, but they will start at 8 am. Next term starts in a couple of weeks, I plan on staying an hour after class most days to give groups of students 25 to 30 minutes on the computer to practice typing and other skills. We only have about 15 working computers so I need two 30 minute sessions every day to give every student time. I'm going to only have 12 students at a time to provide better supervision and in case a computer breaks down. Some students work after school and all students have chores so it will require some flexibility. Last term I tried giving computer time during the class – but that only allowed about 10 minutes or less actually on the computer and it was very frustrating for everyone.
I have homework to grade, lesson plans to write, and other work. I can get some of that done during the school day but like most teachers I bring work “home”. OK, so for me I bring work back to “my house”, “my place”, or “my site”. I've not yet adjusted to calling this place my home and likely never will. As nice as it is, as nice as the people are – this is just temporary. If home is where the heart is my home is a quarter of the way around the planet.
On weekends or days off from school I may go help Roger at the farm. I attend funerals or other events as often as I can. Town is a two mile bicycle ride away for supplies. I normally go at least 4 times a week – more for exercise than to buy things. I can generally get eggs and dry staples like powdered milk, oatmeal, pasta, rice, etc. along with some limited can goods any day of the week. Most days I can get bread and some days I can get whole wheat bread that I prefer. Fresh food is generally available on Sunday, the market day. Tomatoes, onions, and okra from dry season gardens continue to be available – but they may “dry up” sometime – I don't know. Local produce, such as sweet potatoes and peanuts in the shell, vanish without forewarning for the white man but obvious to the locals.
We get some things shipped a long distance from the south over rough roads. This is how we get most of the bananas, oranges, pineapples, watermelons, plantains, and such. These things are not always present - somethings much less than half the time. As the truck ride is hot and dusty and always long so the quality is sometimes not worth the price. Dried out, half spoiled oranges. Ugh. Any fruit thing I buy has to be eaten by Wednesday before it goes bad. I'm waiting for some grant money from Peace Corps to finish my solar dryer and then maybe I can buy in season and dry them for later consumption.
I generally get something to eat for lunch and I always get something for dinner. Rice, pasta, yams, and other starches are a major component of my diet. I get enough protein with beans/rice, peanuts, tuna from a can, dried fish, and fresh meat. As mentioned I don't get enough fruit and vegetables.
I can't really complain. It is common for locals in my community to eat only one meal a day, at night. They may have something to drink in the morning – tea or pito – but typically don't have breakfast. If they don't have a job then the family may only rarely get fruit unless it is local. The teachers generally get something small for lunch, but they don't seem to eat much during the day either.
I go visit friends or talk with the locals almost every day. This commonly involves pito or beer. This is part of the culture and I've chosen to integrate within this norm – although some volunteers refuse. Most everyone knows I'm not going to drink much and they don't push me about it. I go with a coke or something light when I can. At times I sit and listen to the local language Dagaree without much involvement. Other times I'm discussing life back in America, school, agriculture, or other topics with the local farmers and professionals.
Dinner is the same a lunch. Sometimes I go with a breakfast choice if I'm short of time.
I take another bath at night. It is dark around 6 pm and by 7 it is very dark. I generally have lights, but that also brings bugs, so I typically go do bed before 8.
So my daily routine:
Sunday is Church and the major market day in town. There are funerals and helping Roger at his farm, trips to the bank, Peace Corps required travel, or such to add a little variety.
I have is pretty easy. I have a nice place as far as Peace Corps living standards go. I have enough food, get exercise, and I'm involved in my community. I'm blessed with good health for a 50+ man and I'm able to find joy or at least peace with most everything that comes my way. Things could be better, I could be rid of the mouse in my house and have better fruit and vegetable selection, but I really don't have anything to complain about.
I have a new grandson that I will be able to hold for the first time this August when I fly back home for Samantha's wedding. I miss my family, but I'm blessed that they remain healthy and actively living their lives. I'm scheduled to complete my service August 15, 2016 – a little under 600 days from now.
The weeks are moving by at a good speed. I have daily malaria and other medication that I keep in weekly pill boxes. I refill the boxes each Saturday, marking the end of the week. I'm surprised at how fast Saturdays come around.
