I'll have to pencil that in...

So a common theme of my life here in Ghana is never knowing what will happen. Being asked to tell someone my average day here is incredibly difficult. For a lot of volunteers its the same in and out but for myself and Jirapa it is a different world. I can pretty much guarantee I'll wake up, let my adorable, rotten goat head eating, tick covered dog outside and drink a cup of French pressed coffee thanks to the amazing Adam Martyn (enjoy that compliment Adam). But after 8:00am I never really know what will happen. Sometimes that small morning routine doesn't even happen due to knocking on my door at 6:00am for this reason or that.

Anyway, the other day I thought I would go to the office, meet with the Gender Desk Officer and plan out some of our upcoming bicycle workshops for women. I get to the office and she has to leave in an incredible hurry (Vivien is impossible to pin down and is literally representing thousands of women in the Upper West) but we need to meet with this women's group in a small village, Tuggo, right outside Jirapa so it is up to me! I will take my bicycle and ride in the equatorial sun to someplace I have never been...OK, why not, right? The ride was nice minus one large hill and a bicycle with gears that don't work but the woman is waiting for me with pito in hand. Always a welcome surprise! Isabella is a truly sacrificial and selfless person. She is one of the few women in her village that can read and write and speaks English and even though she is retired she works tirelessly for these women. She stopped farming just to come and meet with me. We meet and discuss how annoying it is that all these people want bicycles that don't need them and how the husbands will probably take the bicycles from the women after the workshop but she is hopeful and so therefore, so am I.

After organizing details we decide to bike to the next town over, Babali. By this time it’s getting hot so I'm not excited about biking back to Jirapa so I'm invited to rice and stew with Isabella and some of her grandchildren. Plain rice is good when you've been riding your bike and only have caffeine running through your body so I was thrilled. We greet everyone in town and then I decide, I've come this far I should continue my bike journey to Lawra to visit Adam. I did this for two reasons. One, Adam is leaving soon so I won't be able to do this anymore or see him and two; he's a really good cook so chances are I'll get some good food. It's amazing what I'll do for food now. So I continue at about 1:00pm on to Lawra. As I'm pedaling and enjoying the scenery I realize I didn't put sunscreen on my legs (I'm wearing shorts for the bike ride) and it is BURNING out. I can feel my skin screaming. No Ghanaian has sunscreen and I'm in the middle of nowhere by some stream. So, being very resourceful, clever and dehydrated, I decided to make some mud and spread it all over my leg that’s getting slowly 3rd degree burned. These small village children were fascinated by the crazy white lady rubbing mud on her legs and I don't blame them, even I thought it was weird but I made it to Lawra with minimal sun damage!

When I arrived in Lawra I had somewhat of an international evening. I sat and had a drink with Adam (another PCV), an Italian student, a Canadian Volunteer, and a Cuban doctor. I got a lot of different cultural perspectives on a culture we are all experiencing and studying which was a refreshing change of pace. However, explaining why there was mud all over my legs was difficult but we had a good time. I rode back to Jirapa the next morning and carved a pumpkin with some neighbor kids (one woman told me I was wasting a pumpkin but I grew it so I can do what I want with it) and I cannot be happier with the randomness of my life. I am learning to not have control over everything and that being flexible can sometimes lead to the best of moments and days. I hope to have a little bit more of a predictable life for all of my current bicycle workshops but in Ghana living is about the moment and success is based on the process not the end result. Weird concept for us westerners but I'm getting it. It’s the only way to stay sane and the only way to get anything done. So who knows, we'll see what happens tomorrow.

Jirapa’s 5KRace, Kirsten’s Visit, Girls Camp, Oh my God I need to sleep and wash my clothes…

Sorry its been so long since I’ve wrote. I think I’m mostly apologizing to my mother who has been on me about writing another blog so Mom this ones for you! The last few months have been busy but very very fun and I think I may spend this next week sleeping and eating fufu (I finally just got my very own fufu mortar and pestle!). Let me just re-cap past events in my life because I think its been too long to go into too much detail.

