April 2005 (Out of Order, sorry)
SORRY, OUT OF ORDER!!!Read the previous one first.

Physically Fit-

Guess what yall? Nneka is getting into shape! Yeah!!!! I m proud to say that I have starthed exercising [almost] on a daily basis. Every morning I wake up around 6:00am when its cool and breezy and prepare to take off round 6:30am to ride my bike down the road to the next village. And let me tell you it feels soo good with the breeze in my face and the beautiful scenery. Can you believe that I can ride my bike for an hour now non-stop? Its soo coool!!! lol.

The first day was the most beautiful. I think it was because I was so pumped that I was actually starting my exercise regiment. I got up and mentally battled the fact that I had to start today like I had planned. I won the mental battle, went to the kitchen to take a small breakfast, put on my sweats, threw on my bright pink bicycle helmet, jumped on my bike, and headed down the road. (And yes, Peace Corps require that we wear our helmet. So that means I have to endure the locals laughing or staring at me and my helmet. One guy asked me, "Is that your crash helmet for the bike?? I said yes and he couldn?t even breath, he was laughing so hard. In my area, they are only used to seeing people wear helmets went they are riding their motorbikes, not bicycles.) But, I started down the red clay road taking in the extraordinary scenery. I had one of those ?I'm actually in Africa moments.? Riding down the road, I passed the strong Ghanaian women carrying large bundles of firewood on their heads and big babies on their backs walking from the village to town (I wish I had my camera, but I?m not that skilled yet that I can ride and take pictures at the same time). Riding down the road, the dry brush decorated the village scenery; decorating the brown clay compounds spread far apart, decorating other village women fetching water from the only borehole in miles, decorating the baby goats calling out to their mothers as I pass by (I love the baby goats, they are so cuuute!!!). The sights and knowing that I am actually here in Africa produced an overwhelmingly, proud feeling within me. I was in awe. Then that awe vanished as a woman twice my age on a one-speed bike passed me on my 21-speed bike, TWICE!!!! lol.

I started the exercise regiment for two reasons- to get in shape and to prepare for an HIV/AIDS bike ride. Beginning May 10th throu May 15th, a bunch of obrunis (foreigners/white people) will ride our bikes as part of an education campaign to create awareness about HIV/AIDS in the rural communities. Get this? We will bike between 10-15 miles/day and give 3 two-hour presentations each day. Now top those hours of riding and presentations with 100+ degree weather, carrying all your belongings on the back of your bike as you ride day in and day out. It?s going to be a HUGE challenge but I think I can do it. I'll write about it and post it for the May Online Journal Entry.

A week after beginning my regiment, I joined the KitFit Exercise group, something that some people in town put together. We meet every Saturday at 5:30am, before the sun is up, to do our exercises. Last week was my first day with the group. I got there late since I?m not used to waking up that early but arrived just in time to start the exercise routine (I missed the join portion). Let me tell you that this was my first time since my college days that I've done any exercise routine. That translates to my body was sore for the next few days, but I continued with my daily bike riding. And guess what??? I played soccer for the first time!!!!!! It was hilarious. There were only two girls playing soccer, myself and my friend Mercy. We were on opposite teams and she was guarding the goal post. Needless to say, since this was my first time, I looked like an idiot trying to kick the ball towards my goal with my opponents (opponents who have been playing soccer before they could even walk) trying to steal the ball from me. I made it to the goal post, the one Mercy war guarding, and prepared to give one hard kick to score a point. Unfortunately, I wasn?t keeping an eye on Mercy who was right there and as I gave my kick to score, she also gave her kick to counter my score and we both kicked the ball that didn't go anywhere, and then kicked each other!!!!!! I lost balance and fell. Makes you think of tat movie Clueless doesn't it? lol.



HIVA/IDS WORK

This has been one of the most inspiring aspects of my Peace Corps service. We (my NGO & myself) have officially established our People Living With HIV/AIDS Association. I?m so excited and proud. Right now. The association is made up of 11 women (and some with their children) but the number will continue to increase as we continue to invite those people that test positive for the virus.

Last week we elected the executive committee and started drafting a plan of action/activities we would like to accomplish this year. I?m excited about the ideas that we?ve come up with. Some of them are:
? a Civil Rights education workshop
? share and provide support for other People Living with HIV/AIDS Assoc. in Ghana
? Income generation projects (e.g., soap making, tye & dye, jewelry making)
? Self esteem/confidence-building sessions


Not only am I excited about the plans, but I?m simply excited about interacting with the women and learning from them. They are so motivated and upbeat despite their ever-changing physical state. In The beginning, I felt sorry for them but after observing them, it seemed as though they didn?t pity themselves- so why should I? And from this perspective, I began to open my mind and heart to learn from them.

The women range from as young as 23 years old to about 50 years old. The modes of contracting the virus vary in this area and are mostly due to poverty and traditional beliefs. Young girls and even married women who?s father or husband are not able to provide for them financially turn to prostitution-(either for money, school fees/uniforms, or just their daily bread- and contract HIV/AIDS. Traditional beliefs definitely spread HIV/AIDS faster than wildfire. In this area, it is common for men to have a wife (and in some cases more than one wife) and have multiple marital affairs, which help them bring the disease home to their wife/wives and children. Secondly, people often seek remedies from traditional healers when they are sick. The remedy usually entails some type of scarring with a blade and herbal medicine that is often been used more than once. Wife inheritance is also a common mode of transportation. When a husband dies, leaving his wife sometimes they are not completely sure of the cause; so when the late husband?s brother comes to marry/take the wife, rarely does either of them go for testing. It?s a sad situation. But out of this sad situation, these women who have HIV/AIDS bring me happiness with their positive attitudes, their joy, and their ability to keep on keeping on in the face of HIV/AIDS.

I can see the forming of this association will be a very rewarding experience- both for the HIV/AIDS victims and myself. Next weekend, we are going to visit another association to share experiences, stories, motivation, and all that good stuff. I can?t wait for it because it will give our women even more moral support on top of what they are receiving now amongst each other. I?ll take pictures and post them.
Right now, The association is made up of 11 women (and some with their children) but the number will continue to increase as we continue to invite those people that undergo testing and result positive for HIV/AIDS.

