Millipedes, crabs, lizards, oh my!

Hola amigos!

Sara and I have become accustomed to being greeted by every person that walks by us in smaller communities, being honked at my almost every passing taxi, and chanted exuberantly “obruni” by most children and some adults. Although we were afraid of being treated like walking ATMs, most people welcome us to the country and treat us as automatic friends. We’ve began adventuring in the neighbourhood around our homestay and work place, and have found a few storefronts with owners we particularly enjoy and are becoming regulars at. Near our house, the children on the block have become more excited every time we walk by- they seem to be overcoming their shyness of us. Sara and I enjoy going for walks, but that seems to be a bit foreign to the locals. We wander with no specific end point (though sometimes we’re looking for a store with ice cream to beat the heat), but many people stop us to ask where we’re going or if we need a car. One day a boy was walking behind us with his friends and asked several times if we were sure we didn’t need a car. When we arrived at the closest cross-road he exclaimed, “We are at the junction, NOW do you need a car!?”

There is a path that takes us from our home to a taxi station where we sometimes pick a car to go out. On the side of most roads, there are drains for sewage, which have boards or concrete blocks to walk across from the road to the store fronts (there are no sidewalks). A natural (I think) stream also serve this purpose at times, and on the path to the taxi station there is a little board bridge, quite slippery, to get across. Locals sometimes laugh as we carefully meander across the bridge, and through the path, which is almost always wet, even on a dry day, and flooded on a rainy day. Luckily, some of the people in our communities at home and work are getting used to our little walks and are less shocked to see us two obrunis aimlessly wandering.  Another Cooperant in Botswana has a blog called, “All Who Wander Are Not Lost,” and I think this is a perfect description of my adventures in Ghana thus far. I will find it very hard to leave in two months.

More business names: Jesus Never Fails Fashion, To God Be the Glory Cosmetics, and God Knows Best Canopies.

On Friday night George and his friends took Sara and I to a Karaoke bar that seems to be all the rage for tourists. Sara and I estimated that about 1/5 of the people there were not locals. There were many younger people of Asian descent, and many middle aged white men, and ourselves. We were the first to do karaoke, and stone-cold sober, we drew many stares. We were terrible, of course. As the night drew on, it transformed from a karaoke bar to a dance club, and we met some other youth doing interesting things in the country.

Davina and Heather visited us in Takoradi, and although I was sick in bed on Saturday with some sort of food poisoning, Sara took them out to show them our regular spots. On Sunday we all went to church with the family. We went to a different church this week than last week, much larger, with an impressive blue steeple, and the size of a cathedral on the inside. This church had an organ, as well as drums, and a very large choir, which I really enjoyed.

I am very excited for this weekend, because Team Ghana and myself are going to the Canadian Embassy in Accra for a Canada Day barbeque and celebration for all of the Canadians in the country. Sara and I have met one Canadian so far, a university student from Winnipeg with Journalists for Human Rights, and are looking forward to meeting others. We will also head to Boti Falls for a celebration. Coincidentally, July 1^st is also Ghana Republic Day, a National Holiday, and thousands of people flee to the falls for a celebration on July 1^st, and foreign visitors are welcome. The falls are the tallest in West Africa, and there is a small lake that is safe for swimming.

I am now in Half-Assini, a coastal town in West Ghana. I have come with Kwesi from work and a team from another NGO. I arrived yesterday evening, and am staying until Thursday. The drive here was beautiful and fascinating. We took “the road less travelled” for the most part, going through lush tropics and small villages. On the main road, the towns were similar to what I have seen else where, but on the back roads, they seemed very isolated, with simple mud huts with thatched roofs, no sign of electricity, just fires and people outside. Around Axim, Kwesi said told me that there are more coconut trees in that small area than people in all of Ghana. I never really knew how tall coconut trees were until I came to Ghana. We also passed many kilometres of rubber tree plantations, and the factory as well, which smelled strongly of rubber, of course. I also enjoyed the cattles just chilling in the middle of the road. They don’t move for you, you move for them.

Today I was able to adventure on the coast of Half-Assini, the town I’m staying in. The beach here is natural a beautiful, covered in sea shells and coconut shells. I walked along the sand admiring the palm trees over head and the fishing boats in the distance. There were many crab holes in the sand, and at first I was unable to see any crabs, expecting them to be red or pink, in my coastal inexperience. They turned out to be smaller than I expected, and ran so fast, faster than I can really understand is possible, and were the same colour of the sand, camouflaging well. I finally found one that stopped moving, and took a photo. Can you see it?

Crab camouflaged at Half Assini

Kwesi said it was okay to go up to the fishing community where all the boats were, so I was able to get many beautiful photographs of the boats, the ocean, the communities, and the palm trees overhead. Child were playing about, and were so excited by my presence, asking for photos exuberantly, then very excited to see them on my camera afterwards. I introduced myself to each of them, asking their names and telling them mine, then shaking their hands, which some didn’t really seem to understand. We saw some men taking their fish out of the nets, and I liked to look at the boats to see the fishing techniques I’ve been reading about at work.

Kwesi showing me shark fin on the beach

A new friends, Solomon, showing me how to remove fish from the nets

Overall, a beautiful walk. :) 

Also in Half-Assini- lizards everywhere! I have seen many in Takoradi, but nothing like this! I have literally seen hundreds today, some small a green, some much larger (the size of squirrels!) with orange heads and black bodies and big thick tails. I attended a meeting at the District Assembly for Jomoro today on Development Plans, and lizards just came in and out at their ease.  I have also seen several millipedes, which are fat and curl up sometimes, and a few cockroaches.

Hope the sunshine is treating everyone well where ever you are!

Caro

You can call me Caro!

