It’s Not Always All Fun and Games

As I am browsing the previous entries in this blog I am realizing that since my arrival in Ghana, almost four months ago now, not a single rough moment has been captured. I would say this is because the vast majority of my moments here in Ghana have been smiling. Sure, there were some rough days of training, but there was an end in sight. And we all know it is easy to get through the hard stuff when you know when the end is. Well, I’d say it’s high time for my first rough day(s) and a little group therapy (me and all the readers of this blog). I’ll do my best to articulate how I’m feeling and then you all can bombard me with letters, emails, and telephone wishes of love and support. At least that is what I am hoping will happen.

Let me set the scene; Ari sitting on her couch, a little frustrated, a little lonely, and very exhausted despite having left school early to come and sleep for the last 6 hours. I have been very ill for the last few days with only God knows what. My illness is probably just another not-so-friendly visit from Captain G (what we PCVs call our collective nemesis- Giardia), but this time around, I am wiped out. You all thought the fat flush diet cleaned out your system, try a nasty little parasite blowing bubbles in your digestive track. I was hoping to rest up through the weekend and be ready to jump into finally teaching at school. I even made some lesson plans and had such hope for this week. And already on Monday, I’m emptied, undeniably dehydrated, sipping the most disgusting Oral Rehydration Salt mixture and really starting to feel the stress of being a stranger in a strange land. There is nothing like a little physical discomfort to really get you to start missing America.

You all know me, asking for help is not exactly my forte and I had to ask my own student to help me fetch water so I can simply wash myself. Some volunteers are happy to utilize the plethora of student labor available here based on what I like to call “The Pyramid of Respect”. (Essentially, You can be asked to do anything for anyone higher up on the Pyramid than you. Your placement on the pyramid is for the most part based on your age. So students are obvious choices.) But me, I take great pride in exhibiting my strength to the locals- cooking my own meals, washing my own clothes, fetching my own water, and most importantly riding my bicycle all the way up the hill to the classrooms each morning. Asking Sasah (my student and headmaster’s niece who stays in the other half of my bungalow) for help has really taken its toll. I feel weak, defeated by a lack of convenience (in this case running water), and inferior to the 5 year old African girl skipping casually past my house, carrying a 100 pounds of firewood on her tiny little head.

Every PCV will tell you the first three months at site are the hardest and this is certainly one of those hard days. I guess if every day was painless, everyone would take a few years out of their lives to go live thousands of miles from anyplace they call home. Now if I can muster enough energy to boil some water for my bouillon cube dinner, maybe I can wake tomorrow a new woman- recharged and ready to go again! Wish me luck…

First Week of School

This is my Government Issued Box of Chalk which really marked the first day of school.

Well, here in Ghana things move a little more slowly, that is a given. In fact, I am getting entirely used to taking each day as it comes and enjoying the surprise of a seemingly schedule-free existence. When neither transport, nor administrative systems are reliable it is rather intuitive that the first week of school in Ghana might be a little different than the way I remember it from my high school days.

The first day, I found out just how different it is. Because the school’s budget does not include salaries for groundskeepers, the students are asked to come to school bearing their machetes for some heavy weeding. This weeding along with a thorough campus cleanup (sweeping, sponging, and scrubbing) goes on for the entirety of the first week. Classes, for the most part are not held.
After discovering the surplus of free clean labor, I enlisted the help of some strong third year boarding students to give my ICT lab a thorough overall.


This has been for the most part my primary focus since arriving in Abura Dunkwa. I had even measured the dimensions of the lab and drafted an alternative arrangement of desk to be the most spatially efficient. The project of course has only just begun and many things must be purchased in order for the lab to have all 50 of its computers in working condition. As of now we have 28 working computers to serve the approximately 1300 students. It is no easy task, but somehow, we are managing.

Here are some pictures of the big lab clean up:

Givson or Fendar?

Givson or Fendar? These were my choices at the guitar shop and I went with the Givson (obviously!?). An Individually Numbered, Givson Guitar

It’s a great looking guitar, which can really hold a tune even in this ridiculous humidity. At only about $40, who could pass up the hours of potential entertainment! It certainly saved my life when my power was turned off due to unpaid bills. With all this free time and all these candles, it seems it is high time I sit down and teach myself to play. Any requests and dedications?

