The Demise of a Blog

Blogs are great (sometimes). They are a way to communicate experiences, tastes, distastes, and general intellectual banter to an indeterminably large (or small) audience. I feel guilty that I’ve let mine wither and I am making a concerted effort to give it the proverbial mouth-mouth. In reviving this blog, I’d like to take a moment to discuss why blogs crumble and what I can do as a blogger to prevent that from happening again. With the decade ought come a whole new resolve, and this time around I mean business.

A number of factors, as I see it, lead to the demise of a Blog and trust me there are thousands of dead blogs clogging the internet, like a broken down jalopy on the Information Freeway. There are so many, in fact, that when I troll for blogs (usually about art, news, or Fashion) I’ve made it habit to first check the date on which the blog was last updated. If it wasn’t updated in the last two weeks chances are it won’t be updated in the next two, or ever again if we want to be realistic. So why is and how is that blogs find themselves in the so called blog graveyard? Well, I can think of four relatively sound reasons. (Please, none of this should be read as me trying to find excuses for my gross neglect. This is simply me justifying to myself why I am not the only one who has neglected her civic duty to keep her blog fresh and dynamic).

The first (and what I see to be the most legitimate reason) a blog dies is that the specific event, the blog was created for passes. This event can be anything from the birth of a child, the marriage of a couple, or Serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in some obscure foreign country. The blog is designed to chronicle specific information about a certain period in time. Obviously, when the time passes the blog to will wiggle its way into the ground. This will most likely be the C.O.D. of the blog you are reading right now. Someday in the not so distant future I will no longer have stories about crab elbows or tro-tros to share and my life in America hardly warrants the kind of rigorous public scrutiny blogging can offer.

The second reason, (possibly the most optimistic) is that people grow (for the better) out of their blogs. As we are no longer living in the age of pretty pink diaries with heart shaped locks tucked snuggly under our Serta mattresses, blogs come to rescue as our outlet for our deepest darkest thoughts, that used to be so safely kept under lock and key. The mentality of someone who blogs in this way, is baffling, but if I really think about it, I can see the logic. Perhaps making seemingly insignificant but incredibly personal information so ridiculously public, may in fact, hide it from those who know you best (in the real physical world). An example of this style of blog death would be: maybe you started a blog as a freshman in high school to channel your ultra-angsty insignificant thoughts, but upon graduating high school (and potentially being struck by lightning) you’ve realized any additional subject matter you discuss should be placed at totally different URL altogether. Regardless, people change, things happen and eventually a blog may not serve the purpose it was originally intended to serve. I propose we all be held responsible for maintain “Blog Mission Statements”, which would be displayed at the top. That would save blog trollers like me, a whole lot of time and effort looking for “the good stuff”.

Thirdly, a blogger doesn’t know what he is getting himself into and simply lacks the drive and stamina to keep the blog fresh. There is simply no excuse for this. If you are too lazy to update a blog, you are probably too lazy to think of anything worth read to post on it (save hilarious pictures of puppies and the occasional must-see YouTube clip). Perhaps bloggers should be given training blogs in the beginning and if they can prove themselves consistent posters, then they will be allowed to blog with the big dogs. Laziness, has never, and will never, be a legitimate excuse for anything (except, I’ve found, occasionally in West Africa). These people should be fined for their slacking.

Fourthly, and potentially most rarely, the technology which you use to maintain your blog goes missing or becomes increasingly unreliable. This is what I like to call the Peace Corps Volunteer excuse. Whether, it is always true that our blogs generally go astray (save Brendan and Guillermo), it is certainly easy to tell our friends and family this is the case. The internet connections, if you can find them, are frustratingly slow and rarely working due to the requirement of consistent electricity, which has also become a bit of a novelty item. Technological excuses aside, we also lose perspective at a staggering pace. Sometimes we, as volunteers constantly encouraged to integrate with rural undeveloped communities, simply find ourselves in experiencing something totally ludicrous which all of the sudden becomes commonplace and insignificant to us. For example, I have a friend in the Volta region who takes part in the sacrificing of no less than 7 animals a week. I am told he has some pretty rowdy river Gods that require extra attention. I’m sure he’s blogged about it once or twice but when the ritual happens every day it hardly seems reporting to an already waning fan group. Another example, I am writing these posts from the comfort of my home on a Thursday afternoon because classes were canceled for some sort of all school sports competition. In America, this would never be a last minute surprise. It would have been carefully planned, voted, on and compensated for in exchange for teacher workshop days. Here, in Ghana, it is just another surprise day off.