One of the reasons that I joined the Peace Corps was to learn to live more simply. “More simply” being a relative term as I come from middle class America. I have everything I need and a fair number of things I want to make life easier. An easier life, like using a quality peeler rather than a knife to peel yams and such, is part of my balance between simple and easy. Some Peace Corps volunteers live a much more austere life in one room with much fewer things while others have much more – including a refrigerator to save the smoothie they made with their food processor and their blender (from the fresh inexpensive fruit they have year round) while waiting for the cookies to finish baking in their oven.
We each make our own life out of the cards dealt. I'm learning new things about the world, life, other people and myself. Trying new things is something required and failures are not held against you. I'm blessed to have this opportunity. This experience is allowing me to reset my needs and wants, my comforts, and my commitment to help others and to grow in faith.
I remain generally very happy and satisfied with daily life. I have had a few times of mild depression during this holiday season, but overall remain in good physical and mental health. Once the harmattan dust really comes I'll likely have a cough and more sinus congestion. The masks that my mom sent will help, but I'm told there is no way to completely avoid it. So I may be complaining in the future about some respiratory condition that every volunteer and most every local gets in this region of Ghana.
So, I've been about 7 months in Ghana – I'm starting a new year – and looking at about 20 more months of the same, sometime momentousness, routine. I am looking forward to almost a month long break back in the states in August/September to visit family, my grandson, and for my favorite daughter's wedding. (She is my only daughter but Theresa was one of four girls in the family so “my favorite daughter” line is something I'll continue to use.) Life is good. I'm happy, healthy and taking days one at a time.
A happy, prosperous, challenging, and enjoyable New Year to all.
Love always,
John
House.
I've been cleaning house so I took some pictures to remind people of my living arrangement. I live in one of four “bungalows” in the teacher's block next to the current junior high school. The elementary school and new junior high school (construction paused because the contractor has not been paid) are a short distance up the hill behind my house.
The one next to me is also occupied by a elementary teacher and her young son. Her husband is going to school in Jirappa but is around for the holidays. One unit sits empty and the other is used to store pig feed that the students bring to school each day. The school has a few pigs.
 |
| Front of my house. Attempting to grow two pineapples. |
I have three rooms. One bedroom, one kitchen (suppose to be another bedroom), and a larger living room. I have a concrete courtyard in the back and then another smaller building for my toilet, bathroom, and my water/storage room (suppose to be the kitchen). The courtyard is private with concrete walls and a metal gate.
 |
| Bedroom with the required bug net. |
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| Kitchen - LP and primary cooking table in the back and hot plate in the foreground. |
 |
| Living room with couch and a second bug net if another PCV visits (no visitors yet). |
The toilet is a latrine – a VIP (ventilated improved pit) latrine actually – has two holes on a raised concrete block inside the room with PVC pipes outside the back wall so the smell is not generally overly noticeable. My bathroom is a small room with a hole on the back wall floor to let the water out. The main thing in my water room is a big trashcan for water in the doorway that prohibits entry into the room. The back walls of all three rooms have round holes for light and fresh air. Cold fresh air in the morning these days.
 |
| Toilet, bathroom (with cute little bathing bucket), and water closet (couldn't resist) left to right. |
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| View of my metal gate and wall leading to me back door. I could paint, but I'm going for the poor African motif. |
Water.
I like to get my own water. This involves walking a short distance to the borehole and pumping two buckets of water. If I'm able to pump the water myself and carry the water back I consider it some upper body exercise. If there are children around they will help with some or all of the work. Adults frown at the strange behavior of the white man. My students or other children are suppose to fetch me water and as and older man I am breaking a huge cultural protocol by doing it myself. i would not do for me to refuse help from the children.
 |
| They bore a hole in the ground and attach a pump with concrete to protect water quality. |
I bought three pairs of exofficio “travel” briefs at a great REI sale just before I left. I'm glad I did. They are easy to wash and dry fast. I wash a pair with my evening bath so I can easily avoid the cultural foo-pa. My other laundry is generally once a week or every 10 days are so. If my neighbor did not do most of the laundry it would likely be every 5 to 7 days.
I have bleach that I put in the water barrel and I have a water filter for drinking, cooking, and dish washing water. My water supply is pretty good. There are times when the water from the borehole is cloudy. During these times I need to get water from a borehole that is farther away and more public. Therefore I have a student or other child fetch water for me. I can only push cultural norms so far.
My day generally starts between 4:30 and 5:30 am. Some days I get out on my own and other days want to hit my alarm clock, although since my alarm clock is also my phone and the screen is now cracked (I dropped my phone not hit it, OK?), I have to be careful.