Hello again,

Well, another Friday is here and I have had an interesting week at Friends of the Nation.  The week was a little slow to get started, with the office electricity out and missing staff stunting how work could be done. Sara and I were able to attend some meetings, and learn more about the FoN partnership with CHF, with whom they implement projects in the Ngyeresia region I wrote about a couple of blog posts ago. Sara has started work at a health clinic in a neighbouring town called Shama, doing some nursing and finding ways to implement FoN’s Population, Health, Environment (PHE) Project, which is about how population and family planning effects the strain on natural resources. PHE is so important in Takoradi and surrounding coastal communities because of the high demand on fish, which are depleting very quickly. As for myself, I am currently writing a proposal about the next steps to take in Ngyeresia. I described the situation in Ngyeresia two blogs ago if you’re interested. In 2009, FoN and CHF implemented a project there called SCALE-UP which, among many other things, built toilets, a new water kiosk, and did much awareness and community capacity building (committees, volunteers, etc.) to help improve situations. I have been looking at this project and seeing where the shortcomings have been. We started last week by interviewing community members about the success of the new toilets, and I am now discovering some other gaps in the goals of the projects. The proposal is taking some time, because I have decided to go back into the community to do some interviewing about the success water kiosk, and do some research on waste management practices. The waste management part of the original project was scrapped, because the topography is so rough that collecting household waste door-to-door is impossible for a vehicle or cart. The problem seems impossible to overcome, but I’m looking forward to doing some research and learning more.

It’s rainy season here in Ghana, and it rains every day or two. When it comes to rain here, it’s go big or go home! Either heavy downpours or sunny skies. The infrastructure can’t always support the heavy rainfall. I have become accustomed to walking in water up to my ankles during the rain. Most of the roads are dirt and have no drains, so it gets messy! It’s very refreshing walking through cold water on a hot day, and the rain cools things down a bit. Yesterday morning rains were very heavy, so I followed Sally from the office around the city to see how the rains affect the city. Nearby they have built a school in a wetland, so it experiences annual flooding in and around the building. Unfortunately, it’s a technical school, so there are many computers and electronics which must be moved to avoid being damaged. The furniture must suffer hugely though. Sally took photos and I watched students going in and out of the school in water up to their knees. As Sally says, “who builds a school in a wetland in the first place?” Wetlands are such sensitive ecosystems, and neither the wetland nor the school have survived!

Next week I am heading to Jomoro for a few days, which is the most Western region of Ghana, bordering the Ivory Coast. I am going with Kwesi and a team from another NGO to take data on fishing communities. I don’t know much more specific than that; Kwesi said “we will be taking data on everything.” I assume he means both environmental fishing aspects as well as the effects on the communities- poverty, sanitation, etc. I am learning here to not expect the same amount of preparation as I would with a job at home. It’s a very ‘go with the flow’ mentality.

Sara and I got to try another local dish here, Banku. Banku is similar to Fufu in that it is a ball of dough immersed in soup. However, the soup is stew, and tastes strongly of something sort of like vinegar and is thick with fish, and the dough is made from corn, not cassava, and also is strong in taste. I didn’t enjoy it, the flavours were overpowering and totally foreign to me. I ate as much as I could, but told Hilda I prefer Fufu. (I LOVE Fufu!)

I have yet to try a coconut, but I have made eating mango, pineapple, watermelon or banana a daily routine. I also enjoy red fish, which Hilda or Emmanuel often makes us for dinner. A past vegetarian, I have surprisingly become very adequate at tearing chicken and fish meat off the bone. It is very common to eat goat here as well, and although I’m unsure that I’ve had it, Sara and I have had a few mysterious meats served to us…

Emmanuel is Hilda’s brother, whom Sara and I adore. We call him “Mr. Mom” because he is always cooking, cleaning, and ironing for us. He also is a regular attendee of Bible Study and Choir and has a beautiful singing voice. He has very much become our father figure at our host family.

Sara and I have also begun to walk in the community surrounding the office on our breaks. As per usual, the people are welcoming, chatty, and generous and we’ve made a few friends on our daily walks. I have yet to befriend a baby goat. Hmm.

Another shop name for the list: God is One teashop!

This weekend the rest of Team Ghana in Accra is coming to visit, and our brother George is apparently taking us to Karaoke tonight. We’re excited to spend some more time in Market Circle, which is a bustling and exciting place, and perhaps dip in the ocean again.

One last note, Caroline is a fairly common name here, but is always shortened to Caro! There’s even another Caro at FoN. I have adopted this easily, and am even introducing myself that way sometimes.

Until next time!

Caro 

Our first weekend

Maadwo! (Good evening!)

Sara and I had a fun weekend, and have seen a bit more of life and culture in Takoradi. On Friday night we stayed in, and the family made us fufu. We watched as Hilda cut up the cassava into slice and placed them in a pot on the floor. Although they have a stove, the family does most of their cooking on the floor in the kitchen or backyard, on what I can best describe as a small charcoal barbeque with a pot on top for the soup or meat or whatever is being cooked. One of the kids, Nub, had a long club which he pounded the sliced cassava with. More cassava is added until it is the texture of dough. We sometimes see women doing this outside their homes. I think it may be sweetened as well, but I am unsure. A large ball of the cassava is served in a bowl beside a chicken drumstick and immersed in spicy tomato soup. You are given a second bowl of water to wash your right hand with, because you eat the fufu with your right hand (but never your left!). To eat it, you take the cassava in your hand and make a cup with it to scoop the soup into your mouth. When you’re done, you eat the chicken. It is very filling, and the combination of the sweet cassava and the spicy soup is delicious! We got very messy though and felt a little childish, though fun. Ghanaians, of course, are much more graceful when they eat it, and don’t look nearly as childish or messy as Sara and I. 

Alice, Nub, Hilda and Hilda Jr. making Fufu!