May Online Journal
Hello, hello. It’s me again! Last month I tried to post an entry but when I finally made it to the Internet cafe, the computer couldn’t read my disk. So this time, I’m posting two entries. Read the previous one before reading this one.

.........Did you read it? Ok. Now read on......

HIV/AIDS BIKE-RIDE: I’m very proud to say, I DID IT!!!!! I rode approx. 100 miles in five days- with about 40 other Peace Corps volunteers and
20 Ghanaian NGO reps- giving health presentations in rural communities/villages on HIV/AIDS. It was a lot of fun but also mentally and physically challenging. Some of these communities knew a lot about the virus
and were actively fighting against it. In some communities, students had already created dramas, poems, and songs about HIV/AIDS to teach their
communities about it. But there were also other communities that didn’t know much and we were able to dispel some myths about the virus through
an interactive presentation.

What I enjoyed most about the bike-ride was being able to see the different and unique faces of Ghana in the ruralist of areas, experiencing traditional culture in its natural setting, and interacting with the community in the presentations. My favorite faces were of course the babies and then the old women and men. There’s just something about baby’s
chubby cheeks and the old folks’ wrinkles and weary looking face that make me want to grab their face in my hands and plant a wet one on them, lol. (Don’t be alarmed; I didn’t actually do it. I said it makes me
WANT to.) A couple of the communities danced for us as a welcoming ceremony. In my opinion, people in this area work so hard day in and day out
that when they finally get the chance to enjoy themselves, they go all out. They were having so much fun dancing for us. Then they made us join
in. Yeah, that’s right, Nneka danced with the locals. It was cool. Two communities also gave us a goat and a duck as thank you gifts for the
foreigners who came to their tiny community to talk to them. And let me tell you, the women fried that goat soo good it tasted like KFC Chicken. I swear! Another volunteer agreed with me. It was good.
Unfortunately, the duck didn’t make it through the end of the day. I guess sitting in a box on the back of a bike for hours in the excruciating heat got to
him. Sorry-o! Oh yeah, I forgot to mention my other favorite part of the bike-ride; it was watching the old men and women laugh their heads off when we pulled out the plastic penis to do the condom demonstration.

Ha, ha, ha. I guess they just couldn’t believe how real it looked. There was one community where we had a translator and this dude couldn’t
even talk he was so was rolling with laughter. Someone wanted to know why
we didn’t bring a plastic vagina.

The most difficult part for me was the actual riding. The first day we took off everything started off cool and slow. I was enjoying this
leisure ride and then for some reason they kicked into high gear when I was already getting tired and we hadn’t even reached the first community
yet. So there I was was with a big knot in my stomach, pushing up the hill faaaar behind everyone else. I was thinking, “What the hell did I get
myself into?” But I kept on pushing and I made it through the first day riding ever so slowly, or ginger walking as someone called it, in the
blazing hot sun with no protection against it. Day 2 and 3 were easier in that there were fewer inclines, but the sun seemed to be twice as hot as the first day. That’s when I broke out my two yards/wrap and covered my head, neck, back and arms. They say I was practicing being a ghost for Halloween. I say I was being a Muslim for a day. Day 4 was a mental
struggle trying to motivate myself by reiterating in my head that tomorrow was the last day. Day 5 was a breeze!!!

All in all, I think many things were accomplished through the bike-ride: (1) Rural communities learned how to prevent contracting HIV/AIDS and show care and support for those unfortunate victims that have it; (2) rural communities now know there are female condoms available; (3)reunited Peace Corps volunteers who normally see each other every once in a blue moon do to work at site; (4) I met up with PCV’s I’ve never seen before; (5) I rode 100+ miles (I’m most proud of this one); (6) my legs are tight now, lol!!!!!!

That’s all folks.

PS. I promise to post the April one soon (Sorry-o, the internet cafes suck sometimes)

February/March Entry
Hey, hey people,
Let me first apologize for the delay in writing this journal entry. I’ve been busy with meetings and traveling all over the place. Over all, I’ve been doing good, making connections and working hard with my NGO. I recently went down to the capital, Accra, to meet our headquarters. I never thought I would be so happy to be in a city with all the things that I’m used to at home: running water, bathtub and shower, carpet, taxis, tall buildings… I think you get my drift. But besides
these things, the most IMPORTANT thing from the trip was the FAMILIAR FOOD. It may not seem that important, but to me it was on the top of the
list. And I surely did get down with the food. In one day, I feasted on a chicken burger, french fries, and washed it down with a Coke. In the
same day, I pampered my stomach with a juicy, greasy pizza (with real cheese). Even though it costed almost $10 for the size of a paper plate;
it was WELL WORTH IT. I was smiling that entire time I was devouring it. But my bliss has now ended and I’m back in my area, slipping back
into the rural life.

I’m happy to say that my we (My NGO, clients, and I) have finally started the initial steps of our project; we’ve started the nursery for our Moringa Oleifera tree plantation. The M.O. (AKA. The
Miracle Tree) is very nutritious. When you compare the amount of nutrients to the World Health Organization’s daily recommended allowance, it proves substantial amounts of the daily required calcium, iron, protein, and vitamins and minerals needed for pregnant/lactating women and young
children to grow healthy. Another NGO used the tree to treat malnutrition in Senegal with rapid results. It’s also drought-resistant, which is
necessary in our arid land conditions. So my NGO wants to create its own source to treat our clients and also teach them how to cultivate the
tree so they can continue to use it once they leave the Centre. Two weeks ago, the women planted their seeds and now it’s just a matter of
watering them and watching them grow. So I’m happy about that. Once this primary projects gets underway, then I would like to start a Girl’s Club- GO GIRLS!!!- And then maybe a computer camp for kids (Ya’ll know I love the kids). With the girls group, I want to do health education and life
skills activities to boost their moral and motivate them to continue with their education to better themselves and their families- and anything
their curious minds would want to explore will give us continuous little projects to do. I think it will be fun. The computer camp should be
self-explanatory. I just need to scope out a comp. lab or find a way to get some computers for the camp. If you have any ideas on where/how to
get some, let me know. I’m open to suggestions.

