A long delayed post

So grateful to have been able to spend time with my amazing mom

My previous post was August 4 and my apologies for the long pause. It was hard to get back to writing and when I’m in pre-service training I probably will not have time to write, and then I don’t know about internet once I get at site. So future pauses may be longer than this one.

I first want to say that leaving Grenada was very hard and a big part of this break in writing. I miss my friends and students on Grenada and in the Eastern Caribbean. My apologies for leaving. Volunteers need to feel they are supported by the Peace Corps to stay and that may be difficult when there are major staff changes at post.
Such a next trip up to Missoula to visit my daughter, her photographer husband, and her photogenic dog


And yet, I think the universe conspires to open and close doors. My decision to leave (normal close of service COS rather than extend) has meant spending time with my family in Arkansas, particularly my 86 year old mom. I moved out of Arkansas when I was 19 and this is the first time I’m back for more that a week. So, I’m comfortable with the decision and happy that I’ve had time in Arkansas and my visits to kids, grandkids, and friends. So sorry I didn’t get more opportunities to see so many others on my list.

Medical clearance


Medical clearance seemed to have taken more time even though my health hasn’t changed. I trust that the medical unit had its reasons but my doctor didn’t see the need for some of the tests, and I would have preferred not have had spent the money, but I got cleared and got confirmation that my body is holding up with its orbits around the sun. So, it is all good.

Television interview


Peace Corps works with those invited to generate news coverage. My story was picked up the be local television station. I thought the reporter did a good job and I’m including a link to the story.

 KNWA: Centerton man beigns Peace Corps service in Ethiopia


Leaving soon


I will be staging on Jan 12/13 and flying to Ethiopia on the 14/15. Sorry for the past and future delays. Thanks for reading, I'll hopefully get back to a weekly schedule as soon as possible.

As we start this new decade and as I said in the interview – It is hard leaving family and friends to try to make the world a better place and promote world peace and friendship. I’m fortunate to be able to travel to a different country and learn about a different culture while doing this. And very fortunate for the support of my family and friends.

Everyone can work the make the world a better place in their daily lives. I encourage volunteering but the normal actions around family, work, and the spiritual life are important and make a difference. We improve our lives, country, and world by helping others and by caring about the entire planet. One day at a time, one step at a time, one kind action after another.

I have a lot of reasons for doing what I do. Two big small ones are pictured below.



Love always,
John

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pito – brewed millet

Image
Corn, rice, and millet are the common grains grown in my region of Ghana. All three are used food, but millet is also used to produce the local brew – pito, or daa in the local language. “N nyu daa” - in Dagaree means “I drink pito.” There are several varieties of millet grown here – a red and white varieties have loose heads. These are used for pito and other foods. There is also a smaller seed variety with a tight head of seeds that is mainly used for porridge. (Don't have a picture of that variety yet.) In all varieties millet grows on a stalk with the grain head at the top of the stalk. White and red millet in the field Two bundles of while millet to be used for seed next season Converting a grain to alcohol is a common practice in various cultures. It provides a way to capture and digest the nutritional value of the grain. In some places, like Germany and the beer brewing monks, the making a beer was a way to preserve the harvest. In Ghana the millet is
Read more

Yam harvesting

Image
Roger and I went to farm to harvest yam on Saturday morning, September 13, 2014.  In Ghana a yam is a root crop that is different from a sweet potato.  We have sweet potatoes here as well. Yam recently harvested Preparing a yam for boiling The yam has a white flesh – softer than a white potato. In this area the yams are planted between April and June.  Harvest continues into December and January depending on the weather and pigs getting into the field. The plant is a vine – which is grown on stakes rather than allowed the spread out.  The plants are placed on a raised bed about 2 feet high.  The beds are surrounded by flat trenches.  This allows the rains to flow around, but not wipe out the yam crop.  Intercropping seems to be common practice with yams planted in the raised bed, soybeans around the edges, and rice in the trenches.  The occasional corn or okra plant is also among the yams – although the bulk of those crops are in other fields.   Row of ya
Read more

Mid-service Training

Image
This past week was mid-service training (MST). The conference was held on St. Lucia at the Mount of Prayer Coubaril run by the Benedictine Nuns. It was a lovely place with hospitable people as you would expect from Benedictines. A couple of years ago in Ghana I was able to spend a little time at a Benedictine Abby (popular with volunteers) – so it was a nice connection with the two Peace Corps services. I got a little spoiled with the great meals and the WiFi. I intentionally don’t have WiFi at my house so I’m less tempted to stay inside. I do have better data service than Dondometeng in the Upper West - no complaints there and so none here. Their Church Their view Their conference room Getting ready for a meal My room was the only one with a television.  It did work, but I didn't watch anything. My guess is the picture was a little fuzzy because of all the estrogen, but that's just a guy theory with a dirty phone This was actually my firs
Read more