Sara with the finished product

On Saturday Sara and I were able to sleep in, which was really nice since we’ve been getting up at 6:30 every morning for work. After lunch, Hilda and her friend Peter took us to the beach to swim. We stopped for Chinese food on the way- Ghanaians love their fast Chinese food! The ocean was both fun and frustrating. Sara and I felt the pressures of being a minority increasingly as the day went on. Although we’ve become accustomed to being called “ubruni” (the white person) by children as we walk by, and being stared or waved at, we have been used to it being in a friendly manner, curiosity from children, and have rarely faced difficulty. Our colleagues, people at church, family, and friends of the family have welcomed us with open arms and astounding generosity. Strangers on the street often ask us how we are, offer to help us find our way, shake our hands, and introduce themselves. We discovered at the beach that women generally stay on land fully dressed, while the men strip down to their shorts and swim. Sara and I fearlessly joined the other people in the water, and found the men to be very aggressive. After we escaped from the swarming, we found a more private beach to swim at. I loved the ocean! The waves are quite large, and you only have to go in a few feet for the full effect, especially during high tide. We bobbed around in the waves, trying not to get the salt water in our eyes and throat (it burns!). Afterwards, Hilda and Peter showed us around the harbour.

The Gulf of Guinea

Loving the water!

On Sunday we got up bright and early for church, which starts at 7:30. Georgina made us traditional African dresses to wear to the service. We enjoyed the dresses, and were amused that she made them from matching fabrics. Our family attends a Catholic service, which had lively music and djembe drum music, rather than organ. There were many children, some of which sat in the row in front of us. We arrived a few minutes late, and one of the children in the pew ahead of us noticed, and a line of whispering went down the aisle as one by one, the children turned around to see us, quite hilariously. We find this behaviour from children everywhere, they have seen seldom few “ubrunis,” and are quite curious about us. Their whispers are almost always paired with waves and smiles. One little boy this weekend reached out to grab my hand and stared intently at my skin. The church service was lively, and the program was very similar to that of my own Anglican church at home, so I was able to respond appropriately wit the rest of the congregation. I recognized one hymn, though it was sang in Twi, and the Lord’s Prayer was partly English, partly Twi. My favourite part was offering and communion, because many danced up the front of the church and danced back to their seats. Communion is done with the same round bread chips, white wine, and the minister dips it for you in the wine, and puts it right in your mouth! After church Sara and I went with the family to a birthday party of two cousins, twin girls, Joyce and Joycelynn. Joyce and Joycelynn are identical, with matching hair- cornrows on the side, and afro on top- and matching outfits too. They have quite the clothing style, and I enjoy them a lot. There were many kids at the party, and we all danced. As the twin's Mom said, "If you don't dance, you don't eat!" After the party, George took us to Vienna City, which is the bar on the beach we went to last Sunday as well. We met up with the usual croud of friends and taught them drinking games from home, such as King’s Cup and Never Have I Ever. It was a very fun evening!

These boys had serious moves

Our dresses for church

Sara and I have been keeping an eye out for funny religious business names. Christ in You Chemicals has officially been beaten by Blood of Jesus Barbering Salon. See the irony? Other notables, God is Able Enterprise, Good Sheppard  Building Supplies, and Divine Right Hair Salon.

I’ve been spending more time with Chichi, the cat. She walks a bit better on her hind legs now, though they don’t bend properly and are always quite of splayed out to the sides, and her body twists up. She’s the skinniest cat I’ve ever met, I’m quite sure she’s starving, and Emmanuel says she refuses to eat. She likes to be carried around and rubbed behind her ears and under her neck, and has a good strong purr, so I try to give her lots of TLC.

Chichi, my new best friend. 

My favourite thing about Ghana so far? THE FRUIT! Mangoes, bananas, pineapple, oh my! Some women sell bananas on the trays they carry on their head. They are small, but sweeter, richer, and thicker in texture. It’s like a whole different fruit, and I love them! Mangoes though are really the best. Much bigger than at home, they are also juicier and richer tasting. They are our new favourite snack. You can buy all these things on stands on the road, as well as coconuts, tangerines, etc. I can’t wait to try my first coconut! The craziest thing is the cucumbers! They are GIGANTIC- a diameter of five inches! The middle, where the seeds meet and you generally see a little triangle, is opened up, so there’s a hole in the middle of the cucumber big enough to fit a hot dog in. They cut the cucumber for salads in big chunks that are all white- no green or seeds, because they are that big. Amazing!

Today Kwesi took us for ice cream, because the electricity is still out at work, so work is limited. Juliette offered to take us to a live music thing this week as well. I really adore the people we work with. I’m now at home relaxing before dinner. Tonight’s menu: Fufu! I can hear Emmanuel pounding the cassava outside my bedroom window!

Keep Smiling! :)


P.S. Pictures of baby goats soon. <3 

TGIF!

Hola amigos,

TGIF! The end of my first week at work here, and it’s been quite interesting. Things have picked up a bit since the Monday and Tuesday all-day reading, but the real work will start next week. On Wednesday we had a long staff meeting where Kwesi and Kyei talked to all the new interns (there’s five) about the background and mandates of FoN.  He described some recent projects, including one in the Ngyeresia slum community in Takoradi implementing new latrines, and the recent purchase of 5000 mangrove trees that will be transplanted along a lagoon to help with soil erosion, water shortage, etc. Us interns will be doing the planting. I’m looking forward to this- we’ll probably start planting in the next week or two. I hear it’s very hard work, but it’ll great to be outside, get some exercise, and learn a new skill. We then all climbed into the company van to see the lagoon-, which is quite littered, by plastic and human waste. From the lagoon you can see both the fishery canoes and the oil rig. There’s a lot going on on the Takoradi shoreline, that’s for sure. We then headed to Ngyeresia, where 10 new toilets have been placed. This community is almost completely dependent of the fishing season, and has poor living conditions. We walked around and asked people living near the new toilets if they liked them, how they were being used, if they would like more, and etc. Some of the answers were shocking, and I don’t feel comfortable posting some of the private things women said on my blog, but I found the experience quite humbling. The slum has 4700 people, mostly children, living in an area 2.5 miles square. Previous to getting the new toilets (which are concrete blocks with a hole, in an outhouse sized shed), has one public bathroom, which over 4000 people use a day, is 67 years old with no repairs, and costs 10 pesewas (about 6 cents CAD) each time to use. It doesn’t sound like much, but considering family sizes are large and each family lives on less than 2 cedis a day, during a good fishing season, and much less in the off season, this is clearly unaffordable. So people use the beach, the one drain the community has, which is completely clogged with solid waste, or walk to bushes. People have dug their own drains between the homes, which have open waste. So cholera, typhoid, malaria, and therefore high infant mortality and low life expectancy are all thriving. I saw a couple of children with the large bellies, caused by vitamin deficiencies. Although it doesn’t seem that people are starving, because they have the fish, malnutrition is a huge issue. The saddest thing is that some of the toilets still aren’t being used, for various reasons.  I think this is where education is important, and I hope to get involved here. After interviewing people we headed back to the office to type reports on what the interviewees said and read more about the economics of the area.  I’m looking forward to seeing how this project will progress while I’m here.