Culturally, the experiences never stop. Recently, I had the privilege of witnessing our late Chief’s funeral. The contrast between the funerals I’m used to at home and the funerals here in the North are
soo great. The Chief’s funeral lasted from Feb. 22-28th (typically,funerals last for three days here in the North). The first night of the
funeral when they brought the corps from the mortuary, the commencement of the funeral was announced by shooting 3 shots into the air- over and over again. I have to admit that I was scared at first.( It was nighttime with a bunch of people crying and guns going off every second) A
mass crowd gathered to mourn and wail/cry. The next day, they decorated the funeral grounds and displayed the body for viewing. Displaying the
body means, propping it up in a chair, dressed in his finest clothing and placed on a paroquin surrounded by the things he loved and/or did in
this life. This Chief was a hunter, farmer, lawyer, and teacher and various things were displayed to demonstrate that. They hung his
lawyers robe, placed a pen between his fingers (to signify that he was educated) a rifle across his arms, and a bunch of cattle horns. For three
days, the late Chief sat on the paroquin, and people came and paid their respects by throwing coins at the xylophone (normally, it’s played
throughout all funerals in the North) and then over under the paroquin. Because of the Chief’s high status and his former occupation as a public
official, his funeral was done both traditionally and then officially by the government of Ghana. (The Vice President even showed up to pay his
respects). According to tradition, when a Chief dies, they have to perform black magic to demonstrate their strength. Unfortunately, I wasn’t
there to see it going on, but they described it to me. They said some women poked thick needles through their tongues and some other women
stretched out their tongues, curled them around clay pots, and walked around the funeral grounds with them hanging from their tongue. They say
there was much more magic that was supposed to go on, but because the crowd was too big and there were children around they didn’t want the kids to
get sick or other people who practice black magic to test their powers with so many people around. I wish I had been there, but from what they told me, it sounds a lot like the Voodoo I saw Haitians performing when I was in the Dominican Republic.

My FAVORITE part about the funeral though was the cultural display. Because he was a big man, people from all over the country and from different tribes came to pay their respects; along with that, they
were allowed some time to display their cultural dances specific to their tribe/area. The Techiman (Asanti) Chief and his entourage performed
a dance called the “Fromtomfrom”. That’s when they do a dance where each move sends a message to the audience. According to my friend, the dance was telling everyone that the chief has died (appropriate I guess,lol). Then the Bolgatanga people came with their dances, and a few other
tribes. Sorry, I don’t remember their names because I only really remember my favorite- THE FRA-FRA’s. They say these people are very violent
and that you can tell by their music. To me, everyone else’s music and dances were slow, but the Fra Fras to me exhibited what people would
refer to as “typical African” dancing. (Even though we know there’s no typical dance for Africa). This group- and this one gorgeous man-mesmerized me. The star guy was built (cut to the max), nice and
chocolatety skin, two tribal marks down each cheek, and shoulder-length, thin dreads. And this brother could dance. He was spinning, jumping, playing
his drum. I can’t really put into words what I saw and how I felt, but I did take lots of pictures. So you can see for yourself.

Ok, that’s all for now. But before I end this, I though it would be fun to add a little spice to the journal. So I’m adding:


YOU KNOW YOU(‘RE) IN GHANA WHEN….


-you have a bubbling stomach and you have diarreah once a week seems normal

-belching loudly in public is actually a compliment to the cook

-it’s so hot you sleep naked and still wake up more than 3 times in the night to dip your sheets in water to cool you down

-your trash disposal is a pig that discards your food for you right off your front porch in 2 seconds and doesn’t miss a morsel of food

-you have the dilemma, “Should I use this last bucket of water to flush my diarreah down the toilet or take a bath”

-the driver agrees to stop his 12-hour bus ride to let you sh*t in the bush

-you’re soo excited to get running water once a week

-you don’t have to go to a petting zoo to feed a goat...they actually come to your front porch looking for food

-your bus driver stops the bus to pick up a “preacher” to deliver church service on your way to your destination- I mean preaching, singing,
collections, and all

-You are excited to go to the weekend social function...a funeral




Alrighty people. I’m out! Until next time.

February/March Entry
Hey, hey people,
Let me first apologize for the delay in writing this journal entry. I’ve been busy with meetings and traveling all over the place. Over all, I’ve been doing good, making connections and working hard with my NGO. I recently went down to the capital, Accra, to meet our headquarters. I never thought I would be so happy to be in a city with all the things that I’m used to at home: running water, bathtub and shower, carpet, taxis, tall buildings… I think you get my drift. But besides
these things, the most IMPORTANT thing from the trip was the FAMILIAR FOOD. It may not seem that important, but to me it was on the top of the
list. And I surely did get down with the food. In one day, I feasted on a chicken burger, french fries, and washed it down with a Coke. In the
same day, I pampered my stomach with a juicy, greasy pizza (with real cheese). Even though it costed almost $10 for the size of a paper plate;
it was WELL WORTH IT. I was smiling that entire time I was devouring it. But my bliss has now ended and I’m back in my area, slipping back
into the rural life.

I’m happy to say that my we (My NGO, clients, and I) have finally started the initial steps of our project; we’ve started the nursery for our Moringa Oleifera tree plantation. The M.O. (AKA. The
Miracle Tree) is very nutritious. When you compare the amount of nutrients to the World Health Organization’s daily recommended allowance, it proves substantial amounts of the daily required calcium, iron, protein, and vitamins and minerals needed for pregnant/lactating women and young
children to grow healthy. Another NGO used the tree to treat malnutrition in Senegal with rapid results. It’s also drought-resistant, which is
necessary in our arid land conditions. So my NGO wants to create its own source to treat our clients and also teach them how to cultivate the
tree so they can continue to use it once they leave the Centre. Two weeks ago, the women planted their seeds and now it’s just a matter of
watering them and watching them grow. So I’m happy about that. Once this primary projects gets underway, then I would like to start a Girl’s Club- GO GIRLS!!!- And then maybe a computer camp for kids (Ya’ll know I love the kids). With the girls group, I want to do health education and life
skills activities to boost their moral and motivate them to continue with their education to better themselves and their families- and anything
their curious minds would want to explore will give us continuous little projects to do. I think it will be fun. The computer camp should be
self-explanatory. I just need to scope out a comp. lab or find a way to get some computers for the camp. If you have any ideas on where/how to
get some, let me know. I’m open to suggestions.