If school is in session a student will be coming by to pick up the office key to the school by 6:30 so I need to finish my bathing by then. The students arrive early to clean the school. Teachers come about an hour later.
 |
| View of the current JHS school with "staff room" in the background. |
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| Dry season staff room, the shade structure. Otherwise we just sit under the tree. Donkeys are hard to see. |
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| Better view of donkey. Most animals run wild - don't know if these at school are from Pinocchio. |
Taking a bath.
I take a bucket 1/3 to 1/2 full of water, my shower bag, and a towel or a 2 yard piece of cloth called a “2 yard”. So I have my soap, my razor, washcloth and such in my shower bag, a bucket of somewhat warm water getting colder in the morning, a small bucket that I keep in the bathroom to pour water over myself, and HOPEFULLY enough courage to get started. I'm tall enough that the wind blowing through the air holes in the back way provides a chilling experience. I've seriously thought of how to block the wind from these holes some mornings – but then maybe it would not dry out as fast afterwards. Anyway, once I start bathing I don't take long shaving and washing. I think about my 15 minute hot water showers back home from time to time.
Breakfast is generally french toast, scrambled egg sandwich, corn flour pancakes, yam pancakes, oatmeal, or some leftover. The eggs are interesting. Eggs naturally have a coating to protect the contents from spoiling. In the states we wash that off and so need to keep the eggs in the fridge. As I don't have a fridge, I just keep mine on the shelf. I generally use the six eggs I get within the week but they would stay good on the shelf for several weeks.
On school days I walk the short distance to school between 7 and 7:30. I don't teach classes every day, but I am there unless I need to go to the bank in another town or attend some meeting. Junior high school has three forms (years). I teach math to the form ones junior high school students and computers/information technology to the forms one and two students. We decided not to teach computers to the form threes as the school just started computer classes last year to form one students only. (The headmaster teaches the other two math classes.) There are 43 students in the form one and 72 in form two. We are still in the old school with smaller classroom so the second year classroom is pretty crowded. I'm not sure when we are going to be moving into the new school.
 |
| New JHS school from a distance - two wings with staff room under a roof - upscale. |
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| A clearer view of one wing. Currently we only have 3 classrooms. Each wing have 3 classrooms - total of 6. |
I'll be teaching a few extra math classes this week, but they will start at 8 am. Next term starts in a couple of weeks, I plan on staying an hour after class most days to give groups of students 25 to 30 minutes on the computer to practice typing and other skills. We only have about 15 working computers so I need two 30 minute sessions every day to give every student time. I'm going to only have 12 students at a time to provide better supervision and in case a computer breaks down. Some students work after school and all students have chores so it will require some flexibility. Last term I tried giving computer time during the class – but that only allowed about 10 minutes or less actually on the computer and it was very frustrating for everyone.
I have homework to grade, lesson plans to write, and other work. I can get some of that done during the school day but like most teachers I bring work “home”. OK, so for me I bring work back to “my house”, “my place”, or “my site”. I've not yet adjusted to calling this place my home and likely never will. As nice as it is, as nice as the people are – this is just temporary. If home is where the heart is my home is a quarter of the way around the planet.
On weekends or days off from school I may go help Roger at the farm. I attend funerals or other events as often as I can. Town is a two mile bicycle ride away for supplies. I normally go at least 4 times a week – more for exercise than to buy things. I can generally get eggs and dry staples like powdered milk, oatmeal, pasta, rice, etc. along with some limited can goods any day of the week. Most days I can get bread and some days I can get whole wheat bread that I prefer. Fresh food is generally available on Sunday, the market day. Tomatoes, onions, and okra from dry season gardens continue to be available – but they may “dry up” sometime – I don't know. Local produce, such as sweet potatoes and peanuts in the shell, vanish without forewarning for the white man but obvious to the locals.
We get some things shipped a long distance from the south over rough roads. This is how we get most of the bananas, oranges, pineapples, watermelons, plantains, and such. These things are not always present - somethings much less than half the time. As the truck ride is hot and dusty and always long so the quality is sometimes not worth the price. Dried out, half spoiled oranges. Ugh. Any fruit thing I buy has to be eaten by Wednesday before it goes bad. I'm waiting for some grant money from Peace Corps to finish my solar dryer and then maybe I can buy in season and dry them for later consumption.