Yesterday work was much less eventful. The power is currently not working, so Sara and I went for walks in the area with Kwesi, read newspapers (I’m so up to date with Ghana current events!), and I am currently trekking my way through a book about fiscal decentralization in Ghana, which is quite interesting, though includes a lot of legislature- never easy to read. Today we headed to one Mark’s house – Mark is a man who works here- for the monthly technical meeting. I learned a lot about the logistics and operational things about Hen Mpoano and FoN and got to know more of the staff. I also got assigned some more editing. I fell in love with Mark’s dog. I’m sure she has a name, but I named it Doe, because she looks like a deer. She’s the same colour and has white speckles on her nose. All of the dogs here, mostly street dogs, are similar in stature. They are lean and small and have pointed ears and snouts- kind of foxy- with various colour of brown and often splotchy. After the meeting, as we were driving back to the office, we passed by the waterfront where there were a bunch of men building a fishing canoe, without power tools and stuff. Don’t be mislead by “canoe”, they’re the size of a yacht. Kwesi says next week Sara and I will both be spending 3 days out of the office. Sara will be working in a maternal health clinic and myself at the fisheries working on Hen Mpoano (I think). Kwesi says he has some proposal writing for me to do. Very exciting! As for now, we have loads of plans for the weekend. The girls at work and our host siblings want to take us out in the evening, we want to explore the city, and there’s church on Sunday, so we should keep busy!

In other news, I’ve discovered a few new creatures- cockroaches and lizards. The lizards are super cool, and the cockroaches mind their own business, so I don’t mind them either. I have become friends with a kitten with two broken legs that hangs around the house. The kids have named her Chichi, and she’s quite sweet, though she must be in pain. There’s a cat at the office as well, who I have appropriately named “Orange Cat.”

Our evenings at the house are quiet. The kids are still quite shy of us, so we’ve been watching TV and hanging out with our host brothers, Emmanuel and George. TV here is more dramatic than the most dramatic American soap. It’s quite fun to watch.  Sara and I are addicted to this game on our cell phones called F1 racing. I’m currently at a high score of 84.

Keep Smiling! :) 

First few days in Ghana

Hey friends!

My flight from Rabat to Accra was long. Mostly because I had layovers in Paris and Amsterdam, a bit of a detour. My layovers were rushed and hectic, and I nearly missed my connecting flight to Accra. I flew KLM from Amsterdam to Accra, which is easily the most wonderful flight I’ve ever had. Big seats, loads of leg room, comfy headrests, good TV, great food, excellent service, and large bathrooms. I arrived in Accra exactly on time, though my luggage did not. It was still in Amsterdam.  I arrived at 7pm, and was surprised to see it was already dark. Turns out sun sets at about 6:30pm, year round. Another surprise was the sign at customs declaring that all paedophiles and “sexual deviants” (homosexuality is illegal in Ghana) must leave for their own good and the good of others, for penalties are harsh. I met Heather, Davina, Robin, and Sara in the airport, and Joha, a Ghanaian man who has connections to Queens, chaperoned for us. He drove us to our hotel. My first day in Ghana I spent in Accra driving around with the team and Joha seeing the city and running errands. The heat was unbearable, but I’ve gotten used to it now, sort of. We got set up with cell phones, money, ate at restaurants, and eventually got to pick up my luggage. In Ghana, it is illegal to take photographs of government building, so many of the attractions, such as Independence square, I was unable to take photographs of. The traffic in Accra is crazy. On a normal day, it takes about 2 hours to get out of the city, and it took us all day to do just a few things, as we were perpetually stuck in traffic jams. When we finally got back to our hotel we went to the outdoor bar and had a couple of drinks with Soloman, the bartender, who played guitar and sang for us. He even made up songs which each of our names, which was quite sweet. The next morning we took the bus to Takoradi, where Sara and I are staying. Again, traffic was crazy, so we didn’t arrive in Takoradi until late. Hilda, my host sister, picked us up at the bus station to take us to our home. We were welcomed very warmly, especially by Georgina who is a neighbour who was at the house when we arrived. 