Culturally, the experiences never stop. Recently, I had the privilege of witnessing our late Chief’s funeral. The contrast between the funerals I’m used to at home and the funerals here in the North are
soo great. The Chief’s funeral lasted from Feb. 22-28th (typically,funerals last for three days here in the North). The first night of the
funeral when they brought the corps from the mortuary, the commencement of the funeral was announced by shooting 3 shots into the air- over and over again. I have to admit that I was scared at first.( It was nighttime with a bunch of people crying and guns going off every second) A
mass crowd gathered to mourn and wail/cry. The next day, they decorated the funeral grounds and displayed the body for viewing. Displaying the
body means, propping it up in a chair, dressed in his finest clothing and placed on a paroquin surrounded by the things he loved and/or did in
this life. This Chief was a hunter, farmer, lawyer, and teacher and various things were displayed to demonstrate that. They hung his
lawyers robe, placed a pen between his fingers (to signify that he was educated) a rifle across his arms, and a bunch of cattle horns. For three
days, the late Chief sat on the paroquin, and people came and paid their respects by throwing coins at the xylophone (normally, it’s played
throughout all funerals in the North) and then over under the paroquin. Because of the Chief’s high status and his former occupation as a public
official, his funeral was done both traditionally and then officially by the government of Ghana. (The Vice President even showed up to pay his
respects). According to tradition, when a Chief dies, they have to perform black magic to demonstrate their strength. Unfortunately, I wasn’t
there to see it going on, but they described it to me. They said some women poked thick needles through their tongues and some other women
stretched out their tongues, curled them around clay pots, and walked around the funeral grounds with them hanging from their tongue. They say
there was much more magic that was supposed to go on, but because the crowd was too big and there were children around they didn’t want the kids to
get sick or other people who practice black magic to test their powers with so many people around. I wish I had been there, but from what they told me, it sounds a lot like the Voodoo I saw Haitians performing when I was in the Dominican Republic.

My FAVORITE part about the funeral though was the cultural display. Because he was a big man, people from all over the country and from different tribes came to pay their respects; along with that, they
were allowed some time to display their cultural dances specific to their tribe/area. The Techiman (Asanti) Chief and his entourage performed
a dance called the “Fromtomfrom”. That’s when they do a dance where each move sends a message to the audience. According to my friend, the dance was telling everyone that the chief has died (appropriate I guess,lol). Then the Bolgatanga people came with their dances, and a few other
tribes. Sorry, I don’t remember their names because I only really remember my favorite- THE FRA-FRA’s. They say these people are very violent
and that you can tell by their music. To me, everyone else’s music and dances were slow, but the Fra Fras to me exhibited what people would
refer to as “typical African” dancing. (Even though we know there’s no typical dance for Africa). This group- and this one gorgeous man-mesmerized me. The star guy was built (cut to the max), nice and
chocolatety skin, two tribal marks down each cheek, and shoulder-length, thin dreads. And this brother could dance. He was spinning, jumping, playing
his drum. I can’t really put into words what I saw and how I felt, but I did take lots of pictures. So you can see for yourself.

Ok, that’s all for now. But before I end this, I though it would be fun to add a little spice to the journal. So I’m adding:


YOU KNOW YOU(‘RE) IN GHANA WHEN….


-you have a bubbling stomach and you have diarreah once a week seems normal

-belching loudly in public is actually a compliment to the cook

-it’s so hot you sleep naked and still wake up more than 3 times in the night to dip your sheets in water to cool you down

-your trash disposal is a pig that discards your food for you right off your front porch in 2 seconds and doesn’t miss a morsel of food

-you have the dilemma, “Should I use this last bucket of water to flush my diarreah down the toilet or take a bath”

-the driver agrees to stop his 12-hour bus ride to let you sh*t in the bush

-you’re soo excited to get running water once a week

-you don’t have to go to a petting zoo to feed a goat...they actually come to your front porch looking for food

-your bus driver stops the bus to pick up a “preacher” to deliver church service on your way to your destination- I mean preaching, singing,
collections, and all

-You are excited to go to the weekend social function...a funeral




Alrighty people. I’m out! Until next time.

Hello, hello hello,

Greetings from Ghana! I hope all is going well with each and every one of you.. I am doing well and am writing to give you all an update on what's been going on with me. I've decided to start mass e-mailing my online journal entries so that you can access it quicker than going through links of pages. My entry follows. But before I give the low down, I want to address a concern that have come to my attention. A coupe of times some people have alluded to the idea that I somehow regret my decision to come to Ghana and that I'm unhappy here. I feel they believe this because I often express that I miss my family a lot. Yes, I do miss my people very much but because I acknowledge it and express it doesn't mean that I am unhappy here. I feel it's important for both my family back home and prospective volunteers to know both the good and the bad, the ups and the down of the PC experience- so I tell all hoping to give you a first hand glimpse. So Please let me make it loud and clear that I AM HAPPY TO BE HERE IN GHANA AND I'M ENJOYING THE EXPERIENCE AND LEARNING SOO MUCH. So please don't think that I am here suffering and regretting my decision to join PC b/c that's not the case. I am enjoying this rollercoaster ride of an experience and I hope you all are too through my online journal. With that said, read on...
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