Jirapa’s 5K Combating HIV/AIDS and TB Race

Although this was one of the most stressful things I have ever done in my entire life it is also something I am very proud of. Organizing a race for 100 people with an educational event on HIV/AIDS and TB proved exhausting. Everything is done last minute and the budget kept changing so it made my life difficult. I often go running with Jirapa’s Keep Fit Club and they’re always trying to think of ways to give back to the community, sponsor programs, and increase their membership so we decided on the race. Although a smaller event we had GREAT attendance (There are pictures on Facebook)! And about 10 Peace Corps volunteers came to help me which saved my life. Having other volunteers support you and their ability to help turn any project into something fun and successful is amazing! Kudos to everyone that helped to make it happen! I don’t know if we’ll do another race but maybe a football match…The Keep Fit Club has told me it so far has been their most successful event and they are very proud so I am very proud of them :o) Maybe the next one they won’t even need my help!

Kirsten came to visit:

One of my favorite people in the entire world came to visit me for 2 weeks. And it was a magical two weeks! We did so much it will be hard to recall. We saw the new volunteers swear in! We salsa danced and just plain danced A LOT! We went to the monastery in Techiman and then got to feed monkeys at a monkey sanctuary! We came to Jirapa and drank the finest pito in all the land. We spent some lovely hours in tros. We went to the beach and played in the ocean. We went to the rainforest and went on a canopy walk. We ate fufu, got attacked by insects, played with small children, turned down marriage proposals, and she met a ton of my new friends and Peace Corps family. Kirsten rocks and I am SOOOOOO HAPPY she came!

Girls Leadership Camp:

Speaking of working with other volunteers Nicole just organized an all girls leadership camp which we held at one of my favorite places-the Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary. I brought 7 girls from Jirapa who were selected based on an essay contest. Overall we had 38 girls and 6 volunteers. The girls met girls from other cities in the Upper West, they had senior high school students as senior counselors and a variety of activities. I had a member of my People Living with HIV group come to talk to the girls about HIV and why its important to know your status and get tested. She was wonderful and her talk was real but optimistic. She got HIV through a blood transfusion when she was a child and is one of the happiest people I have ever met. She never stops smiling. Makes me feel bad for being upset about things like waiting for rides or rain... She spent half the week with the girls and I was so impressed with their ability to look past someone having HIV and I even saw one of my girls sitting with her arm around her. They have never met anyone living with HIV and I was worried about stigma but the girls were respectful and understanding. I was very happy it went so well. We had dancing, we played games and told stories, went on nature walks and looked for Hippos. I am so so so proud of my girls! They participated, met other campers, and were very respectful. Brings me back to camp when I was in middle school. I am just thrilled that we were able to give these girls this opportunity. They don't get a chance to just be kids very often always cooking, cleaning, studying, doing wash, helping their families raise the other kids...this week they got to scream and sing and just play. Props to Nicole for making it happen. One of the best times I've had in Ghana.

What is next:

So currently I am back in Jirapa for awhile, working on my garden and the pumpkins that have taken it over. I want to get my football team running (literally), finish District Assembly reports I’m like 4 months behind, and drink some good pito with my friends in Jirapa! I have my mid service medical at the end of this month and I am running the ½ marathon in Accra on the 26^th so wish me good training for this last month! I hope everything and everyone is well back in the states! Eat lots of ice cream for me!!! Bye bye til next time!

My Small Vacation: All-Vol, Togo, Deng Festival

So recently in my life I did some traveling "small small" as we would say in Ghana. So I'd like to share. Since about Thanksgiving my friend Derek and I have been talking about going to Togo and finally, Derek being assertive and probably annoyed of our hypothetical plans said, "Pick a date and lets go. Lets stop talking about it and just go!" So that is just what we did. We took offical vacation and planned to go to Togo. We would go to Togo right after our All Volunteers conference in the Volta Region.

First of all All Vol was great. Literally ALL of the Peace Corps Volunteers in Ghana got together in a city called Ho (at a hotel with yeah, a POOL!) to share projects, ideas, learn more about HIV/AIDS and to well...socalize. Because lets face it we all become a little isolated and lonley so its nice to relate to your fellow volunteers. But, it was sort of overwhelming being around so many white people. So, I could talk about the long workshops during the days and all the magical things we learned but I'd rather mention the night time activties planned by volunteers.