My home in Takoradi is quite large, though simple. Although there are facilities for running water: sinks, toilets, and showers, there is no running water, so we wash and flush with buckets of water.  Sara and I share a room, but both have our own double bed, and we share a bathroom between the two of us. The family is quite large, and I haven’t quite gotten a grip on the family tree yet. There is Alice, the mother, Uncle Tony, another woman, six children, who are Hilda’s cousins, and Emmanuel and George, who are her brothers, and like Hilda, are both in their twenties. The children are very shy of Sara and I, though we managed to get a couple of the boys to play cards with us, and the girls often smile back. Hilda cooks for us, and cooks a lot for us. I am never able to finish what she makes. So far we have eaten a lot of rice with spicy sauce and eggs, as well as pasta, various meats, beans, and pancakes. The food is much spicier than at home, so I drink a lot of juice and water, or tea at breakfast. We are excited to make and try Fufu! Once Uncle Tony ate with us, and tried to teach us Twi. I have learned that Twi is a very tonal language, so if you don’t say a word with the right tone, it doesn’t really make sense. Luckily, all the adults speak English (and I’m not sure if the children can’t, or just won’t, because at times they seem to understand us), especially Emmanuel and George. George is closest to our age it seems, so he took us out our second day here to meet his friends and go to some bars. Luckily for me, I didn’t pay for a thing, men are very insistent that women do not pay. The bars are all outdoors, and seem to operate and are lively all times of the day. The first pub we went to was called “Queen’s Pub,” which is also a popular pub at Queen’s University, so Sara and I really enjoyed that. We then went to a bar and club on the beach, which was not only beautiful, but very fun. They played mostly hip hop and rap hits from about ten years ago, as well as some Justin Bieber. George’s friends were very sweet, and very welcoming, as we’re planning on hanging out with them again next weekend.

On Monday we started at Friends of the Nation. The office is about a 30 minute drive from our home, so we take a taxi each way. We have negotiated a pretty good price with a taxi driver, David, who will drive us every day. He is quite sweet, and has already taken us on some errands. The office is surrounded by gardens, and behind the building is a road that goes up a steep hill to a secondary school. Sara and I adventured out for a bit, but got stuck in the red clay before too long. Sara and I have our own office, which is large and sunny. The people at work are incredibly friendly and sweet. They go out of their way to do stuff for us. So far, it’s unclear exactly what we’ll be doing, but it seems that I’ll be working with Kyei (pronounced Chay) in Natural Resources, and Sara will be with Kwesi in Population, Health, and Environment, perhaps doing some work in reproduction and maternal health. We have mostly been reading so far, and I have learned a tonne, and I mean A TONNE, about fisheries in Ghana.  I especially love that as I read I recognize concepts and organizations I have studied at school. I feel so in my element, and I am both applying my degree and learning new material about natural resources in Ghana and fishery issues. Kwesi also had be edit a proposal for a program on Child Labour, as everyone in the office has English as a second language, which I really enjoyed as it kept me busy and I learned about the issues as well. Lunch at work is awesome. A woman comes with buckets of rice, salad, pasta, hard boiled eggs, and so far either chicken or fish. For only 1 cedi (66 cents) I get a large plate of rice, salad, and an egg. 

After work today, David took us to Georgina’s business downtown, which is a small hut at the end of an alleyway. She works as a seamstress and has offered to make us traditional African dresses for church. She took our measurements. Sara and I are so excited, because we’ve noticed many women wearing the dresses, and they are both well-fitted and beautiful! I’m excited to be part of an African-Christian church service, especially since my outfit will match the others!

Random observations so far about Ghana: 

The dirt is red and often the consistency of clay. It’s beautiful, especially when the roads are all red dirt. But there are an awful lot of potholes. So many that one wheel of the car is always in a pothole, and you can only drive about walking speed.  It is very bumpy. This is only on smaller residential roads where most people walk or bike, bigger roads are always paved.

There are a lot of foul here. On the streets, in the yard, and roosters always wake us up around 6:00am. There are also a lot of goats. The baby ones are really cute and they jump over the sewage ducts at the sides of the streets with a bit of struggle and sometimes trip.  They also play and fight. I want to keep one as a pet.

Names of businesses are often religious, as the people here are quite Christian. Examples are “Christ in You Chemical Storage,” “Seek Jesus Computers,” and “Bless You Realty.” 

It seems that panelling and plywood for homes and businesses are sponsored by corporations. A lot of shacks and umbrellas are logoed with MTN, vodaphone, and glo, which are all local telecommunications companies.

Women carry things on their heads, and do it very very well. You’ll see just about anything on women’s heads, the most impressive so far have been piles watermelons and eggs on trays. Some have big wooden boxes with mesh sides with bread or fruit inside. They can walk quickly like this, and do not need to hold on with their hands, and some of them sell their products on the sides of the road. In traffic jams, snacks and water are quite handy.

Keep Smiling!

Morocco: Ouzoud Falls - Rabat

Hola!  

I boarded a van early in the morning to take a van out to Ouzoud Falls. This time the trip was only about 3 hours. The falls were in a small community, and when we got there a tour was offered for 40dh, which really exceeded my expectations. The tour guide, a young man, spoke many languages and said everything in Spanish, French, Arabic, and English to accommodate the group.  He was also very flirtatious with me, and boosted my ego quite a bit by the end of the day. There was only two English speakers, myself and an Irish man, named Patty (how Irish!) so we spent most of the day together. We started at the top of the falls, then went for about a 2 hour guided hike through the olive trees and carob trees. I learned a surprising about. For example, olive oil is like wine, and gets better as it gets older. So extra virgin olive oil is the oldest. Carob trees grow what look like green beans, and the skin is used to make dark chocolate. The peas inside weight .2 grams, and the tour guide told us that no matter where in the world a carob tree is, the peas always weigh the same, so they became what we know as a “carat,” for measuring gold and diamonds. We then walked down the cliff to the waterfalls where he pointed out some caves that the natives originally lived in. The waterfalls were quite beautiful from the bottom, and we crossed the water, took some photos, and walked back up the other side. From the other side, on a sunny day, you can see a rainbow that forms in the mist of the falls. Also, we were lucky enough to see monkeys in the trees! There was a family of four of them, and one came quite close when someone took out bananas and mangos. It was a wonderful day, and we managed to get back to Marrakesh by dinner time, at which point I had a Hamam at the spa that Abdul worked in at the day time.

This olive tree is 900 years old

Ouzoud Falls

Monkeys!