I've been blessed to see another year. We thank God (as the Ghanaians say, lol). My New Year resolutions are to stay healthy, work hard, and learn to speak the local dialect of Dagaare. I brought in the New Year at church. I know. BORING!!!!! (Sorry mom, even though I know you'd be happy). I sat on a hard bench (listening to an old pastor and his young Reverend alternate reading from the Bible). Of course it was in Dagaare, so most of the time I was leaning forward with my face in my hands falling in and out of sleep like the other 10 (older) women in church who were also having a hard time staying awake. "This midnight service is for the young people", they kept saying. We kept being awakened by the Rev. playing the drum like a psycho cartoon character when the choir broke out in song. (I know I'm bad for describing him like that, but it was so funny, I just kept laughing). But the highlight/scary part of it all came when it was 5 minutes to midnight. They turned out all the lights and we all got on our knees to pray in the New Year. So we're there praying for 5 minutes with the Pastor yelling, "The old year is going, it's going, it's going..." Then a huge BANG!!! The loud noise made me jump out of my prayers and the lights flicked on and I see the pastor setting down a rifle. Yes, a rifle!!! Now tell me, what does a "holy" man of God need a rifle for in this little place they call a village? They always tell me that nothing bad happens here. THEN WHY THE HELL DOES HE HAVE A GUN??? He doesn't hunt b/c there are no animals to hunt. (Ok, there are goats and chicken running around. The scary thing is that he lives so close to me. I guess I better not make him mad or steal his goats or it's bye bye for me.



CHRISTMASMy first Christmas away from home :0( It really didn't feel like Christmas - there was no snow, no Christmas tree, and no Christmas carols. But a couple of things made up for the unseemingly holiday: I talked to my family, and I went to visit Pres, my Peace Corps volunteer in the south.

I surprised my family by calling them at my grandmother's usual Christmas dinner. They were so happy to hear from me that they put me on the speakerphone and everyone started talking at the same time. LOL! I was soo happy to hear everyone's voice (some for the first time since I've been here) especially hearing "Merry Thistmas and Happy New Yeeerr" from my cousin Jared. And you know I had to make them tell me all the delicious food they were eating that I was missing- candied yams, turkey, ham, chicken, stuffing, greens, mashed potatoes, potato salad, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, etc. etc. (you get the point).

But Christmas here was fun on my end too. I just chilled with my friends Preston and Cibeles (both Peace Corps volunteers) chatting, watching DVD's (Yes ! DVD. Pres bought his portable player) and eating his "bomb" (delicious) cooking. Let me tell you, the man can cook. He woke up on Christmas morning and made us French toast. Hhhmmmm Then we decided to exchange gifts (since it was only three of us and we went "shopping" together we kind of already knew who had who). My present was a belt, coated groundnuts (peanuts) and cheese, Lol. Cheese is hard to come by especially in my area. So I've been making grilled cheese with it. Ha ha ha.

I also stopped by and visited my host family since they live close to my friend Pres. It was sooooooo nice to see them. I came unannounced to surprise them. I was lucky that they were all there- no one had gone to farm. I was trying to sneak my way through the houses and surprise them at the entrance to the compound. That was hard in itself since Ghanaians are soo quick to welcome visitors (I looove this about Ghanaian culture). Every step I took they kept saying, "Obruni, welcome!" (Obruni means foreigner or White person in Twi). I had to keep shushing them until I could make it to the compound. Then when I finally got there, it was like a big family reunion, Lol. They were sooo surprised and we all hugged each other like a football team huddling to discuss the next play. I saw my baby, Prince!!! At first he didn't recognize me, but after staring at me for a while, then he smiled. And I landed all the kisses on him. Ha ha ha. For the next two days, we were inseparable. Even when I was getting my hair braided (yep, I got my first braids too. Pics are coming soon, I promise) he didn't want me to put him down. They have really and truly become my family here in Ghana.



NEW SITE/NEW HOME/NEW LIFE:

I've been at my site for almost two months now and the transition has been filled with ups and downs- such as life itself. Some days, I am homesick and other days I feel so glad that I've made this choice and I know I will learn and experience so much while I'm here. My site is in a traditional area. Though people here also practice Christianity and Islam, there are still many that believe in and consult the ancestors, seek advice from the oracles, and prefer to see traditional healers. People still make their houses out of clay and many guys practice polygamy. I know a guy last week who has 7 wives and 35+ children. And so I'll learn and experience a lot here.

My new house is a bungalow with three rooms, a toilet room (just enough space for a toilet, but I am lucky since some volunteers don't have) a shower room and a front patio. It comes complete with a never-failing washing and dryer machine. In other words, my bare 2 hands (washer) and the sun (dryer). LOL. I'm very happy to have my own space, peace, and privacy. Though sometimes all of these are trespassed: when there's no where for visitors to sleep except my extra room (don't worry, they are relatives of my co-workers), or when my neighbor's daughter knocks on the door early in the morning to tell me, "Sista' Nneka, I'm going to school", or when women carrying buckets on their heads to fetch water discover that there's water at my house, so why fetch it from the borehole down the road?. They just let themselves into my patio without knocking or checking to see if anyone is home. At first these things used to bother me, but now they're just the events of everyday life.

My life has really slowed down a lot (compared to when I was working two jobs back at home). I wake up to the sound of the women sweeping, I make breakfast (usually hot cereal), heat up water and take my bucket bath, and then either go to the Nutrition Centre or the Hospital depending on what work needs to be done that day. Officially, I'm working with the Nutrition Centre, Orphanage, and HIV/AIDS Clinic, but since my counterpart introduced me to the leading Doctor at the Hospital, he thinks that I should be working there. So I am also working with them. So far I've been helping them compile and write reports and proposals for food assistance for the malnourished women and children in the area. And soon, we'll be starting a project to introduce and promote a certain tropical tree - moringa oleifera- to our clients. It's very nutritious and can withstand the dry lands here. It has been used successfully in Senegal to treat malnutrition in women and children, so we are going to do the same. I'll write more about that once it gets under way.

I hope you enjoyed this entry and more is to come soon. I think my next entry will be dedicated to unique cultural experiences I've had, info. about the party my friends and I have coming up, and also a description of the funeral of our late chief. Until next time.

Ghana, Ghana, Ghana
A lot has happened since the last time I wrote in this journal. I will write about them in the order in which they took place.