I would like to put my neglect under category number four due to the fact that majority of my blogs take the basic form of SILLY/UNUSUAL PICTURE coupled with WITTY PICTURE EXPLANATION AND REFLECTION. Well, we all know by now one of my conniving students stole my digital camera around Halloween which made my comfortable style of blogging virtually impossible. For this, I apologize. I have since, by the grace of my sweet sweet mother and father and fellow PCV Sonya’s sister, received a new camera and can resume my comfortable posting style. (After this explanatory post, of course).

But, like I said it is a new decade and I have a feeling the 10’s are going to bring us nothing but blue skies, bountiful harvests, and regular blog posts. Now all I have to do is not lose my camera and pray to God that the internet connection here doesn’t get any worse than it already is.

Apologies for my Slacking Blog

Now is the time when I catch you up with the last few weeks and apologize for my lack of fun and entertaining blog posts to keep you all giggling in your seats.

First things first, consider this blog "pictureless until further notice". While, Ghana is an extremely safe country, and Ghanaians are among the nicest people in world, a few bad seeds have drifted along and snagged my super sweet and extremely portable digital camera. Boo Hoo! I know, it kills me too. Especially, last night when I was hunting a spider the size of a Frisbee, with only my headlamp, a frying pan and a can of insecticide. The whole time I was thinking, "Man, I could really use a picture of this for my Christmas card". But alas, it cannot be.

In other news, my first term as a teacher in Ghana has nearly come to an end! Next week marks the begining of a two week period called, "Revision Week" where teachers fail to come to class and students read through the copius notes they have taken throughout the Term. I plan to go to every class with an English book, a Science book, a Math book, and a French book and answer any and all questions that my students may have in any of their classes. It can't hurt and it will certainly keep me busy.

I can't believe that in just a few weeks I will have been here for a whole 6 months. I guess time really does fly. Before I know it, I will be saying my farewells to a village of friends that have grown and supported me over the last years.

I also want to wish everybody a wonderful Thanksgiving, which is just next week! Fear not, I will be celebrating in true American fashion: surrounded by fellow Americans supping on Turkey, cranberrys, and pie.

Fundraiser Ended

Well as you can see, my field hockey fundraiser, although not entirely successful, definitely brought in some much needed money for my field hockey stick project. The next step is to take the donations I received and plead with STX to work with me to get as many sticks as possible to my school in Ghana. None of this coordination has been easy and I really appreciate everyone who has had any part in supporting me, either financially or with encouraging words.

Thank you so much!

Please Help the Students of Aburaman Senior High School!

As many of you are well aware, my school is in desperate need of sports equipment, field hockey sticks being our number one priority. STX, a very nice field hockey stick manufacturer, has donated 50 sticks to my school but has asked me to raise the money for shipping.

It will cost around $700, which my school simply can't afford.

If just 35 of you out there, donate $20. We can get the sticks here and make some seriously wonderful students lives a lot more joyful.

I've created a fundraising project online so you can make your donations directly to me through Paypal. I will then send the money to STX and they will send us the sticks!

A little goes a long way here in Ghana, and I will be infinitely appreciative of any little bit of help you can give, even if they are just some words of encouragement!

Here are some pictures of the students in need:

Setting up our bamboo hockey net

Smiling for the Camera

Wearing their house colors!

Ghanaian Hamburgers

Ingredients for an Obruni BBQ- Ghana Style

*2 lbs. of beef fillet from Cape Coast Butcher
*2 loafs of bread
*Onions, Garlic, and Ketchup
*One hand crank meat grinder
*3 of your nearest neighbors
*Charcoal Pot with Wire Fencing

Arjun playing grill master

Where there is a will there is a way.

Keeping it Cool

Since my arrival in Ghana, after a slight adjustment period, the weather has been entirely bearable. The rain has been rolling in every few days to fill up my water buckets and cool things off a bit so sleeping has been a breeze. But recently, the rains have stopped and each midday is getting hotter and hotter. Well, now that electricity has been restored to my house and the gigantic freezer has been turned on (to store some corn dough for my headmaster’s daughter) we PCVs are really figure out how to stay cool.


Although, I too have hopped in the giant freezer for a little cool down it is kind of hard to take a good picture of yourself in a freezer. Instead I invited over a nearby Obruni neighbor to take a dip.

Arjun on Ice

Village Opinion Leaders

I think this photo speaks for itself. But my possession of it may warrant a brief explanation. The photo and frame was given to me by one of the Village Opinion leaders. I couldn’t help but giggle and do my best to share it all with you. If you can read the text it is even funnier. I am sure, the gifter has no idea what it says, which is probably better. I am just happy to be in good favor of opinion leaders of my community.

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!