A Hamam is a typical Moroccan scrub, bath, and massage in a large steam room. Women of all ages and shapes sit in the team room, completely naked, bathing, and a trained hamam artist covered me in oils, clay, and scrubbed my whole body with an exfoliating glove. Some people find the hamam “invasive,” which I suppose it could be to some, but most find it refreshing and relaxing, and a way to really immerse yourself in an aspect of Islam culture. Hamams are done once a week by many women, and are largely a social activity. The hamam artist then poured warm water on me in buckets, while washing my hair and face.  Afterwards, you dry off and get a massage. My skin was the softest it’s ever been, and I really enjoyed the experience. I then intended to head back to my hostel, as it was getting dark, but the spa was right in the middle of the Souks, which is a maze of markets quite famous in Marrakesh. I got quite lost, but I felt safe enough and decided to just wander the Souks and do some shopping and take advantage of being lost in the middle of the most famous part of the city. I found some great buys, including a shop that sold mosaic tiles saved from buildings that had been torn down, and some cool fossils. I then purchased some cherries and nuts to eat for dinner, and got directions back to the main square. When I arrived at my hostel the Spanish girls had left my room and two American girls, Anny and Rachael, had moved in. They had just finished two years in the Peace Corps in Kazakhstan, and were doing a bit of travelling. We feasted on the food from the market and shared stories from our travels on the rooftop balcony before going to bed. My day was practically perfect.

Common items sold in the Souks:

Spices

Slippers

Dishware

Nuts

The next day I slept in, as I was feeling a bit under the weather (I think I was mistaken to wash the cherries with tap water), ran a couple of errands, then headed to the train station.  The train from Marrakesh to Rabat was rather unpleasant, as I was definitely dealing with food poisoning and the train bathroom was mostly dysfunctional. However, I was sitting nearby a lovely English couple who were on their honeymoon and were quite chatty. I arrived in Rabat in the evening, and was excited to discover the train station, the royal palace, the parliament, the protests, and my hotel were all central. Due to the protests I was unable to take many photos, as it seemed to annoy the cops, and foreigners are forbidden inside the royal palace. So I mostly enjoyed a long stroll around wealthy Rabat, observed the protests, and ate some pizza. My hotel had fantastic internet, so I used my night to Skype with friends and rest for my long flight the next day.

The protests

More on Ghana soon!

Morocco: Casablanca - The Sahara

Hello Friends!

Firstly, I am so sorry for the lack of posts. I haven’t had good internet since I arrived in Marrakesh. I have good internet now though, and I will try to update as adequately as I can on my latest adventures.

My last morning in Casablanca was lovely. I wanted to see a street that my guide book called “the spine of the city,” Mohammad Boulevard V, that has classic Moroccan architecture. I was surprised to see that they were doing large construction, turning the road into some sort of railway. Because of this, many of the store fronts were seemingly abandoned and the area was scattered with homeless people and stray animals and smelled of urine, as I’ve discovered poorer areas in the city sometimes do. I snapped a few photos of the architecture, and continued to a near by flower market.

Mohammed Boulevard V

A man insisted giving me an orange rose and told me that I could consider Morocco my second home, and I had a lovely  chat with him, and was pleased with his sincere generosity and welcoming, rather than the eager sales pitch I have been accustomed to hearing. I later gave the rose to a homeless woman with a few dirhams then headed to the port, which my guide book bragged for it’s beauty and sales of fruits and vegetables.  I discovered you have to go to another area of the city for that port. The port I could see from the hotel window was very industrial, and I was definitely not welcome to visit there. I then headed back to my hostel to check out and taxied to the train station. Overall, I enjoyed Casablanca, especially the New Medina and the Hassan II Mosque, but the lack of tourists there made the experience a little more challenging.  This well prepared me for Marrakesh, and by the end of my Morrocan week I felt savvy to the tricks of travelling alone as an English-speaking woman in a French/Arabic speaking Islam country.

I made many friends at the train station while waiting on my train, simply by offering people sitting near by the peanut sI was eating. I have discovered that sharing food is a huge bonding experience in Morocco, and have met many people this way. The train to Marrakesh was about three hours, and I met some other tourists on the train, notably a Palestinian man who lived in Norway but was marrying a woman from Morocco, who had many travels and many stories. I enjoyed the scenery on the train as well, with the mountains and drier “desert” area. Little bourbon villages every few miles, with donkeys, dirt roads, cactuses galore,  and beautiful flowers. Little did I know I would be amidst much larger mountains and canyons very soon, and in the Sahara. The Marrakesh train station is quite luxurious, with high ceilings, beautiful marble, and stores, including a McDonalds.  I then took a taxi to the hostel. This journey was exciting, and very stressful. The taxi took me all around the city, though the train station is quite close to the old Medina where my hostel was located, and thus hugely overcharged me. The guide book warned me that even locals can’t get fair prices, and through out the next few days I was continually charged triple what the owner of my hostel, Abdul, said to pay. However, they won’t take you if you insist on a lower price or the metre, and you eventually have to get places. Anyways, though quite the rip-off, the taxi drove me an extended way through the Old Medina, which is small alleyways, lined with fruit stalls, and bustling with donkeys, pedestrians, motorcyclists, other cyclists, and there is hardly room for one car get through. This was quite exciting, and I took some good footage of the car ride, so I didn’t really mind paying the extra 100 dh ($12).