I generally get something to eat for lunch and I always get something for dinner. Rice, pasta, yams, and other starches are a major component of my diet. I get enough protein with beans/rice, peanuts, tuna from a can, dried fish, and fresh meat. As mentioned I don't get enough fruit and vegetables.
I can't really complain. It is common for locals in my community to eat only one meal a day, at night. They may have something to drink in the morning – tea or pito – but typically don't have breakfast. If they don't have a job then the family may only rarely get fruit unless it is local. The teachers generally get something small for lunch, but they don't seem to eat much during the day either.
I go visit friends or talk with the locals almost every day. This commonly involves pito or beer. This is part of the culture and I've chosen to integrate within this norm – although some volunteers refuse. Most everyone knows I'm not going to drink much and they don't push me about it. I go with a coke or something light when I can. At times I sit and listen to the local language Dagaree without much involvement. Other times I'm discussing life back in America, school, agriculture, or other topics with the local farmers and professionals.
Dinner is the same a lunch. Sometimes I go with a breakfast choice if I'm short of time.
I take another bath at night. It is dark around 6 pm and by 7 it is very dark. I generally have lights, but that also brings bugs, so I typically go do bed before 8.
Reflecting back and looking forward.
So my daily routine:
- Get up between 4:30 and 5:30 am.
- Heat water for coffee and bath. Take bath and eat breakfast.
- Go to school.
- Next term I'll stay after school one hour each day so I'll be done around 3.
- Find time and something for lunch most days.
- Go to town for supplies and/or sit with locals – discuss some project/idea or just relax.
- Come home to more school work, blogging, research, or Peace Corps paperwork.
- Make something for dinner.
- Take bath and go to bed generally before 8 pm.
- Repeat daily.
Sunday is Church and the major market day in town. There are funerals and helping Roger at his farm, trips to the bank, Peace Corps required travel, or such to add a little variety.
I have is pretty easy. I have a nice place as far as Peace Corps living standards go. I have enough food, get exercise, and I'm involved in my community. I'm blessed with good health for a 50+ man and I'm able to find joy or at least peace with most everything that comes my way. Things could be better, I could be rid of the mouse in my house and have better fruit and vegetable selection, but I really don't have anything to complain about.
I have a new grandson that I will be able to hold for the first time this August when I fly back home for Samantha's wedding. I miss my family, but I'm blessed that they remain healthy and actively living their lives. I'm scheduled to complete my service August 15, 2016 – a little under 600 days from now.
The weeks are moving by at a good speed. I have daily malaria and other medication that I keep in weekly pill boxes. I refill the boxes each Saturday, marking the end of the week. I'm surprised at how fast Saturdays come around.
Life in General
One of the reasons that I joined the Peace Corps was to learn to live more simply. “More simply” being a relative term as I come from middle class America. I have everything I need and a fair number of things I want to make life easier. An easier life, like using a quality peeler rather than a knife to peel yams and such, is part of my balance between simple and easy. Some Peace Corps volunteers live a much more austere life in one room with much fewer things while others have much more – including a refrigerator to save the smoothie they made with their food processor and their blender (from the fresh inexpensive fruit they have year round) while waiting for the cookies to finish baking in their oven.
We each make our own life out of the cards dealt. I'm learning new things about the world, life, other people and myself. Trying new things is something required and failures are not held against you. I'm blessed to have this opportunity. This experience is allowing me to reset my needs and wants, my comforts, and my commitment to help others and to grow in faith.
I remain generally very happy and satisfied with daily life. I have had a few times of mild depression during this holiday season, but overall remain in good physical and mental health. Once the harmattan dust really comes I'll likely have a cough and more sinus congestion. The masks that my mom sent will help, but I'm told there is no way to completely avoid it. So I may be complaining in the future about some respiratory condition that every volunteer and most every local gets in this region of Ghana.
So, I've been about 7 months in Ghana – I'm starting a new year – and looking at about 20 more months of the same, sometime momentousness, routine. I am looking forward to almost a month long break back in the states in August/September to visit family, my grandson, and for my favorite daughter's wedding. (She is my only daughter but Theresa was one of four girls in the family so “my favorite daughter” line is something I'll continue to use.) Life is good. I'm happy, healthy and taking days one at a time.
A happy, prosperous, challenging, and enjoyable New Year to all.
Love always,
John
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