Ants!

So it has come to my attention that ants are eating my home as fast as they possibly can. Their work is quite easily noticed from the outside of the house. The front door has been snacked to oblivion as have many of the window frames. But that is outside, fine…Ants belong outside.

This is the ceiling in my hallway

When the moon is full and I am feeling especially exhausted and lacking of Insecticide, the ants invite themselves in for a little midnight snack. I snapped a few photos on one exceptionally busy evening in my house.

The ceiling in my bedroom, Gulp!

I am hoping I can convince them to postpone consuming the entire house until my work here is done. I guess we shall see.

ANTS!

Well, Aren’t you Sweet!

A new personal record for the strangest bouquet was unarguably shattered today! A good friend of mine Sam, whose wife is quickly becoming my favorite seamstress, presented me with a most beautiful bouquet this afternoon. Sam is an unbelievably generous friend, as most Ghanaians are and has gifted me many consumables from fresh okra to palm oil for cooking. But this time, a bouquet arrived at my house via taxi of not flowers, not chocolate covered strawberries, but Plantains- still on the stem. So many plantains, in fact, I had a rather difficult time carrying into my house after it was delivered. I think when all was said and done, there were around 30 plantains and I managed to consume 20 of them before they began to ripen quickly and were gifted to just about anyone who walked past my house.

Shortly after announcing to Sam I had managed to finish the plantains he assured me another bouquet would be headed my way shortly. Looks like this week’s menu will include plantain pie, plantain juice, plantain bread, and plantain stew.

Enjoy the photo, I think I had already removed several at this point and only then realized the sheer ridiculousness of the matter and went about documenting it.

Sweet New Ride

I don’t think I’ve described the layout of my school and town but it is certainly not for the weak or lazy. I live at one of the points of an equilateral triangle where each leg is approximately 1 mile. The other two vertices are the administrative block of my school (where my ICT lab is located) and the classroom buildings of my lab (where just about 50% of my classes take place). The journey from the ICT lab to the classrooms is so arduous that students actually refer to the location of the campus as “Sweat To”, as in you will break a Sweat To get there because it a mile away and uphill nearly the whole way.

I tried very hard when making the timetable to condense ICT classes to either the beginnings or the very ends of the days so that students needn’t make the trip both down and back. As a result, I on the other hand am walking the Sweat To trail twice and sometimes three times a day. Luckily there are plenty of pure water sellers along the way and snacks too- should the journey require a little blood sugar booster.

Well, walk in the midday sun no more- this PCV just snagged herself a bicycle! A deal, at 30 Ghana Cedis purchased from the school bus driver, who upgraded to a motorcycle. Don’t get too jealous when you see the picture despite its shiny paint job, online the lowest of the 21 gears work. So virtually every time I ride it I look like a cartoon character, pedaling ridiculously fast to keep up with the ups and downs of hills. Like I don’t already look ridiculous enough for a million other reasons. This trusty Blue soldier, is saving me oodles of time!

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.