The Givson resting on some 'Piecepiece' Fabric

Who wouldn’t want some Lerry’s Corn Flakes?

I think this picture speaks for itself

Thank You!

As many of you may know by now my school is in desperate need of sports equipment. Sports, play and incredible role in the formation of a healthy well-balanced individual, in fact in Ghana it seems that team sports like soccer and field hockey are our students primary introduction to creative thinking techniques. Unfortunately, these character building opportunities require resources that here in Ghana, just simply aren't available.

My school here has more serious problems (like only 13 classrooms for 1300 students and not nearly enough desks to sit them all), which occupy the majority of the school's government issued financial resources. Obviously, this is a financial priority for the Administration at Aburaman.

I understand the lack of classrooms, is a problem I single-handedly cannot rectify, however, it is my job as Peace Corps volunteer to use creative thinking to resolve the problems I can; to contribute in anyway I can! And the acquisition of sports equipment has become my new task!

Here is a picture of the Math Teachers at our Trainers vs. Trainees match.

I sent out a call via my parents to gather what they can and am simply overwhelmed by the response they have gotten. It seems that the problem is now not where we can find more items but how to get all of the items to the children of my school. Shipping and import taxes are my new headache, but this is a happy situation to be in, indeed.

I can't tell you how much it means that each one of you has taken time out of your day to think about my students here in Ghana who are more familiar with the 'have nots' than they are with the 'haves' in life.

Thank you from the very bottom of my heart!

As soon as I am able to shoot some photos of my students in action I will post them on here so you can really see the wonderful individuals you are helping.

Sports Equipment Project

Calling all Sports Fans!

Any of you who have any extra sports equipment laying around your house and don't mind sending it to me in Ghana, simply send it to the address listed on right hand side of this blog and I will make sure it gets to the students in need.

Things we need include:

• Soccer Balls
• Field Hockey Balls
• Athletic Jerseys
• Athletic Shorts
• Spiked Sneakers
• Soccer Cleats
• Athletic Shoes
• Shin Guards
• Stopwatches

Most of my students have never even seen NEW sports equipment before, so please keep in mind that what may be old and 'unusable' to you can probably find its second life here in Ghana.

If you have something not listed, that you would like to donate but are not sure whether there is a need, you can
email me at arijking@gmail.com for clarification

Just a little Off the Bottom

So, I gave myself a little hair trim the other morning, just to lighten the load ever so slightly- somewhere between 6 and 8 inches off the bottom. I swear you can’t even tell the difference, I mean I can tell the difference because my head feels lighters, but aesthetically- no difference.

Enjoy the artsy photo I snapped in my moment of follicular purging.

Buy locally, think Globally or is it the other way around?

Well, have recently moved from San Francisco, where buying fresh local produce is the new black, ive been really confronted with the question of whether the American culture can ever really support ‘Buy Locally’ mentality on a large scale. Sure, Californians have it easy- a delicious variety of produce grows all up and down the state. There, you can get anything: lettuce, oranges, strawberries, potatoes, plantains, almonds, chard, you name it, it can grow there. But what of the rest of the country, where the climate is not so cooperative? Indianans would be restricted to…well, corn. And how about the poor Mainers? Can a person really survive on fiddleheads, potatoes, and blueberries?

Here in Ghana, there is no choice, you are forced to buy locally. The flash freezing, nutrient damaging, food preservation techniques employed in the U.S. are simply not in the cards for Ghana at this time. If it doesn’t grow somewhere in Ghana, or really even in the region of your residence, chances are you won’t get it.

The bananas grow next door; you get fish from the ocean or river if you live close enough to these sources or you don’t eat fish at all; and you buy your cabbage, carrots, Kontomire (the Ghanaian equivalent of spinach), Garden Eggs (mini yellow eggplants), onions, and tomatoes from the lady at the market if the season is right. In other words, if it is not mango or avocado season, there isn’t an avocado or a mango to be had. We eat by the laws of nature and that is just the accepted way of life here.

It makes me think that the only way, America could employ, the ‘Buy Purely Local Ingredients’ model is if we are able to sacrifice the concept of meal variety, which we unknowingly value so much. Let me rephrase, which I, personally didn’t know I valued so much.