(1) Last week Tuesday (Nov. 24) was my last day living with my host family. All my gratitude for their looking after me and protecting me came out in tears that day, which made them all cry too. They were at a candidate debate -this is Ghana's election year- all dressed up and looking nice and when I went to say goodbye to them, we were all crying in front of a large crowd. It was touching. I will miss them very much. They went out of their way to make me feel like a member of the family. They even gave me their family name Akosua Gyamea and they told me I am ALWAYS welcome in their home. Aside from their hospitality and generosity, I'm surely going to miss my first born son "Kofi Prince" (9 months). I say he is my first born because they tell me I'm his momma Nneka, lol. Every time I see him, he leans from his [biological] mother's arms for me to pick him up. He cries when I put him down and have to leave or when I give him back to his [biological] mom. He even gets jealous when he sees me playing with other children. One time my host mom, my host sister, little Dereck, Prince and I were sitting outside and Prince was eating (aka breastfeeding) so I picked up Dereck and started playing with him. Well, as soon as Prince heard Dereck laughing, he turned his head quickly to see what was happening and launched himself towards me so I could pick him up and he looked at Dereck like" What are you doing here?" Lol (I'm not exaggerating, this did happen :o)) We all laughed thinking Prince is too young to be getting jealous. HA HA HA That's my baby! ( I will put up pictures online as soon as I can)

(2) My host family went all out or me on my last night with them. They had a send-off ceremony for me. They cooked jollof rice and chicken. They bought soda and beer. They had someone come and play music on a stereo system and we had a little jam in our compound. It was fun. We all sat in a square with the elders on both sides of me. To have the elders sit next to you in this form means you are held in high regards. It's a sign of respect and it's the same way the elders surround the chief in his palace. So this really made me feel good and a part of the family. They also gave me gifts - a picture with a woman in Kente cloth pouring water from a clay pot into a calabash. This is the sign of welcome in Akan (Akan is the dominant ethnic group here in Ghana). They also gave me a strip of Kente cloth, a beautiful black and white batik tye-dye fabric and a dress made with Kente print and a head wrap to match. They ceremony was very special.

(3) After 10 weeks of training and after passing my language proficiency test in Dagaare, I swore in as an official peace Corps Volunteer. the swearing-in ceremony was beautiful. My friend from high school who's been here in Ghana with the Peace Corps for the last year, came all the way down from her site to come and support me at the ceremony and to help me move to my new home. I'll call her SN. For the swearing-in ceremony, all of our host families from the various villages came together dressed in their finest clothes and us trainees wore our newly made outfits. I wore the Kente print dress my host family gave to me with the head wrap. Unfortunately, I only have one picture that a friend took for me because my camera just happened to run out of batters on that day - OF ALL DAYS!! :0( But when I get it, I'll post it online. So back to the ceremony. In addition to taking the oath to become an official Peace Corps Volunteers, we also demonstrated our knowledge in the languages we had learned during training. I did the welcoming address in Dagaare. My trainer and fellow trainees and the audience was so surprised that we had learned so much in just 10 weeks. During training, I was kind of frustrated with learning the language, but that day was a sign of achievement for all of us. We had struggled our way through 10 hour days learning a foreign language that shares no similarities to English what-so-ever, standing in the heat learning the materials and process used to build latrines and soak away pits, and going around the communities doing educational talks practicals on HIV/AIDS, and general life skills like self-assertiveness and nutrition in the local schools. All this on top of getting accustomed to the food, the heat, and trying to get over diarrhea and other illnesses. So swearing in day felt kind of like going through military boot camp and finally graduating, lol. Ok, it wasn't that rough but it was still a struggle.

(4) Thanksgiving day!!! Thanksgiving day for us trainees was just a normal day, one with session after session after session. People were trying to get in touch with their families and waiting for phone calls to come in just so we could know how our families were speeding the holiday, and in my case, what food they were eating that I was missing. But two days later after the swearing-in ceremony, we made up for it by a bunch of us going to Kumasi (the second largest city in Ghana) and had our own Thanksgiving dinner. We all pitched in and bough and cooked food. There was a turkey, which someone babysat in their house letting it run around and make noise and sh*t all over the place before finally killing it and stuffing it, lol. I know that sounds harsh but it was good. For our Thanksgiving dinner there was stuffing, kabobs, mashed yams (substitute for mashed potatoes), cranberry sauce, corn, macaroni salad, brownies, peanut butter cookies, apple pie, pumpkin pie, and cherry pies.Hhhmmm, my belly was soo full, I could barley breathe. But it felt soo good to devour some familiar food. My Thanksgiving celebration included watching a bootleg copies of the lates Spike Lee movie "She Hate Me" - goo/interesting movie about bisexuality and white-collar crime, lol. And the night was capped off dancing at a Lebanese restaurant/club until 3 in the morning. The music was of the hook. They played the newest reggae jams, some R&B, and some hot Lebanese music- even though I didn't know what in the worked they were saying, I still enjoyed it. It sounds a lot like Indian music. The Lebanese men were getting a kick out of watching my friend SN dance and move her wait like a belly dancer. Ha ha ha, she made them pull out a cigarettes and watch as if they were enjoying a soccer game, lol But when I tried to dance like her, one of the guys got up to show me how to do it, lol. It was a lot of fund. We didn't want to leave and our poor friend, Pres (guy) was forced to stay with us so we wouldn't have to catch a cab alone. Sorry Pres!!! The next day my friend SN and I traveled to Pres' site to chill. And we just had a good time talking, watching movies on his portable DVD player, and cooking together. We made this bomb (slang, lol) corn beef stew with chicken, friend plantain, rice, cabbage and fresh, juicy pineapple. Hhmmm. That was my second time eating so much I couldn't breathe, lol. It was like heaven. But it was cool just to be able to chat with a brother and talk about our similar experiences about being a black American in the Peace Corps in Ghana. (I'll write more about this in time, I am still trying to formulate my thoughts in regards to the race thing)

(5) From Pres' site, the journey to my site began. And it was an experience. It went something like this:

10:30 am- Boarded a tro leaving from Pres' site going back to Kumasi which should have been a 2 hr ride

1:00 pm- Arrived to the outskirts of Kumasi but stuck in bumper to bumper traffic praying that we wouldn't miss our 12:30 bus

1:15 - 1:30 pm - Ran around the bus station like a chicken with our heads cut off following a woman who said she knew where we needed to go but kept stopping every five minutes to ask for directions (very frustrating)

1:30 - 2:00 - Rode around in a Taxi on edge by a driver who also said he knew where he was going, only to discover that he didn't understand English and didn't know what we wanted or where we were going in the first place.