A watermelon stand spotted during the cab ride

Then a couple of young boys stopped the taxi and walked me to my hostel with my luggage, and as to be expected, insisted I pay them. The hostel had a doorbell system, and it took quite a long time for someone to come to the door, so the boys had quite the time to pester me for more money, luckily for them. The hostel is beautiful. In the style of a traditional Riad, it has a rooftop balcony, and tile floors and walls, and sunlight coming through. I had a dorm style with three other girls, who I actually never met, as I had a get up early, come in early routine, where they had a get in late, sleep in late routine. The afternoon I arrived I went to check out the large square in the Old Medina, which is quite huge. Imagine a picture from Where’s Waldo, bustling with mostly locals, some tourists, musicians, snake charmers, juice stalls, a hundred or so food stalls, other people selling and begging, donkeys, horses, motorcyclists, cyclists, and many many crazy football fans. The night I arrived there was a big game between Morocco and Nigeria, which Morocco won, and it made for a crazy, and very loud (vuvuzuelas!) night. I ate some tangine, which is the typical Moroccan main dish at a restaurant with a lovely Australian couple, and then headed back to the hostel at night time. Between the main square and my hostel was one long alley way of shops, which is quite crowded, and it is common to be pestered by men in this area, though I have become quite good at pretending I don’t hear them.  In the main square, people are quite aggressive to try to sell their products. That evening I hung out with the Canadian boys and had some beers, but headed to bed at a reasonable time, as I was planning on going on the camel trek the next morning, with an early start of 6:00am.

Abdul at the front entrance of the Hostel

The Old Medina Square

Rooftop of the hostel 

The camel trek to the desert was by far the highlight of my trip to Morocco. Me and one other guy from my hostel, Jonathan, a Canadian, got into a van with a pile of people from the sister hostel, who were mostly Mexican and Chilean. Everything was organized by Abdul, who is so amazing. The trip to the desert, through long, was incredible. We went in a southeast direction, and stopped at many villages, including Ben Hadao, which is on a mountain, and like all other smaller settlements, made completely of mud and hat walls and thatched roofs. The view from the top was so beautiful, with a view of the river, coloured red from the clay, and the town below you.

From the top of Ben Hadao

Most of the trip was through mountain ranges, like in movies where the driver is along a cliff going up and round a mountain, with turns and bumps and curves, and could plummet to their death any given moment- that was the trip. There were “Danger signs” every kilometre or so, more often when driving was particularly scary, and you could see parts where the road had crumbled before. Our drivers took corners fast and was I sensitive to oncoming traffic, and needless to say, there were moments where I was scared for my life. However, cities are practically free of stop signs, traffic lights, and lanes, and people drive, cycle, ride, and walk using every last inch of the roads and every intersection is a race. This said, drivers are very very talented and deal with tight spaces. Anyways, scenery was absolutely beautiful, and I was right amidst the mountains, canyons, and valleys, with small villages delicately balanced in crooks and nannies, and people with donkeys and goats around, plus the occasional wild bull . Many were seemingly void of electricity and Modern/Westernization, minus the CocaCola sold everywhere and logos painted on the clay walls. CocaCola is everywhere.  Oh, and so is Justin Bieber. I ehard him playing in a few places in Casablanca and a local shop owner said to me, “Justin Biever is Canadian!? I LOVE Justin Bieber! Baby baby baby Ooooohhhh” Bieber fever, my friends. Cocacola and JB are also all the rage in Ghana. More on that soon.  When we finally arrived in Tagounite, the last little settlement before the desert, the driver helped us tie our scarves around our heads to keep out the sand, and we walked to our camels. The camels were tied together in groups of three or four and had big saddles. They sit on the ground for you to get on, then stand up one by one, which feels really cool. Then we rode the camels for a couple of hours into the Sahara. The sand dunes, though relatively small as we didn’t get too far into the desert, got bigger and the sand got more of the same as it went along, until we were completely surrounded by fine orange sand dunes.

No kidding

The desert

 There was a collection of tents where we were to sleep and eat, and we got of the camels and explored on foot. Many people disliked camel riding, they found that it hurt, especially when they got off the camels. I loved it though! Not a complaint. We found some beetles, and then the people doing the tour, Mustav and some others, made us a traditional Moroccan meal of bread, Moroccan salad, tangine, and melon. We ate in the tents and played cards and chatted. I became close friends with some of the other tourists, namely Pilar, Erika, and Mario, from Chile and Mexico, who spoke English. Everyone was absolutely delightful and we had a blast. Then Mustav and the others played drums for us and we all got up and danced, before heading out to sit on a sand dune while singing, drumming, and looking at the stars. Jonathan, Mario, and a couple of others and I laid in the sand star gazing, and almost fell asleep, before retreating to our tents. I slept surprisingly well that night.

Dinner time

Drumming

Scarab beetle

Our tents

I was amused by people who kept asking where the bathroom was, and seemed to think  Mustav was joking when he said “anywhere.” The trick was to find a ncie big dune and duck behind it so no one could see you. The next morning we headed back on the camels  during sunrise and loaded the van in Tagounite. We only stopped for lunch and toilet breaks on the way back and we joked with eachother and the driver as we were much more comfortable after our night in the desert. We teased our driver, who told us he has three wives. Polygamy is apparently common in Morocco. Between the mountains, the desert, and the amazing group of people, I had an astounding time.

The group

Mustav and I

My favourite photo from the trip: At sunrise

Upon arriving back in Marrakesh, we all went for street food in the Square and then I headed to my hostel where I met some more interesting tourists and headed to bed, as the next day I was planning on the hike around Ouzoud falls.

I am quite tired of writing, though I still want to write about the Falls, the Souks, Rabat, and my first few days in Ghana, in Accra and Takoradi, and with my host family and my first two days at work. I will try to write again tonight or tomorrow!

Morocco: Casablanca

Bonjour mes amis!

