All Volunteer Conference and My Clan Mass


All Volunteer Conference


The Peace Corps requires a mid-service training as well as a mid-service medical review. Some countries only have one type of volunteer once a year while other countries bring all the volunteers into the country at the same time. So it is pretty easy for these countries to schedule the mid-service meeting and exams.

Peace Corps Ghana has three groups of volunteers – education, health, and agriculture that come into the country four months apart. They schedule mid-service medical exams for each group  – but they would require three mid-service meetings which would be redundant and not allow all volunteers to meet.

Therefore, they have an “all volunteer meeting” once a year. This means that some people are getting a “mid-service” meeting and other people may have only been volunteers for 3 months. All volunteers have the opportunity to attend two “all vol” meetings during their two years of service.

Some of the volunteers at the meeting - mostly young - all young at heart.

I wanted to go to the meeting to meet the other volunteers – the 50+ volunteers as well as the younger crowd. I had time to visit and get to know some new friends and strengthen ties with some volunteers I already knew. However, I did not have as much time to visit with the full days of meetings and going to bed earlier than most. I did end up going to bed later than my two roommates. All in all it was a nice meeting.

I joined two committees: Food Security and the Technology (Computer) Working Group. This will add more work for me and at least three meetings a year for each – as if I did not have enough to do or enough traveling. However, I have things to contribute to both so I'm going to try to juggle everything. I purposely did not run for an executive position. Many of the younger volunteers want such positions to make connections and to beef up their resume. I figure I should let them have the honors and extra work.  Most of the executive members are health and agriculture volunteers who tend to have more free time than education volunteers anyway.


Clan mass


The family clan that I have “joined” had a big party on Saturday and a mass on Sunday. Unfortunately, I returned from the All Volunteer meeting on Saturday afternoon and missed the party. However, I did go to the mass.

Roger and I before the mass with the rooster that will be dinner for the priests at some point.



My job was to carry the chicken up for the offertory. Yes, in Ghana offertory gifts in mass can and frequently does include farm produce including live animals. I also had to dance up and back. Although the pictures don't show it well – I'm told that I danced well (at least for a white man).

Our clan dancing back from the offertory - these people look like they are dancing

Seriously, I really am dancing, and dancing pretty good but the picture may not show my moves so well

We (mostly) all had fabric woven and made smocks for the men and dresses for the women to match. This was a time for the Roger's clan to explicitly show that I am part of their clan. I'm happy I did not embarrass the group.
Most of the representatives of the clan


School


End of term exams will start of Monday. The ICT and math exams will be the following week. I will have some time to review with the students before the tests. I'm also going to clean out my water barrel and have the students fetch water to fill it back up. I'm not sure how many large basins it will take – but the students don't mind fetching water. (I ask for volunteers rather than tell students to do it.)


Ears


The doctor checked and cleaned out my ears.  He did not see any major problems.  I got some drops to keep away any infection. However, one ear started hurting on the tro ride back to Wa so I'm hoping that the drops will at least get rid of the infection. I'm still have trouble hearing all the sounds I use to hear (I check it by frying french toast). My hearing was better before I left for the meeting and now it is slightly impacted again. I can hear normal conversations and many sounds – so I'm not nearly deaf or anything – but I would like to get my hearing checked out.

I'm planning on using the drops for the next couple of weeks and if I'm still having problems I'll call the doctor to request a visit to get my hearing checked. If it does get better I will still ask for the hearing test – but schedule it for a committee meeting I have coming up in June.


Other than that – I'm doing well.



Love always,


John

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