2:30pm - Finally arrive at the correct bus station. What a relief

4:00 pm- Boarded a huge bus with a screaming baby, a squawking chicken with its feet tied up (no lie), and a Muslim man speaking into a Megaphone saying a prayer before he begins to sell his product that is supposed to cure all, lol. Sat there for a half an hour in the crazy heat and everyone making noise, people trying to squeeze there butt into a makeshift seat that is supposed to be the walk way.

4:30 pm- Finally depart the "bus station" for what should have been an 8 hr ride

6:00 pm- Bus breaks down and they try to repair it for 45 min

6:45pm- Started the journey again which should have taken only 7 more hours

10:00pm - Still riding the bus with the baby screaming and the chicken squawking Every time someone touches it

1:00am - Still on the bus , falling asleep and waking up, thinking we should be there soon.

3:00 am- Still on the bus, falling asleep and waking up, praying that we don't end up in Burkina Faso 'cause it's so dark we can't see anything

4:00am - Finally arrive to our destination safe and sound and in one piece and ready to get our luggage

4:15- Fighting with the luggage guy to give us our luggage who says he's not allowed to unload the bus until 6:00 am (2 hours)

4:30- Frustrated that the guy won't take the stuff of the top of the bus, SN climbs the bus and goes through the window to get the bags herself (lol) and the guy screaming and following her to come down.

4:45- The guy finally gives us our luggage after we're cursing, screaming, and arguing with him. We tell him thank you and he says "No Thanks, you have to pay me" (I'm angry by now) When we say we won't pay him for doing what he's already supposed to be doing, he struggles to take our luggage from us. We ended up paying anyways just so we can find a place to rest.

And now I'm at my site! But that's another entry :0)

My Ghanain Experience Thus Far...
Mood:  a-ok
Hello All,

So I've been here in Ghana for about a month now and I know you all want detailed info. on my experience thus far, so here it is:

Training: We have just completed week 5 of our 10-week training. Basically, it's like going to school. We start at 8am and end around 5pm. The goal of traning is that by the end -Nov. 27th- we should have a working knowledge of our site language (I'll talk about that a little later), gain technical skills in our respective sectors - in my case it's in health education- as well as know the ins and outs of Ghanaian Culture. So far, we've learned community entry skills- before anyone can enter a village to stay for an extended period of time, they must first seek permission from the chief and explain to him their mission and purpose for coming to the community. But you can't talk directly to the chief, you must talk to him through the linguist. In reality the chiefs already know we are coming and why b/c they have requested for us to come, but it's just formality to greet the cheif first. We've also learned about the Ghanaian community , as well as Ghanaian history, economy and culture. As part of training, there is the cross-cultural aspect of training through host families.

Host Family: My host family is cool. They are: Philomena (mother, 54); Faustina (sister, 26); Rita (sister, 18); Edward (brother, 16); Merfia (niece, 12); (4-year old-grandson); and Prince (7-month old grandson). They treat me very well. I feel like I've known them for longer than the 4 weeks I've been living with them. Mama Philo., Rita, and Edward know good English and I know a little bit of Twi (one of the dominant Ghanaian languages) so that is how we are able to communicate. I live in a compound, which is like a courtyard. This is where everything takes place - cooking, socializing, meeting and greeting people. The rooms of the house surround the courtyard kind of like an open motel except it's formed into a square with the middle open. My host family works very hard - in terms of physical labor. They are farmers and most of the work is done manually. So clothes are hand washed several times a week, cooking is done using charcoal that has to be hit together to make smaller pieces of charcoal and then they fan it so that the other coals can heat up the pot that is cooking the food. It's intense. Then there's making fu fu. Fu fu takes a lot of work to make. In short, you pound boiled cassava and plantain in a thing that looks like a pestle and mortar, except the pestle is a tree bark that mashes the plantain and cassava into a dough-like consistency. It takes two people to make it - the pounder and the turner. They both work together with a rhythm that they both must be in tuned to or else the turner will get their fingers smashed by the pounder. I've taken pictures, so when I'm able to load them you will see what I'm talking about. They let me turn the fu fu and I'm ALMOST a pro, lol. I'll be a pro by the end of home stay (Nov. 27th).

Food: Ok, food! I'm still getting used to Ghanaian food. Ya'll know how much I love to eat, but that has changed since I've been here. Instead of eating for enjoyment of the taste, now I just eat to survive, lol. Plus here it's too hot to eat until your belly is full full full. But maybe that will change with time. Basically I've eaten a lot of rice , stew, and fried chicken. But so far I've also tasted fu fu, I didn't like it. It's like eating dough. You can't chew it you have to swallow it, and that's hard for me to accept mentally right now, lol. I've also tried banku, which is fermented corn and something else. Didn't like that one either, lol. But maybe the food will grow on me with time. I do like the friend plantains though, lol, but that's b/c that's what I'm used to eating at home and in the Caribbean, lol. I also like this food called Kosey. It's beans, corn flour and spices fried up. It's kind of like a hush puppy. Very good! More on food in another entry. I'm still alive so that's a good thing, lol.

People: Ok, my experience with Ghanaians so far is that they are very friendly, but at the same time they can be slick. As for being friendly, Ghanaians will go out of their way to help you when you need it - like when you can't cook, or if you need directions, etc. They go out of their way to accommodate you. An example of this is when we were given an assignment during the first 5 days of training to find our way around Accra - the capital city - by ourselves and find certain things. Well of course we had no idea where we were going b/c this was our first time in Accra so we had to depend on the Ghanaians to help us get around. But one Ghanaian woman was very friendly when we asked her where could we find a live chicken in this huge market (the market is kind of like a flea market with lts of stands and merchandise, except it's more cluttered). This woman went out of her way to walk us about a mile to find the live chicken. So in general, they are very friendly and helpful. But also Ghanaians can be slick, b/c we don't know the prices of things and they think Americans are rich, they ack up the prices. I can understand their reason for doing it, but it's just annoying sometimes trying to bargain things down.