What a crazy day! I'm starting to understand some things about Moroccan culture and tourism a bit more. Today I ate breakfast at the hotel, which was mint tea, orange juice, and bread, crepes, and a cake like thing with marmalade. Tea here is served in small silver tea pots and glasses, and mint is very popular. It is just a few mint leaves and a sugar cube, and it is delicious! Juice is everywhere. Every restaurant has a juice menu, and basically all tropical fruits (including avocados!) are on it. Many juice bars are in the street. It is made by hand, and thus is VERY pulpy, and amazing. I have had orange juice and peach juice today, and enjoyed both immensely. I want to try avocado before I leave. After breakfast I headed toward the Old Medina markets. Old Medina is where my hotel is- it is the old part of Casablanca, between the port and a large wall. The old markets are largely souvenirs: leather purses, traditional dresses and sandals, pottery, bongs, wood carvings, beads, paintings, and etc. Further back is expensive jewellery and a lot of rip-offs, like Louis Vuitton, and western cosmetics and shoe brands. I even saw some fake passports for sale! A mix of tourists and locals, it was a cool atmosphere. Once I got to the narrow lanes in the back, men tried to persuade me into back rooms and upstairs to see their "spices." Today I have definitely practiced being stern and on guard today. One section of the walk from the market to my hotel is for some reason the most unpleasant- many young men cat call and women stare. This is what I experienced yesterday when I first arrived, and although it worried me, I discovered that it is much better in other areas of the city. In busy areas, the people are very friendly. They are patient with communication, and help me to understand the culture. One salesman showed me how to spell my name in Arabic! I made many purchases in the old markets, some gifts for my family and friends, and a couple of things for myself, including a small canvas painting and a traditional dress.

Reads right to left

Old Medina

I then headed to the Place Mohammed V, which is the administrative and proletariat region of Casablanca.  The buildings are more french architecturally, and the area is quite wealthy. Many businessmen, diplomats, and politicians were in the area, who fluent in English and recognizing I was a tourist, were quite chatty and friendly. The parks, fountains, and sidewalks in this area are beautiful, and there are people who take your photo feeding the pigeons and selling henna. I got some henna done on my arm for 100dh ($12.50).

Mohammed V Square

My henna. It is on both sides of my arm.

The Parc de la Ligue Arabe is lined with palm trees and gardens, and made for a nice stroll. The surrounding restaurants were nice as well. My travel guide said the Notre-Dame de Lourdes, which has beautiful stained glass, is in the southeast edge. I walked to the southeast edge, and there was no church. Google maps now informs me the church is actually several blocks away from the park. What I did find in the southeast corner was very strange, and felt like I was suddenly in the setting of horror movie. The southend of the park was quite dirty, and the one corner was fenced off. Inside was an abandoned carnival ground! The rides were rusted, destroyed, littered, and had pieces clearly stolen. There looked to be 10 or 15 rides, and was a rather large chunk of land. It was eery. 

Parc de la Ligue Arabe

Destroyed carnival ride

Anyways, I then headed to the Hassan II Mosque, which was the highlight of my day. The mosque is the largest in Morocco, and is situated on the ocean. It has a large marble courtyard outside with fountains, where children and tourists were wandering, then several series of arcs and steps before the building. It is marble, with gold leaves, and blue, greens, and light browns, with a tall tower. There are prayers 5 times a day, so they run tours between, when I was lucky to arrive just in time. There was a tour in English, where I learned an awful lot from the entertaining guide, and met English-speaking people from Holland, Sweden, Russia, and other European countries. No American or Canadian though. They had me cover my shoulders with my scarf and remove my shoes before going in. The guide says that it was not for religious reasons, but to keep the mosque clean. The ceiling of the mosque, which is beautifully carved wood opens up at 10:30am every day to cool the mosque, as it is not air conditioned. Although being highly mechanized, they blend in the mechanisms and the 300 loud speakers with the architecture, so it looks entirely old. In the basement is the area for washing, separate for men and women. They must wash their ears, face, hands, elbows, and feet 3 times before praying. This is a beautiful part of the mosque. Like the shoes, this is not religious, but traditional and to keep the mosque clean. Underneath this level is the bathing, which is a large pool, again men and women are separate. This is the social aspect of the mosque. The mosque was built according to instruction is the Quran, so some of the mosque is actually built over the ocean. The guide mentioned that the pillars on the lower levels, though they appear marble, are Venetian Plaster, which soaks up the humidity, so the chandeliers do not oxidize and change colour. I thought that was cool. In the tour group I met a couple, Emmanuel and Maria. Emmanuel is from Sweden, and Maria from Brazil. they met in the Amazon but now live in Paris. They were both really interesting and fun, and I spent the rest of the day with them, and I was hassled much less my men in the markets because of it. Like me, it was their first trip to Africa, though Maria has been to many Arab and Islam countries. 

Hassan II Mosque

Washing area

Ocean outside the mosque

After the mosque, I headed to the new medina, which was similar to the old medina, but much more beautiful and less tacky I thought. The royal palace is near by as well. Speaking of royalty, Morocco is a monarchy, and photos of the king are absolutely everywhere. I am unsure if this is law or because the people really do love him. The new medina was my second favourite part of the day. There were beautiful Moroccan carpets for sale, as well as dishware. More expensive, and less pushy salesmen made for a lovely afternoon. Emmanuel, Maria and I had dinner and I ate cous-cous with vegetables, chicken, and bouillon. Yum! They taught me how to play a card game called "Shithead"as our juice was being freshly squeezed... Aaaaaah. 

Carpets in New Medina

Dishes

Emmanuel and Maria

After dinner Maria, Emmanuel and I parted ways and I headed to my hotel, as the sun was starting to set. Other random things I haven't mentioned: Taxis here take up to three people going to different places, as long as one isn't too out of the way. KFC is very popular here, I have seen three when I wandered outside the Old Medina and Mohammed V, and saw someone with a Colonel Sanders backpack. I have seen one McDonalds, and one Shell station. 6 million people live in Casablanca, and out of 32 million Moroccans, only 23,000 are Christian. Also, I saw two donkeys and rickshaws in the city today! Many people have carts they push with products, especially water bottles. Lastly, I would have loved to see more mosques, but I was not allowed in most, just Hassan II. Since returning to my hotel I have been served delicious mint tea once again by the lovely staff here, and will probably spend the rest of my evening writing postcards. There is a post office next door! Lucky!

Keep Smiling :)