We had a Texas Hold Em night. Thanks to my InCyte crew back in Spokane and playing poker everyday I feel my poker skills are average to intermediate but sadly I lost Derek's 5 Ghana Cedis that he was so nice to lend to me. Sorry Derek!

There was also a Peace Corps Prom. Which was probably the best prom I've ever been to. Fantastic! Minus the fact that being next to a pool gets you thrown in no matter what you're wearing. Derek was my prom date. He may be one of the best dancers in Peace Corps (photo as evidence). We danced til...we were pushed in the pool.

We also had a Peace Corps Talent Show because we are all such talented individuals. Singing, dancing, acting, more singing, and even some synchronized swimming! And then naturally everyone was thrown in the pool. We're not used to pools so it was exciting to say the least.

After the craziness of All Vol Derek and I added a member to our Togo trip, Lawyer Liz (a very important member) and we headed to the land of "Travail, Liberte, Partrie"! So with my sort of French skills, Derek's Ewe (the local language in his region and in Southern Togo), and Liz's math skills and ability to keep track of all our money we made a good trio.



So we had 6 goals when we went to Togo:
1. Wine
2. Baguettes
3. Cheese
4. Cascade
5. Coffee
6. Croissants


This was not a pleasure seeking trip at all, no. In our defense we eat large quantities of startch and drink box wine in Ghana so it was time for some luxe (That's French for luxury)! Well I am proud to say we completed ALL of our goals, going a little crazy on numbers 1 and 2. This was actually the only plan we had for Togo which ended up being a great plan. Because we always won. I think this pizzeria we went to left us not knowing how to act. We're used to eating fufu with our hands out of a communal bowl and now we had to taste wine (honestly we had a hard time not chugging it) and eat hour d'oeuvres. Colonisation faults aside the French brought some beautiful things to Togo. Observe the cheese here----->

We decided our second day in Togo to go to Kpalime which is about an hour North of Lome to see some waterfalls another volunteer told me about. Using my incredible French I got us directions to the station and somehow we got to Kpalime in a tro with a small girl screaming the entire hour. I didn't know someone could scream without even taking a breath but I think we loved Kpalime just because we got away from the screaming child. The path to the waterfalls was incredible through winding roads up mountains and after a short hike we swam in some of the most refreshing water.

After an incredible time at the waterfalls we got back to the hotel and realized...we don't have our key...mother*#$! You would think, "Oh, it happens no big deal" but when the owner of your hotel is a stereotypical old French man with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and you're young Americans who he hasn't been that fond of anyway AND you're the only one in your group that knows any French you have to get yelled at in French by the angry French man. Brought me back to high school French class. "Monsieur, Nous avons une probleme. Nous pardons le cle..." Then "YELLING IN FRENCH!!!" Then he changed the lock and yelled, "VOILA!" So the next night in Togo we went to a nice place on the beach away from all angry French people.

The last part of my small travels involved my return up to Jirapa. I decided to stop at Mat's site, Bole, along with 3 environment volunteers (Casimir, Sam, and Megan-all good company) and check out an annual festival called the Deng Festival in a nearby village Sonya. Going to Mat's site is great because well, he likes to cook. So we had steak sandwiches. I think I like food too much. This village is amazing for a few reasons. All of the houses are connected through their rooftops. So a walking tour on top of everyones homes was something new. Lack of privacy maybe but a really cool communal way of living.


Most of the festival involved dancing, pito, and asking the gods for things for the future by sacrificing a chicken. They slit the chicken's neck and depending on how the dead chicken falls determines your prophecy. Head up, to the side, face down (that one is not good). Mat and Casimir almost bought a chicken to sacrifice but we're poor and getting your future predicted by a dead chicken is kinda pricey. Dancing continued ALL night followed by a rabbit hunt in the morning.

So after the festival I finally made it back to Jirapa and work took over. But the break was so nice and much needed. Nothing like some French influence and time with brilliant, fun, wonderful people to prepare me for setting up a 5k race for 100 people....
To be continued...