Weather: Yes you guess it, it's hoooot!!! The crazy part is that this is the cooler season. Right now it's the high 80's but the sun here buuuurns, lol. In the morning time it's cool and cloudy so it fells good, but the noon sun is hot. Sometimes I feel like a chicken on a grill, lol. Ok, not that hot but you get the picture. So right now I can't complain, when nit starts getting hotter I'll write more on this subject.

Transportation: Crazy!!!!! This is where reminds me of the Dominican Republic. First of all, people here can drive around with cracked windshields. Sometimes the taxis and tro tro (public transpo) don't have interior padding on the doors, sometimes the window handles are missing, basically they're death traps, lol. But don't worry, I feel safe in a way b/c they pack the cars with so many people and I never sit on th end or in the front seat so if there were an accident, the other people's bodies would protect me, lol. Driving in itself. On a two-way road with one lane going and , if the driver behind you thinks you're too slow, they will pass you in the middle lane. So basically a two-lane road becomes a three-way, lol. It's crazy but it works for , and Dr too.

My site: Ok, so I found out that I will be living in the Upper West Region ( look at the map on the About section of my website). Right now all I know is that I will be working with a nutritional center, an orphanage, and working with a group of people living with HIV/AIDS. My job says that I will be working with the center to address the malnutrition in youth and pregnant women, working with the orphanage and the group of people living with HIV/AIDS, and helping to create awareness on HIV/AIDS. But once I get to site at the end of Nov., I will know for sure what I will be doing exactly. They tell me that I'll be living in a self-contained house with a living room, kitchen, bathroom with flushing toilet and tub (no pit latrine, yeah!!), and bedroom. They also said Iw ill have electricity too! So you are all welcome to come to and visit me.

Ok, that's all for now. If you all want to know anything specific or something I've left out here, just e-mail me and I'll write you personally.

Bye bye
PS, Sorry for any misspellings, etc. I pay for internet by the minute here and try not to spend too much money rereading stuff, lol. Forgive me.

I'm here in Ghana alive!!!
Mood:  cool
Hey hey hey,

I know everyone has been waiting to hear from me. I arrived in Ghana on Sept. 17th and am now in training. Things are going good. It's definitely a change of pace but things are good. We all will be in training until mid Nov. and then sent to our own community to work in health related programs. As of yet, I do not know where exactly I will be. We just had site interviews and they will try to match us best with our preferred site.

Right now in training, I'm staying with a host family. They are very cool. I have a host mom, grandmother, three sisters, one brother, and a nephew named Prince. He is sooo cute. We spend a lot of time together sitting in the compound chillin' and doing things together. Since I've been here, some of the things I've done are:

- Take cold showers
- bucket baths (my host sister warms the water for me, lol. Ya'll'll know I hate anything cold)
- I've fetched water from a borehole
- I've walked home with a bucket of water on my head (Yes it was very heavy and my 12 year old sister does it every single day and makes at least 3 trips)
-I take my host nephew on walks on my back, yeah like a true Ghanaian , lol
-I've help them make fu fu and I've also tasted it. (Didn't like it too much, it's like eating dough and oil, lol)
- I wear skirts almost everyday (it keeps me cooler)
- I know how to greet in Twi :0)
- No jewelry or long finger nails for me.

So those are some of the things I've done thus far. I'm sure there are many more to come. As for the scenery, it's very beautiful. It's sooo green and pretty, lots of palm trees grass, and green stuff. Lol. It's very relaxing when you're traveling. It's like a story book driving past miles and miles of mountains and trees. I hear the north is more Savannah-like- flat and dusty. Right now I'm in the south. My friend Sobechi is in the north so if I get placed in the south, I can still go visit her and see what it's like up there. Sobechi came all the way down to Accra to see me when I got here. I was sooo happy to see her. She's doing great!

Ok, I think that's all for now. Let me know if you all have any questions and I will try to address them in the next posting. So e-mail me!

-Nneka

I made it to Ghana
Mood:  spacey
Heeeeyyyyy,

I finally made it to Ghana last Friday. This place looks like any place in the Caribbean. So far we've been at a University (I can't disclose the location b/c of security purposes) and getting used to the place. We've also learned a couple of Twi phrases. Today we went on an Accra quest searching for certain things and I had to go to the Makola Market. The only word I have for that place is CRAZYYYYY!!!!!!!!!! The good thing is people here speak English so we asked around and got to where we needed to go. People were walking around with any and everything you can think of -onions, cloths, jewelry, chicken, radios, batteries, flip flops. It's crazy. But It was fun getting around on our own and finding our way back. Tomorrow we are going to officially enter training.

So back to how we got here. We left on Thursday night and got into Accra on Friday of last week. We stopped in Amsterdam. That was a nice place- cold but nice. Everyone has a bicycle, the roads are paved with bricks like in the colonial times and again, it was freezing.

Ok, I am exhausted right now from running all around the city and then I have an hour ride back to the University.

I will write again soon.

-Nneka

Staging/Orientation
Mood:  a-ok
Hello Everyone,

I have made it here to Philadelphia and am in staging/orientation. It's been very fun meeting all these new people and it's comforting to know that we are all in the same boat. So far we've talked about safety issues, risks, handling our projects, and so forth. Tomorrow we are getting our shots and then we're off to Ghana. Our group is about 31 people, and five of us are black, so of course we all kind of gravitated towards each other and hang out.

It's really exciting but yesterday, it was a very stressful and difficult day. First, I only got about 2 1/2 hrs of sleep, I got up around 6:30 am and finished packing and ran some errands. Then my mom, dad, and Grandmother went to the airport and we were all balling like babies, yes, including me!!! It was very difficult and emotional leaving them. They have and always will be so supportive.

Well, that's all for now. Sorry this is so short but I only have 15 minutes on line.

Thanks to everyone for their support and I'll keep in touch. And you can too, so write me!!!!!!

-Peanut