In Ghana, there are no more than 10 different ingredients you can cook with, which of course gives you extremely limited menu options. Personally, I find it culinarily unstimulating and I’ve only been here for about three months. While cooking tasty meals with Civic Center farmers market ingredients used to be a hobby, now cooking is more of a daily chore, like sweeping the porch, and killing the ants on my counter. Tomato soup or tomato stew? Boiled cabbage or stir fried cabbage? These are my options. I wonder how you can balance the ‘fresh, local’ concept with our cultivated need as Americans for variety? Just something to think about.

For now, I go after every new ingredient I find at my village’s daily market. I swing by, see if there are any new faces with new things to try, and buy them by what I like to call the 5,000 rule. If I see something I haven’t seen before I buy 5,000 worth( or 50 Ghana pesewa, about the equivalent of $.35). I take my new discovery home, investigate it thoroughly, usually boil, steam or fry it and see what happens. Here is a picture of my latest 5,000 Rule purchase.

Crab Elbows?

After consulting a few other volunteers, via text message, we’ve agreed to refer to them as Crab elbows or forearms- they are not quite the claws but not quite the whole arm either. I deducted it was crab as the lady I bought them from was also selling whole crabs. She advised me these were the best ones to buy. Hey, why not?!

Updates from Home!

It is always nice to hear and especially see updates from America about friends and of course family. After a nice long conversation with my Mom the other day she mentioned that our house in Maine had recently gotten a little upgrade- a beautiful new metal roof. This means no more shoveling of the roof which for my Mom and Dad is truly a gift from god. Mom, was nice enough to send a beautiful picture of the new roof.

I just loved the picture so much, I thought I’d share!

A Festival in Cape Coast

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this thus far but Ghanaians, much like San Franciscans, really love to party! A short trip down the road to the Regional Capital, Cape Coast, gave me the opportunity to see just how much.

The city was brimming with people at a yet another bumping festival. Although, I was unable to get a consistent answer about what the festival was celebrating, I believe it had something to do with the a celebration of the Fante people.

Allow me to explain: Ghana is made up of 9 or 10 regions (depend on whether you count the Greater Accra region) and it is my understanding that within each region a certain tribes dominate. I, for example, live in the Central Region where the Fante people are the dominant tribe. The legend goes that the Fante people moved to the region by conquering the Akaan people who had originally come down from Burkina Faso. The Fante people were lead by three great settlers who are represented by three animals, I can’t remember which animals at this point but I am sure I will learn a lot more about the ethnic history of my villagers as time goes on!

Anyway, this festival is a Fante Festival and it included a parade of all the Fante Paramount Chiefs, in addition to the Chief of Cape Coast who I hear is an expensive man to meet. My friend Nancy who teaches are at the School for the Deaf in Cape Coast proper, told me it will cost you about $50 and a couple bottles of Schnapps to even go and greet him. Well, I may not get to meet him but at least I got his picture!

Enjoy the photos, I sure had a great time taking them.

The Asafo Whale?

The Asafo waving a flag

Before a chief is paraded down the street he must preceded by his Asafo. The Asafo are kind of like the chief's militia, made up of the strongest most honorable warriors in the village. This is the flag of one Fante Asafo, with a crowd of warriors parading proudly as their chief makes his way through the procession. Following the Asafo is the paramount stool. This is an object of worship and represents all the power of the chief.

Here is a woman carrying one of the marble stools on her head. She is being held/dragged along by an assistant to represent the power of the stool being too much for just one human to control.

Voted by the Central Region PCVs in attendance, best dressed parader

These women and men were painted with white paint in designs all over their bodies. I am not sure what they represent but they directly preceded the Cheif of Cape Coast so...they're important!

Despite the illegality of homosexuality, no Ghanaian festival is complete without a few people dressing in drag. This guy had some killer pumps!


And Now Presenting...the Paramount Chiefs!

The Chief of Cape CoastThe Chief of Abura. He is my the Paramount Chief for the district my village is in! I yelled extra loud as he passed by.
This guy was a crowd favorite as he was throwing out candy and plastic jewelry. Clearly not his first rodeo!
Yes there are glorious Lady Chiefs too! We call them Queen Mothers instead. She was definitely my favorite of the few that were paraded.

Following the chiefs were of course a few people on stilts. I mean, what's a parade without stilts. We ended up joining in the tail end of the parade and dancing our way down the block! A good time was had by all.